Enough with the zombies!

July 29, 2012 / / No Comments

No, no, I have nothing at all against The Zombies. Those guys were great!

I’m done with our culture’s continued and ongoing obsession with zombies in general. And that’s hard for me to admit, because I was identified as an expert on zombies in film, even to the point of leading a discussion about the raging slow- versus fast-zombie debate.

(In short, fast zombies are essentially the same as homicidal maniacs [looking at you, Danny Boyle and your 28 Days Later/28 Weeks Later] so who cares? Slow zombies are cooler because they’re a metaphor for the end that’s heading our way regardless. And they’re the catalyst of our own stupidity, self-centeredness and fear of life. But that’s just me yakkin’… )

Back to the main point: Zombies are everywhere now, and I don’t think that’s a good thing. In fact, it’s alarming. Is this a symptom of an underlying dread we have as a society? Do we collectively imagine, or even worse, believe, some big slate-wiper event is heading towards us, one shuffling footstep at a time?

Don’t get me wrong: zombies can be great. I loved “Sean of the Dead,” “Zombieland,” and even the FAR earlier “Return of the Living Dead”. The first time I saw the original “Night of the Living Dead,” it was shown using an old 16mm projector in the back room of our town’s public library. The experience was like watching a found-footage documentary, and as I was walking to my car – the parking lot lights went out. Yes, I nearly browned myself. But I told everybody what a great movie it was. And I’ve even watched the remakes of George Romero’s works, to mixed results.

I can also appreciate zombies as both political statements and as social events. Bring the whole family!

But damn, this death-cult worship is getting old. I know a lot of us are afraid: war, terrorism, mass shootings, disease, economic disaster, famine, rising sea levels, December 21, 2012 (and anyone want to make a bet with me on that, BTW?), Armageddon, the national elections… all the old classics.

So what? Get over it, and go DO something. do something to make your life, your family, your community a little safer. Maybe even a little happier.

I was in New York City during 9/11. It was terrible. But it wasn’t the end. Not by a long shot. why are we now worshiping The End?

And of course, we always like our monsters. It helps us project our real fears and anxieties onto something outward. Something fantastic, from the dream world. Fables brought to vivid focus. But this just feels like too much.

Is it possible to have a more life-affirming Other come to knock on the door in the middle of the night? Hey, The Joker was a relentless sociopath, but at least he smiled and liked practical jokes.

Heck, even vampires resurrect and mix it up with us. Too bad the “Twilight” series reduced them to teen-dating anxiety…

Before Katniss; Other Teen Dystopia

April 3, 2012 / / No Comments

Yes, The Hunger Games is a box-office phenomenon, and good for them!

The film’s creative team did a good job translating the book to screen (and yes, I know there are some detractors out there, but screw ’em. A film is it’s own separate work of art and has its own needs and requirements). The producers also did a fantastic  job keeping the budget down and production values high. Who can’t appreciate a film that can succeed artistically and financially, right?

But this isn’t the first teen-dystopia film. Not by a long shot. A really quick, top-of-my-head review would include Lindsay Anderson’s “If…“ with an incredibly young Malcolm McDowell; Michael Anderson’s “Logan’s Run“ with Michael York; and Stanley Kubrick’s “A Clockwork Orange“, with a not-as-young Malcolm McDowell. I could go on and mention Peter Brooks’ “Lord of the Flies“, and even “Children of the Corn,” but we’re getting younger and younger with these films. (And, with that last mention, crappier and crappier.)

The film I’m REALLY here to talk about is arguably the best teen-dystopia film ever made. You’ve probably never seen it, possibly never heard of it, and that’s a crying shame. It’s a disturbing, exciting and even hilarious work of genius by one of Japan’s premier directors, and he regarded it as his warning cry to younger generations.

That film is “Battle Royale” by Kinji Fukasaku. It came out in 2000, never got a real US release, but it will knock you on your ass. It’s been release on Blu-Ray recently, although you can also find regular DVD versions. The story takes place in a near-future totalitarian Japan that keeps its population in line and entertained by a yearly battle to the death of an entire randomly-selected school class. The set up takes place in just minutes, and the students literally have to come out of the room fighting. Beyond that, it’s a gigantic bloody game of hide-and-seek among the adolescent characters.

I first saw the film on DVD, with my nephew. We had no idea what to expect, and our jaws dropped in awe, terror and admiration as the movie played out. At the end, he turned to me and said, “That was the best movie EVER!”, so we promptly turned around and screened it again. It’s that damn good.

Even though the film won several awards and was the buzz on the festival circuit, word was an American release wasn’t possible so soon after the 1999 Columbine massacre. It looks like an American version is in development, but that’s been a rumor with different production houses for years now.

Do yourself a favor and check out the original, on Blu-ray or regular DVD. Keep in mind this film ISN’T for young children, and it’s in Japanese with subtitles. Oh, and under no circumstances should you check out the sequel. The director died while production was under way, and the film was completed by his son. It’s not good; really not good at all.  Trust me on this.

All that said, I can’t recommend “Battle Royale” highly enough. Here’s the trailer:

Sundance 2011: Documentary Roundup

February 4, 2011 / / No Comments

First, a clip, then some comments:

The above is a backgrounder for the “Hot Coffee” documentary, more on it later.

And yes, I’m behind in terms of Sundance 2011 updates and coverage. I was surprised by some Internet access issues, but I also should have taken into account the weird day-to-day schedules that are the Sundance Film Festival.

At least I didn’t have to deal with intimate strangers in my condo, as did this journalist.

(Most of) The Winners

Documentaries are the hidden gem of the Sundance Film Festival. Sure, you get the occasional breakout hit such as “Supersize Me” or “Bowling for Columbine” — but there are a lot of other great documentaries that essentially go on to possible but unlikely theatrical distribution ; with most relegated to PBS, cable or online.

That’s a shame. The documentary programs (U.S. and World Cinema) essentially match the structure of Sundance’s feature film organization: films in competition, films that are premiers but not in competition, then other slots for those that are hard to peg or need some additional support (such as Spotlight, NEXT, Park City at Midnight, depending on the year and selections).

And it’s a shame these docs don’t get their fair share of attention. They’re generally of a far higher quality than the features, and they don’t suffer from the same tension of art-vs-commerce in terms of featuring celebrity/name actors versus just great acting talent that the fictional pieces have to balance.

Yak yak yak. Here’s a short list of docs that won awards at the 2011 festival, so they’ll likely be distributed in some form, this year:

How To Die in Oregon, directed by Peter D. Richardson. This won the Grand Jury Prize. It’s a study of how that state’s assisted-suicide rules affect the lives of terminally ill patients, their families, and the physicians involved. Gripping, ultimately affirming.

Hell and Back Again, directed by Danfung Dennis. This is a joint U.S./United Kingdom production, and won both the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize and World Cinema Cinematography Award. To the point, though, it’s about the journey of North Carolina soldier Sgt. Nathan Harris, shot by the Taliban in Afghanistan. His recovery has been long and grueling, and supposedly reveals the cost we’re paying in lives lost and lives damaged in this ongoing conflict.

Buck, directed by Cindy Meehl. This won the Documentary Audience Award, and profiles the trainer that inspired “The Horse Whisperer,” Buck Brannaman.

Project Nim, directed by James Marsh. This won the World Cinema Directing Award, and is from the same team that brought us “Man on Wire”!! Nim is a chimpanzee that, beginning in the 1970s, was taught sign language in an attempt to see if we could have true cross-species communications. Things… evolve from there.

Documentaries that need some championing

(As in, they may be harder to find after Sundance).

The Green Wave, directed by Ali Samadi Ahadi. The first major documentary about the short-lived, violently-crushed democracy movement in Iran, 2009, following what likely was an election stolen from Mir Hossein Mousavi.

The iranian director combines live action and animation to tell this heartbreaking story, while also offering up hopeful possibilities for the future.

The Last Mountain, directed by Bill Haney. It’s about the practice of mountaintop coal removal, specifically in West Virginia. But If this doc is even halfway competently done, it should ring alarm bells nationwide in terms of the short- and long-term damage this practice does to the environment, the community and the local and regional economies.

Hot Coffee,  directed by Susan Saladoff. It’s about the McDonald’s hot-coffee lawsuit, but DON’T roll your eyes. It tells the story after the story you think you know. McDonald’s and other large corporations have used this case as an example of how tort law needs to be reformed — but it’s a slick spin job on their part. Hearing how average citizens have tried to get their cases to trail could make this a crowd-pleaser.

Probably coming to your town or television…

Documentaries that, while still good, probably have a great shot at widespread distribution —

Miss Representation, directed by Jennifer Siebel Newsom. This focuses on how women are portrayed in the media, and in our culture at large. It features interviews with Katie Couric, Condoleeza Rice, Nancy Pelosi, Gloria Steinem and Rachel Maddow, to name just a few. Trust me, you’ll get a chance to see this one.

Page One: A Year Inside ‘The New York Times’, directed by Andrew Rossi. A fascinating account of how arguably the world’s best newspaper is dealing with the change from print to online — but not just in terms of delivery modes, ad charges, and balance sheets. What happens if The Paper of Record loses the economic and cultural battle, and we lose one of the great investigative reporting resources the nation has ever known. Is a replacement model even possibly in this day and age? Are essentially unedited/lightly curated online resources such as Wikileaks even near what the NYT brings to the table?

One way or the other, this will get some form of distribution.

Troubadors, directed by Morgan Neville. The story centers on James Taylor and Carole King to discuss the larger story of 1970s Los Angeles-based singer/songwriters. Could be just great, likely will get distribution, but other docs deserve more championing.

And the Best Mockumentary of 2010 is…

January 20, 2011 / / No Comments

First, the clip, then the story:

You might have already seen “Exit Through the Gift Shop”, the film by famed street artist/social provacateur Banksy.

For a film placed in the documentary category, it’s done well at the box office: nearly $5 million worldwide so far, which places it in the Top 40 gross of all documentaries released theatrically. (Trivia: “Farenheit 9/11”, “March of the Penguins” and “Earth” are the top performing docs. I knew you’d wonder…)

I got on the “Exit” tangent because I mentioned to a friend recently that I’d hoped to be blown away by “The Philosopher Kings” — but wasn’t.

They followed with “Hey, you know what’s a great documentary? ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’. That was a great documentary.”

After I stopped pulling out my hair, I mustered a “You really thought that was a straight-up doc?”, and got just a quizzical look in return.

— Don’t get me wrong. If you haven’t seen this film, definitely check it out. It’s incredibly entertaining. But while the filmmakers themselves will be loathe to ever tell the whole and full story about how it was made, I’ll bet everything in my 401(k) that it ain’t what many believe it to be: a real documentary.

It IS a fascinating look at the history of street art (think Banksy, of course, but also Shepard Fairey, Space Invader and Zevs, to name a few); Andy Warhol and his continued influence on contemporary art and contemporary society; and then, essentially a one-sided pissing match between the street-art community and contemporary, famous and well-paid “established” artists. Guess who comes out on top?

Oh, and this fight is cleverly wrapped inside another “fight” between alleged original director
“Thierry Guetta” and Banksy himself — who claims he had to take the project over because of “Guetta’s” incompetence as a filmmaker. Incompetence like this, which I challenge you to match yourselves:

Anyway, Banksy says you can, at home, in a couple hours or so. and that’s why he took over the project.

But let’s move on to the REAL controversy.

— Will “Exit Through the Gift Shop” get nominated in the Best Documentary category at this year’s Oscars? (It’s on the short list of 15 docs, although only 5 will make the final selection…)

— If it does, is that like Milli Vanilli getting nominated for and winning a Grammy? Okay, assume Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus actually were self-aware and in control of their careers, if you wanted to make it a better comparison.

— What if it actually wins the Oscar for Best Doc? (“Waiting for ‘Superman'” will take it, although “Client 9: The Rise and Fall of Eliot Spencer”, “Inside Job” and “Restrepro” are better, but far more political and therefore problematic.)

Oh, and just so you know, “Exit” was nominated for the 2010 International Documentary Association’s “Distinguished Feature” award (it lost to “Waste Land”), and is also up for the “Independent Spirit Award” sponsored by IFC.

It could win (the event is Feb. 26), but if I were Banksy, I’d keep a wide berth from Sebastian Junger if “Restrepro” loses to him. Something about all that time spent at a forward operation base in Afghanistan, real bullets, real death, etc…

Sundance 2011 comes to you Jan. 27 (possibly)*

January 18, 2011 / / 1 Comment

Get ready for the hype overload that will be the 2011 Sundance Film Festival. It officially kicks off Thursday, Jan. 20, opens for business Friday, Jan. 21 and continues for 10 days, with winners announced Saturday, Jan. 29.

Between now and the first of February, it will be hard to get away from the media coverage. That said, here’s a discussion by actress Vera Farmiga, who’s starring in “Higher Ground,” a film in the U.S. Dramatic Competition produced by my friend and indie film legend, Gill Holland:

To see this particular film during the next two weeks, though, you have to be in Park City, Utah.

— But don’t despair if you don’t have an incredibly overpriced hotel room booked for the gala.

*If you live in Ann Arbor, MI; Brookline, MA; Brooklyn; Chicago; Los Angeles; Madison, WI; Nashville; San Francisco or Seattle — the Sundance 2011 festival comes to you.

For one day, Thursday, Jan. 27th. And at specific arthouse venues.

This is the second year Sundance has managed this event, and its intent is to promote the Institute, the individual films and filmmakers, and the independent, arthouse theaters where the screenings are held.

And Park City will be directly involved: the “Life In A Day” documentary that kicked off on YouTube this summer — inviting submissions for ordinary people to record what was happening on July 24 around the globe — will be shown there as part of the connected, nationwide experience.

“A major component of the Sundance Institute mission is to expand and engage audiences for independent storytelling,” Keri Putnam, Sundance Institute Executive Director, said. “Sundance Film Festival USA is an extension of the Institute’s year-round support of independent theaters across the country – designed both to provide people with access to films premiering at the Festival, and to encourage interaction between artists and audiences.”

Oh, and the Sundance Channel might possibly provide some information about what’s going on during the festival. Plus CNN, MSNBC, Fox, USA Today, the New York Times, etc etc etc. And let’s not forget US Weekly.

“One True Thing” – the documentary starts

December 7, 2010 / / No Comments

First, the clip, then the story:

There are a lot of projects on my short list, but it’s the usual excuses of too long a list, and not enough money or time.

But excuses just don’t cut it anymore, so my plan to get this documentary project going is to just do it — and structure the plan in such a way that all the shooting can be done on incredibly flexible schedules, and the budget can remain miniscule (for now, at least).

So here’s “One True Thing”.  The idea is that our team sits down with someone at their preferred location, and once everything’s set up, all we do is ask for your first name, and to tell us one true thing.

It can be anything, from trivial to profound. So long as it’s true to you.

We also have some ground rules for ourselves/the project:

— First name only

— We won’t edit your response once you start on your true thing. That means once you being, we’ll run until you stop. So, no edits to make you look better, worse, or more concise.

— You can have more than one thing to say. We’ll just treat them separately.

— Don’t pressure yourself. We don’t expect Dalai Lama-league answers, so no worries. Something about your cat is acceptable…

What do WE get out of all this? Good question.

Expectations:

Sure, the first clip is three guys of various ages working in various levels of seriousness.

The real payoff should be when we reach a certain critical mass and broader themes emerge. Personally, I fully expect this to start focusing on religion, relationships and philosophy — but I could be completely wrong.

Maybe folks hone in on sports and cosmology, who knows?

If I were to point to an existing model for how I expect this to turn out, I’m going to reference one of my all-time favorite books and life guides: Directing the Film: Film Directors on Their Art, edited by Eric Sherman.

Yes, you’ll find a lot of practical advice on nearly every aspect of filmmaking by some of the greatest in the field — but that’s essentially a bonus.

What I find great is that within Sherman’s 352 pages of collected wisdom, you can read one absolutely sterling, profound and compelling piece of advice put forth by an absolute master of their craft — and on the next page, there’s another absolutely sterling, profound, and compelling piece of advice from yet ANOTHER master, completely and absolutely contradicting the first.

Example: Think about rehearsing your actors. There are a number of directors that weigh in on how their actors must be absolutely well rehearsed and prepared, so there’s no doubt about the lines, nuances or inflections before the cameras roll.

And there are a number of directors that talk about why anything beyond nominal rehearsal kills the energy and dampens the creative sparks from fresh discovery.

Who’s right? They all are. And that’s the point — the truths within this book are the truths that work for each person.

So that’s where I personally see “One True Thing”‘s potential. But we’ll see.

Technical Points:

As we add in clips, we’ll update the master video, and keep individual clips for easy reference.

We’re also COMPLETELY OPEN AND ENCOURAGING of outside submissions. So feel free to crank up your webcam or video recorder, work up a segment, and send it on.

Contact me at OneTrueThingDocumentary@gmail.com, or visit the project site at OneTrueThingDocumentary.com .

And of course, a special shout-out of thanks to my Creato Destructo compatriots, Jerry and Shay Stifelman. (Tracey, let’s get you taped!)

– James

“Glengarry Glen Waterloo” presented by the C of A Players

August 9, 2010 / / No Comments

Who doesn’t love them some David Mamet? No one, that’s whom.

This famous “Coffee is for closers” scene from “Glengarry Glen Ross” has been a hit at least three times I know of: when the film version first came out; when the film version came out on DVD, and when the scene made it onto YouTube.

Note that I didn’t say anything about the buzz when the play first premiered.

That’s because the scene doesn’t exist in the original play script — it was written specifically for the movie version, and Alec Freaking Baldwin absolutely nails it.

So, why not take those words, strip them of cultural, historical, and social context, screw with the time period and setting, and see if it holds up? Why not indeed…

Ladies and gentlemen, the Confederacy of Awesome Players present their homage to David Mamet’s most famous scene:

Amateur Hour and Professional Standards

July 23, 2010 / / No Comments

I’ve held off commenting on the Shirley Sherrod episode until now, because I wanted to make sure most of the major elements had surfaced.

When the Breitbart clip and resulting propoganda first broke, I was immediately suspicious because of where things originated — a partisan group with a history of questionable tactics, and a proven record of editing video to support a specific agenda.

To say the initial reactions from the administration, the NAACP, and much of the mainstream media were disappointing, is to let these groups off with minor slaps on the wrists. They deserve a proverbial whack on their snouts, followed by “bad dog!”

“Unprofessional” is one word I’d use. “Amateurish” is another. “Incompetent,” “negligent,” “unsuitable”, “naive,” “sloppy” and “half-assed” are some other words I’d suggest, and that’s only because I’m trying to be safe for work.

There’s a lot I want to say about the political and racial implications of what’s happened, but that’s a detour from the basic facts as they appear to be:

Shirley Sherrod, a woman who’s had a tremendously difficult background that might break many of us, worked hard to get to a position where she could help members of her community. She fought through her own biases and prejudices and was rewarded for it with a federal appointment, one that enabled her to do even greater good and on a larger scale.

Then she was targeted by an agenda-driven group, and a video of a speech she gave was edited, taken out of context, and spun to serve craven political purposes.. The group behind all this pushed claims of racism by Ms. Sherrod, and nearly every group that could and should have done some fact-checking… didn’t.

Their first reactions were FAILS. Working professionals that should know better took the edited clip at face value, failed to do basic vetting and verification, and the woman wound up being hounded from her job, her reputation smeared.

Things are now looking better for Ms. Sherrod — the full video and complete context is now out there, and if anything, she looks far better than even her personal narrative would suggest — and she’s reviewing multiple job offers, including her former post.

But those groups that first reacted have a lot of explaining to do.

As a former journalist, magazine editor, and now video producer, I’d like to offer a few tips and questions these groups should ask themselves — and they’ll work well for  anyone else that has to deal with “shocking, controversial” online content .

1. Carefully review the clip in question. Do you see any edit points? If not, look again. If you do see edits/transitions, WHY? What’s been cut out, and why would anything be cut/edited/trimmed?

2. Where’s the raw/full clip? If you’re going to make any judgements, or if there are any possible negative repercussions, get the original clip.

3. Remember to keep context in mind. Personally, if there’s any question about context, possible edits, or any manipulation at all, you need to do your job and make sure the original, authoritative source has been vetted thoroughly.

4. Once you have the original/full/raw clip… REVIEW IT. (It turns out that a few of the groups in question had this clip in hand shortly after the controversy began, but it was too much effort to sit down and watch it. That’s just shameful and unprofessional).

5. If for some reason this original material isn’t readily available, consider that a red flag. Hold off on any next steps until the source material is available.

Yes, it’s more work, but doesn’t this action involve people’s lives, careers, and reputations? It’s just basic double- and triple-checking

If the tables were turned, how would YOU like this to be handled?

Pavlov’s dog reacted quickly, but so what? You’re not a trained dog. You’re a working professional, right?

To be completely fair…

July 16, 2010 / / No Comments

My last post — which displayed a photo of midget professional baseball player Eddie Gaedel of the historic St. Louis Browns above a photo of U.S. Senator John Boehner — led some people to believe I was inferring that Boehner was perhaps a mental midget.

That’s not the case. As the writer, I wasn’t inferring anything. That’s the job of the reader. My job is to imply, if not overtly suggest.

And to let the chips fall all over the place, had you heard the news about Chuck Schumer’s recent statesmanlike action? In the face of massive unemployment, staggering deficits, and acid-flecked political discourse at all levels of the national dialogue, Schumer bravely whipped off a letter — to Steve Jobs. Complaining about the iPhone 4. And asking for a free fix.

To the senator from New York’s credit, he at least remembered to ask for a free fix for everyone that bought the new phones, not just himself.

Like I said, statesmanlike.

Charles Schumer of the U.S. Senator

"Perhaps it's time to invade Cupertino."

Words to live by…

July 15, 2010 / / No Comments

I’m pondering exactly how political to get in this blog, because there’s a lot to be said about both parties, Congress in general, and the team in the White House.

But I believe Bill Veeck summed it up completely, even though he was talking baseball: “All I ever said is that you can draw more people with a losing team, plus bread and circuses, than with a losing team and a long, still silence.”

\Eddie Gaedel of the St. Louis Browns

Eddie Gaedel of the St. Louis Browns

John Boehner of the U.S. Senators

John Boehner of the U.S. Senators