Order of Myths w Margaret Brown in person. Highly Recommended

I really love this film! Come see Margaret Brown in person for this special AFS presentation in advance of her Alamo South premiere on Friday. Or go when it opens. Just don't miss it.




THE ORDER OF MYTHS
With Director Margaret Brown In Attendance
Monday, 20 October 6:30 PM | The Alamo South Lamar (1120 S Lamar)
Tickets are $4 for AFS Members and $6 for Non-members. Buy Tickets>>

The first Mardi Gras in America was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama in 1703. In 2007, it is still racially segregated. Filmmaker Margaret Brown (“Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt”), herself a daughter of Mobile, escorts us into the parallel hearts of the city’s two carnivals. With unprecedented access, she traces the exotic world of secret mystic societies and centuries-old traditions and pageantry; diamond-encrusted crowns, voluminous, hand-sewn gowns, surreal masks and enormous paper mache floats. Against this opulent backdrop, she uncovers a tangled web of historical violence and power dynamics, elusive forces that keep this hallowed tradition organized along enduring color lines.

Watch the trailer for THE ORDER OF MYTHS>>

Buy Tickets>>


Official Film website: http://www.theorderofmyths.com/

THE ORDER OF MYTHS opens theatrically at The Alamo South Lamar on October 24. Tickets are available at http://www.originalalamo.com
The first Mardi Gras in America was celebrated in Mobile, Alabama in 1703. In 2007, it is still racially segregated. Filmmaker Margaret Brown (Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt), herself a daughter of Mobile, escorts us into the parallel hearts of the city's two carnivals. With unprecedented access, she traces the exotic world of secret mystic societies and centuries-old traditions and pageantry; diamond-encrusted crowns, voluminous, hand-sewn gowns, surreal masks and enormous papier-mache floats. Against this opulent backdrop, she uncovers a tangled web of historical violence and power dynamics, elusive forces that keep this hallowed tradition organized along enduring color lines. Prize winner at Silverdocs, and official selection at Sundance, SXSW, Full Frame, Edinburgh and LA Film Festivals.

http://www.cinemaguild.com/orderofmyths/

FILM FESTIVAL LIST:
World Premiere, Sundance Film Festival, 2008
Winner, Cinematic Vision Award, Silverdocs, 2008
Official Selection, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2008
Official Selection, Edinburgh International Film Festival, 2008
Official Selection, Los Angeles International Film Festival, 2008

The film’s running time is 80 minutes; it is not rated.

CRITIC'S PICK! "A WISE AND SOBERLY AFFECTING DOCUMENTARY.”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“BRILLIANT. HEARTBREAKING. A WINNER!”
– David Edelstein, New York Magazine

“BRILLIANTLY CAPTIVATING. AN INVALUABLE PORTRAIT OF US-AND-THEM AMERICA, A SMART, GENEROUS, POIGNANT, QUIETLY DISTURBING MOVIE.”
– Robert Abele, LA Times

“THE KIND OF ILLUMINATING WORK THAT SENDS AUDIENCES STUMBLING HOME IN A WIDE-EYED STATE OF ASTONISHMENT. A HAUNTING AND IMPORTANT DOCUMENTARY.
– S. James Snyder, The New York Sun

“THE ORDER OF MYTHS IS THE BEST DOCUMENTARY IN AGES, AND ONE OF THE BEST FILMS OF THE YEAR.”
– Jeff Reichert, Reverse Shot

“HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED NONFICTION FILMMAKING. WONDERFULLY VIVID.”
– Michael Koresky, Indiewire

“AN INTIMATE EXCAVATION OF THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN RACISM.” CRITIC’S PICK
– Logan Hill, New York Magazine

“QUIETLY SHOCKING. DEFT, ENGROSSING.
– Vadim Rizov, The Village Voice

“REMARKABLY ASSURED. A LEVEL OF CRAFT THAT STUNS.”
– A. J. Schnack, Indiewire

“SMARTLY EDITED, UTTERLY ENGROSSING AND AS INTELLIGENT AN EXAMINATION OF AMERICAN RACE RELATIONS AS I’VE SEEN.”
– Pete VonderHaar, Film Threat

“A MOVING AND SURPRISING DOCUMENTARY.”
– Andrew O’Hehir, Salon.com

“A RICH PORTRAIT… BROWN PRESENTS A COMPLEX, PROVOCATIVE VIEW; AND SHE ENDS WITH ONE OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS AND CHILLING TAG LINES EVER.”
– Andy Klein, LA City Beat

“A GREAT REMINDER THAT, EVEN IN THE YEAR OF OBAMA, WE REMAIN A NATION DIVIDED BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE.” CRITICS’ PICK
– David Fear, Time Out New York

Late Bloomers. NYer piece by Malcolm Gladwell.

I love how John goes out of his way to share particular articles or pieces of information that he knows I'll like, and he knew I'd love this:

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Annals of Culture

Late Bloomers

Why do we equate genius with precocity?

by Malcolm Gladwell

Happy-Go-Lucky Widget

Embed Happy-Go-Lucky Trailer, Photos and synopsis on your site.

It's a question of engagement

Had a blast in NYC last week for our annual trip in for the New York Film Festival opening night and weekend. Saw: Voy A Explotar, The Class, Happy Go Lucky, Wendy and Lucy, Hunger and Che. The highlights for me were definitely Happy-Go-Lucky and Hunger. Happy-Go-Lucky is deceptively simple, lingering, resonating soundly. Hunger, less than two minutes in screams the arrival of a major new filmmaking talent. No joke. It's a major achievement. Very, very powerful.

Very much enjoyed the experience of seeing Che at the NYFF press screening at the Ziegfield. Soderbergh said:

It's a question of engagement. Participate or observe? We have to make this decision everyday.

Chris Smith's The Pool. Highly Recommended

Have I not been raving about Chris Smith's The Pool? It's a brilliant film. A rare jewel by one of our most gifted filmmakers working today.

You'll have to seek it out. It's in limited theatrical release. But very worthwhile. Check the website for screenings and more info.

Rodcorp's How We Work site

I know I haven't written anything original in ages - but I'm afraid that's probably the way it's going to be for awhile. In the meantime, this is a handy place to note other things of interest. Like tonight, from one of Ted Hope's blogs - this reference to "How We Work." Ted writes:

MetaFilter lead me to Rodcorp's How We Work site, and although it is not the kind of thing we usually point out here at TATT, but although it's not about specific work, it's about the process to get us there, and it's kind of glorious itself.

From J.G. Ballard, to the Coen Brothers, to Malcolm Gladwell, to Walter Benjamin, the site has catalogued the methods of what people do to create. Although it is definitely a white male centered list, it is fun place to browse through, and may very well lead to some new habits. They have posted a list here.

We're interested in the habits, rituals and small (and occasionally big) methods people and teams use to get their work done. And in the specific anecdotes and the way people describe their own relationship to their own work.

It's a brilliant concept!

NYT on Gut instincts Suprising role in mathematics

This NYT article by Natalie Angier, "Gut Instinct's Surprising Role in Mathmematics" is kind of interesting to me - as I live in a family of natural math brains. They have the natural circuitry. I don't. (Although I did 100% on 12 passes of that dot quiz. Didn't have time to run the suggested 25.) I'm always fascinated the the natural inclination of our minds. Like I struggle so much with my memory these days yet there's still tons of information that I retain much better than those around me. It's just that I don't have control of what I'm remembering. My brain makes it's own priorities.

One research team has found that how readily people rally their approximate number sense is linked over time to success in even the most advanced and abstruse mathematics courses. Other scientists have shown that preschool children are remarkably good at approximating the impact of adding to or subtracting from large groups of items but are poor at translating the approximate into the specific. Taken together, the new research suggests that math teachers might do well to emphasize the power of the ballpark figure, to focus less on arithmetic precision and more on general reckoning.

“When mathematicians and physicists are left alone in a room, one of the games they’ll play is called a Fermi problem, in which they try to figure out the approximate answer to an arbitrary problem,” said Rebecca Saxe, a cognitive neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is married to a physicist. “They’ll ask, how many piano tuners are there in Chicago, or what contribution to the ocean’s temperature do fish make, and they’ll try to come up with a plausible answer.”

The Art of the Floating Head Poster

Another good lead from Cinevegas blog. This "The Art of the Floating Head Poster" from Funny or Die.

See more funny videos at Funny or Die

50 Incredible Film Posters from Poland

Thanks to Cinevegas Blog and WellMedicated for this excellent round-up of Polish Film Posters. I saw a great exhibit of Richard Linklater's personal collection at the Harry Ransom Center a few years back. These posters rock!




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Hamet 2 - Funny, enjoyable. Recommended

On Labor Day, John and I checked out Hamlet 2. And totally enjoyed it! I cannot understand why people aren't going.... the title? It's funny. Not the best film I've ever seen, but sweet, funny, entertaining. Better than plenty of other films. Check it out. Steve Coogan, Catherine Keener, great comic timing all around.