AdamYauch Tagged Articles at Cinematical

School may be out for the summer, but documentaries about teens may become a hot topic anyway. Nanette Burstein's American Teen, focusing on seniors at a small town in Indiana, was a smash at Sundance and will hit theaters on July 25. Caroline Suh's Frontrunners, about four teens running for elective office at a prestigious high school in New York City, had its world premiere at South by Southwest and has just been picked up for distribution by Oscilloscope Pictures, according to indieWIRE.

Distributor Paramount Vantage has been promoting American Teen like crazy over the past couple of months, so marketing Frontrunners as something different and worthwhile will be the challenge for Oscilloscope, which is the distribution arm of Oscilloscope Laboratories. The company was founded by Adam Yauch, who's best known as one of the Beastie Boys. Frontrunners will be just their third release (after Gunning For That #1 Spot and Flow); Yauch said in a statement: "I was taken by its Rushmore meets Spellbound meets Election quality."

Frontrunners will open at New York's Film Forum on October 15, well-timed to capitalize on election fever, followed by a national theatrical release before hitting DVD next year. Kim Voynar saw the film at SXSW and compared it unfavorably with American Teen, though she says she enjoyed the film overall despite her frustrations. We'll see how audiences react in three months. Until then, the official site has a trailer and more information.

It's hard to imagine the basketball junkie who won't fall madly in love with Adam Yauch's new documentary, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, simply because it's a very sincere and admirably straightforward story about eight young men and their passion for the game. Sure, all eight of the high school basketball wizards have their dreams set on NBA fame, but at this early point in their career, these guys just enjoy the game that much. At this point it's not about money, contracts, or endorsements. It's almost time for all that jazz, but what's most important right now, in these formative years, are teamwork, dedication, and talent.

Easily the best movie of its kind since Steve James' Hoop Dreams, Gunnin' is a refreshingly basic affair: We're introduced to eight of the nation's finest high school basketballers, and then we accompany the kids on a trip to Harlem's legendary Rucker Park. It's there that the young players, most of whom come from very different backgrounds, will get together for the joyous experience of playing on a world-famous neighborhood court with some of the best players imaginable. Hell, what competitor wouldn't jump at a chance like that?