Category: - Mapanare.us Constantly.Consuming.Culture.

Boardwalk, Directed By Stephen Verona, Finally Coming Out On Home Video

1/22/2014

Boardwalk the 1970 drama written by Stephen Verona comes out on DVD/Blu-ray March 25, 2014. The film has not been available on home video previously. The film stars Ruth Gordon, Lee Strasberg and Janet Leigh. The New York City-based drama is the story of a married couple living in Coney Island, a Coney Island that isn't what it once was. Their kids want them to move. They won't leave.

Verona produced many of rock n roll's earliest music videos. He also co-directed the classic, The Lords of Flatbush.

A significant film you can pre-order on DVD HERE or blu-ray HERE.

"Accidentally Preserved" Rare Silent Films To Be Released On DVD

5/31/2013

Silent film enthusiasts (like me) should be very pleased over the release of Accidentally Preserved: Rare & Lost Silent Films from Vintage 16mm Prints, a somewhat cumbersome title for this DVD collection of nine silent film shorts. The set comes out June 11 and will be available only at Amazon.com via their “CreateSpace” DVD on demand service.

Some of these have been lost for decades and guess why they are back? Crowdfunding. The crowdfunding project was put together by silent film musical accompanist, Ben Model. Model coined the phrase “accidentally preserved” to refer films that exist because they were copied onto 16mm safety film for home rental (yes, they had home rental). Model is, as mentioned, a silent film accompanist and has worked as such at the Museum of Modern Art since 1984.

The films include pieces by Wallace Lupino, Billy Franey, Clyde Cook, Cliff Bowes and Paul Parrott (Charley Chase’s sibling). There is also a Max Fleischer cartoon and an industrial film (very few of these from the era survived—even less than entertainment films)

Find out more at www.accidentallypreserved.com. There will be more releases in the series. Probably in part, because of this “on demand” service by Amazon. It is tough to get distribution of such films and costly to duplicate in numbers.

For more on Model head to www.silentfilmmusic.com.

Play In The Gray Examines Drag-Cabaret Troupe, All The Kings Men

6/20/2012

All the Kings Men is a drag cabaret theater troupe based in Boston. They are not all about dressing up like Carol Channing either. They dress men as old ladies and women as men and men dressed as women dressing as men..etcetera!

It sounds like a must see show.

Now you can get insight into the troupe in the privacy of your own home. Play in the Gray is a film about the work, art, lives and more of the members of the troupe. It is not a tape of a show by the group (please note that) but an examination of the group, the ideas behind the group and much more.

You can find out more HERE.

You can buy it HERE.

Sean Weathers Exploitation Films Coming To MVD Entertainment

11/11/2011

Sean Weathers films are exploitation films. You can tell by the titles; Hookers in Revolt and They All Must Die!. Find me a Merchant/Ivory film with a title like Hookers in Revolt. These two titles, and the more ambiguously titled, The Unfinished Works of Sean Weathers, come out November 22 on MVD Entertainment.

Hookers in Revolt’s plot is pretty simple;hookers revolt against their pimps. Apparently inspired by Orwells Animal Farm this film uses pimps and hos in Brooklyn over the barnyard. They All Must Die was apparently investigated because authorities thought it was a snuff film. The press says it was “banned” but I don’t know where and how. Outrageous, depraved and disgusting are adjectives used. When I hear those these days I think “Faces of Death” (which was fake by the way). BUT good exploitation is all about the marketing, the shock. That is all part of what makes the “genre.”

The last title is a collection of three titled Weathers was unable to complete.

FIlm Course On DVD Re Getting Your Film Distributed

10/19/2011

Whenever I see any “how to” book or DVD I am skeptical. But really? In the case of indie film distribution—especially DIY indie film distribution? What do you have to lose, have a look. The Secrets To Distribution: Get Your Movie Distributed Now! is out on DVD.

It purports to have all you producer and director types need to know to get distribution for your feature or documentary. I will dispense with hyperbole. The package is 9 DVDs with 18 hour of material and three work books with resources, case studies and distro contact lists.

What have you got to lose? Especially if you don’t know the biz? Well, yes, you could lose whatever this costs but that is implied…I mean beyond THAT what do you have to lose? Ok…18 hours of your time but you would likely waste that on Facebook or down at the dog track right?

If you subscribe to Smashcut (and I was unaware I did) you get a discount which is slightly less than $450….for the course. Read more at www.distribution.la/smashcut. And ask around about this. I am not endorsing this...just letting you know it exists.

New York Dolls "Lookin' Fine On Television" Coming Out On DVD

10/10/2011

Bob and Nadya Gruen bought a portable video recorder in the early 1970s. That was pretty early to have one I guess but in itself is not remarkable. What is remarkable is the 40 hours of footage they shot of New York Dolls. This footage was turned into into the documentary All Dolled Up fo Lookin’ Fine On Television.

Footage has been added and edited as well for this release. Footage includes videos from shows at Max’s Kansas City, Whiskey-A-Go-Go and a slew of others. There are also interviews with David Johansen and Johnny Thunders.

Bob Gruen, in case you are unaware, is a celebrated rock photographer.

For more info on the releas go HERE.

Dalai Lama DVD Series Coming From MVD

8/3/2011

Video # 1 from the first set.

MVD is releasing a series of DVDs from the Dalai Lama. The first set comes out on August 23 and includes four titles; A Pratical Way Of Directing Love And Compassion, Contentment, Joy And Living Well, Interdependence, Interconnectedness And The Nature Of Reality and Facing Death And Dying Well.

The titles of the films are sort of self-explanatory but I suspect that his holiness goes into a tad more detail. Most of the DVDs are around three hours long or thereabout. The tapes are in a mix of English and Tibetan (with subtitles obviously).

Years ago I saw the Dalai Lama speak (despite a poor sound system) and the idea that compassion was our greatest human attribute and that we had a responsibility to the people around us made the biggest impression on me. Of course, I still got into a fight with my then-girlfriend right after his speech. It took awhile for it to all sink in with me as I am not terribly bright.

But even that is a lesson that even the thickest person can take such messages to heart and these DVDs are something any person of conscience, any person, open to other views should check out.

These four are the first in a series for more information head to MVD Entertainment.

Live From Tokyo DVD Gives Inside View Of Tokyo’s Underground Music Scene

6/23/2011

Live From Tokyo is coming out on DVD on Cood Charamel Records. The release will include a digital download of the soundtrack. It all hits the streets August 23. Yeah, so this is music but since it is a movie? I consider it appropriate for the movie section.

The Tokyo underground scene is noted for pushing the envelope and for being, by subjective standards, weird. There is no specific genre involved. There are many. Lewis Rapkin directed this documentary that also looks at Japanese society in addition to the eccentric musical culture represented. Bands include; Nisennenmondai, Tenniscoats, DMBQ, PARA , Shugo Tokumaru, Sexy-Synthesizer, Sajjanu, KIRIHITO, d.v.d, Optrum, Uhnellys, Samm Bennett, W. David Marx, Tokyo Pinsalocks and others.

For more information head to www.GoodCharamel.com.

New Brian Eno Documentary Comes Out In May

3/22/2011

It is kind of hard to believe but Brian Eno “1971-1977: The Man Who Fell To Earth, is the first ever documentary about Eno. He is, without any doubt, one of the most important figures in rock music both as an artist, and maybe even more so as a producer. This documentary follows not only his career but his life from the early to the late 70s. This is Eno before he quipped that U2’s Unforgettable Fire (which he produced) sold more records in minutes than he had in his entire career.

The film includes interviews with musicians, writers and more as well as archival footage. If you are not familiar with Eno then this might be a good place to start. The DVD comes out May 17. You can order HERE.

A History Lesson Part 1, Teaching The Youth About Punk Rock

1/18/2011

Back in 1984 David Travis was capturing Los Angeles punk rock on video. He took hundreds of hours of L.A. shows and did tons of interviews. In this video A History Lesson Part 1, footage from 1984 is presented and it includes the likes of Meat Puppets, Minutemen, Twisted Roots and Redd Kross. Interviews with each group are also included.

Travis is an L.A. native whose dad worked in television. When he was 15 Dad gave him an old video camera. He documented punk rock in L.A. until 1997 (he also worked on videos for bands and other projects). Travis became a teacher for a decade and then began digitizing his old footage. This is the first video from the archive.