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Michael Haneke's abiding sadness.
Thu, Oct 8 2009 9:55 AM
Michael Haneke's fondness for scolding didacticism just don't work for some people, myself among them. But "The White Ribbon" is a whole other thing, a movie where anything dreadful that can happen will, just to prove that people are so terrible you can't even count on them not to turn into ***, or something like that. Set in a small German... Read More...
One from the heart for Lee Daniels.
Thu, Oct 1 2009 9:35 PM
"Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire" is, in theory, the miserable story of the titular 300-pound teenage girl (Gabby Sidibe), who's raped into having two children by her dad and abused by her mother (Mo'Nique) until she meets an inspirational teacher (Paula Patton) who changes her life. In practice, the New York Film Festival's... Read More...
Harmony Korine's found footage film.
Thu, Oct 1 2009 7:30 PM
Whatever you think of art film's designated provocateur, it's hard to imagine anyone less famous than Harmony Korine getting a movie into major festivals that was conceived of only four months before, shot in two weeks, and consists mainly of dudes in old-person masks fellating tree branches, drinking wine bottles and -- yes, indeed -- humping trash.... Read More...
Keeping the barbarians at bay.
Tue, Sep 29 2009 1:20 PM
Every year someone makes a fuss over how snobbish/exclusionary/whatever the New York Film Festival is; this year's money quote came from Jeffrey Wells, who complained that the festival committee had become "a gathering of Trappist monks who've been slurping too much goat's milk with their granola." (I keep meaning to bring mine to the screenings... Read More...
Alain Resnais on the death of cinema.
Mon, Sep 28 2009 11:00 AM
At age 87, Alain Resnais has produced one of his boldest films. "Wild Grass," which opened the New York Film Festival on Friday, is just wild, blending the audacity of "Punch Drunk Love" with the mindbinding qualities of Charlie Kaufman. The film's about a married man (André Dussollier) who finds a woman's (Sabine Azéma) stolen wallet... Read More...