Short shorts, globally warmed edition.

David H. will be back sometime over the weekend (although, thanks to modern technology, he is still a presence here); meanwhile, just catching up on a few things as I can to keep the flame flickering until his return.

Eric Kohn's fascinating Leni Riefenstahl essay is worth a read if you find yourself with extra time on your hands. "The record of this debate represents the ongoing dialogue surrounding Riefenstahl’s work. [Peter] Sellers’ defense of Riefenstahl as an artist suggests that her propaganda achievements retain an aesthetic value separate from their ideological impact."

The second installment in ScreenGrab's biweekly "Forgotten Films" column continues with a fine account of the nearly forgotten film adaptation of the existential classic: "More people should know about the existence of an adaptation of Albert Camus's seminal novel The Stranger (L'Etranger), starring Marcello Mastroianni and Anna Karina, and directed by the great Luchino Visconti (Rocco and His Brothers, Death in Venice) at the height of his career. That such a film has gone largely unseen for so many years kind of boggles the mind. I've never been able to understand why it has been impossible to find on video - as far as I know, only some bootleg VHS copies show up on eBay now and then - but I can only assume there is some kind of catastrophic rights dispute preventing its release."

David Jeffers is trying to get the word out about the silent film Sparrows, starring Mary Pickford, and the "beautiful Library of Congress print we've managed to get for the August 21 screening at the Paramount" in Seattle. David adds, in an e-mail, "I am interested in any suggestions regarding print or broadcast media I might approach about this film."

Chuck checks out Mystery at Mansfield Manor: "There's quite a bit to like about Mystery, which is an ambitious, entertaining experience, but after viewing the movie (if that's the right phrase), I still have questions about what constitutes interactivity and a truly interactive cinema."

Tex Avery Blog-a-thon vs. Friz Freleng Blog-a-thon, both continuing. (Freleng's filmography is still more impressive to me, but both of them were brilliant originals.)

Is there any film this year more likely to disappoint audiences than Snakes on a Plane? Once the excitement around the title + Sam Jackson and the concept of "motherf----n' snakes on a motherf----n' plane" wears off, we're left with an actual movie to sit through. Chuck Klosterman [in Esquire, via the Telegraph, by way of IFC's blog] is certainly not impressed with the push behind it: "I suspect Snakes on a Plane might earn a lot of money, which will prompt studios to assume this is the kind of movie audiences want. And I don't think it is. Snakes on a Plane is an unabashed attempt at prefab populism, and (maybe) this gimmick will work once. But it won't keep working, and it will almost certainly make filmmaking worse."

Almost as disturbing as snakes on a plane, Mel in a car: Defamer's got a little wrap-up of Mel Gibson-related news. (Gibson is trying to smooth things over and atone - Cinematical has more - though perhaps Joy Behar's suggestion of "a public circumcision" is a bit much.)

NP Thompson: "Here's my vivisection of Woody Allen's Scoop. Brutal, nasty, and delightful!" (Whereas I wondered aloud, Why such a quiet release of the Woodman's latest - bad sign, or to be expected?) Jonathan Rosenbaum's not a huge fan of the film: "One form of low-rent showbiz Allen depicts in Scoop is Fleet Street journalism, but it's depicted with none of the witty rancor or intelligence of Evelyn Waugh's 1937 Scoop. Allen doesn't have too much affection for this trade, certainly not as much as he does for magic."

About two years ago I jotted down an idea for a film in my mostly illegible notebook: "Scary movie about people trapped in a cave which is inhabited by an otherworldy presence." Pure genius! Claustrophobia abounds, and no one had done a good cave movie before, or, any, really. Well, two years and several cave movies later and never mind. But The Descent seems to be the one that stands out from the others. indieWIRE's put up a short n' sweet interview with Neil Marshall, the film's director. The SF Bay Guardian's Cheryl Eddy - who called the film "2006's scariest" - also spoke with Marshall:

"Obviously Deliverance [was] a massive inspiration. The Shining, just as an exercise in watching somebody go insane — it's brilliant," Marshall explains. "Alien [was] hugely inspirational in creating a realistic environment, which is what I wanted to do with the caves: treat them in the same way Ridley Scott treated the inside of the Nostromo. Once you believe that, then you've got the world in which to set your story."

Meanwhile, FilmThreat's Jeremy Knox found the film scary enough. "All in all, this is an accessible art house horror film whose trailer and premise do not do justice to the end result. I will fully admit to the fact that the film probably affected me more because it plays on some deep seated fears of mine, so maybe you wouldn’t rank it as high as I did."

Lastly, speaking of scary, on Bright Lights Film Journal, Andrew Hedden reconsiders The Garbage Pail Kids Movie - managing to bring both Jean Vigo's Zéro de Conduite and Marcel Duchamp's Fountain into the discussion.