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May 2007 Archive
May 1, 2007
Lisa Katzman, Tootie's Last Suit
"People have said King Lear, but I think it’s actually closer to Mommie Dearest. But it’s a universal story -- a familial thing."
Carolla Hammers it Home
Also reviewed by Vadim Rizov: On the Downlow, The Polymath, Why didn't anybody tell me it would be this bad in Afghanistan, Santiago, Hard as Nails
Air I Breathe A Little Stale
Also reviewed by Eric Kohn: The Cake Eaters, Avida, The King of Kong, Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, Rise: Blood Hunter
Zak Penn's Grand Time
Director's mockumentary send-up of professional poker features stars from Harrelson to Herzog
Spider-Mania Sweeps Astoria
Maguire and Co. hit the street as black carpet welcomes hero back to the States
By S.T. VanAirsdale
Tribeca Ticket Giveaway #2: Comic Geek Edition
Two pairs of Heroes for Hire panel tickets available to quick-thinking Eisner-philes
May 2, 2007
Vivien Lesnik Weisman, The Man of Two Havanas
"I couldn't really give a darn about Cuba. It was the thing that came between me and normalcy."
Suburban Guy
Writer/director Mark Klein opens up on the Gellar-Baldwin duet of Suburban Girl
Matt Perry, Uncomfortably Numb
Also reviewed by Michelle Orange: Good Time Max, In Search of a Midnight Kiss, A Slim Peace, Autism: The Musical, Take the Bridge
Meadows' England Worth Visit
Also reviewed by Vadim Rizov: The Gates, Fireworks Wednesday, Taxidermia, Towards Darkness, Blackout
Postcards Arrive From Afghanistan
Osman and Dolak weave family doc through country's troubled history
Sugar Curtain Latest Fest Acquisition
Sweet deal with First Run will land competition doc in theaters by summer
Hara's "Different Definition of Freedom"
The bad boy of Japanese nonfiction premieres first drama for Japan Society crowd
May 3, 2007
Devil Thrives in the Details
Also reviewed by Eric Kohn: My Father My Lord, The Bubble, The Last Jews of Libya, Dirty Sanchez, Palo Alto
Black White + Gray Area
Also reviewed by Michelle Orange: Purple Violets, The Third Wave, Zolykha's Secret, Steep, The Power of the Game
Abigail Child, On the Downlow
"I think there’s the issue of bisexuality, then there’s the issue within the black community -- there are those two directions of controversy."
Lugacy Talks Dawson and Descent
Filmmaker's controversial NYC revenge drama premieres at Tribeca
Civic Duty
Facile showdown works best as director's Hollywood hack calling card
By R. Emmet Sweeney
A Treatment That Works
Doc veteran Rudavsky talks about the roots (and routes) of his narrative debut
By Jennifer Merin
Spider-Man 3
Mega-budget franchise goes a little too heavy on the heart the third time around
By Matt Singer
Screening Tribeca: 100 Percent Off the Price of Admission
Also: Michael Kang down on Europeans, Roger Friedman wants his money back
May 4, 2007
My Father, Dark Side Finish on Top at Tribeca
Durst and Robinson also win big at fest's early awards show
Away From Her
Polley finds grace with story of couplehood in a slow fade to white
By Michelle Orange
With a Friend Like This...
Also reviewed by Eric Kohn: Fiestapatria, Nanking, Lillie and Leander: A Legacy of Violence, Music Inn, The Polymath
A Walker Wonk's Wet Dream
Also reviewed by Vadim Rizov: Watching the Detectives, Normal Adolescent Behavior, The Optimist, Takva: A Man's Fear of God, The Man From the Embassy
The Treatment
Big Apple yarn doesn't cop out with rom-com anti-intellectualism
By Eric Kohn
The Paper They're Printed On
One filmgoer's plea to cure the comics adaptation cancer
By Lewis Beale
Being Charlie Bartlett
Anton Yelchin on taking the lead, taking drugs and taking his clothes off
Ludacris Live: Bridges on Stereotypes and Star Turns
Ferrell and Stiller come out strong, Osbourne and O'Reilly not so much
Kathy Huang, Miss Chinatown USA
"For me, it’s more about building empathy between the audience and the protagonist."
Marveling At It All
More comics talk: Penn, Church and others deliver critiques, plaudits and scoops for films to come
By Christopher Campbell
May 5, 2007
Dern, Min and Co. Break Down Fame Game
Panel dissects the pride and pathology of American celebrity culture
Live! With Eva Mendes
Getting up close and personal with the star and co-producer of Bill Guttentag's reality TV satire
Marie Losier, Manuelle Labor
"Giving birth to Guy Maddin is like giving birth to a portrait. It's an homage to him."
May 6, 2007
Alison Thompson, The Third Wave
"We had death threats. We were there to help, but there was all this craziness against us."
We Are Together Gets Audience Love
Uplifting orphanage story wins $25,000, massive Cadillac trophy
Gates Close Out Tribeca
Doc recalling struggle behind NYC's biggest public art project returns to fest after '06 preview
May 7, 2007
Screening Gotham: Back to Reality Edition
Inside: Greed goes meta as Wall Street franchised; NYU courting next generation of ex-producers
Tribeca Aftermath: Notes From the Wreckage
Life after the festival: Mostly good news (except for Suburban Girl) among critics, journalists
May 8, 2007
His Brand is Memory
Guy Maddin talks about Brand Upon the Brain! and the cinema of remembrance
By Paddy Johnson
Screening Gotham: Scott Rudin Now Mistreating Trades
Also: Harvey pinches pennies at Cannes; send me to Ebert & Roeper!
NYM's Operating Instructions for Moviegoing
Magazine eschews conventional summer movie preview for bizarre package of helpful hints
From Hal to Helena: The Pioneer's Starstruck Week
Prepare for supermodel sightings and a Henry Fool/Fay Grim double feature with Hal Hartley in attendance
Bikes, Beers and Film
What better way to celebrate the Bicycle Film Festival than free... PBR?
May 9, 2007
Day Night Day Night
Story of Times Square suicide bomber generates buzz around a void
By R. Emmet Sweeney
Alice Neel's Ultimate Portrait
Art Fag City: Grandson's doc reveals the family below the surface of famous artist's work
By Paddy Johnson
Screening Gotham: Awards Season Reprise Edition
Inside: In praise of Stuart Klawans; SVA hands out student hardware
May 10, 2007
Screening Gotham: The Lindsay Index
Inside: Jesus saves (usually); the Garrels take Brooklyn
Sneak Peek: New York Asian Film Festival
Festival boss Hendrix shares a few thoughts about the program developing for the fest's seventh annual run
Tribeca Events Highlights: From Green to Gates
Panels, premieres and more -- all the festival happenings fit to (re)print
28 Weeks Later
Surprisingly potent socio-political critique flips grisly bird at Bush administration
By Aaron Hillis
Georgia Rule
Two good maternal melodrama performances stifled by turgid material, stiff execution
By Michelle Orange
May 11, 2007
What We Learned at Tribeca, Vol. VI
Making the rounds to make sense (or something) of it all
By S.T. VanAirsdale
The Ex
Braff/Bateman comedy delivers on its pure, dumb promise
By Vadim Rizov
May 14, 2007
A Naked Date with the Commissioner
Kelly appraises Dassin's crime classic; reveals shocking truths about noir dramatization
Screening Gotham: Do Reviews Suffer From Buzz Kill?
Also: Armond still driving world crazy; Polley hoping not too old for Allen
"Looking Long-Term": Hartley Talks at Fool-Grim Double Bill
Filmmaker mines past, present and future with Ryan and Sylvarnes
Mike White's Confounding Zoo Trip
Red asses, snow snakes breach the highbrow in latest issue of The New Yorker
May 15, 2007
Once Upon a Time in Dublin
Carney and Hansard on chance, beauty and their crowd-pleasing verite musical
By S.T. VanAirsdale
Screening Gotham: Meistrich's Esh-ellent Adventure
Also: TONY's citizen reporters dodge Tribeca heavy lifting; Toback faces Tyson in new doc
Festival Round-Up: NewFest Expands, High Line en Español
Also: The (new) Italians are coming; Human Rights Fest borrows heavily from Sundance
May 16, 2007
Garden Variety: Scorsese Honored at MoMA
Filmmaker looks back with Bloomberg, Ovitz, Diller and others
By S.T. VanAirsdale
Screening Gotham: Blueberry Nights Flatlining at Cannes?
Also: A Cannes-going cheat sheet; Jeffrey Katzenberg, my hero
May 17, 2007
Hoberman, Foundas to Help Pick 'Em at NYFF
Also: Fest sidebar to honor acclaimed Cinema Novo filmmaker de Andrade
Lim Looks Back For Latest Project
New site to compile updates on rep, revival and restored titles screening worldwide
Screening Gotham: Sleazoid Mogul Hyperbole Edition
Inside: De Niro, Pacino to make "history" (and low eight figures); remembering the Donut People with Henry Fool
Severance
Weird genre fusion makes for an uneven but entertaining helping of "torture corn"
By Eric Kohn
Brooklyn Rules
A mobbed up drama with enough heart and personality to freshen a stale genre
By Michelle Orange
Bicycle Film Festival Rides Into NYC
Seventh annual run launches with high-profile features, international shorts
May 18, 2007
Fay Grim
Earnestness and parody at cross-purposes Hartley's Henry Fool follow-up
By Michelle Orange
The Wendell Baker Story
Luke channels Owen (badly) in low-concept comedy
By Matt Singer
Playing by the Rules -- At Last
Corrente and Caan on genre-hopping Brooklyn Rules' troubled trip to screen
By S.T. VanAirsdale
Screening Gotham: All-Positive Friday!
Inside: The word is out on We Own the Night; Neel doc picked up for theaters
May 21, 2007
Kon is On with Paprika
Japanese animator discusses dreams, nightmares and masterful new film
By John Lichman
Screening Gotham: Knowing You Love Us is Enough
Also: Kaufman/Jonze back underway in NYC; revisionist history for Pirates
Pick-Up Heads-Up: Night, Manda Bala Headed to Theaters
Fest faves go glitzy and indie in weekend sales
Moore to Love: Sicko's Subjects Speak
9/11 first responders share travel secrets, pledge return to Cuba
May 22, 2007
Close Encounters of the Werner Kind
A sneak peek at unfinished doc reveals filmmaker's "ecstatic truth" about Antarctica (among other things)
By S.T. VanAirsdale
Screening Gotham: J'embrasse Mon Chien Sur La Bouche
Also: Even Harvey's dwarves started small; Polley and Poland tossed from NYC hotel
New Line, Film Society Pair Up for NYFF
Society's biggest benefit ever honors 40 years of New Line, raises money for new film center
"It's Just Good Storytelling"
Soderbergh and Co. remember Spalding Gray at special screening
May 23, 2007
The Boss of it All
A demented von Trier tonic breaks up his miserablist USA trilogy
By R. Emmet Sweeney
"Bizarre to Say the Least"
Stern, Watts, Dillon and others fête Klores' Crazy Love at NYC premiere
Screening Gotham: Scorsese Rounds Up World Cinema All-Stars
Also: Hoberman backs the American contingent; Denby is as Denby does
Plastic Explosive: Waiting for Fashion the Movie
Mysterious would-be blockbuster boasts Dunaway, Hannah and the trailer of the decade
May 24, 2007
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Disney franchise's third installment a cynically incoherent spectacle
By Michelle Orange
Love is All Around
The Whitney's Summer of Love exhibit reflects on films, light shows and other '60s visions
By Nick Hallett
The Reeler's 2007 Guide to NYC Outdoor Cinema
An unofficial compendium of where to watch this summer
By S.T. VanAirsdale
The Lower East Side of the Story
One-day LES Film Festival showcases four decades of community's work
Bug
Friedkin's dumb-at-heart thriller still a solid nerve-wracker
By Vadim Rizov
May 25, 2007
Angel-A
Besson out of his depth in soggy redemption drama
By Vadim Rizov
Screening Gotham: All-Positive Friday!
Inside: Manohla (hearts) Cannes; Luke Thompson's ego nominated for an award
New York in the Cannes
Ferrara, Kalin, Coens and other local auteurs take over on the Croisette
By Eric Kohn
Cruising Altitude: Friedkin's Reviled Drama Resurfaces
Bloggers revisit pervy gay serial killer thriller 27 years after its disappearance
May 29, 2007
"A Hell of an Experience"
Exclusive: Kubrick actor and associate Leon Vitali looks back on 30 years of Barry Lyndon
By Jamie Stuart
Screening Gotham: Once Bus Sex Edition
Also: Max Woodstocks up, NewFest interview frenzy underway
May 30, 2007
In With the NewFest
Controversial Dorian Gray adaptation opens trailblazing LGBT festival's 19th run
By Elena Marinaccio
"This Might Be Our Sellout"
Costner hits New York for special screening of serial killer drama Mr. Brooks
Media That Matters Fest Has Issues
Seventh annual gives voice to underrepresented stories, communities and filmmakers
Day Watch
High-flown sequel for Night Watch fans and devoted Russophiles only
By Vadim Rizov
May 31, 2007
Ten Canoes
Sneak attack on problems of ethnographic filmmaking fails to find its sea legs
By Vadim Rizov
Knocked Up
Pregnancy comedy for bong-headed boys takes place in oddly conservative dreamworld
By Michelle Orange
Screening Gotham: Auteur Class War Edition
Inside: Woody reteams with Weinsteins; Fleck/Boden piling up projects
Programming Note: Vote on Selections for Independent Features Fest
New event to comprise films chosen by viewers online; screenings set for July
Jay Stern's $25,000 Secret(s)
NYC filmmaker reveals the microbudget basics for getting your work in the can
Crazy Love
Tabloid romance doc goes heavy on the "how," light on the "why"
By Eric Kohn
Coming Up Short in Brooklyn
Sundance at BAM: Programming boss Cooper on the past, present and future of Sundance shorts
By S.T. VanAirsdale
Hip-Hop Hooray
Fifth annual H20 Film Festival showcases more than 80 new works from hip-hop cinema culture