FilmBuff

Last night marked the HBO premiere of 4th Row Films' extraordinary documentary An Omar Broadway Film [Read More]

No, I am not having an existential crisis.  Well, maybe I am, but that's not related to the subject of this post. 

I decided to check out Yasujiro Ozu's 1932 silent classic I Was Born, But... last night at the IFC Center.  Having not seen any of Ozu's work, I was pretty excited about the opportunity to catch this film on the big screen. [READ MORE]

We'd like to congratulate Wheedle's Groove on being the second runner up for the Best Documentary Golden Space Needle Audience Award at the Seattle International Film Festival.  While the film certainly resonates universally, there's no doubt that Seattle audiences respond in a special way, given that Wheedle's Groove uncovers an period of the city's history that has received little attention until now. [READ MORE]

Following in the footsteps of American festivals including Sundance, Slamdance, SXSW and Tribeca, this year's Cannes International Film Festival will allow two films to be seen by French audiences on the same date as their premiers, regardless of the audiences' proximity to the Croisette.  While the rest of Jean Luc Godard's catalogue lives on my Netflix queue (along with other films I should have seen in film school), his most recent feature "Socialism" will premier in Cannes and will be available simultaneously on French VOD portal Filmo TV and on www.filmotv.fr.  Filmo TV will then be presenting 50 years of Godard's work through its VOD service.  Perhaps this will inspire a resurgence of jump cuts! [READ MORE]

I just returned from the Oxford Film Festival in Oxford, Mississippi.  This was only my second visit to this vibrant part of the country, following my first trip to the Indie Memphis Film Festival this past fall.  I was in town as a participant on the festival's Speed Pitch Panel.  Moderated by Kim Voynar (Movie City News), the panel couldn't have gone better. [READ MORE]

Having recently purchased Amazon's Kindle, I'm anxiously waiting to learn more about Apple's new tablet device, which is expected to be introduced next week. Apple recently extended an invitation to its January 27th media event, inviting people "to see our latest creation." The nature of the invitation and the secrecy behind the new device elicits thoughts of Willy Wonka allowing a select group into his factory to catch a glimpse of his newest creations. In his black t-shirt and blue jeans, Steve Jobs appears to be a far cry from Wonka, though they both seem to come from the same school of marketing. Will Jobs' new device live up to the hype? [READ MORE]