The DOGTOOTH dance

This dance sequence from the 2009 Greek film DOGTOOTH, directed by GIORGOS LANTHIMOS, is a good shock to the system, like the film itself.

I heard Ms. AGGELIKI PAPOULIA did her own choreography...

Pina in 2D

In the new film PINA by WIM WENDERS, the dance company of the late PINA BAUSCH is featured, along with a number of pieces.

The short bits of her dances translate well to film, and although the filming is done in 3D, I might like the 2D better.

William Eggleston's Movie

In 1974, photographer WILLIAM EGGLESTON started using a Sony Portapak video camera, modified with his own prime lens. The technology was very new, and it is suggested that the people being shot didn't really know what it was and because of that their characters are that much more vibrant.

Whether that is the case or not, the footage she shot that year was edited into the film STRANDED IN CANTON, and it stands as one of the most enchanting "movies" I've ever seen. Mostly portraits around his small town in Tennessee, HARMONY KORINE has cited it as an influence on his recent TRASH HUMPERS, shot in the same area.

My Son, My Son...

The new film by WERNER HERZOG (currently playing at NYC's IFC Center) is called MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE? and is produced by DAVID LYNCH. It is a pleasure to see HERZOG's classic desperate man blues mixed with a dash of LYNCHian absurd poetry.

This, one of my favorite scenes, is a good example of the film's off-handed style, and leads toward one of many transcendent moments offered within.

The Wayward Cloud

The Taiwanese filmmaker TSAI MING-LIANG's 2006 film THE WAYWARD CLOUD didn't get much U.S. distribution, perhaps because American audiences are not ready for an off-the-wall, porn-u-topia, song-and-dance art film...

NYC's Museum of Modern Art plays the film this week.

Gremlins vs the Avant-Garde

When I first saw GREMLINS 2 at a movie theater as a kid, it included this now famous scene involving HULK HOGAN. In a bold, self-described "anarchist," move, filmmaker JOE DANTE included a scene in which it appears the film is broken (by Gremlins in our projection booth!), and the HULK has to convince them to start it again:



When the movie was put out on home video, the filmmakers decided to put together a scene in which it appeared that gremlins had taken over the video feed, and, um, started flipping channels, I guess:



Of course, GREMLINS 2 wasn't the first film to "break the fourth wall," but certainly it is one of the most high profile.
Cheers to anarchy in Hollywood!

Oh, Calypso

A scene from Taiwanese director TSAI MING-LIANG' s 1998 film THE HOLE. Throughout this poetic urban fairytale, the characters re-enact musical numbers from legendary Chinese actress GRACE CHANGE. The original, below:

...then let's make a vow

The opening scene of MIRANDA JULY's debut feature film YOU AND ME AND EVERYONE WE KNOW is the perfect bridge from her open-hearted, yet noisy video art into the more narrative-concerned world of cinema pursued here on in.

JULY's vision of life and art as a personal act of radical theatricallity and her rejection of an abstracted love, unfortunately, is still a point of contention for a lot of artists and filmgoers. Her dedication no less hindered, the trouble with the work of MIRANDA JULY is certainly not in its absence of unveiled beauty. Rather, we should rejoice in art so willfully transparent.

The Limits of Control

Featuring music by Japanese metal band BORIS, the new film by JIM JARMUSCH is a wonder of texture and variations on a filmic theme. While the "momentary" camera-work by CHRISTOPHER DOYLE is a delight, the soundtrack (that's including the pure music of the dialogue), is one of the richest in recent memory.

The Last Days of the Guitar

The previous clip from ROY ANDERSSON reminds me of the beauty of the live, improvised guitar filling a scene in long-take cinema.

In the GUS VAN SANT film LAST DAYS, the KURT COBAIN stand-in played by MICHAEL PITT draws out a scene while looping takes on guitar, vocals, and drums. In both of these instances, the amplified sound becomes another aspect of the stunning architecture of the scene.

You, the Living

For reasons unknown, ROY ANDERSSON remains Sweden's best kept filmmaking secret. His newest film is still yet to be distributed to the U.S., and we are left watching clips like this on the internet.

I can't think of another filmmaker who has developed such a huge and original style, while dedicating his work to the absurd, joyous ends of people as a whole. His films are strange, unsettling, and a huge delight, which is needlessly a rare combination of elements.

I'm Mister Lonely

HARMONY KORINE may have made one of the most delightful, oddly moving, and refreshingly unique films in contemporary cinema with MISTER LONELY. This is the opening sequence of that film, a celebration of the poetry of slow motion. Here's hoping KORINE continues to develop his peerless style of filmmaking.

Waking up in HANOI

The pleasure of a languid, early film scene set to diegetic pop music is hard to match, in my book. The Vietnamese film THE VERTICAL RAY OF THE SUN features three such sequences, repeated in the same bedroom at morning to different songs.

In this scene, LOU REED's 1970's single CONEY ISLAND BABY sets the tone for filmmaker TRAN ANH HUNG's carefully orchestrated wake up scene.

Dream with the Coens

The final scene of NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN has been a contentious one. Some dismiss it, others feel the weight of the film depends on it. Whatever your take on it, it's worth watching again.

Dreaming is a recurring element of the COEN BROTHERS' films. One scene that's stuck with me is from an early COEN BROS. farce that I first saw as a young man on TV. For some reason, the image of the football player's highly stylized rush to the endzone has stayed with me. Comical as it is, RAISING ARIZONA actually has a lot in common with NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN. But that might just be a fact COEN BROS. recurring territory.

Spiegel Im Spiegel

Tonight at New York's LE POISSON ROUGE, I will be seeing the WORDLESS MUSIC SERIES, featuring TIM HECKER. Also performing will be the WORDLESS MUSIC ORCHESTRA, who will be playing work by ARVO PÄRT, among others.

The "sarcred minimalism" of ARVO PÄRT's music was a big part of GUS VAN SANT's film GERRY, which used SPIEGEL IM SPIEGEL in the above scene.

God Only Knows, Claire Denis

CLAIRE DENIS is a master, sensualist filmmaker. Her camera lingers on faces and skin in sometimes grotesque intimacy. This simple scene of a French bartender catching the attention of a passing American sailor from NENETTE ET BONI is a good example of her style.

God only knows what I'd do if VINCENT GALLO looked at me like this.

Here, she gets all telefoto on SONIC YOUTH for her music video of their recent INCINERATE:

Skater boys

For his film PARANOID PARK, GUS VAN SANT handed off Super 8 cameras to kids around Portland to capture the poetic sequences that highlight his film about youth skate culture.

Bonnie and Barney and Bjork

WILL OLDHAM sings the song GRATITUDE as the opening for MATTHEW BARNEY's film DRAWING RESTRAINT 9.

Music by BJORK.

Silent Light

The newest film from Mexican maverick CARLOS REYGADAS opens in darkness to reveal a not-so-silent sunrise. TIMES critic MANOLHLA DARGIS reads the film's title as "an allusion to love," but I think the message is closer to spirituality and belief, which is not necessarily the same thing.

In this shot, as per usual, REYGADAS rewards our patience with a carefully wrought sense of beauty and significance.

Werckmeister Harmonies

Hungarian filmmaker BÉLA TARR works in a timeless tradition unmoved by contemporary trends. This opening scene from WERCKMEISTER HARMONIES captures his style and tone beautifully, notably his use of long takes and the roving camera that completely ignores the standard rules of editting—namely the 180 degree rule. That's right, his camera crosses the line, in fact, it's fair to say that in his films, there is no line.

BÉLA TARR's newest film THE MAN FROM LONDON will be playing all this week at the MUSEUM OF MODERN ART.