With A Little Help From Our Friends

It’s difficult to keep track of everything everyone is writing at all times. We’re not going to try to do that. What we at Movie Mezzanine will attempt is to roundup at least ten of the most interesting reads (articles, interviews, think pieces, and the like) of the last week in order to catch up on the latest Internet discussion or bring to light a new piece of work you might have not otherwise come across. We’ll also venture into television, books, music, and other arts. Comment below to share what other pieces you think should be added to the list.

‘Closed Curtain’ Director Jafar Panahi Talks About Making Movies Under House Arrest: ‘Put Yourself in My Shoes’  by Eric Kohn

“I just want you to put yourself in my shoes as a filmmaker who can’t do anything else but make films, and doesn’t want to do anything else. How much time do I have left? Do I have 20 years left to live? I cannot stay idle. I know this is what they want.”

Indiewire’s Eric Kohn speaks with imprisoned director Jafar Panahi about what keeps him going under the Iranian government’s house arrest. His latest film, Closed Curtain, opens this week.

New Wave of African Writers With an Internationalist Bent by Felicia R. Lee

“Breaking in isn’t getting easier for everyone, however. Some professionals in the book world say that too many literary publishers would rather put out work by writers from Africa than work by African-Americans because in the current climate the Africans are considered more appealing for what is seen as a ‘black slot.’”

Still fighting misconception, The New York Time’s Felicia R. Lee looks at the history and future of African literature as well as the challenges still facing writers of color.

Harvey Weinstein and the saga of ‘Snowpiercer’ By Ty Burr

“It seems downright punitive, as if Weinstein were saying that no one could see ‘Snowpiercer’ if he didn’t get his way.”

The Boston Globe’s Ty Burr looks at the distribution hurdles faced by Bong Joon-ho’s latest film.  From out-of-the-way theaters to unlisted VOD date blocking its release in other chains, it looks like the uphill battle for audiences is just beginning.

But Someone’s Gotta Do It: Five Tips for Nailing that Film Critic Job by Tomris Laffly

“’My advice is to have a spouse, trust fund, or full-time job,’ notes freelance writer Miriam Bale. ‘It’s difficult to get a pitch through out of desperation. You have to have enough money to afford to be professional without a paycheck.’”

In honor of last week’s release of the documentary on Roger Ebert, Life Itself, MovieMaker’s Tomris Laffly asked critics like Amy Nicholson, Peter Labuza, and Miriam Bale their advice for aspiring critics.

Jessica Williams: Raising The Daily Show’s Game by Sara Stewart

“But Williams, at 24, more than a decade younger than either of them, brings a new and (dare I say it) millennial vibe to her reporting. Instead of the world-weariness with which sexism and racism are often covered on this show, Williams conveys a new, angered astonishment – the type that, perhaps, one can only genuinely demonstrate when one is this young – that this shit is still going on.”

In case you haven’t kept up with The Daily Show lately, let Women and Hollywood’s Sara Stewart introduce you to one of the sharpest correspondents in recent years and one of the women changing the face of Comedy Central.

Comedy + Time = Absurdity by Mike D’Angelo

“In fact, parodies frequently become even more hilarious many years later, when the source material has faded from collective memory. Mockery dates, but non sequiturs are timeless.”

Over at The Dissolve, Mike D’Angelo explores the comic heritage of Airplane! and compares it to the original film it spoofs.

Love’s True Kiss: ‘Maleficent’ ’s Complex Sexual Politics by  Joan Acocella

“This is a quite a trick, but perhaps not for Jolie. In her early years, she was a wild thing. She told interviewers that she had tried every drug she could find, that she was bisexual, that she was interested in B.D.S.M., and so on. She showed off her many tattoos. Now, at thirty-nine, she is a special envoy for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Perhaps it wasn’t so hard for her, in “Maleficent,” to be both a badass and a paragon.”

The New Yorker’s Joan Acocella discusses the changing star persona of Angelina Jolie and how it reflects in her latest film, Maleficent.

Michael Bay: A New Kind of Director by Katie Kilkenny

“But with ‘Age of Extinction,’ the 12th entry in his oeuvre of big, brash, and bro-y feature films, it’s time to recognize Bay really isn’t an auteur—he’s something else entirely.”

Alright, vulgar auteurists, step right up. The Atlantic’s Katie Kilkenny argues for a new way to categorize the work of director Michael Bay.

How The MPAA Really Works And How to Get The Rating You Want by Paula Bernstein

“’There is no limit to whom and how we can help,’ said Freeman. ‘From the script concept stage to the editing room and rating acceptance, we see our clients’ objectives through to completion…’”

Two former MPAA raters have branched out into consulting filmmakers to get their desired rating. Indiewire’s Paula Bernstein interviews the pair to find out more about the inner workings of the MPAA.

Making Beatlemania: ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ at 50 by Sam Kashner

“If ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ was done ‘on pills,’ ‘Help!’ was done ‘on pot,’ John later admitted to Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner.”

Read director Richard Lester’s side of the story behind A Hard Day’s Night and what happened to his career post-Beatlemania as he tells it to Vanity Fair’s Sam Kashner.