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September 11, 2008
Railroad
Could I justifiably include a film on a year-end top ten list without actually having seen it? That I've yet to see any of James Benning's films leads me to believe that his latest, RR, won't be any easier to come by; and yet Darren Hughes' review from the Toronto premiere has very nearly assured me of my love for it. He captures what I imagine the film to be so succinctly and comprehensively that almost feel like I could write about it myself, with some degree of specificity. Here's hoping I don't have to resort to that, and that this one makes the rounds. I love trains - symbolically, industrially, historically, they're one of the most potent cinematic signifiers a filmmaker can turn to. St. Nick is certainly rife with them; even before they become an integral element of the story, they're an omnipresent aural element of the film. I didn't plan it that way - that's just what you get when you shoot a movie in Fort Worth - but it's also a little more deeply ingrained than a mere happy accident.
I'm currently in a hotel in San Antonio. I've never really been here before; I have vague impressions of visiting the Alamo a long time ago, but they're mostly overshadowed by vivid memories of my near-drowning on the same family vacation, and also by Pee Wee's Big Adventure, which immortalized this town for me far more than John Wayne ever did.
Posted by David Lowery at September 11, 2008 12:09 AM
Comments
Did you fall off of the river walk?
Posted by: rudak at September 11, 2008 12:48 PM
Benning is a hero if mine and I was privileged to meet (and get drunk with) him in 2004, when he screened 13 Lakes and 10 Skies locally. Both of those films are terrific, especially 10 Skies. RR is being screened at Views from the Avant-Garde next month in New York, by the way.
Posted by: Michael Lieberman at September 12, 2008 5:17 PM