Category Archives: Saturday Matinee

Saturday Matinee: Struggle

Posted on by
Reply

logo

From MentalRev Productions:

Struggle is a case study of the 2004 Presidential Election in Ohio, the deciding swing state which delivered the presidency once again to George W. Bush. Diligently researched by the key contributors to the film, Struggle is a bold film that challenges the legitimacy of that Presidential Election and brings the entire US electoral process into question.

This gripping documentary is filmed with a mix of expert testimony and first-hand accounts of voters whose votes were suppressed or manipulated, and community members who protested for election reform and justice in the State and National Capitals. This informative, engaging and tense film is told from a grass roots perspective, from the ground up, without the filters of mainstream media framing the dialogue. Filmed with a handheld style that reflects the intensity of the moment, this film identifies the practices of Individual and State entities to silence protest and manipulate elections in the United States.

This film was made without the resources of mainstream media or a highly funded political campaign. This is a grass roots film that speaks truth to power, with your help we will magnify that voice and demand free and fair elections for all Americans.

https://vimeo.com/50791629

Saturday Matinee: O Lucky Man!

Posted on by
1

o-lucky-man-movie-poster-11-x-17_1834417

O Lucky Man! (1973) is anarchist director Lindsay Anderson’s epic follow-up to his film if…(1968). It’s at times a surreal and darkly humorous allegory for survival in capitalist society. Like if…, it stars Malcolm McDowell as Mick Travis but in a less rebellious mode selling coffee for a multinational corporation. Through hard experience (not unlike the trials of his character Alex in A Clockwork Orange), Mick learns the consequences of abandoning his principles and the true nature of the ruling class he aspires to join. Serving as the film’s “Greek chorus” are excellent songs from Alan Price interspersed through the film.

Saturday Matinee: X-Files “My Struggle”

Posted on by
Reply

960

Though I was fascinated by the original X-Files in the 90s (especially the myth arc episodes), I had my doubts about the new mini-series until reading this compelling review/analysis of the first episode by esoteric researcher and super fan Christopher Knowles. After a recent viewing I felt he was pretty much on the mark and was glad the show’s creator Chris Carter was able to recapture the chemistry between the lead protagonists while forming an intriguing fictionalized narrative with elements of the parapolitical zeitgeist, just as he did with classic episodes of the past.

Watch the full episode and judge for yourself:

http://www.hulu.com/watch/896936

Saturday Matinee: Burn! (aka Queimada)

Posted on by
Reply

MPW-51451

“Burn!” (aka Queimada) (1969) is a film directed by Gillo Pontecorvo loosely based on a failed uprising in Guadalupe but also serves as an amalgamation of many incidents throughout the history of western exploitation of the global south. Marlon Brando stars as William Walker, a character named after the American filibuster but is a British agent in the film. He arrives in the fictional island of Queimada to foment a slave revolt against the Portuguese regime in order to install a government controlled by British plantation owners. A decade later, when an uprising occurs against the plantation-controlled regime, Walker is sent back to install an even more corporate-beholden government but things don’t go exactly as planned. Burn! features great performances from Marlon Brando and Evaristo Márquez in his debut role as a revolutionary leader. The film is also notable for its excellent direction by Pentecorvo (who previously directed The Battle of Algiers) and soundtrack by Ennio Morricone (best known for his music for films of Sergio Leone).

Saturday Matinee: Short Peace

Posted on by
1

55731

“Short Peace” (2013) is an anthology of diverse anime short films each from a different director including Hajime Katoki (Patlabor) and Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira). Possessions is an animist ghost story in which a lone traveler struggles against spirits haunting an abandoned shrine. Combustable tells a story of love and honor using the style of a classic Japanese scroll painting. Gambo depicts a fight between a giant white bear diety and a grotesque red demon from outer space. A Farewell to Weapons takes place in a post-apocalyptic city where a nomadic platoon encounters a renegade robotic death machine. Based on a manga of the same name by Katsuhiro Otomo.

Watch the full film here.

Saturday Matinee: Sleep Dealer

Posted on by
Reply

sleep-dealer-work

“Sleep Dealer” (2008) is a dystopian parable directed and co-written by Alex Rivera. Luis Fernando Peña stars as Memo, a hacker who also works as a type of virtual migrant worker. It’s revealed through flashback how his situation was a result of a drone attack on his family and homestead. While trying to find work, Memo meets Luz (Leonor Varela), a fellow hacker who, with additional assistance from a repentant drone pilot in the US, helps him strike a blow against the system.

Note: may not play on some portable devices.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/703496

Saturday Matinee: Tokyo Godfathers

Posted on by
Reply

tokyo_godfathers_04

Who would have guessed that the greatest animated Christmas story would be an anime set in Tokyo? I would have had my doubts before seeing Satoshi Kon’s “Tokyo Godfathers” (2003). Unlike the majority of Kon’s filmography, the film’s relatively simple plot centers on three homeless friends who upon finding an abandoned baby set out on a quest to track down the parents. The homeless protagonists are not mere stereotypes but complex individuals with unique backstories which is especially remarkable since homeless people continue to be underrepresented in films (despite growing numbers). Like other Christmas fables, it has its share of sentimentality and reliance on convenient coincidences (ie. miracles), but it’s elevated by beautiful artwork and a finely crafted blend of realism, humor, action and earned emotional uplift. This was only Satoshi Kon’s third feature production and his penultimate film. Kon passed away much too soon from pancreatic cancer on August 24, 2010 at the age of 46.

Tokyo Godfathers (Full Film)