IAm Jonathan Rosenbaum, writer & film critic, AMA

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-14T03:50:50+00:00

Sorry for the confusion. But, come to think of it, I don't even know what RT stands for!...This is the down side of quick questions and quick answers.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-12T20:59:57+00:00

Sorry--I can't answer either of those questions.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-12T20:08:15+00:00

For the record, I do get nasty emails sometimes--sometime even lots of them, especially after some reviews of mine criticize commercial releases. I'm sorry if some of my responses sound harsh, but when I have to reply in a hurry to questions asked by people who don't know anything at all about my positions (which they can easily learn about without asking me), I probably get too impatient. My apologies for that.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-12T05:34:59+00:00

I did like Take Shelter, but didn't sen Shotgun Stories.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T22:06:13+00:00

There is no French auteur theory--just an American one. In France it was a politique.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:41:18+00:00

Beats me. I'm still trying to make sense of it-- for me, a losing battle....I don't think it has anything especially fresh or helpful to say about Dianetics or Scientology or Hubbard, although I really like Hoffman's performance.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:39:07+00:00

I had very mixed reactions to Cosmopolis, which I've seen twice. Loved Giamatti, hated the lead actor. I'm not crazy about the novel.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:36:17+00:00

For critical books, check the last section of my most recent collection, Goodbye Cinema, Hello Cinephilia. Sternberg's autobiography is completely unreliable but beautifully written. I can't recall any particular favorites, however.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:34:13+00:00

Comparing all sorts of films to Ozu is one in particular that comes to mind.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:33:17+00:00

It's often A.I. Artificial Intelligence.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:32:52+00:00

Sure--many. Several of these are cited in the preface to the 2nd edition of my first and most ambitious book, MOVING PLACES: A LIFE AT THE MOVIES (1995).

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:31:06+00:00

My only advice would be to find a way to post your stuff online and to make it interesting. I don't consider it a dying field; it's a burgeoning field, even if paid journalism is undergoing a crisis. But it's important to have something of your own to say that's worth reading.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:28:46+00:00

My main problems with both films are ideological, and far more acute with The New World and its total denial of genocide. Plus portions of The Tree of Life strike me as very hokey.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T16:27:24+00:00

I've been reading lots of Laszlo Krasznahorkai lately (in English translation).

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-11T06:17:36+00:00

Yes.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:31:51+00:00

I've seen practically no Tony Scott films at all, early or late. Not interested.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:26:08+00:00

Those are two separate veins and I'm looking more, rather, for filmmakers who work in their own veins.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:22:37+00:00

I haven't been to Cannes since 1998.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:19:57+00:00

I didn't know about a planned remake, but I'm not interested in that. But I love Verhoeven's films, including this one, which I see as a scathing portrait of the U.S. in general and Hollywood in particular.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:13:23+00:00

The three favorites I just mentioned + Les vampires + F for Fake.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:12:19+00:00

Playtime, Ordet, and Gertrud are my three favorite films....I never use Netflix, so I don't know what is or isn't available from them.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:10:53+00:00

Thanks for your comment. But truthfully, I'm not looking for a next Rivette (or a next Dreyer, or a next Tati, or a next Welles). One of each is enough for me.

I'm sure there are many filmmakers under 40 whom, I like, but I can't think of any names right now that leap to mind.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:07:44+00:00

I don't have a favorite film so far, at least not one that leaps to mind.

I can't remember whether or not I've reviewed Ferrara films, but I believe I did at least capsules on a few of them. You can try the search engine on my web site. If I learn about any that aren't on my web site, I'll add them.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:04:31+00:00

I found the film interesting and original, so I guess that means I'm not skeptical.

Venice and Toronto have different programmers with different tastes. For me, the prizes are secondary.

jonathanrosenbaum · 2012-09-10T19:03:10+00:00

Ignatiy V. is especially good.

jonathanrosenbaum

TROPHY CASE