Noting the passing of the death of Robert S. McNamara.

In a really creepy bit of timing, The House Next Door has just posted a lengthy (I’ve only read about half, so far) but I’d say very worthwhile consideration of documentarian Morris’s entire film career by Jason Bellamy and Ed Howard, including an appropriately skeptical consideration of McNamara’s attempts at self-rehabilitation in this film. You can also see if I was one of those critics Ed and Jason mention who took him at face value in my review from late 2003.

Up to now, I’ve been a no-show at the several cinephile exams that have been hosted over the last couple of years at Dennis Cozzalio’s legendarily brainy film geek blog, Sergio Leone and the Infield Fly Rule. Well, before splitting for a hard-earned vacation, Dennis has posted a new exam on film-related matters, up in honor of the cartoon dog genius, Prof. Peabody, which you’re all encouraged to take.

I’ve posted my responses in the comment thread over there already, but now that I’m a SLIFR slacker no more, I thought I’d make ‘em do double duty here because we know that my opinions matter, or something.

Here goes….

1) Favorite Biopic

“Lawrence of Arabia” – an obviously great film and a rather pedestrian choice given that I really like biopics, sometimes the cheesier and and more ridiculously fabricated the better. Therefore, quasi-demi-honorable mention is alluded this triumvirate of absurdly wrong biopics – “The Jolson Story” (it’s amazing how much Al Jolson’s life was just like the plot of “The Jazz Singer”!), “They Died With Their Boots On” (the love affair between Custer and the Indians your socialist history teacher doesn’t want you to see!) and “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story” (he didn’t just appear in action movies…he lived them!).

2) Dyan Cannon or Tuesday Weld?

It’s close, but I give it to Dyan Cannon for being hilarious onscreen and genuinely wacky offscreen.

3) Best example of science fiction futurism rendered silly by the event of time catching up to the prediction

The Jetson’s treadmill? I’m drawing a blank here.

4) Annette Funicello & Frankie Avalon or Troy Donahue & Sandra Dee?

Frankie & Annette – I grew up watching those movies on channels 5 & 9 (I think) out here up to age 10 or so. Not that those movies are in any sense “good” (I wonder if I could sit through any of them now?), but F&A at least have a certain amount of charm and sense of humor, which I really can’t say about Troy Donahue, at least.

5) Favorite Raoul Walsh movie?

Not really “White Heat,” and no, definitely not “They Died with Their Boots On”… The winner is “The Roaring Twenties” – by far. Just a magnificent entertainment. I need to see that one again some time soon.

6) Sophomore film which represents greatest improvement over the director’s debut

This is tough, but I guess I’m going to say Polanski’s “Repulsion” as it’s brilliant and “Knife in the Water” left me feeling merely 90 minutes older after it was done. Though, that was in college and I might have a very different reaction now. (Another possibility is “Rushmore” – though I loved “Bottle Rocket” quite a bit, so it’s dicey.)

7) Ice Cube or Mos Def?

Mos Def – because he convinced me he was actually English in “Hithchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.”

Favorite movie about the music industry.

Many, many fun movies in this category, but I guess I’m going to have to go with “Nashville.”

(more…)

The talk might be all peace — well, the prospect for it — love, and closing down Gitmo in Washington. And in Hollywood, post Oscar annoucement, the main matter of concern for those not attending Sundance might be that now we all really do have to see Benjamin Button even if — like me — you’re kind of dreading it.

But via cinephile newsmeister David Hudson, we learn that, as per Anne Thompson, fists are flying in Park City, Utah. Well, one fist flew, anyway. And not just any fist but one belonging to well known critic John Anderson and his target was Jeff “the Dude” Dowd — and if there’s any film fans reading who aren’t at least dimly aware that producer’s rep Dowd, a sort of super-agent/salesperson for independent films, was the model for Jeff Bridges’ “Dude” in The Big Lebowski, I’d be surprised.

Beyond noting that Park City during Sundance really is a stressful environment and, given the constant lay-offs in the print media and open season on movie critics, this might not be a good time to antagonize them. I will also say that I and my laptop practically lived in the place where the not-quite brawl apparently took place: the friendly and fairly intimate restaurant/bar of the Yarrow Hotel, where most of the press screenings are held and which became a beloved refuge for me during my single ten-day Sundance stretch back in 2005.

Technically a private club because of Utah’s unsurprising blue laws, it’s not a very big place, so the altercation must have been a sight to see. Also, given the genuine niceness of the staff — who  collectively allowed me to click away for hours with fairly minimal purchases of coffee, burgers, and the very occasional post-writing beer — I’m glad there wasn’t too big a mess and they now have another good story to tell about those crazy people from Hollywood.

I just wanted to draw attention to a fascinating post by Greencine’s essential ur-cinephile blogger, David Hudson, whose work is regularly syndicated here at FtY. David is an American ex-pat living in Berlin, and he takes a look at a new German print magazine and blog. Aside from its name, Cargo, it’s entirely in German, but it’s still of some interest to us monolingual cinegeeks and he does a great job of explaining why. Definitely worth reading if you care about this stuff.