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NEWS
Above: David Dalaithngu in Nicolas Roeg's Walkabout.
- Renowned Aboriginal film actor David Gulpilil Ridjimiraril Dalaithngu has died. David Dalaithngu was seen as a trailblazer for his early roles in Walkabout (1971) and Storm Boy (1976), and later performances in films like the semi-autobiographical Charlie's Country (2013). He rose to prominence as an actor and traditional dancer during a time in which Indigenous roles were frequently played by non-Indigenous actors, often in blackface. In his own words, he described acting as a "piece of cake."
- Steven Soderbergh, Channing Tatum, and writer Reid Carolin have joined forces for the next installment in the Magic Mike franchise, entitled Magic Mike's Last Dance. "The stripperverse will never be the same," Channing Tatum said.
- First Cow takes the number one in Cahiers du cinéma's top ten list for 2021! The list also includes Bruno Dumont's France and Wes Anderson's The French Dispatch.
- Alex Rivera, best known for his cult classic feature debut Sleep Dealer (2008), is set to write and direct Zorro 2.0, a sci-fi reimagining which transforms the masked hero into an undocumented hacker.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING
- In an interview with Matt Zoller Seitz, The French Dispatch crew explains the behind-the-scenes workings required to accomplish the movie’s "quietly impossible," zig-zagging 70-second tracking shot, seen below.
- In a limited online presentation from December 3-5, Matchbox Cine is screening Naoto Yamakawa’s cult classic The New Morning of Billy the Kid for its 35th anniversary. This will also be the first time the film screens in the west since its original festival run.
- The Korean Film Archive has started adding English-subtitled audio commentary to its abundant collection on YouTube.
- The official trailer for Official Competition, Mariano Cohn and Gastón Duprat's satirical comedy which premiered at the Venice Film Festival. The film stars Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas as a filmmaker and actor who set out to make a hit film.
RECOMMENDED READING
Above: Adam McKay's Don't Look Up.
- A new profile on Adam McKay by Vanity Fair follows the Don't Look Up director as he discusses climate change and the end of the world, and the possibility that each of his films is his most personal one.
- A new issue of Blackstar Fest's Seen journal includes an interview with Wang Qiong about the years-long making of her film All About My Sisters, a family portrait that investigates the effects of China's one-child policy with an emphasis on oral testimony.
- John Waters has released his eclectic annual top ten list for Artforum, in which he describes seeing Nina Simone in Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson's Summer of Soul, Gaspar Noé's "humane" Vortex, and more. Also very much worth reading are the lists of Amy Taubin, J. Hoberman, James Quandt, and Cassie Da Costa.
- David Hudson at Criterion has written an extensive overview of the late Stephen Sondheim's relationship to and influence on cinema.
- In a very different list, Michael M. Bilandic (director of the pandemic-inspired Project Space 13) takes Vice on a "tour of the films that live inside his head rent free," from Liquid Sky to Project X.
- “I recently survived a screening of the two-hour-and-37-minute film that is House of Gucci,” is how Tom Ford—who knew Maurizio Gucci in real life—starts his funny, but still very considered review of Ridley Scott's new film.
RECENTLY ON THE NOTEBOOK
- "I believe that 'Maeve' succeeded in its aim, which was to bring information on Ireland to new audiences." Pat Murphy introduces her film Maeve, which is showing exclusively on MUBI in most countries in the series Rediscovered.
- Gabrielle Marceau delves into the concept of the working woman in films about the specific challenges and experiences of women workers.
- Radu Jude tells us about his favorite cinema and the film he'd most like to see on the big screen for our Moviegoing Memories column. Jude's Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn was recently MUBI GO's Film of the Week in the UK and the US.
- In an interview with Leonardo Goi, Ryusuke Hamaguchi discusses his Haruki Murakami adaptation Drive My Car, winner of the Best Script award in Cannes.
- Florence Scott-Anderton's new Soundtrack Mix is a celebration of the musical scores of Spanish composer Alberto Iglesias, including his iconic work for Pedro Almodóvar.
- Aaron E. Hunt's report on this year's edition of Indie Memphis delves into the festival's many efforts to foster local artistry and community.
- For the Current Debate, Leonardo Goi provides an overview of the conversation surrounding the obliqueness of Jane Campion's disquieting western The Power of the Dog.
EXTRAS
- It's Terence Davies lip-synching Doris Day on the Southbank Show in 1992, courtesy of Little White Lies and, of course, Davies' wonderful Instagram page.
- From Jeremy Fassler on Twitter (and originally from the Sondheim Review), a list of Stephen Sondheim's favorite films.