Jon Jost

  • Jon Jost – Angel City (1977)

    1971-1980ComedyExperimentalJon JostUSA

    Quote:
    ANGEL CITY seems to me one of my most dated works, perhaps because it is in the nature of satires, or the embracing of things-of-the-time (in order to skewer them) that one is necessarily enmeshed with just what one is out to attack, like B’rer Rabbit’s tar baby. Still it has some pretty funny things in it, even now. And as a film it is for the money, a pretty spectacular piece, with aerials, a big crane shot, EFX, all done for a measly (even back then) $6000.Read More »

  • Jon Jost – July 4, 2020 (2020)

    2011-2020DocumentaryJon JostShort FilmUSA

    Autotranslated description:
    Impressions from the American Independence Day celebrations in Butte, Montana: evening mood, American flag on the veranda, barbecue, firecrackers, fireworks. A quote from Donald Trump: “Marxists, anarchists, troublemakers and looters destroy our statues, erase our history, indoctrinate our children and trample our freedom. Your goal is no better America, your goal is the end of America. ”A short, to-the-point comment.
    (Mara Rusch)Read More »

  • Jon Jost – Plain Talk & Common Sense (1987)

    1981-1990DocumentaryExperimentalJon JostUSA

    Plain Talk & Common Sense (uncommon senses) “is a complex essay-film, a follow-up a decade and some years later to Speaking Directly, and so another State of the Nation discourse, made for Britain’s Channel Four in the year 1986-87. The work involved extensive travel around the United States, and poses an examination of just what America is/was, or what do we mean when we speak of it. Done in a series of radically different sections which collide with each other in a manner intended to provoke thinking, Plain Talk, which was made by an American and intended for American viewers, was indeed
    broadcast in Britain, but somewhat predictably, not in the USA. “
    –Jon Jost on his website. His website blurb used to be longerRead More »

  • Jon Jost – Slow Moves (1983)

    1981-1990Jon JostUSA

    Slow Moves is a bluesy lyrical romance of two ugly-ducklings who meet on the Golden Gate Bridge and after a brief and awkward courtship, live together with the usual problems of money and work, take flight to an illusory freedom on the road, and dances inexorably to a drab doom. At once funny, grubby, beautiful, lyrical, tragic and sad. (Jon Jost)Read More »

  • Jon Jost – Stagefright (1981)

    1981-1990ArthouseExperimentalJon JostUSA

    An essay-film on language and theater, on human communication – intellectual in content, but purely poetic in terms of form: image, sound, language, cinema. Stagefright, with the exception of one shot, was all filmed in a small puppet theater space, actors against black.Read More »

  • Jon Jost – The Bed You Sleep In (1993)

    1991-2000DramaJon JostUSA

    In this independently produced drama, a timbermill owner is having great difficulty sustaining a livelihood due to overcutting and peculiarities of the international trade situation. Despite the damaging effect his mill has on the local environment, he appears to be someone who really enjoys the unspoiled wilderness, because he goes fly-fishing whenever he can. His troubled life edges veers into deeper waters when his daughter sends him a letter in which she accuses him of incest. Whether her story proves to be true or not, it is certain that his life is now ruined forever, as are the lives of those around him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie GuideRead More »

  • Jon Jost – Frameup (1993)

    1991-2000ArthouseCrimeJon JostUSA

    Ricky, a dim-witted ex-con, meets Beth, a dim-witted waitress, in an Idaho diner. They take off in his car to Washington and begin an affair. Beth, a lonely romance-novel addict, is hopelessly enamored; Ricky is just in it for the (constant) sex. Beth’s longing to visit California and Ricky’s longing for quick cash leads them into a desperate situation. Director Jost uses a variety of avant-garde visual and narrative techniques, such as montage, collages, split screens and lengthy, tongue-in-cheek monologues to tell the tragicomic story of two complete losers in love.Read More »

  • Jon Jost – Rembrandt Laughing (1989)

    1981-1990ExperimentalJon JostUSA

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    synopsis

    The title refers to a rare etching of Dutch artist Rembrandt. Jon A. English plays a young musician who expresses his love for former girl friend Barbara Hammes by presenting her with a Xeroxed copy of the Rembrandt etching. Though Hammes is touched, she doesn’t want to get back together with English. And that’s what passes for a plot in this collection of loosely related visual anecdotes, recording the separate day-to-day existences of English and Hammes. Devotees of director Jon Jost will uncover profundities in every scene; those who aren’t so taken by Jost will scratch their heads and wonder what all the shouting is about.allmovieRead More »

  • Jon Jost – Sure Fire (1990)

    Drama1981-1990ExperimentalJon JostUSA

    29f7c043f76a2bde437fd0d52a185152

    IMDB user review

    fascinating
    31 July 2007 | by (peacecreep) (United States)
    Shot on 16mm in rural Utah in the early 90’s, Sure Fire is obscure American cinema at its finest. Josts style is very unique, containing many long scenes of dialogue, and beautiful photography of landscapes. This film contains some of the longest, most engaging monologues I’ve ever seen or heard, courtesy of the lead actor, Tom Blair. Blair is an amazingly strange actor that really gets into his roles. All I can really say is watch him work, it is fascinating.

    The story was developed in accordance with the people Jost met in Utah and what was going on in their lives and the area at the time. The story concerns Tom Blair’s character, Wes, wanting to sell real estate to people moving to his town from California. It goes on to explore his relationship with the people close to him.

    At times, the film feels like a weirder version of Twin Peaks, and that’s a very good thing. But it is no doubt a singular vision by a truly underground filmmaker. It is hard to find, but worth the hunt. -James Sinclair 7/07Read More »

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