Darren Hughes on film as "Spiritual Contemplation"
Darren Hughes is writing an essay on non-narrative filmmaking: "The Limits of Traditional Narrative Cinema as a Medium for Spiritual Contemplation" ... which he qualifies as "A Witless and Obnoxiously Literal Working Title." I can't wait to read it.
Darren is one of those writers who always strikes me as being miles ahead on a journey I'm trying to make (as time allows). And yet he writes with grace, with a voice that invites readers along with him, instead of condescending to those who don't see things his way. That's a rare gift, and I appreciate it. I've learned a lot from following his journeys into international cinema and his notes on learning to watch differently. (I included some of Hughes' thoughts on Dreyer's Ordet in Through a Screen Darkly.) When I hear him shouting back about something that has captured his attention, I find myself paying close attention and revising my own viewing plans.
Frank Darabont on Horror Movies and His Rejected Indy Script
Two highlights of the new MTV interview with Frank "Shawshank Redemption" Darabont, who is directing Stephen King's The Mist:
MTV: You obviously are a great lover of the horror genre. What do you think of films like "Hostel" and "Saw"?
Darabont: The torture-porn thing is pretty distasteful. I'm just not into it. Horror unfortunately tends to go in these cycles where it puts itself back in this ghetto. I just don't find anything amusing about people getting tortured. I wish we weren't making these movies. I think it degrades the culture. I think it diminishes the human spirit.
and...
Darabont: Absolutely. I spent 20 years of my career primarily being a writer for hire. I had a few bad experiences to reinforce the decision that had been forming to get the hell out. I can't be chained to my computer anymore, not for the paycheck.
MTV: Would you say one of those bad experiences is the time you spent writing the aborted "Indiana Jones 4" script?
Darabont: "Indy" is definitely in that category, topping the list. It showed me how badly things can go. I spent a year of very determined effort on something I was very excited about, working very closely with Steven Spielberg and coming up with a result that I and he felt was terrific. He wanted to direct it as his next movie, and then suddenly the whole thing goes down in flames because George Lucas doesn't like the script ....
MTV: Did you ever speak to George Lucas directly?
Darabont: Yes! I told him he was crazy. I said, "You have a fantastic script. I think you're insane, George." You can say things like that to George, and he doesn't even blink. He's one of the most stubborn men I know.
Who's steering Narnia's "Dawn Treader"?
Looks like "amazing grace" has been granted to Narnia.Read more
"The Children of Hurin" - J.R.R. Tolkien's "latest"
My friend and fellow Tolkien enthusiast Geoffrey DeWeese was surprised and upset when I expressed skepticism about the upcoming release of a "new" story by J.R.R. Tolkien.
I confess, I was feeling really cynical about the whole affair. I've never found the immeasurable amount of extra Middle-Earth material to be compelling or even very interesting. Give me the enthralling narratives of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Give me more of his children's stories, like the Father Christmas letters. But no, I'm not so interested in the minutiae and encyclopedias of Middle-Earth details. It's fascinating to see how much work he invested in the creation of that world, but no, I don't want to read all of those background sketches and histories. That's just me.
Well, it turns out that, in regards to The Children of Hurin, I'll probably have to eat my hat, after I take my foot out of my mouth. And then, if the hat doesn't kill me, I'll have to choke down a plate of crow.Read more
"The Promise of Beauty" - another ode to Malick
I've just discovered a passionate, eloquent description of the greatness of Terrence Malick.
If you're sick of my raves about The New World, you'll probably want to ignore this. But if you want to "get" what Malick's up to, here's another insightful perspective.
Achtung, Spider-man! (I am not making this up.)
Bono and The Edge... writing a Spider-man musical... for Julie Taymor.
Right.
Sure.
Why didn't I see that coming?
Ian McEwan's "Atonement" - The Trailer
EmpireOnline has the trailer for Atonement, one of the films I'm most eager to see this coming Oscar season.
It stars Mr. Tumnus, Elizabeth Swann, Vanessa Redgrave, and then, the #1 reason I'm going to see it...Read more
McCarthy's "The Road" - Pulitzer Prize!
Cormac McCarthy's The Road has earned an even higher honor than the Oprah-book stamp.Read more
Norton the Hulk
A high-five to Peter Chattaway for catching the latest Edward Norton casting news.
And... uh... wow. Not what I would have expected from a fellow quickly becoming one of America's most distinguished actors. Maybe he's hoping for a blockbuster so that he can fund a produciton of Mark Helprin's A Soldier of the Great War, a film he's reportedly been interested in for a while. That's one of my favorite novels. I'd be much more excited about that news than this. And I thought Eric Bana made a fine Bruce Banner, even though the script was rather bizarre.Read more
This Year's Denise Levertov Award Goes To...
Here's an exciting announcement from the folks at Image.
And what a great choice. I've had the privilege of meeting Mr. Lott and hearing him read last summer, and I was mightily impressed.Read more