Alphaville ( extract) (2008, 32.MB, 51 secs)
Rather fetching art-work-over of Godard’s
great film Alphaville, by Kurt Ralske.
Category Archives: movie
PES – Early movies for the web
Shotgun Stories
Jeff Nichols – Shotgun Stories (2008, 10.3MB, 1:50)
Shotgun Stories tells the tale of two families with the
same father. One, in which the children are named
Kid, Boy, and Son, came before dad sobered up and
found Jesus. The second, his marriage to a beautiful
woman who had four more boys, was his do-over.
After his death, an explosive feud breaks out between
the grown half-siblings.
It opened to rave reviews, and from the chilling
trailer alone, I can see why.
The Puffy Chair
Jay and Mark Duplass – The Puffy Chair (2005, 6.3MB, 2:14)
Debut feature from the Duplass brothers, a few years
old, and part of the Mumblecore filmmaking movement,
which I seem to be partial towards.
Sex Positive
Daryl Wein – Sex Positive (2008, 16MB, 2:43)
Groundbreaking film from 24-year-old Daryl Wein.
I hate it when people mention my youthful age, but
I think since I know my motivations for doing it, I’ll
just accept that we all mean it as a compliment.
Wein’s portrait of 1980s AIDS activist Richard Berkowitz
is such a contribution to our modern understanding of the
history of AIDS and gay rights activism. One of the first
to speak out about the need for safe sex in the gay
community, Berkowitz was ridiculed and ostracized.
This excellent documentary finds Berkowitz today and
revisits his time as an S&M sex worker before becoming
an outspoken critic of the AIDS epidemic. Much of the older
footage is also courtesy of Berkowitz.
An outstanding collaboration.
Jillian Mcdonald – Me and Billy Bob
Me and Billy Bob (2004, 22.7MB, 7:04 min.)
Jillian inserted herself into existing film clips as the recurring
object of actor Billy Bob Thornton
Standard Operating Procedure
Errol Morris – Standard Operating Procedure (2008, 11.2MB, 2:00)
We don’t hide our love for Errol Morris – see here
and here – but there’s no need for us to apologize.
The man is a genius. His latest feature, Standard
Operating Procedure, interviews Abu Ghraib prison
guards and tells the story behind the now-infamous
photographs of abuse from the prison, uncovered in
2003. Dubbed a “nonfiction horror film” by Morris,
this investigative film, much like A Thin Blue Line,
helped Morris once again dig deeper into a crime
file, this one just more contemporary.
When you see a picture, you don’t see outside the frame.
With the frightening pictures as a jumping off point,
Morris interviews those involved with the scandal to
get the whole story.
Can’t wait to see this one.
Me and You and Everyone We Know
Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005, 27.3MB, 2:43)
Trailer for the brilliant 2005 film
Lovely and humorous teaser for an equally delightful movie
From female mastermind Miranda July
No Country For Old Men
No Country For Old Men (trailer) (2007, 15 MB, 2:30 min.)
“Based on the acclaimed novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Cormac McCarthy.
The film simultaneously strips down the American crime drama and broadens
its concerns to encompass themes as ancient as the Bible and as bloodily
contemporary as this morning�s headlines.”
From – Miramax Films. directed by the Coen Brothers.
Quiet City
Quiet City (2007, 11.2MB, 1:52)
Stunning, reflective trailer for Quiet City,
a movie by Aaron Katz, available from Benten Films.
These are my favorite kinds of films.
I love living in – being in – cities, but I prefer them
when they are their most silent and empty.
Text loosely taken from the Apple trailer site, edited by me:
Together, Samantha and Charlie, two somewhat aimless youths,
share twenty-four hours drifting from late night diners, to city parks,
to abandoned apartments, to a party and art gallery deep in the heart
of industrial Brooklyn. Delicately realized with generous humanity,
Quiet City offers hope for intimate connection in a world that grows
larger by the day.
Body of War
Body of War (2007, 16.8MB, 2:30)
Trailer for the forthcoming documentary about
paralyzed Iraqi veteran Tomas Young’s fight to tell
the truth about the war.
Sad and informative, not to be missed.
Produced by Ellen Spiro and Phil Donahue,
original music by Eddie Vedder.
Razr: Gondry
Michel Gondry for MotoRazr2 (2007, 7.4MB, 1:01)
I have to admit I’d find this more interesting if
Michel Gondry had actually used a Razr to record footage.
In this case, cell phone company Motorola commissioned
the music video director-cum-hipster filmmaker to make
a “film based on the experience of their new Razr2 phone.”
I wish using my phone was half as interesting.
I’ve also heard these are hideous devices, image appeal aside.
I’m fairly certain it didn’t deserve its own short film, but I digress.
Classic Gondry: pretty and predictably whimsical.
What Would Jesus Buy?
Trailer for ,
a documentary about Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping,
produced by Morgan Spurlock.
I’m not convinced that Spurlock is the man to spread a good message,
but I sure would go to any church where Rev. Billy showed up.
DRIVE THE DEMONS OUT OF THOSE CASH REGISTERS!!
“Psych-Out” Movie Trailer
Psych-Out, trailer (1968, 8.8MB, 2:56 min.)
A look at the psychedelic world of the 1960’s flower children.
With Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, Dean Stockwell, Susan Strasberg.
Directed by Richard Rush. – from Bedazzled.tv.
Joseph Chomiak – point of view
point of view (2006, 11.3MB, 2:06 min.)
A silent B/W short by Joseph Chomiak –
a terrifying story of a man that finds a viewfinder that can look
into another time and place. From undergroundfilm.
‘The Perfect Human’ – the 6th Obstruction
The Perfect Human (2007, 104MB, 12:58 min.)
A remake of Jørgen Leth 1967 classic, and hence both
addendum and homage to Five Obstructions,
With Theodore Bouloukos and Joanne Douglas.
by Doron Golan.
His Girl Friday – between the lines…
‘His Girl Friday’ – Between the Lines Edit (2006, 28.1MB, 8:25 min)
Elegant, witty & revealing re-edit of Hawks’s His Girl Friday
by Valentin Spirik.
The original is downloadable in its entirety from the
Internet Archive.
Tales Heard at my Grandfather’s Knee
Lynch’s Inland Empire
Inland Empire UK trailer (2006, 13.6MB, 1:53 min)
OK, so there’re the famous rabbits.
It’s only just come out over here so I haven’t
seen it yet but it sounds great.
The New York Times certainly thought so.
UK site
US site
‘Lenin’ – with Meir Pichhadze by Doron Golan
Lenin (2006, 21.3MB, 3:50 min.)
‘Once while walking, Leo Tolstoy spotted in the distance the figure of a
man squatting and gesturing strangely; a madman, he thought, but on
drawing nearer he was satisfied that the man was attending to necessary
work, sharpening a knife on a stone. Lenin was fond of citing this example.’
Ygael Gluckstein (Tony Cliff ) – Lenin Vol 1
with Meir Pichhadze. music by Yehuda Poliker. movie by Doron Golan.
“Je suis Marxiste, tendence Groucho”
from ‘A Night at the Opera’ (1935, 1.6MB, 50 sec.)
from ‘A Night at the Opera’ (1935, 1.7MB, 1:19 min.)
From the excellent & mind-bogglingly comprehensive
‘Night at the Opera’ treasury, two clips from the Marx Brothers classic,
the first of which includes the best punchline ever, no argument, the best.
Between You and Me – Patryk Rebisz
Between You And Me (2005, 30 MB, 4:20 min.)
Short movie shot with still camera.
Written and directed by Patryk Rebisz.
The Ketchup Effect – Hip Hip Hora
Ketchup Effect (2004, 5.8MB, 1:06 min.)
Written and directed by – Teresa Fabik in her feature debut,
The Ketchup Effect is a teenage drama comedy
that made a big impression on the local box office in Sweden.
Isaac Julien – DV and film work
Encore II (radioactive) (2004, 11.5MB, 3:31 min.)
Isaac Julien is one of Britain’s most innovative and provocative filmmakers.
He has been involved with forging a new language around black representation.
Although his works largely retain a conventional narrative approach, they are shot
through with strategies which then serve to disrupt the stability of this narrative.
Above – Encore II from tank.tv.
Vagabondia (clip, 2000, 6.6MB, 1:46 min.)
Chinese Shorts
‘Train’ by Yang Zhi Fei (2005, 1.8MB, 1:02 min)
‘here and there everywhere’ by Wang Weijie
(2005, 0.7MB, 1:00 min)
‘camera 0’ by Ying Jian (2005, 1.8MB 1:00 min)
‘city space’ by Wei Na (2005, 1.8MB 1:01 min)
Four recent Chinese shorts featured on the
(rather confusingly organised) theoneminutes.org site.
(Which site also boasts the rather alarming archive
category: science and miracles).
The site’s quality control is a bit variable,
however these four are great – despite image
quality not being brilliant, their sparkiness &
originality sing through.
Shootin’ for Love by Matthew Page
shootin for love (2005, 30.1MB, 4 min.)
From the Moving Image Arts Department at the College of Santa Fe.
Written and directed by Matthew Daniel Page.
The Infectious Nature of Holiday Cheer
The Infectious Nature of Holiday Cheer (2004, 10.9MB, 3:31 min.)
Written & Directed by – Bill Hallinan. With Tim Whidden.