Cinemascope is a very quirky online journal that covers contemporary media. It's a journal that features writers who take pride in their quirky, and independent artistic attitudes. Yet, despite it's quirkiness (that's not a bad thing), it still can appeal to an average reader who just picks up the journal and jumps right in. The journal covers both narrative, and experimental films, as well as North American, and international films. They also provide articles about film festivals, books, dvds, etc. There are two articles that stood out to me as a great representation of the meat and bones of this journal. The first was an article dedicated to taking a look at the career of Jean-Claude Van Damme. Yes that's right, you didn't read wrong, and to prove it I'll write it again, the international 80's action movie icon, no not Steven Segal, but Jean-Claude Van Damme! The other article takes a look at the independent and experimental film festivals of past and present.
Time and Hour: for the melancholy mastery of Jean-Claude Van Damme by Christopher Huber is an entertaining and enlightening look into the career of the Belgium born actor. The article is wrapped around a movie that JCVD is currently filming. The movie is sa omewhat sarcastic autobiographical film about an action superstar down on his luck. Ironic, right? Right? Yes it is. From the article:
“(“I’m too old for this shit,” ) sighs a slightly disgruntled Jean-Claude Van Damme after the amazing and amusing one-take action scene launching JCVD, the remarkable contraption directed and co-written by sophomore French director Mabrouk El Mechri. This tragicomic meta-movie ingeniously weaves a dash of fact into tongue-in-cheek fiction, with surprisingly moving results”.
You can't make this stuff up, well maybe you can, after all we are talking about fictional narratives aren't we? The rest of the article traces JCVD career over the past two decades as he goes from a small production martial arts actor, to a international superstar, to where he currently finds himself, the direct to DVD graveyard buried next to another familiar action name: Steven Segal. The quirkiness it takes to choose to write a full length article about Van Damme represents what I think is a very important aspect of this journal.
The other article, Damn Dirty Apes: Dead Festivals in the USA, Jim Finn discusses his experiences with experimental film festivals He talks about how in the mid to late 90's, and early in the new Millennium, the advances in video technology helped to foster many small film festivals that took place on collage campuses and small art houses. The eventual death of these festivals was to due to media artist being offered gallery opportunities, the invention of online video websites such as youtube.com, and just not having enough money in the budget to continue. However, in the end, Finn believes that early film festivals and their failures have paved the way for some of the better ones today.
I look forward to reading more issues of this interesting journal, and being entertained as well as being informed.
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1 comment:
Mr. Cobbins -
Glad you find Cinemascope entertaining in its "quirkiness." I keep reading about this JCVD movie; it is getting _serious_ attention. So I am curious about what you see as the irony of the situation: do you find the irony in the making of the movie itself, or in Huber's article?
Van Damme never interested me as any kind of movie star so maybe I can only understand the attention as slightly derisive. Just wondering if the film is all a confessional portrait, or if it is tongue in cheek. Does the article give you a sense? Also, have you ever seen Chris Smith and Sarah Price's "American Movie," a locally made documentary that negotiates portraiture and commentary. Or, that is to say, I am not sure if the movie wants to commemorate its subject or make fun of him. IS that the case here?
Regarding Finn's column: what do you think? What is your sense of the scene/opportunities for makers to screen their work. Any take on his conclusions? How is the situation from your point of view?
One other question: can I ask for a more specific definition of "quirky"? I don't read it as a pejorative, though it may come close. But, do I understand you correctly that you think it is unusual for the scribes here to be directing their attention at these topics? Is there anything that you would see here as "serious"? Can something be seriously quirky - or both?
Some of my questions are prompted by this: I'd like to hear more of you. This is an enjoyable and informative post, but I'd like to read you contending with the content more - rather than just observe it, relay it. make your next posts on Cinema-scope a balance of what you read and of your considerations, explorations, mulling over of what you read.
Sounds like there is a lot of Cinemascope that is of interest to you, that catches your attention. I look forward to your future blogs.
Carl
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