Film
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Notable New York, This Week 1/10-1/16
This Week in New York the Rumpus Women take Brooklyn; storytelling from Sex Workers Literati, the Moth, and Sideshow Goshko; inspired words from Patricia Smith and Willie Perdomo; Douglass Rushkoff and Steven Berlin Johnson talk tech and innovation; and Nerd…
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Adapting Blood Meridian?
I just found out that James Franco is set to direct the film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy’s Blood Meridian which is the most violent novel I’ve ever read. So I pose the obvious questions: how will he pull it off?…
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Nicholas Rombes’ Art Film Roundup
The 2010 Sundance Film Festival Shorts came through town for a one-night only showing, which I caught earlier this week at the grand old Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. The jury prize winner in international filmmaking, The Six Dollar Fifty…
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Fran Recommends (From 1997)
Martin Scorcese’s HBO documentary Public Speaking is about the writer Fran Lebowitz and, judging by the trailer and reviews, it consists mostly of Scorcese filming Lebowitz while she talks, which might be her true métier. If you’ve seen Lebowitz interviewed,…
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10/40/70 #30: Machine Gun McCain
This ongoing experiment in film writing freezes a film at 10, 40, and 70 minutes, and keeps the commentary as close to those frames as possible. This week, I examine Machine Gun McCain, directed by Giuliano Montaldo (1969):
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Can Creative Writing Help Students Become More Successful?
Mother Jones is doing an ongoing education reporting series from Mission High School in San Francisco. This week’s article asks, “Does Creative Writing Help Kids Succeed?” Tough question to answer. I think creative writing can help kids, but like the…
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Blood, Snow, Glory: Mountain Goats Meet Sir Arne’s Treasure
I basically hurt myself with excitement when I read that the San Francisco Film Society was presenting Mauritz Stiller’s 1919 silent film classic Sir Arne’s Treasure with live musical accompaniment by indie rock icon John Darnielle of the Mountain…
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Notable San Francisco, This Week: 12/13-12/19
This week in San Francisco, it’s Ladies Night at The Rumpus! Also, Dave Eggers plays ping pong, art for the blind, sitting and lying in protest of the Sit/Lie law, and crafty alternatives to traditional holiday shopping. Monday 12/13: What…
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Synecdoche, New York: The Shooting Script
What follows is the introduction to Synecdoche, New York: The Shooting Script, by Charlie Kaufman:
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“Fill your hand, you son of a bitch.”
Really informative essay over at The New York Times about Charles Portis, author of True Grit, the novel that inspired the John Wayne classic and the Coen brothers redo. NYT writer Carlo Rotella relays his own person meetings with Portis…
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Sir Arne’s Treasure with the Mountain Goats
If you’re in San Francisco next Tuesday night, the San Francisco Film Society is presenting a screening of the 1919 silent classic, Sir Arne’s Treasure, with live accompaniment by John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats. Full program information is here.
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10/40/70 #29: Duel in the Sun
This ongoing experiment in film writing freezes a film at 10, 40, and 70 minutes, and keeps the commentary as close to those frames as possible. This week, I examine Duel in the Sun, directed by King Vidor (1946):