Shorts, 1/10.

"The depraved heroes of 24 are the Himmlers of Hollywood" is the title the Guardian has given Slavoj Zizek's piece on the show about to enter its fifth season. It's a grabber, but it's not a flippant or careless one. By way of Hannah Arendt, Zizek examines Heinrich Himmler's dilemma, namely, "how to get people do the dirty work without turning them into monsters." In the case of 24, that dirty work is, of course, torture that closely parallels, as we're reading about these days, torture in formerly secret prisons around the world as part of US counter-terrorist activities. For Zizek, Dick Cheney and others' public plea for the necessity of torture represents a crucial turning point. "This is 24's real problem: not the content itself but the fact that we are being told openly about it. And that is a sad indication of a deep change in our ethical and political standards."

Related: Stuart Wood reports at Cinema Blend that Kiefer Sutherland would very much like to see the series become a movies. A series of movies, actually. Also via Martha Fischer at Cinematical: Garth Franklin's summary of a Variety story at Dark Horizons: Philip Kaufman is set to direct Oren Moverman's adaptation of Nicholas Ray's memoir, I Was Interrupted. And: Spike Jonze's adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are is back on track.

When Girish posted an entry on writing about film last week, he probably didn't foresee the discussion extending beyond 120 comments. Of course, that discussion has also branched off in a couple of directions, but now, Girish refocuses, this time on the actual "nuts and bolts" of the writing process.

"Ingmar Bergman would later write that his discovery of Ivan's Childhood was 'like a miracle' and that 'Tarkovsky is for me the greatest, the one who invented a new language, true to the nature of film, as it captures life as a reflection, life as a dream.' As Tarkovsky began work on what would become his second feature, Andrei Rublev, his standing was at its high-water mark in Moscow. He would never enjoy such a position again in his homeland." Kamera's running an excerpt from Sean Martin's Pocket Essential Tarkovsky. Also: Antonio Pasolini on 13 (Tzameti).

Lone Scherfig (Italian For Beginners) will be shooting a satire set in the Danish Film School during the 70s, reports Annika Pham at Cineuropa.

In other European film news, Peter Kiefer reports on the effect left-leaning Italian filmmakers' attacks on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi may be having and, also for Reuters, Scott Roxborough: "A German cannibal is taking legal action to stop the release of the horror film Butterfly: A Grimm Love Story, which he claims is based on his life."

For the cinetrix, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story "is wild, wooly, clock-winding nonsense of the highest order, and perhaps the first film that will ever profit from being watched on DVD rather in the theatre - just imagine all the digressive extras!"

Stanley Kauffmann appreciates Brokeback Mountain: "In the diary that Emma Thompson kept while making Sense and Sensibility, she wrote: 'I am constantly astounded by Ang [Lee] - his taste is consummate. It sometimes takes a while to work out exactly what he wants but it's always something subtler.' It seems highly likely that [Heath] Ledger and [Jake] Gyllenhaal could say the same.... Where his mind and imagination will take Lee next I do not yet know, but I certainly want to follow." Also in the New Republic, Lee Siegel on the past and future of television.

Dave Kehr picks out the week's most interesting DVD releases for the New York Times.

With two major missteps and lots of little ones, Blockbuster sealed its doom, argues Edward Jay Epstein in Slate. Also, Dana Stevens asks, "What happened to Heather Graham's career?

CNET's Daniel Terdiman: "Blu-ray, HD DVD players: clunky, unimpressive."

Stop Smiling runs a snippet from James Hughes's interview with Vince Vaughn.

DK Holm binges on Walt Disney Treasures for Movie Poop Shoot.

Looker digs up the moment Paul Verhoeven went wrong.

Online browsing tip. Movie posters and lobby cards at de Lijst, via filmtagebuch.

Online listening tip. Frank Stasio interviews John Sayles on Talk of the Nation.

Online viewing tip #1. DVblog: "Couple of collaborations between artist & filmmaker Monkmus and turntablist Kid Koala found on the generously-stocked-with-goodies video page of the Ninja Tune site, these tracks are pure aural & visual delight."

Online viewing tip #2. The Clerks II teaser. Via Ed Champion, who writes, "It's just possible that Kevin Smith is up to something more than just revisiting a hot property."

Online viewing tip #3. Gabriel Shanks: "At Captain Video!, classic music videos from the 1980's are deconstructed for your knee-slapping amusement."

Online viewing tip #4. Maybe. Grady Hendrix has found "a 20 minute re-edited parody video of The Promise, entitled The Bloody Case That Started From a Steamed Bun lives. I can't get it to work, but that shouldn't be a problem for the more technically savvy among you - and I know you're out there."

Posted by dwhudson at January 10, 2006 8:15 AM