Corman's World.

A star-infused look at the premiere independent filmmaker, Roger Corman.

Hits theaters on December 16th.

More info at cormansworld.com

I Swear I Was There.

I read David Nolan's book, I Swear I Was There this weekend. The book documents the Sex Pistols' two concerts at The Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester. These two concerts are legendary in the history of 20th century music.
My poor wife has had to endure my rantings about the importance of these concerts (especially the first one in June 4, 1076 [1076 is an inside joke, read the book]) in music history for the last seven years. Now that I know that others are defending the epic historical significance of these concerts, perhaps I can give her a break.
Not sure how I missed the publication of this book, but is it is everything a Sex Pistols fan could hope for. It delves into every nuance of those concerts as well as the Sex Pistols first television appearance on So It Goes (yes, even before the famous Grundy interview.)
The book is a breezy read. I finished it in two long sittings. The detail is extraordinary. The story is told as a primary source collection of quotes from the people that were there. Glen Matlock is the only Sex Pistol interviewed but it almost gets in the way. The story is about the audience and the event. The opening acts and the organizers. The fans and the people in Manchester just discovering a new freedom and a new way of thinking about music.
HERE it is on Amazon. Now I see why I may have missed it. The book does not appear to have a publisher in the U.S. Interesting.
The BBC has an interview with the author HERE:

Why is it such a mythical event?
"It’s because it’s one of those moments in popular culture whereby you can put your finger on it and say: that was it, that was the day, that was the time, that was the year that was the precise moment when everything took a left turn. And that is the music that we’re listening to now, the clubs we have in Manchester, the way we buy records, the independent music scene, basically came out of that audience."
That’s a big statement. Lots of people will say punk had no influence on my life…
"The book ain’t about punk. It’s about the audience who were in there that night and looked at the band who were the Sex Pistols who played their first Manchester gig and turned to each other and said, in that Mancunian way: ‘That’s rubbish! We could do so much better than that. And that’s exactly what they did."
How many people were there?
"There were about 35-40 people there at the time."
So who was there?
"We know that Morrissey was there, who went on to form the Smiths. We know that the lads who went on to form the Buzzcocks were there because they organised the gig. We know that two lads from Lower Broughton were there who went out the next day and bought guitars at Mazel Radio which used to be on Piccadilly Station Approach, they formed a band called Joy Division; We know that Mark E Smith was there who went on to form The Fall; we know that Paul Morley was there who went on to become a writer and wrote about the scene for the NME etc.
"That was it: that was the day, that was the time, that was the year that was the precise moment when everything took a left turn."
"There was ANOTHER gig six weeks later there that was actually full, and that’s where the Hacienda came from, that’s where Factory Records came from. So it’s a very easy thing to put your finger on and say: yeah, that’s where everything kind of changed. As a result, it’s become such an attractive thing that lot’s of people have said: I was there.. and maybe they weren’t."

Morrissey wrote a letter to NME after the first concert. passionsjustlikemine.com has the text of the letter:

18 June 1976 - NME (UK)
Review by Steven Morrissey of a Sex Pistols concert: "I pen this epistle after witnessing the infamous Sex Pistols in concert at the Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall. The bumptious Pistols in jumble sale attire had those few that attended dancing in the aisles despite their discordant music and barely audible lyrics. The Pistols boast having no inspiration from the New York / Manhattan rock scene, yet their set includes, "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone", a number believed to be done almost to perfection by the Heartbreakers on any sleazy New York night and the Pistols' vocalist / exhibitionist Johnny Rotten's attitude and self-asserted 'love us or leave us' approach can be compared to both Iggy Pop and David JoHansen in their heyday. The Sex Pistols are very New York and it's nice to see that the British have produced a band capable of producing atmosphere created by The New York Dolls and their many imitators, even though it may be too late. I'd love to see the Pistols make it. Maybe they will be able to afford some clothes which don't look as though they've been slept in."

In later letters Morrissey would not be so kind to the Sex Pistols or the punk movement they spawned.
There are ton-load of videos with the music recorded that night, displaying photographs from the event on YouTube.
Here is a scene about the concert from the film 24 Hour Party People.

Damien Walters 2011 Showreel.

One of the iternet's best. I'm not exaggerating. Every year, my buddy, Manny, and I share Damien Walters' new showreel. This year's is mind blowing as usual.

If the French really discovered a way to end aging, I nominate Damien Walters for the first doses.

 

What about Vision?

Pre-order your Ji Ja Bird.

 

Mr. Clement is taking pre-orders for his latest piece.
The Ji Ja Bird comes in yellow or white and is limited to an edition of 300.
Here are the specs for these little cutie pies:

Price: £21 each (Free shipping)

Limited Edition: 300

Material: PVC
Figure with package Weight: 100g
Figure size: 8.2cm X 4.5cm X 4cm
Package Size: 19cm X 10.5cm X 6cm
Shipping Date: 24th November, 2011

Remarks:

- 2 colors available (Yellow and White)
- 3 jointed figure, arm and neck
- Each figure comes with a small paper
open envelope (2cm X 1.2 cm) that fits into the mouth of figure
- Each figure has a limited edition no.

*Pre-Order by email via info@mrclement.com

Check It Out season 2!!!

 

Seventeen hours ago Eric Wareheim announced via his Twitter feed that Check it Out with Dr. Steve Brule was headed for a season 2.
The best series on television.

Daily poster: Nothing But the Night.

Nothing But the Night.
This highly original British thriller was just released on DVD last month. I watched it last night with Vince and Jan.
Christopher Lee was interested in producing his own films. Nothing But the Night was the first and last film produced by Lee's Charlemagne Productions. Lee brought with him, his longtime onscreen rival, Peter Cushing. The film suffered a horrible distribution deal in the United States and died a quiet death.
The story involves the death of three members of a large and valuable trust. A girl with repressed memories and her mother's struggle to reunite with her daughter. Well, not all of those plot descriptions are wholly accurate, but therin lies the juice of Nothing But the Night.
It is a fine film, not too slow and very original. There are parts where you may want a clean explanation of what is happening. Just sit back.
I have no idea where the title comes from. Also, note how many times Lee and Cushing smile at each other at completely inappropriate times. There must have been some sort of in-joke during production; perhaps they were very happy working together as partners instead of enemies in the story. It's distracting and extremely charming.
Had a lot of fun with this one.
Don't watch the trailer on youtube. It's actually a critical scene from the film and not a trailer. It will spoil the film for you like sun-warmed mayonaise.
Poster courtesy of Wrong Side of the Art.

Daily poster: Maniac

 

Maniac.
This is the beautiful Mondo poster for Maniac.
Elijah Wood has been signed to star in a remake. The original is so scalptastic and just so gritty and mean and oily, and Joe Spinell is such a force, that it's hard to imagine the remake resembling the original in very many ways. Elijah Wood was fantastic as the cannibal killer in Sin City and I'm certain he can tear it up here. Execution is key here.
It sounds like they are changing the story quite a bit, having Elijah Wood stalk the ladies online before murdering them. A period piece, set in the grim New York 80's would be so much better, but I'm so exhausted and apathetic to remakes at this point, that I don't really care.
In the meantime, gaze upon the grizzled visage of slasher extraordinaire Joe Spinell. Maniac was Joe Spinell's first starring role and when the original poster was revealed, he was furious that his face was nowhere to be seen. I hope Mr. Spinell can now rest in peace with this beautiful poster.
Here is the blood soaked trailer.

Become a Judo master.

Thirty seconds to absolute Judo mastery.

Daily poster: Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom

Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Thirty-six years ago today, Pier Pasolini was murdered. He was run over several times by someone driving Pasolini's own car. A street hustler confessed to the crime; he later recanted his confession. Rumors have cropped up over the last few years that film cans from Pasolini's last film, Salo had been stolen and that Passolini was secretly dealing with the thieves to get the film back. Everything about Passolini's death was lurid. Italian newspapers even ran photographs of his corpse on their front pages.

Pasolini's last film, Salo, is the film he will be most remembered for. Loosely based on the Marquis de Sade's, 120 Days of Sodom, the film is far too brutal for most folks. It used to be very hard to get a copy of this film and the buzz it constantly created made it such an evocative "must have."

I will admit that I was disappointed when I first saw the film. I didn't get it. I was ready for Faces of Death meets Merchant Ivory. However, watching it a few more times with no expectation of life changing shock, slowly changed my opinion. The film forces you to immediately detach. You cannot connect to any of the characters, you must simply observe and focus on the film itself. The act of watching the film is an act of confirmation of the horrible things that occur in the film. I don't believe, as many do, that the act of watching film makes the viewer complicit, but perhaps confirmation without moral judgement is complicity.
Every few years, a filmmaker tries the old "I'm showing you all this violence and disgusting subject matter to horrify you. To wake you up. To express something important." Naysayers always argue that this is simply exploitation, pandering to the lowest and basest of us, and a grim way to make a quick buck. Some folks do get it. Natural Born Killers, Irreversible and Funny Games come immediately to mind. These are not horror films. These are something else. These touch different nerves. Salo is the king of these types of films.

Batman as a 1970's Eurocrime film.

This took a second to grow on me. I flipped at Klaus Kinski as The Joker.

Blond-Mustache man as Commissioner Gordon and Henry Silva as Two-Face are also perfect choices.