In addition to his responsibilities as the documentary programmer for the Toronto and Miami International Film Festivals, our friend Thom Powers curates Stranger Than Fiction, a Tuesday night documentary screening series at the IFC Center in New York.

At Thom's invitation, we'll be screening Cocaine Cowboys on May 15th at 8pm, followed by a Q&A with Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman. 

Tickets are on sale now.  

Courthouse News Service is reporting that one-time University of Miami head football coach Randy Shannon, fired in November 2010, is suing his former employer in Miami-Dade County Court "for paying him 'just under five-sixths' of what he's due for the 3 years of his unexpired contract." He claims UM has breached his employment agreement: "UM has improperly denied, and continues to deny, Shannon a portion of his wages" and has failed to pay him "the additional compensation he earned for the team's appearnce in the 2010 Sun Bowl." 

Here's the lawsuit filed on April 27, 2012 (thanks to Brian "The Beast" London for the link):

Randy Shannon Lawsuit Against University of Miami

Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 9PM and Midnight ET

Indiewire's 5 Best Things to Watch:

CNBC goes the doc route with "Cocaine Cowboys," Billy Corben's seedily entertaining 2006 nonfiction feature about the rise of cocaine in Miami in the '70s and '80s and explosion of crime that came with it. The film features interviews with both those involved in law enforcement and those tied into the drug trade, looked at the advanced ways in which narcotics were brought into the country and distributed, indirectly boosting the local economy. "Cocaine Cowboys" features a score by "Miami Vice" theme composer Jan Hammer, and contains a great section on the terrifying Columbian drug lord Griselda Blanco, and if it takes a little too much glee in its accounts of vice and violence, it's nevertheless a great time. 

A couple reviews hit the web yesterday:

Corben tells this story in his typical flashy style; the picture moves fast, finding a slick aesthetic to match the seductiveness of the lives being described... it creates far more sympathy for these fallen millionaires than I could have imagined, and is a damned slick piece of non-fiction filmmaking.

The film is fascinating and definitely one of those movies you can watch as a "couple." 

Erin Andrews came to the screening and loved it:

Also got some nice words from Jason Hirschhorn in his Media ReDEFined email blast:

 
Jason has some experience with overnight riches and wrote a terrific post about it called "You Sold Your Company, What Did You Buy First? Here's What I Did."

Broke will premiere on ESPN in October.

Broke screens as a works-in-progress this week at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival and premieres this fall on ESPN:

According to a 2009 Sports Illustrated article, 60 percent of NBA players are broke within five years of retirement. For 78 percent of NFL players, it takes only three years. Sucked into bad investments, stalked by freeloaders, saddled with medical problems, and naturally prone to showing off, most pro athletes get shocked by harsh economic realities after years of living the high life. Drawing surprisingly vulnerable confessions from retired stars like Jamal Mashburn, Bernie Kosar, and Andre Rison, as well as Marvin Miller, the former executive director of the MLB Players Association, this fascinating documentary digs into the psychology of men whose competitive nature carries them to victory on the field and ruin off it. 

Square Grouper premieres on Showtime Friday 4/20 at 7pm ET.

Available on Showtime On Demand from April 21st - May 18th.

Other airdates:

Fri, Apr 20 7:00PM
SHOWTIME

Sat, Apr 21 1:30PM
SHO 2 

Sun, Apr 22 9:00PM
SHOWTIME SHOWCASE

Mon, Apr 23 8:00PM
SHO 2

Thu, Apr 26 12:30AM
SHOWTIME

Thu, Apr 26 5:00PM
SHO 2

Sat, Apr 28 2:15PM
SHOWTIME

Sun, Apr 29 4:45PM
SHO 2

Mon, Apr 30 12:15PM
SHOWTIME

Mon, May 07 4:05PM
SHO NEXT 

Fri, May 11 4:05AM
SHO NEXT 

Wed, May 16 10:00PM
SHO NEXT 

Wed, May 30 3:10AM
SHO NEXT

 more info

About a week after declaring Cocaine Cowboys one of the 100 Best Movies of the Decade, Complex Magazine lists rakontur's latest popdoc -- our first collaboration with ESPN Films since our Peabody Award winning 30 for 30 The U -- as one of the 25 Most Anticipated Movies of the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

via Complex:

Billy Corben really is our kind of documentary filmmaker. Just look at the topics he’s addressed with his camera: the dramas surrounding Miami’s drug underworld (Cocaine Cowboys), the ups and downs of marijuana distribution (Square Grouper), and the captivating world of nightclub kingpin Peter Gatien (Limelight). And Corben’s latest film, Broke, continues his trend of tapping into what fascinates people like us the most.

Here, Corben centers his attention on the wide world of sports, specifically on the post-career lives of superstar athletes who can’t hold onto their riches. Financially taxed, one-time players like Sean Salisbury and Andre Rison provide the filters-off, firsthand accounts of how greatness on the playing field doesn’t necessarily translate to monetary intelligence off of the gridirons, courts, and diamonds.

More info

Edna Buchanan at the Cocaine Cowboys Cast Reunion

Our friend Edna Buchanan, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Miami Herald crime reporter featured in Cocaine Cowboys, is heading to St Augustine in September to accept the 2012 Literary Legend award from the Florida Heritage Book Festival.

We hosted the Miami premiere of Kevin MacDonald's MARLEY last night at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach.

Commissioner Michael Gongora was on hand to deliver a proclamation to Cedella Marley making April 9th Bob Marley Day in Miami Beach.

MARLEY opens on 4/20 at the O Cinema.

Ranking at #57:

Scarface was cool, yeah, but Billy Corben's documentary featuring some of Miami's biggest snowmen tells you what really went down in the '70s and '80s when the economy was shit but successful drug runners were copping whips and crashing them for fun. And there's no fake Cuban accents, either.