Shorts, 3/24.

"It is better to see all my films together as a collection," Eric Rohmer tells Kaleem Aftab, who's met him in his Parisian office. "At the moment they're showing the Four Seasons on French television, one part each week, and that is perfect. There is a relationship between all the films and that is where the interest lies."

Also in the Independent, Richard Strange: "[A]s I was about to fly to Los Angeles for a three-month run of the Tom Waits/Robert Wilson/William Burroughs theatrical collaboration The Black Rider, [Harmony] Korine called me and announced: 'Hey, I want you to play Abe Lincoln in my new movie. We film in the Highlands of Scotland, June through August. Do the dates work?' They did."

And Ciar Byrne quotes NME features editor James McMahon on Kurt Cobain About a Son: "The film is a beautiful piece of work."

The film's director, AJ Schnack, has in the meantime gathered a wide array of comments on the inaugural Cinema Eye Honors.

Owen Hatherley is "surprised, to put it mildly, to be very impressed with the first of [Jean-Luc Godard's] collectively produced, 'Maoist' films, British Sounds."

Slant's Ed Gonzalez presents "a snippet from Dreams from My Father, in which Barack Obama describes watching Marcel Camus's Black Orpheus, the first foreign-language film his mother, Ann Dunham, had ever seen." And then comments.

Filmbrain on that recent Responsibilities of Criticism event: "I can't help but feel this workshop was something of a missed opportunity - a chance for two (three, had [Nicole] Brenez been able to make it) of the most brilliant, important critics working today to engage in dialog with the new generation of critics (some of whom are read by a shockingly high number) on the subject of responsibility - something that is in dire need of addressing in the online community."

"I still hold the naïve belief that cinema is a young art, and a century of it isn't impossible to put one's arms around," writes Girish. And he's got a few questions for you. For example, do you feel a "tug-of-war between the desire or need to see older films versus new films? What guides your decision-making on what to see from day to day?"

"Though Brooklyn native and screenwriter Malvin Wald changed how the world sees police officers in film and television, many had never heard of him prior to his death on March 11th at the age of 90," writes Michael A Gonzales for Stop Smiling. "Best known as the scribe behind Jules Dassin's 1948 cinematic classic The Naked City, it was Wald's realistic glance of New York City coppers in action that helped launch the mystery sub-genre known as the police procedurals."

Yesterday, Self-Styled Siren wished Joan Crawford a happy 100th. "Let's discuss a movie or two."

At the Chicagoist, Rob Christopher has news of Aram Rappaport's Helix, a feature-length crime drama set to be shot in one take - today.

"It puzzles me why filmmakers so often fail in trying to play the classics straight but sometimes oddly succeed in capturing some real essence of an ancient work in an exaggerated or outrageous guise," writes Steve Coates in Paper Cuts.

Tim Lucas admires makeup artist Rick Baker's work on next year's The Wolf Man, starring Benicio del Toro.

Chris Lee looks into "one of the most interactive movie-marketing campaigns ever hatched by Hollywood: a multi-platform, hidden-in-plain-sight promotional blitz for the new Batman movie The Dark Knight, which stars Christian Bale and Heath Ledger and reaches theaters on July 18."

Also in the Los Angeles Times, Mark Olsen on Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns: "Angela Bassett... brings an emotional reality and deep resonance to her performance that plainly elevates the material." More from Ross Douthat (Atlantic), Ed Gonzalez (Slant) and Nathan Rabin (AV Club).

And Scott Timberg profiles Bret Easton Ellis, now 44.

Antonello Grimaldi's Quiet Chaos, starring Nanni Moretti, has scored 18 nominations for David di Donatello Awards. Italy's "Oscars" (sort of) will be presented on April 18. Camillo de Marco reports for Cineuropa.

"Clint Eastwood is to star in his first film for four years, the mysterious Gran Torino," reports the Guardian. "Details of the movie's plot, which Eastwood will also direct, are being kept tightly under wraps." Also: Andrea Hubert talks with Crispin Glover and Aida Edemariam meets Lucian Msamati, star of The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.

"Taxi to the Dark Side is part of a growing list of important documentaries - Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) and the Road to Guantánamo (2006), to name two—that could be used as evidence in any future war crime hearings against the Bush administration," proposes Richard Phillips at the WSWS. "What is missing in these documentaries, however, is any clear explanation as why these violations of the US Constitution and the Geneva Conventions have emerged or a detailed exposure of the role played by both major political parties in this process." He also talks with Taxi producer Eva Orner.

Brandon Harris talks with Tom Quinn about The New Year Parade.

Stephen Saito talks with Phil Donahue and Ellen Spiro about Body of War for the IFC.

For the London Times, Will Lawrence talks with Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones about Shine a Light.

Sean Axmaker talks with Ira Sachs about Married Life. More on the film from Vince Keenan.

Adam Ross's most recent interviewee: Gareth Moses.

"[T]he widely accepted idea that movies are recession-proof will be tested in new ways in coming months, as Indy and Batman do battle with stay-at-home entertainments people have already put on their credit cards, like iPods and plasma-screen TVs." Rebecca Winters Keegan reports for Time.

AO Scott in the New York Times on Drillbit Taylor: "'You get what you pay for,' the tag line on the advertisement says. I saw it free, and I still feel cheated." More from Keith Phipps (AV Club), Nick Schager (Slant), Ryan Stewart (Premiere) and Keith Uhlich (House Next Door).

"The below-average Shutter coughs up another vengeful ghost in the form of a spurned Japanese waif who appears in photographs and sets about getting her message across as many ghosts do—in the most indirect, passive-aggressive, logic-defying way imaginable," sighs the AV Club's Scott Tobias. "After 85 minutes of celestial charades, the movie is over and everyone can go home." More from Rob Humanick (Slant) and Andy Webster (NYT).

Online viewing tip #1. "I'm running a little contest over on idrinkyourmilkshake.com: for a chance to win one of five There Will Be Blood DVDs, grab your camera phone or webcam and upload a video of yourself saying the line that gave the site its name," announces Jürgen Fauth, who displays the first (and so far only) entry.

Online viewing tip #2. Struggle, a short by Ryan Fleck.

Online viewing tips, round 1. Peter S Scholtes: "My Top 20 music videos of all time." Via Fimoculous.

Online viewing tips, round 2. Little Minx's Exquisite Corpse shorts, via Brandon Harris, who also talks with four of the five filmmakers.

Posted by dwhudson at March 24, 2008 3:39 PM