Castro Street (1966)
"Bruce Baillie makes avant-garde films with the gifts of a painter and the objectives of a sign painter." This week, we sat down as just Tom and Mike to talk about Bruce Baillie's Castro Street. But more than that, we sat down to, in a sense, "How To Watch Experimental Films (If You Don't Like Experimental Films)". After Tom notably had no patience for Dog Star Man earlier this season, Mike was surprised to find Tom really resonated with this 10-minute avant-garde portrait of industrial California. So, if you've ever found yourself thinking experimental film is daunting, incomprehensible, or yes, even pretentious, Tom (who has thought all three at times) takes the lead on this episode to help make sense of Castro Street, and offer a pathway into the rich and diverse world of experimental cinema. Plus, we take a look at Baillie's other major work, All My Life (1966), to compare and contrast the two shorts.