ARTHOUSE FILM NEWS - Cosmic Disco Detective Rene at Facets, Chicago 11/29/23

Greg Araki's stoner comedy Smiley Face might have been a lot of fun to check out at the theater. However, the pic's distributor First Look is only going to show it on one screen in LA (as far as I know at the moment. First Look's website didn't have any information on Smiley). I guess I'll have to wait for the DVD :( indieWIRE's got an interview with Greg Araki re: Smiley Face. - Sujewa

A segment of the response from WGA West's website : "WGA Statement in Response to AMPTP Newspaper Ad LOS ANGELES, NEW YORK -- The Writers Guild of America (Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West) issued this statement today in response to the AMPTP's misleading newspaper ads: Nice try, AMPTP. In the words of the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but not their own facts. The AMPTP's paid and patronizing advertisement in today's New York Times and Los Angeles Times is guilty of what most charitably could be called sins of omission. The AMPTP maintains, “It is important to make clear that writers currently do receive residuals for digital downloading (regardless of whether the download is temporary or permanent)... The Guild is seeking at least a 700 percent increase over what writers currently receive, and more than a 200 percent increase over what they receive for Internet 'pay per view.&

Have not seen Francois Truffaut's movie Day For Night yet. This YouTube clip/video makes it look interesting: And, from another French movie about making movies; some Irma Vep clips: Now a clip from everyone's favorite indie movie about indie moviemaking; a tiny bit of Living In Oblivion: I think the rain is fat because there are aliens in it. A Bowfinger clip (with subtitles from an unknown land): Any other good movies about making movies? - Sujewa

From Late Show Writers On Strike : "CLASSIC MOVIE SCENES IF THERE WERE NO WRITERS It's time for...CLASSIC MOVIE SCENES IF THERE WERE NO WRITERS by Lee Ellenberg "Casablanca" INT./EXT. AIRPORT HANGAR - NIGHT RICK ILSA RICK ILSA Ilsa's eyes fill with tears. Rick puts his hand to her chin and raises her face to meet his own. RICK Ilsa boards the plane. OUT." Visit Late Show Writers On Strike for more. - Sujewa

Check out the article here , very interesting. Here is a lil' bit of it: "This is not a difficult thing to envision. And in fact, it's already happening. Will Ferrell's Funny Or Die , in which I am a minority investor, is one early existence proof of this model. And there are a ton of other such new companies either already underway, or currently being incubated, or currently being negotiated." Read the rest here . Hollywood labor & owners/studios issues aside, the article has some ideas that can apply to the independent film world RIGHT NOW, specially those of us who are slanted towards the DIY/real indie side of things; those of us interested in owning our creations, having final say on how our movies are made at each stage of production & controling the distribution of same. - Sujewa

To put it relatively briefly, is it accurate to say: Screenwriters get residual payments because the total value of a script cannot be determined at the time the script is sold to the production company. (by total value i mean what a movie based on a given script makes upon release, year after year. and that value cannot be known at the time of sale of the script because no one knows how a given movie will perform in the market place until they actually release it; they may have rough ideas at the moment the script is purchased, but those estimates can be way off) So, people who know a lot about this issue, what do you think? :: [Some background: I posted the above in a couple of discussion threads at a couple of WGA strike related blogs ( Artful Writer , John August - check those sites out for even more background on this issue). They are having long (or at least very involved) discussions re: residuals - as in; do screenwriters deserve them?, how to best explain to the general public

check it out here . - sujewa

Article at Entertainment Weekly . - Sujewa

check 'em out here . bracelets & t-shirts. site says profits go to "WGA's union solidarity fund". - sujewa

i am sure all Office fans have seen this by now, if not, here it is: hope the Office writers & the rest of WGA get what they want. RELATED: check out the United Hollywood blog . - sujewa

Check it out here ; a whole bunch of screenwriters expressing their commitment to the WGA strike. Got the link from John August 's blog. - Sujewa

here - sujewa

As some commentators believe at the moment, the Mumblecore film movement is over. So what's next, American indie film movements wise ('cause it's fun - at times - to read about low budget indie film movements)? Here are some possibilities - possible ways to organize new indie films, makers, & market them as film movements: 1. The Elderly In Indie Film film movement; lots of new indies are made by people in their 20's - 30's, featuring actors/friends in the same age group, so how about a group of low budget indie films that deal with the comedy & drama of being older - like about being in your 50's, 60's, 70's or so? 2. Hip Multi-Ethnic Suburban Non-Creative People film movement; I live in the suburbs and there is a lot of ethnic diversity out here (at least in the DC suburbs), and a lot of these people are not creative professionals or aspiring creatives but rather hold more traditional jobs (attorneys, bankers, teachers, etc.), and are pretty mu

Didn't know Wayne Wang recently completed two new movies. Here are the Variety reviews of A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and The Princess of Nebraska . Of the two Nebraska sounds more interesting to me, so here is a little bit from the review: "Whereas “Prayers” is anchored by formal, quiet compositions, “Princess,” which was shot and co-directed by Richard Wong (“Colma: The Musical”), goes wild with hand-held, off-the-cuff-style shooting. Approach is mannered in the way it apes current fashion, and yet pic builds a certain interest via the shorthand fashion in which it presents its protag. Sasha (Ling Li), a student from China who’s recently started college in Omaha, arrives in San Francisco with the idea of aborting the fetus conceived on a one-night stand back in Beijing. Her text messages to the man responsible go unanswered, however, and she’s got to deal locally with a gay Yank, Boshen (Brian Danforth), who was also her lover’s lover." Read the rest here . - Sujew

check them out here . got the link from this blog entry at John August's blog ; lots of notes on the strike there . thanks Filmmaker Magazine blog for the August link. - sujewa