Videodrome :: Time Bandits

Videodrome. A recurring column plumbing the depths of vintage and contemporary cinema – from cult, exploitation, trash and grindhouse to sci-fi, horror, noir, documentary and beyond.

Now showing: Terry Gilliam’s 1981 fantasy-adventure Time Bandits — the first installment in his “Trilogy Of Imagination” series…

Videodrome :: Last Year At Marienbad

Welcome to Videodrome. A recurring column plumbing the depths of vintage and contemporary cinema – from cult, exploitation, trash and grindhouse to sci-fi, horror, noir, documentary and beyond.

Now showing: Last Year at Marienbad — a film without a home. It exists within a grey area of European cinema, which further complicates comparative analysis.

Videodrome :: Half-Cocked

Is anything more 90s than a movie where Tara Jane O’Neil plays the sister of Ian Svenonius, steals his van and equipment, goes on tour with her friends and learns how to be in a functioning indie rock band? Bear in mind, this movie features a Matador-released soundtrack that features the likes of Unwound, Slant 6, Versus, Smog, Kicking Giant, Codeine, Polvo, the list goes on. As you might guess, it’s not a big movie. It’s not a blockbuster. It’s Half-Cocked.

Videodrome :: Wild At Heart

Wild At Heart is a love story that barrels down a strange highway through the twisted modern world,” David Lynch said of his 1990 film. “There are very tender moments, and there are very violent moments. And then there’s confusion and despair, and then suddenly – you’re in love. There’s got to be room for all of these things…film, in my mind, should have contrast to it. It should have many different kinds of feelings all weaving their way throughout.”

Videodrome :: To Live And Die In L.A.

In an age of “one-click” accessibility to a plethora of media, it’s surprising that a film as salient as To Live and Die in L.A. is so difficult to find. While its current scarcity undoubtedly plays into the lore that surrounds it, To Live and Die in L.A. transcends the cult genre and revival house programming. It’s not only one of the most potent crime films ever made, but a unique time capsule of Los Angeles.

Videodrome :: Psychedelic Glue Sniffing Hillbillies

Four years before Harmony Korine’s seminal hilljack masterpiece “Gummo” would shock audiences across the world and rewrite the rules of independent cinema forever, an amateur auteur by the name of Craig Smith was exploring a very similar corner of the zeitgeist with his thirty-minute short film “Psychedelic Glue Sniffin’ Hillbillies.”