Brush Creek Film Review

Part Two. Join Buddy and Leanne for in-depth reviews and discussions of films that are available on the Library's Hoopla streaming platform. Access Hoopla at http://www.hoopladigital.com and create an account with your library card!
FILM LIST

Buddy:

• California Typewriter, Doug Nichol, 2016 (USA) - Documentary about mechanical/analog typewriter technology – the history and culture
• Aliens of the Deep, Jérôme Julienne & John Jackson, 2010 - Oceanic nature documentary about the mysterious octopi/cephalopod

Leanne:

• 13 Assassins, (2010) dir. by Takashi Miike – High-gore remake of Eiichi Kudo's 1963 tale of a band of assassins leading a siege against a sadistic feudal warlord. Imaginative violence explodes across the screen balanced against a tangled web of alliances gone wrong in this startling film.
• Hana-Bi, 1997, Takeshi Kitano (USA) Hana-bi displays the disjointed story of a police detective's depression spiral. Takeshi stars as the dejected detective who rarely speaks and is prone to fits of shocking violence. His public persona is juxtaposed to his private life with his quiet wife. Few brutal films are so sweetly tender at their core.

CREDITS

• Director, April Roy
• Manager, Jerena Boyd Bey
• Digital Branch Manager, David LaCrone
• Graphic Designer, Levi Hoffmeier
• Editing, Buddy Hanson and David LaCrone
• Music, Franny Finstrom Clark

Join Buddy and Leanne for in-depth reviews and discussions of films that are available on the Library's Hoopla streaming platform. Access Hoopla at http://www.hoopladigital.com and create an account with your library card!

FILM LIST

Buddy:

• Frida, Julie Taymor, 2002 (USA) - Drama/bio based on Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera
• Paradise Lost, Joe Berlinger & Bruce Sinofsky, 1996 (USA) - HBO documentary series focused on the 1993 murders in West Memphis, Arkansas
• Tales of the Night, Michel Ocelot, 1992 (France) - Silhouette stop-motion animation (similar to shadow puppetry)

Leanne:

• Ip Man, (2008) dir. by Wilson Yip – An energetic fictionalized portrait of the early life of Ip Man, a modern master of the martial art of Wing Chung and the teacher of Bruce Lee. The story is told with more action rather than a large amount of blood, lending it to be a real crowd-pleaser.
• Outrage (2010) dir. by Takeshi Kitano. - Outrage is a gangster film by the prolific Japanese director Beat Takeshi which was nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes in 2010. This is not a film for the faint of heart; few films reach this level of graphic violence. Though this film is brutal in its portrayal of a yakuza gang war, the absence of any “good guys” lends immediacy to the action that is rarely found in this genre. Beautiful camera work helps to elevate the cruel and merciless actions of the characters and delivers a shocking but engaging film experience.
• The Crow, (1994) dir. By Alex Proyas – Instant-classic adaptation of James O'Barr's graphic novel about a man who returns from the dead to right the wrongs that lead to his and his fiancée’s murder. This is the film in which Brandon Lee, rising action star and son of action legend Bruce Lee, was accidentally killed on-set by a faulty prop gun. Despite the tragic death of Brandon Lee, his charisma as an avenging angel continues to draw audiences to this tale of loss and redemption.

CREDITS

• Director of Plaza Library, April Roy
• Manager, Jerena Boyd Bey
• Digital Branch Manager, David LaCrone
• Graphic Designer, Levi Hoffmeier
• Editing, Buddy Hanson and David LaCrone
• Music, Franny Finstrom Clark

In this episode, Buddy and Leanne (KCPL librarians) discuss films that are available on the Library's Kanopy Streaming platform. Here are the films discussed in this episode.

Buddy's list:

1. Danger: Diabolik, Mario Bava, 1968: Italian Psychedelic Action/Humor
2. Free Fire, Ben Wheatley, 2017: Dark Comedy, Action/Humor
3. The Corporation, Mark Achbar & Joel Bakan, 2003: Documentary about Corporations and corporate power, including discussions about: history, activism, environment, business, global politics/economics, etc.
4. I Dream of Wires, Robert Fantinatto, 2014: Documentary about modular synthesizers, including: West Coast vs East Coast philosophy; biography of Bob Moog and Don Buchla; global stories about electronic music, culture and technology
5. Blue, Derek Jarman, 1993: Minimalist Art Film

Leanne's list:

1. What We Do In The Shadows, Taika Waititi, 2017: Comedy, Mockumentary by Oscar-winning director centering on the lives of a household of vampires in New Zealand
2. Dottie Gets Spanked, Todd Haynes, 1993: Short Film/Drama: A young boy's fascination with an “I Love Lucy”-type 1950's sitcom star leads to his awakening to being gay and how he must transform himself to conform to family and peer's expectations. A masterpiece.
3. Kedi, Ceyda Torun, 2016: Documentary: Delightful, calm exploration of the street cats of Istanbul and the city residents who care for them.
4. Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig, 2017: Drama/Comedy: Sweet coming-of-age story about a quirky senior from Sacramento, CA set in 2002. Heartwarming but not saccharine, with exception performances by Laurie Metcalf & Saoirse Ronan.
5. The Endless Summer, Bruce Brown, 1966: Documentary, Joy on screen. Two surfers chase the summer around the globe, catching tasty waves. A great primer for a young person to enter into documentary viewing.

Buddy continues the discussion with Alex Paxton about the spy genre focusing on spy novels and movies.

Buddy is joined by Jenny Garmon to discuss the documentary Trust Me and disinformation. View the complete show notes >