If I say “documentaries,” most readers will probably stop reading and move on to something else. But for those of us who who are enjoying a “golden age” of documentaries, finding that they are often more engaging and rewarding than other kinds of films (Was there a better suspense-thriller last year than Man on Wire?)… here’s a question: (more…) Read more
Jason Morehead enlightens us as to the meaning of “mono no aware”… his first feature at Filmwell today. Lo and behold, I realize that I love a lot of movies that explore “mono no aware.” He also surveys some memorable Japanese movies like The Twilight Samurai and After Life. Read more
Sara Zarr and I are very, very different people, writing very different kinds of books. Nevertheless, we became friends a few years ago at Image journal‘s summertime arts conference, The Glen Workshop, which takes place in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We met in the fiction workshop taught by the magnificent novelist and short story writer Erin McGraw. We’ve been back every year since then, become fast friends, watched our dream of becoming published novelists come true, and now… we’ve had... Read more
1. Start your day with a quick dose of Zbignew Priesner, my favorite film music composer. Here’s a track from A Short Film About Killing, from Kieslowski’s Decalogue. 2. Another random musical surprise: M. Ward links to a recorded telephone conversation with Jeff Buckley, who sings Bob Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released” over the phone at about the 4-minute mark. 3. The Matthews House Project has a long, in-depth look at the amazing Bruce Cockburn and his new double-live solo... Read more
Ever been struck by lightning while watching a movie? That is to say, can you remember an occasion when a particular moment in a movie changed the way you watch movies? Was there a foreign film that opened the door to an appreciation of subtitled movies? Or a sequence that made you interested in something other than just The Story? In the last pages of Through a Screen Darkly, I wrote about Mike Hertenstein, the guy behind the Cornerstone festival’s... Read more
Hi, Michael Leary and I are happy to announce the release of Filmwell (www.filmwell.org), a new website that will be updated daily with essays, film and DVD reviews, and news on cinema off the beaten track. Founding Filmwell contributors include widely published authors and critics, as well as film festival programmers and educators. Filmwell content is dictated by the whims of its contributors, who frequent national festivals, scour DVD catalogs and screening schedules, and are otherwise always on the hunt... Read more
A.O. Scott’s review of Ramin Bahrani’s third feature Goodbye Solo has reached out from my laptop screen and grabbed me by the eyeballs. Here are a few snippets: (more…) Read more
This may be the only thrilling opportunity I have to tag a post with both “Flannery O’Connor” and “The Criterion Collection.” So here goes… The Criterion Collection is already wondrous beyond all measure, but do they really have to show off like this? They’re adding John Huston’s legendary 1979 adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s Wise Blood in May. Read more
Here’s one of the best U2 interviews I’ve seen, filmed in Fez. It’s not a very *professional* interview — the interviewer asks redundant questions and keeps getting interrupted. But the band seems relaxed, in good humor, and full of surprising answers. You’ll find out who Larry Mullen Jr.’s favorite band (besides U2) really is. And you’ll find out what “Get On Your Boots” really about. Biggest surprise: The call to prayer begins in the town behind them, and the band... Read more
They make my heart sing! I recently listened to an archived interview by Terry Gross with author Maurice Sendak. It brought back memories of the strange emotions I felt as a child whenever I read Where the Wild Things Are. That I feel those same feelings watching this trailer is very promising indeed. If I feel them as I watch the film itself, it will be something truly wonderful. And Spike Jonze might be just the man to make that... Read more
Looking Closer
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In