Catherine Hyland's Adventure in a Framework of a Fairytale

Catherine Hyland took a trip to China and filmed this enchanting scene: a fantasyland left undone. I do believe that, due to the fact that this park was abandoned before being completed, it is even more enjoyable than it might have been with with strollers, balloons, and bad food & music all over the place . The moment in the short clip in which you can see folks walking on the upper-level of the "post-apocalyptic" castle is mesmerizing.


Wonderland from catherine Hyland on Vimeo.

SOURCE: ZEPHYR

Todd Selby films Artist, Christine Sun Kim

Todd Selby made a film featuring the artist Christine Sun Kim at work, "reclaiming sound" as her own. As she puts it, her art is her voice. Watch the film below. It is featured on NOWNESS along with more background on the project and Christine's art made with sound--the piece made in blue, via nail, paint, and sub-woofer, is brilliant.  You can also read a mini interview with Christine HERE



Todd Selby x Christine Sun Kim on Nowness.com.

Pre-war animation from Japan

This is a clip of a animated story created in Japan before WWII (so prior to 1939). The cartoon is about a wolf that is nursed back to health by a friendly rabbit only to regain its strength, resulting in his pursuit of the caring rabbit for dinner. There are subtitles. It's interesting to see what was going on in the nation of Japan before its major reconstruction after the end of WWII. And, it is very cute--for lack of a better word. The clip was found by a gentleman--Josh Wagner--who says it was brought from Japan to the US by his great-grandfather. Wagner has also put together a nice documentary featuring more clips and photos of pre-war Japan with some narration by his uncle whom lived in Japan for many years as a kid with his parents who were missionaries. See that clip HERE on Japan Probe.


Pre-WWII Japanese Animation (with subtitles) from Josh Wagner on Vimeo.

Welcome to Pine Point by The Goggles

This is a interactive film by a duo who call themselves The Goggles. It's formatted much like a documentary and is about a town in Canada that was dissolved--eliminated--erased. The work brings to life the place and people of Pine Point while raising the question of what it means to have your hometown--the place where you grew up and which helped shape the person you were to become--erased: houses demolished or moved, roads left to ruin, etc. Yet, this place that once was is documented and lives on in the memories of those who once lived within its borders. The "film" (?) is very engaging and most interesting in how it is laid out: a very creative way of documenting and presenting work. See it HERE.
Source: Birche

"Winter's Children" by Jim Mangan

This just looks like fun. Enjoying what you love despite the extremities--in fact, it makes you feel more alive. I also think that the Native American blankets look great against the snow. I've never tried snowboarding--snow tubing, yes--but this makes me want to give it a go.
Video by Jim Mangan
Source: Nowness.com

Winter’s Children: Naked Ambition on Nowness.com.

Vimeo Video Winners

Vimeo gave awards out for the best videos of the past year. They are great. My favorites are below. ODEN actually made me tear up and Break-ups made me laugh out loud. You can see more of the Break-up's series HERE. They are fantastic and well done--mainly improv. You can watch other winners HERE.


Last Minutes with ODEN from phos pictures on Vimeo.


"Break-ups: The Series" Vimeo Submission "Best Original Series" from Ted Tremper on Vimeo.

The Irrepressibles--"In This Shirt"

The Irrepressibles' work lends itself to visionary pursuit such as the two examples below by Roy Raz and Shelly Love.

From The Irrepressibles' Myspace: "Led by composer and artist Jamie McDermott, The Irrepressibles are a 10-piece 'performance orchestra' that, through the power of their instruments, can transport and transfix, break moulds and collide worlds."





Source: Sundance Channel and The Irrepresibles' Myspace

"Enter the Void" from Gaspar Noe

This film sounds very interesting and Gaspar Noe appears to be a director who believes in a submersion into worlds via film. Even better, Enter the Void is set in Tokyo--however distorted the setting may be treated. I am searching for interviews from Noe in which an explanation on why the film is set in Tokyo is given. I have said before that Tokyo will soon be the center of the world--the foremost city on the planet--at least in regards to being coyly hedonistic and gorgeously amusing. Tokyo is a place to experience something new and truly original: as in apart of yourself, even.  I can't wait to see this film and only hope it isn't overly edited before its U.S. release: eveidently thru IFCfilm.
Gaspar Noe and Enter the Void on Viceland HERE
Enter the Void review HERE
Gaspar Noe Wiki-info HERE

Michael Jackson at Tokyo Disney Land

Michael Jackson is more popular after death than during the last decade of his life. Case in point: Captain EO 3-D adventure in Tokyo Disney Land. It was an attraction running from 1987 to 1996! You can read more about the film--directed by Francis Ford Coppola and produced by George Lucas!! Whoa!--HERE. The Captain EO attraction is reopened at the Tokyo amusement park as demand for anything connected to the fallen pop star is soaring. It has been reported that Jackson's estate has made $1 Billion since his death. Watch the video below to see a snippet from the film attraction--so richly odd.
Source: Japan Probe

Bowie and Nomi on SNL

David Bowie & Klaus Nomi - The Man Who Sold The World from André Goldvasser on Vimeo.

This classic clip is David Bowie doing "The Man Who Sold the World" with help from Klaus Nomi. The entire setup was most likely artistically directed by Nomi. I remember seeing a very interesting documentary about Nomi, "The Nomi Song," a couple of years ago. I recommend it if you are into art, performance, music, quirky people, et al. Check out the website HERE. I love this clip because it showcases the type of out there performances that Bowie is famous for. Find out more about the clip and performance from Lurve Magazine HERE. I am also happy that current trends in musical performance are finding inspiration from these types of  innovative works from the past. Still, it's not enough just to DO, you must also FEEL it. Remember that...Lady GaGa.

"Signs" by Patrick Hughes

This is a nice little film by Patrick Hughes. It's won a couple awards and such. Enjoy.

Tokyo! RENT IT NOW!!

I was finally able to see Tokyo! It's set in my favorite city and the stories told are brilliant. However, my favorite is the opening story "Interior Design." This first short was directed by  Michael Gondry. You can get the synopsis on the movie website (link above). But, I found it very powerful in the way it made me think about my life and what my purpose is. Don't we all want to fill useful? The story starts simple enough but slowly develops into a almost fablelike ending.

There are two additional shorts that are compiled into the whole by directors Bong Joon-Ho (story about a recluse or 'hikimori) and Leos Carax (story about a manlike creature that lives in the Tokyo sewers). The film is similar to "Je Taime, Paris" but focused on Tokyo, of course. There is actually another "city" film coming out soon, focused on New York City.

Tokyo! captures the vibe of the city and of the Japanese people and their society. The stories are very intricate yet simple at the same time. It's facinating to see the take on the city by non-Japanese directors.

RENT IT NOW!

Bruce Weber Special Exhibition

There is a lot that can be said about Bruce Weber including his vision, amount of work, effect his work has had, and the array of his work. It's prolific to say the lest. There is a special exhibition brought by Sundance Channel that is ONLINE. It features photos, interviews, video clips, and even a playlist. It's a great look at the man. I enjoy his work so much because he is able to reach into his subjects and pull out a feeling that only he can and that feeling is represented throughout all his work.

CHECK IT OUT HERE

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

GONE FISHING - A LITTLE JOURNEY IN MY BACK YARD is the first online exhibition of the films and photographs of acclaimed filmmaker and photographer Bruce Weber. The exhibition features clips from Bruce's award winning documentaries and shorts as well as the full-length Pet Shop Boys music video BEING BORING, and YOU FEEL ME, a documentary short film. --Sundance Channel Site

Current Issue of DAZEDandCONFUSED

The August Issue of DAZED features a look into the movie industry in Africa, specifically Nigeria. NOLLYWOOD is allegedly the 3rd largest movie industry in the world. It's an industry unto itself minus the exploitation that takes place with films that are shot in Africa by folks from abroad. The movies of NOLLYWOOD are made by and feature local talent. Themes are those apart of Nigerian culture: from folklore to very modern issues. They have a distinct flavor. Photographer Pieter Hugo, with the help of local makeup artist Gabazzini Zuo, embarked on a project creating vibrant images to help showcase some of that flavor.

Dazed article by Federica Angelucci

CLICK HERE for DAZED

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