Shorts, 8/11.

Wondering what to watch next? The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle, with help from staffers Edward Guthmann and Carla Meyer, has compiled a list of 100 suggestions. It's a list, in reverse chronological order, of "great performances [that] have been, for one reason or another, unsung by either the public, the critics or both." The pointer comes via a friend who writes, "To the surprise of many of us here in the Bay Area, [LaSalle] has become very much worth reading, after years of being mainly the butt of jokes. He has delved deep into movie history, written a couple of good books (Complicated Women and Dangerous Men), and is now one of the few critics around these days who seems to have a grasp of cinema history."

LaSalle's opener:

When movie fans talk about the character of Michael Corleone, they just say "Al Pacino in The Godfather," they don't identify the character. In the same way, people refer to "Brando in The Godfather," "De Niro in The Godfather," and "James Caan in The Godfather." But not the late actor John Cazale. Cazale is forever "Fredo in The Godfather."

Do you know why? Because Cazale was so good in that movie, nobody thinks of him as having been acting. Cazale may have had a distinguished career that included roles in at least two other classics, Dog Day Afternoon and The Deer Hunter. Yet when we look at Cazale in The Godfather, we forget we're seeing a performance. As far as the public is concerned, in 1972 a bunch of actors got together with Fredo and made a great movie.

Speaking of lists, most people carry one either on their person, in some desktop folder or simply stashed away, consciously or unconsciously, in one of the darker corridors of the mind. And up at the top, it reads, "Things To Do Before I Die." Over at Hollywood Bitchslap, Brian Mckay has reminded me of one of the priority items on my own list: "See Tokyo."

Via Movie City News, the odd and oddly amusing story by the Independent's Nick Hasted on Exorcist IV: The Beginning, pitting director Paul Schrader against Morgan Creek, the studio that found itself watching a final cut and discovering that it was "some kind of post-colonial period-piece, a moody, intimate examination of faith. What they were watching, in fact, was the script they had paid for, which, rumour has it, they simply hadn't read."

And at MCN itself, Ray Pride on what he looks for in movies, a strange capsule review by Jonathan Rosenbaum, Buffalo Soldiers, Alejandro González Iñárritu's contribution to 11' 09' 01 and a Tom Junod piece in Esquire and a few more notable notes.

In the New York Times:

"Gregory Hines, the genial, suave dancer, singer and actor who for many personified the art of classical tap in the 1980's and 90's, died late Saturday on his way to a hospital from his home in Los Angeles. He was 57."

A must-read. Stuart Klawans on Kieslowski's Decalogue.

Steve Martin: "So if you're asking me did Iraq have weapons of mass destruction, I'm saying, well, it all depends on what you mean by 'have.'"

A new studio unit with a punchline for a name: Warner Independent Films.

Margy Rochlin's piece on Catharine Hardwicke is more interesting than it looks at first glance.

Jesse McKinley on NYC's Angelika Film Center.

Elaine Sciolino on the "Amélie Poulainization" of Montmartre.

"All the pieces fell into place, the acting, the writing, the time it came out during the war." Roger Ebert quoted in the weekly DVD release round-up, re: Casablanca.

Now Jersey Girl's big selling point is that Jennifer Lopez is gone after the first 15 minutes.

And, from the "Movies" page, find and click on Harvey Pekar's short autobiography.

Craigslist: The Movie. And Kim Zetter's story in Wired News. Via Fimoculous.

Two pointers that may seem to aim wide, but are nonetheless worthwhile: Metaphilm has been gathering some mind-tickling reads in its "Metaphlog" over in that right-hand column and Doug Cummings's filmjourney.org has been pretty amazing over the last couple of weeks.

It's official. Director Mike Newell has signed on to the fourth Harry Potter. Also in Screen Daily: Ketan Mehta's The Rising, costing a mere $20 million, will nevertheless be "the most expensive film ever to be produced in India" and will be released in three parts; Japanese horror flick Ju-on is doing very, very well.

Jacques Deray, 1929 - 2003.

In the Observer, Liz Hoggard wraps a talk with François Ozon with an odd blurb on "Swimming pools on film." Also: Grace Bradberry's update on the duelling Alexanders and more togas to come.

Online viewing tip. Kung Faux. Via d/blog.

Posted by dwhudson at August 11, 2003 5:54 AM