Shorts, 8/26.

"Life," the Guardian's science supplement, is devoting an issue to sci-fi because, as Alok Jha and Adam Rutherford explain, "at its core is the desire to understand humanity's place in the universe." So they've asked some - well, several... lots - of scientists to name their top sci-fi authors and films (rather than books and filmmakers). Top of the tops: Isaac Asimov and Blade Runner, "the runaway favourite in our poll."

Steven Pinker explains why he's voted for 2001; Rutherford plays a fun sort of parlor game, assembling a "dream team from the annals of science fiction" to save the planet should it ever come down to the wire; and film critic Peter Bradshaw whips up an insane pitch that, you know, just might work: "Then there is a knock at the door and a crazed, wild-haired scientist (Jeff Bridges) enters carrying what he claims is a fragment of Monica Lewinsky's sperm-stained dress. Why not use it to clone Bill Clinton?"

Also in the Guardian: Leo Benedictus passes along rumors that Miramax might split in half; meanwhile, Pinewood Shepperton's going great guns; a remake, a prequel and more news bits; and a heroes-in-real-life quiz.

Matt Clayfield considers how "the inverted genre films of Jean-Luc Godard are able to both transcend and surpass their generic and 'pulp' origins."

Greg Allen points to Edward Weinman's interview with Dagur Kári (Nói the Albino) in the Iceland Review.

Metaphilm finds one with Wim Wenders at the U2 fan site, Interference.com. Sharon Swadis poses the questions.

Beautiful: "Director Wes Anderson seems to have a thing, bordering on obsession, for Futura. The credits are set in Futura Bold - nothing strange about that. But it doesn't stop there." Mark Simonson, via the cinetrix.

Sam Adams argues in the Philadelphia City Paper that Kino's Krzysztof Kieslowski Collection "single-handedly remedies the neglect of his early career."

Stephen Holden on This Ain't No Heartland: "In the filmmaker's nightmarish view, the heartland is a decaying citadel of ignorance, boorishness and xenophobia, smugly rotting away in the twilight of the American empire."

The Austin Chronicle previews the 17th annual Austin Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. Also: Marc Savlov emails Takeshi Kitano and Kimberley Jones chats with Richard Kelly.

A Hollywood lawyer is suing his firm. Nikke Finke follows the money and comes back with "a primer in Hollywood law." Also in the LA Weekly: Ella Taylor on The Brown Bunny ("I can forgive Gallo his histrionics, which are entertaining enough when they're not downright vicious. What I can't forgive is his boring me silly") and Scott Foundas on Suspect Zero ("more depressing than the ordinary bad movie, because you can actually sense Merhige's own distress with the lifeless material and his frustration at trying to make something worthwhile out of it").

You've seen the Toronto line-up. Now check it again with links to the films' sites, courtesy of Steve Gallagher at Filmmaker.

Americans have had their chance to see The Terminal, and evidently, fewer took it up than might have been expected. But now, after opening the Venice Film Festival, the film will start fanning out across the European continent - occasion enough for Katja Nicodemus to interview Steven Spielberg for Die Zeit. In German, but surprisingly long and more substantial than many interviews with Spielberg in recent years.

Christina Klein in the International Herald Tribune:

The market for foreign films has shrunk in the United States over the past 30 years with the rise of American independent film, the decline in independent theaters and the vertical integration of the US film industry. In such an environment, the gatekeeping role played by US distributors of foreign films becomes ever more crucial. Hero is a case in point.

Also via the SXSW News Reel: The AP's history of the PG-13 rating.

By now, you've probably seen who's on the cover of Rolling Stone. An author from Iraq, now living in London, Khalid Kishtainy, wonders out loud in openDemocracy "whether the American occupiers of Iraq will allow [Fahrenheit 9/11] to be screened. Otherwise the poor Iraqis will miss a really good lesson in democracy and direct criticism of the government."

"With the phenomenal success of Fahrenheit 9/11 and other movies, 2004 has been the biggest year in history for political films, so it's no surprise that film programmers and directors think that convention week is an ideal time to bring political films to screens in the Big Apple." IndieWIRE's Wendy Mitchell rounds up the highlights. She points to a few more events on her blog, too.

But before next week comes the weekend. A few notable events:

• Walter Salles will be on hand to discuss The Motorcycle Diaries at the California Film Institute in San Rafael on Sunday, August 29, 6:30 pm.
• The theatrical release of Uncovered: The War on Iraq expands beyond New York, NJ, Boston, DC and Baltimore to five theaters each in LA and San Francisco, plus San Diego and the and the Century and Landmark theaters in Chicago. And Outfoxed plays on in San Jose.
• As part of its weekend midnight movies series, "The Filth," the Lumiere in San Francisco presents Forbidden Zone, with Richard Elfman himself in attendance. If you've never wandered his official site, you've been missing out.
• As always, you'll want to check in with the indieWIRE Weekly.
• And if none of all that strikes your fancy, low culture's got two more recommendations.

Online viewing tip. The trailers at Blue Underground. Via Matt at Rashomon, a fine online browsing tip itself these days.

Posted by dwhudson at August 26, 2004 1:31 PM