Shorts, 3/30.

"There are two filmmakers [Ray] Tintori's work has been compared to more than any others: Guy Maddin and Wes Anderson," notes Zachary Wigon, introducing an interview for the Tisch Film Review. "The Maddin influence is clear, and Tintori himself more than acknowledges it. The Anderson attribution, however, seems more of a mistake - while Tintori's films do have something of the quirkiness and arbitrary turn-of-events tone that Anderson employs, Tintori's films seem to take themselves far more seriously. Death to the Tinman features an ending that has to have drawn some tears."

"Silent Light took home five trophies - including best picture - at Tuesday's Ariel Awards," notes Eric D Snider at Cinematical. "Carlos Reygadas, who wrote and directed the film, won awards for both of those jobs, while Maria Pankratz was named best supporting actress. Alexis Zabe's cinematography was also awarded, and with good reason - the images in this film are breathtakingly beautiful."

France has another homegrown hit: "After two continent-wide trips for L'auberge espagnole (The Spanish Apartment) and Les poupées russes (Russian Dolls) and a plunge into the French capital's underworld with Ni pour, ni contre (bien au contraire) [Not For or Against], French director Cédric Klapisch stays close to home and well above the ground for Paris, his valentine to the City of Lights," writes Boyd van Hoeij at european-films.net. Juliette Binoche and Romain Duris "play siblings in but one of a tangle of stories meant to reflect the thousand faces of the city."

Unlikely to be a hit anywhere but in the op-ed pages is Geert Wilders's Fitna. Spiegel Online translates Bas Blokker's review for NRC Handelsblad: "The rhythm goes like this: a verse from the Koran in which Jews or other heathens are threatened with death or torture, then images of terrorist attacks by Muslims followed by a shocking statement by a Muslim leader. Then a new verse." In the Los Angeles Times, Geraldine Blum reports that reaction to the film in the Netherlands has not been as fierce as expected.

Also in the LAT: "With his 1986 breakout film, She's Gotta Have It, director Spike Lee unwittingly kicked open the door for a new wave of young independent African American filmmakers armed with audacious visions and fresh perspectives about black life," writes Greg Braxton:

Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle), the Hughes brothers (Menace II Society), Mario Van Peebles (New Jack City), Charles Burnett (To Sleep With Anger), Matty Rich (Straight Out of Brooklyn), John Singleton (Boyz N the Hood) and others won over not only black moviegoers but wider audiences as well, creating comedies and dramas barbed with sharp perspectives on race, class, social conditions and politics. But now, more than 20 years later, and in a time when race has taken center stage in presidential politics, another type of African American filmmaker has established himself as the dominant voice.... If Lee laid the groundwork for a diverse army of black creators, then [Tyler] Perry has had the opposite effect, according to several experienced and aspiring African American filmmakers who want to tell dramatic, personal stories with complexity, and without bawdy humor, broad characters or facile resolutions.

When the writers went on strike, John Krasinski "used the hiatus to resume postproduction work on his directorial debut, an adaptation of David Foster Wallace's Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, a collection of short stories and monologues that he has been trying to make into a film for more than five years," writes Dave Itzkoff, introducing his interview. "In the shorter term Mr Krasinski, 28, can next be seen in Leatherheads, opening Friday. And new episodes of The Office begin April 10."

Also in the New York Times:

• "With its breezy shots of male genitalia and characters nicknamed Long John and Tripod, A Four Letter Word is a surprisingly endearing romantic comedy that explores gay relationships with low-budget verve," writes Jeannette Catsoulis. Meanwhile, Backseat is "a road movie whose flailing, 30-something protagonists, while not exactly 40-year-old virgins, can have avoided that fate only by the tender mercies of women with abysmally low expectations." Plus! "Ten years in the making, Hats Off is a documentary tribute to the 93-year-old actress Mimi Weddell, one of those people for whom the word 'individual' seems especially apt." Related: Ed Champion talks with Weddell and director Jyll Johnstone.

• Edward Wyatt talks with Tracey Ullman about becoming an American citizen and her new show, Tracey Ullman's State of the Union.

• Michael Cieply reports on a ruling that entitles Jerome Siegel's heirs to a share of the US copyright to Superman.

• AO Scott: "To call Superhero Movie a satire, or even a parody, of the genre specified in its title would be misleading, since those terms imply at least an attempt at wit." More from Scott Weinberg at Cinematical.

• Manohla Dargis remembers Paul Arthur: "He was first published in the early 1970s, and over the next few decades he wrote fluidly and accessibly on a range of topics, notably avant-garde cinema but also film noir and documentary."

"Pen-ek Ratanaruang's debut is a movie about dreams, and at one point a dream about movies." Peter Nellhaus on Fan Bar Karaoke.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Mick LaSalle talks with Sandrine Bonnaire about Her Name is Sabine.

"From near the beginning of their career, a thread of Jewishness has run through the odd tapestry of [the Coens'] work, one of many sources of humor and tension, often at the same time," blogs Ben Walters. "But it's now set to come to the fore as never before in two features currently in pre-production."

In the Guardian itself: "Although I'm a Cyborg begins with its heroine, Young-goon (Lim Soo-jung), stuffing wires into her freshly slit wrist before plugging herself into the mains, the tone remains jaunty and dreamlike, the colours defiantly joyful." Ryan Gilbey talks with Park Chan-wook. Also, Simon Hattenstone talks with Marjane Satrapi about Persepolis.

For the Observer, Carole Cadwalladr talks with Donald Sutherland. Also, Mark Kermode: "As a die-hard horror fan who's spent many happy hours enjoying gratuitous screen carnage, watching Funny Games at its 1997 Cannes premiere was like being told off for two hours. By an Austrian. In France. Aarrgh!"

Adam Ross's interviewee of the week: Pacheco.

Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna) has seen "the highest opening weekend ever for a Spanish-language film in the US," reports Rebecca Winters Keegan for Time. Its success "suggests the growing Latino moviegoing audience is under-served when it comes to films that tell their own stories."

The House Next Door launches a "Movie Guide" - it's huge, but if you already know what you might be interested in catching this week, it's also alphabetical.

For Popular Mechanics, Erik Sofge lists the "10 Most Prophetic Sci-Fi Movies Ever." Via Movie City News. Glenn Kenny comments.

At FilmInFocus, Toby Barlow, author of Sharp Teeth, selects five favorite "werewolf films without the fur."

Online hm! AJ Schnack has the poster for American Teen.

Online browsing tip. For the Guardian, cinematographer Roger Deakins picks a few favorite shots.

Online listening tip. Ed Champion talks with Bill Plympton about, among other things, his new feature, Idiots and Angels.

Posted by dwhudson at March 30, 2008 8:37 AM