$100 & a T-Shirt: A Documentary About Zines in the Northwest (2004) User Reviews

Is There Anybody Out There?

[valis1949 · 8/10 · 1 February 2010]

In true DIY Style, directors, Joe Biel and Phil Sano, introduce us to all the major players in the 'Zine Scene' of Portland, Oregon, circa 2003. These quirky and artistic young people produce hand-crafted magazines which run the gamut from artistically ornate polemics to minimalist whimsical rants, and furthermore , we learn why they make them, and how they go about the process of getting their work to the public at large. It would seem to me, that the Internet would have buried this type of endeavor years ago, because ideas and art are so easily linked by anyone with a computer and access to the Internet. But, $100 AND A T-SHIRT: A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT ZINES IN THE NORTHWEST shows that the artists and writers in this movement are really craftsmen who support an ancient tradition which arguably dates back to the birth of the printing press. Today's 'zine' allows the consumer to actually hold a piece of Art/Opinion. The work becomes more than just an idea or a post on an Internet site, but a true oject d'art right in the hands of the observer. The documentary is basically a very baroque collection of 'talking heads' who inform the viewer on all aspects of the subject. Two short films (interesting, nonetheless) were inexplicably included on the DVD disc. One was a short film about the assassination of Marin Luther King, and then, a piece about the last vinyl record processing plant in the US.