Shorts, 5/11.

By David Hudson on 05/11/2009

In the original version of Nathan Lee's review of "Outrage" (see Friday's entry) for NPR, he named the names Kirby Dick names. But, as Eugene Hernandez reports at indieWIRE, NPR cut the names - so Lee retracted his byline: "'I took my name off the review as a matter of principle both as a journalist and an out gay man,' Nathan Lee told indieWIRE on Sunday. 'Readers of the review should know the reason WHY the name has been redacted, which NPR is not allowing me to do on the comment section, and has made unclear in the disclaimer emended to the review. It has been suggested by one commenter on the site that the author is, in fact, closeted! I felt it important to clarify why the review stands as it does.'"

Meantime, Peter Knegt notes that Fredreka Schouten's blog entry for USA Today on Florida Governor Charlie Crist's intention to announce that he'll be running for the US Senate "mentioned nothing of the Crist's not-so-alleged-anymore homosexuality." Peter's is an impassioned entry and features a telling clip.

Via Gabriel Shanks: "Eating Out 3," the "world's first gay threequel," is casting; auditions begin in Los Angeles on June 5.

At We Love You So, Spike Jonze and friends blog about all things related to "Where the Wild Things Are." Via Josh Modell at the AV Club.

"The advent of DVD/Blu-ray reissues of classic Hollywood and foreign films has been a boon to film buffs, who can now study their favorites in all their glistening detail and restored palettes," writes James Wolcott in Vanity Fair. "But what's lost is the sense of discovery in the grotto that was one of the hallmarks of 70s moviegoing in New York.... [T]he theaters themselves offered an immersion course in the mysterium tremendum of cinema that contaminated the pores of the mind."

"Eilif Bremer Landsend is from Tromsø, up above the Arctic Circle in northern Norway, the town which is home to the world's most northerly film festival worthy of the name - TIFF (Tromsø International Film Festival). His second short, 'Streetlight' (2003) was named best in its section at TIFF in 2004, and since then he's made five more - most of them playing at international festivals - picking up further prizes along the way. His latest, entitled 'Last Stop' (2008), was one of the better shorts I saw at Crossing Europe (the continent-focussed film festival of Linz, Austria) three weeks ago. Eilif Bremer Landsend, I should point out, is 19 years old." In general, Neil Young, writing here in The Auteurs' Notebook, is feeling upbeat these days "about Europe in general and about Europe's cinema culture in particular - past, present, future."

Joseph Aisenberg, blogging at Bright Lights After Dark, wants "more, more, more!" Sandra Bernhard. On an amusing, yet only somewhat related note, James Wolcott.

"Anchor Bay has acquired domestic rights to indie drama 'The Open Road,' starring Jeff Bridges, Justin Timberlake, Kate Mara, Harry Dean Stanton, Lyle Lovett and Mary Steenburgen," reports Dave McNary. Also in Variety, Michael Fleming: "Antonio Banderas is set to star in 'The Big Bang,' a neo-noir detective story to be directed by Tony Krantz."

Chris Wiegand talks with Ludivine Sagnier for the Guardian.

"Britain's gone Bollywood, thanks to the runaway success of 'Slumdog Millionaire.' Several British films either set in India or poking fun at the culture clash experienced by British Indians are scheduled for release," reports Andrew Johnson in the Independent.

Chris Cagle compares and contrasts the subjective cameras of "Lady in the Lake" and "Dark Passage."

The Observer's Philip French's latest "screen legend": Barbara Stanwyck.

Tom Stempel posts his 25th "Understanding Screenwriting" column at the House Next Door.

Robert Horton lists the "Ten Best Movies" of 1929.

New York maps the movies currently shooting in the city.

Online grinning tip. David Poland has William Wegman's poster for this year's Telluride Film Festival (September 4 through 7).

Online leafing tip. Issue 22 of Little White Lies is devoted to "Let the Right One In."

Online scrolling tip. David Cairns considers making a Hitchcock desk calendar.

Online listening tip #1. Matt Singer and Alison Willmore: "This week on the IFC News podcast, we look at the changing relationship between amusement park attractions and event movies."

Online listening tip #2. On the Leonard Lopate Show, Sam Staggs talks about his book, "Born to Be Hurt," which chronicles the making of Douglas Sirk's "Imitation of Life."

Online viewing tip #1. Filmbo: "Claire Denis tapes Serge Daney interviewing Jacques Rivette on his early interest in filmmaking, his days with Cahiers du cinéma, and his first meetings with Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut and Eric Rohmer." Via Ekkehard Knörer at Cargo.

Online viewing tip #2. "'The Story of Stuff,' a 20-minute video about the effects of human consumption, has become a sleeper hit in classrooms across the nation," reports Leslie Kaufman in the New York Times. "The video is a cheerful but brutal assessment of how much Americans waste, and it has its detractors. But it has been embraced by teachers eager to supplement textbooks that lag behind scientific findings on climate change and pollution."

Online viewing tip #3. At the Art of the Title Sequence: "Part one of an exclusive two-part feature on the opening title sequences for 'Hulk' (2003) and 'The Incredible Hulk' (2008). This week we feature an in-depth interview with Garson Yu, the visual designer for Ang Lees 'Hulk'.... Next Week: Kyle Cooper of Prologue anatomizes 'The Incredible Hulk.'"

Online viewing tip #4. "At the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, writer/director Craig Brewer ('The Poor and Hungry,' 'Hustle and Flow,' 'Black Snake Moan') gave a sneak peak of his upcoming MTV web series down in the curtained basement of New Frontiers," writes Michael Ryan at Hammer to Nail. "'$5 Cover' is comprised of thirty eight-minute webisodes that feature a different Memphis musician going through a normal day leading up to the performance of a song. As in all of Brewer's work, the true reality of living life on the edge of poverty is vividly conveyed and the struggle to make ends meet is inseparable from the struggle to create music."

Online viewing tip #5. David Poland talks with Jessica Biel and director Stephan Elliot about "Easy Virtue."

Online viewing tips, round 1. "YouTube provides a steady stream of inspiration to advertising creatives, but it also leaves young directors vulnerable to having ideas stolen and agencies open to accusations of plagiarism. How can both directors and agencies protect themselves?" Eliza takes a look at a few cases for Creative Review.

Online viewing tips, round 2. "Compared often to Charlie Chaplin and his Little Tramp character - for his vibrant physicality - and also to Groucho Marx - for his verbal talents - Cantinflas was a multi-talented sensation who began as a dancer and quickly managed to create his own unique niche in the hearts of audiences of all social classes. His superb slapstick took him from successes on the stage to stardom in the cinema; he was often credited with securing the success of the entire Mexican film industry (alongside matinee idol Pedro Infante) during his career in the 1940s, especially." Clips are all up and down medusamorlock's biographical overview.

[Photo: Detail from the poster for "Outrage," Magnolia Pictures, 2009]

Tags: Cantinflas, Douglas Sirk, Eilif Bremer Landsend, Jacques Rivette, Kirby Dick, Let the Right One In, Ludivine Sagnier, Outrage, Sandra Bernhard, Spike Jonze