Dailies is a round-up of essential film writing, news bits, and other highlights from across the Internet. If you’d like to submit a piece for consideration, get in touch with us in the comments below or on Twitter at @TheFilmStage.
Fantastic Fest 2015 has revealed its first wave of programming, topped by their closing night film, the Kurt Russell-led western Bone Tomahawk.
Watch a visual analysis of Steven Spielberg‘s A.I. Artificial Intelligence:
Cat Power is the narrator of Amy Berg‘s Janis Joplin documentary, premiering at Venice, Pitchfork reports.
Little White Lies‘ David Ehrlich on why Mission: Impossible III is the pinnacle of the franchise:
Owen Davian may not be Philip Seymour Hoffman’s best performance, but it’s the one that most readily displays his genius. The kind of Hollywood villain who’s usually this underwritten by accident, Davian is a generic arms dealer who spends the brunt of Mission: Impossible III trying to obtain a hilariously transparent MacGuffin called the “Rabbit’s Foot,” the explicit function of which is never made clear (a Simon Pegg speech inferring that it might be the “Anti-God” makes the device sound a like a nuclear Ice-nine).
Watch a video on the great opening shots in film history:
Cinephilia and Beyond on why The French Connection is the peak of ’70’s cinematic excitement:
One of the first things that come to mind when The French Connection is discussed is the famous car chase scene, the breathtaking endeavor of Gene Hackman trying to catch an elevated train with his Pontiac. It can’t, however, be repeated too often or stressed too much that the legendary scene is only a cherry on top of William Friedkin’s celebrated crime thriller which functions perfectly as a whole. Pauline Kael wrote that on-location shooting had ushered in a new age of “nightmare realism,” with New York as “Horror City.” Exhilarating and suspenseful, innovative and uncompromising, The French Connection leaves a strong impression of being incredibly realistic authentic, empowering the emotions of fear, anxiety and expectation in the audience. The reason for this is the incredible effort of Friedkin and his crew put into making the film as authentic as possible.