Movie Reviews

À Bout de Souffle (Breathless)

August 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment

“After all, I’m a jerk,” says the heedless Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo). The film, regarded as a seminal work of the French New Wave of cinema, is a character study in misogynistic brutishness or, as Pauline Kael called it, “Indifference to human values.” Much has been made of director Jean-Luc Godard’s innovative pacing and Raoul Coutard’s fast and loose cinematography. A fresh perspective is almost impossible; the film has been dissected and deconstructed from every conceivable angle in the past five decades since it came ashore and irrevocably... [Read the full story]

Music Reviews

For Your Entertainment – Adam Lambert

November 22, 2009 · 28 Comments

Adam Lambert can’t be accused of timidity. His debut album, For Your Entertainment, hasn’t re-invented the acoustic wheel, but his bucking of any one genre is a risk most non-established artists would shrink from. In an industry where pop icons themselves are branded as a commodity, music often takes a backseat to pomp and circumstance. However, Mr. Lambert is a rare creature; his show-stopping style is backed by a preternatural vocal ability. As Madonna (more a businesswoman performer than a vocalist) sagely stated, “An image and a good hook can get you in the... [Read the full story]

Interviews

Harmony Korine: Trash Humpers

April 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Dressed all in white and with a smile, Harmony upon meeting me asked if I’d ever added an “I – A” to my last name. Thus began our what was actually a pretty normal conversation for two filmmakers to have. Cinemalogue: What time did you come in? Harmony Korine: Well I’ve been filming rum ads in Central American, so I didn’t get in until late. C: Wait, you were doing rum ads? HK: Yeah. C: What company? HK: The company’s called Havana Rum. I don’t think they sell it here. Oh no, sorry! It’s called Havana Club. C: They wouldn’t if it’s Cuban, I guess. HK: Well it’s a French-Cuban... [Read the full story]

Editorials

Technology and the Music Industry: Part Two – Media Going Social

September 3, 2010 · Leave a Comment

In 1996, I wrote a paper on internet-based music distribution, which I saw as the inevitable evolution of the recording industry. Unfortunately, not many record labels saw it that way at the time, but Apple was already making plans. The roadmap toward a digital appliance-based approach to computing began here. Upon Steve Jobs’ return to Apple in the summer of 2007, a central strategy emerged redefining the computer’s role as only the digital hub of a lifestyle of mobile devices. Thirteen years and many iPods, iPhones and iPads later (we are informed as of today this market consists of an... [Read the full story]

Retrospectives

Tales From The Future

November 27, 2009 · Leave a Comment

In 1972, while studying film at University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Robert Zemeckis (a classmate of George Lucas and John Milius) filmed an eight-minute short, titled “The Lift.” Filmed at the iconic Bradbury in Los Angeles, the project required Zemeckis to use angles, lighting and music to heighten the tension with no dialogue. In the process, the young prodigy brought an inanimate, mundane object to life. The talented Mr. Zemeckis went on to direct his first feature, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, in 1978, starring Nancy Allen (Robocop), Marc McClure and... [Read the full story]

News

2010 Dallas International Film Festival Winners

April 17, 2010 · Leave a Comment

DALLAS – APRIL 16, 2010 — The Dallas Film Society Honors presented Ryan Piers Williams’ The Dry Land with the Jury award for Narrative Feature, sponsored by Target Corporation, accompanied with a $25,000 cash prize. Lucy Walker’s Waste Land won the Target Documentary Feature award, with a Special Jury Prize awarded to Michael Pertnoy and Michael Kleiman’s The Last Survivor. Mark Landsman’s documentary of Houston’s Kashmere Stage Band, Thunder Soul, received a Special Mention for editing. American: The Bill Hicks Story, directed by Matt Harlock and Paul... [Read the full story]