Matthew Thrift at the British Film Institute pens an article on the history of the amazingly psychedelic ‘acid western’. What an appropriate name. Just click the link and it will take you to the article.
Retrospectives
[Film] Carl Th. Dreyer on set of The Passion of Joan of Arc
Carl Theodor Dreyer on the set of The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928). Check out FW Murnau on set of Faust in 1926 here
[Music/Film] Two LPs from erotic horror flick Vampyros Lesbos reissued by Wah Wah
Oh, happy day! Though I always enjoyed the Crippled Dick reissue of said soundtrack, it seems too truncated. Wah Wah Records has rectified the problem. The soundtrack to Vampyros Lesbos can now be heard in fuller glory, with beautiful repackaging.
Read more about it from The Vinyl Factory here.
[Film] As Kirk Douglas turns 100, a major UCLA retrospective looks at his amazing body of work
On December 9, Kirk Douglas becomes a centenarian. The UCLA Film & Television Archive will be doing a retrospective of his work this year.
Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times writes on the event here.
[Film] 5 French New Wave Films — Speakeasy
[Article] Nina Simone Documentarian Reveals Singer’s Shockingly Violent Temper
Nina Simone was always worth celebrating as a wonderful musician. She was also, unfortunately, a bit of a monster to her daughter. What Happened, Miss Simone?, will show a balanced view of her public and private persona.
[Film] 25 Noir Films That Will Stand the Test of Time: A List by “Noirchaelogist” Eddie Muller
OpenCulture.com is a godsend of a resource, housing all kinds of material past the copyright protection date. In this post, we find Eddie Muller giving a list of what he thinks are the best film noir flicks ever. I agree with most of it!
[Film] Crowdfunding Sought To Release Orson Welles’ Unfinished Final Film
Yesterday would have been Orson Welles’ 100th birthday. This is quite a present for the rest of us!
NPR has more here.
[Film] Wim Wenders: “Everything I loved I had to defend”
The Talks is a website I came across through my daily Facebook crawls. Today’s issue has an interview with German film director Wim Wenders, mainly on what makes the man tick.
[Film] Robin Williams, Oscar-Winning Comedian, Dies at 63 in Suspected Suicide
Recovery from alcohol-and-drug addiction, and the onset of Parkinson’s Disease, was too much for the beloved comic. The New York Times remembers Robin Williams in their Culture and ArtBeats section, as well as in the main section here.
Though he made plenty of jokes about religion, he was a practicing Episcopalian. May his family’s grief be ameliorated, and may Robin rest in peace.
A Miscellany Of Tasteful Music 