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Troublemakers
(written, directed and produced by G.B. Jones, with Bruce
LaBruce, Caroline Azar, Dave-Id, Anita Smith, Kelly Ellis, etc.)
This 20 minute short is a sort of documentary about hustling and shop-lifting. What it mostly documents, however, is the interesting and quirky lives of a small group of, as the box says, 'gay rebels' in Toronto in the early 90s.
Like GB Jones' other readily available work, YO-YO GANG, the picture and sound quality is not up to Hollywood standards (oh, what a terrifying thought!). However, it's an entertaining romp, and it's kind of amusing that sometimes the expressions and actions of the characters don't quite match up with what they're saying (makes me wonder if the filming was done first, and then the 'script' was written - but it's gleeful and great fun).
To my mind, the most interesting feature of the film is how it documents the extremely run-down nature of the place where GB and her friends lived. At one point, a hole in the roof reveals a raccoon is living in the attic. Most people only have to contend with roaches or the occasional rat...but, given my 'aaaawww' reflexes, it's a cute little scene...
For $25 US/CAN to P.O. Box 55, Station E, Toronto, Ontario, M6H 4E1, CANADA, this too can be yours.
Judgement Day by
Diamanda Galas (1993, Atavistic Video, about $25 CAN)
Leaving alone some arty outdoors shots, some reversed images and the occasional overlapped picture, this 50 minute video documents Diamanda performing some of her repertoire alone at the piano.
For the unfamiliar, Diamanda is an intense singer/songwriter/musician who explores extremes of emotion, experience, etc., and tests the boundaries between musicality and noise with her astonishing voice and keyboard work.
Having never seen her live, it was interesting to see how she produces those sounds (most of the camera work is tight upper body/head shots) and that she really DOES look quite relaxed and almost nonchalant as she emits the most incredible noises (even occasionally licking her lips or teeth, as though she were just speaking casually).
In addition to such numbers as 'Gloomy Sunday', 'Let My People Go' and 'Were You There When They Crucified My Lord?', there is an excerpt from a spoken-word piece in which she vilifies SPIN and Bennetton for their cavalier ads about AIDS to sell clothes, and burns the magazine, encouraging others to do likewise, and a rather chaotically filmed piece from some New York club, MEAT, in which she vocalizes to what sounds like house or experimental electronic music provided by a DJ.
Not for the faint of heart - but a joy and a tribulation to behold and hear, all at once...
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