INTERVIEW: Lucas McNelly and BLANC DE BLANC

You may know Lucas McNelly from his blog 100 Films. Or you might have seen his earlier film GRAVIDA.

His latest is BLANC DE BLANC. This is his first feature. And, it is his best film yet.

This was made as an experiment, as part of a Twitter project where a group of filmmakers around the world made films in only two weeks. Lucas took part and BLANC DE BLANC is the result.

Without giving too much away, the film is about a relationship that develops between a seemingly homeless man and a nurse.

The film is beautifully shot making excellent use of Pittsburgh locations. Starring Rachel Shaw, the star of his previous film GRAVIDA, this shows that Lucas is working at a much higher level than the mumblecore filmmakers. Where the film goes, the way the mood of the film changes, it is always unexpected.

Lucas agreed to do an interview about the film and his process.


How did you get involved with the 2 Week Movie?

One of the first things I noticed when I joined Twitter is that there's this circle of filmmakers working on small budgets who pretty much spend large chunks of their day talking about films, the filmmaking processes, and all of the various things filmmakers talk about when they're all in a room together (only, they're all bored at their day jobs).

Basically, the idea came from an off-hand comment from Reid Gershbein about how the best way to prevent the logjam of trying to get projects going was to just make a film in 2 weeks. Everyone laughed, but then as we started talking about it, we realized it wasn't the worst idea in the world. I thought about it for a day or two and decided that if I could find an idea that would work, I'd give it a shot.

What were the rules?

The idea happened near the end of April, and we decided that the 2 weeks had to finish (basically, a fine cut) by the end of May. So basically we had 3 weeks for pre-production and started filming on the 14th of May. When this started, we had no story, so we had to completely start from scratch.

The #2wkfilm versions of all three films (mine, Reid's, and Mike Peter Reed's) all screened as part of the Portobello Film Festival in London.

Was it a difficult process?

Oh yeah.

We were flying blind for most of the project. We cast the actor who played Matt out of sheer necessity. I called every actor I could think of and they were all busy, so Josh, who was one of the crew members, volunteered at the last minute. We called to get locations a half hour before we shot there. We came up with scenes off the top of our head. We had equipment failures, crowd control problems, location problems, you name it.

Basically we shot five days that were nearly 20 hours each without a script. Then we got to a fine cut in 11 days. Then we tweaked it to clean everything up. It was only days ago that I thought the film might actually work for audiences.

It was absolutely insane.

You and the two leads are credited as the writers. Was this film improvised?

We wrote probably 20 pages of a script in those 3 weeks, but it was mostly an outline and a couple of scenes to serve as a general structure. The three of us brainstormed the outline together. Jason wrote a couple scenes. I wrote a couple of scenes. And, basically we just put them all together. But we were re-writing the outline all the way until we wrapped shooting. There were scenes where they were improvising and I was sitting on the floor next to the camera with a Sharpie, changing the outline.

The story idea came from my girlfriend, Jen, and there's a great deal of backstory we wrote related to the story that isn't obviously on-screen, but the actors are improvising based on that information, so it sort of bleeds through the film. Joshua Thomas, who worked extensively on the film, commented to me the other day that he was noticing clues to the story the fourth time he watched the film that he'd never seen before.

I should mention that the film contains a central mystery that's never explained.

Now that it is over, is there anything you would like to change about the film?

Every time I watch it, I notice something I'd do differently with more time, but I think part of the allure of #2wkfilm is that if I took the time to do everything perfectly, we'd still be waiting to start filming.

But I figured with my first feature, I'm going to make a thousand mistakes, so why not make them on a project where people will more easily forgive them?

What was the budget?

The budget was zero dollars, but we spent $970. We shot on a Panasonic HVX that we borrowed from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and another one we borrowed from a fellow filmmaker (but not at the same time). We shot some of the exteriors on a different camera, a Sony something with a different Codec and all that (tip: don't do that). Oh, and we had a boom mic fail on us one day, so we shot several scenes with the camera's wild mic. We recorded ADR in the rafters of a church auditorium.

I edited it in Final Cut on my super old G5 and a 17" monitor. We did a 2 day sound mix at Widget Studios in Philly. They were nice enough to donate their time, because they're awesome.

As we were shooting and editing, Jerome Wincek (who's song plays over the end credits of GRAVIDA) was composing the score in a different city, basically working off of edits and notes I'd send him. The fact that his score works so well is a real testament to his ability to read my mind.

We called in a lot of favors on this film.




I really had no idea where this film was going to go. It has elements of romance, mystery and at one point seems to almost turn into a horror film. How would you categorize it?

I tend to think of it as a mystery stripped down to a character drama, which is really the most interesting part.

How did you find Rachel Shaw, who also starred in GRAVIDA?

Rachel and I went to college together (she majored in theater, I think), only I didn't really get to know her that well until a couple of years later. She's kind of my go-to actress these days.

There are several scenes set in this sort of archway in the city. Just what is that exactly?

That's the Pennsylvanian, which is now a high-end apartment complex. But, essentially, the Amtrak station is right there and the bus station is across the street and a lot of the buses that come into downtown, go right by there. So, it seemed like a natural place to start a film about a guy who's just arrived in town. Plus, it looks fantastic.

The story behind that is I called the film office (who I've never dealt with before) and they said to call the Pennsylvanian, who politely told me that they never allow filming there. Of course, that didn't stop us in the slightest, just forced us to rush the shots. Two weeks later there was a Nick Nolte film shooting there for two days.

The prevailing movement in film is the whole "mumblecore" / DIY movement. You would seem to be in the same category, yet unlike those filmmakers, you seem to take time to set up your shots, making the film look interesting. What are you thoughts on the mumblecore gang?

Honestly, I watch mumblecore and a lot of the time, I'm bored. Just swinging a camera around watching people talk about nothing isn't all that interesting to me. Film is just a wide and varied art form, that it seems foolish to mostly disregard the visual aspect of it. I mean, how is that different from watching a play?

Don't get me wrong, there's a lot of interesting stuff going on, but to compare mumblecore to something like the French New Wave, for example, is to give mumblecore way too much credit. From the beginning, it struck me as a transitionary movement to something else, something that will use the visual language to dramatic effect.

And I think mumblecore will lead to something potentially great, but by the time it gets there, it won't look at all like mumblecore anymore.

With PARANORMAL ACTIVITY being a big hit, do you feel hopeful for the independent film movement?

Yeah, I think it's promising. Sure, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY is a bit of a lottery ticket that hit, but maybe it makes things a little easier for everyone. Really, our salvation isn't going to come from the studios buying our films anymore, but the success of something like that makes the DIY distribution a little easier. It makes VOD a little easier. I don't know that it's the game changer everyone's making it out to be, but it may open a few doors.

What is next for you?

Sleep?

I'm working on a few ideas for a next film, but none of them are ready to go just yet. Honestly, I'm not sure which one is closer to the finish line at this point. I'm also starting to toss around the idea of directing someone else's script, mostly because I think the ability to direct something I didn't write is a key one in my growth process. Plus, it won't take me 6 months to write, which is nice.

One of the scripts I've been working on for years and it still isn't ready. I'm kind of picky, which is what made this project so liberating.

You can read more about BLANC DE BLANC and buy a copy of the DVD at his website. You can also follow him on Twitter.

2009 Golden Globe Nominations

Here are the nominees for the Golden Globes

Best Picture - Drama
"Avatar"
"The Hurt Locker"
"Inglourious Basterds"
"Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire"
"Up in the Air"

Best Picture -- Musical or Comedy
"(500) Days of Summer"
"The Hangover"
"It's Complicated"
"Julie & Julia"
"Nine"

Best Actress -- Drama
Emily Blunt, "The Young Victoria"
Sandra Bullock, "The Blind Side"
Helen Mirren, "The Last Station"
Carey Mulligan, "An Education"
Gabourey Sidibe, "Precious"

Best Actor -- Drama
Jeff Bridges, "Crazy Heart"
George Clooney, "Up in the Air"
Colin Firth, "A Single Man"
Morgan Freeman,"Invictus"
Tobey Maguire, "Brothers"

Best Actress -- Musical or Comedy
Sandra Bullock, "The Proposal"
Marion Cotillard, "Nine"
Julia Roberts, "Duplicity"
Meryl Streep, "It's Complicated"
Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"

Best Actor -- Musical or Comedy
Matt Damon, "The Informant!"
Daniel Day-Lewis, "Nine"
Robert Downey Jr., "Sherlock Holmes"
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "(500) Days of Summer"
Michael Stuhlbarg, "A Serious Man"

Best Supporting Actor
Matt Damon, "Invictus"
Woody Harrelson, "The Messenger"
Christopher Plummer, "The Last Station"
Stanley Tucci, "The Lovely Bones"
Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Supporting Actress
Penelope Cruz, "Nine"
Vera Farmiga, "Up in the Air"
Anna Kendrick, "Up in the Air"
Mo'Nique, "Precious"
Julianne Moore, "A Simple Man"

Best Director
Kathryn Bigelow, "The Hurt Locker"
James Cameron, "Avatar"
Clint Eastwood, "Invictus"
Jason Reitman, "Up in the Air"
Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Screenplay
"District 9"
"The Hurt Locker"
"It's Complicated"
"Up in the Air"
"Inglourious Basterds"

Best Animated Film
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs"
"Coraline"
"Fantastic Mr. Fox"
"The Princess and the Frog"
"Up"

THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION (2009) DVD Review

Showbiz Pizza was one of the most important cultural institutions of the 1980’s. That is, if you were a kid.

It was part pizza place, part arcade, and part live concert. The game room was divided with one wall being skee ball, the other being the light gun games and the rest all video games. (Later they added a little kids section with whack a mole and rides).

Showbiz was around during the height of video game mania. This was the era of Pac Man and Dig Dug, when games only cost a quarter and were fun. They survived through the introduction of Dragon’s Lair (the Don Bluth animated game played on laserdiscs) and even had commercials advertising the fact that they now had the game.

Friday and Saturday nights, I would often go with my family and I loved it. We’d order the pizza and wait in the dining room. There, they had a stage show with audio animatronic animals playing music. The band was known as THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION. I always loved Fats, the gorilla on keyboards.

Watching Billy Bob, the bear, and his friends in the stage show we would look at the monitors for our number to be called telling us the pizza (that was actually good) was ready. After we ate, we would be allowed to run off to the game room, only returning to get more money for tokens.

We would go regularly up until I was in middle school in the mid 80’s. By that time, I had grown out of it. Plus, the multiple token games had taken over. Arcades were slowly dying out.

That Showbiz I visited was eventually converted into a Chuck E. Cheese. It is still there today in the same location, over twenty five years later. In fact, after my sister had her first child, we couldn’t wait for her to be old enough to take there. Unfortunately, when we went, it wasn’t the same. While the dining room and stage show were still similar, the game room was cut in a fifth, sold off to another store in the strip mall. There were less than a dozen games, and only three skee ball lanes. And the pizza? Terrible.

The new documentary THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION brings all this back to me. This is a look at Showbiz and the fans of the restaurant that try to keep the magic of the house band alive.

Chris Thrash loved the band enough that he has bought an entire stage show and set them up in a builidng behind his Alabama house. He programs new shows for the band, and posts them on Youtube. This brought the memories to life for many around the world and created a new fan base for the band and characters.



The Rock-afire Explosion was created by an inventor by the name of Aaron Fechtner. Fechtner had previously created the Whack A Mole game in the mid 70's, only to have it stolen from him. After experimenting with audio animatronic characters, he developed Billy Bob and friends. With a group of developers, Showbiz Pizza was born in the early 80’s, and by 1983, there were 200 restaurants across the country. And then the company ran out of money.

THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION follows these characters and others, talking about their love of Showbiz. The fans long for the simpler time of the 80’s, where they could look forward to their trips to the restaurant.

In recent years, there has been a new genre of films, the “obsessive fan” documentary. From AMERICAN MOVIE, TREKKIES, CINEMANIA, CHASING GHOSTS and THE KING OF KONG, these have become some of my favorite films of recent years. THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION is a worthy entry into this genre.

This is a surprisingly moving documentary, with an extremely effective music score. There is a sequence toward the end where Fechtner gives a tour of the now abandoned warehouse where his designers, fired decades before, created the characters, that is just heartbreaking. Tools have remained in the same place for years, molds for the characters are still on the shelf. There are even crates containing unopened Rock-afire Explosion shows that have been unsold since 1983.

Will this film appeal to those that have no memory of Showbiz Pizza? I can’t answer that. Showbiz was such a big part of the early 80’s for me that I may be more of its target audience than most.

If you know the restaurant and remember Billy Bob, this is a wonderful film.



WHAT IS ON THE DVD?

The DVD contains forty minutes of deleted scenes. All of these are worthwhile. There is a lengthy and fascinating bit with Thrash giving a behind the scenes tour of how the band is set up, showing how the air compressors work and how he programs the shows. Also Fechtner tells the story behind Whack A Mole and how it was stolen from him.

SHOULD I BUY IT?



If you remember Showbiz, you must see this film.

THE ROCK-AFIRE EXPLOSION is available on DVD exclusively from their website, www.rockafiremovie.com.

Saturday Night Live "Doorbells"

Sort of an off night for SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE last night.

Except for this, the final sketch of the night with Jenny Slate



"Hello, wine and cheese, ding dong"

With this and the potato chip sketch last week, the final sketch of the night is no longer a dumping ground. They have been funnier than the cold openings.

DVD AND BLU-RAY RELEASES FOR 12-15-09

Here are the DVDs releasing this week, Tuesday December 15, 2009

DVD OF THE WEEK


Inglourious Basterds (Two-Disc Special Edition) - Quentin Tarantino’s best in years, and one of the year's better films. A note to DVD fans, feel free to fast forward every time Brad Pitt is on screen. His scenes are the weakest in the film. That finale however, wow!

DVDS RELEASING THIS WEEK

The Hangover (Unrated Two-Disc Special Edition) - The big comedy of the summer that, despite loving Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis, I never got around to seeing theatrically. Director Todd Phillips was never a favorite of mine. But, I will see it on DVD.

G-Force (Two Disc DVD + Digital Copy) - Zach Galifianakis again, this time in a film about secret agent rodents saving the world. You can read my review here.

Live at Madison Square Garden - There is a rumor going around that Jon Bon Jovi lives in the next town. He is said to be seen at a local Starbucks every morning. Frankly, I don’t believe it. Anyway, he has a concert DVD out this week.

Taking Woodstock - Ang Lee’s look at the 1960’s.

The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard- This Jeremy Piven comedy has been available for rent on Netflix for several weeks. It is finally available to buy. Despite loving the cast, can’t say I cared for the film.

Dat Phan: Live - Anyone remember Dat Phan, the comedian on LAST COMIC STANDING who had the whole bar graphs and mathematical equations for how his set played to audiences? He has a concert DVD out this week.


BLU-RAYS RELEASING THIS WEEK

The Hangover (Unrated Edition) [Blu-ray]

Inglourious Basterds (2-Disc Special Edition) [Blu-ray]

Star Trek: The Original Series - Season 3 [Blu-ray]

G-Force (Three-Disc DVD/Blu-ray Combo +Digital Copy) [Blu-ray]

2009 New York Yankees: The Official World Series Film [Blu-ray]

The Mel Brooks Collection [Blu-ray]

I Am... Yours An Intimate Performance At Wynn Las Vegas [Blu-ray] - Beyonce concert

La Boheme: The Film [Blu-ray]

Taking Woodstock [Blu-ray]

TV ON DVD THIS WEEK

The Tudors: The Complete Third Season

Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie

2009 New York Yankees: The Official World Series Film

Dance with Julianne: Cardio Ballroom

Robot Chicken: Season Four

The Paper Chase: Season Two - Reviewed here.

Ice Road Truckers: The Complete Season Three

Cake Boss

Wagon Train - The Complete First Season - Special Limited Edition - 39 episodes!

Click on the title to read more at Amazon.

Roger Ebert Loves Avatar

Roger Ebert posted his review of AVATAR today.

He gave it 4 stars.

Comparing it to STAR WARS, he writes

"Avatar" is not simply a sensational entertainment, although it is that. It's a technical breakthrough.

EVERYBODY'S FINE (2009)

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?



After his kids cancel a visit, retired widower Robert DeNiro goes on the road to visit them, traveling by bus and train across the country. Drew Barrymore, Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale co-star.

WHO MADE IT?

Based on the Italian film, the remake was written and directed by Kirk Jones (WAKING NED DEVINE, NANNY MCPHEE)

IS IT ANY GOOD?

EVERYBODY’S FINE works the best when DeNiro is on the screen alone. He gives a very restrained performance that is quite a surprise. There is a scene early on, where he is sitting by himself in a New York city coffee shop, late at night, that makes you realize just how far he is from Travis Bickle.

That said, a film about a retired widower traveling has been made before, Alexander Payne’s ABOUT SCHMIDT which is an infinitely better film.

The problem with this film is, well, every scene where DeNiro is interacting with one of his family members. They are some of the most hateful characters you will see on screens this season. The way they relate to him is quite cruel. Only Drew Barrymore seems to have some sort of heart. You never really believe anything that is going on here.

The film is very simplistic as well. Whenever DeNiro first sees one of his children, the director cuts to a shot of the character as a child running to his father, as if the audience is too dumb to realize that is how he sees them. Maybe the first time he sees one it would be like that, but every time one is introduced? Very poorly done.

There is one scene, toward the end, with DeNiro and a secondary character, I’ll just say a clerk of some sort, who only appears in one scene. There is more emotion conveyed in that scene than in anything in the previous 90 minutes.

DeNiro is quite good, the film though isn’t.

TV ALERT: Beware Kirk Cameron!

Before you do another thing today, run to your TV and look to see if there is a Christmas special airing in the next few weeks entitled WILD AND WACKY CHRISTMAS. Go into the search function on your cable box and see if it comes up. Look in the weekend afternoons, or even overnight hours.

Really! Go! Now!!!

It usually airs on weekend afternoons. My local NBC Affiliate, WWLP TV 22, is airing it this Sunday afternoon at 1 pm.

I've blogged about this special twice before. It is, without a doubt, the single worst TV Christmas special in the history of television.

Hosted by Kirk Cameron, it is made up of horrible staged and acted Christmas "bloopers" and "practical jokes". What is so horrible, outside of the fact that they are so poorly done, is the fact that most are filmed in the same apartment. They move the couches around to try to make it look like they are all different. And the "practical jokes" are even worse.

The show is at the level of TROLL 2 or THE ROOM, something so bad that it must be seen to be believed.

So, look to see if it is on the schedule. If it doesn't go by WILD AND WACKY CHRISTMAS, anything that has the words CHRISTMAS or SANTA CLAUS, HOME VIDEOS or PRANKS or BLOOPERS may be it. They change the name every year. One year it was SANTA CLAUS' FAVORITE HOME VIDEOS AND PRANKS. I think it must be given away for free to stations which is why it airs every year.

This year, the description says it is hosted by Erik Estrada. It is most likely the same special, with different wrap around segments.

Trust me, you will hate it so much you will love it.

But just don't let your kids watch it. It just might ruin their Christmas.

BBC HOME VIDEO HOLIDAY GIVEAWAY!!!

BBC Home Video and BBCAmericaShop.com have generously donated a gift pack of DVDs to the Moviezzz Blog for a giveaway!!

This set contains

• Dr Who: The Next Door
• Dr Who T-Shirt
• Robbie The Reindeer (With voice of Ben Stiller)
• Planet Earth: The Complete Series
• Black Adder Remastered
• Keeping Up Appearances
  

To enter:

Send an email to me (address in the ABOUT ME section of the blog) with the subject heading BBC HOME VIDEO CONTEST. That is it. The winner will be randomly drawn on Monday December 21st. This contest is open only to US residents, 18 or older. One entry per email address.



Also at BBC AMERICA SHOP, they are having a Sweepstakes. Here are the details.

Tis the season to give and win at The BBCAmericaShop.com with their $1,000 Holiday Sweepstakes.

Enter for your chance to win two $500 Gift Certificates (one for you and a second for a very special friend or family member) during the BBC America Shop’s Holiday season of giving and winning.

At the BBC America Shop, find the biggest hits in BBC film and TV on DVD for friends and family, apparel and books on tape for the special man in your life; and jewelry and holiday decorations from the UK for her.

This Holiday season enjoy Free Shipping on all Orders Over $100.

BBC America Shop Holiday Sweepstakes Prize Details:

First Prize:

A $500 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $500 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

Second Prize:

A $250 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $250 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

Third Prize:

A $100 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the winner and a $100 BBC America Shop gift certificate for the friend or family of his or her choice.

G-FORCE (2009) Blu-Ray Review

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

A group of guinea pigs try to save the world from evil genius Bill Nighy. Zach Galifianikis plays the human leader of the gang, with Sam Rockwell, Jon Favreau, Nicolas Cage, Steve Buscemi, Tracy Morgan and Penelope Cruz as the voices of the guinea pigs.

WHO MADE IT?

Writers Cormac and Marianne Wibberley are the writers behind THE 6TH DAY, CHARLIE’S ANGELS FULL THROTTLE, BAD BOYS 2 and the NATIONAL TREASURE films.


Director Hoyt Yeatman worked behind the scenes on special effects going back to CLOSE ENCOUNTERS, E.T, BLADE RUNNER, BLUE THUNDER, THE ABYSS (where he won an Oscar), CON AIR, and ARMAGEDDON. This is his feature debut.



IS IT ANY GOOD?

A warning to parents. After watching G-FORCE, your kids might want a trip to the pet store to pick up a guinea pig. They are the stars of the film.

The film will mainly appeal to young audiences. It is filled with FX and some toilet humor that kids may enjoy.

Unfortunately, even though it stars the always funny Zach Galifianakis, Will Arnett, Bill Nighy, and has a great voice cast, there isn’t much here for adult audiences.

It is a typical Jerry Bruckheimer production, fast paced, hyperkinetic, but with little below the surface. Not that films about talking rodents saving the world really need a message.

But, kids may like it a lot more.


WHAT IS ON THE BLU-RAY?

On Blu-Ray, the film can be watched in what is called CINE-EXPLORE mode. This is a sort of enhanced audio commentary, with on screen video with multiple windows to illustrate what is being talked about. It is quite well done that even those that didn’t care for the film may enjoy.

BLASTERS BOOT CAMP (4:41) - Blaster gives an overview of his training.

G FORCE MASTERMIND (4:13) - The director talks about the inspiration for the film, his son who came up with the idea.

BRUCKHEIMER ANIMATED (3:11) - Producer Jerry Bruckheimer discusses the FX in his films.

ACCESS GRANTED: INSIDE THE ANIMATION LAB (7:52) - A look at the animation process.

G-FARCE (1:49) - A blooper reel

DELETED SCENES (6:17) - Six deleted scenes.

MUSIC VIDEOS - Videos for “Jump” by Flo Rida and Nelly Furtado, “Ready to Rock” by Steve Rushton, and “Go G-Force”

SHOULD I BUY IT?

G-FORCE is strictly for the kids.

G-FORCE will be available on DVD and Blu-Ray on December 15, 2009 from Walt Disney Home Video.