Operation Screenshot (Films of the 2000s): Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006)

While I suspect that this might be one of the more unpopular choices of this series so far, I am actually extremely happy to include it. After being incredibly disappointed by Scorsese's films since Bringing Out The Dead, I had particularly looked forward to The Departed. However with my first viewing I only found it to be a partial return to form. Revisiting the film though has been a great treat and I now think it's his finest work since Casino and possibly The Age of Innocence. Complaints that Scorsese is revisiting themes he has explored time and time again don't ring true to me as I expect my favorite filmmakers to return to many of the same thematic and personal obsessions throughout their career. The Departed is a thrilling and hugely entertaining film, and and Martin Scorsese is one of the few American filmmakers who would place a film in my best of lists of the seventies, eighties, nineties and now this decade. God bless him...

Elvis on Tour on the Big-Screen this Thursday

Just a quick note to alert anyone interested that the remastered version of the Golden Globe Award winning 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour is having a one-night only nation-wide theatrical showing this Thursday. This special showing will included a video introduction by Priscilla as well as some "never-before-seen Elvis footage." There is some controversy right now concerning the famous opening of the film, set to a blistering version of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", in that it has possibly been altered but this has not been confirmed. Otherwise, the new print and sound-mix is said to be mind-blowing and this promises to be an exciting evening for fans. Elvis on Tour (with its stunning Martin Scorsese supervised montages) is one of the great rock documentaries and I have been clamouring for a DVD release for awhile (it finally hits stores next week) so this special showing is very welcome.

Where's The Dvd? Elvis On Tour (1972)

With the welcome arrival of the last few remaining unreleased Elvis Presley films on dvd now out, one has to ask the question, where is the Golden Globe award winning 1972 documentary ELVIS ON TOUR? This moving and penetrating look into Elvis’ world is one of the most essential documents on the man ever released and yet it continues to remain missing in action on Region One disc. The thirtieth anniversary of Elvis’ tragic passing, not to mention the 35th anniversary of the film itself, seemed like the perfect time for its release, but there are still no definitive plans for it.

The film, directed by award winning filmmakers Robert Abel and Pierre Adidge, documents Elvis at one of the most pivotal moments in his life and features some of the most intense and personal moments he ever shared with the public. Featuring portions from one of the most extraordinary sit down interviews he ever gave, along with some of the most volatile and searing concert footage ever shot, ELVIS ON TOUR is a raging and moving film that should have been on dvd long ago.

With it’s cutting edge split screen montages (overseen by none other that young filmmaker Martin Scorsese right around the time he shot the great BOXCAR BERTHA and just before MEAN STREETS) and unflinching looks at an increasingly exhausted Elvis, the film is a fast moving whirlwind of a documentary that Chronicles a man burning, still very brightly, at both ends. Hardcore fans will of course know of the hours of outtake footage that is currently on the collectors market, and seeing that material makes the unavailability of a fully loaded up box set special edition of the film even more frustrating.

Originally released in November of 1972 with the rumored live album called STANDING ROOM ONLY failing to accompany it, ELVIS ON TOUR received mostly positive reviews and did very well for a concert film. After being ignored critically for most of his movie career, I have always wondered what Elvis must have felt when the film did indeed share the Golden Globe that year for best documentary. The film was even more successful in Europe, and specifically Asia, where they were yearning to see Elvis live on stage. It is worth noting that the worldwide broadcast of ALOHA FROM HAWAII would be taped shortly after the film started to make such waves in Japan during the Christmas of 72.

While it is arguable whether or not this film is the equal of 1970’s THAT’S THE WAY IT IS, what is not in question is that we are given the opportunity to see Elvis at an increasingly vulnerable point in his life and for all its strengths, THAT’S THE WAY IT IS doesn’t have the devastating emotional impact of ELVIS ON TOUR.

I urge everyone to sign the ELVIS ON TOUR DVD petition at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/041972/petition.html

At this point even a crisp bare bones presentation of just the film would be most welcome but what we really need is a multi disc presentation with the input of Abel, Adidge and Scorsese, three men who worked incredibly hard and diligently on this film back in 72 to make it as real and memorable as they could. They succeeded in capturing one of our great artists at one of his peaks and delivered a really special film that very much needs to be back in the public eye.

I Know It's Only a Concert Film...but I Like it

I suspect Martin Scorsese’s greatly anticipated Shine a Light will disappoint a lot of people. Anyone hoping to find a probing documentary into the world of The Rolling Stones or the minds of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards is bound to be a let down, but for fans looking for another reminder that The Rolling Stones are still one of the most savagely vital and brilliant bands on the planet will be overjoyed by the time the credits role on this incredible film.
Shot over a two night stand at New York’s intimate Beacon Theater at the end of their wildly successful A Bigger Bang tour in front of a crowd of absolutely rabid fans, Scorsese’s film captures the band in furious, splendid and absolutely breathtaking mode.
The two biggest attributes to Shine a Light are, not surprisingly, the music itself and Scorsese’s innate understanding of how much story he can tell through the faces of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood. Shine a Light works as one of the most close up examinations of a great rock band ever filmed and if the portions of archival footage Scorsese incorporates is thrilling, nothing is more telling that the many studies of Jagger and the rest of the band’s faces throughout the film. The stories Jagger and crew are not telling ARE told in a very moving and poignant way through Scorsese’s amazing filming style, which has to be seen in its current Imax theatrical showings for full effect.
Opening with a black and white segment documenting Scorsese’s trouble getting the production together due to Jagger’s refusal to give him a final set list (something I suspect was played up for dramatic effect by both artists) before switching to the gorgeous eye popping color photography of Academy Award winning cinematographer Robert Richardson, Shine A Light kicks into gear with the familiar but always welcome chords of Jumping Jack Flash and doesn’t let up in its two hour plus running time. It’s the kind of adrenaline rush that only Rock n Roll can deliver but so rarely does anymore.
The band is in absolute top form all the way through the film and while the set list still doesn’t delve into too many rarities from their catalogue, the Stones do pull enough surprises to please even the most jaded fan.
Highlights include a sizzling She Was Hot (never one of their best songs but the joy these guys are feeling playing it is palatable), an extended Just My Imagination, Keith doing You Got The Silver sans guitar and Mick turning absolutely demonic on Sympathy For The Devil.
The three duets spread throughout the film are also expertly chosen and constitute some of the best moments in the film as well. An awe struck Jack White does a transcendent version of Loving Cup with Jagger (watch the for the great moment where Jack switches mics so he can sing right next to Mick) and a deliciously seedy Live With Me with a surprisingly great Christina Aguilera.
The best moment of the film occurs when Blues legend Buddy Guy takes the stage for an absolutely jaw dropping Champagne and Reefer. The whole band and Guy just absolutely slaughter this ode to getting high and being left alone with a visibly floored and teary eyed Keith handing Guy his guitar at the song’s conclusion. It’s the kind of moment that only The Rolling Stones could deliver and that only Marty could film, with one prolonged close up of Guy marking one of the most chilling filmed moments of the decade.

I was disappointed that Scorsese just chose to have the legendary title track played just over the credits and the archival footage is so randomly chosen and placed that it never really feels completely organic to the film (that said the footage seen here, including some shots from the legendary Charlie Is My Darling, is fantastic). Minor problems aside, Shine a Light takes its place with the best concert films The Stones have ever shot and is their finest since 1971’s Cocksucker Blues.
I suspect the DVD will have a ton of extras as I wouldn’t be surprised if Scorsese struggled to get this down to 2 hours. A moving dedication to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun is included and it must be noted that some of the handheld camera work in the film is courtesy of Gimme Shelter filmmaker Albert Maysles himself.
Shine a Light is one of the best experiences you can have at a theater this year so don’t miss it if it is playing at an Imax near you. I feel really honored that I got to see The Stones on this tour in person and getting to see Scorsese’s film on the big screen was a grand companion to that experience.

The Art of the Movie Poster: Taxi Driver (Polish, Turkish and Japanese Designs)

Taxi Driver at Taschen

Any fellow fans of Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver should absolutely follow this link advertising Taschen's amazing looking new books celebrating the film. The collections, which feature previously unpublished photography by Steve Schapiro, are all priced for collectors right now, but Taschen will more than likely release an affordable edition somewhere down the road. Some extraordinary sample photos are available to view at their site and information on an upcoming exhibit can be read as well. These books are a dream for fans of the film and I can't wait for the unlimited trade edition to be released so I can add it to my collection.

My Favorite Closing Shots: All the animals come out at night...

Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver (1976)






Shaun Costello's Water Power (1976)






William Lustig's Maniac (1980)

Operation Screenshot (Films of the Sixties) Martin Scorsese's Who's That Knocking At My Door (1968)

John Carpenter Q and A Day One: Argento, Laura Mars and Elvis

Before I write on John Carpenter's first Question and Answer session that was held this afternoon I need to rant a bit. You would think that a visit from one of the most famous and influential American film directors of the past thirty years would at least get a mention in our school paper or perhaps at the very least some flyer's advertising it, but for whatever reason though this first of two sessions was hardly mentioned at all. It made for a very intimate session with only 50 or so people in attendance but I must say that I feel for the many that would have come had they known about it.
It was a really entertaining, informative and fun hour with one of our most iconic filmmakers. The rather informal talk was made up of mostly answering questions but Carpenter was very open and riffed a lot thankfully, which led him into a lot of far reaching areas from his career.
He described his early days in Bowling Green, Ky and his two years here at Western Kentucky University before going to film school at U.S.C. He credited a showing of FORBIDDEN PLANET at a local Bowling Green theater as the film that really first sparked his interest in cinema. Coincidentally I picked up the new Video Watchdog after seeing him this afternoon and none other than FORBIDDEN PLANET is on the cover.
Speaking warmly of his time at U.S.C and his early work as a Writer's Guild member, Carpenter admitted that the most important things to keep with you were 'drive and dreams.' He then went on to say that among the best modern day film studies for younger people were dvd audio commentaries and documentaries. He advised the crowd to listen to as many commentaries as possible and watch as many films as they could.
Carpenter through all of it was extremely laid back and low key and talked about how much he loved to 'fuck off' and 'smoke a joint' in preparing for a film, in which he described the long and grueling hours of directing as being like a 'coal miner'. He admitted that he was tired and didn't have the same push that he had when he was younger.
He spoke of his early career and the disappointment over the film version of his EYES OF LAURA MARS script and the difficulties in editing a particular scene in ASSAULT ON PRECINCT THIRTEEN. When asked about different roles he admitted writing was the easiest, composing the hardest and directing the most fun.
The talk turned especially interesting when someone in the audience criticised his recent PRO LIFE episode from MASTERS OF HORROR. Carpenter admitted that he preferred it over CIGARETTE BURNS and I thought it was a little harsh to criticize something in front of him that he had just recently worked on. The mood continued to change as another audience member questioned the overt use of gore in modern horror films like HOSTEL (apparently this guy hasn't seen too many Italian films from the seventies or even Carpenter's own GHOSTS OF MARS). Carpenter was quick to defend Eli Roth and his film and pointed out that horror filmmakers often were representing the current climate and culture in their films. Throughout the talk Carpenter was very supportive of the younger crop of filmmakers, although he admitted that many were 'shooters as opposed to directors' and said that it was important to know past films but to not be afraid to branch out with ideas that might go against them.
Carpenter then talked at length about the modern studio system and how overwhelmingly corporate it was. He mentioned admiring Sam Raimi but seemed baffled by SPIDERMAN THREE's 250 million dollar budget. A question about current directors had him saying that he loved Paul Thomas Anderson, admired Scorsese but grudgingly said that everyone regarded Spielberg as still the 'most powerful'.
The inevitable topic of remakes came up and Carpenter made it clear that his only involvement in them was getting a check. I found his attitude on the matter to be refreshingly honest. Of course one wishes that they weren't happening but it does all come down to money and Carpenter was very open about it. He did go out of his way to say that he liked Rob Zombie very much and he did give him one piece of advice and that was, 'to do his own thing with it.' He said he hadn't seen the trailer for new HALLOWEEN and he honestly he didn't seem that interested. No mention was made of the upcoming ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK or the more recent FOG or ASSAULT ON PRECINCT THIRTEEN remakes.
I did get a couple of questions in. I asked about the status of ELVIS and he said it was his understanding that they were 'working on it' but he admitted he had turned down an audio commentary due to it's length. I told him how much I loved STARMAN and he really perked up at its mention saying how much he also loved the film and the cast, especially Jeff Bridges.

Upon my mentioning of Dario Argento a couple of audience members actually smirked but Carpenter quickly cut them off by saying, "I love Dario, I love and admire his films. He's not afraid to hit it hard." I must say that they didn't smirk after that and I felt a rush of vindication. It was great to hear Carpenter say that about Argento, whose early giallos and DEEP RED did so much to influence HALLOWEEN.
Other brief topics included Carpenter's love of Morricone and how proud he was of his own son's composing skills.


It was a really incredible experience seeing this man in person whose films have meant so much to me since I was a child. If all goes according to plan I will see him speak again tomorrow and will share some thoughts on that as well.

Antonioni: Eight Disciples

Just as the career of Brian Eno is often overlooked as completely altering the modern music landscape, the films of Antonioni are undervalued in how influential they have been. It would be impossible to even began to list the number of filmmakers who have name checked, copied and paid tribute to Antonioni in the past forty years but here are eight whose films would not have been the same without the master's work. I chose eight who are all very different from one another, who span five different countries, several different generations and many different genres.

With the exception of Mario Bava, no director has had more of an impact on the films of Dario Argento than Antonioni. His first feature THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE (1969) immediately springs to mind as a work that owes much to Antonioni's astonishing composition and color schemes but it is Argento's DEEP RED (1975) that plays as an almost valentine to Antonioni's works, specifically BLOW-UP (1966). Argento's obsessive and penetrating study of misplaced memories and fractured personalities seem to spring directly from Antonioni's towering works on alienation such as L'AVVENTURA (1960) and RED DESERT (1964).

The handful of films that Jack Nicholson has directed since his striking and hard to see debut DRIVE HE SAID (1971) have all be indebted to Antonioni's work. Nicholson, who would give one of his great performances in Antonioni's THE PASSENGER (1975), has been one of the master's biggest vocal supporters and presented him with his honorary Oscar over a decade ago. All of Nicholson's films, perhaps none more so than the carefully designed THE TWO JAKES (1990), share Antonioni's very specific ability of presenting a past that is deliberately and regretfully being disintegrated. The final moment in the THE TWO JAKES where Meg Tilly screams at Nicholson's defeated Jake Gittes, "Does The past ever really go away?" to which he responds with a broken, "It Never Does" could have been lifted from any number of Antonioni's greatest works.

Polish director Walerian Borowczyk might be one of the only filmmakers in history who managed to match the painterly and always awe inspiring compositional skill of Antonioni. They also both knew how to use music to often devastating effect. Pink Floyd has been used in a lot of films but watch the endings of Antonioni's ZABRISKIE POINT (1970) and Borowczyk's LA MARGE (1975) to see two of the bands most famous songs transformed into purely cinematic works for two of the great masters to manipulate and add unquestionable dimension to.

Would Travis Bickle have been possible without the films of Antonioni? I'm not sure but I am willing to bet that the despairing alienation that Martin Scorsese and Paul Schrader were able to bring TAXI DRIVER (1976) would have been a lot less without Antonioni's early black and white work. Everything from the film's striking one sheet to the many shots of De Niro's fragmenting psyche recall many moments in Antonioni's canon, specifically Monica Vitti's astonishing turn in RED DESERT.

Like Argento's DEEP RED, Brian De Palma's masterful BLOW-OUT (1982) plays like a love letter to BLOW-UP. Perhaps more noteworthy is De Palma's acceptance of cinema as an art form where extremes are not only at times welcome, but necessary. Match up the final explosion in ZABRISKIE POINT or the final ten minute tracking shot in THE PASSENGER to some of De Palma's more elaborate and breathtaking set pieces, the ending of THE FURY (1978) and the Cannes sequence of FEMME FATALE (2002) come to mind, and suddenly it isn't the ghost of Hitchcock who most often occupies De Palma's films.

When he was preparing one of his final films, BEYOND THE CLOUDS (1995), Antonioni called in German born Wim Wender's to assistant him as a stroke had taken most of his ability to speak away. All of Wender's films are clearly directly descended from Antonioni. From the loneliness of ALICE IN THE CITIES (1974) to the simultaneously searching and running away Travis in PARIS TEXAS (1984), Wender's lonely variations on the road film are unthinkable without Antonioni.

Egyptian born Atom Egoyan's characters often seem trapped in a world they feel they can't inhabit while at the same time being indebted to the convenience of it. Outside of the obvious compositional comparisons to Antonioni's films, Egoyan's fascinating look at the strife and deceptions between family members seems more than just cinematically connected to the failing marriage in RED DESERT or the doomed affair in L'ECLISSE (1962). Egoyan's best films, such as EXOTICA (1994) and THE SWEET HEREAFTER (1997) possess Antonioni's ability to connect a seemingly simple gesture with a world threatening to fall apart.

When Sofia Coppola won her much deserved Oscar for her screenplay to LOST IN TRANSLATION (2003) she went out of her way to thank Antonioni. Watching her three features, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999), LOST IN TRANSLATION and MARIE ANTOINETTE (2006) it seems clear that the thoughtful and powerful works of Antonioni are not going to disappear any time soon. LOST IN TRANSLATION'S final moments play like a promise that Antonioni's often ambiguous art house dreams aren't as dead as so many film goers and critics like to believe.

There are many others I could have singled out but these eight all seem particularly indebted and worth mentioning as I begin my tribute to Michelangelo. I can imagine if asked what they would say to him, they would all offer the one word he had for The Academy the night he won his honorary Oscar..."Grazie."