Hard to get excited about all things cinema during the thick of summer, but I will put forth an effort.

- Eric Kohn interviews the charming Duplass brothers, the siblings behind the new indie-ish "Baghead." i quiet enjoyed their previous effort, "The Puffy Chair." I hope they tip more in the direction of plot than in 'mumbling."

- Indiewire reports U.S. rights to Charlie Kaufman's directorial debut, "Synecdoche, New York" have been picked up by Sony Pictures Classics. Early reviews suggest that Mr. Kaufman goes deeper than his previous screenplays here, and apparently without too much of a grin, but if you watched those early films, you can see glimpses of the direction Synecdoche appears to go in.

- Geez, us tooo?? AOL is making across the board budget cuts on its blogging properties, we’re hearing from multiple sources. The cuts range up to 25% of each properties total budget, which falls mostly on personnel costs - bloggers are simply being told to take a couple of weeks off for now, and there may or may not be work for them later in August.

- Karina and the gang at Spout are covering this thingy in San Diego. She also files a great review of "American Teen".

- HIT may have some episodes of our web serial up sooooooon!

"If you've ever suffered from clinical depression, you know the experience is impossible to convey to someone who hasn't also gone through it. It doesn't make sense. It's like trying to describe why you love somebody. How do you explain a lack of feeling, or interest, or pleasure, that is both numbing and excruciatingly painful? How do you account for a disconnection with the past and any conception of a future? It's not "living in the moment" -- it's being stuck in a moment from which you can't imagine any escape -- not just the feeling that this asphyxiating near-deadness will go on forever, but that you can't imagine ever having felt any other way (even though, logically, you know that is not possible). You can remember feeling pleasure -- no, make that "having felt pleasure" -- but you have no memory of what it actually felt like. One of the (many) reasons I probably connect so strongly with David Fincher's "Fight Club" (1999) is that, by capturing clinical depression more accurately than any other movie I've ever seen (though Laurent Cantet's "Time Out" and Eric Steel's "The Bridge" delve mighty deep into that abyss), it helped shake me out of the grips of a depression that was sucking me down at the time. I was the only person in the theater convulsed with laughter from beginning to end, because it was liberating, exhilarating, to see the truth of my own inner experience reflected back at me in its funhouse mirror. I recognized myself in the movie, relished the psychological acuteness of what I was seeing, felt its black absurdity resonate in my poor, chemically imbalanced noggin."  Jim Emerson.

Peter Coyote writes

"Once an actor reaches the six or ten million dollar mark for several months work, they are financially secure for life unless they are morons or have extremely bad habits," he writes. "By the time they’re earning 15 to 20 million, some measurable percentage of those earnings is meaningless. A major star on a film we were doing together once told me, “Hey there’s no difference between 17 and 18 million to me! My agent tells me so-and-so gets it and so should I.�

"That 'no difference money' is the difference between earning a living or not for most of the rest of us. A modest return to insure the health of the entire community (the principle behind income taxes) hardly seems excessive. While this would not solve all the problems of our community, it would certainly remove much of the desperation and rancor from negotiations and make earning a living once again possible for far more of the membership. It cannot be legislated by law, only by custom, but as a custom it would lend a definite grace to our industry, and perhaps set a model that might inspire others. (Why do the words 'corporate executives' leap to mind?)

"You cannot grow roses without mulch. While stars represent the beautiful blooms of the industry, the soil of the industry, the medium of growth supplied by all those who surround you, is being starved for nourishment. Eventually, this lack of payback to the medium supporting all the growth will kill, if not the plant itself, at least its quality and vitality. Our industry is not secure while the majority of its players are not. To change the situation requires consciousness, solidarity, and power. We have the consciousness and solidarity. We appeal to you for help with the power."

Remember this: It's never too Late.

Kids (and seniors!) these days are making six-figures with 'web pages' so this tune might change..maybe. I mean, if you can write well, take good pics, or do something incredibly dangerous or X-rated on a regualr basis. Go on! Take the plunge.

Here is the video for Radiohead's "House of Cards" from their virtually free release In Rainbows. The technology used to make it is also virtually free. WARNING: If you were prone to seizures during strobe lit parties in small apartments in the eighties, this might not be for you! (via BoingBoing)

No cameras or lights were used. Instead two technologies were used to capture 3D images: Geometric Informatics and Velodyne LIDAR. Geometric Informatics scanning systems produce structured light to capture 3D images at close proximity, while a Velodyne Lidar system that uses multiple lasers is used to capture large environments such as landscapes. In this video, 64 lasers rotating and shooting in a 360 degree radius 900 times per minute produced all the exterior scenes.

Having a good deal of Native American blood, I was very interested to run across(I know everybody claims it a bit) Steve Boone's write-up of Kent Mackenzie's The Exiles at The House Next Door. To boot, I used to live very close to downtown LA's Bunker Hill so I got a double shot here.

Who is presenting this lost classic? Take a guess. Right. Charles Burnett and Sherman Alexie. Oh boy, does it look good. Read the piece, visit the website and push them to expand the film.

Enjoy the trailer below

Yea, I do spell like the devil a lot but this time, it's your guilty pleasure, your good friend Quentin Tarantino. He finally chopped down his 'war film homage' to about 165 pages or so. Two reviews have popped up on-line (here and here) so..ah, forget it. Just catch the movie at the theater because I know that you know Tarantino is fun if nothing else.

- Fiona King tells us " We just posted an article,"100 Online Sources for Good FREE films. Yea!!(http://www.internetservicedeals.com/blog/70/100-online-sources-for-good-free-as-in-beer-feature-length-films/).

 - This is why I read Jeff Wells everyday. Here he is on blogging and his world-view as seen through the prism of a movie-lover who is chock-full of studio crap

"On top of which I'm finding a freer, less inhibited voice these days. It's hard and strenuous, but it feels amazing at the same time. You try writing eight to ten stories a day and see what comes out. After a while you can't do the equivocating, smiley-face, loyal-opposition tightrope dance from the business-as-usual playbook. It's the Wild West with a lot of rootin' tootin' buckaroos and gunslingers out there, and in the midst of this I'm trying to create something that may one day be construed to have had a semblance of value.

- The 2008 Comic-Con Schedule is released.

- Will they strike or won't they?

The very talented Carmen Elena Mitchell's short film Evidence will be shown in the The Frozen Film Fest in San Francisco. If you are in town, check it out.

WHERE:
The Roxie
3117 16th Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
http://www.roxie.com

WHEN:
Saturday July 12^th @ 8:25pm

TICKETS:
$10 at or at the door or in advance at www.frozenfilmfestival.com 

TRAILER & INFO: www.myspace.com/evidencethemovie

Ever wonder who the faceless drones are who help bring you-yes, you the living-the mass entertainment you so wantonly crave are? Me neither..well, occasionally

Name Redacted] came from humble beginnings, a small town outside of [City Redacted]. After graduating from college, [Name Redacted] moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in entertainment. He/She first landed a job at [Agency Name Redacted], working for an agent with a penchant for throwing phones. Or better put, this agent had a penchant for throwing phones at [Name Redacted]. Rather than play "face catch," [Name Redacted] took a job at a competing agency. It is during that time that our winner stole the title of "The Miracle Worker" from Helen Keller and never gave it back.

Funny stuff at The Hollywood Temp.

- Machine is back with an interesting project.  1) At 6pm on Sunday July 6th a stuntman will leap from Machine Project’s 2nd story window. We would like to invite folks to attend and document the leap with a miniDV camera and then give us the video footage (tapes to be provided, unless you want to donate one) to be edited to create a very clumsy “Matrix” effect that suspends the stuntperson in mid-air with a 360 degree pan. Please email us at machine@machineproject.com with subject line JUMP if you're interested in participating.

- Sujewa Ekanayake work on his doc The Indie Film Bloggers: A Portrait of a Community.  If you are one or both of the fore-mentioned, check it out.

- Vanity Fair's Bright Young Hollywood?  KAT DENNINGS Age: 22. Hometown: Philadelphia. Breakthrough role: Catherine Keener’s daughter in The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Upcoming film: The House Bunny. Number of shoes in your closet? “I would say at this moment a conservative number would be 40 pairs because I’ve gotten rid of a lot. I mean, I’m adding to them, though, sadly, so soon it will be 50 pairs.” Hmm, I wonder.

 -Finally, if you are not already a fan you will be. Mad Men is out on DVD this week.

June 27, 2008

 Is my heart dying fast or am I just living? Am I missing something? Should I embrace what I haven’t? I should work harder, drink less, and try to move in a direction that is more honest? But when you do what I do, well..

Evening Commute Drink Club

The first rule of evening commute drink club is that you do not talk about evening commute drink club. The second rule of evening commute drink club is that you do not talk about evening commute drink club.

This should be obvious.

The third rule of evening commute drink club is that you do not talk or text on your cell during ECDC. You only have two hands and to be toooo greedy, well, that hazard speaks for itself. CHP is in a deep budget crisis and they are just looking for an excuse on the 405, the 110, the 10, the 60, the 105, and of course the 91. Besides, you will probably say something you truly regret to the friend or lover who jilted you years a go (which you keep in your contacts for this very reason) but don’t press those numbers. It can but open another can of worms for you to deal with on top of keeping your car in the proper lane.

Leave it.

The fourth rule of ECDC is to always use an inconspicuous container. A Bud Ice can screams stop me for I want the attention and drama of getting caught. If you are still in this stage you do not belong in ECDC. Make you way home and lay your head in your Mother’s lap. If she is no longer around, search out the legally youngest friend you have and split a six of Zuma and tell them all about it.

The fifth rule of ECDC is do not give into the temptation of checking out your fellow motorist no matter how hot or insane or rich they may be. There is only one reason to take your eyes off the road during ECDC and that is for the world-shattering occurrence of a dog or cat darting out in front of you.  ECDC is hard-pressed to give advice in this triptych so suffice it to say hurt yourself before you hurt others (or your cocktail)

The sixth rule of ECDC is do not, no matter what high school anthem comes on the radio or you manage to punch up your Ipodwalkman, turn up the volume to murderous levels. The desire to lip-sync, or even worse, start dancing in the saddle only attracts unwanted attention and we all know where that leads to while sipping on a Nail Bomb in a plastic gator-aid bottle; jail, or worse.

A word to the wise. More to come.

(via flickr pool member Susan Catherine)

As the credits rolled at the end of Jeremy Osbern’s feature film Air, I looked at my wife and said “Wow, that was not only a good indie film, it made me feel good.” Rare these days as too many indie filmmakers are content to film their navels while mumbling to someone who may or may not be a stranger in the corner of a room something like “I dunno..maybe?” It is all one can do to sit through these valiant efforts, much less enjoy them. Granted, Jeremy and his team at Through a Glass Productions are not exactly beginners-Jeremy is an award-winning filmmaker in his I believe, late twenties and Producer Christopher Blunk has an accomplished track record in his own right-but together they made this movie in their home town of Lawrence, KS with mostly homegrown talent, moxie, and a love of community that comes through every frame.

“Air” is an original musical, at once a romantic comedy and a drama as it tracks three ordinary folks who feel out of place in the world. Not pandering to stereotypes, Osbern and co-writer Blunk frame a middle-age African-American falling for a lonely soul in a country western bar. Lovely without being saccharine, Granvile O’Neal and Brenda Harvey sing and dance in Osbern’s (another triple or quadruple threat) excellent cinematography, which never misses a beat the entire film. Nothing short of professional.

Ian Stark and Megan Carter meet in a head-on collision. Not the most auspicious start to unlocking one’s heart, but if Air drives home one point, it’s that it doesn’t matter how you get there, just get there. Dylan Hilpman and Jennifer Coville are young lovers who get lost amid the pitfalls of youth (Oh! Ambition!) as he looks for the perfect song, blind to the fact it was at his elbow the whole time.

All the performances are heartfelt and the dramatic moments come with pounds. I was amazed at how good they looked on screen (my LA moment-sue me) But all the tech savvy, beautiful people, and camera tricks in the world don’t amount to a hill of beans if the story does not have honest, universal, emotional chops. Seek this one out. It’s good stuff from Kansas.

Last night saw me and me chum Rita Thompson hitting the Hammer to take in Roy Anderson's latest, You, the Living, as part of the LA Film Festival. The film screened at 10 PM on a Monday night but the line was not a zoo at the Billy Wilder Theater and we got seats. For those readers familiar with Roy Anderson's previous film Songs From the Second Floor or his commercials for TV, you know what you've come for. Tragicomedy in one take in one frame. Genius when it works as it did for most of Songs.

You, the Living  is an exploration on the "grandeur of existence, centered around the lives of an overweight woman, a disgruntled psychiatrist, a heart broken groupie, a carpenter, a business consultant, an elementary school teacher with emotional issues and her rug selling husband, among others. I admit it flags at times, eliciting one or two audience members to laughter, but rarely the way I saw it.

Shot in an unconventional manner, it consists of a fluent succession of exactly 50 short set-ups each filmed in one take. Most of them have an absurd but all-too-human undertone. It utilizes a combination of alienating techniques such as presenting the characters in grim make-up and having them talk to the camera, turning them into highly expressed folks you see everyday but fail to see as well.

Anderson can be heavy-handed in his feelings about the death penalty (the set-up is funny as the devil) and other issues he feels strongly about. But when these moments flag, there is always his amazing production design (all scenes are filmed on sound stages!) and framing. A dream of a groupie at home after her wedding is flat-out amazing.

The audience laughter died out abit after the opening sequence but I chalk that up to mostly not knowing how to take Anderson. Is he being mean? Sarcastic? Serious? Funny? I can't think of a better compliment to pay a filmmaker, who while you decide on those questions, wows you with his moviemaking.

Mark Gill, former President of Miramx films, and current CEO of the The Film Department, delivers some sobering but hopeful advice on the state and future of independent film at an LA Film Fest Conference. In short, make fewer better films:

In the most reductionist fashion: tere's the holy trinity of structure, character and dialogue, of course; the crucial if more ephemeral notions of authenticity, voice, theme, and tone; and the imperative for originality of utterance and perception.

In the end, all of this has to add up (seamlessly if possible) to something that moves us-- to the quality of the emotional content. It doesn't matter if we're talking about thrills, laughs, tears, or an adrenaline rush. What matters is that we are engaged and, ideally, emotionally transformed and satisfied.

In a world increasingly dominated by numbers--financial, technological and most importantly the finite number of hours in a day, our very human desire for contact, meaning and emotional transformation isn't going away. It's growing. Those who remember that will survive and most probably win.

Everyone should be able to make a film if they want. Of course. But don't expect for your film to a success if its no good, despite the tons of marketing you might throw at it. Brutal but true.