Voice. Tribeca.

"What have Robert De Niro and his producer Jane Rosenthal wrought?" asks J Hoberman as he introduces no fewer than 40 blurbs on 40 films the Village Voice staffers and contributors have selected as the most promising in the lineup for the Tribeca Film Festival (April 25 through May 7). "The festival is a triumph of branding," continues Hoberman, "but has it found its niche? Like the city it celebrates, Tribeca has proven resilient, but like New York, it's far too sprawling and abrasive to ever attain the grooviness of SXSW or the exclusivity of Telluride. Marketing - yes. Market - we'll see."

Dennis Lim talks to Peter Scarlet, the festival's "behind-the-scenes architect," and it's interesting to see so many of the same issues sparking debates at other festivals are brought up here as well.

Lim also reviews the film Hoberman says so many of his friends are afraid to see, the opener, and... "I can attest that the film nobody wants to see is worth seeing. At the very least, United 93 - as the most literal representation yet of that unimaginable morning - will hopefully ignite a meaningful debate about the ethics and politics of 9-11 commemoration."

Also in the Voice this week:

• Hoberman on American Dreamz, which "should really have been funnier."

• Bill Gallo on Sir! No Sir!, "a potent mix of outrage, residual anger, and sorrow that speaks not just to the legacy of our misadventures in Vietnam, but to the entire uncertain future of a nation at war."

• "Tracking Shots": Elliott Stein on the series, Rediscovering Roscoe: The Careers of 'Fatty' Arbuckle; Hoberman on Rivette's Out 1: Spectre; Michael Atkinson on Stolen and Mongolian Ping Pong; Melissa Levine on Somersault; Jim Ridley on The Wild; and Luke Y Thompson on Scary Movie 4.

Posted by dwhudson at April 18, 2006 2:01 PM