Category Archives: Film

in which films and books do not, perhaps, quite overlap as much as one might expect that they would

So I’m a pretty big admirer of The Wire — just got done watching its fourth season on DVD last night, and I have the fifth on pre-order already — and as such will more than likely be watching its creators’ adaptation of Evan Wright’s Generation Kill at some point as well.

I’ve been meaning to read Wright’s book for a while now, ever since a friend recommended it to me. Is it crazy for me to be a little baffled, though, that the book is seemingly out-of-print now, especially given that I’m seeing ads for the miniseries pretty much everywhere? I mean, I’m more than happy to go the Powell’s route, but that just seems…odd to me.

friday night; links

One: Molly Templeton on this week’s Frightened Rabbit/Oxford Collapse show in Portland. In a similar vein, Pitchfork on the Collapse’s terrific “The Birthday Wars”.

Two: David Edelstein on Wall-E. Interesting choice of the word “conservative” in there — I think I know what he’s referring to, but I don’t know if that would be the word I’d use to describe it at all. Either way, though, it’s a hell of a film; probably the most purely cinematic of all the Pixar films I’ve seen to date.

Three: Miss Heather on the condos roughly a block from the apartment I call home, and their secret mysteries. (Nothing like this, I’m afraid.)

some links pertaining to the film ‘chameleon street’

Last week, I watched Chameleon Street for the first time. It’s a disconcerting and at times elating film, one featuring one of the most compelling antiheroes I’ve seen in a while, and managing to deftly touch on major issues (race, class, etc.). What’s equally impressive is director Wendell B. Harris, Jr.’s ability to establish a distinctive mood for each of the film’s set pieces within a short series of shots.

Stop Smiling‘s review is worth a read, as is this Filmmaker piece. Its author, Mike Plante, also wrote about the film for Wholphin’s blog, which features some clips from the film; for his own Cinemad, he interviewed Harris about the film, its release on DVD, and Harris’s current project, Arbiter Roswell.

I watched Michael Clayton last night. When I finished, I walked to my computer to check the news and learned that its producer and co-star, Sydney Pollack, had passed away. The man was a fine director and an excellent actor (I remember his scenes, more than anything else, in Eyes Wide Shut); David Edelstein has an appreciation up, and there’s a discussion of his work currently ongoing at The House Next Door.

music + film links: monday night

One: Robert Christgau on Ken Braun of the Sterns label, with a particular focus on last year’s amazing Tabu Ley Rochereau compilation The Voice of Lightness.

Two: Daphne Carr on the No Fun Fest.

Three: Jessica Suarez interviews Islands on their new Arm’s Way. I’ll have some lengthier thoughts on the record in question on this space soon…

Four: At The House Next Door, three critics examine the Indiana Jones films to date. Highlight: Matt Zoller Seitz on Temple of Doom: “Doom starts out in more or less the same helium-high action mode as Raiders, but stirs in wacky slapstick and surrealism, then piles on nightmare logic: by its midpoint, a seeming escapist action picture has become a horror film“.

one-thirty a.m. links for friday

One: Reihan Salam on the anarchist politics of Harold and Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay.

Two: Given that I’ve been known to post a fair amount of praise in the direction of High Places, the news that they’ve signed with Thrill Jockey seems like a fine fit for all concerned.

Three: Also in the category of artists I’m fond of: Marilynne Robinson. The New York Times’ Reading Room blog has begun a discussion of her Housekeeping, which is about as close to a perfect novel as I’ve ever read. (Also in the running: Robinson’s Gilead.)

weir!

Ever so often, regardless of who’s around, I’ll go into a lengthy spiel on the overall underratedness of Peter Weir. I was raised on many a Weir film: my mother’s particularly fond of The Year of Living Dangerously, and a good chunk of my junior year English class in high school focused on themes from his adaptation of The Mosquito Coast.

The House Next Door has a fairly lengthy appreciation of Weir’s filmography to date. It’s a hell of a read.