Gothamist has always wondered about the people who translate foreign films. The L.A. Times has a fantastic article which sheds light on this little known part of filmmaking, which is becoming more and more important with globalization etc., ad infinitum. The article profiles Tim Sexton, who translated Y Tu Mama Tambien, as well as offers interesting tidbits like Louis Malle deliberately kept the sentences short in Au Revoir Les Enfants to make subtitling easier. One of the bigger successes lately, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had an American screenwriter, but the writing had to translated to Chinese, then translated back again, to make sure things weren't lost (Interview with writer James Schamus). more ›

Movies at Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is where many New York Film Festival films are screened, and for the first year, where New Directors/New Films is taking place. My fondness of Alice Tully Hall also stems from the fact that by now, I know the optimal seats for movie viewing as well as talk participation. more ›

Oscar Commentary
Oscar is celebrating its 75th anniversary, I'm celebrating my 25th anniversary of watching Oscar. more ›

As a hopeless cinephile, I feel that the year I spend watching movies is like having a crush on some unattainable person. It makes me feel alive, with all the planning and dreaming and effort I put into it, and somehow, even when I see a bad movie, it’s okay, because it’s one of the knocks I take in wishing that maybe this in time, after paying $10+ for a movie, it might reward my desperate passion with an enlightening moment that can transcend time and place. (For the record, that includes Owen Wilson’s goofiness, Katharine Hepburn trying to hit Cary Grant, and the way Christopher Doyle moves a camera.)
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. About a Boy was one of my top ten movies last year. more ›