Item #: 17021DV Category: ART? Format: DVD MPAA Rating: U

Woolly Rating: 4/10 (53 votes)

MEMBER COMMENTS ON THIS VIDEO

jd	Dec 15, 2004 @ 18:26:10

<[:-} i sure miss the vogue theater
this is four short "clay painting" claymation films from joan c. gratz, making for a rather short total presentation. i'm sure i saw all four in animation anthologies at the vogue before it closed. the title film is still very impressive, though not as much as when seen in big screen, 35mm format, with an appreciative audience. famous paintings morph continually and seamlessly into other famous paintings. i'm sure the choice of sequence from painting to painting holds deep meaning a dumbass philistine like myself would never get, such as when the portrait i wasn't sure i recognized morphed into munch's "the scream." the medium and her technique works best for van gogh, and she was wise to lead with his stuff. later, expressionist and other gently pleasing paintings morphing into nightmarish modern abstractions makes for some shock. picasso's progression into bizarreness is documented. misogynist con artist salvador dali gets more footage than he deserves. i recognzed one of francis bacon's "...figures at the base of a crucifixion" from having just seen it in david j. skal's book "the monster show." andy warhol gets into the act too. the 2nd & 4th films, the other two "clay painting" films, are "the dowager's feast," and "the dowager's idyll," both wholly abstract. "...idyll" has celtic elements in the images and music, a kaleidoscopic format, and makes more use of blue, so i liked it a lot more. the third (non-claymation) film is "pro & con," where a female corrections officer is interviewed and an interview with a male inmate is faked. the "pro" is more interesting, an animated visual embellishment of the actual voice and words of an enthusiastic idealist working in a profession that makes that sort of attitude very hard to maintain. gratz did the aptly named "con" segment, which uses three separate men for "script," "voice," and "reference actor." when i saw this piece at the vogue i didn't catch the intellectual dishonesty of the "con" segment. the end credits say it was commissioned by a correctional facility. its a lot more entertaining when you believe its genuine, and not a projection of the feminist, liberal biases of the filmmaker.

• GOODBYE UNCLE TOM
Snuff Film... (Tim)

• TAMPOPO
Awesome... (CMH)

• ROMERO
... (Sue)

• VAMPIRES VS ZOMBIES
horrible... (beachmonkey)

• PULP FICTION (COL ED)
a thrill ride... (Alan Hall)

• PERFUME
KINKY, DISTURBING... (DKB)

• BLACK MASK 2: CITY IF MASKS
not bad... (Dedeals)

• ELVIS ON TOUR
Elvis in Concert. ... (elvisandmeatloaf@aol.com)

• BORN YESTERDAY
A great performance... (micca)

• WONDERWALL
Why this film dserves more than a one star rating.... (Eric)

• PIT STOP (LTBX)
... (pike)

• BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE
... (pike)

• BIG BAD MAMA
... ()

• GOODBYE UNCLE TOM
MISUNDERSTOOD... (Caribba)

• MONKEY KUNG FU
the best... (melo70)

• PANTERA 3 WATCH IT GO
WATCH IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... (leo)

• HOUSE OF STRANGERS
FINE 1949 NOIR/DRAMA... (DKB)

• KEEP YOUR DISTANCE
LOCALLY SHOT DRAMA... (DKB)

• GOODBYE UNCLE TOM
a genius reality check 4 our race we may live in the white mans land & call it hme bt in doing that we deny the truth of our being. All brown skin people nomatta hw light r african rayalty ... (lady swirl)