#minnesota filmmaking

[jonathanrogersartist]

*cough* I am a writer and filmmaker, who has a short film coming out on YouTube this October, just in time for Halloween. It's a pulp adventure story, my loving homage to films that I grew up on like Indiana Jones and The Mummy 1999, and a tribute to the genre as a whole. This is the official trailer that dropped last month.

[bisexualalienss]

a mid twenties something sitcom set in minneapolis would heal me i think

[5centsofchange]

Existential dread and chill?

[thehumblestabode]

I am directing a feature film I wrote this summer! Wanna be an associate producer? You're just 5k away! Want a handmade postcard? Thats $150! Want your name in the special thanks? Just $250! I'm chasing my dreams baby.

[inprogresstoday]

We met a new perspective IP artist today. Brooke is a Film and Media major in Atlanta who found us while deep diving on social media for media arts spaces that offer mentorship and community.

Eemanna / The Collective / Studio 213

[awsamweston]

Oh hey! The podcast episode I did yesterday just dropped

We talk about the Duluth film industry, the writing and directing process, Gleahan and the Knaves of Industry, and my upcoming work

Give it a listen maybe?

[brokehorrorfan]

A Simple Plan will be released on 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray on November 19 via Arrow Video. Matt Griffin designed the new cover art for the 1998 Academy Award nominee; the original poster is on the reverse side.

Sam Raimi (The Evil Dead) directs the neo-noir crime thriller from a script by Scott B. Smith (The Ruins), based on his own 1993 novel of the same name. Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, and Bridget Fonda star.

The film has been newly remastered in 4K from the original negative, approved by Raimi, with Dolby Vision and original DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio and lossless stereo audio. Special features are listed below, where you can also see more of the packaging.

Special features:

Audio commentary by critics Glenn Kenny and Farran Smith Nehme (new)

Audio commentary by production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein with filmmaker Justin Beahm (new)

Interview with cinematographer Alar Kivilo (new)

Interview with actor Becky Ann Baker (new)

Interview with actor Chelcie Ross (new)

On-set interviews with Sam Raimi, Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Jane Fonda, and producer Jim Jacks

Behind-the-scenes footage

Theatrical trailer

Booklet with new writing on the film by Bilge Ebiri and an excerpt from John Kenneth Muir's book The Unseen Force: The Films of Sam Raimi

Hank Mitchell (Bill Paxton) and his wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda) have big dreams and a baby on the way, but are stuck in the small Minnesota town where Hank grew up alongside his sweet but naive brother Jacob (Billy Bob Thornton). One day while walking in the woods, Hank, Jacob, and Jacob’s friend Lou (Brent Briscoe) discover a small plane buried in the snow, with a dead pilot inside… and a duffel bag containing over $4 million in cash. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance to grasp the American dream in one fell swoop, if they can just keep it a secret – but Hank soon learns that keeping that secret will come at a terrible cost.

Pre-order A Simple Plan.

[importantwomensbirthdays]

Barbara Kopple

Documentary filmmaker Barbara Kopple was born in New York City in 1946. Kopple's film Harlan County USA, a documentary about a coal miners' strike in Kentucky, won an Academy Award and was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress. Her film American Dream, which focused on a food worker strike in Minnesota, won an Academy Award as well as a DGA Documentary Award. Two years later, in 1994, Kopple won another DGA Documentary Award for Fallen Champ: The Untold Story of Mike Tyson. She has also been nominated for seven Emmy Awards, and in 2023, was honored with the Emmy's News & Documentary Lifetime Achievement Award.

[lboogie1906]

Sargent Major Spencer Williams (July 14, 1893 – December 13, 1969) was an actor and filmmaker. He portrayed Andy on TV’s The Amos ‘n’ Andy Show and directed films including the race film The Blood of Jesus. He was a pioneering African American film producer and director.

He studied at the University of Minnesota and served in the Army during and after WWI, rising to the rank of sergeant major. He traveled the world, serving as General Pershing’s bugler while in Mexico before he was promoted to camp sergeant major. He was sent to France to do intelligence work there.

His involvement with films began by assisting with works by Octavus Roy Cohen. He snagged bit roles in motion pictures, including a part in the film Steamboat Bill, Jr. He found steady work after arriving in California apart from a short period where there were no roles; he went to work as an immigration officer. He was working for the First National Studio to shoot footage for a film called The River.

He was hired to create the dialogue for a series of two-reel comedy films with all-black casts. He was appointed responsible for creating The Melancholy Dame. This film is considered the first Black talkie. The films, which played on racial stereotypes and used grammatically tortured dialogue, included The Framing of the Shrew, The Lady Fare, Melancholy Dame, Music Hath Charms, and Oft in the Silly Night. He wore many hats at Christie’s; he was a sound technician, wrote many of the scripts, and was assistant director for many of the films. He was hired to cast African Americans and produced the silent film Hot Biskits, which he wrote and directed, in the same year. He did some work for Columbia as the supervisor of their Africa Speaks recordings. He was active in theater productions, taking a role in the all-African American version of Lulu Belle.

He co-founded a movie and newsreel company called the Lincoln Talking Pictures Company. The company was self-financed. He had experience in sound technology, and built the equipment, including a sound truck, for his new venture. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence

[xtruss]

One month after George Floyd was murdered while in police custody in Minnesota, Kris Graves photographed the remnants of the Confederacy in and around Richmond, Virginia. “One late night on statue-lined Monument Avenue, I came across projections by artist Dustin Klein on the monument of Robert E. Lee,” he writes. “We stood and watched a seemingly endless rotation of Black lives that had been ended at the hands of police.” Officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of Floyd’s murder one year later, but Graves writes that “this continues to be an epidemic in the United States.” Photograph By Kris Graves, National Geographic

Wildlife ranger Joseph Wachira comforts Sudan, the last living male northern white rhino, as he laid dying at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya in March 2018. “He died surrounded by people who loved him,” wrote Ami Vitale, who was there to capture his last goodbyes. She added that she hoped that Sudan's legacy “will awaken us to protect this magnificent and fragile planet.” Photograph By Ami Vitale, National Geographic

While documenting the treacherous waters and fishing culture of the Aleutian Islands, photographer and salmon fisherman Corey Arnold captured this image. “Every night in Unalaska, I'd spot this red fox near the side of the road, charming drivers with its irresistible cuteness into throwing it snacks out the window,” he writes. “On this evening, I spent a few hours watching this fox at work, using my headlights to light the scene.” Photograph By Corey Arnold, National Geographic

“I don’t know about you, but fireflies take me back to childhood,” writes Kiliii Yuyan, who captured these synchronous fireflies flashing at early nighttime in the forests of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “Here, in the space all around me, a thousand tiny green-yellow lights are miniature lanterns, blazing long enough to be seen but always escaping my cupped hands.” Photograph By Kiliii Yuyan, National Geographic

This is a rare example of performing polar bears, a controversial but not illegal practice in Kazan, Russia. Polar bears are a threatened species and a powerful symbol for conservation—yet these bears are fitted with metal muzzles and their trainer holds a metal rod. Photographer Kristen Luce and writer Natasha Daly traveled the world to learn about the suffering behind the scenes of wildlife tourism. “Our intention is not to shame tourists who have had these encounters,” Luce writes, “but to arm our readers with information that will help them identify potentially abusive situations for animals.” Photograph By Kristen Luce, National Geographic

Left: “A reminder to breathe,” writes photographer, filmmaker, and mountaineer Jimmy Chin of this striking image of the Middle Teton in Grand Teton National Park. Photograph By Jimmy Chin. Right: The Caldor Fire rips through a valley south of Lake Tahoe on August 29, 2021. Lynsey Addario documented the California wildfire season—the second worst on record—on assignment for National Geographic. Photograph By Lynsey Addario National Geographic

Andy Lewis crosses a slackline high above the valley floor in Moab, Utah. Photographer Renan Ozturk dedicated this photograph to his late friend Dean Potter, who first envisioned a free-solo image like this "moon walk," captured without digital manipulation within a single frame. After missing his first chance at the shot, Ozturk writes that he “stumbled through the night, arriving tired and bloody to the moonset/sunrise location on the opposite side of the towers.” Photograph By Renan Ozturk, National Geographic

[jonathanrogersartist]

So... for those that don't know, I'm not just a random guy with lots of Star Wars hot takes. I'm a filmmaker and writer. And today, I finally released the passion project that I've dedicated my life to for almost five years.

This is an original short film I wrote and directed, that is an affectionate homage to classic adventure movies like Indiana Jones and The Mummy (1999).

If anyone has about 20 minutes to kill, I hope you give it a try, and I hope you enjoy what you see. I'd love to know what people think.

[dasenergi-diary]

I love your list of 5 things that make you happy! I know some of your favorite books, but what are your favorite movies and music?

Funny you should ask about music. When I made that post about Jonathan Carroll and how he hand wrote the first page to one of his books for me, the lead singer / songwriter of the band Cloud Cult hand wrote the lyrics to one of his songs for me too!

I discovered the music of Cloud Cult back in 2006. I heard the KEXP Song of the Day "Take Your Medicine" and it blew my mind! It was a religious experience for me. And I've been a huge fan ever since. I am quoted in the book "Chasing the Light: The Cloud Cult Story" on page 109 about that song.

I've attended all of their Los Angeles shows since 2006. I even flew up to Minneapolis just to hear them play with the Minnesota Orchestra back in April 2018.

Something special Cloud Cult does during their shows, they have two artists on stage who are painting during the performances. As an audience member enjoying the music, we also get to watch these two paintings take shape during the show. It's a pretty spectacular experience. At the end of the show they raffle the paintings to the highest bidder. I have two of them.

But to continue answering your question about favorite music, since 2005 Last.fm has tracked most of the music I have been listening to. These are the artists I've listened to the most since 2005.

As for movies... of course, I am a child of Star Wars. I saw the original in the theater back in 1977 when I was 7 years old. I felt a strong pull towards the Jedi. Star Wars (and Yoda) are probably my #1 influence for becoming a Buddhist. (Followed by the influence of Beat writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. Who led me to Timothy Leary, Ram Dass, and Alan Watts.)

And I have a very strong nostalgia for 1970s sci-fi like Logan’s Run and all the Planet of the Apes movies. And Disney’s The Black Hole released in 1979 (the children's version of 2001: A Space Odyssey).

And my #1 favorite movie is 2001: A Space Odyssey directed by Stanley Kubrick who also did The Shining (totally an art film, and NOT a horror movie).

But with Twin Peaks I fell in love with David Lynch and everything he does. He is my #1 favorite director. Each of his movies is a brilliant delight to uncover.

Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain is an amazing work of science, philosophy, spirituality, science fiction, and history. His movie Mother! is also fantastic (about God/Javier Bardem and Mother Earth/Jennifer Lawrence). Darren is probably in my Top 5 filmmakers.

Let me think: David Lynch, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson, Darren Aronofsky. Hmm... which director should come next? Francis Ford Coppola? Alfred Hitchcock? Steven Spielberg?

But for more lighthearted fare, I adore The Thin Man movies. I love William Powell and Myrna Loy. And also Cary Grant. Pre-WWII movies are my comfort movies. An escape. Safe and comfortable. I've watched a lot of them since 2016.

[reneg661]

Is a YouTube food and travel channel created by American filmmaker Will Sonbuchner (born August 22, 1984), alias, Sonny Side. The production team is based in Vietnam with episodes being filmed globally. The show won the 2020 Webby Award for "People's Voice: Viral Video of The Year" and received a Webby Official Honouree for Food & Drink the same year. As of March 2022, the channel currently has over 9 million subscribers. The YouTube channel was created by Sonbuchner on September 23, 2010 with the first episode being uploaded on December 14, 2015. Since its inception, the channel has explored many different cuisines from around the world, from India to Cuba. In 2019, Best Ever Food Review Show (BEFRS) became the first US-owned YouTube channel to receive filming access in Iran. William Sonbuchner (Sonny) was born in St. Cloud, Minnesota on August 22nd, 1984. In his early years, Sonny attended Sauk Rapids-Rice High School. At the age of 24, he moved to South Korea to pursue a career in teaching[8] where he also started to learn film production.

Sonny (c) Best Ever Food Review Show Art (c) reneg661

[greensparty]

Blu-ray Review: A Simple Plan

Prior to the late 90s, Sam Raimi was already established for his genre work, especially the Evil Dead trilogy, but when he adapted Scott B. Smith’s 1993 novel A Simple Plan, it was a thriller filled with Shakespearean turns and really showed how skilled Raimi is with actors. It had elements of Raimi's genre skills here and there, but it was a awards-season dramatic thriller that garnered two Oscar nominations including Billy Bob Thornton for Best Supporting Actor. A few years ago when I did my Top Sam Raimi Movies, I named it my #2 Sam Raimi Movie! Now the 1998 film A Simple Plan that I saw opening weekend in the movie theater and have been a big fan of since, is getting a special blu-ray release from Arrow Video.

the 2024 Arrow edition

Set in rural Minnesota, Hank (Bill Paxton) is a local bookkeeper with a pregnant wife Sarah (Bridget Fonda), a local librarian. Hank goes for a drive with his dim-witted older brother Jacob (Thornton), who brings along his redneck friend Lou (Brent Briscoe). They chase a fox into the woods and stumble upon a crashed airplane under snow that appears to have some dead bodies in it and a bag with $4.4 million. They devise a plan to keep the money safe at Hank's house and sit on it until the Spring once they know it's safe to split it evenly amongst the three. Of course this is a simple plan that goes horribly wrong as crimes begin happening.

theatrical movie poster

This film raised a lot of questions about how far will you go for money and will it be worth it in the end. There is a lot going on here in terms of each character having their own motivations and how they coerce others to go along with their agenda. Sarah is clearly a reference to Lady Macbeth, convincing Hank to take action to protect their money that could come in time for their growing family. Jacob wants more than anything to get back to the family farm and if Hank can give him that, he'll go along with whatever plan there is for the money. Hank sees himself as a little smarter and above much of the townies including Jacob and Lou, but that doesn't change this opportunity that's fallen into his lap and the possibilities that cause him to go down a destructive path. This was a serious big swing for Raimi in proving how skilled he is at drama and not just a genre director. But it is always cool to see that old-school Evil Dead Raimi slip into his non-horror films, i.e. a massive gunshot in this. There's a very clear connection to Fargo, directed by Raimi's friends and early collaborators The Coen Brothers. Similar in that they are both film noirs set in the wintry Midwest. Only here there's no humor the way that the Coens intercut the noir with laughs. The ending of this is devastating in it's tragedy of one man's quest for the American Dream. Still guts me away each time I see it. In terms of the new Arrow DVD, there's some cool features here including featurettes with supporting cast and some commentaries from critics Glenn Kenney and Farran Smith Nehme and production designer Patrizia von Brandenstein with filmmaker Justin Beahm. There's some interviews and old on-set features too. This is an underrated film that deserves the massive DVD treatment!

For info on Arrow's A Simple Plan

5 out of 5 stars

[inprogresstoday]

Aaliyah Met with Zachary.

Zachary is a filmmaker that wants to learn more about the process of creating films.

Melissa will be Zachary’s first Mentor at InProgress.

Welcome to InProgress Zachary!!!

--Aaliyah McQueen / The Collective / Studio 213 / Saint Paul