No Classified Ads for Critics

What outlet do you write for?

And you work at...?

I've been asked the above questions often when meeting with other NOLA area reviewers. Of course, I'm proud to plug MovieBoozer and my own blog, but when they drop the names of their home outlets, I admit a little jealousy on my part.

Why? Because they are local outlets.

With a family deeply rooted in the area, and an industry that I want to help flourish, working at a local publication would fill me with great pride. Now, don't misunderstand me - I love MovieBoozer and will be contributing for them well into the future (such an awesome format and concept), but I really want to make what I do into a career that I can live off of without having to move out of state.

Unfortunately, classified ads for film critics are hard to find. Previously, on this blog, I wrote two pieces that helped me in advancing towards my goal a bit. So, maybe third time's a charm?

Here are some ideas for how my movie blogging can be incorporated into the content of two local outlets:

Off Beat Magazine

This publication is mostly known for providing news and reviews about the music industry, from Louisiana and beyond. They also cover culture, which the booming Hollywood South is part of. However, there is zip to none film coverage to be found on their site.

I'd like to help change that.

I understand that print space might be limited, so how about a blog to kick things off? OffBeat.com is a pretty user friendly domain that's easy to navigate and read. They also use social networking pretty well, so I get that writing for the digital audience is something they're cool with.

Here's what I propose:

• We set up a film blog on the site, perhaps called Off Beat Film, along with a facebook page and twitter account. 
• The blog will cover reviews of independent/obscure (or "off beat") movies, as well as the ones opening theatrically in the area. It can also feature editorial pieces on the NOLA moviegoing scene, as well as special screening recaps (Timecode:NOLA and NOFS events, or backyard/community showings).
• If interested, a youtube account can be created, where video conversations on movies would be hosted. This would provide more content and engage the audience beyond the webpage, should they choose to participate.
• Live tweet-a-thons (where I watch a movie or awards show, and use a hashtag to link all of the tweets together) can be posted on the blog, using Storify.

WWNO.org

Last year, the New Orleans Reporter initiative - a digital news coalition between WWNO, NOLAvie and The Lens - was announced. It has since morphed from a website to a content partnership. Changes are still being implemented, but what about film criticism?

WWNO is the only one of the three that I know has hosted reviews. While written very well, they were not done by NOLA critics, and some were about movies not coming to the area. Even an interview with Quvenzhané Wallis was not conducted by an area writer.

Here's what I propose:

• Reviews of movies coming to the local area, by a local critic. Specialty pieces (interviews, event recaps) can also be provided.
• WWNO.org is chock full of excellent audio podcasts. Currently, I take part in a podcast called #TeamNOLAFilm, where I and other industry members discuss the current Hollywood South happenings. It's mostly been an independent production, but we'd be more than happy to have an official home for the show, and be able to reach more listeners. 

More than likely, I'll be moving closer to the city soon. Also soon will be the official launch of the New Orleans Film Critics Association. Could I soon be sitting in a press screening as an official local critic?

@NOFS Review: "True Family"

Cross posted from the MoviePass blog:

When you think of New Orleans, what comes to mind? Food for some. Hurricanes for others. Movies for me. And, of course, no thought about the city should be without the most obvious answer - music. You don't even have to leave your stoop to hear a juicy tune playing. Without that element, this city wouldn't be as alive as it is.

And which performer best represents this?

Meschiya Lake is a sort of revivalist style jazz singer, belting out wonderful notes on street corners for tourists and city dwellers alike. She has a background in circus acts, a plethora of tattoos and looks/sounds dynamite. She bikes around town, joyfully training her voice for the next song. She is strong, fun and very talented. Alive is the perfect word to describe her.

Before watching "True Family", I had never heard of Meschiya (I ought to be shot). I knew of bands like Tuba Skinny (who were nice enough to let me use their music for my #TeamNOLAFilm podcast), but that was about it. Knowing what I know now, I'm hit with a wave of sadness that there was a whole musical community in the area that I was unaware of - This was followed by absolute happiness when I discovered her album on Spotify. But what really impresses me here is how, through this singer, we are given a novel glimpse of a thriving young creative crew.

You see, this is really more a profile on an artistic circle - one that works with one another. Musicians help each other out, floating from band to band, getting the word out and improving the culture. Others like dancers and designers get in on the act, contributing their talents not so much for the money (the little that is available), but for the joy of expression. This look at the New Orleans music culture makes my heart flutter. 

Recently, there was a tiny spat that spilled onto social networks between two local film organizations, with one accusing the other of monopolizing venues. Ironically, both groups encourage teamwork from everyone involved in the movie community, from directors to critics. Can we call the NOLA film community a true family? Well, sometimes families do argue...

3/5 *'s

"True Family" will be showing at this years New Orleans Film Festival on October 15th. Buy your tickets here.

@NOFS Review: "A Por Por Funeral for Ashirifie"

My grandfather’s name was Willie Laurendine, but we called him Paw Paw. He was a bus driver for the city of New Orleans. In Ghana, there is a style of music played by a union of bus and truck drivers known as Por Por, which is pronounced Paw Paw. This music is only performed by them at the funerals of fellow workers – funerals that share similarities with the jazz funerals of New Orleans.

Despite this almost Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon style connection I had with “A Por Por Funeral for Ashirifie”, there was little else for me to latch on to.

It’s not the fault of the subject matter – a variation of a jazz funeral, performed with antique car horns and played exclusively by an African driver’s union – which I was excited to learn more about; it was the presentation. There is no attempt to tell the audience about the history of this music, its importance in the area, or even who Nelson Ashirifie Mensah (this was his funeral) was as a person. We are only treated to what has to be at least 45 minutes of nonstop horn honking and street dancing (the movie is just under an hour) and a few title cards that describe the upcoming action. That’s it. Were they just dead set on making this almost feature length?

I know it’s easy to just point your one camera and shoot, but if you’re making a documentary about a little known subject, you HAVE to give the audience some information outside of a few words on a screen; interviews, historical archive materials, narration and editing are all helpful tools. Most audiences aren’t interested in the raw footage of a trip you once took.

The Por Por music reminded me of the wonderful intrusiveness of the whistle tip craze (google it); both are loud and proud. When a member of this union dies, the whole town knows, and – at least for the rest of the day – the noise will not let anyone forget. That I like.

The filmmakers are coming to New Orleans on March 23 to screen the film, and will be accompanied by a live demonstration and panel discussion. This is an excellent opportunity to learn more about this unique culture. I guarantee it’ll be more informative than the movie itself.

1/5 *'s

"...and it SUCKED!"

Image via Wikipedia

OogieRah and I had been talking about making a movie together for years. Many a late night phone call would involve scenes with the intent of shocking/pissing off an audience, and how fun it would be to get away with it. Around mid September, word started to spread on Facebook and Twitter of a Super 8 film contest in New Orleans; one 3 minute reel of film, in camera edits, see the film for the 1st time with everybody else - very dangerous, very cool. Opportunity given, we signed up.

Now, the original idea for our short was a bit more our liking; a guy makes a sandwich, walks upstairs, opens a bedroom door to reveal a female's foot tied to the bed. The End. No explanation, no resolution. Not being able to cast a foot model in time, we went with a more lighthearted idea; me, setting up a movie screening at a college campus, alone. Not bad, as I had done this very task several times before. And so, without permission to shoot on SLU campus property, we went ahead with production on "Screen This!". It only took a few hours to shoot. Next door to a heavily occupied student government meeting, we risked getting kicked out, but it's not like we were doing anything REALLY wrong.

About a week or so later, we made our way to New Orleans. The film had already been dropped off, and supposedly developed without incident. Along with his girlfriend, we arrived on time, for what was called The Yeah Brah & Woah Dee Festival, The NOLA Underground Super 8 Film Festival, and The One Reel Super 8 Contest. Without a clear name, I turned to my friend and said, "I hate this already".

After a short assemblage of local shorts, we were treated to an obnoxiously long parade of DJ music, rap, and the stylings of MC Chris Lane. Not to say that the musicians were horrible - far from it. But excuse me for expecting FILMS at a FILM FESTIVAL (to be fair, the musical performances were announced in advance, but who knew they would last so long?). The three of us sat on our bench, uncomfortably, for several hours, waiting...

Finally, it was time for the screening we were waiting for. The super 8 shorts were shown on what I'm guessing was a DVD, and for the most part, were pretty clever. But one short in particular caught our attention; announced as Lori Tipton's. It was black. 3 minutes of black. A rough image here and there, but nothing distinguishable. Pure blackness. Part of what made the contest interesting was that if the filmmakers messed up, there was no going back; it would be shown, no matter what. Clearly, something didn't go right for this person. "Sorry, but that last film was not by Lori Tipton, but by Bill Arceneaux and Patrick Simmons. And IT SUCKED! IT SUCKED!"

We were shocked. Was that really our film? Sure we only spent a few hours making it, but it was ours. Nah. Maybe they made a mistake. We stayed until the last short of the screening to make sure - but it was, indeed, our film. Our mistake. We tried to figure out what happened; Did we load it in wrong? Did we remove the film incorrectly? Was it improperly developed? One of the festival promoters was just as surprised as we were. We left One Eyed Jacks not as entertained film enthusiasts or as trophy holders, but as self disappointed amateurs. I picked up a Mountain Dew Voltage, and they got some McDonalds afterwards. "We could always say we intended it to be all black. You know, to mess with people". That made us smile.

Note - please don't take this as a diss to the festival promoters TimeCode:NOLA. The comments made about the festival were just to describe how out of place we felt. When films were being shown, we had a blast (except for when ours was shown), and may show up again if another festival is planned for next year. Just leave Chris Lane at home.

Help Kickstart The Alamo Underground

Not too long ago, a friend and I drove from the northshore to catch a free movie screening at this run down, danky, humid garage - the kind that might host a kidnapping. And it was fun. 

The Alamo Underground, named for it's architectural similarity to The Alamo, was an ambitious, community driven venue for artists of all kinds. I only ever attended one event (a "Battle Royale" screening), but from what I observed, the people behind the operation were pretty serious about becoming an alternative space for creativity. I hadn't heard from the group for months, until the other day:

The Alamo Underground got it's start in 2006 (post Katrina) as an underground theater operated inside an old horse stable. It had to shut its doors in 2008. In 2010, I found the treasure and resurrected the space [with great help] for movie nights, live music, local events, and fundraisers. Movie nights were free and bands worked for tips. It was a lot of hard work, turning a swamp infested roach eaten space into an underground community, but it was done.
From August 2010 until April 2011, the Alamo greeted great New Orleans talent such as Aurora Nealand, Debauche, Tuba Skinny, Never Ever, Tom Worell, as well as visiting acts such as David Bazan and Zeina Mokaiesh.
Then the roof collapsed.

The people behind The Alamo Underground have just started a kickstarter page, and hope to re-open in November:

Now, I have the opportunity to re-open the Alamo on the up and coming Freret Street. The space is connected to La Nuit Theater- which got its start as a speakeasy theater for local comics.
New Orleans has a surge of amazing talent operating underground, in speakeasies and abandoned building. The idea is to have a collective venue for these like minded people. A bagel bar will be constructed courtesy of Sugerman's Bagel Speakeasy, and local artists will display their art for reasonable prices. Freret Street currently has little-to no live local music acts, even though the street is permitted for such use.

I haven't seen the new property, but I'm really excited about this. Aside from being a new performance space for bands like Tuba Skinny, Egg Yolk Jubilee and Arajay, we might also see unique film events, like a performance of "Gravity Was Everywhere Back Then" or Crispin Glover screening either of his "It" films. Along with Nola DriveIn, it looks like New Orleans might be seeing a slight surge in community/guerrilla film screenings.

As of this posting, $870 have been raised. Help them reach their $4,000 goal. Every little bit counts.