Public Domain Drive-In: THE SHADOW STRIKES

So you're probably wondering where I've been.... ...well, busy. Mostly, freelance work - a surprise assignment around the holidays led to further work. Plus, with current client and the search for other clients, my time's been at a premium.

Thankfully, my life is starting to fall into a slightly more orderly rhythm - one of my extracurricular activities has been limited in scope, and I will be leaving another one within the next few months. (It's not Chicago TARDIS, so don't worry on that end). But it does mean dedicating myself to not burning the candle at both ends.

In that spirit, and as an apology, here's The Shadow Strikes. Yes, it's a film version of that Shadow. But it's also not quite that Shadow. Hoping that, by posting this, the Internet is torn in half. Enjoy!

Sharing Secrets: COLOR ME OBSESSED

One of the qualities many great bands have is that talking about them is like sharing a secret - finding a hidden treasure that many people know, but yet somehow feels very exclusive. The sharing of stories about a band - and its impact - can often be a very powerful tool in driving how people react - and love - certain kinds of music.

Much like Jim Walsh's All Over But The Shouting, the documentary Color Me Obsessed focuses on the music of the Replacements, but told through stories of fans, participants, and various other observers. Remarkably, the great thing about the film is that it avoids using the band's very music - cleverly keeping it low budget (licensing their tunes might have cost a fortune), but adding an additional layer to their appeal. As someone who loves the Replacements, I found this movie endlessly entertaining....and fascinating. It's not only about a favorite subject, but is easily one of my favorite documentaries.

Although available on DVD, noisey is streaming the film on YouTube for a limited time. Watch this. Now.

Messing Up the Messiah: A Look at HOLY FLYING CIRCUS

I have to admit, I often love the occasional "docu-drama". You know, the kind of TV movie that takes elements of the truth, whips them up into a nice, frothy fictional fondue, and entertains and educates?

Recently, I caught the soon-to-be-released-in-September version of Holy Flying Circus, a 2011 BBC television movie that dramatizes the controversy around their 1979 movie Life of Brian....and I have to say, this is a must-watch, on every level.

One of the best things about this movie is the acting - all of the actors (aside from Phil Nichols as Terry Gilliam) are dead-on in their portrayals. Thankfully, the movie uses Michael Palin (Charles Edwards) as the "audience identification" character, providing the movie a solid emotional core.

In fact, one of the nice things about the movie is that it takes a very Pythonesque approach to the material - it knows it's a dramatization, and plays with it. Please allow me to post two clips to demonstrate much better than I can describe:



In short, a masterpiece. It's supposed to come to Blu-Ray in September; hopefully, a DVD release will also be immanent. But quite easily, this is one of the best pieces of television ever made.

Track this down. You'll thank me later.