If You Like DOG DAY AFTERNOON, You'll Love THE DOG

One of the best documentaries I've seen in a while is opening Friday. It's called THE DOG and it's about the real life guy who robbed a Brooklyn bank on a sweltering summer day nearly 40 years ago, the story of which became the basis for Sidney Lumet's classic DOG DAY AFTERNOON. John Wojtowicz was the man behind the crime that gripped the city that August and ended up having a hold on him for the rest of his life too. What's just as fascinating about John's story is his life leading up to that moment, particularly how he was involved in some of the protests of the nascent gay rights movement, including a wedding action at City Hall caught on video in the early '70s.

The film was directed by two good friends of mine, Frank Keraudren (here on the left) and Allison Berg. I've known them both for quite a while, Frank since we were students at NYU film school!  Frank also he worked with me as the editor of my first feature I THINK I DO.

As they developed this film painstakingly over the course of 10 years, I've been privileged to see it grow and change as they followed "The Dog" (how John refers to himself) around New York,  dealt with his crazy voice mails (some featured in the film), and went through various edits of the film. The final version which I saw before it headed off to the Toronto Film Festival was really moving in its depiction of this unique man's life. Whether you know DOG DAY or not, I can't recommend this film enough as it really captures the life of a true New York character.

THE DOG opens here at the IFC and Lincoln Center tomorrow August 8. And other theaters around the country this fall. Check it out!

That Time I Tried To Cast Elaine Stritch

Yesterday, Broadway legend Elaine Stritch died and social media blew up (at least mine, that is) with toasts, tributes and many recollections by people in New York who knew her over the course of her long and distinctive career. Not only was I a great fan of her work both on stage (A DELICATE BALANCE on Broadway in 1996, extraordinary) and film (if you haven't seen WHO KILLED TEDDY BEAR, see it) but I also tried to cast her in a movie once. The part seemed a perfect fit for her, a boozy but wise and spunky aunt who befriends a gay man at a wedding. I mean, isn't this what she did for a living?  :)

Anyway, the producer of my indie comedy I THINK I DO called to make an offer. We were a low budget film offering scale for 5 days work. So when he called the number the casting director gave him he was somewhat surprised to find that he was talking directly to Elaine Stritch. For many years, she did not have a manager or agent and performed this role herself. Well, if you can imagine Ms. Stritch as her own agent then you can probably imagine where this story is going. She was tough, contentious, demanding and frank about what she needed. But as a low budget film, we didn't have much to offer, other than a fun role. Needless to say, after a short negotiation, she did not take the offer.

I was disappointed to hear this news and wondered if maybe a personal call to her directly might change the situation. The producer gave me a strange look, like someone who had been in battle, and said "I don't think so." I was recently watching a wonderful documentary called SHOOT ME about Elaine's last years in New York and Tina Fey talked, somewhat warily, about Elaine on the set of 30 ROCK, saying "you never knew what you were gonna get". Elaine was famously abrasive and tough and unpredictable...which is probably why she was so good too. And she was funny as hell, especially on 30 ROCK.

The TIMES has a lengthy obituary which ends with a fitting quote from her one-woman show. However, they neglected to mention her agenting herself which I think says a lot about this inimitable woman who made her own way and set her own unique course in an unforgiving business. She was an amazing actor and outsized personality whose talent and spirit, not to mention her way with a Sondheim song, will be dearly missed.

Day And Date (And Festival) Release For Joss Whedon's IN YOUR EYES

As the film world continues to go digital, a new model of getting films out to the public has taken off this year. In recent years, so-called day-and-date releases where a feature would be made available on all platforms theatrical, VOD, download, on the same day was becoming popular and increasingly successful.

Now the latest twist in this happened on Monday when a new Joss Whedon's feature IN YOUR EYES (which he co-wrote and produced) opened at the Tribeca Film Festival while, on the same day, was made available on Vimeo as a digital download for $5. The release was a bit of a surprise, promoting many to compare it to Beyonce's recent out-of-the-blue album drop on iTunes.

As strange as it may seem to drop a movie out there with no advance warning, it's a model that makes some sense in that when a film is riding a wave of reviews and press coverage at a festival, it's the prime time to make the film available to the public at large who is reading about it everywhere. Netflix realized thiswhen they released the documentary MITT a week after its Sundance premiere. And, when you're Joss Whedon, with a sizable social-media footprint and devoted fan base (me included!), that helps spread the insta-word rather quickly too.

Here's the preview of the film below...
In Your Eyes - Trailer from Bellwether Pictures on Vimeo.

New Doc Delves Into Mystery of Photographer Vivian Maier

Since first hearing about her in 2010, I've been fascinated with the mystery of now legendary urban photographer Vivan Maier. She was a mid-century professional nanny, living in NYC and then Chicago, who took nearly 100,000 photos that were all stashed away in a storage locker and never seen by anyone. The locker was auctioned off in 2007 and the man who bought it, John Maloof, started posting the pictures online (the one here is from her New York days), showing the world a remarkable body of work that drew comparisons to contemporary artists like Evans, Arbus, Weegee and even Cindy Sherman. 

Now Maloof, along with producer Charlie Siskel (Gene's nephew!), has made a documentary which looks at the curious story of the woman behind these remarkable photos. The movie, profiled in yesterday's TIMES, comes out this Friday that IFC Center and I can't wait to see it. The trailer is great, hinting at the revelations about her extremely private life from the children she cared for. 

Two 2013 Fest Faves Are Now Available: G.B.F. and STRANGER BY THE LAKE

Now that awards season is in full swing and the studios have their prestige pics playing theaters everywhere, January and February are often a slow time for mainstream films. Unless that is you have interested in naked Zac Efron in THAT AWKARD MOMENT... whose Tomato Meter hovers around 20%! However, if you're looking for a couple good indies, there are two films that were popular on the festival circuit last year that are now available in various forms of commercial release.

G.B.F. is Darren Stein's hysterical high school comedy about a teen gay who a sough-after prized possession, or Gay Best Friend, by the three most popular girls in school. The film is a romp filled with some great one liners and a hilarious performance by Paul Iacono (from MTV's HARD TIMES OF RJ BERGER) with Megan Mullally as his very progressive mom. Also, I'd recommend checking it out in a theatre near you if possible as its fun to see with an audience--their FB page has more info. Or you can stream it on iTunes too.

The other film is about 180 degrees from G.B.F. in terms of content and style but is still a must-see. The French film STRANGER BY THE LAKE, directed by Alain Guiradie, caused a sensation at Cannes last year for it's bold depiction of an all-male cruising area in which some nefarious deeds take place. I caught it at the NY Film Festival and thought it was great. The dialogue is sparse, the scenery is gorgeous, and the sex is serious--this film would actually deserve an NC-17, whereas G.B.F.'s "R" rating still baffles the mind. Anyway, STRANGER is a sexy and atmospheric dramatic thriller that is pure cinema with shades of Hitchcock as well. It's in theaters this week with trailer below.

Paramount Will No Longer Make 35mm Film Prints

This week the LA TIMES reports that Paramount Pictures has officially announced that it will no longer release its films on actual film. ANCHORMAN II would be the last of its movies to hit theaters as standard 35mm release prints and, conversely, THE WOLF OF WALL STREET would be the first of its flicks to be distributed only digitally. This is big news and marks the beginning of a big transition for the major studios that began nearly 10 years ago with the introduction of digital projection technology.

Originally, digital projection was seen as a potential boon to indie filmmakers. In summer of 2003, BOYS LIFE 4 (a project I executive produced which included my short BUMPING HEADS) was released digitally in 20 cinemas across the county. It saved a lot of money on the cost of striking film prints but, at that point, it limited our release somewhat as a lot of theaters were not yet equipped for digital screening. A decade later, some indie cinemas are still trying to make that expensive upgrade because if they don't, they may have to go out of business.

The NEW YORKER has put together an interesting and beautifully shot short film about such a theatre in Hudson, NY. The Fairview is a small 3 screen art house that shows indie fare but is struggling with the upgrade. Fortunately, the local community there has helped support the transition but it might not be enough to make it happen. A compelling look at the changes and challenges in commercial cinema today.

A TIMES Profile For Sundance Head John Cooper As Fest Hits 30

There's a great NY TIMES profile of John Cooper, the director of the Sundance Film Festival which kicks off it's 30th edition in Park City this week. Though Robert Redford usually serves as the public face of the festival, John has been with Sundance for more than 20 years. I met him back when he was programming the short films in the '90s.

He selected my film POOL DAYS for the festival in 1994 which was quite a boost to my career as a young filmmaker just starting out after finishing film school at NYU. I didn't realize that he actually helped create the idea of screening shorts at Sundance, which originally was playing only feature films when it started. Anyway, he's been such an integral part of the festival for many years as the head programmer that it's great to see him getting more recognition for his tireless efforts promoting independent film as the festival begins it's third decade.

The MPAA In Another Ratings Controversy With G.B.F.

This week a friend of mine's feature film G.B.F., a new high school comedy by Darren Stein, was given an R rating by the MPAA despite the fact that there are no F-bombs in the film and no nudity. The rating was for "sexual references", most of which you can catch on any TV-14 shows on a given night of television. However, the real reason behind this ratings is the MPAA's long-standing unofficial policy of "Instant R" for any film that has leading characters who happen to be gay. I know this from many industry meetings about feature projects of my own that have struggled with financing due to this situation that has unfortunately been around for decades.

Darren took to Facebook to protest the rating and the MPAA's bias against gay stories and characters. Many people were shocked to hear about it and it started a lively discussion in the comments which has now transferred to Gawker, which picked up the story yesterday with a more detailed dissection of exactly what is and isn't in Darren's film. When compared to most PG-13 high school comedies, G.B.F. seems to warrant that level of rating. Its absurd that a film about teens and meant for teens is not able to be watched by the majority of teens simply because there are gay characters. A similar situation happened with the doc BULLY last year .

Darren has been encouraged to appeal the rating but such an appeal is expensive for an indie film and is also no guarantee of a rating change with the incredibly secretive MPAA. But it would at least send a message that as filmmakers, we are not going to take this sort of discrimination anymore when it comes to the restrictive rating simply because characters are gay or lesbian.

HBO's New Series LOOKING Stars AUGUST's Murray Bartlett

The official trailer went online today for the new HBO series LOOKING and it is looking good. I'm especially excited about the show as it stars Murray Bartlett, one of the leads from the feature AUGUST that I co-wrote with Eldar Rappaport. So it was very exciting to see him in the first shot of the trailer (and the promo image too!) as part of what looks to be a breakthrough show for the depiction of gay men on TV.

Though it's been informally referred to as "the gay GIRLS", the show seems like it will have quite a different tone and take given the creative team behind it. Andrew Haigh whose feature WEEKEND was one of the indie highlights of 2011, is directing with San Franciso-based filmmaker Travis Matthews whose infamous short I WANT YOUR LOVE and then feature with James Franco INT.LEATHER BAR pushed the boundaries for depictions of gay sex and intimacy in indie films.

LOOKING premieres on Sunday January 19th and will follow GIRLS when that show returns for Season 3 in January. I may just have to finally sign up for cable too and stop watching HBO GO at my friends houses to support this new show.  :)  "Looking" forward to it!

Doc About Cantor Fitzgerald Opens, 9/6 NY and 9/10 US

For almost five years, I worked as the associate producer on a documentary about Cantor Fitzgerald, the company whose offices were at the top of the World Trade Center. OUT OF THE CLEAR BLUE SKY follows the story of Cantor from September 11th up to the 10th anniversary of the attack which killed more than 600 people who worked for the company. Theirs was the largest loss of life of any single entity that day.

The film is directed by Danielle Gardner, a mentor of mine from when I was in film school. Danielle's brother worked at Cantor so the film started as a deeply personal project. But over time it evolved into telling the remarkable story of this company that lost a majority of its employees on that one terrible day was kept in operation so that they could help support the families of those left behind. It's an incredible tale of resilience and resolve and you can see it in theatres this weekend, when it opens at the Regal Union Square on September 6th.

Additionally, for those not in NYC, there is a special screening of the film happening on September 11th at theaters across the country...for more info on that visit the ScreenVision website. There will be a live Q/A following that screening with Danielle and Howard Lutnick, the company's CEO who survived because he was taking his son to his first day of kindergarten. That's a part of the Cantor story most people know but this film tells the rest of the story. I am very proud of my work on this project and I hope you can check it out this coming week. 

NetPix: MUD With Matthew McConaughey

I recently got a chance to see one of the sleeper indie hits of the summer, MUD. It stars Matthew McConaughey but really the stars of the film are two young boys, 14 year olds in the deep south on the verge of manhood played by Tye Sheridan and Jacob Lofland. Their performances are subtle and powerful by the end. And overall the movie is a wonderful piece of filmmaking telling a story that has many surprises along the way, especially towards the end. I didn't know much going into the film which I particularly like...I don't think I had even seen a trailer. I had just read online and heard from friends that it was a film worth seeing.

In addition to McConaughey, who gives a great performance as the eponymous and mysterious character named "Mud", there are a couple other well-known actors in surprising roles in the film. This was also great in that I had no idea they were going to be in the film and was impressed how they really immersed themselves in these particularly unglamorous roles in a rough-and-tumble milieu. Though I didn't see this one on NetFlix (which has lately not become a home for new films, unfortunately), you can catch it on iTunes or Amazon. It's a great corrective to the bloated and oversized films (many of which are bombing) of this summer.

THE WAY I SEE THINGS Now On Amazon Prime And Epix

A film that I executive produced a few years ago is now available to see on Amazon Prime and Epix. It was originally due to go on Netflix but then Epix and Netflix split, thus the delay...and the new venues. And it's free on Amazon Prime if you're a member!

THE WAY I SEE THINGS is an intimate first feature by writer/director Brian Pera who also managed the hat trick of starring in the film itself. He gives a wonderful performance as a man living in the South who goes on a road trip while dealing with the anniversary of a deep personal loss and finds himself in an ashram where he meets some odd new people who help him.

The film is beautifully shot by another first-timer, director of photography Ryan Parker and it was all done on location in Memphis and Hardy, Arkansas, featuring some lovely, lush landscapes. The film originally hit the festival circuit back in 2008, premiering at Outfest in LA and playing about 15 festivals where it got some great notices, particularly in VARIETY: "As actor and director, Pera's extremely quiet and subdued, sensitive….with Parker's superb lensing in both black-and-white and color. Quirky underscore by Harlan T. Bobo is right in line with this saga of self. This is a film that marches to its own drummer."

That's a spot-on assessment as this is a non-traditional narrative but one that is told with real heart and emotion. If you're looking for something different in a superhero/apocalyptic filled summer at the multiplex, this could be the cinematic antidote you need. Thanks for checking it out and supporting independent films.

Actor From AUGUST To Star In New HBO Show

A little belated news but THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER on May 15th announced that HBO is picking up to series a new gay-themed show about three friends living in San Francisco.  One of those friends is Murray Bartlett, the star of the feature film AUGUST that I co-wrote/produced with Eldar Rappaport. Murray was in the pilot for the series, directed by Andrew Haigh who made one of my favorite films of the last couple years WEEKEND, about two UK blokes who have a sexy/intense weekend together. 

I got meet Andrew when WEEKEND screened at the Castro the same week I was in San Francisco for the premiere of AUGUST. And I'm really looking forward to seeing what he does with this show as it develops. There is not much word yet publicly on the story and it doesn't have a title.  All that's known is that it was based on a feature script by Michael Lannan who did a well-received short called LORIMER and who also notably produced the James Franco experimental film INT.LEATHER BAR that had Sundance buzzing this year. 

Anyway, I think it's great that HBO has stepped up to the plate to produce something in which the gay characters don't inhabit the fringes of a major show but instead, finally, take center stage. 

Another Celeb Crowd Funded Flim Is Blowing Up On Kickstarter

Last month, the creative team behind VERONICA MARS took to Kickstarter to raise funds for a long-delayed and underfunded movie reboot of the franchise.  In a little over 48 hours they hit their goal and, by the end of one month, had raised nearly three times their goal of 2M. Well, now Zach Braff has taken to Kickstarter with a similar goal and will probably make that in just over 36 hours.

Braff's Kickstarter debuted yesterday to a rush of donors and now has more than 1.7 million of it's 2 million goal. Braff is raising money for a quasi-sequel to his popular generational film GARDEN STATE, which has different characters involved but dealing with challenges of life in their 30s rather than their 20s. His Kickstarter video (like the one for VERONICA MARS) has some star power too with cames by his SCRUBS co-star Donald Faison and friend Jim Parsons. Some are deriding the fact that these sort of celebrity fundraisers are "ruining" Kickstarter but to me that sounds like sour grapes. It's a crowd-sourcing platform and if, as a celeb, you already have a crowd then why shouldn't they be able to tap into it too?  It seems to be what the site was built for.

The real proof, however, will be in the product when both these films come out sometime next year. Will they be better than if a studio had produced them, leaving final cut to the producers and not the creators? We'll find out streaming on iTunes next summer.

The DVD Now Available For AUGUST

As the photo indicates, you can now get your DVD copy of AUGUST, the film that I co-wrote/produced with Eldar Rappaport. My copies of the movie arrived this week via Wolfe Video, where you can purchase the film for just $19.95. For those of you who are strictly digital these days, you can also stream the film for rental or purchase it digitally on Wolfe's website as well.

AUGUST is a romantic drama about a love triangle set in L.A. during a heatwave. It features great performances from Murray Bartlett and Daniel Dugan as a pair of ex-boyfriends who meet up again when one of them returns to the city.  Complicating matters is the fact that one of them is in a committed relationship, with the sexy Adrian Gonzalez. It's the perfect steamy movie for a snowy weekend so check it out and thanks for supporting the project! :)

SAVING LINCOLN, The Other Lincoln Film And Its Digital Creation

I read about this film over at IndieWire this weekend. It's a bio pic about Lincoln told from the perspective of his colorful Southern bodyguard Ward Hill Lamon.  Smartly capitalizing on the current Lincoln-mania and piggybacking on Spielberg's Oscar front-runner LINCOLN, this low budget indie has taken a very different approach toward telling the period story.

Using green screen technology, the film was shot on stages and the backgrounds were created from old Civil War-era photos scanned from the Library of Congress' archive. It makes for some stunning backdrops for sure (especially a birds eye view of the White House that opens the film's trailer below) but it also creates a highly stylized look that seems like an uneasy cross between a music video and a video game. Some of the effects are a little rough too, which might be due to uncompleted process shots in the trailer--a situation that often happens with big budget movies.

Anyway, the film stars mainly unknowns (like any true indie) with the exception of Penelope Anne Miller as Mary Todd Lincoln. You can judge for yourself whether this is an exercise in digital filmmaking or a worthy biopic in it's own right when the film comes out next month...on Lincoln's birthday of course.

GLEE's Chris Colfer Gets STRUCK BY LIGHTNING

My friend and fellow filmmaker Brian Dannelly (SAVE ME, WEEDS) has directed a new movie STRUCK BY LIGHTNING, which opens today in NYC and LA. Not only does the film star GLEE's gay breakout star Chris Colfer but the script was also written by Colfer as well. The film is a wickedly black comedy in which Colfer's character gets struck down (as they title says) in the opening shot and then reflects via flashback/voiceover about his final days at a small high school where he had big dreams of literary fame, which he tried to achieve via blackmail. Ah high school...

I got a chance to see the film via Apple TV (it was digitally released last month) and it's a smart, sassy comedy which is all the more remarkable for the fact that Colfer wrote the script when he was all of 21.  The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival here last spring and did the festival circuit last year to much acclaim. You can watch the movie's trailer below...and, if you like a good high school comedy (as I do!) you catch it in theaters this weekend! 

Ira Sach's Film KEEP THE LIGHTS ON In Theaters This Weekend

I've posted here before about my friend Ira Sach's latest feature KEEP THE LIGHTS ON.  It had its New York debut at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year after screenings at Sundance and Berlin. Now the film is out in theaters this weekend and I urge you to check it out. It is one of the best American features of the year. And that's not just me talking....the New York TIMES agrees as well.

It's a love story between two men told over the course of 10 years.  It's intimate and intense and a deeply personal story as well.  And it's also revealing about the nature of intimacy and what happens when that gets tangled with addiction. Finally, it's a story about life in New York and, with its beautifully realistic look, has the feeling of a sharply witnessed documentary at times.

It's opening this weekend in NYC and LA so please check it out. And it will be at other theaters in major cities across the U.S. later this fall. Here's the trailer below to give you a taste of the film...

The Unusual Cult of WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER

One of my favorite all-time comedies is the indie flick WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER.  It was a little movie from the guys who did THE STATE on MTV which is a loving sendup of summer movies from the 80's, especially those of the camp genre.  It also happens to sport a surprising number of future stars too, including Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd and Bradley Cooper (playing it gay!).  I was fortunate enough to have caught this in its limited release in August 2001 and it brightened up what was a dreary dog day of summer. I've seen it a few times since and still find it amusing as there are som many weird little jokes going on that you always seem to catch something new.

While I'd heard the film was popular with a certain movie-mad crowd, I had no idea it had become something of a cult classic.  Paper magazine reports on the film's legendary status in an interesting article about how it morphed from an in-theatres flop to a DVD hit and now a midnight classic. The best thing in the article, though, is the news that there is a sequel of sorts in the works. Will Bradley Cooper and his white Izod join the fun?  I hope so.  And I really hope they can get it together for Summer '13.

AUGUST Is Available On DVD & Download--Check It Out!

As we hit the dog days of August, you might be looking for something to watch other than a movie about a superhero or an animated child.  May I suggest the excellent indie AUGUST, directed by Eldar Rappaport and co-written by yours truly, me!  :)  It's a beautifully shot and wonderfully acted sultry drama about a love triangle that takes place in Los Angeles during a heat wave. Talk about the perfect summer movie....or should I say the perfect movie for the month of August.

The film played to much acclaim at festivals worldwide last year and now is available on DVD as well as digital download. So please check it out, support independent film and have a great steamy week!