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Jonestown Documentary Review
Our review of Stanley Nelson's powerful new documentary "Jonestown:
The Life and Death of Peoples Temple" is available now at
Filmspotting.net --
or click here to listen.
We just couldn't fit the 12 minute review into the show we
recorded for this week, but we hope you'll check it out -- especially
if you followed along with our Documentaries Marathon. It really
provides a perfect coda following "The Times of Harvey Milk" due to
their overlapping subject matter and style.
After the review, I chided Sam a bit for seeming to criticize
Nelson for not being more experimental. Is that what we expect of
every documentary? Why don't we rip on every narrative film for being
'conventional' then? He suggested that his point was really just that
he finds the standard talking head doc kind of dry and boring. He is,
after all, the guy who gave 5 stars to both Errol Morris movie we saw.
I don't really begrudge him this feeling, but I think we both
would agree that a more radical style probably would have served to
undermine the material in "Jonestown." The stories are so emotionally
charged; Nelson is right to just let the people tell them.
"Jonestown" is currently playing in select cities and will open
in Chicago on Nov. 24. It's getting
a pretty amazing 94%
rating over at Rotten Tomatoes.
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My Date With Tom Tykwer
 Within one day of each other last month, we received emails from two
(female) listeners wondering why we hadn't said anything about Tom
Tykwer's (Run Lola Run) upcoming film "Perfume: The Story of a
Murderer."
The first came from Jessica in Berkeley who saw the movie while
visiting family in Berlin. The second came from Laura in Chicago who
wrote: "I'm a fan of the book and from the few reviews I've read,
apparently Tykwer has done a pretty decent job adapting the novel. I
wouldn't say it's number one in my list, but it is definitely there
somewhere. What do you guys think?"
Well, when Jessica and Laura wrote, I have to admit that I wasn't
familiar at all with "Perfume." Now not only have I seen the movie
(thanks to an advanced screening), but I will have the opportunity to
sit down with Tykwer for an interview this Thursday in Chicago. (Nice
job moving to Milwaukee, Sam.)
Anyway, I'm very excited about the interview and wanted to go
ahead and give you guys a chance to submit any questions you'd like
me to ask. No guarantees, but I'll certainly consider them. Email me
at
feedback@filmspotting.net
We haven't decided when the interview will run ... we may wait
closer to Jan. 5 when "Perfume" is released here in the U.S.
Tom Tykwer Filmography
Perfume Official Site
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Virginia Beach Meetup
Sam and I are both really bad about giving advance notice on these
things... but I'm going to be in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area this
weekend and may have some time for a little Filmspotting meetup if
any listeners are interested. I've had a great time meeting listeners
in New York, San Francisco and Nashville and wanted to go ahead and
throw this out there. If you live in the area and are interested, you
know the email address.
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100% Pure Adrenaline!
Programming note: On our upcoming Chicago Public Radio show (yes,
they requested two this month), we're going to count down our Top 5
Adrenaline Rushes, tying in with "Casino Royale" -- the top 5 movie
moments that get your blood pumping. You could probably also think of
it as our favorite action scenes, but we're not limiting ourselves to
action films. Feel free to start chiming in now...
feedback@filmspotting.net
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Overlooked DVD: The Princess and the Warrior
 For some reason I fear that I have already used this Tom Tykwer film
as an Overlooked DVD Pick... but alas, I can't find any proof of
this, so I'm pushing onward in honor of my upcoming interview.
Tykwer's fantastic follow-up to "Run Lola Run,"
"The Princess and the Warrior"
actually shares a lot in common with "Perfume," namely Tykwer's
fascination with the senses.
Here is an excerpt from my written review of the film when it was
released in 2001: "German filmmaker Tom Tykwer's superb breakthrough
film, Run Lola Run, combined thumping techno music, flashy editing,
and a fractured, frenetic storyline to overload the senses. Tykwer's
followup, The Princess and the Warrior, doesn't try to assault the
senses so much as it endeavors to engage them - to compel its
characters, and, by extension, the audience, to connect with the
sights, sounds, and smells that surround them.
Consider the crucial scene near the beginning where Sissi, a
nurse at a mental hospital played by the dazzling star of Run Lola
Run, Franka Potente, is hit by a truck while crossing the street.
When she awakes after briefly being knocked unconscious, the first
thing she notices is the silence. "Actually, I always liked silence,"
her voice-over explains. "But not this silence. Something was
missing. My...breath. Help!"
If you're interested, you can
read the full review here.
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The Metal Lady of Terror
 In last week's Dope Sheet, Sam printed an email from Scott Rosenberg
in Washington, D.C. who admitted that his scariest movie moment was
the scene in "Superman III" where a woman "gets plated in metal and
attacks Superman with some sort of electrical attack."
Sam couldn't recall the scene... and even I couldn't remember it,
despite having watched "Superman III" 100 times on HBO as a kid.
Well, not only is Scott not crazy... but apparently he isn't the only
listener who is still haunted by this scene.
Jesse Riggs in Huntington, WV: "I just read the new dope sheet
and I can't believe you can't remember Superman III (aka the one with
Richard Pryor), and the horror inducing scene that Scott from
Washington mentioned. It's true, I had an identical experience at
that precise moment in the movie and probably at the exact same age.
I remember acting very interested in the knitting magazine my mom was
reading during the movie. It terrified me. I thought I was the only
one."
Can you feel the healing taking place here?
John Tai chimes in: "I have to confirm Scott Rosenberg's memory
of Superman III. I too was scared to death after watching that movie
in the theater. Towards the end of the movie, the super-computer
becomes sentient and traps the woman and covers her with metal plates
and takes possession of her body. I also don't know why, but after
that I couldn't stand being in the dark alone, or that scene would
flash in front of my eyes. However, I did watch it again, this year
in fact, and I was NOT scared anymore... maybe..."
Jonathan from Boulder, CO disagrees: "The thing that scared me so
much as a child is that this normal woman instantly and unwillingly
turns into a violent robot, and she looks totally inhuman. It still
bothers me to think of the scene (I'm now 24), but when I saw it a
few years ago I was struck by how short it is -- maybe a minute long,
max. Still creepy as hell, though."
In any event, if you want to see what all the fuss is about,
Colin "Sharkskin Revolver" Epstein passed along this link to
the video of the actual scene
thanks to YouTube.
If the thought of (re-)watching this is too scary for you, Dennis
Kasper in Medina, OH
sends this link if you want to view pictures
of the metal lady.
You've been warned.
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Should We Can Cassavetes?
As many of you know, we have been planning to do a John Cassavetes
Marathon after the upcoming Animation Marathon. Sam and I have both
always been ashamed that we've only seen a few of his films.
ben_pfeiffer in the Filmpotting Message Boards
recently wondered whether we were going to add any other Cassavetes
films to the list since we had only posted four -- Faces, A Woman
Under the Influence, Opening Night and The Killing of a Chinese
Bookie. My answer was no because some of them, such as "Love Streams"
and "Minnie and Moskowitz," aren't currently available on DVD.
The Marathons are for our edification and enjoyment, of course,
but we also want as many listeners as possible to play along... so...
we're not sure how to react after receiving this email from from
Chris in Hickory, NC:
"Do you fellows have any suggestions on how I can join you in the
Cassavetes marathon? Starting with the Herzog/Kinski fest I've been
able to watch the films first and then anxiously await your takes. I
realize the Animation marathon is next, but I was dismayed to see
that none of the Cassavetes films were available (with release dates
listed as unknown) and I was likewise out of luck at my local video
stores. Would it be possible to shelve the Cassavetes marathon until
the films are more widely available?"
Chris is exactly right. You won't find any of the films we have
scheduled available on Peerflix or Netflix or your local video store.
I didn't even consider this potential problem because I own the
Criterion edition of
John Cassavetes: Five Films
and assumed the discs were widely available.
As badly as I want to give the marathon treatment to Cassavetes,
right now I'm leaning toward your idea, Chris, and shelving the
marathon. I just don't think it will be as much fun without listeners
having the opportunity to follow along.
Please feel free to share your thoughts and marathon
suggestions... again, you know the email address.
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