What I Thought!: Avant-Garde Cinema Night

When we first got the handouts about the AVG Cinema Night, I really didn't know what to expect. I figured there'd be some films that somehow we'd all agree on and really didn't expect much of a turnout. As it... turned out, it was the complete opposite and I was thoroughly happy of the final results, especially the Explosion de la Cinema.

My favorites were Uso Gusto and Light is Waiting. I'd seen most of Uso Gusto online but seeing it with a crowd on the big screen was a completely different experience. The trip sequence, which I somehow hadn't seen, was definitely my favorite part as I love when films just freak out and have acid trips onscreen. All films should be required to have one tripped out sequence. Which brings me to Light is Waiting: totally not what I expected but still awesome. I went into it thinking that it'd be more comical and visual based, but really it was so much more. I really dug how it started like an average episode of Full House until the TV smashed, and then it was like the film was being shown on that smashed TV. Completely awesome. It was hard to focus on the images while looking at the horrified expressions on some of the older audience members' faces, especially the guy in front shielding his face from the screen. Excellent! I almost want to watch it with 3-D glasses because of all the pulsating red and blue light. Definitely a cool choice, whoever chose that...

What I thought didn't work as well was David Gatten's What the Water Said. I was expecting more than his other work I'd see before, but I didn't get that. The images were cool, I'll admit, but with the scratched soundtrack, it just got annoying quick much like his Dividing Line stuff. Does he actually make “films” worthy of viewing? I just don’t see what’s so great about his work.

And of course, I liked the Live Cinema Explosion. The mashing up of different sounds and images everywhere was very chaotic but somehow soothing when it was all happening. I've looked at my footage of it and it really doesn't do it justice, but I think my friends that starred on the screen will get a kick out of it.

And that, folks, is... What I Thought!TM