the last lullaby (and) peril

My Top 10 (or so) Films for 2011

2012-01-01T09:35:00.001-06:00

I spent the last year watching some older stuff, filling in a few gaps, and catching up on films I had always wanted to see. Here's what I came up with -- my list, the several hands full that reminded me of why I continue chasing cinema past:

Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger (1975)

Antonioni's incredible talents are all over -- his meticulous framing, his daring yet languid camerawork, and his feel for spaces that the medium somehow forgot to cover. Slow and cerebral like all his work, The Passenger separates itself from the rest of A's films with its summer exteriors and rustic locations. It's simply one of the cinema's truly great road movies.

Robert Altman's Thieves Like Us (1974)

The most sexually-charged of the Altman pics I've seen, and certainly one of the most interesting. Feels like a pet project, extremely unconventional stylistically just like McCabe. And strange as it may seem on paper, a precursor to Michael Mann's free-form stylings on Collateral, Miami Vice, and Public Enemies.

Corneliu Porumboiu's Police, Adjective (2009)

The new Romanian cinema has gotten much acclaim of late, and after seeing 4 Months... and this film it's easy to see why. What's so striking is its fresh naturalism, running in such a different direction from cinema's other reigning naturalist champ, the Dardenne brothers. Unlike the handheld close-ups populating the work of the Belgian brothers, Porumbiou keeps the camera fixed and in wide frames. He also favors long takes in a way that we rarely, if ever, see in the work of the Dardennes. Other than the final ten minutes, I'd have no hesitation declaring it one of the greatest of recent films, and a full-blown masterpiece.

Jacques Tourneur's Canyon Passage (1946)

First, I have to thank the great Peter Lenihan for placing this gem on my radar. What a western it is. It has the psychological complexity of the Anthony Mann westerns, and already in 1946 feels like it's ripping the genre apart. But it's not cold and clinical like the Mann films. Tourneur's camera's always moving, and there's a tremendous vitality in every single shot. Brings to mind another Tourneur favorite of mine, Stars in My Crown. And makes yet another strong argument for Tourneur's place in the highest of all pantheons.

Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973)

A loose, mournful western from one of the late masters. Peckinpah meanders, ponders loyalty and lost ideals, and delivers what might be the most personal of all his works. The loss of a lifestyle, the onset of civilization, and a western about not fitting in, that doesn't really fit into anything that's come before or since.

Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life (2011)

Malick is looking at different ways for cinema to work. And although his connection to nature may not jump off the screen like it did in The Thin Red Line, his incredibly specific memories of childhood allow him to wash connections over us. He does it in very short brush strokes, and as he swims through his own fleeting images, we see so much of ourselves. His work with the children is simply extraordinary. And I think his style really gains with many of the jump cuts remaining in the tool box this time. Full of narrative courage and exploration (the first time the animated sequences break the narrative it seems as though a whole new prototype for story is being offered), and a work of tremendous ambition. I think there are flaws. Sometimes his elliptical wanderings go too far and end up feeling more elusive than illuminating. And after seeing the film twice, I'm still not convinced he wouldn't have benefitted from a stronger actress than Chastain. But it's a dense film, inviting discussion and multiple visits.

Hirokazu Koreeda's Still Walking (2008)

The third of the director's films I've seen, and he continues to rank among my favorite of all the contemporary Asian filmmakers. Koreeda's undeniably a humanist, and as his with other two films, there are moments that carry a tremendous amount of power. Not perfect, I particularly found a little fault with the saccharine nature of some of the score. But all in all a memorable effort from one of the few directors still carrying Ozu's torch.

Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo (1982)

Part of that unique genre, the "extreme film", along with works such as Apocalypse Now and Sorcerer. These films all show filmmakers willing to travel to dangerous lengths to paint unprecedented canvases and test their own abilities as storytellers and dream purveyors. Herzog's film might feel slightly disjointed at times. But the scope at which he is working and the heart that drives both him and Fitzcarraldo allow the film to rise memorably above any shortcomings. A classic of the genre, and probably about as personal as Herzog's work can ever be.

Wim Wenders' Tokyo-Ga (1985)

An exploration that almost feels like a Godard or Marker essay. An unorthodox, somewhat meandering doc that seems essential viewing for any fan of Ozu's work. Wenders mourns cinema's loss of one of its most special practitioners using Ozu's favorite city, Tokyo, to look at how the world has changed since his passing. Wenders also memorably spends time with some of Ozu's closest collaborators.

Charles Ferguson's Inside Job (2010)

A powerful and utterly disturbing portrait of the events that led to 2008's global recession. Ferguson explains some of the chief causes in a very lucid manner and presents a very passionate attack on America's financial services industry. Whether or not you agree with all that he has to say, this is a must-see, if for nothing else, the opportunity to get a further look at many of the chief players.

Roberto Rossellini's The Rise of Louis XIV (1966)

The first of Rossellini's historical dramas that I've seen, and admittedly it takes awhile to get used to his later style. But it snakes its way around, accumulating historical import, and by the end, finds its emotional highpoint. Another transcendent and powerful work by one of cinema's most unusual and rigorous stylists.

Maurice Pialat's La Gueule Ouverte (1974)

Pialat only made ten features, and this is the eighth that I've seen. It's the one time he collaborated with the masterful cameraman, Nestor Almendros, and the partnership lends immeasurable poetry and lyricism to Pialat's heavy, uncompromising cinema. I think it's my favorite Pialat, and with its final shot one of the great closing shots in all of cinema, a nice way to end 2011.

Favorite (four), part fifteen

2011-11-26T12:17:00.001-06:00

Just like in my other fourteen posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. Most have been first-time viewings, and most I have been glad to finally see. But only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two will be good to someone else, too).

Maurice Pialat's La gueule ouverte
Who is Maurice Pialat and what makes him special as a filmmaker? Some have called him the French Cassavetes. But I think that tag is a bit misleading. Pialat, like Bresson, was a painter first before trying his hand at film, and his work is much more visually striking than that of Cassavetes. Where their paths converge is in their raw approach, lack of music, and predilection for loose, extremely natural performances. Pialat only made ten features in his career, and this is the eighth that I have seen. It's the one time he collaborated with the masterful cameraman, Nestor Almendros, and the partnership lends poetry and lyricism to Pialat's heavy, uncompromising cinema. I think this is one of (if not) the strongest film(s) of Pialat that I have seen. And I hardly ever throw the word out there, but I think it's a masterpiece.

Yasujiro Ozu's Early Summer
Ozu mixes up the approach a little, adding more music than usual and quite a number of incredibly expressive tracking shots. The cumulative effect though is about the same as I have to come expect with Ozu's cinema - piercing and majestic as anything the cinema has ever produced. Feeling rattled or a bit adrift, I would think anyone coming in with the right amount of patience would leave Ozu's cinema (this work definitely included), reminded of the lyrical beauty of life. Ozu has gotten short shrift when it comes to a reputation as something austere and wholly cerebral. There's a nice playfulness at times with this one, as well as a real lively spirit.

Michael Rapaport's Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest
My four years of college could really be distilled down to two or three albums, one of which is Tribe's Midnight Marauders. Rapaport does a great job of shedding some light on Tribe -- their creative process, inner friction, and tremendous importance within the history of hip-hop. Rapaport takes us through a wide range of emotions. And even when the filmmaking might be a little generic, Tribe's music playing in the background reminds us of how many incredible and lasting tunes this wonderful group left to us. A great trip back to the late eighties and early nineties, and arguably to the only great artistic movement I've lived through so far.

Tsai Ming-liang's I Don't Want to Sleep Alone

Tsai's cinema is remarkably consistent from film to film, thematically, rhythmically, and formally. No one does loneliness and modern alienation, post-Antonioni, as well as Tsai. And there's a repressed sexuality about his work that's as strong in its charge as anything in Lynch, Cronenberg, or anyone else's work.

La Nouvelle Vague - #1

2011-10-16T10:10:00.000-05:00

My favorite moment in the history of film so far has to be La Nouvelle Vague, roughly the period from 1958-1962 when a group of young French cinephiles took their passion and redefined what was possible for the medium. I'd like to make this the beginning of a new series of posts, in the future also covering Italian Neorealism, the American New Wave, and perhaps even the German or Iranian New Wave.

The purpose, highlight the must-see films of the "movement". If you see gaps or have suggestions, I'd love to hear from you. It's tricky because a good number of the key works of the Nouvelle Vague are still hard to find stateside. Here goes:

*Une histoire d'eau - Francois Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard (1958)
Le Beau Serge - Claude Chabrol (1958)
*Operation 'Beton' - Jean-Luc Godard (1958)
*Une vie - Alexandre Astruc (1958)
*Blue jeans - Jacques Rozier (1958)
*Moi, un noir - Jean Rouch (1958)
Les amants - Louis Malle (1958)
The 400 Blows - Francois Truffaut (1959)
Les Cousins - Claude Chabrol (1959)
*Tous les garcons s'appellent Patrick - Jean-Luc Godard (1959)
*La tete contre les murs - Georges Franju (1959)
A double tour - Claude Chabrol (1959)
*Le signe du lion - Eric Rohmer (1959)
Hiroshima Mon Amour - Alain Resnais (1959)
Breathless - Jean-Luc Godard (1960)
Shoot the Piano Player - Francois Truffaut (1960)
*L'eau a la bouche - Jacques Doniol-Valcroze (1960)
Les bonnes femmes - Claude Chabrol (1960)
Eyes Without a Face - Georges Franju (1960)
*Les godelureax - Claude Chabrol (1961)
Lola - Jacques Demy (1961)
Last Year at Marienbad - Alain Resnais (1961)
*La pyramide humaine - Jean Rouch (1961)
*Chronique d'un ete - Jean Rouch (1961)
*La proie pour l'ombre - Alexandre Astruc (1961)
Paris nous appartient - Jacques Rivette (1961)
Une femme est une femme - Jean-Luc Godard (1961)
*Ce soir ou jamais - Michel Deville (1961)
*Description d'un combat - Chris Marker (1961)
*Bonne chance, Charlie - Jean-Louis Richard (1962)
*La punition - Jean Rouch (1962)
Jules and Jim - Francois Truffaut (1962)
*Adieu Philippine - Jacques Rozier (1962)
Vivre Sa Vie - Jean-Luc Godard (1962)
Cleo de 5 a 7 - Agnes Varda (1962)
*Adorable menteuse - Michel Deville (1962)
Antoine et Colette - Francois Truffaut (1962)

*The ones I have marked are ones I still need to see myself.

September 13-October 13

2011-10-13T10:27:00.000-05:00

The Last Lullaby, starring Tom Sizemore and Sasha Alexander, released on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and in a multitude of other places, exactly a month ago today! Thank you all for your incredible support; it's been an amazingly gratifying first month.

Why I love Pandora

2011-10-11T11:27:00.001-05:00

Don't get me wrong. I still love to listen to a great album (i.e. Paul's Boutique, Bringing It All Back Home, Maxinquaye) from start to finish. And there are times, in this fragmented world, where I think it's important to throw something cohesive on to glue everything back together for a moment.

But I also love the randomness of the Pandora experience. Here was my morning listening experience, as I logged onto my Radiohead station. These four songs in a row (can find them all on YouTube):

Mazzy Star - Into Dust
Thomas Newman - Any Other Name
Placebo - Hang On To Your IQ
Bill Withers - Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone

Contemporary Film Noir -- My Top Fifteen

2011-10-07T07:56:00.000-05:00

My first feature, The Last Lullaby, just released on DVD on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and in a bunch of other places. It's a hybrid of genres, probably, but it's also probably a film noir. So to mark this big occasion for the film, I thought I would throw out a list of my personal favorites from the contemporary noir period (I started it, as many people do, after 1958.)

Pierrot Le Fou
Shoot the Piano Player
Blue Velvet
Mulholland Dr.
Techine's Thieves
Fargo
Straight Time
King of New York
Chinatown
Heat
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie
Night Moves
Blow Out
Carlito's Way
Godard's Breathless

Film Noir -- My Top Ten

2011-10-06T12:14:00.000-05:00

My first feature, The Last Lullaby, just released on DVD on Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and in a bunch of other places. It's a hybrid of genres, probably, but it's also probably a film noir. So to mark this big occasion for the film, I thought I would throw out a list of my personal favorites from the classic noir period (I cut it off, as many people do, at 1958.)

Criss Cross
The Big Heat
Out of the Past
Night and the City
Grisbi
In a Lonely Place
The Killers
The Killing
The Set-Up
Pickup on South Street

Favorite (four), part fourteen

2011-09-22T14:38:00.000-05:00

Just like in my other thirteen posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings, and most I have been glad to finally see. But only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Lee Chang-dong's Poetry

Another film that makes me feel that the two countries with the most interesting cinema right now are South Korea and Romania. By no means an easy work, this film ambles around, so soft and subtle in its approach that the viewer has to forge a different kind of relationship within the experience. My first Chang-dong viewing tells me that he's an incredibly patient filmmaker, unusually adept with actors and a humanist in the vein of the Dardennes and Rossellini. A bit too vague at times in his ramblings but a filmmaker employing methods of the highest rigor and truth.

Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo

Part of that unique genre, "extreme film", along with works such as Apocalypse Now and Sorcerer. These films all show filmmakers willing to travel to dangerous lengths to paint unprecedented canvases and test their own abilities as storytellers and dream purveyors. Herzog's film might feel slightly disjointed at times. But the scope at which he is working and the heart that drives both him and Fitzcarraldo allow this film to rise memorably above any shortcomings. A classic of the genre, and probably about as personal as Herzog's work can ever be.

James Ivory's Mr. & Mrs. Bridge

Two unusually strong performances remind us of the wonderful nuance, depth, and humanity that can happen when a filmmaker decides to make a work for real, aging adults (think Make Way for Tomorrow). Woodward is particularly memorable here, and of the Ivory films I've seen so far, this one seems the most sophisticated and pleasantly ambiguous.

Andrew Niccol's Gattaca

I found it to be one of the most unique, thoughtful, and moving Hollywood films I have seen in awhile. It has to go down as one of the more striking debuts of the last twenty years with a Niccol script that is spare and poetic, all in the best of ways. I wish visually the world was a little less flat and generic, but Nyman's score and Niccol's smooth direction lift the story well above the sterile visuals.

Great first week!

2011-09-19T08:44:00.000-05:00

It's been a great first week, wide release for The Last Lullaby. Lots of online chatter, and people discussing the film in ways that are really satisfying. Some of the chatter is in places I'd expect (Twitter, etc). Other places are a bit new to me, like Tumblr.

Want to hear some of my favorite discussions, check this out:

Tumblr (http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/the+last+lullaby)

And here are three of my favorite quotes from this past week, two from Twitter and one from Tumblr:

1. tash_jade Tasha

Finished The Last Lullaby. It was intense and, beautiful in a way. I loved its rhythm and its sense of command.

2. cacooly Nicole

@SashaAlexander1 There's smthng so intriguing about Jack + Sarah, their underlying feelings 4 1 another +the fact they don't act on them :)

3. And from Tumblr:

"ANONYMOUS ASKED: okay ask you something....I'm assuming you have seen Last Lullaby with Sash, what did you think of it. Honestly. I haven't seen it yet @fanofthearts

Good morning :)

Yes, I watched it and I LOVED it!

But let’s ramble a bit here… This is going to be a long post, I just know it.

At first, when reading about it, I didn’t expect a lot. Because I’m a very picky person when it comes to movies. And it’s usually the case that, when I watch a film just because one of my fave actors/actresses has a part in it, I get bored after 5 minutes and then just fastforward most of the scenes without said persons.

(Damn that was a weird long sentence. It’s early.)

So yes, I wasn’t expecting much.

Then, a couple of weeks ago, I watched the trailer. And I thought “Damn, this looks good”.

And then I watched the movie and I have to say, I was SO impressed!

The tone of it, the scenery, the angst, the SLOWNESS. I think the ‘slowness’ is what makes this movie one of the best I’ve seen in ages.

Here’s a review that I found, that reflects my thoughts and puts them in better words (because English isn’t my native language):

“It isn’t yet another in a seemingly endless spew of pop-culture-referencing, amped-up, martial-arts, dizzyingly-edited action montages masquarading as movies. This is the real deal, a genuine, character-based noir tale that packs a surprising punch. No bells and whistles. No CGI. No explosions. But plenty of mood, atmosphere, emotion and startling, unromanticized violence. And a touch of romance, too. This is a crime movie for adults who don’t have A.D.D” x

And Sasha was just… BRILLIANT!

And I’m not saying it because I’m a fangirl.

So yeah, you should watch it."

Thank you all for the incredible support, for many, many, many years.

Jeffrey

A week from today...

2011-09-06T09:50:00.000-05:00

...THE LAST LULLABY will be available in a multitude of places (Amazon, Target, Best Buy, Netflix, Blockbuster, etc). It's been 3 1/2 years since our first showing in Dallas and more than 4 1/2 years since we first rolled the cameras on it. I'm so proud of the film and happy that it will finally be finding a larger audience.

celebrity profile

Smattering of some Sunday background music...

2011-08-28T13:11:00.003-05:00

Cat Power - Cross Bones Style
The xx - Crystalised
Jeff Buckley - Mojo Pin
Rufus Wainwright - Poses
PJ Harvey - Down by the Water

*All can be heard on YouTube

Latest news on LULLABY (and) PERIL

2011-08-14T07:41:00.000-05:00

Here's my latest update on my two film projects. I send these out about once every couple months:

THE LAST LULLABY (AND) PERIL UPDATE
August 13, 2011
Thank you all for taking time to register for our updates. Today I will cover
four topics:

- Lullaby Distribution
- Update
- Facebook Fan Pages!
- Other Fun Stuff

Lullaby Distribution
As I mentioned in my previous update, we have signed with Level 33 Entertainment to distribute The Last Lullaby in the United States. On September 13, a new, upgraded DVD will be available to purchase. It is already available as a pre
order at Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Last-Lullaby-Tom Sizemore/dp/B00555ZTHO/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1313240086&sr=1-1), as well as in a multitude of other places. The distributor has asked me to go ahead and also encourage everyone to add the film to their Netflix queue (http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/The_Last_Lullaby/70115888?trkid=2361637). It will be available as a rental on Netflix very soon.

The new DVD will include some fun things like deleted scenes, as well as the option to play the film for the first time in 5.1 surround sound. All of this is fantastic news as it will allow many more people to discover and see our film.

Update
The Last Lullaby continues to find an audience. One of the most popular independent film radio shows, Film Courage, just let us know that we're the #2 most-watched show of all time. That is a fantastic honor. Here's a link to the piece if you would like to have a listen:

http://filmcourage.com/content/film-courage-top-10-shows-august-11th-2011-powered-hotpixel-post-production

I also continue to move forward with my next film, Peril. I'm still putting all the money together, but I am extremely excited about the film and very optimistic looking ahead.

Facebook Fan Pages!
I continue to grow the audience around both Peril and The Last Lullaby. If you haven't already, please take a second to join our Facebook Fan Pages for Peril and
Lullaby:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peril/266972237358?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Last-Lullaby/19456164241?ref=ts

Just click on the links above and then click "Like!"

Jeffrey Goodman

Favorite (four), part thirteen

2011-08-10T18:35:00.000-05:00

Just like in my other twelve posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings, and most I have been glad to finally see. But only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Michelangelo Antonioni's The Passenger

Antonioni's incredible talents are all over -- his meticulous framing, his daring yet languid camerawork, and his feel for spaces that the medium has yet to capture. Still very slow and cerebral like almost all his work, but The Passenger gains some warmth from its summer exteriors and more rustic locations. One of the cinema's great road movies, and in the same family as Wenders' Alice in the Cities and Kings of the Road.

Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life

Malick is looking at different ways for cinema to work. Although his connection to nature may not jump off the screen like it did in The Thin Red Line, his incredibly specific memories of childhood allow him to wash connections over us. He does it in very short brush strokes, and as he swims through his own fleeting images, we see so much of ourselves. His work with the children is extraordinary. And I think his style really gains, with many of the jump cuts remaining in the tool box. Full of narrative courage and exploration (the first time the animated sequences break the narrative it seems as though a new prototype for story is being offered), and a work of tremendous ambition. I think there are flaws. Sometimes his elliptical wanderings go too far and end up feeling more elusive than illuminating. And after seeing the film twice, I'm still not convinced he wouldn't have benefitted from a stronger actress than Chastain. But it's a dense film, inviting discussion and multiple visits.

Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

An incredibly ambitious venture that is acutely observed and warmly rendered. Ambles and captures the countryside in ways that remind of McCabe & Mrs. Miller, sans Altman's quirky stylings. Never have I seen the rural parts of Italy look so alive. Olmi asks for patience, but his eye is as natural and unobtrusive as the glory days of Kiarostami in Iran.

A collaboration I'd like to see...

2011-08-02T10:40:00.001-05:00

Saw Terrence Malick's latest, The Tree of Life, a couple of times last week and think he and Mark Hollis of Talk Talk need to work together at some point. Artistic bedfellows, both operating well out of the norm and able to create transcendent, almost religious moments in their work. They are both very special guys. Challenging, difficult artists. Here are some of my favorite Mark Hollis moments:

Talk Talk - Ascension Day
Talk Talk - April 5th
Talk Talk - I Believe in You

*All songs on YouTube

Road Movies

2011-07-16T09:34:00.001-05:00

It's a human trait to want to pick up and start over somewhere else. Or wander aimlessly without having to commit to a place (or anything for that matter) for very long. One of my favorite of all types of films is the "road movie", as these feelings of freedom and adventure are at these films' very core.

In the mood for a little wandering, here are a few of my favorite road movies:

Stranger Than Paradise. Jim Jarmusch. 1984.
Alice in the Cities. Wim Wenders. 1974.
The Passenger. Michelangelo Antonioni. 1975.
Kings of the Road. Wim Wenders. 1976.
In the White City. Alain Tanner. 1983.

Favorite (four), part twelve

2011-06-21T09:29:00.001-05:00

Just like in my other eleven posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings, and most I have been glad to finally see. But only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Robert Altman's Thieves Like Us

At times, the most sexual of all the Altman pics I've seen and certainly one of the most interesting. Feels like a movie that Altman really cares about; it's extremely unconventional stylistically, just like McCabe, and in a strange way it almost feels like a precursor to the free-form style Michael Mann would take on with Collateral, Miami Vice, and especially Public Enemies. An Altman film I would need to re-visit as it feels extraordinarily complex. And if it's such a cliche at this point that Hollywood doesn't make 'em like they once did, during that special time in the seventies, then this film is as much an example as any.

Jerome Robbins and Robert Wise's West Side Story

One of the first things that jumped out at me is how much it seemed to influence both The Outsiders and Rumble Fish. I would love to hear Coppola discuss this. Most of the music is quite memorable (doesn't hurt having Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim as collaborators), and some of the choreography quite lively and striking. My biggest complaint is that the action and emotions sometime seem a little flat. But all in all, it's one of the grandest and most vital musicals ever made.

Paul Feig's Bridesmaids

The sixth Apatow film I've seen, after The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Pineapple Express, and the first I've seen where the hype all seems to add up. Simply put, Apatow is able to create some of the most painfully funny moments on film right now while also managing to make time for scenes that deal with real life and actually make your heart ache. Here I think Kristen Wiig is the real key as she's the perfect Apatow actor; she's quite adept at comedy while also able to come off as incredibly human, full of flaws and wounds for all to see. Feig admittedly seems to lose his way at times, but the memorable scenes are strong enough to pick up the slack.

Clarence Brown's Flesh and the Devil
A reminder of how visually expressive, and even inventive, some of the silent period could be. Full of nicely-weaved, surprising plot movements and a very memorable John Gilbert performance. I don't know much about Clarence Brown's other work, but if this is any indication, he's someone I definitely need to explore.

2011

2011-06-18T07:00:00.019-05:00

5/12/11 I watched Adam Yauch's Fight for Your Right Revisited. I would think any major Beastie Boys fan (I would have to put myself in that group) would find this a welcome reminder of what makes the group so important. There is something so anti-authoritarian and fly in the face of any form of political correctness no matter how old the boys become and how many years they put out music. Their presence in music, and culture, always seem timely and progressive, yet while remaining true to the brand they have built from day one.

6/17/11 I watched Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris. It's Allen's most blatant gesture at crowd-pleasing that I can remember, and it's certainly working. People are turning out and continuing the hype. It didn't have much depth for me though and struck me as bubbly, but nothing more than Allen-light.

6/20/11 I watched Paul Feig's Bridesmaids. The sixth Apatow film I've seen, after The 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and Pineapple Express, and the first I've seen where the hype all seems to add up. Simply put, Apatow is able to create some of the most painfully funny moments on film right now while also managing to make time for scenes that deal with real life and actually make your heart ache. Here I think Kristen Wiig is the real key as she's the perfect Apatow actor; she's quite adept at comedy while also able to come off as incredibly human, full of flaws and wounds for all to see. Feig admittedly seems to lose his way at times, but the memorable scenes are strong enough to pick up the slack.

7/8/11 I watched Miguel Arteta's Cedar Rapids. A bit slow and a bit short on laughs. Not near as deeply felt nor as funny as the work that Apatow is making.

7/26/11 and 7/28/11 I watched Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. He's looking at different ways for cinema to work. Although his connection to nature may not jump off the screen like it did in The Thin Red Line, his incredibly specific memories of childhood allow him to wash connections over us. He does it in very short brush strokes, and as he swims through his own fleeting images, we see so much of ourselves. His work with the children is extraordinary. And I think his style really gains, with many of the jump cuts remaining in the tool box. Full of narrative courage and exploration (the first time the animated sequences break the narrative it seems as though a new prototype for story is being offered), and a work of tremendous ambition. I think there are flaws. Sometimes his elliptical wanderings go too far and end up feeling more elusive than illuminating. And after seeing the film twice, I'm still not convinced he wouldn't have benefitted from a stronger actress than Chastain. But it's a dense film, inviting discussion and multiple visits.

8/18/11 I watched Cindy Meehl's Buck. A doc that is at times moving and inspiring, even if a little thin to carry its 88 minute running time.

9/21/11 I watched Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive. A film that many of my cinephile friends in the blogosphere are currently discussing. Some love it, some don't see the hype. It's an interesting film that combines some of my favorite elements -- a Michael Mann influence, a lack of pop culture references and irony, and an electronic score. My problem with it stems from its interest in being cool. Almost everything about its loud style screams look at me. And while Mann's style is cool. It simply is, without trying. Refn's approach seems far less integrated, floating above its story in a way that I found hollow and terribly distracting.

9/26/11 I watched Bennett Miller's Moneyball. I was a big fan of Miller's last film, Capote, and have been very excited to see what he does next. This outing though was a little disappointing for me. I thought Jonah Hill was tremendous and that there were some interesting ideas at work here. But overall it felt very muddled thematically and lacking the propulsive drive of the best sports movies.

9/27/11 I watched Michael Rapaport's Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest. My four years of college could really be distilled down to two or three albums, one of which is Tribe's Midnight Marauders. Rapaport does a great job of shedding some light on Tribe -- their creative process, inner friction, and tremendous importance within the history of hip-hop. Rapaport takes us through a wide range of emotions. And even when the filmmaking might be a little generic, Tribe's music playing in the background reminds us of how many incredible and lasting tunes this incredible group left to us. A great trip back to the late eighties and early nineties, and arguably the only great artistic movement I've lived through so far.

11/26/11 I watched Drake Doremus' Like Crazy. This Sundance winner has some heart, and it's nice to see a not so dour film emerge from that world. But it's charm grows old as soon as you start to realize there's no depth nor real-life angst or struggle to balance it out. A couple of nice lyrical moments but otherwise a bit of a frustrating pic.

11/30/11 I watched Robert Weide's Woody Allen: A Documentary. My favorite parts were the footage and explanation of Woody's early years. But ultimately, I found the doc to be overly long and quite unfocused.

12/1/11 I watched Sean Durkin's Martha Marcy May Marlene. Strong filmmaking. But so claustrophobic and controlled as to lack almost all breath of the outside world. It's also one of these movies that once it does let go, like ends, there's very little left to consider.

12/7/11 I watched JC Chandor's Margin Call. Kinda like the way I felt about Michael Mann's Ali, I'd seen the documentary, Inside Job, and didn't really need to see this narrative film. A bit underwhelming for me.

Other random tunes...

2011-06-11T09:56:00.001-05:00

Here's a sampling of a few of the things currently making the rounds on my computer (my 2011 version of a stereo):

Run DMC - Beats to the Rhyme
Keith Jarrett - Koln Concert
Thelonious Monk - Well, You Needn't (hang in there for Blakey's drum solo)
Duke Ellington - Caravan
MC Lyte - Cappuchino
Georges Delerue - Theme de Camille
GZA - Shadowboxing

All seven tunes can be heard on Youtube.

Favorite (four), part eleven

2011-05-30T12:59:00.001-05:00

Just like in my other ten posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings, and most I have been glad to finally see. But only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Irving Lerner's Murder by Contract
Another Scorsese favorite, this noir is utterly unique in terms of its tone. Much of its difference comes from its Flamenco-like score that gives the film a very offbeat, bouncy and buoyant feel, in the midst of a good amount of darkness. Vince Edwards gives a tremendous performance, and although spare and lean, the production always feels formally clean and clear. A very strong, lesser-known work.

Charles Ferguson's Inside Job
It's a powerful and utterly disturbing portrait of the events that led to 2008's global recession. Ferguson explains some of the chief causes in a very lucid manner, and he presents a very passionate attack on America's financial services industry. Whether or not you agree with all that he has to say, I would say this is a must-see, simply for the opportunity to get a further look at many of the chief players.

Roberto Rossellini's The Rise of Louis XIV

The first of Rossellini's historical dramas that I've seen, and it takes awhile to get used to this later style and period of the great director. But it snakes its way around, accumulating historical import, and by the end, it finds its emotional highpoint. Another transcendent and powerful work by one of cinema's most unusual and rigorous stylists.

Adam Yauch's Fight for Your Right Revisited

I would think any major Beastie Boys fan (I would have to put myself in that group) would find this a welcome reminder of what makes the group so important. There is something so anti-authoritarian and fly in the face of any form of political correctness no matter how old the boys become and how many years they put out music. Their presence in music, and culture, always seem timely and progressive, yet while remaining true to the brand they have built from day one.

The great Moon in the Gutter comes out in support of LULLABY, again

2011-05-18T14:29:00.001-05:00

One of my absolutely favorite blogs, Moon in the Gutter, just wrote an extremely nice entry on LULLABY and the news of our latest distribution deal. Thanks so much, Jeremy!

http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/2011/05/jeffrey-goodmans-last-lullaby-coming-to.html

One of my other absolutely favorite blogs, Wonders in the Dark, also paid us an incredible honor by featuring us in the headline of this week's Monday Morning Diary. Thanks, Sam!

http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/jeffrey-goodman-incendies-a-serbian-film-hey-boo-harper-lee-and-tokill-a-mockingbird-camerman-jack-cardiff-and-rape-of-nanking-film-on-monday-morning-diary-may-16/

Lullaby Gets Wider Distribution!

2011-05-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

Here's our latest e-mail update about it. Want to receive these (and don't already), simply send an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com

THE LAST LULLABY (AND) PERIL UPDATE
May 15, 2011

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

- Lullaby Distribution

- Press

- Update

- Facebook Fan Pages!

- Other Fun Stuff

Lullaby Distribution

I am very excited to announce that we have signed with Level 33 Entertainment to distribute The Last Lullaby in the United States.  We are currently aiming for a Fall release of a newly-packaged DVD.  At this point, I am not sure what extras it will include, but we are looking into some different things.  We also expect this release to place Lullaby in many other places and make it much more readily available.  This is a very positive development, and I am very excited to share the good news with you.

Press

There have been several great pieces on The Last Lullaby (and) Peril in the last couple of months. Here are just a couple of them:

1. http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/jambalaya-filmmaker-and-blogging-star-jeffrey-goodman/

An interview I recently did with one of the most popular film blogs.

2. http://www.sashafansonline.net/the-last-lullaby-t53.html

A review of Lullaby by one of the best Sasha Alexander websites.

Update

Louisiana's film industry boasted its best year ever in 2010, attracting projects with budgets totaling more than $1.4B. It is a great time for the state, and the industry just keeps better and stronger here.  Personally, I continue to move forward with my next film, Peril.  I'm still putting all the money together, but I am very optimistic looking ahead.

Facebook Fan Pages!

I continue to grow the audience around both Peril and The Last Lullaby.  If you haven't already, please take a second to join our Facebook Fan Pages for Peril and Lullaby:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peril/266972237358?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Last-Lullaby/19456164241?ref=ts

Just click on the links above and then click "Like!"

Other Fun Stuff

Over at the LULLABY/PERIL blog (http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/), I am writing more than ever about the films I'm watching as I prepare for Peril and the films ahead.  I'm really enjoying this blog and think that some of you might enjoy some of the posts, as well.  Come visit me and drop me a comment if you want to discuss anything.

Also, as mentioned in previous updates, I have created several other places for people to begin following Peril. Here are all the different places we have so far.  I hope that many of you will join us:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peril/266972237358?ref=ts

http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/

e-mail updates (simply send an e-mail to register@perilthemovie.com)

I want to thank you all for your incredible support.  I really couldn't be more excited about the road ahead.

As always, if you have any questions, hit reply and your e-mail will come to me.  Please keep spreading the word! You guys are the best.

Jeffrey Goodman

Director

THE LAST LULLABY (AND) PERIL

www.thelastlullaby.com

Chaillot Films

List of Current Distributors

2011-05-10T07:05:00.000-05:00

Here's a great list I came across this morning. Nice to find all this information in one place:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/sydneylevine/archives/us_distributors_a-z/

some tunes floating 'round the turntable

2011-05-07T10:04:00.002-05:00

as far as i'm concerned, it's always good news when the beastie boys release a new album. here's a cut (if you can't hear it here, check it on youtube) and a couple of other tracks that have been floating around of late.

The Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise
The Fall - Aspen Reprise
Lil' Kim - Queen Bitch

Listen to all three tunes on Youtube.

Great little interview on LULLABY

2011-05-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Here's a great little interview that popped up today:

http://www.sfinm.org/developments/336-jeffrey-goodman-on-the-last-lullaby.html

Favorite (four), part ten

2011-05-03T07:12:00.000-05:00

Just like in my other nine posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings, and most I have been glad to finally see. But only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Corneliu Porumboiu's Police, Adjective
The new Romanian cinema has gotten much recent acclaim, and after seeing 4 Months... and this film it's easy to see why. What I find so striking about this film is its naturalism that runs in quite a different direction from the cinema of the Dardenne brothers. Porumboiu keeps the camera fixed in wide frames, as opposed to the handheld close-ups that seem to populate the work of the Dardenne brothers. Porumboiu also favors long takes in a way that we rarely see in the work of the Belgian filmmakers. The sense of humor of Porumboiu is quite effective and unexpected and other than perhaps the final ten minutes, I would have no hesitation declaring this one of the greatest of recent films, and a full-blown masterpiece.

Alberto Lattuada's Mafioso
I've long known this as one of Scorsese's favorites, and it certainly doesn't disappoint. But it doesn't meet expectations either. There's far less violence than one would imagine. The tone more often resembles a vivacious and sunny foreign film than a somber and serious-minded noir. And Lattuada shows an unexpected assertiveness with his editing, movement of the camera, and ability to juggle different genres. Lattuada also knows how to make great use of music to heighten the action (the jazz leading up to the barbershop sequence) and has no problem leaving the viewer with a great, big lump in his throat.

Paul Schrader's Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters

This abstract, highly stylized oddity actually is one of the more interesting films I've seen from Schrader. At times, it is almost too obtuse, but there is also something here that feels quite personal. And it's the most cinematic of the Schrader-directed films that I've seen. The actor playing the adult Mishima is quite powerful, and Philip Glass' score, though in typical Glass fashion repetitive, also binds it all together into a successfully surreal, cerebral, and intermittently visceral work.

David Lynch's The Cowboy and the Frenchman

A short film from Lynch made in 1988 for French television at arguably the peak of his career (two years after Blue Velvet and right before the beginning of Twin Peaks). It's vintage Lynch, in the best of ways, with its flights of fancy and often gut busting sense of humor. Along with the Twin Peaks pilot, a Lynch work crying out for discovery.

random sampling of today's soundtrack

2011-04-19T18:37:00.001-05:00

i almost always have music on when i'm working. and thought i'd share some of the tunes that have run through the speakers in the last day or so.

Tom Ze - Curiosidade
Massive Attack - Blue Lines
Radiohead - Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
Public Image Limited - Poptones
Wu-Tang Clan - Triumph

Listen to all five tunes on Youtube.

new wave of crime film sound

2011-04-14T08:33:00.001-05:00

I used to think Michael Mann was doing the most interesting work in terms of updating the crime film score. His electronic stylings always felt very modern and like the best, new way to approach the contemporary crime film.

But now I'm working my way through Oliver Assayas' Carlos and really think Assayas is onto something. He's taken a different route and is scoring much of the film with post-punk songs from the late seventies, early eighties. Here's a sampling of three that appear in the first couple of hours. It's without a doubt the most inspiring and interesting approach to scoring the crime film that I have heard in years.

New Order's Dreams Never End

The Feelies' Loveless Love

A Certain Ratio's All Night Party

Listen to all three on Youtube.

Favorite (four), part nine

2011-04-10T13:17:00.002-05:00

Just like in my other eight posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings. And most I have been glad to finally see, but only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Frank Borzage's Moonrise
The strongest film yet I've seen from Borzage. It's melodramatic, but the casting's perfect, and Borzage's ability to tell a story psychologically is crisp and effective. It's a near masterpiece, ambitious, extremely well-conceived, controlled, and almost always achieving its intent.

Abel Ferrara's Chelsea on the Rocks

Made with Ferrara's typical deceptively unpolished style, a strong documentary from the ever probing auteur. The material is perfect for Ferrara as he's able to filter the seediness of the Chelsea into his own debauched yet weirdly humanistic perspective. Certainly not for everyone, but fans of Ferrara will feel his work continues to evolve and excel.

Jean-Pierre Melville's Un Flic

Melville's final film is not at the same level of his two previous and, in my opinion, two strongest films, Army of Shadows and Le Cercle Rouge. But it still shows off the director's ability for bringing an incredibly unique approach and attitude to the crime film. Zooms abound, while also on display are the director's uncanny interest in the human gaze and most minute details of a crime. Of particular interest, the entire sequence where a helicopter helps with the heist of a moving train.

Wim Wenders' Tokyo-Ga

This exploration almost feels like a Godard or Marker essay. An unorthodox, somewhat meandering doc that seems like essential viewing for any strong fan of Ozu's work. Wenders mourns cinema's loss of one of its most special practitioners. Using Ozu's favorite city, Tokyo, to look into how the world has changed since Ozu's disappearance, Wenders also spends time with some of Ozu's closest collaborators.

Social Media for Filmmakers - Guru Thomas Mai

2011-03-29T09:44:00.000-05:00

Here's a video from one of the guys I respect the most in terms of thinking about where independent filmmaking is headed and ways to harness some of the new options moving forward. The video's a little long (clocks in at about 75 minutes), but I particularly found Thomas Mai's discussion of Elance and Mediapeers to be revelatory.

Thomas Mai Presentation ETMA, Strasbourg from Thomas Mai on Vimeo.

Great piece on LULLABY and another great list from Ted Hope

2011-03-16T07:41:00.000-05:00

Here's a recent piece that came out on LULLABY. It's a really great one:

http://www.sashafansonline.net/the-last-lullaby-t53.html

Also, Ted Hope, now blogging for Indiewire, is really cranking out some great stuff of late. Here's the most recent of his infamous lists:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/35_ways_to_keep_the_faith_in_truly_free_film/

Wonderful Cassavetes Tribute

2011-03-10T06:47:00.000-06:00

My buddy, Mike, in Los Angeles sent this to me yesterday. It sounds like an amazing Cassavetes retrospective happening out there, headed up by the Cinefamily, who I think bought the Silent Movie Theater and own the excellent Cinefile Video.

Anyway, I wanted to share this excellent tribute to John Cassavetes. And needless to say I'm jealous of anyone who is able to attend this:

Hello, Cinefamily!

I want to talk with you about John Cassavetes for a moment.

In preparation for our month-long retrospective, I’ve been steeping myself in the subject of Cassavetes: reading interviews and biographies, watching documentaries, and most of all, viewing his films. Like many a film lover before me, I’m going down the rabbit hole, because the more deeply you go down, the more rewarding it is. And I’m having a blast. In fact, it’s only by doing this that I’m just now I’m realizing what we’ve done here at Cinefamily, and why I think you should really participate this month: this retrospective is a kind of “master class” in the work of one of America's most fascinating directors.

To start with, I think Cassavetes himself would appreciate my honesty when I say I’ve always had mixed feelings about his work before now; there are scenes and moments that destroy me (in a good way), and other moments that feel false, bombastic, or just seemed sloppy. I had trouble grasping the films as a whole, and long chunks would consequently bore me as I floated adrift on the sea of emotion, until some undeniably explosively awesome moment would happen. But the films always haunted me. What I see now is how his films improve over repeated viewings -- from seeing them consecutively, getting on his wavelength, and learning to speak his language. These films are like people, interesting and complicated people. You don’t always understand them at first, but as you get to know them, all of their quirks make more and more sense. They reveal themselves.

Rewatching his films, I often have an epiphanous moment when the code cracks, and suddenly the whole crazy experience falls into place. I immediately want to see the whole movie again, or at least revisit it in my mind, now that I know how it's all working. His films are like relatives; my feelings towards them change as I get older, and as I understand them better. I may still hate the way my mother screams like she’s witnessed a murder just because she drops something in the kitchen, but more and more it becomes inextricably interwoven with my deeper understanding of who she is, and why I love her.

If I had to sum up one thing I’ve gotten out of all this, it’s a knowledge of the incredible focus Cassavetes had. Truffaut once said that all great directors must sacrifice some aspect of filmmaking to achieve something brilliant -- in essence, the bedsheet never covers the whole bed. And no one has worked harder to go as deep as possible exploring the complexity of human interrelationships than Cassavetes, and while he did love other aspects of film, he would give up anything -- the framing, the editing, the continuity, the smoothness of the story, paradoxically even his own understanding of the characters -- to reach a certain ecstatic emotional depth. He wanted you to feel as intensely and thoughtfully about his films as you did about your own life, and sometimes (perhaps by definition all the time) that means you can’t fully understand them.

As I said before, here’s your chance to have a “masters class” in John Cassavetes. We’re showing not just every film he directed, but films he starred in, his rare television work, and even films made with people he just worked closely with -- 'cause we know what it’s like when you get obsessed: everything and everyone he touched takes on a certain interest. We’ve got restored prints from UCLA, rare trailers, and lectures. We’ve got sidebar tributes to Ben Gazzara, Seymour Cassel and Gena Rowlands -- all appearing in person -- where we’ll tour through their own careers as actors. We’ve rounded up virtually every guest that could be had. This is the best chance you’ll ever have to do this right.

This series is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So get a membership -- tax-deductible, of course! By getting one, you'll help us do this more often (it ain’t cheap!), and you get in FREE to every show. That’s worth a year’s membership right there! Plus, The Criterion Collection has been kind and generous enough to donate 5 of their incredible, extra-laden Cassavetes box sets for us to give away to new members. Anyone who gets an annual “black card” membership in from now until March 16th, 11:59PM, is in a raffle to receive one of them!

The whole shebang starts tomorrow with Shadows, screened from a gorgeous restored 35mm print courtesy of the UCLA Film &Television Archive. After the film, join us for a conversation with its star, Lelia Goldoni, the memorably gorgeous face turned on its side in the film's signature image. She’s still gorgeous, charming, and as one of the last remaining members of the Shadows cast, an important link to one of the most historically significant films of the 20th century (virtually the first truly successful independent film).

Your Programmer,
Hadrian

P.S. I know we’re not showing Big Trouble (a film Cassavetes practically disowned). But, if we get 10 new membership by Friday at midnight, I promise we'll book it.

P.P.S. Gary Oldman is doing the Q&A with Ben Gazzara on SUNDAY, at the start of the triple feature! Holy guacamole!

Ted Hope on Film Investing

2011-03-05T09:53:00.000-06:00

A strong piece, I thought, on film investing. Hope continues to impress by being one of the most honest, articulate, and generous (in terms of sharing his experience) producers:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/tedhope/archives/the_new_model_of_indie_film_finance_v2011.1_investors/

Wonders in the Dark

2011-03-01T07:37:00.000-06:00

The extraordinary blog, Wonders in the Dark, and Sam Juliano paid us a wonderful tribute yesterday. Many of you already saw this piece, but I wanted to house it on the blog, too:

http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/jambalaya-filmmaker-and-blogging-star-jeffrey-goodman/

Favorite (four), part eight

2011-02-22T20:45:00.001-06:00

Just like in my other seven posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings. And most I have been glad to finally see, but only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Hirokazu Koreeda's Still Walking
The third of the director's films I've seen, and he continues to be among my favorite of all the contemporary Asian directors. He's definitely a humanist, and there are moments that carry a tremendous power. Not perfect, I particularly found a little fault with the saccharine nature of some of the score. But all in all a memorable effort from one of the few directors still carrying Ozu's torch.

Aaron Katz's Quiet City

Light and sweet, Katz has heart, and it shows. I don't find his writing as interesting as Bujalski's, nor his ability to capture nuance and awkwardness as skilled as Bujalski's talents. But Katz has some of David Gordon Green's feeling for sound/image and creates a couple of tremendous moments here. The scene of the four young adults dancing at the house party might be my favorite scene all year. I look forward to seeing more of Katz. It's works like this one that continue to keep me interested in mumblecore and somewhat optimistic about micro-budget filmmaking.

Emmanuel Laurent's Two in the Wave

Not the most marvelous film ever. But it is a documentary about my favorite period in the history of cinema, The French New Wave, and it covers aspects of this wonderful movement that I've rarely seen on film, including Leaud's screen test for The 400 Blows. I consider the film's two main subjects, Godard and Truffaut, to be among the most passionate of anyone that has ever worked in the medium, and to this day for me they're both still huge influences and inspirations.

Yasujiro Ozu's There Was a Father

Ozu is without a doubt my favorite directorial discovery of the last year. His movies tell us so much about ourselves, and when it comes to showing us aging and family, I'm not sure Ozu has a rival. I particularly like his bold, editing style in this one. He jumps ahead between scenes, always knowing that we'll eventually catch up. I'm not a huge fan of the actor playing the older son in this one, but all in all, another wonderful experience in the world of Ozu.

Noir, My Friend

2011-02-20T11:19:00.000-06:00

It was the first genre I ever took to, speaking to me in a way that nothing else ever had. What was it? Was it the clever, little rejoinders? The neat little twists and turns of many of the films’ plots? Or was I nocturnal and liked the underworld, the seedier side of things?

I ask all these questions but already know the answer. I grew up in a Blue Velvet world. The suburbs, small town, surrounded by smiling faces and happy people. And I didn’t feel all that way inside, but it seemed that everyone else did, and that’s the way I needed to be, too.

Most of the movies I was seeing were echoing this rampant optimism, as well. But then I discovered film noir, and my first cinematic companion. A filmed document that felt as unhinged and raw as many of my emotions inside. It wasn’t until much later, of course, that I learned noir was mostly the product of disenfranchised Europeans who had fled their countries and come to Hollywood.

Rose-colored Hollywood must have felt exactly to them as my Blue Velvet world felt to me. And their films expressed this chasm. They told stories of a world when Hollywood was asleep. Their stories were tough but with an honesty and truthfulness that seemed unique to American cinema.

Noir might mean black or dark. And film noir might not be the most upbeat tales to ever come out of our nation’s cinema. But for me, and I think so many others, they were liberating, catharsis as truth, and will forever remain relevant as a result.

*This post is a part of the For the Love of Film (Noir) Blogathon and Fundraiser for the Film Noir Foundation to help preserve our film heritage. The Blogathon is hosted by Ferdy on Films and The Self-Styled Siren. Please make your donation by clicking on the link below. Thank you.

i'll take rembrandt, titian...

2011-02-13T09:49:00.001-06:00

Every now and then a song sticks with me. Here's the one of the current moment:

The Kinks - 20th Century Man (Listen on Youtube)

You got one right now? I'm curious what it is.

My Favorite Cameramen

2011-02-06T02:35:00.000-06:00

I guess, like Sam Juliano, I'm kinda a list man. I've done lists, my favorite films from 1926-2008, my favorites of my favorites, my fave actors, and my fave actresses. Well I'm sitting here, unable to sleep, and thought I'd throw together a list of my favorite cameramen. So here goes:

Robby Muller
Vittorio Storaro
Gregg Toland
John Alton
Jack Cardiff
Raoul Coutard
Henri Decae
Pierre Lhomme
Ghislain Cloquet
Owen Roizman
Gordon Willis
Vilmos Zsigmond
Jean-Yves Escoffier
Farhad Saba
Dante Spinotti
Richard Rutkowski
Tim Orr
Alain Morcoen

Modern Directors and Bang for Your Buck

2011-02-05T09:36:00.000-06:00

Not usually the type of thing I repost, but I thought it was a very interesting little pie chart. Want to see what modern director will give you the most bang for your buck, check it out:

http://www.sofasandsectionals.com/directors-budgets

Lullaby (and) Peril Update 2/4/11

2011-02-04T14:56:00.000-06:00

Want to keep up with Lullaby (and) Peril, here's the single best way. About once a month, I send e-mail updates (to receive them, all you have to do is shoot an e-mail to register@thelastlullaby.com). Here's our latest update:

THE LAST LULLABY (AND) PERIL UPDATE

February 4, 2011

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

- Press

- Update

- Five-Year Area Film Industry Report

- Facebook Fan Pages!

- Other Fun Stuff

Press

There have been several great pieces on The Last Lullaby (and) Peril in the last couple of months.  Here are a few of them:

1. http://www.thetechtalk.org/news/film-director-shares-experience-in-industry-1.1960042

Detailing a talk I gave last week at Louisiana Tech University.

2. http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/rrr/local-rrr-949033.mp3

An audio interview with our local NPR affiliate.

3. If you're in the Shreveport-Bossier area, there's a great piece on Peril in this month's SB Magazine. In the issue, there are also three or four other excellent articles on our area's film industry.

Update

Louisiana's film industry boasted its best year ever in 2010, attracting projects with budgets totaling more than $1.4B. It is a great time for the state, and the industry just keeps better and stronger here. Personally, I continue to move forward with my next film, Peril. I'm still putting all the money together, but I am very optimistic looking ahead. I also feel that this will be the year when The Last Lullaby finds even wider distribution.

Five-Year Area Film Industry Report

I have been back in Louisiana since early 2005, and the film industry has been in the northern part of the state, in a significant way, since early September 2005. This area's film industry is about five years old now, and I thought it was time to put a report together. I am delivering this talk in several venues throughout north Louisiana. If you are part of an organization that would be interested in hearing this report, please let me know. I think it's the most important talk I've put together to date.

Facebook Fan Pages!

I continue to grow the audience around both Peril and The Last Lullaby. If you haven't already, please take a second to join our Facebook Fan Pages for Peril and Lullaby:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peril/266972237358?ref=ts
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Last-Lullaby/19456164241?ref=ts

Just click on the links above and then click "Like!"

Other Fun Stuff

Over at the LULLABY/PERIL blog (http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/), I am writing more than ever about the films I'm watching as I prepare for Peril and the films ahead. I'm really enjoying this blog and think that some of you might enjoy some of the posts, as well. Come visit me and drop me a comment if you want to discuss anything. 

Also, as mentioned in previous updates, I have created several other places for people to begin following PERIL. Here are all the different places we have so far. I hope that many of you will join us:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peril/266972237358?ref=ts

http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/

e-mail updates (simply send an e-mail to register@perilthemovie.com)

I want to thank you all for your incredible support. I really couldn't be more excited about the road ahead.


As always, if you have any questions, hit reply and your e-mail will come to me. Please keep spreading the word! You guys are the best.

Jeffrey Goodman

Director

THE LAST LULLABY (AND) PERIL

www.thelastlullaby.com

Chaillot Films

Sundance Sales #3

2011-02-03T06:38:00.000-06:00

From all accounts, this year's Sundance Film Festival was the most active buyers festival of the last three or four years (an encouraging barometer as we move forward). Here's one more piece compiling all the acquisition information:

http://www.indiewire.com/article/all_sundance_2011_acquisitions_by_distributor/

Sundance Sales #2

2011-01-27T10:56:00.000-06:00

A nice article I found consolidating all of the 2011 Sundance sales so far:

http://www.thewrap.com/movies/article/sundance-2011-deal-scorecard-24-films-sold-so-far-24262

Sundance Sales

2011-01-25T09:48:00.000-06:00

We're in the middle of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, and it's always a good barometer for Indyland to see what films are selling, to whom, and for how much. Here's the info I've been able to compile up to this point:

1. My Idiot Brother, starring Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Zooey Deschanel, and Emily Mortimer
Budget - Approximately under $10M
Bought by The Weinstein Company for a reported Minimum Guarantee of $6-7M and $15M P&A

2. Like Crazy, starring Anton Yelchin, Felicity Jones, and Jennifer Lawrence
Budget - n/a
Bought by Paramount for $4M

3. Margin Call, starring Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, and Zachary Quinto
Budget - Approximately $3.4M
Bought by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions for a non-disclosed amount

4. Martha Marcy May Marlene, starring Elizabeth Olsen, Hugh Dancy, and John Hawkes
Budget - n/a
Bought by Fox Searchlight for $2M

5. Homework, starring Emma Roberts and Freddie Highmore
Budget - n/a
Bought by Fox Searchlight for a non-disclosed amount

6. Page One: A Year Inside the New York Times, documentary
Budget - n/a
Bought by Magnolia and Participant Media

7. Silent House, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elizabeth Olsen
Budget - n/a
Bought by Liddell Entertainment for a reported Minimum Guarantee of $3M and a P&A committment north of $3M

8. The Bengali Detective, Calcutta crime documentary
Budget - n/a
Bought by Fox Searchlight for remake rights

9. The Ledge, starring Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, and Terrence Howard
Budget - $10M
Bought by IFC for a non-disclosed amount

10. Life in a Day, crowd-sourced YouTube documentary, produced by Kevin Macdonald & Ridley Scott
Budget - n/a
Bought by National Geographic Films for a non-disclosed amount

11. Circumstance, an American narrative filmed in Lebanon
Budget - n/a
Bought by Participant Media for a non-disclosed amount

*Have any more info on any of these films, or any other acquisitions, please let me know.

Sundance 2011 -- 7 days away

2011-01-13T13:57:00.000-06:00

A very interesting piece as we head into the 2011 Sundance Film Festival:

http://blogs.indiewire.com/sydneylevine/archives/business_trends_at_sundance/#

My Top 10 (or so) Films for 2010

2011-01-01T08:21:00.001-06:00

I spent most of the year watching older stuff, filling in some gaps, and catching up on films I probably should have already seen but that had escaped me for one reason or another. Meanwhile most of the more talked about 2010 fare I still need to track down.

Here's my list:

William Wellman's A Star Is Born (1937)

It is at once an extremely tender and tragic love story. Cukor's version is one of my favorite films of all time, but Wellman's original certainly doesn't disappoint. It's a wonderfully felt film, full of unforgettable moments and sincere connections.

Yasujiro Ozu's I Was Born, But... (1932)

What deep emotions Ozu is able to explore, particularly the idea of young kids having to come to terms with their father's rank in society. Ozu goes deep, takes it slow, but explores characters and themes that are incredibly universal and real.

Leo McCarey's Make Way for Tomorrow (1937)

One of the best depictions of aging I have ever seen and full of many gut-wrenching and poignant moments. I didn't fully connect with the character of the aging woman. But otherwise, I found it to be an utterly bold, unique, and powerful work.

Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D. (1952)

Perhaps the film if you want to understand the bond between a dog and its owner. Moving, realistic, wise, and full of heart. A movie with a huge reputation, and rightfully so.

Yasujiro Ozu's Late Spring (1949)

Another extraordinarily tender and wise film about life, relationships, and personal growth and evolution. Ozu keeps things minimal and spare, as usual. But whenever he goes outside we're reminded of his strong connection to nature and his tremendous feeling and eye for the outdoors. Soft but packs a punch.

John Ford's Mogambo (1953)

A flawed film, certainly. But a fever dream of a flick with the painfully beautiful Grace Kelly and some of the most suspenseful scenes in the history of cinema involving animals and humans. Nice to see Ford taking a break from the Irish thing and delivering this complex tale.

Josef von Sternberg's Morocco (1930)

The most poetic von Sternberg I've seen and some incredibly brave and conceptually consistent filmmaking -- those tracking shots and the scene of Dietrich looking for Cooper upon his troop's return. I still probably prefer The Blue Angel, but this one pushes very close.

Luchino Visconti's Ossessione (1943)

Based on the same James M Cain novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, that led to two American films, this early film from one of Italian cinema's masters is a neorealist marvel. Detailed, beautifully observed, this seems like a key influence on Godard's Breathless, and many of the other French New Wave works.

Leo McCarey's The Awful Truth (1937)

I had seen this one about 15 years ago in a Parisian theater and had a mediocre reaction to it but man was I wrong. This has some of the greatest moments and exchanges of the entire period, particularly the final scene and almost every scene with Mr. Smith, the dog. I still may slightly prefer His Girl Friday, but this is undeniably a great work.

John Ford's The Long Voyage Home (1940)

I'm still somewhat new to Ford's work. I've probably seen less than ten of his films. But I'm starting to see more and more clearly the reason for his huge reputation. There is a depthfulness and heavy melancholy to some of his work that gives it the kind of heft I've experienced with some Ozu, Mizoguchi, Bresson, and Dreyer. Toland does some extraordinary things here. There are four or five completely gut-wrenching scenes, and there's a realism to a couple of the action set pieces that is absolutely masterful.

Ross McElwee's Sherman's March (1986)

Like Killer of Sheep and Stranger Than Paradise (and many others, of course), Sherman's March is a key work in the history of American independent filmmaking. But somehow it's just now come to my attention. Ross McElwee's film is absolutely not for everyone. It's lo-fi, quirky, slow, long, and even a bit austere in its approach. But it's also very personal, without ever really being abrasive or intimate, in an overly exposed way.

I'm always looking and thinking about ways to make my own work more personal without making it self-absorbed. It's a tough balance to strike. And whenever I find a filmmaker who can consistently entertain me while talking about themselves, I usually embrace their work (Woody Allen, for instance). Obviously, it's easier when the filmmaker has a comic streak; it just lightens the whole venture.

One of my favorite contemporary filmmakers is Andrew Bujalski, and particularly his film Funny Ha Ha. If you like that film, I highly recommend this documentary. Bujalski, like McElwee, really lets you in on his awkwardness, insecurities, anxieties, but he does it with real nuance, grace, and of course, occasional humor. Some would call both of these films mumblecore, I would simply call them very fine works by very patient and bold filmmakers.

Steven Spielberg's Munich (2005)

Some of my reservations with Spielberg are on display -- his questionable sense of humor, his lapses into sentimentality, and his taste in music. But it's also as clear as ever that when he puts his mind to it, his formal skills are up there with any of the masters. The action sequences -- the opening of the film, when Avner first flashes back to "Black Sunday" while asleep on the airplane, the phone bomb, the attempted killing in London, and the first murder in Italy -- are all incredible in their grace, energy, and effectiveness. In fact, they are probably the strongest set of action sequences I've seen since Heat. A film with several flaws -- overly wordy, overlong, and uneven. But when it's great, it's a classic.

Kiyoshi Kurosawa's Tokyo Sonata (2008)

Kurosawa's lightest and most accessible work I've seen. It's great to see the director working outside of genre and in territory that's already been masterfully done by Kitano (Fireworks) and Yang (Yi Yi). Restrained but lyrical with the best final scene I've seen all year. A wonderful film.

Les Inrockuptibles - Top 20 Films of 2010

2010-12-31T18:32:00.003-06:00

One of my favorite film perspectives, Les Inrockuptibles, publishes its top 20 films of 2010. Here it is:

http://www.lesinrocks.com/cine/cinema-article/t/57090/date/2010-12-31/article/le-top-20-des-films-2010/

Les Inrockuptibles - Top 50 Albums of 2010

2010-12-27T17:10:00.000-06:00

One of my guilty pleasures, the French cultural mag "Les Inrockuptibles", just released their top 50 albums of the year. I've been a bit out of the loop, music-wise, but their list will provide a decent guide as I attempt to play catch up a little.

Favorite (four), part seven

2010-12-09T07:53:00.001-06:00

Just like in my other six posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings. And most I have been glad to finally see, but only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Yasujiro Ozu's Late Spring
Another extraordinarily tender and wise film about life, relationships, and personal growth and evolution. Ozu keeps things minimal and spare, as usual. But whenever he goes outside he reminds us of his strong connection to nature and tremendous feeling and eye for the outdoors. Soft but packs a punch.

Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D.
Perhaps the film if you want to understand the bond between a dog and its owner. Moving, realistic, wise, and full of heart. A movie with a huge reputation, and rightfully so.

Craig Brewer's Hustle & Flow
Brewer brings both a tremendous vitality and heart to the film. And Howard's performance is delivered with such an amazing amount of conviction. Perhaps slightly messy and overwrought at times. But a film that deserved to put Brewer firmly on the map. It's also a film that hits on things such as the incredible vulnerability and anxiety that come with trying to be discovered and the grit and hustle necessary to achieve success in a creative profession.

John Ford's Mogambo
A flawed film, certainly. But a fever dream of a flick, with the painfully beautiful Grace Kelly, and some of the most suspenseful scenes in the history of cinema involving animals and humans. Nice to see Ford taking a break from the Irish thing and delivering this complex tale.

2010

2010-12-06T18:30:00.050-06:00

I skipped 2010 because there are too many key films from that year that I've yet to see. But I hope to have an entry soon. I will report here, in red, as I catch up with films from this year.

12/6/10 I watched Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer. Polanski keeps things moving in this fun, little witty confection. And Desplat adds tremendous mood, as he seems to always do when scoring pieces. The production design is also quite note-worthy. But all in all, a few too many implausible plot points for me and a pace that's almost so chipper as to completely discourage contemplation.

12/7/10 I watched Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island. A real mind-bender with many marvelous things to recommend - the acting, the camerawork, Scorsese's ear for music, the production design. But it left me cold by the end. I liked many of the ideas at work. I just felt that the film would have benefitted from a few more polishes, and perhaps a trim here and there.

12/20/10 I watched Banksy's Exit Through the Gift Shop. A bit too ironic and clever for my tastes. But I did enjoy Barrow's music much of the time.

1/12/11 I watched Lisa Cholodenko's The Kids Are All Right. There are so really wonderful moments. At times, I was watching and felt that Cholodenko was going into territory so sophisticated, so human, so delicate, and so rarely explored. But I rarely felt that she went all the way with these opportunities. Much of the resolutions did not feel earned, and some of it just felt downright trite. Bening of all of them felt most rooted in some reality and convinced me again that she's quite the interesting talent.

1/12/11 I watched David Fincher's The Social Network. So much is so compelling, and it's told in an almost manic reverse to Fincher's deliberate Zodiac. Eisenberg is perfectly cast, and Sorkin's script is often effortlessly sharp, breezy, and funny. All in all though, I had some issues, mainly Fincher's insistence on an overly controlled look and the fact that it all was pitched at such a brisk clip.

2/1/11 I watched Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman's Catfish. The first half or so I found very smart, breezy, effortlessly compelling and topical. But just like Angela couldn't really untangle herself, I didn't feel like the filmmakers really knew what to do once the story changed. All in all, just leaves you feeling cold and empty, and not very humanistic, in spite of the filmmakers' efforts.

2/4/11 I watched Derek Cianfrance's Blue Valentine. Ryan Gosling convinced me again that he's one of the most talented of his generation, and Cianfrance definitely convinces that he can write the hell out of certain scenes. I enjoyed it much more than I expected and only felt a little let down by the ending. The cross-cutting there seemed a little excessive and the final feelings all a bit anti-climatic.

2/4/11 I watched Mike Leigh's Another Year. Lesley Manville's Mary is among the richest characters I've seen in a long while, and Leigh delivers another human and finely observed tale. At times, I felt like Leigh's timing was off a little, dwelling too long on moments already ripe. But otherwise a strong outing for him.

2/11/11 I watched Tom Hooper's The King's Speech. Firth and Rush of course are excellent. And we can use some heroes right now, which the movie strongly delivers. But it's not a very artful movie. It's all kinda calculated and uninspired in terms of the filmmaking.

2/11/11 I watched David O. Russell's The Fighter. Bale proves that he's part Day-Lewis, part De Niro. The guy is an incredible talent. But the movie's not all that interesting really on any level.

2/16/11 I watched Davis Guggenheim's Waiting for 'Superman'. It's an important message, and I was glad to see the film. But Guggenheim's technique is sprawling and all feels a little disjointed and messy. Probably would have been more successful for me if he had chosen fewer kids to follow.

2/22/11 I watched Emmanuel Laurent's Two in the Wave. Not the most marvelous film ever. But it is a documentary about my favorite period in the history of cinema, The French New Wave, and it covers aspect of this wonderful movement that I've rarely seen on film, including Leaud's screen test for The 400 Blows. I consider the film's two main subjects, Godard and Truffaut, to be among the most passionate of anyone that has ever worked in the medium, and to this day for me they're both still huge influences and inspirations.

4/15/11 I watched Olivier Assayas' Carlos. There's some tremendous stuff on display here, like Edgar Ramirez's fearless performance and Assayas' introduction of post-punk to the crime film score conversation. But, as I often feel about Assayas, he needs a tripod at times and an editor always. It's just too long and can't truly sustain a 5 1/2 hour arc. That said, there are at least two or three scenes that are among Assayas' best ever, including the best action set piece I've seen in years, when Carlos shoots himself out of a small apartment arrest, killing five or six people in the process.

5/17/11 I watched Charles Ferguson's Inside Job. It's a powerful and utterly disturbing portrait of the events that led to 2008's global recession. Ferguson explains some of the chief causes in a very lucid manner, and he presents a very passionate attack on America's financial services industry. Whether or not you agree with all that he has to say, I would say this is a must-see, simply for the opportunity to get a further look at many of the chief players.

9/5/11 I watched Lee Chang-dong's Poetry. Another film that makes me feel that the two countries with the most interesting cinema right now are South Korea and Romania. By no means an easy work, this film ambles around, so soft and subtle in its approach that the viewer has to forge a different kind of relationship within the experience. My first Chang-dong viewing tells me that he's an incredibly patient filmmaker, unusually adept with actors and a humanist in the vein of the Dardennes and Rossellini. A bit too vague at times in his ramblings but a filmmaker employing methods of the highest rigor and truth.

9/30/11 I watched Apitchatpong Weerasethakul's Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives. I've struggled with the celebrated Thai director in the past, and this one is no exception. Although for the first time I can see a little bit what all the fuss is about. His films are incredibly distancing for me, slow without the visual penetration of Tarkovski or Hou Hsiao-hsien. This one has its lyrical moments though and flights of real poetry. It's just those other parts that really bog it down. W's naturalism, in particular, strikes me more as just ugly than expressive.

10/31/11 I watched Xavier Beauvois' Of Gods and Men. The first Beauvois film I've seen since N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir, and it's impressive to see how his style has evolved and matured. Terrific filmmaking with surprising austerity and restraint. I just wish the overall subject matter interested me a little more.

11/5/11 I watched Kelly Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff. A western somewhat in the vein of what Monte Hellman did with the genre. But Reichardt's cinema continues to frustrate me. Here my problems are extremely dark night-shooting and an ending that is as anti-climatic as the rest of the work. There's some nice mood at times here, but Reichardt is so defiantly lo-fi and lacking the transcendent touch of Ozu, Jarmusch, and Bresson, that her work makes me feel flat and unsinspired by the time it's over.

12/17/11 I watched Josh and Benny Safdie's Daddy Longlegs. Though I thought it a marked improvement from Safdie's previous feature, there's a defeatism at work here that I find pretty unappealing. Plus the fact that Bronstein's character never changes one inch during the entire piece ultimately leaves you hollow and wanting a narrative arc of any kind.

1/21/12 I watched Jean-Luc Godard's Film Socialisme. Among the most vital and visceral films of Godard's later period. It really feels intimate and personal, and you can feel Godard roaming through all the images (cinematic and lived) of his life.

2009

2010-12-06T18:30:00.045-06:00

I skipped 2009 because there are too many key films from that year that I've yet to see. But I hope to have an entry soon. I will report here, in red, as I catch up with films from this year.

12/8/10 I watched Oren Peli's Paranormal Activity. I was impressed, most of all, by its level of restraint, particularly the fact that Peli uses little to no music at all in the film. And, of course, I'm impressed by the tremendous amount of financial success the film was able to find. But, I can't say I found it neither very scary nor very compelling.

12/12/10 I watched Jane Campion's Bright Star. No shortage of beauty here. Campion proves once again that she's among the most poetic of all directors. Just look at the way she deals with small moments, colors, nature, music, clothes, texture, and movement. I never fully connected to this one emotionally. But I did admire Campion's formal talents yet again.

12/25/10 I watched Bradley Rust Gray's The Exploding Girl. I greatly admire Gray's rigor - fixed frames, absence of music, and overall spareness. But ultimately its austerity, mixed with Kazan's somewhat limited expressiveness, kept me at an undesirable distance.

1/15/11 I watched Maren Ade's Everyone Else. Ade's to be commended for taking a very adult and patient look at a thirty something relationship. Much of it feels finely observed and at times, Ade really feels like she's getting into some particularly astute but rarely seen territory, for instance, the feelings of awkardness and inferiority that Gitti has towards Hans and his wife. But the end felt a little forced, and there were other times where I felt that either the film was overlong or directionless.

1/16/11 I watched Marco Bellocchio's Vincere. Formally, it's the kind of big, somewhat impersonal period piece that I find a little distancing. But the acting's tremendous, and Bellocchio definitely keeps you engaged, trying to keep up with the story and where it might possibly be unfolding.

1/16/11 I watched Fatih Akin's Soul Kitchen. Had me laughing out loud at times, and has a decent amount of spunk and nice energy. But after awhile, its insistence on straight entertainment had me a little bored.

1/18/11 I watched Stephane Brize's Mademoiselle Chambon. It's an adult, sophisticated film that puts you through, along with its characters, some uncomfortable situations and emotions. Interesting in some of the ground it covers, and its approach to these delicate, human quandaries. But some of it felt unrealistic, particularly the wife's complete unwillingness to challenge or question Jean. And the music also at times was a bit heavy and ever-present for me.

1/22/11 I watched Ilisa Barbash's and Lucien Castaing-Taylor's Sweetgrass. Beautifully filmed and fairly interesting to see this subculture at work. But I found the film to have little to no shape and a distance that after awhile grew a little tiresome.

1/23/11 I watched Sebastian Silva's The Maid. I liked how it never went where I was expecting, and the warmth is a nice addition in the last third of the movie. Unfortunately though, the first half or so is so unrelentingly rough that I never fully recovered.

1/25/11 I watched Lone Scherfig's An Education. The camera loves Mulligan, and the script often takes you in places unexpected. A bit anti-climatic at the end though and at times its lightness can almost be so trivial as to offend.

1/29/11 I watched Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds. I rewatched this as I had seen it when it came out in the theater and wasn't as blown away by it as many of my peers. There are some fantastic moments, no doubt. But I still fail to see its towering greatness. It's very cold, at times not very entertaining, and simply not as satisfying as his first three features to me. Still I prefer it to everything since Jackie Brown.

3/20/11 I watched Rebecca Cammisa's Which Way Home. I was excited to see it as it bears some relationship to Peril. It's heartbreaking, for sure, but could use a little more structure and clarity. Some of it felt repetitious, while other sections were slightly confusing.

3/22/11 I watched Frazer Bradshaw's Everything Strange and New. Lackadaisical to the point of mostly feeling lifeless. I loved the scene where the two main characters watch the porno film. But otherwise, the monotonous tone left me feeling extremely detached.

4/20/11 I watched Corneliu Porumboiu's Police, Adjective. The new Romanian cinema has gotten much recent acclaim, and after seeing 4 Months... and this film it's easy to see why. What I find so striking about this film is its naturalism that runs in quite a different direction from the cinema of the Dardenne brothers. Porumboiu keeps the camera fixed in wide frames, as opposed to the handheld close-ups that seem to populate the work of the Dardenne brothers. Porumboiu also favors long takes in a way that we rarely see in the work of the Belgian filmmakers. The sense of humor of Porumboiu is quite effective and unexpected and other than perhaps the final ten minutes, I would have no hesitation declaring this one of the greatest of recent films, and a full-blown masterpiece.

5/12/11 I watched Damien Chazelle's Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench. It captures the playfulness and regard for beauty of the French New Wave, but without the depth of feeling. The two leads are charming, but when almost anyone else is on screen, it becomes a little grating.

6/15/11 I watched Mia Hansen Love's Father of My Children. I really loved the naturalism and seeming effortlessness of the first act, but then once the family tried to keep the father's business going, it all felt a little more forced. Will be an interesting filmmaker to watch, as will the young actress playing Clemence.

8/26/11 I watched Ben Steinbauer's Winnebago Man. Surpisingly thoughtful about the cult of new celebrity being created by the likes of the internet and YouTube. And exactly the kind of brave filmmaking I want to find in the indy world. A filmmaker following his instinct and finding a moving, complex subject along the way.

10/14/11 I watched Pedro Almodovar's Broken Embraces. There are some interesting moments, and it's fairly obvious we're in a great filmmaker's hands. But I just wish Almodovar's style wasn't so slick and glossy; it seems to run counter to his noir ambitions.

Quarry is back!

2010-12-06T11:37:00.001-06:00

I just got word from Max Allan Collins that his first five Quarry novels are back in print from a little house called Perfect Crime. You can find them all on Amazon -- QUARRY, QUARRY'S LIST, QUARRY'S DEAL, QUARRY'S CUT, and QUARRY'S VOTE. Quarry is one of my favorite noir characters and the inspiration for Price in THE LAST LULLABY. He has a laugh out loud sense of humor and is as smooth and clever as they come.

The Last Lullaby (in screenshot)

2010-12-03T07:15:00.001-06:00

The Last Lullaby has been honored by the wonderful screenshot series at the even more wonderful Moon in the Gutter blog. Very awesome. Thanks so much, Jeremy Richey:

http://mooninthegutter.blogspot.com/2010/12/operation-screenshot-jeffrey-goodmans.html

2011 Spirit Award Nominations

2010-12-02T14:58:00.000-06:00

Kinda like the independent film "Oscars", I always like to see what's being nominated for the Spirit Awards. Here's this year's list. I also always enjoy opening up Netflix and adding those films that I've yet to see:

2011 SPIRIT AWARD NOMINATIONS

BEST FEATURE (Award given to the Producer, Executive Producers are not listed)
127 Hours
Producers: Danny Boyle, Christian Colson, John Smithson
Black Swan
Producers: Scott Franklin, Mike Medavoy, Arnold W. Messer, Brian Oliver
Greenberg
Producers: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Scott Rudin
The Kids Are All Right
Producers: Gary Gilbert, Philippe Hellmann, Jordan Horowitz, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte, Celine Rattray, Daniela Taplin Lundberg
Winter’s Bone
Producers: Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Anne Rosellini

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky - Black Swan
Danny Boyle - 127 Hours
Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik - Winter’s Bone
John Cameron Mitchell - Rabbit Hole

BEST SCREENPLAY
Stuart Blumberg, Lisa Cholodenko - The Kids Are All Right
Debra Granik, Anne Rosellini - Winter’s Bone
Nicole Holofcener - Please Give
David Lindsay-Abaire - Rabbit Hole
Todd Solondz - Life During Wartime

BEST FIRST FEATURE (Award given to the director and producer)
Everything Strange and New - Director: Frazer Bradshaw, Producers: A.D. Liano, Laura Techera Francia
Get Low - Director: Aaron Schneider , Producers: David Gundlach, Dean Zanuck
Night Catches Us - Director: Tanya Hamilton , Producers: Sean Costello, Jason Orans, Ronald Simons
The Last Exorcism - Director: Daniel Stamm , Producers: Marc Abraham, Tom Bliss, Eric Newman, Eli Roth
Tiny Furniture - Director: Lena Dunham , Producers: Kyle Martin, Alicia Van Couvering

BEST FIRST SCREENPLAY
Diane Bell - Obselidia
Lena Dunham - Tiny Furniture
Nik Fackler - Lovely, Still
Bob Glaudini - Jack Goes Boating
Dana Adam Shapiro, Evan M. Wiener - Monogamy

JOHN CASSAVETES AWARD - Given to the best feature made for under $500,000. Award given to the writer, director, and producer. Executive Producers are not listed
Daddy Longlegs
Writer/Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie
Producers: Casey Neistat, Tom Scott
Lbs.
Director: Matthew Bonifacio
Writer/Producers: Matthew Bonifacio, Carmine Famiglietti
Lovers of Hate
Writer/Director: Bryan Poyser
Producer: Megan Gilbride
Obselidia
Writer/Director: Diane Bell
Producers: Chris Byrne, Mathew Medlin
The Exploding Girl
Writer/Director: Bradley Rust Gray
Producers: Karin Chien, Ben Howe, So Yong Kim

BEST FEMALE LEAD
Annette Bening - The Kids Are All Right
Greta Gerwig - Greenberg
Nicole Kidman - Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence - Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman - Black Swan
Michelle Williams - Blue Valentine

BEST MALE LEAD
Ronald Bronstein - Daddy Longlegs
Aaron Eckhart - Rabbit Hole
James Franco - 127 Hours
John C. Reilly - Cyrus
Ben Stiller - Greenberg

BEST SUPPORTING FEMALE
Ashley Bell - The Last Exorcism
Dale Dickey - Winter’s Bone
Allison Janney - Life During Wartime
Daphne Rubin-Vega - Jack Goes Boating
Naomi Watts - Mother and Child

BEST SUPPORTING MALE
John Hawkes - Winter’s Bone
Samuel L. Jackson - Mother and Child
Bill Murray - Get Low
John Ortiz - Jack Goes Boating
Mark Ruffalo - The Kids Are All Right

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Adam Kimmel - Never Let Me Go
Matthew Libatique - Black Swan
Jody Lee Lipes - Tiny Furniture
Michael McDonough - Winter’s Bone
Harris Savides - Greenberg

BEST DOCUMENTARY (Award given to the director)
Exit Through the Gift Shop
Director: Banksy
Marwencol
Director: Jeff Malmberg
Restrepo
Directors: Tim Hetherington, Sebastian Junger
Sweetgrass
Directors: Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor
Thunder Soul
Director: Mark Landsman

BEST FOREIGN FILM (Award given to the director)
Kisses (Ireland)
Director: Lance Daly
Mademoiselle Chambon (France)
Director: Stéphane Brizé
Of Gods and Men (France)
Director: Xavier Beauvois
The King’s Speech
(United Kingdom)
Director: Tom Hooper
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand)
Director: Apichatpong Weerasethakul

ACURA SOMEONE TO WATCH AWARD – The 17th annual Acura Someone to Watch Award recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Acura.
Hossein Keshavarz
Dog Sweat
Laurel Nakadate
The Wolf Knife
Mike Ott
Littlerock

PIAGET PRODUCERS AWARD – The 14th annual Piaget Producers Award honors emerging producers who, despite highly limited resources demonstrate the creativity, tenacity, and vision required to produce quality, independent films. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by Piaget.
In-Ah Lee
Au Revoir Taipei
Adele Romanski
The Myth of the American Sleepover
Anish Savjani
Meek’s Cutoff

AVEENO® TRUER THAN FICTION AWARD – The 16th annual AVEENO® Truer Than Fiction Award is presented to an emerging director of non-fiction features who has not yet received significant recognition. The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant funded by AVEENO®.
Ilisa Barbash, Lucien Castaing-Taylor - Sweetgrass
Jeff Malmberg - Marwencol
Lynn True, Nelson Walker - Summer Pasture

ROBERT ALTMAN AWARD - (Given to one film’s director, casting director, and its ensemble cast)
Please Give
Director: Nicole Holofcener

Casting Director: Jeanne McCarthy

Ensemble Cast: Ann Guilbert, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Keener, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Lois Smith, Sarah Steele

latest LULLABY (and) PERIL update

2010-12-01T09:18:00.004-06:00

About once a month, I send out e-mail updates on my two feature-length films, The Last Lullaby (and) Peril. If you would like to receive these, just send an e-mail to either register@thelastlullaby.com or register@perilthemovie.com

Here's the most recent update:

THE LAST LULLABY (AND) PERIL UPDATE
November 20, 2010

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

- News

- Five-Year Area Film Industry Report

- Facebook Fan Pages!

- Other Fun Stuff

News

A few nice things have happened in the last
couple of months. Sasha Alexander's new TV
show, Rizzoli & Isles, continues to create
a new buzz and audience around The Last Lullaby.
Almost every day someone in the blogosphere or
Twitter is talking about our film. Recently,
one of these great sites approached me and asked
me to do an interview. Here it is. I thought
they did a really fantastic job with it:

http://rizzlesgirls.blogspot.com/2010/11/jeffrey-goodman-sits-down-on-couch.html

I also recently did an audio interview with the
great Clinton Stark on Stark Insider. As
always, Clinton hits the right notes and keeps
the interview smart and moving along:

http://www.starkinsider.com/2010/10/stark-insider-film-director-jeffrey-goodman.html

Finally, I'm happy to announce that my
MovieMaker blog, "I Found It At The Movies",
has re-started after a six-month hiatus.
You can follow it here:

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

Five-Year Area Film Industry Report

I have been back in Louisiana since early 2005,
and the film industry has been in the northern
part of the state, in a significant way, since
early September 2005. This area's film industry
is about five years old now, and I thought it
was time to put a report together. I am
delivering this talk in several venues throughout
north Louisiana. If you are part of an
organization that would be interested in hearing
this report, please let me know. I think it's
the most important talk I've put together to date.

Facebook Fan Pages!

I am currently putting the money together for my
next film, Peril. Things are progressing very
well with it. And even though I don't know
exactly when we will start pre-production,
significant progress is being made every month.

In the meantime, I am continuing to grow the
audience around both Peril and The Last Lullaby.
If you haven't already, please take a second to
join our Facebook Fan Pages for Peril and
Lullaby:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peril/266972237358?ref=ts

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Last-Lullaby/19456164241?ref=ts

Just click on the links above and then click
"Like!"

Other Fun Stuff

Over at the LULLABY/PERIL blog, I am writing
more than ever about the films I'm watching as
I prepare for Peril and the films ahead. I'm
really enjoying this blog and think that some
of you might enjoy some of the posts, as well.
Come visit me and drop me a comment if you want
to discuss anything.

Also, as mentioned in previous updates, I have
created several other places for people to begin
following PERIL. Here are all the different places
we have so far. I hope that many of you will
join us:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Peril/266972237358?ref=ts
http://twitter.com/chaillotfilms

http://cahierspositif.blogspot.com/

e-mail updates
(simply send an e-mail to
register@perilthemovie.com)

I want to thank you all for your incredible
support. I really couldn't be more
excited about the road ahead.

As always, if you have any questions, hit
reply and your e-mail will come to me.
Please keep spreading the word! You guys
are the best.

Jeffrey Goodman
Director
THE LAST LULLABY (AND) PERIL
www.thelastlullaby.com
Chaillot Films

The Kinks

2010-11-28T17:04:00.000-06:00

I've never owned an album by The Kinks, and am now determined to take the plunge. But I need your help. Where would you start? What would be the first album you'd buy if you were looking to get into The Kinks and learn more about all the fuss?

MovieMaker's back, and a great, new LULLABY interview

2010-11-24T07:30:00.001-06:00

After an almost six-month hiatus, I'm excited to announce that my blog for MovieMaker is back. It will probably be published a couple of times a week:

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

Also, of note, is a wonderful new interview about Sasha Alexander and The Last Lullaby by some great fans of Sasha's new TV show, Rizzoli & Isles:

http://rizzlesgirls.blogspot.com/2010/11/jeffrey-goodman-sits-down-on-couch.html

Favorite (four), part six

2010-11-17T17:36:00.001-06:00

Just like in my other five posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings. And most I have been glad to finally see, but only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's The Red Shoes
Powell believed in beauty. And Powell believed in art. And this is about as beautiful a film about art, creation, and the artist's life as any I've ever seen. Walbrook and Shearer's performances are otherworldly.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz's House of Strangers
Richard Conte's great and so is Edward G. Robinson (in fact, they both deliver two of their more memorable performances). Another key to The Godfather and Mean Streets, and at times, downright classic.

Nicholas Ray's They Live by Night
Finally, I understand all the fuss. It's an incredible debut and now up there among my favorite noirs. Bowie and Keechie's chemistry is amazing, and there's something tremendously compelling about both Granger and O'Donnell. Ray keeps things moving and shows off his inventive eye in a number of different scenes. And he demonstrates that he has a real poetic connection and understanding of the outdoors. A wonderful fatalistic build-up near the end rounds up a very, very good film.

Samuel Fuller's The Steel Helmet
Fuller's expressionistic style and inventiveness under constrained circumstances (apparently a ten day shooting schedule) elevate this film to great interest. Raw and full of engaged subtext, an incredibly original work for its time. And with at least one classic line, "If you die, I'll kill you."

Some Artists I'd Love to Document (or see a great document on...)

2010-10-29T07:49:00.000-05:00

I don't know if you guys do this, but there are several moments in film and music that I'm obsessed with, of which I've yet to find a perfect film document. Some that come to mind are:

The Beastie Boys circa Paul's Boutique
The French New Wave circa 1955-1962
Talk Talk circa Laughing Stock
John Coltrane circa A Love Supreme
Massive Attack circa Blue Lines
Wim Wenders circa Kings of the Road
Abbas Kiarostami in the late eighties/early nineties
Leos Carax in the mid eighties
Bjorn Borg circa the late seventies
The Smiths in the eighties
Bob Dylan circa the early sixties (pre Don't Look Back)

If I ever foray into documentary filmmaking, these would probably be the first places I'd look into doing something.

The riches of Post-Punk

2010-10-22T08:09:00.003-05:00

How many great songs and bands emerged in the so-called post-punk era. I'm still getting around to catching up (30 years later!) with most of them. But no other period of music is doing it for me as much as this one right now. Bands like Public Image Limited, Wire, Joy Division, Pere Ubu, Mission of Burma, The Fall, Gang of Four, New Order, and Echo & the Bunnymen.

Here's a great song I just recently discovered. I listen to it like I eat Triscuits. Can't do it just once.

Echo & the Bunnymen: Monkeys (listen on Youtube)

Favorite (four), part five

2010-10-17T09:58:00.003-05:00

Just like in my other four posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings. And most I have been glad to finally see, but only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's A Matter of Life and Death
The most ambitious of the lot and the one that consistently made me in absolute awe of its sheer technical accomplishment. Reminded me of some of Kubrick's more mind-blowing art direction and kept me repeatedly saying to myself, "I can't believe they just did that." Probably not the most emotionally satisfying of the Powell/Pressburger films, but the formal accomplishment needs to be seen.

David Lean's Great Expectations
I've never read the novel so the twists and turns of the story were particularly affecting. Lean demonstrates his acute visual sense and his wonderful ability with actors. I felt this one, I admired this one, and I thought it not only underrated, but completely satisfying.

Abraham Polonsky's Force of Evil
A real masterpiece in my book. I've long known it to be one of Scorsese's favorite films, but I just got around to seeing it for the first time. Its visual naturalism is stunning and its raw power quite special. Seems to be a key link to The Godfather. (In fact, McCluskey's death and the way that Coppola handles it seem to come almost verbatim from this earlier film.) Also seems to have influenced Mean Streets and the noir texture of some of the early Nouvelle Vague films. It's tragic that Polonsky didn't have the opportunity to direct more for with this one he left us a real gem.

Lewis Milestone's The Strange Love of Martha Ivers
Milestone might not do anything particularly flashy. But he captures the noir spirit and keeps this one plowing ahead, always in sync with the dark, complex, and rough noir tradition. One of the great noir endings and certainly one of its better cast. A noir that deserves to be a part of the dialogue and history.

Favorite (four), part four

2010-10-06T09:07:00.004-05:00

Just like in my other three posts thus far in this series, I want to take a second to single out the highlights of my recent film viewing. I'm trying right now to take in almost a film a day. Most have been first-time viewings. And most I have been glad to finally see, but only very few have stayed with me. This series is my filter for those (and hopefully one or two of these will be good to someone else, too).

Mark Robson's The Seventh Victim
Another one of Val Lewton's lo-fi horror films. This one though is actually as much noir in spirit as it is horror. And it's a tremendously compact, atmospheric, suggestive film that packs a real punch. Of all the Lewton films I've seen so far, this one is my favorite.

Luchino Visconti's Ossessione
Based on the same James M Cain novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice, that led to two American films, this early film from one of Italian cinema's masters is a neorealist marvel. Detailed, beautifully observed, this seems like a key influence on Godard's Breathless, and many of the other early French New Wave works.

Carl Theodor Dreyer's Day of Wrath
Dreyer makes films that feel like six or seven-course meals. This one is heavy, hard-hitting, and gets under your skin in a robust kinda way. I can't say I liked it as much as a few of his other films. But those few other films are among my favorite of all time.

William Wellman's The Ox-Bow Incident
Interesting to think how much of an influence it might have had on both the tone and look of Jarmusch's Dead Man. The dialogue and feel of the film is stunningly modern at times. And it once again confirmed how much the war factored in as subtext to the majority of films made during WWII.

Nice Article/Interview on Lullaby (and) Peril

2010-10-05T11:45:00.002-05:00

Great piece from yesterday's conversation with Clinton Stark from StarkSilverCreek - All Things West Coast on Stark Insider. Awesome article and audio interview. Thanks, Clint!

http://www.starkinsider.com/2010/10/stark-insider-film-director-jeffrey-goodman.html

15 Actresses

2010-10-05T06:45:00.000-05:00

Just like my previous posts on albums, movies, directors, and actors, here are the first 15 actresses that come to mind. Would love to hear your various lists.

1. Anna Karina
2. Marlene Dietrich
3. Rita Hayworth
4. Joan Fontaine
5. Ava Gardner
6. Jean Seberg
7. Angie Dickinson
8. Brigitte Bardot
9. Nicole Kidman
10. Anouk Aimee
11. Audrey Hepburn
12. Grace Kelly
13. Julie Christie
14. Marie Riviere
15. Melanie Griffith

15 Actors

2010-10-04T07:18:00.001-05:00

Like my previous posts on albums, movies, and directors, I wanted to single out the first 15 actors that come to mind. These are only the men. I'll focus on the women in a future post.

1. Jean Gabin
2. Jean-Paul Belmondo
3. Al Pacino
4. Cary Grant
5. Marlon Brando
6. Robert De Niro
7. Jimmy Stewart
8. James Cagney
9. Humphrey Bogart
10. Burt Lancaster
11. Michel Simon
12. Gene Hackman
13. Charlie Chaplin
14. Jack Nicholson
15. Montgomery Clift

Mix Tapes and some more Morning Music

2010-09-30T07:16:00.003-05:00

I've always been drawn to making mix tapes for friends and loved ones. I've even been known to do one for myself now and again. It's been awhile since I've done any, but last week I started dabbling again and made a couple. Here's one of my favorite songs from one of 'em.

Grizzly Bear: On a Neck, On a Spit (Listen to it on Youtube)

15 Directors

2010-09-29T06:45:00.000-05:00

Like my previous Albums and Movies post, I jumped on the 15 directors note that was floating around Facebook. Here was my crack at it:

1. Jean-Luc Godard
2. Howard Hawks
3. Raoul Walsh
4. David Gordon Green
5. Robert Bresson
6. Jean Renoir
7. Abbas Kiarostami
8. William Friedkin
9. Michael Mann
10. George Cukor
11. Brian De Palma
12. Andrew Bujalski
13. Roberto Rossellini
14. Hal Ashby
15. Wim Wenders

A little music never hurt anyone

2010-09-28T16:28:00.003-05:00

My song of the day. I like how cinematic it is.

Unkle: Trouble in Paradise (see on Youtube)