Here’s a movie released thirty years ago that still puts its like-minded contemporaries to shame: Wendall B. Harris Jr.’s Chameleon Street (1989). Taking the Grand Jury Prize at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival, Chameleon Street seemed to be apocryphal for Black-American independent filmmaking, but history and those who control it would have otherwise. As Harris … Continue reading Film of the Week: Chameleon Street
Michael Palmieri and Donald Mosher – The Gospel of Eureka
Video killed the radio-star, and I’d be quick to add, the death of storytelling’s oral tradition. But one can’t ignore the rise and popularity of audiobooks and podcasts. Michael Palmieri and Donald Mosher’s The Gospel of Eureka appropriately begins with the image of a black screen and an accompanying voice-over: “Everyone loves a good story … Continue reading Michael Palmieri and Donald Mosher – The Gospel of Eureka
Agnes Varda – Cleo from 5 to 7 / Jane Campion – The Portrait of a Lady
The following is part one my coverage of Film at Lincoln Center’s 50th Mixtape: Free Double Features series. The common thread between Agnes Varda’s Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) and Jane Campion’s The Portrait of a Lady (1996) is time and freedom. Cleo (Corinne Marchand), feeling trapped by the chanteuse industry, anxiously wanders Paris … Continue reading Agnes Varda – Cleo from 5 to 7 / Jane Campion – The Portrait of a Lady
Juleen Compton – Stranded
This past weekend, as part of their Juleen Compton x2 series, Metrograph screened Juleen Compton’s Stranded (1965) and The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean (1966). I was able to catch the former and was immediately struck by both its familiarity and uniqueness. In Stranded, Compton plays Raina, a proto-punk, travelling Greece with her American lover … Continue reading Juleen Compton – Stranded
Blog Update
I noticed that links in my archive were dead, so I’ve gone back and fixed them. I’ve also added static pages to both sites that will redirect users back to this main site. I’ve switched themes to “Independent Publisher 2,” because it gives me greater freedom and flexibility. I’m much happier with widgets appearing on … Continue reading Blog Update
Film of the Week: Fallen Angels
If you’ve never seen a Wong Kar-wai film, most people would recommend either Chungking Express (1994) or In the Mood for Love (2000). Neither choice is wrong, yet my personal favorite is Fallen Angels (1995). Fallen Angels serves as Chungking Express’ informal sequel, and as Kar-wai describes it, the main “character” in both these films … Continue reading Film of the Week: Fallen Angels
Olivier Assayas – Non-Fiction
In the hands of a less skilled director, Non-Fiction would have been an utter bore, but Olivier Assayas’ direction slightly elevates the film to a candid if not trifling drama. It’s difficult to believe that the same director here is also the one who directed films as imaginative as Demon Lover (2002) and Personal Shopper … Continue reading Olivier Assayas – Non-Fiction
Film of the Week: Cowards Bend the Knee
Cowards Bend the Knee (2003) comes across as William Burroughs’s take on The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920). Like his fellow Canadian compatriot Cronenberg, Guy Maddin’s interests are also profane and experimental. Here, a star hockey player falls prey to amnesia and is manipulated into assassination. The details of the plot aren’t as interesting as … Continue reading Film of the Week: Cowards Bend the Knee
Michael M. Bilandic – Happy Life / Hellaware
Just two months ago, Hudson Yards on Manhattan’s west side finally opened. For the unfamiliar, imagine: towering glass structures, boutique stores, and luxury apartments. This, the Hudson Yards website declares is “a template for the future of cities.” But for whom and at what cost? Reading Patti Smith’s Just Kids or Ada Calhoun’s St. Marks … Continue reading Michael M. Bilandic – Happy Life / Hellaware
Film of the Week: Hi, Mom!
Brian De Palma’s Hi, Mom! (1970) is a bait-and-switch of a film. Robert De Niro, in a proto-Travis Bickle role, plays Jon Rubin, an amateur photographer hired to take Rear Window (1954) style erotic photos of his neighbors. To explain any further, however, would spoil the surprise. Suffice to say, the script carries with it … Continue reading Film of the Week: Hi, Mom!
