DINCA

A week or so ago, Bad Lit, a journal of underground film, wrote this thoughtful post pertaining to the process of the underground film blogger. Mike Everleth of Bad Lit has been blogging for almost four years now, wow. Amen to running an underground film blog for four years; it’s widely published that the majority of bloggers throw in the towel after six months.

Cyber-blogging takes an enormous amount of time, and sometimes you may feel as though soaking wet in virtual reality, with liquid aluminum splashin’ and hittin’ the flow, forming metallic puddles — notwithstanding, cyber-blogging is a great time, when you have the time, and time is too expensive.

With this post, I wish to follow in the footsteps of Mike by posting a simple list of experimental/avant-garde/underground film blogs — call them whatever you like — there is a perpetual divergence of the genre definitions, but the fact is, blogs such as these are far, far, few and far between.

I encourage anyone to add a site/blog via comment, just make sure the site correlates with the aforementioned. Let us strengthen the online community of underground/experimental film sites; more people should be exposed to these. Spread the lynx around

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Samantha Morton in Lynne Ramsay’s Morvern Callar (2002)

Indiewire, an active blog that follows independent film, invited a 100 or so film critics and bloggers to weigh in on the best movies of the decade.

The votes have been tallied; the films are organized by numbered rankings according to votes tallied. I’m quite pleased with the number one selection and it’s pleasant to find some unexpected films on this list. Anyone care to post their top five films of the decade? See below.

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2009 forever is forever marked by the US –> Global economic recession; 2009, in my opinion, also marks the overlooked recession of the Hollywood and the corporately-funded independent film. More than ever, films are uninspired, boring, and unoriginal. Seemingly, there is no end in sight for the comic book film, the sequel to the comic book film, the comic book film prequel, the comic book film trilogy, and, of course, the comic book film franchise, which stretches far and wide, deep and high. Think Twilight and its Burger King and flavor-blasted zesty hot Fritos merchandise. Think of the doody in your toilet.

Then we have the producers, writers, and directors that perpetuate their shameless romp of the Hollywood remake film; my pants were blown off when I first heard the news of the upcoming Red Dawn (2010) and Robocop (2011) remakes. Remaking Red Dawn (1984) is absolutely absurd — Red Dawn is an anti-communist film — let Red Dawn and its star Patrick Swayze rest in peace … eternally in the ’80s … where they belong.

Unfortunately, nothing is sacred in the eyes of the Hollywood producer, for if he had any sort of sentimental thought, he would lose money. Instead, he swaps the premise of the WWIII Russian invasion with a WWIII Chinese invasion.

Futhermore, Daron Aronofsky cannot remake Paul Verhoeven’s Robocop (1987). Making a Robocop film without Peter Weller is a grand crime. Paul Verhoeven will always remain a better director the Aronosky. If anyone wants to argue this, be my guest.

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Jack Kentala’s Three Most-Favorite Films of 2009

2009, like most other years, saw me going to the theater probably less than a dozen times. Chalk it up to insane ticket prices, or obnoxious other-viewers, or the slimming release window between the theater and DVD, or my daily binge of a movie per day via Netflix, or, hell, I can be my usual curmudgeony self and say that it’s rare when ten good films come out in any given year. This fine online establishment has hosted my lukewarm reviews of Avatar and Where The Wild Things Are, to the downright-mauling of Inglorious Basterds and, to a lesser extent, Drag Me To Hell.

That said, I expect I’ll catch up on 2009 films early next year ‘round the Academy Awards, when most of these hit DVD. If nothing else, I expect good things from Up In The Air, if only because of director Jason Reitman (though I honestly don’t like Thank You For Smoking) and George Clooney. Considering that I just watched the 2000 film Tigerland, which criminally played in a scant five theaters, and now have placed next to Traffic as my favorite of the year, I figure I’ll run into some 2009 films that slipped through the cracks for the rest of my film-watching years.

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$230 million worth of pretty emptiness; or empty prettiness

I, like many others, already had an opinion about Avatar before I stepped into an IMAX theater and put on 3D glasses. I had an opinion about how I could spend $230 million. That, as a nonplussed, nonfan of Titantic, nor Aliens, nor the Terminator movies, I could make a hell of a better movie with $230 million than James Cameron. That as an independent filmmaker going broke making a film with an out-of-pocket budget of $15,000, I don’t have the risk of having so much money and marketing out of a product (as Avatar is certainly more product than film) and, thus, can actually tell a story where the morality isn’t black and white; where one set of people are eulogized while dying and the others are mercilessly slaughtered; where one feels a growing sense of fatigue at every shiny, pretty thing.

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Ten-sentence children’s book turned into a 101-minute film with varying degrees of success

Consider the polar ends of the spectrum: Where The Wild Things Are, mostly-beloved picture book by an ageset now in their 20s and 30s; a hipster-approved trailer accompanied by an unheard version of The Arcade Fire’s classic “Wake Up,” and an OST by hipster-approved Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs; a film heavily advertised on adult-oriented outlets like Pitchfork and The AV Club; coming from solid director Spike Jonze and cinematographer Lance Acord; promised as “dark” despite a PG rating (which I give benefit-doubt to, since 2001: A Space Odyssey is rated goddamn G); in stark contrast to, at the 12:30 p.m. showing on opening day, myself being the only adult viewer without (multiple/loud) children. Continue Reading »

A Sam Raimi film for people who really like Sam Raimi films

By Jack Kentala

Some would say I’m unqualified to “review” a Sam Raimi movie. I agree. After all, the only films of his I’ve seen are Spider-Man (decent), Spider-Man 2 (worse), and Spider-Man 3 (deliberately terrible). I have seen nothing of his horror films. I can’t even remember the last time I saw a contemporary non-M. Night Shyamalan supernatural/horror film. Continue Reading »

2001, Japan, 103 Min, color, in Japanese w/ English subtitles

Masahiro Kobayashi’s Man Walking on Snow (2001), aka Aruku, hito, is the third feature film from Kobayashi and was an Un Certain Regard candidate at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival. In this indelibly subtle drama, we follow an aging widower who lives the quiet life in a snow-covered town in Northern Japan. The old man, Nobuo (Ken Ogata), finds joy in working at a salmon hatchery, a job where he works alongside that of an attractive coquette, Michiko (Sayoko Ishii). At heart, this hushed story considers the confinement of ones atmosphere, the suppression of ones emotions, loneliness, foreseeable daily routines, and the longing for something new. Kobayashi creates an enjoyably realistic and minimalistic atmosphere that is nuanced with notes of irony and unexpected moments of excitement.

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The first movie to successfully copy the poster for The 40 Year-Old Virgin, but one of Soderbergh’s weaker films

By Jack Kentala

Yet another disclaimer: This is not your typical film review. I spend half of it talking about cinematography and name-dropping the past ten years of Soderbergh films. I also may or may not reveal the ending. That said, you’re still allowed to read it. If you want.

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Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore a new Quentin Tarantino film

By Jack Kentala

To disclaim: This isn’t a bog-standard review. There won’t be a plot summary. There won’t be any spoiler warnings; said spoilers will be applied liberally, probably within the first paragraph. And I won’t even attempt to provide a fair-and-balanced, point-counterpoint view.

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Sci-fi action movie that aspires to be…something with aspirations?

By Jack Kentala

Before I begin: This is not a review. I won’t summarize the plot; that can be found elsewhere. I’ll talk about many plot points, including the end of the film, so for those who wish to avoid those sort of things, shield your eyes.

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A film by Götz Spielmann, In German with English subtitles, 121 min, Austria

By Andrew Rosinski

Nominated for a 2009 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, Götz Spielmann’s Revanche is a dark allegory of the human mental fight — distinctly European; distinctly vanguard — an incisive influx of erotica, existentialism, optimism, pessimism, and, best of all, it’s told in a neo-realist fashion, so the film is tragically human and admirably perceptive of human nature and all its polarities.  It certainly is an emotional piece; the surface of the film is painted morose, but under all that gloom is an indescribable and beautiful universal truth that’s Continue Reading »

A film by Storm De Hirsch, 1965, 8 mins, 8mm

Filmmakers never have a valid excuse not to make films — you don’t even need a camera to make a film — nor a computer.  Storm De Hirsch, a film avant-gardener of the ’60s, didn’t have a camera — she definitely didn’t have a computer — all she had was old, unused film stock and a few rolls of 16mm sound tape.  Throwing aside the animation conventions of the ’60s (usually frame-by-frame photography of drawings on paper or transparencies), De Hirsch successfully created a trilogy of films by painting directly on old film stock, cutting, and etching the Continue Reading »

A film by Louis Malle, 1981, 110 minutes

By Maria Bazhlekova

“All I thought about was art and music, now all I think about is money,” says Wallace Shawn in his narration at the start of Louis Malle’s My Dinner with Andre.  Wallace Shawn is a clear-eyed, pragmatic New Yorker who has been roped into having dinner with an old friend named Andre Gregory.  Gregory is an uninhibited, idealistic, experimental theater director.  The conflict of the film, which almost entirely takes place during a dinner conversation between these men, arises from the differences in these men’s personalities.  Andre Gregory is the last individual on the planet who would ever say that all he thinks about nowadays is money.

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Bruce Conner was many things — filmmaker, photographer, sculptor, culture jammer — he was a prolific and influential artist, whose work plied many territories, but was never dull.  Primarily known for his innovative filmmaking, Conner built entire films from scraps of found footage that he culled from newsreels, public service announcements, B movies, and other forms of preexisting media.  A Movie (1958), Conner’s best-known work, was built soley of pre-existing footage, which he manipulated through kinetic editing, heavy repetition, and image juxtaposition.

Stan Brakhage, a fellow experimental filmmaker and friend to Conner, writes of Conner in Continue Reading »

Careful(1992), Guy Maddin’s third feature film, draws inspiration from such films as The Cabinet of Dr. Calighara (1920) and A Trip to the Moon (1902).  Upon its release, some critics classified Careful as a neo-german-expressionist film — visually, this is true — however, Careful’s candy-eye visuals occasionally serve as artifice that sets the viewer up for an unexpected comdedic round-house kick.  Wild humor and sound considered, Canadian Expressionism is more suitable — it’s a wildly original film that sits next to The Saddest Music in the World (1996) and Sissy Boy Slap Party (1994) as Maddin’s best work to date.

In Careful, Guy Maddin’s third feature film, Surrealist visuals run amok and the mise en scène recalls A Trip to the Moon (1902) or that of a German Expressionist film like The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). There also is a heavy dose of Bunuel influence, too, for there are many moments that call to mind Un Chien Andalou (1929) and L’Age D’or (1930).

The film begins with a washed out sepia tint and fluctuates between black/white and hyper-stylized coloring throughout.  At times the pairing of red and green lighting gels resemble the set of a Dario Argento movie, specifically Suspiria (1977).  Maddin shot the film on super 16mm and blew it up to a 35mm print, therefore the picture is noticeably grainy, and Maddin probably did this Continue Reading »

Many see the 1980s as the launch-pad for the computer animation movement, but this is not the case for pioneer filmmaker John Whitney, whose work as a motionographer, visual fx artist, and an inventor, would garner him worldwide acclaim, awards, and the preservation of several of his films.

Many overlook the fact that Whitney — both god and father to Continue Reading »

A Film by Chris Marker & Mario Ruspoli (1972, France, 17 min)

If you’re in Chicago today (4/15/09), don’t miss Chris Marker’s documentary Three Cheers for the Whale, a 17 minute film that will preface Deborah Stratman’s O’er the Land.

Everyone is welcome, the event is free, and the seating it limited.   Please pass the word to those who enjoy obscure documentary gems.  Here is the viva doc event schedule for today:

5:15 Three Cheers for the Whale

5:45 O’er the Land (on 16mm!)

7:00 Open discussion with filmmaker Deborah Stratman (discussion may start 5-10 minutes earlier than expected)

“Whales, I love you.”

Synopsis: Three Cheers for a Whale, the 17 min. documentary from Chris Marker (Sans Solei, La Jetee), is a melancholy ode to the whale —  part of Marker’s Bestiary series, the majority of Whale is driven by still images and mixed with sparse, but violent, live action footage of Whalers spearing whales.

Pondering the slaughter of this majestic giant is a female narrator whose voice resembles an NPR host on Mescaline; awash with meditative voiceover, metaphor, and abstractions — signature elements of a Chris Marker film — Three Cheers for the Whale recalls some of his best poetic moments in a film he would later make, Sans Solei (1982).

In Order Not to Be Here is the inspired, award-winning vision from Chicago-based experimental filmmaker and artist Deborah Stratman. Rife with creepiness, In Orderfeels like a bad-dream—or a leaked surveillance video from a lurking shadow government—it’s a dreamy, objectively-haunting, quasi-surveillance video. It’s also a film that poses many questions, one being the inevitable query of categorization: docudrama or experimental narrative?

In Order opens with an aerial, infrared intelligence video of a k9-team, who is in the midst of a hunt; following radio command from a offscreen surveyor, the dog-team slogs through darkness to capture an unknown figure.

A more subdued middle-passage succeeds this gripping opening, shifting focus to an indexing of familiar suburban imagery (e.g. fast-food, fences, street-lights); alas, we confront the bleak reality of our consumer-driven milieu—and, yes, it’s also a reminder that we know the characteristics of a McDonald’s building far too well (!).

A memorable chase scene book-ends this and, again, Stratman experiments with the aerial point of view camera. In fact, Deborah employs a handful of experimental film techniques throughout, including modified usage of the Kuleshov Effect, which proves to be sharply effective in a small number of instances, the most notable being audio from a news report (or quasi-news report) detailing a fire, which plays over this concluding chase, and, in turn, bestowing new meaning upon the image—altering a unknown runner into a fleeing arsonist, adding a sense of suspense and story.

Subversive and soigne, subterraneous and shadowy, In Order Not to Be Here is trenchant proof that Deborah Stratman is a trail-blazer clearing her way to the forefront of contemporary experimental film. ▲

Deborah will screen and discuss her newest work, an 55 minute experimental doc, O’er the Land (2008), on 4/15/09, part of Viva Documentary’s Winter Film Series. Deborah’s doc, The BLVD (’99), examines Chicago’s the subterranean street-racing culture, and will screen at viva doc on 4/7/09).

Deborah Stratman’s website, Pythagoras Film

Chris Marker’s Bullfight in Okinawa is a bizarre, 4 min documentary that introduces viewers to Japan’s subterranean past time of bullfighting. Part of Markers five-film “Bestiary” series, Bullfight employs observational documentary techniques and, in particular, Marker’s camerawork is impressive — tight framed shots, free-hand pans, and quick zooms all contribute to the film’s urgent sense of tension — and, if it weren’t for the suspense inducing music, this short-gem would be damn close to pure objective documentary cinema.

Be sure not to miss this short, hidden-gem — it’s only four minutes long, and is quite the bizarre spectacle — witness the primal rage of two seemingly bull-trainers as they shout at fighting bulls.

This film is part of the Viva Documentary 2009 film series.

Playing with  (2008).

Tuesday, April 7th

5:15pm @ the Michael Rabiger Center for Documentary Film.

1104 S. Wabash RM 407, Chicago, IL