Oddball Films Media
•
Jun 1, 2012
Oddball Films and guest curator Emily Schleiner present !!Blind Reason!! A Night of Mad and BadScientists! The program is packed with films about time-travel, hideous experiments, and ultimately, the fine line between intelligence and folly in the lab. Featuring excerpts from La Jetée (Chris Marker, 1962), the renowned precursor to 12 Monkeys; The Invisible Woman (A. Edward Sutherland, 1940), a time-capsule of a film about a fashion model who uses a mad scientist’s experiment toward her own ends; and Dr. Cyclops (Ernest B. Schoedsack, 1940) a science fiction & horror gem wherein Dr. Cyclops shrinks his collaborators at the same rate as his sanity diminishes. Watch a series of monster movie trailers, including The Brain That Wouldn’t Die (1962) and The Time Travelers (1964). Catch a glimpse of outrageous scientists attempting to roust a sloth in the truly rare Moody Institute of Science 1950’s documentary Slow as a Sloth. Slap your knee while watching Mr. Pasteur and the Riddle of Life (1972), a delightfully animated documentary that demonstrates how it is possible to reach false conclusions in science experiments! Be amazed by the diabolical laughter and well-lit gadgets! Plus!!! Watch an ambitious scientist get thwarted while carrying out experiments on the Three Stooges in A Bird in the Head (Edward Bernds, 1946). Whether you want to see comically bird-brained shenanigans, or mysterious time-traveling visitors, there is something here for everyone!
|
Image
|
|
And remember, don't do anything that affects anything,
unless it turns out you were supposed to,
in which case, for the love of God, don't not do it!
-- Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
|
Date: Friday, June 1st, 2012 at 8:00PM.
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 - Limited seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or
415-558-8117
Featuring:
La Jetée (1962, Color - excerpt)
Created by Chris Marker, this hauntingly beautiful and well-known film is a classic in the realm of science fiction and experimental film. Here, see the original story from 12 Monkeys! This is a time travel brain twister. Take in fantastic Post-World War II imagery through an uncommonly successful still photo technique accompanied with music, dialogue, and other foley. Both Apocryphal and yet largely composed of poetic flashbacks, this time-traveler story is one for the ages. If you see one film out of this collection, this will be the film to see!
Slow as a Sloth (1950s, Color)
This slick fifties era documentary-show-host presents different breeds of sloths with the help of his lab-coated assistant. The duo explain interesting facts about sloths and attempt to elicit reactions from the animals by petting their fur the wrong direction. Sloths and silly scientists galore! Another gem from Oddball Fan Favorite Moody Institute of Science.
|
Image
|
|
These old doomsday devices are dangerously unstable.
I'll rest easier not knowing where they are.
– Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
|
Our Wonderful Body: How We Breathe (1968, Color)
In this strangely crafty show, a doctor uses paint and paintbrush to model a circulatory system. The eccentric doctor has a teenaged kid standing behind a wall of glass – which he paints upon! The Doctor then wields his pointer as he explains how everything works while the kid looks uncomfortable. This show is a prime example of the unintentionally funny!
Mr. Pasteur and the Riddle of Life (1972, Color)
This documentary attempts use humor in the form of an animated puppet-scientist. The puppet plays devil’s advocate to the narrator, debating the theory of spontaneous generation. Learn how it is possible to reach false conclusions with an insufficiently thorough application of the scientific method!! Pasteur’s mold experiments are re-created!
The Invisible Woman (1940’s, B&W)
Directed by A. Edward Sutherland, and starring Virginia Bruce, John Barrymore and John Howard, this film is an early career woman’s story. Sick of luring buyers as a clothing model, a beautiful blond model with an ulterior motive volunteers as guinea pig for an invisibility machine. The condescending scientist who experiments on her at first refuses because she is a she! But he eventually concedes. She returns to her place of employment to frighten her unscrupulous boss!
People Soup (1970s, color)
In this funky time capsule from the 70s, an ambitious mad-scientist-child (!) works to create an “animal camp” but takes breaks to argue with his younger brother whom he persuades to give him money! The two of them snack on peanut butter and chocolate as they determinedly carry out their experiments. Watch for green concoctions! Chickens! And sheepdogs!
|
Image
|
|
“Good news, everyone! I'm sending you on a highly controversial mission.”
-- Professor Farnsworth, Futurama
|
Dr. Cyclops (1940. B&W)
Don’t miss this science fiction film directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, starring Thomas Coley, Victor Kilian, Janice Logan, Charles Halton, Frank Yaconelli, and Albert Dekker. Mad scientist, Dr. Cyclops, manages to shrink 5 people who are getting in the way of his experiments! What will they do?! How will they return to their former size?! And just how far will Dr. Cyclops’ madness drive him?
Unnatural History (1959, color)
Lo*ny Toons creators made this funny and strange animated piece! Professor Beest Lee is gives a lecture entitled “Are Animals Human or Vice Versa?” He compares various animals to one another and speaks of their respective levels of intelligence in comparison with human beings. Are dogs really loyal, he wonders? And, how can it be that elephants are frightened of small animals? Catch all the ridiculous examples in this show!
A Bird in the Head (1946, B&W)
Don’t miss this Three Stooges caper! The trio end up in the clutches of a would-be-mad-scientist who has no idea of the shenanigans in store for him. Including a mischievous Gorilla, this crew is more than a match for a mad professor who want to be famous. Enjoy the insanity in all quarters!
Curator biography:
Emily Schleiner is a Brooklyn NY and Davis CA-based new media artist and thinker. She has shown internationally, has been published in the Trondheim's TEKS's 'Making Reality Real' Journal and has presented at the 2nd Inter-Disciplinary.net Global Conference in Budapest. She received her Masters from Performance and Interactive Media Arts department at Brooklyn College, NY in 2010. More about Emily at: http://cordial-emily.com/http://cordial-emily.com/