The House Next Door

1. "10 Ways to Become a Better Film Critic": A two-part article by Evan Derrick of Movie Zeal. Click the title above for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

["Since beginning MovieZeal, I’ve thought a lot about what makes a good film critic. There are no books or how-to dummy guides out there on the subject, perhaps because there is an intangible, subjective element to film criticism that is difficult to pin down. Ignorant film watchers will resort to the tired judgment of “A critic is someone who couldn’t cut it as a filmmaker,” but they miss the forest for the big fat tree staring them in the face. There is much more to it, and film criticism over the past century has become an art in its own right. This article contains my humble thoughts, in no particular order, on how one might get better at it."]

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2. "Mandela off U.S. terrorism watch list": From CNN.

["Former South African President Nelson Mandela is to be removed from a U.S. terrorism watch list under a bill President Bush signed Tuesday. Mandela and other members of the African National Congress have been on the list because of their fight against South Africa's apartheid regime, which gave way to majority rule in 1994. Apartheid was the nation's system of legalized racial segregation that was enforced by the National Party government between 1948 and 1994. The bill gives the State Department and the Homeland Security Department the authority to waive restrictions against ANC members. "He had no place on our government's terror watch list, and I'm pleased to see this bill finally become law," said Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts."]

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3. "André Bazin's Writings": Girish Shambu immerses himself.

["I've been doing a Bazin immersion the last few weeks, and I'm amazed especially by two things. First, his writings are not about developing a "theory of cinema" in an abstract and 'systematic' manner. Instead, he puts in motion a process of continual exchange between film criticism and film theory. He begins with the films themselves, and their details--formal, stylistic, thematic, etc. His theoretical reflections then arise from a scrutiny of these details. Second, it's striking to see how he did all his theory and criticism work in full public view. As Bert Cardullo points out, Bazin's writings were produced for a range of publications that were variously aligned: liberal (L'Écran Francais); socialist (France-Observateur); left-wing Catholic (Esprit and Radio-Cinéma-Télévision, now Télérama); non-religious and state-run (L'Education Nationale); and conservative (Le Parisien libéré). In addition, of course, he co-founded and wrote for Cahiers du Cinéma. It's staggering to be reminded of how much he accomplished before he contracted leukemia at 36 and died at 40 in 1958."]

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4. "Gillian Anderson keeps 'Doll's House'": A few comps for your fans at The House, Gill? (Hattip: Barry Hoggard)

["Gillian Anderson will return to the London stage next spring as Nora in a new version at the Donmar Warehouse of Henrik Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House,” adapted by Zinnie Harris and directed by Kfir Yefet, making his Donmar debut."]

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5. "Catfish chokes on soccer ball in German canal": GOAL!!!

["A catfish apparently choked to death after trying to chow down on a soccer ball in the locks of a Bavarian canal. German police said the 6 1/2-foot-long fish was found dead Monday, floating on the surface of the water with a blue-and-white soccer ball in its mouth. "He tried to eat the ball and it got stuck," police spokesman Karl-Heinz Kuberlein said Tuesday."]

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Quote of the Day: Victor Hugo

"A man is not idle because he is absorbed in thought. There is a visible labor and there is an invisible labor."

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Image of the Day (click to enlarge): From Barbet Schroeder's Maitresse, lead image to Lauren Wissot's latest column at Spout.



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Clip of the Day: "It's a dildo, Grandma!"

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"Links for the Day": Each morning, the House editors post a series of weblinks that we think will spark discussion. Comments encouraged. Suggestions for links are also welcome. Please send to keithuhlich@gmail.com.