When Lifetime asked iconic indie filmmaker Allison Anders to direct the network’s “Beaches” remake, the director found herself in an interesting position: She’d never seen Garry Marshall’s 1988 melodrama.
“In fact, I can say this to IndieWire — I was like, ‘Well fuck no, I haven’t seen “Beaches.” That’s everything my generation of filmmakers was against,'” Anders said.
Read More: ‘Beaches’ Remake Trailer: Idina Menzel Belts ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ in Lifetime Promo
Nonetheless, she decided to check out the original, and found herself deeply surprised by Marshall’s depiction of the decades-long bond between Cc (Idina Menzel in the remake, originally played by Bette Midler) and Hillary (Nia Long in the remake, originally played by Barbara Hershey). “I feel like the messiness is what was appealing to me, and that they endure through that messiness,” Anders said. “I mean, that’s the key, the endurance of the friendship.
“In fact, I can say this to IndieWire — I was like, ‘Well fuck no, I haven’t seen “Beaches.” That’s everything my generation of filmmakers was against,'” Anders said.
Read More: ‘Beaches’ Remake Trailer: Idina Menzel Belts ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ in Lifetime Promo
Nonetheless, she decided to check out the original, and found herself deeply surprised by Marshall’s depiction of the decades-long bond between Cc (Idina Menzel in the remake, originally played by Bette Midler) and Hillary (Nia Long in the remake, originally played by Barbara Hershey). “I feel like the messiness is what was appealing to me, and that they endure through that messiness,” Anders said. “I mean, that’s the key, the endurance of the friendship.
- 1/21/2017
- by Liz Shannon Miller
- Indiewire
If Frosty the Snowman is a little too holly and jolly for your tastes, then you might want to consider adding Vinegar Syndrome's Blu-ray / DVD release of Jack Frost (1997) to your stocking this holiday season.
From Amazon: "On his way to be executed, the vehicle containing notorious serial killer Jack Frost collides with a hazardous chemical truck, turning Jack into a snow covered mutant and unleashing him on the unsuspecting town of Snomonton, 'The Snowman Capitol of the Midwest'. Jack immediately takes advantage of his newfound freedom and blizzardy abilities to seek revenge on the bungling Sheriff, played by Christopher Allport (To Live And Die In L.A.), that accidentally ended his cross-country killing spree. On his way to the Sheriff, Jack terrorizes the snow-man themed town and murders its residents in a variety of winterized ways. Can the residents of Snomonton fight back against the psychopath snowman from Hell...
From Amazon: "On his way to be executed, the vehicle containing notorious serial killer Jack Frost collides with a hazardous chemical truck, turning Jack into a snow covered mutant and unleashing him on the unsuspecting town of Snomonton, 'The Snowman Capitol of the Midwest'. Jack immediately takes advantage of his newfound freedom and blizzardy abilities to seek revenge on the bungling Sheriff, played by Christopher Allport (To Live And Die In L.A.), that accidentally ended his cross-country killing spree. On his way to the Sheriff, Jack terrorizes the snow-man themed town and murders its residents in a variety of winterized ways. Can the residents of Snomonton fight back against the psychopath snowman from Hell...
- 11/7/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
The documentary Nuts!, directed by Penny Lane, screens at Webster University’s Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood) September 9th though the 11th. The film starts each night at 7:30pm
Nuts! is a feature length documentary about Dr. John Romulus Brinkley, an eccentric genius who built an empire in Depression-era America with a goat testicle impotence cure and a million watt radio station. Using animated reenactments, interviews, archival footage, and a hilariously unreliable narrator, Nuts! traces Brinkley’s rise from poverty and obscurity to the heights of celebrity, wealth and influence. Along the way, he transplants tens of thousands of goat testicles; amasses an enormous fortune; is (sort of) elected Governor of Kansas; builds the world’s most powerful radio station; invents junk mail, the infomercial, the sound-truck and Border Radio; hosts some epic parties; and annoys the heck out of the establishment, until finally his audacious actions force the federal...
Nuts! is a feature length documentary about Dr. John Romulus Brinkley, an eccentric genius who built an empire in Depression-era America with a goat testicle impotence cure and a million watt radio station. Using animated reenactments, interviews, archival footage, and a hilariously unreliable narrator, Nuts! traces Brinkley’s rise from poverty and obscurity to the heights of celebrity, wealth and influence. Along the way, he transplants tens of thousands of goat testicles; amasses an enormous fortune; is (sort of) elected Governor of Kansas; builds the world’s most powerful radio station; invents junk mail, the infomercial, the sound-truck and Border Radio; hosts some epic parties; and annoys the heck out of the establishment, until finally his audacious actions force the federal...
- 9/8/2016
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If you saw Reese Witherspoon’s Oscar-winning performance in “Walk The Line,” and thought her story needed a dose of muddy visuals and histrionic melodrama, Lifetime has fixed your needs completely with their new original movie.
In a move thankfully more fitting than Lindsay Lohan as Liz Taylor in their upcoming biopic, “Liz & Dick,” Lifetime has cast the singer Jewel in “The June Carter Story,” playing the titular country icon in a film about her life. Previously only seen in bit parts in Ang Lee’s “Ride With The Devil” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (which, ironically, poked fun at projects resembling, oh, this one),” Jewel will take center stage as the film chronicles June’s rise to fame alongside her husband Johnny Cash, before breaking out on her own for a solo career. Of course, June was a major force in saving Cash’s life during his well-chronicled substance abuse,...
In a move thankfully more fitting than Lindsay Lohan as Liz Taylor in their upcoming biopic, “Liz & Dick,” Lifetime has cast the singer Jewel in “The June Carter Story,” playing the titular country icon in a film about her life. Previously only seen in bit parts in Ang Lee’s “Ride With The Devil” and “Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story" (which, ironically, poked fun at projects resembling, oh, this one),” Jewel will take center stage as the film chronicles June’s rise to fame alongside her husband Johnny Cash, before breaking out on her own for a solo career. Of course, June was a major force in saving Cash’s life during his well-chronicled substance abuse,...
- 5/4/2012
- by Charlie Schmidlin
- The Playlist
In 1991 two films changed the landscape of indie cinema by making the frugality of the budget a selling point. Where are the microbudget film directors now?
Hollywood has always operated on the principle that more is more: each time the most expensive film ever made arrives in cinemas, budgetary extravagance becomes a major selling point. But 20 years ago, the Us independent sector stumbled upon its own marketing equivalent: the microbudget. Suddenly it became apparent that a film's financial shortcomings could be exploited to its advantage.
In 1991, two films changed the landscape of indie cinema and the way in which it was sold. Richard Linklater's Slacker, which drops in on around 100 misfits and eccentrics during 24 hours in Austin, Texas, and Matty Rich's Straight Out of Brooklyn, a tale of young no-hopers in New York's housing projects, marked the start of a phenomenon – frugality as a marketing hook
Neither were the...
Hollywood has always operated on the principle that more is more: each time the most expensive film ever made arrives in cinemas, budgetary extravagance becomes a major selling point. But 20 years ago, the Us independent sector stumbled upon its own marketing equivalent: the microbudget. Suddenly it became apparent that a film's financial shortcomings could be exploited to its advantage.
In 1991, two films changed the landscape of indie cinema and the way in which it was sold. Richard Linklater's Slacker, which drops in on around 100 misfits and eccentrics during 24 hours in Austin, Texas, and Matty Rich's Straight Out of Brooklyn, a tale of young no-hopers in New York's housing projects, marked the start of a phenomenon – frugality as a marketing hook
Neither were the...
- 9/23/2011
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
The Palm Springs International ShortFest, billed as the largest short film festival in North America, has announced its Festival award winners! 331 short films were screened, but in the end, only 18 categories were awarded.
I love and totally support the Palm Springs International ShortFest, many winners move on to nab an Oscar! According to Festival Director, Darry Macdonald, "It.s been a remarkable year for ShortFest, with record attendance and a rapturous response to the programming by audiences, industry and filmmakers alike. The Film Market and industry programs were particulary active, adding hugely to the Festival.s success. I.m confident a number of major future filmmakers emerged here this year and will go on to enliven the feature film world."
And the winners of the 2011 Palm Springs International ShortFest are:
Jury Awards
Best Of Festival Award - $2,000 cash and Software Package courtesy of The Showbiz Café & Store; Ultimate Stock Footage...
I love and totally support the Palm Springs International ShortFest, many winners move on to nab an Oscar! According to Festival Director, Darry Macdonald, "It.s been a remarkable year for ShortFest, with record attendance and a rapturous response to the programming by audiences, industry and filmmakers alike. The Film Market and industry programs were particulary active, adding hugely to the Festival.s success. I.m confident a number of major future filmmakers emerged here this year and will go on to enliven the feature film world."
And the winners of the 2011 Palm Springs International ShortFest are:
Jury Awards
Best Of Festival Award - $2,000 cash and Software Package courtesy of The Showbiz Café & Store; Ultimate Stock Footage...
- 6/27/2011
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
If you’re not familiar with Kickstarter.com, you should know it’s the largest funding platform for creative projects in the world, including film, art and technology. Any person can pledge any amount towards a project they feel should be developed and in return they receive unique gifts selected by the project creators. Indie helmers Allison Anders and Kurt Voss are using Kickstarter to finance the costs of their feature film Strutter -- the closing chapter in the trilogy that began with Border Radio and was last left off with Sugar Town. The two studied at UCLA together after meeting as production assistants on Wim Wender’s Paris, Texas and since then, they together or separately written and directed over 20 films and a number of television episodes and music videos. We guess this means that, Anders will work on this project in the first portion of 2011 before heading into Smile Now,...
- 11/18/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Music has always been a major element of Allison Anders' films. "Border Radio," "Grace of My Heart" and "Sugar Town" are actually about musicians. "Sugar Town" is named after a Nancy Sinatra song and features John Taylor of Duran Duran, Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet and John Doe of X in major roles. The lead character of "Things Behind the Sun" (named after a Nick Drake song) is about a music journalist who tracks down a childhood friend turned rising rock star.
"Things Behind the Sun" came out in 2001, and Anders hasn't done a film since, directed instead episodes of "The L Word" and "What About Brian" and founding the Don't Knock The Rock Film And Music Festival. But she has a new project with longtime collaborator Kurt Voss up on Kickstarter:
"Strutter" tells the story of 22 year old Brett (Flannery Lunsford), a singer for a Los Angeles rock...
"Things Behind the Sun" came out in 2001, and Anders hasn't done a film since, directed instead episodes of "The L Word" and "What About Brian" and founding the Don't Knock The Rock Film And Music Festival. But she has a new project with longtime collaborator Kurt Voss up on Kickstarter:
"Strutter" tells the story of 22 year old Brett (Flannery Lunsford), a singer for a Los Angeles rock...
- 11/17/2010
- by Alison Willmore
- ifc.com
Director: Ulli Lommel Writers: Ulli Lommel, Richard Hell, Robert Madero Starring: Carole Bouquet, Richard Hell, Ulli Lommel, Andy Warhol During my teens, I feasted on a steady diet of punk rock movies, everything from Rock 'n' Roll High School to Suburbia, The Decline of Western Civilization to Dogs in Space to Sid and Nancy to Rude Boy to Another State of Mind to The Blank Generation (1976) to Border Radio to Breaking Glass to The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle to Gleaming the Cube to Jubilee to The Last Pogo to Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains to Liquid Sky to The Punk Rock Movie to Repo Man to Surf Nazis Must Die to Thrashin’ to Urgh! A Music War to Stop Making Sense…but one film that always eluded me was Ulli Lommel’s Blank Generation (not to be confused with Ivan Kral’s 1976 documentary The Blank GenerationBlank Generation on DVD.
- 5/17/2010
- by Don Simpson
- SmellsLikeScreenSpirit
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