Sandra Oh

As everyone’s favorite overly-ambitious surgical intern, Sandra Oh, born on this day in 1971, has been welcomed into millions of American living rooms each week on “Grey�(tm)s Anatomy.” But the native Canadian began her career long before landing that prime role on the hit medical drama. Oh had her stage debut at the age of 10 and by 1993 broke through on the small screen with the made-for-television movie “The Diary of Evelyn Lau.” Two years later the young actress had her feature breakthrough and earned a Best Actress Genie Award (Canada�(tm)s Oscar equivalent) for her lead role in Double Happiness. The following year introduced Oh to American audiences with her supporting role on the HBO comedy “Arli$$.” Supporting players in popular features The Princess Diaries and Under the Tuscan Sun paved the way for meatier roles in indies such as Sideways, Hard Candy and 3 Needles, plus eventually showcasing her talent to the producers over at “Grey�(tm)s.”

Factoid: Sandra Oh has received the most critical acclaim to date with her award-winning role as Dr. Christina Yang on “Grey�(tm)s Anatomy,” but previously the actress had been honored with awards from SAG (Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for 2004�(tm)s breakout hit Sideways) and by the Milan International Film Festival (Best Acting for 2000�(tm)s Dancing at the Blue Iguana).

July 19th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Tadpole

Five years ago today, Tadpole was released in New York and Los Angeles. The independent feature was written by Niels Mueller (The Assassination of Richard Nixon) and Heather McGowan, with Gary Winick (Puccini for Beginners) in the director’s chair. The entire film was pulled together in two weeks for $150,000 and then sold to Miramax for $5 million. Shot entirely on digital video, Tadpole depicts the confrontation between 15-year-old Oscar Grubman and his adolescent hormones. Itâ€(tm)s on his Thanksgiving weekend break from boarding school that Oscar discovers the feminine wiles of older women (especially those of his new stepmother, played by Sigourney Weaver). Bilingual and educated in the classics, the cross-generational attraction is mutual for an older female member of his fatherâ€(tm)s social circleâ€"making the holiday season just a little bit awkward.

Awards: Tadpole, also starring Bebe Neuwirth and the late John Ritter, won the Directing Award and a Grand Jury Prize nomination at Sundance 2002.

July 18th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Hunter S. Thompson

Legendary Gonzo journalist and independent film inspiration Hunter S. Thompson was born on this day in 1937. As a young man Thompson joined the U.S. Air Force and spent his time on the Florida military base as sports editor for its paper, The Command Courier. Over the years he would attend Columbia University and write for TIME and Rolling Stone, but it was his later experiences with the Hells Angels bicycle gang and on the campaign trail that led to infamous books and filmic interpretations. His general misadventures have since become fodder for many a popular movie, including 1980’s Where the Buffalo Roam and the cultish Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, starring Johnny Depp as the Gonzo writer himself. In February 2005 Thompson committed suicide at his home in Colorado and left a legacy of free spirit and maniacal schemes that have inspired many moviemakers to honor his legacy. Since his death, there have been no less than four documentaries made about his life, including: Blasted!!! The Gonzo Patriots of Hunter S. Thompson, Road to Hunter, Buy the Ticket, Take the Ride: Hunter S. Thompson on Film and 2007’s Hunter.

Factoid: To prepare for his 1998 role as Hunter S. Thompson, Johnny Depp moved into the basement of the writerâ€(tm)s Aspen home. While living in what the two deemed “the dungeon,” Depp even allowed his new landlord to shave off his hairâ€"in the kitchen, with no mirror and a mining helmet atop the writerâ€(tm)s head. Nothing was ever conventional with Thompson around.

July 17th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Polish Wedding

It was on this day in 1998 that Polish Wedding was released to U.S. audiences. The only movie by writer-director Theresa Connelly, Polish Wedding stars Claire Danes as Hala, a young woman dealing with her large Polish family and its small Detroit community. Things get complicated when Hala, slated to have her virginity honored at the church festival, becomes pregnant. The soon-to-be parents are forced to marry--the inevitable celebration referred to in the title. Also starring a high caliber supporting cast with Lena Olin and Gabriel Byrne as Hala’s complicated parents, Polish Wedding has its national and international festival premieres that same year at Sundance and Berlin, respectively.

Connections: This was the second time Polish Wedding co-stars Claire Danes and Gabriel Byrne appeared in the same film. Four years previous both had significant roles in Gillian Armstrong’s Little Women.

July 16th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Maria Full of Grace

It was on this day in 2004 that the United States was first confronted about Colombian drug smugglers through the eyes of the fictional and desperate young María in Maria Full of Grace. Inspired by the Colombian community in his Brooklyn neighborhood, director Joshua Marston wrote the story of 17-year-old María, down on her luck and willing to do anything to escape her home life. The title role landed then-unknown Catalina Sandino Moreno a Best Lead Actress Oscar nomination after winning the Silver Berlin Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival. The movie itself won the Audience Award at Sundance and was nominated for the festâ€(tm)s Grand Jury Prize.

Quotable: “There are over a billion people on the planet that are living on a dollar a day or less; theyâ€(tm)re not all drug mules. So the question poses itself: What does cause a person who is in desperate straits to become a drug mule? Well, there are as many answers as there are people who do it.â€? â€"Director Joshua Marston

July 15th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Cameron Crowe

It is a rare chance that by the age of 16 an aspiring writer would find himself dropping out of school to become an editor at one of the nationâ€(tm)s most popular magazines, but that is exactly what happened to Cameron Crowe, who was born on this day in 1957. If the story sounds familiar, thatâ€(tm)s because his road to the top inspired the Oscar-winning 2000 film, Almost Famous.
Along the way to becoming a writer-director, Crowe profiled such legends as Bob Dylan, David Bowie and more. In 1979 he returned to high school as research for a book, which instead resulted in the popular screenplay that launched the career of future Oscar winners Sean Penn and Forest Whitaker: Fast Times at Ridgemont High. His second directorial feature, Say Anything…, is iconic in its romantic comedy imagery (John Cusack wooing his young love by holding up a boom box outside of her window), as have become moments in his other films, including Singles, Jerry Maguire and Vanilla Sky.

Quotable: “You cannot make friends with the rock stars… You will get free records from the record company. And theyâ€(tm)ll buy you drinks, youâ€(tm)ll meet girls, theyâ€(tm)ll try to fly you places for free, offer you drugs. I know, it sounds great. But they are not your friends. These are people who want you to write sanctimonious stories about the genius of the rocks stars, and they will ruin rock and roll and strangle everything we love about it.” --Philip Seymour Hoffman as passionate rock journalist Lester Bangs in Almost Famous.

July 12th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

German director Tom Tykwer began shooting Perfume: The Story of a Murderer on this day in 2005. With cast members Ben Wishaw, Dustin Hoffman, Alan Rickman and Rachel Hurd-Wood in tow, the production began at Bavaria Studios in Munich and followed with shoots throughout Spain. To achieve the feeling of 18th Century France, Tykwer employed more than 50 young men and women he called the “Dirt Unit” to disperse and remove all dirt used in a scene. Perfume, based on the novel of the same name by Patrick Suskind, is about young orphan Jean-Baptiste Grenouille (Wishaw) and his innate talent for scents. As the child matures, so do his abilities until he discovers the ultimate perfume: The scent given off by a young girl after death. To complete his growing collection, Grenouille must gather a sample from a redhead (Hurd-Wood) before her father (Rickman) or the authorities catch up to him. Perfume premiered in Munich, Germany on Sept. 7, 2006 and went on to a limited U.S. opening on December 27.

Factoid: Director Tykwer employed cinematographer Frank Griebe to recreate all that was gritty and vibrant in Grenouilleâ€(tm)s life. Take notice: When the main character starts off in a sad state at a tannery, Griebe kept the movie muted and devoid of much color, but as the young artist gains control of his talent, things start looking a bit brighter all around.

July 11th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Junebug

The family reunion ended today in 2004 when director Phil Morrison wrapped production on his independent movie, Junebug. Featuring a stand-out performance by Amy Adams as the well-intentioned, cheerfully naive Ashley, the movie was nominated for major awards (Best First Screenplay by Angus McLachlan, Producerâ€(tm)s Award for Mike S. Ryan and the Grand Jury Prize [Dramatic] for Morrison) at both the Independent Spirit and Sundance ceremonies. As the pregnant Ashley eagerly awaiting her first child, “Junebug,” Adams earned Oscar and SAG nominations for supporting actress, after winning awards from Film Independent and Sundance. Junebug is an unconventional take on the conventional concept of meeting the in-laws. When George brings his prim and proper city wife to meet his Southern Comfort family in North Carolina, both sides must adjust to being from opposite sides of the track. Ashley turns out to be the glue that seeks to bind.

Quotable: “God loves you just the way you are. But He loves you too much to let you stay that way.” --Amy Adams as the devout Ashley.

July 10th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Chiwetel Ejiofor

Although he has played a native African in films such as Dirty Pretty Things, Chiwetel Ejiofor was born in London on this day in 1974. The actorâ€(tm)s parents had left their Nigerian homeland before the birth of their son, giving him the benefit of beginning his career early. By the age of 13 Ejiofor had taken the lead in the U.K.â€(tm)s National Youth Theatre productions of “Julius Caesar” and “Othello.” After attending the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts, Ejiofor graduated to the larger stage performing at the Royal National Theatre. Sometime during his schooling, the 19-year-old landed his first major role in Steven Spielbergâ€(tm)s Amistad, but it is only since his Golden Globe-nominated performance in Kinky Boots, as Lola, a shoe-designing drag queen, that Ejiofor has received international recognition. Before then he took turns in Spike Leeâ€(tm)s She Hate Me and Woody Allenâ€(tm)s Melinda and Melinda. Since then his minor roles have turned into important supporting players in Leeâ€(tm)s Inside Man and Kasi Lemmons’ upcoming Talk to Me.

Connections: Chiwetel Ejiofor is so good it seems some of cinemaâ€(tm)s top talent have returned for seconds. Spike Lee has worked on both She Hate Me and Inside Man with the London actor, while two of his Inside Man co-stars, Clive Owen and Denzel Washington, can be seen alongside him in Children of Men and American Gangster respectively.

July 9th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Michael Bay

Like it or not, Michael Bay is a successful moviemaker. His films make obscene amounts of money, which in turn allows him to continue to practice his “craft,â€? a fairly reliable definition of success. Recently he has become a lightning rod for criticism on all aspects of his work, with an entire song devoted to him (“Why Does Michael Bay Keep Getting to Make Movies?â€?) in 2004â€(tm)s Team America: World Police. Heâ€(tm)s a guy that people really love to hate. His movies are considered bloated, heavy on effects and low on plot and reality. But with his latest effort, Transformers, breaking records and raking in money, Bay couldnâ€(tm)t care less what anyone else thinks.
Bay got started doing commercials and music videos. He created the original “Got Milk?â€? ad, which went on to win a commercial of the year award. His first feature, Bad Boys, made $150 million worldwide when it was released in 1995. The Rock and Armageddon both made buckets of cash and began to cement him as the action film director. His track recordâ€(tm)s first hiccup was 2001â€(tm)s Pearl Harbor. The movie, universally hated by critics (and most of the people who saw it), somehow still made a ton of money. His first major bomb was 2005â€(tm)s The Island, which only made $35 million at the box office--a sum total equal to just 30 percent of the movie’s total budget. This led to a very public fight between Bay, the actors and the producers about who exactly should be to blame for the colossal failure of the movie.
Bay is no stranger to public controversy, he recently engaged in an immature battle of words with Bruce Willis on the Internet about whether or not Bay was originally going to direct the latest Die Hard movie. He also recently posted--and then quickly deleted--a post on his Website criticizing two producers of Transformers for taking credit that was “rightfully� his.
Bay’s next project is still up in the air, but Transformers 2 will probably be in his horizons. 

Sound Off: What about Michael Bay pisses you off the most? The gaping plot holes? The lack of reality? What about Michael Bay makes you happy? The wanton destruction and giant explosions? The sex appeal? Sound off in our “Comments” section.

July 9th, 2007 | Category: Moviemaker of the Week, Moviemaking | By MovieMaker Staff

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Chris Cooper

Chris Cooper is much more than the stereotypical cowpoke from Missouri. Because, while he started his career designing and building sets there, the young actor found his first acting roles in New York City and soon crossed the pond to play opposite Lauren Bacall in "Sweet Bird of Youth" on the London stage in 1985.

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July 8th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Top of the Box Office

1. Transformers
Paramount
Weekend Gross: $67,600,000
Total Gross: $152,600,000

2. Ratatouille
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $29,029,000
Total Gross: $109,546,000

3. Live Free or Die Hard
Fox
Weekend Gross: $17,400,000
Total Gross: $84,160,091

4. License to Wed
Warner Bros.
Weekend Gross: $10,410,000
Total Gross: $17,826,000

5. Evan Almighty
Universal
Weekend Gross: $8,113,700
Total Gross: $78,101,350

Totals courtesy of mediabynumbers.com.

July 8th, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

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Short Takes: The Wide Shots and the Close-Ups

Favorite of the Month: Planet Earth (2006)
For those of you who, like me, completely missed this series when it aired on The Discovery Channel, it is now available in a five-disc package narrated by the stalwart British traveler Sir David Attenborough. Simply put, these episodes will astound you with their incomparable nature photography set in exotic and remote locations. The sheer diversity of life on display is humbling and awe-inspiring, and I found myself moved by the instinctual will of the wildlife to adapt and survive. These creatures make us humans look awfully irrelevant.

New Release of the Month: If… (1968)
This irreverent British classic from director Lindsay Anderson has finally been reissued for the first time on DVD. Starring a pre-A Clockwork Orange Malcolm McDowell as a student in a draconian upper-crust boarding school, this absurdist gem coolly conflates post-Colonialism and chic Che rebelliousness into a movie that now, nearly 40 years later, offers both nostalgic indulgence for the baby boomer and an anarchic touchstone for Generations X, Y and Z. The movie seems at times to be nothing more than a naive bauble, but its subversive streak is a reminder that films--even films with silly moments like a priest popping up out of a drawer--used to really matter in the world.

Classic of the Month: A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Director Elia Kazan’s biting commentary on the corrosiveness of celebrity seems more prescient than ever.  Although Budd Schulberg’s script eventually hammers the point home one too many times, this movie--about a homespun hobo plucked from the county jail who ends up preaching a cornpone philosophy to millions on his own TV show--paints a picture of a media ruled by advertisers and ratings, a public willing to be bamboozled and the implicit corruption of money and power. Andy Griffith is mesmerizing in the role of Lonesome Larry Rhodes, a grifter in the guise of a hayseed, and Patricia Neal is, as always, brilliant as the reporter who discovers, first to her delight and then to her horror, who and what Lonesome Rhodes really is.

Documentary of the month: The Bridge (2006)
You will never look at the Golden Gate Bridge the same way again after watching this unsettling documentary about some of the men and women who have committed suicide by jumping off it. Director Eric Steel hired several camera crews to shoot various people on the bridge over several months and then, after one of them jumped, he followed up with interviews of willing friends and family members who talked about the deceased. It sounds ghoulish and voyeuristic, but Steel and his crew would call the police whenever they spotted someone crawling over the railing, and the actual footage of jumpers is kept to a minimum. What could have been a sick YouTube feature is instead a sensitive and brave exploration of mental illness and a candid testimonial from loved ones that, for some people, living is harder than dying.

Under-the-Radar: Following Sean (2006)
Director Ralph Arlyck made a short film in 1969 about Sean, the four-year old who lived above his apartment in the Haight-Ashbury district of San Francisco. The kid smoked pot, roamed the streets and watched the hippies come and go from his parents’ crash pad. Thirty years later, Arlyck looked Sean up and found a thoughtful young man who had somehow turned out okay. It doesn’t sound like the premise for a gripping documentary, and it’s not, but by weaving footage from Sean’s extended family into film of Arlyck’s own life, he creates a subtly textured observation of the twists, turns, births and deaths that make up normal life. It’s a refreshing, non-prurient, unsensationalized, poignant, affecting, well-written and well-shot documentary… a rare thing for the genre nowadays.

Give This a Miss: The Fountain (2006)
If they ever give out an award for “Best Performance By an Actor in a Gelatinous Puddle of Howling Mush,” then it would certainly go to Hugh Jackman in The Fountain. Jackman and, in a smaller role, Rachel Weisz, somehow retain their dignity in this New Age nuttiness from director Darren Aronofsky, who must have smoked a Ramtha-sized doobie before committing this time travel travesty to film. Jackman displays talents he kept buried under the whiskers in those wretched X-Men movies, and it was truly painful to watch him suffocate in the fumes of this hooey-filled hookah of a picture.

July 6th, 2007 | Category: | By MovieMaker Staff

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The Long Island International Film Expo

While New York City is unquestionably the moviemaking hub of the East Coast, over the years the neighboring community of Long Island has become a destination for indie moviemakers in its own right. Several high-profile festivals take place on the skinny stretch of land throughout the year, and the Long Island International Film Expo (LIIFE) is an event that exemplifies the area’s growing film culture. With panels on everything from screenwriting to the legal issues surrounding music usage, and prizes that include free editing time and gear rentals, LIIFE is geared toward growing the local moviemaking community, and bringing the international film world to the most populated island in the U.S.

One of LIIFE’s greatest features is its ability to draw the attendance and support of the moviemaking community, with actors (and L.I. natives) Steve Buscemi and Steve Guttenberg as advisors to the festival, and gala parties attended by the likes of Edie Falco, Billy Baldwin and Danny Aiello. Festival director Debra Markowitz notes the diversity of the movies and moviemakers as a part of what makes the Expo unique: “For some filmmakers, they are on their tenth film. And then there’s the lawyer, singer, accountant, teacher or local power utility employee who just has to make a filmâ€"and sometimes, you can’t tell the difference.”

For more information, visit www.longislandfilm.com.

Sound Off: What are your favorite Long Island-based films? Your favorite Long Island moviemakers? Talk back in the comments section!

July 6th, 2007 | Category: Festival of the Week, Festivals | By MovieMaker Staff

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In Theaters Now: July 6, 2007

Introducing the Dwights
directed by Cherie Nowlan
Chock full of standout supporting roles from Down Under comes the story of a young man madly in love. But when it’s time to bring the little lady home to meet the folks he’s more than a little wary. Starring the lovely Brenda Blethyn, who received a standing ovation at Sundance this year for her role, the film captures the hilarious and heartbreaking journey of an overprotective, jealous mother struggling to keep her handsome, virginal 20-year-old under her thumb. Richard Wilson plays the challenged brother who alone has the most insight into the wacky family, and Frankie J. Holden is the meek father still clinging to his dream of becoming a star. From its high acclaim at festivals this year, the dramedy promises to be truly moving entertainment.

Joshua
directed by George Ratliff
Critics are calling Joshua the smartest horror movie since The Shining. That’s not hard to believe considering that the most recent scare-fest box office hits seem to compete for the most blood and torture-induced screaming. Joshua, played by Jacob Kogan, is a sociopathic child with evil intentions. In the vein of films like The Bad Seed (like little Rhoda, Joshua also plays a grand piano with chilling intentions) the film seeks to terrify psychologically rather than with gory effects, teasing with its social irony and hitting our deeper social fears. Mounting dread and tension lead to the downfall of the perfect Manhattan family, and the movie manages to play with a parent’s worst nightmare. With the Sundance ‘07 Best Cinematography Award under its belt, Joshua looks to be off to a haunting start.

License to Wed
directed by Ken Kwapis
Anything with Mandy Moore just happens to ooze cheese, so it’s a sad day when this pop princess and Robin Williams end up in the same romantic comedy. It makes you wonder how desperate Mr. Williams must be these days. The plot revolves around a crazy marriage counselor/reverend who puts a young couple through grueling tests to prove they are ready to tie the knot. Spying on them and pushing them to the breaking point, will the pair make it through all the slapstick? Go see it this weekend to find out--before it leaves theaters as fast as it came!

Transformers
directed by Michael Bay
If you were a 1980s kid you know all about Transformers, those alien robot toys that could pop, lock and load into monster machines. This week they came to life (finally!) in theaters. When the earth suddenly becomes the battlefield for dueling, high-tech aliens threatening human life, there’s only one thing to do: Fight back with nonstop action and a few corny one-liners. Of course, unlike the 1986 animated version of Transformers, this time there’s a hot leading babe (Megan Fox), shining with sweat as she huffs and puffs, running around after Shia LaBeouf (Disturbia) to save the world in very little clothing. The movie will certainly give some a hit of nostalgia, but don’t expect it to go much more than skin deep--or should we say sheet metal deep.

July 6th, 2007 | Category: In Theaters Now | By MovieMaker Staff

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MM Remembers: Joel Siegel (1943 - 2007)

Being a movie critic wasn’t always as easy as starting a blog and telling all your friends about it. Now any and everyone seems to want to voice their opinion, and give their two cents worth (which is usually is worth even less than two cents). “Film critic” used to be a trusted position--a name, a real live person who could give you an honest opinion that you could count on. They knew that your money went where they told you to put it, and that many movies lived and died by their opinions.

One of those critics was Joel Siegel, and for 25 years he told people what he thought--and they listened. Siegel wasn’t just a critic though; he was a Tony-nominated playwright, a joke writer for JFK, a passionate
activist… the list goes on. He even had a trademark mustache.

But, how better to explain a man like Siegel than with his own words? Here are some of his best quotes.

1. Remember the movie critic Sony invented to give their films good reviews? Not even he would like The Sweetest Thing.
2. Follow your passion.
3. I do my best not to have any expectations when I go into a movie because it’s not fair.
4. If you fight back and get hit, it hurts a little while; if you don’t fight back it hurts forever.
5. I let the audience know what they should look for in the movie and also to try and improve their movie-viewing habit.

Siegel passed away on June 29th after a lengthy battle with colon cancer.

July 6th, 2007 | Category: MM Remembers | By MovieMaker Staff

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Geoffrey Rush

The city of Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia welcomed Geoffrey Rush into the world on this day in 1951. As a young man, the aspiring actor studied the dramatic arts (and miming) at the L’Ecole internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq in Paris and upon returning to his native land, conquered the stage with turns in “The Diary of a Madman,” “Uncle Vanya” and David Mamet’s “Oleanna.” Rush’s first walk-on role in a feature was 1981’s Hoodwink, starring fellow Australian thespian Judy Davis. His first significant screen role was for Dad and Dave: On Our Selection (1995), but it was his portrayal of pianist David Helfgott in Shine (1996) that began his international recognition and acclaim.
Rush pillaged the SAG, Golden Globe and Academy Awards that season for his leading role. Since that momentous year, the actor has sunk his teeth into such varied historical characters as Sir Francis Walsingham (Elizabeth, 1998) and Leon Trotsky (Frida, 2002) as well as fictional ones such as Inspector Javert (Les Misérables, 1998) and Captain Barbossa (in all three Pirates of the Caribbean movies). The actor would twice more visit the Academy Awards as a nominee for his lead in Quills (2001) and supporting role in Shakespeare in Love (1999). Next he adds another piece to the Elizabeth I puzzle when he reprises his role as Walsingham alongside Cate Blanchett in The Golden Age this fall.

Factoid: At the age of 14, Geoffrey Rush gave up his piano lessons in pursuit of other arts. But upon receiving the role in Shine, the actor once again took up lessons. It is his hands that appear on screen eccentrically pounding away on the keys.

July 5th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Maria Full of Grace

July 5th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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She’s Gotta Have It

It was on this day in 1985 that Spike Lee got the cameras rolling for his first feature, She’s Gotta Have It. The completed movie premiered to international audiences at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival and returned home with the Award of the Youth for Foreign Film. Later that year it opened to U.S. audiences, who equally embraced it by honoring Lee, also one of the movie’s co-stars and its sole writer, with a Spirit Award for Best First Feature. She’s Gotta Have It tells the story of Nola, a graphic artist from Brooklyn, who simultaneously dates three men, unwilling to commit and choose just one. Problems arise when the men decide they each want her to themselves. Shot in 15 days on a budget of $175,000, the movie eventually grossed over $7 million and, according to The New York Times, ushered in the independent film movement of the late 1980s.

Connections: Spike Lee has a rival in Tommy Redmond Hicks when they compete for the love of one woman in She’s Gotta Have It. But in real life, the men obviously work well together as Hicks had previously starred in Lee’s short Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983).

July 4th, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Louis B. Mayer

Legendary studio chief Louis B. Mayer considered himself a patriot for the United States—despite being born in the Ukraine and growing up in Canada. It was for this reason that he chose to maintain his birthday was the same as that of the country he loved (the real date is widely thought to be the 12th of the month). Throughout his career Mayer preserved his brand of conservative patriotism by stumping for Herbert Hoover’s presidential bids and naming names before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1947. “Mr. Motion Picture,” as William R. Wilkerson of The Hollywood Reporter used to call him, began modestly with one Massachusetts movie theater to his name in 1907. By 1924 Mayer had merged his own thriving studio enterprise with those of Samuel Goldwyn and Marcus Loew of Metro Pictures to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. During his reign as head of the studio, he became the highest paid executive in the country and made stars out of Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Greta Garbo, Jean Harlow, Jimmy Stewart and Spencer Tracy, understanding that Hollywood was a “business of making idols… Everything else was secondary.”

Factoid: Louis B. Mayer’s empire was built on a foundation laid by The Birth of a Nation (1915), which he purchased a copy of after pawning his wife’s wedding ring.

Photo courtesy of AMPAS.

July 3rd, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Patrick Wilson

Stage and screen actor Patrick Wilson, born in Norfolk, VA on this day in 1973, was that oh-so-familiar friendly face swinging around this season’s Gap ads with Claire Danes. Before that Wilson was largely known as a two-time Tony Award nominee for his lead roles in “The Full Monty” and the Broadway revival of “Oklahoma!” But in 2003 he ventured a turn on-screen as the bisexual Mormon in HBO’s “Angels in America” and took a chance that paid off with nominations at both the Golden Globe and Emmy Awards. The Carnegie Mellon grad then transitioned from small screen to big with roles in Joel Schumacher’s The Phantom of the Opera and 2005’s Hard Candy. The following year Wilson’s recognition grew after playing the adulterous Brad Adamson in Little Children—alongside Oscar nominees Kate Winslet and Jackie Earle Haley. Most recently he re-teamed with his Gap partner, Toni Collette, Meryl Streep and a host of other acclaimed actresses in the June release Evening and can be seen in the Edward Burns feature, Purple Violets.

Quotable: “Does it make any difference that I might be one thing deep within? No matter how wrong or ugly that thing is so long as I have fought with everything I have to kill it?”—Patrick Wilson as Joe Pitt in “Angels in America”.

July 2nd, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Top of the Box Office

1. Ratatouille
Buena Vista
Weekend Gross: $47,227,000
Total Gross: $47,227,000

2. Live Free or Die Hard
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $33,150,000
Total Gross: $48,178,571

3. Evan Almighty
Universal
Weekend Gross: $15,089,400
Total Gross: $60,625,000

4. 1408
Miramax/Dimension
Weekend Gross: $10,610,000
Total Gross: $40,389,000

5. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer
20th Century Fox
Weekend Gross: $9,000,000
Total Gross: $114,800,808

Totals courtesy of www.the-numbers.com.

July 1st, 2007 | Category: Top of the Box Office | By MovieMaker Staff

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Before Sunset

It was on this day in 2004 that Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset was first released to a limited number of U.S. theaters. Co-written by Linklater with stars Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke, the feature became the type of rare sequel that critics adored and awards committees embraced. The screenplay was nominated in Best Screenplay categories at the Writers’ Guild, Independent Spirit and Academy Awards. Like its predecessor (1995’s Before Sunrise), Before Sunset follows Parisian Celine (Delpy) and American Jesse (Hawke) as they walk the streets of Europe bonding. Their deadline this time around: Sunset. Movie’s running time: 80 minutes. To address the timing discrepancy, Linklater employed many long takes, only a few unique scenes and an open ending--thereby achieving a feeling of real time and granting the audience access to the timeless tale of kindred spirits.

Connections: To date, Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater have completed six films together, including The Newton Boys (1998), Tape (2001), Waking Life (2001) and Fast Food Nation (2006).

July 1st, 2007 | Category: This Day in Indie History | By MovieMaker Staff

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Baltimore, Maryland

Being located right outside of the Beltway has made Baltimore, Maryland a natural extension of the U.S. capital and the setting for many a movie with a political tint. Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver visited during production of their 1993 comedy Dave, as did Nicolas Cage and Shirley MacLaine for 1994â€(tm)s Guarding Tess.

But it could be said that the people who really put this metropolitan area on the map were Bruce Willis and John McTiernan, who set up shop for Die Hard: With a Vengeance in 1995. Twelve years later the smooth-shaven action star returned with a new crew to film Live Free or Die Hard, released this past week by 20th Century Fox. The new movie finds battered action hero John McClane somewhat reluctantly dragged into yet another adventure when helicopters begin a high-speed chase of his vehicle through Baltimoreâ€(tm)s city streets. When Washington, D.C. is nearly shut down by homegrown cyber-terrorists, McClane and his new partner in crime (Dodgeballâ€(tm)s Justin Long) find themselves back on their way through the Old Line State to Baltimoreâ€(tm)s Woodlawn section, home to the targeted national headquarters of the Social Security Administration.

Usually, filming at government buildings can be a tricky feat, what with permits being a daunting task to tackle. But through the Maryland Film Office thereâ€(tm)s always a helping hand, whether in the form of a much-needed location scout or free shooting and production properties, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and the Arts can help moviemakers find their niche within the borders of The District without actually being within the borders of The District. Register your project with the state for free and even receive a five percent tax rebate on some of your most essential rentals and production services, all while rolling film in one of the nation’s original seaport cities.

The works of John Waters and many others have made use of Baltimore, including:

Diner (1982)
Hairspray (1988)
Cry Baby (1990)
Enemy of the State (1998)
A Dirty Shame (2004)
Syriana (2005)

Sound Off: Baltimore so easily passes for Washington, D.C. on film that you might not even notice the difference. What other popular movies have successfully utilized a substitute location and are worth a moviemakerâ€(tm)s tightly-budgeted money? Share with your fellow independents in our comments section!

July 1st, 2007 | Category: Location of the Week, Locations | By MovieMaker Staff

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