1,002 Words: Bound for Glory

Ramble on.

Sally Menke, 1953-2010

by Tony Nigro

Perhaps it’s the deadly L.A. heat these days, or maybe it’s that I’ve been spending them alone watching dailies, but seeing these videos in the wake of editor Sally Menke‘s untimely death is heartrending.  Every editor should be so appreciated.

Via Mubi Notebook, which also has a nice roundup of links.

Freak of the Week: Herzog Saves Phoenix

by Tony Nigro

If you haven’t already heard, Werner Herzog saved Joaquin Phoenix from a car accident.  Below is a reenactment.

Via Laughing Squid, where you can also see the interview that spawned the animation.  Did I mention David Lynch was involved?

Freak of the Week: Sharktopus

by Tony Nigro

Full disclosure: I work on a show that airs on SyFy.  But I had no idea that in addition to airing shows about quirky small towns, super secret archives, Cylons, and wrestling, the TV network will bring us the best thing since Mansquito.

See also: Mansquito.

This video should be my life

Then again, I think the same thing when watching Two-Lane Blacktop and most Kenneth Anger films.

Black Mountain, “Old Fangs”

Milestone Films at 20

by Tony Nigro

In honor of their 20th anniversary, tomorrow our friends at Milestone Films will have a series of screenings on Turner Classic Movies. Milestone has survived thick and thin and thinner in the independent distribution arena, never sacrificing taste for success. They also managed to put out one of my personal favorites, The Exiles, in a fantastic DVD set. Props from TCM is well deserved.

Films included in the eclectic series are Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives, Killer of Sheep, Legong: Dance of the Virgins, The Bat Whispers, and of course The Exiles. Schedule information is available at TCM’s site.

DVD: Mystery Train

by Tony Nigro

Make your decision: Elvis Presley or Carl Perkins?

Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train makes a Criterion Collection debut today. Over at the label’s site, Dennis Lim has a nice piece on what I’ve always felt to be one of Jarmusch’s most nuanced films.

Screening: War Don Don

by Tony Nigro

Making its New York premiere at the Human Rights Watch festival this month is War Don Don, a documentary about the trial of alleged war criminal Issa Seesay in Freetown, Sierra Leone.  A friend of Split Edit spent three years as an attorney on the controversial trial, and the stories I heard during that time have only stoked my interest in the film, if only to better understand the area’s complex political climate.  If you’re in or near New York City, check it out with a panel discussion on June 12.

Freak of the Week: Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo

by Tony Nigro

I know that from the title you’re thinking, “Not more zany Japanese pop culture!”  But I swear that Jessica Oreck’s Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo isn’t like Machine Girl or Banana Street.  It’s a documentary.  Seriously.  And it’s about bugs.

But of course it’s not just about bugs.  You notice those shots of crowded Tokyo streets?  You ever rushed around crowded streets yourself?  You ever see an ant farm?  Beetle Queen is about people, too.

Your Daily Affirmation

No big critical thought here, just a reminder that Anna Karina makes life livable, twenty-four frames at a time.