Student DVD review: "Ashes of Rhetoric"
Film: B
DVD: A
Full disclosure: I've been friends with "Ashes of Rhetoric" directors and producers Travis Harvey and Julian Dalrymple since fall 2002. But if a critic can't critique his friends' work, then Roger Ebert should have stopped reviewing Martin Scorsese's movies long ago.
"Ashes of Rhetoric" is a 65 minute documentary chronicling the rise and fall of the local band Revel in the Morning. The band consisted of Justin Clark, Erick Sherman, Ryan Reidy and Eric Alexander. Harvey, though he didn't play an instrument, was considered a band member as well, in charge of promotion and chronicling the band's progress. (Andy Warhol to their Velvet Underground, as one band member explained.)
The film's title refers to the nihilistic ideology of creation through destruction that the band adhered to in its lyrics and performances. This drive grew increasingly violent as the band members began expressing their frustration with one another on stage in their performances by physically assaulting each other during songs. Eventually the pressure just became too much. Icarus flew too high.
This is a professional work, edited slickly, and intelligently pieced together. It's entertaining, informative and high-energy. The live footage of the band performing is shot and edited in such a way that it accurately conveys the anarchy of a Revel in the Morning show.
It's a film that shows all the countless hours put into. Corners weren't cut, and it was assembled with care and discipline -- clearly a labor of love.
Even more impressive, though, is the DVD that Harvey and Dalrymple put together to augment their film.
An "A" DVD grade is usually reserved for two-disc sets at minimum, but this DVD is simply too impressive. For navigating through the material, artsy animated menus have been put together. Extra features are numerous -- two commentaries (including one with the band,) deleted scenes, alternate endings, a trailer, Easter eggs (hidden features), uncut live performances and in-depth biographies. A neat timeline also shows the history of what bands the members have been in pre- and post-Revel. Each of these bands has a song you can sample.
The DVD also features four new Revel in the Morning songs, titled the "god less America ep." These are great. I'm especially a fan of "Pirates," a song that features a sample of beat poet Allen Ginsberg reading "America."
For those who are unfamiliar with Revel, those who were fans or anyone wanting to see just how great a student film and DVD can be, check out "Ashes of Rhetoric."
To purchase a copy for $10, please contact Harvey at tchlowlife@hotmail.com.
Are you a student with a film you'd like to see reviewed here? I'd love to see it. Please contact David Swindle at swimminginbrokenglass@gmail.com
New DVD review: Penn and Teller's Bullsh*t!: Season 2
TV show: A-
DVD: D
Magicians Penn and Teller followed Harry Houdini when they started their Showtime series "Bullsh*t!" Each week the pair attack zealots, con artists and questionable beliefs in a highly-entertaining, well-researched, hilarious style.
The three-disc second season contains 13 episodes, the first of which aims at and obliterates People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. They document PETA's connections to animal-rights terrorists who firebomb laboratories and show PETA's disgusting ad campaign equating animal suffering with the Holocaust.
"Death, Inc." looks at the grief-exploiting funeral business. A hypnosis episode presents a woman who sells tapes that she claims will enlarge one's penis. The war on some drugs, Alcoholics Anonymous, the Bible and recycling are other targets.
The show has been likened to a news magazine mixed with "South Park." This is a great comparison. Both tackle issues from a libertarian perspective with vulgar humor and ridicule. With "Bullsh*t!" regardless of this bias, the arguments are particularly strong.
The DVD is bare. Luckily, the show alone warrants a purchase.
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