Saturday, November 24, 2007

Screening Log. 11/23

Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese) (1976)


-
Probably my all-time favorite film. I'm writing a paper on loneliness/isolation in Scorsese's films (hence the semi-streak of Scorsese screenings), and what better film then this. Robert Kolker's chapter on Scorsese in A Cinema of Loneliness and his commentary on the new DVD are helpful, but I feel like he underestimates Travis' sanity in the first half of the film (or maybe that's just me giving too much credit to this character whom I have, unhealthily, related to since my angst-driven high school years). The most interesting aspect of Kolker's commentary for me was the film references that I have previously missed, mostly the allusion to The Searchers in the last half of the film. Also there is a very interesting, though at times a bit stretched, article on the uses of intertextuality in the film by John Thurman over at Senses of Cinema [link].

Friday, November 23, 2007

Screening Log. 11/23

The King of Comedy (Martin Scorsese) (1983)

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Thanksgiving Graphed.

Winsor family Thanksgiving dinner (1882) (Photo by Wm Rotch Ware)


Colorado National Guard Soldiers (1896 or 1897)


Thanksgiving at Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Carlisle, PA (c. 1879-1918)


Thanksgiving Ceremony of "Turning the Sod," of the New Masonic Temple, Detroit MI (1920)

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Screening Log. 11/21

Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes) (1998)

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Screening Log. 11/18

No Country for Old Men (Joel & Ethan Coen) (2007)

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Reading Log. Игрок

The Gambler (Fyodor Dostoevsky) (1887)



Full Text online [link] [link]

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Screening Log. 11/15

Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese) (1980)

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Screening Log. 11/14

The Red Badge of Courage (John Huston) (1951)

The Archaic 80s. The Abortion of Cool

Miles Davis - You're Under Arrest (1985)

Reading Log. Picture

Picture (Lillian Ross) (1952)



"I still think 'The Red Badge of Courage' is a beautiful picture," Schary said confidently. "It's ahead of its time and behind its time." He paused, then continued, "To me the picture is moving, completely honest, perfect translation of the book. It's imaginative and it has good performances. It's a wonderful picture. A normal business risk. Of course."

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Norman Mailer dead at 84.


(Sept. 13. 1948, Photo by Carl Van Vechten)

NPR [link]
AP [link]

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Don't Forget...

Don't be an Arizonian...Help save daylight.



Screening Log. 11/3

The Marx Brothers in a Nutshell (Richard Patterson) (1982)

Thursday, November 1, 2007

¡Feliz Día de los Muertos!

Screening Log. 11/1

Full Metal Jacket (Stanley Kubrick) (1987)



Screenplay [link]
'Full Metal Jacket as Genre Film' essay [link]
another Full Metal Jacket essay [link]
Wikipedia [link]
 
*please cite or link when reposting*