Shorts, 6/23.

Pruning the Grapevine "is an overwhelmingly sincere film, well-mannered and respectful, that takes its subject, the quest for genuine faith in God, absolutely seriously," writes Kyu Hyun Kim. "It rivals Secret Sunshine in its thorough immersion in the Christian Weltanschauung, so much so that non-Korean viewers who tend to think of, say, [Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring] festooned with the signs of chicly Orientalist, mock-Buddhist 'spirituality,' as representative of Korean cinema may well ask in befuddlement, 'What is Korean about this movie?'"

Also at Koreanfilm.org, Adam Hartzell on "the omnibus film The Camellia Project, three shorts about the lives of contemporary gay South Korean couples."

Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Tropical Malady) might have found a European acolyte in the surprising person of UK director Thomas Clay, who shot his second film Soi Cowboy on location in Thailand." A review from Boyd van Hoeij at european-films.net.

"Yes, The Sky Really Is Falling" is the title of Film Department CEO Mark Gill's keynote address at the Los Angeles Film Festival and both Variety's Anne Thompson and indieWIRE have the full text: "I know I don't have to repeat all the ways that the independent film business is in trouble. But I'm going to do it anyway - because the accumulation of bad news is kind of awe-inspiring." 13 bits of bad news follow. Then, a survey of the majors' problems. All of it leading up to the argument that "the sky might fall further than we like, but it won't hit the ground."

Speaking of the majors, though, Filmmaker's Scott Macaulay points to a "good conversation going on at the always excellent blog of Jon Taplin. Entitled 'Who Will the Next Fool Be,' the short piece... critiques the recently announced deal in which India's Reliance may be financing Dreamworks." Heather Timmons has the latest on this particular potential deal in the New York Times.

Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger "will appear alongside the Bollywood stars Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor in Incredible Love, the story of an Indian stuntman who takes Hollywood by storm but cannot find true love there," reports Dean Nelson for the London Times. "The film will be the first Indian production to be shot at Hollywood's Universal Studios and will have the highest budget in Bollywood history: more than £11m." Via Merrick at AICN.

"No, it's not your imagination. Ben Kingsley is everywhere." Michael Ordoña in the Los Angeles Times, where Sheri Linden talks with Werner Herzog and Jason Matloff tells the story behind Beastie Boy Adam Yauch's basketball doc, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot. More on that one from Ed Gonzalez in Slant.

David Phelps in the Auteurs' Notebook on Céline and Julie Go Boating: "L'amour fou and even Out 1 are the realistic ones (comparatively) because the worlds the characters create and destroy - and ultimately outgrow - are short-lived balms in face of a messy, mutable reality.... But the fantasy life becomes plausible (in all sorts of ways) in Céline and Julie, because the fantasies here, infinitely more petty, are not for order, but for subversion, not for stability, but for constant mutation and metamorphosis."

"[I]s Bonnie & Clyde a kind of Western?" In True West Magazine, Henry Cabot Beck directs this question - and many more, of course - to Arthur Penn himself. Via Joe Leydon.

Speaking of westerns, take a look at the Cinematheque Top 5, or rather, take a look at the many, many annotated ballots.

"She was feminine and androgynous, spontaneous and calculating, heavily made-up yet natural, at ease in period costume but most relaxed off-screen in flared trousers." The Observer's Philip French on Marlene Dietrich.

Garth Pearce talks with Robert De Niro for the London Times.

It's not just movies - increasingly, critics aren't being given previews of books, plays or TV shows, either. Mark Lawson looks into it. Also in the Guardian: "I love the Russians: they look hard for the soul and less for the cute little nose."Jethro Skinner, who plays the lead in Plyus odin (Plus One), has won a best actor award at Kinotavr, "Russia's biggest festival, the equivalent of Cannes," and blogs up the experience.

Emma Thompson takes on Vanity Fair's "Proust Questionnaire."

PopMatters has 20 questions for Alan Cumming.

Matt Riviera talks with Kimberly Peirce about Stop-Loss.

Online listening tip #1. At If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger...: Hitchcock and Truffaut discuss I Confess.

Online listening tip #2. The IFC's Matt Singer and Alison Willmore discuss the AFI's 10 top 10s.

Online viewing and/or uploading tip. "Frieze Film issues an open invitation to submit, appropriate and adapt material." Click to find out more about the project inspired by Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

Online viewing tips. The AV Club lists "19 stellar cinematic one-scene wonders," cameos you'd better have some time for.

Posted by dwhudson at June 23, 2008 2:41 PM