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From the "Biz" Archives:
with articles by Anthony Kaufman and Brian Brooks/indieWIRE
>> NEW THIS WEEK: Fairytales, Czechs, and Indiewood Contendors
(indieWIRE: 12.19.01) -- As we head into the last weeks of 2002, studio
films are aplenty, striving for prestige and box office alike, and squeezing
out the little guys from whatever few screens are left. This week alone, at
least 10 new films will arrive, including the next generation's "Stars Wars"
mega-blockbuster, "Lord of the Rings" directed by New Zealander and one-time
indie filmmaker Peter Jackson ("Heavenly Creatures"). Jackson, lest we not
forget, got his start with low budget gross-outs like "Bad Taste," "Dead
Alive" and "Meet the Feebles." How he convinced New Line he was the right man for the mainstream multi-million dollar fantasy trilogy must be a
magical tale as well.
For a more unique brand of fairytale, turn to Czech surrealist filmmaker Jan
Svankmajer. His latest offering, "Little Otik" (opening today from Zeitgeist
Films) continues the director's combination of stop motion, live-action
animation to create a story of an impotent couple who unwittingly parent a
man-eating tree. Watch out, Frodo! At the film's world premiere in Rotterdam
2001, critic Mark Peranson wrote for indieWIRE, "Little Otik" "is a comic
nightmare come to life. The unconventional, surrealistic parable is made all
the more scary by its roots in a recognizable, commonplace reality, and the
questioning of a regular human urge that many breezily satisfy without
reflection -- the desire to bring life into the world." Read the complete
review
Another Czech favorite on these shores, Jan Sverak, director of Oscar winner "Kolya," will also see his next movie opening before the New Year. "Dark Blue World," another war film for our patriotic times, certainly treats its
military-set subject with more delicacy than say, "Behind Enemy Lines" or
the upcoming Xmas family war film "Black Hawk Down." Opening Friday, Dec. 28
from Sony Pictures Classics, "Dark Blue World" tells the story of two Czech
airmen who flee German-occupied Czechoslovakia to join England's airforce.
Mostly melodrama, the film premiered at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival,
where Peter Brunette wrote for indieWIRE, "'Dark Blue World' is not fully
realized, but is a generally competent hybrid of Hollywood movie and foreign
language art film...Maybe the best thing about 'Dark Blue World' is that it
illuminates an aspect of that perennially overworked subject area, the Nazi
devastation of Europe...by dramatizing the plight of those brave
foreign-born pilots who, far from home and their loved ones, had to cope
simultaneously with Messerschmidts in the air and the xenophobic, dotty
English on the ground." Read the complete review
Indiewood's best chance at Oscar inroads and copious ticket sales, however,
comes in two films from the mini-majors opening next week: USA Films'
release of Robert Altman's latest "Gosford Park" and Lions Gate's "Monster's Ball," directed by relative newcomer Marc Forster. "Gosford Park" hits the ground running, following three major awards from the New York Film Critics Circle last week: Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting
Actress for Helen Mirren. After many of us had given up hope on the
septuagenarian Altman altogether, "Park" has proven that the legendary
auteur of "Nashville" and "The Long Goodbye" still has it. Ryan Mottesheard recently spoke with Altman about casting, ensemble pieces and the awards
process. Read the complete interview
With "Monster's Ball," along with the recent release of "Everything Put
Together," Marc Forster proves that he does have it, with this one-two punch
of rising talent. With "Ball," Forster graduates to a competent star-level
cast, including Billy Bob Thornton and a virtually transformed Halle Berry, in this story that looks at the legacy of racism in a small Southern town.
Many critics prefer Forster's DV project "Everything Put Together," however,
though that film doesn't have Lions Gate pushing it for Oscar nods. Both
works do show Forster's ability to shape actor's performances and a deep
insight for the nature of loss. indieWIRE's Jacque Lynn Schiller spoke to
Forster about his own personal bouts with tragedy, directing and
communication. Read the complete interview here
[Anthony Kaufman]
>> 25 New Films Make the Film Registry List at the Library of Congress
(indieWIRE/12.19.01) -- "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" and "Jaws" as well as '60s favs "The Sound of Music" and "Planet of the Apes" are among the twenty-five films that have been chosen for this year's National Film
Registry by James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress. A particular unique
selection this year is live footage from the 1939 performance, "Marian
Anderson: The Lincoln Memorial Concert," which is widely recognized as a
pivotal moment in the civil rights movement. Following a rebuke from the
Daughters of the American Revolution, the singer performed at the Lincoln
Memorial after being refused permission to play at Constitution Hall. The
list also includes a nod to New York City with Woody Allen's "Manhattan"
in addition to the timeless rager, "Animal House."
This year's additions: "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948); "All
that Jazz" (1979); "All the King's Men" (1949); "America, America" (1963);
"Cologne: From the Diary of Ray and Esther" (1939); "Evidence of the Film"
(1913); "Hoosiers" (1986); "The House in the Middle" (1964); "It" (1927);
"Jam Session" (1942); "Jaws" (1975); "Manhattan" (1979); "Marian Anderson:
The Lincoln Memorial Concert" (1939); "Memphis Belle" (1944); "The Miracle
of Morgan's Creek" (1944); "Miss Lulu Bett" (1921); "National Lampoon's
Animal House" (1978); "Planet of the Apes" (1968); "Rose Hobart" (1936);
"Serene Velocity (1970); "The Sound of Music" (1965); "Stormy Weather"
(1943); "The Tell-Tale Heart" (1953); "The Thin Blue Line" (1988); and "The
Thing from Another World" (1951). [Brian Brooks]
>> Slamdance's "13 Moons" Opener and Special Screenings Revealed
(indieWIRE/12.19.01) -- Festivities in Park City are gearing up even further
with Slamdance's announcement yesterday that Alexandre Rockwell's "13 Moons" starring Steve Buscemi will open the festival on January 11th. The event, taking place at the Silvermine 1.5 miles south of Park City also revealed
its slate of three features and four shorts that make up its Special
Screenings program including the World Premiere of Brian Fleming's "Nothing
So Strange," based on an idea that Microsoft guru Bill Gates was shot dead in December of 1999. Also featured is the North American Premiere of "Never
Mind the Wall" by Connie Walther, a love story set in divided Berlin, as
well as Slamdance's annual surprise screening.
Spike and Mike's 2001 Sick & Twisted Festival of Animation: Slamdance
Edition is also set with a variety of eye popping titles such as "Bad Phone
Sex" by Stephen Kroninger, "F@ck Her Gently" featuring Tenacious D, "Eat," by Bill Plympton, "Love that Pussy," by DNA Productions and Los Primos Productions' "Harry Pothead and the Magical Herb." Slamdance's $99 Dollar Specials returns for a second year with five minute (or less) films made for $99 in 99 days using digital technology. [Brian Brooks]
[DISCLAIMER: "Nothing So Strange" was produced by GMD Studios, a member of
indieWIRE LLC.]
SPECIAL SCREENING FEATURE FILMS
13 MOONS - (USA, 95 min.) WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Alexandre Rockwell. A cast of characters (including a clown, a
stripper, three priests and a singer) with problems of their own are touched
by the quiet courage of an ailing 6-year-old boy on this night of 13 MOONS.
Co-written by Brandon Cole (ILLUMINATA) and Alexandre Rockwell. Produced by
Brandon Cole and Michael Din. With Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Jennifer
Beals, Sam Rockwell, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Karyn Parsons, David Proval and
Daryl "Chill" Mitchell.
NEVER MIND THE WALL - (Germany, 94 min.) NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
Directed by Connie Walther. In Berlin, 1982 the divided city has no place
for young lovers...a girl from the West, a boy from the East.. who find
themselves united against the world on both sides.
NOTHING SO STRANGE - (USA, 87 min.) WORLD PREMIERE
Directed by Brian Flemming (Founder of the alternative Park City Festival
Slumdance and co-creator of the smash off-Broadway hit "Bat Boy: the
Musical"). The premise is that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates was shot dead
on December 2, 1999, in a tragedy that resonated throughout the world. But
as time wears on, that tragedy has developed into a mystery for many
observers, who see police misconduct and a cover-up where others see an
open-and-shut case.
SURPRISE AWARDS NIGHT SCREENING (Thursday, January 17th, 3:00 PM)
You never know what you are going to get at Slamdance's annual surprise
screening. Maybe a major new film embroiled in distributor legal wranglings
brought to the Silvermine under armed protection of Utah State Troopers; or
maybe the second feature of a Slamdance alum who has sold out to the
Hollywood machine and is having trouble retuning our phone calls. "Buy
tickets first; ask questions later," said Mirvish.
SPECIAL SCREENING SHORT FILMS
"Any Creature" (USA, 10 min.)
"Best of Traktor" (15 min, color)
Films include:
"Bad Phone Sex" (1:50 min.)
"Behind The Music That Sucks - Britney Spears" (4:20 min.)
"Behind The Music That Sucks - EMINEM" (4:20 min.)
"Choke, Spot, Choke" (2 min.)
"Eat" (9 min.)
"F*@# Her Gently" (2:35 min.)
"Harry Pothead And The Magical Herb" (3:20 min.)
"Hello, Dad, I'm In Jail" (2 min.)
"Love That Pussy" (1:20 min.)
"Maakies" (1:40 min.)
"Of Mice And Men And Mama Cass" (1:40 min.)
"An Old Story" (1:20 min.) Directed by Zohar Shahar.
"Pornoless" (3:15 min.)
"Thank You Mask Man" (7 min.)
"Timmy's Lessons In Nature" (2:45 min.)
"Voltron and Heroin" (2 min.)
"When Chickens Attack" (1 min.)
"Dark Riders" (USA, 4 min.)
"Dim Bulb" (USA, 8 min.)
"The Greatest Show On Earth" (USA, 4 min.)
"The Pretty Girl" (USA, 6 min.)
"When Darkness Falls" (USA, 5 min.)
"Roslyn" (USA, 8 min.)
"Silent Beats" (USA, 5 min.)
"Taper" (USA, 5 min.)
"They Came To Attack Us" (USA, 7 min.)
The $99 Specials Line-Up Includes (all films five minutes long or less):
"Eye Am Your Eye" (USA)
"If you'd like to make a call..." (USA)
"Dinner Date" (USA)
"Henro" (USA/JAPAN)
"My Name is Akto" (USA)
"Redlight" (USA)
"Mr. Bones" (USA/GERMANY)
"Home" (USA)
"...And this little piggy had none" (USA) | |
