film

Punishment Park

With the Vietnam war spiralling out of control and increasingly unpopular with the American public, President Nixon declares a state of national emergency and Federal authorities are given the power to detain persons judged to be a “risk to national security”.

In a desert region in California, a civilian tribunal passes penal sentences on groups of dissidents but offers the alternative of 3 days in ‘Punishment Park’. Peter Watkins’ film vividly imagines a world where political dissidents are hunted down by the forces of law and order in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

As relevant today as when initially released, Punishment Park is a stunningly visual political film with strong elements of thriller. In light of Guantanamo Bay, the Patriot Act and the recent polarisation of political viewpoints in the US, the film represents a hauntingly resonant vision for the contemporary viewer. It is a savage indictment of American political consciousness from one of the most underrated of British filmmakers.

 

dvd

The American Astronaut

Space travel has become a dirty way of life dominated by derelicts, grease monkeys, and hard-boiled interplanetary traders such as Samuel Curtis. Written, directed, and starring Cory McAbee of the legendary cult band The Billy Nayer Show, this sci-fi, musical-western uses flinty black and white photography, rugged Lo-Fi sets and the spirit of the final frontier. We follow Curtis on his Homeric journey to provide the all-female planet of Venus with a suitable male, while pursued by an enigmatic killer, Professor Hess. The film features music by The Billy Nayer Show and some of the most original rock n' roll scenes ever committed to film.

"Imagine a Laurel & Hardy skit directed by Salvador Dali." - Entertainment Weekly

 

Sequential Artist

Paul Pope

Paul Pope is one of the most innovative young comic artists to emerge in the comic explosion of the mid 90's. Embracing the energy and fluid line of Hugo Pratt and the design sense of Will Eisner, Paul Pope has envisioned not just a world but a universe for his stories to take place in. From alien cityscapes to bicycles to milk bottles, the attention to detail the artist posesses is unique. But it's not just his ingenuity but his heart as a writer that makes his work so important. You need look no further than his graphic novel Escapo to see his heartwrenching solitude or in the Vertigo series Heavy Liquid as a distraught drug addict literally comes face to face with his addiction.

Pope cut his teeth in the indy market but is not above the core companies as his short Batman story 'Broken Nose' and the inclusion of his work with Jetcat's Jay Stephens in 'Bizarro Comics Volume One' attests.

An innovator and artist, Paul Pope is a vanguard of the new age of comics.

Favorite Comic Shop #459

Million Year Picnic
99 Mt Auburn St
Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone: 617-492-6763

Tony Davis has been running this Harvard Square basement shop for over 30 years now. MYP was the first comic shop I went to where I realized comics were cool. Full to the brim with graphic novels, manga and even comics, you'll also be treated to genuine good music and friendly knowledgeable staff. You'll find everything from an import collection of Jodorowsky to a 1976 Superman Vs. Spider-Man Treasury Edition... for 2 bucks! A better shopping experience would be hard to find.

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