Spoonixel
Amateur movie with Big budget
Patience Watson
One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.
Billy Ollie
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
tedg
I was shown this by a young claymation filmmaker, someone I like. She's doing a claymation Dante and I'm sure it will be something important to some of you.What she likes about this fellow is the purity of his life and therefore his art. There is no room at all for reflecting on meaning or greater perspectives, what people often call "intellectual." His heart is in his hands, that is essentially his entire life and this is impressive because we can see both. Each endorses the other.The first remark I might make is about what we are intended to see and know: that this was a wounded soul, shot through in several ways and apparently both autistic and obsessive- compulsive. Like Crumb, a similar personality and the subject of a similar movie, his slightly interesting art takes on a grander meaning in this context. Both had a younger brother kill themselves.But I walked away from this with another perspective from the fourth metalevel. The first level is that this is art about other art, continuously morphing among recognizables. The second is his life as art. The third is the film artifact that was distilled as a whole thing itself as a documentary. The fourth is the context I was seeing it in, with a talented young claymationer.There are only three main ways of telling a story. Only three roots. These can be cleanly traced back to Shakespeare, Cervantes and Dante, each of which defined a language, a literary tradition and a method of reflection and folding. You might usefully characterize these are being based on adjectives-adverbs, verbs and nouns respectively.Those that makes the most effective literature and film to my mind, a conscious mind, are the first two. Indeed this film itself is in the Cervantes tradition: a world that defines a person with urges.But the man within is distinctly in the Italian tradition of storytelling: humans live and in living invest their surroundings with life. These humans bump into each other. They don't merely illustrate life, they ARE life and any story worth telling is attached to lives.What this man has made with his little scenes are different hells and purgatories, very much in the Dante tradition but without the resonant references. I am convinced that this can be engaging storytelling, but it can never be art, surely not using cinema. Yes, I know: Antonioni, Bertolucci, Scorsese, Pasolini, Coppola, even Fellini. Each had one success, and that was when they escaped their Italian constraints. Unless they change the world somehow — and it would have to be by a great man (sadly, a man) — they won't be able to ever have lifealtering art in this tradition. Only empathic tales.Watch this for tools, not lives.Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.
woundupwounded
(^ From the viewpoint of the other person in camera for a short rift about small places, I found the film to at long last find me not alone with the Bickford dilemma. Thanks to Brett for allowing me it drag him up to George's in order to give him an angle on Bruce's work that would inspire instead of horrify.Monster Road works as a documentary by giving viewers a breather between animation shots. I personally wince at the overload of graphics myself, even tho I've been overdosed to the point of inoculation by it."WHY , Bruce, WHY?!" seems to somehow finally been resolved, in a way that takes way too long hanging out with Bruce alone for most to bother.I hope this hitting DVD will open up the viewing audience to Alzheimer care givers' discussion groups.
th25tina
I had never heard of Bruce before watching Monster Road but his artwork seems very familiar. (I've probably seen bits and pieces in other films?) I think he's a great artist and has the greatest philosophy on life. Monster Road is a very informative film and really shows his devotion and ability to make some pretty amazing stuff. I also like the emotional scenes when his father spoke, a brilliant mind being ravaged by a terrible disease...they are truly two very thoughtful people who have more creativity then most people. If you have the chance to see this film please do....it's wonderful and has some amazing artwork. Just seeing it caused me to look into more of Bruce's work and I was disappointed to find that there is not much out there. I think a lot of musicians would benefit if they used his artwork in some videos. It would also make me happy to see more too!
executiveproducer
I'm a fellow director and my film actually competed against this one. I missed the premiere at Slamdance, but felt compelled to see the film that, well... beat mine! I hadn't ever heard of Bruce Bickford, and am not much of a fan of animation, but the story was solid enough to keep my attention. It had a fitting pace that matched it's subject; slow but intense. The subject was interesting and his animation nothing less than AMAZING!!! Overall the film stayed in Bruce's world and was true to it's past, just the way history BIOS should be told. I'm glad this film is doing well, for it's independent in spirit and is inspiring for artists to keep doing what they love, despite the world outside them. Congrads Brett...
