Authors — Scott Macaulay
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SLAVOJ ZIZEK ON “MELANCHOLIA”
Slavoj Zizek views Melancholia as a profoundly optimistic film. (I agree.)
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 30, 2012 -
EXPLORING TERRY GILLIAM’S ARCHIVE
Terry Gilliam’s daughter Holly has created a blog, “Discovering Dad,” dedicated to the exploration of her father’s enormous and rich archive. Here’s her opening post: In October 2011 I took on the mamouth task of organising my father’s archive – all his work from pre-Python days, as a cartoonist, photojournalist & assistnat editor for Help! magazine, through all his original artwork and cut-outs for Python animation, posters, logos and generally everything Python, to his storyboards, designs and sketches for his feature films and other non-film related projects (including his opera of “Faust” and that infamous Nike commercial). Why!? Because I […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 30, 2012 -
TRAILER WATCH: “MIDDLE OF NOWHERE”
Ava DuVernay won the Best Director prize at Sundance for her second feature, the powerful, superbly acted Middle of Nowhere. The first trailer has just dropped; watch it below, and look for DuVernay’s interview with Spike Lee in our current print edition.
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 26, 2012 -
WHY IS MOTORMOUTH MARTIN SCORSESE SELLING SIRI?
In the public’s mind, Martin Scorsese is known for many things. One of them is directing some of the best movies made in the 20th century. But another, stemming from his various public appearances, acting jobs and cameos, is his rat-a-tat-tat, staccato speaking style. I think anyone heading into a meeting with Scorsese knows to focus and drink that extra shot of espresso beforehand. So, what’s Apple doing by hiring Scorsese to make the case for Siri, its iPhone personal assistant that some commenters, including Nick Bilton of the New York Times, have found lacking in basic communication skills? In […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 25, 2012 -
TRAILER WATCH: “LIFE OF PI”
Here’s the first trailer for Ang Lee’s adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel, Life of Pi. The film’s in 3D, and you can sense how spectacular and immersive it should be from this preview.
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 25, 2012 -
WATCH “25 NEW FACE” JULIA POTT’S GREAT SHORT, “BELLY”
“It’s about being a kid and so in touch with spooky things,” said animator Julia Pott about her short film Belly when Nick Dawson interviewed her for this year’s “25 New Faces” list. “I called it Belly because it’s about living with this thing that you’ve lost in the pit of your stomach for the rest of your life. I really like feeling sad. It’s so good sometimes to just wallow in misery.” The short that captivated us here at Filmmaker is now online. Watch it below. Belly from Julia Pott on Vimeo.
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 24, 2012 -
Five Questions with Engagement Director Jon Lefkovitz
The trailer for Jon Lefkovitz’s micro-budget psychological thriller Engagement caught our eye here at Filmmaker. It’s a Hitchcock-inspired tale about an young groom-to-be and the woman who may or not be the sister of his out-of-town fiancée. The film is currently up on VOD through Film Buff, and below we ask Lefkovitz five questions about making smart genre entertainment for a price. Filmmaker: Where did the concept of the film come? What were your inspirations? Lefkovitz: The concept for Engagement is actually semi-autobiographical — in 2009, my then-fiancée (now wife) went away for six weeks, leaving me alone in our […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 24, 2012 -
QUARTERLY GIFTS TELL THEIR STORIES
In the current issue of Filmmaker, Lance Weiler writes about scarcity and abundance in the digital world — namely, the trend of digital artists creating physical media limited editions for their fans and followers. Weiler references several such projects in his piece, and, indeed, I’m discovering more every day. Here’s the latest: Quarterly, a subscription service that brings you a unique, curated gift from a trusted curatorial source every three months. “Each shipment tells a story,” the site promises. From the site: Quarterly is a new way to connect with the people you follow and find interesting. We spend so […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 24, 2012 -
TRAILER WATCH: “THE MASTER”
The Master is Paul Thomas Anderson’s follow-up to There Will be Blood, my favorite film of that year. After this trailer I’m even more psyched.
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 19, 2012 -
Justin Lin’s Family Network
“It’s not actually that different from early independent cinema,” Elaine Chin, President of Production of Justin Lin’s production company, Barnstorm Pictures, says of the new YouTube network, You Offend Me You Offend My Family, Lin has co-founded. “There’s no preconceived idea of what it should look like. YouTube is giving us free reign to go and try anything, and we don’t want to take that for granted. If anything, we want to surprise ourselves and be even more crazy.” Launched this June as part of YouTube’s move into original programming, YOMYOMF features short-form scripted and reality programs by new creators […]
by Scott Macaulay on Jul 19, 2012
