Cantankerous Titles & Obscure Ephemera, Vol 1

$12.95
by Joe Biel

“Joe Biel’s collection of “talkies” perfectly embodies the D.I.Y. doc
mantra of “just get out there and shoot it.” Consisting of five films,
ranging from 11 to 40 minutes, Biel injects each film with a political
and socially conscious agenda. Two films in particular carry the common
thread of looking to alternative forms of transport.

“Martinis in the Bike Lane“ (11 min) is the first in this pair that looks at the colourful history
of decorated, and personalized bike lane markers by Portland city
employees. It’s a fun doc that, while pushing the bike-positive agenda
of a bike-friendly city like Portland, keeps from becoming didactic by
focusing on the artistic touches to the little painted bike-men on the
pavement. City employees are actually encouraged to add a personal
touch to the marker, such as adding a golf-club in the figure’s hand
next to the golf course. Biel even gets to create his own custom
figure, complete with a block-spiky Mohawk. “Best Documentary Short” in the Mid-Valley Film Festival!

“Last Train out of North America” (19 min) is the next in this pair, and
is obviously the strongest of the group of films. While Biel definitely
reveals a personal signature to these films, Last Train feels like a
well-researched (and polished) doc lamenting the loss of the commuter
train. Featuring interviews focusing on the history of commuter train
travel, its decline and ultimate usurpation by air and car–the doc
caters to the dying romance of the train ride, without becoming sappy.
One highlight is an interview with an older couple who had met on the
train many years prior, discussing how society doesn’t seem content
with taking its time anymore, or enjoying a relaxing train ride.

Biel then veers off into a mockumentary with
“Central Kansas – Canvas Central” (11 min). And if this is a mockumentary, then
the performances are pretty damn impressive and convincing. Central
Kansas is about the obsessive nature of punks to their patches; how
they wear them, what they mean, and why the patch is so damn important.
While this one did have me rolling my eyes at points (one interviewee wonders aloud why there aren’t
any ‘Sundance’ festivals for patches), it kept the humour going
throughout and didn’t run dry of the premise. A little part of
me wonders if the mockumentary label was tagged on at the last minute
to save face.

Another sub-culture featured in the longest doc of the disk,
“Of Dice and Men” (39 min), investigates the obsessive chronicles of RISK players.
The doc focuses on how seemingly normal, relaxed, anti-authoritarian
(anarchist) folk are able to transform into budding imperialists
through this game. While Biel tries to push the political angle in Risk
as a parallel to the current policies of the U.S., it comes off a
little heavy handed. The doc works, however, when it ignores all that
and we see how people’s fundamental ideologies can be suspended when
they play a game like this. The appeal of the game to this subculture,
and how it is so obsessively played, is what becomes so fascinating.

Biel’s D.I.Y. doc aesthetic works well throughout the disk and
he’s definitely developing a signature in his style, it’ll be
interesting to see what he aims his camera at next.” -James King, Broken Pencil

Contact us if you are interested in setting up screenings in your town!