A very happy 80th birthday to the Czech artist, filmmaker and surrealist Jan Švankmajer, a major influence on the likes of Terry Gilliam and the brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay. We take a look at some of the best appreciations of his work over the years, including Dan North on Švankmajer's first short, The Last Trick (1964), Jan Uhde on what Švankmajer shares with renowned Czech animators Karel Zeman and Jiří Trnka, and others on those who've influenced him, such as Lewis Carroll and Sigmund Freud. » - David Hudson...
- 9/4/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
A very happy 80th birthday to the Czech artist, filmmaker and surrealist Jan Švankmajer, a major influence on the likes of Terry Gilliam and the brothers Stephen and Timothy Quay. We take a look at some of the best appreciations of his work over the years, including Dan North on Švankmajer's first short, The Last Trick (1964), Jan Uhde on what Švankmajer shares with renowned Czech animators Karel Zeman and Jiří Trnka, and others on those who've influenced him, such as Lewis Carroll and Sigmund Freud. » - David Hudson...
- 9/4/2014
- Keyframe
Following rounds 1 and 2, this one will take us right on through the countdown to Halloween and will surely be the most actively updated of the bunch. Best to begin, then, by grounding it in a classic, so we turn to David Kalat: "Frankenstein isn't a science fiction story about an arrogant scientist who intrudes on God's domain, it's a metaphor about our relationship to God." That's his argument, and I'll let him explain, but I want to pull back to a couple of earlier sentences in his piece. Mary Shelley's novel, "and the 1910 film version, treated the 'science' of Frankenstein as just so much folderol, a MacGuffin to introduce the artificial man into the story. Whale was so good at providing a reasonably convincing visualization of reviving the dead — no, more than that, a stunningly satisfying visualization of reviving the dead — it focused popular attention on that part of...
- 10/27/2011
- MUBI
More than halfway through October now, and it's high time for a followup to the first "Scary Monsters" roundup of the year, the one that pointed to several ongoing month-long cinephilic celebrations of Halloween. Before taking a look at a few recent and upcoming releases, let's begin with a list, namely, Glenn Kenny's at MSN Movies, the "50 Scariest Movies of All Time." At Some Came Running, Glenn kicks himself for forgetting to include Erle C Kenton's Island of Lost Souls (1932) with Charles Laughton and Bela Lugosi: "In my defense, I've long held that it's not a real 'greatest' list unless it complains at least one completely bone-headed and inexcusable omission, and the omission of Souls, I would say, constitutes a particularly distinguished instance of such." Update: At Criterion's Current, Susan Arosteguy lists "10 Things I Learned" about Souls — factoids, some odd, some nifty, some a little spooky. Update, 10/21:...
- 10/22/2011
- MUBI
"There is a useful but not very respected mode of criticism — let's call it 'micro-criticism' — that is made possible by the Internet," writes Girish Shambu in an entry inspired, at least in part, by the ongoing Project: New Cinephilia. "[W]hen it is practiced well, it can be valuable, insightful, and forward-looking, while working in small, daily, and humble ways."
His focus, of course, is on Facebook and Twitter and the subtle yet vital differences between the kinds of critical discourse each enables, and he eventually works his way into a quote from Raymond Durgnat: "The business of criticism seems to me 'matters arising,' and naturally varies from film to film. I'd rather be wrong but open up a perspective than be right, i.e., dismiss opportunities for the full, intellectual, sensual, emotional experience of reflective hesitation." The emphasis is Girish's, and he adds, "I think there's a lesson here for Internet micro-criticism.
His focus, of course, is on Facebook and Twitter and the subtle yet vital differences between the kinds of critical discourse each enables, and he eventually works his way into a quote from Raymond Durgnat: "The business of criticism seems to me 'matters arising,' and naturally varies from film to film. I'd rather be wrong but open up a perspective than be right, i.e., dismiss opportunities for the full, intellectual, sensual, emotional experience of reflective hesitation." The emphasis is Girish's, and he adds, "I think there's a lesson here for Internet micro-criticism.
- 6/4/2011
- MUBI
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