 |

Want to know what all these checkboxes are for?
Click here to find out, or just ignore them.
Rolling on the River 
Kaleo Quenzer discusses the fear and fun of making his independent feature film, The Big Muddy. [2]
Susan Ellis
Fade In 
The Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference & Festival broadens its scope. [3]
Russell Smith
The Documentary Craft 
Visiting with documentary film's not-quite-elder statesman, Hector Galán. [4]
Marc Savlov
The Art of Film Producing 
A conversation with producer Lynda Obst, author of Hello, He Lied: And Other Truths From the Hollywood Trenches. [5]
Marjorie Baumgarten
Blood, Guts and Celluloid 
Playwright David Mamet turns up the testosterone! [6]
Devin D. O'Leary
A Kodiak Moment 
Here's a male-bonding story with a big scary bear and lots of thrills and chills. [7]
Stacey Richter
Natural Selection 
The Edge could use sharpening; Soul Food nourishes. [8]
Noel Murray and Ron Wynn
From Noir to Neo-Puritanism 
L.A. Confidential's use of appearance vs. reality catches the American conscience at a very specific moment. [9]
Hadley Hury
Cinematic Shorthand 
Cinema review of A Thousand Acres. [10]
Mary Dickson
Movie Guru 
Zak Weisfeld declares war on The Peacemaker. [11]
Zak Weisfeld
The French Attitude 
Jean-Pierre Melville's 1967 noir classic is back! [12]
Devin D. O'Leary
Film Reviews 
Reviews of films currently showing in Austin. [13]
Film Clips 
Check out Tucson Weekly's capsule reviews packed with links to the hottest movie home pages on the Web. [14]
Wheeling and Dealing 
What to rent? [15]
Rob Nelson, Noel Murray, and Jim Ridley
The Video Phile 
Reviews of movies now on video. [16]
Videos a Go-Go 
Every week, we peel open a movie genre for your enhanced rent 'n' view pleasure. [17]
Coury Turczyn
TV Eye 
ER's big live gamble. [18]
Margaret Moser
Reel World 
Albuquerque film news. [19]
Devin D. O'Leary
Now What? 
What's the matter, couldn't find a review of that blockbuster film you're excited about? We certaintly don't want to leave you disappointed -- why not try some of these larger-than-life movie links? [20]
Build your own custom paper. To find out more
about this feature, click here.
Talk Back 
If you're one of the few who didn't think Volcano blew, The Lost World
bit, or The Fifth Element was one element too many, here's the forum to
defend your opinion--crazy though it may be.
|
 |
Volume I, Issue 18
October 6 - October 13, 1997
re you an aspiring filmmaker, or do you just like watching 'em?
Because if you're a film bum, like me, with little interest in
the behinds-the-scenes struggles of real-life filmmakers, you'll
want to skip down a bit. Our first few articles are about movies from
the other side of the process.
Seriously, if you want to make films, you won't want to miss these articles. We've
got interviews with a director, a screenwriter, a documentary
maker, and a producer. First up: the director. Actually, Kaleo
Quenzer is the writer, director, and lead actor in his film, a
first-time independent feature he's shooting for not much over
$15,000. The 25-year-old was inspired by Clerks and is
shooting on location in his home-town of Memphis, which as anyone
who's seen Mystery Train knows, has a distinct flavor.
Here's wishing him luck, in spite of the fact that I envy his
take-charge gumption, since I'm a film bum and all.
Over in Austin, the independent film capital of America
as far as medium-size cities are concerned, there's plenty more
striving, struggling filmmakers from which to learn. First there's
the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference. If you can't
attend it, then at least read about it, and its visiting screenwriters,
in this article. Or read about 44-year-old documentary filmmaker
Hector Galan, interviewed here. Galan may not be a household name,
but his experiences (which include working on PBS's excellent
Frontline series) are not to be taken lightly.
Finally, would-be auteurs will definitely want to delve
into this dialogue with Lynda Obst. Obst is a Hollywood producer
whose credits include, among other films, Risky Business, After
Hours, and Contact. It's a wonderful interview, complete
with discussions of women's changing place in the Hollywood hierarchy,
and Obst's philosophy about which projects she chooses. These
people are all sensible, yet regular, folks who made it (and are
making it) through focus and hard work. If they can do it, why
can't you?
Alright, enough pep talk. Time to recline into the comfy folds
of the couch and chat about watching movies. Which is what
I prefer. Ahhhh.
The biggest movie to come out last week, and the biggest surprise,
was The Edge. I caught a late-night weekday showing of
The Edge, in a near-empty theater, and was thoroughly entertained.
The story, which strands fashion photographer Alec
Baldwin and billionaire Anthony Hopkins together in the wilderness,
ought to come across as clichéd, but it doesn't because
screenwriter David Mamet laces hints of philosophical portent
throughout the script, always giving you a sense that the movie
is heading somewhere profound. Though Mamet can't quite deliver
on that promise, the reliably well-placed action moments almost
made up for it. At least, I sure didn't feel gypped. And Hopkins'
performance (not to mention the performance of a huge Kodiak bear,
and the beauty of the snowy, mountainous Canadian setting) gives
the picture tons of clout.
Did I mention I liked it? I guess you got the point. This review
and this review explain the movie much better than I can; this
one, however, finds The Edge altogether lacking, and prefers
the much warmer-hearted Soul Food.
In other reviews, check out these opinions of:
I know what you're thinking: Yeah, yeah, yeah, Film Bum, but
what if we want to stay in? What about videos? Take it from me,
I understand. I've got a bigger butt than anybody. That's why
I've included the following video columns which include:
And heading to the lowest (and least expensive) levels of the
food chain, here's a review of the season-opener of E.R.,
which earned record ratings because it was shot live. I managed to catch a brief portion of the episode. Though the live aspect was intriging, I must say that the purposely cheapie video footage looked like hell.
Oh, I've got one last tidbit for film bums and aspiring filmmakers
alike. This brief "Reel World" column discusses the
upcoming works of Rupert Everett, the protagonist of Cemetery
Man and Julia Roberts' gay pal in My Best Friend's Wedding.
Did you know he writes books? And screenplays?And probably directs?
Read all about his multi-talents here, but try not to be too discouraged by
his success. You'll just end up another Film Bum like me.
Curious about a particular director's work? Not
sure what to rent at the video store? Enjoy reading several
contrasting opinions of the same film? This is the place for
you. Hundreds of reviews lie at your fingertips, sortable by
genre, date or director.
|


|