FEATURE
FILMS
"Algren"
(In production)
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Algren
will revive
Nelson Algren, author of The Man
with the Golden Arm and A
Walk on the Wild Side (among
others), as the under-celebrated voice
for America’s voiceless, and
explore his life as an artist whose
compassion for humanity—and
the underdogs whom he regarded as
the "true" America—
is a message of universal relevance
and timelessness. Algren was a man
whose work is and was too readily
eschewed in the canon of American
literature.
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MORE... |
"A
Magical Vision"
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Hot off the press,
this feature documentary spotlights
a unique group of performing magicians
fostering a movement to revive the
shamanistic roots of magic performance.
A Magical Vision
focuses on Eugene Burger, a far-sighted
philosopher and magician who is considered
one of the great teachers of the magical
arts. Eugene has spent twenty-five
years speaking to magicians, academics,
and the general public about the experience
of magic.
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"Stones from the Soil"
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Stones
from the Soil (2005)
tells the story of a unique school
in 1930s Germany where a small group
of Jewish teenagers were trained to
become the vanguard of a new society.
One of those teenagers was the director's
father. The school would eventually
save his life, and the lives of 150
others.
Renowned photographer Shimon Attie
called Stones from the Soil, “a
very moving and emotional piece,”
and Static Multimedia said it is “an
intimate, tender, and often disturbing
look at [Caplan’s] [German-Jewish]
heritage… poignant and entertaining.”
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"The Night
Larry Kramer Kissed Me"
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With this astonishing
concert film, audiences who missed
the off-Broadway smash can see the
supremely talented David Drake in
his captivating one-man show. This
semi-autobiographical performance
piece contains several poignant stories
about growing up gay in the ‘90s.
From his brilliant opening monologue
describing the impact playwright Larry
Kramer's The Normal Heart had on him,
to his amusing riff on “Why
I Go to the Gym,” Drake delivers
a fierce, full-bodied, multi-character
performance. Other segments include
a vigil for friends and lovers lost
to AIDS, and a treatise on the ideal
future (the plague is cured, and Matt
and Ben remake The Way We Were). With
rhythmic storytelling and wry observations
on gay life – from the young
boy who wanted to grow up to be “big
and tough” like the Village
People, and the 16-year-old who reminisces
about his first kiss from an older
man (the older man was 17) –
The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me is
a funny, knowing, and powerful collection
of vignettes. Directed by Tim Kirkman,
who made the original documentary,
Dear Jesse.
Available from TLA
Video on DVD and video. |
"Peoria
Babylon"
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Jon Ashe (David Drake,
“Philadelphia”, “Longtime
Companion”), needs more from
life in Peoria … the 20 gay
men who live in the small town are
tacky, boring, and unimaginative.
Candy Dineen (Ann Cusack, “A
League of Their Own”), is well-bred,
blonde, and broke. Together they own
two halves of a failing gallery. Their
lives are depressed and glum until
a hunky art stud reveals his talent
for art forgery and publicity stunts.
As the three conspire, they imagine
a most successful venture: an Art
Massacre that will destroy some of
the world's most famous paintings…
with a twist. The unbelievable art
con gains fame, wealth, success, and
all the problems that follow. In the
end, what remains are the pleas of
a lesbian-porn drag queen turned congresswoman,
her angry lover’s Godfather,
his disgruntled wife, and a snooty
gallery director.
Available from Ariztical
Entertainment on DVD and video. |
EDUCATIONAL
FILMS with Eugene Burger
A three-DVD Chicago Tapes
set is the result of an ongoing collaboration
between Montrose Pictures and world-renown
magician, Eugene Burger. Magicians are pretty
special people by definition, but Eugene
Burger is considered exceptional even by
other magicians. He has written fifteen
best-selling books for the magic trade,
some of which have been translated into
several languages, and lectured extensively
to magicians' groups in over a dozen countries.
The set includes the newly remastered essentials
Eugene Goes Bizarre, Real Secrets of Close-up
Magic, and Gourmet Close-up Magic, featuring
Eugene's classic effects plus lessons on
close-up excellence, card technique, thread
work, and Bizarre Magic. Also included are
guest appearances by Tony Andruzzi, Jay
Inglee, and David Parr, as well as bonus
photo galleries.
"Eugene Goes Bizarre"
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Eugene's extensive
handlings of The Haunted Deck, teachings
on deeper magic, startling performances,
thoughts on Bizarre Magic, guest appearances
by Tony Andruzzi and Jay Inglee, and
the short film "An Afternoon
with a Magician."
Available from MagicBeard.com |
"Real
Secrets of Close-Up Magic"
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An analysis of Ten
Steps to Learning to Perform Magic,
the secrets of Eugene's Coin Clip,
plus explanations of the Acrobatic
Matchbox, Cutting the Aces, Cigarette
Vanishes, The World's Fastest Card
Trick, The Three Coin Mystery, The
Old Carnival Game, and Al Baker's
Impossible Card Force.
Available from MagicBeard.com |
"Gourmet Close-Up
Magic"
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Eugene examines top-level
close-up techniques in several professional
situations including “bar magic”,
“walk-around”, and elegant
seated performances. Features explanations
of his Mullica Wallet routine, the
Signed Card Under the Tablecloth,
and Shotglass Surprise.
Available from MagicBeard.com |
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