Saturday, February 20, 2010
I've been interviewed...
I've been interviewed as part of the "Critical Mass" feature at Only Good Movies. This is an ongoing series of interviews with various film critics, and I've been selected for the latest. You can read the Q&A here if you'd like to get an idea of my critical philosophy and ideas about film.
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15 comments:
Ed, this is a fantastic interview. So lucid and a great insight into you and your approach. Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks, Jeffrey, glad you enjoyed it!
Ed, I just want to second your thoughts about how post-60s Godard is unjustly overlooked. One of the great artists the medium has produced. I'm foaming at the mouth for Socialisme.
This is such a great interview, Ed. I was particularly enlightened, if also a bit humbled, by what you said about the term "overrated." I will certainly keep your cautionary words in mind--particularly what you say about its tendency to "halt discussion" rather than expand it--the next time I even think about using that word in my writing.
All the best.
I agree with so much that you said, particularly in regards to "overrated." I love to use the term "underrated," not to set myself up as the only one who saw the value in something but because I enjoyed the film and would like to invite further discussion on it. But the usage of "overrated" connotes a wisdom that others don't have, as well as a desire to cease discussion of that film beyond the point of people saying "Yeah, totally man." The only time I ever use it is around Oscar season, which is why I like the Oscars so much. They really don't matter to true cinephiles, but I can get out all my amateurish hiccups over an amateurish ceremony and hopefully offer something of minor worth during the rest of the year.
And I certainly hope I agree with you about post-Weekend Godard, as I'm nearing that threshold now (only four films and a post about some of his shorts to go). I must say that, hard as it is to dig up any information whatsoever on a great many of his middle- and late-period films, a lot of them sound damn interesting, from Numero Deux to Passion to, of course, Histoire(s). It's so odd that everyone agrees he's one of the 10-20 greatest and most influential filmmakers of all time yet so many ignore 85% of his career. I suppose it shouldn't surprise, though; how many people think Welles stops at Kane?
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Ryan, I'm so excited for Socialisme as well. Should be amazing. New Godard features are pretty spread-out these days, so anything new like this is certainly an event.
Jeremy, I'm glad that hit home. It's certainly something I've been guilty of from time to time, so I've been making a conscious effort to move away from those kinds of judgments.
Jake, one of the reasons I'm really looking forward to your post-60s Godard writeups is that so few people have actually written about or shown much interest in those works. It is odd that a director as famous as Godard is really only famous for the films made in a less than 10-year stretch out of a 60-year career. He's made some truly fascinating and exciting films from the 70s onward.
Ed, I thoroughly enjoyed your interview at Only Good Movies Blog. Apart from your love for the medium and your clarity of thoughts, what really caught my attention was the way you took stands in matters you believe in.
For instance, your reply to "overrated films" was really wonderful and showed conviction. What I also really appreciated was your reaction to "artsy considerations". "Artsy" is often coined in the derogatory sense, as if "artsy" movies are there only to adorn one's mantelpiece, so to speak, and thus in turn improve one's bragging rights. For me any movie that stays in my mind must have its artistic worth, and shouldn't just be overloaded with entertainment quotient, and hence I was happy to know that your thought process runs on a similar vein, too.
On the whole, a great interview.
Thanks a lot, Shubhajit. I feel strongly about this medium, obviously, and I'm glad my thoughts came through OK and made an impression.
By the way, I totally agree with you about Carice van Houten. She was the only reason that made me mildly interested in seeing Valkyrie, and yet upon the film's release almost none of the U.S. press even mentioned her! Hopefully she will gain more prominence in the near future, although why Black Book didn't already do this puzzles me.
Excellent interview, and your own passionate sensibilities are there with the epic Godard wwork that admittedly great performance by Ms. Van Houten. Yes, sadly film is headed digital, and it will certainly compromise the aesthetics in a big way. And that conclusion despite the fact that I loved INLAND EMPIRE too.
Perhaps though, the two things that I genuinely admired most about the interview were two admissions:
1.) You are loathe to discuss "overated" films.
2.) You never once walked out of a movie.
You are a better man than me Mr. Howard on the second point, though such instances with me are rare.
Good to hear about more love for Carice van Houten. I didn't see Valkyrie — and lost what little interest I had when I heard she was wasted in it — but I do hope she gets more good roles in the coming years. She's really something.
Sam, if I saw as many new movies as you do, I'm sure I would've walked out of a few. I'm just very picky about what I see, so there's little chance of me sitting down in front of something I'll be so repulsed and/or annoyed by that I'd have to leave or turn it off. Mostly, though, I like to give any movie the benefit of the doubt enough to watch the whole thing.
This is a marvelous interview. I always wanted to read a separate interview of yours, although your reviews themselves give a good insight. Thanks. And the predictions are darn interesting.
And OCFS? Awesome. When will we be seeing you on Rotten Tomatoes?!
Thanks, JAFB, glad you enjoyed the piece.
And yes, I submitted an application and got into the OFCS the last time they had admissions. I was very excited. Not sure what's up with Rotten Tomatoes, I've been trying to figure out how to get hooked up to there but haven't managed it yet. Hopefully I'll work it out eventually, since most OFCS members do seem to be on there.
Terrific interview Ed, thanks for sharing, an articulate and informative interview, and congratulations on the OFCS induction! Van Houten was a revelation in “Black Book.” Hopefully she’ll get some more international attention.
Thanks, John!
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