The News: All-Positive Friday!

By S.T. VanAirsdale

As per tradition, some of this week's more upbeat movie news of note from around New York:

--Lord knows I can be a little hard on Anthony Kaufman from time to time, so it's important to give credit when and where it's due. And this week there's plenty to go around as the guy went two-for-two in the Voice (with a terrific piece exposing the garish artifice of Brian De Palma's Redacted) and on his own blog, where he takes aim at those half-wit dues-payers at the International Documentary Association. Sure there's a bit of his infamous scolding going on, but really, his "Shame on IDA's 25 Best List" headline seems about as legitimate a reaction as any. They should be ashamed.

--The Reeler's Clémentine Gallot had the scoop yesterday on NYC's French cinema invasion, but A.O Scott takes it a step further in today's Times. "You don’t have to be French to make a French movie," he writes, invoking NYFF selectees Julian Schnabel (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), José Luis Guerin (In the City of Sylvia) and Hou Hsiao-Hsien (The Flight of the Red Balloon). In general, though, Scott seems alliteratively over the moon about pretty much everything so far, from Abel Ferrara's "sweet, seedy marvel" Go Go Tales to Gus Van Sant's "lovely, lyrical story" Paranoid Park. It's kind of like Peter Travers, but without the dick in his mouth.

--My favorite item of cultural commentary today happens to involve Brad Pitt and al-Qaeda. You should probably just read it.

--At Twitch, Grady Hendrix writes movingly about 16 films you should see before you die. Among them: Off the Black, which features a fabulous turn by Nick Nolte, "sounding like he's been marinated in lung cancer." I'm still laughing. If there's ever been any doubt Hendrix earns his money, let it be allayed forthwith.

Posted at October 5, 2007 6:53 AM