Channel Zero

"I'm eighteen; I'm profiting from my youth," says a Parisian male prostitute in one of the 10 segments in this compelling alternative video ‘zine from Stephen Marshall. Opening with an interview with world-renowned Luddite Neil Postman (who, oddly enough, is one of my personal gurus), Marshall and his seeing-eye camcorder travel the world in search of the unreported stories. In Belize, he talks to a "shoeshine technician"/crack junkie who offers some real insight into Third World disintegration due to tourism and MTV. In addition, Marshall visits the newly democratized South Africa, looks at Triad gangs in Hong Kong, and questions Slovenian Nazis in Bordeaux, among other things. Although definitely not for all tastes, this shoot-from-the-hip adventure in the real world offers an unfiltered look at a wide range of issues. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)