Wednesday Bloggings

Amidst computer crashings and oppressive heat and humidity (that's why i left the south in the first place), it's business as usual in SecretMovieLand. Despite a fairly small crowd last night, we had a fantastic screening. 1926 "mud" animation from Joseph Sunn, rodeos, waterskiing, zombies. We learned (thanks to 1950s educational films) how to properly throw a party and why alcohol is "dynamite". Much thanks to Sid Davis. More of his rather dated social programming in the future. In fact, we may just have a Sid Davis night. Or how about a "recreate a Sid Davis film" competition? Now we're talking.

Summer is Here, come get some

Recently discovered the "mud" animation work of San Francisco Chinese American animator Joseph Sunn. all the way from 1926. It's super fun. So i'll be featuring a bit of his work over the next couple of months. There isn't so much of a story. but for fans of claymation and stop-motion, it's a must-see. Anyone that knows me reasonably well, knows that i like to watch certain things: stop-motion animation, zombies, robots. I'm just waiting for someone to combine all three. Or perhaps that will be my next film. Hmmmm......

Beyond that, I've pulled out some classic educational films and contemporary video shorts.

So what else? Oh yea, I just hung a brand new (to us) larger screen. so no more small screen on the floor. now we can watch a larger projection and hopefully fit more viewers into the gallery.

wrapping up

First of all, a huge thank you to Jeffrey Von Ragan and Harper Reitkopf for a fantastic screening. We had a huge crowd and quite an engaging discussion following the screening.
And we've made the Old Northender our official Secret Movie Night after party. So for those that can't make it to the screening, you can catch us for the recap over a few beers.
Right now i'm pondering my options for SMN week eleven. suggestions? send them my way.
Otherwise, I'll see you on Tuesday.

Got a minute or three, try this:

The latest venture from Channel 101's Dan Harmon and company. Yea, it's currently a show on VH1. not even sure when it airs. but it's just as easy to view the clips online. I love the concept. You create and submit a short episode. Everyone votes. If it's popular enough, you get to make more.

For a sample, check out the High Fiver (above). created by The Department of Acceptable Media.
"He has the power to read your mind, assuming you’re not down low or too slow."

Filmed By Bike

This weekend in Montpelier, a fun evening of bicycle films.

Freeride Montpelier and Black Sheep Books present:
Filmed by Bike:
a festival of bike-themed movie shorts

$3-10 sliding scale donation, but no one turned away.
For more info on the films, visit www.FilmedByBike.org

Not quite sure where the films will be screened. And i believe the screening begins at 5pm. So I'll update this post when i get more info.

I'd like to have my memory erased

It is quite possible that no amount of drugs or alcohol or even blows to the head can erase my memory of the two and a half hours wasted last night. two and a half hours of my life that i'll never be able to retrieve, but the memory of which will remain indelibly etched into my brain.

I didn't witness a murder, break up with a girlfriend or even have to eat at taco bell. No, something far worse. you see, i took it upon myself to witness firsthand the remains of a once brilliant career in film direction: the career of not one but two heroes quickly spiralling down the toilet. to be precise, the careers of Sam Raimi (director of the greatest trilogy of all time) and man among men Bruce Campbell ("It's good to be the King").

By now, i'm sure you've realized that i'm rather obliquely referring to Spiderman 3. It has been reviewed to death at this point so i won't bother to enumerate the myriad ways in which this film completely fails all expectations of what a reasonably entertaining film shoud be. and by "film" I am referring, in this context, to the mindless summer blockbuster variety. Rather than a review, consider this a warning, somewhat of a public service. save yourself while you still can.

OK, so there's gotta be a positve somewhere, right? well, yea, sorta. This won't be too much of a spoiler so i'll mention it. The one moment in the film when i felt the script, acting, direction didn't totally fail was the restaurant scene in which Bruce Campbell plays the French maitr d'. a fine sequence, but unfortunately a wasted effort amidst the other two hours and fifteen minutes of torture.

So there you have it. view at your own risk. Or just wait for Transformers. which will also suck. but at least it has robots.

This just in....

A quick preview of upcoming events. Next Tuesday, May 22:

Portland, Oregon's Jeffrey Von Ragan presents "BiHuvud", A mystic tale of darkness and beauty. Set against the stark drama of ice and snow on a winter's Coney Island, we follow a swedish womans journy as she encounters supernatual forces that interupt her path. "...Ingmar Bergman meets the Twilight Zone."

Shot on miniDV and super8, this beautiful black&white short was filmed during a blizzard on Coney Island. Narrated in a Swedish translation of the poem "Beehead" by Jeffrey Von Ragan.

We hope to screen more of Jeffrey's work in the future.

After that, we have another short by local filmmaker Harper B Reitkopf, followed by a presentation and discussion with a local health consultant. more details on Harper's film very soon.

When Animals Go Bad

If you were there last night, you now feel a bit more prepared for the inevitable zombie attack, you understand why "dirty commies" are to blame for both zombies and pornography, and you may never see a sports mascot the same way.

Oh, and you missed out on some classic cartoons.

Secret Movie Night, now in its ninth week, also enjoyed its best crowd yet. And our pal Rob Rock brought chips and salsa. what a swell guy he is. but not to fear, we still managed our usual amount of technical difficulties and general tomfoolery.

hey, we gotsta keep it real. For more of said realness, join us next Tuesday. you know how we roll.

Blogrolled

wanna give a shout out to Cathy Resmer at 802 Online, a fantastic local blog about Vermont media and whatnot.

You can also read about Secret Movie Night goodness in this week's Seven Days "State of the Arts" column. I won't spoil it. just go and read it for yourself.

makes me smile to see what a vibrant community we live in. that we can support two different weekly movie nights in the north end alone speaks to the inherent support and commitment to local arts. We've got Burlington College producing fresh work on a regular basis. and hopefully screening the aforementioned work at these local movie nights (hint hint).

so what now? we've got great audiences, loads of bizarre and eclectic material to watch. now we need more Burlingtonians getting in on the act. So if you're reading this, I want you to pick up a digital camera, super8, mobile phone or whatever you've got. Got your device in hand? is the battery fully charged? ok, good. now, get out there and shoot. If you're feeling particularly clever, add a title or a soundtrack. It's a music video? Fantastic! no, wait, It's a two-minute tutorial on how to make the yummiest pancakes ever? ooh, that's even better. no, it's a zombie film? fine by me.

so what are you waiting for? it's just sitting there on your hard drive. send me an email and screen it at Secret Movie Night. the world is waiting.

see you there

Note to self:

prepare for zombie invasion. giant arctic lizard monsters aren't all that bad. The popular girls in school don't necessarily park in cars with boys.

Wild Animals in SecretMovieLand

Nothing earth-shattering to report in the world of SecretMovieLand this week. but the good news is that someone out there knows about us. submissions continue to arrive and more secret movie fans seem to pop up every day. So i guess it's game on for me. time to plan yet another evening of viewing pleasure.

This week's feature (so to speak)? how about this? "Bad Animals". which could mean quite a few things. and only I know for certain. here's your hint:



It's not this guy.

I need coffee

Ah, the pressure. work, life, film, the immediate need for more coffee. well, first thing's first. I'll start with the aforementioned cup of java.

and let me state, for the record, that "Raspberry Rhapsody" is not a form of coffee. It is either a fruity umbrella-adorned frozen drink consumed on a tropical island or a vegas showgirl. or perhaps both. i'll have to look into that.

But on to the business at hand: Secret Movie Night. which, this past week, was our best ever. A solid crowd, an hour and a half of fresh, amusing material. and best of all, local filmmakers Evan and Adam Beamer of El Matador Films. And despite a few minor technical difficulties, I couldn't have been more pleased. well, ok, we could certainly bring in even larger crowds and more local artists. But we're working on that. so stay tuned. in the meantime, i'll be planning the next installment of SMN. A few hints are on the way.

SMN turns 8 (weeks)

The trick this week is to somehow follow up last week's screening of Storm Planet. So far I've gotten nothing but positive feedback about the screening.
so this week i'll go with a very random assortment of animation, music, bizarre offerings from David Lynch and Robert Rauschenberg, a demo derby doc from the NC State Fair, crazy cartoons, a 1912 Russian animation by Ladislaw Starewicz, featuring insects.
and seriously, who doesn't enjoy a good animated insect film. and yes, i mean real insects. this was 1912. no messing around. Starewicz used the real thing.

so that's it for now. see you at movie night.