Film Comment. Jan/Feb 05.

Here's what you want to do: Sign up for Film Comment E-News. Not only do you receive a fine plain text heads-up on the new issue, you also get pointed to a finely formatted page featuring links to FC content not immediately visible via the usual route and an "Opening Shots Extra," with news bits about, this time around, Johnny Depp, Sylvain Chomet and others.

It also sort of makes further pointing here sort of superfluous. But I'll go ahead and add that there's a lot of Amy Taubin in this batch; she introduces her interview in the magazine with Clint Eastwood, but here, it's uncut. And she reviews not one but two features that premiered at last year's Berlinale that are just now arriving in the US: Head-On, which "will be marketed on the basis of the many awards it racked up and its depiction of the dark side of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. But it's in the quiet moments that Akin proves himself a promising filmmaker"; and Lost Embrace, "a much more charming depiction of immigrant culture."

Harlan Jacobson is infuriated by Route 181, a doc by Eyal Silvan, an Israeli, and Michel Khleifi, a Palestinian.

Perhaps the most tantalizing feature is a series of glimpses ahead at thirteen films from around the world that may or may not make it to a theater near you in 2005.

There's also, naturally, generous mention of the "Film Comment Selects" series at the Walter Reade in New York, February 9 through 24.

Posted by dwhudson at January 20, 2005 2:21 PM