Is my favourite documentary in the world. Stylishly directed in black and white by Bennett Miller (best known for Capote and Moneyball), it circles around the magnificently exuberant existence of the playwright turned apple city tour guide Timothy "Speed" Levitch as he muses on the city of NY on and off his double decker bus.
I have a tendency to let my frustrations of the world to clench my muscles up and this is the film equivalent of a lump of mdma to melt my heart back open again with every rewatch. A poet can have an intense love affair with a bridge and a great poet can word it in a way that convinces you that they're not mad; or that even if they are, they are mad in the exact way life is supposed to be experienced in the first place.
A must-see for anyone who holds a warm spot in their heart for the insomniac city, or at least what it once could be through the eyes of an intensely intuned romantic eccentric.
Jul 4, 2024
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My sister is an architectural historian and lover of cities who runs the account @formfollowsfantasy, and last time we were together she showed me this beautiful and concise (only 77 min) documentary about Timothy “Speed” Levitch, a divinely inspired double decker bus tour guide in 1990s NYC. He is quite literally in constant conversation with the city and its inanimate (to most people) objects, and he possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of where the city’s great artists, writers, and performers prospered and suffered. He leads groups of unsuspecting tourists from all over the world on rambling jaunts through the city where he shares what appear to be stream-of-consciousness poetic performances with them from the roof of a double decker bus. Everything that enables the flow of life is “cruise” (a well composed outfit, undeniable sexual connection with a passerby) and everything that disrupts that flow is “anti-cruise” (cops, the never-ending grind of work for money). Words to live by.
Dec 7, 2021
on it’s face this is not a particularly interesting documentary, the editing is serviceable and the interviews aren’t exactly dynamic, but what it lacks in creativity it more than makes up for in content. blank city tells the story of the no wave movement in 70s/80s downtown nyc from the ones who lived it. truly one of the most inspiring documentaries that i found at a pivotal point in my life that changed the trajectory of how i view filmmaking, art, and just coolness in general. blank city is the story of one of the most transgressive artist communities of all time and they’re not very well known, just a few names made it to the mainstream with many others becoming underground legends. in fact a few of the films featured in this documentary are only viewable by screening at the museum of modern art, totally unreleased everywhere else (and trust me i’ve tried to find them) this doc got me into the new york art scene, velvet underground, jim jarmusch, glenn o’brien’s tv party, patti smith, andy warhol, lydia lunch, john lurie, jean-michel basquiat and on and on and on. this film opened a gateway into filmmaking that i had never even considered at that point in my life and i’m grateful i found it. the best part is: kino lorber was kind enough to upload the entire thing on youtube to watch right now!
Jan 17, 2025
But I would recommend anything by Frederick Wiseman- his movies are slow, and usually long! But he essentially picks a theme/place/institution and films the shit out of it and if one hits you at the right time, it feels so crazy that we have access to these peeks at reality. Very remarkably human!
Feb 6, 2025
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And thats kinda nuts because I literally saw a porcupine a couple weeks ago and thought "thats exactly like me, I love it".
Jul 1, 2024
And pink and red striped marimekko slippers.
Because I'm having tea on the balcony watching the rain and because this dress is a big A-line sack made from a cotton bedspread its literally the most comfortable moo moo in the world that doesn't look like a moo moo.
Jul 11, 2024
What am I, gonna stay in my house and sleep when I can rush to climb to the scenic lookout and feel so teeny tiny standing under the 'bow?
Jul 15, 2024