Archive for January, 2005
Wednesday, January 19th, 2005
At Filmmaker we’ve been trying to figure out editorial synergies between our daily blog and our quarterly magazine, but the below is not exactly what we had in mind.
In the issue of the magazine that comes off the press today, attorneys Steven Beer and Maria Miles haved penned an article explaining the new Federal tax breaks for independent film, hailing it as a landmark windfall for independent film producers and investors. Today via Variety comes this disappointing article by William Triplett titled “Congress likely to take back indie tax break.”
“Possibly as soon as next month, Congress will consider dramatically reducing two key provisions that independent film producers hailed as major victories in last year’s corporate tax bill,” writes Triplett.
“After years of lobbying, indies rejoiced upon learning in October that President Bush had signed the bill, which included a sweeping tax break for filmmakers and an incentive for financiers to invest in indie films. But congressional staff members now say the two provisions appear to be ‘oversights’ that should be ‘corrected.’…
‘This was a bona-fide tax subsidy to encourage film financing in the U.S.,’ said Schuyler Moore, an entertainment industry tax expert. ‘It’s very hard to raise money for these films, and this is just what was needed’…. But Moore said he recently learned that Congress’ Joint Committee on Taxation believes the provision was unintended, and that profits should be taxed at 35%, the normal income tax rate for million-dollar sums. ‘If that happens, they will eliminate the tax-savings incentive for raising money,’ Moore said. ‘They said they want to amend the statute, but they might as well just repeal it.’”
… Read the rest
Tuesday, January 18th, 2005
We were happy to read via Variety that former Miramax acquisitions exec Arianna Bocco, who recently left the company, has landed at Gershs’ New York office where she will head “an independent feature film packaging unit” with a special emphasis on bringing international filmmakers into the Gersh fold. An admirably straight shooter in the tangled world of acquisitions, Bocco was a tenacious exec for both Miramax and her previous employer, New Line, and worked on such films as City of God.
… Read the rest
Tuesday, January 18th, 2005
A pioneer of avant-garde cinema in the 1950s and author of Hollywood Babylon: The Legendary Underground Classic of Hollywood’s Darkest and Best Kept Secrets,
the notorious director Kenneth Anger returns to New York for a rare apearance this Thursday, January 20 to present four new films at the Museum of Modern Art as part of its ongoing Premieres series.
Anger, who the Guardian has described as an “auteur, occultist, Hollywood scandal-spreader” and “famously irascible old man,” will introduce the premiere of his new work Mouse Heaven (2004), featuring the Mel Birnkrant colection of 1930s Disneyana, as well as The Man We Want to Hang (2002), Anger Sees Red (2004), and Elliott’s Suicide (2004).
… Read the rest
Tuesday, January 18th, 2005
The Berlin International Film Festival has announced the projects selected to participate in its second annual Co-Production Market.
“Out of nearly 230 submissions, 24 projects have been selected with budgets between two and ten million euros, of which at least 30 percent had to be already in place. ‘We’ve chosen exciting topics from around the globe and, from a cinematic perspective, interesting projects of all genres — from historical thrillers to fantasy. At the moment, coming-of-age stories seem to be particularly in vogue,’ says Sonja Moerkens, head of the Berlinale Co-Production Market.”
… Read the rest
Monday, January 17th, 2005
The enterprising and publicity-savvy filmmaking duo of Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have an entertaining Web site up for their Sundance entry Inside Deep Throat, a Brian Grazer-produced doc on the infamous porn film (number 50 on Filmmaker magazine’s “50 Most Important Independent Films” list almost a decade ago) that will hit theaters this spring. The directors post a blog on the site as well as some interesting links, the most fascinating of which is this link to local Park City paper The Park Record. Titled “Sundance documentary reveals local’s role in Deep Throat,” the article is a portrait of local realtor Harry Reems. Yes, that Harry Reems. “He changed his life but not his name,” the article says about the male lead in the most famous porn film of all times who now turns over condos in Park City.
Quoted in the article, Barbato points out that Reems, who was only paid $100 for his work in the film, is something of a “free speech hero” as it was he who was charged with “distributing obscene material” — the only actor ever charged that way — and who testified during the film’s winning obscenity trial in Memphis.
Reems moved to Park City in 1986 — “a low-bottom alcoholic, a blackout drinker,” he says — and after a run-in one night with Park City police joined the Park City Community Church, kicked booze, and married a local woman. The article says the producers flew Reems and his wife to L.A. recently to see the new documentary. “I am very impressed with it,” Reems is quoted as saying. “The story is not the Harry Reems story, it is about Deep Throat and its effect on our culture.”… Read the rest
Monday, January 17th, 2005
I know as a blogger I’m supposed to ferret out obscure links from publications you’ve never heard of. But here I go again — two links in a row from the New York Times. Still, if you’re a producer you’ll be interested in this sobering piece about Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney’s Section 8, proving that the producing biz is a tough one even if you’re an Oscar-winning director and matinee-idol movie star.
An excerpt:
“[Says Soderbergh,] ‘I think you could make an argument that it is not important to have too much taste as a producer if you are working for a large company. It’s hard to find commercial stuff that doesn’t make you feel bad in the morning.’
As such, producing quality movies, which means securing financing, overseeing scripts and coddling the insecure actress or director on set when needed, has proved a hard education for the two men. ‘There is the weird paradox of having a company like this if the personalities are like mine and George’s,’ added Mr. Soderbergh. ‘If you are going to do something and do it well, you have to apply yourself. But we both have day jobs. It has become overwhelming. We both talk about how can we sustain it. It’s just such a mountain of work.’”
The piece goes on to talk about the financial risks involved in producing and gives another viewpoint on the much-discussed firing of writer/director Ted Griffin from Warner’s Untitled Ted Griffin project. (“‘It is a scarlet letter for the company,’ Soderbergh said. ‘It shouldn’t have happened…’)… Read the rest
Monday, January 17th, 2005
From a press release received earlier this week: “Writer/director/producer P. David Ebersole today announced the launch of Macrocosm, a new and innovative consortium of independent filmmakers and creative artists dedicated to bringing independent projects to stage, screen and television. With an open-ended organizational structure and the motto, ‘Power in Numbers,’ Macrocosm has been brought into being to build on the existing creative relationships of its core members in order to bring their projects to fruition. Macrocosm’s kick-off will be celebrated at a party during the Sundance Film Festival on January 24… with an extravagant and flamboyant live concert by another Macrocosm member, singer/songwriter Jinx Titanic.
“In addition to Ebersole and Titanic, the founding Macrocosm members are writer/director Todd Hughes, producer Gwen Field, producer Carol Ann Shine, cinematographer/filmmaker Larra Anderson, writer/actress Jamie Tolbert, writer/director/performer Shaz Bennett, writer/director Tim Kirk, actor/producer Brian Newkirk, production designer/producer Candi Guterres (whose film, Between, is in competition in Sundance this year); and documentary filmmaker Julianna Brannum.
“With several projects in the works, the inaugural Macrocosm production is Hot Chicks, a live-action feature based on the religious comic book tracts from Jack Chick, with segments directed by Macrocosm members Ebersole, Franklin, Hughes, and Kirk. Self-financed by Macrocosm, Hot Chicks is currently in production, slated for festival release in 2005.
“Macrososm members Ebersole and Field are also announcing the financing of the film noir thriller, Oceanside, for Here!/Regent Entertainment, with Ebersole on board as writer/director, and Field as producer. In Oceanside, a crooked lawyer gets shot full of lead, and two men come in to confess, even though, apparently, neither one committed the crime.
“Other projects in the pipeline with Macrocosm members in key positions include:
Out There, a pilot in development at VH1, which Ebersole created, and for which he will be executive producer. Out There chronicles the trials and tribulations of a 15-year-old Jewish boy from the suburbs who has to attend a Catholic high school when his new school burns down. But that’s the least of his problems, now that he’s hitting puberty and can’t decide if he … Read the rest
Sunday, January 16th, 2005
Actor and director Crispin Glover has a Web site up for his latest feature What is It?, which looks like one particularly bizarre and interesting entry in what seems like a very strong Park City at Midnight lineup. (I’ve seen Old Boy, and it’s pretty great, and while I’ll write more about David Slade’s Hard Candy later, I have a feeling that by fest’s end folks will both be wondering why it wasn’t in Competition and will be shortlisting actress Ellen Page as a future star.)
[N.B. the Quicktime movie trailer on Glover's site doesn't always work, possibly due to site traffic. Be persistent. It's worth it.]
As Trevor Groth writes in the Sundance catalogue: “After 10 years and numerous incarnations in the making, we are euphoric to present the world premiere of Crispin Hellion Glover’s What Is It?… an aptly titled film that defies easy summarization but is a triumph of cinematic irreverence and uncompromising creativity.
“The film (which contains graphic sexuality) flows between controversial imagery and story lines: a minstrel in blackface who aspires to be an invertebrate by injecting snail enzymes into his cheek; a Shirley Temple dictator in Nazi garb; a naked man with cerebral palsy lying on a giant seashell, being fondled by a naked woman wearing a monkey mask; talking snails getting repeatedly salted; and watching over all, an enthroned Glover in a full-length fur coat.
“What Is It? is a Dadaist deconstruction of the hero’s journey as well as a hallucinogenic trip deep into the mind of its bizarre creator. It is a thoroughly challenging visual experience as well as a compelling allegory for society and its outcasts. As the visual absurdity of the film rides along at a fever pitch, Glover’s innate humanism injects the seemingly inhuman scenario with a deep pathos that captures the viewer’ attention and consideration. Truly one of the most original films ever created, What Is It? will shock, intrigue, confound, disturb, and amaze even the most jaded viewers.”
Another Sundance trailer on the Web is for John Maybury’s The Jacket. Maybury, a … Read the rest
Sunday, January 16th, 2005
Somehow, I don’t think the folks at Apple promoting iMovie had this in mind.
From today’s New York Times comes this very disturbing article by Fox Butterfield about the methods by which youth gangs are threatening grand jury witnesses. (Times registration required.) The article talks about a two-hour DVD doc entitled Stop Snitching being distributed “grass-roots style” in local neighborhoods which puts out a threatening message to witnesses of violent crime.
After detailing several instances where witnesses around the country have been murdered because of their grand jury testimony, the article notes:
“And in each city, CD’s and DVD’s titled Stop Snitching have surfaced, naming some people street gangs suspect of being witnesses against them and warning that those who cooperate with the police will be killed. To underscore its message, the Baltimore DVD shows what appears to be three dead bodies on its back cover above the words ‘snitch prevention’… [The DVD] features young men smoking marijuana, flashing wads of $100 bills, waving guns and making violent threats, some against specific witnesses. ‘He’s a rat, a snitch,’ one man sings, continuing with obscenities. ‘He’s dead because I don’t believe he’s from the ‘hood.’
The maker of the DVD has said he was only documenting the attitudes and concerns of people in West Baltimore.”
The article goes on to talk about the DVD’s celebrity cameo:
“The DVD has drawn particular attention because of the appearance on it of Carmelo Anthony, 20, a National Basketball Association star with the Denver Nuggets who grew up in Baltimore. Mr. Anthony does not make any threats in the DVD.
Calvin Andrews, Mr. Anthony’s agent, said, ‘He was not aware a DVD was being produced. He was just hanging out with some guys from the neighborhood who had a video camera.’ Mr. Andrews added of Mr. Anthony: ‘He doesn’t condone the message about intimidation.’”
A column by Gregory Kane in the Baltimore Sun details another side to the story:
“Rodney Bethea feels there’s something not quite right with us media types. Bethea is the co-producer — with Skinny Suge — and editor of Stop … Read the rest
Friday, January 14th, 2005
A small addition to the world’s very strange weather woes of the moment, this news out of Park City. One and possibly two skiers have been trapped in a giant landslide in Park City, Utah near the Canyons Resort, just days before this year’s Sundance Film Festival.
… Read the rest
