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Lost Kisses DVD - My Life is Sad & Funny Lost Kisses DVD - My Life is Sad & Funny
DVD 2009 | Silber 073
10 cartoons (plus three bonus bits), about an hour
$12
This is true & funny material ina day & age when the two worst adjectives your work can have are "true" & "funny."
~ Dave Sim, Cerebus/Glamourpuss

Well, it's finally here, a collection of cartoon versions of the first ten issues of Lost Kisses.  It even includes a special making of thing & cartoons of Worms #1 & XO #1.  The DVD includes a psychonautic electro-acoustic drone soundtrack of new music by Small Life Form.  Lost Kisses tells snarky stories of life's perils with self -deprecating humor.  So check it out & spread the word.

: Press Release

Reviews:
Zinester(QRD)/cartoonist/musician(Remora/Small Life Form)/media mogul (he runs Silber) Mitchell’s collection of ten issues of his “Lost Kisses” comic strip is presented as a slow-moving cartoon designed to emulate the act of reading the comics. Each panel is split in half with our stickfigure hero’s adventures played out on top and a running commentary of bon mots (“Men have an instinctive need to provide for girls they’ve had sex with,” “My life is still further from falling together than falling apart,” ”Sometimes I remember what’s best to forget,” et. al.) on the bottom, sort of like watching a DVD release with the cast or director offering witty anecdotes in the background. So it’s almost like watching/reading two cartoons simultaneously, a process which, admittedly requires an acute attention span and a touch of speed-reading ability.
But that’s a minor point. The key is the comics themselves, which are fraught with tales of death, drugs, alcoholism, despair, loss, and failed relationships. Mitchell also provides his own customized soundtrack in his guise as Small Life Forms. Each comic lasts about five minutes and the occasionally subliminal music is appropriately moody, morose, frightening (the backing to the Halloween script is particularly spooky), cautious, heartpounding, and unsettling – think of David Lynch’s soundtrack to Eraserhead. Often glacially slow and ominous, it never interferes or distracts from the story – it’s ultimately one of the most ambient soundtracks you’ll hear all year and would easily attract the attention of fans of Eno, Sounds of The Lid, Windy & Carl, Azusa Plane, et. al. if released separately.
Each of the ten comics exposes another layer of Mitchell’s personality, like peeling the layers of an onion. They’re brutally honest, occasionally heartbreaking and often quite funny in a self-deprecating way – all bearing the unmistakable stamp of hope that the future will always be better than the present. The use of stickfigures is key to the presentation of Mitchell’s naked honesty – the lack of flesh and bones on his alter ego representing his own lack of self-confidence in his actions. The theme of many of the stories is that, like the rest of us, Mitchell just wants to survive the frustrations, personal inadequacies, and self-doubts that we’re faced with every day. At the end, he always comes through, ready to face another day. As an exercise in self-analysis, it will help everyone who reads it examine their own life and talk their way through the hard times to reach that light at the end of the tunnel, which, hopefully more often than not, Is not another train coming in the opposite direction!
~ Jeff Penczak, Foxy Digitalis

Crudely drawn comics can have a charm or even a message. As long as that message makes sense, isn't an inside joke, and actually makes you think. Using the most simplistic stick figures possible, Brian John Mitchell--who conviently has the same initials as Brian Jonestown Massacre--offers 10 self-examining teen angsty stories involving death, moral issues and relationships while the stick figures add witty and thought-provoking banter.
Accompanying a slide show-like DVD of the original 2" x 2" printed versions is dark ambient drone by Silber artist Small Life Form, which makes the whole thing more original and eerie. Each story is about 5 minutes long and most frames make a statement within their own story (stuff like "does it mean i'm old that i watch the news?"). What happens in the stories are definitely plausible, and the question arises as to whether or not the author actual had that experience or if it was embellished or just complete fiction. The drawings call out for repairs in hopes of improving their craftmanship (I would love to see it more fully realized). At the same time it reflects the repairs needed for the characters. Extras include a few other, non-related Lost Kisses comics by BJM with a guest artist.
~ Kenyon Hopkin, Advance Copy

Lost Kisses can be seen as a concept that brings different arts together. It all started as a mini-comic in 2002 in response to a request from the San Jose Museum of Art for a current publication from zinester/cartoonist Brian John Mitchell. This cartoonist already received recognition as an experimental music artist being involved in projects like Remora and Vlor. A kind of soundtrack was composed for these cartoons. Small Life Form was asked to do this. This project already released the “One”-album on Silber Records while there was also a digital release in 2008. I can’t remember to have heard this project, but the least I can say is that the music they made here is remarkable. Most of the tracks are quite soundtrack-like, but a few cuts move into dark ambient territories. The 2nd part from the DVD is musical wise brilliant. The sound becomes colder and more intriguing. It’s a well-crafted dark ambient composition with chilling atmospheres. The cartoons are quite simple, but reflecting with certain sense of humor a rather strong content. It is all visualized like short stories with questions and answers. The main themes are dealing with lost and despair. It sometimes looks quite sarcastic while the music brings are more frightening sensation to the stories. The cartoons are move slowly giving me the impression of live visuals for a music performance. The concept seems to be like the contrary, but both parts together work a sublime way. I have some reservations about this release, but this was like a wrong bet! According to me, this is one of the best productions ever released by Silber Records! Original and fascinating!
~ Side-Line

This is a collection of Brian’s Lost Kisses mini-comic, a semi-autobiographical emotional journey that submerges the reader into the honest but often inappropriate ramblings of a heterosexual adult male.
Brian has transformed his unique mini-comics into videos, resulting in an even more unique format. This DVD collects first ten issues of the Lost Kisses series along with some extras. That’s a lot of content, if you ask me!
The best part is the Making Of video included in the extras, where Brian experiments with a hybrid illustration / photo style. Seeing his stick figure counterpart narrate actual photos of himself making the comics is a pretty sweet experience.
Technically speaking, I hit a few snags, but I also played it using my TV’s built-in DVD player, which rarely plays anything right. Point is, you’re better off playing this DVD on your computer. That way you can be assured to avoid any technical problems.
~ Nick Marino, AudioShocker

The biggest group of comics in the bunch was the “Lost Kisses” collection, which is a DVD containing ten issues of the comic as well as a 'making of' issue where Brian describes the creation process.  In going through all of the issues, this title has actually eme4rged as my favorite, because it's so personal and raw.  Each issue sees Mitchell examining an aspect of himself in a sometimes humorous, sometimes depressing manner.  He talks frankly and openly about past loves, addiction,  and feeling lost and uninspired.  The stick figure drawings are a perfect match for the tone of the comics, as they leave the focus on the story.
~ Brian LeTendre, Secret Identity Podcast

The stickmen in these comics tell a story of drama, love, heartache, pain, suffering, death. The stories have to be reflected upon real life events. The stories are just too real. The author shows courage in getting these stories out. He shows sacrifice and commitment. He shows determination and toughness. The stories come from his heart. Some of the stories are somewhat shocking, so the author shows he has guts to lay out the stories to the readers. Of course the author is talented, because the stories all come together like the pieces of a puzzle. If you like the following shows: As the World Turns, Beverly Hills 90210, Dallas, Days of Our Lives, The Edge of Night, General Hospital, Guiding Light, Knot's Landing, Melrose Place, Peyton Place and Santa Barbara, well you found a great place to find stories that have a similarity to these shows. All the drama, humor, excitement, sadness, happiness can be found in these match size comics. Also, the author now has a SUPERB DVD and you can easily sit back in your favorite chair and watch the stories unfold. There is only one word for these mini comics and Lost Kisses DVD: Majestic!!
~ Paul Dale Roberts, Jazma Online

"Lost Kisses" is series of mini-comics transferred to DVD by zinster/cartoonist Brian John Mitchell, consisting of stories told through drawings of stick figures. Stick figures? Yes, stick figures. And, surprise, these stick figures come to life not through animation but by words. And yes, you have to read. And it's well worth it. Mitchell uses his figures and stories to examine the angst of life in the 21st century (or anytime for that matter): failed relationships, love, self-hate, poor life choices, searching for meaning in the universe; its all about feelings and honesty. These 10 tales made me wish I were young again so I could relive the tumult of young adulthood. Check this out at Silbermedia You'll find it well-worth your time.
~ On Video

Intrecci di vita electro acoustic: si ride (e si legge) amaro, e si respira nebbia. Ci si scalda al sole dell'autunno mentre le neve estiva brucia, e ci si innamora diventanto rossi dall'emozione. C'è tanto sarcasmo malato in "My Life Is Sad & Funny", titolo che spiega molto bene i contenuti dell'opera. Collezione di coriandoli multicolori, bella e possibile. Dieci cartoons cattivi e senza morale. La musica in sottofondo la possiamo definire sperimentale (alternativa?) adatta per fumetti pirotecnici ed alternativi. La verità, non posso dimenticare la verità. Spremuta di limone per la mente. I cartoni animanti presenti in questo dvd sono crudeli, e denunciano battute pesanti. Gli omini disegnati da Brian John Mitchell descrivono il lato sprezzante ed urticante della vita. Un'esistenza a metà strada fra il bene ed il male. Amore ed odio sono i lati della stessa medaglia. Il chiaro e lo scuro. Confusione e stati della mente altamente alterati. La colonna sonora che ci accompagna (durante questo periglioso viaggio) è opera di Small Life Form. Dietro questo nome si cela, sempre, l'artista Brian John Mitchell, il quale stringe il suo fumetto dentro loop esagerati e caustici. Un sound che ruota davanti alla verità dei cartoni animati. Un colosso sperimentale molto interessante e geniale, dove la fantasia scellerata prevarica, almeno per una volta, la preziosa umana ragione.
~ Claudio Baroni, Musica Popalare