Dogtooth - A More Thorough Review - Highly Recommended

http://www.cinematical.com/2009/09/14/dogtooth-movie-review/

...But what does all this strangeness mean? What points are the filmmakers trying to make? I extracted a few compelling ones, and I suspect that a different set of eyes would pull out of a few more. On one level, Dogtooth feels like a strange but pungent slap in the face to suburbia, to middle-class complacency, and to the often aggressive ways in which parents foist their own beliefs onto their children. Taken another way, the film feels like an inverted version of a typical Hollywood comedy: In most farces, we're offered a normal setting that is invaded by something strange or absurd, whereas Dogtooth goes the other way: Here we're introduced to a patently surreal situation, and it's darkly amusing to see what happens when flat normalcy infects outrageous absurdity.

By this point you've correctly surmised that Dogtooth is not for all tastes, and I can confirm that suspicion by saying that the film is occasionally unpleasant, intermittently gory, and laden with sexual situations that are frank, odd, and uncomfortable. But it's this sort of unpredictable oddness that makes the film such a provocative experience. Suffice to say that we won't be seeing an American remake of this one any time soon.

WWII Combat Cameraman: 'The Public Had To Know'

Further affirmation of the social relevance and potency of film. He carried a camera instead of a gun. Below is an interview with Major Norman Hatch, USMC in his later years. To view the short documentary that he filmed as a soldier, click the post-title to link to NPR.

During Word War II, Staff Sgt. Norman Hatch was a cinematographer and combat photographer who witnessed — and filmed — some of the most bitter fighting in the Pacific theater. His efforts ended with, of all things, an Academy Award — for footage so brutal that it took special permission from President Franklin Roosevelt to allow his short documentary, With the Marines on Tarawa, to be shown as a newsreel.

Bressonian Quote #4 - Notes from a Master Filmmaker

"Master precision. Be a precision instrument myself." - Robert Bresson

SXSW 2010 Music Showcase - NPR Full Coverage

pictured above: The Walkmen

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=7729350

Photos, videos, interviews, and previews of the week's music in Austin. NPR is sponsoring a showcase including indie gurus, Spoon and The Walkmen, and this is just the beginning of an endless list of acts showcased at SXSW. Rock on. Wish I was there.

Tom Waits - Images of Cool

“If I exorcise my devils, well my angels may leave too.”

–Tom Waits

The Selvedge Yard - Interesting blog and excellent archive of images from 20th century American pop culture.

Tom Waits image archive - Just because he's Tom Waits. Need I say more?

The Limits of Control, by Jim Jarmusch - Reopen the dialogue?

The Limits of Control (2009), the newest film by Jim Jarmusch, opened last May (in US limited release, of course) to poor critical reviews and was subsequently swept under the rug - with very little legitimate discourse or critical contemplation. I will be screening the film soon, for the first time, and am still quite excited, regardless of the initial reception (as i am with each Jarmusch film). I cannot imagine that the collaboration of Jarmusch, one of the true active American auteurs, and cinematographer, Christopher Doyle (renowned for his masterful work with Wong Kar-Wai), did not produce some level of cinematic excellence or curiosity - we'll see. Considering the quick dismissal of the film, I cannot help but to reflect on the flat reception of last year's Synecdoche, NY, Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut - one of the truly brilliant films of the year that was simply too complex, conceptually and narratively, for critics or the general viewing audience to fully appreciate. I have read the reviews consistently citing the complete lack of narrative in Jarmusch's latest, though I'm quite certain it is an intentional deconstruction of narrative or exercise in minimalist observation. I'm anxious to find out, and will post a response. Perhaps, the dialogue should be reopened on The Limits of Control.

The Onion - Marijuana Use Triples Among Gary

http://www.theonion.com/content/news/marijuana_use_triples_among_gary?utm_source=EMTF_Onion

I am by no means posting this article with the intent of making any sort of socio/political statement or imposing argument, although i take no offense to the notion. I find the Onion to be engaging satire that never fails to amuse with a hybrid blend of high intellect, keen observation, and absolutely ridiculous slapstick. I have nothing but respect for what they do - thoroughly entertaining and insightful mock-journalism, particularly during political seasons. This is one of the more amusing Onion articles that i have read in a while. Actually, I laughed out loud quite a few times and you will too, especially if you know Gary.

Not to mention, I stumbled upon the realization that they are based out of Madison, Wisconsin on my last cross-country road trip. This simply adds to their independent aura, as Madison is one of the rare gems amongst midsize American towns - free-thinking, progressive, culturally aware, and naturally beautiful.

Bressonian Quote #3 - Notes from a Master Filmmaker

"Respect man's nature without wishing it more palpable than it is."

-Robert Bresson

SXSW 2010 Review: Dogtooth (Kynodontas)

by Kate Erbland, March 16

Writers: Giorgos Lanthimos, Efthymis Filippou

Director: Giorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Christos Stergioglou, Michelle Valley, Aggeliki Papoulia, Mary Tsoni, Hristos Passalis

Anyone who follows the film blogging world should be well-acquainted with a few names of online critics that could eloquently be referred to as “luminaries” and affectionately known as “big papas.” Two of these guiding daddies of our world played a big part in my viewing of Greece’s DOGTOOTH. James Rocchi recommended DOGTOOTH to Scott Weinberg. Rocchi recommended it to me. Both loved it. These are recommendations you cannot ignore. The film won the Un Certain Regard Award at last year’s Cannes Film Festival (which recognizes emerging and special talent at the festival). That’s another recommendation you can’t ignore. Which is all very appropriate – because DOGTOOTH is a film you cannot ignore.

(For the full review, click the post-title link)

This film screened at Cucalorus Film Festival 2009. I was at the festival but missed the screening due to schedule conflicts (you can never see as many as you would like). Everyone I spoke with, including trusted colleagues and friends, that attended the screening couldn't quite describe what they had experienced, but insisted that it was brilliant. It was the talk of the festival. This is a good sign.

Future Commentary to be Posted - A Critical Review of the Critics

How (and why) Roger Ebert and so many other "credible" film critics fell for the Avatar hype and offered up glowing reviews and PR fodder for the horned-god of commercialism, only to later regret their misstep. Was their vision blurred by the 3-D spectacle? Does Cameron really eat critics that dissent? Or, did they truly get swept away in the hype, marketing, and spectacle so much as to skew their professional insight?

SXSW Film Festival Update: Feature Documentary - American: The Bill Hicks Story

American: The Bill Hicks Story. directed by Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas.

This is one of many intrigues among the accepted films for SXSW Film Festival 2010, which has been in action since March 12 and will wrap up in a few days. SXSW is one of the premier film festivals in the US, and perhaps my personal favorite in regard to independent integrity, though I have yet to attend. There is, of course, the accompanying independent music showcase which alone is well worth the trip to the republic of Texas. The reason that I have yet to comment on the festival, individual screenings, and premiers is based solely on personal bitterness - I had long planned on being in Austin for this years festival and, unfortunately, things did not work out. I have not quite recovered from the disappointment - nothing better than a week of independent film and music to inspire the mind and creative flow.

Check out the links within the text for more info on SXSW Film Festival and Music Showcase. The festival website is thorough and interesting, with full info., stills, and trailers for the films screening.

So many of the screenings, by write-up and trailer, look extraordinary, and in the purest spirit of independent film. Please, explore some of the films further. Festivals, particularly of this caliber, serve as the greatest means of exhibition and our window into the world's most interesting, innovative, and heartfelt cinema.

Note: Bill Hicks is a longtime hero of mine and one of the funniest, most insightful (and raging) social/political comedians of our time. He was a philosopher and a preacher, with comedy as his tool, all too often agitated by sharing wisdom with (what he perceived as) ingrates and simpletons. I will explore the madness and genius of Bill Hicks in future posts.

News from Cannes - Tim Burton, President of the Jury of the 63rd Festival de Cannes

American film director Tim Burton is to be Jury President for the 63^rd Festival de Cannes, which takes place from May 12^th to 23^rd 2010. Upon accepting the invitation from Gilles Jacob and Thierry Frémaux, Tim Burton declared: "After spending my early life watching triple features and 48-hour horror movie marathons, I’m finally ready for this. It’s a great honour and I look forward, with my fellow jurors, to watching some great films from around the world. When you think of Cannes you think of world cinema. And as films have always been like dreams to me, this is a dream come true."

I'm a little late to the game, as the official press release was in late January. However, I found it to be an interesting selection, and it made me smile a bit.

I wonder if the Cannes selection committee had screened Alice in Wonderland yet? Yes, that was a cheap shot. No more comments on Alice beyond this - It made me quite sad due to overall disappointment (particularly, aspects of the storytelling were flat and underdeveloped), but the root of the sadness was the lost cinematic opportunity. Refer to Bressonian Quote #2. With that being said, the high level of disappointment would not have been possible without an endearing respect for Burton and his body of work. His filmography and the general honesty of his vision afford him quite a bit of forgiveness. There is a quality retrospective of his work on the Festival de Cannes home page.

An early Tim Burton film for your viewing pleasure.

Bressonian Quote #2 - Notes from a Master Filmmaker

"The faculty of using my resources well diminishes when their number grows." - Robert Bresson (Notes sur le Cinematographe)

I particularly like this not-so-little piece of wisdom and find it to hold absolute truth in the art of film production.

Stan Brakhage - Eye Myth (1972) and more...

"If Maya Deren invented the American avant-garde cinema, Stan Brakhage realized its potential... Brakhage single-handedly transformed the schism separating the avant-garde from classical filmmaking into a chasm. And the ultimate consequences have yet to be resolved; his films appear nearly as radical today as the day he made them." At the end of the video, options to play more Brakhage films will reveal as thumbnails at the bottom of the screen. I recommend Black Ice (1994) as a more contemporary sample of his work. To find out more about Stan Brakhage and his films, visit the link to the post title.

Bressonian Quote #1 - Notes from a Master Filmmaker

above image from A Man Escaped (1956)

"Rid myself of the accumulated errors and un-truths. Get to know my resources, make sure of them." - Robert Bresson

From time to time, i will post quotes from Notes on the Cinematographer (Notes sur le Cinematographe), by Robert Bresson. This is a journal of Bresson's accumulated knowledge and contemplation on the art of cinema, written in short anecdotal form. It is the equivalent of Confucius' Analects (or the bible, if you will) for filmmaking - or, what he refers to as, "cinematographe." However, the wisdom transcends beyond his craft as he spent a lifetime seeking artistic clarity, spiritual awareness, and a higher understanding of humanity.

If you are a patron of cinema as a complex medium of art, a true lover of film, a cinephile of any sort, and are not familiar with Robert Bresson, please, cross that bridge quickly. Bresson, his body of work, and his theoretical approach define the purest intent of "auteur." He is one of the rare masters of film - a child, a tyrant, a philosopher king, and an artist. i recommend beginning with:

Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut (1956) (scenario and dialogue)
... aka A Man Escaped (International: English title)

Pickpocket (1959)

Procès de Jeanne d'Arc (1962)
... aka The Trial of Joan of Arc (USA)

http://www.mastersofcinema.org/bresson/

Retro Recommendation - Fishing with John, Criterion collection (1992)

John Lurie knows absolutely nothing about fishing, but that doesn’t stop him from undertaking the adventure of a lifetime in Fishing with John. Traveling with his special guests to the most exotic and dangerous places on earth, John Lurie battles sharks with Jim Jarmusch off the tip of Long Island, goes ice fishing with Willem Dafoe at Maine’s northernmost point, braves the Costa Rican jungle with Matt Dillon, takes Tom Waits to Jamaica, and searches for the elusive giant squid with Dennis Hopper in Thailand.

CAST: John Lurie, Dennis Hopper, Willem Dafoe, Jim Jarmusch, Tom Waits, Matt Dillon

Narrator: Robb Webb

CREDITS

Director	John Lurie
Screenplay	John Lurie
Cinematography	Tom Krueger and Michael Spiller
Editing	Robert Burden and Mike Weiss
Associate producer	Sara Rychtarik
Line producer	Coleen Fitzgibbon
Executive producers	Telecom staff
Music	John Lurie
Hut by Perhaps the most brilliant television ever put to film.	Stephen Torton

‘South Park’ at 200: Trey Parker and Matt Stone Apologize to No One

A NY times interview with two of the most insightful and biting satirists of our time. Years from now, their names may very likely appear alongside the likes of Voltaire, Mark Twain, and Kurt Vonnegut - funny and exhilarating to think about. Thank you guys for being an integral part of our media culture, especially when you are waging war against it. Thank you for everything - I think we can forgive you for BaseKetball now. Can't wait to see what is next.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/10/south-park-at-200-trey-parker-and-matt-stone-apologize-to-no-one/?scp=1&sq=south%20park&st=cse

Roger Ebert may be a more insightful philosopher than film critic.

http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/04/how_i_believe_in_g.html

Beautifully expressed - honest, subjective contemplation. This is the most engaging piece that I have read from Ebert since his dissension review of Bonnie and Clyde.

Rachel's Song - an exercise of rhythm in image

John Lurie Art