Zizek

Michael McCaskey mccaskem at georgetown.edu
Sun Jun 29 17:09:53 EDT 2008


Dear Jasper,

I don't really know very much about Zizek in depth, and you'll already know as much or more than I from seeing and hearing Zizek in person and seeing the Zizek films, but for what they may be worth, a couple of items that may be enjoyable to read are noted below. 

Zizek has written a lot about film, but maybe the following essay, specifically on film, might be particularly interesting. He has written several other essays on Hitchcock films as well.

"Hitchcock's Organs Without Bodies"
in Lacanian Ink 22
Paperback: 160 pages 
Publisher: The Wooster Press (September 30, 2003) 
ISBN-10: 1888301201 
ISBN-13: 978-1888301205 

excerpt/sample online at:
http://www.lacan.com/frameXXII5.htm

Enjoy Your Symptom! is a book mainly about movies, and a number of specific films are discussed in it.

Enjoy Your Symptom!: Jacques Lacan in Hollywood and Out
Paperback: 256 pages 
Publisher: Routledge, Inc; 2New Ed edition (26 April 2001) 
ISBN-10: 0415928125 
ISBN-13: 978-0415928120 

This book, Looking Awry, also includes some film discussions.

Looking Awry: An Introduction to Jacques Lacan Through Popular Culture
Paperback: 188 pages 
Publisher: MIT Press; New Ed edition (12 Oct 1992) 
ISBN-10: 026274015X 
ISBN-13: 978-0262740159 

The new Zizek book, In Defense of Lost Causes, is very interesting and Zizek's line of exposition is very clear throughout. It is mainly a politically-oriented book, but with many insights about literature, art, film, etc., included along the way.

In Defense of Lost Causes
Hardcover: 508 pages 
Publisher: Verso Books (30 May 2008) 
ISBN-10: 1844671089 
ISBN-13: 978-1844671083 

Zizek's latest directly political article in English (posted online June 20, 2008) is

"The Ambiguous Legacy of ‘68
Forty years ago, what was revolutionized — the world or capitalism?"

http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/3751/the_ambiguous_legacy_of_68/

Best Wishes,

Michael McCaskey

PS
There was an earlier posting re Tsukamoto's "Nightmare Detective," and it is available in US DVD form, 2008, ISBN 1-594-45000-5. It's really pretty good, in my opinion, though many plot elements are familiar ones. You may well have reviewed it already.
Tsukamoto has finished the sequel, and that should be released soon, if not already.

http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/11480

----- Original Message -----
From: Sharp Jasper <jasper_sharp at hotmail.com>
Date: Sunday, June 29, 2008 1:11 pm
Subject: RE: Tartan closed for business + UK and US DVD Releases

> 
> 
> 
> Thanks Michael,
> 
> I'd actually not checked their website for some time, but great to 
> see Oasis, one of the best Korean films I know (in my limited 
> exposure) and also a film by Satoshi Miki, a director I feel I 
> need to get more familiar with.
> 
> I'll keep my eyes out for the Shion film you mention, though I am 
> pretty sure its not a UK release. As far as I know, the only 
> recent Japanese films to come out here have been EXTE, and Death 
> Note, which got a fairly decent theatrical run - not from Tartan 
> though!
> "Slavoj Zizek re the economy as well as re film, and I'm pretty 
> sure he'd agree with you on economic prospects. But the value of 
> the British pound continues to rise against the US dollar, so 
> perhaps those who are in the UK are doing a bit better, relatively."
> 
> Can you advise me what to read from this great man on the subject. 
> I've seen him speaking on numerous occasions on cinema (the cinema 
> documentary The Perverts Guide to Cinema) and I've always been 
> mightily impressed, but never anything by him and feel its time to 
> start. Where to begin though...
> 
> (and I should say that though the pound is maybe going up against 
> the dollar, its also falling against the Euro, and also, it doesnt 
> go very far in this country!)
> 
> best
> Jasper
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Midnight Eyewww.midnighteye.com
> 
> ----------------------------------------
> > Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 12:16:01 -0400
> > From: mccaskem at georgetown.edu
> > To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> > Subject: Re: Tartan closed for business + UK and US DVD Releases
> > 
> > Dear Jasper,
> > 
> > Thank you very much indeed for the information on Third Window 
> Films! I looked their site up, and they really do have some very 
> good Japanese and Korean films. In the US, VIZ, which puts out a 
> large volume of manga translated into English, and I think is tied 
> in with Kodansha, has started releasing/distributing Japanese 
> films along the same lines, including Kamikaze Girls and The Taste 
> of Tea, finally, but so far Memories of Matsuko is not on their list.
> > 
> > I had a European DVD of Taste of Tea several years ago which 
> I've misplaced somewhere
> > -- I thought it was from the UK, but I'm not sure. In the US 
> there's often a very long wait for good Japanese films to be 
> released on DVD, and sometimes it never happens at all. Sometimes 
> DVDs of some of them can be gotten from SE Asia that run on US 
> equipment that I can use in my classes. Memories of Matsuko is 
> one, both the movie and the dorama versions, but many others 
> remain in distribution limbo outside Japan.
> > 
> > There's a maybe not-so-great but very interesting film directed 
> by Sono Shion set in New York, starring Joe Odagiri, "Hazard" 
> (2002), that would be good to have in the form of a UK or US DVD, 
> that so far has no English subtitles. There is a German DVD of it 
> already:> 
> > http://www.zelluloid.de/filme/index.php3?id=19922
> > 
> > But even the actual web site for this film in Japan is gone, and 
> there's one of those cheesy "mousetrap" sites there instead now. 
> Maybe it's on some other Sion Sono site now.
> > 
> > I did recently get what I think is a new Sion Sono double DVD 
> release package from Japan, containing Hazard, with lots of 
> "making of" and other special features, a full commentary track, 
> and Japanese subtitles when English is spoken. The other film is 
> Noriko's Dinner Table (2005), which has recently come out in US 
> DVD form, though I'm not sure whether there's a UK DVD of it as 
> yet. "Noriko" also has a full commentary track, but I don't know 
> whether the US DVD has one or not.
> > 
> > Michael McCaskey
> > 
> > PS
> > I follow Slavoj Zizek re the economy as well as re film, and I'm 
> pretty sure he'd agree with you on economic prospects. But the 
> value of the British pound continues to rise against the US 
> dollar, so perhaps those who are in the UK are doing a bit better, 
> relatively.> 
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Sharp Jasper <jasper_sharp at hotmail.com>
> > Date: Sunday, June 29, 2008 10:42 am
> > Subject: RE: Tartan closed for business
> > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > There might be several reasons for the decline of Tartan. 
> Here's a 
> > > few ideas that I've been bouncing around.
> > > 
> > > Firstly, Tartan have always been involved in the edgier side 
> of 
> > > the market, distributing the films of Gaspar Noe, Michel 
> Haneke, 
> > > Catherine Breillat, Carlos Reygadas etc. While I have to 
> praise 
> > > their bravado for this, the fact is that this type of film is 
> not 
> > > popular with the general public. Sadly, the type of cinemas 
> that 
> > > one might have once labelled as "arthouse" are now owned by 
> chains 
> > > such as Picture House in the UK, whose idea of alternative 
> cinema 
> > > is stuff like Little Miss Sunshine or There Will Be Blood. 
> > > Consequently, for the past 5 years at least, companies such as 
> > > Tartan have had a great deal of trouble getting their films 
> onto 
> > > screens, when there's only venues like the Edinburgh 
> Filmhouse, 
> > > the Sheffield Showroom and the Bristol Watershed that would 
> book 
> > > them. Look at the pitiful state of London's cinema scene for 
> > > example, where in the past ten years we've seen the closures 
> of 
> > > the Lumiere, the Metro (latterly The Other Cinema), and the 
> Lux, 
> > > to name but three; the ABC chain taken over by Virgin and the 
> > > ICA's programming barely worth a look at in recent years. 
> Tartan 
> > > were lucky with Audition, Ring and Battle Royale, which 
> managed to 
> > > get widespread theatrical distribution, but lets remember, 
> this 
> > > was way over 5 years ago.
> > > 
> > > The other thing is periods of high economic growth are not 
> > > particularly good for the arts. Rising building rentals 
> squeezed 
> > > the margins of exhibitors and distributors alike, ticket 
> prices 
> > > went up, and so only the bigger multiplexes were in a steady 
> > > financial position. As for the DVD market, in the UK its 
> mandatory 
> > > to submit all films to the BBFC, who charge to certify the 
> films, 
> > > and a considerable amount too when you consider how many units 
> you 
> > > can shift for specialist markets like Asian cinema. Companies 
> like 
> > > Artsmagic and Tartan started up their US labels simply because 
> > > they were losing money on UK only releases, and unfortunately 
> the 
> > > economic situation in America has had a severe knock on effect 
> > > over here. (Freelancers are usually quite good at spotting 
> looming 
> > > recessions, when their invoices start getting paid later and 
> > > later... Whatever Gordon Brown says, the UK is clearly only 
> one 
> > > step away from recession).
> > > 
> > > 
> > > But for me the biggest problem I had with Tartan was this 
> whole 
> > > "Asian Extreme" thing. Now, I should point out that the 
> company 
> > > did also release all the Ozu movies in the UK, and wasnt 
> entirely 
> > > fixated on horror. However, distributors should remember that 
> > > booms in anything are generally shortlived. Audition, Battle 
> > > Royale, Old Boy etc caught the publics imagination because we 
> > > hadnt seen anything like it before. When it comes 5 years 
> later 
> > > and you're still trying to capitalise on their success with 
> crappy 
> > > Malaysian ghost films, its no wonder you'll lose your 
> audience, 
> > > especially if you're selling the disks at 15 pounds a pop - 
> the 
> > > price of a night in the pub, for something you'll probably 
> only 
> > > watch once. 
> > > 
> > > Tartan could have been building a sustainable market for Asian 
> > > films if they actually strayed away from the pure genre stuff. 
> But 
> > > I really have my doubts about distributors. I invited people 
> from 
> > > Tartan and a few other companies to Raindance last year to 
> come 
> > > and see Ryuichi Hiroki's Its Only Talk. They'd never even 
> heard 
> > > ofHiroki, despite the buzz that has been building around him 
> over 
> > > the past 5 years, and of course, they didnt come. The 
> screening 
> > > was pretty full and everyone was asking afterwards how they 
> could 
> > > get to see the film again. Ditto for Strawberry Shortcakes on 
> the 
> > > recent Japan Foundation tour - a film whose international 
> sales 
> > > agents Uplink would surely have given a better deal than 
> Battle 
> > > Royale's Toei or Ring's Asmik Ace.
> > > 
> > > I keep saying this till I'm blue in the face, but distributors 
> of 
> > > Asian film over the past 5 years are so myopic its a wonder 
> any of 
> > > them are still in business. Aside from effectively killing any 
> new 
> > > interest in the market by constantly releasing the same blood 
> guts 
> > > ghosts and gangster films instead of some of the great 
> comedies 
> > > and dramas that have been coming out over the past 5 years, 
> they 
> > > never seem to actually have an eye out for any new interesting 
> > > trends any more. I don't understand it - in the 90s 
> distributors 
> > > were putting out stuff like Hirokazu Koreeda, Takeshi Kitano 
> and 
> > > Wong Kar Wai. These are hardly commerical directors, but they 
> > > found their market. 
> > > 
> > > All is not lost of course. A former Tartan employee left the 
> > > company a year or so ago and founded Third Window Films, 
> because 
> > > he saw how much good Asian films were slipping by and not 
> getting 
> > > picked up by Tartan. A lot of the releases, mainly of Korean 
> > > films, still fall into the "cult" category, but its great to 
> see 
> > > Memories of Matsuko and Kamikaze Girls also on his roster, 
> films 
> > > which are indicative of wider trends in the Japanese industry 
> at 
> > > the moment and which surely have a potential audience abroad. 
> I 
> > > only hope he's successful and doesnt follow the Tartan model 
> of 
> > > putting all his eggs in one basket.
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > 
> > > Midnight Eyewww.midnighteye.com
> > > 
> > > ----------------------------------------
> > > > Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2008 09:11:51 -0400
> > > > From: mccaskem at georgetown.edu
> > > > To: KineJapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu
> > > > Subject: Re: Tartan closed for business
> > > > 
> > > > This is disheartening news. I looked up Hamish McAlpine, and 
> he 
> > > seems to have been involved in producing a lot of (often 
> awful) 
> > > pictures outside of Tartan, including The Ted Bundy Story 
> (2002). 
> > > Most recently he produced Funny Games (2007), which I think is 
> a 
> > > Warner picture. Were such other ventures possibly a factor in 
> the 
> > > decline of the fortunes of Tartan?
> > > > 
> > > > Michael McCaskey
> > > > 
> > > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > > From: Sharp Jasper <jasper_sharp at hotmail.com>
> > > > Date: Sunday, June 29, 2008 6:53 am
> > > > Subject: Tartan closed for business
> > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > This might not come as a surprise to some list members, 
> but 
> > > sad 
> > > > > news nonetheless, given how Tartan were one of the most 
> active 
> > > > > companies distributing Japanese films in Britain over the 
> past 
> > > ten 
> > > > > years, responsible for among other things, the releases of 
> > > Battle 
> > > > > Royale and Ring.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Jasper Sharp
> > > > > 
> > > > > Tartan closed for business
> > > > > 
> > > > > McAlpine breaks news to London staff
> > > > > 
> > > > > By ALI JAAFAR
> > > > > 
> > > > > LONDON - U.K. distrib Tartan Films has finally shuttered.
> > > > > 
> > > > > Sources told Variety that Tartan employees found the 
> London 
> > > office 
> > > > > doors closed Thursday June 26 and were then informed later 
> in 
> > > the 
> > > > > day by Tartan topper Hamish McAlpine the company was 
> closed 
> > > for 
> > > > > business. 
> > > > > Speculation over the future of Tartan has been rife for 
> > > several 
> > > > > months.The distrib was believed to be in takeover talks 
> with 
> > > David 
> > > > > Bergstein of
> > > > > the Capco Group, the firm that owns ThinkFilm, a stake in 
> I.M. 
> > > > > Global as
> > > > > well as the U.K.'s Capitol Film and has itself been 
> plagued by 
> > > > > rumors of
> > > > > financial troubles, for much of last year before 
> negotiations 
> > > > > broke down
> > > > > following disagreements over Tartan's financial worth.
> > > > > Last October Tartan announced it had received a cash 
> injection 
> > > of £3
> > > > > million ($6.2 million) in the form of a convertible loan 
> from 
> > > a 
> > > > > privateinvestor and also had restructured its Brit 
> operation, 
> > > with 
> > > > > managingdirector Laura De Casto ankling. The company's 
> > > theatrical 
> > > > > and home
> > > > > entertainment departments, previously run out of separate 
> > > London 
> > > > > offices, were also merged into one entity based at 
> Tartan's 
> > > head 
> > > > > office.Tartan USA, the company's U.S. arm, announced at 
> this 
> > > > > year's Cannes that it was being foreclosed. Film print and 
> > > > > advertising financing company Palisades Media Corp. has 
> since 
> > > > > bought the U.S. rights to its library.
> > > > > Those moves now appear to have only offered temporary 
> respite 
> > > from 
> > > > > a downward turn of fortune for McAlpine, who founded 
> Tartan in 
> > > > > 1982. The 
> > > > > company subsequently expanded by launching sub-labels such 
> as 
> > > > > Tartan 
> > > > > Terror and Tartan Asia Extreme. Distrib arguably became 
> the 
> > > home 
> > > > > for genre fare and edgy, foreign-language pics, especially 
> > > from 
> > > > > Asia. No official comment has been made yet by Tartan 
> execs as 
> > > to 
> > > > > what the
> > > > > future holds for the company although it seems likely that 
> a 
> > > team of
> > > > > liquidators and accountants will be brought in to assess 
> the 
> > > company's> > assets and sell them off.
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> > > > > Midnight Eye
> > > > > www.midnighteye.com
> > > > > 
> > > > > 
> _________________________________________________________________> 
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> > > 
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