Summer is coming to an end, and this has been a dark summer considering all the chaos that is happening here in America. People who work at the CDC and FEMA are being laid off while our human septic tank of a dictator continues to make things worse for everyone. Another mass shooting in Minnesota happened at a Catholic school where two kids are killed as Republican lawmakers continue to make excuses. This year fucking sucks although there was a brawl at Mexican senate meeting between two senators that was fun to watch over America’s involvement with Mexico’s war with drug cartels in their country. I am going to side with whoever does not want America to get involved with Mexico’s own affairs. Honestly, why do we often have to interfere with the interests of other countries?
My mother is already dealing with relatives getting deported as the news over what happened to Kilmar Abrego Garcia as he had just returned to the U.S. but is now in a dilemma to either plead guilty over a smuggling charge that he was not involved in or to be deported to Uganda. This is another example of why the idea of the American Dream does not exist. It did a long time ago but that is now nothing more than a nightmare. What is the point now of even coming to a country where no matter how hard you work? You are going to go back to where you come from or to be sent to a place that you have never been to before. These are dark times we are living in, and it is a damn shame for anyone to be proud to be an American because of bullshit like this.
I get my news through whatever I see on my phone, a widget on my laptop, or on Reddit and to know what to avoid as I do not watch anything that is on YouTube or on TV as it can be overwhelming. I am fortunate to find things to watch to escape from all that negative shit such as pro wrestling where AEW has regained momentum considering that 2024 was a bad year for them even though they must contend with WWE who continuously made new deals with ESPN and will counterprogram whatever AEW does. Yet, there was something that happened at an independent wrestling show in California where as a longtime fan of pro wrestling. I have never been more disgusted or sickened by as it relates to this incident on August 24.
Raja Jackson, the son of legendary MMA fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson made an appearance at KnokX Pro Wrestling event where he would be involved in a match with Stuart Smith aka Syko Stu. An incident that was meant to be a work only escalated into something realistic in which Jackson beat up Stu during the match only for Jackson to assault Smith to the point of near-unconsciousness. What Jackson did was he nearly killed this man as wrestlers and others had to pull him out while Smith was unconscious with many thought he had died. Fortunately, as of August 30, 2025, as I am writing this. Smith is alert though his recovery will take a while as he apologized for smashing a beer can on Jackson’s head before the match as it was part of the angle. Jackson on the other hand should go to prison for nearly killing a man while those who goaded Jackson into assaulting Smith should go to prison. The promotion has lost its WWE ID designation while many talents at the promotion have left over the incident. Smith has received donations from several wrestlers, including Chris Jericho, on the medical bills that he is going to have to pay. Still, this is an incident that has left a blemish in the industry as Jackson should be banned from not just all pro wrestling promotions but also from MMA organizations.
In the month of August 2025, I saw a total of 17 films in 17 first-timers with 3 of the first-timers being films directed by women as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. A lot of short films by a few filmmakers with the highlight of the month being my Blind Spot film pick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for August 2025:
The first of three short films by Michelangelo Antonioni that I found on YouTube as this 1983 7-minute short film Antonioni made has him returning to the island where he filmed a key sequence from his 1960 film L’Avventura. The short has Antonioni and his crew filming the island while audio from the film is present as if it plays as a ghost where the events in that film still loom. It is a short film that fans of Antonioni should seek out as it highlights the influence of his international breakthrough film on this remote island.
Seven Reeds One Dress
The second short film from Michelangelo Antonioni is a 10-minute documentary short film that explores post-war Italy and how this economic recovery would change things for a northern town in Italy. The short film is this mixture of Italian neorealism and the sense of alienation that Antonioni would explore in his feature films. Especially as it shows reeds from marshlands that get cut down meticulously to become materials for highly-expensive dresses in the world of high fashion. It is an excellent short that fans of Antonioni should also watch.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes
As a child of the 80s, I grew up on the music of Billy Joel. My parents had his greatest hits collection on CD when CDs were new. I knew a lot of the songs and knew about Joel’s story. This two-part documentary film covers Joel’s life and career as he remains this humble guy from Long Island who likes to go boating and smoke an electronic cigar. The two-part approach is great as the first part is about Joel’s life and career, including his marriage to his first wife Elizabeth Weber who would be his manager during that time. When they divorced and she decided to step away from the business, she knew that when Joel hired her brother Frank it was a bad idea as even Joel’s second wife Christie Brinkley knew something about him was not right. When the wives are telling you something is wrong, you listen. The film also goes into why Joel stopped making pop music in the early 90s as well as his complicated relationship with his own father as well as him learning about his own family history that included his grandfather Karl Amson Joel who was a textile merchant/manufacturer in Germany in the early 20th century until the Nazis came in as the man, his wife, and Joel’s father left Germany with nothing. This is a great documentary film of one of the greatest American artists ever as he is still dealing with his own health issues as he remains a treasure that everyone loves. Still, I hate The Longest Time because that doo-wop shit sucks.
Superstition
The third and final short film by Michelangelo Antonioni I found on YouTube is a 9-minute short film also released in 1948. It is about the subject of superstition but in small towns in the north of Italy through people who still believe them even though the country has changed following World War II into this new idea of modernism. It is a good short film although the lack of subtitles really does hurt the film a bit despite its gorgeous visuals and music score.
From: First Hymn to the Night-Novalis
The first of eight short films by Stan Brakhage that is available on YouTube as this 3-minute collage piece inspired by the German poet Novalis as it includes lines from his poem of the same name. The short film is filled with colorful imagery that is typical of Brakhage’s work as it plays into his own interpretation of Novalis’ work.
Rage Net
A 38-second short film from Brakhage as it plays into his idea of anger through his own visual ideas.
Kindering
A 3-minute short film from Brakhage that is an atypical short film that has 2 kids playing in their backyard but there are some weird noises in the background and other weird shit as it is absolutely fucked up. It is fucking awesome.
Comingled Containers
Another 3-minute short that is more in line with what Brakhage does as it has him experimenting with various liquids for the short. What he would present is something astonishingly beautiful. Even in the usage of decayed film stock where Brakhage creates something that is among one of his best short films.
Ritual in Transfigured Time
The first of two short films by Maya Deren that is available on YouTube features score music from Feona Lee Jones as it plays into a woman being drawn by the activities of others. In its 15-minute running time, the short film is filled with elements of surrealism that add to the sense of wonderment in Deren’s visual style. Whether it is a woman making a cat’s cradle or people doing interpretative dancing to music that they do not hear. It is all about connection as it is a short film that anyone interested in film need to see.
Water for Maya
Another 3-minute short film by Stan Brakhage that was made in 2000 as it is another experimental short film featuring collages of images of paintings and such that Brakhage made. It is a short film that does not say much but did it need to say anything? Part of the fun of watching Brakhage film is in the images that he creates to express whatever he is feeling now.
Krypto Saves the Day! School Bus Scuffle
Anyone here who saw James Gunn’s film version of Superman is aware of the dog Krypto as he is given the spotlight for himself in this 5-minute animated short from DC Animation. It is about a dog who is dealing with fleas as he goes after a pigeon who takes a shit in front of his window at Superman’s apartment in Metropolis. It is a fun short film where Krypto saves the despite the fucking pigeons. Fuck these pigeons!
For Marilyn
Made in tribute to his second wife Marilyn, this 11-minute short film by Stan Brakhage is one of his best films. Playing into his style of colorful collages and dizzying imagery, it is a short that is really an expression of love towards his wife with handwritten messages appearing every now and then. This is one of Brakhage’s most essential short films and anyone new to Brakhage like I am now should see this.
Mothlight
Another 3-minute short by Brakhage made in 1963 is among another of his gems yet is a short made without a camera. Using an array of material such as blades of grass, flower petals, and moth wings on 16 mm film stock, Brakhage creates something that has a look that is ugly but there is a beauty to the ugliness that he captures.
Witch’s Cradle
The second short film by Maya Deren that is available on YouTube may be an incomplete short film that Deren made at Peggy Guggenheim’s Art of This Century Gallery in 1944. Still, the short film is among one of Deren’s finest works as it plays into her interest in the occult and artistry with strings hovering around a room like a web. The version I saw featured a score by Enric Chalaux that adds a lot of intrigue to what Deren has created in the short film as it is something fans of experimental silent short films should see.
The Dante Quartet
Stan Brakhage’s 1987 six-minute short film that he made in the span of six years while going through the dissolution of his first marriage is one of the greatest films of his career. It is Brakhage’s interpretation of Dante’s Inferno in four-parts as it plays into imagery that can be described as hellish. It is in Brakhage’s unique visual style while there is also something about that is entrancing in every image that is presented in this film.
King of the Hill (season 14)
As someone who watched a lot of animation in the 1990s on FOX like The Simpsons during its golden run, King of the Hill was also a show that I enjoyed watching for the first three-four seasons. As I grew into my 20s in the 2000s, I stopped watching mainly as I had other things I was interested in as I never saw its original season finale and the seasons that followed before the finale. The news of its revival is a surprise though it is bittersweet that two voices of the show in Johnny Hardwick and Jonathan Joss died before the new season’s premiere though there are episodes dedicated to their memory. The new season of this series can be described as an old friend returning to the world and reminding us of the finer things in life.
Honestly, this season is phenomenal as I am happy to see Hank and Peggy Hill returning to Arlen, Texas as they spent eight years in Saudi Arabia where Hank got a job as a consultant for propane and propane accessories. Yes, the times have changed around them, but values and community has not changed as this season is a reminder of how the world can be with decency, kindness, and common sense. The show also shows their son Bobby grown up as a chef at a Japanese/German/American robata chain fusion restaurant as he is going through things as a young adult while reuniting with childhood friend Connie who is going through her own growing pains as a young adult. The old characters are back along with a few new characters as this season has been an absolute joy to watch as I am happy that a new season is coming. I know it is very unlikely that Luanne and Lucky Kleinschmidt will appear since their respective voice actors in Brittany Murphy and Tom Petty have passed away. Still, I would like to have a mention of them though there is a picture of the two in the background in one episode.
Wednesday (season 2, episodes 1-4)
The new season of the series is just as fun with Jenna Ortega delivering once again in the titular role while I am happy to see expanded coverage for the rest of the Addams family with Catherine Zeta-Jones being a total delight as Morticia and Luis Guzman as Gomez. The new season is about Wednesday dealing with new fame as she had saved Nevermore Academy which is under a new rule in the new headmaster in Barry Dort who is played by Steve Buscemi. The season also plays into Wednesday’s own issues with her powers as she had a vision where her roommate Enid could be killed as she is trying to save her. The show is still entertaining and exciting as I am eager to see what will happen in the new episodes coming in a few days.
Dark Side of the Ring (season 6, episode 5 & 9)
One of the drawbacks of not having cable is not having access to certain channels to watch certain shows. Fortunately, VICE did post a couple of episodes of the series on YouTube in their documentary series about the dark aspects of pro wrestling. The first of which is on “Superstar” Billy Graham who was a big star in the 1970s as he had a look and a style of talking that proved to be influential. Even as he would win the WWWF title from Bruno Sammartino in 1977 as he would hold it for a year until he is forced to drop the title to Bob Backlund. Graham’s time at the top was brief with an aftermath that proved to be troubling as he never achieved the same level of fame, he had that others like Jesse “the Body” Ventura and Cunt Hogan would have.
The other episode I watched that I posted is on Daffney who was one of the few gems during the final days of WCW as she had a Goth look that was unique and was beloved by fans. Yet, the episode focused on her mental health issues including bipolar as she would go to TNA in mid-late 2000s until an injury would hurt her career and her suicide in September of 2021. That episode is the saddest of them all though there is a good ending in how much she gave back to the fans including giving a young woman with disabilities her only wrestling match and put her over as it shows the kind of person Daffney is and why she continues to be missed.
Well, that is all for August 2025. Next month, I hope to watch One Battle After Another from Paul Thomas Anderson while Darren Aronofsky’s new film Caught Stealing is a maybe if I have time and money. The next Blind Spot film will be Jean Eustache’s The Mother and the Whore while my Auteurs piece on Robert Eggers will arrive in September as I am 2/3s finished with the essay. Other than that, I am not sure what else I will review though it is likely I will be watching more short films from Stan Brakhage, Maya Deren, and Michelangelo Antonioni.
Before I bid adieu, I want to express my condolences on those who passed away this month in film producer Frank Price, actress Veronica Echegui, Floyd Levine, Jerry Adler, comic book artist Dave Taylor, Danish film producer Per Holst, Michael Antunes of John Cafferty & the Brown Beaver Band/Eddie & the Cruisers, cinematographer Eduardo Serra, Tristan Rogers, Danielle Spencer of What’s Happening, David Ketchum, Bobby Whitlock of Derek & the Dominos, astronaut Jim Lovell, singer Terry Reid, Loni Anderson, filmmaker Jonathan Kaplan, and from one of the best bands from Atlanta in Mastodon in vocalist/guitarist Brent Hinds. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…
“O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” That last line from the American national anthem should be a line that mean hope for everyone living in America but that no longer exists as that line is nothing but a dream. We are less than a year away from our 250th birthday here in America and it is now likely that no one will even make it to that day thanks to our human septic tank of a dictator who has created a bill that has fucked everyone in favor of the rich. Not millionaires but billionaires and beyond who will gladly do whatever they can to keep their riches while us peasants continue to starve and do what we can one day at a time. All of this and other stunts involving tax dollars and censorship as Stephen Colbert’s talk show is to end next year as CBS and its parent company Paramount has bowed down to him in their upcoming merger with Skydance. All of this to shield from what is really going on in relation to his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein as everyone knows he and Epstein love to rape underage girls.
This has not been a good month here at home as the recent laws that Human Septic Tank and his MAGA minions have also created a law in which thousands of undocumented people from Honduras and Nicaragua are to be deported within months. Among them are relatives of my mother as one of my aunts who had been living in Minnesota for more than a decade is being forced to leave as she had been at my mother’s house for a few days as I am surprised that she has not been given a residency. It is shit like this that has made me very angry over what is happening right now though I am glad that my mother is now a U.S. citizen though we are now unsure what will happen. There is too much uncertainty about what is happening as our dictator wants to deport those who defy him as there is too many. What a fucking sham this has all become as I am working on a list on Letterboxd that I hope to complete by July 4, 2026, in a list of films that is all about the American Nightmare. There is no such thing as the American Dream as I am trying to find 250 films that dispels the myth of the American Dream. So far, I have 31 films on the list.
For those that have followed this blog for years know that I am a fan of pro wrestling as the big news this month and for the rest of the year is the passing of Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan. Honestly, my feeling about his passing is complicated due to the legacy he left behind. If it were not for him, I would not be watching, nor will I ever talk about pro wrestling as I used to have a Hulk Hogan lunchbox as a kid. Yet, he was not the person that got me into pro wrestling. That is Bret “the Hitman” Hart along with many others that would follow. There is no question about Hogan’s place in history in terms of what he has done for pro wrestling and in popular culture. Unfortunately, he has also done a lot of horrible things both as a wrestler and as a person that has made his recent passing hard to digest. From ratting out Jesse Ventura to Meekmahan before WrestleMania II, trying to sabotage the Undertaker’s career by faking a neck injury at Survivor Series 1991, backstage politicking, and his refusal to put anyone over in both his time in WWE and WCW has been a blemish on his legacy. Yet, that is nothing compared to the jailhouse recordings in his conversation with his son Nick after the car accident that left Nick’s friend John Graziano paralyzed and brain damaged as well as the racist remarks he said on a sex tape with Bubba the Love Sponge’s wife.
The fact that he never formally apologized for the things he said while also having no interest in taking Mark Henry’s offer to visit Black colleges shows someone who never really made the effort to redeem himself. He continues to play this persona in political events supporting our dictator as well as say some racist things about Kamala Harris last year. There are also the constant lies he told over the years, claiming he wrestled 400 days a year, auditioning to play bass for Metallica in 1986, and all those other things added to the stench of his tarnished legacy. The last image of him at a WWE event was the first episode of Monday Night Raw on Netflix where he was booed out of the building is a damning moment that showed how far he had fallen. Even as he tried to sell his Real American Beer to the public along with other things, it is clear people got tired of the bullshit he is selling. In the end, he went out with a whimper, and I am not sad about it. I am just disappointed that he never became the hero that everyone wanted him to be only to be an example of never meeting their heroes in public.
In the month of July 2025, I saw a total of 19 films in 13 first-timers and 6 re-watches with two of the first-timers being films directed or co-directed by women as part of the 52 films by women pledge. One of the highlights of the month is my Blind Spot film for the month in The Public Enemy. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for July 2025:
9. In the Beginning Was the End: The Complete Truth About De-Evolution
10. Pierre and Sonny Jim
Monthly Mini-Reviews/What Else I Am Watching
At Land
One of two short films by Maya Deren that I found on YouTube that features original music by Feona Lee Jones is this avant-garde short film about a woman who has been washed ashore as she finds herself on an island where she encounters strange things around her. Even as there is a shot of two women playing chess as it is a short with no plot and nothing makes sense but that is the point of it. It is all about the visuals as it proves how ahead of her time Deren is as a filmmaker with Jones’ score adding dramatic tension as it is something film buffs need to see.
In the Mood for Love Day One
With the 25th anniversary release of Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love happening with some screenings to include a 9-minute short featuring Tony Leung Chiu-Wai and Maggie Cheung that was shot in 2001. There is also a 1-minute and 33-second clip that is used as NFT that can be seen here. Honestly, I am not a fan of NFTs as I think they are a waste of time although this clip is fascinating to watch though it is really an outtake from the film.
In the Beginning Was the End: The Truth About De-Evolution
The band Devo is about to go on tour with the B-52s as they have been restoring some of their older music videos as well as this short film they released in 1976 with Chuck Statler. The short film features performances of two songs the band would do that would appear in their 1978 debut album as the short said a lot about the idea of de-evolution in relation to what was happening in the 1970s. Yet, it feels relevant to what is happening right now which proves that Devo were ahead of their time.
A Study of Choreography for Camera
The second short by Maya Deren that I watched is a two-minute and 13-second experimental short featuring Talley Beatty dancing as it plays into how dancing could be captured in film. Especially in the diligence of how dancing could be presented step-by-step as it is something anyone interested in dance and film should see.
Pierre and Sonny Jim
A 3-minute short from David Lynch in collaboration with Eli Roth is another of his experimental short films that he did in the early 2000s. This involved inflatable hand-balloons just argue over some dumb shit though the dialogue is unintelligible. Maybe they were arguing about what happened in Mulholland Dr.
Sing
A film that I have on DVD that I watched with my nephew on Netflix proved to be a fun surprise though I think Mateo’s reaction towards the film was a bit mixed. It is a heartwarming animated musical about a koala trying to keep a theater going as he bought it out of love for it as he holds a contest that he hopes would bring prestige back to the theater. The ensemble cast is great with Matthew McConaughey, Taron Egerton, Scarlett Johansson, Reese Witherspoon, John C. Reilly, Nick Kroll, Tori Kelly, and Seth MacFarlane as they all bring it. I could’ve done without some of the songs that are played as I am so tired of hearing bad covers of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah as that has been done to death. Still, I thought it was a charming and fun film.
World of Glory
This short film by Roy Andersson that I saw on MUBI before is to leave the service is the first thing of his that I have seen and it will not be the last. This short revolves around the ordinary life of a man in a simple static shot as he is someone that is unremarkable. Yet, it is presented in the most absurd manner as there are a lot of quirky things that are happening including the first shot involving naked people being put into a moving truck with all these suits watching as this man narrates to the camera in what he does. Yet, he starts to unravel how uninteresting his life is as this is a great short to watch.
Stellar
The first of 2 short films by Stan Brakhage I saw on YouTube as this is another discovery that I hope to go into more. Notably as Brakhage is this avant-garde visual artist that does not use music or sound to highlight his work as he and collaborator Sam Bush would create collages based on Brakhage’s own imagination. Notably as this short is his idea of what he sees in outer space as it is a kaleidoscopic short that is truly out of this world.
Black Ice
The second short by Brakhage that I saw on YouTube is based on Brakhage’s own thoughts of what he saw after he slipped on ice and nearly damaged his eye. What he would imagine with Bush’s help is colorful images of what he saw through ice as it is just astonishing in its imagery.
Beth’s Farm
From Yorgos Lanthimos is a music video for composer Jerskin Fendrix who composed the score music for Lanthimos’ 2023 film Poor Things. The video is pure Lanthimos in terms of its visuals as it also stars Emma Stone as a mysterious woman who appears to help Fendrix whose animals in his farm have disappeared. It is an odd short but the sight of Fendrix and Stone dancing around a bonfire feels very wholesome as it is music video fans of the trio should see.
Top 6 Re-Watches
1. Queen Live at Live Aid
2. Hawaiian Vacation
3. Megamind
4. Madagascar
5. Cousin Ben Troop Screening
6. Towards a Dream in the USA
Well, that is all for July 2025. Next month, I hope to watch The Fantastic Four: The First Steps as it will mark my return to the MCU while I might watch The Naked Gun as it just looks hilarious. My Blind Spot for next month is likely to be Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Other than that, I have pre-written stuff that I want to catch up on while I have already done a bit of work on the Auteurs piece on Robert Eggers while I re-watch a couple of films by James Gunn in anticipation of my upcoming Auteurs piece on him.
Before I bid adieu, this month did see the passing of someone far more revered in Ozzy Osbourne who passed away on July 21, 2025, just seventeen days after he gave his farewell performance at the Back to the Beginning benefit show that would also feature a final performance with his band Black Sabbath. Osbourne’s legacy in what he has done for heavy metal music and popular culture is set in stone while the fact that he chose to have his final concert in his hometown of Birmingham in front 45,000 showed that he man never strayed from his roots. The fact that he got a great sendoff with a funeral procession that saw an entire city pay their respects to him shows a man that is beloved beyond description. Whether it is with his work with Black Sabbath, his illustrious solo career, and his work on reality TV with his family. Osbourne has always been a figure that always brought joy in the darkest of times while singing songs that played into the world of darkness but always with a glimmer of hope. Thank you, Ozzy. We will miss you.
Also who passed away this month and will be missed include Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Adriana Asti, original Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Mario Day, Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs, Tom Leher, film editor Don Zimmerman, British actor Tony Peers, George Kooymans of Golden Earring, actor Tom Troupe, songwriter Alan Bergman, Connie Francis, Eileen Fulton, Dave Cousins of the Strawbs, David Kaff from Spinal Tap, Rene Kirby, music composer Mark Snow, Julian McMahon, and Michael Madsen. We will miss you all. Oh, and Jimmy Swaggart died as well but in all honesty. Fuck him and fuck you too Cunt Hogan. This is thevoid99 signing off…
Well, I did not think I would see or experience World War III happening though it was close during the Cold War when I was a kid. Yet, I do not remember much about that period other than a bunch of no-nuke protests and bad movies about getting rid of nukes. Alas, it might happen now thanks to our dumbass dictator who decided to get involved in a conflict between Israel and Iran by choosing to bomb the latter. What happened is not just an abuse of power but also a decision made without the constitutional approval of Congress. That is right folks. America is fucked. It is already bad enough that there is a war between ICE and citizens while Los Angeles is being under siege by ICE and the National Guard. There was a nationwide protest towards are his birthday that drew millions while his dumb military parade bombed as he fell asleep during the fireworks. That is our dictator.
This is not good at all as news has become compromised with ABC firing one of its journalists for telling the truth and calling out a fucking asshole for his bullshit. Journalism is being compromised as I do not watch the news anymore. CNN sucks. MSNBC sucks. All news channels suck. The New York Times and whatever I can find on Reddit and other social media places along with whatever I can read are the only places where I can find something with some truth. It is a shame that news has now been bought with CBS also suffering the fate of being bought by rich assholes who do not care for the truth.
In the month of June 2025, I saw a total of 20 films in 15 first-timers and 5 re-watches with 1 film being directed/co-directed by a woman as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. Same as last month although more first-timers this time around with the best film this month is my Blind Spot film in The Misfits. Here are the top 10 first-timers that I saw for June 2025:
Gints Zilbalodis’ 2014 short film does feel like a prototype of what Flow would become as it is a film about survival where a man and his dog are lost at sea as their plane crash on a rock as the dog tries to get the man’s attention. The short showcases a raw look into the drawing and animation like what Flow would look like. Yet, Zilbalodis does create a story that is entrancing to watch as he really does is present a film that is not afraid to look or feel imperfect. It is a short film that fans of Zilbalodis should see as he is someone with a unique vision as he is a filmmaker to watch out for.
Call Me Ted
As someone who lives near Atlanta for all his life, everyone knew who Ted Turner is as the man took his father’s billboard business and turned it into an empire that would including TBS, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, CNN, the Cartoon Network, and World Championship Wrestling. Keith R. Clarke’s six-part documentary is a fascinating look into the man’s accomplishments and failures as he would struggle to deal with his father’s suicide while he was a young man as well as near-death experiences, three failed marriages including to one to Jane Fonda who is interviewed in the film. The film also plays into Turner’s life after the debacle that was the AOL-Time Warner merger of 2000 as well as what he has been doing in recent years as he is suffering from Lew-body dementia. He is still alive and doing what he can to make the world a better place as the one thing I want from him is to watch him kick Meekmahan in the balls as a final fuck you from WCW & Jim Crockett Promotions to the WWE.
Where are the Bananas?
The first of seven short films by David Lynch that I saw that was part of a series of experimental short films he made in the early 2000s highlighted a man that is just trying to do a lot of different things. The first of which stars Etsuko Shikata in her apartment in Tokyo as she asks a simple question in this 2-minute short.
Sign Up for Lunch with Lynch
Another short film from Lynch is a fictional contest that made me wished it were real. I am still upset about it as I would love to eat at this diner that was used for Mulholland Dr. as Lynch held a contest about eating lunch at this diner. I would totally love that to happen as I would have chosen the double-decker combo with a chocolate shake.
SLY LIVES! (aka the Burden of Black Genius)
This month has been rough with the passing of many geniuses in music as one of them is in Sly Stone. Questlove’s documentary film is about not just Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart but also the burden of those who have created something original and be put into a pedestal for those to follow. The film features archival interviews from Stone dating back to the early 1980s as well as interviews surviving members of the Family Stone including an archival interview with the late Cynthia Robinson before her passing in 2015. Questlove creates a film that does a lot in not just explaining why Sly Stone was a genius and so ahead of his time but also was unable to manage the need to live up to outdo what he did before as it led to a descent into drugs and such. Andre 3000 and D’Angelo are among those who are interviewed as they too have been burdened with the idea of being a Black genius though both men have managed to survive and do well. The film also has interviews with a few of Stone’s children where it is comforting to know that Stone’s last years have been happy where he spent his time with his adult children and being with his grandchildren.
You’re Not Supposed to Be Here
This 12-second short also stars Etsuko Shikata that is about a woman asking a question in her apartment in Tokyo. The only thing about the short film that I do not like is that it is too short.
Do You Like to Read?
From Wes Anderson is a promotional short film he made to coincide with the release of his 2012 film Moonrise Kingdom. The four minute short that stars Bob Balaban as the narrator and featuring the voice of Kara Hayward is about the books that Hayward’s character Suzy would read to other characters throughout the film as it highlights some unique hand-drawn animation from various animators. Directed with Christian de Vita, the film is a gem that fans of Anderson should seek out.
Pussy
This 9-minute short by Renata Gasiorowska is an animated short that I saw on MUBI as I am glad to know that not all animated films are for children and this one is not for children at all. This short is about a woman seeking some form of sexual pleasure when something unimaginable happens. Notably as it relates to her genitals after smoking some damn good weed as there is a lot of humor that goes on. I really enjoyed this short.
Kitchen Window
The 2 ½ minute short by Lynch displays what happens in the span of an entire day from the view of his kitchen window. It seems like something that is typical of Lynch, but it is fascinating to see what happens during an entire day while some weird shit does happen.
Coyote
The first of two shorts involving a coyote from David Lynch as it involves an empty home where nothing is happening until a coyote walks. It is a three-minute, 46-second short that is shot in one entire static shot as it plays into strange things that happen.
Dining Room Window
Another experimental Lynch short that highlights what happens in the span of a day on a timelapse. This time, from the point of view of Lynch’s dining room window as it just extraordinary how a day goes by from that room.
Coyote #2
The second film involving a coyote is the same thing as its predecessor but a little longer with an added surprise for the coyote. It is a fun experimental short from Lynch as he often finds a way to present something ordinary and strange all at the same time.
4. Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of Smile
5. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
Well, that is all for June. In July, I will begin work on the Auteurs piece on Robert Eggers while also be doing a review of James Gunn’s Superman as I have bought a ticket for the upcoming film. Aside from reviews of films I have pre-written though I will not have much time to watch many films since my sister is going to have surgery in the month as I will be watching over the kids for a few days. My Blind Spot for July is going to be The Public Enemy. Usually on July 5th, which is a holiday of sorts as it was the first time, I write a review for Epinions.com and begin my writing career of sorts. I would often have planned as an anniversary but not this year due to timing and other things that I want to do.
Before I bid adieu, this month saw the passing of several great people such as Sly Stone while another great musical genius that will be missed is Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys who like Stone was brilliant but also troubled though Wilson was able to beat his demons and give the world some great music including SmiLe which finally came out in 2003. This is a hole that will never be fulfilled as these were two men who really brought out great American music for the world to listen to as they should be regarded as among the standard bearers of what America should be.
Also, those who passed away this month include the composer Lalo Schifrin, theatre director Michael Brokaw, Oliver Gibson of the Pittsburgh Pirates, Tim Pollard, Kylie Page, Shefali Jariwala, actor Rick Hurst of The Dukes of Hazzard, journalist Bill Moyers, Walter Scott of the Whispers, Bobby Sherman, Rebekah del Rio of Mulholland Dr., Lea Massari, Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople & Bad Company, Aki Aleong, Matt Murray of the Atlanta Braves, author David Boyle, Lynn Hamilton of Sanford & Son, Gail Sartain, Ron Woodridge of the Searchers, Lou Christie, screenwriter Mark Peploe, Anne Burrell, David Hekili Kenui Bell, Ananda Lewis of MTV News, Ayumu Saito, actor Paul Thomas, Harris Yulin, actor Chris Robinson, Bob Andrews of Brinsley Schwarz, Wayne Lewis of Atlantic Starr, Enzo Staiola of Bicycle Thieves, actress/singer Birgit Carlsten, and Jonathan Joss of King of the Hill. We will miss you all. This is thevoid99 signing off…
