Blog Entries http://atlantafilmfestival.com Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:17:31 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,2010-Atlanta-Film-Festival-Lineup-Announced.html/Itemid,48/ <p>The 2010 Atlanta Film Festival will open at the Carter Center at One Copenhill, 453 Freedom Parkway on Thursday, April 15, 2010 with Stanley Nelson&rsquo;s&nbsp;FREEDOM RIDERS&nbsp;and will close on Friday April 23, 2010 at the 14th&nbsp;Street Playhouse at 173 14th Street with the Southeastern premiere of Barr Weissman&rsquo;s&nbsp;SECRET TO A HAPPY ENDING, a terrific behind-the-scenes documentary portrait of the Athens GA-based band Drive-By Truckers.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><p>The seven da [...] charles@atlantafilmfestival.com Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:00:00 +0100 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Much-Ado-About-March-.html/Itemid,48/ <p style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in" class="MsoNormal" align="center">Samantha Worthen&#39;s monthly Film/Arts email is always full of eventy goodness, so why not post it and share it with you guys.&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0in; text-align: center" class="MsoNormal" align="center">&nbsp;</p><p style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0 [...] charles@atlantafilmfestival.com Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:00:00 +0100 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,2010-ATL-FILM-FEST-Volunteer-Orientations.html/Itemid,48/ &nbsp;&nbsp;<b>2010 ATL FILM FEST Volunteer Orientations </b> <br /> It's about to be that time of year, the annual Atlanta Film Festival! This April 15-23, we are going to be scheduling hundreds of volunteers to help us stage our nine-day event. We are one of the oldest and largest film festivals in the Southeast, and it takes our volunteers to make it all happen. &nbsp; A new process for 2010, all volunteers, new and old, that want to be considered for the 2010 festival MUST complete our n [...] charles@atlantafilmfestival.com Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:00:00 +0100 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,PERCY-JACKSON-THE-OLYMPIANS-THE-LIGHTNING-THIEF.html/Itemid,48/ &nbsp; At roughly 2 hours, Percy Jackson &amp; the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (PJOTLT) is an overwrought inconsistently-paced ridiculous exercise of a flashy&nbsp;attempt at box-office magic that sputtered, fizzled, and barely crackled. &nbsp; I read the novel 5 years ago and was underwhelmed by its ludicrously unimaginative&nbsp;vapid story and I refrained from reading the entire series. I share the same exact sentiment with this movie-adaptation of the novel authored by Rick Riordan. &nbsp [...] charles@atlantafilmfestival.com Mon, 15 Feb 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Reviews Film Reviews http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,2010-Oscar-Nominees-Podcast.html/Itemid,48/ <p>The Atlanta Film Festival 365 Staff discusses the 2010 Oscar nominations, including the effect of 10 nominees for Best Picture on the ceremonies, the lack of respect for comedy at the awards, Hollywood&rsquo;s Biases and the continued strangeness that is the documentary category. </p> <br />Powered by Podbean.com&nbsp;Direct Link to 2010 Oscar Nominees Podcast charles.judson@gmail.com Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Podcast Oscars Academy Awards http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Without-Miramax-I-Probably-Wouldnt-Be-Here.html/Itemid,48/ <p>That headline is a bit of hyperbole, but not by much. Although I was always watching movies I didn&#39;t really start curating my movie experience till my sophmore year of college.</p><p>By 1993, Friday night at Blockbuster had morphed from a ritual I enjoyed with my family to one I then enjoyed with my boys. About 8 or 9 PM, it would be five of us piling into one car to spend an hour browsing Blockbuster&#39;s aisles building our weekend playlist. </p><p>That list always had to be strategic. [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Miramax http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,FROM-PARIS-WITH-LOVE-Review.html/Itemid,48/ This action-packed well-edited tautly-scripted high-quality production stars John Travolta and Jonathan Rhys Meyers. I was mesmerized by the compelling performances by both John Travolta and Jonathan R. M. - who both play anti-terrorist U.S. agents. John Travolta&#39;s devil-may-care attitude was a joy to experience - and Jonathan R. M. nailed his role as a naive idealistic diplomatic aide/black ops agent-newbie/wannabe with total aplomb. &nbsp; Initially, I had low expectations but FROM PARIS W [...] charles@atlantafilmfestival.com Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Reviews Film Reviews http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,A-Lesson-From-NORTH-BY-NORTHWEST-Sometimes-Its-Best-to-Let-Your-Ideas-Go.html/Itemid,48/ <p>The other day a letter from Harvey Weinstein to Errol Morris popped up on the interwebs, lettersofnote.com to precise. It&#39;s a fascinating note on how to sell oneself from one of the most successful and powerful distributors and producers of all time. Even in 1988, it was probably an anathema to receive a letter like that, in 2010 it&#39;s all part of the awards season gaming.</p><p>What really caught my notice on Letters of Note, as I was looking at past posts, was a letter from Otis L. [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Director-Mark-Claywell-Talks-About-AMERICAN-JIHADIST-and-Slamdance.html/Itemid,48/ This past Sunday, AMERICAN JIHADIST premiered at the 2010 Slamdance. About Isa Abdullah Ali, the film explores what it means to be a jihadist and why an American raised on the streets of Washington D.C. would pick up arms to fight in Bosnia or Lebanon.&nbsp;&nbsp;About a week before the premiere, I sat down with director Claywell at Crawford Communications, where he was &nbsp;working on the final sound mix, to talk about the film.&nbsp;&nbsp;Mark Claywell Interview&nbsp;(42m23s)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Mon, 25 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Slamdance Interviews Documentary http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,The-gift-of-membership-Why-we-do-what-we-do.html/Itemid,48/ <p>Recently, someone purchased a gift membership to ATL365, accompanied by a thoughtful dedication.&nbsp; While I sit here in Atlanta (not at Sundance on a late January morning), working on grant applications and planning for an amazing April event, this dedication serves as my inspiration.&nbsp; It epitomizes why we do what we do.&nbsp; </p><p>I wanted to share it with you so I&#39;ve cut the proper names to protect the innocent:</p><p>Dear Son,<br /><br /> Earlier this evening I was talking wi [...] gabe@atlantafilmfestival.com Wed, 20 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,DARIUS-GOES-WEST-One-Free-Vote-1-For-DMD-Research.html/Itemid,48/ <p>Accompanied by his eleven best friends, Darius Weems, a fifteen-year-old living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), leaves home for the first time in his life. The rowdy crew sets a course for California where they hope to convince MTV to customize Darius&#39;s wheelchair on the hit show, Pimp My Ride. Darius Goes West been enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people of all ages all around the world. </p><p>In 2007 a little film called DARIUS GOES WEST went on a tear, racking up awards at [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Darius Goes West http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Slamdance-Sundance-And-the-Festival-Year-Begins.html/Itemid,48/ <p>This week, two of the most influential festivals officially kick-off the 2010 festival season. From here on out, the stories on dozens of films will write, after surviving pre-production to post, their next chapters. </p><p>As you&#39;ve probably heard ad nausem, the destiny of those films have rested more and more in the hands of filmmakers and producers over the last few years, and not distributors. Although, as Brian Newman has stated it in many a lecture, that destiny has always rested in [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Sundance Slamdance Film Festival Secrets http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,THE-BOOK-OF-ELI-review.html/Itemid,48/ THE BOOK OF ELI &nbsp; The Hughes brothers (Albert and Allen) directed this 118-min movie starring Denzel Washington, Mila Kunis, and Gary Oldman. &nbsp; Filmed using the RED digital camera, this bleak color-bleached post-apocalyptic tale suffers from a serious case of plodding, slow pacing. At almost 2 hours, it simply dragged on and on... and could have been shortened to 1.5hr with little loss to the plot. &nbsp; That said - the plot/story itself could be improved because there were a few glar [...] charles@atlantafilmfestival.com Sun, 17 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Reviews Film Reviews http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,BOARDWALK-EMPIRE-Teaser-Trailer.html/Itemid,48/ <p>Will I have to add BOARDWALK EMPIRE to my DVR rotation? With Steve Buscemi, Martin Scorsese and Terence Winter on board, it should be a no brainer and the teaser trailer is impressive in scope. So much so, you might think this is being released theatrically. HBO knows how to spend some money. </p><p> </p><p>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm30JBh8pnE&amp;feature=player_embedded </p><p>Hopefully this will be on the opposite spectrum of Scorsese&#39;s GANGS OF NEW YORK which like BOARDWALK, w [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Thu, 14 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,American-Idol-and-Pants-on-the-Ground.html/Itemid,48/ <p>Has it really been 5 years since since William Hung infamously butchered Ricky Martin&#39;s &quot;She Bangs&quot;? Every year there&#39;s one bad audition that stands out and spawns a cult of personality around the singer. It looks like ATL&#39;s own General Larry Platts may be that singer for this season of the hit show. </p><p>His anti-saggy pants composition &quot;Pants on the Ground&quot; was such a highlight of last night&#39;s Atlanta edition of American Idol, it has spawned several You [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 American Idol http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Talking-With-Anessa-Ramsey-Michael-Laurino-About-Yellowbrickroad-and-Slamdance.html/Itemid,48/ <p>Atlanta based actors Anessa Ramsey (THE&nbsp; SIGNAL) and Michael Laurino&nbsp; (Fox&#39;s PAST LIFE) star in YELLOWBRICKROAD, a film about a team of researchers trying to discover why 70 years ago, an entire town mysteriously marched off&nbsp; into the woods. Premiering at this year&#39;s Slamdance, I sat down with them at Apres Diem to talk about the film, Slamdance and what it&#39;s like to be an Actor in Atlanta. Warning: There is some language.</p><p>Yellowbrickroad Website: http://www.y [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Slamdance Interview http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,SPOILERS-WITHIN-AVATARs-Jake-Sully-Kind-of-a-Likeable-Character-Really-Horrible-Leader.html/Itemid,48/ <p>Is Jake the Great White Saviour? I&#39;ve seen this question, well, more like accusation, floating around on zee nets. What think I? Well it led me to think about Jake&#39;s leadership abilities on the battlefield. The conclusion: As a leader he&#39;s horrible at it and if he applies for the job again, don&#39;t hire him.</p><p>As ex-military, who would have relied on satellite scans and other magical-techno boxes back on Earth, Jake should have KNOWN AND REMEMBERED that the corporation would [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Email-Etiquette-for-Filmmakers-On-Film-Festival-Secrets-with-Additional-DOs-and-DONTs..html/Itemid,48/ How to tell if you&rsquo;re a spammer <p><img src="http://filmfestivalsecrets.com/images/blog/spam-20100111-091329.jpg" border="0" alt="Spam" hspace="5" vspace="5" align="right" />So here&rsquo;s something that happens to me a lot.</p> Filmmaker emails me with a question. I respond. Filmmaker takes my response as proof of fervent interest in his/her film and promptly adds me to an email list, pimping the film&rsquo;s screenings in cities where I do not live. <p>Sound familiar? I [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Submissions Film Festivals Festival Advice http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,Are-Fan-Films-Worth-It-.html/Itemid,48/ <p>The New Year has barely begun and already some folks are getting bad news, or in this case for BMB Finishes, sharing bad news . <br /> </p><p>BMB had produced a Legend of Zelda fan film, based on the lucrative and influential Nintendo franchise over the course of two years. Once the gaming company got wind of THE HERO OF TIME, they ordered BMB to stop distribution, which included a few screenings in theaters. In the spirit of the holidays, Nintendo allowed BMB to keep the film up till the end [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Tue, 05 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Filmmaking Fan Films http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,My-Favorite-Television-Shows-from-2000-2009.html/Itemid,48/ <p> </p><p class="MsoNormal">Putting together my list of favorite scripted U.S. shows of the 2000-2009 was actually easier than I thought it was going to be. The main criteria was that the shows had to have premiered 2000 or later and had to have been developed for U.S. television. Hence why shows like COUPLING (BBC) or THE SOPRANOS (debuted 1999) are not on this list.</p> <p class="MsoNormal">First, my favorite show of the decade: </p> <p class="MsoNormal">THE WIRE </p> <p cla [...] charles.judson@gmail.com Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:00:00 +0100 Television