Category Archives: Video

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).