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RE: VIEWS (LOOK)

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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.



 

ANDREW W.K. - WHO KNOWS? (Music Video Distributors)

 

If you dug Andrew W.K. back in the day with his party-boy antics and hard-rocking anthems, you\'re gonna fucking love this one! Get on out to the store right now and pick up this DVD filled with his royal white t-shirtedness immediately!!! And then go home and blow your brains out, because Andrew W.K. is a talentless piece of monkey spunk, and this DVD further proves exactly what his shitty music taught us five years ago: that he blows trannies.

 

THE GRADE: DO I EVEN NEED TO SAY IT?!?

 

- Wayne Chinsang

 


 

What happens when an Ohio-based art collective gets together to make a book of art and words that all fall under the theme of zombies? Brainchild does. Without giving too much away, know this: collected here are the images, thoughts, scribblings, and nightmares of people as they deal with the dead coming back from the grave. On one level, it\'s a beautiful art book showcasing the many facets of talent that this group possesses. But on a totally different level, it\'s a thematic masterpiece whose individual pieces come together to form one perfectly crafted whole. If you enjoy well-paced and colorful (ie., blood red) writing, beautiful yet disturbing (ie., corpses) art, and a wonderfully thought out design and layout of the book itself, you\'ll love Brainchild. And if you also happen to love zombies, well, then this may very well be your new Bible. Great for both creative and disturbed minds, Brainchild is one of the best anthologies to grace my bookshelf.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Wayne Chinsang
 

 


 

When I was a kid in elementary school, I always got excited when the teacher would pass around the Scholastic Books order forms because I was always amazed at how many titles they had crammed within those few newsprinted pages. Sadly, the world is much more fast-paced now, and kids need to be mentally stimulated in a similar fashion. So Scholastic has made the smart move of animating some of their more classic stories and putting them on DVDs for kids. And big kids. Like me. Each of these two DVDs contains three main stories and one or two extra stories as special features. The first disc features the soon-to-be-ruined-by-Hollywood Curious George, a great tale about a boy named Norvin who closely resembles a shark, and a tale of a little girl named Flossie who meets a mischievous fox. Of the two discs, I enjoyed this one more, as it had stories I actually grew up with, and it was more playful than the other disc\'s stories. Still, the second disc isn\'t bad. Included is \"I Love You Like Crazy Cakes\" by Rose Lewis, \"Three Cheers For Catherine The Great!\", and \"Five Creatures\", which is my second favorite story on the disc. Oddly enough, my favorite story on this disc is only featured as an extra: \"Uncle Elephant\" by Arnold Lobel. Scholastic has a ton of these great stories on DVD for little children and those who refuse to grow up. And if your children (or you) are not that strong at reading (listen up, Fphatty) you can view each story in a \"Read Along\" mode!

 

THE GRADE: A/B-

 

- Wayne Chinsang

 


 

I love both documentaries and pornos, so a documentary about porno makes me feel a bizarre hybrid feeling of intrigue and perversion. Concentrating on the Seventies cult porno classic, this Sundance Channel feature attempts to find out why Debbie Does Dallas became the huge success that it did, and how that popularity affected adult cinema from that point on. The film uses humor to discuss the topic, and doesn\'t waste time being preachy one way or the other. While the film may have gotten people bent out of shape thirty years ago, this documentary makes the topic as light-hearted as it should be. And there is a great expose in the special features section about three different people that quit their day jobs to make it big in the adult film industry. Both interesting and entertaining, this disc is yet another gem in the crown of Docurama.

 

THE GRADE: B+

 

- Wayne Chinsang

 

FEARLESS MUSIC TV (Fearless Music)

 

A few years ago, I interviewed Fearless Music as one of our Untapped Talents, learning about their quest to put good rock music on local airwaves. At the time, they were broadcast on New York cable access and featured in-studio live performances from a lot of way-under-the-radar bands. But things started happening. Slowly, bigger acts like The Raveonettes and Supergrass started stopping by. And, inevitably, their ambitions came to fruition. No longer are they local access. WNYW FOX 5 picked them up, and now Fearless Music TV can be enjoyed in the New York tri-state area. And while you may not be able to tune in if you don’t live in one of the aforementioned tri-states, give it time. I might be doing this again in a few years when they become their own network. If you’re in the area, check them out on Saturdays at 1:00 AM. If you aren’t, look them up online at fearlessmusic.tv.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts

 

KILL THE MOONLIGHT (Plexifilm)

 

The most amazing thing about this film is how Seventies it looks, despite being filmed in the mid-Nineties. It’s not just the costumes and the sets. Everything about it is perfect: the graininess of the picture, the audio quality, the lighting, the balance between hand-held and stationary shots. At its core, it’s just another story about a boy and his dream. Only this boy is a strange fish hatchery worker. And his dream is to soup up his shiny red Camaro, do some stock car racing, and win championship gold. Strange? Sure. But combine that strangeness with the impeccable art direction and you have an experience akin to deciphering old Beck lyrics. Which makes sense, because not only did he do some of the music for the film (the soundtrack is included), but it also was the inspiration for the \"I’m a driver, I’m a winner\" line in his old hit \"Loser\".

 

THE GRADE: B+

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts

 

LOLLILOVE (Troma Films)

 

People like shit. That’s why films like Deuce Bigalow and The Princess Diaries not only get made, but also get sequels. Sadly, many great films are released directly to DVD, completely missed by the theater-going public. But do not let LolliLove pass you by. Written and directed by the absolutely adorable Jenna Fischer (\"Pam Beesley\" on NBC’s The Office), LolliLove is a mockumentary about a Hollywood power couple-- Jenna and her real-life husband, writer/director James Gunn (Dawn Of The Dead, Scooby-Doo)-- who feel the need to give something back to society. What helpless group of societal misfits will James and Jenna help out? The homeless, of course! And how will they help them out? By giving them lollipops! The movie works on a lot of levels. It contains a lot of the language and bizarreness you would expect from it, but it also serves as a hilarious commentary on the plastic bottom feeders that fill Los Angeles. Of course, that’s a generalization. But LolliLove is filled with generalizations, so it’s right at home in this review. The cast is amazing, and James Gunn proves that by just being himself, he is funnier than almost every comedian out there today. I will say, however, that if you’re easily offended, don’t pick this up.

 

THE GRADE: A+

 

- Wayne Chinsang

 

ROY AYERS: IN CONCERT - OHNE FILTER (Music Video Distributors)

 

It was the early Nineties that introduced me to jazz legend Roy Ayers. Not because of the music he was making then, but because of all the old songs of his being sampled in the hip-hop I was listening to. It made me seek out his early records, and love every single minute of them. It was also the early Nineties that brought us this performance from the jazz great, originally recorded and televised at Ohne Filter studios in Baden-Baden, Germany. And while it’s a little more on the smooth jazz side (it was just a dark phase of the times), I’ll take any chance I can get to see some of the jazz genre’s best players.

 

THE GRADE: B

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts

 

SOLDIER (uPressplay Productions)

 

A short film based on a spoken-word piece? Yes. And it works. So well, in fact, that I could imagine it being embraced by both veterans of actual combat who’ve lived to tell the tale, and those of us adamantly opposed to the act of war. You can probably attribute the success of the film to the fact that the piece’s author, spoken-word artist David Bianchi, not only worked with director Daniel J. Pico to bring the words to life onscreen, but he also took on the lead role, reciting the lines with such intensity and emotion that the goose bumps won’t leave your neck until the piece is over. The piece is more sympathetic than critical, focusing on the thoughts and horrors young men and women in combat go through. Interspersed throughout the gradually intensifying narration are calming interludes of an older man in shadow, singing a haunting, modified version of \"When Johnny Comes Marching Home\". And it\'s all shot so complimentary to each line, it winds up exercising just as much emotion as the actors performing in the piece. Soldier can be seen on uPressplay\'s V.2 DVD compilation. Click here to find out how to order.

 

THE GRADE: A+

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts

 

SUGARCUBES: THE DVD (Rhino/Wea)

 

Sure, these videos look even more dated than they should. But there is something about the charm of Sugarcubes and the quality of the songs that lets you forgive them. The chance to see Björk (at what looks like the age of ten) showing off that otherworldliness that has made her impossible to ignore seals the deal.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Night Watchman

 

SYD BARRETT - UNDER REVIEW (Music Video Distributors)

 

This documentary on Pink Floyd’s founder and psychedelic mastermind songwriter Syd Barrett does little to clear up or even mention the myths and wild stories that have become the whispered musings of fans worldwide. Instead, it substitutes British rock critics and a person or two who actually (Gasp!) came in contact with Barrett for any true insight. The lack of interviews with any member of Pink Floyd are a glaring omission that leaves even the most casual viewer baffled. If it weren’t for the old promo films and television performances there would be little to hold the attention of the most die-hard Barrett fan. A legend deserves a more fitting and complete tribute than this.

 

THE GRADE: C

 

- Night Watchman

 


 

If it weren’t for Terry Gilliam’s animated Monty Python shorts, I might not have majored in animation in college. Of course, I got the hell out of that silliness after one semester. (Nothing like having your professor tell you he’s not sure why, but something happened to the thirty-second-long cut-paper animation you spent twenty-three hours shooting, and you’ll have to shoot it again.) Who knew transferring schools, changing majors, joining this magazine’s staff, and working on it for seven years would eventually lead to me receiving this fancy little hour-long DVD of Gilliam’s best animated moments. Funny how life comes full circle. The extras require a little extended viewing time, with a retrospective featurette, and the \"15-Question, 15-Ton Megaquiz\". Watch it with the rest of the \"Personal Best\" collection, or watch it alone (if you\'re French).

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts

 

THE BEST COUP DVD EVER (Music Video Distributors)

 

Actually, this is the best Coup DVD so far. Hopefully there will be more, because The Coup deserves the kind of longevity groups like The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney are all too familiar with. At its musical core, The Coup makes some of the hardest, funkiest hip-hop there’s ever been. But fully realized, it’s as heavy in its social commentary and political criticism as anything Public Enemy or Rage Against the Machine has ever done. Only more clever. This DVD collects all the music videos to date, allowing you to witness the group’s musical evolution. But the gem of the disc is the two extra segments: an interview with frontman/committed activist Boots Riley, and his video journal of a trip to South Africa. That’s where you begin to realize he’s one of the most intelligent, aware individuals in music today, and sadly, one of the most underrated artists in the business.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Vinnie Baggadonuts

 


 

This is an inspirational documentary by filmmaker Mel Stuart about an enthusiastic teacher named Rafe Esquith who passionately takes on lower-income Asian-American and Latino children from a crime-ridden Los Angeles neighborhood. Through the intrigue of Shakespeare, mathematics, and Mark Twain, Esquith teaches the kids the power of learning and, more importantly, about facing life and making their own decisions, not the decisions society wants them to make. He also takes the students to national monuments and college campuses to show them that there is more to life than what is available to them now. And at the end of the semester, Esquith and the students put on a production of Hamlet with help from actors Michael York and Ian McKellen, and defy the pitfalls of education in America.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Sal Swayzo

 

TRANSGENERATION (Docurama)

 

As if college weren\'t already hard enough for a kid, just imagine trying to juggle the confusing and conflicted effects of being transgendered-- some considering a complete sexual reassignment surgery-- all in the midst of classes, exams, and a social life. Needless to say, it ain\'t always pretty. And that\'s exactly what TransGeneration shows us. This eight-episode documentary was originally televised on the Sundance Channel, and is now collected on a two-disc set. The show follows four students at four different colleges. Two of the students are females becoming males (T.J. and Lucas), and the two others are males becoming females (Raci and Gabbie). The show is inherently interesting because the subject matter is something most people out there are not familiar with. But in addition to that, it\'s put together extremely well, and doesn\'t allow itself to be biased one way or the other. You really get the fly-on-the-wall feel that one should get when watching a documentary. Each student\'s story also focuses on additional personal dilemmas. Raci is trying to get hormone treatments legally. T.J. is dealing with his family\'s reluctance in accepting him as a man. Lucas is dealing with becoming the only man at an all-girl\'s college. And Gabbie is dealing with her upcoming sexual reassignment operation at the age of nineteen. The way I gauge whether I like a documentary or not is by seeing if I care about those involved. With TransGeneration, know that you won\'t leave this set being apathetic towards it or the people it features.

 

THE GRADE: A

 

- Wayne Chinsang

 

WEIRD U.S.: VOLUMES 1-3 (A&E Home Video)

 

Despite some admittedly dorky antics from the show\'s two hosts, this three-disc set is fun. Collecting six forty-five-minute episodes from The History Channel\'s show of the same name, each disc focuses on a different topic. The first disc is more general in its weirdness, as it features both the pilot episode and the premiere episode. Still, you get some pretty cool investigations, including a wallet made from the flesh of a hung man, and a retirement town in Florida for sideshow freaks. The second disc concentrates on modern-day cults and weirdness of the life beyond. Some great investigations include a cult that believes the Earth\'s surface is actually on the inside of a sphere, and a town where every citizen in it talks to the dead. The third disc features weird traitors and bizarre crimes and punishments, including a man who thinks he is the \"Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico\". Yeah. Seriously. There are very few extra features on any of the discs, but I\'ve never been one for extras anyway, so it\'s no big deal to me. However, what does bother me about the set is that each volume is sold separately, when it seems obvious to me that more than two episodes could have been crammed onto one DVD. Still, the contents of said discs are fun and light-hearted, and I walked away from them having learned things I hadn\'t known before. And that\'s really more than one can say for most television shows and movies, right?

 

THE GRADE: B

 

- Wayne Chinsang

artid
3635
byline
Compiled by the staff of TLC
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Above image by <A HREF='http://www.ellagraph.com' target='_blank'><u><b>Kathrine Berger</b></u></A>
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8_7_lookHEADER.jpg
issue
vol 8 - issue 07 (mar 2006)
section
entertainmental
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