Filmmaker DuVernay Leads With 'Follow'

Just watched filmmaker Ava DuVernay’s amazing 2011 debut, I Will Follow. This is one of the best independent, character-driven movies I’ve ever seen and deserves all the accolades and honors it’s won.

In the movie, Salli Richardson-Whitfield plays a Hollywood makeup artist who takes an extended leave of absence to tend to her aunt who is dying of breast cancer. Though Beverly Todd is just in a few brief flashbacks as the aunt, her performance is powerful and memorable.

It’s interesting that DuVernay, who wrote and directed the film, chose to make Todd’s character a drummer. I wonder if she was inspired at all by Sheila E., one of my favorite artists of all time.

Whether it’s the drummer-aunt or a female “cable guy,” DuVernary artfully shows women in non-conventional roles without being preachy about her feminist perspective. DuVernay is especially effective at showcasing Richardson-Whitfield, whose extraordinary beauty could easily distract from the fact that she’s a skillful actress.

It’s amazing that DuVernay self-financed I Will Follow on a budget of just $50,000. It looks much richer than that, in every sense of the word. With quality visuals, strong performances and subtle yet effective music as the score, I Will Follow is everything a movie should be.

'Catfish' Hooks You In

 

I recently watched the documentary Catfish, which is about a young man being scammed by a woman who claims to be something she’s not. Just by chance, I watched the documentary right before the scandal broke about Notre Dame football player Manti Te’o’s imaginary girlfriend. Like the subject of Catfish, Te’o was allegedly the victim of an online hoax.

In Catfish, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost document the online romance of Ariel’s brother, Nev. The trio soon comes to suspect that Nev’s Facebook friend who is passing herself off as a beautiful young woman is not what she seems.

After becoming a hit on the festival circuit and attracting a cult following, Catfish was adapted into an MTV reality series. The term “catfish” has also become a buzzword for anyone who is duped, especially online.  

The documentary Catfish is suspenseful, keeping the viewer guessing about what’s going to happen next as Nev, Ariel and Henry uncover more and more deceptions that Nev’s online friend concocted. Although the ending is a bit anticlimactic, the movie is definitely a cautionary tale about keeping a healthy dose of skepticism and thoroughly checking people out before you let them in your life.

My 'Seven Questions' Interview

Please check out my interview with Laura Stanfill's "Seven Questions" interview series with authors.

Laura is a novelist, award-winning journalist, freelance editor, publisher and all-around promoter of the written word and supporter of fellow writers.

The interview can be viewed at the following link:

http://laurastanfill.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/interview-author-chris-bournea-on-identity-place-and-dialogue/

Interview Anthology Helps Writers Be 'Brave'

Because writing is often a solitary endeavor, writers can sometimes feel isolated. Brave on the Page, an anthology of interviews with a diverse cross-section of writers, offers a sense of camaraderie and a communion with kindred spirits.

 

Edited by Laura Stanfill, Brave on the Page (Forest Avenue Press, 198 pages) features interviews with writers of many different genres: travel, sci fi, children’s literature, just to name a few.

 

In Brave on the Page, writers provide insight into the creative process and how they get ideas; how they find time to write while managing families and, in some cases, day jobs; and how to deal with agents and publishers and cope with – and learn from – rejection.

 

As a writer myself, I drew a lot of inspiration and motivation from Brave on the Page. Here are just a sampling of some of the insights I found most helpful:

 

“I don’t know if this works for all writers, but I just tried to keep submitting at a certain rate (say ten places a month with various stories) without even thinking about it too much. I’d get a rejection and I’d mark that submission off the list and that simply meant I had another one to send out. I was more like a detached secretary with regard to this process.”

 

-   Yuri Zalkow, author, of the critically-acclaimed comedic novel, A Brilliant Novel in the Works

 

“Attend and try to do local readings. If you’re serious about being a writer, then you have to be a team player and go to writer’s events. We all know it’s all about you, but you have to at least pretend otherwise. Don’t be competitive; we’re all in this together.”

 

-   Kristy Athens, author of the nonfiction book, Get Your Pitchfork On!: The Real Dirt on Country Living

“It’s very hard to get the world to pay attention to anything for long, especially a debut novel. But then I remind myself why we do this – we write for ourselves and out of loyalty to the stories we need to tell.”

 

-   Scott Sparling, author of the technology-inspired crime novel, Wire to Wire

“I lie on a twin bed squeezed against my long-limbed daughter, who insists on too many stuffed animals. … My daughter moves from songs to stories, from stories to slowed-down breaths. I lie there, eyes shut, until the story inside me gets restless. I must write one thing down.”

 

-   Laura Stanfill, novelist, award-winning journalist, freelance editor and publisher

 

Although the writers featured in Brave on the Page live and/or work in the Pacific Northwest region (the subtitle is Oregon Writers on Craft and the Creative Life), the insights they share are universal. For more information, visit http://www.forestavenuepress.com.

'Wave' Flicks Are a Groovy Ride

 

Recently watched two interesting documentaries about filmmaking movements: Two in a Wave, about the French New Wave of the ‘60s, and Blank City, about the “No Wave” indie movement in New York in the late ‘70s.

Two in a Wave explores the decades-long friendship and artistic relationship between legendary filmmakers Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut. It was interesting to learn that they started out as the best of friends, helping each other break into the movie industry and praising each other’s work. But they ended up bitter enemies over political differences in the turbulent ‘60s and ‘70s.

Although the Two in a Wave documentary was engaging, I must say it was also a bit hard to follow because it’s in French with English subtitles. Unless you’re glued to the screen the whole time, you have to occasionally rewind to pick up details you may have missed here and there.

Equally engaging was Blank City. Just by chance, I picked up these two documentaries in the same swoop during a trip to the library. Interestingly enough, “Blank City” was made by a French filmmaker.

In the bonus features of the DVD, Blank City director Celine Dahnier said she heard plenty about the New Wave cinema movement in her home base of Paris, but had trouble finding information about New York’s “No Wave.” So she set out to interview the cutting-edge filmmakers who were instrumental in the “No Wave.”

Filmmakers interviewed in Blank City include Jim Jarmusch (Coffee and Cigarettes) and Susan Seidelman, who went on to make Desperately Seeking Susan with Madonna. John Waters (Cry Baby) is also featured. Although he lived in Baltimore, he periodically journeyed to New York to sell his low-budget films, became friends with many of the “No Wave” directors and crashed on people’s floors when he was in the city.

Blank City gives a fascinating look into this bygone era of New York. The city was on the verge of bankruptcy, rent was low and the filmmakers could live cheaply while pursuing their art. 

The hip-hop and punk movements were just taking off and future celebrities like Debbie Harry of Blondie, Fab Five Freddy (later host of Yo! MTV Raps) and Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire) acted in some of the “No Wave” films.

If you're a movie buff, both these docs are worth checking out. 

No Joy in Repetition

Why do businesses make customers repeat ourselves so much?

Like when you call a credit card or utility company and you're asked to key in your account number, only to have the customer service rep ask you to repeat it again when they come on the line.

Earlier today, I went to cash a check at the bank. To save time and keep the teller from asking me if I have an account with them, I handed my ID and debit card along with the endorsed check to the teller.

He still asked me, "Do you have an account with us?" And he was holding the friggin' debit card with my account information!

'Constellation' Is a Shining Star

The indie movie Constellation is a beautifully made movie about the power of love and forgiveness to overcome bigotry and family dysfunction. The multicultural ensemble cast features Zoe Saldana, Billy Dee Williams, Hill Harper, Rae Dawn Chong, Leslie Ann Warren and Gabrielle Union.

Union plays a woman in the Jim Crow South who falls in love with a white soldier. Her younger brother witnesses the pain she endures over not being able to build a life with the man she loves because of racial taboos. To escape the racist climate, the younger brother (later played by Billy Dee Williams) flees to Paris and becomes an artist.

Fifty years later, extended family reunites in Huntsville, Ala., for the funeral of Union’s character. Saldana (a few years before she hit it big in Avatar) plays Billy Dee Williams’ estranged daughter. Chong and Warren play Williams’ ex-wives and the mothers of his daughters. Harper plays Saldana’s ex-boyfriend, a globe-trotting photographer who tries to reconnect with her.

Over the course of several days while the family is gathered together for the funeral, deep-seated resentments are resolved and family members gradually come to understand one another.  

Constellation is a heartfelt film with subtle, nuanced performances and three-dimensional characters. It has the feel of a TV movie and I could have easily seen it playing on one of those “Hallmark Hall of Fame” presentations. Although it was initially released in 2005, it has the look and feel of a story that is still very relevant.

Creativity and 'Hater-Aid- Don't Mix

Earlier today, my mom and I were discussing last night’s Golden Globes telecast and she asked me, “What did you think of Argo beating out Zero Dark Thirty?”

“I haven’t seen either one,” I replied, “so I don’t really have an opinion.”

“I think they gave it to Argo because it’s Ben Affleck,” she said.

I knew exactly what Mom meant: Argo is being showered with critical praise and award nominations because Ben Affleck is a Hollywood golden boy. Why should he get all that attention? Aren’t there people who are just as deserving - or more so?

The conversation with my mom could have easily turned into a celebrity-bashing gripe-fest. But I chose to redirect the conversation to a more general discussion about the Golden Globes show -- who won, Jody Foster’s “coming out” speech, how Tina Fey and Amy Poehler rated as hosts compared to Ricky Gervais, and so on.

I can’t claim that I always take the high road, however. I’m sometimes guilty of “hating on” the rich and famous who seem like they have it all, don’t have to struggle for anything and are lavished with an overabundance of adulation.

I do, however, recognize the folly of this way of thinking. Drinking “hater-aid” is especially hazardous for people like myself who strive to be successful at writing books, directing movies, bringing plays to the stage and excelling in other forms of creativity.

Why is bashing the rich and famous, or any successful person, for that matter, counterproductive?

Because creativity thrives on positive energy. It’s nearly impossible, in my opinion, to produce quality work in a creative endeavor – art, music, literature, film, theatre, etc. – while being consumed with envy, bitterness and any kind of negativity that drains rather than fuels energy and creativity.  

Furthermore, bashing someone that you see as having more than you presupposes that you’re inferior to them and don’t possess the same ability to succeed.

And, of course, it’s up to each of us to come up with our own definition of success. There are very talented actors, directors and writers who put out quality work but will never become household names or have a golden statuette handed to them before an international television audience. 

An Unlikely Coincidence

I was recently standing in line at the movies and was browsing through the songs on my Walkman (it's an MP3 player with the "Walkman" brand name, not a portable cassette player, although I do have one of those that I still listen to). 

One of my favorite groups of all time is Ambrosia, a light rock supergroup that was popular in the '70s and early '80s. I listen to their music a lot and was about to put on their greatest hits while I waited in line. But while I was scrolling through the albums on my Walkman, I decided I should mix it up for a change and put on something I rarely listen to.

On a whim, I pulled up rap group Cypress Hill's greatest hits and randomly picked the song "The Only Way." I had never listened to this song before and, just by chance, it has a sample of Ambrosia's "LIfe Beyond L.A.." Ambrosia's dramatic ballad has the haunting refrain, "Sometimes I think that the only way that I'll ever see life beyond L.A. is dying," which is the hook Cypress Hill uses in "The Only Way."

An unlikely collaboration, for sure, and one of those interesting little coincidences in life...

Grenier's 'Shot in the Dark' Is On Target

I was moved by the documentary Shot in the Dark, an autobiographical film by Entourage star Adrian Grenier about reconnecting with his long, lost biological father.

Partway through the movie, Grenier and a couple of his buddies set out on a road trip to Ohio, where his father lives. Once he and his father finally meet, his father is surprisingly willing to appear on-camera and candidly discuss his failed relationship with Grenier's mother and his shortcomings as a parent over the years.

Rather than being bitter about his father not being around when he was growing up, Grenier merely seems inquisitive, like a journalist investigating an interesting story. At times, Grenier’s attitude seems almost flippant. In one scene toward the end, he and his father act out a skit satirizing how Grenier was traumatized by his father’s neglect.

By the end of the movie, it seems as though Grenier and his father are going to stay in touch and make up for lost time. And why wouldn’t they? What wayward parent wouldn’t want to embrace a kid who’s handsome, has a great sense of humor and is totally willing to forgive and forget?

To Grenier’s father’s credit, he doesn’t seem like he’s interested in capitalizing on his son’s fame and fortune, since the documentary was made before Grenier hit it big on Entourage.

'Classic' Is in the Ear of the Beholder

I was recently talking about music with my good friend Margaret. The topic of classic soul came up and Margaret said she prefers pre-1980s Aretha to her later, more pop-flavored work. She’d rather hear “Respect” or “Natural Woman” than “Freeway of Love” or “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.”

As I pointed out to my friend, I was over my grandparents’ house a lot as a kid, and the only music they listened to was country and gospel music.So, therefore, I wasn’t exposed to “classic Aretha.” 

But Aretha started out singing gospel, Margaret argued. However, my grandparents saw her as a secular artist, I countered, and didn’t play her music around the house – not that I remember, anyway.
 

Furthermore, I’m 10 years younger than Margaret (I hope she doesn’t mind me telling her age), and when I started listening to music as a preteen in the mid-1980s, my first real exposure to Aretha was 1985’s “Who’s Zoomin’ Who” and subsequent albums.

I love some of the post-“classic Aretha” stuff like “Another Night,” “Jimmy Lee” and her duets with Michael McDonald (“Ever Changing Times”) and George Michael (“I Knew You Were Waiting”). These songs are classics to me.

So, I guess the term “classic” depends on how you define it.

Rob Lowe's 'Melt' Could Use a Dash of Diversity

Recently watched the movie “I Melt with You,” an ensemble drama starring Rob Lowe, Jeremy Piven, Thomas Jane and Christian McKay. The actors play college buddies who reunite 25 years after graduation for a weekend of trying to recapture their youth through wild partying at a beach house.

The story keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering if and how the college buddies will carry out the suicide pact they made 25 years ago. If life wasn’t working out as planned when they were older, they had promised to do away with themselves.

Carla Gugino ("Spy Kids") has a cameo as a police officer who suspects something is awry at the cliff-side beach house where these rowdy men have encamped for the weekend. I won’t spoil the ending by revealing what happens.

I’m not sure if “I Melt with You” qualifies as an “indie movie,” since filmmaker Mark Pellington implies in his commentary that it was financed by a studio – or at least made through the Hollywood system. But the movie certainly qualifies as “low budget” since it was made on a relative shoestring of $1 million. (Of course, this would seem like a blockbuster budget to many indie filmmakers who struggle to make movies on micro-budgets of $50,000 or less.)

Pellington and his crew did a decent job of making “I Melt with You” look like it had a larger budget, even though much of it was shot with a barebones crew, natural light and existing locations. And the actors seemed passionate about the story and the characters, foregoing many of the perks they usually get, as they described in their commentary.

Overall, I enjoyed “I Melt with You” and would recommend it. However, I was disappointed by the lack of racial diversity in the cast. The actors who were cast are great, but I’m sure it would have been easy to find at least one performer who is African-American, Latino, Asian or another ethnicity to play one of the four lead roles.

I guess diversity has a long way to go, even in the anything-goes world of low-budget moviemaking.