Authors — Jason Guerrasio

DISPATCH #2 FROM 66th VENICE: POLITICS AND PERSONALITIES

This has been a festival of surprises, beginning with higher attendance than anticipated in view of the world-wide economic crisis, and the emergence of unexpected stars: how about Michael Moore and President Hugo Chavez as media darlings? Moore, who apparently is better known in Europe than one would imagine, brought Capitalism: A Love Story (right), drawing an overflow crowd to his press conference and enthusiastic audiences to the screenings. Moore’s is one of the six U.S. films competing for the Golden Lion. The real coup, however, was an international stage for Chavez in Oliver Stone’s South of the Border, signing […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 10, 2009
From Hollywood to nobody

Sometimes people ask me how I went from living in Los Angeles, writing a studio film like 40 Days & 40 Nights, to living in Minneapolis, directing an independent comedy like nobody. It’s a fair question but it seems there’s a subtext here, too. Many people think independent film is a step down from the studio system. And I’m sure it is — for some people. But let’s go back. 40 Days & 40 Nights is about a guy who gives up sex for lent and then meets the perfect girl. The short version of how it was made goes […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 9, 2009
51 MUST-KNOWS

Toronto Life lists the 51 hotspots that you should be aware of if you want to survive TIFF 09. From where to get coffee to where you can see the celebs this is an essential guide. They also have a list of bars that have received licenses to stay open past last call during the fest.
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 9, 2009
TORONTO 09: GUY MADDIN’S NIGHT MAYOR

Over at Movie City Indie, Ray Pride posts a two minute clip of Guy Maddin’s short film Night Mayor which will have public screenings at TIFF on Saturday, Sept. 12 @ 4:00PM (ISABEL BADER THEATRE) & Sunday, Sept. 13 @ 1:15PM (JACKMAN HALL – AGO). Looks like vintage Maddin to me. A description of the short reads: The filmmaker whose cinematic style inspired the term “Maddinesque” delivers a fantastical film about the night mayor of Winnipeg, an inventor of Bosnian descent who harnesses the power of the aurora borealis to transmit distinctly Canadian images across the Great White North. Guy […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 8, 2009
TWEET WITH KEVIN SMITH FOR 24 HOURS

As “stay-cation” seems to be on everyone’s lips for this Labor Day weekend I thought I’d plan out your Monday for you… Sit in front of your computer and Tweet with Kevin Smith all day. To promote his upcoming book, Shootin’ The Sh*t with Kevin Smith, the foul-mouthed writer-director will be hosting a 24-hour Tweet Q&A with his followers on Monday at @ThatKevinSmith that he’s dubbing “Tweet-a-thon”. If you’ve ever been to a speaking engagement of Smith’s I don’t need to tell you how entertaining this will be. And it will be fun to see how witty Smith can be […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 4, 2009
AND PROUD WE ARE OF ALL THEM

For anyone who’s payed the ultimate tribute to the Coen Brothers‘ The Big Lebowski by attending the Lebowski Fest, this one’s for you. I first heard of the Achievers last September when I interviewed the creators of Lebowski Fest for FilmInFocus. This group of die hards for everything Lebowski span the globe and are not fans of the film but are obsessed over it. Some dress up as their favorite characters and attend Lebowski Fest, others yell out every F-bomb at midnight screenings and some practice the religion Dudeism. The Achievers are now the subject of a documentary, The Achievers: […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 3, 2009
Director George LaVoo on A Dog Year

In A Dog Year, the feature film directed by George LaVoo from Jon Katz’s memoir, Jeff Bridges plays Katz, a midlife crisis-stricken writer who, impulsively and in an act of near-deliberate emotional self-destruction, adopts a rambunctious and unsocialized border collie, flying him cross country to his family’s split-level home and their two other dogs. And while Lavoo’s movie has its share of Beethoven-esque moments as the collie sprints down suburban streets or mischievously jumps rides on passing automobiles, the film is less about canine hijinks and more about the complex and unexpected emotional roles that dogs play in our lives. […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 3, 2009
BEHIND THE SCENES OF FANTASTIC MR. FOX

There aren’t that many filmmakers working today that I think could cut it making a stop-motion film. Tim Burton has certainly showed he can excel doing it. Another that was born to try his hand at the medium is Wes Anderson. His meticulous attention to detail will only heighten the enjoyment of watching his Fantastic Mr. Fox adaptation. See what I mean here.
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 2, 2009
SUNDANCE TO FEATURE NEXT SECTION IN 2010

In a press release sent out today, the Sundance Institute has announced the creation of a new section in the Sundance Film Festival beginning next year called NEXT. The release describes the section as “featuring six to eight films selected for their innovative and original work in low- and no-budget filmmaking.” Capitalizing on the continued interest by filmmakers to do their films in a DIY style, the release goes on to say, “With NEXT, Festival programmers hope to provide a platform for these filmmakers to connect to audiences, industry and press while at the same time inviting the artists to […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 2, 2009
PREVIEW OF 66th VENICE FILM FESTIVAL

Reporting from the fest, Belle Burke sends this dispatch on what’s in store this year. VFF begins today and wraps Sept. 12. Stay tuned to the blog for more reports from Venice. Do all film festivals begin with disclaimers, denials, and disappointments? In Venice, where discussions can be as heated as the weather, they often do, but maybe it clears the way for the bragging rights of the world’s oldest film festival. Marco Muller, back again as the festival director, still somewhat apprehensive as last-minute plans evolve, emphasizes that it will not be a “provincial festival” even though it has […]
by Jason Guerrasio on Sep 2, 2009

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