Culture Watch

Buried Pictures Digs Up Another Film

In spite of what local filmmakers want you to think, the history of locally created cinema is haphazard at best. We’re a town that likes to support the artist’s dream, even if said artists seem to lack a little on the follow-through. For instance, all three of Xpress’ 2006 Best of WNC winners for “Best Locally Produced Film”—Moon Europa, Rank Strangers and Asheville the Movie—remain unreleased more than six months later. And yet, there’s at least one local film company who has, surprisingly enough, produced a few movies that have made it to the screen. Almost exactly one year ago, Buried Pictures debuted their second feature-length film, The Nudger, a darkly hallucinogenic tale of death, love and blowfish toxin set in a demented mirror version of Asheville. Recently, Buried Pictures founder Larry Benner announced that the company is in pre-production for their third feature film, The Wilding. Although he was reluctant to give out too many details, Benner did say the film was a “drama about disaffected disintegrating youths,” and would begin casting in early summer. Benner also said that shooting would start in September, but was reluctant to venture a release date for the project. And, if that weren’t enough, Benner also mentioned that both The Nudger and Buried Pictures’ first film, Ether, would soon be available on DVD. For more information, visit buriedpictures.com.

Science + Kids’ Songs = No Sarcasm

When you’re a jaded, cynical arts writer who’s presented with something like The Health Adventure’s new CD Momentum: Songs About Science, it’s hard not to want to say something woundingly sarcastic. After all, the 10-track album is filled with unflinchingly silly songs, performed without irony by local folkster Jim Taylor and his friends (Chris Rosser, Akira Satake, Adam Greenberg and many more). And yet, as much as I want to crack on tracks like the “Rap-a-Long Science Song” and “(Air) It’s A Gas,” I can’t really find the heart to do it. It’s too genuine, too earnest. And, worst of all, the album is actually, sort of, almost, kinda, not-half-bad, in a kiddie-centric kind of way. Momentum also recently won the North Carolina Museum’s Council Educational Creative Award for 2007. So, not that I’m telling you to get it for your kids or anything, but if you wanted to, you could buy it for $15 at the Health Adventure’s gift shop. Or, if you prefer, you can also download it from iTunes.