Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

5. Simple Like Silver (2021) Shot entirely on an iPhone, Damien K. Lahey's microbudget black and white film is a small arthouse wonder. It tells the intersecting stories of three characters, all dealing with life-altering situations. I learned about the film because Cristina Marsillach, who plays Lucia, starred in Dario Argento's  Opera (1987). Told through voiceovers, the narrative unfolds slowly, but the luscious cinematography is so engaging that the film would be worth watching without the eventually connected narrative arc. The bright Florida setting offsets the horrific obstacles that the characters face, yet the film provides glimmers of hope within their connections. Through Lucia's interactions with the young boy, Joe, (Hudson Sims) the film approaches catharsis. Severin Films released a deluxe Blu-ray edition in 2024 that is worth seeking out. 4. The Flowers of Saint Francis (1950) Filled with scene after scene of pure joy,  Roberto Rossellini's filmic seri...

Film Eight: A House Divided: Denmark Vesey's Rebellion (1982). Yaphet Kotto stars in the heartbreaking true story of a free man who cannot buy his wife and son out of slavery and plots a rebellion to help free thousands of slave in South Carolina. I wish we learned more about Denmark Vesey and others like him in school. The film covers many issues surrounding slavery and conditions in America that often go unmentioned today. 

When I was in high school, my friends and I used to play pool in my basement. We listened to music and imagined ourselves out of that tiny town, although I do not think any of us had the audacity to picture ourselves as pool sharks, hustling townies for their paychecks. More or less, we imagined ourselves fully grown and living a life that did not include lockers and gym class. The Stray Cats' Built For Speed was one of my favorite albums at the time. I played it countless times during our pool sessions. I vividly remember Brian Setzer's cool vocals rising above the sound of breaks, miscues, and arguments over the kitchen and the granny stick. When I hear the hits, "Rock This Town" and "Stray Cat Strut" on classic rock radio, I always picture that damp basement and group of guys; most of us still hang out from time to time, but I think I'm the only one that regularly spins the Stray Cats. However, my favorite tracks from that album, which were on...

An early Dave Markey Super-8, warts and all, documentary, capturing the '81-'82 Southern California hardcore scene. While not as well known as Decline of Western Civilization or Suburbia , it features live performances from the Circle Jerks, T.S.O.L, Fear, and Circle One among others. While the film does not have a real plot, Sin 34, a lesser known, but equally righteous band, appears in tour footage. While not as interesting as later Markey films like 1991: The Year Punk Broke, The Slog Movie is an interesting document of the period for punks who've seen them all and others just becoming interested in the genre.