Screening Log. I'm Not There.

I'm Not There. (Todd Haynes) (2007)



Please pardon the following pretentious statement, but I feel like I finally understand how to watch a Todd Haynes film. I have never known exactly how to take them. I've always wondered how serious, how campy, how overly dramatic, how farcical, how "arty" (etc.) they are intended to be, and I guess I still don't exactly know because his movies are set on both utilizing and defying every category that can be thrown at them. Now I don't mean to overpraise (because I enjoy his innovations more than I enjoy his films), but he makes films that can be as much fun as one allows them to be and, for me, I'm Not There was a whole lot of fun.

I'm Not There improves on Haynes' earlier deconstruction of the "biopic" in Velvet Goldmine, and to a lesser degree Superstar. The constant, and often obscure, references (my favorite one being "See you later, Allen Ginsberg") kept me busy with just the language and look of the film, and there is clearly much more to be absorbed in future viewings. Yes parts of the film are annoying (the first few scenes with Marcus Carl Franklin as "Woody Guthrie") and others can be far too literal, or just seem out of place (Christian Dylan), but what an unique and refreshing film (especially in today's film world of mediocre formulaic biopics that are more prolonged impersonations than films with something to say or demonstrate; ie Ray, Walk the Line, Dreamgirls). I'm Not There is an extraordinary experience of evasiveness that demonstrates the act as much as it's character(s) or title.

EDIT: Two more things that I feel like praising: 1. casting David Cross as Allen Ginsberg, 2. most of the cover songs in the film, particularly Jim James and Calexico's version of "Going To Acapulco"...which can be downloaded here [link] (mp3 @ 320 kbps).

Screening Log. A Journey That Wasn't

A Journey That Wasn't (Pierre Huyghe) (2006)





From Dia - On February 9th, 2005, seven artists and ten crewmembers set sail from the Port of Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego, the southeast point of Argentina. Their journey centered on a search for an unknown island and an encounter with a unique solitary creature that was rumored to live only on the shores of an unnamed island somewhere at the height of the Polar Antarctic Circle.

This adventure was the first part of a film. The second part, the representation of the adventure, will take place in New York.

Join us on October 14 at dusk for A Journey That Wasn't, an orchestral musical in Central Park based on this journey to Antarctica. Using ice, atmosphere, light, and an original score--written by composer Joshua Cody and performed live on the ice by a symphonic orchestra--Huyghe will transform the distant island in Antarctica into musical form. New York-based composer and guitarist Elliott Sharp will be a featured soloist and musical collaborator on the project.

This event is both a presentation and a film shoot. Viewers will be invited to sit and watch the show, which will be presented three times in a row. Each time will last under 30 minutes and may include pauses to re-shoot. The filming will record both the show and the audience members who watch it, so that those present witness the spectacle and become extras in the resulting film. Audience members are encouraged to wear dark or neutral-colored clothing.







This film (along with other of Huyghe's films) can be viewed and downloaded at ubuweb [link]
or via bittorrent at art torrents [link]

Screening Log. Din of Celestial Birds

Din of Celestial Birds (E. Elias Merhige) (2006)





From TCM - Merhige recalls the celebrated works of such film pioneers as the Lumiere Brothers and Fritz Lang through this visually sumptuous short film. In it, he uses the camera as an all-seeing eye witnessing the divine mystery of creation—the soul’s movement into matter and the first glimpse of Eden. To make the film, he employs an astrophysicist, a visionary painter, and a multi-media performance artist, and implements filming techniques that cover the full range of cinematic history.

A short interview with Merhige can be viewed here [link]

Portrait. Reverend J.M. Gates

The spirited Reverend J.M. Gates.



"Uhh I want to talk to you about..."



Reverend J.M. Gates was the pastor of Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Rock Dale Park, Atlanta, Georgia from 1914 - 1941. His sermons fervently move in and out of discussion and song to cover topics of vanity, hardship, modern evils (well...his idea of modern evils, such as mannish woman, flying machines, chain stores, etc.), and of course the bible and Jesus.



Are You Bound for Heaven or Hell? is a collection of Gates' best and most famous sermons. These sermons are truly amazing, and I have yet to find any recordings that approach them. (If anyone has his Complete Recorded Works and is willing to share or trade then please let me know.)
Are You Bound for Heaven or Hell? (mp3 @ 192kbps) can be downloaded in its entirety here [link]

review at PopMatters [link]
allmusic [link]
used on Amazon for very cheap [link]

Screening Log. Italianamerican & American Boy

Italianamerican (Martin Scorsese) (1974)
American Boy: A Profile of: Steven Prince (Martin Scorsese) (1978)