#53: "pleasing feelgood frenzy"
Welcome to issue #53 of THIS NEWSLETTER CANNOT SAVE YOU, although it tries, desperately tries, tries to the point of cringe really. In a world where earnest sincerity provokes scoffing and outrage, THIS NEWSLETTER CANNOT SAVE YOU stands by its commitment to deliver ten quality short-form video recommendations with every issue, except that one time I only came up with nine, thank you for bringing that up, really happy to be reminded.
Scottovision
"...and then we dance?" (2024) - Tilda Swinton and Julio Torres met working on Torres's upcoming directorial debut Problemista, and decided to star together in this absurdist short film confection in their apparent spare time. As it reads in the Principia Discordia, the film "says little, does less, means nothing," but sometimes that's exactly what you need. Read more about their unique working relationship at Them.
"Two Night" (2024) - In this retro 3D animated music video, rapper/singer Tierra Whack ascends to her final form as a parade float, only to be brought down low by rioting crowds. The track is from her debut album, World Wide Whack.
"Call Your Mom" (2023) - This short film, written & directed by Isaac Garza, stretches its seemingly simple premise into an elaborate eight-minute, one-take buildup to a perfectly landed punchline. Along the way, it's deftly executed silliness set in an office where literally everyone - except one hapless jerk - understands how important it is to call mom.
"Nocturne (Psaltriparus minimus Mix)" (2020) - A remix of a track by Kirsten Volness is given a beautifully surreal music video by animator Alexander Dupuis, in which a piano player seems to achieve a sound so miraculous that space and time transform into a hallucinatory and cosmic wonderland. It's baffling to me that this video has so few views.
"Under The Skin, The Bark" (2021) - A 2D animated character escapes into the 3D stop-motion world of his creator in this meditative short film from director Franck Dion, which could be viewed as an examination of creativity, or of consciousness, take your pick.
"Palestrina Gabriel" (2024) - Electronic artist Max Cooper was recently commissioned by Salzburg Easter Festival (a classical music and opera festival) to create an immersive live A/V production on the somewhat broad topic of "historic Italian ideas." This music video by Uisato is one of the outputs, using a foundation of live action dance & movement combined with AI-driven animation to represent some of these historic Italian ideas coming to life.
"When You're Here, You're Pizza!" (2023) - A man orders the same pizza from the same restaurant every night of his life - but when his brand loyalty is called into question, the consequencies are severe. This slightly demented horror-comedy from filmmaker Tim Schwagel is full of smart little moments and a true commitment to the bit.
"Trinity" (2024) - The latest short film from video artist Thomas Blanchard opens with a reminder that no CGI was used to create the film's effects. But you can clearly get a hell of a lot accomplished with macro mode, color grading, and sound design, let alone all the "alcohol inks, pigments, sparklers and a laboratory agitator" which were deployed in this metaphoric simulation of a nuclear explosion, 90% of which was shot in Blanchard's kitchen.
"Energy Incident" (2020) - Animator Jack Wedge offers this clinical depiction of how an energy drink affects the central nervous system.
"Somebody That I Used To Know" (2024) - Sure, you've seen the impressive dance film by CDK Company set to the modern classic track by Gotye and Kimbra, but have you seen CDK's live performance of that same routine, as showcased at the World of Dance Championship in Eindoven, embellished with choreography not captured in the film, dripping with so much talent and style it's almost unbearable? Right then.
Exit Music
Sending you out this issue with an old school mashup from DJ Earworm, "No One Takes Your Freedom," which combines the Scissor Sisters, the Beatles, Aretha Franklin, and George Michael into a pleasing feelgood frenzy. If you enjoy that kind of thing, you might also enjoy a mix I put together called "Version Control," comprised entirely of covers, mashups, and bootleg remixes.
Here's the YouTube playlist with this issue's recos. Please enjoy responsibly.
Until next time, I remain your friendly correspondent, thinking of you,
Scotto
Scotto Moore is the author of WILD MASSIVE, BATTLE OF THE LINGUIST MAGES, and YOUR FAVORITE BAND CANNOT SAVE YOU.
