I saw this at a friend’s house the other day. I liked the look – clean and spare. I thought the Brooks/Smith relationship was great (though Strangers on a Train is still a better partner in crime story if you ask me). It was quite satisfying until the “it was only a dream” rugpull at the end. I cannot abide that cheap trick. A good thriller, though, besides the problem at the end.
Outfest Executive Director Stephen Gutwillig performed his last official duty last night before stepping down to join a new group. He chose to screen the 1950 classic All About Eve. Joseph L. Mankiewicz wrote and directed, and the equally legendary Darryl F. Zanuck produced. The dialogue holds up to this day, and I consider it one of the best movies ever about Hollywood and theatre. Bette Davis is Margo Channing, a fading actress of a certain age (OK, my age). She is eventually supplanted by Eve Harrington, whose character undergoes a remarkable transformation from mousy sycophant to conniving backstabbing competitor with the help of poison pen theatre reviewer Addison Dewitt (played to perfection by George Sanders). The movie is high camp and dripping with irony and cynicism. It also has a then-unknown Marilyn Monroe as an aspiring actress. The movie is framed by the award scene above, so viewers know that Eve is going to change from when we first meet her. The final scene is not only perfectly shot, but very chilling. I’d put this on my must-see list for everyone.
I saw Persepolis as part of the Film Independent members’ preview series tonight. It’s based on a French-language graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi that describes her childhood in Iran after the revolution. The animation style is really outstanding, and the story helps put a human face on the recent history of Iran. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how it won’t take much for this country to unravel into a theocracy as well.
The film is up for a number of awards, and just won an honor from the National Review Board. I’m not sure seeing it in the theater is required – the animation style probably translates fine to a small screen. It opens Christmas in LA in NY and in 2008 elsewhere.
Last night I watched the 1953 Clouzot film Wages of Fear (Le Salaire de la peur) as part of my ongoing project to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of canonical films. The first half is pretty slow going, but it gives a sense of the desperation that would lead the men in this desolate company outpost to risk their lives transporting explosives to an oil well fire. The second half is simply brilliant. There are several set pieces where they have to maneuver the trucks past obstacles, and they are so suspensefully crafted that you cringe the whole time. You feel as if YOU will explode with them if they make an error. It also has a lot to say about American imperialism and our thirst for oil that still holds true 50 years later. Worth a look if you like old films with a healthy heap o’ nihilism.
Lightspun 3. Holiday edition! Taken on 8 December 2007 in Van Nuys, California.
A friend of mine has the most amazing holiday decorations throughout his house. I snapped a few shots that do not do them justice. Taken in Van Nuys, California on 8 December 2007.
My guest column for the December 18, 2007 trans-themed edition of The Advocate is now available online. I was asked to write about questions not to ask.
Don’t Tick Off Trans: Transgressive questions likely to be a transgender conversation-ender by Andrea James
I also wrote a very abbreviated glossary (defining sex and gender in 250 words is no easy task!):
Words to the Wise: A glossary of basic sex and gender terms you should know.
There’s some other great stuff, including the cover story Gay vs. Trans in America and a round table with gay and trans people speaking pretty plainly about the tensions within the LGBT community. Subscribe online or have a hard copy delivered!
Continuing my obsession with pools at night. This is with ambient light on a long exposure.
On the way home tonight I saw a coyote. I hear them a lot, but I’ve only seen one in the yard once. Sometimes at night they will catch something in a nearby park, and a whole pack of them will start yelping and howling. It’s creepy but beautiful, if that makes sense. They kind of just look like dogs, but there’s something about the way they walk that says they are feral. It’s a tension in their muscles, as if they are more tightly wound than a dog. Since I was in the car and didn’t even have the camera out when I saw it, I didn’t have time to make the shot look all cool like the coyote in the film Collateral., which is one of the best movies in terms of capturing the feel of LA at night. Still, I was happy to get a shot of my friendly neighborhood coyote.
Last night I went to see a collection of short films playing at the Outfest Fusion film festival, the only multi-racial, gender-inclusive film festival of its kind.
* A Two Woman One Act, directed by Vanessa Libertad Garcia (2007, 11 min.)
* Just, directed by David Maurice Gil’s (2007, 12 min.)
* Fighter, directed by Sharon Barnes (2007, 11 min.)
* Doorman, directed by Etienne Kallos (2007, 18 min.)
* Shooting Geronimo, directed by Kent Monkman (2007, 11 min.)
* I’m Jin-Young directed by Sung-eun Lee (2007, 19 min.)
My personal faves were “Just,” an intense post-hookup conversation (beautifully shot), “Doorman,” a moody piece about a troubled romance between a doorman and a tenant, and “I’m Jin-Young,” an adorable story about a fourth-grader with a crush on her mom’s friend.
I also talked to the shorts programmer for Sundance, who said they had 5,100 (!) entries this year. That is a lot of films to screen! She said some days you would only see one good one the whole day. Yikes.
After I went with some filmmakers to Cafe des Artistes for a drink, then an out-of-town visitor took me to a lovely dinner. A great day!