Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The Next Five Links

Okay, I'm picking up a little momentum here and am ready to profile my next five linkages.

LIGHT SLEEPER: Saul Symonds publishes an e-zine named Light Sleeper wherein he houses his "late night writings on cinema." He's got two issues so far and is working on his third while he relocates to Hong Kong. What draws me to Saul's site is his healthy blend of "high" and "low" cinema. Bernardo Bertolucci and Herschell Gordon Lewis might seem like strange bedfellows at first glance, but, when you love film so much, who cares as long as everyone's comfortable watching the "frenzy on the wall"? Saul categorizes his articles between Recent Cinema and Past, Classic, Cult and Obscure Cinema, throws in theatrical and dvd reviews, and has a cool section on "lost" reviews and articles. With so much being written about film online, I respect that he digs up "widely scattered reviews, essays, journalistic pieces, interviews, etc., which, somewhere between writing and publication, are consigned to the boneyard of criticism." He reminds me that the future of a bone is its capacity to blossom. He watches grindhouse with Jungian respect:

http://www.lightsleepercinemag.com/

CINEMA STRIKES BACK: And speaking of diversity and slumming high art with low, Blake, Charlie, David and Pete do a fine job of titillating a wide range of interests with up-to-date newsflashes, reviews, interviews, etc. I like the layout of their site; it's very user-friendly. You can get a lot out of it very quickly, whether your interest is current buzz, commentary, profiles, or nationality. And I've a lot to learn about their use of graphics! Blake, who's been my liaison to Cinema Strikes Back, has been encouraging and friendly, which is most appreciated:

http://www.cinemastrikesback.com/?cat=2

INDIEWIRE—ANTHONY KAUFFMAN: Though I tend to feel most comfortable with film commentary and—once in a blue moon—film theory, Kauffman is keen to industry buzz. He writes well on films and everything it takes to get films to the screen so folks like me can even comment! But he's taken to anchoring this to a "weekend must see" film review, which I think is a great service to New Yorkers. I really should do the same here in San Francisco:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/anthony/

SERGIO LEONE AND THE INFIELD FLY RULE: For the longest time I kept thinking that was the "Infidel" Fly Rule. Obviously, I've been studying Islam a little too earnestly. Thank God for baseball to bring me back to my Murrican basics!! And that's exactly what you get over at Dennis Cozzalio's site: "Essays, Commentary and Random Thoughts on Film, DVD, Baseball and Other Essential Building Blocks of Life." His Bertrand Russell profile quote—"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."—is something I keep in mind when blogging!! Cozzalio's writing is lean and intelligent. His ongoing co-hostship for the Altman blogathon is welcome:

http://sergioleoneifr.blogspot.com/

ELUSIVE LUCIDITY: Zach Campbell is a daily treat because, well, I never know quite what he's going to write about on his Elusive Lucidity blogsite and that, after all, is the main reason I read blogs. Just to find out what's on the minds of others and to get my own stuff out there. I'm enjoying becoming familiar with Zach's online presence and his well-written, unique articulations:

http://elusivelucidity.blogspot.com/