SIDETRACK FILMS

A Slipping Down Life

All of this screen-, panel-discussion- and party-hopping is beginning to take it out of me — and, I assume, many of my T/F-attending brethren and sistren — so I'll probably just incorporate my Day 2 recap into tomorrow's True/False Film Festival wrap-up.

For the moment, I'll leave you with the above image, provided by the Tribune's Gerry McCarthy, of the Pine Hill Haints as they perform this morning on the back of a bus — which was joined by two others, including one of the veggie-guzzling variety — en route to the Reel Gone Roundup at the old sale barn behind the Bull Pen Cafe.

One thing I do need to mention now is how much of a privilege it was to get a chance to experience AJ Schnack's "Kurt Cobain About a Son" this afternoon at The Blue Note.

Thanks to True/False these past two years, I've developed a strong rapport with my fellow University of Missouri journalism-school grad.

Putting that association aside, I think it's fair to say that Schnack, producer/wife Shirley Moyers, co-producer/provider-of-source-material Michael Azerrad and definitely director of photography Wyatt Troll, scorers Steve Fisk and Ben Gibbard and music supervisor Linda Cohen have lovingly handed us a singular, ambrosial 35 mm "death poem" — as Schnack related Troll saw it — giving us a better understanding of the depression-wracked life of one of the most significant artists of the late 20th century.

Beautifully done. – read more

From Columbia Tribune – Posted on March 04 2007

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

MU grads latest among early T/F announcements

Last year’s True/False Film Festival ended on a point of pride for Missourians, with "Homemade Hillbilly Jam" closing out the third installment of Columbia’s documentary showcase in grand fashion.

Rick Minnich’s film lovingly chronicled the lives of members of Springfield-area band Big Smith, giving us an excellent account of our region’s music, its landscape and the significance of family, history and home.

With close-to-complete lineup details for the 2007 edition of True/False leaking my way, it looks as if we’ll have more to brag about in early March.

Filmmaker AJ Schnack has returned to town on a couple of occasions since graduating from the University of Missouri in 1990 - to present his They Might Be Giants documentary, "Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)," in 2003 at Ragtag Cinema and to experience, blog about and moderate a panel discussion for True/False last year.

This time, Schnack will be back with his latest project, "Kurt Cobain About a Son," in tow. – read more

From Columbia Daily Tribune – Posted on January 18 2007

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

Looking Back at '06: Music and Politics Dominate Documentaries

2006 spawned a wealth of excellent documentary films, a high percentage of which dealt with either matters of music or politics--and many even combined the two themes. But high quality and critical praise did not necessarily translate into huge box office numbers. Four of the year's most lauded music-related docs took in a combined total of just under 5 million dollars: Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's Oscar short-listed "Shut Up & Sing" ($1.01 M), Lian Lunson's "Leonard Cohen, I'm Your Man" (1.04M), David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" ($1.1 M), and Jonathan Demme's "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" ($1.83 M). Those films, incidentally, represent four of only seven documentaries to break the million-dollar mark for domestic box office in 2006. – read more

From indieWIRE – Posted on December 26 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

The Filmlot Interview: Michael Azerrad & AJ Schnack

The Filmlot recently spoke with co-producer / music journalist, Michael Azerrad and director / editor, AJ Schnack, about their new non-fiction film "Kurt Cobain About a Son". The film, which debuted at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, had its US premiere at the recent International AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles, and has just won the Best Documentary prize at the Starz Denver Film Festival. Schnack will be off soon to showcase the film in Amsterdam for the 19th IDFA beginning November 23. – read more

From The Filmlot – Posted on November 27 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

“The human voice is the organ of the soul.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
In deference to my own interpretation of how Kurt Cobain defined himself, I’d like to point out what this film is not. This film is not a typical rockumentary full of celebrity and friendly talking heads, archival concert footage or anecdotes and pictures from Kurt’s past. What this is, simply, is Kurt Cobain’s voice, carrying on an extended conversation.

In the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana re-defined rock music as we know it. Elevated to a God-like status, Kurt’s life in the limelight was one of constant scrutiny, whether it be over his marriage with Courtney Love or his constant battles with drug addiction. Unfortunately for those who loved him, and in a grander sense the music world, Kurt’s time at the top was cut short by his tragic suicide, and it seemed all that we would ever know of Kurt Cobain was what existed in the songs he wrote, the interviews he gave and the concerts he performed in. – read more

From Film Threat – Posted on November 04 2006

KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON

Kurt Cobain: About a Son: Bottom Line: An indelible autobiographical document

Taking an unconventional approach to biography, documentarian AJ Schnack has created an intimate, lyrical meditation on the making of an artist. "Kurt Cobain: About a Son" is a true gift to fans of this important musician, whose 1994 suicide was international Page One news. No one speaks for the grunge great but Cobain in well-chosen excerpts from previously unreleased audiotape interviews. The docu, which screens Saturday and Sunday in AFI Fest's international docu competition, could carve out a specialty release niche and is sure to have a long life among Nirvana faithful.

It's a rare treat to hear an artist tell his own story, especially for performers of Cobain's stature. In "About a Son," there's not an intermediary talking head in sight, not a childhood photo -- indeed, images of Cobain and Nirvana appear only briefly, an hour into the proceedings and again at film's end. For most of the 97-minute running time, Cobain's disembodied voice-over narration is the only archival material; visuals consist of newly filmed footage of his stamping grounds in Washington state. – read more

From The Hollywood Reporter – Posted on November 03 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON A Slipping Down Life All of this screen-, panel-discussion- and party-hopping is beginning to take it out of me — and, I assume, many of my T/F-attending brethren and sistren — so I'll probably just incorporate my Day 2 recap into tomorrow's True/False Film Festival wrap-up. For the moment, I'll leave you with the above image, provided by the Tribune's Gerry McCarthy, of the Pine Hill Haints as they perform this morning on the back of a bus — which was joined by two others, including one of the veggie-guzzling variety — en route to the Reel Gone Roundup at the old sale barn behind the Bull Pen Cafe. One thing I do need to mention now is how much of a privilege it was to get a chance to experience AJ Schnack's "Kurt Cobain About a Son" this afternoon at The Blue Note. Thanks to True/False these past two years, I've developed a strong rapport with my fellow University of Missouri journalism-school grad. Putting that association aside, I think it's fair to say that Schnack, producer/wife Shirley Moyers, co-producer/provider-of-source-material Michael Azerrad and definitely director of photography Wyatt Troll, scorers Steve Fisk and Ben Gibbard and music supervisor Linda Cohen have lovingly handed us a singular, ambrosial 35 mm "death poem" — as Schnack related Troll saw it — giving us a better understanding of the depression-wracked life of one of the most significant artists of the late 20th century. Beautifully done. – read more From Columbia Tribune – Posted on March 04 2007

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON MU grads latest among early T/F announcements Last year’s True/False Film Festival ended on a point of pride for Missourians, with "Homemade Hillbilly Jam" closing out the third installment of Columbia’s documentary showcase in grand fashion. Rick Minnich’s film lovingly chronicled the lives of members of Springfield-area band Big Smith, giving us an excellent account of our region’s music, its landscape and the significance of family, history and home. With close-to-complete lineup details for the 2007 edition of True/False leaking my way, it looks as if we’ll have more to brag about in early March. Filmmaker AJ Schnack has returned to town on a couple of occasions since graduating from the University of Missouri in 1990 - to present his They Might Be Giants documentary, "Gigantic (A Tale of Two Johns)," in 2003 at Ragtag Cinema and to experience, blog about and moderate a panel discussion for True/False last year. This time, Schnack will be back with his latest project, "Kurt Cobain About a Son," in tow. – read more From Columbia Daily Tribune – Posted on January 18 2007

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON Looking Back at '06: Music and Politics Dominate Documentaries 2006 spawned a wealth of excellent documentary films, a high percentage of which dealt with either matters of music or politics--and many even combined the two themes. But high quality and critical praise did not necessarily translate into huge box office numbers. Four of the year's most lauded music-related docs took in a combined total of just under 5 million dollars: Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck's Oscar short-listed "Shut Up & Sing" ($1.01 M), Lian Lunson's "Leonard Cohen, I'm Your Man" (1.04M), David Leaf and John Scheinfeld's "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" ($1.1 M), and Jonathan Demme's "Neil Young: Heart of Gold" ($1.83 M). Those films, incidentally, represent four of only seven documentaries to break the million-dollar mark for domestic box office in 2006. – read more From indieWIRE – Posted on December 26 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON The Filmlot Interview: Michael Azerrad & AJ Schnack The Filmlot recently spoke with co-producer / music journalist, Michael Azerrad and director / editor, AJ Schnack, about their new non-fiction film "Kurt Cobain About a Son". The film, which debuted at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, had its US premiere at the recent International AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles, and has just won the Best Documentary prize at the Starz Denver Film Festival. Schnack will be off soon to showcase the film in Amsterdam for the 19th IDFA beginning November 23. – read more From The Filmlot – Posted on November 27 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON “The human voice is the organ of the soul.” – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow In deference to my own interpretation of how Kurt Cobain defined himself, I’d like to point out what this film is not. This film is not a typical rockumentary full of celebrity and friendly talking heads, archival concert footage or anecdotes and pictures from Kurt’s past. What this is, simply, is Kurt Cobain’s voice, carrying on an extended conversation. In the early 90’s, Kurt Cobain and his band Nirvana re-defined rock music as we know it. Elevated to a God-like status, Kurt’s life in the limelight was one of constant scrutiny, whether it be over his marriage with Courtney Love or his constant battles with drug addiction. Unfortunately for those who loved him, and in a grander sense the music world, Kurt’s time at the top was cut short by his tragic suicide, and it seemed all that we would ever know of Kurt Cobain was what existed in the songs he wrote, the interviews he gave and the concerts he performed in. – read more From Film Threat – Posted on November 04 2006

				KURT COBAIN ABOUT A SON Kurt Cobain: About a Son: Bottom Line: An indelible autobiographical document Taking an unconventional approach to biography, documentarian AJ Schnack has created an intimate, lyrical meditation on the making of an artist. "Kurt Cobain: About a Son" is a true gift to fans of this important musician, whose 1994 suicide was international Page One news. No one speaks for the grunge great but Cobain in well-chosen excerpts from previously unreleased audiotape interviews. The docu, which screens Saturday and Sunday in AFI Fest's international docu competition, could carve out a specialty release niche and is sure to have a long life among Nirvana faithful. It's a rare treat to hear an artist tell his own story, especially for performers of Cobain's stature. In "About a Son," there's not an intermediary talking head in sight, not a childhood photo -- indeed, images of Cobain and Nirvana appear only briefly, an hour into the proceedings and again at film's end. For most of the 97-minute running time, Cobain's disembodied voice-over narration is the only archival material; visuals consist of newly filmed footage of his stamping grounds in Washington state. – read more From The Hollywood Reporter – Posted on November 03 2006