Hey comic fans, before you all ask... No, I didn't fall off the face of the planet, I'm just super swamped with everything going on here, but I managed to get the column in this week... I hope you didn't miss me too much... Anyway, check this out... I'm gonna give all of you guys the skinny on a couple of DVD's that you definitely need to check out...

As most of you know I'm very into foreign cinema, especially the French stuff. The Europeans have a completely different mentality when it comes to filmmaking that stems from the way they just view art and life in general. Artists, musicians, writers, designers... They're all so much more respected and revered in Europe than they are here. Art is less of a commodity there, and more of... well, an art. The painter on the street is respected and admired in cities like Paris, Milan, or Zurich, while here, they're basically reduced to street urchins, or more simply put... Bums. Tragic, to say the least...

I was amazed when I first went to Europe in the late seventies as a child, that art and architecture was so much more prevalent there than they were even in New York City. There's sculpture all around you in Rome, Venice, London... Paris. Everywhere you look, there's art. Especially, in movie theaters...

European cinema has always been more art and artist driven than Hollywood. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Hollywood popcorn movies as well... Hell, I grew up on a healthy dose of Lucas and Spielberg 70's and 80's greatness. However, my two favorite directors, Ridley Scott and Jean Pierre Juenet are both European, and the sensibilities and creative choices both of them exhibit, especially in their earlier work, is some of the most inspiring and beautiful filmmaking that I have ever seen.

While all my friends at 13 or 14 were discovering the joys of masturbation via the Playboy magazine they stole from under their dad's bed, I had my head (not that one) buried in the latest issue of Heavy Metal, taking in the art of Arthur Suydam, Richard Corben, Vincente Segrelles, Liberatore, Drulliet, and one of my all time faves... Enki Bilal.

Last year, when I heard Bilal was making a film, I could barely contain myself. Well, I finally picked up "Immortel" on DVD earlier this month.

Wow.

It's like all his issues of Heavy Metal exploded all over the screen. I've seen this film 3 times now, and I still haven't taken it all in yet. It's visually arresting in a way that only a European film can be. Sure... there are a few "Hollywood" films that slip into that realm every now and then, but when you see it, you'll know what I mean.

It's a really incredible mix of CG and live action that creates a stunning look that was just so captivating, I actually found myself getting lost in it. The film is literally that dense. It's one of those movies you just cannot stop watching... The easiest way to describe how I classify this movie is to compare it to "The Cell"...

Now, granted... "The Cell" is no great story by any stretch of the imagination, but I will say that visually, it was brilliant. "Immortel" is kinda like watching "The Cell" without all the J Lo parts, that everyone just fast forwards through anyway, just to get to the dream sequences. It literally never lets up, and I recommend it very highly...

Another very cool, but very expensive DVD I just picked up is also from a European director, who's work I like...

"Rubber Johnny" is the latest short film by English artist and director, Chris Cunningham. It's very... Interesting. Now, most journalists, especially those who write about the entertainment industry, use that word to describe something that they don't really like, or more importantly, don't understand. I can't really say I understand it, however, I genuinely like it... Hell, I just spent 35 bucks for a short film, so when I say it was interesting, I mean that very literally.

This film really makes you wonder what's going on in the director's head, which is why I'm so drawn to it. What I like most about this piece, is the fact that it's so different and out there. Cunningham is definitely a visionary. I've loved his stuff ever since that Bjork video with the robot, and his Aphex Twin stuff is awesome... It would be really cool to see him do something at least vaguely narrative in the near future...

Like I said above, I really don't quite "get" this movie, but I admire and respect the hell out of it, if for nothing else, simply being that avant-garde and unique. If more filmmakers went where Cunningham goes, we'd certainly have a lot more interesting and different films... Or at the very least, they wouldn't be so hard to find. But then again, if everyone was doing what Cunningham does, Cunningham wouldn't be Cunningham, now would he?

Anyway guys and gals, it's late and I'm shooting tomorrow on a pretty cool music video myself, so I gotta sign off and say goodnight. Go pick up those DVD's... You'll dig 'em.

Till next time, peace, love, and an endless river of chocolate...

SC