1818 - Amy George

The two guys that made this film (Yonah Lewis & Calvin Thomas) were part of what inspired me to make Sex After Kids through crowd-funding.  I contributed to their new film and part of that was the DVD for this one, which arrived today much to my excitement.
I'm not going to get into how awesome it is that two people as young as these filmmakers not only made something but got it into TIFF.  That's been written about.  If you head over to the film's website they self-describe it as a "dimly-lit, glacially-paced movie experience", and while that description isn't wrong, it doesn't do the film justice (and points to them for realizing that their film fits into a niche). 
The film is about a young boy at the age where young boys aren't all that likeable.  And here they've got a tremendous performance out of Gabriel del Castrillo Mullally.  The idea of working with someone this young would terrify most filmmakers, but this film wisely builds a performance around it.  I loved the real-life-couple parents played by Claudia Day and Don Kerr. 
Visually the film is lovely, and the soundtrack flows wonderfully along with it.  I can't say that this is the type of film that I generally love, but when I'm in the right mood it can be just the right thing.  This is also the kind of film that I think requires a few repeat viewings to enjoy the subtleties.  It's not easy subject matter, by any stretch of the imagination, but it's worth checking out and I hope it gets a wider release.  I look forward to seeing what Yonah and Calvin pull off with their next opus.

1802 - Sex After Kids

Am I reviewing my own film?  No.  But I always do a write up following a first public screening, so here it is. 
I'd love to say that it was a long road to get this film here, but it wasn't really - not when you compare it to most films.  It was just a few days more than a year ago that I even decided that I wanted to make a film about this subject - and now here we are, a very successful world premiere under our belts, and we continue moving forward.
We had our World Premiere last Saturday at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival to a sold-out audience.  They actually had to turn people away, which is sad, but kind of awesome as well.  It's nice to be a part of something that people are really excited to see!  The audience had a great reaction and the room was full of laughter.  We had a great Q&A after the screening, and just a general good time over-all. 
In lieu of doing my own review I'm going to attach some comments that have been posted on Santa Barbara's site.  Here's the link to it and feel free to go and rank the film yourself: 
http://sbiff.festivalgenius.com/2013/films/sexafterkids_jeremylalonde_sbiff2013

Like LaLonde's previous film, this is a funny, yet mature and touching film that will undoubtedly nip and tug at some sort of core emotion in many people.

What a fantastic movie! Funny, edgy, raw and yet touching. My husband and I laughed until we cried. Jeremy Lalonde has taken an ensemble cast of extremely talented actors and actresses and made a gem of a movie!

So often in ensemble films, certain plot lines get pushed aside in favor of others, so it was great to see a movie where every family is given pretty much equal importance and screen time. Witty dialogue, likeable characters, and a realistic premise make for a feel good film.

Okay - enough self congratulations.  If you're in the southern states - we've still got two screenings this upcoming weekend in Santa Barbara - get your ass out!

1764 - Young Adult

Holy shit it's been a long time since I've watched an actual film.  Spending my evenings on Sex After Kids has kept me more-or-less away from cinema, but since I had a break tonight I thought I'd treat myself to a film I've been meaning to see for quite some time. 
I'm a big fan of a lot of the people involved in this film, and I'd yet to see a Jason Reitman film I hadn't liked.  Let's cut the shit - we all know that Charlize Theron is a pretty damn attractive woman, but she's also one that's not scared to look or be ugly in a film, and so for a guy like me, that makes her all the more attractive.  She plays a pretty despicable person here and it works because she does it in such a fascinating way that you just can't wait to see what she'll do next.  At first I wondered, what does she really see in the Patrick Wilson character, but then it started to make more sense to me - he's not the point - he's kind of a loser himself - her issue is her bullshit ties to the past and I can identify with that.  Patton Oswalt was pretty damn great here as well and I can understand why a lot of people think he was robbed from some award nominations.
For those who see the Diablo Cody/Reitman reunion please know that this film and Juno are pretty far removed from one another - this one is a little more difficult to swallow - it's not about selfish people becoming better people - it's more about selfish people realizing that they need to be less shitty and move the hell on.  It's not the kind of film I think I'll ever need to own or revisit, but I'm glad I finally caught it all the same!

1759 - True Blood: season five

This could very well be a record low for me in terms of this blog.  As most of you regular readers know I've spent this summer making my second feature film Sex After Kids, and so with that my evenings and weekends essentially disappeared - and now that I'm in post-production it's not much better.  I expect that later this fall I'll be catching up on my viewing in a major way so stay tuned for that!
In the mean time, True Blood!  True Blood is a messy show, and it's not just because of all the sexy gore.  It's pretty famous for starting seasons with a bunch of seemingly random and pointless storylines, and then finding a (usually pretty neat) way of getting them all together by the end.  But sometimes they just have terrible storylines like Terry and his war-ghost thing.  If this show was a hamburger, that would have been the bread crumbs you put in when you just don't have enough of the good stuff to make it a proper meal. 
I'm going to get into some SPOILERS, so avoid the rest of this if you're not caught up on this season.  This season was more-or-less about the looking war between humans and... everyone else, I suppose.  They showed it in a nice small way with a hate-monger group, and that was a good indication about how there were probably groups of people like this all around.  We got re-introduced to a newly vamped Rev. Steve Newland (awesome), as well as big-bad Russel (who went out in about as anti-climatic a way as possible).  The surprising highlight of this season for me was Tara as a vampire.  I never thought Tara would become one of the most interesting characters on this show, but they did a phenomenal turn-around with her.  And the decision to have the slow-play between her and Pam was just pure wonderful.  Can't wait to see more of them.  Eric is probably my real favorite character - he's the most complex - not a villain, not a hero, but he's got a good heart beneath it all.  He gives a shit when it counts, but he's not afraid to get his hands dirty.
Another one of the stronger character moves was slowing turning Bill from this pansy vampire that we first met into... well, I can only assume that he's going to be almost pure villain when we return next season.  It would have been a complete shock to have killed him all together - but the choice they've made here, if done properly, is pretty damn delightful.
I don't love this show, but it's absolutely a guilty pleasure of mine.  If you want to see a wonderfully campy soap opera about vampires, werewolves, and other creatures in the deep south - it doesn't get much more fun than this.

1757 - The 40 Year Old Virgin (commentary)

I've been getting my studio space set up for editing my new film Sex After Kids, so I threw this on in the background with the commentary which includes a ridiculously large amount of people.  It's interesting listening to commentaries with actors because you very quickly get a sense of who are interesting and fun people, and who are very desperately trying to be as interesting and fun as the people whom it comes naturally to.  It's goddamn awkward to listen to sometimes.  As I'm going to be working around the studio for the next few days in the evening there's a good chance I'll check out the commentaries on the other Apatow films as well.
Part of the issue with watching an Apatow film on DVD is that you never get the theatrical cut, you get his bloated version - which isn't a bad thing - but it's tricky to make a comedy really work after it's pushing two hours.  It's interesting to hear them on the commentary talking about how most of the crew had no idea how they were going to possibly string this thing into a film in the end.  A large part of what Judd does is he slaps down two cameras and just has the actors throw a bunch of stuff out and see what happens.  I can see how this could work quite well, but it's also a reason that the visual style of the film is pretty damn ugly.  It looks like a badly shot three-camera-sitcom in some scenes - which I'm not sure if I noticed before. 
The commentary doesn't offer a whole lot of insight into their productions, but it is entertaining if you like this group of people.  If you don't, then steer clear. 

www.jeremylalonde.com

Greetings all!  I've finally redone my website - which I was hating on quite a bit for the longest time and it just became that thing that I didn't want to deal with...
So check it out - I've uploaded stills from all my films - more from Sex After Kids will be coming soon.  There's some videos on there, including a short I did years ago called Hoff's New Direction.  But most importantly I'll be starting a NEW BLOG!  I'm not abandoning this one, but I'll be using the one on my main website to talk more about my creative process, projects, and myself in the industry, where I'll keep using this blog to talk about the stuff I'm watching, reading, etc... My goal will be to update it once a week or so.  People were complaining that all my film news was getting lost in the other posts here so I thought I'd make it cleaner for all of you!  So check back often - I've got something else I'm cooking up that I hope to start releasing in the fall...

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!

1725 - The Outsider

I stumbled about this randomly on Netflix.  It's a behind-the-scenes doc about director James Toback being given $2M to make a feature film, When Will I Be Loved - but the catch is that he's only for three weeks to do so.  Being that I'm in the midst of making a little film myself (but not nearly at that budget level), I was obviously interested. 
I've liked pretty much everything of Toback's that I've seen.  I can't say that this really gives insight into his creative process, although there's part of that there.  It's more a film about his character and how he interacts with others.  Sometimes wonderfully and sometimes harshly.  It feels more found-footage than carefully planned - although given that the filmmakers are running wild trying to make it work it's no surprise that this is the same kind of feel.  I suppose that I was a little let down in that I didn't feel like I walked away learning something as a filmmaker that I could use and apply to my own work.  No little tidbits, tricks, or techniques.  Shame really since I'm sure this guy is a locker full of tricks.  Alas.  And the film never really played upon the stress and the quickness with which he'd have to make it.  A tad lifeless if I'm being completely honest.  It's got some great interview subjects as you can see in the labels below.  I'd say if you're interested in the guy at all, it's totally worth checking out.  Anyone not already converted can probably let this one guy...

1724 - That Moment (Magnolia Diary)

You could say that this technically isn't a movie or a television show, or even a documentary.  It's a special feature on the Magnolia DVD, and to be honest, it's easily my favourite special feature on any film that I've seen.  It's over an hour long and it's the most entertaining behind the scenes of a film that I've ever see.  Everyone is so honest and authentic, and they have a sense of humour about it all.  Wanted to re-watch it as a reference for what some people want to do for Sex After Kids.  If you own the Magnolia DVD and you've never seen this it's a real treat - especially for any Paul Thomas Anderson fans.  I've probably re-watched this more than the film itself.

1717 - (500) Days of Summer

Another film I wanted to check out for a visual reference for my upcoming film.  Decided to watch it with the commentary on (which wasn't anything really special, sadly). 
Zooey and Joseph are two of the most adorable actors of their generation and they continue to be so here.  What's interesting about this film visually is that, well clearly they had a decent enough budget, however you can see where they really put the money up on the screen, and then other areas wherein they kept it simple.  What I do like about this is the blend of lighting as reality, and that things are allowed to be a little dark and reflective of the characters mind sets. 
Now I want to watch the film again with the commentary off (and I might just do so in the near future...).  If you like rom-coms with a dash of coming-of-age that aren't scared to go with an honest emotion, there's a lot to like in this film.  Give it a go.  I believe it's still on Netflix...

1716 - Crazy, Stupid, Love

I really liked this when I first saw it, and I liked it even more this time.  The writing is absolutely exceptional - especially for this genre.  Each single character really pops in a fun way.  It's emotional and charming, clever yet honest.  It's no surprise that this cast came aboard this film.  I like how this film handles it's multiple shorelines, and I'm engaged in each one, never wanting to be back in the other, always happy exactly where I am at each moment of the film. 
I'm re-watching a lot of more "talky" films that I love recently just to really take a look at how they up the visuals despite the dialogue heavy script.  This film in particular is fairly stylized for this kind of film.  A film like this has a ridiculously higher budget than what we'll be working with, but it's a good reference none the less.
If you haven't seen this film you really owe it to yourself, especially if you're a fan of any of the cast (Emma Stone is amazing) or just romantic comedies in general.  It's absolutely delightful.

1712 - Chasing Amy

Its been a long time since I've seen this film (fun fact - it was the first DVD I ever bought!) and I didn't think I'd be revisiting it while gearing up for Sex After Kids, but here we are.  Kevin Smith was never considered a particularly strong visual filmmaker - and especially not in this time period of his career.  More often than not he just lets the camera run and the actors do their thing.  And while this film is not visually appealing it doesn't take away from the impact either.  It's funny watching this now, the script itself is a bit weak in terms of how 'speecy' it is.  There's kind of a lack of flow while characters are far more verbose than they ever actually need be.  I love a lot of it, but someone really needed to go through this script and be a bit brutal about the speeches.  A lot more could be said with a little.
That being said I still enjoy this and likely always will.  It was a shame that it didn't do more for Adams, as I think she's pretty wonderful here.  If you've never see it it's absolutely classic Kevin Smith, and it's also probably his artiest, more engaging film in that regard.  Well worth checking out, I do believe!

1711 - The Break-Up

Not the best visual reference film for me for Sex After Kids.  Mostly just because this is a studio film that has money to throw at it.  That being said, I still enjoyed revisiting it.  Vaughn is such an amazing asshole the entire film, but you still feel for him when he turns it around at the end.  And just when you're starting to hate Aniston for putting up with his shit, you gain this new respect for her at the end. 
I don't think Jennifer gets enough credit for this film.  Especially the last scene.  She does so much with just a look and a feeling.  You know exactly where her head is at and where this is going to end up.  It's a pretty impressive scene in that regard.
Visually it's pretty standard stuff, no one is re-inventing the wheel here, and I imagine that Vince likes to shoot with two cameras to allow for improv. 
If you've never seen this it really is a great contemporary relationship film that goes for honesty above all else, and doesn't pander.

1710 - Hannah & Her Sisters

I'm sure that I've commented on this film several times at this point, it's one of the many Woody Allen films that I revisit on a regular basis.  It's one of the best ensemble comedy films out there, and it's not surprise that it won an Oscar for screenplay that year.  Annie Hall is always my go-to favourite Woody film, but this one might just be the close second the more that I think about it. 
I'm revisiting it at this point as I start to plan the visuals for my next film Sex After Kids.  I'm going to be re-watching a lot of relationship films in the next little bit, particularly ones that are heavier on the dialogue front just to compare styles and get some more inspiration.  What's interesting about Woody is that he likes to shoot mostly in just big master shots.  He hardly, if ever shoots coverage and very sparingly shoots close-ups.  I like how a lot of his shots go from wide shots to medium shots to close-ups just by following the actor's natural rhythms.  I honestly think that there's something to be said for not getting in the actors way when it comes to a visual style and sometimes that simply means letting a scene play out and not destroy it with too many shots and interruptions. 
If you've never seen this, you really should, in a catalogue of great films, it's one of Woody's best.

1707 - When Harry Met Sally

Okay, if you don't know about this film you live under a rock.  Here's the summary - it's the ultimate "Can women and men be friends?" film.  I'm in the midst of re-watching a bunch of my favorite romantic comedies as I prepare to make my second feature Sex After Kids (which I realized just now that I haven't talked about AT ALL on my blog.  Probably because I spend such a large amount of time writing about it everywhere else). 
So I started off watching this with an attempt to just study their shooting style, and of course the movie sucked me right in to the point where I forgot and just enjoyed it.  Meg Ryan and Billy Crystal are absolutely perfect here.  Ephron's script is clever and witty and harsh and lovely.  Reiner brings a lot to the table as a comedy director.  Perhaps it was in the script, but a scene I really enjoyed on this viewing was at a sporting even where Crystal is telling Bruno Kirby about his divorce and all the while they're doing the wave.  It's kind of amazing.  Not to mention that this film has one of the most amazing split-screen sequences in film.  I can only imagine how they co-ordinated it. 
This is one of the truly great romantic comedies, and at it's heart it isn't about 'can men and women being friends without sex getting in the way' so much as it's about the difference between men and women and how we deal with that.  If you're a rom-com fan and you haven't seen this film then shame you.  Rectify it immediately.  You won't regret it, and if you do... we probably can't be friends.  Sorry.  Shit happens when you don't like amazing films :)