How did 'Back to the Future' get selected to the National Film Registry?

Our broadcast on PBS/Independent Lens was a 53-minute cut-down version from our original theatrical/DVD/Blu-ray 88-minute version. One of the segments that was not included in the PBS 53-minute version was about how Back to the Future came to be selected to the National Film Registry. Stephen Clark over at BTTF.com (BTTF = Back to the Future) posted that segment from our doc on his youtube channel. It is a great story of the insider (Liz Stanley) and a grass roots campaign organized by Stephen.

If you have been meaning to buy a Flux Capacitor - get it at bttf.com:
http://www.bttf.net/Back_to_the_Future_Part_II_Flux_Capacitor_p/21014.htm

Does "The Third Man" belong in the National Film Registry?

In London they have a charming movie treat called Secret Cinema. The premise of Secret Cinema is that you're part of a secret film organization. They announce a screening date - but not a location or name of the film. You are instructed to "tell no-one." In the announcement the descriptive language suggests a genre/theme of a classic film. You buy a ticket. Then, at the last minute before the screening date a location and the name of the film is revealed. People attend dressed up like characters or in clothing that suggests the world of the film. The location always changes - warehouses, old theatres, outdoor, indoor. They created a cyberpunk bazzar for Blade Runner and filled a venue with camels and Bedouins for Lawrence of Arabia. Again, they stress you are to "tell no-one." It's pretty cool.

Photo showing the world created for the Secret Cinema screening of The Third Man. More photos can be seen by clicking on the "posted photos" link below.

 

The last Secret Cinema film screened was The Third Man. As part of setting the mood for the screening they posted photos of the world they created for the audience/participants. The Third Man is one of our favorite films and we believe it should be in the National Film Registry. However, there is the question of can one justify it as an "American" film? Two of the leads - Joseph Cotton and Orson Wells - and one of the producers - David O. Selznick (though he's uncredited) - are Americans. Orson Wells is an given uncredited co-screenwriting credit. Tough call. We say - yes. What do you think?

Who is John Bunny and Why is These Amazing Shadows So Short?!

Comedic actor John Bunny (1863-1915).

The Library of Congress released the 2011 National Film Registry selections late in the day on Tuesday. There were a lot of great and some questionable selections, but several really caught our eye. One was A Cure for Pokeritis starring John Bunny. For a few years around 1910 he was the biggest movie star in the world. He was known for a " jolly, boisterous, and broad" onscreen presence. Today he is largely forgotten, but his career lives on thanks to youtube (see A Cure for Pokeritis below), on the National Film Registry and remembered with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (inducted February 8, 1960 - his star is located at 1719 Vine Street, Hollywood).

Other selections we really like are:
Growing Up Female
Fruit Cake Factory
The Big Heat
Stand Up and Deliver

The entire list of the 2011 National Film Registry selections can be seen at the end of this blog post.

Over the next week These Amazing Shadows will be broadcast on the PBS series, Independent Lens. We are very excited, but realize that the broadcast creates a little bit of confusion about how long is These Amazing Shadows (TAS)? Our original length is 88-minutes, which you will find on our DVD and Blu-ray. However, on Independent Lens it has been cut down to 53 minutes and 27 seconds. Most documentaries on IL have been been cutdown to conform to this length. We weren't excited about this situation, but understood the needs of the series. So if the broadcast length seems too short for you (as many reviews have said), then take comfort in knowing that you can still reach the full 88-minute promise land by watching the DVD or Blu-ray. Another thing we'd like you to know is that the formal These Amazing Shadows broadcast date of Thursday, December 29th at 10pm is not always followed by all the PBS affiliates. They are free to do what ever they want. For example, here in our home town of San Francisco the local PBS affiliate KQED will broadcast TAS at 11:00 pm on Tuesday, January 3rd and at 10:00 pm on Wednesday, January 4th (KQED Life). So, check your local listings for specific day and time.

Incidentally, before-during-after the Thursday and Sunday broadcasts we will be twittering using the hashtag #ILDocClub if you'd like to join us. Find us on twitter at @amazingshadows

The 2011 National Film Registry Selections:
Allures (1961) Director Jordan Belson was dubbed the master of “cosmic cinema” who created abstract imagery with color, light and moving patterns and objects. “Allures” is a five-minute film that Belson said “was probably the space-iest film that had been done until then. It creates a feeling of moving into the void.”
Bambi (1942) Disney’s personal favorite follows the adventures of a fawn named Bambi and his friends Flower the skunk and Thumper the bunny.
The Big Heat (1953) Fritz Lang directed this film noir starring Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin and Gloria Grahame.
A Computer Animated Hand (1972) Ed Catmull, co-founder of Pixar Animation Studios, created a program nearly 40 years ago to digitally animate a human hand. This one-minute film displays the animated hand.
Crisis: Behind a Presidential Commitment (1963) Filmmaker Robert Drew and several other documentary directors including D.A. Pennebaker and Richard Leacock chronicled Alabama Gov. George Wallace’s attempts to stop two African American students from enrolling at the University of Alabama and President John F. Kennedy’s response.
The Cry of Children (1912)  This silent drama about child labor helped instigate labor reform.
A Cure for Pokeritis (1912) Rotund comic John Bunny, who died in 1915, was one of the biggest comedy stars between 1910 and 1915. In this farce, he plays a henpecked husband.
El Mariachi (1992) Robert Rodriguez’s first feature, which he made for $7,000 while a film student at the University of Texas.
Faces (1968) John Cassavetes' masterwork offers a razor-sharp critique of middle-class America. Gena Rowlands, John Marley, Lynn Carlin and Seymour Cassel star.
Fruit Cake Factory (1985) Chick Strand’s documentary on young Mexican women who make ornamental papier-mache fruits and vegetables.
Forrest Gump (1994) Robert Zemeckis directed this box-office hit, which went on to win several Academy Awards including best picture, director and lead actor for Tom Hanks as a sweet everyman who encounters all the major events of the 1960s and '70s.
Growing Up Female (1971) Ohio college students Julia Reichart and Jim Klein follow six girls and women from the ages of 4 to 34 at home, work and school.
Hester Street (1975) Director Joan Micklin Silver’s feature, which was financed by her husband, looks at Eastern European Jewish life in American in the early 1900s. Carol Kane earned an Oscar nomination as an immigrant who arrives in New York to marry.
I, an Actress (1977) The late underground filmmaker George Kuchar’s comedy about his directing techniques.
The Iron Horse (1924) John Ford’s seminal western focuses on how the country was united after the Civil War with the building of the transcontinental railroad.
The Kid (1921) Charlie Chaplin’s first feature length comedy-drama, about the Little Tramp taking in a foundling (Jackie Coogan).
The Lost Weekend (1945) Billy Wilder’s Oscar-winning social problem drama that examined the effects of alcoholism with a realism that hadn’t been shown on screen. Ray Milland, who was known more for his lighter roles, won an Oscar for his performance as the young writer who loses everything when he turns to alcohol. The film also won Academy Awards for best picture, director and screenplay.
The Negro Soldier (1944) Frank Capra’s World War II U.S. Army filming unit produced this film that looked at the contributions of African Americans in society as well as their heroic contributions in the war. The film was produced as a response to discrimination against African Americans who were stationed in the South during the war
Nicholas Brothers Family Home Movies (1930s-1940s) Legendary tap dancing brothers Fayard and Harold Nicholas, who graced such films as 1948’s “The Pirate,” also shot home movies that feature one-of-a-kind footage of Broadway, Harlem and Hollywood.
Norma Rae (1979) Sally Field won her first Oscar as a single mother working at a textile mill in the South who attempts to organize the workers. Martin Ritt directed.
Porgy and Bess (1959) Otto Preminger directed this lavish version of George Gershwin and DuBose Heyward’s folk opera, starring Sidney Poitier, Dorothy Dandridge, Sammy Davis Jr., Pearl Bailey and Diahann Carroll. There are very few prints of the film in existence, so it has rarely been seen in recent decades.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) The horror thriller based on the book by Thomas Harris swept the Academy Awards, winning best picture, director (Jonathan Demme), adapted screenplay (Ted Tally), best actress for Jodie Foster as rookie FBI agent Clarice Starling and best actor for Anthony Hopkins as the cannibalistic serial killer Hannibal Lecter.
Stand and Deliver (1988) Edward James Olmos earned an Oscar nomination in the inspiring true story of an East Los Angeles high school teacher, Jaime Escalante.
Twentieth Century (1934) Howard Hawks directed this breathlessly funny screwball comedy adapted by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur from their Broadway play about a egomaniacal director (John Barrymore) and his temperamental leading lady (Carole Lombard).
War of the Worlds (1953) George Pal produced this lavish, Oscar-winning, special effects laden sci-fi thriller based on H.G. Wells’ novel about Martian aircraft landing on Earth. Gene Barry and Ann Robinson star in this box-office hit. 

Does "Pulp Fiction" belong on the National Film Registry? Or, I admit it - Quentin Tarantino is really smart.

One of the reoccurring discussions at the annual meeting of the National Film Preservation Board to decide which films to recommend to the Librarian of Congress for inclusion on the National Film Registry is - does Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction belong?

There are times that it seems that Quentin Tarantino is a quite wacky guy who is all about superficial pop culture and that his films add nothing to our cultural heritage. But, then you see him in the above video of an interview by Charlie Rose. In it he makes some really important points about being a writer-director and he sounds quite intelligent and thoughtful. If you put aside his love of the spotlight (which is the source of his sometimes wacky persona) and focus on his filmmaking - it seems undeniable that he has an unique voice that has expanded our idea of storytelling. I don't appreciate/approve of his use of the N-word, excessive violence and his forays into misogyny - but he is a creative force to be considered seriously. Perhaps next week when the Library of Congress announces Dr. Billington's 2011 selections to the National Film Registry we might see Pulp Fiction among the films chosen.

The 2011 National Film Registry announcement will be made on or about December 28th.

Director's Early-Early Work: Kubrick, Nolan, Scorsese and Spielberg

On Wednesday, December 14th at 8:00 pm (ET) TCM will broadcast one of Stanley Kubrick's earliest directorial attempts - Fear and Desire (see above). Movie critic and historian Leonard Matlin (who is featured in These Amazing Shadows) says of Fear and Desire: "Kubrick's elusive, shoestring-budget feature-film debut is an existential antiwar allegory centering on four GIs (including a very green Mazursky, in his film debut) stranded behind the lines of an unknown enemy and fighting a fictitious war in an unidentified country. Long suppressed by Kubrick himself--who also photographed, edited, and cowrote with poet/playwright Howard Sackler--the movie contains some striking imagery and shows the germs of budding talent, but generally comes off as an arty and pretentious student film."

This got us thinking about other directors early work. We often think of directors appearing as full formed geniuses/auteur/dictators, but often what you find in their early work is a clunky style that only remotely suggests their future potential. Thank goodness they find ways as young directors to experiment and evolve without crashing and burning in the public eye (although strangely that sometimes happens in the middle of their careers: Spielberg 1941, Bogdanovich At Long Last Love, Scorsese New York, New York).

Christopher Nolan: Doodlebug (1997)
A man waits patiently in his apartment to squash a bug, but he could be hurting himself more than he realizes.



Martin Scorsese: It's Not Just You, Murray! (1963)
Now middle-aged, mobster Murray looks back at his humble beginnings as a bootlegger and his rise to becoming wealthy and highly influential.


Steven Spielberg: Firelight (1964)
Menacing UFOs attack citizens of a town. 
NOTE: Be patient with this video - it is very rough. If you stick with it you'll see some familiar images from his future movies.

Film Reconnects Us to the World

In These Amazing Shadows, Robin Blaetz says "film reconnects us to the world and to our experience of our lives in this space, in this time." It is such a beautiful thought. The idea that we can go into a dark theater and be reconnected to the world is on its surface a strange notion. But, film has that ability to allow us to observe in an intimate and clear way the details of the world that we often don't have the time or inclination to see. A good example of that is the above video, Timescapes, by Tom Lowe. He describes it as a "portrait of the American Southwest." What really jumps out at me is the spectacular starry sky. Most of us in the US are urban dwellers. We forget how the incredibly beautifully universe is available to us in the night sky. Lowe's film has reconnected me to the world because now I am dedicated to getting out in nature to see the stars.

Tom Lowe was named Astronomy Photographer of the year in 2010 and has been working on Timescapes for over two years.

Tom Lowe on Vimeo
Tom Lowe on Facebook

A National Film Registry Halloween!

Count Floyd (from the 1980s show SCTV) is NOT on the National Film Registry but we include this 
clip because he is so darn scary and its amazing use of the 3D process! James Cameron - watch and learn!

Halloween is just around the corner and if you have finally stopped going out trick or treating (even though you look really good in that Sexy Zombie Nurse costume) you might want to stay home and watch a really scary movie. After you have opened that bag of mini-snickers that you bought to give to kids that come by trick or treating but figure eating a couple wouldn't hurt - check out the following scary movies that are on the National Film Registry:

Young Frankenstein

Fantastic outtakes from this hilarious Mel Brooks/Gene Wilder film. The quality of this youtube video is pretty bad. The actual film is a beautiful piece of black & white cinematography by Gerald Hirschfeld - who knew a thing or two about that lost craft.

The Exorcist

"Somewhere between science and superstition is another world..." Aspects of the film are based upon a rite of exorcism performed by the Jesuit priest, Father William S. Bowdern.

Michael Jackson's Thriller

Notice he begins with the disclaimer, "Due to my strong personal convictions, I wish to stress that this film no way endorses a belief in the occult." Really. I mean, really?

Other suggestions:
Invasion of the Body Snatchers

Halloween

Cat People

Dracula

Frankenstein

Phantom of the Opera
The Bride of Frankenstein

Now - stop eating those mini-snickers! Think of the kids!

Growing Up Female

Screen grab from Growing Up Female.

A letter from Mary J. Schirmer.
Hi, folks. I don't usually make requests like this, because I know everybody's busy. But this is the opportunity to make a difference for an important documentary made by a female filmmaker. Please consider emailing dross@loc.gov (Donna Ross) to request that the film GROWING UP FEMALE is included in the National Film Registry.

The nomination committee chooses 25 films per year, and GROWING UP FEMALE has come close to making the cut for the last five consecutive years. As you know, women are seriously underrepresented in the film industry on the whole, and we can make a difference by including this film in the Library of Congress.

I've met filmmaker/college film instructor Julia Reichert who, with James Klein, produced, wrote, directed, and edited this feature film in1971 -- right in the midst of the modern feminist movement.

GROWING UP FEMALE looks at the lives of six females, ages 4 to 35, and the "forces that shape them -- teachers, counselors, advertising, music, and the institution of marriage," Reichert said.

The film has been shown in colleges and high schools over the past decades and earned glowing recommendations from Susan Sontag and Gloria Steinem.

GROWING UP FEMALE has screened at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC and the American Film Institute in Washington DC. This month it will be shown at Lincoln Center.

The film recently received a grant to restore it on a new film print.

Find more information about the National Film Registry at www.loc.gov/film/filmnfr.html.

So, if you feel moved to help in this effort to include a film about women and produced by a woman, please take a moment RIGHT NOW to email Donna Ross, National Film Preservation Board, at dross@loc.gov.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Mary J. Schirmer (screenwriter/instructor)
www.screenplayers.net

http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/the-womens-film-preservation-fund

Donna Ross Really Exists: Or, how to nominate a film to the National Film Registry

Donna Ross of the Library of Congress with These Amazing Shadows co-director Paul Mariano

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The National Film Registry clock is ticking. If you want to nominate a film to be considered for the 2011 selections to the National Film Registry now is the time to make your move. It is a very simple process to nominate/vote for a film.

There are a few simple rules:

1) The film must be at least ten years old. (That means Gladiator is now eligible!)

2) The film must be "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant." (That may sound lofty, but don't forget - Animal House, Blazing Saddles and The Producers have met that standard.)

3) The film must be American, or at least have some sort of relatively significant American involvement. (Example of a film on the NFR that stretches the "American" involvement: Lawrence of Arabia.)

Once you have decided on a film you want to nominate you should check to make sure it is not already on the National Film Registry. The Library of Congress maintains a complete list of the 550 film on Wikipeida at the following link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Film_Registry

Okay, you've discovered that your nominee is not on the NFR, so what do you do next? You should write a short statement on why the film is important to you or to American culture. You don't need to sound like a film scholar - just write from the heart and try to be somewhat coherent.

Then, (drum roll please) you email it to Donna Ross at the Library of Congress

dross@loc.gov

You can send it by the US Postal Service to the following address:

Donna Ross, Boards Assistant

National Film Preservation Board

Library of Congress

Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation

19053 Mt. Pony Road

Culpeper, VA 22701-7551

In this world of faceless bureaucrats it is refreshing to know that when you send in your nomination it will go to a very specific person - namely, Donna Ross. Donna works at the Library of Congress' Packard Campus for Audio-Visual Conservation in Culpeper, VA. We first met Donna in November 2009 and have found her to be a very nice, hard-working person with a good sense of humor.

National Film Registry Nomination Information Website: http://www.loc.gov/film/vote.html

The 2011 National Film Registry selections will be announced on or about December 28, 2011. By a planned coincidence, These Amazing Shadows, will have its premiere national broadcast on December 29, 2011 as part of the PBS series, Independent Lens, which will be hosted this year by Mary-Louise Parker. Check your local listings.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/these-amazing-shadows/

Do "Clerks," "Rocky IV," "Mary Poppins," "The Warriors," "Showgirls" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" Belong on the National Film Registry?

Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka.

A strength and weakness of the Internet/social media is that anyone and everyone can hurl their opinions/desires out in to the world. It actually works to great effect when it comes to true grass root campaigns to get films on the National Film Registry. Facebook has become a launching point for many efforts - some one might describe as unusual choices. Here are some examples:

SHOWGIRLS: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Showgirls-should-be-reserved-by-the-National-Film-Registry/207900289221108?sk=wall
ROCKY IV: http://www.facebook.com/RockyIV.for.NationalFilmRegistry
CLERKS: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nominate-Clerks-to-the-National-Film-Registry/172505989485953
MARY POPPINS: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petition-to-Get-Mary-Poppins-into-the-National-Film-Registry/127627363927102?sk=wall
THE WARRIORS: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Petition-To-Get-The-Warriors-Into-The-National-Film-Registry/194682430566505?sk=wall
WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Willy-Wonka-and-the-Chocolate-Factory-National-Film-Registry-Support/110746175687933?sk=wall

Of these campaigns we rank their viability in this order:
1) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (need I explain why?)
2) Rocky IV (because of Mr. T.) (I was corrected that Mr. T was featured in Rocky III, not Rocky IV - so I have no justification for having Rocky IV ranked number 2 other than Sly Stallone directed)
3) Mary Poppins (because of great music and unspoken sexual tension between Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke)
4) The Warriors (because of the clothes)
5) Clerks (because I worked at a convenience store during college)
6) Showgirls (because Peter Verhoeven is a very passionate filmmaker. I'd rather nominate Starship Troopers)

Happy Birthday, Debbie!

Photo taken by Doug Blush in 2010 during a performance by Ms. Reynolds at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA.

Today is Debbie Reynolds birthday. We wish her a very joyful and fun day.

Debbie has two films on the National Film Registry:
Singin' in the Rain (1952), selected to the Registry in 1989.
How the West Was Won (1962), selected to the Registry in 1997.

She was nominated for a best actress Oscar in 1964 for The Unsinkable Molly Brown.

Her daughter, Carrie Fisher, also has a film on the National Film Registry:
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977), selected to the Registry in 1989.

Interesting facts:
- They both had films named to the Registry during its first year of selections - 1989.
- They are the only mother/daughter combination to have films on the Registry...as far as we know. You could and should try to prove us wrong by checking the Unofficial National Film Registry Personnel Credits list.
- Debbie and Carrie share the experience of being teenagers when they made their first important movie: Debbie in Singin' in the Rain (1952), and Carrie in Shampoo (1975).

Debbie as Kathy Selden in "Singin' in the Rain."

Martin Scorsese - Great series of photographs and captions from The Hollywood Reporter

Detail from The Hollywood Reporter gallery on Martin Scorsese.

Take a look at a fascinating series of photographs (and equally good captions) of director Martin Scorsese that is featured on The Hollywood Reporter website. It's really good - and is part of the hype building for the Blu-ray release on April 5th of the Scorsese classic, Taxi Driver. The Blu-ray evidently contains tons of extras.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/gallery/martin-scorsese-past-171267

My White Whale - "Frank Film"

Frank Film, Frank MOURIS, 1973 by shortanimatedworld

On Tuesday I read an article in the Wall Street Journal entitled, "Two Animated Dog Sitters," by Ralph Gardner, Jr. that is about two dog sitters, Frank and Caroline Mouris. The reason this article caught my eye is because many years ago Frank Mouris was my White Whale. To explain we must rewind my little life back to when I was a teenager and made my first film, Floods: A National Disgrace, a mocumentary about pants that "flood" (sometimes called "highwaters" it is defined as pants that fall around the ankle. This refers to the fact that you can wear them when there is a flood, or "high waters." At that time pants that were too short were not fashionable.)

Floods was a eight minute Super 8 mm film with a magnetic stripe for sync sound - made a long time before the miracle of the Interwebs and digital filmmaking. I entered the film in the Brooklyn Film Festival. From my vantage point in California that festival sounded very exotic. The film was appreciated for its humor and was selected to be part of a group of films from the festival that toured the country screening in libraries, schools and community theaters. The film that won the festival Grand Prize was an experimental piece called, Frank Film, directed by Frank Mouris.

Click to enlarge - program from the Brooklyn Film Festival

In those pre-Internet days it was hard to see short films. I had no idea what Frank Film was about or looked like. All I knew was that it kept winning festivals and eventually that years Oscar for best short film. My film was always coming up short because everyone loved the alleged super fantastic Frank Film. To be honest my film was no where as good as Frank Mouris' film but in my crazy teenage mind I thought, "what's Frank Film got that my film don't got!" It bugged me for a long time. Fast forward years later to 2009 and we are in pre-production on These Amazing Shadows. Co-director Paul Mariano and I are reviewing the list of 550 films on the National Film Registry and I come across a very familiar title - Frank Film! Once again Frank Film is one step ahead of me! (It was selected to the Registry in 1996.) I quickly did a web search, found a link to the film and watched it for the first time. I liked it.

Frank Film did not make it into These Amazing Shadows. I want to make it clear that my youthful bitterness and jealousy had nothing to do with that decision.

With Frank Film's selection to the NFR it was designated for preservation. Fate has not been as kind to Floods: A National Disgrace. I stored the film badly and it can no longer be projected. Its now only exists in my own distorted memory - perhaps that is fitting.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer," "Spinal Tap" mug and Paul's "Two for the Road" NFR Campaign

Book jacket for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter - now to be a movie.

In our interview of Caleb Deschanel for These Amazing Shadows he said that all great story telling is a form of myth. Caleb doesn't just talk-the-talk but he walks-the-walk as the famed cinematographer begins shooting in April - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter in 3-D. A mash-up of mythic proportions. Here is the story in a nutshell: President Lincoln's mother is killed by a supernatural creature, which fuels his passion to crush vampires and their slave-owning helpers. The script was penned by Seth Grahame-Smith who authored the book of the same name. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov (known internationally for his Russian vampire movies, but here in the States for Wanted) it will hit theaters in June 2012. Caleb has been very busy over the past year shooting flicks for William Friedkin (Killer Joe with Matthew McConaughey, Juno Temple, Emile Hirsch) and Jim Sheridan (Dream House with Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, Naomi Watts).

Available now! This is Spinal Tap mug from Shot Dead in the Head. This is Spinal Tap was selected to the National Film Registry in 2002.

Please support These Amazing Shadows co-director Paul Mariano's campaign to get the 1967 gem Two for the Road on the National Film Registry. Starring Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney, the story centers on a couple in the south of France as they non-sequentially spin down the highways of infidelity in their troubled ten-year marriage.

Anyone can nominate/vote (really the same thing) a film to the National Film Registry. Simply send an email to Donna Ross at the Library of Congress dross@loc.gov
Tell her what film you think should be selected and why. Don't forget the basic rules: films must be at least 10 years old and be "aesthetically, historically or culturally" significant. Which, as Steve Leggett of the Library of Congress says, means almost anything.
(I'm campaigning for The Times of Harvey Milk and Key Largo)

Ridicuawesome Personified: ENTHIRAN

I have been looking for the opportunity to use the word mashup - ridiculous + awesome = ridicuawesome. I thought it would take years to experience a life changing moment that would justify its utterance. You must watch the trailer for Enthiran (aka: Robot) for such a life changing experience. Enthiran is a 2010 Tamil science fiction film reportedly the most expensive production in India film history (it has been called India's Avatar). It is co-written and directed by S. Shankar. The story: Dr. Vasi struggles to control his creation, Chitti, a super strong/smart/invulnerable android robot whose program has been upgraded to give it the ability to comprehend and generate human emotions. Chitti is transformed! The plan backfires when Chitti (who happens to be an excellent singer and dancer) falls in love with the Dr. Vasi's fiance and is manipulated to bring destruction to the world when it lands in the hands of a rival scientist. Will Dr. Vasi's own creation destroy him? It's like super ridicuawesome.
Oh, and Enthiran's catch phrase is, "May I come in."

Alex's Triumphant Return, Stain Boy and HDNet/NFR

Co-director, Paul Mariano, and co-editor, Alex Calleros, present These Amazing Shadows at UCSC.

Have you ever dreamed of returning in triumph to high school and/or college after achieving success? I can't say that was one of Alex Calleros (co-editor of These Amazing Shadows) goals in life. But, he lived it this week on the campus of his alma mater the University of California, Santa Cruz. Alex ('08), along with Paul and I had the wonderful experience of presenting a screening of These Amazing Shadows to one of Professor Shelly Stamps' film classes. Shelly is one of the interview subjects (women directors segment) in TAS and is Alex's former professor.

UCSC Professor Shelly Stamp proudly watches her former student Alex Calleros introduce These Amazing Shadows.

The students really liked and felt inspired by TAS. They asked fun questions and even offered distribution advise. They were clearly impressed with how quickly Alex had achieved success in the film business and were eager to find out his secret(s) to success, which will be the subject of a future blog entry. Shelly told Paul and me that Alex was a great student, "who was really active and seemed to be president of every student film organization."

Professor Stamps' film class in Studio C - Communications Building on the campus of UCSC

Shelly will be presenting a paper on film director, Lois Weber, at the Doing Women's Film History Conference in Sunderland, England - April 13-15. Our big thanks to Prof. Stamp and her class!

Stain Boy

One of the regrets I have about These Amazing Shadows was not pursuing an interview with director Tim Burton. He is such a different kind of person and a great interview (see Charlie Rose's interview of Tim). Tim just came out with a new website that you should check out. The site is centered on a new book of Tim's illustrations called appropriately enough, The Art of Tim Burton. On the website you can get a preview of his art by guiding Stain Boy (via your mouse or touchpad) through a gallery. The website is worth a visit alone just for the background music.
www.timburton.com

Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean from the motion picture, Giant.

HDNet Movies regularly schedules films from the National Film Registry. Please go to the following link to see their current schedule. Their March schedule includes Giant, The Bridge Over the River Kwai and The Terminator. HDNet is available through Comcast, AT&T, Charter Communications, DIRECTV, Dish Network and Verizon. As they say..."check your local listing for exact channel."
National Film Registry on HDNet

Evolution of "These Amazing Shadows" theatrical poster.

It's always fun to go back and review how we arrived at various decisions. We're really proud of our theatrical poster designed by Brian Oakes. The design process began centered on the idea of using movie posters from classic films that are on the National Film Registry. We use posters throughout our documentary and to great effect in our end credits (which can be viewed on youtube at the following link: TAS End Credits). Brian wanted to design a poster that would draw a person in to take a close look and to reward them with fascinating details.

In proposal #1 Brian came up with a concept that quickly suggests the general topic of our documentary. The large old style ticket says "movies." Then you get the pleasure of looking at each classic movie poster within our poster. Its active, bright and commercial.

Proposal #2 is a very artistic and nontraditional approach (a personal note - I love it). The movie title is a little hard to read, which draws you in to figure out what is going on. Once you're close you see that there are numerous strips of 35mm motion picture film on a single plane. What movies are they from? It's fun to try to figure them out. It's not commercial, a bit challenging and beautiful.

Brian's final design was a combination of ideas from #1 & #2, plus incorporating the graphic style he had designed for the documentary and the opening title text form. It's dark like a movie theater...filled with amazing shadows...full of detail...and elegant.

Oscar Talk with Leonard Maltin and his guest Mike Tyson

Oscar Talk with Mike Tyson & Leonard Maltin from Mike Tyson

Noted film critic, Leonard Maltin, one of These Amazing Shadows interview subjects discusses the 2011 Oscar race with former heavyweight champ, Mike Tyson. Very illuminating.

On a more serious note - Leonard was nice enough to post a blurb about These Amazing Shadows on his blog. Thanks Leonard!
Read Leonard's Blog Movie Crazy

The Onion jumps on the National Film Registry bandwagon...kinda.

Shocking news report about the Library of Congress!
Library of Congress Adds 3 Titles to List of Films That Should be Destroyed Forever!

NOTE: The Onion is a news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national and local news. It's not real news. 

These Amazing Shadows to screen at the Boulder International Film Festival

These Amazing Shadows will screen at the Boulder International Film Festival at 5:00 pm Friday, February 18th. For tickets please click on the following link:

BUY TICKETS

This year’s BIFF will honor one of the greatest, most thought-provoking film directors of our time—three-time Oscar winner Oliver Stone (Midnight Express, Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July). Mr. Stone will receive BIFF’s Master of Cinema Award and sit down for an in-depth interview and retrospective of his films at the Closing Night ceremonies on Sunday, February 20th.

On Saturday, February 19th A Conversation with James Franco will highlight the Festival. From Freaks and Geeks to James Dean to the Spider-man trilogy to Milk to Howl, this Golden-globe and Oscar-nominated actor has shown great versatility and excellence in everything he does. Come see a screening of A Clerk’s Tale, a short film directed by Franco that premiered in Cannes last May, as well as a retrospective of his work. Franco will receive BIFF’s Vanguard Award, followed by an interview conducted by BIFF Executive Producer of Special Events, Ron Bostwick. Franco was just nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Aron Ralston in Danny Boyle’s 127 Hours. Franco will co-host the Academy Awards one week after attending BIFF.

Also screening is our friend Morgan Neville's doc, Troubadours, a musical journey tracing the lives and careers of James Taylor and Carole King, pillars of the California singer/songwriter scene, which converged in and around LA’s Troubadour Club in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Troubadours is part of the opening night gala and will screen at 8:00 pm Thursday, February 17th.

BOULDER INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL