A Side Door into the Industry by Nick Aquilino “The game has changed, and it’s harder to get a foot in the door, anywhere. I think the wave of the future is to get a camera and some editing gear and start shooting a movie.” —Albert Hughes [director: Book of Eli, From Hell] …
by Frederick Bailey Sitting in a screening room a couple of weeks ago, watching THE BICYCLE THIEF (1948), brought it home to me once again. Something I first realized years ago: Movies are time machines. They can literally take us back in time to a place that existed before we were born. And we…
by Pete Wassell I know. How many times do we have to read a diatribe, a manifesto on the state of the Hipster? “It’s been done!” they say… Well, I haven’t done it. So I’m gonna do it now. What is a Hipster? That term has always been a bit cloudy to me. I’m confident…
The Roots of Satellite Movie Distribution by Martin Pitts Movie distribution is affected by advancements in technology as much as other areas of the industry. A pivotal influence occurred a number of years ago, beginning with the efforts of a marketing company to command the attention of the college audience with a new strategy….
by Axel Melzener Humans learn best from mistakes, especially when they’re artists. That’s why the ability to accept criticism is of vital importance to a screenwriter striving to hone his craft. One of his biggest challenges is to find mistakes in his own stories before it’s too late – meaning, before others do. Over the…
Pete Wassell continues his review of this year’s Best Picture nominees. Amour: Michael Haneke makes films that test you. His movies are deliberately paced often with gut-wrenchingly long takes. Amour is no different. The story of two octogenarians living together, until one morning at breakfast Anne, played by Emmanuelle Riva, suffers what turns out to…
Our Pete Wassell continues with his incisive look at this year’s Best Picture nominees. Argo: Ben Affleck is getting better… Tight and tense. Affleck seems to have found his true calling. Directing seems to come naturally to him, and I’m personally glad he has stayed with it. Though flawed, I enjoyed his debut feature Gone…
Our Pete Wassell continues his overview of this year’s 9 Best Picture nominees. Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino does what he does and I love it. A great soundtrack, violence, vengeance, dead slave owners and bigots to the left and the right, and comedy… yes, Django Unchained is very funny. That’s what Tarantino does. He’s a…
In a year when a lot of people didn’t see as many movies as they might’ve wanted to, the Oscar nominations don’t surprise, but as always, disappoint. Pete Wassell’s on our team in Burbank. Here’s his overview of some of this year’s 9 Best Picture nominees. Lincoln: Excellent. The best thing Steven Spielberg has done…
