Landmark Theatres, FiLM Club, FLM Magazine

An excellent sources for independent, foreign, and documentary film is Landmark Theatre. It the "nation's largest theatre chain devoted exclusively to art and independent film." In San Francisco alone there are 5 theatres, the Embarcadero Center Cinema, Bridge Theatre, Clay Theatre, Lumiere Theatre, and the Opera Plaza Cinema. Landmark also has theatres in the East Bay and Peninsula. Unlike like the larger chain of theatres, Landmark offers patrons the opportunity to buy espressos, various types of teas, flavored popcorn, and imported chocolates. The Bridge Theatre also is known city wide to offer the BEST Midnight Movie Series known as Midnight Mass-definitely worth checking out. Another characteristic that distinguishes Landmark Theatres is that most of the venues were built during the early 1900's which have since then been renovated.

FLM Magazine is produced by Landmark, it is available every Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall. The magazine can only be exclusively picked up at any Landmark Theatre and is absolutely FREE! FLM offers "exclusive essays by filmmakers" from upcoming films soon to be shown at a local theatre.

The FiLM Club sponsored by Landmark Theatre is a weekly newsletter which contains information about upcoming engagements at local theatres, free screening invitations, and opportunities to win newly released DVDs. It is also tailored to local theatres in your area. I was able to watch tons of films this summer like Little Miss Sunshine, The Science of Sleep, Quinceanera, and A Scanner Darkly because of the FREE screening passes offered to members.

Unprecedented

Everyday there is a news story in the paper or in the national networks, even if its a short blurb, about the upcoming Academy Awards . One of the best surprises is the diversity of people, and films nominated. I realized that a great number of Latinos are nominated in various categories. This is an unprecedented record in the history of the Oscars.

Pan's Labyrinth (El laberinto de fauno)
Best Original Screenplay: Guillermo del Toro
Best Art Direction: Eugenio Caballero, Pilar Revuelta
Best Cinematography: Guillermo Navarro
Best Original score: Javier Navarrete
Best Foreign Language Film of the Year




Babel
Best supporting actress: Adriana Barraza
Best Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Best Original screenplay: Guillermo Arriaga
Best Original Score: Gustavo Santaolalla
Best motion picture of the year

Children of Men
Best Film Editing: Alex Rodríguez and Alfonso Cuarón
Best Adapted Screenplay: Alfonso Cuarón.

"Children of Men, a P.D. James novel and directed-dazzingly-by Alfonso Cuaron"---Michael Phillips, CHICAGO TRIBUNE

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Best actress in a leading role: Penélope Cruz
Although Penelope Cruz isn't technically a Latina, (she is from Spain) we like to claim her as one of our own.



As a Mexican-American studying media it is important to see that their are successful Latinos in a tough industry that is Hollywood. It is inspiring be a witness to such an incredible event. Although the chances of the individuals winning all of the categories in which they are nominated for is highly unlikely, the recognition from peers is moving. The nominees are breaking barriers and stereotypes. They are setting goals higher for the Latino youth and community.

Rebel without a Crew

Great stories are those in which the protagonist perseveres through challenges in extraordinary ways. Perhaps one of the greatest stories in Hollywood is the story behind the Mariachi Trilogy by director and writer Robert Rodriguez.Rebel without a Crew: or how a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker with $7,000 became a Hollywood Player, contains Rodriguez's journal entries through the two years it took to raise money, shoot, edit, and sell his first feature length El Mariachi.

Robert Rodriguez's has also directed and written Desperado, and Once upon a Time in Mexico, (the second and third installment of the Mariachi Trilogy), the critically acclaimed and blockbuster Sin City, and co-director and co-producer of Dusk till Dawn with Quentin Tarantino.
Rodriguez demonstrated that perseverance and creative problem solving skills are essential to make the projects we want, and fulfill what dreams we have. Instead of waiting around for Hollywood to give him a chance and help fund film, he personally financed his film. Rodriguez submitted his body scientific research for a month and again for week to raise money for El Mariachi. Being interned at the hospital for a month also allowed him to write a great deal of him script. He also creatively found ways and locations to shoot the film with only the $7,000 dollars his budget allowed.
Aside from the entries, Rodriguez includes a "The Ten-Minute Film School" at the end of the book. In it, he offers motivational words, and ideas as to tackling creative endeavors. If there is no interest in reading the process of making his film, than at least read "The Ten-Minute Film School" it is funny, smart, and filled with advice from his own experience. He is dedicated to being self-sufficient and believes that if you want something done, you have to do it yourself.
I really enjoyed reading Rebel without a Crew. I thought it was insightful, funny, smart, and well written. Rodriquez wrote in a conversational style without taking away from his message.

Watch films while earning units

Before I became a full-fledged BECA student I was considering Cinema. Although I decided to ditch the Cinema Department, I still occasionally take some of their courses. One course I would recommend if there is an interest/need for a quick or extra unit are the handful of Cine 325 classes offered throughout the semester. Cine 325 are courses that meet for a weekend, a Friday evening and about eight hours on Saturday. Each class has a focus; this semester's focus (depending on the weekend) is French Cinema, melodrama, movie goddesses, Bay Area Filmmakers, and Emerging Cinemas.
I recently took the Bay Area Filmmakers class. The title includes "filmmakers" because students are able to have a Q & A with the filmmaker after the films are viewed. There was a diverse group of films and filmmakers for the class. A few had made several award wining films, others were San Francisco State MFA students who had recently completed their first-year film. The subjects and themes of the films were even more diverse than the filmmakers were. A few particularly stood out, Knocking is a documentary about Jehovah's Witnesses. Directors Joel Engardio and Tom Shepard's insightful documentary offer a view of a group misunderstood and seen as annoying. It follows two families who stand firm for their faith even while faced with life altering and endangering circumstances. In addition to the families, the directors reveal that many civil liberties are indebted to Jehovah's Witnesses. Beyond the Call, another documentary tells about the humanitarian work that three men do to some of the most remote, and dangerous criminal and war-zones in the world. They are able to independently raise money, medicine, food, clothing, and various other necessities to hundreds and personally deliver the goods. One scene in particular I enjoyed, Ed, the organizer of the trio was asked by the U.S military for help in delivering medicine to a remote island in the Philippines. Ed was able to obtain boxes of medicine with a greater ease and less of a cost than the U.S Military. The reaction from the men in uniform was priceless.





Upcoming is the 50th San Francisco International Film Festival. It is the longest running film festival in the United States. Focus on Emerging Cinemas will take place May 4-6, at the festival. Students will have to pay $36, which according to the instructor is a significant student discount for the number and quality of films.

A special dedication.

I have a large interest in film, primarily documentaries, foreign and independent. I can't always watch what is out at the local theatres but eager to learn about what is out, who is who, and who is working on what. After wondering through various blogs I found three that I liked. Indiefilmla, is filled with tips and advice for anyone interested in film, however some information could also be useful for television people. Profession separates the posts; he offers tips on developing characters to writers. Flushes out the differences between agents and managers for actors, and gives his opinions on five essential skills GOOD producer have. Some of the information comes across as simple but he offers advice through his own personal experience, which gives it value. I am interested in reading about upcoming posts for the new "screenings" section.
As mentioned before I am always interested in watching foreign film so..... I was impressed with Alternative Film Guide because of the long list of tags. Most of the tags are "name of country" cinema; there are stories about countries, rarely mentioned in any other film site. The Alternative Film Guide archive list also contains articles on film festivals around the world. "Movies as seen through a sharply-liberal glass, unapologetically," is their one line "about me" description that sums up the site. After reading several articles I noticed that a lot of the articles are tagged by numerous words and phrases. One article has at least five tags, which sometimes means you might reread an article.
The third blog that I like was something closer to what I have envisioned for my own. D.C Girl gives her review on current theatre releases. I liked that she has six different smiley faces that she uses as her rating system. It helps get her opinion if there is only time to skim-through the review. I also thought it clever that she gives a side note to parents at the end of each review. There are one or two lines as to whether the film is kid-friendly or not. I would have added more cinema images and made use of all the white space in the background. It looked a bit dull.

In the next posts I'll include reviews, information about local screenings, events that go on at local art-houses, and anything else that may come my way. If there is desire for me to post about something specific I will probably make a post about it. I also encourage input about anything!

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Robert DeNiro on SNL! (embeded Video)