FRANK CAPPELLO, “HE WAS A QUIET MAN”

By Nick Dawson

CHRISTIAN SLATER IN DIRECTOR FRANK CAPPELLO’S HE WAS A QUIET MAN. COURTESY MITROPOULOS FILMS.

Whether he’s writing, directing, creating special effects, playing music, or simply recounting anecdotes, Frank Cappello seems to have a compulsive need to entertain. He honed his storytelling skills as a kid reading out his imagined motocross adventures to classmates, and then spent years writing spec scripts while working in special effects. Though the first script he sold, Suburban Commando (1991), became a derided Hulk Hogan vehicle, it was a launchpad for Cappello to direct two genre pictures. American Yakuza (1993) and No Way Back (1995) both ended up above-average thrillers as a result of Cappello’s contribution as writer-director-for-hire, as well as the presence of future stars Viggo Mortensen and Russell Crowe, respectively. Cappello, however, chose to move away from B-movie direction instead doing SFX work on Flubber (1997), Deep Blue Sea (1999) and Red Planet (2000), and writing the screenplays for the studio movies Timeline (2003) and Constantine (2005).

Cappello’s desire to return to directing with a “small” film prompted him to write He Was A Quiet Man, the tale of troubled Bob Maconel (the excellent Christian Slater), a reclusive office nobody trying to work up the courage to murder his callous colleagues with the gun stashed in his desk drawer. But fate conspires to make him a hero when he kills a workmate who has gone postal — just seconds before Bob himself was planning to do the same. Capello’s handling of the material, and particularly Bob’s relationship with the woman he saves, Venessa (Elisha Cuthbert), is smart and thoughtful, and he consistently confounds our expectations and forces us to think closely about the complexities of the characters and their situations. Playing out like the bastard son of Office Space and Fight Club, He Was A Quiet Man distinguishes itself with its originality and dark humor, and suggests that there is much more to come from Cappello — as long as he can again get funding for edgy fare like this.

Filmmaker spoke to Cappello about making Christian Slater bald, ugly and … Read the rest

ALTERNATING FIELDS

By Scott Macaulay

Harmony Korine’s latest feature, Mister Lonely, opened recently in England, will open France soon, and is due to arrive in U.S. theaters in the Spring from IFC Films. But Korine has also been filming some other work recently. Here’s a wonderful TV ad he just completed for the British department store chain Thornton’s.

… Read the rest

SUNDANCE ’08 PREMIERES, SPECTRUM, NEW FRONTIER AND MIDNIGHT FILMS ANNOUNCED

By Jason Guerrasio

Sundance announced the films in their Premieres, Spectrum, New Frontier and Midnight sections today. Included in the list is the closing night film, Neil Young‘s documentary CSNY Deja Vu, on Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young’s “Freedom of Speech Tour” and The Salt Lake City Gala will feature the world premiere of The Great Buck Howard, directed by Sean McGinly and stars Colin Hanks, John Malkovich and Emily Blunt. Other notable names in the pack are Michel Gondry, Brad Anderson, Barry Levinson, Stacy Peralta, Morgan Spurlock, the Duplass brothers and (wait for it…) Michael Keaton in his directorial debut. Full list is below.

Premieres

ASSASSINATION OF A HIGH SCHOOL PRESIDENT / USA, Director: Brett Simon; Screenwriter: Kevin Jakubowski
A rookie journalist for the school paper unravels a mysterious plot involving the class president, drugs, and a ring of stolen test scores in this noir caper set at a quirky Catholic High School. Cast: Reece Thompson, Bruce Willis, Mischa Barton, Michael Rapaport, Kathryn Morris, Josh Pais.

BE KIND REWIND / USA, Director and Screenwriter: Michel Gondry
When a man whose body accidentally becomes magnetized unintentionally erases every tape in his friend’s video store, the pair set out to remake the lost films, including “Back To The Future” and “The Lion King”. Cast: Jack Black, Mos Def, Mia Farrow, Danny Glover.

CSNY DEJA VU / USA, Director: Bernard Shakey; Screenwriters: Neil Young, Mike Cerre
The war in Iraq is the backdrop as the Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young “Freedom of Speech Tour” crisscrosses North America. Echoes of Vietnam-era anti-war sentiment abound as the band connects with today’s audiences. Cast: David Crosby, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Mike Cerre, Stephen Colbert.

THE DEAL / Canada, Director: Steven Schachter; Screenwriters: William H. Macy, Steven Schachter
A long-time Hollywood producer on the verge of suicide cons a major studio into financing a $100-million film based on a non-existent script, starring a black action star who has converted to Judaism. Cast: William H. Macy, Meg Ryan, LL Cool J.

DEATH IN LOVE / USA, Director and … Read the rest

LONG LIVE CINEMATEXAS

By Admin

Live in Austin?? Lucky.

The bad news first: Cinematexas, the long-running, great underground film festival, lost its funding from certain institutions and is over. Annually providing the best, brightest and cutting-edgest short (and occasional feature) films, CNTX was an exciting long weekend of political hotbed issues, avant-garde works, underground sludge and music films that traversed all of those worlds. It also programmed for the community – a competition for Univ of Texas student films, and various childrens’ shows.

The good news: The fest is having a going away show this weekend, the Cinematexas Viking Funeral.

On Saturday, December 1st there are three free shows:

Ragna-Rock. One of two compilations of new work by esteemed Cinematexas alumni like James Fotopoulos, Ben Coonley, Daniel Cockburn, Stephanie Gray, etc.)

UT Hollywood Showcase. A local screening of this year’s best UT-produced student films, which screened at the DGA Theater in LA in September.

Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud. An early experiment by Todd Haynes and an clear precursor to his new Dylan non-biopic I’m Not There. This film is rare!

Then on Sunday, December 2nd:

Ragna-Roll: More madness from Cinematexas chums. One of these two programs will have videos from the incomparable, one-man-band Laz Rojas.

Interkosmos. A delightfully tongue-in-cheek homage to a fictional East German space project, Jim Finn‘s Interkosmos uses recreated newsreels combined with musical interludes to resurrect the ’70s in all its Brezhnev-era glory.

And two new greats: Frownland, the uber indie film from Ronnie Bronstein, led by the new short by Don Hertzfeldt, Everything Will Be OK. This single show is so great its already sold out. But try to catch everything else you can. Criminy, its free and hard-to-find films…. Viva Cinematexas.

show info here.… Read the rest

“DEAR PILLOW”

By Admin

Close to his 18th birthday and living in a tiny apartment with his divorced Dad, Wes is tortured by his virginity. After getting fired for beating off at work, he befriends Dusty, an older neighbor who writes for porn mag Dear Pillow. (Sorry dude, those letters aren’t real.) Becoming an earnest writer himself and avid listener of other peoples’ sex phone calls, Wes partners up with Dusty and gets into the nasty world. Eventually the two start hanging out with the sexy apartment manager Lorna, and things get seedy, perhaps too fast for Wes.

Pillow has minimal production elements, no flash, just story. It excels in the tone and acting, with great realistic touches by cast members Rusty Kelley, Gary Chason and Viviane Vives. All bring their roles to life in a smart script by writer/director Bryan Poyser. So when the real and porn worlds start to clash, the plot stays believable. You start to feel like you are intruding into their conversations. The faraway porn world could be just next door. Thankfully it never reaches sensationalism. Whether that’s good or bad for you, its best for the film.

DVD has cool extras, with deleted scenes, audition tapes, commentary by Poyser and producer/cinematographer/editor Jacob Vaughan and the actors, and two solid short films by Poyser, Grammy’s (2007) and Pleasureland (2001). Released by Heretic Films, $19.95.

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List Price:
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Release date November 13, 2007.

… Read the rest

OFFENSIVE PLASTIC-NESS

By Scott Macaulay

A few years ago producer Ted Hope was at the forefront of the indie campaign against the major studios’ “screener policy” — the edict that specialty film companies could not use mailed promotional screeners in their Academy campaigns. Hope, along with producer Jeff Levy-Hinte and a group of allied production companies, won a court battle and the studio policy was reversed.

Now, Hope has emailed about another issue concerning screeners — specifically, their impact on the environment. While other parts of the industry are going green, the mailed output of two companies in particular are not.

From Ted Hope:

After years of filling land fills with unnecessary “standard” DVD cases with all the various screeners’ packaging, this year the various distribs have finally gotten green and eliminated all that excessive plastic-ness. Did I say all the distribs? Well, almost.

Lionsgate led the way to some more environmentally sound practices last year with their cardboard folders. This year it seems everyone but New Line, Picturehouse, and Disney have abandoned the plastic.

So far, the list of eco screener offenders (and thus top contenders to what have been nicknamed “cellophanes” in honor of never shedding their plastic sheath) are: New Line’s Hairspray, Rendition, The Last Mimzy; Picture House’s La Vie En Rose, The Orphanage; and Disney’s Dan In Real Life.

Now there are some movies here that should not be missed (and I am glad I saw them in theaters), but this plastic silliness should stop! Why with all we know do such practices continue? (And why is a nickel bigger than a dime? Why can studio heads make $60M for being fired when writers can’t get more than two cents for a DVD sale?)

I have written these offenders and encouraged them to get in line, and I hope other Academy members & Guild Members are encouraged to do so too. Ah, if only there was a world where not only do creators get paid fairly for their work, but waste and landfill are not a byproduct of their efforts. This moment seems like an

… Read the rest

2008 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL LINE-UP

By Jason Guerrasio

The Sundance Film Festival has announced their films in competition for the 2008 edition. Leafing through the line-up you’ll notice there are many first-timers (including DP Ellen Kuras) in this year’s bunch. Though there are a few familiar names: Alex Gibney, Jonathan Levine, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. There’s also a doc on the great Hunter Thompson and an adaptation of Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk‘s novel, Choke. The full list titles are below. The festival will run Jan. 17-27.

Documentary Competition

AN AMERICAN SOLDIER (Director and Screenwriter: Edet Belzberg)
Uncle Sam wants you! A compelling exploration of army recruitment in the United States told through the story of Louisiana Sergeant, First Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful recruiters in the history of the U.S. Army. World Premiere
“American Teen,” Director and Screenwriter: Nanette Burstein
This irreverent cinema verite chronicles four seniors at an Indiana high school and yields a surprising snapshot of Midwestern life.

BIGGER, STRONGER, FASTER* (Director: Christopher Bell, Screenwriters: Christopher Bell, Alexander Bruno, Tamsin Rawady)
A filmmaker explores America’s win-at-all-cost culture by examining his two brothers’ steroids use…and his own.

FIELDS OF FUEL (Director and Screenwriter: Josh Tickell)
America is addicted to oil and it is time for an intervention. Enter Josh Tickell, a man with a plan and a Veggie Van, who is taking on big oil, big government, and big soy to find solutions in places few people have looked.

FLOW: FOR LOVE OF WATER (Director: Irena Salina)
Water is the very essence of life, sustaining every being on the planet. FLOW confronts the disturbing reality that our crucial resource is dwindling and greed just may be the cause.

GONZO: THE LIFE AND WORK OF DR. HUNTER S. THOMPSON (Director: Alex Gibney)
Fueled by a raging libido, Wild Turkey, and superhuman doses of drugs, Thompson was a true “free lance,” goring sacred cows with impunity, hilarity and a steel-eyed conviction for righting wrongs. Focusing on the good doctor’s heyday, 1965 to 1975, the film includes clips of never-before-seen (nor heard) home movies, audiotapes, and passages from unpublished … Read the rest

ROME FILM FEST By Caveh Zahedi

Now in its second year, the spectacularly-funded new-kid-on-the-block Rome Film Fest (Oct. 18-27) exhibits the apparently ontologically inescapable teething pains that all toddlers must endure – disorganization, poor communication skills, a certain clumsiness, and a forward-looking sense of “anything’s possible.” Also, a tendency to imitate the mother’s facial expressions – in this case, the Venice Film Festival in particular and every other “big” film festival in general. What this often leads to is the empty husk of spectacle, or spectacle disassociated from its original purpose and adrift in the free-floating play of eternally recombinant signifiers that is contemporary culture.

Add to this a way-out-of-the-way location that typically took over an hour of travel time to get to, a state of the art audio-visual complex that was weirdly non-functional – for instance, seats in the balcony facing not towards the screen but at a 90 degree angle – and films that were supposed to be subtitled in English but weren’t, and voilà – the Rome Film Festival! But there were stars aplenty: Robert Redford! Tom Cruise! Sean Penn! Emile Hirsch! Sophia Loren! Bernardo Bertolucci! Gerard Depardieu! Jane Fonda! Martin Scorsese! Scratch that, Scorcese couldn’t make it. Ang Lee!

The festival’s most trumpeted achievement was the premiere Francis Ford Coppola’s Youth Without Youth, his first film in ten years and his self-proclaimed return to his indie roots. Also included was a new documentary on Coppola titled Coda: Thirty Years After by his wife, Eleanor Coppola (Hearts of Darkness), followed by an on-stage interview with the man himself. And indeed, the presence of Coppola and his family seems the perfect objective correlative for what this festival was all about – star power, a rather dated notion of cinema, and a fuzzy-minded stab at Italian-ness.

A more courageous curatorial foray was the largest retrospective ever of the always brilliant but occasionally slapdash films of the astonishingly prolific Chilean Director Raul Ruiz, a filmmaker whose work is so original and challenging that a different approach was needed. It’s not enough just to quietly screen 40 Ruiz films in a festival of this … Read the rest

GREEK TRAGEDY
By Damon Smith

As a filmmaker, Oscar winner Jessica Yu is smart, adventurous, and utterly fearless. You’d have to be to make a talking-head documentary inspired by the 5th century B.C. playwright Euripides (an idea proposed by the Carr Foundation) and then decide to outfit key scenes with wooden rod puppets speaking ancient Greek. But her new film, Protagonist, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and gets a theatrical release November 30 from IFC Films, is not high-concept marionette theater, it’s a fascinating investigation of what drives passionate people to acts of radical self-negation—and of the dangerous certainty that fuels fanatical belief.

Narrated by a bank robber, a Baader-Meinhof terrorist, a martial-arts zealot, and an evangelical missionary “cured” of his homosexuality, the film is structured like a modern Attic tragedy, with puppets created by Janie Geiser acting out dialogue from The Bacchae as these four men recount their agonized and ultimately cathartic life experiences. What’s surprising in the candid, cross-cut interviews is how similar the dramatic arc of their stories are, and how often their accounts overlap and resonate in unexpected ways. New Jersey native Mark Pierpont, for instance, recounts his struggle to reconcile his queer sexuality with an all-loving but authoritarian Christian God, while political idealist Hans-Joachim Klein describes how his seditious activities in the’70s grew largely out of disdain for his own almighty father, a German police officer sympathetic to Nazi ideology.

In one sense, Protagonist is a film about extremes, and about how far one can go in singleminded pursuit of a goal or a fixed idea before disaster forces an attitude of clarity. One of the four participants is Yu’s own husband, Iron & Silk author Mark Salzman, who as a much-bullied Connecticut youth became wildly obsessed with the art of self-defense after glimpsing the TV show Kung Fu. And then there’s Joe Loya, a victim of horrific abuse who grew up to become a Nietzsche-quoting stickup artist and all-around badass. (Now he’s a journalist for Pacific News Service.) Yu interleaves these tales of to-the-brink-and-back obsession to ingenious effect, … Read the rest

GOTHAM AWARDS WINNERS

By Jason Guerrasio

IFP‘s 17th annual Gotham Awards were handed out last night at Brooklyn’s Steiner Studios with Sean Penn‘s Into The Wild winning the Best Feature prize. The other winners include Michael Moore‘s Sicko for Best Doc; Best Ensemble Cast went to two films, Sidney Lumet‘s Before The Devil Knows You’re Dead, and Kasi Lemmons‘s Talk To Me; director Craig Zobel walked away with the Breakthough Director prize, his debut film The Great World of Sound received three Gotham Award nominations; Juno‘s Ellen Page won Breakthrough Actor and Ronald Bronstein‘s Frownland won The Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You prize.

Hosted by Tony Award winning actor and playwright Sarah Jones, tribute awards were also given out to New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, Javier Bardem, Mira Nair, IFC Entertainment president Jonathan Sehring, production designer Mark Friedberg and Roger Ebert, who took the stage with his wife Shaz in an emotional moment to accept the award. Shaz spoke to the audience, as Mr. Ebert is unable to talk due to his ongoing battle with thyroid cancer.

The awards will be broadcast locally on NYC TV on Dec. 4, at 9:00 and will air nationally on The Documentary Channel on Dec. 8 at 8:00 EST.… Read the rest