The printing press lives again in Erin Beckloff/ Andrew P. Quinn's charming, thoughtful and informative documentary, PRESSING ON: THE LETTERPRESS FILM

"Why hasn't letterpress died? It's a good question, but I don't have an answer for it," notes one interviewee early on a propos the subject of the new documentary, PRESSING ON: THE LETTERPRESS FILM. The form of printing from the time of Gutenberg through the 20th century -- until offset printing mostly took its place (only to find itself being replaced in the 21st century via the computer and the internet) -- letterpress was and is something special.

TrustMovies' interest in this form of printing began early in his career, when he worked during the late 1960s for Prentice-Hall Publishing in New Jersey, where he wrote and designed advertising brochures and interacted with printers as the brochures came to completion.

Even then, letterpress was on the wane, yet it was always something of a surprise and a joy to be able to feel that extra dimension of raised ink on paper rather than only being able to see it, as with offset printing, where the ink is absorbed into the paper. Now, I fully understand if most laymen who have had no experience in or connection with the printing industry might imagine that they would not be interested in this new documentary.

Well, wait a minute. As directed, written and co-produced by Erin Beckloff and Andrew P. Quinn, shown above with Ms Beckloff on the right, the documentary is absolutely interesting enough -- from angles historical, artistic and human -- to fully engage, amuse and move any intelligent fan of documentary films. You may come into the movie wondering why, but you'll leave it with renewed appreciation for printing art and the folk who make it.

The movie begins with a little nostalgia and history before introducing us to a raft of intelligent, well-spoken, often funny and always cogent interviewees who, together, give us quite an education on the printing process(es). Chief among these is a wonderful fellow named Dave Churchman (above), whose words are well worth hearing and mulling over. (If I'm not mistaken, Mr. Churchman has also, during the course of his life, collected over 2,000 complete metal typefaces.)

By the time we've met and spent some time with the adorable Iowa couple who collects printing presses (above), the Illinois retiree who opened up a Museum of Printing, and a number of other fascinating and fun folk, we're more than hooked. Watching that Iowa couple move a mammoth printing press out of a basement with the help of a tow truck and driver provides more suspense than a number of would-be thrillers I've seen.

Beautifully photographed -- crisp, clean, colorful and composed -- by Joseph Vella, above -- the documentary is a consistent pleasure to view. And when, some time along the way, one of our interviewees suddenly dies, and we see and hear from his son, below, the scene is particularly  moving. We feel the loss.

As we watch Hatch Show prints come off a letterpress, below, and see its owner 's enthusiasm, it's easy to feel just as enthused, for we realize that these people are often printers, artists and designers. Whatever you call them, what they produce is worthwhile. As one of them tells us, "It's history!" Says another, "I'll keep printing until the hearse shows up." From the cinematography to the music to the ideas to the talk, this is one classy, informative documentary.

From Bayonet Media and running 101 minutes, Pressing On: The Letterpress Film hits VOD and DVD this coming Tuesday, June 19 -- for purchase and/or rental.

DVDebut: Kellert & Finnegan's BIOPHILIC DESIGN: THE ARCHITECTURE OF LIFE

"It's not just 'green,' it's biophilic," one of the interviewees points out during the interesting documentary, BIOPHILIC DESIGN: The Architecture of Life. What's the difference? you may ask, if you, as I, have not heard this term before. Well, as another speaker explains a bit later in this hour-long documentary, this would include using materials obtained from nature, evoking nature via forms and patterns, or bringing nature in via ornamentation. I find that last one a bit suspect: Having a the form of a tree carved into your column, say, is a lot different than actually planting one inside your home. There is a certain amount of what we might call "blather" included in the doc: repetition of thoughts and ideas that begin to sound a bit "canned."

Yet human beings' need for contact with nature and having our architecture designed around that need is clearly important. So hearing from Stephen R. Kellert -- shown above, who wrote a book on this subject and is, along with co-filmmaker Bill Finnegan, responsible for this new documentary -- proves more than worthwhile.

We also hear from other notables on this topic (biologist, naturalist and author Edward O. Wilson, shown two photos below, among them) and see a wealth of examples of this kind of architecture, as well as hearing about the difference this sort of design can make on its residents, workers and even the good old "bottom line." One doctor talks about the lessening of employee turnover, as well as the positive reaction of hospital patients, while another interviewee notes the rise in students' comprehension and learning using this new world of architecture.

You'll get a few surprises along the way, too. Of course you'd imagine Frank Lloyd Wright's Falling Water  (above) as supreme biophilic design. But who'd have thought that New York City's Grand Central Station was an example of this idea, too? As another speaker notes along the way, "When we set out to build The Leopold Center, our goal was to build the right building in the right place for the right reason using the right materials. That's what biophilic design is all about."

From Bullfrog Films and distributed here in the USA via Icarus Films, the documentary becomes available this Tuesday, April 19, on DVD -- for purchase, of course, but I would also hope for rental, too, in order to reach a wider audience. My granddaughter, who just turned eleven, has expressed interest in architecture as a field of study. When she get a few years older, I'd love her to be able to see -- and be influenced by -- this short film.

On DVD: URBANIZED--Gary Hustwit's third design documentary may be his very best

This newest film in Gary Hustwit's trilogy of documentaries about design and how it affects our lives may be his best yet. Having appreciated all three films -- Helvetica (2007), Objectified (2009) and now URBANIZED (2011), TrustMovies thinks this one is his best because it hits us squarely where we live (most of us, anyway): in the big city. Hustwit lets us in on what's going on in major cities around the world, as everyone -- from politicians to architects, city planners to sociologists -- shows and tells us the good stuff and the bad.

Unlike fans of The National Enquirer, Mr Hustwit (shown at right) has a genuinely inquiring mind -- one interested in a lot more than mere gossip -- as do the talking heads with whom he peoples his films. If you at all care about how we live now and how we might live better and more productively for the environment and the world, you will learn one hell of a lot from his movies. These are often witty, visually and verbally, and none more so that Urbanized, during which we take a bike ride with Enrique Peñalosa, the former mayor of Bogota, Colombia (below), as he explains how mass transit and bicycles are helping to change the city; later, he tells us that he doesn't see anywhere in his (or most countries') Constitution the right to a parking place for a car. Yet so many citizens seem to think of this as one of their "inalienables."

While typefaces (Helvetica) are generally designed by a single person, cities are the product of many minds and hearts, desires and various kinds of greed. So how they come into being and whether they stand the test of time is up for grabs. In Urbanized we go from rise to sprawl to fall, seeing some cities that work, some that work only for the wealthy (the movie was made prior to the Occupy movement, but it is easy to find similarities in both), and others that are trying to change to meet the increasing needs of the 21st century.

How they can do this is the subject at hand and by the time you come awey from Hustwit's 85-minute movie, you should be energized by the possibilities. While the filmmaker possesses no Pollyanna attitude, simply hearing the thoughtful ideas -- many of which have been shown to work -- from all the smart people he has assembled is a very positive experience.

Some of the folk you hear from include Udo Andriof (of Stuttgart 21), Alejandro Aravena (Elemental), Amanda Burden (NYC Department of Planning), James Corner (Field Operations) Mark Covington (Georgia Street Community Garden), Joshua David and Robert Hammond (Friends of the High Line), Ellen Dunham-Jones (Georgia Tech), Sir Norman Foster (Foster + Partners), Jan Gehl (Gehl Architects), Alastair Graham (City of Cape Town), Bruce Katz (Brookings Institution), Rem Koolhaas (OMA), Eduardo Paes (Mayor, Rio de Janeiro), Sheela Patel (above, from SPARC,) Edgar Pieterse (African Centre for Cities), Ric Scofidio (Diller, Scofidio + Renfro) and Michael Sorkin (Sorkin Architects).

Architect Gehl is one of the most interesting of these, another is Ms Dunham-Jones. And Brookings' Bruce Katz is an unalloyed delight. When I finished the film, still craving more, I turned to the "extras" on the DVD and was not disappointed. I first watched the section on the "cities we love/hate" then moved to the rest of the outtakes, in which the speakers wax, in some cases, even more eloquent and inspiring than they did in their portion of the actual film. This is one of the few DVDs I've seen that I would recommend watching every last "extra." (There is very nearly an hour more of excellent material here).

Urbanized is available now for sale or rental, via the usual suspects -- and you can also rent/stream or own/download the film from Distrify. To stream or download, click here.