In the first segment of this episode, first-time documentary filmmaker Amy Scott, with a film about the legendary 70’s filmmaker Hal Ashby called “Hal“. Although Hal Ashby directed a remarkable string of acclaimed, widely admired classics throughout the 1970s —”Harold and Maude”, “The Last Detail”, “Shampoo”, “Coming Home”, “Being There”— he is often overlooked amid the crowd of luminaries from his generation. Amy Scott’s exuberant portrait explores that curious oversight, using rare archival materials, interviews, personal letters, and audio recordings to reveal a passionate, obsessive artist. Ashby was a Hollywood director who constantly clashed with Hollywood, but also a unique soul with an unprecedented insight into the human condition and an unmatched capacity for good. His films were an elusive blend of honesty, irreverence, humor, and humanity. Through the heartrending and inspiring “Hal”, you feel buoyed by Ashby’s love of people and of cinema, a little like walking on water. “Hal” opens Friday, September 7th, at the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles, at the Landmark Cinemas in San Francisco, at the IFC Center in New York City, and many other cities around the nation. Check the Oscilloscope web page for details.
Then I speak with filmmaking team Kristin Slaysman and Josh Crockett about their film, “Dr. Brinks and Dr. Brinks“, which as of this week is available on demand, on iTunes, Amazon, other digital streaming platforms as well as on cable. Estranged siblings (Slaysman & Scott Rodgers) reunite after their parents die in a plane crash. In the days following the wake, they can’t help but turn their current lives and relationships into chaos as they’re forced to reckon with their shared past. The film —which premiered last year at the Maryland Film Festival— also stars Filmwax friends Robert Longstreet & Ashley Spillers.
