Links for the Day (December 2nd, 2008)

1. "Glory at Sea on YouTube": A much praised short available in its entirety at YouTube. Via Karina Longworth via Michael Tully, and embedded above. Click here to watch in hi-res QuickTime.

["I've already begun working on my mammoth year-end recap, but I don't think it will be any surprise when I announce that my favorite overall film of 2008 is Benh Zeitlin and Court 13's Glory at Sea. At a time when the world appears to be unraveling, the appearance of this film was even more of a revelatory thrill. While it's better on the big screen, not everyone can be so lucky. But thanks to Wholphin and YouTube, you can watch it in its entirety for the next six weeks. Or go to the Wholphin website to buy the seventh installment of their DVD magazine, where it can be watched on the glory of your own big-screen TV. Glory at Sea was the only short film to make it into Hammer to Nail's Top 13 of 2008. When you watch it, you'll see why. At only twenty-five minutes, it has the sweep and gravity of a feature. It is the closest to God I have come in quite some time. Turn down the lights, turn up the volume, and enjoy..."]

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2. "Pages From A Cold Island: Don't Trust The Stars": Neil Young looks beyond the glitter.

["Simon McBurney - in Ridley Scott's Body of Lies (2008) - is one of a trio of supporting players engaged in a secret, unacknowledged roundelay of scene-stealing: whirring termites whose combined energy keeps the white elephant in something akin to motion Nominal stars DiCaprio and Crowe have little chance against Mark Strong (silky-sinister Jordanian fixer), Jamil Khory (perfect and near-mute as Strong's henchman) and Theatre de Complicite founder McBurney, whose tea-sipping computer-boffin Garland is an offhand encapsulation of omniscient, crafty eccentricity, tossed off in the lightest, most indelible of askance feather-strokes. Hollywood clearly has his number - and vice versa."]

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3. An Atlantic Monthly article from '68: "The Deathbed Notes of Henry James."

["The facts, briefly, are these: On the evening of December 1, 1915, Henry James wrote a letter to his niece, then in America. He spoke of renewed heart trouble, of his long sleepless nights, of the constant ache of the war: "One feels very abject . . . in the midst of the huge tremendous thing . . . to have disqualifying personal and physical troubles." He told her his manservant, Burgess Noakes, who had worked for him since boyhood, had been given a "renewable leave" from the army, and that "his devotion is boundless and most touching." He gave Peggy other news, and then wearily ended, "The pen drops from my hand! Your all-affectionate old Uncle, Henry James." The pen literally dropped from his hand."]

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4. An alert (originally from GreenCine) that Interview Magazine has reopened its corner of cyberspace.

["Interview's just relaunched its site, turning what was once a placeholder ad for the magazine into a romping, content-rich and photo-heavy fun browse."]

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5. "High water floods historic center of Venice": From MSNBC.

["Water in Venice has risen to its highest level in more than 20 years, leaving much of the Italian city under floods and forcing residents and tourists to wade through knee-high water. City officials say the sea level topped 61 inches on Monday, well past the 40-inch flood mark, with most streets submerged. Among the spots affected is St. Mark's Square, the landmark piazza that is the lowest point in the city."]

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Quote of the Day: Blaise Pascal

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction."

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Image of the Day (click to enlarge): Arrrrr!



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Clip of the Day: A cat-ch potato.

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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.