Anyone who works in, or otherwise has a fascination with the rapidly evolving world of the media will take an acute interest in Page One, the new buzzed-about (that's what media people do, we buzz) documentary in which Andrew Rossi goes behind the scenes at America's media mothership, the New York Times. It's less interested in a tour of the offices than in the issues the industry is grappling with—anyone who doesn't work at the paper's media desk is essentially ignored, and if you're more interested in what's on the page than what's behind it, there's a chance you will be bored. (In fact, I think it should have a different title, one that more accurately reflects the focus. There are barely any scenes showing the big picture of the editorial process, such as—oh I don't know—determining what goes on Page One.) The best thing about it is the time spent with David Carr, former crack addict and current NYT media reporter. As I put it in this week's review, "Watching him grill people is like watching a skilled swordsman, and an introduction to this character is worth the price of admission alone. (Favorite quote, said to Vice cofounder Shane Smith regarding The Vice Guide to Liberia: 'Before you ever went there, we've had reporters there reporting on genocide after genocide. Just because you put on a fucking safari helmet and looked at some poop doesn't give you the right to insult what we do.')" Here's an interview in which Rossi explains it in his own words:


Page One opens tonight in Portland at the Fox Tower.