Screentime: Lance Crayon, Documentary Filmmaker

"Screentime" is a regular magazine column in which we ask Beijing personalities to tell us about the films and television shows that have left an indelible impression on them.

Ever walked out on a film? Moulin Rouge (2001). I sat through the first ten minutes and couldn’t get out of the theater fast enough. It’s a gross spectacle masquerading as an art film about love. I’d rather watch crack addicts recite the poetry of Kahlil Gibran.

What movie can you recite the most lines from?
Glengarry Glen Ross (1992), directed by James Foley and written by David Mamet. There are so many classic lines throughout the film. One quick example: “Coffee’s for closers.”

What haven’t you been able to find on DVD?
Play It As It Lays (1972) directed by Frank Perry is a forgotten American gem from the 1970s. Anthony Perkins is great in this. The cinematography by Jordan Cronenweth (he later shot Blade Runner) is brilliant. Why this film is not available on DVD has always been a mystery to me.

What is the slowest-paced movie you still enjoyed?
Nostalghia (1983) by Andrei Tarkovsky is slow in terms of pacing, and yet hard to stop watching.

Favorite movie when you were a child?
High Plains Drifter (1973), directed by Clint Eastwood, was the first film I remember watching that actually moved me in some way.

What’s your favorite sequel?
Platform (2000) by Jia Zhangke is a masterpiece. It’s the second installment of his "Hometown Trilogy."

What fictional hangout would you like to spend your spare time in?
Any one of the English pubs from the film Withnail and I (1987), or the bar that Francis Bacon frequents in Love Is the Devil (1998).

What’s the best TV show theme song?
The theme song from the television series Twilight Zone (1959) is genius. Even if you haven’t seen an episode of the show, you still know what it’s from. It’s one of the most eerie pieces of music ever and fits perfectly with the show. Bernard Hermann was one of the greatest composers of music for film and television. He died in 1975 but his music is still widely used today. The French avant-garde composer Marius Constant deserves credit as it was his guitar work which opens and ends the theme music.

Favorite sports film?
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962) directed by Tony Richardson is a classic. It’s one of the most subversive sports films I’ve ever seen. I love the Angry Young Man era of British cinema, and this one is probably my favorites from that outpouring of films.

Scariest movie you’ve ever seen?
The documentary Jesus Camp (2006) scared the hell out of me. Then again, I’m naturally frightened of Christians. After I saw it I thought to myself, “I think it’s time I moved to China.”

Which TV box set do you revisit most often?
I enjoy watching Mad Men, a show about well-dressed creative people smoking and drinking on the job. I often wonder what I would achieve if I could do the same in my lowly cubicle.

What’s the finest breakout performance you can remember?
Andy Griffith from A Face in the Crowd (1957) in one of the best acting debuts I have ever seen. Why he went on to spend years playing the sheriff of a small pastoral American town is beyond me, and I blame his agents for steering him in that direction.

Which character from a TV show or movie reminds you the most of you?
I’m somewhere between Roger Sterling (John Slattery) from Mad Men, and Page Fletcher from the HBO series The Hitchhiker. I wish I could be like McNulty from The Wire, but I can’t pull it off no matter how many shots of Jameson I have.

Are you a rewatcher of films?
I normally watch films over again because I’m not very smart and probably have some sort of learning disorder as yet to be defined. Anyway, if I like a film I can’t just watch it one time. What a horrible rule that is to impose upon oneself. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Seven Samurai, Mephisto, Withnail and I, Rollerball and 24 Hour Party People.

What line from a movie or TV show do you quote the most?
“Put it on a plate son, it’ll taste better.” Repo Man (1984) directed by Alex Cox.

Look out for upcoming screenings of Lance’s documentary, Spray Paint Beijing.

Click here to see the October issue of the Beijinger in full.

Photo: Judy Zhou