The Playlist

The Weinsteins Didn't Get 'The Canyons' Because They Wanted Final Cut Over Paul Schrader

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 21, 2013 12:19 PM
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3 Comments

News

What Harvey Weinstein wants, he usually gets, or at least makes a valiant effort to do so. And certainly, there is no man in Hollywood you want behind your film, because no one will promote, love, market and raise awareness for your movie like he will. But it seems that some of the strings attached to deals involving Harv may be too much for certain filmmakers, as was the case was for those behind "The Canyons."

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James Deen Calls James Franco "A Dick," Says Paul Schrader Didn't Respect Him On 'The Canyons'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 19, 2013 6:06 PM
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10 Comments

News

With the film finding a home last week with IFC Films, you might think the stories around the making of "The Canyons" -- which have included a highly quotable New York Times Magazine profile, and news of its rejection from both Sundance and SXSW -- might be put to rest. But it seems there is still much more talk about, and after so much drama surrounding Lindsay Lohan's onset behaviour, her co-star and adult film actor James Deen has weighed in with this own observations about working on the movie. And it seems that for him, Schrader was more of a hassle to deal with than Lohan.

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IFC Films Picks Up Paul Schrader's 'The Canyons' For Summer Release

By Kevin Jagernauth
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February 15, 2013 11:56 AM
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1 Comment

News

After buzz, rumor, speculation and in the past few weeks, some pretty explosive headlines thanks to a pretty saucy New York Times Magazine profile, as well as word that both Sundance and SXSW turned down the low budget film, Paul Schrader's "The Canyons" has indeed found a home.

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Steven Soderbergh Teases 'The Canyons' Contains A “Spectacular Sex Scene,” Paul Schrader Says It's “Cinema For The Post-Theatrical Era”

By Charlie Schmidlin
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February 5, 2013 10:00 AM
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1 Comment

News

A tumultuous shoot, a volatile leading lady, and a veteran director collaborating with one of the most visible Twitter presences around; Kenneth Anger might just need to devote the entirety of “Hollywood Babylon IV” to Paul Schrader's “The Canyons” alone. But before that volume comes out, we've got the filmmaker's latest rebuttal against early criticisms of the film, as well as Steven Soderbergh hinting at what's in store when it's finally released.

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SXSW Reportedly Rejects 'The Canyons' Over "Quality Issues," Paul Schrader Has "No Qualms" That The Film Is "Very Good"

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 23, 2013 11:46 AM
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9 Comments

News

Well, the buzz around Paul Schrader's "The Canyons" continues to swirl, and it's been not particularly good. Most of that talk comes from the New York Times Magazine extensive article on the film, which among other things included the saga of Lindsay Lohan's behaviour on the set, creative differences between the director, producer Braxton Pope and writer Bret Easton Ellis, and even the revelation that Steven Soderbergh offered to edit the film. The picture was also turned down by the Sundance Film Festival, and it seems another festival has decided they won't be screening the movie either.

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Trainwreck? Judge For Yourself With 3 Minute Clip From 'The Canyons' With Lindsay Lohan & James Deen

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 16, 2013 1:53 PM
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9 Comments

News

To be certain, the recent must-read New York Times Magazine article on the making of Paul Schrader's "The Canyons" brought the movie to the attention of a public that was probably not aware it was even happening. But even while movie sites and tabloids kept abreast of the developments on the low budget indie starring Lindsay Lohan and porn star James Deen, the feature article revealed not only just how painful the shoot was, but also the friction between the director, writer Bret Easton Ellis and producer Braxton Pope.

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Steven Soderbergh Offered To Edit 'The Canyons', Lindsay Lohan Was Fired & The Saga Of Paul Schrader's Troubled Film

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 10, 2013 12:58 PM
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3 Comments

News

There are a few ways to start this article. We could talk about the film's indie cred, with its Kickstarter-fueled funding and low-budget, digital-filmmaking approach. We could talk about it being a cautionary tale about working with Lindsay Lohan (more on that in a moment). But instead, we'll start with this quote from the film's screenwriter, Bret Easton Ellis, about the Paul Schrader-directed "The Canyons": “The film is so languorous. It’s an hour 30, and it seems like it’s three hours long. I saw this as a pranky noirish thriller, but Schrader turned it into, well, a Schrader film.”

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Watch: Final Parody Trailer For Paul Schrader's 'The Canyons,' Movie Will Soon Screen For Distributors

By Joe Cunningham
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January 2, 2013 9:59 AM
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0 Comments

News

Who knows what to think about Paul Schrader’s upcoming directorial feature, “The Canyons”? Penned by everyone’s favorite Twitter troll Bret Easton Ellis, and starring Lindsay Lohan, porn star James Deen and, erm, Gus van Sant, the Kickstarter-funded sexual thriller certainly has us intrigued if nothing else. After a grindhouse-style teaser trailer and a 1950s B-movie style trailer, we’ve now got another look at the upcoming film in what promises to be the final “parody trailer.”

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Watch: B-Movie-Style Trailer For Paul Schrader's 'The Canyons' Starring Lindsay Lohan & James Deen

By Kevin Jagernauth
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November 13, 2012 12:38 PM
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2 Comments

News

If you thought that Paul Schrader and the team behind "The Canyons" might be a bit cagey about the crowd-sourced nature of his indie film, guess again. Not only have they been playful (see the grindhouse style teaser), they are now fully embracing their outsider status with this new B-movie-style trailer for the film, which promises lots of pulp. And no studio involvement.

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5 Projects That Kickstarter Helped Get Off The Ground Featuring Talent Such As Paul Schrader, Charlie Kaufman, Jeremy Renner & More

By Leah Zak
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October 12, 2012 2:00 PM
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1 Comment

Features

While risky or unconventional films have always had their share of challenges making their way to theatres, it seems that lately, the well has run dry for studios that were at one time willing to bet on a project with less mainstream appeal. And thus the rise of crowd-funding and the growing popularity of websites like Kickstarter as a way to fund the production and distribution of new independent films. Those of us watching such a trend, however, have been surprised to discover the pedigree of filmmakers popping up on the site in the past year, from names like Paul Schrader to Charlie Kaufman to Barry Mendel -- directors and producers who have spent most of their Hollywood career on the fringes are embracing a new found freedom in funding that doesn’t come with a barrage of studio notes, re-edits and the risk of creative compromise.

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