Bill Cunningham New York (2010)

Directed by Richard Press
Starring Bill Cunningham
Runtime 84min. - Not Rated
4 Stars (out of 4)

"Bill Cunningham New York" is part of my Quirky Documentary series and is available on Netflix Streaming and other VOD outlets. Though they bear no official relationship, I consider this a companion piece to another film in the series, "Vincent: A Life In Color". Vincent likes to walk the streets of Chicago in flamboyant clothing. Bill likes to walk the streets of NYC to photograph people in flamboyant clothing. The two of them seem like kindred spirits.

Bill Cunningham is a focused individual. If I didn't find him so likable, I'd say he's an addict. When he's "using" he ignores everything else. He needs to be reminded to eat by his friends and co-workers. He's never had a romantic relationship. He spends every waking second looking for his next high.

So what kind of drug can keep a man's attention off of women and food for 40 years? Clothing. Bill spends his days looking for people in unique attire. He's referred to as a fashion photographer, but the terminology isn't sufficient. Bill couldn't care less if clothes are fashionable as long as he finds them interesting. When he goes to fashion shows he only takes photos of the clothes he likes. If he thinks it's something only a model would wear he'll put his camera down. Most of his photos are candids. He scours the streets of New York and attends upper-class fundraisers to capture what people are wearing. It doesn't matter if you're a McDonald's employee or a billionaire. If you scrub up well, he'll take your picture.

Summer Children (1965) (Restored)

Directed by James Bruner
Cinematography by Vilmos Zsigmond
Starring Stuart Anderson, John Hanek, and Valora Noland
Runtime 84min. - Not Rated
3.5 Stars (out of 4)

Coming soon to the IndieRights collection. A huge thanks to Nelson-Madison Films for my advance copy. For more information about this film's resurrection, visit their
Official Webpage.

"Summer Children" is a film you shouldn't be watching. I don't say that because of its content. When the filming was finished in 1964 it never got the wide distribution it deserved. It was stored away and mostly forgotten. The years went by and the filmmakers eventually concluded it was lost. But it wasn't. After some research they located the negatives and set about to restoring them for disc and digital formats. What this amounts to for movie nerds is the cinematic equivalent of buried treasure.

F*ckload Of Scotch Tape (2012)

Directed by Julian Grant
Starring Graham Jenkins
Runtime 84min. - Unrated
1/2 Star (out of 4)

"F*ckload of Scotch Tape" is available for $1.99 on Amazon Instant.
Since it's not mentioned in the review, the title of the film is in reference
to a homemade arm sling.

"FLOST" follows the escapades of Benji, a young man who is lured into a life of crime by the promise of Tootsie Roll Pops. He works for a criminal of unknown origins who pays Benji to beat up people and knock over liquor stores. As the film opens he's on an unusual assignment. He's been asked by his boss, Mr. Kent, to befriend a teenager at a local arcade. He doesn't know the reason for this assignment and is programmed not to ask questions. Mr. Kent gives him $50,000 to lure the kid into a van after he's built a rapport. The next day Benji turns on the news to see that the kid has been raped and murdered.

Vincent: A Life In Color (2008)

Directed by Jennifer Burns 

Starring Vincent Falk

Runtime 96min.- Not Rated 

4 Stars (out of 4) 

"Vincent: A Life In Color" is part of the IndieRights collection. It's available on YouTube/GooglePlay for $2.99.

For a description of Vincent Falk to do real justice, I'd need to be a much better writer. Describing the "Fashion Man" is tough because there's no one else like him. There's no picture floating around in your brain that you can use as a template.

I suppose I'll start with his most recognizable attributes. Vincent stands on a bridge in Chicago and greets tour boats as he passes by. He does so with some of the most flamboyant and colorful suits you will ever see. It starts with a wave. Then he does a little spin. Before you know it he's got the jacket off, twirling it around his head. He owns so many suits that he often greets the same tourists on their return trip after a wardrobe change. On Friday mornings you can find him outside the local NBC affiliate doing his routine. In the evenings he heads over to the ABC studios. Vincent has loyalty to NBC though. He doesn't take off the jacket and he keeps his twirls to a minimum when appearing on the rival channel. When none of those things are going on he visits the WGN radio hosts. Vince's color extends beyond his wardrobe so he's just as vivid in audio form.

American Fetish (2009)

 Directed by Michael Simmons

Starring Matt Jones and Charlie Lane

Runtime 90min. - Unrated

1 Star (out of 4)

"American Fetish" is part of the IndieRights collection and is available on DVD.

Couldn't find an embeddable trailer but you can view it HERE.

I'm pretty forgiving with indie films. Most of them are made by people looking to build a career. This can lead to some inspired performances. It's sort of like baseball. A player's stats increase during contract negotiations because their future depends on their performance. It's the same with actors and indie movies.

Winnebago Man - A Post Script

This is a follow up to my review of "Winnebago Man", the 2009 film is part of my quirky documentary series.

There is only one other famous person I know of with the last name of Rebney. That would be Bjorn Rebney, the CEO of Bellator Fighting Championships. It's a MMA organization of which I'm a huge fan. After viewing Jack's IMDB profile I saw that he is Bjorn's dad. I immediately assumed this was a prank due to the wiki-style editing IMDB. It's not. Multiple sources confirm that Jack is Bjorn's dad. Bjorn actually spoke to journalist Ariel Helwani about his father as seen in the video below. Jack must have done something right to have such a successful son. The video was posted on April 12th, 2012 and Bjorn confirms his father is still alive and doing well. The proximity to April 1st raises suspicions in my mind about the whole interview.