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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
Why You Shouldn't Be Surprised by the Muddled Politics of "World War Z"
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- March 30, 2013 2:40 PM
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- 4 Comments
Some folks around the web are shocked and astonished -- astonished! -- that word comes from Brad Pitt that the political subtext of "World War Z," the actor's upcoming apocalyptic epic, has been neutered. In an interview from Entertainment Weekly that has been oft-quoted, Pitt says, "I was really interested in a more political film, using the zombie trope as a kind of Trojan horse for asking, 'What would happen to sociopolitical lines if there was a pandemic like this?... But it was just too much. We got
bogged down in it.... It gutted the fun of what these films are meant to be." But come on, folks, aside from the occasional "V for Vendetta," when has Hollywood ever provided penetrating social critique?
The Risks of Indian Poverty Porn: "Revolutionary Optimists" vs "Blood Brother"
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- March 27, 2013 11:48 AM
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- 0 Comments
Ever since the success of Oscar-winning films "Born into Brothels" and "Slumdog Millionaire," India's slums and impoverished children have been a popular topic for Western filmmakers. Accusations of "poverty porn" are inevitable, however, and, when it comes to this former British colony, there's always a question of whether these films perpetuate age-old stereotypes of some backward "Orientalist" land, plagued with dirt, poverty and illness, all wrapped in exotic colors and bouncing music. Of course, huge portions of India, as revealed in "The Revolutionary Optimists" (opening Friday) and "Blood Brother" (this year's Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner) do lack basic services, but there are more and less responsible ways of conveying this predicament
The Revolution Will Not Be On Demand: Free Angela
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- March 26, 2013 8:38 PM
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- 0 Comments
"The revolution will not be on demand, brother: the revolution will be live," sings rapper poet Black Ice in a new viral video (see below) out to promote the new doc "Free Angela and All Political Prisoners," which opens in theaters on April 5. It's a witty line, among many, in this timely update of Gil Scott-Heron's 1970 protest anthem. While the song references the original, the lyrics are altogether contemporary, admirably sending up many of pop culture's current distractions -- erectile dysfunction, American idol, Real Housewives, the Kardarshians, YouTube clips, Taylor Swift, and a host of black stars that presumably have done little to foment substantive revolutionary change. Or at least that's my interpretation of it.
Right-Wing Unveils More Poorly Made Agit-Docs: Watch Out for D'Souza's "America"
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- March 18, 2013 10:22 AM
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- 2 Comments
At CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference, NPR reports that there were more than 20 new right-wing documentaries on display, from "Hating Breitbart" to "FrackNation," as well as a trailer for author Dinesh D’Souza's follow-up to his right-wing agit-doc “2016: Obama’s America," simply called "America," which reportedly extols the virtues of American exceptionalism. But no matter how much money "2016; Obama's America" made, I contend that the film and its brethren have done little to change the quality of these films.
Tribeca Fest Has Issues: African Big Oil, U.S. War Crimes, Same-Sex Marriage, and more
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- March 5, 2013 2:15 PM
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- 0 Comments
One of the best things--perhaps the only best thing--about the Tribeca Film Festival is its documentary programming. Every year, the fest manages to line up a strong series of nonfiction films, filled with stinging political import ("Jesus Camp," "The Devil Rides on Horseback," or the more recent "The Revisionaries") or poetic artistry (last year's "Planet of Snail," "Downeast" and "Wavumba.") With this year's competition lineup announced, here's a preview of some of the most provocative or potentially noteworthy docs:
"Capturing the Friedmans" Filmmakers Reveal New Evidence to Overturn Subject's Conviction
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- February 26, 2013 12:01 PM
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- 1 Comment
A decade after "Capturing the Friedmans" was nominated for an Academy Award, the fiilmmakers are now working to overturn the alleged wrongful conviction of Jesse Friedman, one of the main subjects of the controversial film, who served nearly 14 years in prison. Next Tuesday, on March 5th, the filmmakers will preview new evidence at a special screening in New York before it's made public, followed by a discussion with director Andrew Jarecki and Jesse Friedman, as well as criminal defense and civil rights attorney Ron Kuby.
How Did "Beasts" Lose the Spirit Awards? Box Office Always Wins
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- February 24, 2013 9:38 PM
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- 1 Comment
For years, the Spirit Awards have proven to be a mere popularity contest, awarding its best feature prize to the biggest box-office earner. I would like to report that this year's awards were different, but alas, the big victory of "Silver Linings Playbook" over the weekend once again offers evidence that the Spirits' main categories have little to do with independent film. "Silver Linings" has earned more than $100 million at the U.S. box office. ("Moonrise Kingdom," another nominee, falls a far second with $45 million.)
The Political Uses of Archival Material in "Argo," "Zero Dark Thirty" and Chile's "No"
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- February 7, 2013 9:23 AM
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- 1 Comment
I'm not sure if anyone has called it out specifically, but archival news material made a comeback in the Hollywood feature film recently, with the most high-profile examples coming in this year's Oscar nominees "Argo" and "Zero Dark Thirty." (You can bet that if broadcast news journalists coverered the American Civil War, Steven Spielberg would have included a few excerpts during the end credits of "Lincoln," too.) For my most recent Docutopia column, I wrote about the various uses of news and documentary clips in those two bigger movies, compared with those in "No," Chilean director Pablo Larrain's more self-aware look at a tumultous moment in his own country's history.
Iran Attacks "Hollywoodism"; Why They're Right, and Wrong
- By Anthony Kaufman
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- February 6, 2013 10:59 AM
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- 4 Comments
In the midst of Iran's prestigious 31st Fajr International Film Festival, which recently awarded its top prize to Iranian filmmaker Behnam Behzadi's family drama “The Rule of Accident,” an unfortunate parallel event is being conducted called "Hollywoodism and Cinema," which, by all accounts, is conservative Islamic propaganda aimed at demonizing Jews, Hollywood and Jewish Hollywood. The conference is making news on a number of fronts: the Western Media loves to highlight stories that show off Iran's more wacky ideologues; and there are also unsubstantiated reports that Malcolm Shabazz, Malcolm X's grandson, was arrested by the FBI on his way to Tehran to attend the conference. (Can some crime reporter please follow up on this?)
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Recent Comments
wow, Thor. I think you are the one that is bitter. I'm so not obsessed by race---it seems
@kaffeeklatsch "How many years ago did those movies get made?" 5 and 7, but what is your
Discussing issues of race, especially when the article in question is the one that brings up the
Hadn't thought about this film from such aspects.
By the way, why is everyone so racist here? White people this, white people that? Anyway, just so
A lot of people don't seem to get Baumbach at all. He isn't here to make some
No one is preventing white people from telling their stories, they are everywhere if you've
New York = Money. Money is the reason these stories are bland and inherently annoying because
The problem is not that white middle class angst isn't angst, it is that it seems like white
Once again we see how the reviewer helps sell albums for his crush and love he'll never have or