Downloaded (film)

Last updated
Downloaded
Downloaded the movie.jpg
Directed by Alex Winter
Written byAlex Winter
Produced byAlex Winter
CinematographyAnghel Decca
Edited byJacob Craycroft
Music by DJ Spooky
Distributed by VH1
Release dates
  • March 10, 2013 (2013-03-10)(SXSW)
  • June 21, 2013 (2013-06-21)(United States)
Running time
106 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Box office$8,377 [1]

Downloaded is a documentary film directed by Alex Winter about the downloading generation and the impact of filesharing on the Internet. A teaser of the film premiered at SXSW on March 14, 2012. [2] The feature film made its world premiere at SXSW on March 10, 2013, and was shown at other film festivals around the world. [3] VH1 partnered with AOL to distribute the film widely [4] and was broadcast as a VH1 Rock Docs feature in late 2014. [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Plot

This documentary film addresses the evolution of digital media sharing on the Internet. It features exclusive interviews with software developers and musicians about controversial filesharing software, and particularly Napster. [8] It follows Napster from its rise in 1999, through the swarm of lawsuits that ensued and to its acquisition by Rhapsody in 2011. Some of those interviewed include Henry Rollins, Billy Corgan, former record producer and Island Records founder Chris Blackwell, former Sony Music Chairman Don Ienner, former CEO of the RIAA Hilary Rosen, Beastie Boys’ Mike D, Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor, and Noel Gallagher. [6] [9]

Development

Alex Winter met Shawn Fanning in 2002 and originally set out to write a narrative feature, but he became interested in the many different sides of the story there was to tell. Nearly 10 years after Winter first discussed making the film with Napster founders, Fanning and Parker, he was wrapping up interviews and filmed some of the final footage and interviews at the SXSW Conference in 2012. [10]

Promotion

A trailer for the film was released on December 7, 2012. [9]

On March 12, 2013, following the world premiere at SXSW, there was a panel discussion including director Alex Winter and Napster co-founders Shawn Fanning and Sean Parker. [11]

The film subsequently screened within such festivals as Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival and Maryland Film Festival, with Alex Winter hosting screenings.

Release

The film made its theatrical premiere on June 21, 2013, at Manhattan’s Village East Cinema, followed by showings in other select cities. It was released digitally on July 1, 2013. [12]

Reception

Box office

Downloaded opened in limited release on June 21, 2013, and grossed $2,504 at the box office its opening weekend from two theaters. [1]

Critical reception

Downloaded received mixed reviews from movie critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film has received an average score of 56, based on 6 reviews, indicating "mixed or average" feedback. [13] As of June 2020, the film holds a 69% approval rating on film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on thirteen reviews with an average rating of 6.54 out of 10. [14] Joe Neumaier from the New York's Daily News called it "A fascinating, alternate-universe look at the dawn of the music-sharing phenom." [15] On July 1, 2013, Complex rated it #6 on the "Best Movies of 2013 (So Far)" list. [16] On the other hand, Alan Scherstuhl of The Village Voice stated, "The doc is only about as revealing as a middling magazine article on the subject." [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alex Winter</span> British-American actor and filmmaker (born 1965)

Alexander Ross Winter is a British-American actor and filmmaker. He played the slacker Bill S. Preston Esq. in the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequels Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991) and Bill & Ted Face the Music (2020). He is also known for his role as Marko in the 1987 vampire film The Lost Boys; for co-writing, co-directing, and starring in the 1993 film Freaked; and for directing documentaries in the 2010s.

<i>Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work</i> 2010 American film

Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work is a 2010 documentary film about the life and career of comedian Joan Rivers, also featuring Melissa Rivers, Don Rickles and Kathy Griffin.

<i>Our Nixon</i> 2013 American documentary film by Penny Lane

Our Nixon is an all-archival documentary providing a view of the Nixon presidency through the use of Super-8 format home movies filmed by top Nixon aides H.R. Haldeman, Dwight Chapin and John Ehrlichman, combined with other historical material such as interviews, oral histories and news clips. It was directed by Penny Lane.

<i>The Internets Own Boy</i> 2014 American film

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz is a 2014 American biographical documentary film about Aaron Swartz written, directed, and produced by Brian Knappenberger. The film premiered in the US Documentary Competition program category at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2014.

<i>The Overnight</i> 2015 film by Patrick Brice

The Overnight is a 2015 American sex comedy film written and directed by Patrick Brice, and starring Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling, Jason Schwartzman, and Judith Godrèche. The film was produced by Naomi Scott and executive produced by Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, and Adam Scott.

<i>Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone</i> 2010 documentary film

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone is a 2010 American independent documentary film about the U.S. alternative rock band Fishbone. Co-produced and co-directed by Lev Anderson and Chris Metzler, and narrated by actor Laurence Fishburne, The film is listed on the 100 Best Documentaries as ranked by the Tomatometer at Rotten Tomatoes coming in at #74.

<i>The Lost Arcade</i> 2015 American film

The Lost Arcade is a 2015 American documentary film about the influence of the Chinatown Fair arcade on the fighting game community and New York City as a whole. The film was directed by Kurt Vincent and produced by Irene Chin, with executive producers Evan Krauss, Kyle Martin, Jason Orans, Alex Scilla, and Joshua Y. Tsui. The documentary features multiple interviews with professional players, in addition to players connected with Chinatown Fair and the new arcade Next Level.

<i>808</i> (film) 2015 American documentary film

808 is a 2015 American documentary film directed by Alexander Dunn, written by Dunn and Luke Bainbridge, and produced by Alex Noyer, Dunn, Craig Kallman and Arthur Baker. It is narrated by Zane Lowe and documents the history and culture of the Roland TR-808, a drum machine that had a significant effect on hip hop and pop music.

<i>Sinatra: All or Nothing at All</i> 2015 American film

Sinatra: All or Nothing at All is an American documentary film that premiered in two parts on April 5 and 6, 2015 on HBO.

<i>La Camioneta</i> 2012 Guatemalan film

La Camioneta is a 2012 documentary film directed by Mark Kendall. It is an experimental work that follows the transformative journey of a decommissioned American school bus through complex social, political, and economic landscapes.

<i>Small Axe</i> (anthology) 2020 British anthology film series by Steve McQueen

Small Axe is a British anthology film series, created and directed by Steve McQueen. The anthology consists of five films that tell distinct stories about the lives of West Indian immigrants in London from the 1960s to the 1980s. Two episodes of the series were selected into the 2020 Cannes Film Festival. The series premiered on 15 November 2020 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 20 November 2020 on Amazon Prime Video in the United States. The title references a proverb – "Small axe fall big tree" or "If you are the big tree, we are the small axe" – that was popularised by Bob Marley in his 1973 song "Small Axe".

<i>A Thousand Cuts</i> 2020 Filipino-American film by Ramona S. Diaz

A Thousand Cuts is a 2020 Philippine-American documentary film about Maria Ressa, the founder of the online news site Rappler. Directed by Ramona Diaz, it explores the conflicts between the press and the Filipino government under President Rodrigo Duterte.

<i>Crazy, Not Insane</i> 2020 American documentary film

Crazy, Not Insane is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Alex Gibney. It follows the research of psychiatrist Dr. Dorothy Otnow Lewis who studied the psychology of murders. It is narrated by Laura Dern.

<i>Finding Yingying</i> 2020 American documentary film

Finding Yingying is an 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Jiayan "Jenny" Shi about the disappearance of college student Yingying Zhang and her family's search to find her.

<i>9to5: The Story of a Movement</i> 2020 American film

9to5: The Story of a Movement is an 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Julia Reichert and Steven Bognar. The film revolves around 9to5, an organization established to improve working conditions and ensuring the rights of women and families.

<i>Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes</i> 2018 American film

Divide and Conquer: The Story of Roger Ailes is a 2018 American documentary film, directed and produced by Alexis Bloom. It follows the rise and fall of conservative media mogul Roger Ailes. Alex Gibney serves as an executive producer under his Jigsaw Productions banner.

<i>Lily Topples the World</i> 2021 American documentary film

Lily Topples the World is a 2021 American documentary film, which follows acclaimed domino toppler Lily Hevesh as she rises as an artist, role model, and young woman. Directed by Jeremy Workman, the film also marks the producing debut of actress Kelly Marie Tran.

<i>Hysterical</i> (2021 film) 2021 American film

"Hysterical" is a 2021 American documentary film, directed and produced by Andrea Blaugrund Nevins. It follows multiple comedians throughout their lives on stage and off. Judy Gold, Carmen Lynch, Kathy Griffin, Nikki Glaser, Jessica Kirson, Marina Franklin, Bonnie McFarlane, Rachel Feinstein, Lisa Lampanelli, Kelly Bachman, Iliza Shlesinger, Fortune Feimster, Sherri Shepherd and Margaret Cho appear in the film.

<i>Under the Volcano</i> (2021 film) 2021 American film

Under the Volcano is a 2021 music documentary film by Australian filmmaker Gracie Otto. Centered on a 1980s recording studio on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, the film features renowned 1970s–80s musicians such as Sting, Nick Rhodes, Jimmy Buffett, Verdine White, Tony Iommi and Stewart Copeland.

<i>Aftershock</i> (2022 film) 2022 American film

Aftershock is a 2022 American documentary film directed and produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee. It follows Omari Maynard and Bruce McIntyre, whose partners died due to childbirth complications, which were preventable, as they fight for justice.

References

  1. 1 2 "Downloaded (2013)". Box Office Mojo . Retrieved 5 September 2013.
  2. ↑ VH1 Rock Docs To Host SXSW Panel, Premiere Two New Films In Austin, Elizabeth Black, VH1 , February 28, 2012
  3. ↑ 'Downloaded,' film on music downloading, at SXSW, El Paso Times , March 10, 2013
  4. 1 2 Ali, Rahsheeda. "VH1 and AOL Team Up to Distribute Downloaded Documentary". VH1. Archived from the original on June 9, 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2013.
  5. ↑ VH1’s Emmy Award-Winning “Rock Docs” Franchise ANNOUNCES NEW Programming slate FOR 2014 Archived March 4, 2014, at the Wayback Machine , VH1 Press Room, January 16, 2014
  6. 1 2 VH1 Rock Doc Downloaded To Premiere At South By Southwest, VH1 , January 15, 2013
  7. ↑ Napster Documentary 'Downloaded' to Premiere at SXSW Film Fest, Anita Li, Mashable , January 20, 2013
  8. ↑ Video: Trailer from the Napster Movie, Downloaded, Eliot Van Buskirk, evolver.fm, December 7, 2012
  9. 1 2 Alex Winter Debuts Downloaded Trailer, James White, Empire, December 7, 2012
  10. ↑ Cangialosi, Jason. "Interview: Alex Winter on Napster Documentary 'Downloaded'". Yahoo! Movies. Archived from the original on 13 May 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  11. ↑ Moreno, Ashley. "It's Still All About Peer-to-Peer Connectivity". The Austin Chronicle . Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  12. ↑ Kilday, Gregg. "VH1 Sets June Theatrical Openings for Alex Winter's 'Downloaded'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  13. ↑ http://www.metacritic.com/movie/downloaded Critic Reviews for Downloaded. Metacritic. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Downloaded – Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved June 9, 2020.
  15. ↑ Neumaier, Joe (June 20, 2013). "Film reviews 'Maniac,' 'The Attack,' 'Downloaded' - NY Daily News". Daily News . Retrieved June 25, 2013.
  16. ↑ (Various) (July 1, 2013). "6. Downloaded — The Best Movies of 2013 (So Far)". Complex . Retrieved July 1, 2013.
  17. ↑ Scherstuhl, Alan (June 19, 2013). "Downloaded Breezes Through the Story of Napster". The Village Voice . Retrieved June 25, 2013.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.