The Kings of Queens: The Mets’ Dynamic Duo
Dallas Hudgens10.13.06
(Are we jinxing the Mets by putting this up?) While the defeated Yankees brain trust shudders beneath the hand of King George, the Mets are in good hands with General Manager Omar Minaya and manager Willie Randolph at the helm. Why didn’t a baseball owner recognize the talents of these two men a lot sooner?
Video Killed the Film Director
Benjamin Strong10.08.06
David Lynch’s Inland Empire is his most enigmatic movie yet. And it’s our first masterpiece of the DV era. It will be screening tonight, Monday October 8th at the New York Film Festival.
Alida Valli, Farewell Valli
Kevin Killian09.29.06
If nothing else, Fanzine has no shortage of writers with encyclopedic knowledge of the movie industry over the last century. Kevin Killian returns to Fanzine with a piece on Alida Valli, via Glenn Ford. Trademark Killian writing here—fast paced and entertaining with an incredible detail. My favorite line: "It’s like she ordered two hams, and here they are."
Cheap Shot: Notes on Donald Rumsfeld and the Game of Squash
Benjamin Strong09.28.06
Donald Rumsfeld wants you! To challenge him to a game of hardball squash. Actually, he probably wants you to enlist as well, but that’s not the point of this column by squash veteran Benjamin Strong. Strong wrangles through the mixed metaphors assigned to the Secretary of Defense’s recreation, and finds they may not be as astute as their writers believe.
Sasha Grey: Dawn of Porn Star (interview)
Brandon Stosuy09.22.06
Brandon Stosuy conducts a revealing interview with one of the porn industry’s brightest (and youngest) stars – Sasha Grey, an uninhibited entrepreneur who plays left-handed guitar, appreciates a fine single malt, and experimental fiction from Burroughs to Mark Danielewski. (Note: some links not suitable for those under 18… if you are under 18 don’t click further.)
Robert Rauschenberg’s Combines at MOCA Los Angeles
Zoey Mondt09.18.06
Zoey Mondt wanted to title this piece My Boyfriend’s Back: A Portrait of the Artist in Sweaters. Well that was a bit long… and while Rausch can strike a handsome pose when donning a sweater, this retrospective is about his groundbreaking Combines. Mondt takes some issue with the museum’s handling of the exhibit.
A Cinema of Poverty: an interview with Caveh Zahedi
Gean Moreno09.11.06
One of the first things I saw from Caveh Zahedi was a clip of him trying to convince Will Oldham to do mushrooms with him. Later, I saw a video-still of Oldham laughing wildly and driving through the woods in what looks like a fancy go-kart. It wouldn’t be the only time Zahedi documented psychedelic indulgences, but there’s more to his films than just tripping out. Gean Moreno interviews the no-budget filmmaker about confession, fandom, and divine intervention.
God’s Gaultier
Derek McCormack09.01.06
Derek McCormack returns to Fanzine with more than a review of Dodie Bellamy’s "Kathy Forest"; in no small way celebrating the life of writer / poet / performance artist Kathy Acker, who died of breast cancer in 1997.
The Final Days: Seeing Bush, Thinking Nixon
Benjamin Strong08.09.06
Richard Nixon resigned as president of the United States 32 years ago, but his legacy and his downfall still linger throughout the current administration. Benjamin Strong draws out some striking similarities between the life and times in 1974 and in 2006, and finds more than just military quagmires and sunken presidential approval ratings. Possibly our strongest (excuse the unintentional pun) piece to date.
“God Bless You, Kim Jong”
Michael Louie08.07.06
Yes, that’s an actual quote from Donald Rumsfeld after North Korea launched its first Taepo Dong missile eight years ago this month. Michael Louie takes some shots at the political wank that is our current national missile defense plan and its symbiotic nature with North Korea.
