Of Oz the Wizard

I love that someone came up with this idea, and I REALLY love that he actually saw it through to completion.  Cinematographer Matt Bucy alphabetized the entire 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.  Yep, he took every single word of the movie and re-edited them alphabetically and chronologically—even the credits.  From “a” to “zipper,” it’s a bizarre but impressive achievement.

Watching this reminded me that I grew up as a child watching the annual presentation of The Wizard of Oz on our small black and white television.  I can’t remember exactly when I first saw the film in color, but it was shocking to discover that the movie switched from black and white to color when Dorothy enters the Land of Oz.  I had no idea!

Well, I’ve now had another new Oz experience watching Of Oz the Wizard.  And no, I haven’t watched the entire thing.  Matt Bucy said that language kind of started to fall apart for him while working on this project.  I can see why.  He provides the warning:  “This film contains extremely fast editing, flashes of light, abrupt changes in image and sound.”  So watch if you dare.  You’ve been warned.

as·phyx·i·a

as·phyx·i·a is a collaborative effort and experimental film created by Maria Takeuchi with Frederico Phillips and performed by Shiho Tanaka.  It was made using Xbox One Kinect for motion data capture (whatever that means).  I really have no understanding of how this was created, but I like it.

“Isaac” by Bear’s Den

It’s been over a year since I posted anything on this blog.  Maybe I can get started again here—sort of a new year’s resolution (since all my other resolutions aren’t going that well).  I’ll start with a music video of a song I heard just this week and liked a lot.  The band is Bear’s Den, an alternative folk group from Britain.  I checked out their CD Islands from my local library and am really enjoying it.  I’m not sure what the song is about exactly, but it seems to be referencing the biblical story of the sacrifice of Isaac (a story I frankly never liked and have always found disturbing).  At one point the lyrics say:

Isaac I have never seen you look so afraid
With your head pressed so hard against the stone
You look so alone

But love seems to win in the end with the repeating chorus:

I’m going to give all my love to you

Whatever this song means, I think it’s quite beautiful.  I’m always a sucker for moody banjo.

Hi, Your Head’s on Fire

I’m a big fan of the ever quirky band They Might Be Giants.  Last month they released their 16th album, Nanobots, and it’s a good one. One of my favorite songs is the opener “You’re on Fire.”  Below is an unofficial, fan-created video for this song consisting of archival footage.  Nicely done.  The creepy monkey kids rule!

Just a piece of Kansas trivia:  The large pink face that appears around the 1:45 mark and again at the very end of the video is none other than renowned Emporia newspaper journalist William Allen White. They Might Be Giants have long had a thing for William Allen White whose face also appears in their 1986 videos for “Don’t Let’s Start” and “Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head.”  I love this strange connection between They Might Be Giants and the man for whom the top children’s book award in Kansas is named.

“Combustible heads—I read an article all about them.”

 

Jan Terri’s Comeback

Back in 2010 I blogged about the incomparable Jan Terri.  The Chicago-based songstress recorded a couple of CDs in 1993 and 1994 but since then has been virtually absent from the world of music.  This has left her scores of fans to repeatedly watch her videos on YouTube and wonder if she’d ever record again.  Well, good news!  I was thrilled to recently discover that after a 19 year hiatus, Ms. Terri is back performing and planning the release of a new CD, The Wild One.  I read that it was going to be released in 2012, but I can find no evidence of this yet.  There has been one single released, complete with video:  “Excuse My Christmas.”  If this is any sign of what’s to come, it will be worth waiting for.

If you aren’t familiar with Jan Terri, check out her 1994 video “Journey to Mars” below.  It features early 90’s techno effects with girls in silver jumpsuits and big hair walking through a psychedelic O’Hare International Airport—all to the accompaniment of the musical stylings of Jan Terri.  I love in the closing credits that two of the “silver girls” did hair and makeup.  It’s awesome!  Beam me up, Scotty!

Flooded McDonald’s

Today as I was surfing the interweb, I discovered that the Superflex video “Flooded McDonald’s” is going to be featured in an exhibit at the Des Moines Art Center February 1 – April 28, 2013.  I honestly can’t even remember where I first saw this video (at a museum or gallery or possibly an art fair?), but it left a lasting impression.

Superflex is a trio of Danish artists.  In 2009 they meticulously created a life-size replica of the interior of a McDonald’s restaurant and then filmed it slowly being filled with water.  Watching McDonald’s being gradually submerged underwater is a strangely meditative experience.  Is it a statement on the our fast food consumerist culture?  Is it a statement on globalization and multinational corporate greed?  Is it a statement on the ultimate power of nature over the man-made?  Or is it merely a restaurant being flooded?  I’ll leave that up to the viewer.

“Flooded McDonald’s” recently made the #16 spot on Artinfo.com’s  “100 Most Iconic Artworks of the Last 5 Years.”  Below is a three-plus minute excerpt from the twenty minute video.  If you happen to be in Des Moines, Iowa this spring, maybe you can stop by the Des Moines Art Center and watch it in its entirety.

The Narrative of Victor Karloch

One of my very favorite things is puppetry—especially innovative puppetry that pushes the envelope regarding what one normally thinks of as puppetry.  I recently ran across this trailer of a puppet production called “The Narrative of Victor Karloch.”  I know next to nothing about this except that it looks freaking amazing!  I’d love to see this in person.

 

Passage à l’acte

Passage à l’acte is a short experimental film from Austrian filmmaker Martin Arnold.  The piece is a reworking of several seconds of footage from the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird.  Watching the entire 11+ minute film feels like a feat of endurance.  For myself, I find the experience initially intriguing, then moving to irritation, and finally becoming mesmerizing.  Unfortunately, the full video is no longer available on YouTube, but you can watch a few minutes of it below.  This will certainly give you a taste.

Jonny Quest Revisited

This is a very cool stop-action animation re-creation of the original opening title credits to the 1964 cartoon Jonny Quest.  I remember watching this show as a young boy on Saturday mornings, but it never looked like this.  You may need to let the video load completely before watching, but it’s worth it.

Sigur Rós – Glósóli

This is just a beautiful, magical, spine-tingling video from the wonderful Sigur Rós.  You need to watch in full-screen mode.