Ray Pride

A substantive batch of shorts produced in 2006 and presented by Chicago Filmmakers as "Redefining Video," the work of 17-year-old Michigander Kyle Canterbury has hypnotic moments, working with simple abstractions of concrete things, for the most part, almost all rephotographed off of a video monitor to take advantage of the form's still-evolving potential for capturing texture. The brief duration of most of the work keeps Canterbury from mannerism; the Criterion edition of the works of Stan Brakhage has been cited by his friend, Chicago-based critic Fred Camper, as a key influence on this burst of work. (There's an essay at fredcamper.com.) In "Fragments from a Room," light and composition suggest painterly affect; eccentric cutting patterns throughout intrigue. The figurations are often suggestive of imagery by other filmmakers (Sokurov's blurred vision; the contours of landscape in Kiarostami's shorts), yet there is a diversity of affects, some suggestive of layers of graffiti, or the layers of paint from successive attempts at graffiti removal or a succession of stills like bad photocopies of buildings ("Building in Detroit #2"). The dance of images of tree and sky and rock in "(July, 2006)" are among the most memorable.

The work premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2006. This is only its second showing. Program approx. 70m. Canterbury will appear with his work at Chicago Filmmakers, Saturday, 8pm.

(2007-01-30)

Also by Ray Pride

Mister Dominick, tear down this wall!
The intermittent groaning and bleeping along the half city block of mud and dirt on Chicago Avenue from first light to dusk is no mystery--but the view is gone. The spread of land where the Edmar supermarket stood until summer is now hidden from eastern eyes: a greater-than-story-high pale retaining wall, drab, Soviet, up against the McDonald's on the corner, a gray cement barricade, like a barrier against slurry in mining operations
(2007-01-23)

What Goes Unsaid
So I'm telling a friend about "Catch and Release," the bittersweet romantic comedy that's "Erin Brockovich" screenwriter Susannah Grant's debut as a director. She stops me: "Romantic comedy. Jennifer Garner. You liked it. But is it any good?" (A swift punch to a soft spot.) Why do people want to hate romantic comedies?
(2007-01-23)

Tip of the Week
Even if you admire this movie, you will probably hate it as well. Watching "Inland Empire," I loathed about half of the experience
(2007-01-23)

Iraq 'n' Roll
So, a dozen people want to kill Jeremy Piven. That's in Joe Carnahan's "Smokin' Aces," where his character Buddy "Aces" Israel, a sleazy magician and leading luminary in Vegas' entertainment zirconium firmament who's made a compact with the feds after his long-gestating Vegas blood has gone wrong
(2007-01-16)

Tip of the Week
(2007-01-16)

Teenage Wasteland
(2007-01-09)

Tip of the Week
(2007-01-09)

Tip of the Week
(2007-01-02)

Potter's Field
(2007-01-02)

What Screams May Come
(2006-12-22)

Tip of the Week
(2006-12-22)

The Same Sidewalk Twice
(2006-12-22)

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