Screen Rush is the blog of film critic and journalist Eric Kohn, whose work regularly appears in indieWIRE, New York Press, Filmmaker, Moviemaker, Heeb Magazine and a half dozen other outlets. A true twenty-first century movie buff, his writing centers around the impact of new media on the moving image, the changing face of film criticism, and the tempestuous relationship between pop culture and independent artistry. This site includes links to his recently published work and allows for additional thoughts on cinema's modern state. E-mail Eric at erichkohn(at)gmail(dot)com.
Everybody’s been posting George Carlin clips and remembrances, so I couldn’t help myself. My personal favorite is this poignant moment from the very end of “Life Worth Losing.” I didn’t have an Uncle Dave, but somehow, Carlin made me believe that I did.
Last week, I spoke with Katy Sevigny, founder of Arts Engine, about the Media Matters Film Festival, which began its seventh year a few weeks ago. The full interview is at Stream, and it’s a must-read that really fits our intentions with the site (a sort of NewTeeVee for indie filmmakers, if you will).
Sevigny directed the fascinating documentary Election Day, which premiered at SXSW in 2007. It airs Tuesday, July 1 at 10 PM on Thirteen/WNET New York and 9 PM on KCET. During the second half our interview, Sevigny shared some general thoughts about the current state of documentary filmmaking from her unique vantage point. Stay tuned for that part of our conversation—in Stream again—later this month.
I’m leaving Vegas in a couple of hours, but I’ve got much more to report. Like, you know, what movies showed here. For now, however, check out this brief clip of last night’s screening of the first episode from Takashi Murikami’s Planting the Seeds, a wacky saga involving cute critters and fecal matter. It was projected onto a wall of water at the outdoor area of the Wyn Casino, which ultimately made it way cooler than it would have been. Jokes about people wanting to score some acid quickly started circulating the crowd.
Then this huge head came out of the water, and the jokes started to sound more like serious requests.
If Dark Knight gets anything right, it better be Two Face. Here’s a hint at the grotesqueness to come.
Harvey Dent’s character in The Long Halloween surely presents one of the more haunting depictions of Two-Face on a purely visual level. However, the payoff is weak: The villain emerges at the very end like a punctuation mark to the tragic vanity of Dent’s attempts to cleanse the city of crime. However, Batman: The Animated Series truly allowed Two-Face to take on the frightening aspect of schizophrenic rage incarnate in a manner that bests your average Bruce Banner transformation even on average fucked up days.
The birth of Two-Face on The Animated Series took place over the course of two episodes, during which we learned that the vicious character arises from Dent’s “Big Bad Harv” persona. If Two Face retains this element of eerie mental instability in The Dark Knight, we’ll see one of hell of a horror film. Everyone gets that Batman is a creature of film noir; it’s the loonies around him that give the procedural angle a terrifying twist. Bring on the depravity.
So what’s the deal with CineVegas? Do they actually show movies, or is it just a big excuse for movie people to unleash their gambling urges? Answers to these tantalizing questions and more can be found in my first dispatch from the festival for indieWIRE.
Today was undoubtedly the best day for me as far screenings go. I had an interesting conversation with Dwayne Johnson (more details later), but Get Smart was too flat and uninspired to waste any real conversation on. Chelsea on the Rocks, however, was a real hoot—especially for anyone remotely acquainted with Abel Ferrara’s unique brand of crazy. And then there’s Memorial Day, a uniquely fascinating work with built-in controversy that’s bound to get people talking, even if they hate it. I can’t wait to delve into its importance in a few days, but let me just note for now that it’s a historic work simply because it exists. I’ll leave you with that. Cheers.
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