Rossellini

Went to see Rossellini's "Germany Year Zero" at the NFT this past weekend.  They're doing a retrospective on him, showing almost all his work on film print (!!)  I'm so excited, since I've only, sadly, seen two of his films on DVDs.  Saw "Rome Open City" during my early film school days, and it completely opened my eyes to a different kind of filmmaking.  I have utmost respect for this Italian maestro who invented "neo-realism" back in the 40s, taking advantage of the existing ruins on the street, and created brilliant art out of nothing (I can easily say that his films are far better than any of these multi-gazillion budget films these days!)

There is nothing more satisfying than watching films being projected in a theater (esp. old films with scratches and dust... it's like listening to an old record!)  It's so inspirational to see some great old films which remind me why I love cinema in the first place... not for the red carpet or the stars or the camera flashes, just plain love for "the light passing through the celluloid."  Especially since fundraising for film projects can be a very depressing process, and every time when I become super frustrated (which happens quite often... had enough of telling people that my films don't have any kungfu kicks, or my characters aren't gangsters, or no, the corridors aren't "haunted" with revengeful ghosts (even though I love these genres too)......) I have to go see a good film in the cinema, or pull out an old DVD to watch.  I need to renew my passion in cinema, because nowadays the film industry, the "biz", is at such a depressing state.  Half of the people I talk to probably feel indifferent about an amazing shot or a great cut, because they worry too much about the "BO", the box office, to even notice the magic of cinema.  The other half can't be bothered to take risk to invest in something that hasn't been shown/proved, so they'd rather do "Grudge" the 10th sequel than to do something new.  And pretty much most or all of them would rather screen the big budget Hollywood films in their theater than to support local talents' low-budget films, because for sure people would go see Tom Cruise than some John Wong acting his heart out on screen...

Sorry about the rant (how did I get started?)  I actually just meant to tell y'all how great "Germany Year Zero" was... and for sure I'll be going to see more Rossellini this week... Looking forward to "Paisa" and his Ingrid Bergman stuff...  So Blighty folks, you might want to check it out too.  Also been listening to the new Andrew Bird practically on repeat (esp. when I'm writing,) it's not as great as his other album "Bowls of Fire" but it's still mesmerizing and I can't seem to stop listening...  am also getting very excited that The White Stripes' new album is coming out of the 4th!

Hope everyone is swell... taking a moment out to enjoy the signs of Spring...