The formula for a productive, engaging debate on the state of indie film? Take a festival founder and a controversial filmmaker, throw them in a boxing ring, and add a hundred or so hecklers and a lot of cheap booze. Also, a stars and stripes unitard wouldn’t hurt. And, voila — the circular indie film apocalypse conversation finally gets interesting.
On Monday evening, Fantastic Fest commandeered the South Austin Gym (conveniently located in the same mini-mall as the festival’s two key venues, the Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar and the new Highball, a former Salvation Army store converted into a bar/bowling alley/event venue by Alamo mastermind Tim League) to throw a throwdown featuring battles of both “body and spirit” between various friends of the festival. The basic format seemed to change with every bout, but the basic concept was simple: the opponents would first take the stage to debate a given topic ostensibly of interest to the Fantastic masses, and a winner for the brains portion of the battle would be declared via audience applause. Then, each debater would step out from behind their podium, install a mouth guard, and box two rounds so that a champion could be declared based on brawn (or, more likely, luck). The first three rounds, featuring an assortment of online critics and Austin favorites were well received, but the main event was worth waiting for: League, the co-founder and guiding spirit of Fantastic Fest, vs much-maligned filmmaker and experienced boxer Uwe Boll. The debate topic: Independent film is dying and/or dead.
The imbalance of the physical match between slight-of-stature League and trained killing machine Boll was its key selling point. The hypeman/ref ran down Boll’s list of qualifications: “He’s rumored to have a PhD in everything! It’s rumored that he’s the reason Germany reunited! He’s rumored to be making Miss Pacman this fall! He’s also trained as a fighter, which is more than I can say for his opponent!” The fight, it was said, “will later be known as The Timothy League Memorial Debate.”
Julia Child’s life is partially depicted in the new foodie film Julie & Julia, and while it’s as much fun to see Meryl Streep portray the famous chef as it was to watch Dan Aykroyd and Bill Cosby do her back in the day, we can’t help but wish the real Child had lived long enough to star in the film herself. We also wish the whole movie was based on her autobiography, My Life in France, rather than share-adapted from both that book and Julie Powell’s blog-turned-memoir Julie & Julia.
There’s a reason Child was a hugely popular TV personality and there’s a reason why Powell was an Internet writer. Just as you’d rather only watch Sean Penn as Gene Shalit in a movie and not bother with Michael Pitt’s portrayal of lowly film blogger Christopher Campbell, you could probably do without the Amy Adams as Powell stuff in Julie & Julia.
Outside of playing herself as a foodie heroine in a chick flick, what other kinds of movies could Child have acted in? Given her OSS background, we would have loved to see her fill in for Judi Dench in the Bond films as M. Alas, that will never happen, but if our gastronomical dreams come true, perhaps we might see one of the following TV personalities in his or her own blockbuster film someday: …Read more
In a huge blow to women in film, Catherine Harwicke was officially announced to be exiting the Twilight franchise after a weekend of rumors. Summit Entertainment’s press release politely claims the decision was rather mutual because the first sequel, New Moon, is being rushed into production yet Hardwicke desired more prep time. Gossip in the blogs, however, says it had more to do with the director being difficult during the first film’s shoot. Whatever the reason, Summit will be pressured to hire another female filmmaker. I bet Lexi Alexander could use the gig after her miserable weekend.
Alexander’s Punisher: War Zone “fired blanks” at the box office over the weekend, placing 8th with only $4 million, which was less than a third the opening of the last Punisher in 2004. As for other new releases, Cadillac Records grossed $3.5 million, though on far fewer screens, and Frost/Nixon made $180,000 from only 3 locations, earning it a per-screen average of $60,000! And from a mostly 35+ audience. Four Christmases kept its top spot on the box office chart with another $18 million.
Due to the troubled economy, a number of producer deals at Paramount and Universal will not be renewed, including that of the prestigious duo of Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. Though The Hollywood Reporter claims the producers will continue prepping Jurassic Park IV at the studio, ComingSoon.net just heard from them directly that the sequel has died with Michael Crichton’s recent passing.
While watching Zack and Miri Make a Porno, it is possible to occasionally forget that you are watching a Kevin Smith movie. Mainly because he doesn’t show up in the film, a rare and appreciated move for the guy who has played “Silent Bob” in 6 out of the 8 theatrical releases he’s directed. Then there’s the cast that is involved, which makes Z&M seem like the offspring of Judd Apatow and John Waters. But there are a number of things that do make it clearly a Smith joint, such as the obligatory employment of Jason Mewes — in the role he was born to play, even moreso than “Jay” — and the potentially pitying use of Jeff Anderson, who may have been the only actor to agree to receiving that accidental Hot Carl.
And then there’s the most recognizable element: Smith’s inability let the poop jokes go in order to concentrate on his characters, and the relationships between them. It’s the filmmaker’s Achilles heel, and it’s one of five we at SpoutBlog have noticed are holding back the esteem of five would-be better directors.
“I refused to sign the absurd online petition that was drafted to stop Uwe Boll from making more movies,” writes Alex Ross Perry atTisch Film Review. “Not because I do not believe in the power of online petitioning to accomplish social change, but because of my genuine appreciation for the films of Uwe Boll.”
The IndiePix Blog brings word of Rooftop Panorama, a three-day series of panels, screenings and parties hosted Rooftop Films and co-sponsored by IndiePix and Shooting People. It runs from June 12-14; Rooftop Films kicks off their summer screening series this Saturday with a free screening of At the Death House Door in Fort Greene, Brooklyn.
Speaking of the devil: At the Death House Door co-director Steve James has published an essay called “The Decline of the Longitudinal Doc” at IFC.com. “For me, longitudinal docs are the most deeply satisfying form. Spending years following a story is the ultimate act of filmmaking discovery, because you don’t know where the journey is leading, no matter how perceptive you think you are,” he writes. “If you spend years filming people, they will grow to be something more than just a ’subject.’”
I’m so bored already with Indiana Jones and the Not as Good a Movie as We’d Hoped that I may not even see it until its well into its run. In July (at least six weeks after the film opens), I’ll be visiting my father down in Alabama and so maybe I’ll wait and watch it with him. After all this bad buzz, such a nostalgic experience may be the only way to appreciate and enjoy it. Anyway, the only thing I’m more tired of than reading about Indy is watching movie trailers redone to make them like Brokeback Mountain. So, it’s really like having lemon juice poured on my pop culture booboo today to have been directed toward the fairly old video seen above. Thanks Stu.
If you’re still hungry for more on the Indy backlash, check out the continued updates on Defamer, which include links to Shia LaBeouf’s denial of the film’s negative reviews and claims that SpoutBlog friend Eric Kohn has lowered the bar of film criticism by liveblogging from the Cannes press screening. (Plus, there’s new Uwe Boll updates, which I myself have sworn against continuing for the time being).
Before I get too deep into my Cannes coverage, it seems like it would be useful to explain the difference between the Marche du Film (AKA the market) and the festival proper. The Cannes Film Festival is what most people think of when they think of Cannes––it’s the flashy, sophisticated, exclusive showcase for the world’s finest and most famous filmmakers, and it’s curated within an inch of its life. The market is kind of like a free-for-all sideshow. There are no red carpet premieres or filmmaker Q & A’s, and most of the films play in tiny screening rooms in hotels or the Palais. Every film (or portion of a film––producers will sometimes screen show reels in order to raise funds or entice distributors before production is completed) in the Marche is for sale, and none have been vetted by a screening committee. This allows for an extraordinarily wide spectrum of quality. Earlier today, IFC announced that they’ve purchased US distribution rights to Olivier Assayas’ Summer Hours, a film that’s not in the Festival but is screening in the Marche with no restrictions on what kind of market badge holder is allowed to see it. But such a classy title screening quietly in the market seems to be unusual. More typical Marche fare includes Jean Claude Van Damme mock-biopicJCVD and Repo! The Genetic Opera, a horror musical starring Paris Hilton and Paul Sorvino; for whatever reason, both of these titles are screening by invitation only.
I have a market pass this year, and I spent much of my first two days in town meticulously combing through the market guide, taking note of both the surprise gems (I didn’t know there WAS a new Olivier Assayas film until I saw it listed in the guide) and the weirdly irresistible crap. Over the next few days, I’ll be highlighting some of the biggest WTF?s that this year’s Marche has to offer. And where better to start with weirdly irresistible WTF? crap than with Uwe Boll? I didn’t know HE had a new movie until I saw it in the guide, either.
After watching this comprehensive interview with reviled filmmaker Uwe Boll, I can’t imagine there’s anything more that needs to be written on the guy. Ever. Seriously. Considering he’s seen here chewing Stride Gum (which is against him — even if for marketing purposes), he addresses all the recent stories about him and shows us how much he’s able to make fun of himself, and he confesses that he would not actually quit filmmaking if the anti-Boll petitiondoes acquire one million signatures (though he would at least stop adapting video games), it’s clear that he deserves the final word.
That said, I don’t mean to discourage him from continuing his antics. He’s now officially joined my list of filmmakers whose personalities I prefer to their films (despite never having seen a Boll film), which also includes John Waters, Kevin Smith, David Lynch and Martin Scorsese (yes, I like his personality that much and also his films that little). So, I’ll continue watching video interviews of him and reading things such as his recently published list of five favorite films, but I’m giving up following what others have to say about the guy. It all just seems so futile, doesn’t it?
For the second, less interesting part of Movieweb’s interview, click here. And feel free to go see Uwe Boll’s Postal when it opens in theaters next Friday.
I admit that I write about Uwe Boll too much, and I couldn’t care less about video games or the movies adapted from them, but on a slow news day such as this, I’d rather ruffle some feathers than resort to writing about something less interesting. Besides, I agree slightly with his comments to New York’s Vulture blog, at least that he’d be better to direct a Grand Theft Auto movie than Michael Bay or Brett Ratner.
Grand Theft Auto would be super interesting for me, and I think I would actually be the right guy to do it, because my movies are all bloody and violent and I don’t have a problem with action scenes. But look, they will go, in the end, with a Michael Bay or a Brett Ratner, and it will be a PG-13 movie made for $150 million. I think it would be better to make a $30 million, very hard, brutal movie without compromising, but I’m not optimistic.
Exactly one month ago, a measly 60,000 people had signed the “Stop Dr. Uwe Boll” online petition. Today the number of haters is more than 230,000 (provided all signers are unique). If the campaign does indeed reach the one million signatures required to supposedly convince Boll to quit filmmaking, Stride Gum will hand out free packs of its “ridiculously long-lasting” chewing gum to each and every signer. Seems random, but apparently the two-year-old gum brand (part of Cadbury Schweppes) sees it as a way to support its target demo. According to the company’s press release:
“Since gamers are one of our most supportive groups, we’ve been looking for ways to return the favor,” said Gary Osifchin, Stride North American Marketing Director. “And what better way is there to get gamers’ backs than by helping them rescue their cherished videogames from the clutches of Uwe Boll?”
Sorry for the double-shot of Spike Lee news today — Karina gave us word earlier on his being honored by SilverDocs — but at least I’ve managed to squeeze an obligatory Uwe Boll mention into the post, too. Now you’re probably wondering: what could the director of Do the Right Thingpossibly have in common with the director of BloodRayne? Well, here’s your answer: they’re both encouraging the democratization of movies.
Lee is doing so more intentionally, though, by teaming up with Nokia in order to “direct” a film entirely shot by everyday people on their cell phones. According to Reuters, the film will consist of three acts, each made by a separate cameraphonographer (my lame term for the competing cell-phone filmmakers). And according to Lee, there’s no need for you to be trained in the craft to enter:
“Aspiring filmmakers no longer have to go to film school to make great work. With a simple mobile phone, almost anyone can now become a filmmaker.”
We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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“I refused to sign the absurd online petition that was drafted to stop Uwe Boll from making more movies,” writes Alex Ross Perry at
Exactly one month ago, a measly 60,000 people had signed 
