Ken Fries on Hearts of Darkness which opens today at Film Forum

This is a repost of a piece that appeared in 2010 in the early days of Unseen Films. It was written by Ken Fries

While Apocalypse Now is the fictional account of a war that took place in fact, Hearts Of Darkness is a factual account of a war that took place to create fiction. While the directors are George Hickenlooper and Fax Bahr, this is really a film about Francis Ford Coppola made by his wife Eleanor. Although there are interviews done in 1990 by the Hearts Of Darkness directors with the cast of Apocalypse Now (and they are rather revealing), the bulk of the film, and the truly fascinating material, is that which was shot by Eleanor Coppola back in 1976 while her husband Francis was attempting to make his masterpiece about the Vietnam War.

The documentary's title serves to tie source material together, as Francis' film was loosely based on the Joseph Conrad novel Heart Of Darkness, a story about an Englishman who captained a ferry boat in Africa searching for Kurtz. Francis' film was about a journey into the darkness and insanity of the Vietnam War with army Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) searching for rouge army Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando). Eleanor's footage chronicles the slow descent into madness of Francis as his Vietnam movie spirals out of control. His shooting schedule is at the mercy of the Philippine government, the production is going tremendously over-budget, personnel literally are having heart attacks (Sheen, who had already replaced the originally cast Harvey Keitel, missed many weeks of filming due to his ill health), and many very intimate moments are compellingly placed before us on screen. Francis has invested many millions of his own money into making the film, and he's not sure if what he has is brilliant or total garbage. In addition to the video footage that Eleanor shot during production, there were many conversations between the husband and wife, that she recorded without his knowledge, that reveal a very worried, disturbed, and tremendously stressed and pressured director and man. Little did anyone know that she invented the medium we now know as "Reality TV"; in this case, however, it truly is real, and makes for fascinating viewing.

Even if you have never seen Apocalypse Now, Hearts Of Darkness makes for a very interesting movie. Watching a man deal with a host of adversity makes for an interesting film. But if you have any knowledge at all of Francis Ford Coppola, and specifically Apocalypse Now, the events documented in Hearts Of Darkness, which begin to mirror the events depicted in Apocalypse Now, are indeed fascinating to watch. Your next viewing of Apocalypse Now will be in an entirely different light.

Currently out on stand alone DVD, but also available as an extra in the new super spectacular Blu-Ray edition of Apocalypse Now

A teaser for Ken Fries' interview with Chris Claremont and Gerry Conway

Gerry Conway and Chris Claremont

In anticipation of tomorrow's release of the Extended Director's Cut of "Chris Claremont's X-Men", Unseen Films' Ken Fries had a chance to speak with the man himself recently in Las Vegas, alongside writer Gerry Conway. The interview ran roughly an hour long and covers a lot of territory. Because of some technical issues the full interview is being slightly delayed...however, in order to give you a taste of what's to come, Ken has pulled out one quote to share before we spring the whole thing on you later in the week.

Ken asked what artist surprised the writers the most with how they interpreted the plot they had been given. Claremont, upon careful consideration, said:

"Frank Miller, I think. Because we did Marvel Team-Up 100. This is back in the days when (then Editor-In-Chief) Jim Shooter's most sensible dictum was "every issue is somebody's first". So if you've never read Spider-Man before, and it's the hundredth issue, how would you do it? So we were introducing Karma (who eventually was a founding member of the New Mutants, the "junior X-Men" title that Chris co-created), and she possesses the mind of Peter Parker. We did a two-page sequence where Frank did totally vertical panels where she possesses Spidey and he falls. Then his body memory takes over and he starts using his powers to save himself. As she's doing this she's learning his powers from him. "Oh, I can do this! I can do this! Wow, I can do this!" So for those of you who've never read Spider-Man before, and don't know how he works, and don't know how Karma works, bingo. It was so wonderful. It was such a brilliant explanation of what a storyteller's craft is, and how to do this right. It catalyzed everything for me in terms of how you have to approach the medium and the audience. If the reader is sitting there saying "always establishing stuff is boring", that's not the concept's fault, that's my fault for not finding a brilliant way to tell it. Even longtime readers should go "Ooh, neat!"

Richard Jeni - The Beach Crowd (2011)

Comedian Richard Jeni was one of the best and funniest stand-up comics of all time. He had several HBO and Showtime specials, some more for Comedy Central, he appeared in a few films (including The Mask with Jim Carrey), and he even starred in a short-lived sitcom based on his material called Platypus Man. But for all that, he was basically a nightclub comic. And this 75 minute DVD, The Beach Crowd, presents him in his "natural environment", as he tackles subjects as diverse as the relationships between men and women, The Crocodile Hunter, The Perfect Pancake, and rats in the house...and along the way you also get Robert Stack and Walter Matthau impressions, a dog that sounds strangely like Jimmy Durante, plus a recurring Joaquin Phoenix impression from The Gladiator film that Jeni was obviously rather taken with. And his dolphin impression is so spot on, it will leave you wondering "IS that a dolphin up there?!?"

The material on the DVD was all taken from single-camera footage, as Jeni recorded all of his performances. This DVD combines 4 separate evenings from the Comedy & Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, California. Two of the performances were from August 2002, and the other 2 were from late June/early July of 2006. As mentioned, this is not on the scale of the big cable network comedy specials. There's no elaborate stage, no multi-camera shoots, no vast auditoriums filled with a couple thousand people. It's one man alone on a stage barely big enough to accommodate the average family car, playing to a packed house...except the house isn't much bigger than your house. There is absolutely no glamour in this production whatsoever. Which is the point. You get to enjoy Jeni doing what he did best: performing night-in and night-out for 25 years, constantly honing his craft, able to weave stories together in immensely funny and entertaining ways.

Since this footage was never intended for public consumption, it needed some work to make it viewable. According to his sister, Mary Colangelo, who manages Jeni's estate and put this DVD together, "the footage spent a year in post production to bump it into a level where it could be viewed without the audio and visuals pulling the focus away from the performance."  One of the reasons she picked these particular performances was because of the unusually high amount of audience interaction. There's quite a bit of people shouting things out, sometimes relevant to what was being discussed onstage...often not...and watching Jeni handle it all perfectly in stride is another treat for the viewer. Seeing someone perform something they've practiced over and over is one thing, but watching someone handle a bump in the road and incorporate it into the practiced performance makes it even more enjoyable. 

Another thing to note about the contents of this DVD is the fact that the audience reaction is genuine. Since this WASN'T a cable network special, the crowd wasn't being overly-hyped up by producers, or just overly-hyped up themselves knowing they would be on TV. You're witnessing, and are practically a part of, a real comedy nightclub experience (aside from the two-drink minimum, which you may or may not want to participate in of your own volition). This is a very entertaining look at a real comic doing what real comics do for the majority of their careers. Perhaps the best part of The Beach Crowd is that practically none of the material contained on it was ever released in any of his cable network specials. For fans of Jeni, this is a chance to essentially see a "new" performance from the man who, at the time of this writing, has been gone for well over 6 years. If you were lucky enough to have seen him live, you may even recognize a bit or two, and the chance to have those laughter-filled memories brought back in great detail is one well worth taking.

The Fountainhead (1948)

"My reward, my purpose, my LIFE, is the work itself. My work, done MY WAY. Nothing else matters to me."

While there is a romance going on here, this film is chiefly about one man's uncompromising integrity in the face of a world which seems to demand compliance, acceptance, and self-sacrifice. Howard Roark, the protagonist of the story (played with chiseled hardness by Gary Cooper), is a man who refuses to take the easy way out. Many times in the course of the film he is faced with choices that a lesser man would have easily gone the opposite, easier way. Faced often with the prospect of giving up his ideals, Roark never once compromises them, instead insisting on remaining true to himself and his own ideals, many time to the utter bewilderment of those around him.

Based on the novel of the same title by Ayn Rand, she also wrote the screenplay for this film, and so the integrity in question onscreen is upheld offscreen as well. The story in The Fountainhead contains many of the ideals of objectivism, the philosophy Rand developed about what man can achieve (amongst many other things). Roark is an architect who demands his buildings be built his way, no changes to his designs. By remaining uncompromising, and never giving in, he goes thru the full spectrum of success (and the lack of) over the course of the story. Watching Cooper stoically portray Roark, while it sometimes seems like an underperformance, is probably just what the character warrants.

A fast-paced film plot-wise, the biggest complaint there could be with it is the soundtrack. It's a glorious old film soundtrack, but the music swells so often at times it seems to be overdoing it quite a bit, occasionally seeming more trite than triumphant. Often it escalates to punctuate events that really aren't worthy of such emotionally powerful music. It becomes a bit of a distraction at times, but if this is the biggest complaint about the film, you realize just how good the picture is. It does get a little preachy and heavy-handed towards the end, and most characters fall hard on either side of the fence. They are either VERY pro individualism or VERY against it; no room for middle ground here. The characters represent EXTREME ends of the argument. But again, these are basically minor complaints, and the film is trying to make a point, so the polar opposites are the best way to convey that.

The Fountainhead is a picture worth watching whether or not you are a fan of Rand and/or her philosophy. It does give you some things to think about, in addition to providing entertainment for nearly 2 hours. And like most good things in life, you will get more out of it the more you are willing to put into it.

Ayn Rand: A Sense Of Life (1997)

An incredibly comprehensive look at the life of author and philosopher Ayn Rand, A Sense Of Life brings you the story of the woman herself, which is fairly important in understanding her thoughts on life as well.

In presenting her story, you are thrown directly into the paths of her philosophies, which can be modestly described as fiercely uncompromising. Her set of ideals regarding individualism vs collectivism began to be formed at a very early age as she witnessed an incredibly oppressive regime in her native Russia. The film does an excellent job of conveying her feelings towards the scenario in which her upbringing was set, and her desire to leave Russia, which was only heightened by the Communist takeover in late 1917.

Many television appearances by her, including some from The Phil Donahue Show in 1979 and 1980, and an appearance on Tom Snyder's Tomorrow program, also from 1979, are interspersed throughout the film. One of the more interesting TV appearances made by Rand was on an interview show hosted by a pre-"60 Minutes" Mike Wallace in 1959, shortly after the publication of her magnum novel Atlas Shrugged. Bits of these interviews are thrown in throughout A Sense Of Life to punctuate the points being made at the time. In addition to many friends and colleagues that are interviewed about Rand, why not have her talk about herself as well? For someone who did not have English as her first language, it is amazing how articulately she can get her erudite points across.

Her personal life is well documented thru the film as well, with a detailed examination of her early living in America, her struggles to get started, and the fact that Hollywood director Cecil B. DeMille can be credited directly and indirectly with getting her a job in the first place and finding her ideal man, who became her husband.

Occasionally the documentary comes across a little heavy-handed, with a slight bit of the feeling that the subject was the greatest human ever to walk the earth. But for the most part, it is a genuinely endearing look at the life of someone who truly was an incredibly remarkable person, and who wound up achieving all that she could in life, which was basically the point of her philosophy of objectivism. She said herself that her novels were partially autobiographical, as while the characters may have been made up, the traits that they displayed, and the ideals they clung so fiercely to, were very real. A good documentary leaves you interested in wanting to know more about its subject, whether you are or aren't familiar with them beforehand. I'm going to grab my copy of The Romantic Manifesto off my bookshelves and reacquaint myself with the Rand philosophies.

The Complete Black Books (2000 - 2004)

Bernard Black is a vile, selfish, reprehensible misanthrope, a perpetually chain-smoking drunk who owns a small independent bookshop in London. Worse than that, he isn't even a likeable old misanthrope...he seems to be just a rather nasty person, and you can't think of a single reason that anyone would want to be around him for more than a few minutes before they ran screaming off into oblivion. Unless, of course, you've ever encountered another human being in your lifetime. Then, you can see him for what he is; the person you sometimes WANT to be, but, due to the fact that you are a decent human being, can't allow yourself to be. ESPECIALLY if you've ever worked a retail job in your life. Bernard is a frustrated intellectual, angry that the world doesn't place more importance on people with HIS abilities, and rather focuses all of its attention on people who run up and down fields kicking balls or acting badly in pointless movies with no plot. As miserable as a person as Bernard is, you can IDENTIFY with him, and that contributes to his appeal...even though, technically speaking, he has none.

Bernard is portrayed by Dylan Moran, and the character is a not-too-distant cousin of Moran's own onstage persona when he is performing stand-up. When he isn't violently ejecting patrons from his bookshop, he's drinking with his friend and trinket-shop-next-door owner (at least in Series 1...) Fran, played terrifically by Tamsin Grieg. And to balance out all of Bernard's negativity (and to possibly explain why ANYONE in their right mind would ever venture into the bookshop in the first place) is Manny, portrayed by another British stand-up comic of tremendous renown, Bill Bailey. In many ways, Bailey and his character actually steal the show, for while he frequently reacts to Moran's character the way a normal human would (usually leading to some humorous events, sometimes an entire episode's worth), he himself is also capable of some of the most outlandish and bizarre (and incredibly funny) behavior when left to his own devices.

Black Books is a sitcom, and never pretends to be anything more than that. It uses many of the standard sitcom clichés. There are pratfalls aplenty, people running towards or away from things in varying degrees of panic, and other staples of the genré. But it's the clever way these are used, or the letter perfect timing, or just the wonderful way in which they're actually performed, that makes them still funny. There are some inventive twists as well, including a hysterical camera-angle-reveal joke involving Manny being interviewed by an INCREDIBLY drunk Bernard in a bar for the job at the bookshop in the very first episode. Outlandish scenarios are always popping up (look for a great Frankenstein sequence with Moran and Bailey as the Doctor and Igor trying to create a bottle of wine instead of reanimate a person), but the writing is tight, efficient, and strong (and always funny), so everything has a certain logic to it.

As a bonus, the first two series have all 3 main cast members sitting together doing a commentary track for each of the first 12 episodes. Very little of the commentary track has anything to do with what's actually occurring onscreen, but because Moran and Bailey are such inventive comedians with minds that look in the world in a unique way, the tracks comprise an entire new set of comedic material, well worth the price of the 3 DVD set alone. One must also watch the 2 and a half minute short film "Bernard's Letter", a 3rd disc bonus tour de force in which Bernard deals with a rejection letter of his novel in a brilliant way.

The show only runs 3 series of 6 episodes of roughly 25 minutes each, but that's one of the great things about the British and their sitcoms. There are only 18 episodes in total because they believe in QUALITY over QUANTITY. They know when enough is enough, and they leave well enough alone before it becomes stale, repetitive, unimaginative, and most importantly, just not funny. Each episode was written at least partially, if not completely, by Moran, and it shows in his understanding of how humans fail to deal with each other properly. He just has an incredibly funny way of pointing this out to the viewer, thankfully.

Bill Bailey: Bewilderness (2001)

"I'm English, and as such, I crave disappointment." - Bill Bailey

If that above statement is true, then Bill Bailey would be disappointed with the DVD of his own show Bewilderness, for there is nothing disappointing about it. A comedy show with small doses of rock concert and piano recital thrown in, Bailey spends nearly 80 minutes repeatedly attempting to start his show, with very humorous results. While there is some banter with the audience here and there, for the most part he sticks to his script, which occasionally borders on poetry. He refers to gas (petrol) stations as "...cathedrals of despair...where baseball-capped ghouls of the night lord it over their congealed bean kingdoms." The bit actually continues even further with rare voles flicking the beans off orchids onto silk...it makes sense if you watch it, but in addition to being funny, you realize what a talented writer Bailey is.

While he does spend much of the showing looking somewhat bewildered, that's the point. Although he does go on to these amazing flights of fancy with bizarre and well-written bits, he never presents them in any sort of pretentious way. He comes across as a very genuine, regular bloke, which is a great part of his appeal. This is done on purpose, because with his musical talents (he plays guitar a few times in the show, and frequently makes brief stops behind a couple keyboards onstage...and there's a kazoo showcase of 80's pop hits not to be missed) he could be somewhat distanced from the everyday folk seeing the show. Thankfully, not the case.

Being English, and spending most of his time in Europe, he is a keen, if slightly twisted in a very inventive way, observer of the European state. For example, his take on Holland's low crime rate is; "...it's very, very flat, so you can see people coming from miles off." He also cleverly incorporates familiar sounds from the keyboards into his routines, adding a unique and extra dimension to his comedy. And speaking from firsthand experience, his impression of a Slayer concert is spot on...which naturally leads directly to a Geoffrey Chaucer version of the classic "3 men go into a pub" joke.

Filmed around the same time as the first series of Black Books, you can see somewhat of a resemblance personality-wise between Bailey himself and the character of Manny, whom Bailey portrayed in the show, which featured Dylan Moran. If you are a fan of either Black Books, Moran, or Bailey himself, you would be wise to pick this up.

Bailey even manages to answer the age old, previously unanswerable question of "Where do you get your ideas?" His perfectly logical (within the realms of his bewildered mind) answer: "I start with the laugh, and work backwards."

All-Star Superman (2010)

A beautifully animated adaptation of a terrific comic book, All-Star Superman is first and foremost a story about the power of love. Superman's unconditional love for the people of his adopted home planet of Earth is the central theme of the film. Due to the actions of arch-nemesis Lex Luthor, Superman is dying, and he has certain tasks he wants to perform before his time is up. The dynamic of his relationship with Lois Lane shifts, as she learns many things about him, including what it's like to BE him for a while.

Although certain sub-plots from the brilliant comic book by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely are dropped for time considerations, the remaining ones perform in the same manner as in the book. Many seemingly innocuous moments are actually set-ups for future events, and nearly everything ties together cleverly as the story progresses. With only a couple of exceptions, while it may not seem as such at the moment, everything is there for a reason.

The look of the animation is styled on Quitely's unique look, and is done so wonderfully. The motion is very fluid, and the settings have real depth and life to them. The voice actors are also particularly good, filling each scene with the right amount of emotion. Nothing seems overdone or underplayed. There is the right amount of humor thrown in as well, making the whole thing not too heavy handed.

The Blu-Ray edition comes packed with lots of extras, including a feature length commentary by Morrison and producer Bruce Timm, who has been directly responsible for many of the successful animation transfers from DC Comics in recent years. There is also a digital copy to throw onto your iPod, which in this case was used to show some of it to Quitely at the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle in March 2011, as he had yet to see it.

Overall a very positive film, with plenty of action in it as well, but definitely about the good one can accomplish if you just put your efforts towards that goal.

Tim Minchin: Ready For This? (2010)

Whether or not you take into account that there is only one man on stage, Ready For This? has one of the most high-energy introductions you're likely to see anywhere, particularly at what is ostensibly a comedy show. Tim Minchin spent a number of years laboring in comedic obscurity, and ever since he decided to become a 'Rock 'N Roll Comedian' in an effort to be more famous, he's gone to great lengths to live up to that moniker. However, once he grabs your attention, he then spends a great deal of time earning and keeping it with clever, witty lyrics to catchy, often poignant songs. Combining elements of beat poetry, musical comedy, and a healthy dose of Jimi Hendrix (just without the drugs and alcohol), Minchin comes up with a unique one man show that is incredibly entertaining. Oh yeah, and he's one hell of an amazingly talented piano player as well.

Minchin has evolved his act over the years, and now, in addition to all of the songs, there is a great deal more of him bantering in a seemingly random way to the audience between numbers. It's mostly scripted material of course, but he's such an excellent performer that he can make it seem almost off the cuff as he leads you down philosophical monologues designed to bridge the gap to the next song...and make you laugh at the same time. His impeccable sense of comedic timing is on display in both song and talk, as he knows just when to pause for effect between words, and perhaps more importantly, for how long.

Filmed in front of a sold-out Hammersmith Apollo theater in London in October 2009, the size of the venue afforded Minchin the opportunity to pull out all the stops and have the full rock star performance that he's always wanted to. And yet, some of the funniest moments come from the smallest and subtlest of gestures, looks, and winks. The dichotomy of the performance enjoyment is akin to the multiple levels of depth within his material.

There are a few songs here that have seen the light of day on other Minchin DVD's, but the vast majority of the material is committed to the format for the first time. And even things that have seen the light of day on previous releases (Canvas Bags, Dark Side) are expanded or looked at in a slightly different way. His material works well on multiple levels, for while you are laughing at the overtly silly nature of it, there is an underlying quality of substance underneath. It works in both directions though, for while the show has many of the rock 'n roll concert staples like big flashing lights and smoke, those same things are being poked fun at in several numbers. It's the fact that he is aware of how silly and stupid it all is that makes reveling in it that much more fun. You get out of his show what you're willing to put into it. If you stop at the superficial, you'll enjoy it; but if you dig a little deeper, you'll be a lifelong fan.

Didn't say that either...

Eddie Izzard: Live At The Ambassadors (1993)

"I've mixed bollocks with bollocks, and it levels out to complete rubbish." - Eddie Izzard

If you were ever interested in seeing how Eddie Izzard evolved his act into the refined bits of loosely scripted material that were his shows Definite Article, Glorious, and Dress To Kill, track down a copy of his first show ever put on home video, Live At The Ambassadors. Filmed during March of 1993 in London's West End theater district, it's kind of like watching a rough cut of a movie, or listening to a demo tape of a band just before they figure out what they really need to make it work. All of the Izzard mannerisms are there, it's just not quite up to snuff. His impressions of both James Mason and Sean Connery (this time playing cows in a scene with the Daleks from Doctor Who...just go with it...) make appearances, but they seem more shoehorned in rather than just naturally occurring. It is rather entertaining watching him try to work out how Connery would impersonate Mason, however.

Much of the self-referential material is there, as are the complete non-sequiturs that he uses when he's come to a dry patch in one bit, and just wants to move on to the next. But although many of what were soon to be standard Izzard traits in his later shows are there, because this overall show seems a little unfocused, they don't produce the laughs that you've come to expect from his other performances. Whereas later efforts like Circle and Stripped had a bit more of a theme to them, Live At The Ambassadors seems so loose and untethered that it's hard for him to choose a path and build to a bigger laugh. Izzard has never been a conventional setup and punchline comedian, and that is already evident here; he just hadn't fully polished the technique by this point.

All that said, it's still an interesting and entertaining show to watch, particularly from a historical standpoint. To see what is basically a "formative years" performance (although his real formative years earlier as a street performer would be incredibly fascinating to watch) is quite a treat. Izzard himself seems to recognize that this is, by his own standards, a sub-par performance, as this has never been officially released in the United States, and has gone out of print in the United Kingdom. Even when a 7 DVD box set of all of his live shows was recently put out, this one, the earliest, was omitted. Worth tracking down for hardcore fans interested in seeing the progression of an artist, but if you are only a casual Izzard admirer, you can give this one a miss.

Ross Noble's Australian Trip (2010)

Inventive British stand-up comedian Ross Noble turns documentary host (sort of) in this atypical travel program DVD set. Consisting of six 1-hour long episodes, Ross Noble's Australian Trip documents his ride literally around the continent during that 3 month leg of his Fizzy Logic tour in early 2007. In getting to the roughly 80 gigs on the tour, he covers over 16,000 miles on his BMW motorcycle, sweating profusely all the while, as the early months of the year are the middle of summer in Australia.

Before performing his shows, Noble takes in some of the local culture at each stop along the way. He has a tremendous penchant for finding the odd and the strange and presenting it for the viewer to enjoy. The odd and the strange includes both the things and the people he encounters along the way. He's a sucker for the big roadside attractions that the smaller towns invariably have, but he also seeks out the people who run the local establishments as well. This serves a two-fold purpose, as in addition to putting things like this into his travel documentary, he also incorporates the local flavor into that evening's performance on stage, endearing him to his audience even further. The travel program is interspersed with concert footage of Noble in action, allowing you to see him taking some of what he's learned earlier that day and incorporating it into that evening's performance. As well as being a great travel program, the documentary also delves into the workings of a brilliant comic mind.

Besides showing us the quirky, Noble also makes sure to show the beauty and majesty of Australia. There are many helicopter shots of him traversing the open roads on his bike, and there is a film crew shooting him on the ground as well. Both manage to get many beautiful shots of Australia, showing skies and roads that seemingly go on forever, serving almost as an advertisement for the national board of tourism. The program also shows a vast amount of Australia that most people have never seen, as it reveals much of the areas between the major cities. While Noble is a comedian by profession, this show is a travel program first and foremost. Noble is not new to the travel show game, having previously done a radio version for the BBC while touring the world doing stand-up in 2001.

Noble is an extremely affable fellow, and besides enjoying him touring Australia, the DVD set also includes another 45 minutes of bonus footage that couldn't quite be formed into an episode, but was too good to leave out altogether. There is also another film involving him and a friend competing in a grueling 24 hour off-road motorbike race in the UK. The hour long feature shows another side of Noble, and it is actually possible to begin to get emotional watching the team attempt to complete this amazing task.

This set is well worth getting for fans of Noble's comedy, or just anyone who would enjoy a good travel doco in the first place. A very entertaining package, available from places like Amazon UK, or even Noble's own site.

Grant Morrison: Talking with Gods (2010)

Grant Morrison is a man whose head is exploding with so many ideas that it seems he just doesn't have enough time to commit all of them to paper. Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods is a film trying to document the mind that can barely contain all those ideas. In an effort for the film to try and keep up with the mind, this is one of the more faster-paced documentaries you're likely to run across. Sound byte after sound byte is rapidly thrown at you, either by one of the many different comic book creators who were interviewed for this film, or from one of the numerous conversations with the man himself. There is a barrage of information hurled at you in almost non-stop fashion.

Morrison, possibly the most acclaimed and imaginative comic book writer of this generation, has led, and continues to lead, a fascinating life. The line between fact and fiction, between fantasy and reality, between what he makes up for his stories and what he's actually transcribing from his own experiences for his stories, is an incredibly thin and blurry one. Part of the appeal of his writing, and consequently of him, is the fact that no one is quite sure just what is fact and what is fiction when it concerns him. The mystery surrounding the man is part of his character, which he has in turn used for several different characters over his writing career.

The aforementioned information barrage is the thrust of the film. There must have been hundreds of hours of footage shot, between the at least half-dozen interviews with Morrison himself, along with the many different comic creators, counter-culture personalities, and friends who appear in the film. There are people who appear on-screen for literally 2 seconds to say something that bridges a gap between the 2 surrounding statements. It could be argued that this is incredibly efficient filmmaking, that only the best and most relevant bits are what comprise the film. While that may be true, it doesn't necessarily mean it's what should have been done. You aren't really given a chance to digest what anyone is saying, because the next clip is biting at the heels of the previous one, almost as if each sound byte is vying for your attention. Make no mistake, what's there is terrific; there are some fantastic quotes from many different people, and many quotable lines from Morrison himself. It's just not an easy film to watch.

Talking With Gods is a patchwork of interview segments, and must have been an absolute nightmare to compile from the editing standpoint. Often, brief segments of Morrison talking about a subject are intercut with other brief segments of Morrison talking, from a different interview, about the same subject. While it makes sense in a linear standpoint, you rarely get to see someone finish a sentence, let alone a full thought. It makes the film come across as a million little parts that never quite come together to form a cohesive whole. It gets the job done well enough; you learn much about Morrison, you get to follow his progression from childhood to professional writer to "comic book rock star"...but due to the way the million little bits are put together, you're left with a nagging feeling of "what else did each person have to say?" And while it does provide you with information about Morrison and his works, because of the manner in which it is presented, it somehow seems less than authentic. If you pull out tiny fragments from any sentence about anyone, you could make the worst person in the world seem wonderful, or vice versa.

Not that I'm trying to bash Morrison. I'm a huge fan of his work, and the man himself is incredibly positive and upbeat, and the energy he has is contagious, and he WANTS you to take some of his energy and put it to use for yourself. I just think the film suffers a little from trying to compress too many elements and sources of information into one 80 minute documentary. Which must be a bit like what it is being Morrison himself; too many ideas, and not enough time and space to get them all down.

The Alchemy of Art: David Mack (2007)

David Mack is the artist behind Kabuki, a comic book series that breaks most, if not all, of the boundaries that had been placed on what comic book art could consist of. He has also produced many issues of Daredevil for the very mainstream Marvel Comics, all without compromising his personal artistic vision. In this DVD, a very in-depth interview with Mack gives you insights into how and why he became capable of producing such uniquely styled art. Over the course of learning about his childhood, you are also treated to seeing much of his art. This is an interview DVD in which the interviewers are neither seen nor heard; it is edited in such a way that Mack is just freely talking about how and why he creates the art that he does. There are clips interwoven from friends and relatives who share some insights as to what makes Mack tick. One of the central influences in his life, his mother, is discussed frequently. As a schoolteacher, she was very encouraging in his artistic development, and seems to have also filled him with the confidence he carries about himself so easily. And over the course of watching the DVD, you'll understand where the title of it comes from, and the thought that goes into his artwork.

One of the bonus features on the DVD is perhaps the most interesting one of the whole disc. Mack gives a page-by-page "commentary track" to an issue of Kabuki. As he flips thru each original page of art, he explains why he made some of the choices he did, enhancing the viewers' understanding of just what you're looking at. It's an excellent piece for either a comic book novice or seasoned Mack fan. Being allowed to peer inside his mind and understand a little more of why things are done a certain way is worth the admission price alone. My only complaint is that this was done for just one issue...this is the kind of thing that would have an art geek like myself coming back for more and more. Especially for someone new to comic books in general, this should be required viewing, as it demonstrates the amount of thought and planning that goes into effectively laying out a story, and each page therein. Seeing how each drawing helps comprise a page, and how in turn each page makes a cohesive whole book, shows the level of love and intensity Mack brings to his work.

In talking with Mack about the DVD, he says the makers of the piece, Hero Video Productions, approached him about being the subject of a documentary at one of his many convention appearances. While it is available from the company directly, it can also be ordered thru comic book stores, or bought straight from Mack himself at a convention (how certain members of Unseen acquired their copies...). Mack is very approachable and personable, and this comes across in the DVD as well. If you do go to a comic book convention that he is at (as Unseen recently did in Seattle this past March), make it a point to go and see him. Barring that, get this DVD...excellent for students of art, or just lovers of good art in general, and a great way to at least get to meet the artistic mind of David Mack.

American - The Bill Hicks Story (2009)

A well done documentary film is the kind that fans with intimate knowledge of the subject matter can appreciate and enjoy, and people completely unfamiliar with the subject matter can come away from wanting to learn more about the subject, and the matter. American - The Bill Hicks Story does just that. An in-depth look from childhood thru his all-too-soon end, the film presents, in a unique way, the man behind some of the most poignant social commentary this country never wanted to see.

American traces Hicks all the way back to his Southern Baptist upbringing, which played a very important role in developing and molding him into who he came to be. All of this is presented in an interesting way. While friends and family members were interviewed for the film, instead of a stagnant, sitting-and-talking-to-the-camera sort of film, their words are spoken over animation of still photographs from the appropriate points in Hicks' existence, bringing to life the stories that are being told. While those stories would be interesting on their own, the animation provides an added level of depth that almost makes you feel like you're there with Hicks as he feels stifled in an overly religious upbringing. You join him on his move out to Los Angeles to seek a greater audience for his comedy at the ripe old age of 19...when he'd already been a veteran of the comedy scene for 5 years. And in one of the film's better sequences, you are there with Hicks and some friends when he trips on hallucinogenic mushrooms and discovers one of the secrets of life.

Although a comedian, Hicks made the impact that he did due to his including messages in his jokes. Like all great comedians, he was an observer of humanity, and his love for humans, no matter how much they would disappoint him, is what drove him to continue to deliver his message throughout his life. The film mixes actual video footage from many gigs spanning nearly his entire career, with some home videos shot by family and friends, as well as the animated still photos. Hicks was also an 'experiencer' of life, and so his well-documented alcohol and drug use is covered, and seeing as how it was a vital part of who he was, it is essential to helping understand him.

American also documents the place and time when Hicks achieved his biggest breakthru while still alive: when a set he did for the Just For Laughs Festival in Montreal was filmed and then shown over in England. Hicks was an American who criticized America and many of its ideals, which, needless to say, didn't go over tremendously well with the masses in this country. But elsewhere, where America is viewed with a different perspective, Hicks was viewed as someone well worth listening to, and American devotes a good deal of time examining that. England and the whole of The United Kingdom is where Hicks was able to get his message across to larger groups of people who were more willing to accept his ideas. With the passage of time, people have started to realize just how far ahead Hicks was (and still is), and America is starting to catch up to him now, so the timing of the release of this film is appropriate. It was released in theaters in the UK in 2009, on DVD in the UK in 2010, and is finally getting a US theatrical release starting from April 8 (today) in New York.

There are plenty of extras included on the 2 DVD set, including extended interviews with all of the family and friends in the film, deleted scenes, and early clips culled from comedy club footage of Hicks doing what he does best: commanding a room, trying to get his message across.

The Maltese Bippy (1969)

While I am a HUGE fan of Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, the fantastic comedic series from the late 1960's that changed the face of television, the movie that it spawned, well, isn't quite up to snuff. A mildly amusing little romp, the "plot" centers around Dick Martin's character thinking he's turning into a werewolf, while his fast-buck seeking partner, played by Dan Rowan, looks for a way to capitalize on this feat of lycanthropy...which he has yet to actually witness. Along the way, you can play "spot the late 1960's/early 1970's celebs", by looking for Robert Reed (father Mike Brady of The Brady Bunch), Dana Elcar (FBI Agent Polk in The Sting), Leon Askin (General Burkhalter from Hogan's Heroes), Alan Oppenheimer (one of those "I know that guy" guys), and, starring as "the most interesting thing to look at in the film", Julie Newmar (one of the actresses to portray Catwoman in the Adam West Batman TV series). Newmar does look absolutely fantastic in this picture, which helps to pass the time, as the movie itself is really nothing to write home about.

Perhaps the most interesting thing in the flick, aside from Newmar, is how Rowan & Martin are cast against type. In this movie, Rowan is the zany, carefree, hare-brained scheme hatcher, and Martin is essentially the straight man who seems to be the victim of what goes on around him...basically the opposite of their comedy team and Laugh-In personas. You get to see a little bit of their "normal" act as the opening credits roll, and, unfortunately, that's one of the better segments of the movie. I wanted to like this more than I ultimately did, but perhaps someone who doesn't have the same affinity for Laugh-In wouldn't be left wanting more as much as I was. Alas, I think someone unfamiliar with Laugh-In would actually be more confused as to why these 2 guys were given a movie in the first place.

Turn off the brain, don't expect too much, and enjoy from a nostalgic point of view. And just keep ogling Julie Newmar. It helps.

The Lost Thing (2010)

A wonderful little film that is little only in the sense that it's 15 minutes long. It actually manages to pack much more into that time frame than many pictures 6 times in length. A young boy finds a lost thing that doesn't quite belong in our world, and sets about trying to put it back where it DOES belong. Unfortunately, everyone around seems to be too busy in their own little worlds to recognize the situation. It makes a nice statement about how we as humans can fall too easily into the trap of getting set in our ways, and becoming too involved in the routine that is our day-to-day existence. The Lost Thing in question is a brightly colored...thing...that is in stark contrast to much of the gray and drab surroundings of the world the boy inhabits...which is ours, sadly.

In addition to packing a statement, the film also does not disappoint visually. A computer-animated film, it just won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, and you can see why. It is a beautiful artistic achievement, with a quirky style to the human figures, but an amazing level of detail put into the settings, people, buildings, and...things. There isn't anything harried about any of the characters in the film, they just move along at their pace, and it's perfect for the tone of the film. The colors, and some of the unique aspects of visual storytelling utilized (in particular, a multiple "panel" shot towards the end depicting a journey) make this a compelling watch from beginning to end.

The story is based on a book by Shaun Tan, who also co-directed the film. The narration, told from the perspective of the boy, is done by Tim Minchin, who has been reviewed more than once here at Unseen for his own musical comedic stylings. It was actually due to his involvement that we here at Unseen first became of this film. Thankfully, Minchin seems to always be attached to quality projects, and this is definitely one of them. While it is available on DVD from Australia, it would probably be easier to just get it from iTunes, and it is definitely well worth far more than the small price.

Rock N Roll Nerd - The Tim Minchin Story (2008)

Watching a transformation is a fascinating thing, especially the dramatic, if somewhat calculated, one that musical comedian Tim Minchin underwent in a last-ditch effort to jump-start his career. Struggling to garner any real attention in his native Australia as a "cabaret comic" with cute songs, he decided to go for an image makeover in a final attempt to make a go of a showbiz career. He added a bit of rock and roll flair to his onstage appearance, giving the songs more of a visceral feel with an edgier look. The fact that Rhian Skirving (who also directed his first performance DVD, the Australian release So Live) was there from the crucial moment of his decision was just a very fortunate happenstance of a longtime friendship. It's a real treat to be with Minchin literally every step of the way on his climb up the ladder of success that he is still continuing to ascend.

Being able to be along for the ride as Minchin sets up his first show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival is fun enough, but to see him get noticed by Karen Koren, a very influential producer/promoter at the insanely huge Edinburgh Fringe Festival, actually becomes emotional. Watching the professional relationship between the 2 grow is a fascinating event. And watching Minchin's personal life get affected by his professional desires is compelling viewing as well. Having been with the same woman since they were both 17, Minchin is very un-rock and roll in that regard, and very close with his family and friends...even when he is forced to be not so close geographically. Hoping to support the family he is very trepidatiously starting, he will be spending 2 months in Scotland at the Fringe Festival away from his wife in Australia as he gambles on whether he can make a career of performing professionally. Then, seeing the upheaval his family, friends, and himself, have to go thru when he decides to move half a globe away from his native Perth (in Western Australia) to London, England is just another delicate subject matter wonderfully handled by filmmaker Skirving...and kudos to Minchin for agreeing to be as open as he is in this doco.

The film is very revealing (figuratively and literally...many shots feature Minchin in the dressing room in various states of UNdress), and that, of course, is the bulk of its appeal. By being open and vunerable, the viewer can relate, and wants Minchin to achieve the success that has thus far in the film eluded him, but appears to be coming his way. This film is attracting attention now because of the fact that its subject has gained a great deal of fame in Australia and the UK, and is starting to break in the US; he will be performing on Conan O'Brien's show a scant few hours after the publication of this piece. But it's really a beautiful picture of a human artist struggling to make his way in his chosen profession, regardless of the success he achieved beyond the span of the film. In speaking with Minchin after his Los Angeles performance the night before his O'Brien TV appearance (yes, Unseen goes to great lengths to bring you in-depth and personal coverage), he says that even if he hadn't achieved his current level of fame, the film still would have been put together and released. It isn't a doco about Tim Minchin, celebrity; it's a film about a person doing what he feels he needs to in order to make it in this world, and that's something anyone can relate to.

It doesn't hurt to already be a fan of Minchin if you watch Rock N Roll Nerd (you'll have an even greater appreciation for the artist as a person afterwards), but you could never have heard of him and still find it an enjoyable and interesting, and sometimes touching and inspiring, way to spend 90 minutes. And by the end, you WILL be a fan.

Field Of Dreams (Director's Commentary Track)

Perhaps the most informative and interesting film commentary track I've ever come across, listening to Phil Alden Robinson (the director, pictured to the left) and John Lindley (the director of photography) fondly discuss the things that went on in making this classic film is a true joy. Incredibly enlightening, yet at the same time not merely a by-the-numbers recitation that would bore the audience to sleep. Both Robinson and Lindley are sitting in the same room at the same time while doing the track, so right away it makes for a more interesting piece, as the two are almost having a conversation about the film while it plays.

Tremendous insight is given into an already deep story, with explanations that add meaningful layers to scenes that already pack a powerful punch. Motivations for scenes are provided, reasons for changing things from the W.P. Kinsella novel Shoeless Joe (the source of the film) are given, and anecdotes about the challenges and the joys of the filming itself are relayed to the audience. When watching a film, especially one with as wonderful a story as Field Of Dreams, you can easily forget some of the little things going on that take a backseat to the story itself, but Robinson and Lindley point many of these things out in the course of the track. Once you hear them, you realize that, although you didn't absorb it on a conscious level, subconsciously you did, and because of that, it helped to make that given scene that much more effective.

Obviously Robinson's working relationship with Kevin Costner, along with many of the other fine performers in the film, is one of the focal points of the commentary. Several interesting stories concerning James Earl Jones are brought up as well. In fact, Robinson has at least one anecdote for nearly every major performer in the film, as well as some of the minor character actors who were there for as little as one day of shooting.

One of the other major things repeatedly discussed, although in various ways so as to keep it interesting, is how important the lighting was in many scenes, and just how much of a crucial role it played in the overall look, and feel, of the film. Since this is very much a film of feelings, setting just the right tone for that is extremely important, and Robinson and Lindley convey that wonderfully, without turning it into a boring lecture that can put you to sleep.

Robinson also tells numerous stories of his relationship with Kinsella himself concerning converting the book into the movie. All the stories are insightful, and help to add to the wonder of the film. And as a testament to the power and beauty of the film, despite the audio commentary pretty much drowning out the sound and dialogue of the picture, I am still incapable of watching the ending without crying.

A Wish For Wings That Work (1991)

For fans of the old newspaper comic strips Bloom County and Outland, A Wish For Wings That Work is either a charming interpretation of Berkeley Breathed's transition to children's books, or a misrepresentation of his more biting satire in the aforementioned strips. The half-hour made-for-TV special (which uncut & without commercials runs about 23 minutes), has the look and feel of his first children's book effort, upon which this was based. There is some beautiful pastel-like scenery throughout the special, which is contrasted by some of the less-than-beautiful characters that populated the world of Outland, Breathed's at-the-time strip.

Your opinion of the special will vary depending on what you think of the voice chosen for Opus, the lead character. If you are a diehard fan of Bloom County, and already had a sound picked for Opus in your head, and this doesn't match it, you may have a hard time getting around that. But if you're willing to just go with what is presented, which is a soft and thoughtful voice, right for his character, you'll be able to enjoy the story of a frustrated penguin who just wants what seemingly all the other birds on the planet have; the ability to fly.

Since this is a Christmas story, Santa Claus does make an appearance, and by way of appearing helps to show Opus things aren't as bad as he thinks, despite his flightlessness. There is a very clever gag involving footage from 1937's Lost Horizon, and along the way there are a few jokes thrown in involving Bill The Cat (another Bloom County veteran), Milquetoast The Cockroach (originally from Bloom County, but more prominently featured in Outland, and voiced here by Dustin Hoffman), and a one-off character George The Kiwi (voiced by Robin Williams), who seems to suffer from a severe case of wing envy...

The biggest drawback to this on DVD is the fact that it is the ONLY thing on the DVD. There are NO extras on it, and seeing as how the feature is only 23 minutes, that's not good...can you say NetFlix? This may have something to do with Breathed's complete disowning of it, due to a variety of reasons. Despite that, it is a really charming little special, which will mean more to you if you are a Bloom County fan, but is enjoyable even if you're not.

La Jetée (1962)

"...no memories, no plans..."

La Jetée should have the alternate title, The Anti-Motion Picture. A brilliant film, it is a montage of black & white still photographs, accompanied by sparse narration, an appropriately haunting music score, and perfectly simple (and simply perfect) sound effects. It is perhaps the best example of efficient use of a budget, and proves that storytelling is the most important aspect of any narrative art form.

A man in a post-apocalyptic future is thrown into the past in an attempt to rescue humanity from its current troubles. However, the real thrust of the story is the image our time-travelling protaganist has from childhood, that of a beautiful woman he saw one day on the pier (La Jetée) at Orly Airport near Paris, France. It is his strong, near-obsession with that memory that allows him to be transported thru time. It is a statement by the filmmaker, Chris Marker, of the power that women can have over men, and this particular manifestation of that idea was cribbed for the first Terminator film. In that picture, Kyle Reese was sent back from the future to save Sarah Connor, and tells her he travelled thru time because he is in love with her.

A much lengthier adaptation of La Jetée was the film 12 Monkeys, directed by Terry Gilliam, that came out in 1995. As good as that film is in its own right, the far better version, due to the simpler, more efficient, and more effective way of getting the story across, is the original. Marker was working on La Jetée while the Cold War was in its heyday, right in the midst of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and that apocalytpic mushroom cloud of fear and paranoia that hung in the air shows in the film as well.

This is a film that should be seen by anyone and everyone, and none fewer than that. In particular, anyone considering MAKING a film should watch this before embarking on that route, not to discourage them, but to show them that there are better ways to tell stories than by simply inserting meaningless, mindless violence, or, in the case of major Hollywood pictures, to have no plot and things blowing up for 90 minutes. In the course of a relatively quiet roughly 28 minutes, the viewer is moved deeply, and greatly concerned about the outcome of the characters, because of the quality of the storytelling. It's as simple as that.

Available on DVD via Criterion, paired with another film by Marker, Sans Soleil, previously written up by DB on this site back in June. The DVD contains numerous extras, including a 44 page booklet with a couple short essays by Marker, and an interview with him.