American ex-pat Matthias recalls working at the Tribeca Film Festival and recommends some animation for grown-ups. You can read his amazing TPFC-inspired cocktail recipes here and follow him on Instagram @masundbe1.
What was the first film you saw at film club?
Jean-Luc Godard’s Une femme est une femme.
What’s been your favourite film at film club?
I very much enjoyed the Godard (because I’m a sucker for experiments).
What’s been your least favourite film club?
I don’t have one. They’ve all been absolutely the best parts of my weeks.
Which film that you voted for are you most annoyed has lost the vote?
Gosford Park. I just simply haven’t gotten around to seeing that movie and I thought “Here’s my chance!” At some point, I’ll break down and buy it on iTunes.
What’s a favourite film of yours you’d love to see at film club?
I actually joined the club because I needed some focus in my film-watching career. My influences have gotten stuck. That said, I’m a sucker for silent films and would love to see The Cabinet of Dr Caligari.
Tell us a theme and three choices you’d put up for the vote.
I’m a big animation fan. I love animation. So my theme would be ‘21st Century Animation For Adults’. Up for the vote: Revengeance (2016) by Jim Lujan, Bill Plympton; Tokyo Godfathers (2003) by Satoshi Kon, Shôgo Furuya; It’s Such A Beautiful Day (2012) by Don Hertzfeld. Bonus: The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead and Roundhead (2014) by Elliot Cowan (the shorts are streamable on YouTube and the feature is available on Amazon)
Is there a book about film that you’d recommend to other members?
I probably should read more books about film. I think that the last one I read was 13 years ago and it was the Robert Rodriguez book about how he made El Mariachi, Rebel Without a Crew. Great book. It’s fascinating to see the pains he took to get started, the things he did. Triumph over adversity and all that.
What’s your earliest memory of going to the cinema?
Seeing the Bambi re-release in the US in 1982, during which my infant brother lost his mind and we had to leave early. I’ve yet to see the film in full (also I was two so I barely remember anything about it… but I do remember that).
What’s your most memorable cinematic experience?
I was working at the Tribeca Film Festival as a ‘line director’ which is to say ‘directing people standing in the lines’, but it looks better on the ol’ CV. I got to meet a lot of celebrities and over the course of the week, I was permitted to see one film for free. I picked 7 Zwerge (2004) for no reason other than it looked fun. And it really is. It’s a profoundly stupid German romp retelling the Snow White story, starring Cosma Shiva Hagen as Snow White and directed by Otto Unterwalt, Jr. Absolutely B-Grade silliness and juvenile humour, but I enjoyed the hell out of it.
What was the last film you saw outside film club and would you recommend it?
I’ve been listening to the It’s The Pictures That Got Small podcast with Karina Longworth and Nate Dimeo and it’s a little film club of its own. Through their recommendations, I’ve watched From Here To Eternity and The Grapes of Wrath. Both huge gaps in my repertoire and well worth watching/re-watching. Also, never saw SpaceJam which is on Netflix right now and started it last night. I’m debating whether or not to finish it... I can’t say as I’d recommend it. The voices are terrible, the animation is worse, and it’s really just a huge, huge waste of time. Lola Bunny is offensively awful and I don’t know what they did to June Foray’s voice, but Granny sounds SO WRONG.
If you’d like to take part in our Meet the Members series, here are the questions. Answer as many as you like and email them to us and one day… you too could be our star of the week.
