After Jean-Paul Belmondo won 10 more votes than Marcello Mastroianni during this week’s final round of the Duel of the Cool (PIERROT LE FOU vs. LEO THE LAST), we can declare him the overall winner by just four votes!
Belmondo wins the Duel of the Cool!
Thanks to everyone who voted!
Now that the Seattle film crew is safely back from the Niger Delta, they have put together a forum on what happened, and the larger issues of journalists in danger. On Monday at Kane Hall, they’ll tackle questions about the need for journalists to be in areas of conflict, and how the can be protected. Do make an effort to go.
Or at least that can be inferred, since Kathy Fennessy gives a glowing review of the film, which ends tomorrow night. I’ve heard nothing but good things about this one - from friends and critics alike.
Some choice quotes:
“The deserving winner of a jury award at SIFF 2007…Jeff Nichols is a promising filmmaker” -The Stranger
“Grade A: The best American film of last year…The cast is uniformly excellent” -Seattle PI
“Promising first-time writer-director Jeff Nichols honors the integrity of his conflicted characters while twisting their blood ties with escalating tension.” -Seattle Times
“Shotgun Stories is best enjoyed on the big screen.” -Kathy Fennessy
Regina Hackett has posted a thoughtful piece about painter Alice Neel on her blog Art-to-Go. It serves as a great primer for the film ALICE NEEL, which opens Friday.
I just got this tidy announcement from the Sprocket Society that neatly explains the Georges Melies special presentation next Thursday, and I thought I’d share:
Announcing a very special event co-presented by The Sprocket Society and the Northwest Film Forum…
GEORGES MELIES: IMPOSSIBLE VOYAGER
Special effects epics from 1901-1912Next Thursday, May 15, 2008 at 8:00 PM — One show only!
At the Northwest Film Forum - 1515 12th Avenue (on Capital Hill at Pike)
http://www.nwfilmforum.org/ (206) 329-2629$8.50 general / $5 NWFF members / $6 kids under 12 & seniors
Advance tickets available online at
http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/28828A special celebration of the mad filmic genius of Georges Méliès, the father of special effects, featuring rare 16mm film prints of his greatest sci-fi, fantasy and adventure epics…all presented with unusual musical accompaniment!
INCLUDING!
A rare presentation of THE IMPOSSIBLE VOYAGE (1904) with a live performance of the original narration penned by Méliès himself plus music provided by CLIMAX GOLDEN TWINS playing 78 rpm records on actual Victrolas, right there in the theater!
PLUS!
Six more great films, all presented with non-traditional musical recordings including avant garde jazz, the Master Musicians of Jajouka, The Residents (in a special remix by Scott Colburn), and more! Featuring…
A TRIP TO THE MOON (1901) — rare extended version!
THE KINGDOM OF THE FAIRIES (1903) — rare “complete” version!
THE PALACE OF ARABIAN NIGHTS (1905) — stunning set design!
THE MERRY FROLICS OF SATAN (1906) — beautifully tinted!
PARIS TO MONTE CARLO (1905) — with hand-colored scenes!
CONQUEST OF THE POLE (1912) — a rare French version!Learn more and see a bunch of photos, including rare behind-the-scenes shots and production drawings, at http://SprocketSociety.org/events/
Hope to see you there… A splendid time is guaranteed for all!
(Attached poster design by Brian Alter.)
The Sprocket Society (Seattle, WA)
web: http://sprocketsociety.org
email: sprocketsociety@gmail.com


Next month NWFF will open the Ellen Page vehicle Tracey Fragments, a film that takes a daring approach to its film making. There’s a pretty well argued analysis of the film’s innovative editing approach over at The Auteurs’ Notebook.
Director Bruce McDonald is a man after our own heart. Early this year he opened up all footage from the film to filmmakers from around the globe, asking them to reFragment Tracey by using the footage to create original works of art; a Tracey film challenge of sorts. A number of the reFragmentations are worth a glance.
In Round 2 of the DUEL OF THE COOL (in which we pitted 8 1/2 against LE DOULOS) Marcello Mastroianni has taken the lead over Jean-Paul Belmondo. Winning a mere 11 more votes this round, he holds the lead by a total of 6, when the results from Round 1 are included.
Don’t miss the final round next Tuesday-Wednesday: LEO THE LAST vs. PIERROT LE FOU.
Designed by Tim Brown. Series starts May 30.
Take a gander and start marking your calendars for all the exciting stuff coming up this summer.
Full Summer 2008 calendar is available here.
Full Summer 2008 workshop offerings are up here.
Printed calendars should hit the streets May 19, or thereabouts.
Tonight around 6:30pm, put on KEXP’s THE ROADHOUSE (hosted by Greg Vandy). The narrators and performers of NWFF’s ROOTS AND BRANCHES special presentation will be on!
The Kings of Mongrel Folk are Tom Sauber, Orville Johnson, and Mark Graham - three of the most knowledgable and talented American roots musicians in the Northwest. They will be presenting and describing vintage clips of old-time music performers this Thursday at 8pm, then performing a set of live music afterwards. As anyone who experienced our YOU’RE LOOKIN’ AT COUNTRY event knows, the night is sure to be full of hilarity as well as information, set to some wonderful music.
Get a taste of what’s to come with their live in-studio performance, aired tonight!
