| Danielson: A Family Movie | |
|---|---|
 Advertising poster | |
| Directed by | JL Aronson |
Release date |
|
Running time | 110 minutes |
Danielson: A Family Movie is a 2006 documentary film about the Christian indie pop band Danielson. It was directed, filmed, produced, and edited by JL Aronson.
The film follows the life of Danielson leader, Daniel Smith, from the band's inception in 1993 to 2006. The band started with the creation of Smith's senior thesis project, which became their first album, A Prayer for Every Hour. For live performances, members of the band wear nurse uniforms to represent "the healing power of the Good News." [1] As time passes, members of the band leave and return, as some go to college and get married. The film documents Danielson's lack of belonging in either the mainstream Christian music genre, or the indie music genre. [2] Included are interviews with Smith's parents and fans, sequences of animation, and information about Smith's background. Also included is documentation of Smith's mentoring of songwriter Sufjan Stevens, most famous for his 2005 album, Illinois.
The artwork for the film depicts Smith standing with a large tree costume on, with fruit hanging above. The fruit represents the fruit of the Holy Spirit, "love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." [2]
Danielson: A Family Movie premiered at the 2006 SXSW Film Festival and went on to play at over 25 festivals, internationally, collecting several awards. Critically, it received mixed reviews, reflecting the experimental storytelling approach, as well as the subject's own tendency to elicit conflicting responses. New York Times reviewer Neil Genzlinger found himself "entranced" for a while, but ultimately found Smith to be "pretentious." [3] Bill White of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer said Smith has an "irritating squeak of a voice," and that his "comical incompetence wins him the adoration of adolescent misfits." [4] Chicago Reader 's Monica Kendrick stated in her review that those who aren't fans of the band will dislike the "relative lack of dramatic tension." [5] However, Joshua Land in the Village Voice called the film "a delight, even for the uninitiated." [6] PopMatters reviewer Jennifer Kelly also responded positively to the film, saying "it brings us so squarely into Smith’s world." Kelly also found the music to be "remarkable," and that the film depicts "ideal Christianity." Kelly noted the fame achieved by Sufjan Stevens, and that the rest of the members of the band seem "genuinely, unconflictedly positive about their friend’s success." [2] And Sean Nelson, writing for Seattle's The Stranger said, "Here’s a rock rebel whose rebellion is the result of faith, imagination, and a stable, encouraging home life. It takes a pretty impressive film not to stumble over such rich contradictions. Danielson observes each one with grace, optimism, and curiosity." [7] Although the film's release was widely covered, review aggregator Metacritic compiled only six critic reviews of the film, yielding a 59/100 ("average"). [8]
Among other accolades, the film won the audience award at the 2006 Chicago Underground Film Festival. [9]
Portishead are an English electronic band formed in 1991 in Bristol. The band comprises Beth Gibbons (vocals), Geoff Barrow, and Adrian Utley (guitar). Dave McDonald, an audio engineer who helped produce their first two albums, is sometimes regarded as the fourth member.
Jesus music, known as gospel beat music in the United Kingdom, is a style of Christian music that originated on the West Coast of the United States in the late 1960s and early 1970s. This musical genre developed in parallel to the Jesus movement. It outlasted the movement that spawned it and the Christian music industry began to eclipse it and absorb its musicians around 1975.
Modest Mouse is an American rock band formed in 1993 in Issaquah, Washington, and currently based in Portland, Oregon. The founding members were lead singer/guitarist Isaac Brock, drummer Jeremiah Green and bassist Eric Judy. They achieved critical acclaim for their albums The Lonesome Crowded West (1997) and The Moon & Antarctica (2000) and found mainstream success with the release of Good News for People Who Love Bad News (2004) and its singles "Float On" and "Ocean Breathes Salty".
Danielson is an American rock band from Clarksboro, New Jersey, that plays indie pop gospel music. The group consists of frontman Daniel Smith and a number of various artists with whom he collaborates. Smith has also released solo work as Brother Danielson.
Xiu Xiu is an American experimental rock band, formed in 2002 by singer-songwriter Jamie Stewart in San Jose, California. Currently, the line-up consists of multi-instrumentalists Stewart, Angela Seo, and percussionist David Kendrick. The band's name comes from the Chinese film Xiu Xiu: The Sent Down Girl, which has influenced the sound of their music, according to Stewart.
The Vaselines are a Scottish alternative rock band. Formed in Glasgow in 1986, the band was originally a duo between its songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee, but later added James Seenan and Eugene's brother Charlie Kelly on bass and drums respectively from the band Secession. McKee had formerly been a member of a band named the Pretty Flowers with Duglas T. Stewart, Norman Blake, Janice McBride and Sean Dickson. Eugene Kelly had formerly played in the Famous Monsters.
Pseudo Echo are an Australian New wave band formed in 1982 by Brian Canham, Pierre Gigliotti, and Tony Lugton (keyboards). Later members included Anthony Argiro (drums), Vince Leigh (drums), and James Leigh (keyboards). In the 1980s, Pseudo Echo had multiple Australian top 20 hits with "Listening", "A Beat for You", "Don't Go", "Love an Adventure", and "Living in a Dream". Their 1986 cover of "Funky Town" was an international success, peaking at No. 1 in Australia and New Zealand and becoming a top ten hit in Sweden, Canada, the United States, and in the United Kingdom.
Sufjan Stevens is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nominations.
Shannon Bruce Snaith, better known as Shane West, is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is known for his portrayal of Eli Sammler in the ABC family drama Once and Again, Landon Carter in A Walk to Remember, Dr. Ray Barnett in the NBC medical drama ER, Michael Bishop in The CW spy drama Nikita and in the WGN fantasy adventure historical drama Salem as John Alden. West received critical acclaim for his performance portraying Darby Crash in the biopic What We Do Is Secret.
Illinois is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens. His fifth studio album, it features songs referencing places, events, and persons related to the U.S. state of Illinois. Illinois is Stevens' second based on a U.S. state—part of a planned series of fifty that began with the 2003 album Michigan and that Stevens has since acknowledged was a joke. It was adapted into a musical, Illinoise, in 2023 and, after playing smaller venues, opened at the St. James Theatre on Broadway in April 2024.
Jon Moritsugu is an American cult-underground filmmaker and musician. His movies are satiric, protopunk deconstructions of popular genres and formats with scabrous and pointedly garish results. The New York Times describes them as "funny, anarchic, provocative and exhilarating". Influenced by the nihilism of Jean-Luc Godard and Guy Debord, Moritsugu's films are often defined by their "lo-fi" aesthetic and were initially shot on 16mm film for a gritty, visceral quality. He states that he often "pay(s) less attention to narrative flow and storyline and put(s) more emphasis on sight, sound and spectacle" to create a movie that is "like a live punk/hardcore show." The works themselves are often absurdist comedies that feature actress, co-writer, stylist, and wife, Amy Davis. Perhaps best known for his cult film Mod Fuck Explosion, Moritsugu's films have been screened at Sundance, Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, Rotterdam, Venice, USA Film Festival, New York Underground, Chicago Underground, MoMA, Guggenheim, Whitney and numerous other festivals and museums. In 2001 he received the Moving Image award from Creative Capital.
Unwed Sailor is an American, mostly instrumental band, formed in 1998 by Johnathon Ford, with recordings that range from instrumental rock to ambient drones. The band's touring and recording lineups have largely been in rotation over the years, with the core member being bassist Ford. Unwed Sailor has consistently toured throughout the United States and Europe since its inception in 1998.
Slant Magazine is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.
Rosie Thomas is an American singer-songwriter and comedian, originally from Michigan.
Serena Maneesh is the debut album by Serena Maneesh. The album was partly recorded in Steve Albini's respected Electrical Audio Recordings studio in Chicago as well as in various facilities in New York City and Oslo. Contributors to the album include Sufjan Stevens, Martin Bisi and co-producer Daniel Smith of Danielson Famile.
The Avalanche is a 2006 compilation album by indie rock singer/songwriter Sufjan Stevens, consisting of outtakes and other recordings from the sessions for his album Illinois, released the previous year. The title song "The Avalanche" was also a bonus track on the Illinois vinyl and iTunes release.
Ships is the seventh full-length album by New Jersey indie rock band Danielson. The album was a massive collaboration among Daniel Smith and various other musicians.
Humpday is a 2009 American mumblecore comedy-drama film directed, produced, and written by Lynn Shelton and starring Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, and Alycia Delmore. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. International distribution rights were purchased by Magnolia Pictures for a mid-six figure sum. The film opened in New York City in a limited release on July 10, 2009. The story line follows two male heterosexual best friends, Ben and Andrew. The plot line centers around a "mutual dare" that is introduced at a party, which involves the two main characters engaging in a pornographic film together. The film was shot on-location in Washington state around Seattle from September 2008 to January 2009, and much of the dialogue for the film was improvised.
The Jensen Project is the second in the Family Movie Night TV movies series produced by Procter & Gamble and Walmart aimed at families.
Eric Donald Johnson is an American singer-songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the leader and sole permanent member of the influential folk-rock band Fruit Bats, and for his tenure as a member of The Shins. He has also scored films, most notably Our Idiot Brother and Smashed.