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When she was commissioned to make a documentary about Euripedes (a tall order, indeed), filmmaker Jessica Yu instead chose to see if she could apply the classical Greek playwright's dramatic structuring principles to present-day living," writes Michael Koresky at indieWIRE about Yu's unique new documentary Protagonist. Aaron Hillis spoke with Jessica Yu on the eve of a theatrical release schedule that see the film [more here] opening first in New York before rolling out across the country over the course of several weeks. Read article >>
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In This Dispatch:
- What's New: Paprika, Waitress, and more.
- What We're Watching: Man in My Life, Violet, and So Goes the Nation.
- Explore: Adrienne Shelly.
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"This is your brain on anime," read the tagline for Satoshi Kon's dazzling, provocative and trippy Paprika, one of our favorite films of 2007 so far."It happens to be one of the most wildly (and disturbingly) inventive animated films I've seen," raved David Ansen in Newsweek. Adds John Anderson in the LA Times: "The girl of your dreams — and his dreams, and her dreams — the punkish heroine of Paprika is a double-agent-provocateur in a shape-shifting movie of marvelous, baffling complexities." |
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Sad that its director, Adrienne Shelly, wasn't around to enjoy the film's success [more on that in our interview here and below], but she left us with a lovely film as part of her legacy. The pie-eyed romantic comedy Waitress garnered many fine reviews. "Sweet and sour and sexy," wrote Sean Axmaker in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "It’ll melt your heart and any dietary resolve equally," (Empire Magazine), with a "a hilarious and heartfelt performance by Keri Russell." (Rolling Stone). |
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Writes James Van Maanen on Guru: Seeing The Man of My Life a second time within the year (it was originally part of the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Rendez-vous with French Cinema 2007) has made me appreciate even more its richness, intelligence and subtlety, while also alerting me to some flaws in its structure. First time out, I was so blown away by the film's beauty of conception and place (it is brilliantly edited and set during a vacation in the Provence countryside), not to mention its relevance to my own life (a marriage sundered by one mate's sudden attraction to a new acquaintance), that I was more than willingly drawn along by the situation and the spectacularly persuasive performances of Charles Berling, Bernard Campan and Léa Drucker.... read full review >> |
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At this year's Film Society of Lincoln Center Latinbeat Festival, a special sidebar was devoted to screenings of, as the FSLC put it, "Four Breakthroughs from Mexico's New Cinema": Amores Perros, Japón, Duck Season, and Violet Perfume: No One Is Listening. The first two, and to some extent the third, are well-known to most movie buffs, but the latter, outside of festivals, has hardly made a ripple in the USA. Now that Violet Perfume is here on DVD, audiences have the chance to see and understand why the film is indeed a breakthrough of sorts. Read full review >> |
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GC reviewer Henry Leineweber had a mixed reaction to this one but thinks it particularly worthy for newcomers to the political scene. So Goes the Nation takes a look at the grassroots mobilization of voters during the hotly contested 2004 Presidential election. Documentary filmmakers Adam Del Deo and James Stern (who's had a more successful career as a producer) follow rival bands of political volunteers for the Kerry and Bush Ohio campaigns, in an examination interspersed with interviews with more well-known national political and media figures.
Read Full Review >> |
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Actress-filmmaker Adrienne Shelly was murdered in her NYC apartment a year ago this month, and with that sad anniversary, and the happier occasion of the DVD release of her film Waitress, it seems a good time to revisit Sean Axmaker's interview with her, and posthumous reflection on her career. Read more >> |
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New From Criterion
More coming in January!
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