Link Round-Up: Straight Talk

I would hardly call myself a David Lynch auteurist or defender or what have you - I think Mulholland Drive is an absolute masterpiece, and Blue Velvet is canon, but most of the other works are I could probably leave behind. However, I do quite like The Straight Story, which in the latest episode of Josh Spiegel's Mousterpiece Cinema, I argue is perhaps his most Lynchian movie. I was joined by the much more intelligent Jake Cole as well, so give that a listen for some insights into this strange work in Lynch's canon, plus me defending The Lone Ranger despite derisive laughter that follows (which I also defend over here)

Blue Jasmine is the latest Woody Allen film, and like all Woody Allen films, it's quite enjoyable or at least palettable. I reviewed it for In Review Online, though I probably should have spent a few more words on how good Andrew Dice Clay is. Read that over here.

Traveling Light is an a new contender for my favorite film of 2013, an experimental work that follows a train ride from New York to Pittsburgh. I'll write it longform some time, but its filmmaker Gina Telaroli joined me on The Cinephiliacs to talk about her films, her Allan Dwan and William Wellman dossiers, unconscious cinema, and a very magical film: Vincente Minnelli's Brigadoon. Give that a listen over here. 

New on the Boxd: Laughton's masterwork Night of the Hunter, Johnnie To's fantastic Drug War, Godard's romp-like A Woman is a Woman, Brian De Palma's ecstatic The Fury, Raoul Walsh's The Big Trail, and two films by documentarian Robert Greene: Kati With An I and Fake It So Real. More here if you scroll down.

An Act You Really Must See

The Unspeakable Act played at BamCinemaFest last summer, which I declared "Rapturous" at the time. I meant to write something long about the film, but sadly my notebook was stolen and I lost everything I had planned. Still, I can vividly recall much of the film, and it remains an early candidate for my favorite film of 2013.

Since then, I've gotten to known its director, Dan Sallitt, through our various paths in the NY repertory scene, and I've thoroughly investigated his writing and his other films. The result is the latest episode of The Cinephiliacs, timed with the release of The Unspeakable Act at Anthology Film Archives in New York, along with a retro of Dan's other films. If you are in New York and don't go to it, I seriously question your dedication to our cause.

On the episode, Dan brought in Alan Clarke's Christine, which tops my list of February filmic discoveries. Make sure to listen to the conversation over here. And here's the list below:

1. Christine (Alan Clarke, UK, 1987) - Streaming Via YouTube
2. Life and Nothing More... (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran, 1992) — 35mm projection, Film Society of Lincoln Center
3. Two for the Road (Stanley Donen, USA, 1967) — 35,, projection, Anthology Film Archive
4. I Wanna Hold Your Hand (Robert Zemeckis, USA, 1977) — 35mm projection, Film Society of Lincoln Center
5. Where is the Friend's Home? (Abbas Kiarostami, Iran, 1987) — 35mm projection, Film Society of Lincoln Center
6. The Night of Counting the Years (Shadi Abdel Salam, Egypt, 1969) — DVD
7. Modern Romance (Albert Brooks, USA, 1981) — 35mm projection, Anthology Film Archives
8. The River's Edge (Alan Dwan, USA, 1957) — 35mm projection, Anthology Film Archives
9. Man's Castle (Frank Borzage, USA, 1933) — 35mm projection, Film Forum
10. All the Ships At Sea (Dan Sallitt, USA, 2004) — DVD

Also Notable: The Mayor of Hell Town (Edward Mayo, USA, 1933), , Used Cars (Robert Zemeckis, USA, 1980), Some Call It Loving (James B. Harris, USA, 1973), Through the Olive Trees (Abbas Kiarostami, USA, 1994, Moonstruck (Norman Jewison, USA, 1987)

More Amour!

Photo of 2013?

I already discussed Michael Haneke's Amour with David Ehrlich back at the New York Film Festival, but was honored to join the gang of The Film Stage Podcast to go for a second round on the film. We begin the discussion with a look at the themes of Michael Haneke (manipulation, intrusion, surveillance, and his umm Twitter account) and then dive into the complicated Oscar-nom'd film. It's a fun and worth discussion of your time, so take a listen.

Talking Lincoln

I'm quite late to the party, but Steven Spielberg's Lincoln is easily one of the most fascinating texts I've encountered this year. It's an extremely layered political drama that has three auteurs - Speilberg, Tony Kushner, and Daniel-Day Lewis - transforming what could have been an odd history lesson into a vividly gorgeous work of cinema. 

While I don't have a full review, I was glad that Josh Spiegel invited on his podcast, Mousterpiece Cinema, to discuss the film (which is being co-released by Touchstone, which owns Disney, thus the inclusion). It's a long one, with Josh, his co-host Michael Ryan, and I batting around different ideas and perspectives on the film throughout. You can listen to it here, but since it's a bit long and some people are averse to the podcast form, I also posted the notes I worked from in our conversation below. But do take a listen.

Screening Log: Emotional Overload Edition

            Another week, and not much new to report except there’s another new episode of The Cinephiliacs with my friend Kenji Fujishima. We had a great chat and I really loved talking about Fallen Angels, a Wong Kar-Wai film I’ve never really loved, but definitely appreciate more after deconstructing it with him.

-Railroaded!, 1947. Directed by Anthony Mann. Streamed via Netflix Instant.

-Fallen Angels, 1995. Directed by Wong Kar-Wai. Streamed via Netflix Instant.

-Lonesome, 1928. Directed by Paul Fejos. 35mm projection at Film Forum.

-Don’t Look Now, 1973. Directed by Nicholas Roeg. 35mm projection at 92Y Tribeca.

-Mikey and Nicky, 1975. Directed by Elaine May. 35mm projection at the Museum of Modern Art.

-Three Strangers, 1946. Directed by Jean Negulesco. DVD.

Cinephiliacs Continues

If you've been here and been under a rock, you may have missed my new podcast, The Cinephiliacs, in which I've interviewing the great cinephiles of our time. Check out episode one with Glenn Kenny (plus a discussion of Antonioni's Blow-Up), and just released, episode two with Matt Zoller Seitz (with his very convincing argument about the greatness of Born on the Fourth of July).

Announcing The Cinephiliacs!

I've started a new podcast! Check out all the details over at it's new home.