jzmurdock

"Superdeep" is a Russian film that harkens back to classic horror and sci-fi, reminiscent of "Alien," "From Beyond," and even the more recent, "The Last of Us" (which was released three years later). I found it enjoyable from that perspective.

The film successfully blends familiar tropes in an entertaining way. It's refreshing to see a film that leverages well-known elements to create a fun viewing experience.

The movie features a mix of English and dubbed dialogue. I appreciated the effort put into the dubbing. Some films today seem to avoid showing mouths perhaps to avoid dubbing issues in mismatched lip movements. I'm so glad studioes are using more skilled voice actors to enhance the overall experience. Rather than just reading the words leaving a viewing experience flat.

Overall, I liked "Superdeep." While it made me chuckle at times, it delivered the fun and occasionally disturbing entertainment I was looking for.

Ethan pinged me the other day to see if I would watch his new documentary about artist, Scooter LaForge.

"Sure, I'd be happy to!" As always.

It took several days to finish my current project and finally get around to viewing his latest film.

A few minutes into the film I remembered why Ethan's one of my favorite documentary filmmakers, realizing I should have put it on sooner.

A "creative" documenting another "creative", an artist making a film about another artist, doesn't have to be the best art documentary you've seen. But in Ethan's case for some reason, it always is. As I've lived in both places, Scooter's life in New York City and his connections to the southwest, resonated with me. His time in San Francisco are also quite interesting, as is his personal history at large.

With Scooter LaForge as his subject, you discover he's one of the greatest artists you've never heard of. Although many have. Especially other artists.

Huffington Post: "I BRAKE FOR SCOOTER LAFORGE." For good reason and I thank them for that.

Here's the esteem I hold Ethan in as a filmmaker. In 2022 I produced a WWI documentary/art film that won a lot of awards around the world.

I can't help now but watch Ethan's film and imagine how much better my film would be, had he also worked on it.

If you like Art, or are striving to be an Artist, one thing you always learn from Ethan's films is there's a lot going on out there you just don't know about.

So if you love Art, if you love Unique Characters, if you love stories told about them in creative and engaging ways? Definitely check out Ethan Minsker's.

"Scooter LaForge, a life of art"!

I have to agree with much of what (but not all) critics said about this film. Yes, many of the things they say are true. However, I also agree with what Hoop posted here about this film. There is a 70s kind of scattered filmmaking feel to it that has appeal in the format of this type of film.

It's one of those films I rate lower than how much I kind of liked it. It's not a brilliant work flawlessly executed, but it has a glisten to it in places, that kind of odd appeal that makes it worth having done it. You see, some projects I feel just had to be done so then we can move on. It's not that it shouldn't ever have been done, but that it allows for an entertaining time and it is merely what it was perhaps meant to be (which I'll leave to the viewer's POV).

I just kept thinking, wondering, while watching it (knowing it was probably slammed by the critics which I know now, it was) that it is going to be one of those films someday, slammed at release and yet rediscovered and rethought later, and more appreciated then perhaps in historical ignorance as happens. But through that objective hindsight kind of way that allows us to, at some point many years later, appreciate the currently appreciable. Cheers!