Archive for July, 2007
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
After years of fanboy speculation and internet chatter, Blade Runner: The Final Cut will debut theatrically in New York and L.A. on October 5 and on DVD from Warner Home VideoDecember 18. The slow-burning classic will receive three separate DVD editions: a two-disk Special Edition, a four-disk Collector’s Edition, and a five-disk Ultimate Collectors Edition.
I first saw Blade Runner on its theatrical release many years ago. At the time I was underwhelmed. As a big Philip K. Dick fan, I didn’t like the noir tone that replaced the schlubby melodrama and cosmic satire of Dick’s novel. Over the years, however, the film has grown on me tremendously. Its production design and representation of a future Los Angeles have proved influential all across the film and visual arts. And, like all great films, I’ve found that its meanings have changed with me as I’ve grown older. When I first saw the film I was tricked into thinking its operative questions were the standard sci-fi ones. With regards to Rutger Hauer’s replicant character, the film was asking, I thought, “Is he human? And, if so, what are the philosophical dimensions of that question?” Years later watching that final scene with Ford and Hauer in the rain, I realized, duh, it’s not “Is he human.” It’s, “Are we human? And what are the philosophical implications of that.”
For those who this fall want to ponder all of this (and just geek out in general), here, from the press release, are the details:
Disc One
RIDLEY SCOTT’S ALL-NEW “FINAL CUT” VERSION OF THE FILM
Restored and remastered with added & extended scenes, added lines, new and cleaner special effects and all new 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio. Also includes:
Commentary by Ridley Scott
Commentary by Executive Producer/ Co-Screenwriter Hampton Fancher and Co-Screenwriter David Peoples; Producer Michael Deely and production executive Katherine Haber
Commentaries by visual futurist Syd Mead; production designer Lawrence G. Paull, art director David L. Snyder and special photographic effects supervisors Douglas Trumbull, Richard Yuricich and David Dryer
Disc Two
DOCUMENTARY DANGEROUS DAYS: MAKING BLADE RUNNER
A feature-length authoritative documentary revealing
… Read the rest
Wednesday, July 25th, 2007
Picture New York, the group mobilizing to oppose the new regulations restricting the right of filmmakers, photographers, and amateur videomakers to shoot on the streets of New York, has launched their website. The site includes information about the proposed changes as well as details of an upcoming rally and other events staged to demonstrate the community’s opposition to the rules.
They also have an online petition you can sign to register your own opposition. So far, the petition has drawn a great cross section of people, from documentarians to IA d.p.’s to people from the tourism industry.
The site also contains Juliana Luecking’s video response to the proposal which I’m embedding below.
… Read the rest
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
I really can’t wait to see this film…just can’t.
Here’s the trailer.… Read the rest
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
Angry Filmmaker Kelley Baker, who has written and directed three full length features, is going on tour offering filmmaking workshops to raise money for his new book, Angry Filmmaker’s Survival Guide. The book provides new filmmakers with a practical, step-by-step guide to independent filmmaking while commenting on the state of the indie film world. Why is he angry? Because the world of independent film has become commercialized and mainstream; “the word ‘indie’ has become a marketing phrase,” according to Kelley.
Starting tomorrow, Kelly will be on tour in California and Texas offering the following workshops: Sound Design for Independent Features; Making the Personal Short Film; Making the Extremely Low Budget Feature; and Guerilla Marketing and Distribution. For scheduling information, blogs about the tour, or to make a donation, got to www.angryfilmmaker.com.… Read the rest
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
Check out the trailer for Wes Anderson’s new flick here.
Looks very Wes Andersony.… Read the rest
Tuesday, July 24th, 2007
For those looking to do something later this week in New York, Emerging Pictures will be holding a special screening for their upcoming film Laura Smiles Thursday, July 26th @ 7:30 at Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick St.). To RSVP call 212-245-6767 or email distribution@emergingpictures.com.
Here’s a brief synopsis:
The film tells the story of one woman’s attempt to reinvent her life after a personal tragedy. It takes many years, but finally the dormant emotions that this tragedy has inspired find their way to the surface, causing Laura’s life to spiral out of control. Violence, sex and other forms of self-destructive behavior become her method for dealing with these long repressed feelings. When all else fails, she runs to the only place that is safe — the past.
The film stars Kip Pardue, Jonathan Silverman, Mark Derwin and Petra Wright as Laura and is directed by Jason Ruscio. It has gained much buzz on the regional fest circuit, playing at Tribeca, The Hamptons and winning Best Dramatic Feature at the Vail Film Festival along with an Emerging Filmmaker prize at the Denver Film Festival.
To learn more about the film and see the trailer go to the film’s website.… Read the rest
Monday, July 23rd, 2007
Like Zodiac (reviewed below) Tom Tykwer’s Perfume is a film that did exceptionally well at the foreign box office but tanked in North America. Unlike Zodiac, it’s far more understandable why this film didn’t appeal to American audiences.
The film follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) a man possessed with an extra-ordinary sense of smell. It’s based on a novel of the same name by Peter Suskind although the book is far more comprehensive and cerebral. In fact, Stanley Kubrick once called it “unadaptable.”
After a rough childhood at the mercy of abusive orphanages and labor masters Grenouille, lands an apprenticeship with a renowned Parisian perfumer played by Dustin Hoffman. His fixation is bent on creating the most perfect scent, a scent that will drive people into sheer ecstasy. He believes women (specifically virginal beauties) have the best natural scent and his goal becomes to distill the scent from their bodies, preserving the aroma. Of course this distillation process requires smothering them in animal fat, shaving their hair, then boiling the removed fat, a procedure to which most girls are adverse. Thus, the body count rises as Grenouille’s plan edges closer to it’s orgasmic climax.
This is a film that’s obviously not for everyone. The pacing is slow and sinister and the overall tone is disturbing. The climax will leave some balking while others will look beyond at the metaphorical implications of Grenouille’s actions, indeed the whole story itself is a metaphor about hollowness of obsession. Some viewers will be able to sympathize with the Grenouille, whilst others will find him purely repugnant.
The cinematography is the film’s strongest suit. Lush fields of jasmine, intricate perfume shops and labyrinthine castles fill the screen. The shots are are very carefully composed and so saturated that the film plays out like a morbid fairy-tale.
The DVD is being released tomorrow retailing at $19.99 and like Zodiac it’s pretty bare bones. There’s one minor documentary that amounts to something you’d watch on E!, but there’s literally nothing else. Unlike Zodiac there’s no talk of a special … Read the rest
Monday, July 23rd, 2007
“Time has become unhinged” as stated in this stylistic, artsy feature debut by writer-director Sean Ellis. An extension of Ellis’ 2004 Oscar-nominated short, Cashback (2006) follows Ben Willis (Sean Biggerstaff), an art student who develops insomnia after being dumped by his first real girlfriend. As a result, Ben decides to take a job working the nightshift at a local supermarket; he trades in his time and gets cashback. Among the colorful cast of characters that works the nightshift with him are Barry and Matt, two jokesters each with the mentality of a 16-year-old boy, Brian “Kung-Foo,” archetypal-boss Jenkins, and delicate Sharon, who becomes the new subject of Ben’s admiration.
Naturally shifting between reality and imagination, the film is a constant stream of Ben’s consciousness as he masters the “art” of time manipulation. Time speeds up around him, slows down, freezes. He creates for himself a frozen world, safe and untouchable. Between the seconds, Ben is able to admire the beauty of still life, emotion, and the human body. Flashbacks to his childhood throughout the film show his early fascination with the female form. Through Ben’s eyes, even nudity, porn, and stripping are turned into art.
Shot in 20 days and written in seven, the comedy-drama keeps the audience engaged in every second, the element of speed complimenting the film’s steady pace. In spite of the film’s swift execution, it was made with an amazing attention to detail; the cinematography and uniquely interesting shots were carefully matched with the music and storyline for an ultimate artistic and edgy film. At the same time, the film’s dramatic elements—the emotional soundtrack, heavy shadows, and Ben’s broken heart—are lightened up by its witty humor. This story, told and seen through an artist’s eyes, is itself unmistakably a work of art.
Cashback was released by Magnolia Pictures in limited US theatres on July 20th and will be available on DVD for $24.29 on July 24th.
Cashback (DVD)
Director: Sean Ellis
Starring: Sean Biggerstaff, Emilia Fox, Michelle Ryan, Erica Ellis, Jay Bowen
Rating: R (Restricted)
Monday, July 23rd, 2007
If you’re in New York tomorrow night come and check out an evening we are co-hosting with the IFC Center that’s dedicated to one of the most vital film artists working in New York City today: Jem Cohen.
Here’s what the press release says:
“An Evening with Jem Cohen” features the acclaimed filmmaker of Chain, Benjamin Smoke, and Lost Book Found in person to present the New York premiere of his new documentary BUILDING A BROKEN MOUSTRAP, a portrait of the Dutch band The Ex, which Cohen describes as “Concert film. City film. Protest film.” With a stylistically unique but ultimately humanistic approach, Cohen has been documenting artists, musicians and urban culture for more than twenty years. His collaborations with Fugazi, Vic Chesnutt, Elliott Smith, Smoke, Cat Power and others are striking examples of his ability to translate music into a visual medium. The evening also includes some new and recent short films.
I first came across Jem’s work in the late ’80s when I saw his This is a History of New York. Since then I’ve admired the various strands of Jem’s career, from his poetic street reportage to his collaborations with a series of great bands and musicians His work has spanned the heyday of music video and somehow he managed to keep his head during this era’s enticements and obscenities to keep producing films of real value and values. Jem’s done amazing filmmaking in the almost 20 years since that early short, This is a History of New York, but this quote from Steve Seid about that piece seems like a nice entry to quote as an introduction:
“The richness of Cohen’s vision is found in his haunting imagery and the perception that the thriving city of New York is really the accumulation of humanity’s failures, as well as its triumphs.”
If you don’t know Jem’s work and would like to sample before viewing, Bilge Ebiri’s pick of the evening in New York contains a short film. He posts on the magazine’s site Little Flags, which Jem made in 2000.
From Ebiri:
From the World
… Read the rest
Monday, July 23rd, 2007
Zodiac was one of the highest rated films this year and you don’t have to take my word for it, just look at rottentomatoes.com. But never underestimate the vapidity of the average American movie-goer as the film didn’t even gross 35 million at the North American box office. Instead viewers were drawn to the erudite and socially conscious Wild Hogs the weekend Zodiac premiered which out-grossed David Fincher’s penultimate work three-fold.
Maybe it was the two and a half hour running time that dissuaded potential viewers who were saving their attention span for Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Maybe it was the “procedural” nature of the film that shifted focus as the Zodiac investigation progressed. Maybe it was because Brad Pitt, Will Smith or Adam Sandler were nowhere to be found. But for whatever reason, the film tanked.
None-the-less, North America will have a chance to watch the film at their own pace this week as a bare-bones edition of the film hits shelves retailing at a cool $17.99. By bare-bones I mean no commentary, no documentary, no interviews, no nothing. In fact, the only addition besides the film is a preview for a 2-disc “Directors Cut” of Zodiac due out next year. Apparently Fincher is too busy working post for Benjamin Button to be available for special features.
The film centers around the infamous Zodiac killings largely from the point-of-views of the press and police investigators. Jake Gyllenhaal portrays Robert Graysmith a cartoonist for the San Francisco Chronicle who became obsessed with the killer and whose subsequent books the film is based. It also delves into the investigation of two detectives, inspectors Toschi and Armstrong (Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards) whose investigation is severely hindered by sub-par police work and bureaucratic red tape.
This is a fantastically shot, incredibly detailed, and superbly executed film, I recommend everyone who didn’t see it in the theatres to get to the video store or rearrange your queue because this really was one of the best films of the year. I can’t in good conscience endorse the purchase of this … Read the rest
