f i l m j o u r n e y . o r g

I’ve just spent the last few days enjoying the company of my Canadian friend, Candace, who alerted me to the unorthodox release of Mark Moskowitz’s documentary, Stone Reader (2002), via Barnes & Noble’s exclusive distribution. Candace joined many critics in enthusiastically lauding the documentary after she recently encountered it at the Calgary International Film [...]

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Awful news from indieWIRE:

After six years in business, Cowboy Pictures has closed its doors. The New York based indie distribution company, which was founded by John Vanco and Noah Cowan, recently let go of its employees and last week filed for bankruptcy. Greg Williams and his Lot 47 team joined Cowboy at its Laight St. [...]

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There’s always a bit of tension as movie studios release film classics on DVD. The technology should offer an ideal introduction to the films if a 35mm print isn’t handy–I mean, the resolution and freeze frame capabilities and multiple, removable subtitles, CD-quality sound, and special features are always trumpeted any time Digital Versatile Discs [...]

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Just a few updates today:
ïYes, Robert Bresson’s Au hasard Balthazar has finally opened at the Film Forum in New York and I can’t wait for its release in Los Angeles on December 12. In the meantime, check out J. Hoberman’s review here (”Robert Bresson puts the ass in classic with his 1966 masterwork about [...]

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On Monday, National Public Radio featured a story on Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, whose latest film, Crimson Gold, has screened at the New York Film Festival this week. It has inspired comparisons to Panahi’s earlier accomplished and searing social critique, The Circle (2000), in part because both films were banned in his native country.
But [...]

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Maybe it’s the onset of October, or maybe it’s the experience of enduring the California gubernatorial last week, but either way, I’ve been thinking of horror lately. I’ve always appreciated atmospheric forays into the darker recesses of the human consciousness, so along with the many articles printed this time of year suggesting great horror [...]

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The Calgary International Film Festival reviews just keep rolling in. Be sure to check out John Torvi’s entire thread, as well as Candace Elder’s incisive comments at the end of this thread… even if neither one of them enjoyed The Son as much as they should have.
Meanwhile, I’m keeping an eye on [...]

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As with so many aspects of world culture, religious dialogue in pop America tends to be woefully shallow. Politics and religion are often cited as the two primary subjects to be avoided in “polite conversations” and it’s almost standard protocol on film discussion boards to ban any explicit mention of the two realms.
But given [...]

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After spending an enjoyable weekend with visiting family, I’m playing catch-up today. Here are some interesting links to keep you occupied while I plan my viewing week:
ïThe new issue of Senses of Cinema is up. Among many items of interest are a series of articles on Chuck Jones, recent Chinese documentaries, and a [...]

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Reports keep coming into filmjourney regarding the Calgary International Film Festival. Be sure to check out the entire thread here.
First up is John Torvi. –Doug
* * * * *
Day 3 - Sunday, September 28, 2003
by John Torvi
The first part of the day didn’t go so well today. I woke up finding out [...]

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