I thought this extract from Philip French’s Observer review of There Will Be Blood was fascinating: This is a deeply pessimistic, at times puzzling film, and it seems to lack a political dimension central to Upton Sinclair’s life and work. Organised labour was a significant force in the American West in the early 20th century, often involved in violent conflict. This has largely been ignored by Hollywood, and recently only the independent producer-director John Sayles has shown interest in it.…

I’m still reeling, floored from seeing There Will Be Blood last night. Like many people, I’m not sure I can write about it yet. It’s still settling down in my psyche where I’m sure it will have a prominent place for many years to come. I’ll just say that I can’t get over how utterly astonishing Daniel Day Lewis’s performance is and I’m going to have to go see it again just to be able to drink it all in.…

Street Photography as a Right and a Journey – more info on UnionDocs. This is happening tomorrow night in Williamsburg and sounds pretty awesome: Jem Cohen will show short works and excerpts from over 2 decades of shooting on the street. As this is the last week for public comment on the newly revised city regulations governing street photography and filmmaking, he will also lead a forum on what’s right, and what’s seriously wrong, with the rules. Information will be…

I posted earlier this month about how much I longed for a female Lloyd Dobler, in other words for a young female character who is funny and ballsy and eloquent. I went to a screening of Juno last night and I’m pleased to say that Ellen Page rocks the non-wussy-girl-character house. As does Diablo Cody’s hilarious script. The music drove me a little bit nuts because, much as I love them, there’s only so much Moldy Peaches I can take…

Watching Joe Swanberg’s Hannah Takes the Stairs made me think of E. M. Forster. This particular passage from Howards End to be precise: Only connect! That was the whole of her sermon. Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. Live in fragments no longer. Only connect, and the beast and the monk, robbed of the isolation that is life to either, will die. The film struck…

I’m watching Superbad! I’m a bit of a fan of everything Judd Apatow and his gang get their dirty little paws on after seeing the funny and unexpectedly sweet Knocked Up. Superbad did not disappoint. The crazy cop antics got a little tiresome after a while, mainly because Cera and Hill are so hilarious that I wanted them on screen ALL the time, but all in all Superbad is just supergood. Here’s the R rated trailer for all you grown…

This is just another heads up that the Generation DIY series starts at the IFC Center on Wednesday for all of you who are just itching to find out what the hell this darn mumblecore nonsense is all about. And the lovely IndieWIRE gang are doing a special event at the Apple Store on Thursday to tie in with the series. Here’s the info: An Evening with Generation DIY: Joe Swanberg, Greta Gerwig, Aaron Katz and Aaron Hillis at Apple…

Oh dear – nothing for weeks and then I just can’t stop the posts coming! There are some great film events coming up though that I feel I must share. Manda Bala is opening at the Angelika tomorrow – this intense and beautifully made documentary about Brazil was a favorite of mine at Sundance earlier this year and I’m really looking forward to seeing it again, outside of the film fest bubble. And then next week The New Talkies: Generation…

Lance Weiler is bringing his film Head Trauma to the Museum of the Moving Image in New York this Saturday in a multimedia performance that I’m sure will be worth checking out. I’ll be back in London this weekend to start preparations for BRITDOC so I’ll miss it unfortunately. Here’s the blurb: In this innovative and playfully unsettling interactive multimedia event, the story of a drifter who returns to his grandmother’s abandoned house is brought to life in a collision…