Authors — Scott Macaulay

ALTMAN REMEMBERED

Robert Altman’s production company, Sandcastle 5, has relayed some appreciations of the great director from his friends and colleagues: “I was friends with Bob for 20 years before we worked together on GOSFORD PARK. It was then that I experienced the real magic of Robert Altman. When he was working he had a youthful joyfulness that was just amazing.” – Bob Balaban “I have always admired Robert Altman’s films and it was an honor to work with him on A PRAIRIE HOME COMPANION. We had so much fun working on that project over the past year and I know that […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 22, 2006
PRIDE ON ALTMAN

Over at Movie City Indie, Ray Pride runs excerpts from an interview he did with Robert Altman for a special Gotham Award issue of Filmmaker. An excerpt: An attempt to be original counts as some kind of success, doesn’t it? “Now, if you see anything original, you won’t see it [out there for] very long. It’s time turtling on. These kids… they don’t understand anything else. There’s so much saturation. There’s not a policeman today who didn’t learn his behavior from watching films or television. We all imitate each other.” Does Altman ever think he’s imitating himself? “It now occurs […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 22, 2006
ROBERT ALTMAN, R.I.P.

As various news sites, including Reuters, are reporting, Robert Altman died last night in a Los Angeles hospital. He was 81. There are many ways to eulogize this remarkable director, a true maverick who never relinquished his own very personal idea of independence over many decades of work. For now, I’m just going to point you to Matthew Ross’s cover story on Altman in our Spring, 2006 issue. At the time he had just finished A Prarie Home Companion which Ross called “a triumphant new chapter in Altman’s body of work.” In the article, Altman noted that since receiving the […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 21, 2006
BROOKLYN RULES

If you’re in New York City this week check three free screenings at the Brooklyn Academy of Music: Jim McKay’s features Our Song, Everyday People and the most recent, Angel Rodriguez. Since Our Song in 2000 McKay has been making lovingly crafted dramas that quite movingly dig into the lives of characters often overlooked by both mainstream Hollywood and independent film. All three films are set in Brooklyn, and the latest stars newcomer Jonan Everett (pictured) and Rachel Griffiths in the story of a troubled inner-city teenager and the guidance counselor who is trying to help while confronting problems of […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 17, 2006
INCINERATED

I was walking down St. Mark’s Place the other day and saw that a CBBG fashion store is going in at the site of the old Fillmore East. And, Hilly’s been talking about moving the legendary but now shuttered rock club to Las Vegas. So, I guess now is a good time to link to Braden King’s new Sonic Youth video, “Do You Believe in Rapture.” It’s his loving elegy to the club in all of its grimy, decaying, sticker-over-stickered, disgusting bathroom-ed glory, and it contains Super 8 footage from Jem Cohen. Also: Claire Denis’s sensuously jittery video for another […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 16, 2006
TRULY INDIE… TRULY!

Over at his blog, Doug Block responds to a comment I made about his interview (linked below) with Sujewa Ekanayake about the Truly Indie release of his 51 Birch Street. Scott Macaulay at Filmmaker was a tad disappointed that I didn’t do more hardcore number crunching, but there’s a reason for that. When we signed the deal, Truly Indie asked me not to (largely because they’re considering raising their fees at some point). Personally, I think that’s a bit silly, since if filmmakers knew how relatively low the cost is, they’d be flocking to Truly Indie’s door. But TI’s Kelly […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 16, 2006
THE FUTURE OF FILM

Because it was in the “Small Business” section, some of you may have missed this piece in the New York Times on the future of film. An excerpt: A WEDDING, as the saying goes, is the beginning of a new life. But for Paul and Kristine Korver, it was also the start of a novel business. Soon after they married, they founded Fifty Foot Films, a Hollywood-based company that is dedicated to fixing major life events on film — a medium that many videographers regard as too risky, sensitive and pricey to be profitable. In the last four years, the […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 15, 2006
ADRIENNE SHELLY FOUNDATION

I received the following press release about a foundation formed in the memory of director and actress Adrienne Shelly. The Adrienne Shelly Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the memory of Writer/Director/Actress Adrienne Shelly, is being founded by her husband, Andy Ostroy. Plans include a Womens’ Filmmaking Scholarship Fund, with a particular emphasis on awarding film school scholarships and helping women make the transition from acting to directing. “I know what Adrienne would want most would be to help women get a chance to pursue their dream,” says Ostroy. More initiatives from the foundation will be announced at a later […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 14, 2006
’70s FASHION

Via Monika Bartyzel at Cinematical is this YouTube link to Francesco Vezzoli’s Trailer for a Remake of Gore Vidal’s Caligula. Starring Karen Black, Milla Jovovich, Courtney Love, Gore Vidal, and Oscar-bound Helen Mirren, the short film, which was exhibited at both the Venice Biennale and the Whitney Biennial, campily critiques the periodic influx of fashion designers and promoters into the art world. And, from the link on both Cinematical and GreenCine, I learned a new abbreviation — NSFW. As in, “not safe for work.”
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 14, 2006
SHAREWARE

Back in 1995 producer Ted Hope wrote a seminal piece for Filmmaker entitled “Indie Film is Dead,” in which he listed quite a few reasons why independent filmmaking was getting tougher and tougher. Go back and look at the piece and you’ll see that many of Hope’s industry criticisms hold true today. Here’s one: “The film industry, like all others, mystifies by design. All industries create their own vernacular, keeping the have-nots clouded in confusion. Variety takes this talent to an art form. The neophyte needs a class in how to read the trades, let alone understand them. Where is […]
by Scott Macaulay on Nov 14, 2006

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