This short documentary follows 81 year old Joe Leisner, owner of Comic Book Heaven in Sunnyside, Queens, NY as he cantankerously assesses the status of his business, the comic book industry, and his future.
Social & External
Himself
In the spring of 1984, a strange new comic book sat beside cash registers in select shops, too big to fit in the racks, and too weird to ignore. Eastman and Laird's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles presented a completely original breed of super hero. It was too bizarre, too crazy. It broke all the rules and should never have worked. Until it sold out. Again and again and again. For 30 years. Now, peek under the shell and see how this so-called "happy accident" defied every naysayer to become one of the most popular and beloved franchises in the world.
Additional materials for "Major Grom: Plague Doctor" (2021).
"... It's heartening to see so much talent and dedication at work in the under-appreciated medium of personal, as opposed to corporate, comics. I also enjoyed watching so many introverts (I oughta know) squirming in front of the camera, valiantly trying to explain the unexplainable." - Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy the Pinhead
Filmed in part in front of a live audience at The New Amsterdam Theater in New York City, this Stan Lee tribute takes viewers on an action-packed journey throughout the life of Lee and across the Marvel Universe, sharing never-before-seen interviews and archive footage with Lee himself from deep within the Marvel and ABC News archives.
A long overdue documentary that tells the story of 2000AD, the unsung cult hero of the comics industry. This film will celebrate and pay respect to the comic and explore its importance and influence on contemporary pop culture.
Todd Loren, whose scandalous series of unauthorized comic book biographies of rock stars enraged and sometimes charmed his subjects, provoked numerous lawsuit threats from the likes of Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses and Skid Row, and eventually led to a landmark First Amendment case, all before he was savagely murdered in 1992. Includes first hand accounts from many of the artists and writers who were inspired and exploited by Loren, along with interviews with Alice Cooper, Mojo Nixon and more.
Chris Claremont’s X-Men takes an in-depth look at Claremont’s monumental run. Using high-profile interviews, the film explores the behind-the-scenes development of notable characters like Wolverine, Storm, and Phoenix, as well as the challenges of creating art within a corporate system.
Documentary that explores the long and remarkable career of Will Eisner, a pioneering cartoonist whose work continues to have an impact on pop culture around the world. Includes interviews with Ann Eisner, Art Spiegelman, Bill Sienkiewicz, Denis Kitchen, Jerry Robinson, Angeli, Maurício de Souza, Ziraldo, Jano, François Schuiten and many other artists.
Everyone thinks that Bob Kane created Batman, but that’s not the whole truth. One author makes it his crusade to make it known that Bill Finger, a struggling writer, actually helped invent the iconic superhero, from concept to costume to the very character we all know and love. Bruce Wayne may be Batman’s secret identity, but his creator was always a true mystery.
This is an in-depth look at the writer and artist David Mack, who Entertainment Weekly designates "One of the true geniuses of the medium."
A documentary about illustrator and comic book artist, John G. In Cleveland, his artwork is everywhere, but most don't know the face behind the gritty imagery of The Lake Erie Monster comic series and restaurant chain Melt Bar and Grilled.
A survey of the artistic history of the comic book medium and some of the major talents associated with it.
Documentary detailing the life and career of the late René Goscinny, creator of Asterix.
Documentary about the illustrator of the longtime Asterix comic book, Albert Uderzo
Possessed of an incredible artistic talent, Steve Rude is "The Dude," an eccentric personality as colorful as his comic book art. Filmmaker Ian Fischer (Magritte Moment) presents Rude's rise through the comic book world and difficult transition from comic book shops to art gallery walls, made all the more challenging by Rude's battles with mental illness.
How a new director and cast created a new version of Gotham's classic good and bad guys.
The film observes the events surrounding the sudden decrease of sales of comic books in the US in the early 90's, followed by the surge of webcomics on the Internet.
An "Ock-umentary" exploring the character of Doc Ock and the way he as well as his tentacles were brought to life on the silver screen.
This documentary depicts the filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky talking about his life, his loves, his career as a filmmaker, graphic novelist, and workshop leader, and his eccentricities including tarot reader and theatrical director during The Panic Movement. Directed by Louis Mouchet, La Constellation Jodorowsky includes a lengthy on-camera interview with Jodorowsky in Spanish with subtitles. Marcel Marceau, Fernando Arrabal, Peter Gabriel, Jean "Moebius" Giraud, and Jean Pierre Vignau make appearances discussing their various projects with the director. In addition to the interview and film clips, Mouchet features some bizarre footage from Jodorowsky’s absurdist plays in which topless women splattered with paint writhe around the stage in a theatrical production meant to represent The Panic Movement, i.e., an artistic expression in which reason cannot fully express the human experience.
Comic legend Jack Kirby co-created Captain America, Avengers, Black Panther and more for Marvel and DC. From Depression-era roots through WWII service to his 60-year comics career, he shaped the medium as a major 20th century artist.
30 years ago, on June 23rd, 1991, Sonic the Hedgehog was released on the SEGA Genesis, beginning a new era of gaming. Since then, Sonic has been running through countless zones, beating badniks, and saving the world with the help of his friends. This performance is to thank you, all of you, for being there every step of the way, and to remind us all of the amazing journey we've been on. Happy 30th Anniversary, Sonic!
A boy walks through an abandoned building and films the interior. Suddenly his camera disappears.
Two teenagers are playing by night in a dirty parking lot. After they are driving on an empty road, they start to tease each other on the way to the sea, but they seem to be too young to drive and the road is a bit strange.
Return to Zion is Yaacov Ben-Dov’s third film and the first motion picture the JNF had acquired for distribution amongst Jews around the world. The film, thought to have been lost, was unearthed in Prague in 1989 and in the 1990s, a copy was handed over to the Israeli Film Archive at the Jerusalem Cinematheque. The film, among other things, features the imprisonment of Ze’ev Jabotinsky and his friends in Acre; Mandatory Palestine’s First High Commissioner, Herbert Samuel’s tours of Jaffa and Jerusalem; pioneering Jewish immigrants and their budding agricultural, rural and urban communities across the land; archaeological excavations in Tiberias and Jerusalem, and rare footage of early-days Tel Aviv.
Antonio Molina is a criminal in decline that tries to regain the respect for friendship and commitment, at any cost.
The year's most beautiful natural experience on the big screen is also a poetic film about the power of language to re-enchant the world around us. Based on Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris' bestseller.
Luisa is called to the bed of her dying mother Edith at Karlstein Castle. Before she dies, she tells Luisa that the Karlsteins are a family of vampires and that her ancestor, the original Count Karlstein, lies buried in the crypt. Afterwards, Luisa goes and finds the count's coffin and discovers that he is undead. As she takes Karine, her cousin as her lover, a police inspector, Ptuschko investigates a series of killings around the town, dismissing the locals who insist these are being caused by vampires.
A Puerto Rican seamstress ponders leaving her island to go live with her daughter in the United States.
Elvy is making every effort to win the Future Fashion Award in Ibiza. She meets a lot of special people, from world-famous DJs and stressed-out Beach Club owners, to fashion influencers and the daughter of a famous fashion icon. It will be the adventure of her life, but in the end it’s very different from what she had imagined...
John tells the story of a young male, a psychiatric hospital patient who witnesses the death of another Black male patient at the hands of white staff. Blurring the boundaries between fact and fiction, this work draws from real life cases of mentally ill Black men who have died as a result of excessive force of the State.
A group of martial artists seek revenge after being crippled by Tu Tin-To, a martial arts master, and his son.
An unlucky Birthday boy must fight for his life against a masked psychopath.
It’s Saturday night in Istanbul and the storm suppresses the sound of music around the city. Özge and Tarık, who have had too much to drink, decide to end the night and jump in a cab. However, the journey back home doesn’t go as they expect.
Jeong-won, who forgot the past and lives a peaceful marriage, receives a phone call from the police one day. The man who sexually assaulted her has been caught and the news shakes up the couple’s life and breaks down their daily lives.
01. In Plain View 02. Everything’s Gone 03. Fear Is The Weakness 04. Trigger 05. Resin 06. Where The Dead Ships Dwell 07. With Eyes Wide Open 08. Paralyzed 09. Through Oblivion 10. Ropes 11. Delight And Angers 12. Cloud Connected 13. Only For The Weak 14. The Chosen Pessimist 15. The Quiet Place 16. When The World Explodes 17. Rusted Nail 18. The Mirror’s Truth 19. Deliver Us 20. Take This Life