With special thanks going out to Adrian Martin, we begin with a bit of viewing, not-so-strategically embedded here throughout today's Briefing. The buzz leading up to tomorrow's world premiere of Miguel Gomes's Tabu at the Berlinale has been next-to-unprecedented, at least to this Berlinale veteran. Critic.de has posted three clips, and yes, they are extraordinarily promising. Hopes are high.
Reading. "It seems likely that digital projection has, in unintended and unexpected ways, put the history of film in jeopardy." David Bordwell explains.
New York. "Chicago-born Andrea Callard, among the first wave of Tribeca artist-settlers in the early 70s, loved to find the country in the city," writes Melissa Anderson in the Voice. "Several of her Super 8 short films from that period on view at her Maysles tribute (which also includes slide shows of her hand-colored print collages) reveal nature's splendor in the most unlikely places." Through Sunday.
In the works. Financing is finally kicking in for Jonathan Demme's animated adaptation of Dave Eggers's Zeitoun, first announced three years ago, reports the Playlist's Kevin Jagernauth.
Awards. "Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life has emerged as a surprise contender to take the Oscar for best cinematography after winning the equivalent prize from the American Society of Cinematographers," blogs the Guardian's Ben Child. "Director of photography Emmanuel Lubezki last night beat Guillaume Schiffman for The Artist, Jeff Cronenweth for The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Robert Richardson for Hugo and Hoyte van Hoytema for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy."
"There was little to redeem the 54th Grammy Awards," writes the New Yorker's Sasha Frere-Jones. "As most predicted, Adele won all six Grammys she was nominated for, including Record and Album of the Year…. This was the best thing about the night: a gifted musician getting her due, even if her recordings are not yet as impressive as her instrument. She knocked 'Rolling in the Deep' out of the park and said 'snot' in her acceptance speech. Love it. But read no further if you need to believe in unicorns and platinum rainbows."
Obit. "David Kelly died in Dublin yesterday after a short illness," reports the Irish Times. "He was 82 years old…. He often remarked that he had performed on stage for more than 50 years but the nine minutes on Fawlty Towers made him recognizable all over the world." Kelly played O'Reilly, the cheap but incompetent builder. "He had a long list of film credits including the 1969 version of The Italian Job, Into The West and Waking Ned Devine, which he credits for making him a sex symbol after he appeared nude on a motorbike."
In the Guardian, Michael Coveney suggests that Kelly "was perhaps best known in recent years for playing Grandpa Joe in Tim Burton's movie adaptation of Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), an engaging performance that was honored with a lifetime achievement award from the Irish Film and Television Academy."
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