The (re)value: Phase IV

Title: Phase IV

Director: Saul Bass

Year: 1974

IMDB

When one hears of a sci-fi film about the massing of hyper-intelligent ants one immediately constructs a mental imagine of something akin to Them! (1954) with its ridiculous, though iconic, monster ants barely functioning well enough to move.  However, Phase IV is an entirely different movie…and ant for that matter. Phase IV is nothing short of a sci-fi film for the “thinking man”.  While being fully aware of the genre’s motifs its cinematic approach is that of the art-house – a 70s psychedelic sci-fi trip shrouded in hordes of ants directed by the famous Academy Award winning graphic designer, Saul Bass.  For all this, its status in film history is nothing but a tragedy.  It’s the only feature film directed by Bass and it’s almost completely forgotten and certainly isn’t readily available for viewing.

The story is fairly simple: some undefined cosmic event occurs and augments ant evolution.  This particular desert colony ascends to an intelligent collective consciousness making the ants capable of communication and great terror.  The colony, per its aggressive expansion, drives out the local human population.  A scientific lab is established with our main scientist protagonists.  The proceedings eventually lead to a division between the two scientists and some inevitable chaos.

The brilliance of this film is the visual component.  The cinematography by Dick Bush (not kidding) is in line with the best of the 70s.  Furthermore, there are also a lot of interestingly beautiful shots of the colony and ant behavior.  Straight away at the start of the film we are presented some truly striking images of the ant intelligence movement for several minutes – no dialog, no humans, just cinematic language.

In short one could say, If you’re the type of person annoyed by a Space Odyssey or even Blade Runner, then you’re the type of person that shouldn't watch Phase IV.  However, if you’re a total cinephile and/or sci-fi nerd I highly recommend you seek out this hard to find, underrated, masterpiece – you will not regret it.

Witness: I Hate Myself : )

Title: i hate myself :)

Director: Joanna Arnow

Year: 2013

Trailer: Youtube

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Joanna Arnow spends a year of her life locked in a presumably empty relationship with a “racially charged poet-provocateur” who happens to also be a complete asshole and the best part is she decided to film it.  This is the premise of her new documentary entitled, “i hate myself :)” which was presented on nobudge.com (it’s up there today only with a Live @&A at 8:30 est).

The poet in question is James Kepple.  He has racist tendencies and in some other ways represents extreme views about society and politics.  However, what’s most important to this film is that he appears afraid of serious emotional connection – it’s all loose and lofty, always.   He’s kind of a loud mouth, he’s boisterous and self-important.  He’s got ego for days.  Frankly, that is just James Kepple.  I think he’d appreciate that.

Arnow and Kepple have what appears to be a relationship that is almost entirely one-sided.  In the least, they differ absolutely in the concept of their relationship.  While Arnow expresses a deeper or more traditional love, Kepple’s love is clearly insincere as he avoids questions of it and manipulates several conversations to benefit his own perverted view of their relationship.

The fact that Arnow stayed with Kepple for a year is what’s actually interesting here.  There is a sense of loneliness that pushes her to stay.  At one point she suggests that she enjoys the relationship because she is attracted to his charisma and that in some way it removes her from a “static” and “confined” life stagnated to specified areas and peoples of the city.  In reading between the lines of her emotions and statements throughout the film we realize that her real reason for staying is a reflection of the title itself.  Arnow thinks it’s acceptable to be plagued by the brutish insolence of Kepple and to subsist in such a one-sided relationship because she ultimately hates herself.  In a lot of ways I found Arnow to be a real life Hannah (Lena Dunham in GIRLS) or, more to the truth, Hannah is a televised version of Arnow.

The one thing everyone will appreciate about this documentary is its purity.  It throws the viewer into something that is utterly real and therefore utterly effective.  There is a beauty in its anarchistic sense of emotional exhibition that makes us watch in amazement.  The beauty we behold is a synthesis of emotional truth (purity) and real-world terror (train-wreck aesthetics). 

We should all thank Joanna for being so direct and honest in a world that’s so often distant and hollow.  I got to say, i like her :)

Listen: Zola Jesus – “Versions” (2013)

Artist: Zola Jesus

Album: “Versions” 

Year: 2013

Website: http://zolajesus.com/

Versions is Zola Jesus’ 2013 release touting new versions of previously released material.  As dreadful as compilations can be this album is well within reason if not simply for its sheer beauty.  The music has been disemboweled.  Its organs removed, leaving skeletal remains to be built upon.  And though her modus operandi has been largely electronic, Versions is an entire different, organic creature.  There is an electronic sensibility to it among some remaining electronic percussive elements but its melody is that of a string section fashioned in a chamber[1] – and it fits the skeleton like a glove.

With arrangements of the brilliant JG Thirlwell featuring the Mivos Quartet, the goth-operatic vocals of Danilova seem elevated this time around.  Perhaps, she has merely had time enough to truly explore the lyrics and melody to fully expound their sometimes boisterous, sometimes subtle, splendor.  Her voice is poignant.  More poignant than when these songs were first christened by a pessimistic youth having an affinity for Schopenhauer while studying philosophy in Madison, WI[2].

One problem of the compilation album as a thing is the lack of continuity between songs and the loss of any purely defined album structure.  Versions seems to suffer from these issues significantly less than the ever so popular Greatest Hits albums out there.  It would stand to reason that this is because of the fresh take on the songs – consistent production can go a long way.  There was certainly an intention by opening and closing the album with softer, slower tones.  This is particularly highlighted by the fact that the opener, “Avalanche” wasn't a softer, slower tone in its first occurrence.

The renditions of “Hikikimori”, “Sea Talk” and “Night” stand out for me.  “Hikikimori”, in this string driven vehicle, seems more optimistic than its synthetic doom laden version on Conatus (2011).  The staccato strings on “Sea Talk” makes the rhythm a much more playful thing that the reverb doused version of Valusia (2010).  “Night” always seemed to me as the first “hit” song of Zola Jesus as the lead track on 2010’s Stridulum EP.  It’s a song screaming for a string rendition.  As its screams are met with Versions there is a greater power unleashed by the song’s hypnotic pounding siren call.  Lastly, “Fall Back” is the one new song on this album.  It’s a trilling, pizzicato, pulsation building to a percussive explosion of intimate grandeur. 

With Versions the cadaverous songs have been reanimated with a passion.  It’s simple to see that Danilova has always wanted to work within the realm of a quartet and that excitement cuts through like a rainbow on a cloudy day.  I’d say if you’re looking for rain turn on the earlier versions but if you’d like a little optimism in your darkness, turn on Versions.

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[1] I speculate this entire concept was conceived after giving a performance at the Guggenheim with a string section.

[2] This statement is more for style than anything.  Note that Conatus was written and recorded after the whole Madison thing.