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22 December 2023
Here\'s what we\'re reading, watching, loving, and hating. Click on the title to buy it on Amazon. Then buy some beer and invite us over to watch it.
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DIRECTOR\'S LABEL: VOLUMES 4-7 (Director\'s Label)
The Director\'s Label DVDs are quite possibly the best items I\'ve ever received to review. This time around, they add four more talented visionaries to the list: Anton Corbijn, Mark Romanek, Jonathan Glazer, and Stephane Sednaoui. Yes, these discs do contain beautiful music videos in their entirety, from Nirvana\'s Heart Shaped Box and Johnny Cash\'s Hurt, to Jamiroquai\'s Virtual Insanity and Red Hot Chili Peppers\' Give It Away. But the extras included are what makes these discs a gift from God. Not only will you get additional short films made by the directors, but also interviews and commentaries with musicians that have worked with the directors, as well as interviews with the directors themselves. The set dives out of the realm of music video fodder, and into the world of creativity, inspiration, and process. It\'s important that the set makes you tap your feet, but more important that the discs tap your brain and give you the desire to create something as beautiful as what you\'re seeing.
THE GRADE: A
- Wayne Chinsang
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HELLO, AGAIN - MAX ESTES (Top Shelf Productions)
Hello, Again is a tale about William, a building superintendent whose past comes to visit him to help him move forward in the present. It\'s an interesting story told with minimal line work, a style that does the book complete justice. So while I usually wince when a local kid asks me to check out his stuff, I can definitely say that Milwaukee artist Max Estes is one of the exceptions to the rule. And keep an eye out for his second book, Coffee And Donuts, to be released next year.
THE GRADE: A
- Wayne Chinsang
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IN THE SHADOW OF THE STARS (Docurama)
Usually you go to the theatre and become engrossed in the world the players are presenting. You never give any thought to the fact that the people on stage are not their characters, but people who have whole other lives outside of their jobs. In the Shadow of the Stars profiles a company of opera singers, giving us a glimpse at who the performers are, how they live, and what it’s like to be on stage. If you’ve ever watched an actor and wondered what kind of cereal he likes or what color his pajamas are, you will like this documentary.
THE GRADE: A-
- Fphatty Lamar
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KYLE JASON - REVOLUTION OF THE COOL (Music Video Distributors)
It’s less a flaw and more a tragedy that this film is so low budget. Give it a watch and you’ll agree that Kyle Jason’s story is definitely interesting enough to warrant some well-polished production quality. Regardless, this was my introduction to the Renaissance man and his Renaissance band-- a group of musicians making great fucking music that knows all genres. Some neighborhood alumni (Chuck D, Hank Shocklee) swing by to praise the man and his talents, and Jason himself provides a healthy dose of insight into his overly-ambitious mind. The CD/DVD set not only provides a story and its soundtrack, but extras like bonus scenes, music videos, and some serious live footage.
THE GRADE: B-
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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LUPIN THE 3RD: FAREWELL TO NOSTRADAMUS (FUNimation)
You can always count on Lupin for a good laugh. For those not in the know, if you took the globe-trotting high adventure of James Bond, mixed it with the bumbling sexual frustration of a movie like Porky\'s, and animated it with a colorful Voltron-like Eighties\' anime style, you\'d get Lupin the 3rd. Definitely several steps up from the TV series in terms of quality, this 100-minute feature sees Lupin escape a maximum-security prison island, battle mercenaries in Central America, and almost nail his longtime romantic interest, Fujiko. Almost.
THE GRADE: A
- Staff Member #716
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MURS 3:16 - WALK LIKE A MAN (Legendary Music)
Other than the two cuts I’ve heard him do with Danger Mouse, 3:16 is the best album Murs ever made. Walk Like A Man is the cinematic byproduct of that album\'s inspiration-- a short film chronicling the lives of an optimistic producer-at-heart and a pessimistic MC as they deal with their dreams, day jobs, and eventually, a close-to-home tragedy. Unlike most hip-hop films of late, this one possesses actual ambition and creativity. Granted, the acting is as flat as a pancake, but the story’s interesting enough to let you overlook it. And the disc itself possesses more bonuses than a congressional paycheck-- Murs\' music videos, audio commentary, behind-the-scenes, and a soundtrack full of his high-quality friends.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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OZOMATLI: LIVE AT THE FILLMORE (Concord Records)
In a fair world, Ozomatli would be more popular than Britney and 50 Cent, and deservingly so. Their music is beautiful, cross-cultural, and infectious. Their lyrics are socially conscious, politically aware, and humanly real. And this live CD/DVD is about as close as you can get to the actual magic of one of their live shows without being there. If you’ve never seen them live, your life is lacking. And for once, the extras on a live DVD are actually as worthwhile as the main footage-- TV performances, music videos, and tons of hilarious clips of them on the road and interacting with fans.
THE GRADE: A
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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RYAN (Wea Corp)
This animated documentary takes both CG animation and documentaries light years beyond anything that has been done before. Ryan is an emotional powerhouse that makes 99.9% of computer animation pale in comparison. It is fitting that this documentary about Ryan Larkin, one of the pioneers of experimental animation, pushes so many boundaries and, in its own right, will cement director/animator Chris Landreth’s own legacy as a modern animation legend.
THE GRADE: A+
- Night Watchman
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It’s a tale as old as time. Boys meet sea monster. Boys befriend sea monster. Boys are forced to hide sea monster so as not to alarm every single sanity-loving human being on Earth. Hijinks ensue. And not just any hijinks-- Sid and Marty Krofft-style hijinks. That means awesome-looking, googly-eyed puppets, countless pop culture references, celebrity guests (yes, that’s Billy Barty voicing Sigmund), and the usual catchy tune-age (this time from frequent Monkees songwriters Boyce and Hart). This three-disc set captures all the cartoonish live-action lunacy and makes you feel like a kid again. There’s commentary from key players on each of the discs, and a hilarious music video jukebox on the last disc. I just wish there were a few extra extras, like shorts on making the puppets or something similar.
THE GRADE: B
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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STYLE WARS (Music Video Distributors)
If you hate graffiti, watch this film. If you don’t think graf is an art form, watch this film. And if you consider yourself a modern graffiti artist, you might want to watch this film. Chances are, your weak, illegible scribbles don’t have even half the passion or beauty of the work seen in Style Wars. Originally released 22 years ago, Style Wars follows the originators of the movement as they transform New York’s dreary subway cars and city walls into beautiful, all-encompassing, unforgettable works of art. The film captures their constant clash with the bureaucrats determined to stop them, as well as the style war with one rogue artist who makes a name for himself by painting over other people’s more beautiful pieces. And in addition to the movie, this two-disc set features a whole slew of extras, including follow-up interviews with most of the artists seen in the film.
THE GRADE: A+
- Vinnie Baggadonuts
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SUICIDE GIRLS: THE FIRST TOUR (Epitaph)
For the three of you out there who do not know about SuicideGirls.com, this is your wake-up call. Documenting the first tour of the Suicide Girls burlesque show, we get to follow and hear the stories of how these very real and beautiful, tattooed and pierced women became involved with the site. We get behind-the-scenes interviews, practices of their routines, show performances, photo shoots, and the kind of mayhem that occurs when a bunch of people are crammed into vans that criss-cross the country. If you’re the kind of person who likes their titillation with a little bit more depth, this is the DVD for you. And to the amazing Ms. Nixon-– you can bite off my nipple any day of the week.
THE GRADE: A+
- Night Watchman
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THE DICK CAVETT SHOW: ROCK ICONS (Shout! Factory)
Nowadays, The Dick Cavett Show may come across as cheeseball and square, but back in the Sixties it was groundbreaking television. And this three-disc DVD box set proves it. Concentrating on the musical acts of the day, this set features performances by David Bowie, Sly and The Family Stone, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder, among others. And if the musical performances aren\'t enough to win you over, check out the interviews-- particularly the ones with a seemingly coked-out Bowie and a cosmically spaced-out Sly.
THE GRADE: A-
- Wayne Chinsang
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THE STAIRCASE (Sundance Channel Home Entertainment)
This is a dream set of mine: a documentary murder mystery following the trial of Michael Peterson, who is accused of killing his wife. He says she fell down the stairs. The prosecution says otherwise. Clocking in at nearly seven hours long, you would think the story might get boring. But you\'d be wrong. It\'s broken down into easy-to-swallow episodes that are fast paced, thought provoking, and emotionally charged. And the extras turn this already thorough set into a super set. Pick it up to find out the verdict.
THE GRADE: A
- Wayne Chinsang
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When I watched this documentary I wasn’t expecting this format. It began with different types of film footage, accompanied by a man reading a letter written by Van Gogh. I waited for narration to come in, to ground the elements of the film by putting everything in context. But that never happened. The movie continued: images of windmills and pigeons paired with a man reading Van Gogh’s words. I felt the visuals left a little to be desired, but overall, the film was interesting because you hear Vincent Van Gogh describe his life in his own words.
THE GRADE: B
- Fphatty Lamar
artid
3336
Old Image
8_1_lookheader.jpg
issue
vol 8 - issue 01 (sep 2005)
section
entertainmental