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Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 18, Week 12

Martin Scorsese in the backseat of taxi explaining why New York City is superior to Paris? It can only be Bertrand Tavernier's 'Round Midnight, a film that's not without flaws, but is easily one of the best films of all time about jazz and jazz musicians.

Well, the big news on everybody's lips this week is about the sudden, unexpected shuttering of New Yorker Films. It is indeed a great loss, but the bigger concern is the future status of the archive. There's 40 years of curation there, and the thought of having it broken up is nothing short of tragic.

The blogosphere is buzzing with articles, most of them full of speculation, half-truths, and idealized outcomes. I don't have much to contribute at this point other than to say -- remember the story of David and Goliath?

Well, this is the final quiz of the round, and I thought it would be fitting to close it out with a shot from one of my favorite New Yorker DVDs. It's an easy one, I know. Name this black and white masterpiece. Be sure to check back next week for the winners! Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 18, Week 11

I was inspired to use the screen shot in last week's quiz after reading Hippolyte Conneries' seminal (but sadly out-of-print) French film text La vache dans le lit: la poésie du cinéma sur ses quatre pattes, which includes his groundbreaking controversial essay De Rin Tin Tin à Rivette. Great stuff.

That's Bunuel's cow from the surrealist masterpiece L'Âge d'or, but judging by the flood of correct entries, I guess you all knew that.

I'm still in the final stages of recovering from the Berlinale -- an average of four hours sleep per night over two weeks does a body bad. Apologies once again for missing last week's quiz. 

This week: As Jeff Spicoli might say, "I know that dude!" Name the famous New Yorker and the film he appears in. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!

Berlinale Dispatch 2: Yay Austria!

Well the 59th Berlinale has come to an end, and I've now returned home, much worse for the wear, owing to a severe lack of sleep, too many cigarettes, and too many bad films.

While I was sitting at the early morning press screening of The Milk of Sorrow with David Hudson, I said to myself, "this is going to win the Bear." Later that night I was given 28/1 odds against by a festival programmer who shall remain nameless. Best €2 I ever spent...

I'm going to be posting a festival wrap-up later this week as soon as the fog enveloping my brain clears. Oh yes....as many noticed, there was no quiz last week. Apologies. All will be back to normal on Wednesday.

I've posted a second dispatch over at GreenCine, where I write about two Austrian films that won me over, Das Vaterspiel (Kill Daddy Goodnight) and Der Knochenmann (The Bone Man). Click here to read the entire post.

Berlinale Dispatch 1: Ricky

Greetings from the 59th Berlinale, where the mood thus far is as grey as the wintry German skies over the capital city. Today (well, yesterday actually) marks the halfway point of the festival, and critics here are in agreement that, as of yet, there has not been a single standout competition title. Several of the films have received half-hearted praise at best (Gigante; Storm), while others have been met with outright hostility (the appropriately titled Rage; Mammoth.) Things aren't faring much better in the other major sections of the festival, where none of the films in the Forum or Panorama have generated anything close to a buzz......

Click here to read the rest of the dispatch, which is published at GreenCine Daily.

Filmbrain's Screen Capture Quiz: Round 18, Week 10

As a regular quiz entrant put it, "the movie where a young Ben Kenobi makes sweet love to Batman." Yes, it's Velvet Goldmine, Todd Haynes' ode to glam rock that is (in my opinion) light years better than the dour I'm Not There.

Forgive the brevity this week. I'm writing this at JFK, just moments before boarding my flight to Berlin. 

This week: Moo! Name the film. Submit your answers to this address. Good luck!