...are the subejcts of the films I consider this week, highlighted by my review of Criterion's new release of Edgar G. Ulmer/Robert Siodmak/Billy Wilder/Fred Zinneman's 1930 "before they were stars" outing People on Sunday. Also, opening this week is Cristi Puiu's challenging Aurora which I tackled last year at the New York Film Festival.
While John Turturro's fourth directorial effort, Passione, an ode to the music of Naples Italy, and The Names of Love, Michel Leclerc's heady romantic comedy, are not without their merits, there's little of worth to be found in A Love Affair of Sorts, the latest how-technology-affects-young-vacant-lives monstrosity.
Not to take an anti-populist stance, but as a general rule of thumb, if a film wins an audience award at Sundance, well, chances are it's one to skip. Such is certainly the case with Cindy Meehl's Buck, a documentary profile of real-life "horse whisperer" Buck Brannaman.
While it already feels like the dog days here in New York, summer has yet to officially kick in. But just as the heat has already made its presence felt, so the seasonal blockbusters have started to hit theaters. Not that I've reviewed any of them this week; the closest thing to a hit I've covered is Michael Winterbottom's The Trip which is actually a re-post of my Tribeca review. Still, at least one of the films below - rather the opposite of a summer blockbuster - is worth a careful look.
Though not available online, my review of Chris Robé's book Left of Hollywood: Cinema, Modernism and the Emergence of US Radical Film Culture can be found in the latest issue of Cineaste Magazine, on newsstands now.
