“The most precious thing that we all have with us, is time.”Have I Told You Lately That I Love You? (Stuart Hamisch, 1958)
Feb
24
technology
Straight after dinner, the child returns to his teevee while his mother stands silently in the doorway.
A film about technology on what would've been Steve Jobs' 70th birthday
– Steve Jobs
A nuclear family goes about their machine-driven day while slowly forgetting to communicate.
Swirlee (James Lorinz, 1989)
Jul
23
National Vanilla Ice Cream Day
Newspaper clipping. Mr Softy's roommate (David Caruso) and Mr Softy (James Lorinz), a man with a softee for/as a head, pose for a picture.
“Today over lunch I tried to improve morale and build a sense of camaraderie among the men by holding a humorous, round-robin discussion of the early days of the mission. My overtures were brutally rejected. These men do not want a happy ship. They are deeply sick and try to compensate by making me feel miserable.”Dark Star (John Carpenter, 1974)
Jun
23
space lunch
The men enjoying a joyless lunch, consisting of something semi-liquid in a squeeze packet. DP: Douglas Knapp.
– Sgt. Pinback's video diary
“You know, I wish I had my board with me… even if I could just wax it once in a while.” Dark Star (John Carpenter, 1974)
Jun
17
International Surfing Day
Lt. Doolittle (Brian Narelle) dreaming of catching that wave. DP: Douglas Knapp.
On the other end of outer space, far far away from existentialist odysseys and crypto-fascist space operas, there's a little stoner cosmos where a small, dilapidated starship manned by long-haired freaks drifts about.
– Lt. Doolittle
Dark Star started out as a highly ambitious, underfunded student film that, in a blessed pre-Lucas, pre-blockbuster universe, got recognised for its #counterculture glory. In the early 70s, when #surfing was not yet mainstream and a handful of restless pioneers continued west despite the lack of mainland, a cross-pollination between beach blond daredevils and stoner culture happened.
Carpenter's laidback space odyssey fully embraces the beach bum spirit; it's meandering, incoherent, and whatever the superlative of no-budget may be. With at its core: #boredom, the most honest form of cinema.