Album soon, with any luck…

On the subject of Batman, how good is this poster for ‘Dark Knight’? I hope Mr.Nolan sent those responsible some non-exploding cigars.

Billy The Kid

This looks amazing. Link

A secret history of cinema

Shadowplay is a fabulous site and you should add it to your bookmarks immediately. David Cairns, talented film-maker and a commenter I always read with interest when he drops by these parts, is uploading his brain onto the internet and the result is just fascinating. His is one of those sites that doesn’t just regurgitate what’s going on elsewhere on the web (like some I could mention), but instead adds to it with fascinating, unique discoveries of his own. Where else would you find something like…oh, Quincy Jones talking about Ingmar Bergman? “I know Ingmar Bergman is supposed to knock out his pictures in two or three weeks, but I’m sure that underneath he chews up twenty tons of rug. He won’t even leave his own city, so don’t tell me what a real secure cat he is.”.
Elsewhere, he’s either digging up some unknown gem and lovingly holding it up to the light or he’s revealing new aspects to films we all feel we know backwards. Today, I’ve found out that Richard Widmark is still alive, seen Audrey Hepburn’s screentest and found out who Henri Alekan is. I can’t wait to see what’s next.

“It’s the cheapest drug there is!”

(From Walk Hard)

Torture works!

Just to prove how much he hates violence, Michael Haneke has made Funny Games again. Because the message of his film is so important (watching people suffer is not entertainment, so here’s two hours of it), and because it’s so vital to get this across to as many people as possible, he’s done it with an all-star cast! So now you can watch Tim Roth cry for ten minutes without having to read the subtitles.

When a European does it, y’see, it’s not torture porn, it’s art. And when he does it again, it’s not a cynical cash-in, it’s… uhh, well, it’s something.

(Oh, and to all the critics who tricked me into sitting through to the end of ‘Hidden’? Thanks… thanks a bunch.)

Watching ‘Shane’ with Woody

My hero, Woody Allen, waxes lyrical on that most lyrical of Westerns, Shane.

As a side note, it’s always interesting to contrast the spiky manner Woody shows to American journalists with the ridiculous deference he shows to their British counterparts. What’s with the prepared statement?

Oh, Holy God, it looks so good.

How many of us have had this dream?

Don’t know what the end’s all about…

“I could cut a man in half!”

I didn’t go for ‘Taladega Nights’, and this is apparently from the same bunch, but I love John C Reilly so much I’m happy to go and get fooled again.

The reason I’m posting this, though, is quite simple. Jack White as Elvis! He’s hilarious!

Actually, there’s a second reason…years ago, Arthur and I wrote a fake biopic of Elvis along much the same lines as this. I thought Arthur might get a kick out of seeing how it could’ve turned out.

They’ve made ‘The Mist’!

‘The Mist’ is one of my favourite Stephen King stories. They’ve finally filmed it and from what I can see here, they’ve nailed what makes the story interesting, and topical. Let’s see…a mysterious threat that can come in a variety of forms..crazy fundamentalist Christians trying to control everyone through fear…rational people marginalised…remind you of anything?

“If anything happens, cut and run.” I mean, talk about laying it on the line! Once again, science fiction steps in where everyone else is too chickenshit to tread.