Oil for Film—The Peace & Justice Center (202 Harvard SE) is sponsoring a special film/lecture this Thursday, June 23. From the producers of Hidden Wars of Desert Storm and Plan Colombia comes the documentary The Oil Factor: Behind the War on Terror. This film examines the not-so-subtle link between oil interests and current U.S. military interventions. The film was shot over a four-month period in Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Producers Gerard Ungermann and Audrey Brohy--both of whom recently returned from the Middle East--will be there to discuss the film and its surrounding issues. Everything gets underway at 7 p.m. and seating is limited.

NM Filmmakers get their 40-plus hours of Fame

After a few years of chasing hungrily after that Hollywood dollar, the New Mexico Film Office is slowly turning its large, bureaucratic eye toward the homegrown New Mexico film scene.

Animation masterpiece creates a world all its own

Filmmaker/artist Hayao Miyazaki has often been called “the Walt Disney of Japan.” While that title is meant to reflect the creativity and popularity of this legendary animator, it shortchanges both filmmakers just a little. Disney's skill was in creating a product and generating a marketplace. He was, in essence, the Henry Ford of the cartoon biz. His films, more often than not, centered on plucky orphan girls called upon to fend off unrepentant evildoers with the help of assorted woodland creatures and nonsexually threatening princes. Miyazaki, at least in his native Japan, has created just as much of a marketing empire as Uncle Walt. But his films are almost a polar opposite of Disney's (still) formulaic roster of Americanized fairy tales.

“Stella” on Comedy Central

With David Chappelle running off to a lunatic asylum (sorry ... “spiritual retreat”) in Africa on the eve of his show's third season debut, Comedy Central suddenly seems starved for sketch comedy. No need to panic just yet, however. Chappelle allegedly met with Comedy Central bigwigs last week, which could signal his return to television, and the network has paired returning sitcom “Reno 911!” with new sketch series “Stella” to beef up their schedule for the time being. That's not nearly enough for those who've already purchased “Chappelle's Show” season one and two on DVD, but it does offer a small respite from “South Park” reruns.

Week in Sloth

The Week in Sloth