The final film in the Decatur Docs first series, “Boxing Gym” screens tomorrow night at the Decatur High School auditorium at 8pm.  ArtsCriticATL reviewed the film a couple days back and does a great job of giving a feel for this “Cannes Film Festival highlight”.

[Director 81-year-old Frederick] Wiseman’s portrait of gym-as-laboratory-for-human-interaction makes a fleabag sweat palace feel like the most vital, meaningful place on the planet. There is great tenderness and reflection in his approach, whether he’s observing a gruff-looking palooka socking away at a punching bag and then turning around to coo to his little daughter in a baby carrier behind him, or the simple, pure acts of fraternity offered in the conversations and shared training exercises of the gym regulars.

…As in all the films he has made over the past 30 years, Wiseman provides a record; he gives us access to a place we wouldn’t ordinarily go and allows us to settle into it as if it was a long, relaxing soak in the bath. He has delved into the world of the Neiman Marcus department store in “The Store” (1983), a mental institution in his still-shocking debut, “Titicut Follies” (1967), and a string of self-explanatory explorations in “High School” (1968), “Blind” (1987) and “Ballet” (1995).

After the film, Xavier Biggs and Terri Moss of the Decatur Boxing Club will be on-hand for a post-movie discussion.

Tickets are $15 and can be purchased online or at the door. (There’s also an online-only deal of 2 tickets for $10 each)

Looks and sounds great!

Gabe from Decatur Docs summarizes tomorrow night’s event for us…

This Saturday, January 22 at Decatur High School’s Performing Center, DecaturDocs presents its second program, HEY, BOO: HARPER LEE AND TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, with support from the Decatur Book Festival. As with all DecaturDocs events, this screening will include context setting “apéritifs,” At 7:00 PM, director Mary Murphy, will be signing copies of her book Scout, Atticus and Boo: A Celebration of 50 Years of To Kill a Mockingbird. At 7:45 PM, DHS Students read from their favorite Mockingbird passages.

The 8:00 PM screening, which features interviews with and readings by Tom Brokaw, Ambassador Andrew Young, authors James Patterson and media mogul and book club founder Oprah Winfrey, as well as Mary Badham—the Scout in the original feature film will be followed by an engaging and dynamic topical discussion. On his Verb Blog, Decatur Book Festival’s Daren Wang already delivered the first salvo with his take on the classics of Southern American Literature: “In the popular mind, there are two giants of Southern Writing. Mockingbird, and that trashy thing whats-her-name wrote over on Peachtree Street.” Mary Murphy, one of the most knowledgeable folks on the subject of Mockingbird–with the notable exception of Harper Lee herself–can’t wait to discuss it all with you.

EXTRA:  Mary Murphy was featured on a C-SPAN BookTV event recently, which can be viewed in full HERE.

DM EXCLUSIVE:  Follow Decatur Docs on Twitter at @decaturdocs and put yourself in the running for a set of 2 free tickets to tomorrow night’s event!

OK, so last Sunday I promised to let DM readers know how they could win tickets to the November 20th Kick-Off Event of “Decatur Docs” at the Decatur High School Auditorium.

Well, I haven’t let you down.

All one has to do in order to enter to win 2 free tickets to the invitation-only, kick-off event screening of “Bouncing Cats” is sign up for the Decatur Docs newsletter HERE.  Just make sure you click the check-box for Decatur Docs on the second page and that’s it!

Every day up until November 20th, Paula and her crew at Decatur Docs will pick one lucky winner.

Good luck!

If you got a bit caught up in trying to guess Mr. Red Shoes’ latest teaser, “cinema” was right on the money.

The folks who have been running the Atlanta Film Festival the past few years, Paula Martinez and Gabriel Wardell, are bringing a new documentary film series to Decatur starting this month!

“Decatur Docs” will launch at the new, state-of-the-art Decatur High School Auditorium on November 20th at 8pm, with an invitation-only airing of the documentary “Bouncing Cats”. You can view the trailer above.  (Don’t worry, I’m going to try to make some tickets to the premiere available to DM readers.  So stay tuned for that!)

After the premiere night, the first leg of the documentary series will run January 8th, January 15th, February 19th and March 5th.  Tickets to all four events can be purchased as a block for $40, or individually for $15.

And while the documentary is the heart of this event, there’s a bit more to each airing than just that.  As the Decatur Docs website states, “The subscription-based screening series is designed to engage, educate and entertain Decatur’s diverse community, while attracting audiences from throughout the region to experience the hospitality and vivacity of downtown Decatur.”  Each viewing will be preceded by a coffee and dessert reception and followed by a topical Q&A/conversation from a “special guest” associated with the film.

Decatur has long clamored for a film-screening venue.  This event, which according to Ms. Martinez wouldn’t have been possible without the assistance of the hare-brained Man in the Red Shoes (aka Daren Wang of Verb.org), utilizes our city’s existing resources to make it a near-immediate reality for us.

Hats off to all those involved in making this new venture a reality!