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

For more on the Straight 8 filmmaking project, go here . Clips from some of their '08 movies:

Yes, the sci-fi sounding (even more exciting & wild than most sci-fi, 'cause it's real!) news that Nitya Venkataraman has been able to re-awaken a 7 million year old dormant gene that may be capable of fighting HIV is awesome, and here's the link & an excerpt: " Nitya Venkataraman from the University of Central Florida has managed to reawaken a guardian gene that has been lying dormant in our genomes for 7 million years. These genes, known as retrocyclins, protect monkeys from HIV-like viruses. The hope is that by rousing them from their slumber, they could do the same for us. The technique is several safety tests and clinical trials away from actual use, but it's promising nonetheless." More at this post . But beyond the excitement of that news I am wondering about that 7 million year number: we've got genes in us that are 7 million years old!!!???? Freak-y. What exactly were we 7 million years ago? I don't think we were even humans - so

how to read this blog post: 1. play the embedded video, it'll provide music while you read 2. read the blog post the video: the blog post: figured out the rest of the story (selected the stories i wanted to use out of several, & the structure of the entire movie) for Brooklyn Fantastic while traveling from New York City to Maryland early this morning on a bus (left NYC around 11 PM & got to DC at 3 AM). being in transit has helped me write (figured out the plot for Wild Diner while on a ride on bus in Rockville, MD, wrote Fresh Coffee while on an amtrak train from MD to Chicago), also, writing late at night, when everyone else is sleeping & making dreams helps me finish scripts - probably because writing stories for movies is kind of like a waking dream activity, also because a lot of dreams are "in the air" at night. so here's what i can say now about the stories & structure of Brooklyn Fantastic: Story 1 - About a couple who lives in Brooklyn Stor

Another Jon Moritsugu feature is available in its entirety from YouTube. Check out Fame Whore here . From the YouTube page : " "FAME WHORE cuts between three interwoven stories examining our culture's lust for that elusive state when everybody knows your name. The triptych includes an All-American tennis star hounded by rumors that he's gay, a trust fund brat on a demonic quest for celebrity and an idealized innocent so isolated he's created a six-foot Saint Bernard as an imaginary friend." - FILMMAKER"

Check out Jon Moritsugu's Hi-8 feature Scumrock at YouTube . Film features Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio. Here's the official description of the movie from the YouTube page : "Winner of "Best Feature" Award at both the New York and the Chicago Underground Film Festivals, Scumrock is director Jon Moritsugu's (Mod F*** Explosion, Fame Whore) sixth feature. A sprawling epic shot on analog Hi8 video, Scumrock has screened around the world to critical and popular acclaim."

Shadow And Act blog points to an interesting article on an old subject - job hunting challenges faced by female and minority talent in Hollywood, read the post & follow links here .

For those of us who are into this subject, a new addition to the conversation at Chuck Tryon's blog . Here's a paragraph that I like (for obvious reasons): "First, it’s worth noting that these debates have been evolving for several years, and in fact two recent documentaries, Sujewa Ekanayake’s Indie Film Bloggers Road Trip (full disclosure: I appear in Sujewa’s film) and Gerald Peary’s For the Love of Movies have sought, to varying degrees, to engage with these changes. In print, this ongoing debate surfaces every few months, reminding us that the traditional definitions of film criticism, addressed in this post by David Bordwell (note: in my response , I attempt a brief taxonomy of some of the possible modes of blog-based criticism), are in the process of revision, especially when many film bloggers are themselves filmmakers and when the production of information is increasing exponentially. Here, Clive Davies-Frayne, as part of Alejandro’s roundtable, offers one solu

At Museum of the Moving Image's site . Jarmusch talks about his previous movies, the currently in release Limits of Control, and other things interesting & amusing. Thanks to The Daily for the link.

For my earlier post on Limits of Control, go here . Here's another quick thought about the movie: The entire movie takes place inside either the Lone Man character or some other character's head. The mission is to kill the violent, closed, maybe money & power obsessed aspect of the self. The mission is to be accomplished by the use of art, science, philosophy, discipline, sex or appreciation of the beauty of the body, etc. Ultimately the Closed Side of the self is heavily guarded, inside a bunker. The Open Side of the self gets in & accomplishes its mission by using the imagination (when the Lone Man is questioned by his target as to how he penetrated the bunker, Lone Man says he used his imagination). Or, by using our imagination - making art, exploring science, etc., we may be able to get the more destructive & selfish aspects of ourselves under control. Of course, check out the film for yourself (if you haven't yet) & see if this take on it makes se

I had coffee with Ry earlier today & she told me that she has a website for all her projects (You Won't Miss Me [trailer above], Orphans, Marion & more), with upcoming screenings (YWMM at MD Film Fest on 5/9 & 5/10, also at BAMcinemaFest 6/19 & 23) & other info. Check out the site here & get all the info. on the cinematic adventures of Russo-Young.