The documentary Man On Wire is getting rave reviews for its telling the story of a French man who illegally strung an 800 pound cable between the 2 World Trade towers in NYC in 1974… and then walked across.
On August 7th 1974, a young Frenchman named Philippe Petit stepped out on a wire illegally rigged between New York’s twin towers, then the world’s tallest buildings. After nearly an hour dancing on the wire, he was arrested, taken for psychological evaluation, and brought to jail before he was finally released.
Following six and a half years of dreaming of the towers, Petit spent eight months in New York City planning the execution of the coup. Aided by a team of friends and accomplices, Petit was faced with numerous extraordinary challenges: he had to find a way to bypass the WTC’s security; smuggle the heavy steel cable and rigging equipment into the towers; pass the wire between the two rooftops; anchor the wire and tension it to withstand the winds and the swaying of the buildings. The rigging was done by night in complete secrecy. At 7:15 AM, Philippe took his first step on the high wire 1,350 feet above the sidewalks of Manhattan…
James Marsh’s documentary brings Petit’s extraordinary adventure to life through the testimony of Philippe himself, and some of the co-conspirators who helped him create the unique and magnificent spectacle that became known as “the artistic crime of the century.”
Awards and Praise:
WINNER:
Audience Award & Grand Jury Prize for World Documentary, 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Audience Award & Special Jury Prize, 2008 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Audience Award, 2008 Los Angeles Film Festival
Audience Award, 2008 Edinburgh Film Festival
“ERUPTS ON SCREEN AS ONE OF THE MOST WILDLY ENTERTAINING DOCS OF RECENT YEARS. AN ADVENTURE TALE THAT ASTONISHES IN EVERY RESPECT.” - Robert Koehler, VARIETY
“RIVETING. This exhilarating film makes you shake your head in amazement.” - Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
“EXHILARATING.” - Stephen Holden, New York Times
“AN ASTONISHING TRIUMPH OF A FILM – EASILY THE BEST I’VE SEEN ALL YEAR. The human emotions around the dizzyingly beautiful feat are unexpectedly, suddenly, overwhelming.” - Luke Crisell, Nylon
“Shows, step by thrilling step, how Philippe Petit pulled off his astonishing tightrope walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in 1974. NO DOC - AND NO FICTIONAL FILM [AT SUNDANCE] - WAS MORE PURELY ENTERTAINING.” - David Ansen, Newsweek
“NO AMOUNT OF DESCRIPTION CAN TRANSMIT THE PASSION AND JOY IN THIS WONDERFUL PICTURE. GRADE A+.” - Cole Smithey.com
“HIGHLY ENTERTAINING AND DEEPLY MOVING. The film relates the complex tale with the breathlessness of a caper thriller.” - Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
“THRILLING AND PROFOUND. Filled with jaw-dropping footage of NYC and paced like a heist film, the movie reaches great heights.” - Joshua Rothkopf, Time Out New York
“BREATHTAKING! A HEART POUNDING THRILLER. It is impossible not to get caught up in the sheer audacity of Philippe Petit’s plan.” - S. James Snyder, New York Sun
“A STUNNING ADVENTURE. A RIVETING, EXHILARATING RIDE.” - Doris Toumarkine, Film Journal
“IT’S TOO ELECTRIC AND GRIPPING TO BE CALLED A MERE DOCUMENTARY.” - Jeffrey Wells, Hollywood Elsewhere
“EXHILARATING! A crowd pleaser in such witty, poetic ways that even a curmudgeon couldn’t deny.” - Aaron Hillis, Village Voice
“DON’T MISS! The finale is stunning and heart-stopping.” - Sara Cardace, New York Magazine
“BREATHTAKING.” - Harlan Jacobson, USA Today
“EUPHORIC AND WILDLY ENTERTAINING. A magnificently eccentric film about imagination, risk taking and creative self-expression.” - Scott Foundas, LA Weekly
“IT WALKS ON AIR.” - Jessica Winter, Oprah Magazine
“EXHILARATING” - Jeff Craig, Sixty Second Preview
“BREATHTAKING. A STRANGE, STIRRING EXPERIENCE UNLIKE ANY DOCUMENTARY YOU’LL SEE THIS YEAR.” - Joshua Rothkopf, Penthouse
“THERE IS NO WAY A REVIEW CAN ADEQUATELY CONVEY ITS COMPLICATED RESONANCE, OR ITS SUBTLE POETIC TRANSFORMATION. Director Marsh has done much more than document one man’s unlikely accomplishment; he has restored those towers to us as symbols of joy and transcendence.” - Andrew O’Hehir, Salon
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WatchMojo NewsletterSee below for the newest teaser for the much anticipated Twilight movie starring Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
TWILIGHT is an action-packed, modern day love story between a vampire and a human. Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) has always been a little bit different, never caring about fitting in with the trendy girls at her Phoenix high school. When her mother remarries and sends Bella to live with her father in the rainy little town of Forks, Washington, she doesn’t expect much of anything to change. Then she meets the mysterious and dazzlingly beautiful Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a boy unlike any she’s ever met. Intelligent and witty, he sees straight into her soul. Soon, Bella and Edward are swept up in a passionate and decidedly unorthodox romance. Edward can run faster than a mountain lion, he can stop a moving car with his bare hands – and he hasn’t aged since 1918. Like all vampires, he’s immortal. But he doesn’t have fangs, and he doesn’t drink human blood; Edward and his family are unique among vampires in their lifestyle choice. To Edward, Bella is that thing he has waited 90 years for – a soul mate. But the closer they get, the more Edward must struggle to resist the primal pull of her scent, which could send him into an uncontrollable frenzy. But what will Edward & Bella do when James (Cam Gigandet), Laurent (Edi Gathegi) and Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), the Cullens’ mortal vampire enemies, come to town, looking for her?
ABOUT TWILIGHT: Based on the current #1 New York Times Bestselling series (30 weeks and counting) with over 5.5 million books in print by Stephenie Meyer, TWILIGHT is a cultural phenomenon, with a dedicated fanbase that eagerly awaits this movie. There are over 100 fan sites devoted to Twilight, and it has been chosen as the New York Times Editor’s Choice, a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, Amazon’s “Best Book of the Decade…So Far”, Teen People’s “Hot List” Pick, The American Library Association’s “Top Ten Best Book for Young Adults” and “Top Ten Books for Reluctant Readers” and has been translated into 20 languages. Critically acclaimed director Catherine Hardwicke brings to life this modern, visual, and visceral Romeo & Juliet story of the ultimate forbidden love affair – between vampire and mortal.
Is this Batman movie messing up the actors involved or what? This seems extremely bizarre but apparently Christian Bale has been arrested in the UK for assaulting his mother and sister.
Read more HERE
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