Fests and events, 11/17.

Michael Guillén tells the story behind Voices of Light, an oratorio based on Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc by Richard Einhorn which will be performed tonight at the Castro in San Francisco and again on Sunday in Berkeley. And he interviews Mark Sumner, director of the UC Choral Ensembles.

"There are a number of obvious reasons why the Film Society might choose to show Some Came Running at Wednesday night's Frankly Celebrating: A Sinatra Salute, their tribute to Frank Sinatra's career in Hollywood," writes Karina Longworth at the SpoutBlog. "Vincente Minnelli's teeming CinemaScope melodrama turns 50 this year, and even if it wasn't the best of Sinatra's films (and in my mind, it is), Minnelli's tendency towards stylistic overstatement provides the perfect contrapuntal showcase for his star's non-actor naturalism. It also opens up multiple points of conversation, from the rise of the Rat Pack to Sinatra's own complicated identity as a man's man who got his start singing love songs to swooning girls."

"Rather than Manny Farber's all-time favorites or something like that, your selections for the Film Society program seem somewhat organic, like a conversation you're having with Farber through these films." Eric Hynes opens Reverse Shot's conversation with Kent Jones. Through November 26.

"With immaculate timing, Film Forum has scheduled a series of Carole Lombard films: the perfect response to recession, depression, and other ills, whether of the economy or the soul." Anthony Lane. Also in the New Yorker, and also quite briefly, Hilton Als on Ivo van Hove's stage adaptation of John Cassavetes's Opening Night - at BAM from December 2 through 6.

Sending in reviews from the Starz Denver Film Festival: keelsetter at Movie Morlocks and Peter Nellhaus. Through Sunday.

David Schisgall took his film Very Young Girls to the Sheffield Doc/Fest and looks back on the experience at All these wonderful things.

Posted by dwhudson at November 17, 2008 8:49 AM