the reeler Tagged Articles at Cinematical

New Yorkers just got an extra Christmas present this year from the IFC Center: Gregg Araki's stoner comedy Smiley Face will actually get a one-week run at the arthouse theater beginning December 26. This is exciting news considering it was previously believed (with good reason) that we'd only get to watch the movie on DVD. Back in September, it was announced the movie would only get a quick theatrical shot in L.A. and then go straight to video, crushing hopes for many who would like to smoke up and attend a midnight show. This was disappointing news considering how many festival-goers enjoyed the thing (see Jette and Monika's reviews for two such favorable receptions) and how popular Araki's previous film, Mysterious Skin, was (with critics, at least, if not box office). Even career-wise, Araki has been as big a cult favorite as some other filmmakers who receive better distribution. But I guess in an era when well-known indie directors are left only with iTunes exclusives without any theatrical run, and other midnight movie comedies destined to become cult favorites are dumped in the back alley by their studios, it isn't that surprising what happened to Smiley Face.

The Reeler's Stu Van Airsdale points out the short NYC run may have been arranged in order to garner " a fistful of blurb-ready reviews" that will help in the marketing of the DVD. Of course, the film's distributor could have easily gotten some DVD-cover-friendly quotes from festival reviews if that was truly all it was after. And then it also could have dumped the movie into one of Manhattan's less-prestigious arthouse theaters. Not that I disagree that the run will benefit the DVD release (set for January), but there's also good reason to think the people at IFC enjoy the movie and are simply interested in screening it at their theater. Smiley Face had a decent box office take from its one screen in L.A., and its presumed it will do just as well if not better in New York. After all, we don't have to worry about leaving the theater too stoned to drive.

I'm afraid this week's edition of the Film Blog Group Hug is be rather less organized than those my colleagues have offered you in the past few months. Instead of listing blogs which focus on a particular genre or aspect of film, I'll instead introduce you to a small group made up of my personal favorites (those not linked by others in this feature, anyway) and other sites that are offering particularly interesting content at the moment.

• The Reeler: Stu at The Reeler -- a news blog with a New York focus -- fits into both categories: I read him regularly, but he's also really outdone himself over the past week or so (ironically enough, he's been absent during that time). During his vacation, Stu got a collection of his illustrious friends to pinch-hit for him, and the result is posts on topics from Roman Polanski's foot fetish to Dada; from filmmaking to Jews in the movies. Well worth a browse -- every post offers something of interest.
• That Little Round-Headed Boy: Yes, Charlie Brown is a film blogger -- who knew? Though my personal favorite post by TLRHB is the one on Myrna Loy (because I adore her as much as he does), virtually everything on the site is insightful, opinionated and intelligent. Plus, who else would offer posts on Elvis and Michael J. Fox, back to back?
• Blowing Smoke: Not a film blog per say, Blowing Smoke is actually a group blog for people involved in the TV movie of the same name. In reality, the posts comes primarily from two people not actually connected to the movie, but that doesn't mean they're not sharp and funny. The postings cover a wide range of pop culture topics, but the absurdity of Hollywood is never far away. A warning: If you're easily offended, don't bother visiting.
• Film Experience: Nathaniel is, in the best possible way, totally out of his mind -- and, for that reason, his blog would be one of my favorites were he a movie fan or not. Lucky for us, however, he is, and regularly brings his wit to bear on such subjects as his own troubling "actressexuality", the glory that is Pedro Almodovar and, just recently, an exhaustive FOUR PART examination of Moulin Rouge. Yes, that Moulin Rouge. Oh, and his favorite stars stop by from time to time, too. Too wonderful to miss.
• Kaiju Shakedown: Grady Hendrix was writing about Asian film before I was born. That's actually a lie, but my point is that if anyone in the US is qualified to pen Variety's shockingly comprehensive, entertaining blog covering all things Asian and cinematic, it's Grady. For people with DVD collections heavy on region 0 discs with burned-in subs (Or is it only my Hong Kong discs that have those?), Kaiju Shakedown is indispensable: It's a perfect mix of informed commentary and silly gossip; even when I don't have time to read all my feeds, I always make sure I get to this one.

There's nothing tackier than a Memorial Day sunburn. Come point and laugh at mine, tonight in New York City. Our friend The Reeler is hosting a screening of Lodge Kerrigan's Keane tonight at the Pioneer Theater on the Lower East Side, and after the movie I'll be sitting in on a discussion with Kerrigan, Lawrence Levi, and The Reeler himself, S.T. VanAirsdale.

You probably blinked and missed Keane when it was released late last summer, but the film (which was nominated for Independent Spirit and Gotham Awards alongside films like Brokeback Mountain and Capote) produced some of my favorite pullquotes of 2005. Manohla Dargis' review opened like this: "Lodge Kerrigan keeps such a tight watch on the title character in Keane that at times you think the camera is going to crawl in the man's ear to take a look inside." In The Wall Street Journal, Joe Morgenstern wrote, "This isn't entertainment in any conventional sense, but it's a mesmerizing film all the same." And, in positing Keane as the indie flipside to the Jodie Foster hit Flightplan, Roger Ebert took an opportunity to philosophize on the nature of filmgoing: "The complete filmgoer is open to the movie on the screen, and asks it to work in its own ways for its own purposes."

Tonight's event starts at 6:30. If none of the above seems like reason enough to head downtown, know that there will be free beer and pizza after the discussion, courtesy of Two Boots and Magic Hat -- for ticketholders only. You can buy tickets here; for more info, click here.