Even though the cost of production equipment has plummeted over 100% in the past 10 years, the number of film schools in the same period of time has nearly tripled. With Federal Student Aid still readily available, it’s become quite lucrative for schools to open their doors, cram 30 kids into a classroom at $30,000 a head, and teach them ...
Read More »“Point Break Live!”: Movies and Interactive Plays
Late last year I had the pleasure of checking out a hilarious play called “Point Break Live”. It was, you guessed it, based on the movie “Point Break” starring Keanu Reeves, Gary Busey, and the late great Patrick Swayze. The play was a blast: literally. I had to buy a plastic rain poncho to avoid getting sprayed by the water they ...
Read More »Why Did PT Anderson Drop Out of NYU Film School?
PT Anderson, director of “There Will Be Blood”, “Boogie Nights”, “Punch Drunk Love”, and a slew of other great movies, was once enrolled at NYU Film School. For a Week. But before the Bursar could completely digest his tuition, he smartly got out, got most of his money back, and used it to help make his first film. But what ...
Read More »7 Gritty 70s Films Every Aspiring Filmmaker Should See
Every new filmmaker should study movies made in the 1970s as an example of what can be done with visceral storytelling and camerwork, and no special effects. The ’70s were an awesome time for gritty, realistic cinema. It was known as the heyday of the “Director/Auteur”, before Michael Cimino single handedly bankrupted United Artists with “Heaven’s Gate”. A little context: in ...
Read More »Jackie Robinson: Baseball Legend… Movie Star?
A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriend and went to a matinee screening of “42”, the story of Jackie Robinson’s rise to fame as the first African American baseball player in the Major Leagues. This was opening day for the movie, and it was like opening day at a baseball game. The theater was packed with kids, and everyone cheered when Jackie ...
Read More »3 Examples of Great Filmmakers “Borrowing” From Others
There’s some sayings in Hollywood. “Give Me The Same Thing, But Different!” and “All Great Stories Have Already Been Told.” Within the Industry, there is an ongoing battle between the sparkle of originality and the safe harbor of shit that has already been done and made a lot of money. And this ideological battle has spawned a swarm of remakes ...
Read More »Liked “The Naked Gun”? Check Out “Police Squad!”
I remember when my Dad took me to see “The Naked Gun!” back in the eighties. I was 10 years old, and to me, I had just discovered the meaning of life. Any movie that featured a man inadvertently broadcasting himself peeing to a crowded courtroom was, by all measurements, brilliant. The movie was a huge hit for the writing ...
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