Bresson quote
“Silence doesn’t exist anymore; you can’t find it. That, for me, would make it impossible to live.”
–Robert Bresson
(And check out Acquarello’s new design for his excellent site, Strictly Film School.)…
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Aki Kaurismaki
For those living near Chicago (I’m not sure how many of us that includes), Facets is presenting an almost-complete retrospective of Aki Kaurismaki, starting this Friday. Through the gracious help of a friend, I was able to watch a number of his films on video. Obviously not the best way to watch Kaurismaki’s work, but even the videos were impressive. I wrote up a review for a local paper and thought I’d just post it here, in the hopes of provoking some discussion. I’m especially interested in what people think of Kaurismaki’s other movies, such as Juha, Shadows in Paradise, …
Read moreSankofa
It’s amazing how many movies slip through the cracks, even for seasoned movie buffs like myself who actively scan the local exhibition circuit on a weekly basis. I learned long ago the most efficient way for me to keep track of what’s playing in town is to keep a screening calendar, and anytime I hear of something I want to see, I always jot it down. (This is as close to day-timing as my temperament allows.)
Yesterday afternoon, however, as I was walking out of a coffeehouse, I happened to glimpse a small card for the Celebrate Africa 2003 festival …
Read moreAu hasard Balthazar
October’s going to be a great month for cinephiles. Being one of the co-administrators of robert-bresson.com, I’m privy to news items from time to time, and here’s the latest: Rialto Pictures informs us they will premiere their new print of Robert Bresson‘s Au hasard Balthazar (1966) on October 17 at the Film Forum in New York, and it will travel to various cities in the ensuing months. (Almost all of Rialto’s releases eventually become Criterion Collection DVDs as well.)
This is significant on several accounts, two of which are that it’s probably my favorite film of all time …
Read moreTati, et al
As I alluded to last week, I’m going through a difficult emotional season these days. It’s funny how movies can at once transport us through artificial realms of drama and simultaneously reflect our existing realities back to us. A few nights ago, I planned to watch the new movie, Northfork, so I purchased my ticket, grabbed some popcorn and a coke, and found a seat in the theatre. After about five minutes, I realized I was too preoccupied with my own thoughts and too fragile to take on anything else, so I walked out, coke and corn in the …
Read moreTokyo Story
I’m having a bad week, so my post today will only be an announcement. DVDPlanet is now pre-ordering one of the cinema’s supreme masterpieces, Yasujiro Ozu‘s Tokyo Story (1953), to be released as a 2-disc Criterion Collection package on October 14.
Details will include:
ï New high-definition digital transfer, with restored image
and sound
ï Audio commentary by Ozu-film scholar David Desser, editor
of Ozu’s Tokyo Story
ï I Lived, But…: (1983) a two-hour documentary
about the life and career of Ozu, featuring former assistant Shohei Imamura (director of The Pornographers, The Eel), critics Donald Richie and Tadao …