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Reviews
Resist!: To Be with the Living (2004)
If you've never had a Contemporary American Theatre Appreciation class, this is a good start!
This film is subtitled "to be with the Living" and it certainly puts the audience inside the tight-knit group of theatrical performers known as 'The Living Theater'. This profile also demonstrates the many challenges of performing 'politically aware' (agitation-propaganda) theater from free countries like the USA to war-ravaged locales like their performance in an evacuated prison in Beirut, Lebanon. Lots of archive footage helps uninitiated viewers get caught up with the group's work over several decades as well as the lives of its founders, legendary actress Judith Malina and the late Julian Beck. A must-see for theater aficionados but 'Bushies' might want to avoid this one as they may find the leftist politics a little disturbing. [One side note, the filmmaker narrates the film and his Austrian accent is reminiscent of a young Arnold Schwarzenegger (kind of ironic if you think about it - lol)].
Film as a Subversive Art: Amos Vogel and Cinema 16 (2004)
Would any of us be able to see avant garde films if it weren't for Amos Vogel (and his wife)?
Amos Vogel is one of those pioneers who usually gets forgotten over time so this documentary is an apt reminder to cinephiles everywhere that someone started the arthouse and film club circuit that we all take for granted. Just goes to show you that even way back when (before TV) Hollywood movies dominated the cinemas and there were no outlets for foreign and 'avant-garde' films (even in New York City). That's where Amos Vogel steps in with his Cinema 16 film society which premiered the films that no other theaters would show and helped New York audiences to discover directors like Maya Deren, Roman Polanski, and John Cassavettes. If you are wondering just how successful Vogel's operation was, due to public demand he was eventually forced to move from his first theater to a 1600 seat auditorium which he filled twice daily! He also started his own distribution network and cataloged many of seminal works of film art that are revered by cinephiles and film critics today. The only weakness in this profile is it's preference to just let Amos ramble instead of supporting his words with images from the many films her discovered. Only a few film clips are used which causes some sections of the film to drag. Still, this is a MUST-SEE for cinephiles and those that need to be introduced to one of the great progenitors of Avant-garde cinema in the USA.
A Letter to True (2004)
A dog's life is not so bad if you're a dog named 'True'
This is one of those movies that will make dog-lovers smile even though it takes a very diverse approach to its material. Photographer Bruce Weber has led an interesting life over the years and this film allows him to share these moments with documentary audiences using a letter-writing device to connect the varied material. Scenes from dog movies like "Lassie" are contrasted both with Weber's own dogs and famous people who are similarly connected to their canine pals. Anecdotes range from Dirk Bogarde's cancer-infected lover forcing a move out of Provence to Elizabeth Taylor's heartfelt call to man dying of AIDS, neither of which seem to connect to life with dogs in any way except that Bogarde owned Corgi's and Taylor her constant companion 'Sugar'. But Weber seems sure of his material and weaves it together with a wonderful source music score of jazz standards belted out by Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, and Joni James. Kind of an odd duck for a dog movie but those that own man's best friend should enjoy this ode to the gorgeous Irish Setter 'True'.
Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2003)
While this film might hurt Southern tourism, it won't hurt the mystique of life in the South.
What can I say about this film, except that it's perhaps the most bizarre travelogue I've ever seen - that works! Probably because it's subject is the small towns of the Deep South where the natives slavish devotion to Jesus via the Pentecostal faith produces no shortage of bizarre rituals from faith-healing to speaking in tongues. Best of all is 'tour guide'-musician Jim White who explores the region via a beat-up Chevy sporting a porcelain Jesus figurine (almost lifesize) hanging out the trunk. White is a natural storyteller and shares his bizarre memories of life in the South in between the truly freakish episodes that occur in each town as the locals gladly share their wit, wisdom. music, and sadness. If you liked the 'scene-intrusive' band in "There's Something About Mary" then you'll love the zany musicians that appear out of nowhere to provide musical codas to each segment. Appalachian, folk, and black humor laden ballads dominate the score of this truly strange undertaking. Director David Lynch ("Wild at Heart") may be on hiatus, but these guys are filling the gap. My one reservation is that some of the segments don't work as well as others so it's definitely not a perfect film, but it is very 'different', so if that's what you like then check it out. If you needed one more reason NOT to go south of the Mason-Dixon line this documentary has got it!!!-lol!
Blind Flight (2003)
Two men kidnapped by terrorists, what could be worse? One is British and the other is Irish...uh-oh!
This film is basically what you would call a 'two-hander' in theater parlance, as the main action revolves around two men who have been kidnapped in Beirut in the 1980's. Based on the true story (screenplay was co-written by the author) of Irishman 'Brian Keenan' who was kept in captivity for 4 1/2 years. Unlike your typical Hollywood prison film there are no attempts to keep track of time or even to escape, the main focus for Keenan (perfectly played by longtime character actor Ian Hart) is to stay physically and mentally alive while facing first solitary confinement and then shared captivity with a Brit, no less. Although the mismatched 'odd couple' might seem humorous at first, they soon learn to co-exist with each other and their captors in their own individual ways. Keenan is a natural rebel and tries a number of techniques to get information about the outside world, from hunger strikes to refusing to shave or wear 'prisoner clothes'. This attitude puts him at odds with some of the sadistic tendencies of his captors who routinely order the men to perform inane tasks or suffer beatings for no reason. If anyone ever has any question as to why a nation should use any means necessary to free political hostages, this film is it. A taut drama that will enhance your appreciation of the courage any survivor of captivity must demonstrate. I should also note that well-known British actor Linus Roache ("Hart's War") is equally excellent in portraying the easy-going journalist 'John McCarthy' (who was released a year after Keenan in real life).