Thighs Wide Shut

Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made
Whip Smart
Website | Trailers & Mo
Not Rated | 104 min

Sometimes there is actual truth in advertising – as is such when a documentary called Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made documents the past, present and future of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation – which is, without a doubt, the greatest fan film ever made.  If you’ve never seen it – you need to.  You really do!  I had the good fortune of seeing the film 5 years ago and it blew my childish mind, and met the (now) adult guys who made their childhood dreams by remaking their favorite film, starting in 1982… and never really finishing it

The filmmakers and stars - Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala, Jayson Lamb and their friends – did as much as they could on their small allowances, availble resources, and summers off from school – but never completed the airplane scene (you know, with the explosions and shirtless Nazi brute getting his head chopped off).  Time passed, relationships fizzled, the boys became men, married – with children, but the itch was still there – to finish the Adaptation once and for all, and so the boys did a Kickstarter – raised funds, completed the airplane scene – and finished the film.  BOOOM!  Sounds like a walk in the park, right?  Well, to get from the start to this finish was not only a labor of love, it was a laborious love with MANY a skipped and stop heartbeats

All of this, AND MORE, is covered in the fun fun fun documentary (that I actually saw 5 years to the very day that I saw the Adaptation!!!!!!), based on Alan Eisenstock’s book of the same name, and all of this AND that continues to blow my childish mind.  What these kids did, and what these adults have done continue to endlessly inspire me and inspire endless awe in my eyes, mind, heart and soul, endlessly – WITHOUT END!!!!!  They lived out their childhood dreams, while children!!!  Something most of us have never done.  BLESS THESE BOYS (men)!!!

The original film they made sometimes plays in theaters, but is now finally available on DVD and digital download [disclosure – I actually helped to put the disc together for them in my day job], and if you buy it, you help to support these guys who deserve your support (because I said so!).  Maybe they’ll take the money and remake Zardoz.  MAYBE!!!

Verdictgo: Breast In Show

Raiders! is found ark art currently in limited release, and the fellas are touring with the doc, so see them in your city!

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

these are things AND stuffs from this past weekend

Raiders of the Lost Ark:
The Adaptation

sometimes we’re ahead of the curve, and other times we’re behind the curve (NEVER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CURVE!!!).  well, it doesn’t matter where you are in the curve when it comes to the (basically) shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark that these Mississippi kids (Chris Strompolos, Eric Zala and Jayson Lamb) made over the course of 8 years.  we heard about it less than a decade ago and it took us that long to finally see it (there’s no DVD available, and the charity screenings are rare), and it might take you a zillion years before you do, but even if yer 110 years old when you finally do-do, you’ll feel like yer 12 years old all over again, when taking in this improbable masterpiece that’s like Super 8, but like more realer, more awesomer, and even more awesomer cause it’s Raiders of The Lost Ark made by kids and they light themselves on fire and everything!!!

This is like the dream of every young person (we included),  but most young persons don’t turn dreams into reality (we still included), but these young persons did and made their dreams come true, and now there dreams are even coming morer truer!!  And everyone agrees it’s the shiz-balls (Eli Roth!), and it’s even been approved by the gods (Señor Spielbergo AND Turkeyneck Lucas!).  Strompolos & Zala were on hand at the screening for a Q&A, and they have as much enthusiasm for the film now as they did when theys was 12 and making it.  amaze-balls

watch the opening scene!!

+ some mo pics!

&

we took in these two eggggzibits and they were lovely and they were free, which made them even lovelier!!

George Tooker (1920-2011): Reality Returns as a Dream at The DC Moore Gallery

this guy is damn goods, and his paintings are like creepy Edward Hopper flazzles, and he died earlier this year, and we didn’t give him peace the forks out props, and so we are sorry, but not as sorry as you if you don’t see this egggggzibit

&

then there’s Picasso, who’s like an even more overrateder Fellini, but…

Picasso and Marie-Therese: L’amour fou at The Gagosian Gallery

is a mos fabulous collection of his paintings, sculptures and photos inspired by his muse & lover, with that super-pronounced nose, and it is all a seen to be sighted!!!

check out this CBS Sunday Morn piece on them and the show.  you know if they cover something, it’s gotta be good (cept for Jimmy Fallon)

&

Mile End!

man, them were some dang sweet-ass meats treats that beats all others!!!!!

&

The Catechism Cataclysm
Official Website | Trailers & Mo
75 min

The good?

We saw it outdoors and seeing movies outdoors is the bestestestest (thanks yous Rooftop Films & BAMcinemaFest), AND it starred Steve Little (Eastbound‘s Stevie Janowski), who can make us laugh juss by smiling.  It doesn’t even matter what he says, cause the way he sez things is somehow betterer than the way other people say the same eggzact things

The bad?

Any bit of the movie that doesn’t let Steve be Stevie, like when other characters talk and this 75 minute movie starts to feels like it’s 750 minutes, and like these Japanese girls show up and like explode heads or something.  it’s a mess, and all the fun & sorta good bits are at the beginning, before it heads down a river without a paddle, or a point

Only Steve Little diehards should apply when it gets released this fall, and so…

Verdictgo: Sum Merit But No Stinkin Badges