A few little notes as we head deeper into May:
I know it’s five months off but I already know my NYFF coverage will be interesting. Normally I take time off from work to go to the pre-fest press screenings but I don’t know how much I will be able to do since several people at the day job have asked for time off.
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A quick Bigfoot interview update: I have been asked to hold off posting the interview and wait for the release.
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I am in the annual “I so want to quit” period. I’ve been slammed with stuff at the day job and a puppy with health issues so I haven’t been as focused on Unseen. I feel like I’m all over the place.
I’m also not getting access to several of the bigger films, which is frustrating. Everyone wants coverage from influencers over writers because they can get happy happy joy joy coverage instead of real discussion.
On the plus side I know readership is up and I know what we are doing is appreciated because I have been getting some nice emails from filmmakers and readers.
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I should also say that I’ve done an essay for Blu-ray special edition. I’ll say more when I know it’s real… I mean the essay is done and sent off… but I want to wait until I know its gone to press.
To tie into the question about knowing people are reading Unseen, the essay came about because someone saw a review I did in 2012 of film.
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Both Ariela and I have been credentialed for Tribeca and we are already getting hit with films and offers. Reviews and coverage when the embargoes drop.
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I have three pieces relating to last weekends Drive in Monsterama April Ghouls going up soon. One on the screenings, one on the Living Dead Museum and one on Kriess’ Mini Golf Course.(It’s the oldest still functioning Minigolf in America)
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The plans for the run up to Tribeca is to continue with coverage of the Tony Leung retrospective, cover some new releases, get some Cannes coverage done, do a few festival films and then dive into the Lincoln Center Open Roads series, that should bring us into the wave of Tribeca.
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From The Gold Derby Site how the new international feature rules work:
"In the International Feature Film category, there are now two ways to submit a film for consideration. In addition to a film being submitted as an official selection by a country or region via the Academy-approved Selection Committees, a non-English language film can now be submitted for consideration by winning a qualifying award at an international film festival as specified in the International Feature Film Award Qualifying Festival List. Qualifying festivals for the 99th Oscars are the Berlin International Film Festival (Golden Bear for Best Film), Busan International Film Festival (Busan Award — Best Film Award), Cannes Film Festival (Palme d’Or), Sundance Film Festival (World Cinema Grand Jury Prize), Toronto International Film Festival (Platform Award) and Venice International Film Festival (Golden Lion)."
I like the idea but I am unsure about the limited number of festivals because these are the fests that most other fests pull from. Other festivals don't always pick the same winners.
I'm also qizzical about the inclusion of Sundance largely because their International films tend to be interesting but rarely earth shaking
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Related to that having recently watched MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS I'm again struck by how some films get all the attention because of good PR or friends in certain places, while being a johnny come lately to a subject/genre. It's as if the programmers/writers haven't been watching the all the other films in the genre or on the subject that have come out in the previous five years and only are getting excited because this film showed up at the one random fest they program or cover.
I say this because there have been numerous films on the press in Russia that do the same thing as MY UNDESIRABLE FRIENDS but in a fraction of the time.
Thats not to knock the film but only to point out that when something is noticed and by whom determines what is held to be the best film on a subject.
This is particularly true about the recent wave of fims on efforts to save the rain forests and the indigenious populations...
...this is even more true with a lot of inde dramas where variations on various themes, say a couple coming to a big city, or a certain romantic variation or what to do with kids when the parents die, or some other subject, ends up with one film being hailed as the best version on a subject simply because the writers saw it at the right trendy festival, that they all coover, while ignoring all the smaller fests where these wonderful, and often more creative and thoughtful variations screen because that was the festival they could afford to get into.
I am constantly getting into battles for not liking an important discovery even after explaining that I've already seen 6 other variations on the theme at other festivals.
We really need to stop taking the word of the PR people and most pundits who claim something is groundbreaking or the best version of a type of story when I the reality is its probably the only version of the story (or the second version) that they actually have seen.
Yes I know time is precious but the truth is most film writers, and almost all the film influencers, are not seeing enough films to fully judge the subjects as a whole. They watch what the studios and the big fests give them and say thats the best when the truth is they are missing out on so many more better films.
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I watched a documentary on college hazing and I am now convinced that the so called good and normal people are some of the most sick and twisted people on the face of the earth.
Everyone wonders how teriible things happen consider that the people who normal do things like make people eat mouse heads simply to join a frat.
That isn't normal or good. Thats sick and twisted.
You worry about people being gay or a different religion and yet you're fine with behavior that in any situation other than a frat house or a sorority house would be a sign of mental illness being okay? Its not kids being kids- its kids being psychotic and its no wonder that their kids turn out warped and their relationships crash and burn.
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