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[jfb]

Feature films at Cinequest are often preceded by a short, and the pairings can be pretty random--maybe they're both good films, or maybe not, but it's hard to see a connection between them. This week has brought two excellent exceptions.

Cog is a five-minute allegory on being stuck in a rut. It acts as an overture to The Works, a thoroughly enjoyable comedy of corporate life, centered on an accountant who attempts to quit. Those who spent high school watching Brazil will find the film's attention to ducts comfortingly familiar, and maybe some other things too. And I want to commend Gordy Haab's score, and Joe W. Anthony's understated comic performance in the lead role.

And last night I saw two movies about underappreciated musicians. Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley tells the story of the singer-songwriter's short life and career. There's a bit too much major label video for me, but friends and fans in interviews tell you how wonderful he was, and they're backed up with enough performance footage that you can see what they mean. The accompanying short is Stranger: Bernie Worrell on Earth, about the keyboard genius behind Parliament Funkadelic and Stop Making Sense-era Talking Heads, most of whom are interviewed (along with Mos Def, Bill Laswell, Dr. Know, and Allman Brothers guitarist Warren Haynes). I loved this pairing because of the way it introduced Buckley fans to Worrell, and vice versa, and the parallels and differences between them.

I recommend all of these films. Their web sites list upcoming screenings, but some of them are flaky, so I'll point out that--in addition to the remaining screenings at Cinequest--Cog will soon play in Sacramento, Newport Beach, and Kansas City; and Stranger is coming to Madison, Thessaloniki, Nashville, and Boston. The other two have nothing listed at the moment, but they will--they're too good not to be seen.

Comments

[artname.livejournal.com]

Well, it starts at midnight. and if you can stand it, yeah, it's worth it. Oh, and pointed out to me by one of the actors in Works: Corey Allen is one of the instructors at the acting school where many of the actors work. He also plays Mr M in The Works. I gather he's part of the heart for many of the people involved with The Works.