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American Splendor

Mystery Gypt

18:19 / 20.08.03

anyone see this yet? Movie about comic writer Harvey Pekar, underground comic writer / eccentric old grumpy guy. Lotta people seem to know about him from his endless appearances on David Letterman in the 80s. Anyway, the movie is FUCKING INCREDIBLE. It uses techniques of blending documentary and narrative film in ways I've never seen before. And as a narrative, it's a wonderful gritty true to life story about a grumpy ass eccentric guy struggling through a stinking, mundane existence and inventing an artform.

Anyone else seen it?

■

22:26 / 20.08.03

I haven't seen it, and I'm glad you reminded me it's out here soon. Harv is a bit of a slow burner comics-wise. I recommend you pick up any copies of AS you find, they all have something interesting. You'll usually find them in bargain bins and in the indie sections. If not, I think Our CAncer Year is probably still available. If your bookshop say they can't get it, suggest Red Route distribution.
I thought the premiere was in Edinburgh, did you see it somewhere else?

pomegranate

14:51 / 21.08.03

i saw it...some preview thing. i really enjoyed it, altho' it felt just a bit long towards the end. it was very postmodern; the absense of pretense, like, we're not going to pretend this guy is harvey, we're just gonna come out and say that this is a guy pretending to be harvey. we'll even put the real harvey in to comment. quite meta that way.

Mystery Gypt

15:06 / 21.08.03

its playing in NYC and Los Angeles right now.

there's also big collection of the comic newly out in comic shop to tie in with the film.

Matthew Fluxington

15:11 / 21.08.03

I'll be seeing it tomorrow. I'm super-psyched for it.

I know Videodrome saw this months ago and was waiting for the film to come out to post about - I hope that he does.

grant

18:42 / 21.08.03

Having Harvey talking about the actor playing Harvey is very... Harvey.

+#'s, - names

19:49 / 11.09.03

I saw it a few weeks ago here in Cleveland. Enjoyed it. Enjoyed reading the article in the paper about how the mayor of Cleveland was angered by the bleak dismall portrayal of Cleveland within it.

You would think that being the Mayor, she might spend some time and see that is the way things are here. It's not like they filmed it somewhere else, like the Battle of Shaker Heights, Shaker Heights being a suburb of Cleveland, but was filmed in California.

Tamayyurt

03:01 / 12.09.03

I saw this last week. It was great, depressing but really sweet.

Scrambled Password Bogus Email

11:53 / 12.09.03

Er, did he do 'Ed the Happy Clown'??

Scrambled Password Bogus Email

11:56 / 12.09.03

Ah, no, it was Chester Brown...

But the forward is by Harvey Pekar!

sleazenation

12:18 / 13.12.03

This comes out in the UK soon - i saw it at a press screening a couple of months ago but since harvey Pekar is in London to promote the film i thought i'd give this a boost up -

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