Konstantin Nikolaevič Leont'ev
"Radical Emma Goldman famously demanded 'fun' as a precondition of revolution (the nerve!), and BL associate editor Andrew Grossman agrees," writes editor Gary Morris, introducing the new issue of Bright Lights Film Journal. "Leading off the Articles section, he collates the 'polka tremblante' (aka Bohemian polka) with strolls through Byzantine ascetic philosopher Leontev, Nosferatu, and Carl Sandburg in a magical riff. Equally dazzling is Dave Saunders's paean to the Connectitrons via Hugo, The Big Clock, and Jeanne La Pucelle (Parts 1 and 2)."
Also in Issue 75: "Every trip must end, and our 'empty guest room' is unusually full this time. Jack Stevenson, who knows all things underground, offers thoughtful tributes to two talents associated with, among other things, the Kuchars: Marion Eaton, star of Thundercrack!, and Bob Cowan, who appeared in various Kuchar efforts. These are the kinds of rare histories that would not be written but for Jack, and we thank him. Our third 'guest' is Indian mega-star Dev Anand, whose life and death are briefly but authoritatively limned by a new contributor, Anuj Malholtra."
More reading. Catherine Grant alerts us to a new, second issue of Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media: "This special issue, edited by postdoctoral and doctoral students at University College Cork, focuses on the representation of space and time in cinema. Its excellent articles employ a wide range of methodological approaches and arguments to investigate cinematic spatiotemporal relationships, more than ably demonstrating how these concepts continue to engage and stimulate film scholars."
"The past few months have seen a steady stream of year-end critics' polls, with two films consistently placed toward the top," writes Aaron Cutler in Idiom. "This is a problem, since both The Tree of Life and Melancholia are awful."
Todd Rohal by Henny Garfunkel
In other news. "Hot on the heels of last week's Midnighters and Shorts announcement," SXSW Film is "pleased to reveal our complete panels lineup, along with another 16 features, and 4 short films." One of the new additions is Todd Rohal's Nature Calls, featuring Patton Oswalt, Johnny Knoxville, Rob Riggle, Maura Tierney, Patrice O'Neal and Darrell Hammond.
New York. "If you think of Wall Street as capitalism's symbolic headquarters, filmmakers Allan Sekula and Noël Burch more or less show us in The Forgotten Space how the sea is capitalism's global trading floor writ large," writes Kalvin Henely in Slant. More from AO Scott (New York Times) and Benjamin Young (Artforum). Through Tuesday at Anthology Film Archives.
Markus Schleinzer's Michael begins a two-week run at Film Forum today. We've got a Cannes roundup, but today also sees new reviews from Stephen Holden (NYT), Daphne Malfitano (Cinespect), Benjamin Mercer (L), Nick Pinkerton (Voice), Jeff Reichert (Reverse Shot), Joshua Rothkopf (Time Out New York, 4/5), Andrew Schenker (Slant, 1.5/4) and Alison Willmore (Playlist, C+).
San Francisco. Brian Darr rounds up local goings on in a roundup with a special focus on Kenneth Lonergan's Margaret.
In the works. Michel Gondry's latest feature is selling well in Berlin, reports Cineuropa's Fabien Lemercier. The We and the I was "filmed last year in New York in the Bronx, and follows high school students on the bus home on the last day of the school year. The film is a sort of study of group dynamics and the evolution of relationships as the bus gradually becomes emptier."
Last week brought news that Christophe Gans would be directing a new Beauty and the Beast with Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux; the other day, yet another adaptation of the tale was announced: Guillermo Del Toro will direct Emma Watson and Oliver Lyttelton has details at the Playlist.
Empire talks with Hugh Grant about his six evil cameos in Cloud Atlas, Tom Tykwer and Lana and Andy Wachowski's adaptation of David Mitchell's novel.
"Days after news came that DreamWorks would redo Alfred Hitchcock's Rebecca, Variety is reporting Paramount will adapt the master of suspense's Suspicion," reports Zach Dionne at the newly revamped Vulture. "Writing the rework of the 1941 Cary Grant vehicle will be Veena Sud."
Michael Bay will reboot the Transformers franchise for #4, slated for Summer 2014, notes Movieline's Jen Yamato.
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