2008-01-31 02:05:43

AWARDS SEASON AT BELIEFNET

Filed under: Film
Posted by: Craig

Tis the season for passing out golden idols. Amidst the SAG awards, the Grammys, and the Oscars, Beliefnet has added to the Gold Rush. I’m honored to serve as a judge for the Beliefnet Film Awards (the BFAs!). The awards focus on the best spiritual movies and performances.

Some nominees conform to the Oscars race. Atonement and Juno are up for Best Picture. Julie Christie and Ellen Page are singled out for Best Performance. Surely, Julie Christie heartbreaking turn as a woman battling the early onset of Alzheimers will win the Oscar. But most spiritual? The greatest acts of grace in Away from Her are reserved for her husband, (Gordon Pinsent) as he let his true love go.

I am pleased by Beliefnet’s recognition of Emile Hirsch and Will Smith for their performances in Into the Wild and I am Legend. Their work as reluctant and isolated heroes stands out amidst a strong year for movies. Into the Wild remains my favorite film from 2007. It is loaded with transcendent moments of heartbreaking beauty. This consistently inspiring story deserves to be seen on the big screen. Weigh in with your votes for the Best Spiritual Films here.

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2008-01-26 22:15:06

FROZEN RIVER wins SUNDANCE 2008: EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

Filed under: Film
Posted by: Craig

The most moving picture I saw at the Sundance Film Festival just won the Dramatic Jury Prize. FROZEN RIVER is the story of two determined women, forced by trying circumstances into smuggling immigrants. Melissa Leo stars as Rae, a working Mom, fighting off poverty with quiet fury. Misty Upham plays Lila, a Mohawk woman desperate to get her baby back. They become unlikely partners, smuggling immigrants across the Canadian/American border.

Frozen River is taut, heartfelt, authentic. Filmmaker Courtney Hunt has made a remarkably assured debut. She and the cast convey such compassion for the characters. It dignifies single mothers, Native Americans, and people who live in trailers. Set against a bleak Christmas backdrop, Frozen River reclaims the peril of the Nativity Story. It reminds us that Jesus was born as a refugee, on the road, with no place to stay. Frozen River is a celebration of women, of motherhood, of the undaunting human spirit.

I was privileged to interview Frozen River‘s cast and crew–writer/director Courtney Hunt, actors Melissa Leo and Misty Upham, and producer Heather Rae. Hear our exclusive interview at The Kindlings Muse.

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2008-01-25 18:10:07

BAGHEAD: SUNDANCE DECONSTRUCTED

Filed under: Film
Posted by: Craig

Independent film is dead. A guy with a brown paper bag over his head killed it. Or at least knocked the air out of whatever remained of the self-inflated indie filmmaker. Directors Mark and Jay Duplass premiered BAGHEAD last night. It follows four friends, all struggling actors, as they head to the woods for a weekend. They’re beeen inspired to make the movie by seeing a no-budget film at the LA Underground Film Festival entitled, “We Are Naked.” They plan to write themselves a major part in an independent film. So far, so self-interested.

BAGHEAD sends up every independent film that ever revolved around four young people looking for love (and they are legion!). It mocks the hand-held video camera technique that flows out of low budget necessity. It even manages to take on (and unseat), the ultimate Sundance Film Festival success story, The Blair Witch Project. Baghead is alternately funny and creepy. All due to the notion of a stalker with a brown paper sack over his head.

Jay and Mark Duplass demonstrate how little it takes to make a movie. Even four no-name actors can become compelling when allowed to explore genuine human emotions of fear and lust. Even the barest of elements (a vacation home, the woods, a brown bag, and a camera) can be manipulated into an effective thriller. The Duplass brothers’ first feature, THE PUPPY CHAIR, demonstrated how much comedy could be gleaned from the slimmest premise. It featured hilarious ten minutes set pieces about how far we’ll go to save $10 on a hotel. They take real life and push it to an absurd limit. They may be the ultimate exemplars of the no-budget Mumblecore movement. Or they might just playing a trick on us. With BAGHEAD, they have constructed the smartest, cheapest meta-meta-meta-cinema.

Where does independent film go from here? BAGHEAD demonstrates that the Sundance formula is exhausted. No more relationship films written, directed, and starring desperate actors PLEASE. No more bloody horror films slashing their way to box office glory (Eli Roth!). They beg today’s filmmakers to take responsibility. To realize that getting the shot can sometimes come at a costly price. BAGHEAD restores the head and the heart to independent cinema. Don’t ask the Duplass Brothers’ how much it cost. Don’t ask them whether their film has distribution. We must ask ourselves why we pick up a camera. Anything other than sheer joy and wonder seems too selfish.

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