Screening program throughout June 2014 @ “Sameheads” – Richardstraße 10, 12043 Berlin, Germany.
FB event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1444408762482669/
All three of these films are musicals. Two of them feature singing Satans, the other has R Kelly.
*Wednesday 11th June *
The Apple (1980)
Released in 1980 and set in the distant future 1994, the world has evolved into a fascist *disco* dictatorship run by the all-powerful BIM Corporation and its suave devilish leader, Mr Boogalow. Starting in 1994’s ‘Worldvision Song Festival’, we are introduced to Alphie and Bibi, two sweet, naive singers from Moose Jaw, Canada, who enter with their song ‘Love: The Universal Melody’. Although the pair apparently have talent, they are beaten out by the festival favorites Dandi and Pandi, who win thanks to the underhanded tactics of the BIM. Though crestfallen by their loss, Alphie and Bibi are soon delighted to hear that Mr Boogalow has taken an interest in their music and wants to sign them to his label. All is looking up for the two until they begin to discover the dark underside of the glamorous rockstar world.
Warning: this film contains insane amounts of glitter, feathers, and angular shoulder pads; some very bad songs (and some pretty banging ones); disco cops; dancing nuns; and an unbelievable ending.
Viewers may recognize some parts of old West Berlin amongst the glamor and tragedy that is this film.
*Wednesday 18th June*
Forbidden Zone (1980)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjN4Ysdc69w
Forbidden Zone was made as an attempt to capture the essence of The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo’s live performances on film. Directed and produced by Richard Elfman, who co-wrote the film with fellow Mystic Knights member Matthew Bright, it was the first film scored by his brother Danny Elfman.
The film begins on “Friday, April 17” at 4 pm in Venice, California. Huckleberry P. Jones, local pimp, narcotics peddler and slumlord, enters a vacant house that he owns. While stashing heroin in the basement, he stumbles upon a mysterious door and enters it, falling into the Sixth Dimension, from which he promptly escapes. After retrieving the heroin, he sells the house to the Hercules family. Don’t even try to guess what happens next.
Stars: Hervé Villechaize, Susan Tyrrell, Warhol Superstar Viva, Joe Spinell, The Kipper Kids, and members of the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo including a very young Danny Elfman.
We will be screening the original black and white version rather than the post-release-colorized-George-Lucas-style-shizzle (even if it was what you originally intended, Mr Richard Elfman).
*Wednesday 25th*
Trapped in the Closet (2005-2012)
How can one describe the enigma that is R. Kelly? Simply restating his crown as the “King of R&B” hardly does the man justice, nor does it give credit to the enormous breadth and impact of his work. Soul singer, record producer, professional basketball player, video director, and sex symbol… Mr Kelly could possibly one of the most influential polymaths of our age.
And then there’s “Trapped in the Closet”…
To grossly over-simplify things, “Trapped” is a long-form music video split into 33 ‘chapters’ of around 4 minutes each. But really it’s much more than this. A cryptic melting pot of soap opera, independent filmmaking, and R&B, “Trapped” is one of those rare phenomena that categorically “defies categorization”. Mr Kelly himself invented the term “hip-hopera” in an attempt to describe this labor of his love, but this in itself does not do justice to the unhinged genius of his work. With “Trapped”, Robert Sylvester Kelly did much more than show us that he is a top-level player – he solely created an entire new game.
“Trapped” will be shown in its unfathomable entirety, including the newest chapters 23-33 which were released in 2012. Yes, that’s over two hours of the same song!
ALL FILMS ARE FREE & START 10PM SHARP.
Presented by Big Screen Brutals.