Some of the Best

Interview-based documentary looking back on the making and reception of René Clément's 1952 film "Forbidden Games."

A retrospective of the 50-year history of the American Broadcasting Company, showcasing clips from past shows and current programs.

A look at the life of chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich both on and off the screen as she celebrates 25 years on public television.

Ten years after establishing New Heights, the pastors, their families, and other influential members of the church sit down for roundtable discussions to look back on the past decade and forward toward their future plans for the congregation.

TUGS: A Bigg Retrospective is the definitive film telling the story of how the 1989 cult classic series 'TUGS' was brought to our TV screens, and how it survived beyond its premature end.

The unique life and talent of Caroline Aherne is celebrated in a new Arena film, featuring unseen photographs and contributions from a cast of her lifelong friends, including Steve Coogan, John Thomson, Craig Cash and producer Andy Harries.

It's been 20 years snce Once Were Warriors was made. Julian Arahanga aka 'Nig' takes us on a journey to meet the cast and see where they are now.

Julien Temple's second documentary profiling punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols is an enlightening, entertaining trip back to a time when the punk movement was just discovering itself. Featuring archival footage, never-before-seen performances, rehearsals, and recording sessions as well as interviews with group members who lived to tell the tale--including the one and only John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten).

The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened? feature film documents the process of development of the ill fated "Superman Lives" movie, that was to be directed by Tim Burton and star Nicolas Cage as the man of steel himself, Superman. The project went through years of development before the plug was pulled, and this documentary interviews the major filmmakers: Kevin Smith, Tim Burton, Jon Peters, Dan Gilroy, Colleen Atwood, Lorenzo di Bonaventura and many many more.

Cameramen and women discuss the craft and art of cinematography and of the "DP" (the director of photography), illustrating their points with clips from 100 films, from Birth of a Nation to Do the Right Thing. Themes: the DP tells people where to look; changes in movies (the arrival of sound, color, and wide screens) required creative responses from DPs; and, these artisans constantly invent new equipment and try new things, with wonderful results. The narration takes us through the identifiable studio styles of the 30s, the emergence of noir, the New York look, and the impact of Europeans. Citizen Kane, The Conformist, and Gordon Willis get special attention.

Documentary exploring the truth behind the legend of John Lennon.

For this behemoth, Bressane took his opera omnia and edited it in an order that first adheres to historical chronology but soon starts to move backwards and forward. The various pasts – the 60s, the 80s, the 2000s – comment on each other in a way that sheds light on Bressane’s themes and obsessions, which become increasingly apparent and finally, a whole idea of cinema reveals itself to the curious and patient viewer. Will Bressane, from now on, rework The Long Voyage of the Yellow Bus when he makes another film? Is this his latest beginning? Why not, for the eternally young master maverick seems to embark on a maiden voyage with each and every new film!

Documentary on the legendary martial artist Bruce Lee, with a focus on the production of his unfinished film Game of Death. Using interviews and behind-the-scenes footage, Lee aficionado John Little paints a portrait of the world's most famous action hero, concluding with a new cut of Game of Death's action finale, reconstructed from Lee's notes and recently-recovered footage.

A documentary about the legendary Japanese filmmaker.

With no choice, César faced leaving his family behind, quitting his job and joining the Army. In an unprecedented chain of events he became the first conscientious objector in Galicia (Spain) to be put in prison. Now, nearly thirty years later, Two Years, Four Months, A Day takes a look at what made him do it.

During the 1950s, musical masterpieces that have yet to be equaled were produced in Cinemascope with stereophonic sound. These two episodes explore how the post-war years were alive with bold experimentation in musical film. Later in the decade, Rock & Roll became the musical choice of the younger generation and movie musicals followed suit. Highlights of this 2-part program include: Films based on smash Broadway musicals become the rage. A pretty starlet with no musical training named Marilyn Monroe takes the country by storm in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes." With favorites from the previous decade continue to delight audiences: Rock & Roll films, songs and musical numbers.

Documentary looking at the history of Hollywood musicals in the 1960s. This decade saw independent film companies becoming more prominent as the bigger Hollywood studios, who produced the mainstream musicals, experienced a decline. This brought the emergence of more realistic story lines and the use of contemporary music like rock 'n' roll. This programme features songs from the musicals 'West Side Story' (1961), 'The Music Man' (1962), 'Mary Poppins' (1964), 'The Umbrellas of Cherbourg' (1964), 'Funny Girl' (1968), 'Oliver!' (1968) and 'Sweet Charity' (1969).

In the 1980s we got our MTV but seemed to have lost much of the musical film in the process. But the genre is resilient. A handful of masterpieces along with a few cult classics emerged from this decade. In the 1990s the Hollywood musical was largely animated, rather than live action. However, television had a surprising number of musical offerings, including “Gypsy” with Bette Midler and “Annie” which launched director Rob Marshall. In the 2000s musicals came back starting with “Moulin Rouge” and carrying on with “Chicago,” “Dreamgirls” and “Hairspray.” There are movies based on Broadway triumphs and once again there are teens singing and dancing.

A celebration of the extensive career and remarkable character of Illinois Cross Country coach, Mike Lynn.

Focuses on the collaboration between cabaret and drag artist Joey Arias and master puppeteer Basil Twist, whose 2008 show brought them some of the biggest success of their careers.