Speaking For Trees: A Film By Mark Borthwick

Rating:
Summary: Not All Experiments Work....
Review: ...and this is one of them. I'm a Cat Power fan & an experimental filmmaker, so I like to think I have a pretty high tolerance for avant-garde antics. This film was an interesting concept, but certainly not an original one by any means--the sticker on the disk itself mentions correlations to Warhol (Michael Snow also comes to mind).

I can appreciate the "anti-music video/anti-rock doc" approach (bad video, long enough angle that you can't see Chan's face, crickets chirping, etc), but the novelty wears off after ten minutes. Michael Snow could pull off the long take because there was eventually a climactic pay-off; Warhol pulled it off because he was the first (and, well, he was Warhol).

Bortwick is an excellent still photographer; it's a shame he can't translate that to motion pictures.

Rating:
Summary: Not so good
Review: I love Cat Power, but this CD/DVD is a real disappointment. The music is okay, but the video is awful. The whole "Chan in nature" thing falls flat. It looks like they filmed it in the parking lot of a city park. Probably the worst are the three "music videos." If Mark Borthwick is an artist I'm sure he'll be a starving one. His filmmaking style is sadly lacking. Anybody, and I mean anybody, with a video camera could come up with something more compelling than this drivel.

Two stars because the music is marginally enjoyable. 0 stars for the video. Blech.

Rating:
Summary: ho hum
Review: I'm a big fan of Chan Marshall, have all her records and seen her play live. Was really looking forward to this and popped it in the the dvd player...and didn't even finish it..just fast forwarded through the thing..which was actually more interesting to look at than the film at regular speed. This idea is nothing new and executed really poorly, like self conciously trying to be lousy or amaturish. I love her presence and music, especially her voice...but this just irratating and stupid film making.
Live she is very frustrating, stopping and starting so many times, giving inconsistant performances. People worship this artist and for good reason, but come on...put a little more effort into things. I guess you can't really blame her for the film since it's made by someone else, but obviously it's something she thinks it worthwhile. Anyway, her music as usual is awesome, but this concept and execution is boring. I won't even go see her live any more 'cause I can't take her approach there either...sad because I really do love her music.

Rating:
Summary: Good review by Lawrence!
Review: One star because I'll probably only watch it once. And, I only made it through that time because it was playing on my computer, and I was doing other stuff while it was on.
It is an interesting idea - but it is only one idea, stretched over two hours.
It's still nice to hear the music. At least, you can hear most of the music. The microphone seems to pick up the insects as much as Chan's voice.

Rating:
Summary: Channy in a field forever.
Review: The only other rocker I can think of who has more nerve and audacity than Chan Marshall is William Reid of the Jesus and Mary Chain (see "Lazycame" if you don't know what I'm talking about--self-indulgent, in-your-face nonsense released apparently for no other reason than to get a rise out of people)...It is this "rock and roll" attitude which doesn't quite seem to work for Marshall, showing up drunk to shows, lazy performances, needless repetition, poor guitar playing, etc.

This is more of the same. It's astounding that this was released. (And yes, I know it's supposed to be an "art" film, but the style doesn't work for me). It was largely a disappointment after seeing the great photography in the booklet. I don't know who shows less talent, the film director or Ms. Marshall. The camera almost never moves from the same spot, and then it appears to be by accident...It looks like a home movie filmed on bad video camera.

Chan is beginning to remind me a little bit of Wesley Willis. If you'd like to see a mentally challenged guitarist from a distance, standing in a field of trees for two hours, this is for you. The trees are nice. They wave in the breeze quite a bit, and the light changes (sometimes because the director changes the camera settings). Chan plays with her hair, looks at the ground, walks around.

Highly recommended. Why? Well, I did sit through the whole thing, and Chan Marshall is the only artist I can think of who could get away with such antics. The eighteen-minute song on the CD is not bad either.

Rating:
Summary: Private concert, bad film-making
Review: The sheer joy of basically having Chan play a 2 hour concert to an audience of you is profound to any fan of hers (the other 99% of the world will think it is boring and go watch TV). So stated, the film making is bad. It could at the very least be more "dynamic" - following her around instead of remaining static. I realize this may be hard to accomplish, but it would breath some life into it. As is, I watch a half hour of it while trying to fall asleep. A few closer shots of Chan would also be nice.

Some of the "experimental" cinematic effects are just plain bad, like the playing with the brightness and contrast. It just adds nothing, and it isn't in synch with the music/singing.

The sound mixing is also bad. Guitar needs to come down some, vocals up some. While it is usually hard to understand what Chan is singing under perfect studio conditions, all I could pick out was something vaguely resembling her songs.

Her voice is her power, let it speak.

Still, the 2 hour content and the CD make it a very worthwhile investment for a serious Cat Power fan, and reasonably priced.

Rating:
Summary: freaking brilliant.
Review: the things that people seem to hate about this DVD are the things that make it absolutely wonderful. Chan Marshall AKA Cat Power is not like other people. i reject the notion that she is "crazy" or "mentally challenged". she may have ADD, but that's not up to me to decide. she IS a brilliant songwriter, a fantastic singer, an accomplished musician, photogenic, and rad. if you don't like the film, that's fine. i think a lot of people really just don't get it.
for me, however, this is one of the best things she's ever done. completely amazing. i love it so.

Rating:
Summary: apparently Chan likes shrooms
Review: This collection can be a case study in manic depressive disorder...first, the depressive side of Chan...The film, it's exactally what it says it is...Chan standing in the woods playing somber songs solo on guitar for 2 hours....a few more than once...I've been putting it on when I go to bed at night, it's very very relaxing and nice to fall asleep having her and the crickets sing me to sleep...next, her manic side comes out...the song included on the 2nd disc is amazing...it's an 18 minute long love song in which she rambles on and on, off the top of her head from the sound of it, about people she loves, gifts various people have given her, some Bob Dylan song she likes and something about some guy getting shot in the head, I think...I sat in my parked car and listened to the entire thing 3 times in a row smiling the entire time...anyone who really loves Chan and what she's about will dig this, anyone expecting a flashy live concert DVD will hate this...if you are a cat power fan, even if you arent into the film (which I imagine a lot of people wont be) the song alone is worth the price....