The Brown Bunny

[Pwaybloe]

Pfft.  I don't know about you, but, I HATE lesbians.

[ElPandaRoyal]

Pfft.  I don't know about you, but, I HATE lesbians.

Yeah... like as if it was not hard enough to get some decent chicks, lesbians make it even harder by reducing you possibilities of choice. However, it is hot to watch two women making love. Ebert is definatelly not alone on that

[samsong]

Saw it a second time because Vincent Gallo was attending, bitches.  Still don't want to write anything "official" about the movie but it, like I imagined, is only better with a second viewing.  I really love this film.  Anyway, some stuff about tonight...by the way I haven't read any of the interviews or anything like that so if some of this stuff is repeated in the articles/interviews posted prior, I don't care.

- lots of bitches there that wanted to fuck Gallo... one that was sitting next to me basically passed out during the movie until Gallo pulls his dick out, whereupon many gasps and nudges were heard

- Vincent Gallo hates Wes Anderson (or so I think), and has a mutual friend with him.  Vincent was giving him shit throughout the entire Q & A, first referring to him by his name, followed with "Wes Anderson's friend."  The rest of the night he was known as "Wes' best friend."

- Vincent Gallo announced wholeheartedly that he will never make another movie.

- Apparently, The Brown Bunny started out as a scam to take money from Japanese financiers and get rich.  He said he wrote a 110-page contract in which he established a "broad creative power" that pretty much made him invincible.  He said it was so thorough and elaborate that he could give them a meatball, and that not only would they have to take it, they would have to put it up on a cinema screen for a week in three countries.

- He did, in fact, cum.  Where remains a mystery, but once you've seen the film you'll have a pretty good idea as to the location onto which he came.

- After Gallo was asked, "Did you cum?" he want on for a good five minutes about the nature of the sexuality in the film, capping off a perfect evening.  He's extremely intelligent and very articulate, though he did something I usually don't like directors doing -- this occasion isn't an exception -- and that is explain his movie in a very definitive way.  Afterwards some guy asked him what he should tell his friends to expect from the film (pretty stupid seeing as how he had just come out of it) and Gallo laid it down in black and white, saying that it was a "philosphical" film and not a personal one.

- To make a perfect ending better, Vincent discusses his little feud with our friend Ebert, and basically says everything that Ebert wrote in his article -- okay I lied, I just read THAT one -- and was very lighthearted about the whole situation.  He ends by saying, "This is what Ebert and that half-a-man Roeper said about me to my relatives in Buffalo" and walks up the aisle as the lights dim and curtain opens.  "Ebert & Roeper" is projected onto the screen and everyone laughs at Ebert's review of the film and their mutual criticism of his character.

- A girl flew down from Berkeley to see Vincent Gallo tonight.  I don't know whether to call her dedicated or just stupid, as she was one of the bitches I described in the first "-".  Actually she was one of the two girls sitting next to me... what some girls will do to see dick.

An awesome night... Gallo isn't nearly as egocentric or asshole-ish as he comes off as being.  Fascinating listening to him talk and he's got a great sense of humor.  Really bizarre mannerisms to go along with everything.  And I have to admit that he's incredibly attractive... I'm not gay but I'll admit if a guy's hot or not if necessary, and this is one of those cases....I'm sure I just lost points with some of you.  After the screening Gallo took the time to take pictures, sign autographs, and talk to a bunch of people.  He also checked my friend out.

Everyone, go watch this film.  Whether you react to it with adoration of contempt is a coin toss, but it's a film that demands to be seen in a theater and is worth every red cent.

[ono]

I think the most fascinating thing about Gallo is the fact that like with his paintings, he's said he's going to stop making films and deprive people of them.  He is good at what he does, so it is a loss, because he has so much potential.  Still can't wait to see this film.

[Ghostboy]

And I have to admit that he's incredibly attractive... I'm not gay but I'll admit if a guy's hot or not if necessary, and this is one of those cases....I'm sure I just lost points with some of you.

Everytime I try to say something like that, I end up making a bizarre freudian slip.

Anyway, my own review is here.

[matt35mm]

I saw Buffalo '66 tonight and dug it.  I think it was the perfect movie to come along at the perfect time in the whole Indie Film world, which is why it's so popular with the Indie Spirit people.  It's actually a good movie, though.

By the way, is it clear by now that I really don't have anything against Gallo (except that he comes off as a jerk in interviews a lot) or the current final cut of The Brown Bunny?  What I am against is using controversial buzz from a rough cut to sell a different cut.  Editing makes too big of a difference and this sounds like an essentially different film now, so comments about the Cannes Brown Bunny simply don't apply anymore--but those comments ARE in the trailer for this final cut of The Brown Bunny.  That was my only problem.

I was definitely skeptical about even this cut of The Brown Bunny, but I was always open to the idea that it could be a good movie now.  At this point, having seen Buffalo '66 and reading a bunch of Gallo interviews, I predict that I would like, but not love, The Brown Bunny.  Plus, I totally sympathize with Gallo in the crap that he's had to deal with from showing a rough cut.  I guess I can't blame him that much about trying to spin it to his advantage.

[subversiveproductions]

Holy crap.  I can't believe I read through 17 f*ing pages of discussion before someone actually saw this film!  I saw this last night at the Ken in San Diego. (A great theater by the way.)  I really did like it, but on a very personal level.  The way the world looks through Bud's bug-splattered windshield is exactly how I remember the world looking on insanely long road trips as a kid.  The problem that I really have with this film is that for this one very interesting film we will no doubt be seeing a dozen terribly shitty films imitating it.  Not a criticism of the film, more of the pathetic copycatting of so many indie filmmakers today. (One of which I admittedly am from time to time.)

[meatwad]

i don't know much about DVD's, can somebody tell me if this will play in a normal DVD player

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1003823805/code-w/section-videos/

[Pedro]

i don't know much about DVD's, can somebody tell me if this will play in a normal DVD player

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.aspx/pid-1003823805/code-w/section-videos/

if you have an all region dvd player, yes.

[subversiveproductions]

If your DVD player is not specifically Region-2 or Region Free, which, if you bought it in the U.S. at a consumer electronics store such as Best Buy or Good Guys, it is probably not, then this DVD will not play in your player.

EDIT: Fuck, that sentence got convoluted.

[hedwig]

Suffice to say, Gallo shows things at the end I wish he hadn't (and I'm not talking about the sex scene

Like what?

- lots of women there that wanted to fuck Gallo... one that was sitting next to me basically passed out during the movie until Gallo pulls his dick out, whereupon many gasps and nudges were heard

Before I write my own review of this film, I'd like to say that this was true of my audience, too. The woman sitting next to me actually said out loud, "Come on, show me more of that fucking cock, Vincent" at one point during that scene.

SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS.[/i][/u]

Now. "The Brown Bunny" is unlike any film I've seen in my life. It is beautiful, monotinous, gloomy, disturbing, and, in the end, incredibly moving. In fact, so moving I can add this film to my list of movies that actually make my body ache. I am, of course, referring to the final scene, and not the blowjob, which is depressing too, but Vincent's performance. My new friend and I agreed that the film's little flaws are completely redeemed by the last scene. Vincent Gallo's acting is very good throughout. Bud is nothing like Billy. I was very impressed. The music is lovely and some of the cinematography is gorgeous. (i.e., a fantasy scene of him kissing Chloe.) It is also extremely interesting and never boring. I did not have the urge to sing "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head" once during this movie.

I thought one of the strangest parts was the scene where he sits at the table with the sad woman and then makes out with her. And then stands up and leaves. It was so bizarre and yet so wonderful and complicated -- and certainly like nothing I've seen in a film before.

I also enjoyed the way the film began. I love the way he starts off his movies.

There's a scene of Bud talking to Daisy's parents that reminded me of the scenes in Billy's parents' house from Buffalo '66. Especially the look on the father's face.  Aside from this, the look of the film is very different, as well as the story and the characters.

I was kind of looking forward to a shot of a black speck increasing in size and eventually becoming Bud on his motorcycle, but he cut it out, I suppose.

Anyway, one of the five best films of the year, so far, for me. It truly captures the pain of loss.

PS -- funny thing happened. An older couple was sitting a few rows down. As the fellatio scene began, the lady stood up and walked out of the theater. She signaled for her husband to come with her. (They were both in their 70s, I believe.) But he just sat there and watched it without her.

[©brad]

- Vincent Gallo announced wholeheartedly that he will never make another movie.

that's what they all say.

[MacGuffin]

Gallo Gets his Groove On
Filmmaker Vincent Gallo, who owns more than 20,000 CD’s and records, sits down with columnist Todd Gilchrist to discuss his latest esoteric soundtrack. Source: FilmStew.com

Last month Vincent Gallo’s controversial film The Brown Bunny finally found its way into theaters, surrounded by the bleating of naysaying critics and the declaration that the only thing worse than its infamous sex scene was the film itself.

Ironically, in the midst of all of the defamatory comments and thorough dismissals given to the film as a whole, most audiences neglected to acknowledge that it possessed one of the most haunting and resonant soundtracks in recent memory; more intriguing is the fact that Gallo did not in fact perform his own score, as in films past, but has created instead an indelible pastiche of ‘60s folk music and original compositions to evoke and enhance the loneliness and introspection captured on screen.

“I’m not coming to create comfort for myself,” Gallo egregiously understates, particularly given his recent and very public excoriation. “I don’t purposely make things hard on myself, but I don’t purposefully make things easy on myself.”

With The Brown Bunny, Gallo ultimately did make one element of the process easier on himself by enlisting Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante to compose a modest score to accompany his images, and then collected a number of tunes from the likes of Gordon Lightfoot, Jeff Alexander and Jackson C. Frank. The disc, which is currently only available as a Japanese import, provides his viewers with another text to pore over in their deconstruction of the profoundly complex and frequently raw film, and in many ways reveals its purpose - which, as some have claimed - was not to document Gallo getting a hummer from Chloe Sevigny.

As a matter of historical record, Gallo has always performed the scores for his films, even as far back as his independent collaborations in the late 1970’s with the likes of Jean-Michel Basquiat. Most of this music was compiled in 2002 on the Warp Records compilation Recordings of Music For Film, and includes the tracks he did for the most visible of his film efforts, Buffalo ‘66, as well as his series of independent projects that as far as I know never saw significant release.

Exhaustively annotated with background information detailing the filmmaker’s repeated struggles to finish each picture, much less retain control of the final product, the collection is a wonderful companion piece to his equally challenging and obtuse films, and provides much insight into Gallo’s dedication to bygone recording techniques, equipment and expression of his singular vision.

Curiously, although Gallo assembles the tracks by film, they are not in chronological or any other discernible sense of order. His music for 1982'sThe Way It Is, which is described in the liner notes as, ‘Best chronicle of New York City’s Lower East Side circa 1982,’ contains a number of guitar-laden cues, was recorded in eccentric fashion in Gallo’s Elizabeth Street apartment, and feels as fresh as if it were written yesterday; even then, the obtuse writer-director-composer seems to have embraced the sense of longing that pervades his more recent film work.

On tracks like “Her Smell Theme” and “The Way It Is Waltz,” his use of disparate instruments, including bass, clarinet, Mellotron, drums, marimba, saxophone and piano follow in the avant-garde footsteps of ambient music pioneers like Brian Eno, but create a moody, evocative tone that one can only expect might have surpassed the emotional weight of the accompanying film. Stranded alone on this disc, however, it serves the same purpose as, say, Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works Volume Two, and generates a mood in between implacable tones and undefined, irresistible melodies.

Gallo, who spoke to Keeping Score prior to the theatrical release of The Brown Bunny, says he doesn’t enjoy revealing his influences (‘Ask those questions to Quentin,’ he rejoins), but finds inspiration in a certain kinds of aesthetic continuity rather than from a particular record or artist. “I’ve got twenty-some-thousand records,” he says. “I have a really weird range of records, very bizarre, difficult to listen to records, but the things that I like in everything that I like is that there’s a certain musical, melodic nature to everything. There’s a certain sweetness or sentimentality or prettiness to everything I like.”

“I’m more interested in a point of view, and I’m real sensitive to things,” he continues. “Not in a stylistic way, but in an aesthetic way; aesthetic and style are two different things. I’m always attracted to aesthetics, and aesthetics transcend. They can be extremely modern, they can be extremely primitive, but they all have something that appeals to me.”

His predilection for beauty is fully evidenced by the recordings he makes, which despite their eclecticism are never difficult to listen to or sound abrasive. Still, Gallo says that he prefers to find that balance between the salty and the sweet that his unspoken forebears discovered while creating their own works: “Even if I’m listening to avant-garde records, I like the passages that are the sweetest. I especially like them coming off of more difficult passages because they’re moving.”

Buffalo ‘66 is an entity unto itself, not simply because it is the most recognized of Gallo’s films, but because it contains the single greatest cinematic incorporation of prog-rock in the history of the movies. The filmmaker contributed eight original cues for the actual score of the film, but it’s his use of Yes’ “Heart of the Sunrise” (itself a manifestation of that hard-soft combination he clearly favors) that stands out long after the movie has finished, particularly given its use during the climactic strip-club sequence.

Seldom has such a perfect synthesis of sound and imagery been achieved in film screen as with that moment.

Unfortunately, to get the full soundtrack for Buffalo ‘66, including the Yes, King Crimson and Stan Getz songs, one must pick up its individual release rather than the aforementioned Gallo comp, but it’s an investment well worth the money; the counterpoint of original and independently-recorded songs contributes much of the film’s dual sense of intensity and intimacy. “Part of myself is to put myself in a corner and to figure ways out, because it aids in my mind’s ability to reason and problem solve and think things through,” he says of both his film and musical efforts, perhaps suggesting more than he probably realizes about himself.

If one isn’t satiated by these compilations and footnotes to his great cinematic accomplishments, his 2001 album When makes for a more cohesive collection of songwriting, even if “cohesive” for Gallo means his trademark eccentricities applied distinctly to one rather than multiple disciplines (that is, to evoke mood rather than accompany imagery or support visual continuity). Opening with a song called “I Wrote This Song For the Girl Paris Hilton”, the disc quickly establishes that it carries over the same themes of his work - emotional alienation, desperate loneliness, obsession with beautiful women - that run rampant in his films.

Here, tape loops make many of the same accomplishments they did before, but liberated from any kind of film text, their rhythmic repetition is oddly freeing, and generates a series of deeply moving passages that, like he explains above, juxtapose hard and soft elements in such deliberate quantities that the overall piece becomes riveting. Following his ode to Paris, “When,” the title track, reveals the guiding principle of Gallo’s relationships, at least on screen – ‘When you come near to me/ I go away; what is not clear for me/ I go away’ - while most remarkably, the vocal performance upends and at the same time perfectly captures what you would expect from Gallo’s sensitive-poet persona.

Transforming his medium of choice, be it film music or photography, seems to be Gallo’s raison d’être, and his motivation for enduring so many hardships in the name of artistic achievement. But he says that he is merely following in a tradition established many years ago, and which unfortunately far too many talented people never quite learned.

“The Beatles could have never imagined in 1966 what they did in 1969,” he explains, relating a particularly potent example. “They needed to let things go through themselves, they needed to be in the moment to experience those things. At a certain point in their profound success they decided not to collaborate any more, not to compromise with one another, not to share passion with one another, not to be intimidated by other people, not to make themselves available, not to go out, not to read things and get out there. And they withdrew a little bit into this safer environment, and their future work was reflective of that.”

Describing why it is that his music and films ultimately seem to invert the audience’s expectations, much less his own, Gallo says that it’s only when you go beyond yourself that something truly great can be accomplished. “You have these incredible doubts and fears and you take incredible risks, publicly, socially and in your work, but what you accomplish can be remarkable,” he says.

“It’s very hard to accomplish remarkable things when you feel like you’re in control of them, when you pander to them, when you don’t have doubt, when you don’t have fear, when you don’t move out side of yourself. When you don’t blow your own mind.”

[clerkguy23]

I saw it last night and I really, really liked it. I don't understand how people could have booed this movie at cannes. I thought the music was great, Vincent Gallo was really interesting to watch, and the photography was beautiful. I definitely reccomend this movie to anyone who is even the slightest fan of Buffalo 66.

[A Matter Of Chance]

- Vincent Gallo hates Wes Anderson (or so I think)

I remember reading an interview with him where he said, "I'll leave people like Wes Anderson and Spike Jonze to play to their audiences," or something along those lines.