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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
How Overrated is "Beasts of the Southern Wild"?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 31, 2012 10:49 AM
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- 10 Comments
One of the best films to play at Sundance in two decades? I don't think so. Admittedly, I'm no Manohla Dargis, who made such a pronounced vote of confidence for the rough-and-tumble fantastical indie feature, "Beasts of the Southern Wild," which was a triple threat at this year's Sundance, winning the Grand Jury Prize, a Fox Searchlight deal, and was ranked the number one film of the fest by many critics. Consider this the beginning of the backlash.
Sundance 2012: The Great, the Good, and the Blah
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 26, 2012 12:14 PM
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- 4 Comments
Strong Sundance Docs Raise Specter of Racism in U.S. and Abroad
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 23, 2012 4:04 PM
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- 0 Comments
I haven't yet seen "Slavery by Another Name," a new documentary that's premiering in Sundance this week, but the title evokes a theme I've seen running through a number of docs at this year's festival: the prevalence of racism in the histories of America and other countries. While economic-themed docs drew headlines prior to the festival, strong nonfiction films such as "Searching for Sugar Man," "Under African Skies," "The House I Live In" and "The Law In These Parts" suggest darker, and more disturbing undercurrents about discrimination in societies--as well as, in some cases, the power to counteract it.
Fiercely Independent: "Simon Killer," "Beasts," "Keep the Lights On" at Sundance
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 21, 2012 11:38 AM
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- 1 Comment
Not long ago on this blog I called for the celebration of non-corporate films in non-corporate theaters. Well, at Sundance, I've been pleasantly surprised by the committed and audacious indie filmmaking on display: it's defiantly non-corporate, indeed. (And I'd like to thank the Sundance organizers for limiting the sponsorship trailers before the screenings.) The three competition films I've seen so far, "Simon Killer," "Beasts of the Southern Wild" and "Keep the Lights On" all show a surprising lack of interest in commercial viability. If Sundance has become synonymous with Harvey Weinstein-like bidding wars, here are three films that take much highter ground, aiming more for art than commerce.
This Year's Foreign Oscar Snubs: "Separation" In; "Bala" Out
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 18, 2012 1:38 PM
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- 1 Comment
Oh, why do I even still bother? Predictably disappointing, but still somewhat grating, the Academy Awards have announced their short-list for the Best Foreign Language Film of the year, and the resulting 9 films aren't going to surprise anyone--except for the few noteworthy omissions that should rankle critics.
Does Digital Spell the End of the Art House?
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 18, 2012 1:13 PM
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- 1 Comment
I did not attend Art House Convergence, the annual event in Park City, Utah that precedes Sundance and gathers together the leading lights of community theaters and small art house venues around the country. But it seems as if a post I wrote last week, Indie Theaters Left in the Dark by 3D Boom, set up one of the central issues facing the exhibitors as they discussed their futures. Twitter feeds offer a glimpse of the hopes and fears of indie theater managers--and it doesn't look good. As producer Mark Wynns writes, "Storm coming: Arthouses having to take their small profit margin to capitalize digital cinema projectors/servers. Will they survive?"
Will Sundance 2012 Be Any Good? 4 Films to Watch
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 17, 2012 11:54 AM
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- 0 Comments
As I've written before, I'm not crazy about Sundance as an experience, but I do like a number of the films that play there. Last year, my favorites included "Perfect Sense," "The Future," "Martha Mary Marcy Marlene," "Project Nim" and "Terri." What will be great this year? I've been inspecting the lineup closely over the last few days, planning my schedule and talking to a few people, and while I'm going in with low expectations -- it's always best to be pleasantly surprised than disappointed -- here are 4 films that I have high hopes for at this year's snowy morass. And anyone will tell you 4-5 terrific films at Sundance is about the best you can hope for.
The Mathematics of Sundance, or Size Doesn't Matter; Inverse Proportionality in Park City
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 12, 2012 6:17 PM
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- 0 Comments
With the Sundance Film Festival right around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate to re-publish a little post I wrote some time ago in the waning days of the 2008 fest. Originally published at the now defunct FilmCatcher.com, the post, titled "The Mathematics of Sundance; or, Size Doesn't Matter: Inverse Proportionality in Park City, Utah" seems just as timely on the eve of this year's event.
MoMA's (Still) Missing Film Stills? Not Exactly.
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 11, 2012 7:52 PM
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- 0 Comments
In 2002, the Museum of Modern Art closed off its venerable Film Stills Achive--an essential resource for archivists and academics--and fired its chief staffers Mary Corliss and Terry Geesken, causing rancor among cinephiles everywhere. I covered the story for the Village Voice almost exactly ten years ago this week ("Freeze Frame"). Now Time Magazine critic (and Mary's husband) Richard Corliss has resurrected the issue of the Archive, and its relocation to MoMA's Celeste Bartos Film Preservation Center in Hamlin, PA, also known as the "bunker." On Wednesday, he wrote a column, protesting the continuing "inaccessible" nature of the archive's some 4 million photographs.
Indie Theaters Left in the Dark by 3-D Boom
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- January 11, 2012 9:40 AM
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- 0 Comments
With the releases of 3D documentaries "Cave of Forgotten Dreams" and "Pina," and an increasing number of auteurs considering the format, the question inevitably arises: Can arthouse theaters accomodate the expensive new digital projectors, and if they can't, will they be further left in the dark as the industry propels forward? There's a story in Variety today (behind the paywall) that addresses this issue, which I think is a worthy one to explore. Shouldn't independent theaters be able to benefit from higher ticket prices and a new wave of 3D art projects?
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
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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