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(04/24/03 4:00am)
Mark Moscowitz's film debut Stone Reader follows the director as he searches for Dow Mossman, the one-book author of Stones of Summer, a would-be seminal novel from 1972 that has since gone out of print. Through his journey, Moscowitz shares his passion for the book -- and reading, in general -- with both close friends and literary critics. The Penn alum sat down with Street to talk about his film and passion for reading.
The film is centered on an obscure, out-of-print text. How much did you want to confront the idea of a standard, set literary canon?
Leslie Fiedler was the first person I went to go see [in the film] because Fiedler was the guy who, in my day, and even before me, was the guy who said, "There is no canon." It's just as worthwhile reading Robert Heinlein as it is Homer as it is Saul Bellow... There's no hierarchy of this stuff. It's how does your imagination work, what appeals to it. This whole idea that somehow Jane Austen is better than Agatha Christie is subjective, and, yes, you can argue and have debate about it, but it's the debate that's fun and stimulating. This is not written on the wall.
The film is very personal, about your own search as a filmmaker. Were you looking for a different approach to the documentary format?
All the other documentaries are just straight interviews and clips, Ken Burns-like stuff. Nobody is telling this kind of story. So now, people are out there and they're thinking that maybe this is something. I did want to stretch the medium a bit. I did want to show people that you can tell a non-fiction story in a way that's not just interviews and old clips. You can actually tell the story in a personal way.
This film is about a disappearing culture in a lot of ways. How important was it to find this lost author Dow Mossman?
Well, I didn't ever know I'd find him, so I was prepared to make a film not finding him in which case the poignancy would've happened in a different manner... It's both poignant to see the time passing and it's also inspiring because you realize he's a brilliant guy with great observations and he's still here and he's still standing. He's taken some shots and he's still standing, you know. It's sort of inspiring.
How does a film about a book stay relevant for audiences today, who have difficulty finding the time to read?
The real thing is that the film and the book, and television, to some extent, is all about story. The Internet is about information. And so what you have is a whole generation of people and maybe five hundred years of story culture -- five thousand years of story culture from the Bible -- is going to go away for better or for worse. Maybe it's for better. And information is going to come in. In other words, right now you go to Google and you go search and find -- people just want the information. They want the facts. It's not embedded into a story. The Internet doesn't embed in a story -- there's no story in it. It's all about information. What I wanted was a film that went back to story and carried the information along with it in the story. I don't know if people will continue to have the patience or whether their imaginations will change as they grow up and story becomes less important and information more and more... We will change as a culture.
How much is this lost book representative of other forgotten texts?
There's a lot of books like this. I started a thing called the Lost Books Club and foundation... It's a non-profit I started. It was Leslie Fiedler's idea. He kept saying to me, you know, that this isn't the only lost book out there.
There's this book and that book... Other people who see the film -- I get people all the time who are saying, "Hey, I had a book like that once. It's called so-and-so. I lent it out. I never saw it again. It was one of the best books I ever read." I've kept a list, and we're going to try and get funding for it... and hopefully, we'll be able to bring more of these to attention. I think it's worth doing.
(04/03/03 5:00am)
The 12th Annual Philadelphia Film Festival, presented by TLA Entertainment and the Philadelphia Film Society, will take place on April 3 - 16. The festival, which is the largest of its kind on the East Coast, screens 155 feature films and over 320 films total. This year's festival will open with James Foley's Confidence, starring Edward Burns.
A single ticket to a film costs $8.50, while a matinee ticket costs $6.50. Tickets to the two opening night showings of Confidence run for $15. Films will be screened at The Prince Music Theater, Ritz East, Ritz Five, Independence Seaport Museum, The Bridge and International House.
Last year's Best Feature Film winner was Very Opposite Sexes, and the Best Documentary winner was Runaway. The festival is filled with contenders this year, but Street offers a look at some of the more interesting choices to look for:
The Boys of 2nd Street Park: Ron Berger and Dan Klores present a touching look at a group of Brighton Beach men. The decade-spanning documentary presents an intimate look at the finer points of a New York childhood while also portraying the turbulent era in which the boys grew up. Playing April 5, Seaport Museum at 5:15.
Bollywood/Hollywood: If The Guru left you disappointed, come check out Deepa Mehta's musical about a cross-cultural romance. Playing April 7, Ritz 5 at 9:30, and April 9, Ritz East at 5:15.
Ping Pong: I used to dominate the Hill College House Ping Pong scene. Now, alas, I'm regulated to watching Fumihiko Masuri's film about the Sport of Kings... With Little Paddles. Playing April 12, Ritz 5 at 9:30, and April 15, Prince Music Theater at 4:45.
Bug: Have you ever felt guilty about squashing a bug? If not, you're a heartless bastard. But if so, watch Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay's film, which explores the ramifications of such a seemingly insignificant action. Playing April 12, Ritz East at 9:45, and April 15, The Bridge at 2:30.
Spellbound: First the National Spelling Bee dominated ESPN, pre-empting those entertaining cheerleading and lumberjack competitions. Now, these pre-teen spellers have their own documentary, which was nominated this year for an Academy Award. Playing April 6, Prince Music Theater at 2:30, and April 7, Ritz 5 at 7:15.
The Weather Underground: This timely documentary from Sam Green and Bill Siegel traces the rise and fall of the Weathermen, a radical offshoot of the Students for a Democratic Society that took up arms against the government in the 1960s. The film is a consideration of the failed idealism of 60s radicals, which neither glorifies nor exonerates its subjects, instead allowing them to speak for themselves. Playing April 11, Seaport Museum at 7:30, and April 13, International House at 2:30.
Stevie: Steve James, director of Hoop Dreams, presents Stevie, the story of Stevie Dale Fielding who, abused as a child, now has turned to a life of crime as an adult. James was Stevie's Big Brother when he was eleven. Now, a decade later, he returns to find his subject struggling desperately to lead a normal life. Playing April 11, Ritz 5 at 7:00, and April 12, Ritz 5 at 4:30.ÿ
Turning Gate: Acclaimed South Korean filmmaker Hong Sang-soo directs this romance about a struggling actor involved in a shaky love triangle. The film is a genuine improvisational wonder, written as it was being filmed, which makes the end result an achievement in itself. Playing April 12, Ritz East at 5:00, and April 15, Ritz East at 2:30.
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9 Dead Gay Guys: Billed as one of the more offensive films of the festival, this British import follows two questionably straight Irish youths who become emersed in the seedy underbelly of London's gay culture. They don't particularly enjoy servicing gay men for money, but it pays well. Not surprisingly, there were more than a few walk-outs when it was screened in Cannes. Playing April 13, Prince Music Theater at 9:30, and April 15, Ritz East at 7:30.
Medium Cool: This 1969 Haskell Wexler film features Robert Forster as a cameraman who undergoes a radical transformation, leaving his girlfriend for an Appalacian woman (Verna Bloom) and slowly identifying with the plight of blacks excluded in the media. Filled with violent, graphic images, the film closes with real footage from the riots outside the 1968 Democratic Convention. Its consideration of media's relationship to politics makes it just as relevant today. Playing April 7, Prince Music Theater at 7:00.ÿ
For more information on other festival films and events, visit the official website (http://www.phillyfests.com/pff/templates/home.cfm).
(03/20/03 5:00am)
The war against terrorism is tricky business. There's the color-coded Homeland Security warning system, and then there's the invasion of Iraq--just a few of the many steps taken by the government to eliminate the always-enigmatic terrorist. Yet perhaps the government would benefit by looking to someone with experience -- someone who knows a thing or two about terrorists. Perhaps they should talk to Bruce Willis.
Bruce has had his run-ins with the enemies of freedom on several occasions: once, in 1988, at the top of the Nakatomi Plaza in Die Hard; again, a few years later, at the Dulles International Airport in Die Hard 2; and, finally, on the streets of New York City in Die Hard with a Vengeance -- quite the resume for a Hollywood actor. Despite his credentials, odds are that Bruce won't get the call for any covert op mission in Iraq, which is a shame -- he looks the part, at least.
Yet Washington hasn't shirked before from enlisting the entertainment industry in its war against terrorism. Several weeks after September 11, the president's top advisor Karl Rove was meeting with 47 executives from Hollywood's major studios -- including CBS, Sony, Viacom, Dreamworks and MGM -- to discuss themes of patriotism and courage that the industry might address. Jack Valenti, president of the Motion Picture Association of America and former Lyndon Johnson aid, felt particularly inspired by the meeting. "We can try to tell people how America has been the most generous country in the world, we have fed and clothed and sheltered millions of people without asking anything in return," he said. After all, in times of crises, who better to call on to disseminate information honestly and efficiently than the studios of Hollywood?
If Hollywood execs can unite to lend a hand in the war, perhaps we shouldn't count Bruce out. Instead of asking, Why Bruce Willis?, maybe we should ask, Why not? In Antoine Fuqua's Tears of the Sun, the actor clearly displays his chops as a military presence on foreign soil, proving that his heroism--and America's, for that matter--need not be confined to domestic borders. Willis plays Lt. A.K. Waters, leader of a Navy SEAL team sent to rescue a group of American missionaries from Nigeria in the midst of political upheaval. Trouble is, Waters has strict orders not to interfere in the nation's conflict, despite atrocities committed by the rebel army (represented here by large, anonymous black men). Ever the pragmatic American, Waters isn't one to take diplomacy too seriously. He disobeys orders and engages the enemy the only way he knows how: with extreme force la John McLane style.
Tears of the Sun might be one of the most timely pieces of filmmaking in years. The film issues a veritable call to arms, even ending with a quote from British statesman Edmund Burke: "The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing." I don't know if Fuqua or Bruce attended the meeting of Hollywood's elite and Washington's top spinster two years ago, or whether Tears is the first of many films with an unabashed sense of patriotism coming to theaters soon. But the blind emotions of American pride pressed forth by the film made me forget all about that. By the end of the film, I stood in awe of Willis, like one of the film's refugees who often repeat themselves when addressing the American soldiers (saying things like, "We love you. We will always love you," and, "I will never forget you. God will never forget you."). It's all enough to inspire enlistment -- well, almost. Just send Bruce in first.
(02/14/03 5:00am)
Tired of the traditional, estrogen-laden Valentine's Day fare? If so, check out these alternative takes on the romance genre for Hallmark's favorite holiday.
(06/20/02 4:00am)
Jerry Schiff is having a bad day: trying to avoid a mob of reporters, he ran into Martina Navratilova's electrical fence, helicopters passing over his Malibu home have rattled pictures off the wall and worst of all, Arnold Schwarzenegger's humvee is blocking his driveway. Today, Jerry is witness to perhaps the greatest California media spectacle since Al Cowlings took to the Los Angeles freeway -- the wedding of Barbra Streisand to James Brolin. As Streisand's neighbor, Jerry experiences all the wedding's commotion from an uncomfortably close perspective. And to make matters worse, Jerry wasn't even invited.
(03/21/02 5:00am)
2 Stars