Natalie Tyler

In the last week I’ve come across trailers for two design films which are definitely worth keeping an eye out for. Died Young, Stayed Pretty, a film about rock poster design and Coast Modern, a film about Modernist Architecture …

Died Young, Stayed Pretty

Died Young, Stayed Pretty is a candid look at the underground poster culture in North America. This unique documentary examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists. The film gives us intimate look at some of the giants of this modern subculture. Outside of their own circle, they’re virtually unknown. But within their ranks they make up an army of bareknuckle brawlers, publicly arguing the aesthetic merits of octopus imagery and hairy 70s porn stars. They’ve created their own visual language for describing the spotty underbelly of western civilization and they’re not shy about throwing it in the face of polite society. Along the way, they manage to create posters that are strikingly obscene, unflinchingly blasphemous and often quite beautiful.

Coast Modern

Filmmakers Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome take you on a journey through three generations of modernist movements on the West Coast of North America. From Rudolf Schindler and Richard Neutra’s 1920s Hollywood, through to the second wave of post WWII America to today’s current modernist renaissance. This film speaks with the architects and their patrons and asks if Modernism’s time has finally come or did it ever really go away.

Coast Modern appears to still be in post production and Died Young, Stayed Pretty currently has screenings across the US and one in London on the 9th of October.

If you’re into these kind of indie films about creativity, art, design and the like, The Devil and Daniel Johnston is another that’s worth checking out.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston is a stunning portrait of a musical and artistic genius who nearly slipped away. Director Jeff Feuerzeig exquisitely depicts a perfect example of brilliance and madness going hand in hand with subject Daniel Johnston. As an artist suffering from manic depression with delusions of grandeur, Daniel Johnston’s wild fluctuations, numerous downward spirals, and periodic respites are exposed in this deeply moving documentary.

Just reading that makes me want to watch it again. The trailer is available here ...