Pretty straight-forward chronological documentary about the life and exploits of the legendary B-movie director/producer/ballyhoo maestro, but the subject matter is so rich, especially for those of us who appreciate the strange, dark corners of theContinue reading
Category: U.S. Independent Cinema
The Guitar (Amy Redford, 2008)
Mildly excruciating psuedo-indie exploration of personal growth via self-imprisonment in an awesome New York City loft and subsequent amassing of material possessions via credit card. More later. (Magnolia, Dallas, TX, screened as part of theContinue reading
Noise (Henry Bean, 2007)
Henry Bean’s follow-up to his polarizing festival favorite The Believer is another examination of fanaticism, except this time with a darkly comic bent. Tim Robbins is perfectly cast as the New York City lawyer drivenContinue reading
Kicking Bird (Kelley Baker, 2005)
Sound editor-turned-writer/director Kelley Baker (aka “The Angry Filmmaker”) has visited the Communication Studies department at Baylor twice in the past two years to talk to our students about the down-and-dirty realities of true independent filmmaking,Continue reading
My Kid Could Paint That (Amir Bar-Lev, 2007)
Amir Bar-Lev’s utterly engrossing documentary about the controversy surrounding a 4-year-old painting prodigy is first and foremost an investigation of the fundamentally subjective nature of art. If this toddler genius can in fact paint abstractContinue reading
The Young Racers (Roger Corman, 1963)
Two-thirds talky, love-triangle melodrama and one-third repetitive Grand Prix racing footage, The Young Racers is redeemed only by excellent location photography in the wealthiest parts of Europe, including Monte Carlo, France, and Belgium. Whenever Corman’sContinue reading
The Naked Prey (Cornel Wilde, 1966)
Wilde’s stripped-down, bare-bones primal thriller plays as the perfect antidote to the increasingly bloated nature of contemporary Hollywood action movies. The South African location photography is both beautiful and brutal, which pretty well describes theContinue reading
Premature Burial (Roger Corman, 1962)
The third of Corman’s Edgar Allen Poe adaptations in as many years, Premature Burial has all the requisite hallmarks: primary-florid Eastman Color and Panavision widescreen, dark drawing room sets, and, of course, omnipresent smoke machines.Continue reading
Bucket of Blood (Roger Corman, 1959)
Not really a straight-up horror thriller, but not a full satire either, Bucket of Blood is an odd little black-and-white gem—simple, but crudely effective. Considering Corman’s lowly budget, the film has wonderfully evocative noir-esque lighting,Continue reading
The Blood of Jesus (Spencer Williams, 1941)
Written and directed by Spencer Williams, best known as one-half of television’s controversial Amos ‘n Andy duo, The Blood of Jesus will likely strike contemporary audiences as a bit too devout, not to mention literal,Continue reading