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| January 27th, 2006 by Alex Ingersoll (Permalink) Year: 2006 Add Comments |
What happens when an eclectic literary journal decides to create a quarterly DVD? Well, the same thing when whales and dolphins decide that abstinence is just not their thing. Wholphin, the “DVD magazine of unseen things” is just that, a cinematic journal produced by Dave Eggers’ McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. Edited by Brent Hoff, this collection of obscure films hopes to shed light on what he considers important yet unknown works from a wide assortment of filmmakers.
“Wholphins are a cross between a false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) and a bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncates). They are not only real but, unlike nearly all other crossbreeds, they are fertile. A result of a chance pairing in a Hawaiian sea park, the wholphin is not a sterile mutation, but a viable new species. We honor this new sea mammal, and proudly hoist its banner above these films.”
The debut issue has just been released and includes work by Spike Jonze (a candid personal documentary of Al Gore during the 2000 election), David O. Russell (a segment of his divisive documentary on the war in Iraq), and Miranda July (director of the incredible 2005 film, Me and You and Everyone We Know). Fourteen short films are on the disc and each one has its own strong and distinctive voice contributing to an engrossing visual feast. Whether you’re interested in government documentaries instructing you how your house can survive nuclear war, rating the perceptions that others have of you, staring into Patton Oswalt’s eyes for five minutes or so, or feeling the need to dress only in red, Wholphin has you covered.
If the quarterly can maintain the inventive quality that is found in the first issue, then audiences are in for a treat (and there is a good chance with McSweeney’s behind the helm). Loose promises have been made that future issues will include shorts written and directed by the writers of The Daily Show, PSA’s from Iraq, a popular sitcom from Nigeria, and Maroon 5 (yes, that Maroon 5) delivering steel-reinforced guitars to a group of bonobos at an Iowa Primate Research Lab.
Fortunately, you now know about this hidden treasure chest. You can purchase the first issue for $22 or subscribe for only $40 (if you subscribe soon, you receive five issues for the price of four!). Timothy McSweeney running amok with a DVD burner is certainly not a sterile mutation, but a viable new species that deserves your attention.
Additionally, for all those filmmakers out there, they do take submissions. Check their webpage for details.
–Alex Ingersoll
Films in Issue No. 1:
Untitled Al Gore Documentary Dir: Spike Jonze
Soldier’s Pay Dir: David O. Russell
Death of a Hen Dir: Brian Dewan
Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody? Dir: Miguel Arteta, Written by Miranda July
The Writer Dir: Carson Mell
The Big Empty Dir: J. Lisa Chang and Newton Thomas Siegel
The House in the Middle by the National Clean Up, Paint Up, Fix Up Bureau
The Delicious Dir: Scott Prendergast
Malek Khorshid Dir: Ali Akbar Sadeghi
Tatli Hayay (“The Sweet Life”)
Stairway at St. Paul Dir: (and sung by) Jeroen Offerman
The Great Escape Dir: Jeroen Offerman
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