Tag Archives: documentary
Heavy Meddle
The blog’s been on a kick this year, celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Pink Floyd. This weekend my girlfriend picked up a copy of The Wall on DVD and we watched the Roger Waters commentary last night — totally hilarious! When I saw this video in my YouTube suggestions I immediately checked it out… Between [...]
Gonzo Wonderland
This year we celebrate the sesquicentennial of Alice in Wonderland — a landmark of kid lit and a cornerstone of psychedelic fiction. This probably won’t be my last post about Alice. As a fantasy for the wee, Alice inspires illustrations, and it’s assumed that Walt Disney owns that territory. Little did I know that Ralph [...]
Forever Young
Neil Young is in the headlines again, saying that Donald Trump’s use of the singer/songwriter’s “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World” in Trump’s newly-announced presidential campaign is not authorized. Young has also said that he’s a longtime supporter of Bernie Sanders. The song is an odd choice for a Republican as the song’s lyrics [...]
Afghanistan and the West
“Increasingly, we live in a world where nothing makes any sense — events come and go like waves of a fever leaving us confused and uncertain. Those in power tell stories to help us make sense of the complexity of reality. But, those stories are increasingly unconvincing and hollow. This is a film about why [...]
Happy Birthday, Mr. T
Celebrating Mr. T’s birthday on May 21, 1952 here’s a bad ass documentary about the janitor turned muscleman/actor. I pity the fool who doesn’t watch this film… Stay Awake! Please subscribe to my YouTube channel where I archive all of the videos I curate at Insomnia. Click here to check out more Cinema posts.
Nashville Film Festival Part I
I’ve been spending the last few days checking out various selections at the Nashville film festival. My assistant, Antonia Oakes, came up with a preliminary itinerary of films to which I’ve added a few of my own choices. The flicks I’ve seen so far highlight various countercultures and outsider aesthetics in one way or another. [...]
Nina Simone: The Legend
I first heard about Nina Simone while reading Sam Shepard biographies which always mention his working as a busboy at the Village Gate, refilling the diva’s ice water glass during her performances in New York in the 1960′s. It was only years later that I fell under her spell and I still think her take [...]
Jodorowsky’s Poetic Money
Alejandro Jodorowsky is one of my favorite filmmakers, but that won’t come as a surprise to anyone who follows my posts. I’ve seen all of the master’s films and was particularly excited by last year’s release of both The Dance of Reality and the documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. The former was Jodo’s most recent feature film [...]
Gene Vincent Lives
Today we celebrate the birthday of one of rock ‘n’roll’s original madmen: Gene Vincent embodied sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll about a decade before the emergence of an American generation that would take hold of those values and recreate world culture in a new era of freedom and expression. By 1969 Vincent was a [...]
Remembering Altamont
This past Saturday marked the 45th anniversary of the Rolling Stones’ concert at the Altamont Speedway. The chaotic scene ended in multiple injuries, four accidental deaths including hit-and-run accidents and a drowning as well as the stabbing murder of Meredith Hunter. Characterized as a kind-of anti-Woodstock, the Altamont Free Concert is now a symbol for [...]
