10/28/2002
Images of the past come consciously back.
Nuit et Brouillard, Alain Resnais's 1956 film, should not be collecting dust. It is relevant and necessary. A film we should remember and watch again and again - in times like these. A remarkable documentary, Nuit... takes us on a train ride into misery -- the abominable reality of the second world...
10/28/2002
Someone's killing the professors. MERD!
Mathieu Kassovitz is probably one of the best directors in the world today.When I saw L'haine, his 1995 film, I was shocked by the evidence ofAmerican influence on French cinema. Not that I hadn't noticed it before --it's quite obvious -- but this time, I was shocked because of the wayKassovitz...
10/28/2002
The rise and fall of...a man.
Charlie Chaplin got a bad rap here in the U.S. Provocative and unruly, he cast Americans in the role of Nazi-like storm troopers, in one of the most penetrating films of history, The Great Dictator.The film follows the rise to power of a machine-like man who looks similar to Hitler and acts similar...
8/6/2002
A brother meets Manhattan. Starring Joe Morton, John Sayles
Director John Sayles' 1984 "Brother from Another Planet" is the Legend of the Drinking Gourd and the history of the underground railroads told with a contemporary urban America voice. An alien space pilot, the Brother (Joe Morton) crashes his space ship into the Hudson River. His alien-ness gives...
8/6/2002
World Music Documentary with heart and SOUL.
One Giant Leap is a world music documentary. Although, it is not an exceptional "documentary" (perhaps because it is revolutionary), the film's focus is on something linguistically indescribable -- the musical connection. The feature length documentary introduces music as an infinite and powerful...
