a bit of a wash

Last weekend went alright, as weekends go, relatively uneventful and somewhat plain. I finished Jan Kjaerstad's "The Conqueror" (review shortly forthcoming) and started "That Awful Mess on the Via Merulana" by Carlo Emilio Gadda (recently reissued by NYRB). Its a book I'd purchased used years ago after reading a reference to it in one of Jonathan Rosenbaum's film reviews (probably either in Movies as Politics or Placing Movies). The fact that its being reissued is certainly good news. It is definitely a unique "murder mystery" that more probably investigates the sickness of a society, but not without humor and a touch of the absurd. Apart from that, I finally got around to seeing the movie "Dirty Harry" as it was playing at the Brattle this weekend. Having read J. Hoberman's The Dream LifeI was more than prepared for the picture however, in retrospect, I didn't imagine the film to be so cartoonish. So much of the film felt like a very low-grade morally loaded argument. More sledgehammer tactics to make views from the periphery seem like the only sensible position to adopt. Oh well. Things are brightening up at the moment, weather-wise at least. I still have another issue of the NYRB to sift through, amongst other things. I have also been steadily transcribing other earlier journals, to be served up in some for or another, expect some of that shortly.

That's all for now.

P.S. I will be on the air this Friday, March 23, 2007.

On the air tonight. + weekenders

Nevermind the weather, good news is on its way. Tonight I am on the air once again from 1900-2200 on WZBC. Please listen.

Until then, here are a few items to keep your mind functioning.
Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni reports on Men's Street Fashion in Paris, Chris Marker's latest work (Chats perchés a/k/a "The Case of the Grinning Cat") opens for a week at the Brattle in Cambridge.

The Seventh Annual New Films From Europe series commences tomorrow at the Harvard Film Archive.

Also: Now one can check out the Chicago Reader film blog with contributions from Jonathan Rosenbaum, J.R. Jones, and Pat Graham. Rosenbaum speaks of online film magazine Rouge with interest.

Also, I cannot recommend enough Planet Earth. It just finished in the UK and is currently on Canadian Television. I don't know when it will play in the United States. The cinematography is breathtaking.

Pan's Labyrinth - due in the Boston area soon

Check the ICA Boston's website for notice of an upcoming preview.

Pan's Labyrinth (El Laberinto del Fauno)
Details: 2006, Latin America/Rest of the world/Spain, Drama/Sci-fi/Horror, 112 mins, Dir: Guillermo del Toro, Guillermo del Toro
With: Ariadna Gil, Doug Jones, Ivana Baquero, Maribel Verdu, Sergi Lopez
Summary: At the end of the Spanish civil war, a young girl meets the god Pan, who gives her three challenges.

In the meantime, I refer you to the following reviews. Also of notice is Peter Bradshaw's review along with Mark Kermode's comment in the Guardian UK, where you can also see director Guillermo del Toro's sketches -- full details along with an interview are here.
The official website for the film is here.

Needless to say, I am excited.

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Also of interest is Anthony Lane's latest piece in the New Yorker, reviewing Pan's Labyrinth and Children of Men.

UPDATE:::

Finally, a full review by Jonathan Rosenbaum of these two exceptional films.

recent articles of note - large update {ICA BOSTON, Political Animals}

Christopher Hawthorn comments on Boston's new ICA. It is the first American building by New York firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro (who will be at the ICA in early January to discuss the project.)

The Guardian UK looks at the political meaning of animated films featuring animals. The silenceof Bao Ninh. Mark Morford on America losing another war. The CBC looks at 2006: the year in books.
The Washington Post on Inequality. Eric Schlosser in the New York Times wonders if politics have diluted the food supply. Grayson Perry was interviewed in the Independent UK.
A.S. Byatt reviews Toril Moi's new book on Ibsen.
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Art Historian Robert Rosenblum passed away [NYT]
Martin Nodell, The Creator of the Green Lantern, Passed Away [CBC]
Nigel Kneale, British Science Fiction teleplay writer, Passed Away [Guardian UK]
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Canada's Top Ten films of 2006.
Jonathan Rosenbaum's Top Ten films of 2006.
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New Wonders from the Deep [CBC] - Marine Census 2006

Absolute Wilson opening in Boston - December 1

From Landmark Theatre's website:

The legendary Robert Wilson (Einstein on the Beach, CIVIL warS, The Black Rider) is one of the most visionary theater artists of our time. Filmmaker Katharina Otto-Bernstein's richly provocative and moving portrait delivers a surprisingly candid look at Wilson's troubled and lonely childhood, his early learning disabilities and his fascination with the downtown New York avant-garde scene of the late '60s. What emerges is a life full of impressions, colors and rhythms, revealing how Wilson's early hardships ultimately shaped his groundbreaking aesthetic vision. Features a lively mix of interviews, including musician David Byrne, writer Susan Sontag, singer/songwriter Tom Waits, composer and collaborator Philip Glass and opera star Jessye Norman.

Director: Katharina Otto-Bernstein

Cast: Robert Wilson, Arnold Aronson, David Byrne, Robyn Brentano, William Burroughs, Andy De Groat, Maita Di Niscemi, Christophe de Menil, Charles Fabius, Felipe Fernandez, Philip Glass, Arthur Holmberg, George Klauber, Trudy Kramer, Stefan Lang, Harvey Lichtenstein, Cindy Lubar, Earl Mack, Carol Mullins, Jim Neu, Jessye Norman, Benedicte Pesle, John Rockwell, John Simon, Ines Somerella, Susan Sontag, Joseph Volpe, Tom Waits, Jorn Weisbrodt, Geoffrey Wexler, Suzanne Wilson

MPAA Rating: NR
Run Time: 1hr 45min
Release Year: 2006
Country Of Origin: USA

More details in my earlier post. I strongly recommend the Teddy Awards site as it has the full Q&A with Robert Wilson and Katharina Otto-Bernstein at the Berlin Film Festival.

This is what Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader had to say:
"Katharina Otto-Bernstein's documentary provides an excellent introduction to the singular vision of avant-garde stage director Robert Wilson. Its sketchy account of his career permits little insight into his ascent to mainstream venues over the past few decades, which hasn't always been felicitous (also true of his collaborator Philip Glass). But Otto-Bernstein gives a sharp sense of Wilson's comfortable Southern Baptist upbringing in Waco, Texas, and how his stuttering and learning disabilities shaped more radical aspects of his productions once he took on handicapped collaborators in works like Deafman's Glance and A Letter From Queen Victoria. Wilson, Glass, Susan Sontag, and David Byrne are among the more perceptive interviewees, and the film includes many fascinating samples of his work. 105 min. -- Jonathan Rosenbaum"

Check metacritic for more reviews.

recent articles

Sy Hersh at McGill. [Montreal Mirror] While you're at it you might as well check out Rick Trembles' Motion Picture Purgatory on Kenneth Anger and Raf Katigback's Disko Akimbo. The only other item that had my attention at the moment is Jonathan Rosenbaum's review of the movie "Death of a President".