clever peasant pharmacy

20 Years after the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant Accident:

http://todayspictures.slate.com/inmotion/essay_chernobyl/

All fifteen of the Wis-Kino Madison 150 films are now available free online at:

http://www.wis-kino.com/madison150

First off, does anyone know how to turn off the automatic emails that get sent out by Friendster for EVERY SINGLE NEW POST on my blog? I do apologize for that, folks.

#1 - [unknown title]
Some shots were quite lovely (tree blossoms, twilight through windows, reflections in a windshield). Other shots were annoyingly jerky, and unfortunately, the film overall did not flow well.

#2 - [unknown title]
One person’s experience of conception, pregnancy and birth, interspersed among a great deal of vintage and found footage. Mainly humorous, with an anti-amniocentesis ("human quality control") bit.

#3 - "Straight Boys"
Some good acting, especially by the two hot guys at the center of the plot. OK, so the definitely-gay undergrad falls for his roommate, who is seemingly-straight and has a girlfriend. But WHY, after they kiss and admit that they love each other, do they immediately feel as if they have "broken up" rather than gotten together? This climactic moment somewhat inexplicably acts as a spell-breaker rather than a charm.

#4 - "Mona Lisa"
The plot was very similar to "Dad & Me" (see yesterday’s post), but the overall quality (acting, setting, cinematography, sound quality) was higher. Son feels trapped by his fairly helpless mother, and is about to escape for the night, but finds that blood is thicker than water. For the third time, the title does not convey significant meaning.

#5 - "Kitchen"
The filmmaker, who’s done sound engineering for years, created a song from common kitchen noises, and a music video to match. One of a series that he plans to release as a DVD/CD. Enjoyable.

#6 - "Monster Team"
The first live action episode in an animated series. Along the lines of "adult swim." Not really my thing, but funny at times.

#7 - "Status Quo"
A man finds that the world starts "skipping" around him, like a broken record (do kids these days even know what that means?).  Ends in a "Through the Looking Glass"-esque manner.

#8 - "Scream At Me"
First-rate acting and cinematography, especially considering it was the filmmaker’s first piece.  Would have liked some more character development, especially after the protagonist made it out of the hood, to solidify the contrast between his new and old life.