Columns
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In Production: The Untitled Terence Malick Project, Zulu, The London Project and Abuse of Weakness
“In Production” is a regular column which focuses on notable independent films that are currently shooting. If you would like your film to be included in this space, please send an email to nick@filmmakermagazine.com Terrence Malick With his soon to be released To the Wonder and recently wrapped Knights of Cups, the once reclusive Terrence Malick is proving to be one of those rare artists that become more prolific with age. His latest film The Untitled Terrence Malick Project is currently shooting in Austin, Texas and features an all-star cast including Ryan Golsing (Blue Valentine), Christian Bale (The New World), Natalie Portman (Black Swan), Cate […]
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Hard to Kick: On Videogames and Addiction
February 12, 2014: It was something of a watershed moment last weekend when Doug Nguyen, creator of Flappy Bird, the world’s most popular free app, pulled his game from the App Store. The app was estimated to have generated for Ngyuen $50,000 a week in advertising revenue. The problem? The game, said Nguyen, was addictive. He told Forbes, “Flappy Bird was designed to play in a few minutes when you are relaxed. But it happened to become an addictive product. I think it has become a problem. To solve that problem, it’s best to take down Flappy Bird. It’s gone […]
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The Week in Cameras: Interesting Times Ahead
If the Mayan calendar goes beyond 12, we could be in for an interesting new year. The next few months should see several new cameras being announced or begin shipping, and 4K acquisition becoming almost mainstream. The New F From Sony Sony is letting people know that a new “F” camera will be announced October 30th. You can even sign up to be notified here: pro.sony.com Will this camera replace the current PMW-F3 ($13,000) or perhaps fall somewhere between that and the Sony F65 ($65,000)? It remains to be seen, but October 30th also fits with the time frame for the […]
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Lady Vengeance: Sinister Review (Fantastic Fest 2012)
A mainstream production with a mainstream star, Sinister employs such horror movie tropes as a nice family moving into a new house with a past, the supernatural traveling through photographs and movies, and suspiciously troubled children. Yet despite its potentially cliché setup, the film feels unexpectedly fresh; a mash-up of ghost story, serial killer thriller, and Ringu-style photo-phobia that is more than the sum of its parts. The film is anchored by a story of believable domestic strain, and probes slightly deeper than many films in its exploration of the primal idea that images, like the film itself, represent a […]
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Lady Vengeance: V/H/S — Horror Movie Litmus Test
The most important thing to know about V/H/S is that it is more than the sum of its gimmicky-on-paper parts, which include found footage film, genre anthology, and snuffy homage to the recent history of lo-fi horror. Although it is not entirely free of the inherent unevenness of the omnibus film, V/H/S works surprisingly well as a whole because of consistency in the aesthetic, clever writing, and tongue-in-cheek humor across multiple directors’ vignettes. The setup involves a group of 20-something delinquents whose primary activity is shooting prank videos of a slightly racier nature than the likes of Jackass. When they […]
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In Production: August: Osage County, A Most Wanted Man, Calvary and Clear History
“In Production” is a regular column which focuses on notable independent films that are currently shooting. If you would like your film to be included in this space, please send an email to nick@filmmakermagazine.com Principal photography has commenced on the star-studded film adaptation of Tracy Letts’ Pulitzer-prize winning play August: Osage County. Directed by John Wells (The Company Men), the domestic drama focuses on the Weston family who reunite after their alcoholic patriarch mysteriously disappears. Meryl Street plays the explosive, pill-popping matriarch Violet, taking over from Tony-award winner Deanna Dugan in the play’s Broadway run. August: Osage County also stars […]
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In Production: The World’s End, Cheap Thrills, The Angriest Man in Brooklyn and Ping Pong Summer
“In Production” is a regular column which focuses on notable independent films that are currently shooting. If you would like your film to be included in this space, please send an email to nick@filmmakermagazine.com Marking the third installment in his “blood and ice cream” trilogy following the insanely re-watchable Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, writer/director Edgar Wright reteams with co-writer/star Simon Pegg for The World’s End. The film, which follows a group of friends who decide to go on an epic pub-crawl during humanity’s final hours, stars Pegg alongside regular sidekick Nick Frost. The cast also includes Paddy […]
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Shooting with John: The Occupation of Indie Film
If independent film is going to prosper well into the 21st century, many would agree that there must be some sort of interdependence between filmmakers, a collective effort that will help everyone to communicate and share resources. Thankfully, there is already a driven group of Americans who are doing exactly that, providing a template that indie film can examine and emulate. It’s the Occupy movement. No matter how you feel about their politics, Occupy has utilized new technology and social media better than many organizations and affinity groups in the United States. And if you look closely at how they […]
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In Production: Coldwater, A Long Way Down, Stay Then Go and Stage Fright
“In Production” is a regular column which focuses on notable independent films that are currently shooting. If you would like your film to be included in this space, please send an email to nick@filmmakermagazine.com Bellflower producer Vincent Grashaw gets into the director’s chair for Coldwater, a drama-thriller about a teenage boy who is placed in a “wilderness juvenile center” overseen by a malevolent army veteran. Produced by Grashaw, Kris Dorrance, Dave Gare and Sarah Farrand and co-written by Grashaw with Mark Penney, Coldwater was originally slated to shoot in 2004 with a different director at the helm and a high-profile […]
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The Ambassador — A Hammer to Nail Review
(The Ambassador had its world premiere at IDFA 2011 and its U.S. premiere at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It was picked up for distribution by Drafthouse Films. It launched on VOD and digital platforms on August 4, 2012, and opens theatrically at the IFC Center in New York City on August 29, 2012, and at The Cinefamily in Los Angeles and Alamo Drafthouse locations in Austin on August 31, 2012.) For the Fox News crowd, the Central African Republic could be seen as the future they’ve been waiting for: a skeleton government that rules hand in hand with ruthless, unregulated […]
