About a third of the 82-minute running length of Neil Young’s latest Jonthan Demme-directed concert film is taken up by just two songs, “Ambulance Blues” and “No Hidden Path”. The former is played as a serene meditation performed solo on acoustic guitar and harmonica, while the latter serves as a springboard for eighteen minutes’ worth of frantic, explosive guitar soloing. Placed together in the middle of the film, they paint a picture of the subject at his most extreme. These aren’t songs that had any hope of finding their way onto radio, but to a certain part of his fanbase, they’re what makes him the real deal. There’s a certain fearlessness about doing a song for that long, a confidence that audience should be willing to follow wherever you want to go, which is what lets you go where no one else does. more ›

Amacord, one of Federico Fellini's most personally telling films, opens at the Landmark Nuart Theater in Santa Monica today for a limited engagement. Told through a series of narratives from each of the main character's perspectives, the film follows some of Fellini's childhood experiences in the seaside village of Rimini, set against the peak of Fascism in Italy in the 1930s. For those who may be unfamiliar with Fellini, his style is boldly unique and is considered by some to be an acquired taste. Personally, we find the boldness refreshing. There is a surreal quality in his storytelling that begs us to take a step back in time, both in the physical world and in the intangible depths of memory. His use of imagery is often stunningly vivid and unforgettable and sets the tone for a lengthy, dreamlike memoir. more ›

So I will admit I've never seen Julien Temple's The Filth and The Fury. I've heard about it, but being more of a Clash fan than a Pistols fan, I've been waiting years for a film about The Clash, preferably portrayed by actors like The Beatles in Backbeat, (quick, who would you cast??), or hell, even just another documentary. Joe Strummer has been one of my heroes since I was a kid, due to his lyrics, intensity, clips from 2000'sThe Clash: Westway to the World, quotes in my dad's photo books on The Clash, that piano scene in Rude Boy... I could go on and on. more ›

The 2007 Silverlake Film Festival heads into its second and final week. Highlights include… more ›

Grindhouse The week begins with a pair of 70s actions flicks. The Lady in Red, which has one of my favorite taglines of all time "She's made of bullets, sin & bathtub gin!" is a gangster film starring Robert Conrad as John Dillinger and Pamela Sue Martin as his moll. (Bonus: it was written by John Sayles.) In Bare Knuckles a Los Angeles bounty hunter tracks a psychopath who murders women by using kung-fu. Then... more ›

Bugsy Malone -- Wanna see a movie set during Prohibition where all the gangsters are played by kids and instead of hooch they're warring over custard? Did I mention the film is a musical AND that it stars Scott Baio and Jodie Foster? Directed by Alan Parker, Bugsy Malone is playing as part of a double feature alongside Robert Altman's Popeye. Tonight's the last night, so get your sweet little ass over to the New... more ›