The Merchants of Cool

Feb 27, 2001

0h 55m

★ 7.2

How businesses market to American teenagers, and the effect they have together on popular culture.

Overview

A documentary on the marketing of pop culture to Teenagers.

Genres

Documentary

History

Music

The Merchants of Cool Trailers

No Trailers found.

Cast

Self

Douglas Rushkoff

Self

Christina Aguilera

Self

Greg Berlanti

Self

Jessica Biel

Self

Adam Carolla

Self

Fred Durst

Self

Malcolm Gladwell

Self

Carson Daly

Self

Lewis Goldstein

Shaggy 2 Dope

Self

Brian Graden

Self (archive footage)

Tom Green

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface (which will celebrate its 50th birthday in 2007) as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type.

7.0

Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch's War on Journalism

Jul 14, 2004

This film examines how media empires, led by Rupert Murdoch's Fox News, have been running a "race to the bottom" in television news, and provides an in-depth look at Fox News and the dangerous impact on society when a broad swath of media is controlled by one person. Media experts, including Jeff Cohen (FAIR) Bob McChesney (Free Press), Chellie Pingree (Common Cause), Jeff Chester (Center for Digital Democracy) and David Brock (Media Matters) provide context and guidance for the story of Fox News and its effect on society. This documentary also reveals the secrets of Former Fox news producers, reporters, bookers and writers who expose what it's like to work for Fox News. These former Fox employees talk about how they were forced to push a "right-wing" point of view or risk their jobs. Some have even chosen to remain anonymous in order to protect their current livelihoods. As one employee said "There's no sense of integrity as far as having a line that can't be crossed."

5.3

The Good Night

Jan 25, 2007

Gary, a musician, is trapped in an unhappy relationship with his live-in lover, Dora. He becomes enthralled with a beautiful seductress who enters his dreams, and tries to control his dream-state so he can spend more and more time with her. When Gary sees his mystery woman's face on a bus billboard, he discovers she is real, and fate brings him an opportunity to meet her.

0.0

Don Beveridge - Customerization Seminar

May 1, 1998

Business speaker Don Beveridge brings his consulting expertise to a corporate engagement for Burger King, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Donuts, Togo's and more.

No Image Available

5.3

Juppé, forcément...

Jun 1, 1995

No overview available.

0.0

Rich Media, Poor Democracy

Jan 1, 2003

Robert McChesney lays the blame for the US's current state of affairs squarely at the doors of the corporate boardrooms of big media, which far from delivering on their promises of more choice and more diversity, have organized a system characterized by a lack of competition, homogenization of opinion and formulaic programming.

5.8

Man in the Camo Jacket

Jan 1, 2017

Iconic Welsh rock musician Mike Peters' rise to fame, battle with cancer and inspiring return, featuring one-of-a-kind performances from other legendary musicians.

0.0

Ardisson, l'Homme en Noir : l'hommage

Jul 15, 2025

This tribute program takes you back into the world of Thierry Ardisson, a particularly creative, provocative, and erudite host and producer. From "Tout le monde en parle" to "Salut les Terriens !", via "Lunettes noires pour nuits blanches", the program retraces his more than 40-year career and his extraordinary journey, featuring cult interviews, testimonials, and archive footage. Numerous guests will pay tribute to him and share their memories and anecdotes on set. Thierry Ardisson, "the man in black," shook up the French audiovisual landscape and left his mark on his era. The program is broadcast on all TV5 Monde channels and on TV5 Québec/Canada.

6.8

La face cachée de l'homme en noir

Jul 16, 2025

You've seen him interview Mikhail Gorbachev, Angelina Jolie, Robbie Williams, Mariah Carey, Brad Pitt, Jane Fonda, Robert De Niro... You know him, but you don't really know him. Everyone has talked about Ardisson without ever getting close to the truth about him. My ambition: to reveal the man behind the costume of "The Man in Black." I thought to myself: if anyone can figure him out, it's me, a journalist and portraitist who has lived with him for 15 years. Who is the private Thierry behind the spectacular Ardisson? What we discover is how much Ardisson's personal history reflects the eras he has lived through, their contradictions, their utopias, their excesses, their violence. Like so many facets of a man and of society at the turn of the century.

7.2

The Celluloid Closet

Mar 15, 1996

Exuberant, eye-opening movie that serves up a dazzling hundred-year history of the role of gay men and lesbians have had on the silver screen. Film contains fabulous footage from 120 films showing the changing face of cinema sexuality, from cruel stereotypes to covert love to the activist triumphs of the 1990s.

7.0

Art & Copy

Aug 21, 2009

The personal odysseys of some of the most influential advertising visionaries of all time and the stories behind their campaigns.

6.8

Fin de concession

Oct 27, 2010

Pierre Carles questions the privatization of the leading French televisions channel : is it not scandalous that the TFI-Bouygues concession has been automatically renewed since 1987 ? Taking up the anti-television fight he initiated with "Pas vu Pas pris", his first film, he confronts the people responsible for the news who have always avoided tackling this taboo subject. But the investigation does not go as planned : the old dinosaurs and young guardians now how to handle this media critic. To find his "fighting spirit" again, Carles calls to arms his friends and changes methods : Henceforth, no more concessions !

0.0

The Choice - The Risks of Web Democracy

Jun 7, 2018

Italy’s biggest political party, the Five Star Movement, promotes direct democracy through internet voting. Five Star Movement uses a digital platform named Rousseau, that allows Movement’s members to vote online and express their opinion on various issues. But who governs this data?

8.2

Greetings From Planet Smurf

Jun 8, 2018

The Smurfs were created in 1958 by the Belgian comic author Peyo (Pierre Culliford, 1928-1992) and they are one of Belgium's most recognized exports. From Brussels to Los Angeles, via Dubai, a journey into the tiny world of the famous little blue people, from the story of the creation of the original comic to the account of their huge global commercial exploitation.

7.6

Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media

Nov 6, 1992

A film about the noted American linguist/political dissident and his warning about corporate media's role in modern propaganda.

No Image Available

0.0

Joanne

Jan 13, 2017

Joanne is a model, a teacher, a fighter, a chameleon. But when her private semi-nude photos went public, this woman of many talents came to be simply known as 'the topless teacher'. Together with her former student, artist Simon Fujiwara, she seeks to reclaim her image through social media and branding tactics. Shifting between advertisement and portraiture, this meta-narrative on identity manages to infuse playfulness in its layered commentary on who you are and how you're seen.

0.0

STREET SMART: Lessons from a TV Icon

Jun 21, 2025

STREET SMART: LESSONS FROM A TV ICON is a feature documentary about Sonia Manzano — known to millions as “Maria” from SESAME STREET. The film follows Sonia’s remarkable journey, from a young girl in the South Bronx finding refuge in television, to becoming the first Latina on American TV in a regular role, through 44 years on screen on SESAME STREET, and now as a creator of ALMA'S WAY. Featuring interviews with luminaries, original animation, and scripted scenes that blend humor and heart, this inspirational documentary invites viewers to learn once again from this beloved icon.

5.8

Josie and the Pussycats

Apr 6, 2001

Josie, Melody and Val are three small-town girl musicians determined to take their rock band out of their garage and straight to the top, while remaining true to their look, style and sound. They get a record deal which brings fame and fortune but soon realize they are pawns of two people who want to control the youth of America. They must clear their names, even if it means losing fame and fortune.

0.0

A Imagem da Música - Os Anos de Influência da MTV Brasil

May 3, 2017

The documentary goes through the 23 years of MTV Brazil, taking stock from the avant-garde to the ostracism of the broadcaster that was the main guide for the musical, cultural and social formation of young people in the 90's and 2000's with interviews and testimonials from former VJ's and artists that emerged and became popular in the country because of the channel.

No Image Available

10.0

Information Violence

Apr 10, 2002

No overview available.