ZEBRAS IN AMERICA EPISODE 74!

Jared Gilman must really like us because he hung out to record another episode. Listen as we talk about the latest cult hit; Mandy, as well as some of his favorite films to date.

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THE SCHOOL OF TARKOVSKY PART 19: MOVING IMAGERY

After taking a bit of a break we're back with some new comparisons from some regular culprits (Malick, Reygadas & Haneke) and some new folks as well.

Enjoy...

Ivan's Childhood / Post Tenebras Lux / Knight Of Cups

Andrei Rublev / Apocalypse Now

Andrei Rublev / Days Of Heaven / The White Ribbon

Ivan's Childhood / The New World

Andrei Rublev / Fitzcaraldo

Solaris / The Empty Box

Andrei Rublev / Post Tenebras Lux

The Mirror / The Tree Of Life

The Mirror / The White Ribbon

Sacrifice / Betty Blue

Ivan's Childhood / The New World

Solaris / Boogie Nights

Our Time / Solaris

The Mirror / The Tree Of Life

Solaris / Gerry

KEVIN GEEKS OUT ABOUT DAVID CRONENBERG

I’m not saying I’m the only one who noticed the organ transplant subliminals in Shivers but when you’ve had a kidney transplant – like me – this movie takes on a whole ‘nother level of importance & relatability.

After my kidney transplant, that particular scene stood out to me and gave the movie a completely different meaning in my eyes. I feel like when most people analyze & break down Shivers, the order of talking points goes; sexually transmitted diseases first, Cronenberg finally finding his signature style second, and maybe organ transplantation last. Today we’re going to quickly look at Shivers through the eyes of an organ transplant recipient. Kidney transplant to be specific.

So…for those of you that don’t know, the kidneys you are born with are located in the side/lower back region. When you receive a kidney transplant, your dead/diseased/failed kidneys still stay in your body, and the transplanted kidney is put in to side stomach area. The reason your failed kidneys have to remain intact is because your body is used to the organs you’re born with. No matter what. Even when your kidneys fail, your body has been conditioned to filter everything through your original/birth kidneys. This is one of the many reasons you take anti-rejection meds. They essentially trick your body in to filtering everything in to your new/foreign/transplanted kidney. A kidney transplant is essentially an on-going fake-out on your body.

And because this is all about David Cronenberg (the king of body horror), I thought I’d go full body horror and show my actual kidney transplant scar. I mean, what’s more horrific & Cronenberg-esque than a giant organ transplant scar on my big belly?

Now…the location of the kidney transplant is very key to this presentation because all throughout Shivers we see a lot of the characters in the movie focusing & touching on the area of the body where a transplanted kidney would go. I highly doubt someone who didn’t have a kidney transplant would even notice this.

And of course one of the most famous scenes from the film kind of transitions in to the 2nd part of this piece…

The writer of Alien has definitely seen these movies, Dan O’Bannon. The idea of parasites that burst out of your body and uses a fluid and leaps on your face, that’s all in Shivers. - David Cronenberg

There’s no debate that David Cronenberg is one of the most influential (and influenced) modern filmmakers of all time. But it’s one thing to say it, and another thing to show it. So we’re going to take a look at some of my favorite visual comparisons (that I came up with) between David Cronenberg and the filmmakers that came before him and after him…

Enjoy…

Shivers / Alien

Stereo / Under The Skin

Videodrome / Def By Temptation

The Brood / Total Recall

Videodrome / The Hidden

Shivers / Twin Peaks Season 3

Shivers / A Nightmare On Elm Street / Teeth

The Fly / Clean, Shaven

Scanners / Blade Runner / Mandy

Crash /
Metropolis

Shivers / Crash

Shivers /
Crash

Les Vampires /
The Brood

Repulsion /
Shivers

The Night Of The Living Dead / Shivers

Wild Strawberries / Crash

Ghost / Naked Lunch

Un Chien Andalou / Rabid

Shivers / Salo

Le Lions De Moguls / A Clockwork Orange / Crash

Lost Highway /
Crash

Six Men Getting Sick /
Scanners

ZEBRAS IN AMERICA EPISODE 73

Jared Gilman was kind enough to hang with us for a good portion of an afternoon and record a few episodes of Zebras. This is part one...

In addition to obvious topics like Wes Anderson & Jim Jarmusch, Jared talks about everything from the auditioning process to some of the films & music that are on heavy rotation for him these days.

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ZEBRAS IN AMERICA EPISODE 72

I'm back from the Toronto Film Festival!

Listen as I catch up with Scott and talk about some of the films I saw at this year's festival.

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THREE WORLDS

Los Angeles is a strange place with its own unique set of rules (much like any popular city). Filmmaker Amir Motlagh taps in to this with his latest feature; Three Worlds - a story that mixes semi-personal journal entries with the existential drama found in the works of Terrence Malick or even Shane Curruth (Upstream Color to be specific). This is also an important film about cultural pride and the impact of therapy.
In the film we follow “Saam” (Motlagh) - a young man in the film industry who undergoes a life-altering therapeutic process that forces him to evaluate/reevaluate there different stages of his life (his real life, his subconscious life and a parallel universe).
This is an independent feature with subconscious ties to everything from the films of Jonas Mekas (the personal journal aspect) to Malick’s beautifully warped perception of Los Angeles found in Knight Of Cups (dark thoughts & actions combined with the beauty of the American west coast as the backdrop).

At first glance one might turn their face at the thought of comparing a movie like this to that of Jonas Mekas, but the insertion of Motalgh’s real home footage into Three Worlds reminded me of Mekas’ Journey To Lithuania (the comparison to Knight Of Cups is spot on. I don’t need to defend that one).

Home footage: Reminiscence Of A Journey To Lithuania / Three Worlds

Tarkovsky-esque moment: a contemplative drive in Solaris (L) & Three Worlds (R)

Amir Motlagh dispels some of the superficial stigmas put on Los Angeles while at the same time embraces the very real superficialities associated with L.A. (outside of Los Angeles being the epicenter of the entertainment industry, it’s a very cool city unlike any other if you know the right people).
And putting all Mekas/Malick comparisons aside, this is very much Motlagh’s own film. The movie is filled with obvious autobiographical content that comes off as genuine & organic as opposed to pretentious. That’s not an easy task with a film like this (ambient, sprawling, artistic and sometimes chaotic). A young filmmaker could easily get self-absorbed & pretentious with a movie like Three Worlds but that's not the case here.

Stills from Motalgh’s visually stunning feature...

While there is very much a plot to Three Worlds, it sometimes takes a back seat to the beautiful visuals and overall ambiance specific to Los Angeles. This will definitely require a second (or third) viewing. And that's a good thing. This isn't something to fully digest in one sitting.

In addition to checking out Motlagh’s latest feature (which you can rent and/or purchase through Vimeo), make sure to check out our interview on Zebras In America (below) as he’s quite the renaissance man.