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July 30, 2007
R.I.P. INGMAR, TOM
R.I.P.s OF NOTE:
INGMAR BERGMAN died last night. Many would argue that he is the greatest film director who ever lived, though not the "Greatest Living Director" (a term I used fleetingly in my last post), as his last "Great" film was 1982's FANNY AND ALEXANDER. Bergman continued to quietly make films that only Bergman scholars wanted to see. His movies were slow and difficult, but often full of the type of grand philosophical statements that movie-makers are afraid to make, or make pretentious through onscreen mouthpieces. Bergman instead chose finely-drawn characters struggling with the immensity of faith, communication, love, and their identities. THE SEVENTH SEAL is a justifiable (though difficult) masterpiece. WILD STRAWBERRIES is my personal favorite, though I'm also very fond of the elegant, understated, and sad WINTER LIGHT. There is a good obituary by the New York Times here.
TOM SNIDER died this morning. In the days before I learned to like Conan, Snider was my post-Letterman choice. I didn't even have to flip the channel. He asked interesting celebrities interesting questions, and they seemed to like him. In particular, he was the only person who I ever saw interview James Garner, one of my all time favorites. It's depressing that the torch has been passed, apparently, from Snider to the likes of Carson Daly. Daly is a typical celebrity panderer, while Snider had a genuine interest in who they were and what they were doing.
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On a happier note, I give THE SIMPSONS MOVIE a big thumbs-up. It's not as good as some of the early-season masterpieces, but it's definitely better than the fluffy episodes they put out now. I think a SIMPSONS fan of any generation will be pleased.
| By Andytown | 01:15 PM
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