< video >
NOVEL AMUSEMENTS #3
($5.00 ppd from Jim Munroe / 10 Trellanock Ave. / Toronto, ON / M1C 5B5 / CANADA. Web:
www.novelamusements.org)
We don't currently have cable tv in our house and one of the benefits/downsides to living in the country is that we only have three local channels to choose from (on which there's rarely anything worth watching). So tonight I watched the 16 short films and animations that comprise this edition of
Novel Amusements. And, as with the previous one, I really enjoyed it.
My favorite piece is "My Trip to Liberty City" by editor Jim Munroe. It's sort of a travelogue that utilizes footage from the
Grand Theft Auto computer game. It's narrated in a deadpan style that amuses me greatly and I enjoyed the tour of the game's environment. Clearly, absurdity goes a long way with me. Others I like quite a lot include Amy Lockhart's "Walk for Walk" featuring creepy animated characters (that voice!) drawn with a very Fort Thunder sort of aesthetic (Marc Bell's Paul character makes an appearance, too); Susan Bustos' "Beverly Dolls", a goofy animation starring
Beverly Hills 90210 paper dolls; "Hoodies" by Sandy Plotnikoff, which is just an odd video collage of this guy with an endless supply of hoodies in a variety of amusing and striking photographs; and "Salsa Crisis" by Patricio Davila, an interesting look at gender roles, salsa dancing and how they relate to one another.
I don't remember if I said this the last time I reviewed
Novel Amusements, but it's a bit like a video version of the radio show
This American Life, only a little edgier maybe. It's essentially a collection of stories and performance art that serves to remind us (well, me) that life is what we make of it. Recommended.
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