FYI NYC folks: Ashes Screening at IFC Monday

[trayanastasio]

Not sure if this has been posted, but there will be two screenings of the movie this Monday. The early one has sold out, but the second one, at 9:30, has not. I believe the filmmakers will be in attendance.

[trayanastasio]

Here's the link for tickets, since the one on the actual IFC site is at this point bunk.

 

http://www.movietickets.com/pre_purchase.a...&showdate=2

 

Shame I didn't hear about the first screening, which will be shown for Fred Armisen's movie night.

[pathfire]

Ashes of American Flags had its New York premiere tonight at the IFC Center in the West Village. It was a sold-out screening and was being billed as "Movie Night with Fred Armisen". Fred came out and introduced the film and the directors, talked for a bit, and said one of his favorite moments was watching Nels during A Shot in the Arm, describing him as an unsung musical hero.

 

As others have stated here, the film looks and sounds INCREDIBLE. Songs are given a chance to breathe and play in their entirety at various theaters and clubs throughout the US. They really cranked the volume up in the theater and the sound was pristine. Several folks in the audience had a role in the film, including a few cameramen and women (Nikos Kourkoulakos included) and Eli Janney, the person responsible for the concert recording in the film. After some of the songs, it was very difficult to restrain myself from clapping, but as I quickly learned, no one was going to be clapping after the performances in the movie, and I didn't want to be "that guy." Very different experience from when I saw IATTBYH at Cinema Village and people were clapping and cheering after songs. Maybe the 9:30 screening was going to be rowdier...who knows.

 

All of the performances in the film are great, but highlights include A Shot in the Arm, Impossible Germany, and Via Chicago. I got chills running up and down my spine after hearing/watching these. After the screening, Fred, Brendan, and Christoph came back to the stage and talked for a while before taking questions from the audience. I think some people were confused and thought Brendan/Christoph also directed IATTBYH, and the questions seemed to reflect that, but I could be wrong.

 

All in all, a great night, and I can't wait to pick up the DVD this Saturday!

[MattZ]

Yeah, I was there last night too. And I have to say that I had two odd experiences. First, like you said, after a couple of the songs, my instinct was to clap and I had to stop myself. And second, the sound so unbelievably crisp that I had to catch myself from closing my eyes and listening.

 

Armisen was pretty funny and I agree that the IATTBYH questions from the audience were a bit odd. Seemed (to me) that folks were more interested in (and were asking about) what sort of limits the band put on the filmmakers' access. Since, as we know, things got a bit dicey the last time someone had a camera around the band. Canty said there were none.

 

If there's any downside to last night, it's that the dvd on my home "theater" will not hold a candle to last night. I would have stayed for the second screening last night if my buddies would have been up for it. It was pure bliss. If you haven't seen the film in the theater, and you have the opportunity, do it. Run.

[replacements75]

I have to say that I was floored by the 9:30 screening. As was said about the earlier screening the sound was amazing and the images were so crisp. I too had to fight the urge to clap after every song because no one else was. It seemed so real and live that I felt the need to applaud. Also the surround sound had me thinking that people were clapping behind me or next to me but no such luck. Also the performances were so amazing that it only felt right to applaud but in the end I too did not want to be "that guy." All in all I have to say that I thought the same thing last night that it will definitely not be the same watching at home but I will still watch it over and over.

 

One other thing I kept thinking last night was that I wish this was going to be put out on CD/LP too. The songs sounded so great, the guitars so crisp, the keyboards, drums and bass so detailed it would make an incredible live album. I hope that like the Sunken Treasure DVD we will be at least able to download the tracks. Though I must say I would love to own an official copy of these tracks to throw on the stereo. I like the song selection and pacing of the movie and definitely think these versions are stronger than those on Kicking Television.

[trayanastasio]

I went to the 9:30 screening last night at the IFC center.

 

Some notes:

 

The sound was spectacular for the screening, and I only hope that some of that translates to the DVD.

 

For my money, the film covers Wilco becoming the best live act in the country - the months following the Residency, when they really came together, engaged all the Wilco material, and teared through Sky Blue Sky. Having gone to the Residency and the DC show featured in the doc, it is quite the treat.

 

That being said, it's not the greatest of movies. Giving it the title "Ashes of American Flags" and billing it as a movie that explores a disappearing America sets the bar extremely high, and it's fair to say that it does not explore that theme or work on it beyond a few statements by Jeff, Pat, and John. It's somewhat upsetting that they don't go any further on this, at least when it comes to the venues played. More than anything, the film amounts to a really well-produced long version of something you would see on a DVD released to coincide with an album; little tastes of different tour stops interspersed with interviews. These guys did do the SBS DVD, after all.

 

In my opinion, the biggest flaw of the film is in the coverage. The filmmakers mentioned that they had 8 cameramen, though it seems like they really weren't directed properly: in several cases, it seems like everyone is going for the interesting, off kilter shot, which is wonderful in moderation, but not when it detracts from getting a full sense of the concert. The few wide shots or balcony overheads (The Ryman) are a welcomed relief from a claustrophobia that seems more accidental than deliberate.

 

And a final flaw: the filmmakers don't seem to get the importance of expressive editing, editing that seems to understand the music, its changes and its peaks. There were a bunch of instances, for example, when something happened in the music - Nels took a solo, Jeff was about to sing a crucial line - and they instead featured another shot of something pretty unremarkable.

 

A lot of these negative reactions could be due to the fact that I saw it on a big screen, where I can confidently tell you the film does not belong

 

Problems aside, it's definitely worth buying. Really. The music is so damn good, the guys are hilarious, and some of the images are great.

[nalafej]

Your thoughts match mine. Camer work drove me crazy. Great venues, great performance, great sound. But the shots from the pit looking up Jeff Tweedy's nose got old. Looking forward to seeing the extra songs and getting the live show this weekend.

[pathfire]

Also, in the closing credits, the songlist went by pretty quickly, but I thought I saw a song called "The Kiss." Anyone else notice this or know what this is referring to? I recognized all of the other titles except this one, and who knows, maybe I was seeing something that wasn't there.

[bböp]

Also, in the closing credits, the songlist went by pretty quickly, but I thought I saw a song called "The Kiss." Anyone else notice this or know what this is referring to? I recognized all of the other titles except this one, and who knows, maybe I was seeing something that wasn't there.

 

It's a Judee Sill song. Not sure where exactly it appeared in the film, but maybe as an instrumental passage in one of the "transitional" shots?