Chinatown Fair opened as a penny arcade on Mott Street in 1944. Over the decades, the dimly lit gathering place, known for its tic-tac-toe playing chicken, became an institution, surviving turf wars between rival gangs, changing tastes and the explosive growth of home gaming systems like Xbox and Playstation that shuttered most other arcades in the city. But as the neighborhood gentrified, this haven for a diverse, unlikely community faced its strongest challenge, inspiring its biggest devotees to next-level greatness.
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In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel, “Deep Throat,” starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film’s star.
For millennia mankind lived upon this planet without the need for electronic devices. No smart phones, tablets or gadgets running our homes. We knew about the cycles of nature and the balance of life. Now, we live in an artificially created dream state that controls every aspect of our lives. The majority of people in the world have no idea how to hunt and gather, how to heal themselves, build a shelter and even communicate without texting. Huge leaps in technological evolution have destroyed in one generation what thousands of generations developed. The threats we are facing in the very near future are immense. Criminals, terrorists and governments are only just the beginning. We will soon be facing the greatest threat ever known as we are feeding and nurturing the monster of our own destruction. Welcome to your future.
In May of 2011, Neil Young drove a 1956 Crown Victoria from his idyllic hometown of Omemee, Ontario to downtown Toronto’s iconic Massey Hall where he intimately performed the last two nights of his solo world tour. Along the drive, Young recounted insightful and introspective stories from his youth to filmmaker Jonathan Demme. Through the tunes and the tales, Demme portrays a personal, retrospective look into the heart and soul of the artist.
The true story of John Romulus Brinkley, a small-town Kansas doctor who discovers in 1917 that he can cure impotence by transplanting goat testicles into men. And that’s just the tipping point in this stranger-than-fiction tale. With the balls of a P.T. Barnum, the gonads of goats, and the wishful dreams of flaccid men, Brinkley amassed a fortune, was almost elected Governor of Kansas, invented junk mail and the infomercial, and built the world’s most powerful radio station. By the time all of the twists and turns of Brinkley’s story are revealed, Nuts! certainly earns its title.
Underwater Dreams, narrated by Michael Peña, is an epic story of how the sons of undocumented Mexican immigrants learned how to build underwater robots. And go up against MIT in the process.
After twenty years of marriage, art professor Nino Rolfe attempts to break down his wife Teresa’s conventional modesty. Noticing her affection for their daughter’s fiancé, Nino instigates her sexual interest in him as well. This sets off a chain of unexpected events and emotional complications, as Nino and his unpredictable fascist daughter find that they both enjoy being jealous.
Comedy stand-up special featuring the gifted comic, Dana Gould
Never before seen Super 8 home movies filmed by Richard Nixon’s closest aides – and convicted Watergate conspirators – offer a surprising and intimate new look into his Presidency.
Most people know foosball as the game they used to play in their parent’s basement, but for some die-hard fans, foosball isn’t just a game… it’s a way of life. Enter the underground world of professional foosball, a sport that’s been around for over 40 years but no one knows exists. Through an ensemble cast, FOOSBALLERS not only uncovers a forgotten piece of sports history, it follows 6 of the best table soccer players in the world as they prepare for the sport’s most prestigious event, The Tornado World Championships.
In the wake of a devastating personal tragedy, struggling would-be filmmaker Parker Smith decides to take a road-trip across America. Intending to make a “lo-fi” documentary about his journey he purchases a decade old camera off of eBay, and is surprised to discover that it holds a long forgotten video tape containing strange home video footage of the notorious bodybuilder Gregg Valentino, a/k/a ‘The Man Whose Arms Exploded’. Convinced that Valentino’s odd tape found its way into his hands for some important reason, Parker sets off from Austin, Texas to New York to find the fading bodybuilder armed with only his beloved cat, two cameras and a minivan.
The controversial bad-boy of comedy delivers a piercing look at his life, lifting the metaphorical smokescreen that he feels has clouded the public view, commenting on everything from the dangers of smoking to the trials of relationships, and unleashing a nonstop litany of raucous anecdotes, stinging social commentary and very personal reflections about life.
