be kind rewind - the analogue acolyte messages the digital

Saw Be Kind Rewind last night. It's sweet and just right side of corny. Director Michel Gondry was one of the stars of last week's Phoric session. MG is an analogue obsessive in a digital world. The star of BKR is magnetic videotape rather than the ubiquitous DVD but despite this it's really all about the digital world of user generated content found in YouTube, Flickr, etc.

***Spoilers***

If you want to understand the real nature of human creativity at play on the interweb then watch this movie:

• It's not about the coolest technology [Mike & Jerry use video fercrissakes].
• It is about involving people [Mike & Jerry invite the renters to star in the videos].
• Copyright enforcement can be just plain nasty [the steamroller, people].
• Creativity is driven by necessity [Mike & Jerry don't dream this up just because they think that it's cool - they frickin' have to stop the shop being knocked down].
• Creativity begins with plagarism [The Fats Waller movie comes after they have learnt their craft through rip-offs].
• Great stories have their own truth & power [Fats Waller did not come from Passaic].

Most of all MG finds the creative, the magical, the alchemical in everyday life and its detritus.

Can you?