To watch If You Were There, director Lindsay Anderson's cut of a documentary about Wham! in China, you have to go to a university library in Scotland. But it might be worth the trip for Anderson's artistry - and this record of his clash with George Michael. - The Guardian (UK)
"In the early 1960s, the Jewish American soul was tied in knots. On the one hand, Jews knew they were outsiders. ... On the other hand, Jews were finally starting to get what their immigrant grandparents had worked so hard in sweatshops to achieve." Then came Fiddler. - Salon
"Composing for movies, often mischaracterized as auxiliary to the primary work of filmmaking, is an art form in its own right. At its best, it stands equally with not just the feats of directing and cinematography but also the greatest classical compositions." - The New York Times
With (far) more than 350 dialects of indigenous languages spoken across the United States, and few interpreters, vital information can fall away. "When you convey an idea from an indigenous language to Spanish and then to English, there’s a big risk of losing crucial details." - El País
The second word in the three Rs of environmentalism is reuse for a reason, writes Rowan Moore of planned London construction. "The most sustainable building is the one that is already there, as the now-fashionable saying goes." - The Observer (UK)
"Biermann was born under Nazism, in 1936, and raised in West Germany. As a teenager, he defected to the East and made a career as a singer of witty, folk-inspired songs — until an anti-authoritarian streak in his music began to trouble the Communist authorities." - The New York Times
All right, recent events are alarming for actual musicians. But "even a more radical artists-rights activist like Kevin Erickson, director of the Future of Music Coalition, is skeptical that AI could outright replace artists, or will inevitably learn on the backs of protected work." - Los Angeles Times
Come for the scoop about people getting conceived on a Garfield ride in Pittsburgh, stay for the philosophy: "Perhaps if we better understand amusement parks, he argues, we can better understand America itself." - Slate
That is to say that Japanese director Yasuzo Masumura, who died 37 years ago, is enjoying a renaissance thanks to the festival. "There is a classic film fan born every minute, but in Karlovy Vary this year, you could feel it happen in real time" during screenings. - Variety
Cher "ran into Dylan in a New York recording studio as her version was climbing the charts. He told her that he dug what she’d done with it, which, Cher writes, 'made me feel like floating away.'" - The New York Times
Chloe Zhao followed up Nomadland with a Marvel tentpole. Greta Gerwig is about to release Barbie. Barry Jenkins is directing ... a Lion King sequel?! Studios used to have more on offer. "Now this is all there is: franchise content, continuing endlessly until the heat death of the universe." - Irish Times
A crayon drawing, maybe. "Vietnamese censors have banned or altered several other movies that showed disputed areas as being under Beijing’s control. The list includes Crazy Rich Asians (2018), Abominable (2019) and Uncharted (2022), among others."- The New York Times
"The union that is in the midst of tense contract negotiations with Hollywood’s major studios published a 42-second video on that showed members wielding staplers and duct tape in the grunt work of making dozens of picket signs." - Variety
"Nero was a national treasure. He appeared with Frank Sinatra, Mel Tormé, Andy Williams, Johnny Mathis and other headliners; released 72 albums; conducted the Philly Pops for 34 years, often with one hand while the other played a piano." - The New York Times
Why did this take so long? Blame the GOP. "In 1997 Michigan Republican Congressman Pete Hoekstra derided The Watermelon Woman as 'possibly pornographic.' ... He decried that the film had been funded by taxpayers." - NPR
