From: jennifer fieber (email suppressed)
Date: Sat Oct 15 2005 - 17:56:49 PDT
I realize from a IMDB search that Peter T. has many more films than I would
have guessed. I didn't realize he started in the 80s. So I am only
concerning myself with Outer Space and the last one with The Good, The Bad
and the Ugly footage (Is it Dreamwork?).
Too flashy? Yep. And damn seductive. But don't you think the power of the
pieces comes mostly from the original material? I saw Outer space, was
dazzled by it's scale and because cameraless filmwork is something I'm also
interested in. I then got to see the film it comes from, The Entity, which
is pretty mind-blowing. Saw Outer SPace 2 more times projected and found it
pretty shallow this time. Any creepiness that comes across in the editing
was already there in the original, but better. The darkness too. He really
hasn't added much to it except for fucking with the soundtrack. And with
no context Barbara Hershey now is the typical helpless female of
horrorfilms. The original was interesting because by the end you were
unsure if any of it happened, if she was crazy, lying or if their was a
coverup. (As bad as it may be, I really want to see that Jodie Foster film
Flightplan for the same reasons.)
His other film Dreamworks, I had less tolerance for because 1) he's doing it
again, and 2) the sergio leone is even more recognizable. Gee, perhaps it
looks so good because of Leone, the Cinematographer, the lighting crew and
the budget of the film?
But I don't think it's just a case, of "the book was better." These film
experiments strike me as, dare I say, bourgoise? I realize he has put a lot
of hands-on technical work into the films which should count for something--
I hope he does not pay assistants to do the work for him--but there is
something too easy about it. As my friend said, "If someone from Hollywood
sees these, he's going to make a million bucks."
Perhaps someone else can explain why it gets under my skin, I'm struggling
with the answer myself. It's shaken me up a bit asking myself if when I use
found footage it might not be "cheating". I'm not saying all films have to
have "substance" to be good. Kurt Kren made films that were simple, visual
but poignant. I have never felt his films lacked something. Luther Price
uses found footage, but he's got something to say with it.
I've taken a 2 year break from filmwork or watching, but want to get back
into it. But I've got some questions to work out, hence all the posting. I
miss the critical discussions back in art school, and I hope Frameworks can
substitute something, because I find most post-screening discussions in NY
are either intensely vicious out of petty competition or else lacking
critical bravery, because so many people are friends.
Cheers!
_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE!
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/
__________________________________________________________________
For info on FrameWorks, contact Pip Chodorov at <email suppressed>.