Saturday Matinee: X-Files “My Struggle”

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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)

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“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).

Rest in Peace, David Bowie

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Today like many others, I was saddened to hear the news that David Bowie passed away yesterday from liver cancer. He was not only an innovative and influential rock star but a hero to generations of alienated youth. Bowie’s otherworldly presence elevated films he starred in such as The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Hunger, Labyrinth, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, and The Prestige while his music was the soundtrack to iconic scenes in films as diverse as Cat People, Christiane F., The Falcon and the Snowman, When the Wind Blows, The Night is Young (aka Bad Blood, Mauvais Sang), The Lost Highway, The Martian, and countless others. David Bowie was a one-of-a-kind artist and will truly be missed.

 

The video for the title track of Blackstar, his final album which was released on Bowie’s 69th birthday three days ago.

Saturday Matinee: Short Peace

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“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.