http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/ Matt Dentler's Blog en Copyright 2010 2010-02-09T16:21:39+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/snooki_is_dating_a_dead_documentary_legend/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/snooki_is_dating_a_dead_documentary_legend/ At first glance of the "news" that Snooki from The Jersey Shore has found a boyfriend at long last, I paused. Not just because it's kind of gross, but because the name of the boyfriend is reportedly Emilio Antonio. For a split second I was like "she's dating Emile de Antonio? I thought he died like 20 years ago." He also made some riveting political documentaries before his death, and he's not dating Snooki. However, his company did have the unfortunate name of G-String Productions, so maybe the Pennsylvania native wasn't so different than Snooki and The Situation? To clear… 2010-02-09T16:21:39+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/my_way_killings/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/my_way_killings/ This is a crazy story, from Sunday's New York Times: There's an odd phenomenon in the Philippines that involves murder, soon after someone in a karaoke bar sings the Frank Sinatra anthem "My Way." Why? No one is entirely certain, but it's created a wave of fear in the country's very popular night spots. From the article in the Times: The killings have produced urban legends about the song and left Filipinos groping for answers. Are the killings the natural byproduct of the country’s culture of violence, drinking and machismo? Or is there something inherently sinister in the song? Whatever… 2010-02-08T02:02:06+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/greenberg_soundtrack_is_no_lcd_soundsystem_lp/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/greenberg_soundtrack_is_no_lcd_soundsystem_lp/ When the trailer for Noah Baumbach's upcoming feature, Greenberg, teased that the film would feature new music by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, more than a few fans of the band hoped it meant a full-fledged album (the follow-up to 2007's breakthrough Sound of Silver). It will be, and it won't be. Murphy (the one-man show that is LCD Soundsystem) did compose the score, but he claims it "sounds nothing like LCD, really. It's made to fit the movie, not be 'my record'." There will be one song on the soundtrack by LCD Soundsystem, but the rest of it will consist… 2010-02-06T20:22:21+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/study_teens_stop_blogging_because_of_facebook/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/study_teens_stop_blogging_because_of_facebook/ A recently released study illustrates that teenagers are not blogging like they used to, and the theory is that Facebook may have something to do with it. "What we think is really going on here — why young people aren't doing blogs anymore — is that there's been a move from MySpace, which put blogging front and center, to Facebook, which doesn't have that," Pew Internet Project researcher Amanda Lenhart says. At the same time, teens are still not embracing Twitter in the same ways their older counterparts have come to enjoy the micro-blogging service. With text-messaging already a major… 2010-02-06T18:21:26+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/chartier/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/chartier/ Good friend to Cinetic and CRM, Nicolas Chartier, has won his fair right to be included as one of the nominated producers for The Hurt Locker. Nicolas is primarily a sales agent, and The Hurt Locker is one of his only excursions into the world of producing. He bet the farm (literally) on the prospects of the film becoming a success, and he deserved the ability to be nominated for an Academy Award along with the three other producers. The issue at hand stems from the Academy's recent guideline that stipulates only three people can be included in the Best… 2010-02-05T16:22:31+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/laughing_with_a_mouth_of_blood/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/laughing_with_a_mouth_of_blood/ Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein star in this funny little St. Vincent music video for her great song "Laughing With a Mouth of Blood." In the clip, Annie Clark is faced with the most worthless in-store performance ever. The song (from the great album, Actor) kicks in at the 2:00 mark, after some reliable comedy moments: st. vincent | MySpace Music Videos 2010-02-04T17:35:25+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sxsw_2010_lineup_looks_good/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/sxsw_2010_lineup_looks_good/ The complete lineup of films for SXSW 2010 has been announced, and it's looking great. In addition to previously announced titles such as the Opening Night Film, Kick-Ass, the gang in Austin has added high profile films such as MacGruber, Cyrus, and The Runaways. And, of course, there are the smaller films premiering in the festival's Competition sections. From the SXSW announcement: The festival’s main competition categories once again find 8 Narrative Features and 8 Documentary Features, vying for their respective Grand Jury Prizes. The Narrative Feature Competition includes: Brotherhood, directed by Will Canon, Dance With The One, directed by… 2010-02-04T04:32:27+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/life_magazine/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/life_magazine/ The new album by Cold Cave is worth checking out, and this latest single is probably a good indication of what you're gonna get from it. Supplying a music video that is just as meaningful-but-meaningless as the song itself, "Life Magazine" is still worth your eyes: 2010-02-04T04:29:28+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/indies_sneak_into_major_oscar_categories/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/indies_sneak_into_major_oscar_categories/ The Academy increased the number of Best Picture nominees to 10, in an attempt to make the field more commercial. However, this will also be the year remembered for a few arthouse films sneaking into major categories. Most indie distributors have an annual berth in the Best Documentary or Best Foreign Language Film categories, but it was a pleasant surprise during this morning's announcement, to see some recognition alongside Hollywood contenders. For starters, young distributor Oscilloscope Laboratories saw its release The Messenger garner two big nods: Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for Woody Harrelson. These nominations are joined… 2010-02-02T14:36:56+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/if_andy_kindler_ran_the_oscars/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/if_andy_kindler_ran_the_oscars/ I've written before about my admiration for stand-up comic Andy Kindler. He's not a household name, almost because his humor is far too inside-baseball, often reflecting the ridiculousness of showbiz. You can get some of that in this piece for the LA Times, wherein Kindler offers his wish list of things he would like to see at this year's Academy Awards: L.A. Times: What about for supporting actors? Christoph Waltz seems to be leading that race. Kindler: I don't want anything else to increase Quentin Tarantino's ego. I saw "Inglourious Basterds" win at the SAG Awards, and I assume that… 2010-02-01T22:43:50+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/the_grammys_nothing._but_here_are_some_film_winners/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/the_grammys_nothing._but_here_are_some_film_winners/ The Grammy Awards mean nothing. It is just as fickle at the record industry it honors. Example: count how many of the winning artists on Sunday night will even be invited back in the next few years. Not many. As far the Grammys are concerned, you're only as good as your last Billboard ranking. The ceremony is worth watching for the impressive live performances (this year, Pink was a favorite as well as the show-opening duet with Lady Gaga and Elton John). However, if you're curious about some of the film winners this year, here they are (remember, for some… 2010-02-01T05:21:36+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/scott_brown/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/scott_brown/ There's already talk that he will run for President in 2012, but first he has to take office after upsetting Democrats with a Senate win. He's Republican Scott Brown, and as Saturday Night Live suggested this weekend, maybe there's a good reason he won (and its not his moderate politics): 2010-01-31T22:01:14+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/money_never_sleeps/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/money_never_sleeps/ They've been shooting this, Oliver Stone's sequel to Wall Street, on our office block for weeks. Despite the inconvenience of dealing with trailers and cables and trucks for days at a time, I'm excited for this film. It could be just a pointless attempt to cash-in, but as a fan of the original, only horrible reviews will keep me away. Here's the trailer: 2010-01-31T21:42:57+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/r.i.p._karen_schmeer/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/r.i.p._karen_schmeer/ I met Karen Schmeer at SXSW in 2007. She was introduced to me by former co-worker Lya Guerra, who had recruited Karen as a jury member for the SXSW Click competition. I remember when Lya introduced her as "Errol Morris' editor," and my first reaction was "No way." I didn't believe that someone so friendly and down-to-earth could have such a prestigious and important gig. I couldn't believe that someone so busy and prolific, would be willing to spend time on our tiny little shorts competition. Nevertheless, she was motivated and awesome. Karen worked on a lot of great films,… 2010-01-30T20:36:41+00:00 http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/five_new/ http://blogs.indiewire.com/mattdentler/archives/five_new/ 1. Charlotte Gainsbourg, IRM (The Antichrist actress teams with Beck for one of the most beautiful pop/folk albums so far this year. Spacey, sultry, and dreamlike. Her legendary father would be proud.) 2. Vampire Weekend, Contra (The second LP from these buzzy brainiacs is more of the same Afro-infused guitar-pop, but they add layers into their mix, that make it soar higher than you'd expect.) 3. The Magnetic Fields, Realism (Songwriter Stephin Merritt is on a roll, and this time, he's using more acoustic and organic instruments to bring us his timeless lovelorn anthems.) 4. Spoon, Transference (I actually think… 2010-01-29T22:47:44+00:00