First Cousins

Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will" and "Air Force One" with Harrison Ford have a lot more in common than you may think. According to director Michael Haneke in a NYT profile, both have "a distinct political agenda [and] a common goal — the total manipulation of the viewer. What’s terrible about the Harrison Ford film, though, especially terrible, is that it represents itself as simple entertainment." Haneke goes on to rip Hollywood-style storytelling, full of sly mind control. His argument, which I pretty much agree with, is that type of filmmaking was mastered by the Nazis, and it became very suspect by European directors. "As a result, film, and especially literature, began to examine itself. " In a nutshell, American films can lull you into becoming a compliant zombie, whereas foreign movies force you to think. (Images via weeklywire.com and 25frames.org)

Cassandra's Nightmare

"A humorless misfire that wastes the talents of some fine actors." Ouchy. That's one of the notices for Woody Allen's new film, Cassandra's Dream, which debuted at the Venice Film Festival, which GreenCineDaily has posted. If I received these types of reviews, I would go into hiding for years. From the Hollywood Reporter: "Lazy plotting, poor characterization, dull scenes and flat dialogue." The Telegraph sends a zinger: "Allen's ear for dialogue seems to have deserted him." And Time Out gives the film a Bronx cheer: "Its purpose is too confused, its execution too lazy, its handling of its performers too liberal."
(Image via Thompson on Hollywood)

Writing the Unspeakable

When I first started reading Jonathan Rosenbaum's New York Times op-ed piece about Ingmar Bergman, I literally gasped. Trashing the genius Swede auteur? And so soon after his death? The man's body isn't even cold and out come the knives to slash away at this fabled master of celluloid. Entitled "Scenes from an Overrated Career," Rosenbaum writes, "The hard fact is, Mr. Bergman isn't being taught in film courses or debated by film buffs.... Why hardly anyone watches Bergman films anymore." Rosenbaum contends that Bergman didn't break any new ground in filmmaking; he simply transferred his stage techniques to film. "Above all, his movies aren't so much filmic expressions as expressions on film," he writes. I partially agree with his points; however, I feel that because so many of Bergman's films are great, doesn't that make him a great director? (Image via Msnbcmedia3.msn.com)

The Good and The Bad

Yes, we all agree that John Cassavetes, the director, was innovative and pumped real life into film and that his work still inspires legions of fans. But John Cassavetes, the actor? Heaven help us. In his own films as an actor (I'm thinking of "Husbands" and "Opening Night"), Cassavetes was tolerable. But in movies in which he was not at the helm, he drives me to distraction. His forced intensity, wild gestures, and shouting stage voice.... Arrrgggghh. Perhaps the reason his performances are so scattered is because other directors were afraid to say, "Down, boy," or perhaps J.C. was trying to let them know who was in charge and was simply untameable. I recently rented Elaine May's interminable "Mikey and Nicky." Torture. (Peter Falk, who's so comfortable on screen, gave me a reason to keep watching.) I wonder: are there any John Cassavetes, the actor, fans out there? (Image via Altfa.org)

Saved by a Revolution

After hitting the show-off-y brick wall of "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" by Marisha Pessl, I found a book that excites me. Richard Yates's 1961 novel "Revolutionary Road" is the type of book that you make time for. This novel about suburban angst and ennui is a classic, but I had never heard of it until I read director Todd Field's production notes for "Little Children." Field tried to secure the rights for "R.R." but was unable to do so, so he opted for Tom Perrotta's novel "Little Children," which contains similar themes. Field seems to have excellent taste in his books. His last film, "In the Bedroom," came from an Andre Dubus story. (Image via Amazon)

Everyone Knows Her

New York loves Miranda July. The performance artist's four-day engagement at The Kitchen is completely sold out. July has received a ton of ink from the NY press in regard to this multi-media performance called "Things We Don't Know About and Definitely Are Not Going to Talk About." I was quite taken with her film "You and Me and Everyone We Know," but I don't frankly understand what all the current fuss is about. Here are some previews and profiles from Time Out and NY Sun. (Image via The Kitchen)

Om, No

Interested in hearing about transcendental
meditation? No? How about listening to David Lynch rave about it for a half hour? Now, do I have your attention? Here's audio of Lynch being interviewed about one of his many obsessions at Barnes & Noble, which I attended. I had a dilly of time working the B&N Windows player, so good luck. (Here's the site with more multimedia stuff on Lynch.) (Image via Kafard.com)

Hand It to Pan

I didn't think I would like it, but I did. After seeing "Pan's Labyrinth," I truly hope that director Guillermo Del Toro receives an Oscar nomination today. I don't like fables, I don't like fantasy, and I don't like creepy monster-beings, but I was completely enraptured with "Pan's..." which incorporates all those things. Del Toro had the entire theater audience in the palm of his hand. Great storytelling. Great images. My favorite scene: While the evil Captain is shaving, he places his razor against his throat's mirror image and drags the blade across the glass. Now that's a cinematic image. (Image via Ecranlarge.com)

UPDATE: Well, at least Del Toro got nominated for best screenplay and the flick received five other nominations.

Big Fish, Big Pond

I waited for hours, but I finally got to see David Lynch in the flesh. (He's thin, about 5'10", and looks just like the photos.) Promoting his book on meditation, Lynch was interviewed at Barnes and Noble at Union Square. The place was PACKED. Overflowing with Lynch aficionados, the staff closed off the floor an hour before the director's appearance. While waiting (I arrived two hours early but still had to stand), I read the entire contents of "Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity." Unfortunately, the interviewer must have done the same thing because every question lead into a chapter of this short tome. Lynch must have said the word "beautiful" about 50 times during this interview. He's so intoxicated with meditation that I want a sip of that drink too.

Laughs with Abel

Abel Ferrara, the master of the revenge flick, slated to direct a screwball comedy? I almost don't buy it, although the Hollywood Reporter says it's true. "Go Go Tales," from a screenplay by Ferrara, is about the goings-on of a lap-dancing club. The cast includes Willem Dafoe, Bob Hoskins, Matthew Modine (yuck), and Asia Agento. The subject matter seems up Ferrara's alley, whose films are usually drenched with Catholic guilt and symbolism. I wonder how A.F. will make a screwball comedy that includes his typical motifs, like nuns, sacrifice, and rape. (Image via Temacom.org)

Altman's Hands

I'm thrilled to hear that Robert Altman will direct a feature film adaptation of the documentary "Hands on a Hard Body." Altman's last film, "Prairie Home Companion," put me to sleep twice. "Hands..." is an engrossing documentary about an endurance contest among some Texans: whoever keeps one hand on a new pickup truck the longest wins the vehicle. The contest goes on for days, people get delirious, crumble, etc. It will be interesting to see this subject matter in Altman's hands.

Monkey Minutia

Film director Terry Gilliam was recently interviewed by Bob Edwards on his radio show. Here are some highlights. Most interesting part: Gilliam wanted Jeff Bridges for the lead role in "12 Monkeys," which eventually went to Bruce Willis. When he confronted studio heads about the rejection of his choice, Gilliam was told that Bridges was a "jinx." (There's a theory that the quality of a Jeff Bridges movie correlates to the length of his hair. The longer the hair, the better the movie.) Least surprising part of interview: It was Brad Pitt's idea to look bug-eyed to convey his character's mental state. Brad P. is such an intuitive and subtle actor! Personal note: I was wildly disappointed with "12 Monkeys." I hated the casting, especially B.P. Gilliam's film rep has been riding on his masterpiece, "Brazil." I admit that "The Fisher King" was entertaining, but everything else has been muddled and self-indulgent.

Where There's Smoke...

...there's David Lynch. The New York Times confirms it: Lynch is a chain smoker. A few weeks ago, I wrote that I was surprised to see a photo of the director smoking a fag. In the Sunday profile on D.L., Dennis Lim writes that in Lynch's painting studio, there is a "scatter of stale cigarette butts on the cement floor around his Aeron chair" and that his seat in a screening room "can be identified by the sizable ashtray on the armrest." The article wasn't about Lynch's habit but about his new flick, "Inland Empire," which sounds quite similar to "Mulholland Drive." I bet his new film won't receive as many raves as "M.D." I think a lot of the reviewers got off on "M.D."'s lesbian storyline and suddenly considered it a masterpiece. (Image via New York Times)

Smoking (Glue) Gun

A recent Green Cine Daily post on David Lynch caught my eye. What intrigued me most wasn't the preview of Lynch's new movie "Inland Empire," but the accompanying photograph: D.L. smoking a cigarette. For some reason, I thought Lynch would be a nonsmoker and a big fan of O2. (The image of Dennis Hopper wearing an oxygen mask in "Blue Velvet" comes to mind.) If Lynch must smoke something, I wouldn't think that it would be something as ordinary as cigarettes. More likely, I could see Lynch freebasing the glue from the peony wallpaper in his grandmother's boudoir or something like that. (Image via Green Cine Daily)

Sight Unseen Appreciation

I'm getting excited about this filmmaker named Andrew Bujalski, and I haven't even seen any of his films yet. His most recent movie, "Mutual Appreciation," has received positive reviews. The New York Times compares this 30-year-old to John Cassavetes:

If Mr. Bujalski has learned anything from Cassavetes, it’s that films should be about life, not death, fashion or virtuosity, and that there are few more meaningful subjects for art and for personal expression than other people.

The Times finds similarities between "Mutual Appreciation" and Jean Eustache’s "The Mother and the Whore," a Franco/cinephile's three and a half hours of heaven. Bujalski's directing technique seems like Wong Kar-Wai's style. He doesn't allow his actors to read the entire script. He describes the scene to the nonprofessional actors and then lets them improvise. "Mutual Appreciation" is in limited release, and his 2002 film "Funny Ha Ha" is available through Netflix. Here's a NY Sun profile of the filmmaker. (Image via Green Cine)

Slow Dive

Every time I pass my local theater and see "The Boynton Beach Club" poster, I cringe. Susan Seidelman, a member of the ultra-hip, super-cool directors who emerged in the '80s, is now helming a picture for the geriatric crowd. In the early 1980s, Seidelman along with Jim Jarmusch and Spike Lee burst onto the scene, with films about NYC that were gritty, real, and endearing. (After seeing her first flick, "Smithereens," I wore red Chuck Taylors for the next 10 years.)
Seidelman was even able to make Madonna seem cool in "Desperately Seeking Susan." (Another personal note: I once wrote Seidelman a fan letter, and she telephoned (!) me to thank me.) Since "DSS," however, Seidelman's career has been a slow dive into a sea of blandness. She has helmed a ton of duds. And now this. Is it because she's a woman that she hasn't made it like Spike Lee? Why couldn't she have gone Jarmusch's route, stayed independent? Susan, give me a ring again, and let me know: Why?

My Kingdom for his House

Charlie Chaplin's hat and cane recently sold for nearly $140,000 at auction. With that type of dough, the anonymous bidder could have bought a house (OK, an apartment). Perhaps he/she could have even afforded to buy a house once owned by Charlie himself. While Chaplin worked at Mutual Film Corporation in New York, he lived in Kew Gardens between 1916-17. I've passed his house (pictured below) many times, and I've even seen a "For Sale" sign stuck in the ground. The price? Maybe $400,000-$500,000. Still, imagine living in a house once inhabited by the Little Tramp. What good vibes this unusual-looking home must generate. Maybe one day I will.

Woody and Scarlett

This image tops my favorite magazine covers list. Woody Allen and Scarlett Johansson catching some rays on the beach. Featured on New York Magazine's latest issue, the pair also snared a short article on their second film collaboration, "Scoop." I saw the trailer for the flick, and it looks pretty good, but we'll see when it opens July 28. (Added photo from inside the mag as extra bonus.) (Images via New York Magazine)

Wong and Jones

This almost seems absurd. Wong Kar-Wai's first English-language film will star Norah Jones. The Hong Kong director describes Norah Jones as having an "actor's aura." I've heard that Jones isn't all so alluring in concert, but maybe Wong can extract something from the singer. According to the Hollywood Reporter, "My Blueberry Nights" will also star Jude Law, Ed Harris, and Kevin Spacey. I don't want the rest of the world to discover W.K.W.! I want his films to remain in little artsy film houses, not at the cineplex. I also just read that he's beginning preproduction for "Lady from Shanghai," starring Nicole Kidman. Ugh. (Image via PerezHilton.com)

Woody's Woods

Woody Allen's jazz band opened the Rochester International Jazz Festival last Friday, and I was lucky enough to secure a ticket and flew up to my hometown to check him out. The local paper described Woody the Clarinetist as an amateur and just plain bad. True, he's no Benny Goodman, but what he lacks in technique, he makes up with his sheer love for jazz and his innate talent as an entertainer. Woody let his band members shine, and he kept his comments to a bare minimum, although his remarks were quintessential Woodyisms. The crowd loved him, and I think he and his band had a good time too. (Image via Rochester Jazz Festival, Don Ver Ploeg)