Pages

Friday, March 30, 2012

1 A.M. (aka One American Movie) / 1 P.M. (One Parallel Movie)


1 A.M. (aka One American Movie) was shot in 1968, abandoned by Jean Luc Godard in 1969, and then later resurrected and re-edited by his collaborator on the film D.A. Pennebaker. Intercut with film footage of Godard at work on the film and re-named 1 P.M. (One Parallel Movie), it was finally released in 1972.
This upheaval may not have been so compelling at the time but, retrospectively it is a tremendous statement about how far the boundaries were being pushed during the late 60's. The American scene with all its exuberance and diversity--represented best in the scene of the Black Panthers where the crew is in the film and the camera oscillates between Godard and the producers who watch stiffly from a distance and Black Panthers and the crew that are dancing, beating wildly on their instruments.
The first scene, a lengthy monologue by Godard followed by a discussion with the crew makes obvious that Godard cultivates this self-reflexivity. As the film progresses the crew becomes disenchanted with Godards control of this to some degree and begins to take things into their own hands portraying him as an outsider and themselves as insiders who can "dig" the American scene. Almost the exact same progression occurs in Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take Two (the archival footage from the 1968 outtakes) where the director William Greaves sets up a scenario for the crew to be on set with the actors who play out a short psychodrama. The crew revolts against the control of the director, which, turns out to be part of his plan and they begin to film their own meetings where they analyze what is going on and plot and scheme. It is definitely a statement of the anarchic relationships that began to form that both of these films were made during the same year.
Eldridge Cleaver, Jean-Luc Godard, Tom Hayden, Rip Torn all hanging around Chicago, around the time of the Chicago Eight trial (I think). The talks Tom Hayden gave in this movie sum up the feelings most young people had about the political system at the time. His talks in this movie hit home like nothing else I've ever seen or heard. This is a GREAT documentary of the late sixties/early seventies in Chicago. The film also features Jean-Luc out on the south side streets of Chicago grooving on some chanting and percussion, the Sears tower in the background. I also remember an image of Rip Torn riding up in a construction elevator (dressed as an Indian?).

Monday, March 19, 2012

METH


This is an intense and brilliant documentary about the seductive horror that is crystal methamphetamine use, told from the perspective of American gay men. This is a drug that will take your life to pieces, set it on fire and then flush the remains down the toilet,  all the while you are believing you are king/queen of the world. That is until you are a twitching, emaciated, jabbering, paranoid, bleeding, homeless, messed-up slave or dead.

METH explores the rising wave of crystal methamphetamine use within the gay population. Through the reflections of a dozen gay men, we learn of the drug's allure, its promise, and why its popularity is soaring. Some of the men in the film are current users, and they share their life with us while under the constant influence of "Tina." Other interviewees are former denizens of "Tina World," who have managed to crawl back from the depths to which their addictions brought them. Throughout, METH is an unflinching look at the devastating effects of addiction to this very serious drug. Now on iTunes.

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The Divine David Presents......


David Hoyle's channel here https://www.youtube.com/user/DavidHoyleArtist/videos This is 90 minutes of some of the maddest shit I have seen online for a little while, even if it is a product of the crazed acid vision that so many shared in the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the 1990s.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Brene Brown: The power of vulnerability


Brene Brown studies human connection -- our ability to empathize, belong, love. In a poignant, funny talk at TEDxHouston, she shares a deep insight from her research, one that sent her on a personal quest to know herself as well as to understand humanity.

Monday, March 12, 2012

Bukowski - Born Into This (2003)


Henry Charles Bukowski (born Heinrich Karl Bukowski; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was an American poet, novelist and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural and economic ambience of his home city of Los Angeles. It is marked by an emphasis on the ordinary lives of poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women and the drudgery of work. Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories and six novels, eventually publishing over sixty books. In 1986 Time called Bukowski a "laureate of American lowlife". Regarding Bukowski's enduring popular appeal, Adam Kirsch of The New Yorker wrote, "the secret of Bukowski’s appeal. . . [is that] he combines the confessional poet’s promise of intimacy with the larger-than-life aplomb of a pulp-fiction hero."

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Thelonious Monk Quartet - Monk In Denmark


Filmed in Denmark on April 17, 1966. Thelonious Monk - Piano Charlie Rouse - Tenor Sax Larry Gales - Bass Ben Riley - Drums Tunes : Lulu's Back In Town (Warren & Dubin) 0:00 Don't Blame Me (McHugh & Fields) 17:44 Epistrophy (Monk) 23:11

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

Terrorists: The Kids They Sentenced

WITH ENGLISH SUBS. This is a Swedish 2003 documentary about the sentences given to rioters arrested during and after the Gothenburg Riots in conjunction with the European Union summit in Gothenburg 2001. It is directed by Lucas Moodyson, famous for Mammoth and Lilya Forever.