Nightcap 9/20/15 give me good filmmakers regardless of who they are, NYFF starts Friday, Randi's links

For those who didn't get to SPX this weekend, specifically Shelly T Otter
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To be honest I don't care who makes a film, all I want is good movie. seriously if a gibbon or a snail could make a good movie I'm there.

I say this because there have been calls recently that Hollywood needs to hire more than white males to make films. I'm behind that 100% -but with two provisos:

First lets try and get people who have a shot at making a good movie. I'm sure that this shouldn't be a problem. Film schools are cranking out enough students in all shapes, sizes, genders and colors that I know there are lots of unheralded people out them- Lets find  them and hire them.

Secondly if these people make bad movies I have every right to say what I feel about the film, including giving it a bad review.

That last one may sound like a "no duh!" except I recently told a female friend of mine that I was going to give a film by a female director a bad review. She stared at me and asked me to be kind to the film. I asked why, and she said because if films by women get bad reviews then they won't be able to direct. I looked back at her and said that she was kind of right, except that bad reviews were only going to sink female directors if they make bad movies. If they make bad movies then that person, male female or Gibbon shouldn't direct.

Filmmakers must be judged on what they turn out. If you make a great film you should get another shot. If you make a bad film you should be shown the door.
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Speaking of good, bad and WTF movies- The New York Film Festival starts Friday-well Saturday. It was supposed to start Friday but the Pope is coming to New York so things are getting shifted so that things really start Saturday. Friday they are running Free movies at the film center.

As this posts I'm about five short film collections, the entire Projections sidebar and ten feature films into the festival. I have plans for another 25 more or so events/films.

How are the films?

This being The New York Film Festival things are all over the place. I've seen films I want to add to my collection and some I want to burn. I've seen films that made me walk on air and others that put me to sleep.

It is what the New York Film Festival always is- an experience unlike any other. I mean that- good bad or WTF NYFF makes you feel something. I can't wait for it to start properly.

If you're in New York try and get tickets for something- I highly recommend the Genre Shorts (aka Horror) collection- which is standby tickets only. It may be the best collection of shorts at NYFF of the last 25 years. I know it has some of the best films of the festival so far. The New York Shrt are also good. I'm very high on JOURNEY TO THE SHORE. Also Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang is an absolute must. It will give you a greater appreciation for the director.

For tickets and more information go here and noodle around.

Coverage starts Tuesday with the various shorts collections. then toward the end of the week things will explode as we go whole hog. And understand I'm doing a lot of public screenings this year so some reviews will not be up early.
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And now Randi's links and one from John

Soviet Bus Shelters
BatKid Begins talk
Red Turtle extracts (Its a Ghibli co-production)
Tintin the opera

And from John comes:
You're Tearing Me Apart: Rebel Without a Cause at 60
It's impossible now to separate the cult of James Dean from the film that defined a teen-age. But Rebel Without a Cause is now 60 years old. Does it and its star still have the same power and allure? Alan Dein explores the mystery and mystique of Rebel and drawing on rare, never heard archive, explores the making of a legend.
You're Tearing Me Apart: Rebel Without a Cause at 60, Sunday Feature - BBC Radio 3

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As I said this week NYFF coverage begins- but also look for a little bit on Fantastic Fest which starts this week and a bunch of new releases.

I also want you to think good thoughts so that I don't take on anything else in the next three weeks. I say that because I'm up to date with everything...