Well, not really begins, as the official site design has yet to go live. But it's official. I'm on the full-time payroll at Hammer to Nail, and I'm very excited about it. For now, until the new design launches, I'm going to be posting up to 25 reviews a month (don't worry, I won't be writing all of them). While our primary focus is American narratives under two million dollars, I feel confident that we've covered many of the most shining examples of those works from 2008 already, and so I hope to keep our horizons expanded (docs, world cinema, etc.) to make sure that readers are getting a well-rounded education in ambitious independent cinema.

It's rather perfect timing that Harmony Korine's Mister Lonely opens at the IFC Center tomorrow. While I'm pretty sure his film cost more than two million dollars, Mister Lonely is the type of work that inspired our new site in the first place. And so allow me to point you in the direction of my review of Mister Lonely, which is by far one of my favorite films of 2008.

More to come next week, so be sure to bookmark Hammer to Nail!

Congratulations to Jed Dietz and Skizz Cyzyk and Eric Allen Hatch for pulling together yet another incredible program for this year's Maryland Film Festival. It kills me to not be in Bal'more this weekend, experiencing the friendly, casual atmosphere that the MFF provides. I will certainly be there next year, even if I don't have a new film ready to present by then (at this stage, all signs are pointing in that lackluster direction).

The Maryland Film Festival isn't just noteworthy for its laid back, well run vibe. Jed and Skizz's commitment to celebrating short films is what makes the Maryland Film Festival so important and vital. Once again, tomorrow night's opening night program is not a star-laden Maryland-centric feature; it is a collection of wide-ranging, inspired shorts. I think that's really cool and deserves to be written about more often.

I've seen too many films in this year's program to list them here, so what I've decided to do is finally post my review of Mary Bronstein's Yeast, which is screening at the following times:

Saturday May 3 1:30 PM Charles Theater 1
Sunday May 4 4:30 PM Charles Theater 2

Being that I operated a second camera for a majority of the film, I feel it's inappropriate for me to post this review over at Hammer to Nail. But I also stand firm in my appreciation of Mary's electrifying debut, especially after having had discussions with some people who responded to it negatively. I think a lot of people are missing the point. That said, here's my eight or nine cents on the situation...

YEAST -- Hate Rising

Trying to uncover a cinematic precedent for Mary Bronstein’s Yeast is quite the assignment. Has there ever been a film written and directed by a female--and perhaps most importantly, starring--that is so unflinching, unflattering, and uncomfortable? Barbara Loden’s Wanda? Marina de Van’s In My Skin? Jodie Foster's Little Man Tate? (Just kidding about that last one.) Yet those comparisons don’t apply completely, because while Bronstein’s debut more than deserves those blunt, abrasive adjectives, it also happens to be laugh-out-loud funny and somehow, against all of those seemingly insurmountable odds, surprisingly light. In Rachel, Bronstein has brought to life a character that makes Nicole Kidman’s Margot look like a sprightly, good-natured charmer. Her hilarious and confrontational depiction of this bottled-up young woman’s painful fall from a grace that never was is a refreshing elbow to the face of the screen’s typical portrayal of female friendships.

Bronstein’s Rachel is the type of person who makes you wonder how she ever had a friend in the first place. Apparently she did, in the form of current roommate Alice (Amy Judd) and reunited buddy Gen (Greta Gerwig), but it’s also clear that whatever it was that brought these three females together in the beginning–most likely random dorm room selection–it wasn’t the most godly source. Yeast captures, albeit in excruciatingly heightened detail, that moment when a relationship has run its course and there is nothing anyone can do but accept that fact and move on. Underneath the disgusting glaze, Bronstein’s ultimate point seems to be a pure one: If it ain’t working, why force it?

While Rachel is clearly stunted on a level the likes of which the screen has rarely seen, everyone in Yeast is suffering from some form of emotional constipation. Judd’s Alice knows that she is through with her tormentor, but she is finding it impossible to break free. Gen is a spoiled pothead who doesn’t appear to have many goals in life. But this immaturity isn’t relegated to the females. There is a confrontation during a camping trip between Rachel and Gen and two random guys who are building a dam (filmmakers Josh and Benny Safdie) that feels like it could have taken place on an elementary school playground. This staggeringly juvenile exchange might have actually made more sense if it had been acted out by a cast of eight-year-olds. Just as stunted, albeit in a much different way, is Tony (cinematographer Sean Williams, delivering a wallop of a performance), who recognizes his power over Rachel and does his damnedest to get under her skin. Which he does.

A common gripe I've heard is that each scene in Yeast is a repeat of itself. In a superficial sense this is true, but in a deeper sense, it's the fucking point. While the situations happening here are reflecting a heightened representation of life--or at least any life I've ever encountered--the reality is that we as human beings are stupid and stubborn and overstay our welcomes in relationships of every shape and variety (romantic, platonic, familial, etc.). For me, one of Bronstein's most groundbreaking narrative choices is in the way she delays and manipulates our preconceived notions of drama and conflict. In a typical film, the first act or two would be a quiet, respectful, gradual build to the eventual melodramatic confrontation when the relationship has reached its shattering point. Here, we begin at that shattering point with every single character and every single exchange. When Gen uses a big rock to hammer a tent stake into the ground, or when Alice washes a knife as Rachel verbally abuses her from just a few feet away, we expect the inevitable. But Bronstein won't give it to us. It is this running tension that makes Yeast so riveting and playfully twisted. My hunch is that the viewer who embraces Bronstein's conscious tugging of our strings of expectation will get a kick out of the film. For those viewers wearing different goggles, maybe not so much.

While all of this might sound awful and unbearable and abrasive, it most certainly is. But what keeps Bronstein’s experiment from suffocating under the weight of its own thick, sweaty skin is its unyielding sense of humor. Yeast is funnier than most supposed comedies. Rachel’s inability to be anything other than horrifically offensive and abusive is so preposterous that one can’t help but laugh at her. One must give credit here to Bronstein the actress, whose expressive performance feels humane even at its most off-putting and cruel. This humanity is evident in Bronstein’s role behind the camera as well. She establishes, without music, without camera trickery, without any artifice, a tone that is nearly impossible to describe. Like the most worthwhile art, Yeast is certain to cause a reaction.

Well, it's about goddamn time. After years of dicking around and pissing into the cosmos, writer/director Todd Rohal has finally gotten his act together and managed to produce a DVD of his wildly inventive and bizarrely affecting The Guatemalan Handshake. But this isn't just any old DVD package. In teaming up with the deeply committed Andrew Grant and Aaron Hillis of Benten Films, Rohal has made good on his promise of putting out a product that isn't just a half-assed transfer of the movie.

Check out what's collected on this phenomenal two-disc release:

Brand New High-Definition Digital Transfer

5.1 Surround & Stereo Mixes

Commentary Track
with Production Designers Jim McNamee & Sage Rockermann, Producers Jason Orfanon & Craig Moorhead, Director of Photography Richie Sherman, Actor Ivan Dimitrov and Writer/Director Todd Rohal

"Outrage the Rooster!"
A new essay about the film by filmmaker David Gordon Green

THE DVD BONUS CONTENTS:

DELETED SCENES:

1 - Stool's Bus
2 - Barnard Is A Creep
3 - Ethel's Nightmare
4 - Ivan Cries
5 - The Quarry Visit
6 - Leonard at the Roller Rink
7 - The Scouts Hitchhike
8 - Separate Itineraries
9 - Spank Williams Warm Up
10 - Spank Williams TV Spot
11 - Turtle
12 – Wallet

SHORT FILMS:

"50 States"
Directed by Jared Larson (grip)

"Demolition 7"
Directed by Richie Sherman (Director of Photography)

"Monsters In Autumn"
Directed by Charlie Cline (2nd Unit Director), Starring Ken Byrnes (Mr. Turnupseed), and photographed by Director of Photography Richie Sherman

"Mother & Son"
Directed by Matthew Silver (Production Assistant), Starring Andy Nadler (Barnard)

"A Double Feature From Turkeylegs & Lucas"
Directed by & Starring Katy Haywood (Turkeylegs) & Lucas Haywood (Boy Scout)

"Little Richie Schreiber"
Directed by and Starring Rich Schreiber (Stool)

10 MOMENTS FROM THE SET:

"The Perm"
A short documentary about the details of Craig Moorhead’s background performance.

"I Hate: A Live Performance By Ken Byrnes"
Ken Byrnes (Mr. Turnupseed) performs live music at a local bar.

"Trouble On The Yellow Breeches"
A Fitzcarraldo-like journey bringing a big boat down a small river.

"Nads In Queens"
A Visit to Andy Nadler’s (Barnard) home in New York City.

"Amphicar: The Rescue"
A short documentary about the sinking of an amphibious car in the shadow of Three-Mile Island.

"Open Call"
Moments from the improvised casting sessions.

“Going Back Home To Dillsburg/Super8”
Super8 Footage from the set by grip and filmmaker Jared Larson and a tribute song performed by producer Nick Panagopulos.

"The Signal: A Baltimore Public Radio Interview"
Director Todd Rohal on Baltimore's WYPR with stills from the production.

"Making It In PA"
Behind The Scenes of The Guatemalan Handshake.

“30 Seconds For Room Tone”
The final moment of production.

4 MOMENTS FROM THE ROAD:

"The Guatemalan Weenie Roast" - BIRMINGHAM, AL

"Everywhere In Between" - Photos from the road

MUSIC VIDEO:

"Lost & Found"
A music video for Ola Podrida (featuring David Wingo, who created the score for The Guatemalan Handshake), directed by Todd Rohal and starring Ivan Dimitrov

Phew! That's a shit-ton of bonus goodies!

To purchase this incredible expression of many human butts and minds, please go to the film's official website, Amazon, or it can almost certainly be found at stores all over this lovely land of ours.

Lastly, no matter how many copies you purchase, put the film in your Netflix queue right now.

Congratulations to Todd and the entire GH team, as well as Andrew and Aaron. This is some A+ DVD business!

Josh Safdie's The Pleasure of Being Robbed was the only American film selected for this year's Director's Fortnight in Cannes. More than that, it's the Closing Night Film! Congratulations to Josh and the Red Bucket Films team.

If you live in Los Angeles, do yourself a favor and go see Jeff Nichols' masterful Shotgun Stories, which opens today at the Sunset 5. It is as ambitious and perfectly executed and hauntingly beautiful as a film can be, no matter the budget. See this movie!

Lastly, no matter where you live, do yourself an even bigger favor and watch the new R. Kelly video for "Hair Braider." To quote the honorable Craig Zobel in an email yesterday:

The more I know about him, the more I don't understand. Is he like Andy Kaufman? Are we gonna find out in ten years, that R. Kelly was just an elaborate character. That he's actually a guy named Thomas who went to the experimental theater program at Yale?

Seriously, there is no need to parody this man. He transcends parody. One day scientists and geologists and historians and psychotherapists will be able to explain exactly what he meant to the planet, but for now, just watch this thing and be glad that you are a 21st Century human being who has the power to appreciate it...

***UPDATE: It appears that tickets are all gone for Saturday night's screening at the Walter Reade. That said, if you do decide to take the plunge don't get angry if the theater is filled up. Hopefully it'll work out and everyone will find a way inside. I just wanted to let everyone know about that.***

The tragic story has by now been well documented. At SXSW, on the way to the world premiere screening for Court 13's indescribably epic and astonishing Glory at Sea (read David Lowery's thoughtful review at Spout), director Benh Zeitlin and several crew members were in a terrible car accident. Zeitlin was the most damaged, and his medical bills are exorbitant. If Glory at Sea were merely a top-notch independent film rooted in a generic genre, this would be unfortunate news. The fact that it is one of the most spiritually uplifting and transcendently hopeful works of cinema to have made it to the screen since... actually, I have no idea when and if I've ever seen anything like it... makes it unbearably frustrating and disappointing. Shame on you, world. Shame on you. Anyway, friends of Benh and supporters of Court 13's work have banded together to organize two fundraisers in the upcoming week.

If you are in New York City at 10:30pm this Saturday night, April 26th, and you aren't in a coma or aren't giving birth, you have no excuse not to be in attendance at the NYC premier of the film at the Walter Reade Theater. I seriously considered flying up for it. If I were a richer man, I would be there. Go here to buy tickets. I'm not kidding. This isn't just about celebrating independent cinema or supporting an injured young filmmaker. It's about something even deeper and more inexpressible than that. Glory at Sea is about the need for community and hope on a nearly religious scale. I have watched it several times in the past few weeks, and it only gets more stunning and perfect every time.

If you are in Austin Tuesday night, April 29th, you're in for a real treat, for that program collects several of Court 13's most exciting works, capped off by Glory at Sea. Go here for more details and to buy tickets.

Lastly, if you're in Boston this weekend, Glory at Sea will be showing twice, in the "Shorts 1: Narratives" package (Fri, Apr 25, 6:30 PM and Sat, Apr 26, 5:00 PM). Go here for details.

I have already written my Hammer to Nail review for the film, though I won't be posting it until after these fundraisers and screenings take place (more on that later). I know I can get carried away when I see something that blows me away, but I truly feel that the spectacle of Glory at Sea is something the world desperately needs right now. Do yourselves a favor and see it on the big screen, with as many close friends as you can. You won't regret it.

Prior obligations preclude me from attending this year's IFFBoston, which is a real bummer (along those lines, they also precluded me from attending the Nashville Film Festival, which is also a real bummer). That said, I can personally vouch for Adam Roffman and Jason Redmond's increasingly awesomer and awesomer festival, and I can especially vouch for this year's lineup, which has too many good films to even begin to single out. Go to their website to see for yourself, and if you're anywhere near Boston, check it out. As for you New Yorkers, get your asses to Canal Street to catch a Chinatown bus up to Boston to have a ridiculously fun weekend of cinema and debauchery.

I really wish I could be there to bask in the IFFBoston glory for the third year in a row, but such is life. Could somebody--check that, everybody--do me a favor? When you're at Redbones (and if you aren't there at least twice a day then you are a wack sissy), please eat a bite of mac-and-cheese and fried okra and some form of delicious meat in my honor. I'll love you forever. (Seriously, that place makes me moan just thinking about it.)

Now that Filmmaker Magazine has gone public with the details of their Spring 2008 issue, I suppose it's as good a time as any to let you all know that I had the privilege of interviewing cover boy Harmony Korine, writer/director behind the incomprehensibly glorious Mister Lonely. A hearty thank you to Scott Macaulay for making it happen and a heartier thank you to Harmony for suggesting I be the one to interview him. I remember reading and rereading artist Mike Kelley's interview with Harmony when Gummo came out back in 1997, and here I am looking at the cover of the new Filmmaker and I'm the Mike who got to chat with him this time around. Neat-o. As for the interview itself, I don't know if it's any good, but I do know that Harmony spoke honestly about a lot of things that I haven't read in other interviews, so I would recommend that you check it out. As for Mister Lonely, see that thing as soon as you can, then see it again!

One thing we discussed was Harmony's new side-life as a commercial director. Which leads us to today's link of the day. This new UK Budweiser campaign was directed by the man himself. Featuring Silver Jews members Brian Kotzur (on drums) and William Tyler (on crunchy acoustic guitar), the spots capture the funky spirit of Nashville with sloppy glee. Watch them here:

http://www.budweiser.co.uk/