Jesus H Foxx

From OTBT-TV: The barmy and brilliant Jesus H Foxx first ran into each other in 2007, as a four-piece. While the current count of band members now sits at an unwieldy seven, they've somehow tamed the early ramshackle sound into a glorious racket that manages to stay true to their original scruffbag roots but with added pop goodness. High time we got them in for a session, then.

We meet them all in the reading room at Edinburgh's Bowery, a small room off the basement of what used to be Lady Glenorchy's Parish Church. Lady Glenorchy herself was the daughter of wealthy parents, who married one of 18th century Scotland's wealthiest landowners. After he died, the good Lady went about spannering the inheritance, not on hats, but on chapels, ones that were designed to allow preaching by, and education for, those who could not be accommodated in existing parish church buildings. She built loads, including this one, which originally had a school in it. Given the oddball directions and many layers to the Jesus H Foxx way of doing stuff, we figured that felt about right.

'Matter' closes out both the EP and their live shows, but we ended up with it second here. Very different in tone from much of the rest of their set, it's almost hymnal in parts, with the bare minimum of instrumentation suddenly joined by soaring voices and swooping harmonies.

For the final track, we moved outside to The Pleasance, for the view of Arthur's Seat and for a jumpy, grinning version of 'I'm Half The Man You Were'. The band's love of American acts shines through, and few of their songs sound so like early Pavement as this one. It's not a criticism - after all, if you're going to sound like any band, Pavement is hardly a poor choice, plus it's a very difficult trick to pull off. It lopes along with chirrupping guitars, slacker vocals and moments of pure pop glory - a fine way to round off the day.
 

OTBT #7.2: Jesus H Foxx - "Matter" from Off The Beaten Tracks on Vimeo.

OTBT #7.3: Jesus H Foxx - "I'm Half The Man You Were" from Off The Beaten Tracks on Vimeo.

The Shoe Tree

THE SHOE TREE is an award winning drama shot in Estonia in 2003. Filmed over four days for the Northern Lights Film Festival. The film was inspired by the shoe tree in Armstrong Park, Newcastle. I hope you enjoy the film.

THE SHOE TREE - award winning drama from Ian Cottage on Vimeo.

Dermo Sluchaetsa

A deserting WWII russian soldier. A landmine. This is no ordinary comedy...

Dermo Sluchaetsa - short film from Rob Brown Director on Vimeo.

Open Skies

A short film starring Lara Belmont (Tim Roth's The War Zone). 'Open Skies' premiered at Edinburgh Film Festival and was selected by BBC Film Critic Mark Kermode as 'Best Drama' at BBC Big Screen Awards.

Open Skies - award winning short film from Rob Brown Director on Vimeo.

Keel

A holidaying father and his daughter encounter a girl who is intent on becoming friends, even if it may lead to tragic consequences. KEEL is a story concerning obsession, friendship and a simple act of betrayal.

KEEL premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on the 27th June. In competition for Best British Short Film 2009. Written and directed by Ian Cottage. Shot by Sundance award winning cinematographer Lol Crawley.

KEEL - in competition Best British Short Film EIFF 2009 from Ian Cottage on Vimeo.

A Short Love Story In Stop Motion

A couple of pencil-outlined birds escape from a little girl´s drawing, leading us through the life she dreams of.

A SHORT LOVE STORY IN STOP MOTION from Carlos Lascano on Vimeo.

Piano Man

Piano Man from Andrew Wilding on Vimeo.

Christopher Doyle: BBC Culture Show Interview

Master cinematographer Christopher Doyle gives us an insight into how he works. Expect a full article on Doyle on LSOTL in the coming weeks.

In The Blackout

Love is complicated, especially when two inanimate objects, lost in an underground car park, find each other.

This film tells the unlikely love story between a Victorian Dress and a Mechanic Overall.

The audience witnesses the exploration of the class divides through the first step into a new relationship.

directed by Ian Emma Bonhote & Fernando Del Reginato

music by Soundtree

sound design by Echolab

IN THE BLACKOUT from _del on Vimeo.

Yiyi's Happiness

Yiyi's happiness from ashesoftime on Vimeo.

The Waking Artist: Jacob Mendel

An adaptation of Franz Kafka's "The Hunger Artist" following the cinematic artist that refuses to sleep.

The Waking Artist from Jacob Mendel on Vimeo.

Short Films of Ayz Waraich

White Red Panic
A little thriller about two guys mixed up in the wrong side of life, and the toll it takes on their character and soul.


White Red Panic (HD) from Ayz Waraich on Vimeo.
This Moment
This short screened at SUNDANCE '04 as part of KEVIN SPACEY's Triggerstreet TOP 10. A short film about any given moment and the many things that may be happening in it.

 
This Moment from Ayz Waraich on Vimeo.

David Lynch: Adverts

Following on from Michael Mann's Mercedes commercial below here are a collection of David Lynch adverts. (#1. wacky cigarette advert, #2. PS2 advert and #3 Gucci advert)

Michael Mann 'Lucky Star' Mercedes Advert

Lucky Star was directed by Michael Mann and stared Benicio Del Toro.This two and half minute film was built as a spoof film trailer and was shown in cinemas and TV in the UK in the summer of 2002.

Studio Ghibli - The Miyazaki Temple (In 6 Parts)

A documentary about Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki's films. Includes interviews with Isao Takahata, Toshio Suzuki and other japanese animators and artists. Very interesting and inspiring! 

Click here for our Studio Ghibli features PONYO REVIEW, STUDIO GHIBLI ARTICLE

Xiu Xiu - La Blogotheque

Xiu Xiu improvising, experimenting, in a Parisian flat with a cello player. Lighters, beer cans, anything... A bit like experimental music from Bali...

Swansea Love Story Trailer

Check out the full film on VBStv (Vice) all this month.

Co-directed and produced by Vice UK's editor Andy Capper and Leo Leigh (son of Mike), Swansea Love Story is about the largely unreported heroin epidemic in South Wales. The film is an intimate look at the lives of a gang of young addicts, their families and their surroundings. The film examines how unemployment, the breakdown of the family and the nature of love contribute to the dilemmas faced by a group of young people.

Describing the film Andy Capper said: ‘We wanted to make this film because we were tired of seeing homeless young people being portrayed as little more than statistics. Documentaries about drug use often come out pious and fail to really get to know the people behind the drug usage. We wanted to show what it was like to live with an addiction as realistically as possible.’

Swansea Love Story was shot from Spring to Winter 09 after Andy and Leo made contact with a gang of young addicts through the SANDS drugs agency.

The film follows Amy & Cornelius, Lee and Leanne, Clint, Kristian and Wills around their daily lives as they struggle to get money to buy drugs, alcohol and for places to live. During the course of the film, characters get clean and relapse. They fall in and out of love. We meet their families and drugs workers. We meet their dealers. We meet members of Swansea's mining and docker community who tell us how the city has changed. In place of industry there’s myriad bars, strip joints and cheap booze outlets. Racial tension often spills over into public protest and violence.

Pringle Of Scotland - Tilda Swinton/Ryan McGinley Film

Not Squares: Asylum

Not Squares - Asylum from Bright Stem on Vimeo.