The Mongrel Muse: July 2016

Techno Clash: Bingham Bryant and Kyle Molzan

For the Plasma (Bingham Bryant and Kyle Molzan, 2014)

For Fandor, I interviewed the makers of For the Plasma. Among other things, we talk about technology, the relationship between filmmaking and cinephilia, and Keiichi Suzuki.

About a year ago, I wrote about Bryant and Molzan's film. You can find my post here.

In Direct Address [shorts by Amy Taubin, Paul Arthur, and J. Hoberman]

See! (Amy Taubin, 1975)

For The Village Voice, I used a capsule on a handful of shorts programmed by Film-Makers Coop and Allied Productions to reflect on the role of the film critic. The shorts include:

See! (Amy Taubin, 1975)

Like (Amy Taubin, 1975)

Duck (Amy Taubin, 1975)

In the Bag (Amy Taubin, 1981)

The Cliffs, the Silk City Detour (Paul Arthur, 1985)

Theory of the Leisure Class (Paul Arthur, 1985)

Broken Honeymoon #3 (J. Hoberman, 1978)

Say Goodbye to Good Taste with Robert Downey Sr. [On Chafed Elbows]

Chafed Elbows (Robert Downey Sr., 1966)

For Fandor, I wrote about Downey Sr.'s early work in general and Chafed Elbows in particular. Among other things, I highlight how Downey creates humor with still photography.

The Lasting Effects of a Broken Home in a Follow-Up to a 1983 Documentary [On Martin Bell and Mary Ellen Mark]

Streetwise (Martin Bell, 1984) as seen in Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell (Martin Bell, 2016)

For Hyperallergic, I wrote about Martin Bell's devastating documentary, Streetwise, as well as his follow-up film, 32 years later, Tiny: The Life of Erin Blackwell.

The Corpse as Canvas: Jörg Buttgereit's Morbid Cinema

Schramm: Into the Mind of a Serial Killer (Jörg Buttgereit, 1993)

For The Chiseler, I wrote about one of the best underground filmmakers, Jörg Buttgereit. He's known in certain circles for Nekromantik (1987) and Nekromantik 2 (1991). For my piece, however, I focus on two of his even lesser-discussed films, Der Todesking: The Death King (1990) and Schramm.