An instant underground favorite, it has since become a cult classic for its brash mixture of John Waters outrageousness and DIY energy.  With music by Redd Kross and Black Flag.

SUNDAY JANUARY 22nd - 7:30PM
FRIDAY JANUARY 27th - 9:30PM

When me and Nate sit down to pray to God, The Lord answers us. He says, ‘You two boys, you’re on the right track. Keep praying to me and I will give you guidance.’ That’s not the same God that’s in The Bible; it’s the God of Rock ‘n’ Roll.

Two-piece noise outfit Friends Forever may be the greatest band ever, and this film—a suitably DIY chronicle of their endless cross-country tour spontaneously bursting forth glorious cacaphony from their VW bus in whatever parking lot or side-street will tolerate them—is an unlikely candidate for most inspirational movie ever made. Nate, Josh and their lighting girl Jenn are full of endless maxims, yarns and pearls of wisdom that will rewire your synapses and make you drop out of high school.

Friends Forever is hilarious, abrasive and unforgettable, an early millennial heralding of the new extremes of noise, performance, diligence and friendship. Featuring a surprise cameo by Harvey Sid Fisher, author of “12 Astrology Songs” and “Bonga Chong: A Soldier’s Song.”

HELICOPTER STRING QUARTET
Dir: Frank Scheffer. 1996. 81 min. Netherlands. In German and English with English subtitles.

SUNDAY JANUARY 8th - 9:30PM
SUNDAY JANUARY 22nd - 9:30PM

After turning down a commission to compose a string quartet in 1991, Karlheinz Stockhausen has a dream that causes him to reconsider:

I heard and saw the four string players in four helicopters flying in the air and playing. At the same time I saw people on the ground seated in an audio-visual hall, others were standing outdoors on a large public plaza. In front of them, four towers of television screens and loudspeakers had been set up: at the left, half-left, half-right, right. At each of the four positions one of the four string players could be heard and seen in close-up.

Most of the time, the string players played tremoli which blended so well with the timbres and the rhythms of the rotor blades that the helicopters sounded like musical instruments.

When I woke up, I strongly felt that something had been communicated to me which I never would have thought of on my own.

Frank Scheffer’s cerebral 1996 documentary explores the late 20th century’s most astounding and challenging feat of composition and performance through intimate access to Stockhausen’s process. Part Fitzcarraldo, part Apocalypse Now, and thoroughly avant-garde in both form and content, Helicopter String Quartet is one of the most mindblowing films from the world’s preeminent documentarian of 20th and 21st century experimental composers.

Special Thanks to Frank Scheffer

FRIDAY JANUARY 13th - 9:30PM
FRIDAY JANUARY 27th - 7:30PM

Conceived during the late 70s goldrush of off-beat musicals like Rocky Horror and Xanadu, this bodacious re-imagining of the classic L. Frank Baum tale is a rock-'n'-roll homage, Down Under style.

In this version, Dorothy is a blond 16-year-old rock groupie on a pilgrimage to see the farewell performance of The Wizard- an androgynous, Ziggy Stardust-esque rock god. Along the way, she encounters a brainless surfer, a heartless mechanic, and a cowardly biker, all while being pursued by a wicked trucker hellbent on rape!

Packed to the brim with a souped-up glam rock soundtrack and beautiful Outback photography, this take on Baum's book could only have come out during the 70s. In what other version are you going to see Dorothy smoking dope in a wet t-shirt?

Courtesy of Smart Street Films
smartstreetfilms.com.au

SUNDAY JANUARY 15th - 7:30PM
FRIDAY JANUARY 20th - 9:30PM

Morrissey: Genius. Legend. Latino Icon? This heartfelt documentary about LA Hispanics and how their lives have been touched by the British pop star Morrissey demonstrates the power of music to cut across nations, cultural boundaries and generational gaps.

Director Kerri Koch gets in close with the devoted fans- providing a powerful portrait of the transformative journeys that can occur when eighteen-year-old Mexican immigrants become obsessed with a forty-five-year-old, second-generation Irishman they’ve never met.

With peeks inside the world of Smiths tribute shows, fan conventions and unbridled geekdom, this loving snapshot is a must for any Moz fan.

SATURDAY JANUARY 14th - 7:30PM
SUNDAY JANUARY 29th - 7:30PM

Records are life- the rest just gets in the way.

Alan Zweig’s brilliant investigation into the world of obsessive record collectors is a painfully funny and honest first-hand account of what drives our hoarding habits. Warning: Some scenes may prove shockingly familiar to anyone who has ever had to rearrange their living spaces in order to accommodate for overflowing LPs.

Between interviews with his subjects (including Harvey Pekar and Guy Maddin), Zweig turns the camera on himself in order to better understand how his hobby has intruded on his own life. Besides a bevy of memorable characters (one collector boasts of owning over a million records and claims to have memorized the track listing on every single album), Zweig presents himself and his flaws so openly that it’s impossible not to understand what would possess someone to buy a box full of 60s easy-listening records.

Special Thanks to Alan Zweig