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.

These Amazing Shadows Holiday Gift Guide!

It's up to you if you'll take this TAS Gift Guide seriously, but we do! We don't encourage anyone to focus too much holiday energy on buying gifts. Simple activities like gathering with family and/or friends is always best. But, sometimes a reasonably priced and well thought out gift can be a joyous thing. Off we go! (when writing a holiday gift guide we feel strangely compelled to use a lot of exclamation points!)

For the wannabe movie star in your family!

Bid for a walk-on role in David O. Russell's next film. 

http://www.charitybuzz.com/categories/18/catalog_items/277895

Through the website Charitybuzz.com you can bid on all kinds of amazing experiences and things. Don't have any information on how much of the money goes to administrative costs and how much goes to an actual charity.

David O. Russell is an American director and screenwriter, known for a loose comic energy and occasional conflict with his actors. His films include The Fighter, Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees, Spanking the Monkey (which I saw at Sundance years ago and wondered - "Why would anyone make a movie like this?")  At the time of this writing the current bid: $4,250 (bidding ends 12/13/11 10pm EST)

35mm Motion Picture Film is not dead! 

Own your own 35mm movie camera!

The LomoKino is the affordable choice for you avant garde filmmakers ($79.00)
http://usa.shop.lomography.com/lomokino

This is a really fun idea but you must be aware of it's inherent limitations. It has a 3-5 frames per second frame rate. A professional 35mm motion picture camera runs at 24 frames per second. So...you get a pretty funky image. Plus, the lens is very limited. All that aside - it is still pretty great. Especially with the crank - you rotate the advancing crank to shoot your movie. It's like being back in the silent era!

There is a large and enthusiastic community built around Lomo products. You can get lots of great advise from seasoned Lomography veterans.

The Art of Pixar (hardcover $50.00)

The Complete Color Scripts and Select Art from 25 Years of Animation

http://www.chroniclebooks.com/titles/art-design/art-design-reference/the-art-of-pixar.html

Over the past 25 years, Pixar’s team of artists, writers, and directors have shaped the world of contemporary animation with their feature films and shorts. From classics such as Toy Story and A Bug’s Life to recent masterpieces such as Up, Toy Story 3, and Cars 2, this comprehensive collection offers a behind-the-scenes tour of every Pixar film to date. Featuring a foreword by Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter, the complete color scripts for every film—published in full for the first time—as well as stunning visual development art.

Vintage Japanese Back to the Future movie poster! ($250.00)

Why own an American version when a foreign one looks so much cooler!

http://www.posteritati.com/product_details.php?multi=yes&skuvalue=75720

Perhaps the best movie poster shop in the US is Posteritati in New York City. If you ever find yourself in NYC make a point to stop by their shop on Centre Street. They are really nice and will really educate you about the beauty of vintage movie posters. You don't have to go to their shop to buy - their website is quite excellent.

We're not kidding about buying foreign posters over their American counterpart. It is not just the different language they offer, but seeing how other cultures interpret our films through graphic imagery. Think of your favorite movie, then on the Posteritati website look around for a foreign version - you won't be disappointed.

Buy a goat and sheep for a family in need. ($120)

Save the Children online store

http://www.savethechildren.org/c.dvKSIbOSIlJcH/b.6885593/site/apps/ka/ec/product.asp?c=dvKSIbOSIlJcH&b=6885593&en=efIPLOPrGbLCKLPuFjLKJLPrG7INJ6MFJiLMLPMpEeLOLYMxHfL1E&ProductID=1503711

One of the greatest struggles families face in poverty-stricken countries is the inability to grow or maintain essential livestock herds. Farm animals keep families fed, provide valuable income and can grow into larger herds with even more potential. The combination of two goats and a sheep gives a family the means to succeed. There are many less expensive options.

AND!!!!!

These Amazing Shadows DVD and Blu-ray!!  

(you know we had to include it)

It really is the perfect non-fuss - one click away - perfect gift for pretty much everybody! Did we mention it is the perfect gift? (prices vary)

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/These-Amazing-Shadows-America-Blu-ray/dp/B005KLOPU0
Shop PBS: http://www.shoppbs.org/product/index.jsp?productId=12151915

What do the films Casablanca, Blazing Saddles and West Side Story have in common? Besides being popular, they have also been deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and listed on The National Film Registry. THESE AMAZING SHADOWS, an 88-minute documentary, tells the history and importance of the Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself. The current list of 550 films includes selections from every genre - documentaries, home movies, Hollywood classics, avant-garde, newsreels and silent films. These Amazing Shadows reveals how "American movies tell us so much about ourselves... not just what we did, but what we thought, what we felt, what we aspired to, and the lies we told ourselves."         Plus, a lot of fun bonus features!!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE WHOLE 

THESE AMAZING SHADOWS GANG!

Christine, Paul, Suzanne, Doug, Alex, Brian, Peter, Frazer, Larry, 

Matt, Scott, Chris, Barbara, James, Michael, Travis, and Kurt