Requiem pour un con...

After the worldwide success of La vie en rose, it looks like an official Serge Gainsbourg biopic has started filming in France. No title yet, but still photographs show actor Eric Elmosnino (L'heure d'été) looking remarkable as Monsieur Gainsbourg. I'll post more as it comes to me, like the casting of the many women in his life: Brigitte Bardot, Anna Karina, Françoise Hardy, Bambou, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin (and, of course, Whitney Houston). Fingers crossed that this breaks the lousy musician biopic mold! By the way, Raro Video released his film Équateur, with Barbara Sukowa, earlier this year. Anyone see it?

Oh, Betty!

Also thanks to IndieWire, the studio CinemaLibre has acquired the rights to just about all of the films of Jean-Jacques Beineix (not including Diva). Their deal includes the rights to the director's cut of Betty Blue (with Jean-Hughes Anglade and Béatrice Dalle in her star-making performance), which went out-of-print shortly after Sony released it a few years back; Mortel transfert (with Anglade and Miki Manojlovic); La lune dans le caniveau (with Gérard Depardieu, Nastassja Kinski, Victoria Abril and Vittorio Mezzogiorno); Roselyne et les lions; IP5: L'île aux pachydrermes (with Yves Montand and Olivier Martinez); and his doc/shorts: Locked-In Syndrome, Otaku and Le chien de Monsieur Michel. Other than Betty Blue, this will be the first time these titles will be available in the US; no word on when these films will become available.

How'd you get to be Happiness?

Oh boy! IndieWire posted an update on Todd Solondz's new film, which is apparently a follow-up to Happiness probably in the same way Palindromes was to Welcome to the Dollhouse. The official cast includes Charlotte Rampling, Allison Janney, Michael K. Williams (aka, everyone's favorite character on The Wire, Omar), Paul Reubens (who was the first actor attactched to the project), Shirley Henderson, Ciaran Hinds and, last and certainly least, Paris Hilton. The IMDb also lists Natasha Richardson in the cast. The film should hit one of the big festivals next year.

<3 Rose McGowan

Thanks IndieWire.

IFC, Where Are You?

With such a great year for IFC, I must ask, "Where are your DVDs?" Since 2006, around the time they released Lars von Trier's Manderlay on DVD, IFC has released their discs through Genius Products, now the home of the Weinstein Company. With the Weinsteins' exlusive deal with Blockbuster, it's allowed for Blockbuster to carry first-run IFC titles before they're available for purchase or rental elsewhere. However, in looking at Genius' DVD line-up for 2009, there are two full months without an IFC release.

Have they changed distributors? Image is released Jessica Yu's Ping Pong Playa, which IFC released theatrically and On Demand, but that film appears to be the only one they've announced so far. This therefore leaves a number of titles in limbo, including Catherine Breillat's The Last Mistress, Jacques Rivette's The Duchess of Langeais, Claude Chabrol's A Girl Cut in Two and Guy Maddin's My Winnipeg, to name a few (and I'm not even referring to the fact that IFC has done nothing with either Abel Ferrara film they acquired, Mary or Go Go Tales). I haven't been able to find anything announcing a change of distributors or anything of that sort, but I hope this problem gets sorted out soon, as IFC was typically releasing two films per month, and with such a strong 2008 line-up (not counting Nights and Weekends or Filth and Wisdom), it'd be really upsetting to leave these titles hanging.

...is the opiate of the masses

I posted something about the film La león earlier today, announcing its distributor change from Water Bearer Films to Music Box Films, but now TLA has cover artwork and a UPC code for WB's December release for the film... so it's safe to say that I have no idea what's going on with this title.

And like most of you, I'm not feeling particularly film-y today. I try to reserve politics to film writing, but I can't help but feel elation and disgust from Election Day 08. On one hand, Obama's victory announced the "change" everyone's been hoping for, but on another hand, California has proven that small-minded people still plague this nation with the passing of Proposition 8. I'm not a bleeding heart, someone who ever planned on getting married or even a fan of most of the gay people I know, but I've adopted a Raspberry Reich-inspired aggressiveness that's pretty hard to shake. To some I may be the Debbie Downer of Obama's party, but his victory, when combined with Prop 8's more-than-likely pass, isn't looking so much like the people of a nation looking after one another but selfish ulterior motives of the ignorant and hateful. On the bright side, at least this election proved that the United States isn't any closer to a reversal on Roe v Wade.

Previous 10: 5 November - Fest Overload 1

Thanks to the Saint Louis International Film Festival, I've fared a lot better on seeing decent films, as six of these ten will be playing there this year. As for Pierre Morel's Taken, you can sort of group that with Steve McQueen's Hunger as 2008 films that probably won't get their official release until 2009; 20th Century Fox delayed its fall release to January. Wendy and Lucy, the new film from Kelly Reichardt (Old Joy), was just as wonderful as I had hoped, and perhaps the biggest surprise was Mary Bronstein's Yeast, another m*mblecore flick that actually displayed tone, albeit one of utter frustration. I expect I'll have another ten by the weekend.

La Crème

A Christmas Tale [Un conte de Noël] - dir. Arnaud Desplechin - France - IFC Films - with Jean-Paul Roussillon, Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny, Melvil Poupaud, Chiara Mastroianni, Laurent Capelluto, Emile Berling, Emmanuelle Devos, Hippolyte Girardot, Françoise Bertin

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father - dir. Kurt Kuenne - USA - Oscilloscope Pictures

Let the Right One In [Låt den rätte komma in] - dir. Tomas Alfredson - Sweden - Magnet Releasing - with Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Peter Carlberg, Ika Nord, Mikael Rahm

Wendy and Lucy - dir. Kelly Reichardt - USA - Oscilloscope Pictures - with Michelle Williams, Wally Dalton, Will Patton, Larry Fessenden, John Robinson, Will Oldham

Yeast - dir. Mary Bronstein - USA - Frownland - with Mary Bronstein, Greta Gerwig, Amy Judd, Ignacio Carballo, Sean Price Williams

Les Autres

Shelter - dir. Jonah Markowitz - USA - here! Films - with Trevor Wright, Brad Rowe, Tina Holmes, Jackson Wurth, Katie Walder

Taken - dir. Pierre Morel - France - 20th Century Fox - with Liam Neeson, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Xander Berkeley, Lelard Orser, Olivier Rabourdin, Gérard Watkins

Untouchable, The [L'intouchable] - dir. Benoît Jacquot - France - Strand Releasing - with Isild Le Besco, Bérangère Bonvoisin, Parikshit Luthra, Marc Barbé

The Bad

Humboldt County - dir. Darren Grodsky, Danny Jacobs - USA - Magnolia - with Jeremy Strong, Chris Messina, Brad Dourif, Frances Conroy, Fairuza Balk, Peter Bogdanovich, Madison Davenport

Nights & Weekends - dir. Joe Swanberg, Greta Gerwig - USA - IFC Films - with Joe Swanberg, Greta Gerwig, Jay Duplass, Elizabeth Donius, Lynn Shelton, Kent Osborne

Shivers

Anxieties are building today. Here's this to take your mind off of it.

You Move Me / Like Music

With the Saint Louis International Film Festival starting in just about ten days, I’ve got a stack of screeners I need to pile through which may keep my writing/blogging to a minimum in the upcoming week or so. However, I thought I’d throw a few unorganized thoughts about three films out there before I glue myself to the television. Firstly, I’ve seen the end of the so-called mumblecore movement/trend in the face of Joe Swanberg and Greta Gerwig’s Nights and Weekends. If the Duplass’ brothers Baghead showed even the faintest signs of progression, Nights and Weekends has solidified the “on the road to nowhere” fate of its contemporaries. It’s probably most disheartening that with the quickness in which Swanberg makes and releases his films, we haven’t even gotten to witness follow-ups from the two most skilled filmmakers of the movement, Andrew Bujalski (Mutual Appreciation) and Aaron Katz (Quiet City). With unfortunate backing from IFC (their website also showcases his webserial, which just proves that his work is even annoying in small doses), the end appears to have arrived. I wish I could see a progression of maturity or craft with each passing, now-indistinguishable Swanberg film I see, but instead, I find just the opposite. With each stroke swinging in the very same direction, my tolerance diminishes at alarming rates.

On the flip-side, Arnaud Desplechin is a director who has taken a turn for the better. Coming from tepid feelings about his English-language Esther Kahn and wildly mixed feelings for Kings & Queen (Rois et reine), he’s refined just about everything in his latest, A Christmas Tale (Un conte de Noël). Kings & Queen certainly brought him to the attention of the film elite, as most people agreed that the film’s faults made for better cinema than most director’s successes. In A Christmas Tale, he retools his more daring decisions into absolute magnificence. The camera addresses, the fades, the lengthy running time… all seem less the product of an ambitious director than a director who truly knows what the fuck he’s doing. I couldn’t help but think of Jules and Jim during the film’s early moments with Desplechin’s joyous pacing and energy, all of which are matched by the amazing Mathieu Amalric and Emmanuelle Devos, both regulars for the director. Melvil Poupaud, one of the few actors in the film who hadn’t worked with Desplechin prior, is also remarkable, emitting the ferocity that Christophe Honoré keeps trying (and failing) to get out of both himself and Louis Garrel.

Though I can’t recommend A Christmas Story any higher, I’ve also found myself rather smitten with Jonathan Demme’s Rachel Getting Married, of which I haven’t gotten the chance to speak properly yet. Though most talk of the film surrounds Anne Hathaway, I almost feel all the Oscar buzz (I hate that term) for her performance as a recovering addict is overshadowing the fact that the film is quite wonderful. Yeah, she’s good, but she’s playing the role that actors wet dream about; as the titular Rachel, Rosemarie DeWitt takes on the bigger challenge as the thankless, “normal” sister and is absolutely radiant. But enough about the actors, Rachel Getting Married, like A Christmas Tale, moves in a way that seems so absent in cinema these days. While orchestral in some ways, A Christmas Tale resembles a brilliant novel, one whose small decisions and characterizations illuminate the delicacies of the tale at hand. On the other side, I couldn’t help but hear PJ Harvey’s voice in the song “Rope Bridge Crossing” while watching Rachel Getting Married (“you move me / like music”). Demme displays, at once, a swarming opus, the first time he’s been able to convey this in his fiction work after Heart of Gold, Stop Making Sense and music videos for New Order, Bruce Springsteen and The Pretenders. Of course, it would then make sense that TV on the Radio’s Tunde Adebimpe would play DeWitt’s fiancée, in addition to small appearances by Fab 5 Freddy and Robyn Hitchcock. It’s been too long since a film has hypnotized me by its rhythm.

If you're not in the mood for a Jewish cross-dressing musical...

I'm sure you're probably still reeling from that Yentl announcement, but I have a few more for you. blaq out/Facets continues with their collection of Jean-Claude Brisseau films in January with Workers for the Good Lord [Les savates du bon Dieu], starring Stanislas Merhar. Facets also continues their releases of Alexander Kluge's films with The Indomitable Leni Peikert [Die Unbezähmbare Leni Peickert]. Both street on 27 January. And in other Brisseau news, IFC has purchased the rights to his latest film, À l'aventure, when opens in France at the end of the month.

I've gotten word of a few of the Weinstein Company's February releases (which strangely do not include any IFC Films, just like January... more on that later). First is Marc Caro's first post-Jeunet feature Dante 01, a sci-fi flick with Lambert Wilson and Dominique Pinon, set for 3 Feb. The following week has Agnès Merlet's English-language Dorothy Mills, which stars the lovely Carice van Houten (Black Book). And look for Pascal Laugier's violent Martyrs on the 24th. According to the IMDb, Martyrs was originally hit with an 18 rating in France, a rating usually reserved for the sauciest of films.

New Yorker/Cinema Guild will release Christian Petzold's Yella on 10 February, which is currently on my short-list for the best films of 2008 (US release-wise). Koch Lorber's only title for February is Eric Rohmer's The Romance of Astrée and Céladon [Les amours d'Astrée et de Céladon], set for 10 February. And finally, Lionsgate/Studio Canal has the comedy I Do [Prête-moi ta main] with Charlotte Gainsbourg set for 13 January.

Papa, You've Finally Heard Me!

Old homos and grandparents alike can share their joy this February, when MGM will finally unveil the DVD they've all been waiting for: Yentl! In a 25th Anniversay Edition, Babs' cross-dressing Jewish musical will make its R1 debut on 3 February, just in time to woo your valentine.

Just in Time (Sorta)...

It's been nearly twenty years since the force known as Grace Jones has released a studio album, and as of Tuesday, her latest album Hurricane is finally out (at least in Japan). It'll make its official US release on the 18th of November, but that doesn't mean you have to wait... the entire album is streaming on her myspace page. And, it's wonderful. It's not too late to change your Halloween costume to your Grace Jones of choice. My friend Bradford has already covered Christmas Grace, as well as View to a Kill Grace, but don't let that stop you. For a taste, check out the official video for her first single, "Corporate Cannibal," below.

Previous 10: 29 October - After the Flood

It's pretty sad news when you only admire one of the past ten 2008 releases, but at least Rachel Getting Married was a keeper. I can't decide, if given the option, whether I'd ask someone to rewrite all the "I'm old" bits of dialogue in the new Indiana Jones movie or to think up a better explanation for that Crystal Skull. Though I quite disliked I've Loved You So Long, I won't be disappointed seeing Kristin Scott Thomas win a number of awards this winter. I might, however, be disappointed to hear a bunch of Charlie Kaufman worshipers call me an idiot for disliking Synecdoche, New York so much... but it's probably worth noting that, for a variety of reasons, it's the first film I've walked out of in a theatre since I saw that horrendous melodrama Second Skin (Segunda piel) with Javier Bardem six years ago (I don't count Hou Hsiao-hsien's Milennium Mambo, which I also ditched before the credits, as it occured during a horrendous date). And, though I'm sure I'm not the first to point this out, Filth and Wisdom has none of the above.

La Crème

Rachel Getting Married - dir. Jonathan Demme - USA - Sony Pictures Classics - with Anne Hathaway, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mather Zickel, Bill Irwin, Debra Winger, Tunde Adebimpe, Anna Deavere Smith, Anisa George

Les Autres

I Dreamt Under the Water [J'ai rêvé sous l'eau] - dir. Hormoz - France - TLA Releasing - with Hubert Benhamdine, Caroline Ducey, Christine Boisson, Hicham Nazzal, Franck Victor, Hélène Michel

In the Arms of My Enemy [Voleurs de chevaux] - dir. Micha Wald - France/Belgium/Canada - Picture This! - with Grégoire Colin, Adrien Jolivet, François-René Dupont, Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet

Pleasure Factory - dir. Ekachai Uekrongtham - Thailand/Netherlands/Hong Kong - Strand Releasing - with Isabella Chen, Ananda Everingham, Zihan Loo, Kuei-Mei Yang, Jeszlene Zhou

The Bad!

Boystown [Chuecatown] - dir. Juan Flahn - Spain - TLA Releasing - with Pepón Nieto, Pablo Puyol, Carlos Fuentes, Concha Velasco, Rosa Maria Sardà, Eduard Soto

Eight Miles High [Das Wilde Leben] - dir. Achim Bornhak - Germany - Dokument Films - with Natalia Avelon, David Scheller, Matthias Schweighöfer, Friederike Kempter, Alexander Scheer, Victor Norén

Filth and Wisdom - dir. Madonna - UK - IFC Films - with Eugene Hutz, Holly Weston, Vicky McClure, Richard E. Grant, Inder Manocha

I've Loved You So Long [Il y a longtemps que je t'aime] - dir. Philippe Claudel - France/Germany - Sony Pictures Classics - with Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Grévill, Frédéric Pierrot, Claire Johnston

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - dir. Steven Spielberg - USA - 20th Century Fox - with Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent

Synecdoche, New York - dir. Charlie Kaufman - Sony Pictures Classics - with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Samantha Morton, Michelle Williams, Catherine Keener, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Hope Davis, Dianne Wiest, Emily Watson, Daniel London