X Movies
- 2007
- NR
To countless avant-garde novelists, filmmakers, and playwrights, publisher Barney Rosset -- proprietor of the legendary Grove Press -- qualifies as an undisputed hero. Via scores of in-court legal battles, Rosset fought aggressively and valiantly to defend the release of works as varied as William S. Burroughs' novel Naked Lunch, Henry Miller's novel Tropic of Cancer, and Vilgot Sjöman's classic arthouse film I Am Curious (Yellow). As co-directed by Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O'Connor, the documentary Obscene builds a case not only for the idea that Rosset was utterly indispensable in the battle for freedom of speech that descended on America in the late '60s and early '70s, but that he deserves hearty praise for championing works that pushed accepted moral standards into theretofore unacceptable territory. Via a combination of extensive archival footage and interviews, Obscene traces Rosset's professional and personal life, beginning with his early years at the Parker School and Swarthmore through his involvement in the armed forces and his presence in the Manhattan avant-garde with wife Joan Mitchell during the late '40s and early '50s. The film places heaviest emphasis on (and devotes most of its screen time to) Rosset's censorship battles for various works during the mid- to late '60s, before moving into an exploration of his troubled subsequent years that were marked by financial difficulty, violent attacks from disapproving groups, government surveillance, and a host of other complications. Interviewees include Rosset, Al Goldstein, John Waters, Gore Vidal, John Sayles, and Ray Manzarek. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barney Rosset, Amiri Baraka, (more)
- 2005
- Add Usher: Rhythm City, Vol. 1 - Caught Up to QueueAdd Usher: Rhythm City, Vol. 1 - Caught Up to top of Queue
R&B superstar Usher shows off his sexy and soulful style in this home-video release. Usher: Rhythm City, Vol. 1 -- Caught Up features a 30-minute short film which expands on Usher's video for the song "Caught Up," as well as a behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the movie. Also included is the original "Caught Up" video and clips for the songs "Yeah," "Confessions," "Caught Up," "Burn," and more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Usher
Since their inception in the late '70s X has built a reputation as the quintessential L.A. punk band. If you've seen them in concert, than you already know of their legendary ability to blow the roof off the joint and get an audience on their feet. Now take home one of the band's thundering live performances with this concert recorded live in their hometown in November 2004. Songs include "We're Desperate," "Blue Spark," "Johny Hit and Run Pauline," and more. With a full set including two unforgettable encores, this is the concert video that X fans have been waiting for. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- X
X was one of the finest and most widely acclaimed American rock bands of the 1980s. Rising out of the Los Angeles punk rock scene, X merged punk, rockabilly, blues, and country flavors into a revved-up sound that at once celebrated and deconstructed American pop culture, and the group's lyrics -- written by singer Exene Cervenka and bassist/vocalist John Doe -- used beat-influenced poetry to examine life along the margins in one of America's most privileged cities. X became a major draw in their hometown, and their first two independently released albums, Los Angeles and Wild Gift, each managed the then-remarkable feat of selling over 50,000 copies each. However, as the group's popularity steadily grew and they began to expand the boundaries of the underground music community, the band found themselves faced with the question of how to bring their sound to the mass audience without compromising their music (or their principles) in the process. The Unheard Music is a documentary that combines live footage of the band and interviews with the four members (as well as their friends and families) with surreal music videos and montages of newsreel footage and vintage television commercials which help to illustrate X's uphill struggle against the music industry. The year The Unheard Music was released, guitarist and founding member Billy Zoom left the band, and X soldiered on with guitarist Tony Gilkyson before calling it a day in 1988. However, the group briefly reunited with Gilkyson in 1993, recording two albums (one studio, one live), and in 1998, Billy Zoom made his long-awaited return to X's lineup for a series of enthusiastically received live dates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Exene Cervenka
- 1981
- R
This music documentary presents 30 different performances nonstop, featuring both well-known and lesser-known bands with names that sound like they were picked at random from words thrown into a salad bowl and then mixed at high speed: Pere Ubu, XTC, Wall of Voodoo, Oingo Boingo, Steel Pulse, Surf Punks, 999, UB40, Echo and the Bunnymen, and so forth. The sounds recorded on this documentary are as varied as the names of the bands, and so there is something for everyone here -- at least, everyone enthralled by music as boisterous and eccentric (in some cases) as the nomenclature of the groups themselves. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- The Police
