On the surface, this collection of shorts by up-and-coming African American filmmakers arrived at a perfect time. The cutting-edge products of the New Black Cinema of the early '90s had disappeared, giving way to embarrassingly stereotypical, scatological fare such as Booty Call and Next Friday. This feature-packed compilation (which includes production notes, interviews with all of the filmmakers, and audio commentary by four) attempts to prove that African American cinema is intent on moving past the lowbrow humor, as six of the seven shorts steer clear of any comedy.
On the surface, this collection of shorts by up-and-coming African American filmmakers arrived at a perfect time. The cutting-edge products of the New Black Cinema of the early '90s had disappeared, giving way to embarrassingly stereotypical, scatological fare such as Booty Call and Next Friday. This feature-packed compilation (which includes production notes, interviews with all of the filmmakers, and audio commentary by four) attempts to prove that African American cinema is intent on moving past the lowbrow humor, as six of the seven shorts steer clear of any comedy.
2000-08-01
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A cinematic foray into nocturnal nature, where numerous nocturnal animals are in search of prey: From midnight to 4 a.m., the camera observes bats and other nocturnal creatures.
4.0A 16mm anthology of experimental super 8 films by Derek Jarman, Michael Kostiff, Cerith Wyn Evans and John Maybury, with framing footage by Tim Burke of Brion Gysin using a dream machine. Jarman's contribution is a version of his 1977 Art and the Pose (aka Arty the Pose), refilmed at 3fps, with a musical soundtrack. Jarman planned The Dream Machine as a commemoration of William Burroughs and Gysin's 1982 visit to the UK, and received initial funding from the Arts Council in 1983, then rethought the project as a portmanteau film featuring Gysin alone. The production remained in limbo until 1986, when James Mackay obtained completion funding from the British Film Institute. (Since this film was released on VHS accompanied by Jarman's Broken English: Three Songs by Marianne Faithfull, T.G.: Psychic Rally in Heaven and Pirate Tape under the umbrella title The Dream Machine, synopses of this film have often muddled up its details with those of the earlier films. )
3.5Reverse Cowgirl. Rusty Trombone. The Wheelbarrow. Go inside the government office responsible for creating sexual positions as one woman pitches the position she hopes will take the world by storm.
5.0It's summer. A group of teenagers decide to go on a camping trip. They drive far up in the country until they find a small place were they rent canoe's for a cheap price. The group paddle for a long time before they find the perfect island to set up camp on. They have sex, do drugs and drink alcohol. But the next morning they notice that one of them has disappeared. They split up to go looking for her, but that proves to have horrifying consequences...
0.0Standalone short in two parts. After being resurrected, Dick visits Mae East and decides to tail a strange screaming woman whom he sees in her building. Dick follows the screaming woman to the theatre, where he learns of her association with Professor Innuendo.
4.2Aliens invade an aerobics class before the credits roll in this horror anthology spoof illustrating outrageous stories that could easily be found in a tabloid newspaper at your local grocery store checkout! The stories are: Baby Born With Full Beard, BBQ Of The Dead, and Killer Vacuum Destroys Town
8.3A man's life is upended by increasingly threatening phone calls demanding he leave a review for a paperweight purchased online.
10.0An experimental half-documentary half-fiction about a young person’s routine of getting to sleep and waking up.
5.3There's nothing like a restful nap in a pleasant wooded valley. But when André awakens and is greeted by a pesky yellow-and-black striped insect with a nasty stinger, he ends up taking a quick (and painful) hike.
7.0A baby lamp finds a ball to play with and it's all fun and games until the ball bursts. Just when the elder Luxo thinks his kid will settle down for a bit, Luxo Jr. finds a ball ten times bigger.
7.0Life on a shelf as a snowman trapped in a snow-globe blizzard can become wearing, especially when you're surrounded by knickknacks from sunnier locales. When the jaded snowman finally breaks free of his glass house, his vacation plans are cut short.
7.6An aging codger named Geri plays a daylong game of chess in the park against himself. Somehow, he begins losing to his livelier opponent. But just when the game's nearly over, Geri manages to turn the tables.
7.5One by one, a flock of small birds perches on a telephone wire. Sitting close together has problems enough, and then comes along a large dopey bird that tries to join them. The birds of a feather can't help but make fun of him - and their clique mentality proves embarrassing in the end.
6.9Mike discovers that being the top-ranking laugh collector at Monsters, Inc. has its benefits – in particular, earning enough money to buy a six-wheel-drive car that's loaded with gadgets. That new-car smell doesn't last long enough, however, as Sulley jump-starts an ill-fated road test that teaches Mike the true meaning of buyer's remorse.
7.3With one coin to make a wish at the piazza fountain, a peasant girl encounters two competing street performers who'd prefer the coin find its way into their tip jars. The little girl, Tippy, is caught in the middle as a musical duel ensues between the one-man-bands.
6.3Mater, the rusty but trusty tow truck from Cars, spends a day in Radiator Springs playing scary pranks on his fellow townsfolk. That night at Flo's V8 Café, the Sheriff tells the story of the legend of the Ghostlight, and as everyone races home Mater is left alone primed for a good old-fashioned scare.
0.0Michael has a one night stand with his boss Geena and when trouble ensues.
0.0After a 9 month mission as a doctor in war-torn Central African Republic, Susanna returns to Sweden only to find she no longer can call it her home.