I (Audrey) recently took a trip down to Hot Springs, Arkansas to begin researching a documentary film I am making. I met my mother (whom the film is partially about) down there and we spent 5 days digging up the past, eating fried catfish and barbecue, bathing in hot springs and soaking up the vibe of this little town, and I have to say- I am in love with the history and old Americana feel of Hot Springs. Here are a couple of photos from the trip, the rest are on Mark’s Flickr page. I will be posting more about this project in the months (and years?) to come, I may even create a separate blog for the film, but I will keep everyone POSTED. Ha ha. Pun intended.
Audrey recently acted in her friends and fellow students Tom and Tyler’s 16mm short film “The Pauper and His Wife“. I sure love that black and white film look. Audrey and I have been working with film and archive film for a couple weeks so look for it in coming projects from us!
Longtime readers will know that I day dream a lot about long distance bike adventures, but it’s been a while since I wrote about one.
At MountainFilm in Telluride this year, we had the pleasure of catching this amazing film made by two young French Canadians called Asiemut. The courageous and adventuresome couple, Olivier Higgins and Mélanie Carrier (heros!), bike their way across a significant portion of the Asian continent completely on their own. It’s an amazing film, truly one that inspired me in my own dreams of documenting such an adventure. It’s one of those films that makes you think, ‘damn, you can do anything if you stick your mind to it!’
If you’re planning on doing a trip like this (who isn’t?) they’ve got some great tips on how and where and when to travel on their website. I’m bummed they don’t have a full trailer up on YouTube, though they do have this short clip to give you a sense of the tone of the film:
Asiemut certainly reminded me of my blog buddies, Project Pedal. I’m sure they’ll dig this. Maybe you guys would like to do a bike trip with Audrey and me next? Haha. I can’t wait to see their film!
Since I’m a video nerd, statements like this make me drool (over the possibilities):
We filmed the whole documentary film with a semi-professional camera, mini-dv Sony pdx10, 16:9 format. We traveled with seventy mini-dv tapes and two 360 minutes lithium batteries. We also had one charger, a stool, and a laptop. We took ourselves every single images of our film!
As you can see on the picture below, we had a camera mount that permitted us to film and to speak to the camera as we biked. We created it ourselves in the north of China with the help of two amazing chinese welders. It was attached at the front of our luggage support and was also attached to our handlebar. It was a homemade camera mount, quite heavy, but worked very well!
As many of you know, Audrey’s in film school at Temple. She’s been doing lots of fun projects for class, and this is one of her first big final projects. I’ve been meaning to post it here for sometime, and I just remembered this morning. The film stars our friend Patrick Gouveia and features the music of our friends Make a Rising (they’ve got a great new album, btw - buy it at their label High Two). Enjoy!
My brother Dave works at Dreamworks and has spent the better portion of this past year working hard on Kung-Fu Panda. He’s got a pretty awesome job as an animator there, and I’m real proud of his work! Audrey and I are heading to the theater to see it tonight to check it out (what better way to spent a near-100′F evening than spend in the darkly cool confines of a movie house?). I don’t think I’ve gone to an animated kids film in…. um… since I was a kid! It’s going to be great. Guilty pleasures.
[UPDATE: The film was awesome! We totally enjoyed it and it made us laugh out loud. Super summertime blockbuster. Also, I grabbed a quick shot of Dave in the credits!]
My favorite film of the 2008 MountainFilm Festival was one that I had the honor of projecting its World Premiere: Red Gold. It also happened to be directed and edited by my good buddy in Telluride, Ben Knight. He’s an amazingly talented photographer and this is his first feature film. It took home the well-deserved Audience Award as well as the Festival Director’s Prize.
Ben and his filmmaking partner Travis Rummel created a beautiful portrait of Bristol Bay, Alaska, one of the most precious natural areas in the world, as it’s residents battle the encroaching interests of a massive copper mine that will heavily impact the region.
Here’s the trailer. I will definitely update this when I learn of their distribution plans (good luck, guys!).
I had the great pleasure of heading to the mountains again this holiday weekend for a heaping serving of films that celebrate the ‘indomitable spirit‘ in adventure, culture, sports and environment. MountainFilm was celebrating it’s 30th year and it was my seventh. As always, it was excellent to spend time in Telluride, my old stomping grounds. Audrey got her first taste of the high and mighty San Juan Mountains, and I’m sure it won’t be her last. We had a great time.
I took a plethora of photos on the trip. You can see the whole set on Flickr here. Here are a few choice picks:
(my gorgeous wife)
(my sister-in-law Becca, her husband Brian and Audrey on top of the Jud Weibe Trail, ~10,000ft elevation)
(me, Justyn and Greg - my co-projectionists at The Palm Theater)
Also, I should mention that the good people at National Geographic Adventure were major sponsors of the event and I would be bereft if I didn’t send my buddies at their sister blog Intelligent Travel a proper shout-out! They’re frequent commenters on The Poverty Jet Set, and I love ‘em for it. You guys rule, keep up the awesome work! And thanks for supporting such a fantastic festival.
My friend Scott is trying his hand at indie film distribution and Train on the Brain is the first film he’s putting out (it’s available for purchase on DVD on the site). Scott’s all about alternative living. We’re kindred spirits in that regard. This film probably won’t disappoint on that front. Women filming themselves hopping trains around America. Excellent. Gritty.
Filmmaker Alison Murray drops out of the rat race, grabs a camera, and hits the rails with some other punk kids on a trans-continental freight train hopping epic. On their odyssey they encounter a cast of hobos and runaways, scallywags and castaways, finding adventure at every turn. Amidst run-ins with the law, and surviving the perils of the elements, Alison weaves an epic narration over beautifully shot film and video with an old-time soundtrack by Beck (think Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly). Train On The Brain was originally produced for Channel 4 UK by MJW Productions, and was Alison Murray’s first documentary film before directing Mouth to Mouth starring Ellen Page. Train On The Brain is hollywoodcansuckit.com’s first film release.
A family band piles in a van and spends their life surfing and traveling, documents it all on sexy 8- and 16mm film. Can’t get much better than that, folks. The film comes out in a limited release over the course of the summer. It’ll be here in Philly starting June 20th at the Ritz at the Bourse. I’m so there.
Also, here’s the website, but beware: nasty browser resizing, ugh! Surfwise
Kinda last minute I went to the National Constitution Center to shoot video for DigPhilly.com at the press conference for HBO’s new mini-series, John Adams. Sounds like it’s going to be pretty awesome (Lord knows we need to watch some 18th century rabble rousing in us since Deadwood is no more). It stars Paul Giamatti and was produced by Tom Hanks, hence the photos.
Audrey and I spent the weekend in good ol’ Columbia, Missouri to hole up in a dark theater and watch excellent indie documentaries. It was my third (and her second) time to the fest in their five-year history. We hope to be there every year until their twenty-fifth and beyond! It’s truly one of the best doc festivals in the country - relaxed vibe, great parties, wonderful films all held in a super rad town. If you’d like to know more about True/False, check out this great podcast interview with my friends and festival founders Paul Sturtz and David Wilson on Joel Heller’s blog “Docs that Inspire“.
Some of the highlight films for me were Joy Division, the new documentary hot on the heals of the fantastic biopic Control that came out in theaters late last year - The Order of Myths, a subtle story about race and the Mardi Gras traditions in Mobile, Alabama - and Gonzo, the Alex Gibney portrait of Hunter S. Thompson.
Echoes of Home, though, was by far my favorite film of the festival. It’s the story of a few musicians who are pushing the art of yodeling to new and powerful forms, but also reaching back into the history of this ancient skill. One of those kinds of movies that makes you tear up because it’s so beautiful. Okay, at least I did.
We saw some old friends and made some new ones, too. Like seeing our old buddy Chris here sitting and rappin’ with ramblin’ musician ‘Gramps’ on 10th Street.
True/False also does a crazy parade every year:
And those folks sure know how to throw a jammin’ party:
I came across Mike Amb’s video project this past summer as he was gearing up to make a film about a cross-country bike trip. I was in awe of his amazing video editing skills and knack for story telling. Well, he’s finished the production part of the film and he and his friend Amanda are hard at work on the feature-length edit. He’s just posted a new video about the process, which I must say again, is one of the most amazing independently produced video blogs I have ever seen. Srsly. Way to go, Mike and Amanda! Good luck finishing the film!
One of my favorite film festivals in the world is MountainFilm (I’ve attended 7 of the last 8 years!). It’s more than just a film festival, it’s a celebration of the indomitable human spirit. In an era of post-terrorist cynicism, these folks bring together some truly positive thinkers and media makers.
They’ve really been on the move over there in Colorado, launching a great new blog and making a bunch of big announcements today, including announcing their new festival director, David Hollbrook (.pdf). Congrats, David!
The next festival is their 30th(!) and it’s happening May 23-26, 2008. Lord knows I’ll be there. I’m one of the lucky ones who gets to work tech up in the projection booth at the festival and shake hands with all the amazing people they invite to speak. I got to meet one of my heros last year, Paul Hawken, and chat it up for a good five minutes while we worked on setting up his program. But it’s really that kind of festival. Hang out, chill with awesome folks with big ideas, change the world. You know. Fun.
If you’re a filmmaker and you’ve got work you’d like to exhibit in Telluride, head over to their Call for Entries form. They’re looking and they’ve got a $10,000 prize purse! Also, they send their films on tour, so check and see if they’re coming to your town soon. Chances are they are.
When I was younger, I spent a couple summers in Alaska as an adventure tour guide. The first summer there, on the first day I arrived, a guy at the youth hostel in Anchorage handed me a beat-up copy of ‘Into the Wild‘. He just said, “Welcome to Alaska. Read this. It’ll change your life.” I love when books do that! I devoured Jon Krakauer’s book in a couple days, probably shirking some of my duties as guide to get an extra few pages in before packing gear or setting up tents or making dinner.
I won’t get into the details of the book now. Believe me, you should read it. Period. But a bit of exciting news just belatedly crossed the editorial desk here at The Poverty Jet Set! ‘Into the Wild‘ has been made into a big-budget feature film directed by Sean Penn! Sa-weet! The trailer looks friggin’ amazing!
Here’s something I didn’t expect. As I was trolling YouTube for a copy of the trailer, I found these excellent videos made by a couple of cool, yet nutty Alaskans (aren’t they all?) having their version of fun with a 4-wheel drive truck in the dead of winter, retracing the steps Christopher McCandless took on his fateful journey to the heart of darkness/the wilderness. Make sure to watch both parts of this really well done homemade exploration video! Here’s part one:
A film that ranks in my Top 10 of All Time, Richard Linklater’s ‘Before Sunrise‘, is rife with amazing one-liners. For those of you who aren’t lucky enough to have seen it already, it’s the story of two young strangers (Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy) who decide to take a chance on love and fate and spend a night exploring Vienna together on a whim. It’s romantic, passionate and as I mentioned, chalk-full of inspired dialogue. Well, actually, the whole movie is just dialogue. Not much happens. That’s what I love about Linklater’s films, actually. All his films follow suit. Lots of philosophizing on life, not much action. Waking Life, Dazed and Confused, Before Sunset (the brilliant sequal, 10 years later). Many of his films have had a profound impact on the way I think about life and the world.
Here’s an example from Before Sunrise I came across today on Vagabonding:
“That’s what I like about traveling — you can sit down, maybe talk to someone interesting, see something beautiful, read a book, and that’s enough to qualify as a good day. You do that at home and everyone thinks you’re a bum.”
Went to see Superbad last night. Put us in stiches it was so funny (but very naughty - don’t take your mom!). Wasn’t gonna post anything about it, but then I came across Frank’s Twitter post about this and just couldn’t resist.
Last night, Audrey and I went to see Rescue Dawn, the new film by one of my favorite directors of all time, Werner Herzog. It was super intense, but we loved it.
Today, I’ve been talking about it over ye olde proverbial watercooler when someone asked me, “Have you seen Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe”. Admitedly, I had not. Thank God for YouTube. Here is a great highlight reel from the film (via Media Funhouse):
Man, I’m sorry. I’ve been a fair-weather friend. I fell in love with Roger & Me. Totally dug on Bowling for Columbine. But ever since you went on that Farenheit 9/11 rant, I just got tired of you. Or maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe it was the general political fatigue I think we’ve all been feeling. I just got tired of getting angry. And you incite me to anger. I used to think that was a good thing, but then I realized… it really doesn’t matter. And anger doesn’t solve much.
But now, I just watched a “pre-released copy” *wink, wink* of your new film, Sicko last night. Unbelievable. SO GREAT! You’ve gone and made another masterpiece, Mr. Moore. I wish it didn’t make me so angry. But it does so with a sigh and such righteous indignation. Such brash fight-the-maCe right. Corruption in America’s health system is horrendous. I already knew that. But thanks for boiling down an argument for me. Thanks for giving me some firepower.
See, I haven’t had health insurance for the majority of my life. I still don’t have health insurance. Even now, I see it as a scam, and I see through all the f**cking bullshit that hospitals, doctors and insurance companies put us all through. It’s not hard to see the corruption. Of course, I wish I had some safety net. For times when I fell off my bike and woke up pissing blood. Cost me $2400 for the med center to tell me I’d be fine.
When I was traveling in Thailand - what one might call a ‘developing country’ (though it’s richer than it’s neighbors) - I met people who had become seriously ill. Dengue fever, broken bones, malaria, you name it. What did they do? They just walked into a health clinic and got better. For free. Or nearly free. And everyone said the same thing, “Wow! Hospitals in Thailand are awesome!”
And then there are the people I’ve known when I lived in the South West. The folks who would drive a day, across the border to Mexico to get major dental work done. “You must be kidding me,” I’d tell them. “Hell no! It’s awesome! And cheap! And clean!”
You’re right, Michael. Our system is SERIOUSLY flawed. Thanks for making this movie. I hope everyone I knows goes to see it. I hope we all wake up and TEAR IT DOWN.
Yours,
Mark*
PS - Thanks for putting up this YouTube Channel to get community feedback!
Gothamist recently did an interview with a couple of excellent people (siblings) I met back in Park City, Jeremy and Randy Stulberg. They had a film at Slamdance called Off the Grid: Live on the Mesa which by unlucky chance I didn’t get to see there, then missed again at the True/False Film Festival. I heard all about the film from them and have seen the trailer, but man, I can’t wait to see the film! Here’s a quick quote from the interview:
When people think of “drop outs”, they think of people who are anti-American conspiracy theorists. We were amazed and excited that most of our subjects defied those stereotypes. They’re some of the most patriotic Americans we know. It was inspiring because they really believed in those basic American ideals of freedom and democracy. Part of the reason they’ve chosen to “drop out” is because they feel that those ideals have been lost in the last decade, or so. That’s what drew us to the story.
I’ve been thinking about heading to the Mesa in New Mexico next month for my friend Peter’s “Swan Fest” which is a gathering of avant-garde musicians (such as this band from Portland, OR) and artists from all over the continent at his off-the-grid house. He’s been telling me about it for years and I can’t wait to go. Might not happen this year, but definitely next. Camping on National Forest land that abuts his property, making big fires, looking at the enormous New Mexico sky, playing music with friends. Sounds like heaven to me.
