The Hollywood Reporter is reporting on Hollywood. So all is right with the world. And today, the HR site reports on Martin Scorsese, who appears to have a crowded calendar for ’08. Alas, while I’ve been eagerly awaiting updates on Scorsese’s adaptation of Shusaku Endo’s Silence, it appears that another project has developed that will be filmed and released first: “Shutter Island”… is an adaptation of a Dennis Lehane novel that follows two U.S. marshals who are sent to a... Read more
Thank you for making this the best day ever at Looking Closer. My blog stats inform me we’ve had a record number of visitors here in the last 24 hours, meaning that the Oscars proved a bigger deal than The Lord of the Rings and The Golden Compass controversy among Looking Closer readers. How do critics’ picks differ from the Academy? Now, let’s forget about the Academy for a moment. Let’s look at the Best Films of 2007 according to... Read more
“The father of Christian rock” — Larry Norman — is dead. And as you might expect, Andy Whitman has written something appropriate to this solemn event. UPDATE: CT on Larry Norman. Read more
Who will take home those golden chunks of cheese tonight? (more…) Read more
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If “Falling Slowly” from Once doesn’t win, it’s just another confirmation that the Academy voters don’t know anything about good songwriting. (Remember when Celine Dion’s Titanic histrionics beat Elliott Smith’s Good Will Hunting song?) But okay, enough already. I never do very well at this game, but as a film critic, I’m required to submit my predictions for Sunday night’s glamour-bash. So here we go… (more…) Read more
Listen to this Election Year’s theme song: Go to Over the Rhine’s MySpace page and listen to “If a Song Could Be President.” Then, read the latest update on Over the Rhine from Linford Detweiler. Read more
I can’t believe my eyes. USA Today reports T-Bone Burnett’s Tooth of Crime, the album of material he wrote as accompaniment to the Sam Shepard play of the same title, is coming out on Nonesuch on May 13. This collection has been talked about for, what? Three, four… TEN years? And Sam Phillips is on six tracks. Marc Ribot plays guitar, of course. And there’s even a song penned by Roy Orbison. This will really help distract me from the... Read more
Steven Shaviro, who applauds Daniel Day-Lewis‘s performances as Daniel Plainview in There Will Be Blood, poses an insightful rebuttal to Stephanie Zacharek’s critique of that performance. In doing so, he deepens my appreciation of Anderson’s latest masterpiece even further, and inspires enthusiastic comments. Read more
Whitman on this election year’s Dobson¬†factor Some writers make me nod off. Andy Whitman makes me nod on, and on, and on.¬† – A Lively List VJ Morton has one of the most interesting¬†Best of 2007 lists I’ve¬†seen, and a thoughtful trip through the¬†acting categories too. Bonus! Actual scenes from great films!¬† – Falling for Flannery… Again! And last but certainly not least… in fact, perhaps this should have been first… Flannery O’Connor, via her blog: What the fiction writer... Read more
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