#CinemaFile

Absolutely awesome. Yeah, I'll tell you, just complete, complete transparency for some reason I had in my head that you look like Ed McMahon, like this documentary had to be made by a billionaire bro. I am so shocked. I'm shocked to see this youthful dude in front of me. That maybe the best compliment I've ever done in my life. The idea that I might be Ed man even now listening to the Parker Edison Project. Good morning. Welcome to the Parker Edison Project, where we look at the culture and what really makes America great. I am gigged for this episode. The title is #CinemaFile. I've been using the hashtag for over ten years to describe my movie opinions and reviews. Look it up, see what you find. One third of my life is movies. At age eight, I saw the movie Purple Rain at the Century Twin Theater on Oklahoma Boulevard in San Diego, a split most of my preteen weekends between there and the Vogue Theater in Chula Vista. I stole my walk from Prince and Axel Foley taught me how to talk to people I saw Friday on a Sunday back to Back With Bad Boys. But my all time favorite director is New York Spike Lee. In twenty nineteen, I did a lecture series at San Diego State University called New Cinema Classics, where we examine movies released post-2000 and broke down their impact on pop culture. I dedicated a whole section, Spike's catalog because there's so many layers to what he does. He's a master craftsman. For instance, his 1989 masterpiece Do the Right Thing, has a scene where character Radio Raheem gives a moving talk in the middle of the street about love and hate. Hate. It was with this hand Cain iced his brother. Love. These five fingers. They go straight to the soul, the writing and the love. The story of life is this. Real cinephiles will recognize a very similar moment with Robert Mitchum in his 1955 film Night of the Hunter. You're staring at my finger just like me, to take the little story of right hand. Left hand. The story of good and evil Hate, it was with this left hand that little brother came struck the blow that laid his brother. L o v e you see these fingers, their hearts, these fingers has veins that run straight to the soul of man. Do the right thing is ahead of its time in every way. It portrayed a riot from racial tensions three years before the Rodney King incidents in L.A., the despicably brutal murder of its Radio Raheem predates the killing of New York's Eric Garner by twenty five years. But its accuracy and similarities are flat out eerie. Is it art imitating life or life imitating art? Remember in twenty sixteen, when athlete now political activist Colin Kaepernick took the moment to kneel during the national anthem in protest of police brutality and systemic oppression? Remember when genius director John Singleton depicted this exact scenario in 1995 as higher learning? Hey, why are you going to a school? Well, because that's what they say you need to do to make it in the country, what's making you have football games? Thousands of people, all of them white American flags right above your head, about to play the national anthem. All these people turn around and look you, dead in yo eyes, what do you do? Yeah, a movie is the closest we can get to reading another person's mind. It lets you see what people think, how it sounds, looks and probably felt to them. So I'm introduce you to a couple of local directors. Let's get into it. I'm speaking with author, musician and now director Ben Johnson. Ben, how are you? I'm doing well. Parker, how are you doing? Not bad. Not bad. I'm talking to you because you made a movie and it's a really big deal. You just shoot something in your backyard and show it to people in your phone. You had screenings and I wasn't able to get tickets, but my understanding the drive in was packed. What is fanboy about? Fan Boy is a rock and roll thriller that follows a band called Xenos on tour and the obsessive super fan that follows them around. And then their relationship gets very uncomfortable and weird and then the police get involved and try to track down a band on tour. So how did the police track down a band on tour? You know Wild. Interesting. How did that come about? I was in the middle of my third book, but I put that on hold and I just hammered out this script because you strike while the iron is hot. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. And I just wrote it out, went over it like four or five times, edited it up, edited it up. So we started casting and ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba. Five years later I got it into the drive in and yeah I mean I've benefited from the pandemic. I'm not going to lie because there was nothing else to do at all. When the tickets went on sale, the first one sold out in like four hours, the first screenings, one hundred and eighty cars. So like that's the you know that was like wow. One hundred eighty cars. So that one sells out, another screen sells out. Then I like talk to the guy on the drive and CEO guys like hey man this sold out in minutes. Like how about the same night. I know you don't want to give me another night. You don't want me to have the same night. We do two more screenings bam like that. Five five screens total love being like fifteen hundred people seeing this thing, you know at the, at the drive in like some 700 over seven hundred cars. You have socal rap producer Milky Wayne in there and he's also a contributor to the soundtrack. Do you know how that came about. Wayne was great, you know, and I wish I could have had him in a larger part. It came about because I met him a long, long, long time ago. And we used to sling sandwiches and smoothies together. Well, he was slinging beats and I was just making my first bands were his resume is is incredible. Matter of fact, Ay, this is Milky Wayne. Check out my new record, Cerwin Vega. On Apple Music and everywhere streaming. I haven't seen it yet and I know some of my listeners are going to want to. How can we see fanboy? It is on Amazon Prime and you can go there fanboy the movie dot com and that has a link that takes you right to the watch link. We'll watch it tonight. Thanks a lot, Ben Johnson. Thank you. Ben Johnson just gave us a quick rundown on how his DIY thriller FanBoy came about. Next, I called up documentarian Bill Perrine, his 2014 project, It's Going to Blow examines what happened when San Diego's rock scene started to get attention from the major rock labels. I'm on the scene. I saw Bill's movie in real time. It's been a minute since I spoke with them. Here's some of our conversation. We're talking about your documentary. It's going to blow. Where does the title come from? It mostly comes from a Truman Waters song called 'The aroma of Gina Arnold'. It was basically Trumans Waters kind of rant about this local critic named Gina Arnold, who sort of a cheerleader of alternative culture and grunge and that sort of thing. What inspired you to make this documentary? So it's not really like one particular thing that that inspired me. It wasn't like a flash of inspiration or anything like that. It was more a feeling of why hasn't somebody done this already? But a lot of times things you you do are because you wish somebody else would do them for you and you get tired of waiting for somebody to do it, you know what I mean? So the chorus of that song is The Plastic Culture Sucks and it's going to blow, and I thought that was just a great encapsulation of the spirit that a lot of these fans have. What's the hardest part of making a movie? All of it. It's all terrible. And I recommend nobody do it going get pretentious, keeping their vision intact, like what you really want the movie to be about while also allowing the movie to kind of grow organically and become becomes something else that needs to go in with their own ideas. And sometimes those things need to be altered and you have to kind of figure out how to let it alter without the going off the rails. Bill, how does someone get an interview with Henry Rollins? Well, I didn't get an interview with Henry Rollins. I think you're misremembering. I got an interview with the guy from Fugazi. My efforts to get an interview with Henry Rollins went nowhere, although I did talk to him, emailed back and forth. But he basically only offered the nicest sort of Henry Rollins way. Was there any was there any scene or story that you heard or recorded that didn't make the movie? I'll tell you one that I really regret didn't make the movie. And that was a guy named Gary Warren who was in a band called Carp based out of Denver went on tour with Truman Waters and Beck right when Beck when that was just starting to attract a huge audience. And sure enough, Jared had this very funny stories about, if I remember right, people would talk all the way through the carp set. They would talk all the way through Truman. He said Beck would come theyd talk through his set and dance to 'loser'. Then they start dancing around, put their hands up in the air, then they would leave. But it just didn't fit in the movies. For the first two people hit me with a tweet on Twitter about Bill Perrine and his documentary, It's Gonna Blow. I'll send them a copy of the bluray. But for those people who don't do that in time, where can people watch it? If they go to my website, which is Billingsgate dot org, also a link to my online story. But it's also it's out there. I don't know, it's on prime video. It's wherever you buy movies and it's on there somewhere. Thank you so much for taking the time. I would be remiss if I did not mention the part escapism plays in the movie going experience, it's a well known fact that people watch familiar movies on repeat to create a feeling of stability. Even the films I've mentioned here may speak to my subliminal longing for the normalcy of life before the pandemic. I say normalcy with air quotes, but you can't see that. I don't know who's to say, in any case, if you're looking for some good places to get away. Let me suggest these Aviator, Sid and Nancy, Mo, better blues, Paid in Full, Miyazaki Spirited Away and Tampopo. That's just my list. And we'll get you a couple more fire suggestions from my guy. King Dice in an episode of MSMM. You stay tuned. You will no longer live in Canada and Jack. Hello, this is Maya from Maya Kookie, San Diego. We are America's number one black army Degan Cookie Company. You can check us out on our social media and Misaki, San Diego. I love you. I think I always will. Even now, I'm reeling from the effect that you have on the rest of my life. I'm different now. As badly as I want to feel the heat between us, I know exactly how this is going to end now streaming it platform collection Dotcom is the new film Short Run. Rick, a who's who of San Diego Talent, brought to you by the good people at platform collection. I am your guest host, King Dice, social commentator, musician and connoisseur of fine cheeseburgers. This is movies millennials should movie where not only do we hip the Millennials, Gen Sears and baby boomers alike to movies they should watch, but we also made a movie, a verb, going to have our guests introduce themselves. Antoinette Genevieve Hi, I'm Antoinette Genevieve Williams. So I am a writer and curator and independent art dealer. dj gargar And I am D.J. GarGar. I am a DJ/producer. King Dice Nice. Good to have you guys here. The movie I have for you is backstage. Came out in the year two thousand. It chronicles nineteen ninety nine Hard Knock Life Tour. It features a bunch of Def Jam artists. Jay-Z, Method Man, Redman I think are rules in there for me. I love that movie growing up as a as a young aspiring musician because it was for me my first insight into what your life was like. I thought it looked amazing. Antoinette Williams, I like to say your whole name. It's a mouthful. What movie do you have for us? Antoinette Genevieve I selected "Boondock Saints". It was a weird movie that has so many different elements. And I think the music really added to the intensity of the movie. King Dice So I think that's the first time I saw, at least for me, Norman Reedus, who many people may know from The Walking Dead. That's a great movie. I love them. dj gargar D.J. GarGar, my pick is Breakin and BeatStreet. King Dice Oh, let's go. I think they're from like eighty three four. But I think I and was like. I was six eighty five, but that was my first for those movies were my first time diet and hip hop, and it got me breakdancing at like 90 to eighth grade or pulling out the cardboard and time that the battle and be sure you must have watched hundreds of times. And then the scene with turbo sweeping in the front of the liquor store. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's what I must watch sometimes, too. Speaker 2 So definitely too much evidence with any kind of music in them. Speaker 4 Those are great movies. I definitely remember some of my favorite scenes from that movie. So for my movie, I'm going to give back stage four and a half a boomboxes. This is a record breaking the first time I've given a half emoji to any movie, four and a half boomboxes for backstage. Definitely movie you should watch if you are an aspiring musician. Speaker 2 So thinking long and hard about my emotions because it's a weird movie and I think it have to be like the scary screaming emoji and maybe one or two inches. And it's it's a very intense I haven't watched it recently, so I might be a little off with my emotions, but I feel like that's pretty on point for the brand. Speaker 1 Gar?. I'm going to give my duo five. Either other dancing emojis that are there are dancing emojis. Speaker 1 And that is the one the one that's like a salsa dancing with the red dress. That's what I can do. So I give my movies five of those that red dress. Speaker 4 I thought for sure you were going with brooms. So these emojis are going to mean so much more after you've seen these films. But I digress. Anthony Williams and D.J. GarGar, please tell the people where they can find you and so you can find me at all. That's an eight seven with my middle name and long. I also run an online art gallery and you can check that out of there and you can find me Google, Instagram, Twitter page, GarGar I would be remiss if I did not mention the part escapism plays in the movie going experience. It’s a well-known fact that people watch familiar movies on repeat to create a feeling of stability. Bc we know how it will end we comfortably watch reruns of sitcom’s for a 30min vacation . Even the films I’ve mentioned here may speak to my subliminal longing for the ‘normalcy’ of life before the pandemic. Who’s to say. In any case if you’re looking for some good places to get away can I suggest watching the movies Aviator. Sid and Nancy. Mi better blues. Paid in full Miyazakis spirited away tampopo Like you heard me say during bills Perines interview the first two people to comment or message me on Twitter will receive a copy of his rock documentary it’s going to blow. I got three. I’m Keeping one for myself to add to my collection. Lets close out by hearing from a young artist with his own connection to cinema. His “Devil in a Daydream” virtual tour created a presentation that communicates on so many levels. the performances he put on as a part of his “Devil in a Daydream” virtual tour was intimately special. If Ben Johnson creates what he thinks and Bill perrine documents what he seen… My next guest let’s see what inspires him Good afternoon, sir. Who are you and what city are you in? I'm Mobily and I am in Austin, Texas. Nice, of course. This year's live show season is like no other in history, but you've been doing something really interesting. Can you tell me about your recent digital tour? I did a virtual tour earlier this spring where I went around central southern Texas area and shot a bunch of unconventional shows and unconventional spaces, the rooftop of a hotel out in the hill country. Speaker 5 We went down to the Gulf of Mexico and shot a set walking along the Gulf of Mexico at sunrise. The new MLS stadium that was just built here sold access to those tickets, live streams. Those proceeds went to help out the venues, but also to help out a really good charity here in Austin called The Dollar Fund that provides direct aid for people of color who work in the service industry, in the arts health care plot that I haven't I haven't I haven't heard of that type of connection between the live show and just supporting people at a grassroots level. Speaker 5 I don't think this episode is about movies. And I want to know, did you pull any inspiration from any specific films or video? There's film influences all over it. One of the one of the tracks is called Lost Boys, which is a direct allusion to the film because I wanted to play with the idea of vampires on that track. A lot of the headspace that I was trying to occupy and score across the record was really strongly inspired by the influence of visual media and in particular film. Speaker 5 It's really all over the record. What's the movie everyone should watch, the last movie that I really, really enjoyed and like, I need to watch this kind of way with knives out. I haven't seen it yet. Oh, yeah, yeah, yes. That's a good movie. That's a dope suggestion. Speaker 1 I'm a go look that up. Speaker 5 And also, I really dig number five off the album. Would you do me a favor and just introduce it for the listeners? Yeah, absolutely. That that's called me. I actually wrote that song for my wife first. I wrote for my wife and we live together, so it's really hard to surprise her with music. So I came up with like two or three hours worth of areas that we needed done. And I was like, oh, can you go do this? Speaker 5 I have to work on some stuff here. And so while she was gone, I just rushed to record everything. And basically what you hear on the record I recorded in that two, three hours back. And then when she got back, I played it for and she loved it. So I put it on the record and hopefully I'll like it. I'm Moberly and I'm from Austin, Texas. UU The strange thing about you, I tried to stop and first. And like, is something lurking in my. I don't believe I can I get. Against. She's. David. To this body and Anderson. But I don't ever want to leave this room. Can you give this making? Was. See? She gets. To be clear that she drowned in. They say. So. Shane. The show. Well. Thanks for stopping in, Parker Edison Project has produced and hosted by yours truly Parker Edison and the Good People at Platform Collection. Be sure to subscribe and catch the next episode on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts if you have any comments or questions. Visit the Parker Edison Project Dotcom or hit us on Instagram at the project. My guy Kurt Koenen is audio production manager. Kinsee Morlan is my favorite podcast coordinator. Lisa Jane Morrissette is operations manager and John Decker is Associate General Manager for Content. This programing is made possible in part by the KPBS's Explore Content Fun Love saying that because it reminds me of Sesame Street, you'll stay safe out there. (Credits)