Each Wednesday at 4pm and Saturdays from 10-Midnight CT, classic indie invades your ears on C60!

Meat Whiplash -  Don’t Slip Up (Creation 1985)

Robert Marlow - Claudette  (Reset 1984)

The Autumns  – Sunblush (Risk 1997)

Squeeze - Cat On A Wall (Deptford Fun City 1977)

The Factory Press - Motoride (N D 1994)

The Leaving Trains - Leaving Trains (Bemisbrain 1984)

Girls At Our Best! - Getting Nowhere Fast (Happy Birthday 1981)

The Wonder Stuff - Give Give Give Me More More More (Polydor 1988)

Heavenly - Trophy Girlfriend (K 1996)

Guided By Voices  – The Official Ironmen Rally Song (Matador 1996)

Hula - Black Wall Blue (Red Rhino 1986)

Crash - Almost (The Remorse Label 1986)

His Name Is Alive - This World Is Not My Home (4AD 1996)

Happy Mondays - Kuff Dam (Factory 1987)

Eggplant - How Does Ed Cope? (The Bus Stop Label 1996)

Eric Random - Fade In (New Hormones 1980)

Listen Here

Each Wednesday at 4pm and Saturdays from 10-Midnight, classic indie grabs your ears on C60!

Supergrass – Mansize Rooster (Backbeat 1994)

Getting The Fear - Last Salute (RCA 1984)

Maximum Joy - Building Bridges/Bridges Dub (Y 1982)

Redd Kross - Citadel (Gasatanka 1984)

The Darling Buds - It’s All Up To You (Native 1988)

The Summer Suns - Honeypearl ’95 (Parasol 1996)

The Stone Roses - This Is The One (Silvertone 1989)

Humans - Lightning (I.R.S. 1981)

Broadcast - Living Room (Duophonic 1997)

Swervedriver - How Does It Feel To Look Like Candy (Creation 1995)

The Blue Aeroplanes - Lover & Confidante (Fire 1986)

The Buck Pets - Shave (Sing Fat 1993)

Dot Allison - Colour Me (Heavenly 1999)

A. R. Kane - One Way Mirror (Rough Trade 1988)

Labradford - Columna de la Independencia (Merge 1994)

Listen Here

My Way
Joon-sik is a Korean man who dreams of following in the footsteps of Olympic marathon gold medal winner Sohn Kee-chung. until he falls into trouble and is conscripted into the Japanese army.

Dubbed the Steven Spielburg of Korean cinema, My Way is the third film from director Kang Je-Jyu with a reported budget of $28 million, making it the most expensive Korean film to date. Inspired by a true story, My Way follows the friendship and rivalry of two men through their aspirations of marathon running and enduring the brutalities of war. Mainly a war movie with a dabble of friendship, this film is not for the faint of heart with its elaborate and jarring battle scenes and gruesome depictions of war.

In contrast, the after party of the My Way screening at the The Crow Collection of Asian Art was a welcomed zen-like affair with mood lighting on trees and the soothing trickles from the nearby water fountains on a perfect Texas night. The director, Kang Je-Jyu made his rounds, graciously answered questions wearing stylish eyeglasses.

My Way is definitely not the greatest war movie of all time, often choppy and harsh, but it is a momentous film in Korean cinema history with a story that Kang Je-Jyu clearly wanted to tell.

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Written by Son Hui Pak.

We’re Not Broke
We’re Not Broke tells the story of U.S. corporations dodging billions of dollars in income tax, and how seven fed-up Americans take their frustration to the streets…and vow to make the corporations pay their fair share.

Just in time for tax season, We’re Not Broke explores an ugly side of US economics that has been largely glazed over in the recession discussion. Armed with diagrams, figures and expert commentary, this documentary reveals how big bad corporations in the US have eluded paying income taxes via loopholes and tax shelters, effectively running the US economy to the ground.

As with all documentaries with an agenda, We’re Not Broke presents a fairly one-sided argument. But whether you are in the 1% or 99%, there is enough compelling empirical data in the film to persuade a skeptic that something is indeed awry. And if you are a tax payer, you might get mad enough to occupy the nearest parking lot of a DIFF sponsor.

The individuals across the country who created the precursory small ripples which ultimately lead to the Occupy Wall Street movement are the heart of the film. At times, it’s intensely depressing and sad, but the film’s pace and spacing of personal narratives and factual particulars get the message across.

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Written by Son Hui Pak.

Fever Year
Filmed during culminating months of the acclaimed singer-songwriter’s most rigorous year of touring, Andrew Bird crosses the December finish line in his hometown of Chicago – feverish and on crutches from an onstage injury.

It’s a rare and wonderful thing to see an artist support the documentary just created for him. It’s even better when he’s at the premiere to show his favor.

Fever Year successfully captures musician Andrew Bird’s life traveling from city to city and playing close to 170 shows over the course of a year. It shows trials with his health, a demanding schedule on the road, and, ultimately, his love for his art and live performance.

Most of the concert footage seen in the film was taken at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee during his 2009 tour in support of his album Noble Beast. The film opens with a performance of the beautiful, but ever-curious, “Sweetmatter” and also features several other notable Bird songs—”Fake Palindromes,” “Dark Matter” and ‘Spare-ohs.” There are amazing appearances by Annie Clark, or St. Vincent, and their collaboration on “Lusitania” and explains the relationship between Bird and Martin Dosh, his full-time drummer and co-writer on many of his albums. Aside from beautiful concert footage, the film also spends a considerable amount of time exploring Bird’s distinct creative process using loop machines to build his song tracks.

Director Xan Aranda also takes us off stage to Bird’s quiet family home where he spends time writing, resting and getting away from the buzz he can’t seem to escape living in Chicago. It’s at the farm that Bird really delves into the importance of place and how retreating there has helped with his development as a musician.

It’s an truly amazing feat to not only capture the process of a year-long music tour as well as the personal life of a musician while simultaneously persevering his privacy and leaving the viewer satisfied. Fever Year achieves this elusive goal. I walked away feeling as though I’d actually just been to an Andrew Bird concert and that I actually got to know the musician himself a little better. Aranda met the challenge of this vision exceedingly well. Unfortunately, the documentary is not scheduled for distribution so hopefully it comes to a film festival in your city!

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Written by Marissa Miller, program director of Art House Dallas.

Bindlestiffs
Bindlestiffs is an insider’s look into the uncensored mind of the frustrated high school teen.

Bindlestiffs is an insider’s look into the uncensored mind of the frustrated high school teen.  There’s nothing subtle about this raunchy and uncomfortably hilarious coming of age comedy.  With the filmmakers being recent high school graduates, there’s no doubt that the comedy lies in the truth.

Andrew, Luke, and John are three high school virgins struggling to find independence in their suburban lives.  Fed up with school after the banning of Andrew’s favorite book, The Catcher in the Rye ( a book they have neither read nor understand), the gang vandalizes a bathroom stall.  Caught red-handed by Charlie, the school security guard, they are promptly suspended for their rebellion. In his ensuing angst, Andrew convinces his two friends to abandon their families and homes and experience “the real America, Holden Caulfield style.”  Bindlestiffs documents their quest to surrender their virginities; ultimately to vagrants, prostitutes, and crack fiends.  Hot on their tail is Charlie, the deranged school security guard. Under the impression that the boys are planning a school shooting, he takes the law into his own hands to stop them and save America.

It is evident that the movie was shot with a shoe string budget, but the quirky dialogue and unexpected twists keep you laughing the whole way through. Bindlestiffs is bound to be a cult classic for teens and stoners alike.

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Written by Clay Cook, President of the Board of Directors of Nouveau 47 Theatre.

Brooklyn Castle
Brooklyn Castle is a documentary that is as much about the five young teens it follows as it is about the ability of public schools to do great things when they have the resources.

I was immediately skeptical upon arriving at the screening for Brooklyn Castle due to the large number of children in the theater. Was I in the wrong theater? Was this an animated feature for kids? The Dallas International Film Festival’s senior programmer came out to introduce the film and eased my mind, however, when she explained Brooklyn Castle partnered with Boys and Girls Club and Big Thought because of the films message. Well, I thought, that explains the children. I was still a little confused as to what the film was actually about. My questions were soon answered.

I.S. 318 is a title 1 school, meaning over 65% of its students come from homes with incomes below the federal poverty level, and is also the winner of 28 national championship chess titles.  Texas has football, Minnesota has hockey, and I.S. 318 has chess; these are the star athletes in this school, and if Albert Einstein were to join the schools team he would only rank 5th with a rating of 1800.  This small junior high school in Brooklyn, NY is home to some of the greatest young minds of chess in the nation and the very existence of the program is at risk due to continuous budget cuts.  The school won’t take it lying down though, a young leader arises and helps lead an initiative to save the heart and soul of the school, the chess team, all the while along with his team members facing pressure from their families, their coaches, and most of all themselves to succeed at their own desires of greatness.

Brooklyn Castle shows the importance of after-school programs and how they help with the development and health of children. It makes you rally and want to follow the journey of each child and places emphasis on the need for the government to aid the needs of such programs.

Brooklyn Castle is a documentary that is as much about the five young teens it follows as it is about the ability of public schools to do great things when they have the resources. Don’t miss this film which is easily one of the best in the festival this year, and hopefully will walk away with the awards to prove it.

“Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.” -Muhammad Ali

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Written by Clay Cook, President of the Board of Directors of Nouveau 47 Theatre.

Liberal Arts

Liberal Arts opened the Dallas International Film Festival… It was alright, but frankly it was a lot better when it was called Garden State.

“Liberal Arts” has been one of the more hyped movies to appear at the Dallas International Film Festival, in part because of its solid showing at Sundance, but also because it was written and directed by Josh Radnor, who also stars in the film. You’ll know Radnor from his role as Ted Mosby on TV’s “How I Met Your Mother.”

Liberal Arts follows Radnor’s character, Jesse, who ventures forth from his uninspired job as a college admissions counselor to his old alma mater, where he meets the lovely but much-younger-than-him Zibby, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Their budding relationship – which includes lots of sentimental dialogue and some corny anecdotes about the virtues of classical music and handwritten letters – forces Jesse to step back and examine his life.

Liberal Arts includes plenty of genuinely funny moments, but Radnor’s fondness for longwinded dialogue, sappy scenes and college clichés overrun some of the film’s better attributes. It opts for typical romantic comedy formulas rather than risks, but it’s a likeable film stocked with plenty of likeable characters. Which means fans of romantic comedies will find a lot to like about Liberal Arts.

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Kevin Gray is a Dallas-based writer, the editor of Cocktail Enthusiast and the proprietor of an impressive
home bar.

Quick

Quick is part of the Dallas International Film Festival’s South Korean Spotlight and is an action packed sensory overload.

Quick is part of the Dallas International Film Festival’s South Korean Spotlight, which highlights a handful
of movies from the Asian nation. Quick follows former motorcycle gang member and current courier, Ki-
Su, as he unwittingly delivers a deadly bomb. His next job involves escorting a pop star, A-Rom, (also his
ex-girlfriend) to a TV gig. But surprise! The poor girl’s helmet is fixed with a bomb that will detonate if Ki-
Su doesn’t follow the criminal mastermind’s every direction.

All the while, Ki-Su and his helmet-wearing ex girlfriend must learn to coexist and depend on each other,
which brings additional baggage to the already difficult day of delivering bombs and A-Rom potentially
losing her head.

If all that sounds like a Jason Statham movie, you’re right. There are definite moments of Transporter-
meets-Crank. Big stunts, endless car crashes and lots of explosions make Quick a fast-paced, enjoyable
film. It never takes itself too seriously, which is good, because the viewer won’t either. Genuinely
suspenseful moments, serious action and grim conversations are interspersed with lots of physical
comedy (example: a cop gets his head stuck in a trashcan) and plenty of humorous wailing from the
female lead.

In the end, a lot of questions are answered, including why Ki-Su broke A-rom’s heart six years ago,
and why he’s being targeted by the movie’s villain. Both lend weight to the story and shed light on
the motivations of each character. At its heart, it’s a tale of revenge and redemption. But mostly of
motorcycle chases.

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Kevin Gray is a Dallas-based writer, the editor of Cocktail Enthusiast and the proprietor of an impressive
home bar.

The Other Dream Team
Marius Markevicius tells an incredible story of the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team, who became symbols of Lithuania’s independence and the story of their triumph at the Olympics.

On March 11th, 1990, Lithuania became the first of the Baltic States to declare its independence from the Soviet Union. On January 13th, 1991, the Red Army stormed the Lithuanian Parliament, killing fourteen people and wounding seven hundred other. On September 6th, 1991 Lithuania’s independence was recognized by the Soviet Union. And on July 25th, 1992,the four men who had been forced to play for the Soviet Union 4 years prior,were finally able to complete in the Olympics as Lithuanians.

Spoiler alert… they defeated the former Soviet Union in the final round to win a bronze medal. But for these men, and this country, it wasthe most incredible 3rd place finish of their lives.

The Other Dream Team is the story of the how the members of the 1992 Lithuanian basketball team competed for their country only month safter it being recognized as a sovereign nation. It’s about how a sport became vehicle for unifying a country in the midst of declaring their independence after a history of occupiers. It’s a story of how the Grateful Dead decided to fund an Olympic team. It’s a story of how these brave men stood up to the Soviet Union and declared to the world that they were not Russian.

It’s a story about basketball. It’s a story about rock and roll. It’s a story about the fight of a nation. It’s a story about being human and becoming free.

And this is the best movie I’ve seen at this festival. The Other Dream Team has all of the elements that any sports, rock and roll,politically minded, indie film fan could ask for in a movie. It’s brilliant. It’sfunny, touching, heart-breaking, inspiring all in one. If you give a damn about the world we live in, you should see this movie and know this story.