Shorts, 6/13.

The 31st Seattle International Film Festival wrapped last night and the Grand Jury handed its prizes for Best New Director to Ilya Khrzhanovsky for 4 (Special Jury Prize: Brad McGann for In My Father's Den), Best New American Film to Doug Sadler's Swimmers (Special: Scott Coffey's Ellie Parker) and Best Documentary to Walter Stokman's Based on a True Story and (Special: Heather Rae's Trudell). Eugene Hernandez has the full list at indieWIRE.

Veer-Zaara swept the International Indian Film Awards this weekend in Amsterdam, winning best film, best director (Yash Chopra), best male lead (Shah Rukh Khan) and best supporting actress (Rani Mukherjee). More from the BBC and the AFP.

Kim Voynar interviews Jenni Olson for Cinematical. This could be potentially amazing: "At the moment I'm dying to make a non-conventional documentary exploring the history of urban planning in San Francisco."

"Without gay men, the movie industry would be a barren wasteland," declares Michael Thomas Ford in the San Francisco Chronicle, introducing his "key moments in the gay movie canon," from Bette Davis in Dangerous (1935) through Gregg Araki's current film, Mysterious Skin. Via Movie City News.

In the Observer, Peter Conrad recounts the various tellings of HG Wells's War of the Worlds, noting along the way how each interpretation has reflected its own times, including Spielberg's. "His Martians, [screenwriter David Koepp] claims, are merely conducting the belligerent foreign policy of the US, even though this time they happen to be stomping into New York. What stops the armoured, insensitive global power is 'a local insurgency'; the film, he says, is his commentary on the Iraq war."

"[I]n June 1978, in the middle of the punk revolution, my musical version of The War of the Worlds was released," writes Jeff Wayne in the Independent. "And to everyone's surprise (mine especially), it became a major international success."

Back to the Observer: Philip French remembers Anne Bancroft and reviews Kings and Queen.

Newsweek's Devin Gordon gets to pop a few questions for Hayao Miyazaki. One of them: "Were you surprised Spirited [Away] won an Oscar?" The answer: "Actually, your country had just started the war against Iraq, and I had a great deal of rage about that. So I felt some hesitation about the award. In fact, I had just started to make Howl's Moving Castle, so the film is profoundly affected by the war in Iraq."

Also: Nicki Gostin chats briefly with Michael Caine.

A sir, a dame and a Harvey. In the Telegraph, Hugh Davies lists the names of those most likely offended by James Ivory in Conversation.

Eric D Snider has begun a CineVegas diary at Hollywood Bitchslap.

"The old Waverly Theater on West 3rd and Sixth Avenue, sung about in Hair and famous for launching the Rocky Horror Picture Show midnight feature, is now a beautifully refurbished cinema - and a powerful branding tool, too. Logan Hill in New York on the IFC Center. More from Eugene Hernandez at indieWIRE.

The Los Angeles Times's Kevin Thomas revels in the variety on hand at the Los Angeles Film Festival (June 16 through 26).

Time's James Poniewozik on Morgan Spurlock's new reality show: "30 Days pretty much busts the assumption that all of Rupert Murdoch's TV networks are tools of Karl Rove.... But the series is not strident, and seems to have been made in a genuine spirit of curiosity."

John Sutherland: "Nitpicking is to film criticism as blogging is to journalism." Also in the Guardian: Simon Hattenstone on the first ever screening of Deep Throat in the UK.

Who's your Daddy? Now? Ben Slater knows.

Bruce Campbell is whiplashing between coasts all summer long, reading from his book, Make Love the Bruce Campbell Way, and promoting his new film, Man with the Screaming Brain. He's definitely coming to a book store or theater near you; it's just a matter of time. Click here to find out when.

Online viewing tip #1. A teaser for Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist is up at the French site. Via Ain't It Cool News. And while you're there: Scott Green's "AICN Anime," another massive update.

Online viewing tip #2. Bloc Party's "Pioneers." Via Fimoculous.

Online viewing tip #3. Nick Rombes's amusing 6th episode of Sunday Evening Aesthetics.

Posted by dwhudson at June 13, 2005 9:11 AM