TWO-LANE BLACKTOP: the criterion collection


two-lane blacktop is a fantastic film from the archives, now available from the criterion collection.  i picked up 3 copies, just to be safe. the issue includes a beautifully printed script book worth the full price alone, plus a whole dvd of additional content like interviews with monte hellman and james taylor. it’s a must see film if you haven’t seen it. by dd

hiroshi sugimoto – visions in my mind


hallelujah! this one is really something i have been wishing about secretly, a movie about the great hiroshi sugimoto. well, maria anna tappeiner finally made it. sugimoto is the kind of artist you can’t get enough of, if you know what i mean? i always feel frustrated about not finding more stuff from him. i guess that’s what makes him so great. hiroshi sugimoto / visions in my mind. trailer. by pp’

not for the faint-hearted: werner herzog opens film school

best of friends: werner herzog and klaus kinski 

our hero has opened a film school to help exorcise the demons of hollywood syndrome. werner herzog’s rogue film school is now open. all you dreamers can now quit your miserable jobs and dive in, head-first, into the abyss. few rules apply:

“the rogue film school will be in the form of weekend seminars held by werner herzog in person at varying locations and at infrequent intervals.

the rogue film school will not teach anything technical related to film-making. for this purpose, please enroll at your local film school.

censorship will be enforced. there will be no talk of shamans, of yoga classes, nutritional values, herbal teas, discovering your boundaries, and inner growth.”

the first class for the rogue film school will take place on the corner of amazon river, and pirannha pond. best of luck. by cdc

hedi slimane american youth mk2 box set


i guess everybody knows about this box set already as it’s not first hand info, but this hedi slimane box set released with french “art & essai” movie theater mk2 is very promising. nothing first hand there either, but a collection of great movies that definitely explains a lot about mister slimane’s obsession for youth and a certain vision of america (as the title can let you guess).
so there are eleven movies:
Rebel Without a Cause by Nicholas Ray; Who’s That Knocking at My Door by Martin Scorsese; Woodstock by Michael Wadleigh; Zabriskie Point by Michelangelo Antonioni; Permanent Vacation by Jim Jarmusch; Rumble Fish by Francis Ford Coppola; Last Days / Mala Noche by Gus Van Sant; Boys Don’t Cry by Kimberley Peirce; Mysterious Skin by Gregg Araki; Wassup Rockers by Larry Clark. by pp’

John lennon by sam taylor wood: nowhere boy

wow!  now that’s a film that will not be missed by me. (when it comes here that is – released on 26th dec in britain) after all john lennon and george harrison were the only two that ever mattered in the beatles. anyhow, a film on lennon by artist sam taylor wood sounds very promising even though i have yet to see a great film done on a great person. as godard once said, you can not make a great film from a great novel but you can make a great film from a crappy one… something to that extent. i still have not seen the film on serge, but it’s on the list.  the film “nowhere boy” feels much more raw and less produced and that’s a plus… bummer is i’m gonna have a hell of time believing that the vacant pretty boy is actually john! still can’t wait to see it. by dd

tom ford – a single man




went to tom ford’s single man this week, the good thing is that i didn’t know anything about it, haven’t see the trailer or knew anything about the cast so…

you can be skeptical about some fashion designer turning into director but here we’re talking about tom ford turning director, meaning everything is as “over the top” as the clothes he makes and the universe he has built around himself…

so, it’s very gay (no prob with that) it’s very beautiful (no prob with that) and there is all the tom ford cast from models, to glasses, to suit and even a perfume (no prob with that) but no terry thank god 😉 whatever, it’s a wonderful movie and surely one of the most visually striking for a long time… by pp’

punk attitude: must see film

find out why i always hated nirvana, why new york gets all the credit, and why music today is more like processed cheese than audible food. a must see film for any music lover. super cool, double freak ass bad. see all ten parts or better yet, rent the dvd. everyone from MC5, suicide, ny dolls, clash, television, patti smith, ramones, iggy, black flag, pistols, joy division, sonic youth, and so so on. not to be missed is henry rollins, he is hilarious in part nine or ten where he talks about the beastie boys and the rest. by dd

all the best: to the fantastic mr. fox

when one of my favorite directors meets one of tomorrow started’s favorite musicians, and on top of that, when they decide to set up this collaboration at one of our favorite brands, you get: wes anderson’s newest movie featuring the music of jarvis cocker recorded at the apc headquarters. sounds good! i can’t wait to see it. by pp’

Ferretti – bertolucci – conformista

came across this ad from alberta ferretti’s 2009 campaign, most probably shot by meisel from the look of it, and most probably based on bertolucci’s film “il conformista”. many people try and recreate work based on things but meisel generally pulls it off while most others fail.  by dd

Jaco Van Dormael: toto le héros

i saw this film by the belgian director/screenwriter jaco van dormael i think over 10 years ago, and i remember i cried in the theater. maybe it was because i saw it only months after my father passed away. not that it was a sad film, on the contrary it’s very fun, but there was something painfully honest about it. i really loved it then, and i’m so curious to see it again. unfortunately unavailable on netflix, making it a good find and a nice gift. by uh