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Film Monthly Reviews CarterHere is a great review of Carter from the Indie section of the Film Monthly. The 2nd feature film from Ryan Andrew Balas is having its World Premiere _ 8:45 pm on November 24th, 2009 at the Anthology Film Archives in NYC. The film was selected to be a part of the fall series of the NewFilmmakers Festival. For those that wont be in NY for the premiere, the festival preview version of the DVD is available for only $10 bucks HERE. Check out Lisa Draski's review after the jump:

"Carter is a lovely character study written and directed by Ryan Andrew Balas. Though the story revolves around a vow Jebediah Sminch (Mark Robert Ryan) made and is on the verge of fulfilling, the film is more about his girlfriend Carter (the enchanting and talented Julia Porter Howe) and how she deals with the ramifications of that vow.
When he was 17, Jeb swore to himself that if he wasn’t married by the time he was 23, he would kill himself when he turned 25. When we meet Jeb, it’s only a few days before his 25th birthday, and he’s in love and happier than ever. Carter knows about Jeb’s plans and tries desperately to understand, but Jeb has a hard time even explaining it to himself. He tells her, 'It’s like leaving the conversation right when you’ve just told the funniest joke.'
The melancholy mood is set and enhanced by the haunting score and the alternately cool and warm cinematography. Balas has a great eye for composition and creates some stunning shots. The viewer is immediately drawn into the captivating world of Jeb and Carter. There is a wonderful use of locations that are vibrant and familiar. A lot of the film consists of conversations between Jeb and Carter, and this is where it really shines. Balas’ dialogue is fresh, smart, insightful, and often very funny."
Read the full piece HERE. Paul Osborne Spills the Festival BeansOur friend Paul Osborne has a great piece in MovieMaker Magazine on the truth about film festival Do's and Dont's. Check it out after the jump:

"You’ve made your little independent feature film, financed with love, credit cards and some spare change from mom and dad. Now you’re going to take it to Sundance, where it will be watched by excited buyers from all of the major distributors. One of said distributors will cut you a big check, gather your movie up into its warm, welcoming arms and sprinkle it into theaters all across the land. Right? Guess what? This never happens. And even when it did occasionally happen back in the late ’80s and ’90s, it was an extremely rare thing.
Any independent moviemaker who has worked the film festival circuit can tell you that this “Myth of Sundance” is about as real as the “Rich and Famous” contract offered to Kermit the Frog at the end of The Muppet Movie. However, the media still largely covers the major film festivals—Sundance, Toronto, Cannes—as if it’s 1994 and little can-do features actually have a fighting chance to be discovered in today’s indie landscape, the way Kevin Smith’s Clerks did. This disconnect between the fantasy and reality of film festivals led me and my producing partner, Scott Storm, to make Official Rejection, the first documentary to really show what truly indie moviemakers experience on the film festival circuit."
Read the full piece HERE.The 5 Obstructions

Here is one of my favorite films, one I discovered over 5 years ago on an independent film cable channel. Throwback Sundays this week, remembers a fantastic film, one that reminds me of the creative relationship sometimes shared between myself and my friend and fellow collaborator, Brian Ackley (Uptown).

With THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS, notoriously mischievous director Lars von Trier performs yet another cinematic experiment. This time around, the Danish prankster tries to outwit his mentor, director Jorgen Leth, forcing him to remake his classic 1967 short, "The Perfect Human," five different times, with a series of increasingly outlandish guidelines. His goal is to break down the abnormally stable Leth, teaching him a valuable life lesson in the process.

In the first film, von Trier sends Leth to Cuba and sets his first seemingly insurmountable rule: make a film that consists of shots that are no longer than twelve frames at a time. Miraculously, Leth uses his forced limitations to create a beautiful work, which obviously irks von Trier.

Next up, von Trier challenges Leth to return to Bombay--which he calls the "most wretched place on Earth"--in order to confront some demons from his past. Once again, the clever mentor rises to the challenge.

Frustrated and sensing defeat, von Trier's next challenge is deceptively simple: Leth must remake his film with no limitations whatsoever. He travels to Brussels and succeeds once again. After a foray into animation, von Trier creates the final obstruction, a film in which von Trier admits defeat and pays tribute to his mentor.

THE FIVE OBSTRUCTIONS is a thoughtful, entertaining meditation on the filmmaking process.

www.netflix.comThe Brand Behind the BandHere is a teaser announcing the launch of The Brand Behind the Band - a new venture by Oli "Power" Grant, Exec Producer of Wu Tang and One Way or Another Productions. Stay tuned here for the official project announcement coming very soon. This teaser however, is unrelated to the project (but in some ways is). Less cryptic and full update around the corner.

Here is the site for all things Wu Tang related to this project: www.thebrandwutang.com

Follow Power on Twitter HERE.

Follow Wu Wear on Twitter HERE.

For Twitter updates about this particular project, follow HERE.CARTER Festival TrailerHere's the official festival trailer for CARTER.
a film by Ryan Andrew Balas.

In three days, Jeb Sminch is going to kill himself, and he's never been happier!

Official NYC Premiere NOV. 24, 2009 at the Anthology Film Archive. 8:45pm

You can buy a festival screener DVD here:
carterthemovie.comMove Over DIY, Hello DIWOIndieGoGo provides tools for fundraising, promotion, and discovery. The platform enables people to showcase their work, mobilize fans, and DIWO (Do-It-With-Others!).

Founded on the principles of opportunity, transparency, choice, and action, IndieGoGo launched in 2008 to address the fundraising challenges and market inefficiencies affecting independent media. IndieGoGo provides an open platform for people to pitch projects to the world, and gives fans the vehicle to experience, influence and fuel the projects they want to see created.

People get resources to build and engage a loyal fan base to assist in making their projects happen. They can raise money and awareness, and gain credibility through their number one resource: their fans.

Fans get the opportunity to discover, share and directly impact the projects of their choosing while also getting insider access and VIP perks.

To learn more, see HERE.