If you are in the Washington DC area, be sure to check out these two screenings at George Mason University’s Johnson Center Cinema. Both are free and open to the public.
The screening of Poster Girl (38 mins, 2011 Oscar nominee for Best Documentary, Short Subject) on April 27 at 6:30pm in Johnson Center Cinema, will be followed by a Q&A by director Sara Nesson and her documentary’s subject, Iraq war veteran Robynn Nesson.
The screening of Living for 32 (40 mins), on April 28 at 4:30pm in Johnson Center Cinema, will be followed by a Q&A with the documentary’s subject, Colin Goddard.
Those who are interested in the Iranian election and protests should see this superb Iranian film that is one of the finest explorations of freedom, elections, democracy, and the rule of law I have ever watched on screen.
It begins with a surreal image as a solitary soldier patrolling an Iranian island coast sees a box dropped by parachute from a plane. Soon after, a boat arrives and a woman disembarks. She informs the soldier that she is there to collect as many votes as possible before 5 pm and he is to accompany her. They travel the island debating the legitimacy of the voting process and the ability of the law to ensure fair treatment. The woman is a stickler for the letter of the law, even when the result is difficult to justify. That is, until they get stopped by a broken red light and she must decide whether to stop at the deserted intersection, missing her boat and invalidating the votes she has collected, or break the law by running the light. The film, made by Canadian-Iranian Babak Payami works brilliantly as allegory and as quasi-documentary. We never learn the names of the characters; they are just “the soldier” and “the girl.” But they and their predicament are immediately involving and distinctive. Highly recommended for high school and college civics classes and for anyone who appreciates superb film-making.
One of my earliest memories is the day I first discovered Jim Henson’s “Labyrinth” on VHS. I was no more than 5 or 6. It was the first film I fell in love with. I must’ve watched it nearly every day after school for months.
Not long after, I was introduced to films like: “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” “The Never Ending Story,” “The Goonies,” “Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” etc. Within the following 5 or 6 years, my love for movies grew stronger and matured with such defining films as: “The Shawshank Redemption,” “Pulp Fiction” (which I’m proud to admit I snuck into when I was 11), “Schindler’s List,” and “Forrest Gump.”
Storytelling, creative writing, and concocting elaborate skits using friends as actors were vital hobbies of mine long before I hit puberty. I knew I wanted to be a filmmaker before I was 12 (the age I began writing screenplays).
To answer the question, I am a filmmaker to inspire and entertain others.
Were there particular films or directors or screenwriters who influenced you?
In addition to the films above, as far as filmmakers go: Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, Spielberg, Truffaut, and Alexander Payne…
How did the idea for this story begin?
NOTE: I can’t fully answer this question without giving away spoilers.
However, I will admit that I was diagnosed with ADD at a young age, and in order to be properly treated for such a condition I had to visit handfuls of diverse psychiatrists and psychologists for a large part of my life. The concept of a family journeying to see a shrink on a Saturday to mend their own issues has always been a topic I wanted to explore cinematically. I believe every human being can relate on some level.
You gave some very challenging roles to young actors — how did you work with them so that they did not indicate or give away too much too soon?
My New York-based casting director, Judy Henderson, has had a lot of luck casting children in the past. I sought her out based on her past work on such indie films as “L.I.E.” and “Twelve and Holding.” Judy came through again, finding incredible newcomers for “Lifelines.”
Each actor, Robbie Sublett (Michael Bernstein), Dreama Walker (Meghan Bernstein), and Jacob Kogan (Spencer Bernstein), understood the dynamics of their character from their first audition. I truly lucked out. We really didn’t even rehearse that much! When they had questions, we discussed the answers. When they weren’t in character or did something that needed improved (which was infrequent), I let them know and the problem was solved almost instantly. All three of them are already extremely successful, and deservingly so. Again, I truly lucked out.
Jane Adams is one of my favorite actresses. How did you come to work with her and what was it about this role that attracted her?
Jane was my first choice for Nancy Bernstein – I’ve always been a fan of hers as well. My Los Angeles-based casting director, Lindsay Chag, agreed that Jane was perfect for the role. Intuitively, I knew she would connect with the character. And she did. You would have to ask her what attracted her to the role for an authentic answer…
What do you most want people to take from this movie?
Nobody is perfect. And if anybody thinks they are, they’re most imperfect. I’d love people to watch this movie and subliminally start accepting their own family members and friends for precisely who they are, putting all inherent shortcomings aside. But ultimately, I made this movie for people to know they aren’t alone in the world. If you have an open mind, somebody will always be there to hear you out in times of need.
What are you doing next?
A feel-great father/son comedy titled: “In the Meantime.” It puts an insightful new spin on the coming age subgenre as well as road trips, and the definition of love & lust… We will be filming sometime this summer. Currently we’re making offers, getting close to attaching a star for the lead role. The rest of the principal cast is pretty much set. A bunch of the actors are already listed on IMDB and the rest will be added within the upcoming months.
Before the year is out I’d like to mention some independent films that did not get much attention in 2008 but are worth a look. These are not easy to summarize because they don’t follow the usual formulas. Some of their messiness comes from a more authentic and complicated sense of the world, some comes from having a tiny budget and some comes from being new at the process of telling stories with film. But they include some of my favorite moments on screen this year.
Kabluey is the story of a hapless loser (writer/director Scott Prendergast) sent to help his over-stressed sister-in-law while his brother is stationed in Iraq. He gets a job of soul-crushing absurd pointlessness, standing on an all-but-deserted road in a suffocating costume, the logo of a failing business, handing out fliers that no one wants. The costume gets some unexpected reactions from the people he meets and he begins to think differently about the effect he has on people. This is not one of those heart-warming cuddle-fests but it has moments of piercing sweetness and unexpected hilarity.
“Lifelines” One of the most exquisite images on screen this year was the lovely face of the brilliantly talented Jane Adams, who plays Nancy, the mother of a profoundly dysfunctional family in this film from first-time writer-director Rob Margolies (and originally titled “Wherever You Are”). Nancy and Ira (Josh Pais) bring their three angry and bitter children to a therapist (the always-marvelous Joe Morton) for a big announcement. In private meetings with each of the children, there are revelations that in another film might seem showy or melodramatic but a sure hand from Margolies and some exceptional acting from talented performers keep us involved and caring. The final twist is a bit too much but it is the mistake of a talented beginner and I very much look forward to seeing what Margolies does next.
And thanks to Dustin Putman for introducing me to “Kabluey” and “Lifelines.”
Dozens of films released each month never play in theaters outside of a few big cities. But Gigantic Digital is making independent films available online for a modest charge. For a ticket price of just $2.99, we’ll stream it to you in super high quality. And you can watch it as often as you like for 3 full days before your ticket expires. And there’s some excellent free stuff to watch too! So give the babysitter the night off, park the car in the garage, microwave some popcorn and settle in for a relaxed movie-going experience where you can talk all you want (although we don’t recommend it) and where you never have to turn off your Blackberry (although we do recommend that.)
They only have two films available so far, but more are coming and I hope before too long everyone will be able to see all the quirky little independent films they want without having to go to New York or Los Angeles.
is the story of a hapless loser (writer/director Scott Prendergast) sent to help his over-stressed sister-in-law while his brother is stationed in Iraq. He gets a job of soul-crushing absurd pointlessness, standing on an all-but-deserted road in a suffocating costume, the logo of a failing business, handing out fliers that no one wants. The costume gets some unexpected reactions from the people he meets and he begins to think differently about the effect he has on people. This is not one of those heart-warming cuddle-fests but it has moments of piercing sweetness and unexpected hilarity. 
John Cusack usually plays a hyper-verbal, high-strung character. But here, as a former soldier whose wife is killed in Iraq, he is someone who is so internal he cannot find the words to tell their two daughters what happened. He impulsively takes them on a road trip to a theme park. The two young actresses Shélan O’Keefe and Gracie Bednarczyk, give beautifully sensitive performances and there is an evocative score written by Clint Eastwood.