New developments in the case of an artist arrested for bioterrorism (from the doc Strange Culture), lead us into a web of noir (Murder, My Sweet) and an unexpected look at No Country for Old Men. All of which reveal the sinister culture of PARANOIA!
Yesterday, a judge threw out all charges against Steve Kurtz, the artist who had spent the past four years defending himself against false accusations of bio-terrorism, as detailed in Lynn Hershman-Leeson’s must-see hybrid doc Strange Culture. The AP has the story, via GreenCine Daily. I wrote about the film, which earned a mention on my Best of 2007 round-up, on SpoutBlog when it screened in New York last year; I originally covered the film and interviewed the director when it premiered at Sundance.
Above: John C. Reilly, in character as Dewey Cox, performs Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab.” I still think Walk Hard looks terrible, but I have to admit, he’s got the hip swivel down… [Via The Playlist]
OMG, it IS real! The A.V. Club taste tests Brawndo: “I can’t see slamming one of these, or even drinking more than one a year, but it beats the flavor of most energy drinks. And you’re doing your part to help the world of forgotten film with every can.”
Whitney at Pop Candy points out that Strange Culture, my favorite doc from Sundance 2007, is premiering on the Sundance Channel tonight at 9:35 ET. I’ve written about the film here and here.
Oooh, this is exciting. One of my favorite films from Sundance 2007, Lynn Hershman-Leeson’s Strange Culturehas booked a two-week engagement at the Cinema Village here in New York.
Strange Culture is an experimental documentary about Steve Kurtz, an artist with the renowned Critical Art Ensemble who was arrested on fraud charges after the FBI searched his home found biological testing materials from an art installation, which they misconstrued as weapons of mass destruction. Because Kurtz is barred from speaking on camera about the details of his case, the director hired actors, including Tilda Swinton and Thomas Dean Ryan, to star in dramatizations, which are woven with testimony from Kurtz’ friends and colleagues. It’s a fairly academic approach, but the finished film is persuasive, and as a document of what happens to art in a post-terrorism climate of paranoia, it’s surprisingly moving. Check out the trailer above, and for more info on when and where Strange Culture might be playing near you, check out the film’s website.
We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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Yesterday, a judge threw out all charges against Steve Kurtz, the artist who had spent the past four years defending himself against false accusations of bio-terrorism, as detailed in Lynn Hershman-Leeson’s must-see hybrid doc Strange Culture. The AP has the story, via GreenCine Daily. I wrote about the film, which earned a mention on my Best of 2007 round-up, on SpoutBlog when it screened in New York last year; I originally covered the film and interviewed the director when it premiered at Sundance.
