New long-awaited Radiohead is finally with us, with single ‘Burn The Witch’ accompanied by a pretty intense music video. The stop-motion animation follows an inspection of a medieval town, followed by an all-out burning. The sweet, innocent-looking characters clearly have an evil side, which makes for the dark comedy!
This quite excellent video from 1984 has been unearthed by Thames TV, in which a user describes how to send an e-mail on her Micronet. Admittedly this is a bit of a departure from my usual stuff, but the retro / kitch feel to it makes it pretty irresistible. ENJOY!
Brilliant, brilliant stuff from Black Sheep Studios and The Last Shadow Puppets. The scene sees a Kill-Bill style jilted wedding taking place on a deserted beach, with the wife due to be executed, if not for Miles & Alex. It stays true to TSLP’s vintage video feel, but with real cinematic qualities like long-shot takes and steadycam. Check out the ‘Bad Habits‘ promo for more goodness.
Wow. Directing collective CANADA have delivered us an absolute beauty of a promo here, for Kevin Parker’s Tame Impala. Staying true to the music’s psychedelic style, the video imagines a high school boys’ love interest being charmed away from him by an all-encompassing gorilla. Neon paint, choreography, animation & basketball – it’s got it all.
Another nice little number here from Alan Del Rio Ortiz – the same director to do St. Vincent’s little doc for Nowness – this time with band Porches. Despite having no real narrative to follow, the film keeps you fixed with it’s abstract imagery, neon-coloured lighting and patches of 8mm film. Lovely.
Here’s a sweet little documentary about the quiet life of the couple behind London’s iconic blue plaques. These plaques identify the buildings which certain famous people lived or worked, and there’s only two people in the UK who make them – an elderly couple living down in rural Cornwall. Put together by Huck Magazine, it’s a charming little insight into a tiny family business which millions of people interact with each year.
Illustration agency Handsome Frank are back with yet another charming little short, this time about artist Joël Penkman. Shot on film (or atleast convincingly graded to look like it), it’s presented in beautiful 4:3 format and given a charming vintage feel, and gives an insight into Joël’s work methods. Check out more from HF here.
When I heard someone had finally made a documentary on the effective civil war going on in Mexico at the moment around drug trafficking, or narcotráfico, I was pretty excited. The filmmaker Matthew Heineman focuses the story on vigilante groups either side of the border, one fighting gangs on the front line in the state Michoacán, Mexico, and the other in nestled in rural Arizona, awaiting any smugglers attempting to make their way over. Overall it’s a pretty fascinating look at this very current bit of culture. It’s shot beautifully, more film-like than traditional documentary, and if anything is a little over-Americanised in it’s approach (British opinion), but well worth a watch nonetheless.
I love simple little docs like this. Shooter Max Duncan, based in Beijing, has produced this honest portrait of artist Ai WeiWei introducing us to his city Beijing, and neighbourhood Caochangdi. An interview with the artist provides voice over which narrates us through the film, as we see the places and influences he speaks of. Check out his huge upcoming retrospective in the RA in London if you have time, too.
