Scala Beyond - Filmbar70 presents A Very British Apocalypse: NO BLADE OF GRASS/THREADS

Shocking evening at Roxy Bar & Screen, I left speechless. There were two films presented by Filmbar70. After the nuclear war training video the evening was introduced, we watched a part from The Changes, the trailer of The Day of the Triffids, of The Day the Earth Caught Fire, and a Filmbar70 teaser. The first feature was No Blade of Grass. The intro music is great. Listen to it: Roger Whittaker - No Blade of Grass. An ecological disaster creates panic in society people flee from the cities and are forced to fight for their survival. With guns. It is quite explicit and honest, with a successful rape scene and ultra violence, but still entertaining. Many times ridiculous but gives a lot to think about. Mixed up narrative. Flashbacks. The Rolls Royce advert. The graphic birth scene. Experimental special effects! Beautiful photography, I think it connects to Antonioni. The closing music is great. Listen to it: Roger Whittaker - No Blade of Grass.
After a short break a very effective introduction set the mood for the next film: Threads. Silence throughout. This film goes all the way. There is no entertainment here, no jokes, no fake scenes. 
What connects? I heard a shocking Hiroshima story on RadioLab - Double Blasted. Also, if you haven't seen, watch animated short The Big Snit. After the show a girl suggested me watching The War Game, and I recommended her Glen and Randa. Yesterday morning I was reading tweets of Alejandro Jodorowsky sharing his ideas on preserving life on the planet. On my bicycle I was thinking: 'Why the fuck do we need so many cars?' there are cars everywhere, with only one person sitting in most of them. Why do we need so much concrete? Why not redesign the whole city? Instead of pulling up skyscrapers for useless bankers and building all these cars, which are being thrown away in few years time anyway, Break the concrete, plant trees. Walk, cycle. Why rush? Who said we have to run everywhere, like crazy. Unhealthy. Insane. Slow down.

Don't miss 'Filmbar70 presents Eerie Down-Under Double Bill' at Roxy Bar & Screen on Thursday 30 August at 7.00pm.

Scala Beyond - The Duke Mitchell Film Club presents August Birthday Blow-out!

The Duke Mitchell Film Club. 5th birthday. I read the declaration. It was my first time there, at The Lion pub. As no friend showed up, I decided to learn using my camera. Until the screening started upstairs. There were nice lights, good music in the background, pictures of drive-in theatres on the screen like this and this, this, this, this... What would it be like screening a film onto a fractured, rusty drive in screen? The evening of fun started with Evrim's introduction and an intro film, and then we could choose between two 'Trailer Trash' compilations to see. We watched the first one, collected by Alex, which was the first one that was screened at the first screening of The Duke (if I remember well). Please watch these. Massacre Maffia Style, second time I see this trailer and now I want to see the film as well. And I really want to make a film with a shotgun scene in it. That is for sure. Or a film about a guy who wants to make a film with a shotgun scene in it. Bucktown. Shotguns! The Pink Angels. South indian rock & roll musical. Vibraton. Hot Rods to Hell. Police Women. The Young Runaways. Carmen BAby. Quiz for prizes. Then we chose to see Ducked and Covered, Australian survival guide to post apocalypse. Then, quiz for prizes. You were shown stills of board games/video games and had to find out which film they were made of. Images like this. Dawn of the Dead board game. Twin Peaks board game. Friday the 13th video game. It's interesting to see this stuff. Texas Chainsaw retro video game. Halloween. Waterworld . Escape from New York. Board game cover design. More trailers. Heartbreaker - great music, people tapping their feet, nod, tap. Buckstone County Prison. Meet the Hollowheads. Murder by the Book. Dark Incal. Phantom of the Ritz. Angel. Make sure to watch The Room.

Then came more fun. Commercials collected by Alex. Commercials of Stan Freberg, Jeno's Pizza Rolls for instance, and more. Psychedelic Levi's commercials narrated by Ken Nordine, this here for example, and this. Good to see it on youtube to get the idea, but on a screening you get good quality, large scale, darkness, people to share the experience with and someone passionate and alive who talks you through stuff, and many of the films are rare finds and are not available online. Dark, nightmare flavor commercials by Joe Sedelmaier, Federal Express, Southern Airlines (disgusting quality),  Wendy's, and another one. I hate commercials. These are interesting. And there were more, but I can't find them...  Then came more commercials. Hagoromo tuna. Streetsounds 18. AFri Cola. Evrim's slots with Allstate Insurance commercial,  Rabies commercials, a pushchair safety animation, Play Safe - Kites and Planes,  nuclear war safety video, escalator safety Stand still!, Billy Blunders,  electricity can kill.

A Day with the Boys to give an end to the evening, a rather dark mood short photographed by Laszlo Kovacs. Image is so powerful on its own. Experiment. Film and experimentation for its own sake.

Thank you for yesterday, great show! I wouldn't have got a fraction of this fun in a normal cinema.

The Duke Mitchell Film Club is doing a 16mm night on 26 Sept, and a Night of the Trailer at Roxy on 23 Sept. Watch the teaser here.

Text

I want to start adding text to my posts. Something meaningful or helpful, constructive. Thoughts related to things that "ring my bells". Thoughts on the projects I am doing. Descriptions of techniques or processes I come across with. It would be great to connect with other blogs with similar interests. To share ideas. To contribute to. Sharing links to useful websites. For example I find ECCA (Enterprise Centre for the Creative Arts) podcasts very useful. Some of the speakers are quite annoying to listen to ("you know like sort of what I mean...") but most of them are professional practitioners and provide loads of enlightening information.

Also, blogging can be another form of outcome. Or a way of working out ideas. Essays on films, photographs, drawings or any work of art/object can go onto these pages. Reflections on gallery, exhibition visits. Progress at college can be recorded here.

Tomorrow is time to visit the summer show of London College of Communication. Commenting on that with illustrative pictures will be a chance to practice this actual goal of mine.