(A Superhero Named) Tony

In another Flak Oscar dialogue, I ask Rumaan Alam what’s so funny about peace, love and understanding in Lost in Translation.

This time, someone might actually agree with me.

In light of the masturbatory journalism surrounding the Academy Awards, here are a couple conversations about extended DVDs and The Return of the King at Flak Magazine.

All this week, Flak will feature conversations about the different Best Picture nominees. If you’re into that kind of thing.

The curse of being or even attempting to be a cinephile is that no matter how hard you try or how much free time and disposable income you have, you will never be able to see everything. There’s just too much that’s new and too much to catch up on, so something is bound to slip through the cracks. It’s a frustrating sentiment I’ve shared with several film buff friends.

That is actually a roundabout excuse for the fact that, prior to seeing Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 2001 Cannes entry, Millennium Mambo, I had never seen one of the director’s films. Your Average Moviegoer might say, “So what?” or more appropriately, “Who?” But, for Your Average Art Film Geek, it is shameful, as Hou has for some time now been regarded as one of the greatest living filmmakers — particularly with the film critic set, for whom judgmental frowning can get ugly.

Read the rest of this entry »