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ReelPolitik
A blog about film and politics, and the politics of filmmaking.
Anthony Kaufman is a film journalist and critic, who has written for the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, the Village Voice and Slate, and contributes regularly to Variety, indieWIRE, the Wall Street Journal Online and the Utne Reader.
[Email Me]
Articles
- "Piracy May Be an Indie Filmmaker's Best Friend" (Indiewire, October 2011
- "The Decline of Indies on Netflix" (indieWIRE, Sept, 2011)
- "Secretariat" Isn't Hollywood's Only Secretly Conservative Blockbuster" (IFC News, October 2010)
- "Absurdistan: The New Iraq War Cinema" (Village Voice, April 2008)
- "Is Foreign Film The New Endangered Species?" (New York Times, January 2006)
ReelPolitik
"God Bless America": A Rollicking Liberal Revenge Fantasy
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- May 8, 2012 11:24 AM
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- 0 Comments
Going into Bobcat Goldthwait's murder-spree social satire "God Bless America," which is opening in theaters this week, I was highly skeptical. We've been down the road of murderous social commentaries before (see "Natural Born Killers"; actually, don't). But never taking itself too seriously, this slighty outrageous, breezy exercise in renegade violence is an angry liberal's wet-dream-come-true -- a tale of vengeance for NPR listeners everywhere.
The Politics of "The Avengers"; Or, Can Clean Energy and Old-Fashioned Jingoism Mix?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- May 7, 2012 10:10 AM
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- 2 Comments
I couldn't help myself. Not because I'm a fan of comic books, blockbusters or Josh Whedon, but because I'm always curious about a cultural phenonemon, and often feel the need to interrogate what is at play in our most popular movies, and especially since this may be the most popular one of all time. "The Avengers" embodies what I've always felt about Hollywood juggernauts: they're a hodgepodge of political views and ideological undercurrents, colliding with each other to create a mainstream entertainment that, if you look close enough, manages to uphold old-fashioned reactionary American values. Here, it's such myths as militaristic might, individual sacrifice and the renegade American hero--allthough, it also seems to throw a bone to contemporary liberal views on energy policy at the same time.
Why Monopolies Are Bad: Withoutabox's Film Fest Stranglehold
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- May 3, 2012 3:54 PM
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- 2 Comments
No one likes a monopoly. Even an anti-capitalist like me knows that a lack of competition leads to higher prices as well as less freedom and innovation for everyone in the marketplace. That's why the story of Withoutabox, the film festival submission system that is the undisputed standard for the indie film industry, caught my attention, and why I've reported on the company for this Indiewire story, "Why Withoutabox Has 400,000 Indie Filmmakers, 1,000 Film Festivals -- and Frustrated Customers."
"Dark Knight" Trailer Rises on OWS May Day; Stock Exchange Erupts
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- May 1, 2012 9:40 AM
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- 0 Comments
Now that the third and final trailer of "The Dark Knight Rises" has emerged--on Occupy Wall Street's May Day, no less--it's hard not to see some major zeitgeisty OWS issues coming to the fore. Not only do we have the film's ominous call for class warfare -- “You think this can last?" says the would-be Catwoman. "There’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne.... when it hits, you’re all going to wonder how you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us" -- but now we have some images to go along with it, including a brief shot of sparks exploding from inside the New York Stock Exchange.
Recent Comments
Just stumbled on your article. As an Iranian and a filmmaker, I appreciate your insight into
Of course, because don't we want all our movies to be politically correct and focus-group
That's a fascinating take on the subject, Harry Harrison. And thank you for pointing out that
Ah, Harry, it's funny how certain internet types reduce everything to "moron",
FACTOID: "Similarly, what qualifies Gibney to tackle wikileaks?" Um, mr. factoid, using
Documentary filmmaking, particularly of the type likely to turn up at major festivals and be
The music industry renders your argument moot: the other 86% of the population is overwhelmingly
A close friend of mine works at ITVS. I can tell you that it is a secretive place where the managers
I knew this would be more political oriented. And that's why Pitt signed onto the project. So
I haven't seen the movie yet, but I did see Moulin Rouge. I thoroughly enjoyed it, but not