Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
Quint stopped by the Labs tonight on his way back to Austin. He spent a long day hooking up with friends here in town, and he was a little dazed by the time I saw him. Still, if I’d realized he saw DOGVILLE, I would have grilled him on it while he was sitting in the living room. I’m dying to see the latest Von Trier film, and can’t wait. Here’s a peek...
Hey Harry,
I know you have Quint down here covering films but I just wanted to let you know about some really interesting films screening at the SB Film Festival over the past few days. So far the festival has been great and kudos to Roger Durling and staff for giving film lovers something to look forward to each year. Anyways, here goes.
Dogville
Love it or hate, this film will make you think about emotions and contradictions often hidden under the social and cultural surface of our modern day community. Lars Von Trier has contructed a film that people will be discussing for years to come. I know you've covered it before on the site but I think it's important that people get out there are try and see Dogville before it's released in theaters because I heard a rumor tonight that it might be cut down to 2 hours. I thnik this would be a shame, even though many people complain about it's lenght, every aching moment feels crucial to the harrowing story.
Unknown Soldier
Seek this film out at all costs. It hopefully will be picked up for distribution by one of the smaller indi company's like Focus Features but who knows if this film will see the light of day. The debut film from Ferenc Toth, Unknown Soldier tells the story of Ellison (known as "L") an African American teen who becomes a forgotten piece of society when his fathers dies and loses his home. Set on the gritty but beautiful streets of Harlem, Unknown Soldier follows L has he must choose between a life of dignity or crime. Not one character feels forced or any scene seem misplaced. This film has the tenderness and personal touch reminiscient of David Gordon Green's films. While the production value is on the cheap side, the story carries you through till the stunning last shot. I really hope people in Santa Barbara see this film cause it's a gem.
The Mayor of Sunset Strip
A documentary by George Hickenlooper(Hearts of Darkness:A Filmakers Apocalypse) on Rodney Bingenheimer, one of the most infleuntial disk jockey's of all time. His show "Rodney on the ROQ" still airs on KROQ in Los Angeles but his infleunce dates back to his introduction of David Bowie and Iggy Pop to American audiences almost thirty years ago. This documentary, which will be in limited release starting on March 26, is really a fascinating portrait of a man's journey through decades of changes in Hollywood, moonlighting with everyone from Elvis to Phil Spector. Rodney knows everyone and everyone wants to know Rodney. He calls himself the link between the "not so famous" and "the famous". Hickenlooper has assembled a large assortment of interviews covering Rodney's fascinating life, including Cher, Bowie and a host of others, telling the world about the man responsible for many band's success here in the States. This and the Agronomist by Jonathan Demme are the best doc's at the festival, but this one is by far the most fun.
Quint, I hope you're enjoying your stay in SB and thanks for your time.
SB Connection
Nice stuff, and THE MAYOR OF SUNSET STRIP is another one of those that I’m really eager to see, especially since my schedule kept me from attending some screenings last year, and I kicked myself afterwards.
"Moriarty" out.
