Fog City Mavericks (2008)

"The main take away feeling from Fog City Mavericks is a yearning for the good old days of 1970's American cinema.  Shelley Gabert, FilmStew.com

Editor's Note While Hollywood will probably always be considered the film capital of the United States, the Bay Area is no slouch when it comes to creating unforgettable celluloid moments. Lucas, Coppola, Forman and many other legends in maverick, cutting-edge cinema have lived and worked there since the 1960s and this documentary is an inside look into their thriving film community.

	Anthony Minghella - Featuring
	Clint Eastwood - Featuring
	Francis Ford Coppola - Featuring
	Frank Darabont - Featuring
	Gary Leva - Editor
	Gary Leva - Director
	Gary Leva - Writer
	Gary Leva - Producer
	George Lucas - Featuring
	John Lasseter - Featuring
	Michael Douglas - Featuring
	Milos Forman - Featuring
	Peter Coyote - Narrated By
	Saul Zaentz - Featuring
	Sofia Coppola - Featuring
	Steven Spielberg - Featuring
	Victoria Van Ysseldyk - Producer
	Yoram Astrakhan - Cinematographer

Variety 6 of 10
There is a good documentary to be made on the history and characteristics of San Francisco Bay Area filmmaking, but "Fog City Mavericks" isn't it. As adulatory as a testimonial dinner, pic looks at talents well deserving of more complex, balanced treatment...The docu's premise is that artistic independence flourishes in the Bay Area -- an idea that might have been made credible if helmer Gary Leva had given equal weight to both mainstream and outsider talents. Instead, his fawning portrait focuses exclusively on major industry players who prefer to live in Northern California rather than L.A., such as the Coppolas, George Lucas, Philip Kaufman and Chris Columbus...What's more, the docu seems almost wholly oblivious to experimental, indie and docu filmmakers in the Bay Area. Wayne Wang, Rob Nilsson and Les Blank get name-dropped; other worthies don't even rate that...Helmer Leva is a vet of making-of documentaries and is a longtime confederate of Lucas'. The San Francisco Intl. Film Fest booklet lists Lucasfilm as the source of the film's print, though the press materials and the pic's credits are elusive on this point. While it may project a desirable self-image for Lucas and some of his colleagues, "Fog City" actually does them a disservice. - Dennis Harvey