Chris Marker doesn't fit into any of the buckets or boxes we use to contain and categorize filmmakers. The operative description seems to be "cine-essayist" -- but even that open-ended bag feels too conventional. Most of the now-elderly French artist's films are documentaries, of sorts, but they're relentlessly personal, subjective and … [Read more...]
‘Sicko’ downloads making their rounds
Right now, I'm watching Michael Moore's "Sicko" on Google Video. Good documentary with the usual hard-left slant on the reporting. Video quality is just OK, of course. A high-quality DVD screener (DVDSCR) copy is widely available on BitTorrent outlets. The Google download is a no-hassle, zero risk way to see the film. As of this writing, it's … [Read more...]
‘No Direction Home: Bob Dylan’
"Don't look back," the baseball sage Satchel Paige advised. "Something might be gaining on you." For Bob Dylan in the 1960s, the hellhounds in the rearview were the crush of celebrity and the weight of ridiculous expectations. Martin Scorsese's "No Direction Home: Bob Dylan" starts off in Ken Burns territory, using a rich and exquisite mix of … [Read more...]
