Introducing Acid Rain, the official avivalasvegas movie critic. Bitchy? (meow, baby) but we love it. The avivalasvegas staff swear by Acid Rain's video and cinema pics, and we are sure you will too.
Acid Rain
Grass (1999) - Directed by Ron Mann, Narrated by Woody Harrelson. 80 minutes.
Remember the first time you smoked weed? That moment when you realized that all the things you had been told by your parents and all that government anti-drug propaganda were lies, lies, lies.
You didn't go crazy and kill your dog. You didn't jump out of a window. You didn't develop an urge for "harder drugs." You probably giggled your ass off and had an uncontrollable impulse to go to 7-11 and buy one of everything from the junk food aisle.
If you are among the few remaining people on this planet who actually believes that pot is illegal because it's bad for you and the benevolent government cares about your well-being, you should check out Grass immediately.
Of course, it's also great fun and a few giggles) for those of us who have already discovered the real truth.
This documentary is a fast-paced, witty and irreverent homage to marijuana. You get to see some funny footage from some old anti-drug films, Presidents signing away their citizens' freedoms on a whim and even Sonny Bono looking completely baked and reading some anti-pot rhetoric from a cue card.
Some of it is downright hilarious and some of it is rather disturbing.
Though Grass is a bit one-sided and is a bit too brief to present enough information on its subject, it is definitely worth a look. It should spark some good conversation at least.
Stop Making Sense (1984) - Directed by Jonathan Demme. Starring Talking Heads and a bunch of other guys. 88 minutes.
The first time I went to see Stop Making Sense, I didn't know (or care) much about Talking Heads' music. I had heard some of their songs, but they never really struck me. After seeing this movie, I became an instant fan.
Stop Making Sense is little more than a filmed concert. It may sound simple, but with the benefit of a talented director behind the camera and a band working at their peak, this flick becomes something immensely greater than the sum of its parts.
Watching this movie, one cannot help but become captivated from the start. Talking Heads front-man David Byrne's on stage antics are hypnotic. He brings to mind old silent film greats like Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton.
There they are, up there on the screen, just doing goofy stuff--but it's impossible to look away. It's the same with Byrne.
And then there's the music. It's simply amazing. One catchy, irresistible tune after another. The first time you see it, you'll probably keep thinking "ok, so the next one might be a dud," but it just never happens. All the songs are great and you'll find yourself tapping your feet, if not getting up and dancing.
If you think that everything that came out of the 80s is crap, take a look at this movie and prove yourself wrong.
It's available on VHS and DVD, but try to avoid the VHS, simply because it won't do the sound justice. With DVD technology this film sounds fantastic. That being said, it should ideally be viewed in a theatre with lots of people.
Repertory theatres show it often, so check it out.
Acid Rain would like to know what you think: so email him at 5a7@avivalasvegas.com.
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