Lou Reed Movies

Few figures from Andy Warhol's retinue of 1960s "superstars" burned a more indelible image than Joe Dallesandro. After years of being shuttled in and out of foster homes and juvenile detention facilities, Dallesandro was 15 when he began working as a nude model for the Athletic Model Guild, a photo agency who supplied material to a number of gay-oriented magazines, and at 17 he happened to meet Andy Warhol, who had become a highly visible in the underground film movement. Dallesandro became part of Warhol's stock company, and the camera clearly loved his emotionally blank tough-guy image and muscular body; when Warhol turned producer and Paul Morrissey became director of the Factory's cinematic output, Dallesandro was promoted to leading man and starred in Heat, Trash, Flesh for Frankenstein and Blood for Dracula. In time, Dallesandro moved on from the Warhol films, starring in a string of successful genre pictures in Europe, working with such filmmakers as Francis Ford Coppola Steven Soderbergh and John Waters, and guest starring on a number of top-rated television shows, including Miami Vice, Wiseguy and Matlock. Joe Dallesandro tells his own story of his life and career in the documentary Little Joe, which was co-produced by Dallesandro and directed by his daughter, Nicole Haeusser. Little Joe was an official selection at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival, where Dallesandro received a special Teddy Award for his work and its impact on underground filmmaking and gay cinema. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Few musical archivists have worked as tirelessly to preserve American folk music as Harry Smith, and with this documentary filmmaker Rani Singh offers an illuminating look at the lasting impact of Smith's landmark release Anthology of American Folk Music. Originally released as a compilation of 78rpm records and later expanded to an impressive Folkway Records release in 1952, Anthology of American Folk Music was a key factor in the urban folk music revival of the 1960s. Recognizing the importance of both these recordings and Smith's remarkable legacy, Singh conducts interviews with a variety of musicians including Beck, Elvis Costello, Phillip Glass, Sonic Youth, Beth Orton, David Johansen, and Smith himself in order to explore just how this release continues to impact the American music scene to this very day. On the heels of the Anthology of American Folk Music CD release in 1997, Hal Willner's "Harry Smith Concerts" celebrated the archivist's idiosyncratic vision on stage with notable contributions by such performers as Nick Cave and Lou Reed. With this film fans can not only see remarkable clips of those performances, but gain unprecedented insight into the mind of the man who never stopped working to preserve the music that spoke to his soul. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The concert film Lou Reed: Spanish Fly -- Live in Spain captures an August 7, 2004 show by the legendary former frontman of The Velvet Underground. The 11 song setlist touches upon almost every phase of his lengthy career and includes such favorites as "Walk on the Wild Side," "The Blue Mask," "Venus in Furs," "Satellite of Love," "Romeo Had Juliette," and "Sweet Jane." ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Two eras in the career of one of America's great rock poets are represented in this concert video. Lou Reed: Live! features Reed performing seven songs at New York City's Bottom Line club in 1983, with the former Velvet Underground founder joined by guitarist Robert Quine, bassist Fernando Saunders and drummer Fred Maher. Also included are seven selections recorded during a 2004 festival appearance in Benicassim, Spain, with Reed joined on stage by Mike Rathke on guitar, Jane Scarpantoni on cello, Tony "Thunder" Smith on drums and Mr. Saunders on bass. Selections include "Walk On The Wild Side", "Sweet Jane", "Perfect Day", "Satellite Of Love", "The Blue Mask" and more. The material on Lou Reed: Live! was previously released on the concert videos A Night With Lou Reed and Lou Reed: Spanish Fly -- Live In Spain. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

For his sophomore feature film effort, visual artist Julian Schnabel chronicles the life of one of Cuba's most charismatic literary voices, the late Reinaldo Arenas. Working with Arenas' friends and family, Schnabel recounts the author's impoverished rural upbringing and the intense love and support he receives from his mother (played by the director's wife, Olatz Lopez Garmendia). As a young man, Arenas (Javier Bardem) is singled out by his teachers and encouraged to further his skills as a writer -- no easy task, considering the Castro regime's censorship of any work considered to be subversive or anti-authoritarian. Still, the author manages to smuggle his work out of the country through friends, who arrange for one of his novels to be published in France. Not only persecuted for his creative beliefs, the openly gay Arenas is jailed on a bogus sex charge; he escapes internment only to be captured and persecuted later for his contraband dispatches. In 1980, Arenas is finally allowed to leave Cuba for the United States, where he achieves freedom of expression but not prosperity. Schnabel's first film was another portrait of an artist, 1996's Basquiat; Bardem made his name in several of director Pedro Almodovar's Spanish-language productions. Before Night Falls premiered at the 2000 Venice Film Festival, where it received the Best Actor and Grand Special Jury prizes, and made its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. Bardem would go on to receive a host of accolades, including an eventual Best Actor nomination at the 2001 Academy Awards. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Magicians Penn & Teller host this 16-episode Vegas variety series with a salmagundi of sleight of hand, showgirls, card tricks, music, acrobat acts, rock tunes, and an assortment of illusions, including off-color "sex-magic" and their creepy rats-in-the-cage bit. Guests for the debut hour included actor Rob Schneider, Drew Carey, and Lou Reed. Loaded with sleight of hand, the series kicked off August 10, 1998 on the FX network. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

This German documentary offers a tragic profile of the notorious "death angel," Nico. Long after her death in 1988, the German model and entertainer has remained a darkly mysterious cult figure. She was born Christa Paffgen in Cologne and took her professional name from photographer Nico Papatakis. She began modeling in the early '50s, and this led to a brief appearance in Fellini's classic La Dolce Vita. Though Nico was blessed with the rare combination of beauty and intelligence, she was depressive and utterly lacking in ambition; she spent much of her life simply drifting about through various film and commercial appearances until she met artist Andy Warhol. He introduced her to the band the Velvet Underground, which resulted in the tone-deaf beauty occasionally singing with them -- much to the discomfiture of the band members; she became addicted to heroin and eventually could no longer disguise its effects. Nico went on to become a solo act until her death as the result of a brain hemorrhage. Nico -- Icon includes film clips, commercial clips, archival photos, songs, and interviews with those who knew her, including members of the Velvet Underground, Paul Morrissey, ex-Factory members Viva and Billy Name, songwriter Jackson Browne, and avant-garde filmmaker Jonas Mekas. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide