2016 Best ofs from friends of Twist & Shout Part 3

Arturo Gómez
Music Director, KUVO-Denver

My personal Top Ten favorite releases of 2016

1. Steve Turre “Colors for the Masters” Smoke Sessions Records

2. Ray Charles Orchestra “Zurich 1961” TCB

3. Wilson “Chembo” Corniel Quintet “Land of the Descendants” Chemboro Records

4. Catherine Russell “Harlem on my Mind” World Village

5. Erroll Garner “Ready Take One” Sony Legacy

6. Allan Harris “Nobody’s Gonna Love You Better” Love Productions

7. Andy González “Entre Colegas” Truth Revolution Records

8. Harry Allen NY Saxophone Band “The Candy Men” Arbors Records

9. Dave Stryker “Eight Track II” Strikezone Records

10. Hot Club of San Francisco “John, Paul, George & Django” Hot Club Music

Taylor Townes
Independent Retail Coordinator, Merge Records

I put together a list of new stuff from the year or reissues that are sort on the experimental / new age / ambient spectrum, with the idea that people might want to zone out to them given how completely shitty the year was.... so that's this:

Bitchin Bajas & Bonnie Prince Billy - Epic Jammers and Fortunate Little Ditties

Psychic Temple - Plays Music for Airports

Mary Lattimore - At the Dam

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Suzanne Ciani - FRKWYS Vol. 13: Sunergy

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - EARS

Matthewdavid's Mindflight - Trust the Glide and Guide

Syrinx - Tumblers from the Vault

Anna Homler & Steve Moshier - Breadwoman & Other Tales

And if you want a more traditional list, or more of what I listened to most rather than something concept-y (though there's a lot of overlap), here's that, in no order really:

Bitchin Bajas & Bonnie Prince Billy - Epic Jammers and Fortunate Little Ditties

Psychic Temple - Plays Music for Airports

Warehouse - super low

Heron Oblivion - Heron Oblivion

David Bowie - Blackstar

Mary Lattimore - At the Dam

Kikagaku Moyo - House in the Tall Grass

Radiohead - A Moon Shaped Pool

Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith & Suzanne Ciani - FRKWYS Vol. 13: Sunergy

Gina M Cuomo
General Manager - Sie FilmCenter

the albums that stick out are:

Luke Cage soundtrack

Red Fang - Only Ghosts

Explosions in the Sky - The Wilderness

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here

I'd Love To Turn You On At the Movies #39 - Paprika (2006, dir. Satoshi Kon)

Before his untimely death in 2010 from cancer, Satoshi Kon was only the second name in Japanese animation, behind Hayao Miyazaki, who possessed a complete mastery of the genre and in telling original and complicated stories. Yet, unlike Miyazaki, Kon was an absolute artist in creating both stories and sophisticated animated images that were more for adults then they were for children. Also unlike Miyazaki, Kon spent most of his career unpopular in the United States but still leaving behind a small but masterful set of projects that showcased his growth and imagination. Paprika, an amazing science-fiction psychological thriller was his last film completed before his death and, ironically, the one that seemed to pull in all of the threads from his previous three films, Perfect Blue, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress and the stunning television series Paranoia Agent.

In the film we meet Paprika, a charming and clever young woman who is not who she seems. She guides Detective Konakawa through a bizarre, labyrinthine dreamscape and then emerges out of the dream as Dr. Chiba Atsuko. Dr. Atsuko is able, via a special device called the D.C. Mini, join patients in their dreams as Paprika. The project of Chiba’s mentors, she has developed a subconscious set of skills that allows her to portray Paprika in many forms and have complete control of whatever dream universe she finds herself in hacked into patient’s minds via the D.C. device. The device was developed for taking the next step in psychology and helping therapists find resolutions for intense traumas and actions that may be hidden in the minds of their patients. The work of the D.C. Mini has remained mostly secret while the doctors continue to experiment with its limits but when three of the prototype devices are stolen and some high level officials end up in sudden, catatonic states it is apparent that Chiba must join forces with her team and Detective Konakawa to find the thief in the dreams of these officials and bring back the D.C. Minis before the very fabric of dreams and reality is torn and both worlds collide into each other.

Aside from that thrilling plot the key to enjoying Paprika is to take in Satoshi Kon’s animation direction and bevy of eye candy that punctuates the film whenever the characters flip-flop between the worlds of reality and dreamscape. It’s as if Kon and his gifted animators at Madhouse Studios spent their whole lives studying the nuances of our dreams, the abruptness of reality and put it all epically on screen for you to see in this one project. Between vivid colors and surreal feelings during the film’s dream sequences, which cover 60% of the film, you may wonder why you’ve never wandered down Satoshi Kon’s path before.

It should be said that though this was Kon’s final film it is actually a gateway to moving through the rest of his small but perfect back catalogue of films and recognizing the brushstrokes of a master artist and storyteller who doesn’t want you to just use your imagination, he wants to create a whole new one for you too.

- Keith Garcia – Programming Manager – Denver Film Society

I'd Love To Turn You On - At the Movies #35 - Streets of Fire (1984, dir. Walter Hill)

If you have made it this long in life without having experienced a screening of Walter Hill’s Streets of Fire then it must be said that you have done something wrong that can easily be remedied by picking up the DVD case below, purchasing it from your friendly Twist cashier and racing home to watch it as soon as humanly possible. “But hey” you say, “What’s it about?” and I will quiet your mouth with my finger and tell you “That’s not important because tonight is what it means to be young.”

Actually, what it’s about is pretty integral to the experience so let’s start there. Directed by Walter Hill (The Warriors, 48 Hours) and written by Hill and Larry Gross, who had collaborated on 48 Hours previously and had developed a tone of “gritty fun” in Hollywood’s eyes. This led to a request from Universal Pictures to apply that “gritty fun” to a film that would attract the youth of the time (circa 1984) and capture all the momentum that the recently launched MTV was building in the youth market with all the pow and zing of a music video. Hill and Gross agreed to the idea but began quickly hammering out an idea that on one hand would seem attractive to the youth of the time but was based more on ideas that would have excited them in THEIR youth: spaghetti westerns, comic books, Nicholas Ray films and the wild and dangerous vibe of old school Rock N Roll. Put all of that in a blender, shake it up, pour it out and you’ve got yourself a tall glass of Streets of Fire.

The film is set in, as the credits indicate, “Another Time, Another Place…” which is a great descriptor of Streets’s world. The music and talk and style are all 1980’s but the cars, styles, sets and clothing are all circa 1957. In this world we meet pop star Ellen Aim (a baby faced Diane Lane) as she’s about to take the stage at a raucous and electric sold-out show. She barely gets to finish a song before she’s kidnapped by Raven Shaddock (a baby-faced Willem Dafoe) and his gang of vinyl wearing motorcycle thugs. Into this situation a hero must emerge and who better than Tom Cody (Michael Pare), who is Ellen’s ex-love and Raven’s long standing enemy? Tom is helped by his brave sister Reva (Deborah Van Valkenburgh), a plucky new sidekick McCoy (Amy Madigan in a great role that was rewritten as a woman just for her) and Ellen’s new boyfriend/manager Billy Fish (Rick Moranis showing a great side as a D-bag). At this point the story couldn’t become more simplistic; the hero and his gang must rescue the damsel and take out the thugs but it is here that Hill’s direction, Gross’ writing and the hot cinematography by Andrew Laszlo take a rote plan and execute it into a vivid, colorful and absolutely fascinating rock ‘n’ roll fever dream. Oh, and the music! We gotta talk about the music!

With some original music from the incomparable Ry Cooder, the Streets soundtrack is absolutely owned by Jim Steinman whose collaborations with Meatloaf and Bonnie Tyler created some of the best, and I do mean best, rock ‘n’ roll ballads of the late seventies and early eighties. I dare you not to lose your cool the next time that you hear “Nowhere Fast” or “Tonight Is What It Means To Be Young” playing at a party. In fact, just step a few feet over from this display and pick up the Streets of Fire soundtrack while you’re at it and infuse your ears with the aural satisfaction that it craves from a movie soundtrack. It’s this music in Streets that gives the entire masterful soufflé its real flavor and leaves you wanting another piece.

What are you waiting for? Pick up this DVD right now and correct the biggest mistake of your life then save the dates of June 1 & 2 for a big screen presentation of Streets of Fire in the Denver FilmCenter’s Watching Hour program. You’re welcome.

- Keith Garcia

I'd Love To Turn You On - At The Movies #24 - Tears of the Black Tiger (2000, dir. Wisit Sasanatieng)

The longstanding tradition of American film paying homage or remaking foreign classics gets turned on its head with this Thai salute to spaghetti westerns and Technicolor-soaked love stories in Wisit Sasanatieng’s avant-garde western Tears of the Black Tiger. Employing a simple plot that is equal parts loving tribute and fun parody, Tears introduces us to Dum, known by reputation as Black Tiger for his quick reflexes and sly demeanor. Dum lives in the employ of local crime boss Fei, who also employs his best friend Mahesuan and often sends the young hood around to dispatch his boss’s enemies. While on his latest job Dum discovers that the man he is being paid to kill has recently become engaged to sweet beauty Rumpoey, who happens to have been the childhood love of our film’s hero. What’s a gun for hire with an easy trigger finger and an easier plucked heart to do?

The most delightful thing in Tears that speaks volumes to its magic is Sasanatieng’s mastery of visual style that has the familiarity of Technicolor epics past but becomes wholly its own beast. The film makes great use of giant, elaborately painted backdrops that aren’t realistic but instead create a dreamlike state that spins the world of the characters into a vibrant pastel candy land that raises its many action sequences to wild Chuck Jones-esque stature while equally creating a soft hand-painted feel that covers every frame of film.

Going back to that action and its cartoon like feel, Tears blows most homages out of the water by going full-tilt-boogie in its dispatch. Gunfights aren’t limited to pistols - machine guns and grenade launchers add to the melee of wounds that spray candy apple red blood geysers; thousands of bullets fly but miraculously never hit our heroes; and more wild bullet POV shots are used than needed but it’s an opera of overkill that keeps the film so sweet.

Lest you think that the film is all bullets and blood, fear not - Tears does a great job with the love story at its hero’s core. Dum and Rumpoey’s reintroduction and subtle dance around their childhood seduction becomes a thing of melodramatic joy. It’s loaded with luscious parting glances and wistful stares out of windows into skylines filled with the loving faces of a couple that should be together but due to their newfound lots in life, may never get the chance to see what their future could hold.

Few movies, and even fewer of them foreign titles, can succeed with a stew of pastiche from genre classics and make it so delicious like Tears of the Black Tiger does, especially given just how far the film rides the red line of over the top with so much of its style. Between the wild sets, sappy melodrama and crazy violence Tears should topple over on itself at just about every turn but instead becomes so enjoyable that you never really want it to end. By the time the closing credits roll and the final song plays out you may just be crying your own tears over this Black Tiger and find yourself hitting play one more time.

 - Keith Garcia
Denver FilmCenter Programming Manager

I'd Love To Turn You On: At the Movies #14: Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark (dir. James Signorelli, 1988)

When I sat down to watch the film Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark for the umpteenth time, since my first viewing at 11 years old in a theater in 1988, I was suddenly overcome with a depressing thought; without careful reminders, viewing, and discussion, it is possible that the current generation younger than mine will live in a world without knowing about the hilarious horror icon Elvira (nee Colorado Springs-raised actress Cassandra Peterson) and if there is anything I can do to keep that apocalypse from happening then I’m going to sound the trumpet now.

So, you may ask younger generation, who is this Elvira you speak of? In short, she was the host of Movie Macabre, a weekly late night television show that aired in the mid 80’s on NBC. The show paired a bad, old horror film with an introduction, commercial bumpers and epilogue done by Elvira, an amazing tower of comic genius, horror knowledge and sex appeal (she’s never met a boob joke or a punch line she didn’t like). She’s the voice and attitude of a true California Valley Girl mixed with the face and hair of a rocking Siouxsie Sioux and crossed with the va-va-vavoom and bawdiness of Mae West (younger gen: you may have to Google those references on your phone so I’ll wait for you to do that…ok, welcome back). Now, you could start your Elvira-cation by viewing a number of her old shows on DVD (available in some neat collections) or you can go straight for the main course and watch the self-titled film that really puts the whole package together. Co-written by Petersen and former Groundlings cast mate John Paragon (who also played Pee-Wee Herman’s genie friend Jambi - all Groundlings character creations that sweetly help define the 80s) the film is a laugh riot of campy sass and sexiness and a love letter to some of the great old horror films that Elvira lovingly spoofed every week on her show. It may also be the best television-to-film launch since Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure.

In the film, Elvira is toiling away at her job as a local B-movie hostess at a sad little TV station when she quits due to yet another come-on by a skeezy station manager. This change puts a dent in her dreams of moving on to a big Vegas show as she needs to front $50,000 to produce it. What’s a flat-busted horror gal to do? The answer comes immediately when a telegram arrives informing our gal that she had a great-aunt Morgana who has died and left her something in her will, all she has to do is come to the appropriately named Falwell, Massachusetts to collect what she assumes is a big pay day. Arriving in town and instantly causing a furor with the town prude, Chastity Pariah (the always great Edie McClurg), Elvira and her boobs (really, they should have second and third billing in the film) learn that she hasn’t inherited money at all but instead she’s given her great aunt’s spooky old house, yappy poodle and a precious book of recipes which her creepy uncle Vincent (the great character actor William Morgan Sheppard) seems to be eyeing with suspicious motives. As Elvira tries harder and harder to fit in with the townsfolk while she tries to find a way to unload the house and woo a hapless but hunky movie theater owner in the process, she continually trades barbs with the town elders and inspires the teens who have never seen anything like her. It would be a shame to make a movie about Elvira and not bring in some horror elements so our heroine soon learns that her aunt’s recipe book is really a book of spells, revealing Morgana as a powerful witch and uncle Vincent as a bitter angry warlock who needs the book for the upcoming eclipse to transform him into the Master of the Dark. Will Elvira be able to tap into her own bloodline to save the town from Vincent’s power? Will anyone in Falwell ever give her a break? Will she ever make it to Vegas? And how does she keep those boobs from popping out of her dress?

Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark is easily one of the most quotable comedies ever made and so much of that has to do with Peterson’s performance as Elvira. The actress knows her character so well that it’s impossible to see where one ends and the other begins which allows for such a lived-in ease that every single joke and punch line escapes being a groaner and instead lands with perfection in each take. Whether displaying a comic sexiness with such lines as “My name is Elvira but you can call me…tonight” or giving off some sass (“I didn’t know I had a good aunt much less a great one”) and finding ways to comment on her cleavage as much as possible (one might say it happens too often in the film but I feel it doesn’t happen enough) it’s the comedic script that rings true and secures Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark as required viewing for anyone who wants a fun, campy introduction to one of the world’s greatest icons. In an effort to keep her status alive and well I will someday bring this film to my Watching Hour series at the Denver FilmCenter but it needs to be with the queen herself in-person, so until that can happen I recommend watching this film as often as you can so that it sticks with you as much as one of Elvira’s corsets. That’s saying something.

Keith Garcia
Programming Manager
Denver Film Society