Change Your Image
dankeene549
Reviews
The Grandmother (1970)
Lynch's point of definition
I first saw this on the "Short Films of David Lynch" DVD a while back, and I was just as fascinated with this early effort as I was with his later work. In fact, I think this was the point that David Lynch's style became more defined in the direction of dark surrealism that only he can devise. Others may try the same kind of style, and some do very well indeed, but this film is indeed a signature that would leave a mark on the rest of his career. The imagery and atmosphere in the setting has a kind of nightmarish ambiance about it; not the kind of "scary" that makes you jump, but more like a domesticated hell. And the animated sequences just might pop up in your memory as you try to go to sleep for the night. Of course I realize that David Lynch might be an acquired taste, but anyone who has a knack for "getting that weird feeling" from watching a movie, then I suggest this short classic (classic in my book anyway).
Bill Hicks: Revelations (1993)
Outspoken genius disguised as a comedian.
"Revelations" was my first Bill Hicks experience but unfortunately, one of his last performances. After viewing this video, Bill Hicks immediately became my favorite stand-up comedian. Probably because I share most of his views which were brilliantly expresses with his brutally hilarious humor. At times he gets a feverish intensity beyond typical humor and really makes you think about what he says whether you like it or not. What he said was more that just comedy club material, it had a meaning behind it. Maybe that's why, since his untimely death (cancer), he has been referenced and quoted by such people as the band Tool (on their 1996 "Aenima" album) and Author David Icke (in quite a few of his books). Half way through I started to wonder if this guy had any faith in humanity, but by the end his sincere closing remarks just might restore YOUR OWN faith in humanity.
Shadows in the Garden (2002)
Low budget does not mean low quality
A while back I attended "Shadowfest", a film festival organized by Wayne Spitzer and Andy Kumpon. The festival screened many clever and unique horror shorts that most of the audience had never even heard of before. Among them was Spitzer's Eerie Lovecraftian "Shadows in the Garden". I was (and still am) a big fan of Wayne's (and Andy Kumpon's) low budget sci-fi series "Dead of Night", but I must say that this film is a step, well, maybe three steps up from his earlier efforts. This is one of those movies that prove that filmmaking is all about imagination and not budget (for example, look at the $55 million that made such trite garbage as "American Wedding"). "Shadows" is also a visual buffet that leaves the eyes hungry for more haunting images of that Guardian Demon and it's shadows. In fact the whole story is told visually without perverting the creepy feeling by verbalizing it. Well, the Newspaper headlines do some speaking, but don't exactly speak for the characters, which is why Spitzer gets away with it. The worst part of the film is that it ended too soon. Hopefully we'll see a sequel or something even better very soon.
Ninja Bachelor Party (1991)
Rare treasure featuring the late great Bill Hicks
I don't care if this film has poor camera quality or out of sync voice overs, it's a no-budget masterpiece that can never be duplicated. Personally, I think this film brilliantly captures common cliches into an absurdist framework, and every other form of bizzare humor makes this film a parody of itself. Maybe I have all of these great things to say because I'm a loyal fan of Bill Hicks, but even so it is worth a viewing if you can actually find a copy.