Amoeba and Alamo Drafthouse continue their partnership for Weird Wednesday at the New Mission theater in SF this August! Weird Wednesday is Alamo's weekly celebration of movies that are too outrageous for prime time. The August line-up proves to be daring, imaginative, and downright interplanetary. You won't want to miss any of these.

Murderous Intent (1985)
Wednesday, August 7. 9pm
Jamaican-born, NYC-based director Len Anthony originally set out to make several films, but was never able to finish any of them. All the leftover footage was smashed together and Murderous Intent was born. Opening with an explosive Alvin Ailey-esque dance troupe number, you will never be able to predict where this movie is headed. It's like if Dangerous Men was an art film -- or a horror film -- or both -- or neither!



Caged Heat (1974)
Wednesday, August 14. 9:30pm
This women-in-prison tale is the debut feature from future cinema legend Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs, Something Wild, Married to the Mob). Thrown into the penal hell of Connorville, petty criminal Jacqueline (Erica Gavin) fights against the ruthless inmates, a cruel warden (Barbara Steele), and her depraved staff. She forms an uneasy friendship with two hardened inmates; when these three unite, they seek escape, money, and revenge. Composer John Cale (formerly of The Velvet Underground!) also offers a stark, experimental, blues-inflected score — and the story takes a number of odd turns including several strikingly surreal fantasy sequences, with Steele getting the best moment in a stylish cabaret number.

In advance of next month's anticipated annual 2019 DREAM DAY, which since the death of beloved Bay Area activist and aerosol art legend Mike “DREAM” Francisco’s senseless murder almost 20 years ago celebrates the internationally revered artist’s life and legacy, several new vibrant street art aerosol murals have recently being painted in the streets of North Oakland, not far from Mosswood Park where DREAM Day 2019 with live art and music will be held on Saturday, August 17th from 11am until 7pm.



On 36th Street off of Telegraph a few blocks from Mosswood Park members of DREAM’s veteran influential East Bay aerosol arts collective including Kufue, the 1984 founded TDK crew that originally stood for Those Damn Kids but these days stands for Teach Dem Kids, were busy in recent weeks painting such pieces as the “OAKLAND IS PROUD” seen above that is done in tradition of the landmark Oakland mural painted years ago by TDK's Del Phresh that became immortalized when featured on the TV show Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. Also painted on the same wall recently was the “TDK” piece pictured up top above that is a virtual mural advertisement for the upcoming DREAM Day 2019 in the nearby Mosswood Park.

By Jackie Greed & Aaron Araki

In the summer and fall of 2018, Los Angeles was transported back to 1969…and it was a glory to behold! At any given moment, you could drive by a block or two that had suddenly been covered in '60s signage and window dressing, with vintage cars parked alongside the curb next to an old parking meter. All of this period makeover was courtesy of Quentin Tarantino’s production of his 9th film, Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood. As we stumbled upon each re-created neighborhood, we admired all the wonderful attention to detail given to the various businesses (especially finding all the ephemera captivating). Throughout all the sights that were taken in, there was an immediate attraction to any advertising given to a film or television show. From large billboards and movie theater marquees to bus benches and the buses themselves, here is a spotlight of the many movies and TV shows that were captured from the on-location filming of Once Upon a Time... In Hollywood.

The first shooting location we came across was right next door to Amoeba Hollywood at the Cinerama Dome Theatre. While at first it appeared that the iconic theater was setting up to screen Bernard L. Kowalski's 1969 epic, Krakatoa: East of Java, it soon became apparent, as the street filled with an array of classic cars, that this was indeed the set for Tarantino's then recently announced new film. As the sun went down and the sky hit that "golden hour," normal traffic was stopped and the roar of all the pre-1970 automobiles overtook Sunset Boulevard, while extras in slim fitting suits and shaggy hippy garb began walking the sidewalk, and the camera started rolling.  

We had the pleasure of interviewing Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson from British modern soul duo Jungle during a recent visit to Amoeba Hollywood. In our latest What's In My Bag? episode, the bandmates and longtime friends talked with us about some nostalgic favorites by Buena Vista Social Club, Jackson Browne, and Harry Nilsson, and discussed their love of edits and samples.

Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson grew up next to each other, attended the same school, and performed together in a handful of musical projects prior to starting Jungle in 2013. Choosing to focus on the music rather than on themselves, Tom McFarland and Josh Lloyd-Watson assumed the monikers T and J, respectively. They enlisted several other band members for their live show, performing with artists across genres and art forms.

With the release of their 2013 debut single "The Heat," the band's career really got rolling. Jungle was nominated for BBC's Sound of 2014 prize. That same year, the group went on to perform at South By Southwest, play Reading and Leeds, take the stage at Glastonbury, and appear on both Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Later... with Jools Holland. Their self-titled debut was released in summer 2014. Since that time, Jungle has been busy performing at top festivals worldwide, appearing on late night TV, and licensing tracks to programs like Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Queen Sugar, and Superstore. Jungle's sophomore LP, For Ever, was released in fall 2018, peaking at #10 on the UK album charts and #56 on Billboard's Top Album Sales chart in the US.

The excellent new  Soul Jazz Records Presents: The World Of Keith Haring (vinyl 3LP), that arrived in Amoeba in both CD and vinyl versions this past Friday, transcends merely hip-hop but incorporates other genres from punk to electro that were all part of the early 80’s NYC “downtown” scene that the late great Keith Haring was an integral part of. As noted in the Amoeba review of the triple LP various artists/genres compilation, The World Of Keith Haring is an aural companion of sorts to the ongoing Tate Liverpool museum’s Keith Haring exhibit. As such it is a sequel to the 2017 collaboration between the Tate and Soul Jazz when the Soul Of A Nation Tate exhibit resulted in two Soul Jazz companion releases.