Notes from Underdog.

Coen Brothers Air Freshener/Anti-Coal ad.

I'm reposting this on behalf of the We Campaign:

Dear Reality Member,

When it comes to making cutting edge films like "Fargo," "No Country for Old Men," and "The Big Lebowski," Joel and Ethan Coen are the real deal.

Now, they've got one more title on that impressive list.

"Air Freshener" is directed by the Coen brothers, and we're proud to say it's Reality's latest ad -- calling out the coal industry's ridiculous claims that coal is clean as only the Coen brothers can. Watch it now:

http://action.ThisIsReality.org/coenbrothers

A lot has happened since we launched the Reality Campaign to call out the coal industry for their dirty lies. The devastating coal ash spill in Tennessee last December was a painful reminder that using "clean" to describe coal doesn't make it true. And last week, the Environmental Protection Agency's decision to reconsider carbon dioxide regulation was a tremendous wake-up call to the coal industry.

Now is a crucial moment. Our message is working, and we've got to take this opportunity to turn up the heat. With help from folks like the Coen brothers, it's a little easier (and funnier). Will you help spread the word, too?

Watch how this Air Freshener "cleans," and join the Reality Campaign to help push the coal industry to come clean about dirty coal.

http://action.ThisIsReality.org/coenbrothers

It's time for the coal industry to make an immediate investment in new technology, to show real commitment to clean energy solutions. The ball is in their court.

Thanks,

Brian Hardwick
Reality Coalition

P.S. After you watch the video, check out the Reality blog, the newest addition to ThisIsReality.org.

Coraline; separated at birth.

What can I say about CORALINE that hasn't already been said? It's wondrously imaginative, the look superbly crafted and the stop-motion animation terrific. It's Henry Selick's finest work and that's saying something. Several moments, and visuals, in particular stay with you long after. There's a touch of Miyazaki here, too, or at least I'd imagine he'd admire this work (imaginative supporting characters, a talking cat, a sharp-witted and stubborn girl heroine, fantasy world melding with the real world, and so on.)

It's almost too bad the film gets so chilling in the third act, because as much as I want to I have a hard time recommending it to kids under 10 or so. I know I would've been terrified by a few key moments toward the end. But it's an ingenious work.  It also of course touches on a recurring theme in Neil Gaiman's work (see: MirrorMask), which is the doppelganger of self, and the parallel world. Certainly nothing new (see: Alice in Wonderland, too) but the way he, and Henry Selick, revisits this theme in wholly new ways here make it stand out. Terrific voice work all around (I was admittedly a bit skeptical of Teri Hatcher but she's quite good).

---

On to something much less important, which is -- Coraline's dad (voiced in the film by comic actor and writer John Hodgman) bears an eerie resemblance to comic actor (and voice of Spongebob Squarepants) Tom Kenny. Anyone else see it?

 

RIP, New Yorker Video.

Some of you already saw this news but just in case, Eugene Hernandez reports on IndieWire that New Yorker Films is folding.  Very sad news, given the number of excellent films from around the world they brought to us in theaters and home video, and thinking of the number of films that are now in limbo because of this. It's also not a huge surprise to me; I'd heard rumblings of this for awhile, noticed they hadn't been able to upgrade their wonky web site for ages, and, well, given the economy who isn't in danger these days?

“After 43 years in business, New Yorker Films has ceased operations,” the statement reads. “We would like to thank the filmmakers and producers who trusted us with their work, as well as our customers, whose loyalty has sustained us through the years.”

Founded in 1965 by Dan Talbot, New Yorker has a legendary legacy, boasting a long-standing track record in international film distribution, bringing a staggering number of international auteurs to this country’s movie theaters over more than four decades. The company’s crucial role in establishing a lasting film culture in this country cannot be underestimated. A New York Times profile in 1987, marking a 14-week salute to the company at New York’s Public Theater, listed an illustrious roster of filmmakers whose films were released by the company: Ackerman, Bertolucci, Bresson, Chabrol, Fassbinder, Fellini, Godard, Herzog, Kieslowski, Malle, Rohmer, Rossellini, Sembene, Wenders, Schlondorff, and many others.

Oscar podcast

Yours truly and Aaron Hillis blathered on, er, I mean, chatted about this Sunday's Oscars in a brand new podcast now up on GreenCine.  Here are the details, from GreenCine Daily.  (Note: We came up with a couple of new drinking games by my count but don't officially endorse drinking; please blog responsibly; etc.

PODCAST: Oscars 2009 Pre-Game

The Academy Awards begin at 8pm EST on Sunday night, and as GreenCine guru Craig Phillips mentioned below, he'll be hosting an ultra-fabulous, high-tech live blog during the ceremony. I'll be making guest appearances throughout the night, as will a whole gaggle of witty film bloggers and other charismatic cineastes, and we hope you'll join us, too.

Until then, the San Francisco-based Craig and I had one last cross-country conversation about the nominations, who we expect to win, which was the worst year ever for Best Picture nominees (hint: it's been longer than you think), and how to turn both the Oscars and our podcast into a drinking game.

To listen to the podcast, click here.

Andrew Stanton (WALL-E) on first drafts

Speaking at a Creative Screenwriting magazine panel of this year's Oscar-nominated screenwriters (most of them anyway), Andrew Stanton, writer on WALL-E, was asked about writing the first draft of that script.

He responded with this useful bit of insight for other screenwriters: "I just assume anything that's my first draft sucks.  My motto is be wrong as fast as you can. It's just a means of getting to the fifth draft or the sixth draft. It's like puberty - you have to go through it to get to adulthood.

"My feeling is I almost don't want to read my first draft when it's done, I'm just glad it's over with so I can start over again."

Go to iTunes or here for the podcast.

Scriptdog Millionaire.

I've been wanting to read, dissect and critique the Slumdog Millionaire screenplay for some time now. But it took me a bit of time to find a copy of it. And thanks to SimplyScripts.com, I have.  Slumdog Millionaire screenplay, by Simon Beaufoy (pdf file).

As I may have mentioned, I had some issues with the film -- though I still appreciated it and was glad to have seen it. But I'm trying to dig a little deeper, see where my issues really lie and also see if there's anything I appreciate more the second time 'round or from reading the screenplay itself.

Look for critique here (which may not be pages long) soon.

USA-Mexico Soccer LiveBlog! Wednesday 4pm PST/7pm EST.

I'm hosting a live chat during today's Mexico at USA World Cup-qualifying soccer game, partially as a way to test out the CoverItLive live blog interface in preparation for GreenCine's Oscar Live blog. But also as a way to chat with fellow soccer fans!  So join me today at 4pm PST/7pm EST at the chat below. This way I can test out my moderating skills.   The game will be televised on ESPN2, and you can follow it online as well. And here!  Join us. (And behave yourself.)

Jon Stewart: "Coming up on the Factor: Cognitive Dissonance, why I don't experience it."

The glorious hypocrisy of FoxNews and Bill O'Really is hung out to dry by Jon Stewart.  "Paparazzi: bad -- unless it's someone we're going after in which case it's fair game."

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Bill O'Reilly's Right to Privacy

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Funny Political News
Joke of the Day

Waltz With Bashir: See it.

Honestly, I don't know if I can write at length about this incredible film, given everything else that's already been written about it, and given that I'm still letting the "dust settle."  But Ari Folman's Waltz With Bashir deserves all the praise. It's a moving meditation not only on the horrors and futility of war but on the power of memory (and the way a trauma can eradicate memories). 

I was skeptical of the use of animation throughout a film that is a documentary, but it's not only beautifully done, it's truly an inspired decision. This allows not only Folman's interview subjects -- fellow soldiers and friends in most cases -- to have a certain amount of privacy, but also allows him to create vivid flashbacks to the anecdotes of war.  They are no less powerful for this.

And by using animation all the way up until the very last moment, when he switches unforgettably to real film, real footage, that moment becomes all the more devastating.

It's a pointed commentary on the long-running absurdity and tragedy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the folly of war in general. We've seen that point before in film, of course, but never quite like this.

Don't miss it.

Franchises and remakes and board games, oh my.

Aaron Hillis wrote on GreenCine Daily about the increasing trend (and yes, this has been going on for awhile now, but at this point it seems more of an out of control virus) in Hollywood toward franchises over originality:

How difficult is it for a Hollywood screenwriter to craft an original story with wide appeal? That's neither rhetorical, nor a gripe about the 55 proposed remakes currently in the pipeline. (Arthur, as well as 10? Moore really is more.) From a strictly crass commercial standpoint, perhaps the economics do make sense when it comes to reinvigorating old franchises and cult genre favorites, so an eye roll is dismissal enough for Hellraiser, Akira, Westworld, or The Jetsons. Friday the 13th reboots next week, My Bloody Valentine last month, same as it ever was.

Except it gets worse. According to Variety, Universal has announced that their live-action adaptation of the Hasbro board game "Candy Land" is a go, directed by Enchanted's Kevin Lima. If, for instance, Amy Adams were to star, would we be shaken with white-knuckle suspense over whether she were able to take the Gumdrop Pass, or will she be confronted with crazy real-life obstacles like... losing turns? This might sound more ridiculous if Ridley Scott's Monopoly and Michael Bay's Ouija weren't also in the works (as are Battleship and Magic: The Gathering), and who could forget Clue? The possibilities sure are endless, H'wood. Why not Eli Roth's Operation? Wolfgang Petersen's Risk? Woody Allen's Scrabble? (Strike the last one, I might actually watch that.) 

As I wrote in the comments there:

As a screenwriter who bangs his head against the table almost nightly after working hard on original specs only to hear stories like these, that studios are gobbling up franchises of all sorts and shying away from anything original, I can only shake my head and sigh at this point. But I really did think "Ridley Scott's Monopoly" was just a wry joke on your part, Aaron, had to look it up to confirm. And Candyland? I mean, these are franchises with no actual character attachment or depth of any kind. On the one hand, that means writers/directors are free to go off and do as they please, so some creativity will still be required, but on the other hand... what on earth is the point?

Right now the only board game I can think of adapting is SORRY because that's how I feel about the whole lot of these projects.

Or perhaps I should scrap my original screenplay ideas and start up on Parcheesi: The Motion Picture or the scintillating suspense of Apples to Apples 2: The Quickening.

What do you think? Is it all due to financial worry that studios are hiding behind whatever franchises they can find so there's less... risk involved?  Are they just being lazy?  How can we get them to take chances on original screenplays?