American literature took a beating last month, with the deaths of three of the country’s best authors. You’re hard pressed to find an American who didn’t read J.D. Salinger’s THE CATCHER IN THE RYE in high school, and your blogger was pretty crestfallen upon hearing that Spenser creator Robert B. Parker had passed away. And many progressives were reeling upon hearing that influential historian and activist Howard Zinn had passed away (hours before a scheduled lecture - the man never stopped).

Zinn’s project in A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES was to capture the evolution of America through its non-elites, and to give voice to those disregarded by conventional historical studies. It’s a mission that has resonated with many, and filmmaker John Gianvito undertakes the mission in his cinematic tour of historic gravesites, Profit Motive and the Whispering Wind. The award-winning experimental film achieves a powerful result with minimal means, and is available to Jaman’s US customers.

Like many with an interest in the American media, your blogger has been following the dust-up around NBC’s Tonight Show with great interest. Featuring more players than the conflict between Jay Leno and David Letterman over the host’s seat nearly two decades ago, the escalating conflict between former/soon-to-be-returning host Jay Leno and current (for about eight more hours) host Conan O’Brien has developed a breadth and subtext like that of an Elizabethan history play. Here are the facts of the battle, as interpreted by Chinese news animators:

O’Brien announced last night that the musical guest on tonight’s episode (his final as host) will be none other than Neil Young. Here at Jaman we just adore Neil, and so we’re certainly going to tune in to see him (the episode starts at 11:35ish on NBC). Of course we’re also pleased to be the exclusive host of his longform music video Get Around, still available free to Jaman’s users around the world.

Get Around

And on a more important note, everyone involved in the Tonight Show fracas has repeatedly made note of the fact that the devastation and rebuilding in Haiti is a vastly more important issue facing the world. If you haven’t, please contribute what you can to either the Red Cross or another reputable charity working to offer aid and restore services to that nation.

Jaman wishes each and every one of its viewers all the best for 2010, and hopes to continue bringing some of the finest, smartest, and weirdest independent cinema to your computer.

And who better to kick in the new year than Bruce Li as Bruce Lee in The Fists of Bruce Lee, directed by Bruce Li?

Happy 2010, everybody!

In his wonderful (and insanely readable) blog, critic Jonathan Rosenbaum recently posted a 1981 interview with filmmaker Ivan Passer, centering on Passer’s then-current film Cutter’s Way.

A major figure in the Czech New Wave of the 1960s, the Russian invasion of 1968 prompted Passer to defect to America, where he’s worked ever since. Two of his films are available here on Jaman: Born to Win, in which George Segal plays a weirdly task-oriented junkie on the mean streets of 1970s Manhattan, is available to Jamanites around the world; and US-based viewers can enjoy Creator, the tale of a biologist (Peter O’Toole) hellbent on cloning his deceased wife.

Acquainting oneself with the work of an unfamiliar filmmaker is a perfect holiday gift to oneself, so we hope you’ll enjoy the work of Passer, or any of the other filmmakers you’ll encounter on the site. Whatever you decide to watch or do, Jaman hopes that all of you enjoy the warmth and comfort embodied by the holiday season - we’ll see you in 2010!

Yep, if Sir Richard Branson has his way, the artfully-named SpaceShipTwo (pictured above) is going to be one of but five commercial spaceships taking space tourists on a suborbital voyage outside Earth’s atmosphere. Though the projected ticket price is a hefty $200,000, it’s a fair sight cheaper than the eight-figure sums being charged by Space Adventures for flights to the International Space Station. Please do not interpret this as a slam - here in the Jaman Lounge we’re hoping that the fledgling space tourism industry resorts in the fare wars we see among more earth-bound agencies, and that affordable civilian space travel will become a reality in our lifetimes.

Meanwhile, we’ll be keeping warm here in the lounge, firing up Alien Encounter, and daring to dream. Keep watching the skies - one day, you’ll be up there and beyond.

We’re always pleased to see posters for forthcoming releases speaking the high-octane design language of greats like Saul Bass. More pleasing still is seeing such work accompanying an imminent release by a filmmaker we like.

Legacy is the forthcoming film from the low-budget suspense auteur Thomas Ikimi - Ikimi’s previous film Limbo, shot in moody black and white on a budget of a whopping $9000, is available FREE right here on Jaman. Legacy stars The Wire’s Idris Elba (Stringer Bell remains one of our favorite characters ever) as a soldier hatching a mysterious plot from within a Brooklyn hotel - fellow HBO veteran Eamonn Walker (of Oz, remember?) co-stars.

The details available (not to mention the other three posters as lovely as the one above) are more than enough to make us salivate in anticipation of Legacy - meanwhile, the time is ripe to enjoy Limbo, one more time.

The arrival of the holidays heralds (among many other things) the arrival of holiday films. Certain movies become mainstays of their respective seasons (there is a joy that comes with watching Ralphie’s quest for that elusive BB gun on Christmas, after all), but every now and then one craves something new. Because really, how many times can one watch It’s A Wonderful Life?

(By the way, the first time I saw it I was struck at how sad it was that George Bailey was pretty much trapped in the life he’d wanted so badly to escape.)

I’ve watched amusedly as a new choice of family viewing has emerged during the holidays, with more and more people embracing the comfort of the Godfather films (Family movies, indeed) during Thanksgiving or Christmas. Yes, sometimes one wants to listen to Christmas carols, but other times one just wants to put the kids to bed and rock out.

So over the next few weeks, here at Jaman you can expect to find generous helpings of holiday counterprogramming in addition to more traditional fare. Because sometimes, the best holiday gift you can give yourself is a well-executed yarn in which David Carradine busts out of Alcatraz.

And nothing says holidays like a free movie – as always, once you’ve viewed a movie you can send it to up to five friends.

Which is about all we’ve got time for at the Jaman Lounge this evening - Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Though the hono(u)r was announced a few months ago, actor Christopher Lee was finally knighted in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace last week. the knighthood is a totally appropriate commendation for a CONSIDERABLE body of work that is still growing. Said body of work is well-represented here on Jaman: the little-sung horror classic Horror Hotel remains effective today, and Lee examines the legacy of the role that made him famous - Count Dracula - in the fascinating documentary In Search Of Dracula.

Congratulations, Sir Christopher!

Stewart Copeland, drummer for the Police and longtime film composer, is celebrating the recent release of his autobiographical tome Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police, Polo, and Pygmies. Your blogger cheerfully admits to being starstruck when meeting Copeland during a book signing a couple of weeks ago. Rather than enumerate the reasons why, how about a look at Copeland scores available on Jaman?

Happily there are a couple, including Ken Loach’s funny, earthy, and moving film Raining Stones:

As well as Ernest R. Dickerson’s sci-fi actioner Futuresport:

As different as they are, both films showcase Copeland’s dynamic range and knack for emotional arrangements (he’s a favored collaborator too, having worked with various filmmakers multiple times, including Loach and Dickerson). And they give you something to enjoy during the wait for Copeland’s next project, the profoundly awesome-looking Ben Hur Live, to hit a town near you!

The anthology film, a format in which several shorter stories are presented (often with a framing story for context), is a natural framework for the horror film. Given that many of the best known horror writers began with short stories (including Poe, Lovecraft, and King) the anthology horror film has literary precedents in magazines like Weird Tales.

The anthology horror film offers a nice parallel to a bag of Halloween candy: a variety of tastes, some better than others, and if the whole thing is ultimately kinda bad for you, at least it’s fun to just dive into. This being the season, Jaman is delighted to offer several anthology horror films that make ideal Halloween viewing. Indeed, the Trick or Treat segment of Visions of Horror offers a look at what you might be in for on October 31…

Meanwhile, Darna Mana Hai offers an intriguing Bollywood take on the anthology horror sub-genre. You can’t go wrong with the framing device of people telling stories around a campfire. Especially when the narrators start disappearing.

Finally, Ten Nights of Dreams is more an anthology fantasy, but we’re going to include it here because frankly it’s awesome. An imaginative film spun from the classic Japanese book by Natsume Sōseki, each of the book’s segments is realized by a different director, from veterans Kon Ichikawa and Akio Jissoji to horror masters Takashi Shimizu and Yuudai Yamaguchi.

And as always, you are extolled to pop by the Halloween thread in our Forums to let everyone know what’s spooking YOU this Halloween season!

Hot on the heels of the box-office triumph of his zombie-horror comedy Zombieland, a news item resurfaces in which Zombieland lead Woody Harrelson attacks a paparazzo, punching him in the face and destroying his camera. Harrelson’s defense: “With my daughter at the airport I was startled by a paparazzo, who I quite understandably mistook for a zombie.”

I can’t believe we ever thought he was crazy. Harrelson is to be applauded for his vigilance against the zombie plague, and for stepping into an ages-old and diverse cinematic tradition in which movie characters and their real-life counterparts square off against the walking, hungry dead.

From the heroes of the Irish indie horror Dead Meat…

Dead Meat

…to the old school voodoo antics of Blood of the Zombie…

Blood of the Zombie

…to whatever the hell’s going on in Al Adamson’s amazing Blood of Ghastly Horror…

Blood of Ghastly Horror

…Jaman applauds all those taking up the fight against the zombie menace, and those who commit the tales to film.

(With thanks to Nick K. for calling the Harrelson item to my attention.)

Heck, yeah, Jaman’s blogger’s a big horror fan. Given that this month is the run-up to Halloween, it’s no surprise that horror films are running everywhere, and Jaman is certainly no exception. Our favorite bloggers are going nuts for the holiday, and the Jaman blog’ll be rife with talk of horror films, on and off the site, in freaky solidarity.

Why not hit the ground running with the seminal zombie classic Night of the Living Dead? It’s a touchstone of modern horror, and just as absorbing and suspenseful now as it was over 40 years ago.

And if you see anything on Jaman, or in theatres, or anywhere else that really freaks you out (or, as crucially, leaves you with a sense of “Oh you’re GOT to be kidding…”) how about popping into the Halloween thread in the Forums and telling us about it?

Trick and Treat, m’friends.