Shorts, 10/24.

Kristin Thompson offers what for many, myself included, will be an introduction to the work of self-described "aca/fan" (i.e., an academic who's also an in-there-with-all-four-feet fan) Henry Jenkins. One of his books, Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide, "is unusual, perhaps unique, in offering an overview of the entertainment industry from the perspective both of the big corporations that control popular media creations and of the fans, who often appropriate those creations for their own purposes."

"Don Hertzfeldt is one of my favorite short filmmakers." And so, David Lowery interviews him.

"Jean Harlow scares me when she shouts, and she shouts a lot." John McElwee at Greenbriar Picture Shows, parts 1 and 2.

"To some degree, both ideas remained as I worked: the encyclopedia and the novel. I had this image of a library, where the characters resumed their life after ours. But the Biographical Dictionary of Film had already made me see the inadvertent beauties in alphabetical order." With his novel Suspects seeing a re-release, David Thomson talks with Kamera's Antonio Pasolini.

"Death of a President is really a movie about 9/11 - an essay on a national tragedy used to create an even greater tragedy." Even so, J Hoberman notes, "There's a far more subversive political mock-umentary coming next week. I invite President Bush, Senator Clinton, and all politicians to get down with Borat." Also: "A terrific movie in the Antonioni tradition, Climates confirms 47-year-old Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan as one of the world's most accomplished filmmakers."

And also in the Voice, Ed Halter seems disappointed with Werner Herzog's The Wild Blue Yonder and Jim Ridley, reviewing Babel, suggests: "Time perhaps scrambling it's for Alejandro González Iñárritu to stop his narratives."

Geoffrey Macnab reports on Nicole Kidman and director Steven Shainberg's ideas going into Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.

Also in the Guardian, Peter Bradshaw on YouTube's lure - for viewers, other companies and for filmmakers: "Documentaries like Werner Herzog's Grizzly Man and Andrew Jarecki's Capturing the Friedmans have YouTube qualities, in that the footage was shot by the participants themselves, but needed a professional cinema practitioner to bring it to light. If the unhappy heroes of these films were making their videos now, they would probably bypass these directors and take them straight to YouTube."

Meanwhile, I've only just noticed that the Hollywood Reporter has an online viewing blog, Reel Pop. The new design is working. Steve Bryant's entry today: "The 2006 Midterms According to YouTube."

"The long and winding road that Darren Aronofsky's The Fountain took on the way to the big screen, where it opens Nov 22, reveals the challenge an independent filmmaker faces when he encounters a big studio's moviemaking process," writes Anne Thompson. Also in THR, Greg Kilday: "Ryan Fleck's Half Nelson led the list of nominees for the 2006 Gotham Awards, announced Monday in New York by the Independent Film Project and its executive director, Michelle Byrd."

Right. And the other four films nominated for best feature are: Old Joy and... Little Children, The Departed and Marie Antoinette. Anthony Kaufman comments: "While it may help bring in the bucks for the humble nonprofit, the studio choices are an embarrassment to New York's independent film community." More from ST VanAirsdale.

At Twitch, logboy reflects on the state of the "cult" film and, in general (as well as quite specifically), all things Twitchy. New reviews: Marco on Giuseppe Tornatore's La Sconosciuta (The Unknown Woman) and logboy on Herman Yau's Hack Bak Do (On the Edge).

If you skipped Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker piece on computers predicting what in any given movie will make for how much in returns at the box office, Vince Keenan's got the gist in a fun entry.

"Syrian cinema, although characterized as a progressive one that tackles social and political issues, still cannot be compared to the Egyptian film industry," writes Nazim Muhanna in Asharq Alawsat. "To the present day, despite the changing times, Syrian cinema is still monitored and controlled by a 13-member intellectual committee that receives screenplays to read and access in advance. Provoking the anger of many in the field, their main objection being that some of the committee members have no background or knowledge of cinema."

Also via Perlentaucher's "Magazinrundschau," Hani Mustafa in Al-Ahram Weekly on "the fabled Ramadan soaps watched by millions."

For IFC News, Dan Persons talks with Phillip Noyce about Catch a Fire and what it shares thematically with The Quiet American and Rabbit-Proof Fence. Related: Robert Wilonsky's review in the Voice.

A "difficult, human, and powerful film" or a doc in tandem with "the worst shock tactics of desperate filmmakers"? A Reverse Shot trio clashes over The Bridge at indieWIRE. More from Robert Cashill: "This should have been a pro-barrier advocacy picture, one that I think would have had a greater galvanizing effect on the legislature (and would have doused discussion that the movie, which does not take a strong editorial stance, perpetuates suicidal ideation by susceptible viewers)." Related: For SF360, Michael Fox interviews director Eric Steel.

Production Weekly: "Andre Benjamin, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta and Martin Henderson are set to star opposite Charlize Theron in Battle in Seattle."

Ed Champion: "It's telling that a slightly lesser Scorsese mob film, sizzling with the kind of punch and life that few contemporary films seem capable of these days, stands so distinguished against its multiplex brethren."

Infamous? It's "not half bad," writes Alan Vannemann. Also at Bright Lights After Dark, C Jerry Kutner adds three monologues to Edward Copeland's five.

Among the DVDs Dave Kehr reviews this week for the New York Times is Hands Over the City, Criterion's "fine treatment of an overlooked film."

Gabriel Shanks on The Last King of Scotland: "No English-language film released this year, with the possible exception of United 93, has offered such exhilarating performative tension."

Over 25 years, Body Heat has aged quite nicely, argues Christopher Orr for the New Republic.

Had a rough day? Take solace. You are not in James Urbaniak's shoes. Some actors have stalkers; he's got Karen Strang.

Jeffrey Overstreet bestows the first "If Jesus Came Back..." Award to Stephen Baldwin.

Another trailer roundup at ScreenGrab. This time it's John Constantine pitting what the studio wants you to think against what you're actually thinking.

Online listening tip. Leonard Lopate talks with Peter Falk about his autobiography, Just One More Thing.

Online viewing tip #1. Nearly a dozen trailers for new films at european-films.net.

Online viewing tip #2. Ian McKellen reveals the secrets of acting to Ricky Gervais. Ajit at ticklebooth.

Posted by dwhudson at October 24, 2006 1:49 PM