Cyrus Frisch - Vergeef me AKA Forgive me (2001)
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A Mediamatic screening of the film by Cyrus Frisch, in which the method actors are heavyweight addicts and the story is an intentional double of a play and borderlines on that which is wrong.
Forgive me is the film adaptation of Cyrus Frisch's controversional play Jesus/Lover, which was performed by HARDDRUG ADDICTS and ALCOHOLISTS. Frisch first plays with the actors, to later be able to find the enraged viewer who is getting worked up because it is wrong, what I am doing here.
This film with Frisch as Jesus disguised as Jerry Springer is not light on the stomach. But those who can take it will get to know some extraordinary people - even the angry ones.
Forgive me (Vergeef me) by Cyrus Frisch has recently been released on DVD by Reel23.
Available at KaraGarga.
at 1:53 PM
Leos Carax - Pola X (1999)
A successful, carefree young writer, Pierre (Guillaume Depardieu), lives in an enormous, pristine chateau in Normandy with his adoring mother, who he calls Sister (Catherine Deneuve). He is engaged to be married to a lovely young woman who adores him, and he has just reunited with his cousin, whom he loves deeply. But Pierre is haunted by a vision in his dreams of a strange, dark-haired peasant woman who attracts him in unexplainable ways. When she suddenly appears, stumbling out of the woods and claiming that she is his long-lost sister, Isabelle (Katerina Golubeva), he falls blindly, madly in love with her. Tearing out of Normandy and heading for Paris, Pierre discredits everything in his life including his family, his friends, and his money. He takes Isabelle to an abandoned warehouse run by a cult, where they live together in deranged passionate misery.
POLA X, an intense, gripping, all-consuming film, is Leos Carax's (THE LOVERS ON THE BRIDGE) most simultaneously disturbing and beautiful movie. Based on the haunting novel by Herman Melville, PIERRE OR THE AMBIGUITIES, the film breaks down all the boundaries of familial love, then proceeds to do the same for the human psyche. Featuring lush photography that tricks the eye and taunts the mind, the filming is superb. As the story progresses and grows more complicated, the scenery changes from spacious green summer foliage to cold, cluttered, industrial structure. The sound is embracing, the acting is precise, and the feeling of the film is positively captivating.
Available at KaraGarga.
at 2:08 AM
Stephen Kijak - Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2006)
“Scott Walker: 30 Century Man” is a long-overdue look at one of the most influential and enigmatic figures in rock history.The film explores his music and career, from his early days as a jobbing bass player on the Sunset Strip, to mega-stardom in Britain’s swinging 60’s pop scene as lead singer of The Walker Brothers, to his evolution into one of the most astonishing soundmakers of the last few decades.
He’s 63 years old and released his first album in over 10 years, “The Drift” on 4 A.D. Records last year to wide-spread critical acclaim. The film features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of the making of the album as well as interviews with friends, collaborators, and fans including, among others:
David Bowie, Radiohead, Jarvis Cocker (Pulp), Brian Eno, Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz), Neil Hannon (The Divine Comedy)(DVD only), Marc Almond, Alison Goldfrapp, Sting, Dot Allison, Simon Raymonde (Cocteau Twins), Richard Hawley, Rob Ellis, Johnny Marr (The Smiths/Modest Mouse), Gavin Friday, Lulu, Peter Olliff, Angela Morley, Ute Lemper, Ed Bicknell, Evan Parker, Hector Zazou, Mo Foster, Phil Sheppard, Pete Walsh, and more.
Directed by Stephen Kijak, who brought you the delightfully deranged documentary CINEMANIA (a profile of 5 of NYC’s most manic film buffs), this is a different form of obsession altogether. Inspiring god-like devotion from fans, Scott Walker’s has a cult that has grown considerably since his 1995 release “Tilt”, a dark and difficult masterwork. His new album takes that sound further than anyone could have imagined…
Available at KaraGarga.
at 1:53 AM
Harun Farocki - Bewerbung, Die (1996)
Sunday, August 3, 2008
From his work in the fiction mode to documentary to installation, German filmmaker Harun Farocki has consistently explored ideas of language, ideology, perception, and contemporary audio-visual culture. In this unique documentary, Farocki draws on the anxiety of unemployment as he follows the efforts of several candidates who take part in a training program designed to teach them how to apply for a job. The goal is to learn how to market and sell themselves, a goal that Farocki exposes as demeaning and superficial. An insightful look at the manipulative tactics of big business, Farocki's film is as thought provoking as it is revealing. In German with English subtitles.
Available at KaraGarga.
at 10:58 PM
Various - Animated Painting (2007)
The San Diego Museum of Art organized a state-of-the-art exhibition which showcases the latest trend in animated art by contemporary artists. It ran from October 13, 2007, to January 13, 2008, and featured 25 cinematic works by 14 international contemporary artists who adapt traditional painting and drawing methods to the concepts and technologies of animation.
Animated Painting presents some of the most compelling artists working with these new hybrid strategies which have been increasingly used by contemporary artists over the last several years.
The works on display show two predominant approaches in animation. While some artists are maintaining the practice of handmade images, which is immersed in styles of traditional drawing and painting or forms of conventional animation, other artists are working with live action sources that are either self-generated or taken from popular culture and then digitally recoded into a painterly style. Animated Painting shows how digital media is transforming older art forms and how contemporary artists are providing a fresh take on the popular, commercially-dominated art form of animation. By taking animation out of its commercial context and incorporating it into fine art, artists are able to accomplish results that are not necessarily found in its commercial use and that offer a timebased method in which to convey their message. The exhibition also highlights the widespread globalization of moving image art and its growing accessibility to new audiences.
“This is a groundbreaking and visually stunning exhibition. SDMA is proud to present these challenging works,” says the Museum’s executive director, Derrick Cartwright. “As digital art has grown in popularity over the past few years, museums have a broad responsibility to contextualize these representations. Animated Painting does an excellent job at making this work accessible to diverse audiences. The exhibition provides visitors with an opportunity to explore a growing trend in contemporary art and to enjoy a wide variety of new time-based works by leading international artists.” Highlights of Animated Painting include William Kentridge’s animated film Tide Table (2005); computer animated figures by Julian Opie that will be displayed outside of the Museum; Jeremy Blake’s digital video Sodium Fox (2005); and Sadie Benning’s video projection of hand-made drawings, Play Pause (2006). In addition, Wit Pimkanchanapong has been commissioned to create a site design for the exhibition space. The artist’s ceiling design is based on an analog progression of imagery and will be printed on sheets of suspended paper. Animated Painting also showcases the close relationship between contemporary art, popular culture, and progressive musical styles as several works feature new compositions and audio soundscapes.
The artists participating in the exhibition are the Barnstormers, Sadie Benning, Jeremy Blake, Sebastián Díaz Morales, Kota Ezawa, Ruth Gómez, William Kentridge, Ann Lislegaard, Takeshi Murata, Serge Onnen, Julian Opie, Wit Pimkanchanapong, Qiu Anxiong, and Robin Rhode.
Animated Painting is accompanied by a scholarly catalogue featuring essays by the exhibition’s curator Betti-Sue Hertz, animation studies scholar Suzanne Buchan, and media theorist Lev Manovich, an exhibition checklist, artist biographies, and a DVD with sample clips of the works in the exhibition. After its run at the San Diego Museum of Art, the exhibition will be on view at the Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) in Tijuana, Mexico, from October 1 through December 31, 2008, and at the Faulconer Gallery at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, from February 6 through April 19, 2009.
Animated Painting is organized by the San Diego Museum of Art. This exhibition is made possible by the generous support of the Krichman Family Fund of the Jewish Community Foundation, the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and the African Arts Council of the San Diego Museum of Art. Additional support is provided by the City of San Diego Commission for Arts and Culture, the County of San Diego’s Community Enhancement Program, and members of the San Diego Museum of Art.
Available at KaraGarga or Amazon.
at 10:50 PM
Destroy All Monsters & Mike Kelley & Carey Loren - Grow Live Monsters (2007)
Monday, July 28, 2008
Grow Live Monsters is a selection from short home-made no-budget 8mm, super 8 and 16mm film fantasies made between 1971-1976. Most of the films revolved around a group of friends and the wall of noise they would create in basement cellars and in live performance. This was Destroy All Monsters, one of the most avant-garde 'bands' of all time. Featuring artists Niagra, Jim Shaw, Corey Loren and Mike Kelley, Destroy All Monsters is like nothing else. Ever. Psychedelic meets noise meets high and low brow art in a Midwestern blender. Say goodbye to your retinas." DVD Contents: "Grow Live Monsters (1971-1976)" - The early films of DAM; "Shake A Lizard Tail or Rust Belt Rump" - Montage of late-night TV adverts, techno club dancers, and Z grade monster clips; "Monsters Redux" - Outtakes, concert footage, band memorabilia, and photos; "DAM Invades Seattle" - Performance footage from Seattle, 2000; "Hometown Horrors" - Band photos and production stills. Total running time: approx. 145 minutes "Grow Live Monsters is a selection from short home-made no-budget 8mm, super 8 and 16mm film fantasies made between 1971-1976. Most of the films revolved around a group of friends and the wall of noise they would create in basement cellars and in live performance. This was Destroy All Monsters, one of the most avant-garde 'bands' of all time. Featuring artists Niagra, Jim Shaw, Corey Loren and Mike Kelley, Destroy All Monsters is like nothing else. Ever. Psychedelic meets noise meets high and low brow art in a Midwestern blender. Say goodbye to your retinas." DVD Contents: "Grow Live Monsters (1971-1976)" - The early films of DAM; "Shake A Lizard Tail or Rust Belt Rump" - Montage of late-night TV adverts, techno club dancers, and Z grade monster clips; "Monsters Redux" - Outtakes, concert footage, band memorabilia, and photos; "DAM Invades Seattle" - Performance footage from Seattle, 2000; "Hometown Horrors" - Band photos and production stills.
Available at KaraGarga.
at 3:26 PM
