Pete's Dragon is a campy Disney Classic, filled with rich colors, cheap showtunes, and old-school non-digital animation. It's a simple story of a an orphan on the run from his abusive adoptive parents, roaming on the outskirts of town, who likes to feed his protector -a mighty green dragon named Elliot (with purple hair and wings) big red apples, and play tic-tac-to on his belly.
During his journey's with the green dragon, Pete continues to encounter misunderstanding from an equally abusive society, and is cast out into a cave by the beach. But as fate would have it, Pete's luck changes, as Nora the towns lighthouse keeper (who lives with her drunk father) crosses paths with Pete and takes him in.
It's a long, slow, visually-striking Sunday afternoon burner. Pete's Dragon flourishes with psychedelic charm, and a strange storyline geared towards children, and free thinkers alike. It's a fun movie that has aged well, and in the end delivers a positive message- Even if things seem bad, hang in there, things always get better. A nice thought to think about on Easter Sunday.
(FYM REWIND: is a cinematic feature series, showcasing the best of Netflix InstantQue movies. Recently our LA Senior Writer: Will Sellers, and Seattle Art Director: Jesse Codling were both turned on to a movie called Enter The Void, we both enjoyed this movie so much, that this film has inspired the first joint-review of any FYM feature story. All shots from the film below, once clicked on, can be expanded for greater detail.)
Exploring the darkest realms of human consciousness and existence, Enter The Void leaves all boundaries shattered in the most ambitious visually analeptic masterpiece cinema has ever championed. Buenos Aries- born, French Filmmaker Gaspar Noe´ draws from a formidable counsel of stimulus- Lynch, Kubrick, Akerlund, Scott (Blade Runner) to deliver the most advanced description of humanity, offering one's spirit an unflappably abrupt intimacy with the main player.
Enter The Void is like looking into the Brahman for three hours, followed by a cold shower of amorous visual taboos you cannot help but relate with. Even during the most subtle moments, the mind-beinding fluidity of Enter The Void's camera prowess tantalizes the eye with organic dreamlike wizardry. It's a film that sabotages the mind into an out of body lucid experience living through the eyes of Oscar, our doomed archetype, and his unbounded affection for his counter part Linda (his sister).
This movie is a must see. A few words of advice, in preparation before viewing, your mind should be on a higher state of consciousness. Be willing to experience nearly three hours of peerless visual supplement, dispatching enigmatic specters, blunting your vision of reality.
-j. codling
See Below: The greatest, most original opening title sequence in film!
How often do you watch or even just hear about a movie that is such an utterly original work of art AND concurrently an adaptation? Gaspar Noé's Enter the Void is not an adaptation in the traditional sense. It is an adaption of a concept. More specifically, it is an adaptation of the concept of The Tibetan Book of the Dead, the ancient text written as a guide for the soul passing through the afterlife on its way to reincarnation.
Enter the Void is a psychedelic journey of the self. Calling it a look at what "flashes before your own eyes" in the face of death is a premature understatement, as much of the film's journey takes place after death, with central character Oscar's ghostly self-reflection of his personal history of his own life: from death to birth and back again. The movie destroys any preexisting concept of narration. It jumps from various point to various point in Oscar's life from his perspective, sometimes first-person, sometimes second-person, often with the camera directly behind his head like some sort of psychedelic first-person shooter video game.
Calling its seemingly random story structure a "stream of consciousness" is also an understatement. Enter the Voidis consciousness. Noé penetrates the very notion of "consciousness" and films from within, giving the viewer a one-of-a-kind psychic experience inside the mind of someone who can be just like you or me.
First time actors Nathaniel Brown and Cyril Roy more than hold their own as main character Oscar and his closest friend in Tokyo Alex, respectively. But the standout here is Boardwalk Empire's Paz de la Huerta, who gives a heartbreaking and fearless performance as Oscar's buoyant sister Linda. Noé more than proves himself as a visionary and an extremely inventive director who deserves to be in the spotlight for his next project and beyond.
FYM REWIND: A celebration of movies (we watched repeatedly) that our parents taped on VHS during HBO free preview weekends in the late 80's through the early 90's. forYoungModerns since developed a taste for awesomely bad (but in a good way) campy classics. Most of these movies have long gone out of print or were never published on DVD. But our forgotten favorites have been revitalized with the advent of Netflix Instant Stream Movies!!
THE EXPERTS: A hip late 80's fashion mullet-clad John Travolta teams up with equally stylish Arye Gross as they play a pair of New York nightclub promoters transplanted (unknowingly) by the KGB in Communist Russia's version of the quintessential Leave It To Beaver 1950's America (an agent training camp for Russian spies to adapt to the American way of life).
Travolta and Gross (who think they are in small town Nebraska) expose a time-capsule of late 80's style showing the spies in-training how to be smooth. Classic 'edgy' dancing scenes, dated technology, steamy hairdos, and hot 80's ladies (Kelly Preston) make this campy espionage relic endlessly entertaining.
Have you ever wondered what it's like to be in a band crammed in a van on tour? Think it's incredibly glamorous? Think again. In TODD P GOES TO AUSTIN, famed promoter and some notable bands take you on a journey through all the craziness that involves touring/reminds you to just enjoy every day as it comes.
When you're in a band and want to start touring there's three words that will get you going: Do It Yourself. Everyone here at FYM has been involved in the music industry since an early age, and the only way to get things done is to put yourself out there, and be DIY. You can grab yourself the dvd right now at Todd P Goes to Austin and watch the preview below.
(FYM REWIND: A nostalgic weekly feature on the movies we love. With original movie posters by j. codling)
FYM grew up with parents who liked to record the entire HBO free preview weekends on VHS (which we would watch until the tape wore out). On one of those VHS recordings is where we first discovered George A. Romero's Dawn of the Dead.
(as heard in the trailer) The Italian prog band Goblin, set the foreboding tone throughout the films soundtrack. Their haunting march "l'alba dei morti viventi" features an ominous walking baseline, paired with undead sonic ambience, cascading into space.
The key to Dawn of the Dead's success for us, mainly has to do with the location. Romero's choice for the bulk of the film to take refuge inside a shopping mall is brilliant! Not only does this choice play as an overt commentary on the nature of consumerism, but it's also devilish fun watching the cast romp around (in child-like spirit) fully taking advantage of the deserted suburban shopping center as they acclimate to their new home.
Romero takes great care sequestering the audience's imagination in his world of the undead. Makeup art direction and stunts by Tom Savini (working in a non-digital effects world at the time) provides an organic realism, now lost in today's new wave of Zombie cinema.
Dawn of the Dead still holds up today. Even with some pretty intense social metaphors, and graphic violence, the movie comes off as an entertaining adventure, that doesn't take itself too seriously. We hope you keep this FYM Certified film in-mind the next time you find yourself lurking around Scarecrow Video in Seattle (or your favorite hometown indie video store).
Sadly San Francisco got left out of this piece, but if you're in Seattle or Los Angeles then you are in luck.The preview alone makes you wish that you could be on the road with Feist, and the rest of her posse forever. Fireworks and sing-a-long jams with indoor hockey anyone? Let's do this, eh... It's preview time and it's not subtitled in Canadian, sorry folks.
FYM's publicist- Nick 'the spruce goose' Codling found this insightful behind the scenes look into Gregg Gillis (Girl Talk) and his massive showdown on New Year's Eve at the Congress Theatre in Chicago. Of course this creative commons master released (9.21.10) it as a freebie online! The doc itself runs an easy 30 minutes, and worth the time if you pick up what this cat throws down. (Bonus Feature: Black Sabbath "War Pigs" remix)
THEY LIVE is FYM's number one choice for Sunday afternoon movie-viewing in October. John Carpenter's prophetic story of a world controlled by an extraterrestrial mass media, seems to be eerily similar to this day and age. Maybe not the aliens part, but blatant media propaganda shoved into the consumer's trough for mindless feeding/leading, is currently very evident.
WWF Wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper provides cult status heroism with classic (now pop culture staple) movie lines like- "I have come here to kick ass and chew bubble gum, and I'm all out of bubble gum."
Carpenter's bluesy 80's soap opera soundtrack (composed by the director) provides sinister companion to the everyman's town setting of They Live.
This movie is such a big deal that Shepard Fairey was so inspired by a scene in the movie that he ripped off the word in the scene (OBEY) and started his own propaganda design company.
They Live also features an epic 20min long fight scene between Piper and Keith David wrestling over putting on the special sunglasses (once on) are designed to expose the matrix-like world that is running human kind.
FYM Art Director Jesse Codling designed this THEY LIVE poster in honor of the upcoming October festivities. We hope you are inspired to revisit this film, or discover it for the first time. Check out THEY LIVE for free (legal) online HERE.
I'm Still Here could be one of the best documentaries/comedies/tragedies of all time. FYM last remembers hearing about the making of this film when Joaquin Phoenix seemed like a total dick, or a total Andy Kaufman while being interviewed on Letterman in 2009.
Apparently while Phoenix (gave up acting) followed his dream of hip-hop stardom this past year, road-blocks like fighting with his audience, too many drugs, and too many drugs (yes we said that twice) slowed his pace for seeking out the title of "Greatest Rapper Alive."
We'll leave you to decide if this film is a total hoax, or he's going to be the next Diddy, or the next homeless junkie on the streets. I'm Still Here arrives in theatres today, check below for SF, LA, and Seattle locations.
Go Here Bro:
Seattle, WA: Harvard Exit Theatre
West Los Angeles, CA: The Landmark 12
San Francisco, CA: Embarcadero Center Cinema 5
