Review: "Where Y'at? (hello.)"

Q) What is Hollywood South?

A) The southern (specifically Gulf of Mexico) region of the U.S., which hosts a good amount of Hollywood film and television productions, because of very attractive tax incentives.

It’s tough out there for up and coming independent filmmakers, especially in New Orleans. Sure, there are tools like social networking and crowd funding that are paramount for artists, but there is no guarantee that any of that will work. And if they do, the benefits aren’t enough to qualify for the same privileges that bigger productions enjoy.

If you’re from Hollywood, they’ll roll out the red carpet. If you’re local, they’ll hire you to be a roller. Despite this, there are people and organizations in the area that are working around the clock to sponsor home grown talent, from festivals and lectures to collaborative projects. Collaborative - what a great word.

TimeCode:NOLA’s Where Y’at? (hello.) is a feature film made up of 15 shorts, each inspired by a city street corner. Think of it as New York, I Love You, but more independent. It’s an excellent introduction to some great talent, filled with DIY spirit and a “look at us!” attitude. Framed around a man eating peanuts on a park bench, telling anecdotes to anybody that’ll listen, the shorts run the gambit from comedic and silly to dramatic and romantic.

Ursulines and Decatur, Directed by Sam Cespedes, might be my favorite of the bunch. It tells the story of a young street musician with a crush on a young street artist. Little is actually said, but what shows through most is the beauty of love from afar and the music you hear when your heart flutters. It ought to be shown at visitor centers to give tourists a taste of the culture.

Another favorite is Dumaine and N. Derbigny, Directed by Corey Fortune. The most abstract and daring short of the movie, it presents a young man’s regret of bad choices (either previous or to come) in a challenging manner. Fragments of a crime, prior to and afterwards, are shown in a fragmented way. This non linear approach makes me feel the lead conflict in a sharp way. And the Garrison Keillor bit was a nice touch, too.

Then, there’s Franklin and Dauphine, Directed by Geoff Douville. A quick documentary on a dispute over a recognizable bar sign, this segment blends a “you have to live here to know” story with pictures and a slightly satirical and mostly fond narration. If you ever see the name Melvin in concrete, just know there is something interesting behind it.

The crew that TimeCode:NOLA brought together proves that not only do we have the people to support our own productions, but the talent to make them shine. If things go well, Hollywood may one day invest in a studio backlot for the area, and conceive of projects WITH us, instead of just outsourcing them TO us.

Q) What do we want Hollywood South to mean?

A) A place where local filmmakers think up, execute and put out movies. A NEW Hollywood.

4/5 *s

Where Y'at? (hello.) will be screening at the New Orleans Old U.S. Mint on Sunday, April 14th, as part of French Quarter Fest. Click here for more information.

Review: "Hot Cakes"

Cross posted from InvadeNola, where this will be appearing on June 16:

On the first episode of the #TeamNOLAFilmpodcast, we discussed the need for a real investment in local filmmakers and their projects. We have so many out of town productions coming IN to the area which is great, but not enough local projects coming OUT. Do producers need a good example of what New Orleans talent can make?

"I have been waiting all morning for a man with half a heart."

Marty, fresh out of prison, visits his regular post jail release diner.  His body language says he's yearning for a calmer future, but the scars on his face suggest something different; something deeper. Two other ex cons see this as well, and soon the three men are conversing over plates of pancakes. But there is more to their encounter than just short stacks...

Described as a sort of neo noir / urban western, "Hot Cakes" has a surreal nature to it; at times like Lynch, other times like Aronofsky. The appropriately timed music, the cryptic at times dialogue, the interesting framing (there is a Knight suit behind Marty in some shots) and even the setting - which comes off like a purgatory type meeting place for these characters - all makes the audience ask "what's this all leading to?" and "what does this all mean?".

Well, what DOES it all mean? What IS it leading to? A fortune teller in the diner is drawn to Marty, and makes a startling prediction for him; will it turn out to be correct? Will Marty be forced into a compromising position? His new friends certainly wish to pull him back into his harsh past. Will they succeed? The film's aesthetic gives everything - including eating breakfast - a sense of impending doom. And by the time the end credits roll, this sense still lingers; things just don't look good for Marty, in OR out of the diner. Is he in trouble no matter what? I absolutely loved this.

"No one should ever come here. I had teeth when I came here."

My only complaint is that it ended. I would like to see what the director Jo Custer could do with a feature length script. She's an example of the kind of local talent who deserve a shot. For Hollywood South to move forward, out of town producers bringing projects to the area need to make a meaningful investment in local filmmakers. Is an example of good local work needed? I just provided one.

4/5 *'s

Contributions Part 2

Hello! My Name is Bill...

On May 10th the first ever Tugg event was held in New Orleans. Hosted by The Theatres at Canal Place, the screening was a sold out blast featuring a Sergio Leone classic and fellow film enthusiasts.

Man, I wish I knew any of them. Read more...

Fleur De Flicks - June 2012

Tired of watching “The Avengers” these past few weeks? Don’t worry; with a new month, comes a new slate of movies. These are some of  my ticket buying suggestions for June. Read more...

A Spaghetti Superhero Flick?

After seeing The Avengers I wondered if we’ve seen the best that comic book movies have to offer. To clarify, I think that comic book movies are different from superhero movies. This is just my opinion, and I could be wrong, but it has to do with how the movie treats the subject. For example; Spiderman 2 is a superhero movie, Captain America: The First Avenger is a comic book movie. One deals more with the main characters’ plight and conflict, while the other is just about telling a fun story. I’m not trying to suggest that one is better than the other – it’s just how I feel.

So, let me change my original question up; have we seen the best that superhero movies have to offer? Read more...

Trailer: 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower'

Being Mr. Obvious over here, I say that high school sucks. But, what sucks even more is finding a good high school movie. Read more...

Review: 'The Avengers'

I used to collect comic books. Yes, I admit it. I got swept up in the fantasy of characters with unique abilities beyond those of normal people, fighting over exaggerated villains in an effort to save their hometown, and in some cases, the world. I mostly focused on the Superman comics – during the period of time when he became pure energy (I was probably one of the few that liked that story arc) – but I certainly hadn’t chosen a side in the DC vs. Marvel fight. Why pigeonhole yourself to just one brand? Read more...

NOLA's First Tugg Event

Read more about the event

 Movie buff wants to give The Joy a Tugg

After registering with the site, I was asked by a representative what theater in my area I was interested in. I thought of a few: The Prytania, Chalmette Movies, Zeitgeist, even The Alamo Underground. I feel pretty confident that any of these venues could play host. Shortly after responding to the rep, however, I realized I had forgotten one very important location – The Joy. Read more...

#TeamNOLAFilm Podcast - Episode 1

Hosted by local bloggers (myself and Chris Henson), local filmmakers (Chris Brown and Ashley Charbonnet), local crewmen (Casey Moore), local critics (Mike Scott), and open to any/all others who are involved in local film, this project has one main goal; to provide insight into the Hollywood South community FROM the Hollywood South community. Any suggestions, questions, comments or concerns are greatly appreciated. Feel free to embed and share this. And, if you download or listen to this, you too are part of #TeamNOLAFilm:

 Music courtesy of Tuba Skinny.

Still No Such Thing As Too Many Critics

In a previous post, I expressed my desire to become a professional film critic; a desire I've had since childhood. Since then, some progress towards that goal has been made - more reviews, more article contributions, more tweets and more contact with different people and places.

But, I could still be doing more.

Later this week, I have a job interview. Nothing guaranteed, but I might be doing some light filing and data entry pretty soon. Part time. My mother seemed a bit concerned by the news; "I don't want you to stop your writing". Of course I won't stop, but I do need some income (that's everybody's story). I know I can make this into a career. There has to be an opportunity out there somewhere. Maybe at Nola.com?

I was gonna hold off on writing this entry for a few more weeks, but I chose now to coincide with some interesting developments.

Recently, Nola.com - the Times Picayune's website - underwent a redesign. Colors were changed, sections were reorganized and some dead spots were consolidated. I assume (and hope) it's not the final version, as it could use some more local personality and be more user friendly. Despite the site issues (there are good online examples to follow), the change up shows a positive interest in internet distribution. And, even more recently (like a few hours ago), a rumor hit twitter that a big shakeup at the paper was being planned. Could all of this mean an opening for staff bloggers?

Perhaps. The big shakeup hasn't been officially announced, but it's believed that it will involve more reliance on the website to provide content, and less on printed papers - which would lead to days without a paper being printed.

More and more, people are getting their news off the internet. Sure, some still buy papers on Friday and Sunday, but, in the case of my mom at least, it's mostly for the coupons and ads. Whatever articles get printed in the paper now appear on a site as well. And, now with social networking, anybody connected can be informed of a new article as soon as it's posted, as opposed to waiting the next day for it to be delivered.

As someone who blogs about movies - usually involving the New Orleans area - and gets his news online, I find this concentration on website content very exciting. To be able to reach more people AND connect with them is all any blogger wants.

Losing a couple of daily papers is a bit rash, especially considering that portions of the area lack proper internet access; how will people get the news if there's fewer prints and not enough broadband? Maybe the answer - for now - lies in catering to the online readers and traditional audience separately. Creating a whole new department for a blogging team wouldn't be too difficult; local writers are already providing content for free, and would be more than happy to come on board for such a project. And we wouldn't even need a physical newsroom; a laptop and a coffee shop will suffice.

TP currently only has one critic (a fine one at that). As an area that is BOOMING with film productions - so much that it's now being called Hollywood South - we could use more pro movie writers. Nola is more than just a food and music town; it's a movie town, too. So many productions, screenings and events can spread any single critic thin. Pair that critic up with another? You've got some more coverage.  Pair that critic up with a blogger - someone who is constantly connected online (bordering on obsession) - you've got the whole area covered.

Considering the redesign, the possible shakeup and Hollywood South as it is - why not do what other papers (like LATimes) are doing? Why not put a movie blogger on the staff?

Perhaps not. Now, it's thought that some staffers may lose their jobs if the rumors are true. Longtime writers could be pushed aside in an effort to save money. If this happens, the likelihood of staff bloggers becomes slim. This seems to be what some papers across the country are doing, but it's a bit misguided if you ask me.

If anything, a paper should hire MORE staff writers, not LESS. I don't know much about the business end of things, but I do know that people are still reading - sometimes on paper and sometimes online - and they still depend on local news organizations and local writers for local information. You may think you can't afford your current staff, but you really can't afford not to have them. Adding a few more members, if only on a freelance basis, would be a benefit.

No matter what happens - if the shakeup rumors are true or not - I still think New Orleans area publications - like Nola.com - should invest in more movie bloggers, and I still think I can make a career out of doing what I love to do, despite the state of the economy. In the meantime, I've got some pants and a shirt to iron; gotta look nice for the job interview.