AllMovie wrote:Maverick experimental filmmaker Jon Jost was among the most innovative and influential independent directors in contemporary cinema; dubbed "the American Godard" by critics, his singular creative approach — equal parts elliptical narrative sensibility, ravishing visual style, and potent socio-political commentary — emerged as one of the most unique and provocative voices of its time. Born in Chicago, Jost was the product of a military upbringing, and was raised in areas of the globe ranging from Kansas to Japan to Germany. Expelled from college in 1963, he made his first 16mm short subjects a short time later; a self-taught filmmaker, he not only wrote and directed all of his subsequent feature work, but also served as his own photographer and editor.
Like Tuco+Dwoskin, I’m obliged to state that his work certainly is not for everyone, but the rewards are plentiful for those who try (and you should!). Those of who have the opportunity to see his films through the proper channels (Netflix has two!!) should do it, as the transfers on his films are rather lackluster as it is. In a sense, Jost makes the most exciting films I've ever seen, simply because his perspective and execution are so startlingly original and inventive that I'm completely in the dark as to how he'll choose to tell his story. And, while heavily formal in their method, Jost's most well-known films are undeniably acts of storytelling (however elliptical and intangible), tales from the American backwoods, full of pain and loneliness and isolation and murder and sex and everything else that makes his country great. And they're often very funny, and at least for me, consistently "entertaining". I love his films in a way I love the work of no other director (and I've only seen seven!).
Homepage
IMDb
StrictlyFilmSchool
AllMovie
Interview
Jon Jost sings a song
FILMOGRAPHY (clicking the titles takes you to the film’s entry on Jost’s site featuring reviews and an often very insightful reflection on the film by Jost himself; year takes you to IMDb)
* = on KG, ** = on KG + Eddie's pledged to put it on TPB (I'll put up whatever he doesn't)
Speaking Directly (1973) **
Angel City (1976)
Last Chants for a Slow Dance (1977) **
Chameleon (1978)
Stagefright (1981)
Slow Moves (1983)
Bell Diamond (1986)
Plain Talk & Common Sense (1987)
Rembrandt Laughing (1988) *
Sure Fire (1990) *
All the Vermeers in New York (1990) **
Frameup (1993) **
The Bed You Sleep In (1993) *
Uno a me, uno a te e uno a Raffaele (1994) * At this point, Jost switched to digital, and almost all of these films are unavailable, save for ordering on Jost’s own site (though I don’t think he has all of them ready to sell)
London Brief (1997)
Nas Correntes de Luz da Ria Formosa (1999)
6 Easy Pieces (2000) *
Roma - un ritratto improvvisario (2000)
Muri romani (2000)
Oui non (2002)
Vergessensfuge (2004)
Homecoming (2004) *
Chhattisgahr Sketches (2004)
Passages (2004)
La Lunga Ombra (2005)
Over Here (2007)
Parable (2008)
Rant: The Restless Eye (2008)
There are also copies of several of his films on trackers like Cinemageddon, Pass the Popcorn, and Secret Cinema.
MY RATINGS/REVIEWS
The Bed You Sleep In 10
Last Chants for a Slow Dance 10
Surefire 9.5
Frameup 9.5
Homecoming 9.5
All the Vermeers in New York 9
Speaking Directly 9
I hope those of you unfamiliar with his work find it a worthwhile experience to dive in to.
Jost is a gr8 man!
I put that in my queue a while back, I think. Awwww yeah!
