Movies
60 Seconds of Solitude in Year Zero
Another micro-shorts anthology. They were relatively popular for a while, but they rarely lived up to their potential. With just a single minute to make an impression, directors were given a tricky challenge. One that proved a bit too daunting for most involved, as too many of the entries failed to make an impact. This isn't so much a real film as it was an experience though. There doesn't remain a proper copy of this anthology since it was only screened once, then burned right after. I usually stray from watching low-quality recordings, but with nothing else available, it was either that or not watching it ever. There are some interesting names here, but few of them stand out. The goals of the project are lofty, but it's all very conceptual and the films themselves never really match or strengthen the project's ideals. It's a good thing that the score is pretty interesting, which at least kept me going. Not all that interesting.Read all
My biggest problem with many lauded experimental films is that concept and ideas tend to trump execution. Star Spangled to Death is a perfect example. Sure it sounds promising to mix political/social critique with archive footage, but when it feels like you're watching a 7-hour long YouTube video it's just not that impressive. Jacobs offers a pretty crude cut & paste job here. We see a varied range of archive footage (old cartoons, old nudie films, musical performances, blackface performances, interviews with Nixon, ...) intercut with some textual references that function as critical interludes, sometimes supporting the images, often contrasting them. It's probably nice if you like classic cinema, I guess the footage has some appeal then, otherwise this is just an endless and crude rant about the demise of the USA. The thing is that you could get that just from reading the title, which would've saved you seven hours of this cheap nonsense.Read all