CRUMB (Documentary) 2006; DVD
Art/Comics/Underground/Documentary/Crumb DVD, Used - Rare
Crumb is a look into the dysfunctional world of the Crumb family, with an emphasis on Robert. As the two sisters declined to be interviwed for the documentary we only get to meet brothers Max, Charles and Robert. Who have extraordinary artistic talents. As if to balance this out, they each also have disturbing tendancies and a very dark view of the modern world. Charles, who rarely leaves the house, and lives with his mother, sadly committed suicide after this film was completed, but spoke of two previous attempts on his own life during his interview. He concentrated on pencil and crayon artwork in his younger years, but lacked self-motivation to get back into artwork. Max, a self-confessed woman molestor(!!!) had many phsychiatric issues of his own. Robert, the most famous of the three brothers is a prolific pen-and-ink artist capable of truly outstanding work, underpinned by deep feelings of suppression and sexual hangups, which manifest themselves within his artwork. It's a well made film, which makes for dark viewing at times and left me feeling somewhat 'grubby' for watching it. Crumb fans will appreciate the artwork, together with Robert's unbending will to not 'sell-out' to commercialism, by giving out autographs or allowing more of his work to be animated. The thought of a 'Mr Natural' movie disgusted him. If you are looking for no-nonsense honest look at a comic book artist at his best, I can think of no finer work.
GREEN PORNO Isabella Rossellini; DVD
Short Films/Collection/Ducumentary/Art/Series DVD; New
Deep down in the ocean, strange things happen, acts of love that are unfamiliar to the human eye: anchovies mate in large orgies; shrimp strip down to get in the mood; starfish can do it two different ways; whales fight to make love. A series of humorous short films created by Isabella Rossellini, Green Porno offers a visually arresting and scientifically accurate look at the sex lives of marine animals, bugs and other creatures. Contains seasons 1-3
CHLORINE A pool skating documentary (2005); DVD
Skate/Skateboarding/Old School/Pool Skating/Alva/Documentary DVD; New
...for anyone who skates or has skated, or just likes the idea of skating. All the guys in this movie are legendary, ground-breakers who would rather find an abandoned (or not so) backyard pool than a huge commercial ramp or concrete skatepark to ride in. For something that was discovered/invented in the mid-70's, pool skating seems as strong as it's ever been.
Girl / Chocolate - Pretty Sweet (Skateboard) DVD + BLU RAY
Skate/Skateboard/Documentary DVD
Great footage and some amazing skaters. The Marc Johnson part is ridiculous. The guy can do it all barely needs to lift his hands above his waist...SMOOTH! This copy of Pretty Sweet offers both a DVD and Blu-ray copy. The one hour and 10 minute skate video includes ground-breaking parts by the Girl and Chocolate teams and 60 minutes of bonus footage is also included.
Viajeros Locos (Skate Documentary) 2007; DVD
Skate/Skateboard/Documentary DVD, Used
"Viajeros Locos" is here! The Crazy Travelers over at Listen Skateboards set out on a mission to produce a quality skateboard film and came back with smiles for miles. Incredible skateboarding, mind blowing tricks, this is not one to miss. Featuring your favorites: Brian Brown, Rodrigo Peterson, Gabriel De La Mora, Danny Montoya, Rob Gonzalez, the Homies, and more. Top notch! Rob G! Do yourself a favor and get this one.
FRUIT OF THE VINE (Skate Documentary) 2002; DVD
Skate/Documentary/Skateboard DVD, Used
Long after most Hollywood films have faded into obscurity, Fruit of the Vine will stand as a vital, independent document of a thriving American subculture. We're talking skateboarding here--specifically, the maverick bicoastal pursuit of empty swimming pools to be ridden and mastered by expert skateboarders, some of whom have been perfecting their sport for 25 years or more. Codirectors Coan Nichols and Rick Charnosky have perfectly matched their subject with the grainy aesthetic of Super-8mm film, resulting in a no-frills work of art that captures, with time-capsule longevity, the obsessive mindset of those who pool skate despite numerous physical and legal obstacles. Fueled by a driving punk soundtrack, this is a loving portrait of outcast rebellion, embodied by such featured skaters as Tony Alva, Pat "Q-Man" Quirk, Mark Hubbard, and others who've turned skateboarding into a working-class religion. Simultaneously, Fruit of the Vine surveys a depressed American landscape, rotting and ripe for the infusion of energy that pool skating provides.
STREETS ON FIRE Santa Cruz (1988); DVD
Skate/Santa Cruz/Skateboard/Cult DVD, Used
Jason Jesse is locked up in prison for skateboarding in this sequel to Wheels of Fire. As he wastes away behind bars, dreaming of his imminent excecution, his pals come by to recant their sessions and let him live vicariously through their stories. Aside from the obvious retro-wonder of seeing an old video given new life on DVD, there are the familiar yellow and blue Rector pads everywhere. It's easy to forget how progressive skating was getting. Especially when you see Natas do his fire hydrant spin - amazing! Streets On Fire offers a nice selection of different skate styles and locations. They hit up the Fallbrook Ramp, The Turf Skate Park and Upland Pipeline park and there is some great ditch footage.
LOVESTRUCK Wrestling's No.1 Fan (Documentary), DVD
Wrestling/Australian/Documentary DVD, Used (ex rental) Rare
Sue Chuter is wrestling’s number one fan. She has dedicated her life to following the sport and its stars. She owns 4000 wrestling videos and DVDs and her house is wallpapered in over 3000 wrestling photos. She knows or has met almost everyone involved in wrestling from the local to the international stage. She’s a fascinating person who happily speaks of her great love. (Item is different to what is pictured.)
OVER THE TOP ROPE The legends of World Championship Wrestling Australia 1964 - 78; DVD
Wrestling/Australian/Documentary DVD, Used
Take yourself back to the time and action of World Championship Wrestling 1964 – 1978. Directed and written by Libnan Ayoub and Damian Kringas, OVER THE TOP ROPE charts the amazing events that saw ‘World Championship Wrestling’ establish itself as a weekend ritual in loungerooms across the country – and became a media juggernaut that mesmerised the nation during the 1960s and 70s.
10 years in the making – the most comprehensive documentary about World Championship Wrestling in Australia charts the events and extraordinary characters of World Championship Wrestling that mesmerised the nation between 1964 – 1978. It was a world where good triumphed over evil, heroes and villains fought – and a sport not for the faint-hearted. World Championship Wrestling became an iconic part of Australian sporting history, the likes you will never ever see again. The wrestlers were the ultimate characters of World Championship Wrestling – larger than life and each with their own unique style. Many were from different cultural backgrounds, and all appealed to the fans. Legendary wrestlers like Spiros Arion, King Curtis, Mario Milano, Abdullah the Butcher; commentators Mike Cleary and referee Tony Marino; and prominent Australians who were touched by the magic – like Ray Hadley, Santo Cilauro and the late, great sports doyen, Mike Gibson – all talk in their own words about the hey day of World Championship Wrestling – the events, characters and experiences that indelibly marked the time.
A two-hour DVD with extremely rare footage and photos, interspersed with interviews with the wrestlers, fans, commentators and referees. As a companion to the film, a bonus 32-page timeline booklet presents a chronological record of World Championship Wrestling highlights year-by-year, with never-seen-before photos and memorabilia.
AMERICAN GRINDHOUSE (2010); DVD
Documentary/Grindhouse/Exploitation/Sleaze DVD, Used
A documentary about the history of exploitation movies, from the silent movie era to the 1970s. This film begins with people debating on what a grindhouse film really is and after the release of the film GRINDHOUSE it seems like everyone was debating the true definition. This documentary covers pretty much everything that wasn't accepted by the mainstream. We cover a wide range of films starting with some early silents from Edison and then moving to Hollywood movies like FREAKS as well as trashier things like MANIAC, REEFER MADNESS and then going through other decades. Included are the "birth" films from the 40s, the nudist films of the 60s, the gore period starting with Herschell Gordon Lewis and then moving through the 70s with stuff like THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT and the blaxploitation pictures. John Landis, William Lustig, Ted V. Mikels, Herschell Gordon Lewis, Joe Dante, Kim Morgan, Fred Olen Ray, Fred Williamson, Allison Anders, Larry Cohen, David Hess, Don Edmonds and Jack Hill are just a few of the people interviewed here and they too have a wide range of opinions on the films covered here. The film also does a nice job at showing how certain production rules in Hollywood is what helped change the exploitation filmmakers and how Hollywood eventually had to drop what they were doing and offer people what they wanted.
NOMADS AND NO-ZONES Documentary; DVD
Documentary/Underground/Culture/Outsider/Punk DVD Rare
Drawn from the raw material of their drifts and detours, here's an album of radical diaries and personal documentaries from two of the West's bravest makers. Gritty glimpses of edgy experience in marginalized cultures, their authentic film stories afford rare access and insight into the lived poetry of a dozen-plus autonomous zones. A road-savvy Snider freight-hops her way up and down the Coast, tracking from Frisco punk rockers to apocalyptic messengers of the Sonoran desert, gambling and engaging with the losers and visionaries that she meets along the way. Criss-crossing her paths are the barefoot pilgrimages of Portand-based Renwick, whose wise eye and wild heart celebrate the secret meanings of animals and humble things, the agonies and ecstasies of outsider life.
DOPE (1968) Documentary (DVD)
Documentary/Drugs/UK/Rare DVD; New
A feature documentary about a young girl's descent into drugs. Shot in 1960s London, we see Caroline, a ravishing sixties naif, become a junkie, caught in the contemporary drug culture of the age. A protege of psychedelic artist Vali Myers, Caroline-tattooed head to toe in honor of her idol-cavorts with Myers in her famous mountain hideaway before spiraling downward from marijuana and psychedelics to heroin and cocaine. We come to understand not only the drug lure of the era, but also the soul of a free spirit who is caught in the grip of forces she cannot penetrate or comprehend. Like a butterfly caught in a web, Caroline struggles against her fate but its seductive attractions threaten to vanquish her. Featuring Caroline Thomson, Casey Deiss (later immortalized in a Shawn Phillips song "Ballad of Casey Deiss), with Vali Myers in a supporting role. Music by Geno Foreman.
