Week Ending 13th January, 2002	Page 1
It's That Time of the Month Again...	posted 8 Jan 2002
Kate Stables over at the Guardian's website has just posted up her on-line film and interactive animation picks for January. And it's gratifying to see that this month, the twisted, the dystopian and the voyeuristic are in the ascendancy. In the pieces selected, you get to play at being a corporate drone, find out how Wheelchair Rebecca lost the use of her legs, hear tales of one night stands, and meet a girl with her internal organs on the outside of her body.
Diving With Leni	posted 8 Jan 2002
It's been a long time between drinks for Leni Riefenstahl. She made her last film back in 1954 and shortly thereafter was blacklisted for her work under the Third Reich, which included the two Nazi propaganda films that made her famous - Triumph Of The Will and Olympia. Now at the age of 99, she is hard at work on a 45 minute feature entitled Underwater Impressions which is due to premiere on her 100th birthday. The film is editted from underwater footage shot by her over the past 27 years. Can we expect images of muscular Aryan diving companions?... Probably not, but we will be in for a soundtrack by the godawful Giorgio Moroder (Flashdance, the colourised revival of Metropolis).
Bathtime Is Just Incomplete Without...	posted 7 Jan 2002
...Celebriducks, a range of rubber ducks modelled on celebrities. Included in the current collection are such stars of yore as Charlie Chaplin, Mae West, Carmen Miranda and the Blues Brothers. The collection is expanding all the time (I'm eagerly awaiting the promised Bruce Lee duck) and they even give you the opportunity to suggest a duck... So, who would you nominate?
Harry Potter For Deaf-Blind Filmgoers	posted 7 Jan 2002
In Belfast and a number of other cities around the UK, British company DTS is trialing a system that will allow deaf and blind people to enjoy a more complete experience of big screen movies. For deaf members of the audience, subtitles describing not just the dialogue but action sounds (ala those old "Kapow"s in the Batman TV series, I suppose) are projected on to the screen. For blind ones, there are headphones that supply a narration that includes descriptions of action. The movie the company is using to trial their system is Harry Potter.
How Sad Are Star Wars Fans?	posted 7 Jan 2002
Time will tell if Lord of The Rings trilogy does actually become the "next Star Wars" in terms of its cultural resonance with filmgoers. One thing's for sure, though, it has a long way to go if it's ever to inspire the sort of fan-boy lunacy that surrounds the Lucas' films... From Seattle comes the news that two Star Wars fans have already started queueing for tickets to Attack of The Clones - which doesn't open till May 16! According to one of the two, it is an "art project"... Oh really. Since when has "I am a complete loser" become an artistic statement?
Bill Gates Assassinated... Again	posted 7 Jan 2002
Looks like those wacky South Park guys have started a trend... Bill Gates, who was first shot in the South Park movie, is once again the target of assassins in Nothing So Strange, a mockumentary that is due to premiere at Sundance. Hopefully, this ushers in a series on colourful Kenny-style demises for Emperor Geek...
Kandahar Hero Is Suspected Assassin	posted 7 Jan 2002
In Kandahar, the much-lauded film about life in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, there is an African-American doctor who fights the Russians alongside the mojahedin then returns to treat women suffering under the Taliban. A hero for our times?... Well the character may be, but according to US authorities, the actor is not. They claim that he is actually a terrorist who is wanted for the murder of a prominent critic of Ayatollah Khomeini in 1980.
Taking Interesting People To Movies	posted 7 Jan 2002
This is a really inspired idea... Rather than simply bore us with his own opinions, San Franciscan film critic David Templeton invites people who might have interesting perspectives on particular movies to preview screenings. As a result, you get to hear a brothel insider's thoughts on Moulin Rouge, a lounge-singer's thoughts on Ocean's Eleven, an actual Rolling Stone editor's thoughts on Almost Famous, and so on
First Female Producer To Win Oscar Dies	posted 7 Jan 2002
Considering what boys' club Hollywood still is, this deserves to be commemorated. The woman in question, Julia Phillips, shared the 1973 Best Picture Oscar for co-producting The Sting. Other co-production credits included Taxi Driver and Close Encounter of The Third Kind. She was also notable for commiting professional suicide in a truly spectacular fashion, with the publication of a scabrous memoir that ripped into the Hollywood establishment. An admirable woman, indeed.
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