smoke + fever

Fredrik, “vinterbarn.” Beautiful dreamy Swedish pop, equally lovely stop-motion animation…

“Rock & Rule” trailer. I love crazy cult animated rock movies from the 80s.

The Notwist, “Pick Up the Phone.” Great song, great video.

A scene from Michael Haneke’s Code Inconnu. An interesting companion to ‘Schwarzfahrer’ in that it also examines the politics of multiculturalism and immigration within the confines of public transportation — but this is a darker piece, and Haneke’s a true master.

“Schwarzfahrer (Black Rider)” - a great short from 1993. Won the Oscar, one of the most memorable I’ve seen.

A nice rendition of one of my favorite Nick Cave songs, “The Ship Song”…

“Miss Muffy and the Muff Mob.” Like Strawberry Shortcake meets rap. An oldie but goodie in terms of Web funniness.

A parody of “Do the Right Thing” with Fisher-Price Sesame Street toys. Beyond awesome.

“David After Dentist.” I’m having a super-sucky week, but this totally made me crack up. My favorite parts are the primal scream and the “Is this gonna be FOREVER?” at the end.

The first 10 minutes of Beau Travail, directed by Claire Denis. Exploring the world of the French Foreign Legion in Africa, probably one of the most spare, visually sensual films, with much to observe about masculinity, colonialism and the like. A favorite; I had the pleasure of teaching it as a TA last year. Some nut put up the entire film on YouTube, but it really needs to be seen on a larger screen to be fully appreciated. That’s a cineaste cliche, but in this case it is very true.

This is my favorite moment in Morvern Callar, mostly for the beauty of the image and the song together. Dreamy, intense, the everyday surreal.

The Christmas party sequence from one of my favorite films, Morvern Callar, directed by the fantastic Lynne Ramsay.