WED 8/3
If you think David Lynch's films are strange, check out Rob Tyler's Magic Hostess: The Electric Can Opener. The four-minute flick -- which extols the virtues of said household appliance -- contains enough subtle humor and surprises (Mr. T makes chili?) to leave you wondering what the hell you just saw. And it's only one of the 13 oddly innovative movies in the FLEX Florida Experimental Film/Video Festival, happening Wednesday at Respectable Street (518 Clematis St., West Palm Beach).
The annual juried festival, which takes place in Gainesville, features experimental filmmakers from across the country whose works don't follow the conventional notions of plot. Wednesday's event is part of FLEX's statewide tour, which highlights some of the standout entries. These range from abstract pieces like Naomi Uman's visually emotive Hand Eye Coordination to inventive music videos like Paul Lloyd Sargent's White Blight Manifesto, which answers the question, "What does a computer sound like busting out rhymes for a hip-hop video?" Well, that's something you just have to see to understand. And it makes Twin Peaks look like Twins. Doors open at 9 p.m.; films begin at 9:30. Tickets cost $5. Call 561-832-9999, or visit www.flexfest.org. -- Jason Budjinski
Vision Quest
Delray sings the body eclectic
SUN 7/31
The recently formed Delray Cultural Roundtable is inviting creative artists of every medium to spend one Sunday hangover together doing what they do best (besides starving) -- use their imaginations.
"Artists are very lonely souls," explains one of the Roundtable organizers, commercial photographer Jerry Rabinowitz. "We want to see who's out there and bring them together to meet and collaborate." Think art salon, where a burgeoning underground gives shape to shared visions, which in turn may yield some answers to the question of Delray's cultural future.
"The Delray Experiment: An Afternoon on the Creative Edge," will feature a poetry wall, an interactive map of Delray Beach (to build upon), photography, and music. It takes place from 2 to 5 p.m. in the parking lot of the soon-to-be-history Museum of Lifestyle and Fashion History (322 NE Second Ave., Delray Beach) and is free. Call 561-276-3330 or 561-243-2662. -- John Shannon
Geraldo Rivera Gone Wild!
Or something like that (Rated FU)
FRI 7/29
"I... wanted to give it a rating of F***ed Up," said a reviewer who saw the film Cronicas (Chronicles, in English) at the Philadelphia Film Festival. He found the movie so powerful that he could not stop talking about it for two hours. Cronicas (in Spanish, with English subtitles), stars John Leguizamo as a tabloid TV reporter who, hoping to become famous, follows a child murderer in Ecuador. He bends the truth and gets in the very scary middle of the story, leaving viewers to wonder who's worse -- the criminals or the media. The thriller opens Friday at Regal Shadowood 16 Theater (9889 W. Glades Rd., Boca Raton, 561-482-2296) and Gateway Cinema 4 (1820 E. Sunrise Blvd., Fort Lauderdale, 954-763-7994). -- Deirdra Funcheon
Turn Back the Clockwork
FRI 7/29
Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange may be a classic tale of societal retribution gone overboard. But for us Yanks, there's another equally enthralling aspect -- all that wacky British slang. (OK, so the fight scenes are pretty cool too). The film shows at 9 p.m. Friday at the Demetrius Klein Dance Company (811 Lake Ave., Lake Worth). The cost is $5. Call 561-596-2335. -- Jason Budjinski
