Oregon Movies, A to Z » Bobby Roberts

My Own Private Remix: Roberts, Conkle, Lucas, Van Sant, and Franco As Sly Thrifty Magpies

Anne Richardson — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:43:53 +0000

Is there something about Oregon’s geographic isolation which inspires artists to dumpster dive and recycle art? Nevermind the Bronx beginnings of remix culture in hip hop; there is plenty of repurposing going on here in the Northern Left Coast.

Witness Bobby “Fatboy” Roberts, Portland radio wit and sometime film critic, who has remixed ” a decade’s worth of ruined pop-culture memories”.

Witness Bruce Conkle’s and Marne Lucas’ Warlord Sun King: The Genesis of Eco Baroque.

Yes, that’s Marne and Bruce, surrounded by flattened tin foil and a thrift store frame.

And now witness the permission Gus Van Sant gave James Franco to cut together outlakes, deleted scenes, alternate takes and behind the scenes footage from My Own Private Idaho to create a 12 hour installation, Endless Idaho, which is up until April 9 at Gagosian Gallery in Los Angeles.

Also in the gallery: paintings by Gus Van Sant, and a second remix of My Own Private Idaho footage by Franco, titled My Own Private River, which concentrates on River Phoenix.

Endless Idaho/My Own Private River is Franco’s third Van Sant collaboration. Van Sant directed him in Milk, he starred in Howl, which Gus Van Sant executive produced, and now Franco has emerged from the editing room,where he had locked himself up, like Rumplestilskin, with all the parts of My Own Private Idaho we never saw.

How fitting because My Own Private Idaho is itself a magpie’s nest of appropriation and repurposing. Drawing on the B-52’s for his title and Shakespeare for his plot, Van Sant remixed two of his own unproduced screenplays into one heartbreaking romantic tragedy. Shawn Levy marvels at Van Sant’s eye for location as he peopled an imagined city with a mix of real Portlanders (including Tom Peterson, Tom Cramer and some real street hustlers), and Hollywood leading men, one of whom was giving the performance of his career.

Call it remix or collaboration: Gus likes it. It is his secret weapon as a director. The work of Fatboy, Bruce Conkle and Marne Lucas indicates he may be expressing a regional tendency.

Handy Guide to Oregon Film Critics

Anne Richardson — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 17:14:31 +0000

It began with a bang. Andries Deinum arrived at PSU in 1957 from LA, and co-founded (long distance) the magazine Film Quarterly. He served on its editorial board until his death in 1995.

The following are the children of Andries. All have some Oregon connection: either they were born here, or moved here, or began their careers here before moving away.

Andries has other film addled children (Cinema Project, I’m looking at you!). These are the ones who write.

Sean Axmaker, Videodrone

Jeff Bayer, The Scorecard Review

Jason Bellamy, The Cooler

Nick Bruno, The Rain Falls Down In Portlandtown

Dennis Cozzalio, Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule

Erin Donovan, Steady Diet Of Film

Travis Ezell, No Time For Love, Mr. Jones!

Ryan Gallagher, The Criterion Cast

Stan Hall, Beyond The Multiplex

D. K. Holm, Cinemonkey

Brian Kellow, Kael: A Life After Dark

Shawn Levy, Mad About Movies

Jon Lewis, Oregon State University

Aaron Mesh, Willamette Week

Marc Mohan, Mohanthropy, Far From Hollyeood

Kim Morgan, Sunset Gun

Gary Morris, Bright Lights Film Journal, Bright Lights After Dark

Kevin J. Olson, Hugo Stiglitz Makes Films

Darleen Ortega, Opinionated Judge

Jamie S. Rich, Criterion Confessions, dvdtalk.com

Anne Richardson, Oregon Movies, A to Z

Bobby “Fatboy” Roberts, Damnit, Bobby, Nerd Puddle

Mike Russell, Culture Pulp

Eric Snider, Cinematical

Dawn Taylor, Cinematical

John Varley, varley.net

David Walker, Bad Azz Mo Fo, Indie Film Journal, The Missing Reel

Bill Warren, pioneering online film critic

Gary Wolcott, Mr. Movie

Kyle Yount, Kaijucast

Bobby “Fatboy” Roberts

Anne Richardson — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:31:01 +0000

Take that, dead tree media! Portland film critic Fatboy publishes a guide to the Five Most Unintentionally Racist Movies About Racism on the internet, and two days later it has 497, 296 views.