362 Border Radio

Discuss releases by Criterion and the films on them. Threads may contain spoilers!
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Napoleon
Joined: Wed Nov 03, 2004 6:55 am

#26 Post by Napoleon » Wed May 17, 2006 11:13 am

rwaits wrote:Do you actually take IMDB's scores into any kind of consideration??
Yes. They are my gospel.

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gubbelsj
Joined: Fri Apr 14, 2006 2:44 pm
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#27 Post by gubbelsj » Thu May 18, 2006 7:53 pm

Jeez - I leave town for a few days, and we get a new web design, new logo and Border Radio as coming soon. While it's no masterpiece, it has quite a healthy cult fan base and is thought of fondly in SoCal. It's fun to watch all the familiar punk icons pop up. Certainly as significant a contribution to a burgeoning indie scene as Jubilee, which I realize isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. A nice surprise, if rather unlikely. Now how about Heavy Metal Parking Lot?

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miless
Joined: Sat Apr 01, 2006 9:45 pm

#28 Post by miless » Thu May 18, 2006 8:26 pm

gubbelsj wrote:Jeez - I leave town for a few days, and we get a new web design, new logo and Border Radio as coming soon. While it's no masterpiece, it has quite a healthy cult fan base and is thought of fondly in SoCal. It's fun to watch all the familiar punk icons pop up. Certainly as significant a contribution to a burgeoning indie scene as Jubilee, which I realize isn't exactly a ringing endorsement. A nice surprise, if rather unlikely. Now how about Heavy Metal Parking Lot?
Or the "Decline of Western Civilization" series... that'd be great

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Buttery Jeb
Just in it for the game.
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#29 Post by Buttery Jeb » Thu May 18, 2006 10:10 pm

gubbelsj wrote: Now how about Heavy Metal Parking Lot?
I got a copy of the official "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" DVD as an early birthday gift a few months back. That disc manages to cover every imaginable base, and then some. The interviews with "Parking Lot" alumni (including Zebraman!) alone makes it worth tracking down.

Put me down as another customer hoping for a Criterion "Decline of Western Civilization" boxset, though.

-BJ

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Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

#30 Post by Matt » Tue Oct 17, 2006 1:55 pm

Border Radio

New, restored high-definition digital transfer supervised and approved by director of photography Dean Lent and codirector Kurt Voss

Two audio commentaries: one with codirectors Allison Anders and Voss, and one with actors Luanna Anders, Dave Alvin, Chris D., John Doe, and Chris Shearer

The Making of "Border Radio", a 2002 documentary featuring interviews with Anders, Lent, Voss, Doe, and Chris D.

Nine deleted scenes

Music video of the Flesh Eaters' "The Wedding Dice"

Stills gallery featuring rare behind-the-scenes photos

Theatrical trailer and radio spot

Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

PLUS: New essays by music journalist and critic Chris Morris

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colinr0380
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 4:30 pm
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#31 Post by colinr0380 » Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:12 pm

I'll go against the tide and say that while I haven't seen the film it sounds very interesting. Sure a release of Gas, Food, Lodging would be great but since there are rights issues and from a more selfish point of view since I'm pretty happy with my VHS recording of Gas, Food at the moment I'm more interested in seeing a film I hadn't previously had the opportunity to see.

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jbeall
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#32 Post by jbeall » Tue Oct 17, 2006 8:36 pm

Napoleon wrote:
rwaits wrote:Do you actually take IMDB's scores into any kind of consideration??
Yes. They are my gospel.
I prefer amazon.com's scores. That's why I bought Silent Hill!!

(Not really, but that's a movie with good ratings that suh-diddly-ucked!!!)

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Gigi M.
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#33 Post by Gigi M. » Sat Dec 30, 2006 8:21 pm


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pemmican
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#34 Post by pemmican » Sun Dec 31, 2006 6:14 am

Am I the only person on the forum who has actually seen this film?

To first pause and praise the Flesheaters: the only time I could ever have gotten to see them play in Vancouver, back in the early 90's at the charmingly-named Cruel Elephant, they had to cancel their west coast tour so Chris D. could go to Japan and research a book on yakuza movies he was writing. Nuts. He's done commentaries on a few of those, since - see Sex and Fury, for instance. He also used to do film reviews for Forced Exposure - he's a cinephile, jus' like us. The Flesheaters were a great LA punk band, offering Chris' truly unique, yelping howl of a voice, and lyrics blending cult and b-movie references (cf. titles like "Eyes without a Face," "Tomorrow Never Comes," or, uh, the name of the band) with passionate declamations of teen angst and romance - the music of a True Believer, with pulp in his blood. He's a helluva songwriter and y'all should check out the Flesheaters' HARD ROAD TO FOLLOW (their best) or NO QUESTIONS ASKED, say. Or A MINUTE TO PRAY A SECOND TO DIE, or FOREVER CAME TODAY if you have vinyl, or if you can find it used, GREATEST HITS DESTROYED BY FIRE, or PREHISTORIC FITS VOL. 2. All have great moments.

You should not bother with this movie. Or, well, like the guy in the review says, Rent It. Being a huge Flesheaters fan, I wanted to see this for years. I tracked it down on VHS when I was living in Japan in 1999; I actually bought it, then resold it after one viewing. It was NOT one of the films I brought back. I found it meandering and kinda silly, and don't remember a single moment in it with any degree of clarity (though I do recall the Flesheaters "Wedding Dice" was used in the soundtrack, and I might rent the DVD just to see the video of it). It's ALWAYS fun seeing punks act - but the film is minor indeed.

Actually, I thought GAS FOOD LODGING was pretty forgettable, too.

P.

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Galen Young
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#35 Post by Galen Young » Sun Dec 31, 2006 11:21 am

pemmican wrote:Am I the only person on the forum who has actually seen this film?
Nah, I've seen it. A friend of mine actually worked on it, as grip or gaffer or something. (I don't think all the credits are up at IMDB) And that's all I remember about it. Gas Food Lodging is like a real movie in comparison. Criterion must be in a nostalgic mood to be releasing this.

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davebert
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#36 Post by davebert » Fri Jan 12, 2007 6:45 pm

I just watched it, and although a few bits of dialogue are good and the soundtrack is great, everything else is painful. The transfer looks about as good as I think it could get, given the equipment used. But four years to finish... really? For this?

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Fletch F. Fletch
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 3:54 pm
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#37 Post by Fletch F. Fletch » Wed Jan 17, 2007 5:08 pm

davebert wrote:I just watched it, and although a few bits of dialogue are good and the soundtrack is great, everything else is painful. The transfer looks about as good as I think it could get, given the equipment used. But four years to finish... really? For this?
Yeah, sadly I felt this way too. I was really looking forward to it based on my enjoyment of Gas Food Lodging and Grace of My Heart and you can certainly see the character of Luanna as the blueprint for future female protagonists in Anders' films. It just sort of seemed to ramble on for awhile with no real point and I felt no connection to any of the characters. Good soundtrack, though.

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Gregory
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#38 Post by Gregory » Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:44 pm

Can anyone tell me how much of this was filmed in Mexican locations? (I haven't seen it yet but am considering doing so.)

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Doctor Sunshine
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#39 Post by Doctor Sunshine » Thu Mar 01, 2007 6:18 pm

A fair amount, although it would be more accurate to say a Mexican location. Anders' ex-boyfriend's place. There was a beach.

I actually liked this film. The acting, dialog and plot were weak but the plot was kept ambiguous enough and it had a good 60s new wave pulp atmosphere with a great soundtrack. Not a resounding endorsement, I suppose, but it's worth a look. It won me over.

Narshty
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#40 Post by Narshty » Sat Jul 21, 2007 7:44 pm

It's hard to make any great claims for this film, but there's something in its tone and atmosphere that's endearing. It's got a genuine vision, despite its frequent clumsiness in virtually all departments (except music, of course). I suppose you have to enjoy movies so threadbare and nakedly low-budget they virtually serve as their own making-of documentaries.

One question: how can this have cost $80,000 when Slacker was made for $23,000 and Clean, Shaven $30,000?

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miless
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#41 Post by miless » Sun Jul 22, 2007 12:03 am

Narshty wrote:One question: how can this have cost $80,000 when Slacker was made for $23,000 and Clean, Shaven $30,000?
Well, certain filmmakers are able to create unique, and full, experiences with the tiniest of budgets. Others just create sketches of what they could be capable of with more money. The ones able to work on tiny budgets generally stay in the mid to low budget range once they make a name for themselves (Hal Hartley, Lodge Kerrigan, Linklatter, etc...)

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zedz
Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:24 pm

#42 Post by zedz » Sun Jul 22, 2007 5:59 pm

Narshty wrote:One question: how can this have cost $80,000 when Slacker was made for $23,000 and Clean, Shaven $30,000?
It may be a function of how many people actually got paid for their work (a major consideration when talking about ultra-low budgets), and what percentage was music rights.

I agree that this is no masterpiece, but I found it evocative of its era, and of lots of other bare-bones no-budget filmmaking of the time (particularly Araki's The Long Weekend). Yes, kids, there was a time when independent movies were independent for a reason, and weren't just industry calling cards. The Criterion disc is also an excellent presentation of the film: good, honest and relevant extras.

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oldsheperd
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#43 Post by oldsheperd » Tue Aug 28, 2007 3:28 pm

I'm surprised no one mentions Mi Vida Loca. That's Anders' best film IMO

Mental Mike
Joined: Thu Sep 22, 2005 12:06 am

#44 Post by Mental Mike » Tue Aug 28, 2007 8:21 pm

I have not seen Mi Vida Loca...but I liked Border Radio...I am also a fan of 24 Hour Party People, another movie about the Punk-era...I found Border Radio ephemeral...using the west-coast punk scene as a backdrop, the movie had a sense of this "middle" punk period ending almost as soon as it began...

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s.j. bagley
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#45 Post by s.j. bagley » Wed Aug 29, 2007 11:25 am

Mental Mike wrote:but I liked Border Radio....
Yay! Reading through this thread I was starting to think that I was the only person on the board who liked it.

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Des Esseintes
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#46 Post by Des Esseintes » Wed Jan 02, 2008 4:09 pm

I'm also pretty fond of Border Radio, though I'd never heard of it until Criterion released it. It has some of the same spirit as Jaime Hernandez's Love and Rockets comics, and I dig its DIY aesthetic.

Chull
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 11:17 pm

#47 Post by Chull » Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:32 pm

I finally got around to watching this, after picking it up during the Amazon sale last year (huge kevyip.) I figured the recent disdain found elsewhere on these boards may have been a little exaggerated and decided to finally check it out. The only thing I liked about this colossal waste of (my) time was the card towards the end that read "2 to 6 months later." Even the film(makers) stopped giving a shit. That made me chuckle a bit.

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domino harvey
Dot Com Dom
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#48 Post by domino harvey » Sat Sep 06, 2008 9:53 pm

Can't say we didn't warn you. Good luck getting rid of the disc too, you might as well have bought Carnival of Souls as far as resale value goes

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quequeg
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2004 8:12 pm
Location: Indiana

Re: 362 Border Radio

#49 Post by quequeg » Fri Jan 23, 2009 4:00 pm

The most interesting thing about this film for me was Chris Shearer's package. I paused many times to zoom-in on his crotch.
He wore thin jeans and obviously no underwear. Even though the film is a bit out of focus, you can clearly see the outline of a very nice wiener.

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psufootball07
Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:52 pm

Re: 362 Border Radio

#50 Post by psufootball07 » Fri Jan 23, 2009 6:29 pm

What? ](*,)

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