Blank City
(Céline Danhier, 2010)
Unmade Beds / Permanent Vacation
// Double Feature
Fri, June 10–Sat, June 11, 2011 | 7:00PM
Wexner Center Film/Video Theater
Celine Danhier directed Blank City, which is a documentary about the No Wave Film movement that eventually ran into Hip Hop & graffiti’s move from the Bronx, and in general the art world.
I typed her name first so I would at least do 1 thing right in this review. I would tell you to google the other reviews, and they would tell you that Blank City gathers stories from people like Akron’s Jim Jarmusch, John Waters, Thurston Moore and Debbie Harry about the early 80’s community of thin, broke people with an excellent sense of style doing whatever it takes to utilize new developments that allowed movies to be made by just anyone, and be shown by just anyone in New York City.
You know kids writing their names big on trains? Well, frail pasty white folk were using film to write their images on anything.
So if you read this blog cause you like rap shit. Then you should watch this movie because eventually it ties in the scene from Wild Style where Lee was boffing that gallery lady to why you be looking at that junkie looking girl at the end of the bar.
Fab Five Freddy, Daze, and Charlie Ahearn are in the building.
Think about Lil B…. how everyone is mad that he can’t rap. But he also has really weird You-Tube videos and is thriving.
Somewhere in the movie, someone says the No Wave Movement rejected everything pre-1976. Think about Tyler, the Creator saying he hates people that only talk about 1994 rap.
Also google Amos Poe, and Lydia Lunch. Think about them then perhaps you wouldn’t have to take your drugs to dubstep parties and hang out with hippies.
That isn’t to disrespect drugs. Because everyone in “Blank City” is a drug addict and a miserable fuck and probably was terrible to be around.
Now, if you read this blog because you like art in film then you should go see this movie because it has first hand accounts of an important time in music and art.
?It shows how technology, politics, environment and denial in response to AIDS affected this era.
I had often just put the No Wave music and film scene in with Richard Kern, & Nick Zedd’s Cinema of Transgression Movement. While they had some mutual people like Lydia Lunch.
Cinema of Transgression came a little later because of boredom with what was become the status quo
Again if you like rap, think about Odd Future and how their videos are a lot less boring than the underground sneaker and car rappers when you get to the Cinema of Transgression part.
I have to say that Kembra Pfahler is funny looking. Her forehead looks like “Warf” from a newer Star Treck. I don’t know if she had her forehead altered as a form of performance art. But goddamn, her and Nick Zedd are a lot less attractive than Jim Jarmusch or Debbie Harry these days.
Think about Lydia Lunch like a gangsta rapper that fell the fuck off.
Not a prophecy on Tyler because, while he is strange looking, he isn’t outright appalling and isn’t only shock.
Anyway, as you can see from this ramble, this movie is of interest to you if you like No Wave, rap, graffiti, shock value, art, music, drugs, having a shitty attitude or get over by being attractive.
$5 members
$5 students
$5 senior citizens
$7 general public
