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3 interesting indie filmmakers to check out - Hong Sang-soo (By the Stream), Blake Calhoun (Casey Makes A Mixtape), Lav Diaz (Magellan) - trailers, links

* Hong Sang-soo has become the ultimate indie filmmaker - making and releasing his movies largely by himself (key crew positions are now done by him) since around 2021 or so.  And his most recently theatrically released movie (by the time you read this article he could release something new - he works fast) By the Stream is an excellent indie film. It's somewhat Slow Cinema-ish, so you have to hang back and let it work its magic on you - go with it.  Here's the trailer (movie should be available to rent or buy soon from Cinema Guild ):  * Which indie filmmaker is crazy enough to make a period movie, on a micro-budget, with teenagers?  Apparently Blake Calhoun.  He mixes iPhone photography with footage from a larger camera and delivers an observational comedy-drama about an important summer in the life of a 13 year old character named Casey.  And the movie went on to receive a 9/10 review from Film Threat - which is kind of amazing.  A micro-budget, rea...
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Distributing an indie movie in 2025 - convo w/ director of CASEY MAKES A MIXTAPE (Apple TV, Amazon) - Blake Calhoun

 

New film by indie filmmaker Blake Calhoun out today - CASEY MAKES A MIXTAPE - trailer, links

 Here's the trailer for the new movie: Links for watching the movie here -  https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/casey-makes-a-mixtape

Lav Diaz has made a big budget type movie - a historical action drama with a star - that's also still a micro-budget type auteur movie - Magellan filmmaking analysis

What a lot of filmmakers and also fans fear when filmmakers move from small movies to large scale movies is the loss of the unique style and approach that made a filmmaker's early work interesting.  A few filmmakers are able to make large budget, large scale movies with stars that still retain their unique filmmaking approach - and are able to make those movies a success (filmmaking wise, not the fake box office numbers type success).  Lav Diaz did the following in his new large scale movie Magellan, and managed to, I think, make a movie that is not very different from his small scale projects - in many respects: - he used the camera as he has always done - largely a stationary camera, and very minimal edits, long takes. - he used costume choices (or lack of clothing) most likely for historical accuracy, but also to make the movie interesting (or shocking in some instances). a choice that can be done on a small budget. - the sailing scenes with the ships were done in a very mi...

MAGELLAN NYFF post-screening discussion - 10/9/25 - AMAZING - Lav Diaz, Bernal - 4K (from iPhone)

 

Review - doing difficult things well - making a period movie about the early 1980s with teenagers - Blake Calhoun's CASEY MAKES A MIXTAPE

By Sujewa Ekanayake * Blake Calhoun is an experienced indie filmmaker - but, it's very difficult to do period movies well - movies set in another era - on a low indie film budget, and it can be difficult to have several teenagers in your cast as the main characters - to get great performances. Calhoun has managed to do both things well in his new movie CASEY MAKES A MIXTAPE. The early 1980s Texas in Calhoun's movie looks - and more importantly feels - believable.  Great cinematography and color grading work.  And his teen actors do a great job bringing their characters to life.   I think the movie is being promoted as a mainstream accessible, realistic, light comedy-drama.  And perhaps it is also being marketed to a teenage audience. But, as an old person in NYC, I found the movie to be almost an observational movie - documenting a summer in the life of the main character (played in a low key, somewhat dramatic, and overall an entertaining way by the excellent Presle...

Who's The REAL Man of Steel?-A Look Back At Every Theatrical Superman

Canon G60 daytime and nighttime test videos - excellent camcorder for indie filmmakers

 

Highest 2 Lowest review. Pretty good. Cinematography, editing, script could have been better.

Now available to stream on Apple TV. Highest 2 Lowest review. Pretty good. Cinematography, editing, script could have been better. Weird use of music under some action scenes. But, movie has some nice images and some nice moments. Unique auteur movie, not typical crime movie - 7/10. Everything could be tightened up. Maybe start w/ a part of the action scene on the train towards the end. Cut to "24 Hours Earlier" or something. Shoot the family scenes at start of movie w/ more of a dramatic camera and editing - show the danger under the calm surface. DW does a great job most of the time. Camera work, editing, music could have improved the movie. A lot of the movie had a "shot on iPhone" quality - wide, detached, not much cutting, kind of a lazy camera. But, some great images of NYC. A more cinematic, action/crime in color, color grade could have worked - could have been a green/orange look, a grainy 16MM or grainy 35MM look. The movie now has a chill Netflix, modern...

Alien: Earth is sci-fi Slow Cinema

  Slow Cinema - like Jarmusch's Mystery Train - establishes the reality of a place, of a world, in great detail. Same with works such as Goodbye Dragon Inn. In Slow Cinema movies we are definitely at a specific place - hearing the sounds carefully, seeing the sunlight or movie theater projector lights, seeing shadows in the night. Alien: Earth offers the same - it's like being at a real place. The production design, the cinematography, the editing - it all establishes the reality well.  You can chill out and think about things while being inside the world of Alien: Earth. It's very much Slow Cinema.   Alien: Earth is also boring at times - like Slow Cinema movies.  You can zone out of the story in front of you, half-register it, while thinking about related matters. The attempt to create immortality for humans, the worlds that the space aliens are from, the political system and history of Earth shown in the TV show - stuff to think about, somewhat similar to stuff yo...

Full Movie - SNEAK PREVIEW - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene And The Mystery Of Immortal Time Travelers

NEW - COSMIC DISCO DETECTIVE RENE (2023) - TRAILER!

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