In Response To Professor Dewey Finn

The indefatigable Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule blog has wrapped up the summer with another questionnaire. While it's been a while since I've participated in one of these, its not for lack of interest. These polls always tug and pull the best cinematic thoughts from my mind, and this one is no exception. My replies as follows:



1) Band without their own movie, from any era, you’d most like to see get the HARD DAY’S NIGHT or HEAD treatment 

 Radiohead. Although I don’t know how good it’d be considering Thom Yorke’s inherent introverted personality and the rest of the band’s general disdain for commercialism. 

2) Oliver Reed or Alan Bates? 

 “Gor”, “Sitting Target”, “These Are the Damned” Oliver Reed takes it!

 3) Best thing about the move from physical to streaming media in home video 

 As someone who’s recently been hyper-exposed to the world of streaming and multimedia ways of finding films, the sheer quantity of hard-to-find, obscure and offbeat right at the tip of my fingers is something I’ve always hoped the Internet would allow. YouTube, Amazon and other (somewhat nefarious) sources have given me access to so many films I’d only heard about or remember through my forays among the VHS shops back in the day.

 4) Worst thing about the move from physical to streaming media in home video

 Having said all the above, the agony of NOT being able to find a certain movie with all those resources is absolute madness. It’s haunts me for weeks trying to find that elusive title. I feel like Burgess Meredith with all his books and a pair of broken glasses.

 5) Favorite Robin Williams performance 

 I always really loved his role in “Cadillac Man”.

 6) Second favorite Carol Reed movie

 “Odd Man Out”

 7) Oddest moment/concept in rock music cinema 

Oddest? I don't know but most disturbing clash of supposed peaceful harmony and real life is the Altamont stabbing captured in The Rolling Stones "Gimme Shelter".

 8) Favorite movie about growing up 

 “The Adventures of Sebastian Cole”…. little seen movie from the late 90’s with Adrian Grenier and Clark Gregg that’s touching on so many levels.

 9) Most welcomed nudity, full or partial, in a movie (question submitted by Peter Nellhaus, class of 2004)


Any bit of skin Jessica Alba flashes.

10) Least welcomed nudity, nude or partial, in a movie

       (question submitted by Peter Nellhaus, class of 2004)

Kathy Bates in “About Schmidt”

11) Last movie watched, in a theater, on DVD/Blu-ray, via streaming

Theater- Calvary
DVD- Medium, weird 1985 Polish film about, well a medium.
Streaming- Joseph Losey’s “The Lawless”

12) Second favorite Bertrand Blier movie

Very odd director choice… and considering I’ve only seen 2 of his films, I suppose “Get Out Your Handkerchiefs”?

13) Googie Withers or Sally Gray?

Withers, because she was in some great 40’s noirs

14) Name a piece of advice derived from a movie or movie

       character that you’ve heeded in real life

If you can't spot the sucker within the first half hour at the table, then you are the sucker.

15) Favorite movie about learning

I have no idea why it always stuck with me, but “Lean On Me”.


16) Program a double bill of movies that were announced but,
       for one reason or another, never made. These could be
       projects cancelled outright, or films that were made, but at
      one time had different directors, stars, etc., attached-- 
      and your "version" of the film might be the one with that
      lost director, for example (question submitted by
      Brian Doan, class of 2007) 

Always been fascinated by the tale of Serge Eisenstein’s cancelled “Que Viva Mexico”, which if history is true, actually produced tons of footage, but was later abandoned and cut into two short films with no real original director intention. It sounds awesome: A sort of travelogue/tribute to Mexico, traveling from the Mayan civilization to the Spanish colonial era to the revolution to a Day of the Dead celebration in the present day.

Double bill the newly restored “Que Viva Mexico” with “El Norte” for a trenchant journey through the land of our continenet to the south.

17) Oddest mismatch of director and material

Sidney Lumet and “The Wiz”

18) Favorite performance by your favorite character actor

Fav character actor, JK Simmons and his hilarious role in “Burn After Reading”


19) Favorite chase scene

The tailing scene of Popeye Doyle and Fernando Rey on foot in New York City and the subway… just a perfect example of sound, editing and camera position. Automobile chase: “Ronin”

20) Movie most people might not have seen that you feel like
        proselytizing about right now

Really the entire career of Japanese director Yoshitaro Nomura, but especially his 1974 film "The Castle of Sand", one of his very few movies available on DVD. Just a terrific police procedural that goes to some devastatingly intimate places.


21) Favorite movie about high school

"Some Kind of Wonderful"

22) Favorite Lauren Bacall performance

“The Big Sleep”

23) David Farrar or Roger Livesey?

Sorry, no preference for either. I struggled to find anything interesting looking them up on IMDB.

24) Performance most likely to get overlooked during the
       upcoming awards season

This has been a terrible year for movies so far, but best performance I’ve seen that probably won’t get a shred of notice is Marion Cotillard in “The Immigrant”

25) Rock musician who, with the right project, could have been
       a movie star

Janis Joplin…. So ripe for burned out, soulful portrayals of women singers. Then again, she probably achieved that in her short life without movie roles.

26) Second favorite Ted Post movie

“Diary of a Teenage Hitch Hiker”

27) Favorite odd couple

Howard the Duck and Lea Thompson

28) Flicker or Zeroville?

Hmm, is it bad that I have no idea what this question means?

29) Favorite movie about college

The nihilism I felt as presented in “The Rules of Attraction”

30) In a specific movie full of memorable turns, your favorite 
        under appreciated performance

Alfred Molina in "Boogie Nights"

31) Favorite movie about parenting

I plead the fifth not being a parent just yet.

32) Susannah York or Sarah Miles?

York!

33) Movie which best evokes the sense of place in a region with

       which you are well familiar

Born and raised in Texas, we have a great legacy of filmmaking, and, by sheer designation, a lot of ground to cover.  South Texas, anything by Eagle Pennell. West Texas “The Last Picture Show” and Dallas, Texas “Office Space”. Central Texas, “Aint Them Bodies Saints”

34) Name a favorite actor from classic movies and the 

       contemporary performer who most evokes their

       presence/stature/talent

Richard Widmark and Eward Norton

35) Your favorite hot streak of any director (question submitted

       by Patrick Robbins, class of 2008)

Paolo Sorrentino.... "The Consequences of Love" (2004), "The Family Friend" (2006), "This Must Be the Place" (2011) and "The Great Beauty" (2013)

The LIE test

My good online compadre at Lerner International Blog posted a quiz and requested that answers be put into our own blogs, so without further adieu:

1.) Favorite Warren Oates perf that’s not in a Peckinpah or Monte Hellman movie?

Bouncing off Dennis Hopper in the wonderfully under seen “Kid Blue” (1973)

2.) Favorite Spaghetti Western not directed by Sergio Leone?

“Cemetary Without Crosses” (1972)

3.) Favorite John Ford film that’s not a Western or set in Ireland?

I honestly don’t think I’ve seen a Ford non-Western or Irish saga.

4.) Fave Zapata Western not Duck You Sucker!?

“The Professionals” (1966)

5.) Favorite Clint Eastwood-directed film that’s not Unforgiven or Play Misty for Me?

“Mystic River” (2003) because it tracks into some deep emotional territory without becoming maudlin

6.) Favorite Don Siegel film that’s not Charley Varrick, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, or Dirty Harry?

Gotta be The Black Windmill  (1974). So many Michael Caine movies not on DVD it’s a shame, and this one is a bit weird, but still holds fast to the grimy, Euro-set crime films of the 70’s I love so much

7.) Fave Ken Russell film that’s not The Devils, Tommy or Altered States?

“Billion Dollar Brain”!

8.) Fave WWII gore/intensity/nastiness, that’s not Saving Private Ryan or Come and See?

I don’t think any film about World War 2 could be as clinically disturbing as “Sorrow and the Pity”, “Shoah” or “Hotel Terminus”. I’d even add the terrific “The Rape of Europa”. Fiction is fine, but these documentaries present the inhumanity in such startling, ordinary terms that the far reaching effects of the war seem unfathomable.

9.) Fave “Savage Cinema” that’s not the original Straw Dogs or The Last House on the Left?

I’ll go with “Last House on Dead End Street” (1973) …. A truly dirty, unnerving film. For a great read on it, check out the book “Sleazoid Express”

10.) Fave conspiracy film that’s not Oliver Stone’s JFK or Alan J. Pakula’s The Parallax View?

How about Pakula’s “Three Days of the Condor”? (1977) The guy was so great at creating tension out of basically nothing.

11.) Fave Left-Wing director that is not Michael Moore, Costa-Gavras or Oliver Stone (not that I consider Stone genuinely left-wing; I think he’s more of a sleeper-agent selling discount rebellion to moviegoers)?

I’m not a huge fan of his films, but Rod Lurie is out there on the left wing quite a bit….

12.) Favorite screenwriter not William Goldman, Billy Wilder, Robert Towne, Ernest Lehman, Charlie Kaufman or Quentin Tarantino?

Damm, with Towne off the list, umm, David Mamet.

13.) Favorite alien not designed (or based on a design) by HR Giger, or that is the extraterrestrial from John Carpenter’s The Thing?

I’m woefully in the dark on this one so I’ll guess any alien from those 50’s, Then again, I was always partial to the minimalist creature like the green fog in “Planet of the Vampires” (1965)

14.) Favorite Biker Movie that is not Easy Rider, The Wild One or The Wild Angels?

“The Loveless” (1983) from everyone’s favorite biker-director Kathryn Bigelow

15.) Favorite robot not from Forbidden Planet or the Star Wars movies?

Johnny Number 5 in “Short Circuit”!

16.) Fave “one-shot wonder” (solo directing credit) that’s not The Night of the Hunter?

Did anyone see or even remember Christopher Macquarie’s “The Way of the Gun”? A group of buddies and I saw it on opening night and just fell in love with the thing. Still do love it…. Although I see McQuarrie has directed two movies now with “Jack Reacher”. out later this year. Disqualified. I’ll go with Alan Rickman’s “The Winter Guest” (1997), a film no one but me seems to love.

17.) Fave car chase not in a Philip D'Antoni film (and not everybody chose 1971’s Vanishing Point, please!)

I could say “The French Connection” which is too easy…. How about “Ronin” (a little love for Frankenheimer) or especially another Roy Scheider film, “The Seven Ups”, whose car chase comes out of nowhere and really kicks ass.

18.) Fave religious film not based on a characters or a story in The Bible?

Edward Norton’s “Keeping the Faith”. Such a sweet, innocent film that is quite funny, tackles some questions about faith and features three great performances by Norton, Jenna Elfman and Stiller.

19.) Fave Disaster Movie that’s not The Poseidon Adventure?

“Contagion” (2011). This shit could really happen and Soderbergh traces a terrifying map of it.

20.) Favorite Spielberg film to hate that’s not Hook?

Hated, hated “Beloved” and even “Amistad”…. such earnest films whose points are thrown in our faces


21.) Favorite Giant Monster that’s not Godzilla or the 1933 King Kong? Without a doubt, Joon-ho Bong’s “The Host”. That first emergence of the creature along the canal… stunning set piece!

Bonus questions: 1) English-language movie that blows your mind, that no one knows about, that’s hard to see, that you want to get on a rooftop and shout about:

Anyone who knows me knows one of my top five fave movies of all time is “Laws of Gravity” (1992) by Nick Gomez. Came and went in early 90’s…. had a few supporters like Gavin Smith in Film Comment, was on VHS (never on DVD) and has now disappeared. Features a magnetic performance by the great Peter Greene, Edie Falco, Adam Trese and Paul Schulze about a New York neighborhood and the small-time crime the guys get into. It also features one of the most devastating endings ever….

2) Foreign-language movie that blows your mind, that no one knows about, that’s hard to see, that you want to get on a rooftop and shout about:

Any Edward Yang film, but especially That Day, On the Beach.

3) Fave “personal apocalypse” ending to a film, with the protagonist shattered, staring ahead dead-eyed: Catherine Denevue in “Hustle” by Aldrich, the aforementioned Peter Greene in “Laws of Gravity”, John Travolta in “Blow Out”

The Alphabet Meme

An interesting idea.. and an experiment that tests ones recollection for movie titles at the drop of a hat, but fun nonetheless. Started by the terrific Rupert Pupkin Speaks blog, this meme asks that each participant list their favorite (or random) movie titles alphabetically. There are all types of diversions, so be sure to click on the participants and discover some great movies. So, without further adieu, here's my very 70's edition:


A is for All the President's Men because no other film justifies the idea of truth being in the details... and I hold my breath to this day everytime Pakula films someone simply dialing a phone.


B is for Badlands because the sweet innocence between Sissy Spacek and Martin Sheen still impresses today. And you know, its Malick.


C is for Cemetery Without Crosses, one of the best non Sergio Leone revenge westerns of the late 60's and early 70's..

D is for Day of the Jackal, another riveting 70's police procedural that boasts an international cast and flawless storytelling.


E is for The Exorcist because one its a great film, meticulously framed and edited and two, its damn hard to come up with any other "e" titles of the 70's.


F is for Un Flic, aka "Dirty Money", and the great Jean Pierre Melville's final film about a bank robbery that tailors his penchant for doomed criminals and fatalistic hues. And I'm sorry, but no one films guys in trench coats walking around quite like Melville.


G is for Get Carter because the British are just ballsy about their lone-man-on-a-revenge-spree movies. And Michale Caine is Carter!


H is for Husbands because you know at least one Cassavetes film has to make its way onto this list and for that 30 minute diner scene that runs uncomfortably long like only Cassavetes can orchestrate. In his films, dinners are often like slasher films.


I is for Idaho Transfer. Once available on DVD but now sadly OOP, Peter Fonda's hugely under appreciated time travel movie is definitely a relic of the early 70's, with hippie students playing with time and creating some drastic consequences. Look for it.


J is for Junior Bonner because not only is Steve McQueen a majestic bad ass, but this is probably my favorite Peckinpah film.


K is for The Kremlin Letter. This fun, convoluted spy thriller saw venerable director John Huston move into the 70's (for my money, his most creative period) with a bang. Hard to find, but it does air on cable sometimes and well worth the DVR set.


L is for The Last Picture Show. So many great L titles I could have chosen here, but I have to go with my fav in "The Last Picture Show" because, 40 years on, this film still inhabits the Texas landscape like no other and so closely nails the feelings, moods and whims of the state I call home.


M is for The Master Touch, a well plotted, brilliant heist film that tackles that age old theme of the 'old criminal and his one last job'. Kirk Douglas, doing what many aging film actors did in the 70's, stars in this Italian production of that great genre known as Euro-crime and succeeds with dazzling results. Available on a bare-bones DVD so Netflix it now.


N is for The Nickel Ride, another seemingly forgotten, modest mid 70's character study about a wheeling and dealing neighborhood crime boss trying to hold onto his sanity as modern progress and personal upheavel threaten to override his lifestyle. Jason Miller is terrific and the film darts in several directions that are shocking.


O is for The Odessa File, Jon Voight's best film, directed by the workmanlike (and recently deceased) Ronald Neame that dares to place Nazi hunting into the mainstream.


P is for The Passenger, a thriller like no other, helmed by auteur Michealangelo Antonioni and infused with that sublime paranoia rampant in 70's cinema, made all the more quizzical through Antonioni's methodical avant garde gaze.


Q is for Quintet. Robert Altman's most misunderstood effort? Probably, and not near as bad as everyone claims. In fact, the re-emergence of cold, clinical sci-fi films like "Code 46", "Gattaca" and "The Island" probably owe this film a huge debt.


R is for Return From Witch Mountain, which not only remains one of my very favorite films as a kid, but the one that got me hopelessly attracted to Kim Richards and made me pay to go see movies like "Tuff Turf".


S is for Smile because a re-watch lately makes me think Michael Ritchie's panaromic view of mid 70's California against the backdrop of a beauty contest just might be better than "Nashville". Discuss.


T is for Three Days of the Condor. More trend setting paranoia from the 70's.... can't possibly leave this one off the list.


U is for Up In Smoke. On a Saturday night at 2am, watch this and see if you don't laugh until it hurts.


V is for Vanishing Point. Like the title, somewhere along the half way point, this film becomes something else besides a chase movie. Only in the 70's could artists take something as mundane as muscle cars and transform them into a mythical quest across the cosmos.


W is for Wedding In Blood, Claude Chabrol's deeply moving tale of infidelity dwarfs anything else he made in the 70's. Enigmatic at times, the title alone should tell one this is an alienating study, but well worth the effort to track down and see.


Y is for The Yakuza because Mitchum, like Kirk Douglas earlier, travels to Japan and kicks ass in some great Euro-crime. Sydney Pollack behind the camera doesn't hurt either.


Z is for Zombie, one of those illogically edited and filmed Lucio Fulci splatter fests that always brings a smile to my face when I watch it.

Why Being A Cinephile (and blogger) Matters

Piper over at Lazy Eye Theatre recently tagged me for one of these crazy memes going around. The question, initially posed at Cinema Styles is why does being a cinephile matter? Not a Democrat, or Republican, or liberal... but the only thing that really seems to give me calm these days- a lover of movies. A few things I've learned in the past 3 years since starting this humble little word space:

1. My love for movies like "Laws of Gravity" or "Wonderland" continues to grow each and every time I recommend it to someone on a blog.

2. The world is a supremely connected place. I've communicated with friends far and wide.... been given previously unavailable movies out of the goodness of a cinephile's own heart.... and discovered a few titles here and there. Conversely, my Netflix queue will probably never get below 200.

3. I love the Pandora's box that opens up through blogs. One site leads to another... and another that invests its time only in obscure 70's VHS box covers... and another dedicated solely to reviewing spy films.... and yet another that features an interview with some obscure 60's character actor. The universe is endless with possibilities.

4. Sometimes, a blogger says (and means) more in 100 words than any film critic with 2000 words can muster.

5. And, most importantly, its just nice to connect with so many people on a basic level of shared enthusiasm and divergent viewpoints. Whether the blogs go the way of the old newsboards or not, I don't know. But for right now, they're here and they matter to me.

The Mr. Bernstein Meme

In a weird attempt to meld sociology, memory and cinematic pleasures, I've decided to start this meme based on a great post by Jeffrey Wells at his essential blog Hollywood Elsewhere. Remember that great monologue in Citizen Kane by actor Everett Sloan?

"You take me. One day back in 1896 I was crossing over to Jersey on the ferry, and as we pulled out there was another ferry pulling in, and on it was a girl waiting to get off. A white dress she had on. She was carrying a white parasol. I only saw her for one second. She didn't see me at all. But I'll bet a month hasn't gone by since that I haven't thought of that girl."

I do have a similar story that I'll share later in this post, and I ask all of you to join me. The rules:

1. Your memory can be anything that lingers with you today. First love. Cathartic experience in a movie theater. Close encounters with death, chance, fate or luck. There are no limits. Delve deep! Just please be honest about them.
2. Video clips, pictures.. whatever.. again.... delve deep.
3. Choose five bloggers to tag and spread the wealth.
4. Link back to this blog.


The five I'd most like to hear from:

1. Bob at Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2. Sam at The Listening Ear
3. Piper at Lazy Eye Theatre
4. Chris at his blog
5. Caitlin at 1416 and Counting

My memory:

In March of 2002, a buddy and I road tripped from Dallas to skiing in New Mexico. On a whim, we decided to drive onto Vegas. We took the scenic route in, stopping at the Hoover Dam. It was early in the morning and cold outside, so not many people were lingering around. I was looking over the railing, kinda lost in thought, when I heard someone next to me. I looked up and about 10 feet away was a Middle Eastern girl standing looking over the rail as well, wearing the full traditional Islamic dress and a veil wrapped just around her neck with her face exposed. Remember, this is March 2002. She looked over at me and, my god, this girl was beautiful. The take your breath away kinda natural beauty.... searing green eyes... 19 or 20 years old. She looked down for a second as if she was afraid of what my glance meant. Then she looked back up and saw the (probably) ga-ga look in my eyes (and not the prevalent scowl she probably always received) and smiled at me. I don't even remember what gesture I returned. I just remember being bowled over by her beauty. Then, she turned, went back to her family, hopped in a car and drove off. Honestly, if I'd said something to her... anything at all... it probably would not have amounted to much more than passer-by friendliness, but to this day I wonder about it. I wonder where she is. I know exactly how Mr. Bernstein feels.

MOTM: Red Rock West

The Movie of the Month for November, suggested by Fletch at Blog Cabins turned out to be one of my very favorites from the early 90's- John Dahl's "Red Rock West". Let me the count ways I like thee:

1. Dwight Yoakem: The country-western singer turned actor is nothing new. After all, Willie Nelson has fared pretty well since the early 80's. But with Yoakem, "Red Rock West" proved that his presence as a supporting actor was a lot more than gimmicky. His career-topper still lies in his performance as the drunken father/husband in "Sling Blade", but "Red Rock West" momentarily introduced the world to Yoakem the actor. It's a small role, but an indelible one.
2. Neo noir: When I first saw "Red Rock West" in '94 (though it was released in 1992 on TV), the term neo-noir was being thrown around liberally. Filmmakers as diverse as Stephen Soderbergh, James Foley, the Coen Brothers, Stephen Frears and Carl Franklin had all taken successful stabs at the genre. But with "Red Rock West", director John Dahl felt like the most faithful interpreter of this newly coined genre. The images of Wyoming at night- while diametrically opposed to the usual hangouts and locales of traditional film noir- made me realize that greed, deception and murder doesn't always have to happen in that city back alley. It can happen anywhere. "Red Rock West" seemed to open new doors to the genre. It even inspired my own attempt at screenwriting (unsuccessfully) to produce the same style of "western" noir. If nothing else, it's a film that stirred my creative juices.
3. Lara Flynn Boyle: I've always had an attraction to dark haired females, and in 1994, Lara Flynn Boyle was the it girl as far as I was concerned. After seeing her in Lynch's "Twin Peaks" and the gen-X comedy "Threesome", I was hooked on this sultry actress. Her femme fatale wife in "Red Rock West" did little to damper my attraction to her. Someone needs to bring her back onto the big screen.
4. Dennis Hopper: Like Dwight Yoakem, is there really much to say about Hopper? He shows up in a pink Cadillac with horns on the front, wearing a hat bigger than the car itself and chewing up the scenery. There were lots of roles like this for him in the early 90's. He knocked it out of the park.
5. John Dahl: Perhaps the biggest winner in all of this was director Dahl himself. After having this small film gain critical favor on the film festival circuit, it was given a proper release and generated a strong following. His next film, the equally delicious femme fatale noir "The Last Seduction" (with an equally seductive dark haired beauty in Linda Fiorentino) propelled Dahl into the mainstream. He's crafted a few missteps in the last couple of years (the saggy war drama "The Great Raid" and the even worse hit-man-in-midlife-crisis comedy "You Kill Me"), but I have faith that he'll stumble back into the fold of the auteurs.
6. Nicholas Cage: It's hard to suffocate my contempt for Cage the actor, and I guess all I can really say about his performance in "Red Rock West" is that he doesn't sink the picture. But truthfully, his sad-sack loser mug fits pretty nicely with the situation he finds himself in as loner Michael. If there was ever a face for the double-crossed loser, Cage is your man!

Produced and Abandoned: 12 Must Sees

I've been tagged by Adam at DVD Panache with another incarnation of the 12 movie meme. What originally started as this at Piper's Lazy Eye Theatre blog has completely morphed into something different courtesy of The Dancing Image.... and it's a doozy.

So, what are 12 films that I've never seen, desperately want to see, and virtually impossible to find. I had bits and pieces of movies lying around over the years, but combining them (and remembering them) was a whole different animal. I'm sure this list will change if I re-write it tomorrow, but as of right now, these are my 12 holy grail films, in no order:

1. A Brighter Summer Day- The one Edward Yang film that I have been able to see ("Yi Yi" in 2001) stands as a minor miracle, a film brimming with life and wonder. This 1991 film has never been released on home video in any form. With a run time of anywhere between 3 and 4 hours based on which source one references, "A Brighter Summer day" has only been shown in select repertory screenings. It's sad to say, but maybe with the passing of Yang at a young age last year, some of his works ("Majhong", " A Confucian Confusion" and "Taipei Story") will receive some type of exposure.

2. A Deadly Affair- As an earlier post expressed, I went a little obsessive over watching any and all Sidney Lumet films I could. With the exception of a handful that have never been released on VHS or DVD, the one that aggravates the most is his 1966 spy thriller entitled "A Deadly Affair". There are some region 2 copies floating around, but I don't feel like paying $35 plus. Here's hoping a recent retrospective at New York Film Forum will put pressure on certain distribution companies.

3. Los Angeles Plays Itself- Thom Anderson's paean to Los Angeles and its place in the movies will likely never get an official release due to its use of copyrighted film clips. It's still making the rounds for 1 or 2 showings in the city of angels, but its highly unlikely that Anderson's film (which he filmed for educational purposes for his California film studies classes) will ever see the light of day. I've been dying to see this thing since reading about it back in '05.

4. The Mattei Affair- Since watching some of Francesco Rosi's films late last year, I became immediately interested in his work. Part social commentary and heavy on Italian bureaucracy, his films are often sweeping examples of Italian life from the poor to the upper class, refusing to take a side and presenting a social problem from all angles. This film, charting the work, life and assassination of an industrial game-changer promises more of the same. Again, never released on any video format. For that matter, I'd love to see Rosi's other lost 70's films such as "Lucky Luciano" or "Illustrious Corpses".

5. Cold Water- As a staunch Olivier Assayas fan, it's a damn shame that none of his work before 1996's "Irma Vep" is available in this country. I read about this film and his other short works back in a mid-90's Film Comment article shortly after his international rise to stardom. Still yet to talk to anyone who's seen these films.

6. The Fixer- Another purely auteurist example- John Frankenheimer. I've managed to see all of his films except this one from '68 and the martial arts thriller called "The Challenge" in 1982. That movie is available on VHS (for over $50 on Ebay) but no sign of "The Fixer" which seems to follow Frankenheimer's early stage days as a film about a Jewish man kept in captivity for unjust reasons.

7. Last Night at the Alamo- This has been regarded as a regional legend for some time. Maverick Texas filmmaker Eagle Pennell wrote and directed it back in '82 at the end of a career burning out on drugs and alcohol. It's been widely cited as the film that kick started a whole generation of Texas filmmakers like Richard Linklater and Robert Rodriguez. Earlier this year, Pennell's 1979 film entitled "The Whole Shootin' Match" got a few revival screenings, so there's hope that other pieces of his work will surface.

8. The Outfit- If I wanted to spend at least $65 for a VHS copy I could, but other than that I missed my one chance to see this hard boiled 1973 film when it aired on TCM a few months back. No excuses. I fell asleep before it came on.

9. Slow Moves- Really just an excuse to decry the amount of Jon Jost that is available on video. Out of almost 15 films, only 2 are available in any format. One of the premier independent film godfathers, this 1977 film is just the beginning of his neglect. But, if anyone's interested, check out "The Bed You Sleep In" or "All the Vemeers In New York". His films are an acquired taste, but ones that pay dividends when in the right mood for his swaying music and textured images.

10. Mary- What the hell happened to Abel Ferrera? After 2001 and his film "R-Xmas", he's directed four films which have yet to see any distribution. Is it because he's making films in Europe and being financed by European studios? Still, the great word of mouth from film festival showings should be good enough to warrant a small release here, no? This 2003 film stars Juliet Binoche, Forest Whitaker, Heather Graham and Matthew Modine as a modern day version of Joseph and Mary (yes that Joseph and Mary).

11. Until the End of the World- This gets confusing. I have seen Wim Wenders' two and a half hour version of this dreamy sci-fi film (one of his very best) but there's also a four hour and five hour version out there. The four hour version played at a German film festival years ago and a reliable internet buddy (who was also a devotee of the film) once told me had seen the 5 hour version at a Florida film fest years ago. Regardless, there's a much larger cut of this film floating out there, and I'd love to get my hands on it.

12. Histories du Cinema- Jean Luc Godard's multi video essay has been weathered on the film festival circuit over the years, yet never received a formal release. So much of Godard's later work can easily be bogged down with pretentiousness, but he still manages to strike some beautiful moments. I'm betting this series would strike a lot of them.


So, the next five up include:

Dennis at Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule
Evan at Club Parnassus
Caitlin at 1416 and Counting
The Kinetoscope Parlor
Bob at Eternal Sunshine of the Logical Mind

My Dinner With...

So, the first meme of the year, courtesy of Piper at Lazy Eye Theatre asks a very simple question. The rules are as follows:

1. Pick a single person past or present who works in the film industry you would like to have dinner with. And tell us why you chose this person.

2. Set the table for your dinner. What would you eat? Would it be in a home or at a restaurant? And what would you wear? Feel free to elaborate on the details.

3. List five thoughtful questions you would ask this person during dinner.

4. When all is said and done, select six bloggers to pass this Meme along to.

5. Link back to Lazy Eye Theatre, so people know the mastermind behind this Meme.


I urge everyone to check out his own entry which is worthy of an Eli Roth torture porn adaptation.

So, I've given this lots of thought. I could go several ways. I could go fanboy and envision myself sitting down with Martin Scorsese or Terence Malick or Jean Luc Godard, but hell you only live once so I opted for the purely carnal.

My dinner would be with....

Yes.... Salma Hayek. Now I'm talking about the recent Salma Hayek and not the vampira/goth/rattlesnake-shape-shifting-Salma that Tarantino brought into cult status back with From Dusk Till Dawn (though I'm aware that there are those fetishists who hold this Salma as the only Salma... and that's cool I'm just not into that scene). But then you go back and, wow, you have the Salma from her Antonio-Banderas-swashbuckingly-hot-kickass-chick years with Once Upon a Time in Mexico and I'd be very ok with that kinda girl as well. What is it that makes a python around a girl's neck seem intimidating and yet the same girl can fire guns, swing swords and jump out of buildings tied to a sheet and it makes my heart flutter? But I digress.... I'm rambling here.

Back to the dinner. And I believe my entire last paragraph thoroughly explained in some warped way why I chose Salma, right? We'd have dinner at a restaurant reserved only for us. Yes, money would not be an option. Personal waitstaff, all that jazz. Since my meals consist mainly of things known as combo meals and big macs, I'd have to order one of those cheezy specials that the waiter offers.... "minced lamb chops covered in a tart mushroom sauce, sauteed in 3/4 ounce marinated lemon juice, artichoke salad and California honey dew grass slivers". Sounds good, serve it up. Let's skip over what I'd be wearing because does anyone really care? What is Salma wearing. Well I can't explain it because I don't know a lick about fashion, but she looks fucking incredible.

I'd ask her, what's it like to be the most beautiful woman on the plant, yet manage to keep yourself free from the shitty tabloids that desecrate so many other actresses of lesser talent and lesser beauty? Is Tarantino the ass I suspect he really is? Is George Clooney gay? How would you cure world peace? Do I have a chance in hell of sleeping with you... or following you to your home and peeping in your window? Ok.. I've officially entered into the Salma Hayek stalker club. I take back that last comment. I'm perfectly adjusted. But, honestly, who am I kidding? I should've just selected Woody Allen for this meme and been done with it.

Chris at Ojo's blog
Lucas at 100 Films
Moviezzz at Talking Moviezzz
Neal at The Bleeding Tree
Evan at Club Parnassus

You've been tagged.