A Disturbance in the Force | |
---|---|
Directed by |
|
Based on | Star Wars Holiday Special |
Produced by |
|
Cinematography |
|
Edited by | Jeremy Coon |
Music by | Karl Preusser |
Distributed by | Giant Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
A Disturbance in the Force is a 2023 American documentary film directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak. The film documents how the infamous Star Wars Holiday Special was created for CBS and aired only once on November 17, 1978.
The film premiered on March 11, 2023, at South by Southwest and was met with positive reviews.
In November 2020, io9 announced that the documentary was being directed by Jeremy Coon and Steve Kozak with Kyle Newman and Adam F. Goldberg producing. The film was in the editing stage, and some additional interviews were still being conducted. [1]
The film had its world premiere on March 11, 2023, at South by Southwest. [2] There were additional festival screenings in May to celebrate Star Wars Day in Dallas and Milwaukee. [3] [4]
On "Life Day" 2023, a select theatrical run was announced leading up to a home release on digital and Blu-ray on December 5, 2023. [5]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 100% of 45 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.The website's consensus reads: "A Disturbance in the Force pulls back the curtain on an infamous chapter from a beloved franchise in delightfully entertaining fashion." [6]
The Hollywood Reporter 's Daniel Fienberg wrote, "Some of its mockery and many of its nerd-friendly celebrity talking heads — Seth Green! Kevin Smith! Paul Scheer! — are predictable, but when it isn’t poking fun at moments of iconic trash, it offers an insightful exploration of the production and context of the special." [7] NPR's Linda Holmes said, "even if you just want to see a lot of clips of Harrison Ford looking like he wants to dissolve into goo and seep into the floor, never to be seen again, it's well worth tracking the documentary down." [8]
The Star Wars Holiday Special is an American television special originally broadcast by CBS on November 17, 1978. It is set in the universe of the sci-fi-based Star Wars media franchise. Directed by Steve Binder, it was the first Star Wars spin-off film, set between the events of the original film and the then-unreleased sequel The Empire Strikes Back (1980). It stars the main cast of the original Star Wars and introduces the character of Boba Fett, who appeared in later films.
Jeremy Coon is an American executive producer and editor of the 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, a cult hit made on a $400,000 budget that has earned more than $44 million since its release and the producer of the animated series of the same name.
The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers is a 2009 American documentary film directed by Judith Ehrlich and Rick Goldsmith. The film follows Daniel Ellsberg and explores the events leading up to the 1971 publication of the Pentagon Papers, which exposed the top-secret military history of the United States' involvement in Vietnam.
Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey is a 2011 American documentary film about Kevin Clash, the puppeteer behind the Sesame Street character Elmo who became a rising star and created a global sensation. “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” was one of the most talked about documentaries coming out of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.
If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front is a 2011 American documentary film by filmmaker Marshall Curry. It tells the story of activist Daniel G. McGowan of the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), from his first arson attacks in 1996 to his 2005 arrest by the Department of Justice. The film also examines the ethics of the ELF and the nature of eco-terrorism.
Citizen Gangster is a 2011 Canadian biographical drama film directed and written by Nathan Morlando. Scott Speedman stars as Canadian gangster and alleged murderer Edwin Alonzo Boyd.
The Invisible War is a 2012 American documentary film written and directed by Kirby Dick and produced by Amy Ziering and Tanner King Barklow about sexual assault in the United States military. It premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, where it received the U.S. Documentary Audience Award. The film has been lauded by advocates, lawmakers, and journalists for its influence on government policies to reduce the prevalence of rape in the armed forces.
Mea Maxima Culpa: Silence in the House of God is a 2012 documentary film directed by Alex Gibney. The film details the first known protest against clerical sex abuse in the United States by four deaf men. It features the voices of actors Jamey Sheridan, Chris Cooper, Ethan Hawke and John Slattery, who provide the voices of the deaf interviewees.
How to Make Money Selling Drugs is a documentary film written, directed and narrated by Matthew Cooke and produced by Bert Marcus and Adrian Grenier. The film premiered at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and was theatrically released in June 2013.
Tom Donahue is an American film director, producer, and co-showrunner. His work as writer, director, and showrunner includes the Paramount Plus Original docuseries Murder of God's Banker and the upcoming six-part docuseries Mafia Spies, based on the 2019 book by Thomas Maier about the CIA-Mafia assassination plots against Fidel Castro.
Frank Pavich is a Croatian-American film director and producer.
Jim: The James Foley Story is a 2016 American documentary film about the life of journalist and war correspondent James "Jim" Foley, directed by Brian Oakes. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2016, and on HBO on February 6, 2016.
The Problem with Apu is a 2017 American documentary film written by and starring comedian Hari Kondabolu and produced and directed by Michael Melamedoff. It focuses on the character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, an Indian immigrant in the animated sitcom The Simpsons who, for a period, was the only figure of Indian heritage to appear regularly on mainstream U.S. television. The film explores encounters with negative stereotypes, minstrelsy, racial microaggressions, and slurs against people of Indian and South Asian heritage.
The Princess Switch is a 2018 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Mike Rohl from a screenplay by Robin Bernheim and Megan Metzger. The film stars Vanessa Hudgens, Sam Palladio, and Nick Sagar.
Feels Good Man is a 2020 American documentary film about the Internet meme Pepe the Frog. Marking the directorial debut of Arthur Jones, the film stars artist Matt Furie, the creator of Pepe. The film follows Furie as he struggles to reclaim control of Pepe from members of the alt-right who have co-opted the image for their own purposes. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and won a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Emerging Filmmaker. It was also nominated in the U.S. Documentary Competition at Sundance. Sometime in the 2020s, ranging from 2023 to 2024, the film was added to FAST service Pluto TV in Canada.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street is a 2021 American documentary film directed by Marilyn Agrelo. Based on the non-fiction book Street Gang by Michael Davis, the film chronicles the development and airing of the children's television program Sesame Street, featuring interviews with series creators Joan Ganz Cooney and Lloyd Morrisett, as well as writers, actors, and artists involved in its creation.
Mickey: The Story of a Mouse is a documentary film directed by Jeff Malmberg. The documentary had its world premiere at the South by Southwest film festival on March 19, 2022, and had its worldwide release on November 18 of the same year, on Disney+, on the same day as Mickey Mouse's 94th birthday.
All That Breathes is a 2022 documentary film directed by Shaunak Sen. It is produced by Shaunak Sen, Aman Mann and Teddy Leifer under the banner of Rise Films. The film follows siblings Mohammad Saud and Nadeem Shehzad, who rescue and treat injured birds in India.
Rojek is a 2022 Canadian documentary film written, directed and produced by Zaynê Akyol. It is about the recovery of Kurdistan from the Rojava–Islamist conflict with a special emphasis on interviews with imprisoned former members of the Islamic State about their motivations. It was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
An Evening You Will Forget for the Rest of Your Life is a 2018 American stand-up comedy show written and performed by comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short and directed by Marcus Raboy. The special received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations and a Directors Guild of America Award nomination.