Archive | Categories

God help me, but critic Armond White’s article about why it takes so long for the “American Eccentrics” — namely, Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, David O. Russell, Alexander Payne, Paul Thomas Anderson, Sofia Coppola — to churn out their films is really great. White’s metareactionary reviews normally get my dander up, but if I didn’t cop to digging on this piece, I suppose I’d be guilty of the grandstanding I smell in most of his work. Or did I just evidence it now, already? Oy. Meta, meta, meta and not a drop to drink.

Here’s the Amex ad by Wes Anderson he references. Much better than The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.

A brief e-treaty: If you’re around tomorrow in NYC, come to the discussion I’m leading at the IFC Center’s 2:00 screening of Russian Dolls. Although critical reception has been mixy, I actually prefer Dolls to its prequel, 2003’s L’Auberge Espagnole (The Spanish Apartment), which starred much of the same cast, including toothsome Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou. Afterward, I will be interviewing director Cédric Klapisch and moderating audience questions.

Particularly given that he looms as a huge rock star in his native country of France, Klapisch is a very generous interview subject. I interviewed him after a screening today, along with Romain, in his Parisian flat via ichat webcam. Between their wine consumption, the three-second delay, technology glitches, and my retardation directly proportional to Duris’ wicked hottyhottyhotness (he was sporting a devastating mustache), the experience could have been misery incarnate. Twasn’t, and since Sunday will just be Klapisch, with all technology glitches sorted, the event should prove quite worthy of a sawbuck and change. In a low-budget Jetson sort of way.

So come! And come with questions!

That said:

“AIDS is not funny. Believe me, I’ve tried.” — Michael Scott (Steve Carrell), The Office season finale.

What can I say? I told you I was sick, man.