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January 2007 Archive

January 2, 2007

Top 10 of Top 10 Lists -- The Quiz

Guess whose praise was whose in 2006 -- win valuable prizes!

By S.T. VanAirsdale

Screening Gotham: New Year, Same Roger

Also: The House Next Door turns one, Bill Condon turns red

Factory Seal Broken as Critics, Gossips Pile On

Dylan's lawyers not likely happy about their client's name and "abortion" uttered in same breath

January 3, 2007

Crafted From Memories

Art Fag City: Douglas's exhibition in Harlem recasts 1960s Cuba in disorienting contemporary dream

By Paddy Johnson

An Open Letter to James Rocchi

You may have missed the point, and at any rate, thanks so much for the links

Screening Gotham: Dance Dance Evolution

Also: Seitz of The Times, Finke of the Voice

January 4, 2007

Miss Potter

Life of children's lit legend gets the white-glove treatment in Noonan's return

By Michelle Orange

Screening Gotham: Where's the Fox Diorama, Mommy?

Also: World Trade Center's unlikely influences, Lynch and Estevez's Breakfast Club redux

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

Surrealist fable one of the most visually compelling films in recent memory

By Eric Kohn

Altman Remembered at IFC Center

Retrospective comprises 27 films in 19 days, including rare work from '50s

Gosling and His Tuxedo Shirt En Route to SAG Awards

"News" flash: Mirren and Whitaker lead noms, NYC mostly shut out

Today in Top 10s: Armond Goes to War

White joins unofficial, uneasy (and probably unwanted) anti-hype alliance with The Reeler

This Week in Territorialism: Whose Tribeca is it Anyway?

Web domain contretemps small potatoes compared to what's happening by the river

January 5, 2007

Riding the Dark Horse

Don't forget about these worthy alternatives that Oscar hype threatens to leaves behind

By Lewis Beale

Screening Gotham: All-Positive Edition!

Also: Stevens' Movie Club impresses, Scott's kids take the subway

Reeler-Moderated Critics Panel Coming to Makor

Don't miss Zacharek, Edelstein and Gleiberman sorting out the best and worst of '06

January 8, 2007

Alpha Male

Alpha Dog director Nick Cassavetes on voice, versatility and making Sharon Stone suffer

By Ray Pride

Screening Gotham: Caryn James Now Twice as Embarrassing

Also: Quote whores quantified, Dunst critically injured in rumor mill

Harvey Thrilled About Queen's Chances in Nicaragua

Could it be? Are the Weinsteins over Oscar?

Circling the City

Scorsese, DiCaprio and a cast of dozens lights up NY Film Critics Circle Awards

January 9, 2007

Screening Gotham: Sex, Death and Heroism Edition

Also: Blogging Jarmusch, snogging Armond

Diversity, History Key to NY Jewish Film Festival

Selections comprise work from 14 countries, including a world premiere from New York

The Wild Card

Gosling, Fleck and ThinkFilm boss Urman talk about Half Nelson's Oscar potential

By S.T. VanAirsdale

January 10, 2007

Animator Green Hollers in NYC

Art Fag City: Excellent short-film triptych explores the paradox of life, death and experience

By Paddy Johnson

Sarris Down on Borat, Up with ... Sarris

Legendary critic stuns world with four original, never-before-released paragraphs

Screening Gotham: Heath and Michelle Have a Friend in Mr. Blackwell

Also: Fox mashes Little Miss Sunshine, Guatemala bashes up Apocalypto

Art House Update: ND/NF Deadline Extended

Imamura Retrospective comes to BAM while Strayhorn doc derailed downtown

Coming Soon: The World Sits on David Lynch

The filmmaker gets meditative with the Post, promises consumers Twin Peaks justice and halfway-decent furniture

January 11, 2007

He Did Do It: Suo Premieres Latest at Japan Society

Shall We Dance? auteur's first film in a decade exposes flawed Japanese judicial system

Screening Gotham: Nathan Lee Channels Lester Bangs

Also: NYDN summons Waitress, NBR awards full of piss and vinegar

"Treasure the Crackpots": Makor Critics Panel Explores the Future of Lists

Gleiberman: "Why even be a critic unless you're willing to go with your individual choices?"

January 12, 2007

Putting an Ace to the Name

Wilder's nasty glimpse at media circus gets timely revival at Film Forum

By Eric Kohn

Alpha Dog

Cassavetes depicts true story as "edgy" orgy of snowballing stupidity

By Michelle Orange

God Grew Tired of Us

Three of Sudan's "Lost Boys" reinterpret the American Dream in affecting doc

By Eric Kohn

Tears of the Black Tiger

Campy melo-western Thais one on for genre dorks

By Vadim Rizov

Screening Gotham: All-Positive Friday!

Also: Factory Girl for perverts, Sundance shorts headed for iTunes

NY Magazine Unveils Sundance '07 Preview

Farmiga, Buscemi, Cassavetes among others featured in glance at local fest stories

January 15, 2007

'Dance Fever

The Reeler at Sundance: Sales kingpin John Sloss prepares his 2007 slate for the Park City marketplace

By Daniel Nemet-Nejat

Screening Gotham: When Bollywood Came to Times Square

Also: Baldwin/Smithee collaboration coming to cable, Robert Wilson wants to shoot you

George Ratliff, Joshua

"I've submitted so many damn things to this festival and just never got in. I'm just grateful I finally get to go."

Mitch McCabe, To Whom it May Concern

"Certainly there could be the reaction, 'Oh, that's so self-absorbed.' But that's the whole point of the film, you know?"

Ray Tintori, Death to the Tinman

"I wasn't terribly interested in trying to recreate Oz from the 1930s movies; I just sort of wanted to deal with this world of evangelical mysticism."

The Sloss Factor

I'm not here to kiss John Sloss's ass, but only a masochist goes up against Cinetic's "propietary database"

Martha Colburn, Destiny Manifesto and Meet Me In Wichita

"My two new films really have much more to do with my interest in making animation as a kind of fictional documentary."

Nanobah Becker, Conversion

"I just want to go and enjoy it and encourage people to see my film."

January 16, 2007

Distributors Map the Market

The Reeler at Sundance: NYC buyers prepare to shop 'til they drop at most competitive fest ever

By Karen Kramer

Getting Out the Checkbook

The Reeler is now soliciting advice for rookie buyer at Sundance

Reeling Back to Park City

A strong New York contingent pushes your humble author back to the frigid festival frontier

Obligatory Golden Globes Wrap-Up: Scorsese Wins, America Sleeps

Hooray for Hollywood, but thank God for earthquakes

Screening Gotham: Paul Greengrass' Unkindest Cut

Netflix coming to a stream near you, Ken Burns plans first-ever documentary directed from the grave

Aaron Augenblick, Golden Age

"I think it's something a lot of people think about; you're always wondering why Donald Duck doesn't wear pants but Mickey Mouse does."

Etienne Kallos, Doorman

"They gave me a thousand dollars, they gave me a video camera. I had two other people on my crew; the shooter was great, but had never shot anything before."

Cynthia Wade, Freeheld

"It was such a rapidly closing window; if I hadn't have shown up at that moment at that Freeholder meeting, then we wouldn't have had a film."

Dan Klores, Crazy Love

"I went to the premiere of Murderball and hugged the guys afterward, they did such a great job. I loved it. I don't worry about the competition."

Ian Olds, Bomb

"Maybe I'm obsessed with this used-up-places-on-the-edge-of-America in a certain way -- at least in my fiction stuff."

Sophie Barthes, Happiness

"I traveled a lot with the film, and it's funny how people can't deal with 'happiness' being an abstract thing -- putting it in a box was disturbing to some people."

Daniel Karslake, For the Bible Tells Me So

"People of faith are getting more and more activist and becoming more and more influential in government, and I had no interest in making a film that mocked that."

January 17, 2007

Waitress Comes to Work

The Reeler at Sundance: Producer Roiff discusses the late actress/director Adrienne Shelly's final project

By Vadim Rizov

Help is on the Way

Please be kind to our guest as I go to my snowy, star-studded death

Kid Gets in the Picture

Early deal place Bar-Lev's art prodigy doc under A&E's wing

Local Heroes Tell All

Everyone's talking as NYC filmmaker interviews get underway on The Reeler

January 18, 2007

Alex Weil, One Rat Short

"It wasn't my goal, but I have a feeling that New Yorkers who see this film will actually feel differently about rats from now on."

Alfredo de Villa, Adrift in Manhattan

"I noticed right away how this was a very special place because it didn't feel like the United States -- even though it was clearly a space in New York."

Caran Hartsfield, King

"Expectations? I just want to see the film finished."

Cherien Dabis, Make a Wish

"Are they going to ask questions? Or am I going to be standing there like, 'Please, somebody -- ask me a question'?"

David Kaplan, Year of the Fish

"At first I thought I could set it in ancient China, but then the idea of setting it in Chinatown was even more exciting -- and certainly more doable."

David Stenn, Girl 27

"I just didn't feel anyone could tell the story like I could, because I lived it. I was part of the story."

Gina Kim, Never Forever

"Vera Farmiga has this amazing, expressive face that is almost like a map of emotions on which you can travel -- you can explore her heart."

Eraserhead

Restored print showcases Lynch's masterpiece in all its shadowy glory

By Aaron Hillis

Hal Hartley, Fay Grim

"Even now, when I contemplate a part three, the big question is whether the whole story will come back to Queens."

Screening Gotham: Waiting for Sundance to Come to New York

Also: Aitken gets chilly at MoMA, De Niro gets silly in GQ

Factory Mishap Leaves Mary-Kate Olsen Mortally Wounded

Slimmest Olsen twin reportedly furious over even slimmer role in Factory Girl

Shooting Spree: NYC Cameras Cover Sundance

A few talented colleagues are going to the videotape in Park City

January 19, 2007

The Italian

In his first feature, Kravchuk traces an orphan's Russian arc with unabashed sentiment

By Michelle Orange

Doc Legacy, Independence Duly Noted as Sundance Launches

Redford, Morgen note festival's influence; inaugural New Frontier installation stuns and surprises

By S.T. VanAirsdale

"Personal, Honest and Skinless": Breaking and Entering Premieres in New York

Minghella happy to get back to his low-key roots with Pollack and Binoche

Screening Park City: Sundance Channel Goes Flying

Also: Women filmmakers tallied from New York, Tom DiCillo gets technical

Screening Gotham: All-Positive Friday!

Inside: Pacino to assume Dali's stiff upper lip; film production soars in the city

"The Idea is to Take a Stand": Morgen Premieres Chicago 10

Filmmaker talks to The Reeler about his "organic" live-action/animated political doc

R. Luke DuBois, Play and Academy

"I think it's interesting how in every cultural medium we have in the United States, we have some kind of weird ranking system to try and figure out what's the best."

Paul Chan, 1st Light

"We've been working with the model of this window... I think it’s the 21st century, and perhaps we can think of something that's post-window."

Jake Paltrow, The Good Night

"I had three pictures I'd written that didn't happen. In the meantime, I was directing television and trying to get these movies made. It was difficult."

Marco Williams, Banished

"You look out the window and see the Confederate flag flying. Outside the chamber of commerce!"

Rory Kennedy, Ghosts of Abu Ghraib

"It's not just looking back at Abu Ghraib, but also about looking forward ... We have a lot of policies in place right now that are arguably very encouraging of torture."

Craig Zobel, The Great World of Sound

"I wanted it to be like how weird it feels to have somebody say, 'Don't walk out of here and turn your back on your dream.' "

Loaded Weapons: Lough's Blood Opera Shocks Racquet Club

"No, fuck that. We're going to show it," says director after sold-out premiere

January 20, 2007

James C. Strouse, Grace is Gone

"It's not a film that's over and you say, 'Oh, I understand. The war is bad.' I tried to let it be as complicated and troubling as possible."

Amir Bar-Lev, My Kid Could Paint That

"Part of what the film is about is being able to draw your own conclusions rather than throwing your hands up in the air and saying, 'It all looks the same to me.' "

Jason Kohn, Manda Bala

"This is one of those movies, you know, I sold my car to make. All that typical bullshit, you know?"