Wesley Willis: The Daddy Of Rock 'N' Roll - Daniel Bitton, 57:00, video

To those unfamiliar with Wesley Willis, he is an obese, African American, medicated, schizophrenic artist desperately fighting off his inner demons. He is best known for his music repertoire consisting of hundreds of seemingly sound alike songs released on countless CDs and cassettes and performed live in person by Wesley himself in underground clubs all over the country. Most fans only know the often nervous, scared and angry Wesley that visits their towns to perform. But The Daddy Of Rock ‘N’ Roll takes the viewer where many Wesley fans have never been – up close & personal (not counting the obligatory head-bump that comes with every autograph), behind the scenes, and along for the ride with the man himself as he’s simply being himself. You’ll follow Wesley as he rides Chicago’s public transit all over town to visit friends and past acquaintances, and you’ll attend recording sessions for one of Wesley’s CDs. A must see for Wesley’s fans, and a worthwhile introduction for everyone else.

Daniel Bitton, danielbitton@sympatico.ca

El Rey de Rock 'n' Roll - Marjorie Chodorov, 57:00, video

His real name is Robert Lopez, but to his fans across the country and in Europe he is El Vez, the Mexican Elvis. With his many flashy costumes, his Elvis song parodies ("You Ain’t Nothin’ but a Chihuahua", "Lordy Miss Lupe"), his backup band (The Memphis Mariachis) and his bee-hived backup singers (The Elvettes – Priscillita, Gladysita, Lisa Maria, and Que Linda Thompson), some might consider El Vez a novelty item. But El Vez is as much an educator as an entertainer, using his act to tackle issues such as Mexican social and political consciousness, safe sex, homophobia, racism, gang violence, drug abuse, as well as telling his audience about Che Guevara, Zapatistas, and United Farm Workers. El Rey de Rock ‘n’ Roll takes an in-depth, on-and-off-stage look at El Vez and the man behind him, a shyly private gay man, former LA art gallery curator and punk musician whose one-time-only party joke has turned into a decade old career.

Marjorie Chodorov c/o Soap Box Films, 922 2nd St., Santa Monica, CA 90403, www.thesoapboxpress.com

What About Me: The Rise Of The Nihilist Spasm Band - Zev Asher, 79:00, video

Almost every Monday night since 1965, a group of Canadian men calling themselves The Nihilist Spasm Band have gotten together to make a cacophony of experimental noise-music on homemade instruments. As a result, the group has become known as "the fathers of noise" or "the uncles of punk". Now in their sixties and holding down day jobs as doctors, teachers, librarians, etc, the members look back on their 35+ year music career, a career that has included a rabid cult following in Japan, the death of a founding member, their annual Nihilist picnic and No Music Noise Festival appearances, praise from Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore, and their influence, or lack thereof, on their sons’ music. Filmmaker Zev Asher documents it all, using home movie/video footage, TV appearances, interviews, and new footage of the band on the road.

Sub Versive Media Arts, 8 Camden St. Suite 301, Toronto, Ontario M5V 1V1 Canada, 416-525-7170, mail@sub-versivemedia.com, www.sub-versivemedia.com

In the first half of the 60's, Arch Hall, Sr. (aka William Waters) began producing a handful of successful no-budget exploitation drive-in films through his own Fairway-International Productions. Intent on creating the next Ricky Nelson-esque teen star, Hall, Sr. continuously cast his teenage son, Arch Hall, Jr., in teen heartthrob roles. The only problem being that Arch Hall, Jr. couldn't act, sing or dance, and wasn't particularly pretty to look at. Thus a cult-film superstar was born.

MicroCineFest is please to present a 16mm double feature of what many Arch Hall, Jr. fans consider his best work: Wild Guitar for it's fun, campy, teen musical qualities, and The Sadist, a rarely seen classic that tends to surprise those who think Hall, Jr. had no talent.

7:00 - The Sadist - James Landis, 95:00, 1963

On their way to a Dodgers game, three school teachers encounter car problems, forcing them to seek help at a run-down service shop. Unfortunately for them, Charlie Tibbs (Arch Hall, Jr., playing a character based on real-life serial killer, Charlie Starkweather) and his buxom, mute girlfriend are hiding out there. It turns out Charlie has killed the family who runs the shop, and now he needs a car to continue his murderous rampage.

8:45 - Wild Guitar - Ray Dennis Steckler, 92:00, 1962

Arch Hall, Jr. plays country boy-turned-rock-singer, Bud Eagle, who rides into Hollywood on a motorcycle, with dreams of sharing his twangy, twistin' sound with the kids. He soon discovers that the road to success is filled with sleazy managers and a whole mess of undesirables. Directed by Ray Dennis Steckler (aka Cash Flagg) who also directed such cult classics as Rat Fink A Boo Boo and The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living And Became Mixed Up Zombies.