6 June 2001
Aside from Vampire films, this self reflective story line is not uncommon in independent cinema. Here are some of the obvious/better ones:
Interview This Korean Dogma 7 film is a cleverly woven story wrapped around the making of a documentary. The documentary's director, Eun Ha and his staff, wander around Seoul asking people to tell them their love stories. While interviewing a young hairdresser, Younghee, he is smitten by her and her simple tale. In fact, her real story is far more complex than the false story she has related for the camera. As the director tries to get closer to her, she artfully discourages him in an attempt to protect her lies. It all unwinds in an unlikely fashion, but it is the sequencing of the scenes and your changing perspective when some scenes are replayed that will hold your interest. It is really the editing and not the story or action that make this film so entertaining. Directed by Eun-Sok who plays himself in the film. Korean w/subtitles Rated IIA VCD*
American Movie This is the true story of Mark Borchardt's obsession with making his own films in Nowhere, Wisconsin. This man is truly monomaniacal about finishing the film he started a few years back. He presses his aged relatives and addled friends into performing and financing what appears to be a truly awful horror movie entitled Coven. This obsession is destroying his life and his finances; yet you find yourself rooting for this guy who would just be another loser if he were stripped of this one idea. It might even be called inspirational, really. Filmed by Chris Smith and Sarah Price. Rated R 104 min
Art House Director Leigh Slawner scraped up 200,000 bucks to make a film about a guy trying to make a film. The hero, Ray McMichael, works in a coffee shop and struggles to make his "film". His acquaintance, and unsuccessful filmmaker, Wes Craig, teams upwith him and then rips off for his Magnum Opus script. Undeterred, Ray perseveres and encounters a few distinctive characters along his personal path to fame, including the roommate from hell. This is Leigh Slawner's first film and is released on the First Rites label. Rated R 88 minutes 2000
Entropy In physics, entropy is the he tendency for thing to reach there lowest energy state. Director Phillip Loanou's film about a young director in love has little to do with this concept. Actor Stephen Dorff gets his big shot at breaking into working for a major film studio when his amourous obsession with Judith Godreche. Most critics liked this one, but we're not sure if you will.
Living In Oblivion
This Tom Dicillo film holds a mirror up
to the independent film business. Steve Buscemi does a great job
as the bedraggled director whose cast dissolves around him.
Filmed in B&W and color it probably is pretty close to the
mark. 1995 Rated R 90 minutes
