I’ve actually been known in the past as something of a Greenaway apologist, but for whatever reason, I found Draughtsman’s ridiculously difficult to get through. I kept returning to a note that I jotted down within the first couple of minutes of the film: “What was Derek Jarman doing the year this film was made? What was Duran Duran doing?” It’s that axis of British culture of the early 1980s that Kevin and I ended up exploring in the above video. But if it was my idea idea to travel down this road, the brilliance of applying the video effects from Rio to footage of Margaret Thatcher on the eve of the Falklands War was all Kevin. Watch and discuss.
About a month ago, I emailed Adam Ross and asked him if he’d let me do one of his Friday Screen Test interviews at his blog, DVD Panache. He graciously agreed to allow me to promote myself via personal movie history confession. The interview is up now; I’ve pasted an excerpt after the jump, as companion to the above video. You can read the full thing here. Also: I’d like to note that I just laughed out loud reading the quote that makes up the entirety of the “About Me” section of Adam’s blog: “I think it would be fun to run a [blog].” –C.F. Kane.
Karina is going to be on G4’s Attack of the Show tonight, talking about the SXSW Film Festival. The show airs live at 7pm EST, and reruns at 10pm. Watch it!
We’ve spent the past three weeks previewing films that are going to be premiering at SXSW, but the festival also has a conference component, with four days packed full of panels. Karina (that’s me) will be speaking on the Blogs, Buzz and Buddy lists panel on Sunday at 3:30. I’ll also be moderating a panel at 1pm on Monday called Deal or No Deal: The Road to Self-Distribution.
As far as panels that don’t actually require me to operate a microphone are concerned, I’m really excited about the Jeffrey Tambor Acting Workshop. Yes, George (and Oscar) Bluth himself is going to let us in on his “process.” Even cooler, he’s gonna do it by coaching Hannah Takes the Stairs stars Greta Gerwig and Kent Osbourne through a reading of an excerpt of John Patrick Shanley’s The Dreamer Examines His Pillow. Yes, seriously. The magic happens at 1pm on Sunday.
There are tons of other great events going on and no one can attend them all, but after the jump you’ll find a list of a few I have my eye on. If you’re on a panel or have panels you’re particularly excited about, let us know in the comments.
Blatant self promotion alert: I did an interview about SpoutBlog and being a film blogger in general for Film in Focus, the editorial site produced by Focus Features and FILMMAKER Magazine. If you’re dying to know what time I wake up in the morning, which film blogger rock stars I worship, and other sundry details of my, um, “process,” click here.
George Romero’s Diary of the Deadopens tonight. In an interview with him at Sundance, our eyes were opened to what an eloquent artist he is. We watch Night of the Living Dead to examine the origins of the zombie genre and compare it to Diary. Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Karina Longworth gets personal with the loneliest movie going experience ever: Watching Build a Ship, Sail to Sadness.
Kevin and I get emotional about No End in Sight, a documentary on the Iraq war in theaters now. The controversy surrounding this film is the product of how comprehensive it is.
The 11th Hour–starring Leonardo DiCaprio–opens tonight. Karina Longworth asks if Leo and activism go together like icebergs and boats.
An artist takes on the remake of a canonical film by opening up the creation to the YouTube generation. Interviewing artist Perry Bard who is calling for people everywhere to shoot pieces of their lives to remake Dziga Verdov’s Man with a Movie Camera (1929) shot by shot. Also, Karina Longworth gets personal about Broken English (2007) starring Parker Posey, Gena Rowlands and directed by Zoe Casssavetes. We also discuss The Gleaners and I (2000).