Cinematic Era: 2002 Vintage

A brief short of Phil Solomon and Stan Brakhage going to the movies in the spring of 2002.

Wild Blue Yonder fuses animated drawings and text with video footage of Weiner's friends, colleagues, and family. Weiner recontextualizes the everyday, leveling gestures, conversations, actions and interactions into a system of codes that blur the boundaries between what is choreographed and what is improvised. Weiner's visual grammar (arrows, horizons, frames) suggests motion and borders; the relationships of the animations, aphoristic text, and conversations activate questions of intimacy within the conventions of physical and personal space.

When his wife cheats on him, his car is stolen, and his company is accused of embezzlement, Rodrigo (Carlos Sobera) decides to stage his death, come back as his long-lost twin brother, Ricardo, and start fresh with his family. But much to his chagrin, he learns that his wife doesn't miss him, his kids speak poorly of him, and his boss may have framed him. Elisa Matilla, Cora Tiedra and Javier Pereira co-star in this comedy.

In this one-hour special, Alan and Denise Jackson share stories and memories of Christmas holidays spent with their family. Jackson also takes the stage at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville for a special concert of songs from his latest Arista album, Let It Be Christmas, with some help from Denise and their three daughters. Backed up by Nashville's Belmont University Choir and W.O. Smith Children's Choir, Jackson performs holiday classics including "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town," "The Christmas Song," "Silent Night," "Jingle Bells," "O' Come All Ye Faithful" and "Away in a Manger." He also performs a new self-penned song, "Let It Be Christmas."

Why did Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold murder a dozen students and one teacher—and then kill themselves—at Columbine High School? In this A&E Special, the renowned Threat Assessment Group comes to Littleton, Colorado, to perform a psychiatric autopsy to better understand why Harris and Klebold killed. Armed with that information, TAG hopes to educate parents, teachers, and students on how to see the warning signs of impending violence and intervene appropriately to stop such tragedies before they take place somewhere else.

Paris, New Year's 2000. On a Paris street, a strange mood is brought about by the appearance of some young men. They are, in fact, not human. At the turn of every century, the season for graduation at Hell's School of Demons returns. These young men's last task before they may graduate is to go to the human world. Vim is given the task of making the life of Adjani, who happens to be the first person he meets, as utterably miserable as possible. This is troublesome to Vim, for Adjani is a woman who already draws unhappiness to her. Vim becomes very anxious... A little black spice for the New Year, in this fantastic love comedy for adults.

Philippe Roger found the secretary of director Max Ophüls, Ulla de Colstoun, and Valere his first assistant, mobilized them on his project and, together during the documentary, they will both find in Normandy, the filming locations of Maison Tellier, sketch of the film Le Plaisir and the spirit of the film with the still intact impressions of these exceptional witnesses.

The bullet-riddled statues of Shusha come to life, speaking and crying out in pain. Through their voices, the city’s past and present are placed face to face, revealing the scars of history and the cost of loss. As memories of culture, beauty, and destruction unfold, one truth emerges: the longing for Shusha is so powerful that it can resurrect even the silenced stone.

This film is based on a true story about gang life on the streets of Chicago. Ceasar, a young teen, seeks acceptance and membership into the Brotherhood, a gang lead by his older brother, Kiko. Set on breaking the family gang cycle, Kiko fights to keep Ceasar away from a life of crime and violence while others set out to destroy an entire family and the Brotherhood

An intimate portrait of teenagers trying to understand their world and their possibilities. The film weaves together video shot by teens and by the filmmaker, as they work together to make a film and create expressive outlets for youth in the community. They organize dances and community events and paint a mural. At the same time, with humor and pathos, these young people raise issues around violence, feeling misunderstood by adults and lacking respect in their community. Set in the small town of Sitka, Alaska, home to a large Alaska Native population, the video chronicles their creativity, concerns and dreams.

Promo video for Mustasch: Down in black from their debut album Above All.

HEAVEN'S CROSSROAD traces an impressionistic journey through Vietnam exploring the nuances and complexities of “looking” cross-culturally. Structured in a series of observational yet stylized vignettes, this visually driven experimental documentary investigates shifting relationships of voyeurism and intimacy, which link the observer with the observed.

Horses have been getting killed mysteriously after they do well in a race. It's only up to some people from these races to figure out who is killing them.

Actress Nancy Olson details the average day of shooting for an actress.

Siva, a young medical student, arrives undocumented in London Heathrow airport. He is taken into custody and recalls his flight from the civil war in Sri Lanka.

Legendary jazz pianist, composer and innovator Herbie Hancock performs live on "Jazz Central." This concert was recorded live at Black Entertainment Television's Studio II in Washington, D.C. It features Hancock playing his Grammy Award-winning style of jazz with his complex and earth rhythmic signature.

Registration of the third solo show by the Dutch comedian Hans Sibbel.

Esoteric documentary narrated by Michael Lonsdale.

Giacomo Meyerbeer's pastoral opera,based on a Breton tale, is the tale of DINORAH who has gone mad because her bridegroom Hoël has disappeared during their wedding. This production, performed as part of Théâtre Impérial de Compiegne's purpose of reviving obscure French opera, is the only version of 'Dinorah' available on DVD, but it is a great production! The painterly pastoral settings and décor and rustic costumes are very easy on the eye. Opera traditionalists who dislike modern stagings will be delighted to know that this is a traditional production. Pierre Jourdan's stage direction is charming and always involving, never once falling into static movements or gestures, gratuitous distaste and irrelevance. With Isabelle Philippe, Armand Arapian and Frédéric Mazzotta. Conducted by Olivier Opebeek.

Calculating killers who try to hide their guilt behind brazen public displays of grief and crocodile tears for the victims, often making cynical televised appeals for information and breaking down convincingly in front of the cameras.

"Skydance" is a modern day fairy tale told with breathtaking visual images on the large format screen. Centered around a fictitious French Air Race the Aero Club de France Cup the viewer is taken on an incredible aerial tour of some of France's most impressive sites including the Alps the White Cliffs of the Channel baroque castles the Plateau of the Auvergne Chenonceau Chambord Mont St. Michel and the azure blue of the Mediterranean.

In the future, mankind is on the verge of extinction because of various biological mishaps. An expedition is sent to outer space to look for a planet with life forms that are "seedable". The ship lands on a planet that turns out to be populated by hot chicks in latex, who capture the crew. Complications ensue.

A short film by Matthew Giaquinto

A "B" movie actress is stalked in her home by an obsessive fan.

Portrait of gay filmmaker and Parkinson's sufferer Tom Chomont.

The Kill 5 is an ode to Kelly Slater. Kelly has two sick sessions: a mental session and interview about the fun tropical surf in Tahiti, followed by a session at a California surf spot known for its amazing one-of-a-kind wedge. Slater drops in behind the lip over and over again. He pulls off critical turning on a dime, reminding the world once again why hes still the best surfer in the world. The Santa Cruz Harbor section, Tom Curren at his own private surfing spot, Kelly Slater at a secret spot in California, Ratboy in Indonesia and Flea surfing Mavericks all shot in 16mm. And dont forget Shawn Barney Barron pulling off the one-of-a-kind maneuver The Barrel Roll. Barney completes a full 360 standing up inside the tube of a wave. A move that has never been done again.

2002 short film by Royston Tan

When a mysterious Frenchman appears in their small village, two gangs of sixth graders are reluctantly united to help find a buried treasure. Can they manage to keep the strife between them at a minimum and locate the booty?

A brief history of the KKK

In the year 2039 after the 3rd World War, Japan is in shambles and an extreme nationalist party called the 13th National Japan Labor Party Ruled the Nationalist Government. Because of the 3rd World war and the oppresion of the ruling party, most men in Japan lost their minds.

A shady producer begins losing his actresses to a knife-wielding, masked killer. A detective teams up with the twin sister of the first victim to search for the culprit, as both the list of suspects and the body count grows...

A pair of men are picking and repeatedly enter houses here and there to steal. One day, while ransacking the house they have been picking, they find the girl who lives in the house collapsed in the bathroom. She is a college student who has been hurt by a love like a game that is about to end. When she gets up and sees the two thieves, she says, "You came to save me, didn't you? Will you stay with me forever?" For some reason, she interprets this favorably and trusts them. From that point on, a strange interaction between the three begins.

Documentary about the short life of 'Radio Alice' (one of the first and most influential free radios in Italy), and its surreal political/dadaist milieu.

It is a unusual documentary that mixes the music of famous opera composer Giuseppe Verdi with places, faces and voices from Piacenza, a nice place in the north of Italy where Verdi lived and composed his music. Probably it could have been more interesting if the musical part was not so preminent...recommended for Verdi's fans

A young American woman travels to Bosnia to contemplate life there after a period of war. The camera is her being, moving quietly in and out of apartments and mosques in Sarajevo, across cultures, between the real and the imaginary.

A piece that looks at the history of the project, including an examination of the screenplay, the process of assembling the cast and crew, developing the characters, shooting the erotic sequences, and other tidbits.

Sade fans may experience a range of emotions while watching the first-rate Lovers Live, but one thing they won't feel is shortchanged--not with nearly two hours of concert footage, 22 songs (including almost all of her Lovers Rock album), and DVD bonus features galore. That sultry, soulful Sade sound is in full effect throughout the concert (filmed at two Southern California locations in 2001), brought to life by a capable band, some superbly evocative visuals and sound effects, and, of course, the singer herself. The show is dramatic, but never overly theatrical; best of all, Sade, while perhaps not the world's greatest performer, is an adult--you'll find no pop-princess posing here. Of the nine songs from Lovers Rock, "Slave Song" and "Immigrant" are especially moving, revealing that Sade added some new flavors to her sound during her protracted layoff from performing. This show is pure Sade--and that's a good thing.

Afterbang is the story of a talented group of athletes that have a vision to portray the fun and creative side of snowboarding. In the ever-changing world of this sport it seems to have regressed into a not so changing slump of predictable and numbing films that are cut to the same mold year after year. Afterbang is a fresh and honest look at what snowboarding means to this group.

In this slasher parody, five friends find their weekend plans in shambles when a masked murderer shows up to spoil their movie watching fun. Who is this kooky killer and why does he hate 80's romantic comedies?

60 year old widow and cystic fibrosis sufferer Daisy (Gayle Wells) hooks up with crack addicted lonely ex-cop Rick (Walt Dongo) in a trailer park romance.

"Crooked" follows the trials and tribulations of Sensational, a consummate original and posterchild for the underdog, but it celebrates the creative mind and independent spirit, longing for freedom.

Documentary made by Toho for the Masterworks reissue of all of its Kurosawa films. This one focuses on "Red Beard" (1965).

Momento marks a second encounter between Manoel de Oliveira and the singer-songwriter Pedro Abrunhosa, whose song of the same name inspired Oliveira’s short film/music video.

The combination of constantly moving abstract imagery and a familiar-yet-cryptic soundtrack in HERE reflects the struggle of being aware and present in life’s moment(s).

Islands is an experimental video that deconstructs a film by John Huston to comment on the Caribbean‚s relationship to the cinematic image. A story of unrequited love by a shipwrecked American marine (Robert Mitchum) for an Irish nun (Deborah Kerr), Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison is set in 1944 in the Pacific, but is shot in 1956 in Tobago using Trinidadian Chinese extras to portray Japanese soldiers. The artist’s uncle Clive is one such extra.

Inspired by the nationally popular video game series, the Tokyo-based ballet company Star Dancers Ballet's Ballet Dragon Quest was first produced in 1995. It was the first show that combined ballet with the video game. Ever since the ballet has been enthusiastically welcomed by not only ballet-lovers but also those who would otherwise never see a ballet, including Dragon Quest fans. It has been highly regarded as a unique and exceptional entertainment-ballet that successfully broadens the border of ballet. For the first time, this performance has been captured on video.

A parking lot attendant loses his temper when his working place is invaded by a blade of grass. A furious battle ensues.

Across the United States, violent crime in prison is an everyday reality, with inmates routinely exposed to assault, riot, rape and murder. Anatomy of a Prison Murder examines the culture of institutional violence through the events that led to one burtal prison murder. Utah State Prison surveillance cameras capture this disturbing real-life account of the vicious stabbing of black inmate Lonnie Blackmon by convicted murderer, white supremacist Troy Kell and his accomplice Eric Daniels.

L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love) is a comic opera (melodramma giocoso) in two acts by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Felice Romani wrote the Italian libretto, after Eugène Scribe's libretto for Daniel Auber's Le philtre (1831). Written in haste in a six-week period,[1] L'elisir d'amore was the most often performed opera in Italy between 1838 and 1848[1] and it has remained continually in the international opera repertory. Today it is one of the most frequently performed of all Donizetti's operas: it appears as number 13 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide in the five seasons between 2008 and 2013.[2] There are a large number of recordings. It contains the popular tenor aria "Una furtiva lagrima," a romanza that has a considerable performance history in the concert hall.

Debbie D stars as a college girl who is attacked and kidnapped by a sadistic killer (Dean Paul) and taken to his makeshift dungeon. The more ordeals she suffers through before her ultimate sacrifice, the more powerful the killer will become! Laura Giglio co-stars as a policewoman investigating the girl’s disappearance. Will she find the girl in time or will she literally “lose her head” in her attempt the rescue the girl?

What happened in Genoa (Italy) between the 16th and the 21th of July 2001 during the G8 meeting. From the pacifist movement against the G8 economic system to its catastrophic repression by the Italian police.

A lone Finnish soldier meets a lone Russian soldier at the border.