The Notorious Bettie Page

By Less Lee Moore

Called “the greatest pinup model that ever lived” by pinup photographer Art Amsie, Bettie Page was nothing if not an enigma. The now-iconic images of her alternate between sweet, sassy cheesecake shots and those fetish photos and films that were brought before the Kefauver Hearings of the Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Delinquency in the mid-1950s. It is this contrast and conflict that director Mary Harron examines in her 2005 film, The Notorious Bettie Page.
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I’m The Real Victim Here: I Spit On Your Grave Remade and Revisited

By Michelle Patterson

Victimhood has had an ironic stranglehold on cinema since the medium’s very inception. The “woman’s picture,” along with the romantic comedy and action-adventure genres, tap into the potential for an audience to live both vicariously through the film and also fully explore their empathetic side. The horror film has also allowed this to continue for over a century now.
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A History Lesson, Part 1: Punk Rock in Los Angeles in 1984

By Less Lee Moore

My interest in this documentary on some of the bands in the mid-80s L.A. punk scene was piqued by the inclusion of Redd Kross, which, as anyone who knows me will attest, is my all time favorite band. Not because they are necessarily the best band in the world, or the most famous, or the most infamous, but because they forever changed my life for the better, a topic too lengthy to get into here, but which is, unsurprisingly, completely relevant to a discussion of A History Lesson Part 1.

This is not your standard glossy, let’s-explain-why-punk-rock-is-so-important documentary. It’s comprised of old footage shot by Dave Travis, a fan and friend of the bands featured—The Meat Puppets, The Minutemen, Twisted Roots, Redd Kross—interspersed with current interviews from members of those bands. The immediacy and importance of all the bands is captured in the grainy footage, and rather than coming across as embarrassing, it’s completely invigorating.
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America’s Music Legacy: Dixieland Jazz (DVD)

By Danny R. Phillips

It has been said that Jazz is the only truly American music style. While other genres blend rhythm, tones, and instruments from other countries, Jazz—whether it be Davis, Coltrane, Armstrong, Hancock, Holliday, or Horne (or god forbid, Kenny G.)—was hatched, raised, nurtured, and perfected here within our shores.

Dixieland Jazz, a mash up of blues, ragtime, and other stylings is a perfect choice for the series America’s Music Legacy; it has a rich, colorful history that is explored here by host Al Hirt, the Jazz trumpeter and Dixieland luminary. Much like the Blues installment of the this series, it includes live performances and is packed with clips of giants who have already left us: piano great Fats Waller, Louis Armstrong, and Eubie Blake.
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America’s Music Legacy: Blues (DVD)

By Danny R. Phillips

The series America’s Music Legacy, with installments on Dixieland Jazz, Folk, Country, Soul, and others has the goal of documenting the foundations of America music. And with this chapter, “Blues,” they do a fine job.

Though it can seem slightly hokey and the performances painfully staged (the performances are set in “clubs” with “customers” in the audience; when the audience does get movin’, it still seems like they’re just playing a role), the real saving grace is the fact that this DVD focuses on the music. Despite the lack of energy and wildness that the blues should inspire and a spontaneous feeling of excitement that the genre can sometimes generate, there are some great performances by great players to be found.
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Sister Smile (Suor Sorriso): The Tragic Tale Of The Singing Nun DVD

By Hanna

Suor Sorriso, also known as Sister Smile, is a cult classic in a lot of ways; it has also served to revive interest in the real-life “Singing Nun,” also known as Jeannine Deckers. There has been a demand for Sister Smile on DVD for some time; many viewers will be watching this film for its position in cinema history. Whatever its cinematic merits, though, I found the almost entire lack of factual accuracy or congruency difficult to surmount.
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Punk: Attitude On DVD

By Emily Carney

Don Letts, the director of the 2005 documentary Punk: Attitude, was the man who was most instrumental in bridging the gap between punk rock and dub reggae; without his influence, albums such as Public Image Ltd.’s Metal Box/Second Edition probably wouldn’t have existed, or have been as seminal. Letts made his first rock film, The Punk Rock Movie, in 1978; this effort, captured on a very of-its-time Super 8 camera, was quite murky and grainy, and even had a limited VHS tape release.
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Mike H, Daiquiri: Best Of 2010

Click to see
larger image.

Fancy Space People EP: I haven’t been this excited about a band in I don’t remember how long . . . this three-song EP is, for me, the best new thing I have heard in years. I love it! Check them out here.

Seeing Don Bolles sing in his early-era-Alice Cooper tribute band THEE EARWIGS was incredible! What a setlist! What a voice!!

The Redd Kross/Fatih No More show December 1 at the Hollywood Palladium featuring Sparks as special guests during the FNM set doing “This Town Ain’t Big Enough For Both Of Us” . . . seeing Patton and Russel Mael sing that together . . . wow.

Getting a photo taken with Sparks after the show! Not as good was me flipping out like a 15-year-old girl in front of them . . . for the third time. Can’t help it. Sorry.

The movie I Think We’re Alone Now (about stalkers)

Daiquiri released Flower Shaped Num Nums on December 6 via their Bandcamp website. You can download the magic for just five dollars! Find out more about Daiquiri on MySpace.

David Bowie: Rare And Unseen

By Christian Lipski

Is it an indication that America’s litigious society has been imported to the UK, or just a production company with a guilty conscience? In addition to excited copy about the disc’s contents, the back cover of David Bowie: Rare and Unseen includes the following definitions: “Unseen: Believed unseen since first broadcast. Rare: Believed never released on DVD.” It’s unknown why they felt it legally prudent to put that text on the case, but at least the viewer knows what they’re getting, which is admirable. Regardless, if you live in the US, most if not all of the material on the 60-minute DVD is both rare and unseen.
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David Markey: Best Of 2010

The Runaways

Underwhelmed by most things in film this year, but here’s a few things I enjoyed.

Movies:
The Runaways (Floria Sigismondi)
The Social Network (David Fincher)
Trash Humpers (Harmony Korine)
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Edgar Wright)
8: The Mormon Proposition (Reed Cowan)

Still waiting to see:
I Love You Phillip Morris (Glenn Ficarra & John Requa)
Casino Jack (George Hickenlooper – RIP)

Waiting for the DVD:
Machete (Robert Rodriguez)
Piranha 3-D (Alexandre Aja)
The Kids Are Alright (Lisa Cholodenko)

TV:
Mad Men
Breaking Bad
Dexter

The only CD I bought all year:
Kill City (reissue) Iggy Pop & James Williamson

David Markey is a musician and filmmaker, who has most recently directed The Reinactors.