Monday, December 28, 2009

Fave Film Books

One of the questions I get asked most often is what books I would recommend to people really interested in making films?  I didn't go to film school so aside from watching movies and making some of my own, some of my best education has come from reading.  Here is a list of some of the books that have been most useful to me:

1.  Anything in the Conversations with Filmmakers Series

(http://www.upress.state.ms.us/search/series/6

I'm particularly fond of the Coen Brothers, De Palma, Jarmusch, and Woody Allen books in the series.

2.  From Reel to Deal:  Everything You Need to Create a Successful Independent Film by Dov S-S Simens

(http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Deal-Everything-Successful-Independent/dp/0446674621/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262030901&sr=1-1)

3.  My First Movie:  Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film

(http://www.amazon.com/My-First-Movie-Celebrated-Directors/dp/0142002208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031186&sr=1-1)

4.  I Wake up Screening:  What to Do Once You've Made That Movie by John Anderson and Laura Kim

(http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Screening-What-Youve-Movie/dp/0823088987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031265&sr=1-1)

5.  Directing Actors:  Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television by Judith Weston

(http://www.amazon.com/Directing-Actors-Memorable-Performances-Television/dp/0941188248/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031435&sr=1-1)

6.  Godard On Godard

(http://www.amazon.com/Godard-Da-Capo-Paperback/dp/0306802597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1262031547&sr=1-1-spell)

7.  The Films in My Life by Francois Truffaut

(http://www.amazon.com/Films-My-Life-Fran%C3%A7ois-Truffaut/dp/0306805995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031618&sr=1-1)

8.  Everything by Pauline Kael

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Kael)

*I'm also anxiously awaiting Jon Reiss' Think Outside the Box Office:  The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era

(http://www.amazon.com/Think-Outside-Box-Office-Distribution/dp/098257620X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031712&sr=1-1)

What are your favorite film books?

Coppola, Zoetrope, and The Black Stallion

I'm sure there are many of us.  But I'm definitely one of those that wishes Francis Ford Coppola made more movies and (maybe even more important) that his dreams for his Zoetrope Studios were still very much alive and well.  He desperately wanted to bottle that potent seventies concoction -- personal filmmmaking with Hollywood-size budgets.  But instead, after a few budget overruns and box office disappointments, One from the Heart being the worst, his dreams fizzled out pretty quickly.

Yet, at least we're still left with a few signs of what Coppola might have produced if someone had reigned him in a bit more.  And one of the best examples of this, I think, is The Black Stallion.  I saw the film as a kid and could clearly remember sections here and there.  But this is the first time I've watched it again in twenty-five years, owing the re-visit to David Thomson and his excellent book "Have You Seen...?"

The Black Stallion is everything you probably remember -- a feel-good fable with a beautiful horse and a kid you wish you could be.  But there are also some things you might not remember.  It sports some very brave cinematography by Caleb Deschanel.  He's not afraid to go deep into the blacks (for instance, the scene when they show off the horse hoping to land a spot in the big race).  And, as a result, Deschanel pulls off this unusually hazy, magic quality that I would imagine is exactly what he was hoping to achieve.  Also backing Stallion is one of the greatest sound technicians in the history of the medium, Alan Splet.  Splet was David Lynch's regular collaborator before passing away in the early nineties.  All you have to do is listen to the symphony of sounds he creates in the final race to get a sense of Splet's special talent. 

I even felt a part of Coppola here.  He's produced many films throughout his career.  But this is the first one where I could really feel his directorial hand, too (in a good way).  I'm not even sure what it is exactly.  But in the final race, once the flashbacks kick in, I entered that Apocalypse Now trance-like state that Coppola pulls off so well in his own 1979 film.

Zoetrope might not have lasted.  But I have to give it to Coppola.  He bet it all more than once in his career.  And our 114 year-old medium is so much better because of it. 

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Most Memorable in 2009

I've gotten to play catch up in the last couple of months.  And I've pretty much now caught up with everything I really wanted to see from 2008 and 2009.  The one major film I haven't been able to see yet is The Hurt Locker, but I'll check that out the second week of January when it becomes available through Netflix.  All that said, here are the eight most memorable moments I had with movies this year (some just came out, some have been around much longer than I have):


1.  Tulpan (2008) – The most daring movie I saw this year, and the one that most impressed me with its humanity and approach. 
2.  Alien (1979) – Scott pulls off a Jaws; a complex and thoroughly entertaining genre film with characters we actually care about.
3.  Eastern Promises (2007) – Hopefully the start of more Cronenberg crime films.  Is Viggo the greatest actor of his generation?  And is Cronenberg doing even more with crime right now than Michael Mann, David Lynch, and Abel Ferrara?
4.  Broadway Danny Rose (1984) – My first time seeing this Woody Allen film.  I’d forgotten how formally solid and brave he could be while still being as funny as anyone (helium scene!)  Also this is the most impressed I’ve ever been with Mia Farrow’s acting.
5.  Woman Is the Future of Man (2004) – Rohmeresque.  In other words, simple, modern, playful, and real.  And my favorite so far from Hong Sang-soo. 
6.  Chris & Don:  A Love Story (2007) – Two amazing lives; a great story of loyalty, love, and a unique time in American arts. 
7.  Joy Division (2007) – Barney Sumner’s excellent interviews really bring to life the band and their journey.
8.  The Champ (1931) - Campy and dated, maybe, but also human and very moving.


Monday, December 21, 2009

The Curious Case of Woody Allen

Maybe he already gets enough credit for this, and I'm just not thinking all the way through on this one.  But when I think of Woody Allen, I think of the funny-looking guy who makes funny movies.   What I don't immediately think of is Woody Allen as one of the most innovative and experimental directors working in American cinema.  For some reason, I forget about all the unconventional techniques in Zelig and The Purple Rose of Cairo.  And Robin Williams being literally "out of focus" in Deconstructing Harry.  And what American director has made more movies in black-and-white in the last thirty-five years?

Just got around to watching Broadway Danny Rose for the first time. How have I  missed this one for all these years?  I loved it.  And I guess the consolation here is that occasionally I'll still discover an older film that excites, inspires, and reminds me of why I give so much of my time and energy to movies.   BDR is another black-and-white Woody, with an incredibly well-realized, typically Woody Allen densely structured script.  It also boasts my favorite Mia Farrow performance so far, and of course at least one excellent scene of experimentation.  You have to see it.  But we'll just call it the "helium scene".

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Favorites of the Decade

Everyone seems to be compiling these best of the decade lists right now. And I must admit, at first, I was a little reluctant.  Tastes change so much in ten years.  And it's difficult for me to gauge whether or not a response I had in 2001 would still be the same today.

But I like the idea of filters, and have seen my fair share of movies this decade, so I thought I would jump in the game:

1.  All the Real Girls (2003)
My favorite David Gordon Green film.  I still marvel at his naturalism and fully formed style here.

2.  Mulholland Dr (2001)
One of my very favorite films from one of my very favorite directors.  I couldn't explain the plot to you better than anyone else, but I love the labyrintine and alternate world that Lynch lets us play in here.

3.  Funny Ha Ha (2002)
I love Bujalski's ability to be smart, sweet, human, and restrained all at once.  His approach has an ease and grace that I really admire.

4.  Regular Lovers (2005)
A difficult film, probably.  But it's like McCabe & Mrs. Miller or The Mother and the Whore, films that create their own rules for time and space and ones that I never really want to leave.

5.  What Time Is It There? (2001)
When it comes to using color and composition, I'm not sure I like anyone as much as the Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang.  Of all of his films I've seen so far, this one seems the most accessible.

6.  Yi Yi (2000)
Epic but also personal.  Feels like the work of a wise and honest director, capturing many of life's truths.

7.  4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (2007)
That great blend of character and plot that I'm always after in my own work.  Direction at a remarkably high level.

8.  Tulpan (2008)
Another challenging film that's probably not for everyone.  But brings fiction to life in a way that completely awed and inspired me.

9.  Under the Sand (2000)
For me, just a very compelling story well-told.  Not flashy; "the invisible director" in the way that I sometimes really like it.

10.  Milk (2008)
Van Sant back in Hollywood.  Proof that the great stylists can still make films with a lot of heart and appeal.


Note:  Not in preferential order.

Favorites of the Year coming soon.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Ben Lovett and Good News

Just in:

Ben Lovett's Score for The Last Lullaby was selected as one of the best of the decade over at the superb blog Moon in the Gutter (http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/2009/12/guranteed-to-blow-your-mind-21-favorite.html).  We're in with some of my absolute favorites:  Badalamenti, John Cale, The Tindersticks, and it feels great.

Thanks, Jeremy.  And Moon in the Gutter.  We're very honored!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Eastern Promises

I admit; I'm way late on this one.  But, truth be told, I've barely been able to see anything the last two years.  So now I'm playing catch up.

Cronenberg's duo of crime films, A History of Violence and Eastern Promises, arrive somewhat unexpected in the director's canon.  But, once I saw them, the choice made perfect sense, and made me wish he'd been working with this sort of material more often during his fantastic career.  I think the two films are like Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures and Closer or The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique and Check Your Head.  In other words, two works that chronologically follow each other, almost forcing you to choose which one you like better?  I'm on the unpopular side of all of these, I think, in that I prefer Closer, Check Your Head, and now Eastern Promises.

Eastern Promises has its flaws, but Viggo is working at such a tremendous level (think his moments in Carlito's Way).  And it's awesome to see Vincent Cassel show the same rawness and talent that he's been displaying for years in France (I'd recommend revisiting Kassovitz's La Haine if it's been awhile).  Now, if we could just find a great English-speaking role for Virginie Ledoyen.

I always felt they let the air out of A History of Violence once they let us in on Viggo's real identity.  Whereas the intensity here never really lets up.  Way to go Steven Knight.  I was a big fan of Dirty Pretty Things, and you've done it again.

Elegant, raw, dangerous, and rigorous, Promises will definitely find a spot in my Top Ten at year's end.

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

The Follow Shot

Coolest thing I've seen so far today (make sure to check out the video, and the references at the very end are fun).  You also find this shot in the recent films SugarBallast, and Munyurangabo :

http://www.thelmagazine.com/newyork/following/Content?oid=1185679

Friday, November 20, 2009

Tulpan

Finally I've got a little time to catch up on probably my very favorite pastime, watching movies.  I've got a list of 20-30 movies I've been wanting to see for the last year or so.  And now I can.

I just got done watching Tulpan.  It's certainly not for everyone.  It's so much slower and more "foreign" than 99.9% of American movies, it's almost like watching a different medium.  It's also one of those movies that really raises the bar.  Some of the takes must be close to ten minutes long.  And I'm not talking static frame, Hou Hsiao-hsien takes.  The camera is moving all around in some of the most complex handheld work I've ever seen.  The more I do this, the more I realize directing or making movies is about bringing the fictional alive, making it seem as real and believable as possible.  Sergei Dvortsevoy makes this story seem so real that I can only watch and realize how much further I can take things in my own work.

I loved it.   And I'm not sure I've seen two more harrowing scenes this year than the two here with the pregnant sheep.

Human, ambitious, formal, and deep.  I'm humbled.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

And The Winners Are...

Last night, we did our live drawing at ustream for The Last Lullaby Prizes, and it was a lot of fun!  The nine lucky winners are:

1. Tom Sizemore's main outfit from the movie -- LEE O'BRIEN
2. Sasha Alexander's hooded coat -- ANDREW TAGOE
3. Jerry Hardin's camel hair top coat -- RONNIE MERCER
4. Bill Smitrovich's navy blue velour sweatsuit -- RON NIERMAN
5. Lifetime subscription to MovieMaker magazine -- DANA HART
6. Sprague Grayden's red shoes -- RON NIERMAN
7. Tom Sizemore's chess board -- KATY MERRIMAN
8. Two of Sasha Alexander's blouses -- AMY HARDY
9. A guaranteed extra role in my next movie -- RYLAND THOMAS

I have just added some new holiday packages at the Lullaby store (www.thelastlullaby.com).  Just click the DVD icon at the top of the home page, and it will take you there.

Make sure to pick up Lullaby gifts for the holidays while the going's good.  Thanks so much, you guys.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Fave Albums and Musings on a Lost Pastime

How I miss spending countless hours at the record store. Perusing the aisles, looking at record, then tape, then cd covers. Not sure I've ever found a real suitable replacement for this. They took away my arcade hours in the early nineties and now it seems we've moved past (unless you're in a major city), the requisite record store visit, too.

Well I still love my music, probably as much as my movies. To pay tribute, here are probably my top ten favorite albums at the moment:

Bob Dylan - Bringing It All Back Home
Tricky - Maxinquaye
Massive Attack - Mezzanine
The Smiths - The Smiths
Talk Talk - Laughing Stock
The Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
Miles Davis - In A Silent Way
Van Morrison - Astral Weeks
Joy Division - Closer
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

What are yours?

Thursday, November 12, 2009

6 Days!


We're only days away now from the drawing for The Last Lullaby Prizes. I have a little more information to share:

Anyone, anywhere can follow the drawing live at 7PM CST on November 18th. All you have to do is go to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/live-feed-drawing-for-the-last-lullaby-prizes.

Anyone purchasing a DVD during its first month in release will be automatically entered into the drawing (entries close at 7PM CST on the 18th). People are entered according to the number of DVDs they buy. In other words, someone who purchases ten copies will be entered into the drawing ten times.

The prizes again are:

1. Tom Sizemore's main outfit from the movie (pictured here)
2. Sasha Alexander's hooded coat from the movie (pictured here)
3. Jerry Hardin' camel hair topcoat from the movie
4. Bill Smitrovich's navy velour sweatsuit from the movie
5. A lifetime subscription to MovieMaker magazine
6. Sprague Grayden's red shoes from the movie
7. Tom Sizemore's chess board from the movie
8. Two of Sasha's blouses from the movie
9. A guaranteed extra role in my next movie

Remember all of you can now purchase a DVD from the film's website
(www.thelastlullaby.com), you will see a link at the very top of our home page. Just click on the DVD icon, and it will take you to our store.

I hope to see many of you there. This is the first time we've done anything like this. Plus, I must say, the prizes are pretty awesome.



Friday, November 6, 2009

Cinephiles

Admittedly, I'm way late on this, but there's some tremendous work being done on some blogs across the country. We're talking, major cinephiles, having serious, very thoughtful discussions about film and cinema. Here are a few of my faves I've unfortunately only recently discovered:

http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/
http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/
http://sergioleoneifr.blogspot.com/
http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/
http://tsutpen.blogspot.com/
http://www.yggnoise.com/
http://antagonie.blogspot.com/
http://cinemastyles.blogspot.com/

You a lonely cinephile? Can't find anyone with whom to dialogue? Check out these guys. I was once living in Los Angeles and handing out flyers to strangers leaving the arthouses, just hoping I could find some fellow cinephiles. I'm so appreciative to find these guys and a few others.

Many of them have been very supportive of LULLABY and me, too. In the last two days, Kevin Olson over at "Hugo Stiglitz Makes Movies" ran these two pieces on us:

http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/interview-with-jeffery-goldman-director.html
http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2009/11/dvd-review-last-lullaby.html

Monday, October 26, 2009

To Be Continued...

...I will be getting married on Friday and so a little less present on the blog this week. But I promise to return next week.

Have a great week, everyone, and thank you so much for all the support!

Jeffrey

Friday, October 23, 2009

New MovieMaker blog and two more nice pieces on Lullaby

It's Friday so I have another entry on MovieMaker this morning. I think it's one of my strongest ones yet:

http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/item/the_last_lullaby_dvd_release_facebook_20091022/

I also came across two new great pieces on LULLABY that I wanted to share:

http://likhna.blogspot.com/search?q=last+lullaby
http://greatcreativemoments.com/eyeontheline.com/Reviews.html

Thursday, October 22, 2009

November 18th

On November 18th, I'll do the drawing to give away all the LULLABY promotions for the people who bought a First Run, Limited Edition DVD during its first month in release. If possible, I would love to present a live feed as we draw the names of the nine very lucky winners. But I've never done anything like that. I'm wondering, does anyone have a suggestion for the best way to do something like this?


Monday, October 19, 2009

Always nice to wake up to pieces like this...

http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/10/jeffrey-goodman-indie-film-the-last-lullaby-now-available-on-dvd.html

Clinton and Loni have been some of our biggest supporters. Check out their work over at StarkSilverCreek.

Thanks, guys!

J

Friday, October 16, 2009

Some Pretty Darn Cool Prizes

If you buy the Limited Edition DVD in the first month of its release (10/19-11/18), you'll be entered into a drawing to win several film-related prizes:

1. Price's (Tom Sizemore) main outfit from the movie
2. Sarah's (Sasha Alexander) hooded coat from the movie
3. Jerry Hardin's camel hair topcoat from the movie
4. Martin's (Bill Smitrovich) navy velour sweatsuit from the movie
5. A lifetime subscription to MovieMaker magazine
6. Jules' (Sprague Grayden) red shoes from the movie
7. Price's chess board from the movie
8. Two of Sarah's blouses from the movie
9. A guaranteed extra role in my next movie

Thanks for all the support!


Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Recent Reviews

As we prepare for the limited edition release, thought it'd be nice to have a list (all in one place) of all the great pieces that have come out on the film so far:

1. http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/salem-film-festival-overview-of-opening.html

2. http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/2009/08/moon-in-gutter-q-with-director-jeffrey.html

3. http://www.bohemian.com/metro/02.18.09/film-cinequest-0907.html

4. http://www.imdb.com/Reviews/418/41875

5. http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/2009/08/morality-has-sliding-scale.html

6. http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,09-ATLFF-10-Questions-with-Jeffery-Goodman-of-THE-LAST-LULLABY.html/Itemid,48/

7. http://leegoldberg.typepad.com/a_writers_life/2008/12/best-crime-movie-in-ages.html

8. http://calgaryfilmfestival.blogspot.com/2009/09/last-lullaby.html

9. http://fastcheapmoviethoughts.blogspot.com/2009/08/jeffrey-goodman-on-last-lullaby.html

10. http://jasonwatchesmovies.blogspot.com/2009/06/jason-watches-last-lullaby.html

11. http://jbspins.blogspot.com/2009/06/biff-09-last-lullaby.html

12. http://newimprovedgorman.blogspot.com/2008/11/last-lullaby.html#links

13. http://oxfordfilmfreak.com/2009/04/14/atl-preview-qa-with-last-lullaby/

14. http://petesdallasplace.blogspot.com/2008/04/mondells-present-poignant-must-see.html

15. http://reluctantadults.blogspot.com/2009/03/league-interview-with-director-jeffrey.html

16. http://victorgischler.blogspot.com/2008/11/noir-cinema-last-lullaby.html

17. http://wearemoviegeeks.com/2008/11/sliff-review-the-last-lullaby/

18. http://www.afidallas.com/docs/DN_DAY2-0328.pdf

19. http://www.myvalleynews.com/story.php?story_id=32848

20. http://www.ocweekly.com/2008-04-24/features/bigger-than-life/2

21. http://www.onmilwaukee.com/movies/articles/wffday2.html?xmlfile=article_movies&topclicks_start=31

22. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/insideindies/infocus/sometimes/

23. http://www.popsyndicate.com/site/story/the_last_lullaby

24. http://www.sonic-cinema.com/film_reviews_individual/593/the-last-lullaby

25. http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=25545

26. http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/05/film-review-the-last-lullaby-delivers-director-jeffrey-goodman-tom-sizemore-film-noire.html#more-13013

27. http://www.thelocalvoice.net/LocalVoice-PDFs/TLV-73-web.pdf

28. http://www.thetestmarketevolution.com/Events/SanDiegoFilmFestival2008_Reviews.html

29. http://www.vincekeenan.com/

30. http://billcrider.blogspot.com/2009/09/last-lullaby.html

31. http://www.hollywoodsouth.ms/pg3jeffreygoodman.html

Promotions Update

Our promotions leading up to the limited edition release have been going great. Here's how much ground we have left to cover, in the remaining 13 days:

1. Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=36795896621&ref=ts)

Need 79 more members

2. Lullaby blog (http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/)

Need 19 more followers

3. Twitter (http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms)

Need 201 more followers

4. Lullaby monthly e-mail update list (simply send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com)

Need about 2,000 more members

Please keep spreading the word! Thank you all for the amazing support.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

First Run DVD Update

We will have a World Premiere DVD Release and Signing of The Last Lullaby at Guiseppe's in Shreveport, Saturday October 17th from 2-4PM. The film on the 17th will sell for $20.

Then, the film will be available from the film's website (www.thelastlullaby.com) beginning October 19th. If you buy online, the film will also be $20. But, people could receive a 20%discount, depending on where we end up in our promotions.

Here are the various promotions (they have been going amazingly well since we first launched them twelve days ago. For instance, our Facebook group has gone from 1,262 members to 1,803 members.) Everyone in these respective groups will receive a coupon for a 20% discount on the DVD if before October 19th:

1. We grow our Twitter following to 500 people (we currently have 283 followers).

http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

2. Grow our LULLABY monthly e-mail update list to 5,000 people (we currently have about 3,000 members).

Just send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com

3. Grow our LULLABY blog to 50 followers (we currently have 25).

http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/

These discounts will last for the first month of the film's release. In addition, people who buy the DVD during its first month in release will be entered into a drawing to win several film-related prizes.

Just a reminder, this will be a first run, limited edition DVD (in essence, a DVD of just the movie, but without any special features.)

Please keep spreading the word. You guys are the best.

Jeffrey

Friday, September 25, 2009

Calgary and MovieMaker

This weekend, LULLABY makes its Canadian Premiere in Calgary. We screen Sunday, September 27th at 7:15PM. For ticketing information, visit http://www.calgaryfilm.com/2009/schedule/film/1557/. Excited for the screening.

Also, as has been the case since the start of the year, my new entry for MovieMaker appeared today. The blog publishes every Friday. Here's today's: http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/item/adventures_in_self_releasing_neoflix_the_last_lullaby_20090923/

Good times ahead.

J

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Good Stuff

Lullaby's first DVD promotion an extraordinary success. Thank you everyone! 358 new members in our Facebook group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=36795896621&ref=ts) in the last three days. That's serious support.

Don't forget, still have a few other promotions:

http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/2009/09/lullaby-promotions.html

And if the Facebook group gets to 2,000, it becomes a 25% discount.

Thanks, everyone, who spread the word, got their friends to join, etc. It's really nice looking on the group's page and seeing a bunch of new faces.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Peter Broderick

No one seems to be leading the charge as much as Peter Broderick. Think we're lucky to have people out there, recognizing some of the challenges facing independent film and coming up with some viable solutions:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/declaration_of_independence_the_ten_principles_of_hybrid_distribution/

Is it a bloodbath out there?

Strong piece. Not the most uplifting thing you'll read today but good food for thought:


http://blogs.indiewire.com/thompsononhollywood/2009/09/19/toronto_film_festival_winners_and_losers/

Friday, September 18, 2009

Lullaby Promotion(s)

All right, everyone. I need your help.

We are in the home stretch of The Last Lullaby. Very soon, we will be releasing the DVD, and I want to make sure that we maximize the opportunity. To this end, I have put together the following promotions. Everyone in these respective groups will receive a coupon for a 20% discount on the DVD if before the release:

1. We grow our Facebook group to 1,600 people (we currently have 1,262 members).

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1127106153&ref=name#/group.php?gid=36795896621&ref=ts


2. Grow our Twitter following to 500 people (we currently have 255 followers).

http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

3. Grow our LULLABY monthly update list to 5,000 people (we currently have about 3,000 members).

Just send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com

4. Grow our LULLABY blog to 50 followers (we currently have 13).

http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/


I truly appreciate all of your amazing support! You guys are the best.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Tour; Calgary; Workshop

1. After 68 days in theaters, it looks like the theatrical part of our tour might be coming to an end. It's been great taking the movie on the road. And, I can't thank you all enough for your awesome support.

The Last Lullaby will continue to have a long life on DVD, and eventually, we hope, overseas, online, and on television.

2. We have just received an invitation to be a part of the 2009 Calgary International Film Festival (http://calgaryfilm.com/). Our film screens:

Sunday, September 27th at 7:15PM
http://www.calgaryfilm.com/2009/schedule/film/1557/

If any of you know people in Calgary, please encourage them to go and see the film. Or, if any of you have strong media contacts in the area, please let me know.

3. As a complement to my blog at MovieMaker, I have decided to offer my first ever Business of Film Workshop. It will be a 16-hour session September 12-13 at the Robinson Film Center in Shreveport. For more information, contact register@thelastlullaby.com.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Official Online Launch of Ben Lovett's Award-Winning Score




Tomorrow is an exciting day! It's the official online launch of Ben Lovett's Award-Winning Score for The Last Lullaby (Ben won Best Original Score at the 2009 Brooklyn International Film Festival.)

Beginning tomorrow, you will be able to purchase his awesome music in four places:

1. http://www.thelastlullaby.com/

You'll see a link at the very top of the home page. Click there, and it will allow you to purchase the CD. It's $8 + shipping from this site.

2. http://www.loverslabel.com/

You'll see the information right at the very top of Ben's home page. Click there, and it will allow you to purchase the CD. It's also $8 + shipping from this site.

3. Amazon

The score is $9.99 + shipping from this site.

4. iTunes

The score is also $9.99 + shipping from this site.

Ben is a great talent, and his music is really one of the very special parts of The Last Lullaby. As I mention in my liner notes to the CD, I suggest popping it in during a long drive (preferably at night) or one evening when you're in the silence of your own place. Oh, and of course, it makes the most excellent gift.

This CD release is an exciting part of the lead-up to the DVD release of The Last Lullaby. As soon as I have the exact date for the DVD, I'll let all of you know. But I expect it to be in the next four or five weeks. Just so you know, the DVD will be a limited edition version, containing the movie but no special features.

Keep spreading the word!

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Lullaby Hangs Out in Nola

After a great weekend of screenings/panel in New Orleans, the Zeitgeist Multi Disciplinary Arts Center (http://www.zeitgeistinc.net/) has decided to hold LULLABY over for another week. We play tonight at 7:30 and then August 16-20 at 9:30. Right on.

Also, I did my first ever remote Q&A Monday night with the Arena Theatre Film Club (http://www.arenatheater.org/FilmClub.htm) in Point Arena, CA. Was pretty awesome and a glimpse at what I'm sure will be more the norm as we move into the Skype Age.

Other things of interest:

a. Today's article in the NYT (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/13/business/media/13independent.html?_r=1&emc=eta1)

b. Loved doing this weekend's panel on Louisiana independent filmmaking with Zach Godshall (LOW AND BEHOLD) and New Orleans filmmaker/publicist extraordinaire John Alfone. Probably the best panel I've been on yet. Would love to do it again somewhere.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Tour Update

We have just extended LULLABY for a second week at the Mos' Art in Florida. Starting Friday, LULLABY will playing at the following theaters:

8/7-8/13 Mos Art Theatre in Lake Park, FL http://www.mosarttheatre.com/Mosart_Theatre/Welcome.html (Lake Park is 12 miles from Palm Beach)
8/7-8/13 Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center in New Orleans http://www.zeitgeistinc.net/

In conjunction with the screenings in New Orleans, there will be a Louisiana independent filmmaking discussion at 5PM on Sunday, August 9th at the Zeitgeist. Zack Godshall, director of the Sundance 2007 feature LOW AND BEHOLD, and I will be discussing our experiences making independent films in Louisiana. John Alfone, New Orleans-based filmmaker, will be moderating the discussion. Can't wait. Should be one of the best panels I've done yet.

I can't thank you enough for your amazing support so far!

Want to receive LULLABY updates in your inbox, simply send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Lullaby Tour

We have just added two more dates to the tour:

7/31-8/6 Mos Art Theatre in Lake Park, FL http://www.mosarttheatre.com/Mosart_Theatre/Welcome.html (Lake Park is 12 miles from Palm Beach)

8/7-8/13 Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center in New Orleans http://www.zeitgeistinc.net/

Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the Florida screenings. But, I will be in New Orleans after the screenings on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Also, in conjunction with the screenings in New Orleans, there will be a Louisiana independent filmmaking discussion at 5PM on Sunday, August 9th at the Zeitgeist.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

New Orleans

Headed back to New Orleans this weekend. Lullaby will be screening as part of a film panel/screening showcasing Louisiana independent filmmaking. The event is at the Big Top Arts Space located at 1632 Clio Street and begins at 5PM on Saturday, July 18th.

It should be a very interesting day.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Latest on Lullaby

Do you get Lullaby's monthly updates? If you don't and would like to, simply send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com

Here's our latest update:

THE LAST LULLABY UPDATE
June 18, 2009

Thank you all for taking time to register for our updates. This is a quick update. Today, I will cover three topics:

- Lullaby Tour

- Cinemavault

- Ben Lovett


Lullaby Tour

Good news: San Jose has decided to hold LULLABY over until Tuesday of next week. We will move across the street this week to the Camera 12 Cinemas. LULLABY will be screening there Friday-Tuesday at 4:30 each day. Tickets are on sale now at: http://boxoffice.printtixusa.com/camera/advance?i=%208248&v=2657. Please tell your friends and co-workers about LULLABY and encourage them to catch the movie during its last few days in town!

Also, this week LULLABY will be screening in Sacramento as part of the Movies on a Big Screen series (http://www.moviesonabigscreen.com/). We screen in Sacramento tomorrow at 7 and 9:30 and on Sunday at 7PM. If you know anyone in the Sacramento area, please let them know that we'll be in town.


Cinemavault

We signed a deal with the foreign sales company Cinemavault (http://www.cinemavault.com/catalogue/title.php?fid=Act-407&cname=Action) to represent LULLABY to foreign distributors at the various markets around the world. Cinemavault recently screened LULLABY at the Marche du Film (Cannes Film Market) and felt very encouraged by the interest in the movie. Their next major stop with LULLABY will be at November's AFM (American Film Market).


Ben Lovett

More good news: this past weekend at the Brooklyn International Film Festival, Ben Lovett received the award for Best Original Score for his work on our film. Ben is such a talent, and it's so nice to see someone like him get the recognition he deserves.

As always, if you have any questions, hit reply and your e-mail will come to me. Thank you all for your tremendous support. Please keep spreading the word!

My very best,

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY
www.thelastlullaby.com
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?sid=976d802c87f56107647d118a10b325fa&gid=36795896621&ref=search
http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms
http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/
http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axMvNmxFcqo&feature=related

Sunday, May 31, 2009

Latest Update

Do you get Lullaby's monthly updates? If you don't and would like to, simply send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com

Here's our latest update:

THE LAST LULLABY UPDATE
May 31, 2009

Thank you all for taking time to register for our updates. This is a quick update. Today, I will only cover one topic:

- Lullaby Tour


Lullaby Tour

Things continue to go well. We had a great week at the Robinson Film Center and have some very exciting stops ahead of us. I'm still not sure where will be after our week in San Jose. But, I am considering a few other cities and will let you know as soon as I have some more information.

I just wanted to share our schedule again with everyone:

1. 6/5-6/14 Brooklyn International Film Festival

Tickets are now on sale at http://www.wbff.org/films/detail.asp?fid=959. We screen Sunday, June 7th at 9PM and Monday, June 8th at 8PM. I will be there for both of our screenings.

2. 6/5-6/11 Des Moines, IA at the Fleur Cinema

3. 6/12-6/18 San Jose, CA at the Camera Cinemas 3

If you know anyone in any of these cities, please let them know that we will be in town. I will be in attendance for the Friday evening screenings and all day Saturday for the screenings in Des Moines and San Jose.

We have also generated a couple of more fantastic articles that I wanted to share:

http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/05/film-review-the-last-lullaby-delivers-director-jeffrey-goodman-tom-sizemore-film-noire.html

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_lullaby/articles/1822416/if_more_movies_were_as_well_designed_and_realized_going_to_the_theater_would_be_dramatically_more_satisfying_new_filmmakers_should_look_at_it_as_a_paradigm_on_how_movies_should_be_made

If you have any questions, simply hit reply, and your e-mail will come to me. Thank you all for your tremendous support. Please keep spreading the word!

My very best,

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY
http://www.thelastlullaby.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?sid=976d802c87f56107647d118a10b325fa&gid=36795896621&ref=search
http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms
http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/
http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axMvNmxFcqo&feature=related

Friday, May 22, 2009

The Robinson Film Center

We start a week run today at the great Robinson Film Center. Here are our showtimes:

Friday -- 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45
Saturday -- 11:00, 1:00, 3:15, 5:30, 7:45
Sunday -- 1:45, 3:45, 5:45, 7:45
Monday -- 3:00, 5:15
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday -- 5:30, 7:30

I will be there to introduce and answer questions after all of the screenings on Friday and Saturday. Looking forward to an awesome week!

Also, the new MovieMaker entry published today:

http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/item/the_last_lullaby_self_releasing_jeffrey_goodman_20090519/

And two new, great pieces on LULLABY:

http://www.starksilvercreek.com/2009/05/film-review-the-last-lullaby-delivers-director-jeffrey-goodman-tom-sizemore-film-noire.html#more-13013

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/last_lullaby/articles/1822416/if_more_movies_were_as_well_designed_and_realized_going_to_the_theater_would_be_dramatically_more_satisfying_new_filmmakers_should_look_at_it_as_a_paradigm_on_how_movies_should_be_made

Thank you all for the incredible support!

J

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Got the print!

When you're screening on Sunday morning and your print is on a container, and Fed-Ex is telling you, "no problem, we'll have it to you on Monday," that's not the best of feelings. One day I'll recount the entire story. But two guys and I hopped in a car at about 10PM and headed to the hangar an hour away in hopes of extricating the print someway, somehow.

A happy ending. Maybe, I should put one in my next movie, too.

A great run in Davenport, Iowa continues until Thursday, May 21st and then at the Robinson Film Center in Shreveport from May 22nd-28th.

A few changes to our website coming soon and some fun announcements, too. Keep spreading the LULLABY word!

Thank you all for your amazing support!

J

Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Last Lullaby Tours

UPDATED Screening Schedule for The Last Lullaby:

May 8-13 Cedar Rapids, Iowa at Collins Road Theatres
(http://www.collinsroadtheatres.com/) tickets available at box office

May 14-21 Davenport, Iowa at Showcase Cinemas 53 (http://www.movietickets.com/house_detail.asp?house_id=5629&rdate=5%2F15%2F2009) tickets online now

May 22-28 Shreveport, Louisiana at the Robinson Film Center (http://www.robinsonfilmcenter.org/) tickets available soon

June 5-11 Des Moines, Iowa at Fleur Cinema (http://www.fleurcinema.com/) tickets available soon

June 12-18 San Jose, CA at Camera 12 Downtown (http://www.cameracinemas.com/cgi-bin/movies.cgi?cmd=np&f=c12)

*I will be in attendance, at the very least, for the Friday night screenings in all of these cities

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

Premiere Weekend -- Amazing

Our weekend results finally came in late Tuesday night. We ended up doing $16,640.75, making us the independent film with the second highest per screen average in North America:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/2009/05/05/box_office_chart_may_5_2009/

The film that was #1 was The Limits of Control, directed by Jim Jarmusch and distributed by Focus Features, the independent film distribution arm of Universal Studios. The film stars Academy-Award Winner Tilda Swinton and Academy-Award Nominated Bill Murray.

Our per screen average would have made us the independent film with the highest per screen average in the country any of the previous five weeks.

This is an excellent start for the rollout of our film. In fact, I’ve already fielded an e-mail from an exhibitor who has theaters in Portland and San Antonio and is interested in LULLABY.

Our Premiere Weekend was a TOTAL, even amazing success. I have so many people to thank.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

36 hours before kick-off. Pretty cool moment.

I just wanted to announce that seven of our screenings have sold out:

Friday, May 1st -- 4:30, 7:00
Saturday, May 2nd -- 2:00, 4:30, 7:00
Sunday, May 3rd -- 4:30, 7:00

But our work is certainly not done -- we have 8 more screenings to sell out to hit our goal and to give ourselves a real shot at expanding into some other markets. You can buy tickets online by clicking on the link at http://www.thelastlullaby.com/ (look for the link at the top of the website). You can also buy them in advance at the Regal box office.

As a reminder: The Last Lullaby is screening May 1, 2 & 3 in the Regal Cinema at the Louisiana Boardwalk. There are five screenings per day: 11:30, 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, and 9:30. I will be there to introduce each of the 15 screenings, and I will be there to answer questions with the audiences following each of the 15 screenings.

1 day and counting, I can't wait to finally bring our film to the Shreveport-Bossier area. I truly appreciate all of your support and hope to see many of you at the movies!

I look forward to giving you all an update after our Premiere Weekend.

My very best,

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY
http://www.thelastlullaby.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.phpsid=976d802c87f56107647d118a10b325fa&gid=36795896621&ref=search
http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Premiere Weekend Only 8 Days Away!

We have sold out two of our screenings so far for Premiere Weekend (Friday, May 1st at 7PM and Saturday, May 2nd at 7PM). But our work is certainly not done -- we have 13 more screenings to sell out. You can buy tickets online by clicking on the link at www.thelastlullaby.com (look for the link at the top of the website). You can also buy them in advance at the Regal box office. As a reminder: The Last Lullaby is screening May 1, 2 & 3 in the Regal Cinema at the Louisiana Boardwalk. There are five screenings per day: 11:30, 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, and 9:30. I will be there to introduce each of the 15 screenings, and I will be there to answer questions with the audiences following each of the 15 screenings.

I also wanted to share this excellent review we received from this past weekend's screening at the Salem Film Festival (Salem, OR): http://kolson-kevinsblog.blogspot.com/2009/04/salem-film-festival-overview-of-opening.html

8 days out and counting. Come and find us here:
www.thelastlullaby.com

here:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?sid=976d802c87f56107647d118a10b325fa&gid=36795896621&ref=search

here:
http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

here:
http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/

and here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axMvNmxFcqo

Jeffrey

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Tickets Now on Sale!

Premiere Weekend

Tickets are NOW on sale. You can buy them online by clicking on the link at www.thelastlullaby.com (look for the link at the top of the website.)

The Last Lullaby will be screening May 1, 2 & 3 in the Regal Cinema at the Louisiana Boardwalk. There will be five screenings per day: 11:30, 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, and 9:30. I will be there to introduce each of the 15 screenings, and I will be there to answer questions with the audiences following each of the 15 screenings.


Trailer

Our trailer is now online. Please take a look at it when you have a chance, either on:

a. Vimeo (http://www.vimeo.com/3914678) or
b. Youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axMvNmxFcqo)


Latest Press

As we continue to travel to festivals, we generate some new opportunities to speak about the film:

a. I did a five-part radio interview with David Dubos in New Orleans. These pieces are the most comprehensive yet on the making of Lullaby. So far, the first two pieces have been published, and you can access them here:

http://www.abc26.com/pages/landing_movies/?MOVIETALK-INTERVIEW-LOUISIANA-FILMMAKER-=1&blockID=248915&feedID=2383

http://www.abc26.com/pages/landing_movies/?MOVIETALK-INTERVIEW-LA-FILMMAKER-JEFFREY=1&blockID=257387&feedID=2383

b. Also, we were recently in the Wisconsin Film Festival. Here's a nice piece from Madison:

http://www.thedailypage.com/daily/article.php?article=25545

I am very excited as we move forward and truly thank all of you for your incredible support throughout this process.

23 days and counting, I can't wait to finally bring our film to the Shreveport-Bossier area (and elsewhere, I hope!)

My very best,

Jeffrey

Friday, April 3, 2009

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Lullaby Trailer; Some of the Key Films Behind Lullaby

We launched our trailer for The Last Lullaby! You can find it here:

http://www.vimeo.com/3914678

Also, the blog over at the Atlanta Film Festival just published a 10 question interview with me about Lullaby. There are some fun questions here ( #1 and 9):

http://atlantafilmfestival.com/component/option,com_myblog/show,09-ATLFF-10-Questions-with-Jeffery-Goodman-of-THE-LAST-LULLABY.html/Itemid,48/

April 1, today. That means, exactly one month away from The Last Lullaby Premiere Weekend in the Regal Cinema at the Louisiana Boardwalk. I hope to see some of you there!

J

Saturday, March 28, 2009

Lullaby -- Quick Update

Been about a week since the last update. And wanted to catch everyone up:

1. David DuBos in New Orleans has published his first of five phone interviews we did together. I'm really happy with the format and thoroughness of these. And they're totally different than anything else we've done so far. Here's a link to the first one (they're all audio interviews):

http://www.abc26.com/pages/landing_movies/?MOVIETALK-INTERVIEW-LOUISIANA-FILMMAKER-=1&blockID=248915&feedID=2383

2. We have a trailer, finally, and will soon be putting it online. I look forward to sharing it with everyone.

3. I'm headed to Madison on Friday for the Wisconsin Film Festival. Our screening there is already sold out, which is really awesome! I can't wait: it'll be my first time ever in Mann country.

4. We're 34 days out from The Last Lullaby Premiere Weekend in the Regal Cinema at the Louisiana Boardwalk. If you're interested and haven't already, join us:

a. At the theater that weekend. We should have tickets available very, very soon on the film's website (www.thelastlullaby.com)
b. On MovieMaker (http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/)
c. On Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?sid=e55cf84e091e55f7dff9c7dc5e70f476&gid=36795896621)
d. On Twitter (http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms)
e. Receive our monthly updates (simply send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com)

I look forward to great months ahead and truly appreciate everyone's incredible support.

My very best,

J

Friday, March 20, 2009

Atlanta Film Festival

Can't wait for this festival. I will be there for both of our screenings!

Also, you should know about the film's Georgia roots: Ray McKinnon (from Adel) puts in another tremendous performance and formerly Atlanta-based maestro Ben Lovett (The Signal) did all of our music.

Here's another synopsis we like to use sometimes:

Can we make movies slower and quieter and still make them riveting? That’s the question at the heart of Lullaby. This beautifully shot contemporary film noir takes the genre and spins it off into subtle and meditative directions. Co-written by the creator of The Road to Perdition and starring Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, Heat) and Sasha Alexander (NCIS), some have deemed Lullaby the “sweet hitman movie”. The delicate performances and the alarming action make for a great date night. And its atmospheric, brooding tone creates an extremely nervy ride. It’s more emotional than most films in the genre. And while there’s a good share of violence, what really drives Lullaby is character.

And here's hoping to see you all there!

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
The Last Lullaby
http://www.thelastlullaby.com/

And to receive our monthly updates on the film, and all things LULLABY, simply send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com with "Register Me" in the subject of the e-mail.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Lullaby Family Update

Here's the latest update from the Lullaby family, our monthy update list for the film. If you would like to receive these updates, please send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com with "Register Me" in the subject of the e-mail.

Thank you all for your awesome support:

THE LULLABY FAMILY UPDATE
March 14, 2009

Thank you all for taking time to register for our updates. Today, I will cover three topics:

- The Last Lullaby's Premiere Weekend

- Festival Update

- Local Push


The Last Lullaby's Premiere Weekend

I am excited to announce that The Last Lullaby will finally be coming to the Shreveport-Bossier area. We are screening May 1st, May 2nd, and May 3rd in the Regal Cinema at the Louisiana Boardwalk. We will have a minimum of five screenings per day. And I will be there to introduce each screening and answer questions with the audiences following each screening.

I think it is going to be a really amazing weekend. Our goal is to sell 3,000 tickets. And I think, with many people's help, this is attainable.

We plan to have tickets available for purchase online beginning early April. And I will let you all know as soon as tickets become available. It is my hope to pre-sell the majority of the tickets. And we expect or at least would love to see people buy them in groups so that they can go and experience the movie together. If need be, we will even approach local companies to try to sell them a group of tickets.

I can't wait for this weekend and all of the excitement I expect our film to generate!


Festival Update

Our last festival, Cinequest Film Festival, was one of our best yet. We played at an incredible, old theater last Saturday night. And then Sunday, the festival had to turn people away; there was such a demand for our film. It was a really tremendous weekend for us. Here is a review that is indicative of the welcome we received:

http://filmspin.com/2009/03/cinequest-the-last-lullaby/

April is shaping up as an extremely busy month for us. We already have five festivals slated:

Wisconsin Film Festival (April 2-5) http://www.wifilmfest.org/
Cedar Rapids Independent Film Festival (April 3-4) http://www.crifm.org/festival.html
Atlanta International Film Festival (April 16-25) http://atlantafilmfestival.com/index.php
Salem Film Festival (April 17-26) http://www.salemfilmfestival.com/2009/index.html
On Location: Memphis (April 23-26) http://www.onlocationmemphis.org/olm/Default.aspx

I plan to be in attendance at Wisconsin, Atlanta, and Memphis. Max Allan Collins will be presenting the film at Cedar Rapids. And, chances are we will not have a representative from the film in Salem.

As we prepare for our May launch, I feel that it is important to have as much exposure as we possibly can. And, so each of these festivals is simply another opportunity for people to see and talk about our film.

As always, my goal is to fill the seats at each of our screenings and to receive as much press as we possibly can. If any of you know people in any of these areas, please encourage them to go and see the film. Or, if any of you have strong media contacts in any of these cities, please let me know.


Local Push

Our push in preparation for the Shreveport-Bossier launch is going great. Soon, we expect to have t-shirts and real estate signs promoting our May 1st launch. Once these are available, I will let you all know.

We also have been very busy, putting together our local social events. Our upcoming schedule is as follows. I would love for any of you who are interested and available to attend any of these events:

March 25
Social event at the Crawfish Hole #2 in Dixie Inn (one of the locations from the film) from 7-9PM. We are not providing the food and drink. But people are invited to come and just enjoy a great night, visiting and talking about the film.

April 9
Social event at the Indigo Indian Bistro (one of the locations from the film) from 7-9PM. We are not providing the food and drink. But people are invited to come and just enjoy a great night, visiting and talking about the film.

April 22
Social event at Wine Country Bistro from 7-9PM. We are not providing the food and drink. But people are invited to come and just enjoy a great night, visiting and talking about the film.

In addition to these events, I continue to push for people to sign up for our monthly updates. Please feel free to encourage people, as well. All they have to do is send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com with "Register Me" in the subject of the e-mail.

I also am continuing our major internet push. I have started a blog that I hope you will all follow. You can access it here:http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/I also am continuing to publish every Friday on MovieMaker magazine's site (http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/) and grow our Facebook film group (http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=36795896621).

Thank you all, so very much! I truly appreciate all of your help and look forward to very exciting times ahead.

My very best,

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY
www.thelastlullaby.comhttp://
www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRX6oHD0KfE
http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=36795896621
http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Big, Big Announcement

We had another great Lullaby event last night! Jacob Wood, one of the main actors, was in attendance. It was really special to have him and his friends there. Thanks, Jacob!

And we also made the big announcement about The Last Lullaby's Premiere Weekend:

The Last Lullaby will be screening May 1st, May 2nd, and May 3rd in the Regal Cinema at the Louisiana Boardwalk. There will be a minimum of five screenings per day. And I will be there to introduce each of these screenings and answer questions with the audiences following each screening. Our goal is to sell 3,000 tickets this opening weekend. Tickets will go on sale in early April.

Next Lullaby event is Wednesday, March 25th from 7-9PM at the Crawfish Hole #2 in Dixie Inn.

Thank you all for the incredible support!

J

Back from Cinequest

Had a great time with the film in San Jose. Our first screening was at the California Theater. An old theater that was as grand and as amazing as any we've screened in so far. It was a really great night. Peter Biegen was in attendance. And the movie has never sounded so perfect.

Then we followed that up with a sold-out screening the next day at the Camera Cinema. There's something really special about entering a full house for a Q and A.

It was a tremendous festival for me, personally, and for LULLABY, and I really hated to see it end.

Friday, March 6, 2009

The Last Lullaby 3.6 Update

A new MovieMaker entry was published today. Check it out (I think it's one of my better ones so far):

http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/

At LAX, about to catch a plane for San Jose. We screen Saturday night and Sunday as part of the Cinequest Film Festival. I'm excited to be a part of this great festival. And Julie's gonna be there, which makes it extra special.

Will check back in after the fest.

J

Saturday, February 28, 2009

The Last Lullaby heads to Cinequest

I'm leaving tomorrow morning for California. I will be in Los Angeles Sunday-Thursday to do some work with the Lullaby maestro DP, Richard Rutkowsi, and then will head up to San Jose. The Last Lullaby screens in San Jose as part of the Cinequest Film Festival on Saturday, March 7th at 7PM and Sunday, March 8th at 1:30 PM (http://www.cinequest.org/event_view.php?eid=500).

Had our first Lullaby social event Thursday night in Shreveport, LA at Columbia Cafe, one of the locations in the film. And just announced two more social events. If you're in the area, please pop in for one of these. They're a great time:

Wednesday, March 11th at Noble Savage Tavern
Wednesday, March 25th at Crawfish Hole #2

Spoke to an auditorium full of students at Caddo Magnet High School yesterday. Wow, it was really fun. And the students were so great (except for the part when I mentioned my alma mater :)

I appreciate everyone's support and will check in with you soon. In the meantime, join us here and in all of these other places:

www.thelastlullaby.comhttp://
www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRX6oHD0KfE
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=36795896621
http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

J

Monday, February 23, 2009

The Last Lullaby Happenings

A lot is happening right now as we prepare for our theatrical release in May.

We are finally getting around to cutting a trailer. Hopefully, we'll have something in the next 4-6 weeks.

We're also going to make some LULLABY merchandise. As fans or supporters, I'm curious what sort of merchandise you would like to see? Early ideas include t-shirts, hats, maybe corkscrews.

Hope everyone is starting off to a great week. Happy early Mardi Gras!

Jeffrey

Friday, February 20, 2009

It's Friday: New MovieMaker Piece

Every Friday, you can find my latest entry in my "Adventures in Self-Releasing" blog on MovieMaker's website. I hope that you will follow along. Here's today's piece:

http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/

There was also a great mention about LULLABY in this article on our next festival (Cinequest in San Jose, CA.) Check it out:

http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_11731203

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

The Last Lullaby Update

All right everyone, this is my first time blogging so bear with me as I figure it all out. Just wanted to mention a few things:

1. I'm now blogging once a week for MovieMaker magazine. The blog publishes every Friday, and you can find it at this link http://www.moviemaker.com/blog/category/adventures_in_self_releasing/

2. We had a great festival in Oxford. They added a second screening of the film on Sunday, and we received, among other reviews, this excellent piece in the local paper:
http://www.thelocalvoice.net/LocalVoice-PDFs/TLV-73-web.pdf (see page 11)

Next festival is Cinequest in San Jose, CA (we screen there March 7th and 8th.) We received this fantastic review today http://www.bohemian.com/metro/02.18.09/film-cinequest-0907.html

3. I have just started twittering. Would love for you all of you to follow along and let me know what you'd like to hear about. You can find me here http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

4. Am doing a lot of speaking engagements and social events in and around the Shreveport-Bossier area as we prepare for our theatrical release in May. If you're not already, would love for all of you to join our Facebook group
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=36795896621

Lullaby is growing. And I can't thank everyone enough for their support.

See you soon.

J

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Oxford Film Festival

Can't wait to be at the festival! Financed and shot entirely in and around Shreveport, LA, Oxford's definitely going to feel like a hometown fest for us.

Here's a little youtube clip that should give you all a little of the feel for the film:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRX6oHD0KfE

In the meantime, here's also a slightly different synopsis that we sometimes use:

Can we make movies slower and quieter and still make them riveting? That’s the question at the heart of Lullaby? This beautifully shot contemporary film noir takes the genre and spins it off into subtle and meditative directions. Co-written by the creator of The Road to Perdition and starring Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, Heat) and Sasha Alexander (NCIS, daughter-in-law of Sophia Loren), some have deemed Lullaby the “sweet hitman movie”. The delicate performances and the alarming action make for a great date night. And its atmospheric, brooding tone creates an extremely nervy ride. It’s more emotional than most films in the genre. And while there’s a good share of violence, what really drives Lullaby is character.

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY
http://www.thelastlullaby.com/

P.S. If interested, would love for you all also to please join our LULLABY family. It's a registry of people who receive monthly updates on the film. Through the registry, people can dialogue with me about life in the filmmaking trenches. I also try to provide the updates with a real educational angle, letting people into the behind-the-scenes work and the process of bringing a film out into the world. To join the LULLABY family, all you have to do is send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com with "Register Me" in the subject of the e-mail.