Skip to main content

Let's end 2008 with a Jon Moritsugu interview

It's an old interview but I still find it entertaining & inspiring - so, what better way to end a great year - completed the final version of Date Number One, shot & completed Indie Film Blogger Road Trip, moved to New York City, still young, healthy, good looking & modest - anyway, in celebration of personal DIY film related achievements of '08 & the increase in general DIY film activity, interest in same, blogging related to filmmaking, etc. by others in 2008 - let's check out this Moritsugu (see Bio after the excerpts below) interview from CrownDozen. From the intro:

"Without question, you know when you're watching a Jon Moritsugu film. Honestly, how many filmmakers, or bands for that matter, can you name who are so distinguishable that you can recognize them after just a few seconds of exposure to their work? Both in distinctiveness of style and independence of vision Jon Moritsugu is as close as I've come to seeing a John Waters in my generation. Like the noble Punk Rawk Indian using the bones, meat, organs, and every other part of the buffalo (sometimes literally), he's been scraping together 20 years worth of brilliant films which he's written, directed, starred, scored, and maybe most impressively, distributed."

And:

"Q: I've heard that Fame Whore was up for Academy Award consideration, what's the story behind that?

A: In late 1999 I got a letter from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences letting me know that FAME WHORE was up for Academy Award "consideration". It was a total weird and fun shock to me but it strangely made sense cuz the film did play out a lot and got quite a few rave reviews. Anyhoo, long story short, they eventually kicked it out of the running on a technicality -it screened on 16mm in theaters (all Academy Award narrative films are required to screened on 35mm)."

Read the rest of the interview here.

::

Moritsugu Bio:

"Writer/director JON MORITSUGU has been making films since 1985. In 1989, Village Voice critic J.Hoberman called Moritsugu's Brown University thesis short, DER ELVIS, one of the "Top 50 films of the 80's." Since then his features MOD FUCK EXPLOSION, MY DEGENERATION, FAME WHORE, SCUMROCK, and HIPPY PORN have scorched eyeballs worldwide from Sundance to MOMA to Cannes to the Guggenheim to Berlin to Toronto to name a few. In 1993 James Schamus (Focus Features) produced Moritsugu's PBS television comedy, TERMINAL USA. Moritsugu has garnered critical acclaim and top awards at the New York Underground Film Festival (Best Feature 3 times in a row) as well as the Screenwriting Award at the Austin Film Fest and Oscar consideration for his feature FAME WHORE. He has worked with his wife/leading lady Amy Davis for 20 years. She was co-writer of his last feature, SCUMROCK, as well his newest magnum opus. Moritsugu is currently shopping around this brand new Punk Horror script."

From jonmoritsugu.com

::

And, some video of Jon being interviewed about a group of Asian American indie filmmakers:



Happy New Year Everyone! See you in '09.

- Sujewa

Christmas Eve controversial, fun discussion - 1 of the best American indie filmmakers - Amir Motlagh

Inside the Arthouse ep 2

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

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

The Secret Society For Slow Romance (2022) - available to rent as a new release starting January 1

Werewolf Ninja Philosopher at Vimeo VOD

Popular Posts

Written notes/review plus live video review of By the Stream (2025) by Hong Sang-soo

By the stream review - from Lincoln Center, NYC viewing - no spoilers The hype is real - By the Stream is very good by Hong movies standards and also normal comedy-drama standards. There were like 30-40 people at Lincoln Center for the 1PM Fri 8/8/25 (opening day) screening of By the Stream.  People in that neighborhood are serious about their foreign films. Cinematography is very simple, from a canon XA small sensor HD cam, I could see familiar details, how those cams film the moon, scenes at night - it’s like a 1980s or 1990s early indie cinematography style that we do not see much these days - works well for Hong’s movies. No color grading, very simple video/cinematography. A more fleshed out movie than some recent Hong movies. In the movie a skit is prepped, and we actually get to see it performed. A couple of serious issues are discussed.  Some unexpected, light things happen. It’s a comedy-drama chill hangout movie w/ creative South Korean people - good times. Probably o...

The case for using AI for indie film reviews (if tech is developed to be able to write good reviews)

Regardless of how it is presented to the public, everything in US film (and probably worldwide) - Hollywood and indie - is about money.  If you have the money, you can make and release films, buy ads in publications, and get reviews.  There are 200+ reviews for a mediocre Hollywood movie now at Rotten Tomatoes site - for the new Fantastic Four movie. At the same time there were less than 10 reviews for an indie movie that was playing at IFC Center in NYC last week. Outside of even IFC runs, there are 100s of indie movies - fiction features and doc features - that come out on VOD and YouTube every week these days that do not get reviewed and do not get any articles written about them. With some effort I and many other indie filmmakers are able to get some reviews for our movies. However, the vast majority of new indie films are not reviewed. Film is art, it is easier to make and release films now than it was in the past, and all films deserve reviews and articles about them. ...

Cosmic Disco Detective Rene (2023) Full Movie + The Last Days of Joseph Koch Comics Warehouse (2025) feature documentary, full movie

    *  

Reading Material

Indie Film Blogger Road Trip