Short #1 – Invention

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Director

Alain Resnais

Edition details

Personal

Notes

Synopsis: Short Cinema Journal is a DVD magazine that celebrates the art of short films via narratives, fiction, experimental, documentary, criticism, monologues, interviews and editorials. Issue 1:1 - Invention. Animation: "Mr. Resistor" by Mark Gustafson - This kinetic animation follows the adventures of a little wire guy as he careens through the detritus of a junk heap. Wildly inventive with incredible craft, Mr. Resistor is a rare treat. "The Big Story" by Tim Watts and David Stoten - In this two minute 3-D animation, directors Tim Watts and David Stoten place Kirk Douglas in an American newspaper office--his plasticine caricature plays both a rookie reporter and the reporter's hard-line editor in a remarkable study in impersonation. Watch how Watts and Stoten planned their animation with "The Big Story" pencil test on alternate video track 1. Narrative: "Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade" by George Hickenlooper - In this vivid and intense short, Molly Ringwald plays a reporter visiting an institution for the criminally insane to interview a man who is about to be released after 20 years. The film stars Billy Bob Thornton, who recently expanded this short film into the award-winning feature "Sling Blade." "Black Rider" by Pepe Danquart - In this film, racism is skillfully twisted back on an elderly racist. Danquart brings to his provocative mode of retribution a smooth jazz score and funky visual style. German with English subtitles. "Trouble" by Carrie Blank - Carrie Blank made this, her thesis film, while a student in the Film and Television Department at NYU in 1995. It features an impressive cast, including Tovah Feldshuh, Cole Plakias, and Michael Imperioli, and an equally impressive script which manages to be both moving and funny. Interview: "Michael Apted Interview" by Short Cinema Journal - The director of a diverse slate of films, including "Nell" and "Gorillas in the Mist," talks about the inspiration of such films as "Wild Strawberries," watching movies as a kid, and how he makes his way through Hollywood as both a skilled studio director and an iconoclast. "Baraka" Excerpt by Mark Magidson - In this compelling excerpt from the stunning documentary film "Baraka," producer Mark Magidson talks about the complex camera techniques and fascinating production history of a film that captures the colors, rhythms, sounds, and faces from cultures all over the world. Interview with Magidson on alternate audio track 1. Documentary: "This Unfamiliar Place" by Eva Ilona Brzeski - This film is a lyrical and personal rumination on violence and disaster, centering on the filmmaker's attempts to get her father to talk about his experiences as a Polish Jew during World War II. "Goreville" by Seth Henrikson and Dave Sarno- This short documentary is a humorous look at one small town's idiosyncratic gun law: in 1982, Goreville passed an ordinance requiring all heads of households to maintain a firearm together with ammunition. Monologue: "Henry Rollins: Easter Sunday in NYC" by Albert Watson - Our lives are made of events and our reaction to those events. Albert Watson reveals to us the many ways Henry Rollins has come to express those reactions in a documentary that is part monologue, part performance. "The End Of Something" on alternate audio track 1, "Starve" on track 2, and "Shame" on track 3. Music: "John Lee Hooker Tribute" by Short Cinema Journal - We pay tribute to one of the greatest American bluesman of this century with a revealing interview in combination with one of his more recent music videos. Criticism: "Quisling & Tsai" by Short Cinema Journal - Revelation. Inspiration. Invention. Why do we build and create? Is it all in the name of progress? Eric Quisling and Daniel Tsai examine our past and question whether or not humanity's desire to grow is harmonious with evolution. Experimental: "Shape Without Form" by Stephen Berkman - "It is not a story for the timid," says the voice in this exquisite cinepoem touching on the dichotomies and miracles of everyday life. Striking images and provocative text combine to create a sense of ineffable. Interview with Stephen Berkman on alternate audio track 1.

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