Isabella Rosselini's Green Porno

Isabella Rosselini has always been attracted to the wild side of cinema. From Blue Velvet to The Saddest Music in the World, Rosselini has never shied away from taking risks.

But she can always outdo herself: her latest project, Green Porno, is a series of very short films conceived, written, directed by and featuring Rosselini herself, about the sex life of bugs, insects and various creatures. The films are about how certain bugs 'make love'.

Each film is executed in a very simple childlike manner. They are a playful mixture of real world and cartoon. Each episode begins with Isabella speaking to the camera “If I were a…(firefly, spider, dragonfly etc.). She then transforms into the male of the species explaining in a simple yet direct dialogue the actual act of species- specific fornication. It's all very playful and colourful.

Green Porno is designed mainly for the 'third screen', that is mobile phonescreens, computers and ipods etc. Each film can be shown individually or strung together to make a series more suitable for television broadcast. It's produced by Rick Gilbert and Isabella Rossellini in association with Sundance Channel.

Those of you in America can see the film at the Sundance Channel website. The rest of us can only see a behind-the-scenes documentary as the film willl hit Europe in July and we can't see it until then. The costumes look amazing.

And here's a video interview Rosselini gave to CNN to help create a buzzzz about her film.

New on Kamera: interview with Brian Mills

We have an interview with the author of the latest Kamera Books release, 101 Forgotten Films, Brian Mills. Mills tells us about putting the title together, which is essential read for anyone interested in film history.

New on Kamera: Mike Leigh on Mike Leigh

British journalist Amy Raphael is the editor of the new book, Mike Leigh on Mike Leigh, the result of conversations between the journalist and Britain's most successful auteur. The book is a must read for Leigh fans as it provides unprecedented insight into Leigh's work methods and thoughts. Raphael kindly granted Kamera permission to reproduce an extract from her book.

And of course, YouTube is full of clips of Mike Leigh's works. Here's a sample of the all-time favourite, Abigail's Party:

New on Kamera: 101 Forgotten Films

Kamera Books has an exciting new title out there called 101 Forgotten Films by film critic and 'movie therapist' Brian Mills. The book is a compendium of films that for some reason got lost in the anals of film history and which deserve fresh attention.

One of the films that could not be included in the book, although it had been Mills intention to do so, is Orson Welles's last, unfinished film The Other Side of the Wind, which Peter Bogdanovich is in the process of completing for a late 2008 release (the reason for the non-inclusion). We found a clip of the original film on YouTube and it features Bogdanovich himself plus John Huston. Enjoy!

New on Kamera: Princess

Anime is a strange term, one that means different things to different people and a term that has mutated over the years. Strictly, it simply means animation that has been created in Japan but this has been muddied by the proliferation of outsourcing (much anime is tweened in Korea) and pillorying by tabloid newspapers that equates the term with violent pornography (from a group of films that may well include Urotsukidoji but also Hello Kitty). By now the term basically means either that the animation comes from Japan or it possesses qualities that clearly mark it as separate from mainstream Hollywood, i.e. Disney style, animations. Princess falls into the anime style category, a bewildering mix of cell animation, CGI and live action. As its 18 rating suggests this is absolutely not The Little Mermaid.

Read more +

New on Kamera: Documenta Madrid 08

All eyes are on Madrid between o2 and 11 of May when the Spanish capital will be hosting the 2008 edition of the Documenta, a venue dedicated to documentary cinema. Michelangelo Antonioni will be paid tribute at the event

New on Kamera: Independent Cinema

One of the latest titles to have come out on Kamera Books is Independent Cinema, by D. K. Holm, just the perfect kind of subject for a website about, well, independent cinema. So, catch our review of the book here and get inspired.

New on Kamera: [REC]

More Spanish horror at a cinema near you: [REC] is the latest of a batch of low-key, handheld horror that has been arriving at the big screen of late. Check out our review of the film, due out tomorrow.

New on Kamera: Documentaries

We have a new piece on Kamera about an exciting new release on Kamera Books, 'Documentaries...and how to make them, by Andy Glynne. The books offers a comprehensive guide into the world of documentary filmmaking and provides an invaluable source for students and professionals alike.

One of the filmmakers mentioned in the text is the master of the documentary genre Frederick Wiseman. Wiseman's films have traditionally been solely available on film print or VHS copies for educational purposes. However, since December some of his titles have been made available on DVD for the consumer market, further evidence of the growing demand for documentaries. And of course, excerpts of the classic Titicut Follies has surfaced on YouTube over the last week.

New on DVD: Lost Highway

David Lynch's Lost Highway (1997), a favourite among Lynch aficionados, has finally been released on DVD. It is one of Lynch's most surreal and lush films; the soundtrack is also a treat for music lovers, going from Nine Inch Nails to Bossa Nova. Check out Kamera Books' recent title on David Lynch for further information.

New on Kamera: Diary of a Country Priest

We have just published a review of one of the great films in Robert Bresson's great career, which was released on 24/3 by Optimum World. Good old YouTube has a couple of excerpts from the film, but make sure you get this DVD, as it is an essential item in any film lover's collection.

And here's an 1960 interview with Bresson:

New on Kamera: Strange Culture

Lynn Hershman's film Strange Culture deals with the very urgent issue of the corrosion of freedom of speech in the name of the 'war on terrorism'. With Tilda Swinton, Thomas Jay Ryan and Peter Coyote in the cast, the film chronicles the ongoing case of the American art professor and activist Steve Kurtz, a co-founder of the Critical Art Ensemble, who has become the most prominent victim of post-9/11 paranoia.

On May 11 2004, Kurtz woke up to find his wife dead in bed next to him. When the medics arrived, they deemed the harmless bacteria which Kurtz was working with for a project as suspicious material and alerted the FBI. The organisation quickly jumped to the conclusion that Kurtz was a bioterrorist, despite all their suspicions being disproved. He now awaits a trial date. Hershman's Strange Culture re-enacts some of the episodes of Kurtz's Kafkian nightmare so far, creating a hybrid of documentary and discussion, with the actors encouraged to talk about their characters, their own work and the situation.

The film is now available on both Region 1 and Region 2 DVD. Click here for more information.

Trailer: Garbage Warrior

Meet Michael Reynolds, who for over 30 years has been developing a sustainable living concept called Earthship Biotecture. Reynolds' incredible project is the subject of a documentary called Garbage Warrior, which will be screened on Sundance Channel on 01 April. Don't miss it.

Here's the trailer:

Homage to Anthony Minghella

British film director Anthony Minghella, who died yesterday from a fatal haemorrhage following an operation for cancer of the neck and tonsils, was a much-loved member of the film community. Here's a report from several figures who knew him or had worked with him.

New on Kamera: Aurora

If you have produced a film or video piece with lots of visual manipulation, here's a festival where you may get a chance to get your work seen.

New on Kamera: Two Evil Eyes

A collaboration between George Romero and Dario Argento starring Karvey Keitel, Two Evil Eyes is released on DVD today. Here's the review.

New on Kamera: Berlin 2008

Our New York-based regular contributor Thessa Mooij tells us what she saw at the Berlin festival that took place last month while yours truly dishes the dirt on the squalid festival winner, the Brazilian cop flick Elite Squad (pictured).

Coppola goes south

The Argentinian capital, Buenos Aires, has a new inhabitant. Francis Ford Coppola is now splitting his time between California and the B.A., while also making cheaper movies there. Here's the full story.

New on Kamera: UK French Film Festival

Those of you looking for a film to see on the big screen over the weekend or over the next few week, check out our feature on the UK French Film Festival that starts today. There are films galore, all over the country.

Vanity Fair's homage to Hitchcock

Vanity Fair, bless them, has done its Hollywood thing again and this time the publication got a whole bunch of Hollywood stars to impersonate Hitchcock characters. Hmmm. The results are quite mixed but I think Naomi Watts looks interesting as Marnie/Tippi Hedren:

See the whole photo shoot here and judge for yourself.

Derek Jarman conference

The Serpertine Gallery in London is on Friday 7 March between 10:30 and 6pm holding a conference on Derek Jarman called Against the Grain: Learning from Derek Jarman's Cinema. Speakers include Malcolm LeGrice and Laura Mulvey. More info from here.

The London Australian Film Festival 2008

The enormous Australian community in London have a good opportunity to catch up with the cinema from their homeland during the London Australian Film Festival that takes place between 06 and 16 March at the Barbican Centre. Further information from here.

New on Kamera: Overlord and Benny's Video

Two new DVD reviews posted today: Michelle LeBlanc and Colin Odell review Stuart Cooper's classic war film Overlord, which metro is releasing on Monday, 03 March. We also have a review of Michael Haneke's 1992 Benny's Video, a chilling look at the image age.

New on Kamera: Africa in Motion

African filmmakers are being invited to submit their short films for a festival called Africa in Motion (AiM), which takes place annually in Edinburgh. Find out more here.

New on Kamera: Bergman

More Bergman stuff out there: Tartan has just released the late Swedish maestro's 'faith trilogy', which Kamera has reviewed here. We also have a report on the 2008 Rotterdam festival, which ended earlier this month. Check it out here.

Berlin 2008: Brazilian film wins Golden Bear

A Brazilian film accused of being fascist in its home country emerged as the big winner at this year's edition of the Berlin film festival. José Padilha's Elite Squad, a revenge cop thriller set amidst the elite troop of the Rio de Janeiro police, got the Golden Bear for best film. The Grand Jury prize went to Standard Operating Procedure by Errol Morris. The Best Director silver bear went to Paul Thomas Anderson for There Will Be Blood.

More +

New on Kamera: Cinema at war and Shinobi

Fresh content alert: Andrew Benbow writes about cinematic representation of war based on Nick Broomfield´s Battle of Haditha, currently playing in the UK, and the upcoming Redacted, by Brian de Palma while Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell review the Japanese variation of the Romeo and Juliet theme.

Berlin 2008: Madonna says she's inspired by Godard and Pasolini

The old saying 'easier said than done' may apply to Madonna's declaration in her director's statement for the premiere of her directorial debut, Filth and Wisdom, at the Berlin Film Festival 2008. Said the singer turned director:

"I have always been inspired by the films of Godard, Visconti, Pasolini and Fellini and hope that I may one day make something that comes close to their genius."

Full story +

Berlin 2008: 'dull'

According to a report in Variety, this year's edition of the Berlin Film Festival has so far been 'dull' and 'unexciting'.

Read more +

Screening opportunity: Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens

For those of you in London: The ICA is screening a documentary about the photograher Annie Leibovitz, she who gives Hollywood stars that patrician treatment on the cover of Vanity Fair every year and who took the last picture of John Lennon on the day he was murdered. But besides her celebrity work, she has also recorded war in Rwanda and Sarajevo and taken intimate shots of her own friends and family, including her lover Susan Sontag. Annie Leibovitz: Life Through a Lens is directed by her sister Barbara Leibovitz and includes contributions from Arnold Schwarzenegger, Hillary Clinton, Mick Jagger and George Clooney.

RIP Roy Scheider - one of the greats

From a person point of view Roy Scheider meant a lot to me. I was the generation that was brought up with JAWS and STAR WARS. I saw them both on VHS tape when I was a wee boy and they became my twin obsessions. But JAWS was the one that convinced me to start my first scrapbook (at five years old - dedicated to its star Roy Scheider) and which made me ask my mum to buy me every book on sharks available. I always wanted to be a zoologist after seeing JAWS but never got A's in science class.

But Scheider was so much more than Chief Brody from JAWS and JAWS 2. He also headlined THE FRENCH CONNECTION in 1971 (which, along with the same year's KLUTE, helped him break out), reuniting with its director - William Friedkin - on SORCERER in 1977. A remake of WAGES OF FEAR, SORCERER is Scheider at his best: a fantastic character role that is sadly underseen.

Then there was the John Schlesinger/ William Goldman team up MARATHON MAN. A top rate thriller from the golden age of American cinema (the 70s obviously), which Scheider was fortunate enough to be a part of. After 1978's inevitable JAWS 2 the actor continued to carve out a quirky niche for himself - taking on roles in the cult classic BLUE THUNDER (1983), the surprisingly impressive sequel 2010 (1984) and such tightly crafted thrillers as 52 PICK UP (1986) and COHEN AND TATE (1989). Although he never reached the fame of JAWS again, Scheider's 90s input still includes such interesting diversions as Cronenberg's NAKED LUNCH (1991), Peter Medak's ROMEO IS BLEEDING (1993) and the SEAQUEST DSV television series.

One thing is for certain, even when his screen time was minimal, Scheider also made a movie worth watching.

We will miss you Brody.

Calum Waddell

Berlin Film Festival 2008: Patti Smith

Music is a strong presence at the 2008 Berlinale and one of the most talked about presences in town is Patti Smith (pictured). The revered musician and poet is the subject of a documentary by Steven Sebring called Patti Smith: Dream of Life, which has been garnering praise for its unconventional presentation and intimacy with the subject portrayed. The Associated Press has an article about Smith's passage in Berlin and her rejection of labels. And last night Smith 'wowed reporters' when she did an impromtu rendition of her song My Blakean Year.

Video: Julian Schnabel's Guardian interview

Julian Schnabel talks about his acclaimed film The Diving Bell and the Butterfly in the Guardian interview at BFI Southbank in a 22' video.

Trailer: Staircase

I've have always wanted to watch this Richard Burton and Rex Harrison-starred film, Staircase (Dir: Stanley Donen, 1969), although it seems to be hard to come by. Staircase was one of the films that Hollywood put out in the late 1960s to cash in on the new acceptance of homosexuality as an open topic, although from today's perspective it still looks very biased. Reflections in a Golden Eye, with Liz Taylor and Marlon Brando, is another example of this mini-crop of films. Brando plays a closeted major married to Taylor's slutty Leonora...hhmm).

Prejudices aside, Staircase does look fun, though, and I have heard good comments about the acting. The story? Charles Dyer (Harrison) and Harry Leeds (Burton) are a couple that have been living together for nearly 20 years. Both earn a living as hairdressers (what else?) in the West End of London and both care deeply for their mothers (surprise, surprise), but not each other as time apart takes its toll on their relationship when Harry has to care for his invalid mother who snips at him every chance she gets. The script was written by Charles Dyer.

Berlin Film Festival 2008 starts today

The annual film festival in Germany starts today with Scorcese's film about the Rolling Stones, Shine a Light, premiering at the event. More +

Madonna is also showing her directorial debut, Filth and Wisdom, at the event, which runs until 17 February.

And Reuters India has a list of films to watch out for during the event.

Watch: Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal's Caligula

The Films of Jack Hill

So I finished my book on JACK HILL. More information on that soon. In the meantime, Jack is planning something of a comeback remaking his the four pictures of his that starred a frail Boris Karloff back in the late '60s. The movies were, of course, taken out of his hands and finished by somebody else but that does not mean that Jack ever lost control of the scripts.

You can find out more here:

http://www.jackhillpresents.com/

You can find out more about this great director here:

http://www.myspace.com/thefilmsofjackhill

Cheers
Calum Waddell

New on Kamera: Film Festival World

Those of you looking to distribute an independently-made film, have a look at the interview we have with the founders of Film Festival World, which helps filmmakers to market their films.

Derek Jarman at the Serpentine Gallery

The Serpentine Gallery in London will be hosting from 23 February an exhibition of works by Derek Jarman as well as Isaac Julien's film about the late director.

Full story +




Blue (Derek Jarman, 1993)

Sean Young goes into rehab

Rehab really is the word of the 21st century. For those of you who've been wondering about Sean Young, the unforgettable dark-haired star of Blade Runner, decided to go into rehab after drunkenly heckling Julian Schnabel on stage at the Directors Guild of America Awards. We wish her the best of luck and a fabulous comeback because Young may have a drinking problem but she's also got lots of talent.

Sundance 2008

The Hollywood Reporter has a fine overview of the Sundance festival 2008 while Green Cine has an extensive interview with Gregg Araki, whose stoner film Smiley Face showed at the festival.

And more Araki from InArtMedia:

Coen brothers's triumph at Screen Actors Guild Awards

Reuters has reported that Ethan and Joel Coen's Western "No Country For Old Men" won the best cast ensemble award, the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Sunday.

Full story +

2008 Sundance announces awards

And here t hey are...

Berlin 2008 line-up + Buñuel

The Berlin Film Festival, the Berlinale, has announced the 2008 line-up of films included in the Panorama section. Another major attraction of the event that starts on the 7th of February and runs until the 17th is the Luis Buñuel retrospective. Here's an interview with Rainer Rother about the great film director.

Everyone's talking about...

Michael Gondry's Be Kind Rewind

Video: Lost in Beijing

The International Herald Tribune has a nice, informative short documentary about the realist Chinese film Lost in Beijing (Ping guo, Dir: Yu Li, 2007), which will be shown at the Berlin Film Festival next month. You can watch it here.

The mythologising power of death

In a bout of morbid star-struck curiosity, I have been following the hourly updates on Heath Ledger's death two days ago. In this age of participative, social media, the flood of information and video images on the internet creates a compelling narrative. Small bits of information are tossed about - was the rolled-up banknote found in the flat smeared with drugs? A few hours later the answer comes: no).

Parallels to James Dean and Rover Phoenix were inevitable, but something about the overexposure and forensic imagery leaked to the media - such as the body bag being trolleyed out of the SoHo loft as hundreds of cameras took pictures - threaten the mythic longevity of a forming star like Ledger. Whereas in the past such images were produced and filed away by the police, now it's the general public, in its eagerness to take part in the theatre of fame, that generates and propagates them. The unfortunate and inevitable consequence of media overload is ephemeralness.

Still, death never fails in its canonical powers. Alongside the tabloid frenzy, more 'serious' publications quickly drafted in their writers to pay homage to the 'brooding' actor, often including warnings about the callouness of modern celebrity. Here's a pick of what's been published already:

Health Ledger, vulnerable male (Los Angeles Times)
We only had a glimpse of what might have been...(Independent)
Heath Ledger and Hollywood's fallen stars (Telegraph)

Juliette Lewis and Vincent Gallo lend their voices to Swedish project

Via ATMO: Those of you who have been missing Juliette Lewis on the screen since she swapped film for rock music with her band The Licks, worry not: the Natural Born Killers star was visiting Stockholm recently to add voice to the female protagonist in a dystopian sci-fi hybrid animation called Metropia (pictured), directed by Tarik Saleh. The male protagonist will be brought to life thanks to the vocal powers of Vincent Gallo, of Buffalo 66 fame (which graces the cover of Kamera Books title on Independent Cinema) and the Brown Bunny infamy. Juliette Lewis and Vincent Gallo on the same project? Sounds pretty dystopian to me.

Suicidal trend in Sundance

Reuters has published an intriguing piece about the suicidal trend sweeping Sundance 2008. Not that festival attendants are killing themselves in boredom. No, it's something else. Apparently, more than 15 entries this year have "characters contemplating, attempting or actually killing themselves".

Heath Ledger dies at 28

Brokeback Mountain star, Heath Ledger, was found dead in New York yesterday. The cause of his death has not been established. The actor was found lying naked on his bed by the housekeeper and massage therapist with prescription sleeping pills nearby.

New on Kamera: festival opportunities

There's a festival in France and another festival in Croatia currenltly accepting submissions. Find out more here.

Agnès Varda's Region 1 DVD Boxset

January started off on a good note for American fans of Agnès Varda. Criterion is releasing a DVD boxset called 4 By Agnès Varda, which includes Le bonheur, Cléo from 5 to 7, Le Pointe Courte and Vagabond. Let's hope a similar Region 2 release takes place sometime soon as there is an alarming absence of Varda's films on this DVD format.

New on Kamera: Independent Exposure

Independent Exposure is accepting submissions of short video, film and digital-media works of 15 minutes or less and are seeking narrative, artistic, humorous, dramatic, animation, documentary, experimental, alternative, avant-garde, ambient, music videos, and underground works of all genres, formats, and styles. Entry fee is US$5. The main prize is a Panasonic AG-HSC1U 1/4" 3-CCD High Definition Video Camera. Deadline is 29 February.

More +

Nick Broomfield in discussion at Curzon Soho

Documentary-maker Nick Broomfield will be discussing his new film, Battle for Hadita, at the Curzon Soho next Sunday, 20 January at 12 pm.

About the film: In November 2005 in the Iraqi city of Haditha, 24 men, women and children were allegedly shot by four US Marines in retaliation for the death of a Marine killed by a roadside bomb. Broomfield’s latest work follows in the vein of his previous fiction film Ghosts in dramatizing real events, bringing the viewer uncomfortably close up to the action. Bursting with powerful imagery, Broomfield’s disturbingly realistic cinematography imagines the circumstances that provoked the slaughter, finding compassion and humanity amidst the brutality.

Sundance 2008

The 2008 edition of the Sundance festival kicked off yesterday with a presentation by its founder Robert Redford. Widely considered the premier showcase of U.S. and international independent film, the festival began in 1978 as part of the Utah/U.S. film festival when it focused primarily on the presentation of retrospective films and filmmaker seminars. However, it also featured a national competition aimed at drawing attention to emerging American films made outside the Hollywood system. In 1981, the Festival moved to Park City, Utah, and grew to include documentaries and short films along with its programme of dramatic features.

In 1985, the event added international films to its programmes and became a part of Sundance Institute, a not-for-profit organisation founded in 1981 by Redford to cultivate new work in film and theatre. The move provided the Festival with year-round administration, financial backing, and a network of contacts, and Sundance Institute gained a powerful vehicle for the presentation of new work by U.S. and international independent filmmakers. In 1991, the Festival was officially renamed Sundance Film Festival.

New on Kamera: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days

Update alert: Steven Yates gives us the lowdown on Cristian Mingiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (4 Luni, 3 Saptamini si 2 Zile), the latest winner from Romania.

Edward Burns favours internet over traditional distribution

Via Digital Spy: Edward Burns has released his new movie on the internet because he believes it will make more money. The 40-year-old is convinced that making Purple Violets available on iTunes for $12.99 is more lucrative than releasing it in cinemas.

Full story +

RIP Vampira

I just got this sad news in my inbox courtesy of the editor of RUE MORGUE magazine Jen Vuckovic:

It is with great sadness that I report the passing of Maila Nurmi, who died in her sleep several days ago. She was 86. Her dear friend Dana Gould contacted me a few minutes ago to give me the unfortunate news. He tells me she passed away peacefully, of natural causes. Dave Alexander conducted an interview with Nurmi (very likely her last) just prior to her passing and, as such, we will be publishing a memorial along with the interview in the March issue of Rue Morgue.

Born on December 21st, 1921, Nurmi (a.k.a Vampira) was the original glamour ghoul, late night host of 1950s television and, of course, star of Ed Wood’s famous cinematic turkey Plan 9 From Outer Space. She will be dearly missed.
Maila Nurmi 1921 - 2008

This will be sad news to any fan of the Ed Wood cult classic PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Vampira was still an in-demand attendee at cult film functions and, of course, was portrayed by Lisa Marie in Tim Burton's 1994 classic ED WOOD (still Johnny Depp's best film).

RIP Vampira and thanks for playing a part in a B-movie history.

Calum Waddell

Screening: Argument (1978)

Rare cinema viewing opportunity! A double-bill of screenings showing Anthony McCall and Andrew Tyndall's feature-length film, Argument (1978, pictured), followed by a presentation of a new work by Paris-based artist Aurélien Froment.

6.30 pm: Argument
Argument is a dense and provocative feature-length essay examining one issue of the New York Times magazine to investigate the ideology of news, the language of fashion and the construction of masculinity.

8.30 pm: Aurélien Froment presents a new video work.
Froment's work deals with film as a metaphor, the provenance of images and sleight of hand.

Thursday 17 January
6.30 – 9.30 pm Goethe Institut 50 Princes Gate Exhibition Road
London, SW7 2PH

Tickets from:
Serpentine Gallery Lobby Desk: 020 7402 6075

Watch: IlluminAzione by Corrado Bungaro (2007)

This video was the winner of the International Festival of 1 Minute Videos last year. Very charming and original.

Watch video.

Bunuel at the Barbican

Nothing like Bunuel films to see through bleak January. Here's the programme:

Sunday 13 January
The Milky Way (PG) (France/Italy 1968 Dir. Luis Buñuel 102 min)

On a bizarre pilgrimage from Paris to a holy Spanish shrine, two down-and-outs encounter various characters and explore the mysteries of Catholic theology. Buñuel’s startling critique of religious dogma.

Sunday 20 January
Diary of a Chambermaid (18) (France/Italy 1964 Dir. Luis Buñuel 98 min)

Jeanne Moreau stars as the stunning and ambitious maid who obtains a job with a provincial French family, and causes chaos in the home. A penetrating social satire with Buñuel at his most eloquent.

Sunday 27 January
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie (15) (France 1972 Dir. Luis Buñuel 105 min)

A group of wealthy middle class friends gather at a country house, but their host is strangely absent, and all their attempts to dine together are mysteriously frustrated. Michel Picolli, Delphine Seyrig, Fernanando Rey plus the wonderful Bulle Ogier turn in superb performances in a hilarious satire on bourgeois codes and manners.

Sunday 3 February
The Phantom of Liberty (18) (France 1974 Dir. Luis Buñuel 104 min)

Monica Vitti and Michel Picolli reflect on the meaning of life in a sequence of Pythonesque events moving from the nineteenth century through to contemporary Paris. Buñuel’s penultimate film stirs many of his favourite passions from anti-clericism to the attack on bourgeois values, all couched within a comic surrealism laden with memorable images and performances.

Sunday 10 February
That Obscure Object of Desire (15) (France/Spain 1977 Dir. Luis Buñuel 103 min)

Buñuel’s final film tells the story of a maid who refuses to yield to the amorous advances of a rich businessman, but keeps him hanging on in hope. Fernando Rey is the victim under her spell, whilst Conchita the maid is played by both Carole Bouquet and Angela Molena, portraying the dual sides of her character.

Scorsese does Hitchcock

Sean Penn to head Cannes jury in 2008

Actor and director Sean Penn has been named head of the jury of the 2008 Cannes International Film Festival, the organisation of the event announced yesterday. The festival will taken place between 14 and 25 May.

Penn's latest directorial project is the film Into the Wild, based on Jon Krakauer's non-fiction book and is considered a strong candidate for an Oscar for Best Film of 2007.

Aki Kaurismäki's actor Markku Peltola dies at 51

Finnish actor Markku Peltola, who won international recognition because of his role in director Aki Kaurismaki's 2002 movie The Man Without a Past, died early Monday at the age 51. Kaurismaki's film won the Grand Prix at the Cannes film festival in 2002. Peltola also had supporting parts in Kaurismaki's 1999 movie Juha and Drifting Clouds from 1996.

Coincidentally, Kamera last week published a review of a DVD package with some of Kaurismäki's films which you can read here.

New on Kamera: opportunity for African filmmakers

The Africa in Motion film festival (AiM), which takes place annually in October at Edinburgh's Filmhouse, is inviting African filmmakers to submit short films for a new AiM competition. Find out more here.

Watch: Vittorio De Sica's La Ciociara (1960), starring Sophia Loren and Jean-Paul Belmondo

The smoke-less screen

2008 has got off to a smoke-free start in France. The smoking ban in the country has taken effect today as authorities look to curb the widespread habit among the French (a quarter of the population puffs). We're all for health, of course, but does the ban mean that French cinema has lost one of its most iconic props? The films coming out in 2009 and set in contemporary France will probably give us a clue.

Gawker launches into sci-fi

The ever-expanding Gawker blogging empire today launched its latest title, i09, a blog dedicated to all things sci-fi, futurism and all-out silliness. And that's good news for film lovers too as the blog includes a film section that's full of sci-chedelic stuff. Beam yourself up.

Jonas Mekas, a hero in his home town

The town of Vilnius, Lithuania has paid homage to its famous filmmaker and critic citizen, Jonas Mekas, with a new visual arts centre named after him. The centre opened last month with the show, The Avant-Garde from Futurism to Fluxus. The centrepiece of the exhibition was a wall-to-wall installation of Jonas Mekas’s 40 Films. Classic films from Dada filmmakers Duchamp, Leger, and Richter completed the show.

During the opening reception Ben Vautier, legendary Fluxus artist and longtime friend of George Maciunas and Jonas Mekas, treated attendees to a Fluxus concert. Vautier re-enacted classic Fluxus performances of the 1960s. Shigeko Kubota, Vice-President of Fluxus, was also in attendance to lend her support, as was Robert Haller of Anthology Film Archives. Catalogs in English and Lithuanian, with essays by Princeton film scholar P. Adams Sitney, film critic and art historian Amy Taubin, and Fluxus scholars Hollis Melton, Astrit Schmidt-Burkhardt, Julia Robinson, and Mari Dumett were signed by Mekas.

The Avant-Garde From Futurism to Fluxus will be on view at the Jonas Mekas Visual Art Center in Vilnius, Lithuania until 03 February 2007.

New on Kamera: Oberhausen

Fancy showing your experimental short film at one of the most prestigious venues in the world?
Find out more here.

New on Kamera

Hello all, one last blog before the Christmas wrap-up. We have a great review of Second Sight's DVD release of Fassbinder's Berlin Alexanderplatz and a instigating essay on the legacy of the maestro of horror-chic, Val Lewton, which is a section from the latest title coming out on Kamera Books, penned by our in-house horror experts, Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell. Please help us spread the word, have a great Christmas and a fabulous 2008!

Merry Xmas all

Merry Xmas and Happy holidays to all Kamera readers... and if you can support one film this Festive Season check out "American Gangster", which is excellent

Best wishes
Calum Waddell

New on Kamera

Asian cinema fans: click here for a review of Invisible Waves and here for Bright Future. If you have made a film that deals with human rights, here's a chance to show your work.

My Top 10 Films of 2007

Here's the top 10 movies I saw in 2007. All personal opinion of course!

Babel
Brad Pitt gives a career best performance in a drama that genuinelly grips from start to finish.

What Would Jesus Buy?
Produced by Supersize Me's Morgan Spurlock, this documentary focuses on the Reverend Billy - a man on a mission to stop the mass shopping epidemic that takes over the world during the festive season. Don't write him off - ethical commentary on sweatshops, globalisation and multinationalism make this an essential, and smart, watch.

Zodiac
David Fincher's best movie to date - a thrilling investigation into San Francisco's Zodiac Killer and utterly unmissable.

Stuck
Stuart Gordon cements his evolution as a thoroughly mature director following his impressive due of King of the Ants and Edmond. This is edge of your seat stuff and another five star offering.

Teeth
A film festival favourite and for good reason - girl meets boy, things go a bit too far, boy realises that girl has some seriously scary gnashers in a very personal place. Both hilarious and stomach churning.

Blood Diamond
DiCaprio continues to impress with his roles and this is probably his best turn since The Aviator. And to think he was once that wee fella in Titanic...

A Mighty Heart
The true story of Daniel Pearl, Michael Winterbottom follows up his vital Road to Guantanamo with this moving little tear jerker that is sure to nab Angelina Jolie an Oscar nomination.

American Gangster
Another based-on-a-true-story offering, Ridley Scott's epic starts off a little slow but soon manages to accomplish what any great movie does - it glues you to the screen and makes you forget that time is even passing...

Control
Obviously if you are a fan of Joy Division this film carries an extra wallop but even if you are not the story of Ian Curtis is tragic enough to pull on anyone's heartstrings.

Sicko
Michael Moore strikes with the movie of the year - an impassioned call for the US to follow the leads of so many other countries and introduce socialised healthcare. If you watch this as a Brit you WILL breath a sigh of relief for the good old NHS...

The Big Shave (Dir: Martin Scorcese, 6', 1967)

Pasolini in Cairo

The press agency ANSAmed has a report on the film that director Daoud Aoula-Syad has made to pay homage to Pier Paolo Pasolini. In a village in the middle of nowhere in Morocco, satellite dish salesman Thami announces to his fellow villagers the imminent arrival of a troupe of Italian film makers who will shoot a film there, thus triggering cinema fever. So begins ''Waiting for Pasolini'', that previewed last week at the Cinema Festival of Cairo. ''I wanted to render homage to the great master of Italian cinema, whom I admire and I have studied for many years,'' said the Moroccan film maker.

More+

New York Film Critics Online awards 2007

The title says it all and the winners can be seen here.

Tony Tenser RIP

Just heard this sad news from Gil Lane at the Manchester Fest of Fantastic Films. My thoughts go out to his family:

[I]Sadly I am advised that Tony Tenser died on the 5th Dec - we'll be putting something on the website in a day or so.[/I]

Keep an eye on the Manchester Festival of Fantastic Films web site at:

http://fantastic-films.com/festival/

In a long and illustrious career Tenser produced the classic Witchfinder General in 1968 as well as Roman Polanski's masterpiece Repulsion (1965) and later Cul-de-sac (1966).

I, personally, will cherish the memory of sharing the back seat of a car with Tenser as we drove him back to his nursing home in August 2005, shortly after his appearance at that year's festival in Manchester (where he amusingly referred to the then 66 year old Ruggero Deodato as a "young man"). A very frail, but nonetheless enthusiastic and warm, gentleman - Tenser entertained the car with his stories of Brigitte Bardot, Vincent Price and Polanski. There was a real sadness when he said that his 2005 honour would probably be the last one that he would experience.

RIP

Calum Waddell

Best films of 2007

The inevitable best-of lists have started to pop up but I was curious to see what art-world bible Art Forum had in stock in its lists compiled by two critics: Amy Taubin, who chose David Fincher's Zodiac as the best film of 2007 and T. J. Wilcox, whose chose Paul Verhoeven's Black Book as the top film of the year.

European Film Awards pay homage to Godard

The 2007 edition of the European Film Awards, an organisation founded in 1988 as a platform to promote European cinema, made winners out of Jean Luc Godard, for his lifetime contribution to cinema and Cristian Mungiu, for his film 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which won the Best European Film award. The ubiquitous Helen Mirren received yet another Best Actress prize for her role in The Queen while the veteran Portuguese director Manoel de Oliveira received a Honorary Award. For the full list click here.

THE EYE is 2008's first remake

So here we are with 2008 looming and one of the first star-powered vehicles of the year will be Jessica Alba's rehash of THE EYE, arguably the scariest - and most intriguing - of the Asian fantasy ghost stories that hit cinemas and DVDs following the explosion of RINGU back in the late 90s. After THE EYE bows out at cinemas will be a rehash of another Thailand-produced hit - this time SHUTTER, a mediocre ghost-on-the-loose offering.

Some fans have been decrying the idea of a new, English language version of THE EYE - wondering what Alba and producer Tom Cruise can possibly bring to the genre. With the directors of THEM behind the helm, the answer is - "possibly quite a lot."

A lot of people bemoan remakes which is hard to understand. After all, many films are nothing more than attempts to adapt what has come before to a new environment - witness John Carpenter's excellent Assault on Precinct 13, which took the John Wayne classic Rio Bravo and spun it into modern New York. Likewise, Days of Thunder was Top Gun with racing cars, Dirty Harry got remade into four sequels and Gladiator attempted to outdo Spartacus. So when a remake of a film that is well loved comes along perhaps there's something to be said about giving it a chance.

As a result, when THE EYE does roll up this writer will be there in the queue to see it. Seeing a new twist of familiar material certainly feels more appealing - after a 2007 that saw TRANSFORMERS and SPIDER MAN 3 hit big at the box office - than most of what the local mutiplex is serving up.

Calum Waddell

New on Kamera: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

Kamera's Andrew Benbow enjoyed The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, with Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck, which opens in the UK tomorrow. Check out his review here.

British Independent Awards announce winners; Control is the big winner

In a ceremony at the Rounhouse in London last night, the British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) announced this year's winners. Anton Corbijn's Control was the star of the night as it received the Best Independent Film, Best Director, Best Debut Director and Most Promising Newcomer (for Sam Riley, the protagonist of the film). Notes On a Scandal also made an impact on the jury and received the Best Actress (for Judi Dench) and Best Screenplay awards. The German production The Lives of Others received the Best Foreign Independent Feature.

New on Kamera: film festivals and Dante's Inferno

We have caught wind of two very cool festivals that are currently accepting applications. Find out more here.

Now, if you are in London make sure you catch one of two screenings of Dante's Inferno. The film is a contemporary reworking of the classic tale, bringing it back to modern life. Shot on HD and Directed by Sean Meredith using Victorian toy-theater techniques all the sets and characters have been exquisitely hand painted by the artist Sandow Birk. Working with writer Marcus Sander, Dante's original text has also been adapted into present-day urban vernacular.

Set amidst the vast urban entropy of present-day Los Angeles, the 77-minute long Dante's Inferno is described as a "comedic travelogue of the underworld - set against an all too familiar urban backdrop of used car lots, gated communities, strip malls, logos and the U.S. Capitol. And populated with a contemporary cast of reprobates, including famous - and infamous - politicians, presidents, popes, pimps, and the Prince of Darkness himself."

To judge by the image below, it looks very promising.

Amsterdam's moving images in public space

Living up to its reputation as a cutting-edge city, Amsterdam last month opened the doors of CASZ (Contemporarty Art Screen Zuidas) whose main premise is to present 'moving images in public space'.

According to the venue's website, the space is "a stage dedicated to providing moving images to the public domain. Located on the Zuidplein in Amsterdam, CASZ will present a high quality selection of visual arts, including the screenings of video and film works on a 40 m2 LED screen. The accompanying soundtracks will either be made available to visitors free of charge on their mobile phones or - during special events and openings - through the screen’s own built-in sound system."

Eighteen hours a day from 6 a.m. to midnight, an international selection of film and video works from established and emerging artists from all over the world will intermingle with the public life on Zuidplein, addressing a mixed crowd of managers and office workers, students and academics as well as other inhabitants and users of the Zuidas.

he first annual program has been compiled by curator Jan Schuijren and includes audiovisual works by artists like John Wood and Paul Harrison (UK), Michel François (B) and Guido van der Werve (NL), illustrations by Dan Perjovschi (Rom) and works by around 200 other artists. The project was realised in collaboration with PARK4DTV, NIMk and TheOneMinutes (Amsterdam), Impakt (Utrecht), Argos (Brussels) and tank.tv (London).

It sounds really good so if you happen to be in Amsterdam, now you know how to see some film on the go. Click here for more information.

New on Kamera: The Darjeeling Limited plus DVD reviews

Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell give the thumbs up to Wes Anderson's The Darjeeling Limited. Also check out some of the latest DVD releases.

Events around the world

Academically-minded film buffs in Leeds, here's one for you: the Centre for World Cinemas at the University of Leeds is hosting the conference, Realism and Audiovisual Media between 3 and 5 December. The theory behind the event is:

"The question of realism, so relevant in the era of Bazin and Kracauer, has returned to the centre of the debate on the moving image with the introduction of digital technology. Cinema and its ‘ontological’ or ‘indexical’ property seem under threat of disappearance. The recent boom of the documentary genre and reality shows could be seen as a reaction against the proliferation of the virtual image. However, resistance to the virtual as a modern condition is a much older phenomenon, and world cinema can provide us with a number of examples, which reassert the belief in filmmaking as a means to re-establish links with the material world."

Speakers include João Moreira Salles from Brazil and Mary Ann Doane from the U.S.

To register go here.

Now, if you happen to be in Denmark, check out Japanese Eye, a video screening programme curated by Sachiko Hayashi, compiling eight video works by young Japanese video artists and
film-makers in Tokyo. It will be shown at Overgaden, (pictured) the Institute of Contemporary Art, in Copenhagen on 24th November. The screening will be accompanied by a presentation by the curator.

I'm Not There: Haynes's Dylan movie opens in the U.S.

"Among its many achievements, Haynes's film (which opens in the United States this week and across Europe this winter) hurls a Molotov cocktail through the facade of the Hollywood biopic factory, exploding the literal-minded, anti-intellectual assumptions that guide even the most admiring cinematic explorations of artists' lives. Rather than turn out yet another dutiful, linear chronicle of childhood trauma and grown-up substance abuse, Haynes has produced a dizzying palimpsest of images and styles, in which his subject appears in the form of six different people."

Full story (via the International Herald Tribune)

Todd Haynes's visual lecture on the film.

New on Kamera: KurzFilmFestival Hamburg

Hamburg is calling for films. Find out more.

New on Kamera: Cecil B. DeMille

Our latest article on Kamera is a review of a mammoth biography of Hollywood's unreplaceable emperor, Cecil B. DeMille, called 'Cecil B. DeMille and The Golden Calf' and written by Simon Louvish. We did some digging around looking for stuff related to one of DeMille's most famous creations, Gloria Swanson (she of Sunset Boulevard fame), and see what we found on YouTube:

Gloria Swanson UK TV interview (1978):



Gloria Swanson and Janis Joplin! On Dick Cavett

Trailer: Silent Light

Carlos Reygadas' follow up to Battle in Heaven (Kamera interviewed Reygadas on occasion), Silent Light is opening in the UK on 7 December. Tartan has put together a nice-looking website for the film, which snatched the Prix Gu Jury at the last Cannes festival.

With his third feature film (the first was Japón, 2002), Reygadas is establishing himself as one of the leading voices in experimental cinema and definitely one to watch out for. He surely is very self-confident and focused on creating an auteurial signature.

New on Kamera:Asian extreme cinema

Our horror film specialists, who've got a new title on the genre coming up on Kamera Books, Michelle Le Blanc and Colin Odell, have penned a couple of DVD reviews on the latest releases of Asian action fare. Check them out.

New on Kamera: Romanian and German cinema

Check out Kamera for some news on the Romanian and German film festivals that take place in London in November.

New on Kamera: Killer of Sheep

We have a great review of the DVD release of American classic Killer of Sheep, by Charles Burnett, one of the first 50 (out of only 450) films to be preserved in America's Library of Congress National Film Registry. Sarah Manvel penned the text.

And here's the trailer:

The New Czech Cinema

The New Czech Cinema season highlights the best films from the Czech Republic over the last two years. At London's Riverside tonight the season begins with a screening of the animated feature One Night in One City by Jan Balej, followed by David Ondricek's Grandhotel. The director will also be present for a Q&A after the film.

Following more screenings on Friday, on Saturday the season continues with Oscar nominated director Jan Hrebejk's latest film Beauty in Trouble. Set against the backdrop of the Prague floods in 2002, the film looks at contemporary relationships based on the hectic life of a young mother. Melodrama combines with humour in a well scripted film. Read my review here

Immediately following its season in London, the New Czech Cinema programme plays many major Art Houses Cinemas across Britain.

Trailer: What Would Jesus Buy?

Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me) is back as producer of What Would Jesus Buy? Directed by Rob VanAlkemade, the film examines the commercialiaation of Christmas in America while following Reverend Billy and the Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir on a cross-country mission to save Christmas from the Shopocalypse (the end of humankind from consumerism, over-consumption and the fires of eternal debt.) The film also delves into issues such as the role sweatshops play in America’s mass consumerism and Big-Box Culture. From the humble beginnings of preaching at his portable pulpit on New York City subways, to having a congregation of thousands – Bill Talen (aka Rev. Billy) has become the leader of not just a church, but a national movement.

Here's the trailer.

New on Kamera: media art

Fancy getting your work shown at one of the biggest media art events in the world? Find out how here.

Online viewing: Love & Hate

Tank.tv is currently showing videos by artists from the former Yugoslavia, encompassing Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia. Curated by the artist Nada Prlja, it includes works by Nemanja Cvijanović, Olgica Dimitrovska, Vesna Miličević, Nada Prlja, Nikola Uzunovski, Škart and Žaneta Vangeli.

According to the website, the region was chosen "because of the unique political and economic situation that has evolved since the death of President Tito in 1980 and the subsequent dissolution of the former nation state. These ex-Yugoslav countries now find themselves in what is popularly known as the phase of “Transition”. It is a state brought about by the transformation of a socialist society into one of (apparent) liberal democracy but also related to the recent sectarian civil wars, and how their aftermath has contributed to a sense of ‘incompleteness’ for these new societies. "

To 15 November.

Czech Cinema: The Old and The New

A festival representing the best new films from the Czech Republic over the last two years starts on the 8th November at the Riverside Studios in Hammersmith, London. It is preceded by a rare showing of the 1967 film Marketa Lazarová, directed by Frantisek Vlacil and widely considered the best ever Czech film. Introduced by renowned Czech Cinema writer Peter Hames (with Mehelli Modi), the screening will take place at the Curzon Cinema, in London’s Mayfair, on 4th November.

Marketa Lazarová is set in the 13th Century and adapted from a 1931 best-selling novel by avant-garde writer Vladislav Vančura. Inspired by a true Middle Ages story of the conflict between Christianity and paganism, against the backdrop of the royal Bohemian town of Mladá Boleslav, it depicts the rival clans of the Kozlíks and the Lazars, particularly the doomed love affair between Mikoláš Kozlík and Markéta Lazarová. It was the most expensive film ever made in Czechoslovakia, taking three years to complete. For two years, the director took his cast and crew into the Šumava forest to live by primitive means, all claiming the experience was invaluable. The result was an experimental black and white avant-garde film with a multi-layered symbolic style. Though the film was enormously popular at home and the Czechs always holding it in high esteem, it has rarely been screened abroad and usually greeted with critical indifference.

The screening is to coincide with its release on DVD by Second Run

For the forthcoming New Czech Cinema programme click here