Filmmaking

A 70-MINUTE TAKEDOWN OF THE PHANTOM MENACE

A while back I blogged in response to all the lamenters of the decline in the number of film critics, writing that critics will have to find new forms of reviewing aimed at new online audiences. One critic who has just done that is, um… a serial killer named Mike from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And he has done so not by crafting some kind of 30-second quick hit that you scan amidst flashing banner ads but with a hilarious, detailed, fan meta-critical 70-minute takedown of a film that most of you have probably already forgotten: George Lucas’s Star Wars Episode One: […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 19, 2009 Filmmaking
SIGISMONDI DEBUTS WITH THE RUNAWAYS

A lot of people are excited to see Kristen Stewart as Joan Jett in The Runaways. I am — I think she’s the real deal. But I’m even more interested in seeing the film because it’s Floria Sigismondi’s directing debut. Sigismondi is an artist, photographer and music video director whose well-known clips include videos for the White Stripes, Marilyn Manson, Nine Inch Nails, David Bowie and many others. I think Jett, Cherie Curie et al are a great match for Floria’s sharp eye and smart sensibility. More on this film in the days ahead, but, for now, the trailer.

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 17, 2009 Filmmaking
THE NEXT GENERATION OF AFRICAN FILMMAKING TALENT

Africa First is a program started by Focus Features in which the specialty distributor identifies promising new directorial talent from continental Africa, provides them grant money for the creation of short films, and then brings them to New York for a summit weekend of mentorship, feedback, and discussion with the program’s advisory board. Read about the 2009 award recipients here, and check out this video documenting this year’s summit, which just concluded. About half-way through you’ll see clips of the award films, which are a fascinating look at the diversity of work being developed in Africa these days.

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 16, 2009 Filmmaking
SUPPORT THE AURORA PICTURE SHOW!

I received a Facebook message from Andrea Grover of the essential Houston cinema space Aurora Picture Show. Like all non-profits, they are operating within a stressed economy, and recently they experienced a financial setback: their office was robbed and, after years of premiums and no claims, their office insurer denied them over a technicality. I’m taking the liberty of forwarding a blog post detailing ways to support them. If you live in Houston or just want to help a great film art space, please consider becoming a member. Memberships start at $30 and go as high as $5,000. You can […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 16, 2009 Filmmaking
TARANTINO’S 2009 TOP TEN LIST… SO FAR

Quentin Tarantino posts his top ten list for 2009 as a work-in-progress. He’s got eight here while he lists the films he hasn’t seen yet. Interesting that he’s on the fence about District 9 — says he needs to see it again to determine what he thinks about it.

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 16, 2009 Filmmaking
PARAMOUNT GOES DIGITAL WITH tallhotblond

Several days after Paramount surprised the indie world with the announcement of a new division aimed at producing $100,000 micro-budget films, the studio’s Paramount Digital Entertainment (PDE) arm announced the pick-up of Barbara Schroeder’s indie doc, tallhotblond, Best Doc winner at the Seattle Film Festival. The film was repped by New York-based Submarine Entertainment and, reports Jeremy Kay in Screen Daily, the deal “is the first of its kind for the division.” He continues, PDE “will make the film available through download-to-own digital distributors including iTunes and Amazon following the broadcast premiere on MSNBC on December 13.” More: “talhotblond is […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 13, 2009 Filmmaking
PARAMOUNT TO START MICRO-BUDGET ARM

Is the sky no longer falling? Off the huge success of the low-budget Paranormal Activity, Paramount has decided to launch a division dedicated to movies budgeted at less than $100,000. According to the Los Angeles Times the studio plans to finance as many as 20 micro-budget movies annually starting in 2010. The division will not acquire films at film festivals or markets and its $2 million annual budget will be taken from Paramount’s existing production budget. Though studios have tried and failed at doing boutique arms in the past, Paramount says not all of the projects in this division will […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Dec 10, 2009 Filmmaking
DON’T TELL FOX: THE GUARDIAN LIKES AVATAR

With the rush to be first with entertainment news and critical opinion, publications everywhere are figuring out ways to flaunt the review embargoes that studios are just as quickly rushing to put in place. One particularly bold strategy is that of The Guardian’s Mark Brown, who writes about Avatar pre-embargo deadline with a post-modern, or perhaps just legalistic, twist: Rumours that the budget was double the stated amount, more like $500m. Rumours that the 3D effects were making people nauseous. Rumours that the film, two hours and 40 minutes long, was a complete car crash. The Guardian can reveal that […]

By Scott Macaulay on Dec 10, 2009 Filmmaking
SUNDANCE USA SLATE REVEALED

The Sundance Institute announced today the the films that will screen in eight different cities nationwide on Jan. 28th for their inaugural Sundance Film Festival USA series. The filmmakers will be dispatched from Park City to cities across America, where they will introduce and screen their films and engage in Q&As with local audiences. The films are: Cyrus — Ann Arbor, MI — Michigan Theater Directors and screenwriters: Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass –A recently divorced guy meets a new lady. Then he meets her son who is, well…interesting. Cast: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener. World […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Dec 9, 2009 Filmmaking
SUNDANCE ANNOUNCES SHORTS FOR 2010

The Sundance Institute announced today the slate of shorts which will be screened at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival. I’m Here, directed by Spike Jonze; The Fence, directed by Rory Kennedy; Logorama, directed by François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, and Ludovic Houplain; and Seeds of the Fall, directed Patrik Eklund will premiere the first Thursday to kick off the start of the competition screenings. The Sundance Film Festival will run January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The full list of shorts are below. U.S. DRAMATIC SHORTS Charlie and the Rabbit (Directors: Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and […]

By Jason Guerrasio on Dec 7, 2009 Filmmaking

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