Mi Cabeza Está Viva Otra Vez
I came down with a mild case of the grippe on Tuesday, and spent much of yesterday shivering uncontrollably and unable to stand up for more than 10 minutes at a time. I'm back in the saddle today, so here are a few links I spotted during my Thera-Flu besotted web-ramblings.
The recently reanimated Bitter Cinema points us obliquely towards The Wonder World of K. Gordon Murray, a site that explores the cinematic ouevre of the eponymous producer, who imported films from Mexico, redubbed them into English, and released them upon unsuspecting audiences all over the US. He is probably best known for Santa Claus, an extremely surreal tale of St. Nick battling Lucifer (along with Merlin the Magician). My favorite Murray film is La Cabeza Viviente, the touching story of the King of the Atzecs' disembodied melon. I was so moved by this film, I wrote a story about it: Los Straitjackets Contra La Cabeza Viviente. I e-mailed it to the band, but they never wrote back.
Elsewhere in the Blogosphere, scans of vintage punk 8-tracks await your perusal. I bought a lot of these very same tapes for 25 cents apiece in the cut-out bin at Prange Way and played them over the PA system in the video arcade I managed back in the 80's (worked great for driving everyone out at closing time).
And finally, direct from the Gnocchi house open-mike circuit, it's Umberto Eco and the Bunnymen playing their number-one hit, "Foucault's Killing Moon" (thanks, Lonita!)
Comments
I actually caught La Cabeza Viviente, on my local LA channel.
I remember watching it and thinking "oh look, a disembodied Aztec Head betwitchin' people to do its bidding"
Pretty much par for the course in Mexican Cinema...
Posted by: eddie | January 21, 2005 7:54 PM
The guy who did the Umberto Eco thing is really good - I've spent many an hour laughing myself sick over something he's done. :>
Posted by: Lonita | January 22, 2005 12:45 AM
That's actually one of the things I really like about Mexican cinema; they have a historical tradition to draw on. I also enjoy the heavy doses of Catholic guilt that they toss into their horror.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | January 22, 2005 10:33 AM
I like his humor a lot too, lonita. I know that I've run across his site before, but I can't for the life of me remember where or when.
Posted by: MrBaliHai | January 22, 2005 10:35 AM