Well, on this eve of leaving Ptown, Darren and I wish to give our hearty thanks to the festival goers and organizers who made our stay so much damn fun. I saw a bunch of really great films, many of which will be coming to theaters later this year. Here are a few highlights:
1. American Teen - This is an unbelievable documentary that started out at Sundance this year and continues on its festival journey until it hits theaters via the now defunct Paramount Vantage. It's one of the better docs I've seen in a really long time. See it.
2. The Wackness - there's a lot of buzz about this film, which also started at Sundance this year and is due to hit theaters in July. I did enjoy the film and I particularly loved the performance of Ben Kingsley. However, given all the great word of mouth that came out of Sundance, I was expecting to like it more than I did.
3. Bigger, Faster, Stronger - This is another Magnolia release and is a truly lovely documentary. It surprised me in more ways than one. This one is out in theaters now so go go go out and see it!
4. Let the Right One In - One more Magnolia release for you all (I'm not baised at all, I swear!). This is a great Swedish film about a 12 year old vampire and a sweet romance she develops with another 12 year old. It's a great film.
5. Choke - This is a really good film written by the author of "Fight Club" and it stars Sam Rockwell. It's a darkly comic and superbly acted. Darren and I also had the pleasure of hanging out with the producer, Mike Ryan and one of the film's actors Gillian Jacobs (no relation!).
Fantastic! One more thing - Go out and see our very own Madison Davenport in "Kit Kittridge: An American Girl Story" in theaters now!!!
And finally, I leave you with a little video I took as Darren and I headed out on the train from NYC to Boston a few days ago. It feels like years (for those of you itching to get a peak out our now famous "Humboldt County" rolling papers, the video offers a quick view)....
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2 comments:
This comment is off the current topic of your blog, but I have just discovered your film and I am incensed by the title. Couldn't you LA assholes have been a little more respectful and responsible when titling your film. It sounds like an expose on a place that is the amazing and unique place it is because of a minimum of exposure. You are exploiting a way of life and the place it is lived in. And I see that your censorship function is enabled and i know that if this doesnt show up on your blog that you are inhibiting an important element in the dialogue regarding the creation of art. In your case, the dialogue betweeen the people who are living the live's that are being fictionalized, and in the case of your movie, exploited, and the irresposnible exploiters/creators- you. Why couldn't you have been just a bit more ambiguous, made up the name of the place as so many responsible writers have done and still do? I would love to hear your reaction to this comment because I know that it reflects the sentiment of many of my fellow humboldtians. As far as I can tell, it feels like you have ripped off everything that makes this place sacred, and marketed it. What the hell?
Liam,
First of all, thank you for your interest in the film and your undeniable passion for your county. Throughout this process, we have met so many people who share a love and passion for Humboldt and it's truly inspiring to meet people who care so much for their home.
I understand your concerns about bringing more attention to the area. However, I'm sorry to tell you that the word is already out. People already know about Humboldt County. It's not some great secret that we, as filmmakers, are exposing.
Further, regarding the title of the film. We don't pretend that this film represents all that Humboldt is. Just as "Philadelphia", "Chicago", "Casablanca", "Orange County" or any of the other countless films that used the name of a region or city as their title, we titled our film "Humboldt County" to give a sense of the tone of the film as well as elicit an emotional expectation for those going to see it.
Finally, I simply ask you to withhold judgment about the film until you see if. You might be surprised at what you find. We'll be playing the film at the WildRivers101 Film Festival in Humboldt in late August. Please come to the screening and come up and introduce yourself afterwards. I'd love to hear your thoughts on the movie.
Thanks so much,
One of the LA assholes
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