February 2009 Archives

Well, really, it is a great story about a little movie that was orphaned when the studio specialty division that commissioned it got shut down, its parent conglomerate Warner Bros. didn't know what to make of it and was about to send it straight to DVD, and the best specialty division in the whole business (a subsidiary, ironically, of the worst big studio, Fox) turned it into its first, long sought-after best picture winner.
"Dark Knight's" still a much better movie, though.
I hope the poor Indian kids they brought over for the event get to go to Disneyland.

Well, the best man won. But we love ya, Mick. Don't fall off the wagon over this.

The biggest surprise of the night is a sentimental Japanese movie beating out the scintillating and internationally acclaimed French and Israeli entries for foreign language film. But then, considering the unadventurous crowd who votes for these things, that really isn't much of a surprise at all.

Slumdog Middlebrow. Slumdog Middlebrow. Slumdog Middlebrow. Every time it wins something, I feel like I'm reliving a traumatic past experience.
Every. Bloody. Repetitious. Time.

A little bit of Jerry Lewis goes a long way. At least the Oscar show seemed to understand that.

So, Will Smith's ridiculous "serious" movie didn't get any nominations. Yet he gets more Oscar show airtime than any actor in, like, history, presenting all the post-production categories. Guess being the biggest moneymaker in Hollywood does carry some clout with this academy crowd. Um, note to voting members: "Dark Knight" broke the $1 billion worldwide ticket sales record last week. And it was a zillion times better than "Seven Pounds."

The good, good, good - really, the best - bad guy wins. Love ya, Heath. Always will.

Y'know, however great its storytelling prowess, however hard-earned its few moments of uplift were (and I defy anyone to tell me there was a more genuinely hopeful moment in all of last years' cinema than the two ferry boats' passengers refusal to destroy the other craft to save their own), "The Dark Knight" was a comic book movie, and therefore not realistic enough to be considered best picture material by this crowd.
A man who ages backwards and a poor kid whose horrific experiences just happen to provide him with all the answers on the quiz show that will fulfill his deepest dreams made the cut, though.

Note to Ben Stiller: Joaquin Phoenix impersonations are not the new blackface. They were old hat by the time Craig Ferguson came on.

Five awards in, and the biggest surprise was the cut to Brangelina while Jennifer Aniston was announcing the animation nominees. Wish they would have done that when the Japanese director of the short cartoon winner was stumbling through his speech.

Well, the burning questions surrounding some of the most semi-loved films of 2008 were answered at the 81st Annual Academy Awards show.

Questions like:

Would the police-torturing, child-mutilating, feces-drenched feelgood movie of the year win the best picture Oscar it clearly deserved?

Check. "Slumdog Millionaire" took that and seven more

Would the self-important, big studio head-scratcher that nobody feels passionate about win any of the 13 awards it was nominated for?

"Benjamim Button" won three.

Would the academy voters agree that a respected but 'til now Oscarless actress had really done the best work of her career as a naked-half-the-time, statutory raping, illiterate Nazi war criminal?

Yep. Kate Winslet even brought her dad to the ceremony. He must bwe so proud.

And of course, the big one on the minds of everyone involved with the show who wasn't a pretentious, myopic voting member of the academy: would anybody watch the ceremony that neglected to acknowledge the film millions of moviegoers and critics clearly understood was not just last year's most popular, but one of its very best?

Won't know until the ratings come in. But you can bet they would have been higher if the out-of-it voters had recognized "The Dark Knight" for the brilliant film that it is and always will be.

Host Hugh Jackman did a nice job.

The opening production number was great; of course it was, it mentioned "The Dark Knight." But what's with all these previous winners buttering up the acting nominees? That's boring; even Whoopi Goldberg couldn't keep it lively.

The indy movie support group - whose always fun Independent Spirit Awards hit Santa Monica Beach again on Feb. 21 - sent over a few alerts about some other upcoming events:

REMINDER! SUBMISSIONS DEADLINES ARE APPROACHING!

The final deadline for the 2009 Los Angeles Film Festival is coming up fast. The last day to submit short films and music videos is Friday, February 6. The deadline for feature-length narrative and documentary films is Monday, March 2. Spread the word amongst your filmmaker friends and readers, as this is a must-attend event on the film festival circuit!
Please visit http://www.filmindependent.org/events/la_Film_Festival+/guidelines for submission guidelines.
This summer, over the course of ten days from June 18 - 28 in Westwood Village, Film Independentís Los Angeles Film Festival will showcase the best of American and international independent cinema. With an expected audience of over 100,000 people, the festival will screen over 175 narrative features, documentaries, shorts, and music videos, alongside gala premieres, panels and seminars, free outdoor screenings, Family Day, and live musical performances.

Now in its fourteenth year, the Los Angeles Film Festival is widely recognized as a world-class event, providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, scholars, critics, film industry professionals, and emerging talent from around the world.
The Festival also features unique signature programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, the Spirit of Independence Award ceremony and gala, and Financing Conference. Additionally, the Festival screens short films created by high school students and has a special section devoted to music videos.
Approximately 110 features, 100 shorts, and 50 music videos, representing more than 40 countries, make up the main body of the Festival. Films submitted to the Festival are reviewed by Film Independentís programming department, which evaluates each film, looking for the best in new American and international independent cinema.
Awards are given out in the following categories at the conclusion of the Festival: Best Narrative Feature; Best Documentary Feature; Outstanding Performance in the Narrative Competition; Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature; Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature; Audience Award for Best International Feature; Best Narrative Short Film; Best Documentary Short Film; Best Animated/Experimental Short Film; Audience Award for Best Music Video; and the Audience Award for Best Short Film.
For more information, please visit www.LAFilmFest.com.

And then there's this:

Film Independent's annual Directors Close-Up Series runs February 4th through March 11th, 2009 at The Landmark theater in West Los Angeles.

This year's panels will cover the following topics:

February 4th - Music and Sound Design - The soundtrakc of a film is essential to the emotional reality of a film. A director and his/her sound team reveal the power of sound, taking us through the process of designing and creating the soundtrack of a film. Ben Burtt (Sound Designer, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark) will be this evening's guest.

February 11th - The Director's Vision and the Creative Team - From the initial stages of research to the execution on set, director Catherine Hardwicke and her creative team explain how they achieve the look of a film through cinematography, production design, and editing. Panelists include Elliot Davis (Director of Photography, Twilight, Lords of Dogtown), Chris Gorak (Production Designer, Lords of Dogtown), and Nancy Richardson (Editor, Twilight, Lords of Dogtown).

February 18th - The Independent Spirit: A Directors Roundtable - 2009 Spirit Award nominees discuss their films, their careers, and the way in which they have been able to balance their artistic integrity with the demands of the marketplace. Panelists include Courtney Hunt (Writer/Director Frozen River), Lance Hammer (Writer/Director Ballast), and additional directors to be announced.

February 25th - Writing and Directing - Through the work of directors who write and direct their material, or write for other directors, this panel explores the writing process and the writer/director collaboration. Panelists include Jonathan Levine (Writer/Director The Wackness), Howard Rodman (Writer, Savage Grace), Reggie Rock Bythewood (Writer, Notorious) and Gina Prince-Bythewood (Writer/Director The Secret Life of Bees)

March 4th - Casting and Directing Actors - Hear from every different point of view on whatís behind a great performance, as actors, a casting director, and director Rodrigo GarcÌa discuss the ways in which they collaborate. Reception following to be hosted by SAGIndie.

March 11th - New Visions, New Media - Explore how new technologies are allowing filmmakers to expand their palettes and take charge of production, not only to make their films, but how to get them to an audience.

All panels will take place in Theater 8 at The Landmark - West Los Angeles (10850 West Pico Boulevard at Westwood Boulevard) on Wednesday evenings from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. - between February 4 - March 11, 2009. Each panel will be followed by a reception.

To purchase a pass for the 2009 Directors Close-Up or individual tickets, please phone Film Independent's reservation line at 310.432.1222 or send an email to Reservations@FilmIndependent.org. Ticket prices are $180 for a series pass and $35 per session for Film Independent members, and $280 for a series pass and $50 per session f
for the general public. Starting today until February 2, 2009, the purchase of a series pass will also include one free guest ticket to a panel of your choice.

For more information about this yearís Directors Close-Up or to register, please visit www.FilmIndependent.org/directorseries