LAMP/LAMB - Live! - Thurs. Feb 2 - 8PM

Oddball Films is proud to present a film programming throwdown between New York’s Andrew Lampert of Anthology Film Archives and home towner, the National Film Preservation Foundation’s Jeff Lambert. Putting their decades of film preservation experience to use, these two cinema savants will raid the Oddball stacks to do battle in a blind curatorial showdown.

With the cinematic theme still to be determined, even Lambert and Lampert have very little idea what to expect.  Each of these celluloid gladiators will step into Oddball Stadium with the same specific programming theme and a pre-determined running time to fill with filmic oddities and movie mayhem.

The theme on which this battle will be based will soon be released on the Oddball Films Blog, Twitter feed and Facebook Page.  Keep watch, film lovers.

Date: Thursday, February 2nd at 8PM
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10 - Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com


Formidable Programming! 

A fierce competitor, Lampert brings years of blind curating experience having turned the Unnessential Cinema series of neglected reels into a cultural phenomenon. Recently the Wall Street Journal (!) ran a story on the Anthology Film Archives “Single Frame” show where a group gathered to watch random slides provided by the audience. Slides! They don’t even move! He is that good.


Lambert has less experience in the programming arena, and we are as shocked as you that he is abandoning his stool at the Latin American Club to do something here. Lambert assures us we can expect the expected: “I’m not here to make friends. I plan to bring the celluloidal cray cray to the screen.”

Born in the mid-70s in the Midwest, Andrew Lampert primarily produces films, videos and live performances. Over the last decade his works have been widely exhibited at festivals (NY Film Festival, Rotterdam International Film Festival, Kill Your Timid Notion), in cinemas (BFI, Light Industry), in galleries (Mitchell Algus Gallery, NYC & Associates, London), performance venues (The Kitchen, NYC & The Center for Contemporary Art, Glasgow), museums (The Getty Museum, Los Angeles & The Whitney Museum of American Art) and elsewhere. Lampert  lives in Brooklyn, works as Archivist at Anthology Film Archives and is researching the seamy underbelly of the music industry for a theatrical production.

Training!
Jeff Lambert is the Assistant Director of the National Film Preservation Foundation, where he produced the award winning DVD set Treasures IV: American Avant-Garde, 1947-1986. Based in San Francisco, Lambert has taught at San Francisco State University. His writing on film has appeared in The Nashville Scene, Res Magazine, and Senses of Cinema.  He is currently curating the NFPF’s forthcoming DVD set, Treasures 6: Next Wave Avant-Garde (due for release in 2013). His true dream is to become Andrew’s West coast Alan Licht.



Strangest Strange Sinema: A 4 Year Anniversary Extravaganza - Sat. Jan 28 - 8PM

Oddball Films presents Strangest Strange Sinema: A 4 Year Anniversary Extravaganza. In honor of the 48th installment of Oddball Films’ monthly legendary and award winning Strange Sinema series, Head Curator Stephen Parr has hand-picked, from his collection of over 50,000 films, a program of the most offbeat and unusual titles for your viewing pleasure. From the minds of infamous bad boys, to absurd animals and sinful delights, this show embodies the essence of Oddball Films. Highlights include: Two Men and A Wardrobe (1958), a darkly comic early film by famed director Roman Polanski; Thank You Mask Man (1971), a vivid send up on race, class and sexuality in this legendary animated short by the infamous comedian and satirist Lenny Bruce; and Sandy Sunrise in The Baby Sitter (1971) a bizarro animated adult Triple XXX exploring the erotic adventures of a babysitter and vegetables to music from the classic Beach Boys Smiley Smile album! Blind as a Bat (1956), an oddity from the Moody Institute of Science giving a rare look into the mysterious world occupied by our flying relatives;  wacky, hilarious and narrated by 1950’s movie sweetheart Julie Harris, The Cat Who Drank and Used Too Much (1988) is an exceptional anti-drug film about an alcohol and drug using cat; and underwater mermaids, hot dog stands and circus acts beneath the Florida sea in Submarine Circus (1940s). Plus! Sinderella (1962) faithful reenactment of the Brother’s Grimm Cinderella…. except with a handful of lovely San Franciscan drag queens playing all the parts and much more!   


Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Date: Saturday, January 28th, 2011 at 8:00PM
Admission: $10.00 - Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415.558.8117


The Dog and Pony Show! - Fri. Jan 27 - 8PM

Oddball Films and guest curator Kat Shuchter present The Dog and Pony Show! An evening of vintage 16mm films about man’s best friend and his greatest ally. Horses have been the ones to take us into battle and to far off lands, while dogs have been there to stand by our sides and cuddle us at night, so take a trip back in time with our favorite furry friends on film.  E. Everett Horton plays a dandy in the 1928 silent slapstick Horse Shy.  A pack of tiny dogs learn simple and not so simple commands in Teach Your Dog Tricks (1951).  Watch the simple majesty of a herd of wild ponies frolicking in Ponies (1972). See 1970s New York City through a dog’s eyes in Bad Dog (1973). Get your Dude on at a Colorado Dude Ranch in Dudin’ (1955).  We’ve even got the Tex Avery classic Doggone Tired (1949).  With even more goodies like Vaudeville pups, the 1949 Kentucky Derby, equine bathing beauties, vintage commercials and a very special live-performance of “Hound Dog” by 25-year veteran Elvis Impersonator, Dr. Elvis!  It’s a night that will leave you howling for more.


Date: Friday, January 27th, 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 


Note:
The Dog and Pony Show Screening is not to be
confused with the Propville Dog & Pony Show™ http://www.propville.com/beta/dnp.php.

Liquid Lunch - Thurs. Jan 26 - 8PM

Oddball Films and guest curator Antonella Bonfanti present Liquid Lunch. From vintage beer commercials to outrageous oddities, this evening dedicated to the delectable drink is filled to the brim with the Archive's finest films about beer, booze and the morning after shakes. Highlights include:  The Three Stooges in Beer Barrel Polecats (1946); excerpts from the hilarious and particularly odd America On The Rocks (1973) narrated by Robert Mitchum; and an indulging parrot from the Universal Newsreel series Stranger Then Fiction (1943). The Glug (1981), a cautionary tale about adolescent alcohol abuse features a finely orchestrated beer heist; and the gut splitting animation Sex, Booze and Those Pills You Use (1982) reminds drinkers that one or two might turn you into casanova, but too much "sauce" might leave you sexually dysfunctional. Plus! A vat full of vintage beer commercials from the 1950s - 1980s including highlights from 1960s Lucky Beer commercials; and a glimpse back to 1940s Italian and German drinking establishments in San Francisco (1940s). 


Date: Thursday, January 26th, 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 


Now You See It, Now You Don’t - Sat. Jan 21 - 8PM

Oddball Films and guest curator Hannah Airriess present Now You See It, Now You Don’t: Disappearing Acts, Optical Illusions, and Mad Science. This program focuses on our fascination with illusion, and the accompanying desire to reveal the mechanics of such tricks. A magician’s performance, whether on a vaudeville stage or celluloid, centers on the pleasure an audience receives upon being deceived; in the awe of wondering, “How did they do that?” The short documentary Houdini Never Died (1978) showcases archival footage of many of Harry Houdini’s great escapes and illusions, along with other magicians’ tricks influenced by the great illusionist. Furthermore, it details the life of a man who was determined to debunk spiritualism and the belief in actual magic through his death-defying acts. The Human Senses: Learning to See (1970s), a beautiful educational film, explains the way optical illusions work, from Eames’ rooms to Ponzo illusions. This newfound knowledge will be helpful in watching Camera Magic (1955), a short film by the photographer Weegee, which demonstrates film’s magical capabilities, creating two-headed songs and multi-limbed women through editing. In The Magic Shop (1972), a modern version of the H.G. Wells short story, a father and son pay a visit to a magic shop. As the son marvels at tricks he believes to be true magic, his skeptical father tries his best to ground the feats in logical thinking.  Lastly, the strange and goofy film People Soup illustrates the magical capabilities of science, as two children perform a gross-out science experiment that transforms them into animals.  




Date: Saturday, January 21st, 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

What On Earth, It Came From Outer Space? - Fri. Jan 20 - 8PM

Oddball Films and guest curator Emily Schleiner present What On Earth, It Came From Outer Space?  An evening of sci-fi thrillers and campy science documentaries, this program answers all the questions you might have about the origins of life and who or what might be lurking in the outer reaches of the universe. Featuring excerpts from Jack Arnold’s It Came from Outer Space (1953), a classic telling the tale of an alien spaceship that crash-lands on Earth and takes humans hostage; Son of Frankenstein (1939) starring Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff, sheds light on the dark mystery of manufactured life as Dr. Frankenstein’s son returns to his inherited castle finding his father’s faithful servant Ygor attempts to reanimate the Monster; and a 1950’s UFO sighting turns into an abduction scenario in the suspenseful War of the Planets (1958) – are the aliens saviors or enemies?  See what our planet looks like through the eyes of extraterrestrial invaders in the beautifully animated sequences of What On Earth! (1970s), and experience the evolution of life on earth guided by renowned scientist Stephen J. Gould in This View of Life (1984). Plus! Watch a ridiculous clay ball evolve from a sea creature to a land animal in Clay, Origin of the Species (1964); and discover the building blocks of life in Solutions- Ionic and Molecular (1983). Whether you prefer a taste of the 1970’s science frontier or entertainment of the ridiculous science fiction variety, there is something here for everyone!




Date: Friday, January 20th, 2012 at 8:00 PM.
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 - Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415-558-8117


I’m Me, And You? - Thurs. Jan 19 - 8PM

Oddball Films and guest curator Joe Garrity present I’m Me, And You?: Exploring Identities of Self and Other.  Get comfortable before the mirror in a program that probes life’s greatest mystery: ourselves. From educational films to the avant-garde, animation to documentary, we examine the complexities of identity in the interpersonal world of you and me. This screening includes the groovy after school special Me: A Self Awareness Film (1975), along with a chapter from the feel-good cartoon series The Most Important Person, I’m The Only Me! (1972). Take issue with conformity in Dan Bessie’s funky animation Square Pegs and Round Holes (1973), and join children concerned about social roles in the offbeat I’m Me and Want to Be (1975). Witness confidence shaken around the office in the snarky industrial film What Do We Look Like To Others? (1972) and let uneasy teens open up to you in the dubious UC Berkeley sponsored doc, Adolescence: Crisis or Opportunity (1975). Doppelgangers complicate identity in a zany retake of a 1920s drama with Twin Dukes and a Duchess, and animations of primal dimensions dazzle in the Oscar-nominated stop-motion short Clay, or The Origin of the Species (1969) and the startling dream-trip, Ego (1970).  Plus! Twin talents and more! Join us as we introspect, “what makes me me?” and ponder the ultimate unknown: your “me” and mine.



Date: Thursday, January 19th, 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



Altered States: American Surrealist, Ritual and Trance Cinema - Sat. Jan 14 - 8PM


Oddball Films presents Altered States: American Surrealist, Ritual and Trance Cinema. Featuring seminal works from Kenneth Anger, Maya Deren, Margaret Mead and John Whitney this program explores ritual and trance through a range of cinematic styles and showcases the brilliance and innovation of American ethnographic and experimental filmmakers. Highlights include:  Invocation of my Demon Brother (1969) by Kenneth Anger, A Study in Choreography for the Camera (1945) and Meshes of the Afternoon (1943) by Maya Deren, Trance and Dance in Bali by Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead, John Whitney‘s Arabesque (1975) and Tanka by David LeBruun. Plus! 2 films by San Franciscan masters: Fantasy (1976), an hallucinatory handmade animated film from animation legend Vince Collins, and an excerpt from Peter Adair’s verite documentary Holy Ghost People (1967) about Pentecostal snake handlers in rural West Virgina. And More!



Date: Saturday, January 14  at 8:00PM.

Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco

Admission: $10 – Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415-558-8117


Freedom From Flight - Fri. Jan 13 - 8pm


Oddball Films and guest curator Carl Elsaesser present Freedom From Flight: Cinema of Seclusion. From the allegorical purity of an art cinema masterpiece to educational shorts that explore psychological effects of isolation, this breathtaking and expansive program examines solitude through a range of genres. Highlights include: Academy Award winner The Red Balloon (1956), by acclaimed filmmaker Albert Lamorisse, follows a child rejected from society who finds joy in being alone while making friends with a seemingly sentient balloon; Discovering Insects: Solitary Wasps (1950s) looks at this mesmerizing species that after birth go off and live their life away from any community; What Time Is Your Body? (1962) a campy scientific look at locking people in basement apartments with no clock for months to see how time changes for them; and Neurotic Behavior  (1965) a public service announcement about the effects of nervous and compulsive behavior. Plus more lovely lyrical balloons! Feeling Space (1952) featuring two children exploring their world with balloons; and a unique colorful balloon-filled kodachrome family film from 1954. 

Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, and San Francisco
Date: Friday, December 13th, 2011 at 8:00PM
Admission: $10.00 – Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415.558.8117.

Soul Music Spectacular - Thurs. Jan 12 - 8PM


Oddball Films presents Soul Music Spectacular! The Godfather, Queen and origins of soul, this evening of rare films of 1960s and 1970s is filled with outstanding footage of iconic soul and jazz artists. Highlights include: electrifying and rare documentaries about James Brown: The Man and Aretha Franklin: Soul Singer; and Eddie Kendricks in a Motown promotional film for his 1973 LP Keep On Truckin’.  Black Music in America: From Then Till Now, traces the roots of soul; Blind Gary Davis, a beautiful musical portrait of the great blues man; and Buck Dancer, an Alan Lomax-produced film of an African-American buck dancer/fife player. Plus! an excerpt from Chicago Blues featuring great footage of JB Hutto, Buddy Guy and Junior Wells in action!



Date: Thursday, January 12th at 8:00PM 
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco 94110
Admission: $10.00 - Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415-558-8117

Nomads in the Ozone: Gypsies, Hobos and Wandering Souls - Sat. Jan 7 - 8pm


Oddball Films presents Nomads in the Ozone: Gypsies, Hobos and Wandering Souls, a screening examining nomadic life around the world. From gypsies in Eastern Europe to traveling traders of Tibet to the legendary hobos and comedic vagabonds of North America, this genre-bending program explores global and pop collective concepts of nomadic life. Showcasing ethnographic films such as Tibetan Traders (1958) portraying the life of a semi-nomadic Himalayan tribe traveling through Tibet and India; documentaries like Circus Nomads (1975) capturing the colorful and hardship-laced culture of the traveling circus life; and the silent comedy of The Tramp (1915) featuring Charlie Chaplin’s fastidious hobo falling in love with a girl he rescued from robbers, this collection of esoteric films reflects on ephemerality and transience through time and space. Other highlights include: the novelty short Rip Van Winkle Returns (1953), showing the legendary vagabond as he attempts to adapt to modern 1950s life, the cartoon antics of policeman Porky Pig and a homeless Daffy Ducky in Riff Raffy Daffy (1948), the comedic duo of Abbott and Costello as train hopping, gambling hobos in Hollywood And Bust (1955), Nomads of the North (1950), Alaskan Inuit protect reindeer from killer wolves, and Desert Regions: Nomads and Traders (1980) showcasing the diverse yet similar nomadic lifestyles of the Bedouins of Jordan and the Navajo of the US. Plus! Gypsies 3 ways! Hollywood goes gypsy in Under A Gypsy Moon (1938), with the Five Balabanows and other acrobatic acts performing around a “Gypsy Campfire,” Gypsies (1972), a rare, non-narrative look inside traveling Gypsies of Poland, and Hunting Wild Doves in the Mali Highlands and a trailer for the film “King of the Gypsies”!

Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street, San Francisco
Date: Saturday, January 7, 2012 - 8pm
Admission: $10.00 - Limited Seating RSVP to programming@oddballfilm.com or 415.558.8117