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Wes Craven Makes Nightmares Come True
It's been 24 years since Wes Craven first brought Freddy Krueger to life in A Nightmare on Elm Street, one of the most popular and influential horror movies of all time. But this horror mastermind is no one-trick pony, directing such movies as Music of the Heart and Paris, je t'aime.
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Murders and Masks and Zombies! Oh My!
Somewhere after F.W. Murnau’s Nosferatu and the 1950s’ monster mash-up movies featuring mummies and werewolves, the horror genre took a slight detour, trading monster-centric and supernatural premises for more psychological, socially apt and, ultimately, more human antagonists. In the process, two new sub-genres were formed within horror cinema: The slasher flick and the zombie movie. Here, MM counts down the top five landmark movies from each.
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Danny Boyle Honored by Austin Film Festival
British director and producer Danny Boyle has been announced as the 2008 recipient of the Austin Film Festival’s “Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award.” The honor is awarded to industry professionals who have demonstrated an unyielding commitment and creativity to moviemaking. AFF co-founder and director Barbara Morgan said of Boyle, “His work is regarded as some of the most cutting -edge and thought-provoking filmmaking today.”
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FirstGlance Film Festival Conquers New Frontiers
What began 12 years ago in the basement of a little movie theater in Center City Philadelphia with a group of indie moviemakers scrounging up every big screen TV and movie projector they could find has become one of the most revolutionary film festivals in the country. With more than 400 projects shown to date, an audience of more than 10,000 and two separate bi-coastal events (one in Philadelphia and the other in California) being held annually since then, the FirstGlance Film Festival has come a long way from its humble basement beginnings.
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Lorene Scafaria Makes A Date With Nick & Norah
There have been countless comparisons made between Lorene Scafaria, the talented screenwriter behind Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Juno writer Diablo Cody since both of them penned indie-minded comedies that attracted understated charmer Michael Cera to star. But the similarities between the two promising writers end there. Unlike Cody, Scafaria has been in the business for quite some time, writing screenplays (Nick and Norah is merely her first to be produced) and appearing in independent films.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist debuted third at the weekend U.S. box office, but before the movie made a splash with audiences, MovieMaker spoke with Lorene Scafaria about the movie, her inspiration and projects on the horizon.
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Only Boris Karloff Can Animate Frankenstein
Like Lon Chaney's Quasimodo or Bela Lugosi's Dracula, Boris Karloff became the face of one of the horror genre's biggest monsters with his portrayal of Dr. Frankenstein's Monster in the 1931 original movie and its sequels.
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Stefan Forbes Explores the Boogie Man of American Politics
New documentary traces the impact of Republican strategist Harvey Leroy "Lee" Atwater
Just in time for election day, director Stefan Forbes releases his documentary on the father of the politics-as-war ideology: Harvey "Lee" Atwater. A political consultant and strategist for the Republican Party during the elections of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush, Atwater's abrasive negative campaigning not only made him a star in the eyes of his party and George W. Bush’s “number one soul mate” but also set the playing ground for the dirty politics we know today. With the debates underway and mudslinging ads coming from both sides, one thing is certain: Atwater's legacy is still very much alive. Forbes gave MM the scoop on Boogie Man after its screenings at both the Democratic and Republican National Conventions. Here, he discusses everything from making a documentary on such a controversial figure to the importance of the Atwater story on the current political climate and upcoming election.
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Mark Ruffalo's Blind Faith
It took a role opposite Laura Linney in 2000's You Can Count on Me to bring Mark Ruffalo into the spotlight. While his name became a staple of independent flicks like XX/XY, My Life Without Me and We Don't Live Here Anymore, the actor has been able to straddle the line between indie and mainstream success, moving between genres with ease and working with some of the greatest directors of the time. With a string of upcoming lead roles in the year ahead, it's clear: The name Mark Ruffalo is synonymous with versatility.
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Clive Barker Knows How to Raise Hell
While he’s only directed a handful of movies, many of Clive Barker's frightful stories have made it to the big screen, like Candyman and The Midnight Meat Train (2008), and he's produced movies like Gods and Monsters (1998). With Tortured Souls: Animae Damnatae, his first directing gig in 14 years, and a remake of Hellraiser on the way, now is a good time to catch up with the moviemaking triple-threat.
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Marc Rosenbush’s Internet Marketing for Filmmakers
How marketing your film online could be the best distribution deal you’ll ever find
Only after years spent employed at various other ventures—including stints as a theater director in Chicago and a Web entrepreneur—did Marc Rosenbush finally move to California to pursue his dream of making movies. By 2006 his first feature, Zen Noir, was complete and ready for release. But, despite numerous festival credits and a healthy following, the movie didn’t receive any distribution offers. So Rosenbush turned to his background in Internet marketing and began self-distributing the film online. The moviemaker describes himself as coming from a “starving artist’s mentality,” where he was “embarrassed to be too aggressive a marketer.” But Rosenbush realized that “if I spent two years making a film that I care about and I honestly believe will be of value to people, then I’m doing a disservice to myself and the audience by not using any of my power to get it into their hands.” Sound familiar?
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When Psychos Compete Does the Audience Win?
Spoiler Alert! How does the original Psycho compare with Gus Van Sant's 1998 remake? Read on only if you know how it ends.
When Alfred Hitchcock released Psycho in June 1960, he had little idea how influential his low-budget “B-movie" would become. His experiment in terror would lead the way for the slasher movie craze and redefine the horror genre in the process. Which makes one wonder what Gus Van Sant was thinking when, in 1998, he directed a shot-by-shot remake of Hitchcock’s classic. Here, MM examines what went right and what went wrong with Psycho.
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Simon Pegg Knows How to Lose Friends & Alienate People
The co-creator of Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz—and star of How to Lose Friends & Alienate People and J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek—shares 10 lessons he's learned as a moviemaker.
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Spike Lee’s Cinematic Eye
With Miracle at St. Anna, writer-director makes his mark on war dramas
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Finding Inspiration in Iraq
Movies find a home, a character and inspiration in this war-torn country
In recent years, Iraq has been one of the film industry’s most sought-after backdrops. Since the United States’ 2003 invasion into the country, movies set in or around this war-torn battleground range from big-budget Hollywood features like Jarhead to revealing documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11 to small local productions like Damn Gum, a movie made by Baghdad native Ammar Saad, referencing the current role of Iraqi journalists.
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Clark Gregg Gets Choked Up
Actor attempts adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's Choke for his directorial debut
You’ve seen him in movies and on TV. He’s that smarmy, balding, authoritative guy in State and Main (2000), In Good Company (2004) and this year’s blockbuster Iron Man (2008); on the hit CBS sitcom “The New Adventures of Old Christine” he plays Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ ex-husband. Yet, what you might not know is that he’s also a founding member and former artistic director of the Atlantic Theater Company in New York and made his screenwriting debut with the successful 2000 Robert Zemeckis thriller What Lies Beneath, starring Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. On September 26th, Choke, his directorial debut and one of the most talked about movies at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, will be released into theaters. What’s this versatile guy’s name again, you may ask? Meet Clark Gregg.
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Docurama Film Festival Comes to Your Living Room
Didn't make it to Sundance this year? No worries—there is the Docurama Film Festival, an event of a different sort that you don't have to hop on a plane in order to attend. In fact, you don't even need to leave your living room. Docurama, a leading distributor of documentaries both in digital and DVD forms, commenced its fifth annual film festival today by releasing 12 award-winning documentaries on DVD.
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Deborah Kampmeier Stirs the Pot with Hounddog
Deborah Kampmeier Stirs the Pot with Hounddog
It's been nearly two years since Deborah Kampmeier's Hounddog first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival but as it gears up for a September 19 theatrical release, the same controversies that surrounded it then have reappeared. The story of a precocious young girl (Dakota Fanning) who has her innocence stolen when a local deliveryman rapes her has been drawing critics since before it was ever screened. Here, MM talks with writer-director-producer Kampmeier about the movie's intentions and implications.
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MM Aims Its Six Shooter at 15 Modern Westerns
Join MM as we take a look back at 10 of the best modern Westerns—and five runners up—from the past 20 years.
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Scripped and Write Brothers Join Forces, Plan World Domination
Beginning writers (read: unemployed writers) look for merely two characteristics in their screenwriting software: Low price and a tolerable level of functionality. And if need be, the latter will be waived for the former. Thanks to a new partnership between Scripped and Write Brothers Inc., this sacrifice may not be necessary anymore.
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Discover New Technology at HD EXPO New York
Want to learn more about the latest innovative film technology, and even try it out yourself? Then HD EXPO, making its New York City debut on September 25th, will be right up your alley. This exclusive trade show features keynote speakers and intensive workshops that will allow participants to hear how top leaders in the entertainment industry are applying the most up-to-date innovations in their current work. Participants will then be given the chance to test out this eye-popping technology on the HD EXPO exhibit floor. MM spoke with HD EXPO's CEO/founder Kristin Petrovich about the upcoming event.
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Mill Valley Film Festival Marks Three Decades of CInema
For the last 30 years Mill Valley, California has welcomed moviemakers and audiences with open arms to its annual 11-day film festival. The long-running and well-loved event sells more than 40,000 tickets and attracts more than 200 international moviemakers each year. Hosted by the California Film Institute, the Mill Valley Film Festival focuses on featuring films that have yet to secure U.S. distribution.
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Greg Chwerchak Sends His Greetings From the Shore
Director Greg Chwerchak’s first feature, Greetings From the Shore “grew out of a sunset in Malibu” but is without a doubt a love song to New Jersey. The coming-of-age tale, written by Chwerchak and Gabrielle Berberich, tells the story of bright-eyed Jenny (Kim Shaw) who spends her last summer before college at the Jersey Shore. Recovering from the recent death of her father, Jenny befriends a local mechanic (Paul Sorvino) and falls in love with a mysterious sailor (David Fumero).
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John Fusco Enters The Forbidden Kingdom
After 30 years in the making, screenwriter John Fusco's The Forbidden Kingdom made it to theaters, featuring the martial art talents of none other than Jackie Chan and Jet Li. On September 9th, Lionsgate released the movie on a two-disc special edition DVD and Blu-ray disc. Before the release Fusco spoke with MM about The Forbidden Kingdom, screenwriting tricks of the trade and how the industry has changed since the beginning of his career.
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Jon Avnet Aims for a Righteous Kill
From Risky Business to Righteous Kill, director-producer has a weak spot for great actors
His filmography defies easy categorization because Jon Avnet says he's only interested in one thing: Great acting. He's proving it this summer, as he teams up with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro for Righteous Kill.
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The Coen Brothers: Still Burning with Creativity
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Develop Your Movie at San Francisco’s FilmHouse Residencies
The San Francisco Film Society has announced the creation of the SFFS FilmHouse Residencies, a new program designed to support local independent moviemaking by providing 2,800 square feet of production office space available free of charge
“FilmHouse has all the makings of a new vibrant and dynamic hub for independent filmmaking in San Francisco," says Mayor Gavin Newsom.
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10 Landmark Premieres from the Toronto International Film Festival
From Chariots of Fire to Borat, audiences at the Toronto International Film Festival have been treated to some very memorable premieres since the festival's inception in 1976. With this year’s festival nearing its close on September 13, MM takes a look back at 10 of the landmark premieres TIFF has hosted in its 30 years.
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Towelhead: Alan Ball's Controversial New Film
Writer-director doesn't shy away from controversy, as he's proving once again with Towelhead
In 1999, a plastic ball floated in the wind—the most beautiful thing ever seen by the strange boy next door—and with that, Alan Ball won an Academy Award for his very first screenplay, American Beauty. Nine years later, he's making his feature directorial debut with Towelhead, which, even before its release, is confronting controversy for its title and few key scenes.
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Evan Rachel Wood Wrestles With Her Acting Choices
Though Mickey Rourke's turn as a has-been wrestler in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is making headlines from Venice to Toronto, co-star Evan Rachel Wood's turn as his estranged daughter is also turning heads.
“I think the only time I really am truly true to myself is when I’m acting," Evan Rachel Wood explains. "That’s when I can completely forget inhibition and jump headfirst. You look at my work and you’d never know I’m shy...But with acting, I’m pretty fearless.”
If her choices as an actress are any indication—as with her role in Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler, Woody Allen's upcoming movie Whatever Works and a rumored role as literary figure Anne Brontë—there’s no doubt that Wood, the person, is just as fearless.
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Chris Eska's August Evening: The Little Indie That Could
A multi-generational tale about an undocumented farm worker and his widowed daughter-in-law could be the unexpected box office hit of the Fall. Or, at least, that's what writer-director Chris Eska is hoping for when his first feature film, August Evening begins rolling out in theaters September 5. Winner of the 2008 Spirit Awards’ John Cassavetes Award and the Best Film Awards at the Los Angeles and Woodstock Film Festivals, August Evening has already acquired buzz on the festival circuit. Now, it awaits a larger national audience.
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Young People Fucking: Or, Ways Tease Your Audience
If you're in the process of making a movie right now, you might want to pause and learn a quick marketing lesson from Martin Gero, director and co-writer of the new comedy Young People Fucking. Yep, that's the lesson right there: Grab people's attention with your title. The Canadian film, which hit select U.S. theaters Friday, August 29, 2008, is as honest and unflinching as the title, but the chances of many people seeing it, let alone $400,000 worth in Canada, would have been slim were it not for the intriguing title. Gero himself admits as much. "At the end of the day, we're a Canadian film, we really have no bankable stars, so to speak, and certainly no one's like, 'Oh awesome! Another Martin Gero movie!'"
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What Happens in Toronto Affects the World
With the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival kicking off September 4 and recent productions that include Blindness, The Rocker, Lars and the Real Girl and A History of Violence Toronto is fast becoming the apex of moviemaking: A great place to film and get your movie screened.
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Aaron Wiederspahn Explores The Sensation of Sight
For his first feature, writer-director Aaron Wiederspahn has made a winding drama of epic proportions. The challenge, Wiederspahn says, was clear from the beginning: He must take the difficult route if he were to really bring this screenplay to life. In the end that means a movie that revolves around six main characters looking for resolutions to their shared problems. From the estranged father and son to the son’s problems with the law and his own young family, from a mourning brother to a lonely mother, the relationships Wiederspahn created weave a complicated tale of loss and rebirth.
Like the misplaced souls of its story, The Sensation of Sight has gone through a period of uncertainty when after many festival screenings it ended up with a rather unconventional distribution deal. It is this and more that Wiederspahn explains to MovieMaker on the occasion of the movie’s DVD release.
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10 Disaster Movies to Die For
A cruise ship filled with joyous passengers gets caught in a tsunami and rapidly starts sinking. A catastrophic asteroid, with the power to wipe out the entire human race, hurtles towards Earth. An underground volcano, dormant for thousands of years, unexpectedly sputters back to life in New York City, while a deadly virus is simultaneously unleashed on the population in the midst of a record-shattering earthquake... These are just a few of the common scenarios found in a disaster movie, one of the most audacious and crowd-pleasing subgenres of Hollywood moviemaking.
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David Kaplan Celebrates Year of the Fish
David Kaplan’s first feature film, Year of the Fish, may be a retelling of Cinderella. But with the title character toiling away in a Chinatown massage parlor while her “stepsisters” engage in sex work, it’s a far cry from the Disney classic. The animated movie (live-action sequences were shot and then digitally painted over, giving it a look similar to Richard Linklater's Waking Life) is an updated retelling of the oldest known Cinderella story, a Chinese version recorded circa 850 A.D.
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Beverly Hills Chihuahua is Leader of the Pack
New Disney family film Beverly Hills Chihuahua found its way to the top this past weekend, grossing an impressive $29 million. Last weekend's box office-topper, Eagle Eye, took the number two spot with $17.7 million. Michael Cera comedy Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist claimed number three with a gross of $12 million while number four went to the romantic Nights in Rodanthe (last week's number two) with $7.4 million. Rounding out the top five was Ed Harris' critically acclaimed Western Appaloosa. The buzzed-about How To Lose Friends & Alienate People came in well below expectations, making only $1.4 million and barely hanging on at number 19.
Posted 10.6.08 | Top of the Box Office | 1 comment
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