Cinemania (2002)

This documentary about the culture of intense cinephilia in New York City reveals the impassioned world of five obsessed movie buffs. The filmmakers expose this delightfully deranged cult ... See full summary »

Directors:

Angela Christlieb, Stephen Kijak

Stars:

Jack Angstreich, Eric Chadbourne, Bill Heidbreder

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jack Angstreich	...	Himself
Eric Chadbourne	...	Himself
Bill Heidbreder	...	Himself
Roberta Hill	...	Herself
Harvey Schwartz	...	Himself
Richard Aidala	...	Himself (projectionist)
Tia Bonacore	...	Herself (ticket taker)
David Schwartz	...	Himself (AMMI curator)
Michael Slipp	...	Himself (roommate)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Audrey Hepburn	...	Herself (archive footage)

Storyline

This documentary about the culture of intense cinephilia in New York City reveals the impassioned world of five obsessed movie buffs. The filmmakers expose this delightfully deranged cult by capturing the daily lives of its members. Interviews in movie houses, on the street and in the homes of the subjects tell the story of each individual. Many cannot hold a job, or choose not to. All of them have demoted the importance of the real world, giving all of their attention to the fantasy world of the movies. These human encyclopedias of cinema see two to five films a day, and from 600 to 2,000 films per year. Many have no physical sex lives, living instead in a world of romance with stars like James Dean or Audrey Hepburn. In Cinemania, Hollywood's biggest fans become the true stars. This is the story of their lives, their memories, their unbending habits and the films they love.

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | cinema | cinephilia | interview | nerd | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 April 2003 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Cinemanija

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$3,948 (USA) (16 May 2003)

Gross:

$11,305 (USA) (23 May 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR), Hanfgarn & Ufer Film und TV Produktion, Loop Filmworks

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min 54 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References Design for Living (1933)

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Soundtracks

"Cinemania"
(theme song)
by Stereo Total

User Reviews

social documentary at its best

This movie, IMHO, is highly successful in depicting life of 6 New York movie "buffs" and contrasting their detached perception of reality and the dynamic world around them. The director gets the viewer to approach these people at different levels, on one hand - one will be sympathetic with these people (each suffering from their own demons) and how they manage to remain in their own paradigm of life by the means of their shared passion, even though they are aware of own psychological or physical affliction. But then, I started feeling repulsed towards these people because their eccentricity is beyond acceptable (by me at least - and I know a lot of eccentric people) level - especially when their dwellings were shown. On yet another level, as one of the reviewers here mentions, this might as well be a metaphor on how popular culture (i.e. TV, movies) can overwhelm an individual to the point where he becomes meticulously dependant on such - his or hers life intertwined with that alternative medium so much, that the perception of reality is lost. On any level, this movie deserves a credit for its direction and interesting editing; it certainly beats the most reality-based programs on TV. 7/10 AK