Suckered
November 20th, 2007
This space was reserved for a quick reaction to one of the season’s most buzzed-about independent releases, but instead I have a tiny tale of woe for you. Last night was the first New York screening for Juno, the comedy ominously billed as “this year’s Little Miss Sunshine,” but somebody had recklessly overbooked the screening room on Sixth Avenue. Even though we had sent RSVPs and arrived with time to spare, about a dozen of us were left standing in the lobby while the publicist counted and recounted the remaining seats. I was at the front of the line and Marcy was already inside holding a seat, so there was hope — until a voice from the back of the line spoke these blood-curdling words: “I am David Denby, from The New Yorker.”
You can imagine what happened next. Now, I have no illusions about the pecking order among film critics, but — ah, let’s leave it at that. Unlike airplanes, there’s no compensation when you get bumped from a screening, except for the faint promise that next time, your RSVP might be honored. Marcy and I both left and had a drink or two toasting American Sucker.
The last screenings I remember being shut out of were The Royal Tenenbaums and Brokeback Mountain, neither one of which I cared for. Coincidence? Juno beware.
The Darjeeling Limited Press Conference
September 28th, 2007
After thinking about it for a week, seeing the final few minutes again and learning that the prequel short Hotel Chevalier is available for free on iTunes, I love The Darjeeling Limited even better than I already did. At yesterday’s press conference at Lincoln Center’s Walter Reade Theater, Wes Anderson, Jason Schwartzman, Adrien Brody, Roman Coppola, Amara Karan, and Waris Ahluwalia talked about their Indian adventure, Jean Renoir, and badminton rivalries. Here’s my video, chopped into three YouTube-friendly parts. Marcy’s review is up on About.com. The Darjeeling Limited opens today.
- More from the NYFF
- Week One on About.com
- Redacted
- Go Go Tales with video from the press conference
- Blade Runner: The Final Cut
- Married Life
- A Girl Cut in Two
- Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead
- Fados
- Seen but not reviewed yet: Flight of the Red Balloon (***), The Axe in the Attic (**), Secret Sunshine (****), and The Orphanage (***). Up next: The Man From London
The Darjeeling Limited
September 19th, 2007
What a relief. After The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, I wasn’t alone in diagnosing Wes Anderson with a damn-near terminal case of arrested development. With this story of three brothers on a spiritual quest through India, the precocious director with a sweet tooth for all things quirky proves that he has found a way forward: The Darjeeling Limited is his best work since Rushmore. With Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, and Jason Schwartzman. Roman Coppola, director of the underappreciated CQ, co-wrote the screenplay.
The film screens together with a short film, Hotel Chevalier, that serves as a prequel and stars a very naked Natalie Portman. We’ll have a full review and much more from the New York Film Festival on About.com as soon as we get rid of this leaden jetlag. The Darjeeling Limited will open on September 29.
Update: Marcy’s review of The Darjeeling Limited.
Hotel Chevalier. Wes Anderson, 2007. ****
The Darjeeling Limited. Wes Anderson, 2007. ****
The trailer:
