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One of the best celebrity documentaries ever made. Puts every modern celeb propaganda vehicle to shame!
Jun 6, 2023
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IMO this is one of the finest rock-docs ever made. Not sure how close to reality it really is (maybe more "film" than "documentary"), but filmmaker Ondi Timoner followed the bands in question (Portland's Dandy Warhols and SF's Brian Jonestown Massacre) for seven years, amassing something like 2500 hours of footage, to craft a narrative that basically portrays a love/hate relationship between the bands (at one point, BJM frontman Anton Newcombe sends each member of Dandy Warhols a bullet with his/her name on it). I had the advantage of knowing both bands on their own terms -- the Dandys' Courtney Taylor-Taylor is a longtime friend, and I've been a fan of BJM for years, as my reviews/interviews would show -- so I can pick around a bit between what seems real (the music itself, life on the road, dealing with labels and the biz) and what seems contrived (the friction between the bands, Anton's seemingly over-the-top persona). The Dandys are THE most fun hang of all time -- their rehearsal space-cum-party cabin/clubhouse, the Odditorium in Portland, took up a full city block and hosted absolute ragers over the years (including an amazing night with David Bowie and band). The film is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and Timoner has added scenes and additional narration from BJM tambourine player (!!) Joel Gion to bring the movie up to date and balance out some of the overblown-ness of the original version. Compulsive viewing, dead ahead: "Choose your own adventure" with the cameras rolling.
Mar 12, 2024
A documentary about the making of "We Are the World." (For those who may not know, it was a big celebrity single made to raise funds to fight hunger in Africa.) For those of us who were kids in the 80s, this doc is a major nostalgia trip!
Feb 7, 2024
I usually can’t bear documentaries where people just sit and tell stories on camera, so this one was such a gem for me. it’s entirely made up of footage from Bowie’s speeches and performances, much of which had never been seen before. the editing is boldly creative, and the overall experience feels like a trip
Aug 26, 2024
Top Recs from @haley-nahman
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I feel like it’s popular to hate on assigned seating so I want to show my support. When you assign my seat, you’re doing me a favor. You’re freeing me from the tyranny of choice, or the burden of asserting myself. Walking into a wedding reception to find my name on a little tag with a table number—my fate decided, nothing I can do about it now—is heaven. Walking into a movie theater and knowing my seat is saved is a perfect experience. No notes.
Jun 6, 2023
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I’m including this because it’s a vaguely unapproachable art film and I hope you’re impressed that I liked it. I saw it at Metrograph in January. Dreams consists of eight vignettes, each inspired by real recurring dreams from Kurosawa’s life. It was made late in his career and is described by Metrograph as “the work of a filmmaker with nothing left to prove but a great deal to say.” (I’ve been thinking about that phrasing ever since I read it.) I hate to sound like a frat boy but I was on mushrooms when I saw it and I am going to have to recommend that. I’ve never seen the uncanny nature of dreams captured so well.
Jun 6, 2023
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A while ago while writing an essay I broke my living room window. I simply set my foot against it while typing and pressed. The next day I searched for a local business to replace it and discovered Bernie’s Glass & Mirror. If you’re lucky enough to need a window or mirror fixed in Brooklyn, I can’t recommend Bernie enough. He’ll come huffing into your living room with a rotten New York attitude and stay to chat with you for as long as he pleases. He may scold you for saying something completely innocuous like “do you need help moving my couch out of the way?” He may show you photos he once took as a professional wedding photographer. He will certainly bitch about his kids (“millenniums”) who don’t want to take over the family business. And your window will look like new.
Jun 6, 2023