Ai Weiwei 'Never Sorry'

Resurrect Dead: The Mystery Of The Toynbee Tiles

The artist responsible for the Toyenbee Tiles is unknown...and probably a few cents short of a buck...judging by the rantings I've personally seen on scores of tiles glued to streets across the US. To a small group of people, it was far more a mystery, enough so that a documentary film was created and ran all the way to the Sundance Film Festival. Now, I am intrigued enough to send a 'friend request' to the crew at Resurrect Dead and drop this indie flick into my Netflix queue!

Resurrect Dead [facebook]
Resurrect Dead [trailer]

THE VISUAL LANGUAGE of HERBERT MATTER

This flick is currently touring the indie film festival circuit, cross your fingers and maybe it'll land in yours. The DVD will be released shortly after the tour.

"THE VISUAL LANGUAGE OF HERBERT MATTER is a revealing look at the fascinating life story of the highly influential mid-century modern design master. Known as a quintessential designer's designer, Swiss born Herbert Matter is largely credited with expanding the use of photography as a design tool and bringing the semantics of fine art into the realm of applied arts.
Inspired by Russian constructivists and taught by artists such as Fernand Léger, Le Corbusier, and A.M.Cassandre in Paris in the late 20s, Matter designed a series of cutting-edge Swiss travel posters that won international acclaim for the pioneering use of photo-montage combined with type. Always striking a balance between fine art projects and commercial work, the taciturn designer found his own unique language, which resulted in the creation of such iconic works as the corporate identity for Knoll Associates and the New Haven Railroad. With his photography he was adept in documenting the early furniture of Charles and Ray Eames and creating covers for Vogue and Arts & Architecture as well as documenting his contemporaries Jackson Pollock, Willem de Kooning or Alberto Giacometti. As a filmmaker, he directed a critically acclaimed film "Works of Calder" about his good friend Alexander Calder, with music composed by John Cage. Later in life he was a professor for photography and graphic design among Paul Rand and Josef Albers at Yale University..."

 
Matter Teaser from Herbert Matter on Vimeo.

SKATEBOARD MADNESS: A VINTAGE SKATE FLICK

Hal Jepsen's "Skateboard Madness" documents some seriously old school West Coast skateboarding '...through the barrios of L.A.'. This 1980 cult classic features some even older school pro's shreddin' fave skate spots of yesteryear, like Stacy Peralta, Dan Smith and one of my all-time fave punk bands of that same era, The Surf Punks...which I saw open for Joan Jett & The Black Hearts, Foreigner & Charlie Daniels in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1981.

MUST SEE FILM: VISUAL ACOUSTICS/ THE MODERNISM OF JULIUS SHULMAN

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman is a must see documentary film by Eric Bricker.

"Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman captured the work of nearly every major modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images..."

H by HARRIS: FIXIE FASHION

UK designer Harris Elliott asked film maker Manny Bonett to create this film short for Harris' new H by Harris line, an accessories line built around the 'fixed gear' culture. Bonett's "Fixed" short litereraly sets things on fire...and what's sexier than a gaggle of freestylin' UK hipster-fixie-gearheads with flares, in a Jesus Christ pose?

OS GEMEOS ANIMATED SHORT for 33rd MOSTRA

Os Gemeos never cease to amaze and their animation for last years 33rd Mostra - São Paulo International Film Festival is no exception.

'WINNEBAGO MAN' VIRAL VIDEO BEFORE THERE WAS A VIRAL VIDEO

Winnebago Man was a viral video years before there was You Tube. This flick is guaranteed to make you piss your britches and choke on your popcorn. Hits theaters July 9th...bring a fresh change of drawers & a buddy proficient in CPR.

The following synopsis was lifted directly from the official Winnebago Man site..."Jack Rebney is the most famous man you’ve never heard of — an RV salesman whose hilarious, foul-mouthed outbursts circulated underground on VHS tapes in the 90s before turning into a full-blown Internet phenomenon in 2005. Today, the “Winnebago Man” has been seen by more than 20 million people worldwide, and is regarded as one of the first and funniest viral videos. Filmmaker Ben Steinbauer goes in search of Rebney — and finds him living alone on a mountain top, unaware of his fame. WINNEBAGO MAN is a laugh-out-loud look at viral culture and an unexpectedly poignant tale of one man’s response to unintended celebrity."

Frank Lloyd Wright's USONIA: The Movie

Get the popcorn ready, there's a movie in the works involving Frank Lloyd Wright and his New York state co-op known as USONIA. Get the movie clip HERE and visit the film's website HERE

*above was lifted from PrairieMod

OUR CITY DREAMS: NYC ARTIST DOC featuring SWOON

Our City Dreams is a really amazing Indie-Doc from First Run Features. Kick back and follow SWOON, Kiki Smith, Ghada Amer, Marina Abramovic & Nancy Spero.

"Filmed over the course of two years, Our City Dreams is an invitation to visit the creative spaces of five women artists, each of whom possesses her own energy, drive and passion. These women, who span different decades and represent diverse cultures, have one thing in common beyond making art: the city to which they have journeyed and now call home - New York."

JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT 'THE RADIANT CHILD'

'The Radiant Child' is a, indie documentary film about the infamous Jean-Michel Basquiat. The footage was shot in '86, just 2 years before Jean-Michel's passing. The lost reels of film were packed away in storage & forgotten for 20-years, until just recently, when Director Tamra Davis launched her film at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival.
Although this film doesn't have a release date yet, Netflix does have it in their database...show put this in your queue.

NEW BROW: CONTEMPORARY UNDERGROUND ART LOS ANGELES SCREENING DATE ADDED

New Brow: Contemporary Under Ground Art, the word is that this Indie Doc is an amazing-must see film. This flick has been doing a whole lot of globetrotting since its release...Miami, Amsterdam, Seattle and is currently set to be seen in London. A screening for Los Angeles (you lucky bastards!) has recently been announced. More details and a confirmed date to follow.

"...Pop Surrealism and Low Brow is a wide spread populist art movement with origins in Low Brow art, underground comix, punk music, hotrod street culture, Kustum culture, Street Art, Graffiti, Graphic Design, Tattoo, Surf Culture, Tiki Culture and other California sub-cultures..."

THE POST FAMILY X TYPEFACE MOVIE POSTER

The Post Family of Chicago offer 2 versions of the TYPEFACE movie poster for sale. The version shown here is a 2-color screen-print created by Rod Hunting and Chad Kouri of Chicago-based design group...The Post Family. Make sure you check this amazing Indie Doc centering on The Hamilton Wood Type Museum if it's playing in a city near you.

TYPEFACE: CHICAGO PREMIERE

TYPEFACE plays at Chicago's Gene Siskel Film Center, Jan 29th-Feb 4th.

"In TYPEFACE, handmade wooden type in an astonishing range of sizes and styles comes to life in new and unique combinations when seasoned craftsmen, the masters of an obsolete but beloved technology, throw open the treasure trove of the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in the historic town of Two Rivers, Wisconsin, to contemporary artists and graphic designers. This exploration of the art of putting letters on a printed page from world-renowned Kartemquin Films (HOOP DREAMS) finds the human story in the preservation of the centuries-old printing process when artists of the digital age discover the tactile delight and limitless possibilities of working with the real rather than the virtual."

BIGNOISE FILMS: WHITEPOWER U.S.A.

Whoa! Hold your horses. Before you get all bent out of shape, I just want to link you to a very controversial Indie Doc from BigNoise Films, 'White Power USA'.
*My blog is neither for or against any movement and I NEVER condone the physical harming of any human being, ever. My goal is to make sure you have exposure to all sides of any argument. No matter how big or how small. If you pretend it doesn't exist, it only gets stronger. Watch the 28-minute version of White Power USA on Big Noise's site. They (Big Noise Films) have an amazing collection of human interest docs worth viewing. I personally favorite is the Latin King's flick.