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EARLY WORD: The Thin Line Between Love And Hate
SUNDANCE FESTIVAL: One of the most infamous lawyers of the twentieth century, William Kunstler liked to shake things up. Filmmakers Emily and Sarah Kunstler explore their father’s life and legacy: from middle-class family man to celebrated radical activist to “the most hated lawyer in America.”Kunstler’s resume is one for the storybooks. He fought for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. and catapulted to the world stage by defending the Chicago Seven. Soon Kunstler became the go-to guy for the radical left. When inmates rioted at Attica prison or Native Americans took on the federal government at Wounded Knee, they […]
CINEMA: Thinking Inside The Box
THE BOX (2009, directed by Richard Kelly, 115 minutes, U.S.) REVANCHE (2008, directed by Götz Spielmann, 121 minutes, Austria) THE FOURTH KIND (2009, directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi, 98 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Eight years after its release, Donnie Darko has secured its place as a modern classic of the decade. After this auspicious debut, director/writer Richard Kelly spent a good five years basking in his role as the new young genius of American film. Then the world got a look at his 2006 follow-up Southland Tales, the sort of gargantuan, impenetrable mess rarely seen since the drug-fueled […]
Q&A: Ask The Yes Men
The Yes Men is a group of culture jamming activists who practice what they call “identity correction” by pretending to be powerful people and spokespersons for prominent organizations. From their offices in Milwaukee, they create and maintain fake websites similar to ones they want to spoof, and then they accept invitations received on their websites to appear at conferences, symposia, and TV shows. Their newfound, self-proclaimed authority to express the idea that corporations and governmental organizations often act in dehumanizing ways toward the public has met both positively and negatively with political overtones. Elaborate props are sometimes part of the […]
NPR FOR THE DEAF: We Hear It Even When You Can’t
FRESH AIR As manager of President Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, David Plouffe stayed behind the scenes. Now, 10 months after Obama took office, Plouffe has written a memoir about the campaign, detailing the victory and the ways it changed the concept of campaigning. From the indecision surrounding Obama’s choice to run, to the Iowa caucus win, and through the final stages of the general election campaign against John McCain, Plouffe helped guide the campaign to a historic victory. His book offers an insider’s tale of a campaign that managed to harness — perhaps for the first time — the expansive […]
CINEMA: Antichrist Superstar
ANTICHRIST (2009, directed by Lars von Trier, 104 minutes, Denmark) THE NEW YEAR PARADE (2008, directed by Tom Quinn, 84 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC Filmmakers will often describe a film heavily inspired by their own experience as a “personal film.” Although Danish filmmaker has never claimed to go mad in a forest cabin it is clear that his latest work Antichrist is also a deeply personal film, not just for von Trier but for its audience as well. It is a work that doesn’t lead you to pre-digested conclusions and instead presents the deep recesses of von […]
MUST SEE TV: Spike Jonze Smacks Kanye’s Bitch Up
NEW YORK MAGAZINE: To promote yesterday’s iTunes release of the pair’s new short, We Once Were a Fairytale, Spike Jonze posted this medium-funny behind-the-scenes video of him pretending to slap a distracted Kanye West on the set. Given Kanye’s popularity these days, this seems like pretty smart marketing. MORE
BREAKING: Dennis Hopper Stricken With Cancer
[“Dennis Hopper 1971” by ANDY WARHOL] ASSOCIATED PRESS: Dennis Hopper has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and is canceling all travel plans to focus on treatment, his manager said Thursday. The 73-year-old actor and artist is being treated through a “special program” at the University of Southern California, said Sam Maydew. Asked about Hopper’s prognosis, Maydew said, “We’re hoping for the best.” He would not elaborate on the actor’s condition. MORE RELATED: Q&A With Dean Wareham [Video: Dean and Britta @ Prospect Park: Dennis Hopper Screen Test]
CINEMA: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Michael Jackson’s This Is It (2009, directed by Kenny Ortega, 112 minutes, U.S.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC For Michael Jackson, dropping dead last June was just the capper to the worst decade of his long career. His last album dropped in 2001 and was the first of his solo records to be perceived as a failure since Off The Wall sent his career into the stratosphere in 1979. His interview with Martin Bashir in 2003 (broadcast on ABC as Living With Michael Jackson) seemed like a perverse attempt to grab the public’s attention, if not with his music then […]
ROKY ERICKSON: I Walked With A Zombie
WIKIPEDIA: Roky Erickson (born Roger Kynard Erickson on July 15, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter, harmonica player and guitarist from Texas. He was a founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators and pioneer of the psychedelic rock genre.[1] The Elevators were vocal proponents of mescaline (peyote), LSD, and marijuana use, and were subject to extra attention from police. In 1969, Erickson was arrested for possession of one marijuana joint in Austin. Facing a ten-year prison term, Erickson pled not guilty by reason of insanity. He was first sent to the Austin State Hospital. After several escapes, he was sent […]
TONITE: Let It Be
LET IT BE (1970, directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, 81 minutes, U.K.) BY DAN BUSKIRK FILM CRITIC With their own edition of Rock Band and their recent CD reissues climbing the charts, The Beatles are in the middle of yet another victory lap for the band the continues its iron-clad hold on the pop consciousness. In true counter-programming The Secret Cinema is presenting a rare screening tonight of the film The Beatles never wanted you to see, a myth-busting profile of the group as they helplessly watch their magic dissipate. If you’re a Beatles lover (the least elite of groups) it […]