That's a pre-tween Robert Downey Jr. appearing in TWO TONS OF TURQUOISE TO TAOS TONIGHT, the most confounding (and, therefore, most representative) offering on the amazing new Eclipse set UP ALL NIGHT WITH ROBERT DOWNEY SR.
Apparently, TWO TONS is Junior's personal favorite film of his father's. Most people prefer PUTNEY SWOPE, but Criterion/Eclipse has done a great service by putting all five of Downey Senior's films on the same footing with this particular set. There were complaints that PUTNEY should have grabbed a coveted Criterion spine number while relegating the other films to extra status. But all the films here deserve a look, TWO TONS especially. The film is like channel- (or web-)surfing through the pandemoniac psyche of an acid casualty. It's an aggregate of images Downey Sr. shot over the course of two years which he has subsequently edited and reedited over the course of three decades. It's certainly not for the uninitiated (the best starting point is definitely PUTNEY), but offers the most succinct look at Downey's feverish, anarchic vision.
More on this set soon. I'm collating my thoughts over the long weekend.
Also: here's where I would normally apologize for the dearth of posts over these last eight months or so and promise lots and lots of future content. I can't in good conscience do that. I continue producing content over at GreenCine, so you can check that out.
No comments:
Post a Comment