1989 - The Departed

I'm on this kick of re-watching epic/long films right now that I'm working from home. I love this film - it has such an amazing energy to it - I think it's my favorite Scorsese film, and that might just be because this is one of the rare times that he actually tells a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end.  If you don't know anything about this film - it's got a pretty fantastic plot - DiCaprio plays an undercover cop whose infiltrated the mob, and Damon is part of a crime family and has infiltrated the high-level of the police.  It's such a juicy story, and it's done SO well here.  The performances are top notch and a lot of fun.  Filmmakers studying awesome set-ups should check out the opening of this film - it's text book perfection.  Who knows if I'll ever make a crime film, but if I do this one will be a huge reference for me.  If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and make up for that.

1936 - Project Greenlight: season three

And so comes the final Project Greenlight season.  Which is a shame - this is porn for me.  I love it.  I love watching it especially during prep - it's like comfort food that's both inspiring and makes me feel good about myself.  This season produced that most successful film - and easily the best of the series as well.  It's a very different journey to watch, which is nice for the series that it doesn't feel like it retreads.  I wish they would release this on DVD as I had to watch it via snippets of episodes through YouTube and this fantastic playlist: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL00B4BE77F243C98B
So if you haven't seen this edition give it a go, and if this is your first venture into Project Greenlight, there's no bad season to start with and you can absolutely watch the season in whatever order you choose.  Enjoy - I highly recommend!

1935 - Project Greenlight: season two

I can't explain why - but whenever I'm in deep pre-production on a project I want to re-watch this series while doing paperwork or shotlists.  I think it helps prepare me, and also make me feel better that I seem to be better prepared and equipped than this folks.
For those who don't know, this was a reality series that HBO did with Chris Moore, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon, where they held a contest to help find talent outside of the Hollywood system.  It's comfort food for me.  Any film nerd or person who likes behind the scenes stuff, you can't do much better than this - it's completely fascinating and frustrating at the same time.  And I think I might have just tracked down a way to watch the third season (finally!)
Watch it, learn from it - don't repeat their fuck-ups :)

1736 - Project Greenlight: season one

Like I said when I re-watched the second season on this show, I find these highly rewatchable and highly addictive.  Especially when I'm doing some prep work and wanting something fun in the background. 
I can't imagine making a film, let alone a first feature, under the microscope that this series requires.  I really enjoy behind the scenes stuff and this show does it so well.  It just doesn't feel set-up at all - like we're just watching a wonderful train wreck.  It's the power of editing, but this season highlights a lot of the film's personalities good and bad and it feels... honest?
I don't think Pete Jones is a talented writer or director.  I partly feel like he was picked because he'd make good television fodder (and he did!).  I think their selection process was corrected by the second time around, and it's a shame that this only went 3 seasons (why, oh why, have they never released a DVD of it... :( ). 
If you like the magic behind moving making, this is a great show to watch - and it's extra entertaining considering all the fuck-ups and how much of a little bitch Pete Jones can be.  I'd like to think that a lot of the things I do, it's because I saw Pete Jones doing it wrong first here.  So thanks Pete!  I appreciate the help wherever I can get it!

1731 - Project Greenlight: season two

I started rewatching this series last week when I was doing prep for our weekend shoot for Sex After Kids.  It's a ridiculously addictive show and I always end up watching it in marathon blocks.  I've got the first two seasons (bastards never released the third on DVD that I've been able to find :( ). 
Being right in the thick of making my second independent feature film there's a certain pride I take in watching this show and seeing them bitch about how they've only got $1M dollars to make their movie.  Boo-fucking-hoo.  They probably spend more on lunch their first day then we're spending on our entire thing.  Not that I'd turn away from a chance to make a film with a (proper) budget, but there's also a lot of waste on film and television sets.  People tend to want and need things just because they've always had them as opposed to really, actually, needing them. 
This season was different from the first in that they had separate competitions for directors and writers.  I still wonder how much of their casting is about picking the contestants that'll be the most entertaining on screen.  I'm sure they'd like to make a decent film out of the whole thing, but I imagine that the TV show does more revenue and is, therefore, more important.
If you're a film nerd and interested in behind the scenes of making a film, there's few things as indepth as these.  Check 'em out if you can find them!

1482 - True Grit

I've been a little hit or miss on the Coens in the last few films. There have been a lot of stuff that I liked about them, but none of them completely won me over. And then comes True Grit, not a remake of The Duke's, but an adaptation of the same source.
This film is full of brilliant actors that are invisible, hidden inside of their characters. Bridges, Damon, Pepper, Brolin, and the extremely talented young Hailee Steinfeld make this possibly the best casted film this year - or at least he best acted. This is a film where every performance, big and small, is a work of art - even the smallest of characters.
The production design, costumes, make-ups, just the way that the men's mustaches are stained ever so slightly from tobacco, the attention to detail is startling. Deakens does some of his best work behind the camera here.
I was surprised just how accessible this film was made, how satisfying. I've always liked the Coens, but when I walked into this film I had no idea that I was about to watch their best film to date - and that's what this is. I can't imagine it won't get the attention that it deserves.
Do yourself a favor and see this film.

1393 - Gerry

I have got a stack of films on my desk that is embarrassingly high. I have a bad habit of going on sprees where I buy a shitload of films, and they never get watched. So now I've taken to making a stack of films I own that I haven't watched, and I'm not allowed to watch anything else until I get through the stack. I picked this up back in the winter when the Blockbuster on Spadina closed down. I knew what I was going into when I watched this film, in fact I think I was expecting a little bit more Samuel Beckett. It's gorgeous, for sure. And Damon and Affleck carry the entire thing well. There are some wonderful stand out sequences, including one with Affleck stuck up on a rock. It's easy to look at this and say that nothing happens, but it's enjoyable nonetheless. I have my theories about the ending, but I won't spoil anything here. If you like films that are a bit non-traditional you'll probably enjoy this one, otherwise you might want to avoid it.