PIE IN THE SKY posted by J

I rented this documentary last week about one of the more infamous of Andy Warhol's Superstars, Brigid Berlin. "Pie in the Sky: The Brigid Berlin Story" was everything and more.

Brigid Berlin, also known as Brigit Polk, struggled with weight, money, drugs, and Andy much of her life. She was a regular staple at the Factory, an amazing Polaroid photographer, and a muse to Andy Warhol ("The Philosophy's of Andy Warhol: A to B and Back Again" has a whole section dedicated to a phone call they once had). So anyway, I don't really want to give much more of this amazing woman's life away. Rent the movie.

But I'm including a clip from Chelsea Girls, one of the many Andy film's she starred in the post above.

p.s. This is going to be one of many posts to come showcasing some of Andy's many Superstars.

HOW'S YOUR FUTURE? posted by J

Last night I had nothing to do, well that's not totally true, there is always something to do. Anyway, I wanted to watch a movie. I just sent my Netflix movies back and i personally don't own that many DVDs anymore, and the ones i do own I have seen so many times I'm a little sick of them. Except this one that was shoved way down in this box in my room. I grabbed it and to my surprise it was something i haven't seen in a couple of years. "Awesome!", i thought, "I'll watch this."

The movie i found was a Orwellian tale of the future. The movie was George Lucas', THX 1138. A visual stunning masterpiece in my opinion. This tale of dystopian society was released in 1970 and was George Lucas' first feature film he directed. He wrote the story based on a short film he wrote while still a student. Released by Warner Brothers and Francis Ford Coppola's then new production company called American Zoetrope.

The story is about the future where drugs suppress real emotion and sexual desire. Not much is given to the viewer about how we got there or when it takes place. You kind of have to make what you can with the settings, mechanics, and colors, or there of. The plot is about a man, THX 1138, and his journey and discovering of his true feelings as a human being. His "mate" stops taking her regulated drugs and then starts to substitute his which brings on withdraw and then his awakening as a person and not a doped up worker ant.

I'm totally blown away by the visuals of this movie (especially considering the time it was made). White is everywhere. Everyone has bald heads. Robot police officers speak in well mannered and polite voices, while lacking real feeling. Hologram projections take the place of regular TV. Everything was about this bigger picture that is just suffocating and inhuman. The cinematography and set design is captivating.

If you enjoyed Brave New World or 1984, you will really enjoy this film. Go rent it.

SOUND OF COLOR posted by J

The Gap company did something really cool...

...They launched an online campaign in February to hopefully entice younger customers. That's a bit corporate, but what they came up with is really awesome. They asked 5 artists to write songs about a specific color. Then they got five fresh and up-and-coming directors to put the songs to a video that represented that color. Above is what they came up with (going down the list put up the blog if your picking up what I'm throwing down). Good job.

Here's a break down:

1. Black & White: "Black/White" by The Ravonettes; Dir. Chris Do

2. Yellow: "Paint Me in Your Sunshine" by Marie Digby; Dir. Mike Maguire

3. Green: "Candy Paint" by Swizz Beatz; Dir. Tom Gatsoulis

4. Blue: "Magic" by The Blakes; Dir. Russ Lamourex

5. Red: "Turning Red" by Dntel; Dir. Mary Fagot and James Frost

EVERYTHING GOOD posted by J

WOW!!! Pretty much summarizes everything about next years release of "Where the Wild Things Are", an adaptation of Maurice Sendaks children book classic. I really can't believe the amount of talent that has and is working on this film. Just listen to this... Where do i begin? Okay, Spike Jonze is directing and co-wrote the screenplay with Dave Eggers. Like that's not enough, Spike Jonze asked Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to write some music for the film. She then got the help of Bradford Cox, a member of Deerhunter, and the man behind the critical acclaimed, Atlas Sound. Can you handle it? Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker, Paul Dano, Catherine O'Hara, Lauren Ambrose, among others all star in instant classic. AMAZING! Can. Not. Wait.

PEEPING TOM posted by A

I’m a big fan of Comcast free on-demand. Especially, I love old horror/suspense movies.

This weekend I came across a movie called Peeping Tom. It’s essentially about a guy whose father was obsessed with fear and the reaction to fear. The main character, Mark Lewis, grows up to be obsessed with killing women with a knife that’s hidden in his tripod… and filming their looks of horror when they know what’s going to happen to them.

Peeping Tom was filmed in 1960. The movie was especially controversial at the time, as not only does it have a murderer filming the women dying, but he also takes photos of scantily clad women. I guess you can say it’s the closest to being a snuff film without the sex.

Director Michael Powell was banned for a while from working in the UK after the film was released. In the late 1960’s Francis Ford Coppola and Martin Scorcese tried to set up projects with him after the movie was “rediscovered.”

It’s been described as the “British Psycho.” Oddly enough, Psycho was released by Hitchcock only three months after Peeping Tom. After nearly killing his career, Peeping Tom is now considered the 24th best British film ever.

NOT THAT FUNNY... posted by J

The remake of "Funny Games", by Micheal Haneke, has just been realeased in theaters. I've been intrigued by the poster, the story, the cast, and that the director himself made the remake. I had put the original on my netflix queue, but before i had the chance to reicive it my room mate got it. I watched it yesterday and man was it better than i thought. What a twisted story. It was suspenseful in that Hitchcock kind of way. Hardly any of the violent acts that happened in the film happend on the screen. It created such a eery feeling. I'm so excited to see how the reamake turnsout. I give this film 5 stars. It's well worth the watch if you dig thrillers.

The post above has the trailer for the remake staring Naomi Watts, Tim Roth, and Micheal Pitt