Short intro, long on fabulous knowledge... Read the evil genius' words...
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Hey, Head Geek...
“Moriarty” here.
Welcome to the second edition of RUMBLINGS FROM THE LAB, the newest ongoing project here at the Moriarty Labs. This is where we’ll discuss all those things that don’t necessarily demand their own spy report, but which are well worth discussing here at AICN.
We have a computer program here at the Moriarty Labs that can speed dial phone numbers randomly. We use it to make calls all day, all night, all the time, hoping we’ll stumble across an interesting number, and this week it finally paid off. After a few rings, the unmistakable voice of writer/Silent Bob/director Kevin Smith came over the line. The henchman assigned to monitor the program raced over, grabbed me, and got me to the phone just in time to start talking to Kevin as if the whole thing were planned.
Thankfully, I had just finished reading Kevin’s extraordinary run of DAREDEVIL the night before, so we had plenty to talk about. For those of you who only know Kevin from his films like CLERKS and CHASING AMY, I would urge you to run out and get issues #1 - 8 of the new DAREDEVIL. This is the most mature, adult writing Kevin’s done so far in any medium, and it’s extremely impressive. I would also say that anyone who is debating joining the Catholic League in their wrongheaded, deeply un-Christian attack on Kevin’s new film DOGMA should read these comics before deciding where they stand. Smith has managed to take one of Marvel’s traditional heroes and use him to explore complicated ideas about faith, love, and the basic struggle of good and evil. The work he does here ranks with some of the best efforts of Kurt Busiek, Alan Moore, Neil Gaiman, and Frank Miller. This is the kind of thing that brings new readers to comics and then hooks them by being so much better than expected. I’ve personally chosen not to read the script for DOGMA (one of the few I’ve opted to do this with) because I want to hear the film fresh when I finally get a chance to see it. I don’t want to get a picture of it in my head. I also don’t want to know anything further about the religious content of the film. I had a similar religious upbringing to Kevin, and the depth of the debate in DAREDEVIL suggests to me that these are real issues for him, something which he actively addresses in his life. This isn’t someone who’s taking shots at the church. This is someone who looks around at our world, then turns to the church as a way of making sense of things. Only someone with a profound comittment to their faith would be able to so effectively demonstrate why it’s important.
The other thing that really impressed me about the book was the phenomenal work done by Joe “Penciller” Quesada and Jimmy “Tracer” Palmiotti. I think all of Kevin’s films have a simple, uncluttered visual style that is fine, but not particularly memorable. In the comics medium, his words are suddenly given vibrant, explosive visual life. The imagery in the series is unforgettable, and this trio should definitely consider future collaborations.
Seeing how liberated Kevin’s storytelling seemed to be when freed of the constraints of live-action, the first thing I had to ask him about was whether he plans to move into animated films. I was suprised when he said, “No.” As he explained his position, I could understand what he was getting at. In a perfect world, Kevin could make a $35 million animated feature out of DAREDEVIL that would be what he wrote, and the company he made it for would be smart enough to market it properly, support it, and nurture themselves a solid financial hit. That won’t happen in the real world, though, since no studio in town has yet figured out that animation can be used for more than just children’s films. Even IRON GIANT won’t make that point abundantly clear, since Brad Bird has made a classic humanist fable that’s disguised as a kid’s film. That’s all the suits will see... “Look! Plush toys!” We debated the pros and cons of live-action superhero movies and whether they can ever really work. I agree with Kevin that there’s an inherent silliness to seeing two real guys in tights fighting. Animation can deliver all the exaggerated realism we’re used to without compromising it one bit. With a project like Alan Moore’s brilliant new LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN (run, don’t walk, to a comic store if you aren’t reading it yet), there’s an opportunity to create a Victorian world that would be prohibitively expensive in live-action. As long as Disney drives the market, though -- and TARZAN’s success suggests there’s no end in sight -- we’ll never get a chance to see these other uses of the medium.
At least, we won’t see them on the bigscreen. Right now, whatever risks are being taken in American animation are being taken on TV. That brought our conversation around to Kevin’s newest project, the animated series version of CLERKS for ABC. The show should be on in March as a midseason replacement, and it sounds like work is well underway. Kevin says they’ve got three finished scripts, with two episodes already recorded and ready for animation. Kevin’s working with three other writers on the show (Dave Mandel, Brian Kelly, and Steve Luckner), and he says one of the things about the process that he’s really found interesting so far is writing with that many other people. The round table format is new to him. I can imagine the adjustment. With everything else he’s done so far, Kevin’s been the sole voice. When he’s been rewritten, like with the SUPERMAN fiasco, it’s been without his participation. Now he’s actually knocking ideas back and forth with people, tossing jokes around, really collaborating. He seems to be enjoying it, though, and he’s proud of the fact that they’ve managed to be outrageous and funny without relying on the shock value of extreme language. He says the scripts are PG-13 at best, and that they’re definitely not going to try and one-up shows like SOUTH PARK. Instead, they’re exploring the bigger than life potential of animated stories. I don’t want to spoil any of the stories this far out from air date, but they sound fun and surreal, much like the Oni Press comic stories.
I was surprised when Kevin told me that there were no protests whatsoever around the release of the DAREDEVIL story. Even though it delves seriously into issues of faith and actually contains a violent massacre in a church, there was total silence. Why? Well, maybe it’s because Marvel Comics isn’t as attractive a target for the Catholic League as Disney. After all, when you’re trying to raise funds, you use the biggest names you can, right? Even though Disney and Miramax are no longer associated with the film in any way, William Donohue and his group are still calling for Disney to dump Miramax completely. They continue to weild the title DOGMA like a bat of some sort, even though they’re yet to see the movie. I guess what really blows my mind is that anyone could consider the Catholic League to be even remotely on the side of right in this particular instance. They’re so far wrong that I would expect the Church itself to take a stand and distance themselves from such nakedly ambitious zealots. The worst part of it all is the need that View Askew suddenly has for extra security. Remember, folks... the people who are threatening Kevin are doing so because of God. Seems like to some people, the New Testament is only convenient when it’s easy. They’ll throw it out to suit their own purposes at a moment’s notice. Somehow, I don’t think that’s how it’s supposed to work.
It’s a shame that this particular film and this particular writer are ground zero for this. For his part, Kevin seems to have his head on straight about all this. The theatrical trailer for the film is the one that Scott Mosier and Kevin cut before any of this happened, and it doesn’t play off the controversy in any way. I’ve heard some people say, “This is going to be great for business,” but I agree with Kevin that it could be bad for the film. If someone goes into this pro-Catholic, pro-faith film expecting to see the Church get beaten up, they’re going to be bitterly disappointed. That could lead to confused word-of-mouth on the picture, and that could hurt it. Oddly, that discussion reminded both Kevin and I of SIMPSONS moments, but different ones. He brought up the episode when Bart and Milhouse went to see BARTON FINK just because it was R-rated, and they were chanting excitedly before they went in, “BARTON FINK! BARTON FINK!” The scene I thought of was when Bart got a fake ID, and he and the other boys went to see NAKED LUNCH, sure that it would be great with an R-rating and that title. On the way out of the theater, a disgusted Bart growls, “I can think of at least two things wrong with that title.” I hope people are made aware of what DOGMA really is with the ad campaign once it kicks in. Lion’s Gate is looking like the leader in the distributor sweepstakes right now, and we should expect an announcement soon.
By the way, if you want to see some clips from DOGMA, check out www.newsaskew.com where they’ve posted three clips in Streaming Video. Very interesting stuff. I was particularly impressed by Alan Rickman’s angel wings. I’d like to thank Kevin for his time, and I’d also like to congratulate him on the birth of his daughter, Harley Quinn Smith. His announcement on viewaskew.com is very funny and very sweet. I hope that he, Jen, and Harley are healthy and happy. I also want to take a moment to congratulate my own sister on pulling off the same miracle this past week. Somewhere out in the world right now, Moriarty has a new Evil Nephew named Marcus. Pretty damn cool.
Have you been watching any TV recently? If so, you may have seen both the best and the worst of TV advertising for films. The best would be those two new spots for EYES WIDE SHUT. Creepy, simple, and vague, these spots do nothing more than set a tone. There’s no plot details revealed (“If you only knew...”), no major moments spoiled. Instead, we’re hit with images of men in masks, strange parties, little flurries of dialogue, and an odd, discordant piano soundtrack that plays on my nerves masterfully. I am deeply afraid of this film. I’m also sorry to have learned that Kubrick altered 65 seconds of the film for American audiences out of fear of an NC-17. My understanding is that digital figures were added to block certain key shots during a sexually explicit scene that is one of the film’s key moments. Once again, the hypocricy of the American ratings board stands exposed. In a world where SAVING PRIVATE RYAN can depict some of the most shocking violence every recorded on film and get an R, there shouldn’t be anything in a film by a gifted artist like Stanley Kubrick that is too troubling for an R as well. Sex is worse than violence, according to our MPAA. Sex is dirty, they suggest. Violence is entertainment. Whose values are they protecting?
The worst of the new TV ads is the self-congratulatory smarm of Universal’s AMERICAN PIE campaign. Guys... it’s not a sleeper hit if you start telling us it’s a sleeper hit before it’s even in theaters. It’s not a pleasant surprise when you ruin Alyson Hannigan’s best line AT THE START OF THE FREAKING TRAILER!!!! I have been telling people for months that PIE is a nice little film, a funny comedy, but nothing to get overly worked up about. Now that your repulsive ad campaign is in full-swing, I can honestly say I won’t recommend it again to anyone. I think the word I’m looking for to describe the campaign is “hubris.” If you don’t know what that is, look it up, ‘cause you’ve got it bad.
Almost as terrible is the campaign that’s being run for ARLINGTON ROAD. The new TV spots feature quite a bit of footage of a building exploding. Guys... that’s like showing Morgan Freeman looking inside the box at the end of SE7EN as part of the trailer. What were you thinking? Do you just figure it’s not going to win, so what does it matter? Ruin it... after all, who’s going to care? I think filmmakers around town have got to start fighting these marketing teams, making sure they can’t screw the film up completely before audiences have a chance to see the film. Until you do, this kind of thing is just going to keep happening, time and time again.
Seen the new GREEN MILE poster in theaters? It’s lovely.
Finally, let me share with you my impressions of the Classically Independent Film Festival that was hosted at the WGA Theater here in Los Angeles over the weekend. This is a travelling festival, and it may be coming to your town soon. It’s definitely worth keeping your eyes open, as there are some real winners being shown.
Friday night was the kickoff for the event, and I went to check out the double feature of CHOOSE ME and RESTAURANT. I’d seen CHOOSE ME before. I like Alan Rudolph. Don’t love him, but I like him a lot. He’s a strange filmmaker, and sometimes that pays off with a little gem like EQUINOX and TROUBLE IN MIND. There’s a lot of Altman in him, but without that sour, pessimistic view of humanity. He’s always good with actors, giving them all the space he can to create oddball characters. With 1984’s CHOOSE ME, he made a film that still feels fresh and independent today. It was nice to finally see it in a theater with an audience. I’ve always found that to be a different experience than seeing a film at home, and tonight was no exception. I never realized how funny CHOOSE ME is. The lush sense of romanticism has always been the film’s strongest asset, but it’s also just a little bit goofy, and there are some really wry laughs to be had here. Keith Carradine, Lesley Anne Downs, and Genevieve Bujold all did great, centered work here. Together they form a fascinating, absorbing triangle that is unique and worth seeking out.
The second film of the evening was RESTAURANT, a great little picture from New York that was directed with real confidence by Eric Bross. Maybe it’s because of some of the jobs I’ve had in Los Angeles during all those years when I was still a struggling Evil Genius, but I deeply related to the script by Tom Cudworth. It’s a small slice of life revolving around the various staff at a Manhattan restaurant and bar. The center of everything seems to be Chris Calloway, who is played with charm and authority by Adrien Brody. Now that I’ve seen his performance here, I’m really curious how he was as Fife in the miles of footage from THE THIN RED LINE that ended up on the cutting room floor. I’m also anxious for this weekend’s SUMMER OF SAM to open. Chris is a playwright who’s on the verge of his greatest professional success -- an actual production of one of his pieces -- even as he struggles to make sense of the ruins of his personal life. He’s still obssessed with his ex-girlfriend Leslie, who is discussed for the whole film, but not really seen until the end. When she does show up, she’s played by recording star Lauryn Hill. She’s an effective actress in the small role, and she’s movie-star beautiful. I’d love to see what kind of range she has, because this film suggests an acting future for her. When a new server starts at the restaurant, there’s instant sparks between her and Chris. Jeanie, played by Elyse Neal, is a singer, and she’s drawn to Chris and his confidence about his work. One of the cooks, played with easy charm by ALLY MCBEAL’s Jesse Martin, suggests that Chris is hooked on black girls, something Chris denies vigorously even as he hurts Jeanie over and over. I’d like to make special note of the work in the film by David Moscow, who plays Reggae, Chris’ best friend. Moscow is the young actor who was the kid version of Tom Hanks in BIG, and he’s grown up to be a great comic performer with the same kind of snarky charisma that Steve Zahn has. I know he’s working on the WB’s ZOE, DUNCAN, JACK & JANE right now, but this guy should be on everyone’s short list when it comes to casting 20something films right now. He makes a hell of an impression.
Now, at this point, allow me to turn coverage of Saturday morning's activities over to one of my recently unleashed henchmen, Mr. Furious. You see what happens when you let them name themselves? I loved MYSTERY MEN, but the film's not even out yet, and he's stuck with that name now... forever. I've seen it before, too. I had a henchman named Howard the Duck who eventually took his own life from the shame of it. Anyway... here's Furious:
The first two hours of Saturday’s festivities were
devoted to a not-uninvolving two-hour discussion
entitled “Looking Ahead, Looking Back: 20 Years of
Independent Filmmaking.” Moderator Dawn Hudson (who
also serves as IFP/West’s fabulous executive director)
explained the “20 Years” referred to the two decades
since 1979’s first convention of independent
filmmakers. Many point to this event as the genesis
of something called the “independent film movement,”
which enabled America’s legion of outsider-filmmakers
to thoroughly discuss topics of mutual interest.
Panelists included: Tony Bill, director of MY
BODYGUARD, FIVE CORNERS, SIX WEEKS, CRAZY PEOPLE,
UNTAMED HEART, and A HOME OF OUR OWN.; David Blocker,
producer of John Herzfeld’s upcoming Robert De Niro/Ed
Burns vehicle 15 MINUTES, as well as CHOOSE ME, the
upcoming BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS, and numerous other
Alan Rudolph-directed films; Lizzie Borden, director
of BORN IN FLAMES, LOVE CRIMES, WORKING GIRLS and the
upcoming adaptation of the August Strindberg play MISS
JULIE; Peter McCarthy, producer of REPO MAN, I'M GONNA
GET YOU, SUCKA and TAPEHEADS, and
writer-producer-director of FLOUNDERING; and Gregory
Nava, director of EL NORTE, TIME OF DESTINY, MY
FAMILY/MI FAMILIA, WHY DO FOOLS FALL IN LOVE? and
SELENA.
Most of the discussion centered around the difficulty
of acquiring funds when operating outside the studio
system -- and finding what Bill repeatedly referred to
as “the crazy rich people.” One key tip: buddy up to
big-deal rock stars; the music world turns out to be
an excellent source of these so-called “knuckleheaded
rich guys.” Ex-Beatle George Harrison ponied up to
help finance Bill’s FIVE CORNERS while ex-Monkee
Michael Nesmith helped bankroll McCarthy’s REPO MAN.
An entire book could probably be devoted to the making
of REPO. Nesmith apparently had his share of
financial ups and downs over the years, and his
initial interest in Alex Cox’s script apparently
stemmed from the fact that Nesmith had a vehicle or
two of his own repossessed over the years.
REPO ultimately benefited from a $1.3 million budget
and a negative pickup deal with Universal. Universal
execs, busy with much more expensive projects, left
the makers of REPO largely to their own devices, and
were largely mystified at the first screening of the
film’s rough cut. Even Nesmith didn’t get it,
according to McCarthy. “Just finish it,” was the
Liquid Paper heir’s main advice.
But Universal’s regard for the project didn’t improve
upon its completion, according to McCarthy. In fact,
REPO may not have seen the light of a multiplex
projector bulb had it not for its punky soundtrack,
which was flying off record store shelves by the
thousands – despite the fact that REPO itself still
lacked any kind of release date. It was the record
sales that inspired Universal execs to hand the
project off to the studio’s “special handling”
division, which was theretofore responsible only for
the distribution of restored Hitchcock reissues. “And
the special handling guys really got behind it,” said
McCarthy. “They were excited just to be working on a
film that wasn’t made 40 years ago. I think Universal
was actually embarassed by how well it did.”
Bill said he found the indie route “more harsh, more
constrictive, more insane” that Hollywood’s. He spoke
of the enormous difficulty he had casting Jodie Foster
in FIVE CORNERS because the home video execs with whom
George Harrison’s Handmade Films was partnered were
adamant that recent Yale grad was “a has-been, fat and
ugly.”
Another big casting fight was related by Nava, who
said New Line execs were amenable to casting real-life
Latinos Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos and Esai
Morales in MI FAMILIA's key male roles, but wanted
non-Latina names like Marisa Tomei and Annabella
Sciorra to play the family’s females. Eventually Nava
pounded them into using an unknown named Jennifer
Lopez. “Four years ago, I had to plead with New Line
to let me use Jennifer Lopez. Now, four years later,
New Line would do anything – anything – to make a
movie with her. It's amazing.”
Funding shortages account for why Borden wound up
shooting her first film, BORN IN FLAMES, over a
five-year period. “People gained 100 pounds, people
lost 100 pounds... some of the cast couldn't be
recognized from scene to scene.” Lack of funds also
inspired Borden to slowly transform her home into the
main set for WORKING GIRLS. “It was depressing,” she
confessed, “because the set was a bordello.” WORKING
GIRLS won a Sundance award, but had the bad luck to do
so before SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE elevated the
importance of the festival in 1990. A Sundance award,
remembered Borden, “didn’t mean much in those days.”
Bill, who first made his name as an actor (ICE STATION
ZEBRA) and producer (THE STING), was determined to
turn director or quit the business entirely, he said.
Hollywood’s indifference to his directorial ambitions
was what led Bill to operate independently, and one of
his first actions was to buy his own building in the
dilapidated Los Angeles beach community of Venice.
Though he fixed it up with an editiing facility and a
screening room, the move raised many an eyebrow.
“Most people didn’t know where Venice was,” said Bill.
“Most who did were afraid to visit.”
Most of the discussion centered around the difficulty
of acquiring funds when operating outside the studio
system -- and finding what Bill repeatedly referred to
as “the crazy rich people.” One key tip: buddy up to
big-deal rock stars; the music world turns out to be
an excellent source of these so-called “knuckleheaded
rich guys.” Ex-Beatle George Harrison ponied up to
help finance Bill’s FIVE CORNERS while ex-Monkee
Michael Nesmith helped bankroll McCarthy’s REPO MAN.
An entire book could probably be devoted to the making
of REPO. Nesmith apparently had his share of
financial ups and downs over the years, and his
initial interest in Alex Cox’s script apparently
stemmed from the fact that Nesmith had a vehicle or
two of his own repossessed over the years.
REPO ultimately benefited from a $1.3 million budget
and a negative pickup deal with Universal. Universal
execs, busy with much more expensive projects, left
the makers of REPO largely to their own devices, and
were largely mystified at the first screening of the
film’s rough cut. Even Nesmith didn’t get it,
according to McCarthy. “Just finish it,” was the
Liquid Paper heir’s main advice.
But Universal’s regard for the project didn’t improve
upon its completion, according to McCarthy. In fact,
REPO may not have seen the light of a multiplex
projector bulb had it not for its punky soundtrack,
which was flying off record store shelves by the
thousands – despite the fact that REPO itself still
lacked any kind of release date. It was the record
sales that inspired Universal execs to hand the
project off to the studio’s “special handling”
division, which was theretofore responsible only for
the distribution of restored Hitchcock reissues. “And
the special handling guys really got behind it,” said
McCarthy. “They were excited just to be working on a
film that wasn’t made 40 years ago. I think Universal
was actually embarassed by how well it did.”
Bill said he found the indie route “more harsh, more
constrictive, more insane” that Hollywood’s. He spoke
of the enormous difficulty he had casting Jodie Foster
in FIVE CORNERS because the home video execs with whom
George Harrison’s Handmade Films was partnered were
adamant that recent Yale grad was “a has-been, fat and
ugly.”
Another big casting fight was related by Nava, who
said New Line execs were amenable to casting real-life
Latinos Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos and Esai
Morales in MI FAMILIA's key male roles, but wanted
non-Latina names like Marisa Tomei and Annabella
Sciorra to play the family’s females. Eventually Nava
pounded them into using an unknown named Jennifer
Lopez. “Four years ago, I had to plead with New Line
to let me use Jennifer Lopez. Now, four years later,
New Line would do anything – anything – to make a
movie with her. It's amazing.”
Funding shortages account for why Borden wound up
shooting her first film, BORN IN FLAMES, over a
five-year period. “People gained 100 pounds, people
lost 100 pounds... some of the cast couldn't be
recognized from scene to scene.” Lack of funds also
inspired Borden to slowly transform her home into the
main set for WORKING GIRLS. “It was depressing,” she
confessed, “because the set was a bordello.” WORKING
GIRLS won a Sundance award, but had the bad luck to do
so before SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE elevated the
importance of the festival in 1990. A Sundance award,
remembered Borden, “didn’t mean much in those days.”
Bill, who first made his name as an actor (ICE STATION
ZEBRA) and producer (THE STING), was determined to
turn director or quit the business entirely, he said.
Hollywood’s indifference to his directorial ambitions
was what led Bill to operate independently, and one of
his first actions was to buy his own building in the
dilapidated Los Angeles beach community of Venice.
Though he fixed it up with an editiing facility and a
screening room, the move raised many an eyebrow.
“Most people didn’t know where Venice was,” said Bill.
“Most who did were afraid to visit.”
REPO ultimately benefited from a $1.3 million budget
and a negative pickup deal with Universal. Universal
execs, busy with much more expensive projects, left
the makers of REPO largely to their own devices, and
were largely mystified at the first screening of the
film’s rough cut. Even Nesmith didn’t get it,
according to McCarthy. “Just finish it,” was the
Liquid Paper heir’s main advice.
But Universal’s regard for the project didn’t improve
upon its completion, according to McCarthy. In fact,
REPO may not have seen the light of a multiplex
projector bulb had it not for its punky soundtrack,
which was flying off record store shelves by the
thousands – despite the fact that REPO itself still
lacked any kind of release date. It was the record
sales that inspired Universal execs to hand the
project off to the studio’s “special handling”
division, which was theretofore responsible only for
the distribution of restored Hitchcock reissues. “And
the special handling guys really got behind it,” said
McCarthy. “They were excited just to be working on a
film that wasn’t made 40 years ago. I think Universal
was actually embarassed by how well it did.”
Bill said he found the indie route “more harsh, more
constrictive, more insane” that Hollywood’s. He spoke
of the enormous difficulty he had casting Jodie Foster
in FIVE CORNERS because the home video execs with whom
George Harrison’s Handmade Films was partnered were
adamant that recent Yale grad was “a has-been, fat and
ugly.”
Another big casting fight was related by Nava, who
said New Line execs were amenable to casting real-life
Latinos Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos and Esai
Morales in MI FAMILIA's key male roles, but wanted
non-Latina names like Marisa Tomei and Annabella
Sciorra to play the family’s females. Eventually Nava
pounded them into using an unknown named Jennifer
Lopez. “Four years ago, I had to plead with New Line
to let me use Jennifer Lopez. Now, four years later,
New Line would do anything – anything – to make a
movie with her. It's amazing.”
Funding shortages account for why Borden wound up
shooting her first film, BORN IN FLAMES, over a
five-year period. “People gained 100 pounds, people
lost 100 pounds... some of the cast couldn't be
recognized from scene to scene.” Lack of funds also
inspired Borden to slowly transform her home into the
main set for WORKING GIRLS. “It was depressing,” she
confessed, “because the set was a bordello.” WORKING
GIRLS won a Sundance award, but had the bad luck to do
so before SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE elevated the
importance of the festival in 1990. A Sundance award,
remembered Borden, “didn’t mean much in those days.”
Bill, who first made his name as an actor (ICE STATION
ZEBRA) and producer (THE STING), was determined to
turn director or quit the business entirely, he said.
Hollywood’s indifference to his directorial ambitions
was what led Bill to operate independently, and one of
his first actions was to buy his own building in the
dilapidated Los Angeles beach community of Venice.
Though he fixed it up with an editiing facility and a
screening room, the move raised many an eyebrow.
“Most people didn’t know where Venice was,” said Bill.
“Most who did were afraid to visit.”
Bill said he found the indie route “more harsh, more
constrictive, more insane” that Hollywood’s. He spoke
of the enormous difficulty he had casting Jodie Foster
in FIVE CORNERS because the home video execs with whom
George Harrison’s Handmade Films was partnered were
adamant that recent Yale grad was “a has-been, fat and
ugly.”
Another big casting fight was related by Nava, who
said New Line execs were amenable to casting real-life
Latinos Jimmy Smits, Edward James Olmos and Esai
Morales in MI FAMILIA's key male roles, but wanted
non-Latina names like Marisa Tomei and Annabella
Sciorra to play the family’s females. Eventually Nava
pounded them into using an unknown named Jennifer
Lopez. “Four years ago, I had to plead with New Line
to let me use Jennifer Lopez. Now, four years later,
New Line would do anything – anything – to make a
movie with her. It's amazing.”
Funding shortages account for why Borden wound up
shooting her first film, BORN IN FLAMES, over a
five-year period. “People gained 100 pounds, people
lost 100 pounds... some of the cast couldn't be
recognized from scene to scene.” Lack of funds also
inspired Borden to slowly transform her home into the
main set for WORKING GIRLS. “It was depressing,” she
confessed, “because the set was a bordello.” WORKING
GIRLS won a Sundance award, but had the bad luck to do
so before SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE elevated the
importance of the festival in 1990. A Sundance award,
remembered Borden, “didn’t mean much in those days.”
Bill, who first made his name as an actor (ICE STATION
ZEBRA) and producer (THE STING), was determined to
turn director or quit the business entirely, he said.
Hollywood’s indifference to his directorial ambitions
was what led Bill to operate independently, and one of
his first actions was to buy his own building in the
dilapidated Los Angeles beach community of Venice.
Though he fixed it up with an editiing facility and a
screening room, the move raised many an eyebrow.
“Most people didn’t know where Venice was,” said Bill.
“Most who did were afraid to visit.”
Funding shortages account for why Borden wound up
shooting her first film, BORN IN FLAMES, over a
five-year period. “People gained 100 pounds, people
lost 100 pounds... some of the cast couldn't be
recognized from scene to scene.” Lack of funds also
inspired Borden to slowly transform her home into the
main set for WORKING GIRLS. “It was depressing,” she
confessed, “because the set was a bordello.” WORKING
GIRLS won a Sundance award, but had the bad luck to do
so before SEX, LIES & VIDEOTAPE elevated the
importance of the festival in 1990. A Sundance award,
remembered Borden, “didn’t mean much in those days.”
Bill, who first made his name as an actor (ICE STATION
ZEBRA) and producer (THE STING), was determined to
turn director or quit the business entirely, he said.
Hollywood’s indifference to his directorial ambitions
was what led Bill to operate independently, and one of
his first actions was to buy his own building in the
dilapidated Los Angeles beach community of Venice.
Though he fixed it up with an editiing facility and a
screening room, the move raised many an eyebrow.
“Most people didn’t know where Venice was,” said Bill.
“Most who did were afraid to visit.”
QUICK NOTE FOR EVERYONE FROM MORIARTY: Harry Lime (one of my primary partners in crime) and I have actually been to Tony Bill's offices in Venice before. We sat out on the roof of the building with Bill drinking lemonade and chatting about various nefarious ideas. He's a charming man, and a solid filmmaker. I'm sorry I wasn't able to be there for the film and the panel. Reading Furious' account made me remember all that. Sorry to interrupt. Back to Furious.
As much fun as it was to listen to the indie
filmmakers’ war stories, the real reason to catch the
“Looking Ahead” discussion was to get a good seat for
the screening of FIVE CORNERS that followed. I, for
one, remain shocked and gratified that the festival
decided to put this brilliant but little-seen
comedy-drama on the big screen one more time.
Forged from a screenplay by John Patrick Shanley, the
film was originally dumped into release mere months
after the Shanley-scripted MOONSTRUCK -- which
completely overshadowed it. But FIVE CORNERS is far
superior to MOONSTRUCK – and, for my money, every
other piece of Shanley-scripted cinema produced to
date.
Why did so many more see MOONSTRUCK? Because it cast
superstar diva Cher and was marketed madly by MGM,
still a major at the time, while FIVE CORNERS had to
make do with former child actress Jodie Foster and a
cast of unknowns that included Tim Robbins, John
Turturro and Eriq LaSalle.
Turturro plays Heinz Sabantino, a psychopath
troublemaker both hilarious and terrifying in his
unflagging anger and thuggishness. Jailed for the
attempted rape of Linda (Foster), he is in 1964 back
on the streets of the Bronx and apparently anxious to
pick up exactly where he left off. Once Linda learns
that Heinz is home, she immediately turns to Harry
Fitzgerald (Robbins), who saved her the first time out
by introducing Heinz’s skull to a beer pitcher. But
while Heinz festered in jail (refusing to let hair
grow over the horrific scar Harry gave him), a Fordham
education -- and the brutal death of Harry’s
cop-father -- has caused Harry to renounce violence
forever. “I love you,” Harry tells a thoroughly
confused Heinz when he first sees him.
Every scene in CORNERS crackles with drama, and most
of those scenes are laugh-out-loud funny to boot.
What makes the movie such a fiercely compelling piece
of entertainment is the rich army of characters
Shanley summons: Heinz; Harry; the glue-sniffing
brides-to-be Melanie and Brita; Heinz’s clueless
pollyanna of a mother; Linda’s antic and insecure
boyfriend Jamie; the too-well-read detective who takes
Heinz’s first bullet; the civil rights organizer who
refuses to disguise his disdain for Harry; the
good-natured delinquents who take the glue-sniffers on
a harrowing elevator adventure. The list goes on.
Is it worth your trouble, constant reader? If you
liked AMERICAN GRAFITTI, THE WANDERERS and DINER, it’s
hard to see how it can miss. FIVE CORNERS remains one
of cinema’s best-hidden treasures, another intelligent
and compelling comedy about how completely America
changed in the three months bridging President
Kennedy’s assassination and the Beatles’ arrival on
these shores.
Why did so many more see MOONSTRUCK? Because it cast
superstar diva Cher and was marketed madly by MGM,
still a major at the time, while FIVE CORNERS had to
make do with former child actress Jodie Foster and a
cast of unknowns that included Tim Robbins, John
Turturro and Eriq LaSalle.
Turturro plays Heinz Sabantino, a psychopath
troublemaker both hilarious and terrifying in his
unflagging anger and thuggishness. Jailed for the
attempted rape of Linda (Foster), he is in 1964 back
on the streets of the Bronx and apparently anxious to
pick up exactly where he left off. Once Linda learns
that Heinz is home, she immediately turns to Harry
Fitzgerald (Robbins), who saved her the first time out
by introducing Heinz’s skull to a beer pitcher. But
while Heinz festered in jail (refusing to let hair
grow over the horrific scar Harry gave him), a Fordham
education -- and the brutal death of Harry’s
cop-father -- has caused Harry to renounce violence
forever. “I love you,” Harry tells a thoroughly
confused Heinz when he first sees him.
Every scene in CORNERS crackles with drama, and most
of those scenes are laugh-out-loud funny to boot.
What makes the movie such a fiercely compelling piece
of entertainment is the rich army of characters
Shanley summons: Heinz; Harry; the glue-sniffing
brides-to-be Melanie and Brita; Heinz’s clueless
pollyanna of a mother; Linda’s antic and insecure
boyfriend Jamie; the too-well-read detective who takes
Heinz’s first bullet; the civil rights organizer who
refuses to disguise his disdain for Harry; the
good-natured delinquents who take the glue-sniffers on
a harrowing elevator adventure. The list goes on.
Is it worth your trouble, constant reader? If you
liked AMERICAN GRAFITTI, THE WANDERERS and DINER, it’s
hard to see how it can miss. FIVE CORNERS remains one
of cinema’s best-hidden treasures, another intelligent
and compelling comedy about how completely America
changed in the three months bridging President
Kennedy’s assassination and the Beatles’ arrival on
these shores.
Every scene in CORNERS crackles with drama, and most
of those scenes are laugh-out-loud funny to boot.
What makes the movie such a fiercely compelling piece
of entertainment is the rich army of characters
Shanley summons: Heinz; Harry; the glue-sniffing
brides-to-be Melanie and Brita; Heinz’s clueless
pollyanna of a mother; Linda’s antic and insecure
boyfriend Jamie; the too-well-read detective who takes
Heinz’s first bullet; the civil rights organizer who
refuses to disguise his disdain for Harry; the
good-natured delinquents who take the glue-sniffers on
a harrowing elevator adventure. The list goes on.
Is it worth your trouble, constant reader? If you
liked AMERICAN GRAFITTI, THE WANDERERS and DINER, it’s
hard to see how it can miss. FIVE CORNERS remains one
of cinema’s best-hidden treasures, another intelligent
and compelling comedy about how completely America
changed in the three months bridging President
Kennedy’s assassination and the Beatles’ arrival on
these shores.
Saturday night was when I was able to get back over to the WGA Theater for their screening of BROKEN VESSELS, a film I’ve been interested in seeing ever since it won last year’s Los Angeles Independent Film Festival’s Audience Award. The word I’d heard on the film was strong, and I like the two leads, Todd Fields and Jason London. I was hoping for something kind of dark and funny from the description of the film I’d read -- two ambulance drivers in LA dealing with the grim realities of their job -- but I had no idea I was in for what essentially plays out as MOTHER, JUGS & SPEED meets TRAINSPOTTING.
And I mean that as a compliment. Director Scott Ziehl pulled off a small miracle here, shooting this accomplished, polished piece of work in just 18 days in Los Angeles. Part of the credit goes to screenwriters David Baer and John McMahon, and part of it must go to the exceptional ensemble cast, which includes Fields, London, James Hong, Susan Traylor, and Roxanna Zal, who is also one of the film’s producers. London plays Tom, a new recruit to the EMS team, hired as a driver and partnered with Jimmy, played with searing intensity by Fields. Jimmy’s shady from the start, but the film paints a convincing portrait of how Tom is led down the path of destruction by his new partner. I like that the film didn’t hand itself over to easy answers. These people are drug addicts, and when they bottom out, there’s no one there to catch them. Managing to balance dark humor and bleak humanity, the film is affecting and memorable. It’s going to be palying in Chicago and NY starting in a couple of weeks, and it’s going to be at the Nuart in Los Angeles at the end of July. It’s a film that deserves wider distribution, though, no matter if Scorcese’s making his own ambulance movie (BRINGING OUT THE DEAD) or not. I’ve read the script for Scorcese’s DEAD, and thought it was okay, but nothing special. Perhaps he and Nicolas Cage managed to invigorate the material on the set, but I don’t think the films are competition for each other in any way. If you get the opportunity to check out this great little movie in a theater near you, make sure you turn out to support it. You’ll be well rewarded for your efforts.
So that's it for this week, everyone. I'm headed out in a couple of hours to see WILD WILD WEST, and then Wednesday night is another special event that you, the public, can enjoy as well. Filmmakers Alliance will screen its latest collection of short films under the title "FA's New Shorts - New Films, New Filmmakers" at the Director's Guild of America Theater, Wednesday, June 30th at 7:00 p.m., presented by Adobe Systems with additional sponsorship from Mellon Private Asset Management, Apple Computers, Seagate, The Director's Guild of America, Kodak Motion Picture Imaging, Dr. Rawstock, Annheuser-Busch and Del Dueno Tequila.
I'm guessing there's going to be a good bar at the after party, eh?
There will be two separate programs screened in Theater One and Theater Two, followed by a gala party in the DGA lobby with food and drinks. Top-notch L.A. restaurants such as Le Colonial and The Off Vine will be catering the party. Kodak will holding a raffle to raise money for FA. They will be giving away $1,000 in free film. FA will be selling merchandise as well, and will also be screening their "sketchbooks" in the video theater. Sketchbooks are home-made, one-day camcorder movies cut on home editing systems. FA says, "They are rough, raw, and incredibly entertaining. We create them as experimentations, to address specific creative issues, to form creative partnerships, or simply to just stay active." Anyone who attends can expect the event to end at or before 1:00 a.m. Come on out, Angelenos, and meet the Professor. See the films. Support the independent. This is the exact kind of event that makes it so important sometimes to live here.
Next week, I'll be back with some more exclusive material that can only be found here at AICN. Until then... "Moriarty" out.
