The House Next Door

1. "Questioned Apocalypto; Leo in the Sierra with Diamond": Fernando F. Croce on Apocalypto, Blood Diamond, and The Holiday.

["Apocalypto, now. Mel Gibson has issues, agreed, but let us stick to film -- the undigested psycho-baggage on display in Malibu and interviews is best left between him and his anger-management counselor, though on the screen he's managed to wrestle those knotted totems into a very personal directorial style. The Passion of the Christ is never less than disgusting in its insistent conflation of Christian martyrdom and jazzed-up masochism/sadism, yet all emotions are unmistakably Gibson's, palpitating with the insane intensity of a story that just had to be told by its tormented director. Does art soothe the beast? Not if Gibson's latest is any indication: further refining the superstar's deeply held belief that the body can only reach grace when it is being sliced open, Apocalypto offers an expanded dictionary of corporal punishment. Showman that he is, however, Gibson delays the carnage and lulls the audience before setting the right, blood-lusting mood; the narrative, set during the last gasps of the Mayan civilization, locates the first omen as the hero, Jaguar Paw (Rudy Youngblood), spots a ravaged tribe making its way through the jungle, stricken with fear and looking for a new beginning. An old man regales the soulful villagers with a parable about Man's insatiable void, the morning brings horrors in the shape of raping 'n' pillaging brutes, who come from some Mayan metropolis seeking human sacrifices; the place is torched and the evil savages march the noble savages to their Sodom, though not before Jaguar Paw has stashed his pregnant wife (Dalia Hernandez) and son at the bottom of a rocky pit."]

***
2. "Love in the Time of Cholera": Filmbrain delves into the Naomi Watts/Edward Norton-starring adaptation of Maugham's The Painted Veil.

["The Good German isn't the only film this holiday season steeped in the golden age of Hollywood. Though not a technical exercise like Soderbergh's latest experiment, John Curran's The Painted Veil, starring Naomi Watts and Edward Norton, simply feels like a late-40s studio picture. Everything from the lighting, performances, to the particular way the narrative unfolds – it's as if the ghost of Jack Warner was presiding over the production."]

***
3. "Bone fragment likely not Joan of Arc": It's just the messenger.

["A rib bone and a piece of cloth supposedly recovered after Joan of Arc was burned at the stake are probably not hers, according to experts trying to unravel one of the mysteries surrounding the 15th century French heroine. Eighteen experts began a series of tests six months ago on the fragments reportedly recovered from the pyre where the 19-year-old was burned for heresy."]

***
4. "Video of the Day 2: Wong Kar-wai Commercials": From Bilge Ebiri at The Screengrab.

["Not sure how to describe this. It's a series of commercials directed by Wong Kar-wai and starring Takeo Kikuchi, that was also, at one point, a short film, which itself exists in two different versions. Or so I'm told. The short film, called "wkwtk1996@7'55'hk", is supposed to be 7 minutes 55 seconds long, so this isn't that, exactly. Instead it appears to be some of the commercials, edited together. Either way, it's cool."]

***
5. "Miami Vice (2006)": Rob Humanick on the theatrical and unrated editions of Michael Mann's latest.

["The most significant alterations between the original and unrated cuts of Miami Vice occur in three chunks: a completely different opening, one additional expository scene, and a soundtrack alteration during the third act shootout. Other minor bits and pieces have been reworked: lines of dialogue have been nipped, scenes tucked, etc. Some will surely prefer this version, it being more streamlined and working a bit harder to appeal to the majority. While the unrated cut is still a good film, this saddens me; it feels like poor reviews caused Mann to question his own artistic instincts, the result being a work that is noticeable below its full potential."]
______________________________________________________
"Links for the Day": Each morning, the House editors post a series of weblinks that we think will spark discussion. Comments encouraged.