Monday Night at the Movies

The Milwaukee International Film Festival wriggled, wormlike and whimpering, out the door last year, primarily because the founder was unable to release the choking grip he had on its throat. But the people who made it work – the heart, the lungs, the arms and legs, and to a great degree the brain of the former festival – have found a new face and are creating a world class film festival for Milwaukee to be proud of. It will be known simply as The Milwaukee Film Festival. One of their first events is a series called Monday Night At the Movies. Every Monday beginning March 23rd, at the Marcus Theatres North Shore Cinema, The Milwaukee Film Festival, in partnership with Marcus Theatres, will be screening films from around the world – films that you otherwise would never get the chance to see here in Milwaukee. It is a partnership that has been a long time coming. The primary venue for the festival next September will still be the beautiful Oriental Theatre on Farwell, but Marcus will be continuing their partnership through and including the 2009 Film Festival. One would think that a film festival in Milwaukee would have to work with the Marcus Theatres, but apparently there was some friction between the previous board and Marcus so it never happened. Now, thankfully, it can. Like any city, Milwaukee consists of a lot of small, tight knit neighborhoods: the East Side, Bayview, the North Shore, River West, Wauwatosa, the West Side, the Third Ward, Walker’s Point. There has always been and continues to be a degree of chauvinism within each neighborhood that enables it to, while celebrating itself, turn its back on the neighborhood next door and perhaps remain somewhat ignorant of what is going on over the back fence. One of the goals of the Film Festival is to bring all those neighborhoods, those ethnicities, and those differences together. It is a bold, ambitious move, especially at a time when resources are significantly low, to reach out to new partners and new population centers.The earlier festival focused on the East Side and downtown, where it was born.As it grew in size and in ambition it began to reach out to other neighborhoods.The Times Cinema in Wauwatosa was a venue.The Skylight Opera in the Broadway Theatre Center in the Third Ward was a partner for a few events.And there has always been the hope that developers will bring back the beautiful Avalon Theatre in Bayview so that neighborhood could also be an energy center for the Festival.With the Marcus Theatres North Shore Cinema offering this series of Monday nights, the Festival will enter into another neighborhood and bring another diverse population under its umbrella. Each of the films presented will be introduced by someone from the community with a specific knowledge of the film and the area it represents, and the audience will be invited to come to a discussion group afterward at a nearby restaurant, bar or book store with […]

99 Bottles Documentary in Milwaukee and Madison + Q&A with filmmaker Jason Williams! Read It Now!

99 BOTTLES a documentary about WI and Beer 4 shows on 4 different nights. Arrive 30 minutes before all show times for FREE Beer Tasting WHERE: Times Cinema (Milwaukee) WHEN: November 6-9 Thursday at 7:00pm Friday at 7:00pm Saturday at 7:00pm Sunday at 4:00pm WHERE Orpheum Theater (Madison) WHEN: Nov 13-16 Thursday at 7:00pm Friday at 7:00pm Saturday at 7:00pm Sunday at 4:00pm “99 Bottles Documentary” was created to promote exposure and public awareness of the rich and vibrant craft brewing industry. Visit the site for more details and the trailer: 99bottlesdocumentary.com What prompted a doc on beer? The producers David Oplinger and Glen Popple were interested in developing a project that was home grown. They were discussing ideas while taking down a few brews at Wolski’s Tavern. Glen relayed a story that his co-worker kept bugging him to make a documentary about craft breweries. “That is a great idea,” said Dave. The great part of the story is there was no such documentary made about this subject before. They decided to start asking the different breweries about the project and found out that all of them were thrilled to have their stories of history shared to the world, or at least in Wisconsin. How long did it take to shoot this doc? The documentary pre-production planning started in February simultaneously with shooting. The idea was to shoot the general “beer enthusiast” and ask their impression of the industry. One of the questions we asked was, “If you could ask a brewmaster anything, what would it be?” This lead to the list of questions that became the focal point of the interviews with brewmasters and owners. Principal photography lasted from February through May. The logistical issue was scheduling trips to other cities each week to get the necessary footage. We went as far as Sand Creek Brewing Co. in Black River Falls, which is 3.5 hours one way. War story to share? Crazy day during production? The biggest war story is the Premiere debacle. The gallant effort we choose was, shoot, edit, and distribute a full feature documentary within 6 months to the Harley Fest lovers. In the final day of editing for the premiere the Compressor failed to output a media file to burn a DVD. After repeated attempts the program crashed at about 20 to 30 minutes through each attempt. The thought was to work solid full time for 1.5 months to cut a feature documentary and deliver a show, but the luck wasn’t there. The lesson is “pick the show date last, not from the start”. The craziest day during production was obviously the above failed premiere. What are you working on next? Currently I’m working on 2 projects. I am in post for a short called “Indefinite”. The premiere of the trailer will be shown during the “99 Bottles Documentary” shows. “Indefinite” is a co-directed project with Christopher Kuiper. He will be penning a comic book series that ties in with the short. The other project […]

For you, me and everyone we know

Welcome to Inferiority Complex City: Population – me. So indulge me, you painfully skinny punks, you tattooed, bearded, pierced indie-everything hipsters, indulge me from my little film corner, waving my pseudo-hipster white flag because let’s face it – it’s cooler to be a rocker than an actor. I know, stop rubbing it in. And jeez, VITAL, an entire Music issue! I see how it is. GFY Music, GFY. OK, I’m over it. But in the end I’m a team player. And with that in mind I humbly lay before you my own contribution – amazing music from amazing scenes of amazing films. Be Amazed. And no, Pulp Fiction, Garden State, High Fidelity, Velvet Goldmine and 24 Hour Party People will not appear on this list because those soundtracks are on par and at times better than the films they represent and we are looking for moments, people, moments. Now be amazed. MOVIE: The Big Lebowski SONG: “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” by Sons of the Pioneers Let’s jump right in with two feet. Now you’d think it would be the opening credits track of “The Man in Me” by Bob Dylan (we’ll talk Dylan later) or “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” by Kenny Rogers and The First Edition because whenever you are dealing with Dylan or Kenny Rogers in any conversation they automatically are #1, regardless of the topic: everyone knows this. Except when dealing with The Big Lebowski. The opening scene is simple enough. Narrated by Sam Shepard, the camera pans up from a country hillside to reveal the vast valley of Los Angeles. This is when the vintage, crackling country song “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” plays. It has a kid-with-his-blankee effect: you settle in, feel good and realize everything is gonna be alright because The Big Lebowski is on. Again. MOVIE: Napoleon Dynamite SONG: “Canned Heat” by Jamiroquai This scene might be the greatest school talent show scene since Lindsay Lohan took the bull by the horns and busted out “Jingle Bell Rock” in Mean Girls. Right people?! Who’s with me?! This is scene is also the reason why I kinda want to see the Pedro actor deejay at Cans. We’ve all seen the ads but no one admits to going. Sinners. MOVIE: Trainspotting SONG: “Born Slippy” by Underworld This song legitimized the whole early-90s, skinny, heroined-out/ecstasy-infused art world in one scene. This dance floor classic plays at the culmination of a drug deal between friends and enemies in a seedy London hotel. The song soundtracks the only silent part of an otherwise dialogue-heavy, narrated film, punctuating the drama and conclusion of the story. Makes we wanna organize a Take Back the Night walk with glowsticks. MOVIE: Dazed and Confused SONG: “Tuesday’s Gone” by Lynyrd Skynyrd I challenge you to name a better 70s song to play during your teenage convertible drive into the sunrise after the greatest night ever. “Loving Cup” by The Rolling Stones, you say? OK, I challenge you to name a third. MOVIE: […]

Mlwaukee Film Launches To A Packed House! Go Milwaukee Film Go

The Milwaukee Show Launches Successfully “I Want You to Know” wins Jury Award, “The Waiting Room” wins Audience Award MILWAUKEE (October 24, 2008) — Nearly 600 people attended last night’s inaugural program of Milwaukee Film. The Milwaukee Show, announced the award winners at the Discovery World – Pilot House last night to a packed house of filmmakers and attendees. The Milwaukee Show Jury Award Winner: “I Want You To Know” Directed, produced and edited by Derek Kimball Written and produced by Matthew Konkel A bated tension and quiet disclosure provides the milieu for this father and son camping narrative about reserved honesty and stunted youth. The Milwaukee Show Audience Award Winner: “The Waiting Room” Directed by Tate Bunker Produced by Mark Metcalf Written by Emily Downes In a room full of strangers, people come and they go…while a young woman waits. Filmmakers Derek Kimball and Matthew Konkel were awarded the first ever Jury Award prize, a $20,000 filmmaking production package to help them shoot their next short on film. Milwaukee Film’s next event is the much anticipated Milwaukee premiere of “Song Sung Blue” on Thursday, November 6 at 7:15pm at the Oriental Theatre. The multiple award winning “Song Sung Blue” goes backstage into the personal lives of Lightning & Thunder, a Milwaukee-area husband and wife singing duo who pay tribute to the music of Neil Diamond. Over several hundred tickets have already been sold for this one time only screening; please buy your tickets in advance to guarantee a seat. Tickets are available at the Landmark Oriental Theatre box office 4-10 p.m., Monday to Thursday; noon-10 p.m., Friday to Sunday.

Meet Milwaukee Film

by Howie Goldklang + Photo by Kat Berger Film festivals are a tough business, man. One day you’re wearing your cleanest dirty suit in some board room asking for sponsorship money and the next you might be unloading office furniture from a rental truck, arguing about which films to program or waiting around for the Road Runner guy to show up between 3 pm and 10 pm on a Tuesday. And so it goes, on and on into an abyss of film submissions, stacks of papers and messes of wires up and down your office walls, dealing with filmmakers, the endless quest for sponsor dollars, securing equipment partners, a constant need to build build build – film programs, screenings, screenplay readings, competitions, contests, and then your actual festival! My god, you mean we have to show films? Yes! Creating the printed program, hawking down sponsors for ads two weeks late, finding reliable projectionists, pulling a jury together, organizing parties and panels, printing tickets and those cool-guy laminated passes, glad-handing sponsors, and on and on into an abyss of … You get it. The film festival world is a fucking grind and to be the core staff of a successful one means you are either crazy, bulletproof or both. Enter Jonathan Jackson, Kyle Heller and T.J. Fackelman – keys to the defunct Milwaukee International Film Festival (MIFF) now forging ahead with a new organization called MILWAUKEE FILM. (Peep the Facebook group of the same name. Now!) But wait? What the hell happened to MIFF? We’re a beer and shot away from that conversation, so if you see me at a bar, walk over with a Magic Hat and Makers and we can get into it. For now, think about reasons that arts non-profits might split. Then think about who the original organizers were. Go ahead, name names. Then do a Mad Libs called FOUNDERS VS. FESTIVAL and carefully place the words Money, Ego, Sponsors, Vision, Credit and Direction. Then buy me another drink. (Search the REEL MILWAUKEE Blog at vitalsourcemag.com for more on the 4W/H about what happened to MIFF.) But I digress. Can you imagine doing the brick-by-brick, day-to-day festival grind for five years and without warning, it’s gone? These dudes couldn’t. Up from the ashes came Milwaukee Film, which is both a kick to the teeth of the powers that stole MIFF from Milwaukee and a dog whistle to independent filmmakers and artists in Milwaukee that the real supporters of MIFF don’t go out like that. “The whole staff went through a grieving process. Having put a festival together for the last five years, I feel like a big part of my life is missing,” says Milwaukee Film Artistic Director Jonathan Jackson. “Ultimately though, I am ecstatic about the future. We have an incredible opportunity to create a cultural organization that will maximize its potential and provide entertaining and socially conscious film programming throughout the year. We can’t guarantee perfection, but the staff and board of Milwaukee Film are […]

Milwaukee Film Wants You! Volunteer Today!

Want to meet fun, new people? Want free movie tickets? Want to help with Milwaukee’s newest film festival? Milwaukee Film is currently seeking enthusiastic and dedicated individuals to help us out with upcoming events. Milwaukee Film are looking to fill volunteer positions in all areas from ticket-taking and ushering at the theatres to helping make sure the parties run smoothly. Please email MilwaukeeFilm414@gmail.com or send a message on Facebook or Myspace, and include all of your contact information (email, phone #, address). Volunteering is the best way to ensure that Milwaukee’s film festival becomes the institution Milwaukee deserves. You also receive great benefits, for each shift volunteered you will get 1 ticket to the 2009 Film Festival presented by Milwaukee Film. If you know anyone who is interested in volunteering, please forward this message to them and tell them to e-mail Milwaukeefilm414@gmail.com with their contact information. Volunteer information for the Milwaukee Show on October 23rd and Song Sung Blue on November 6th will be released shortly so sign up quickly! Thank you in advance for your support!

A JIHAD FOR LOVE

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WATER LILIES (Naissance des pieuvres)

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Great News For Milw Filmmakers – MILWAUKEE FILM ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL SCREENING, CALLS FOR ENTRIES

Hey There in Hipster Blog Land: Read below for the skinny on the next step in the Milwaukee Film Festival world….. begs the question…. what the hell happened? Rumors are swirling, Mark Metcalf is going off with a series of articles on onmilwaukee.com but no matter how you slice it, its a sad collision of art and commerce where the big loser is the filmmaker. Fear not: As usual, film kids will solider on. So for now, let’s focus, rise up and get Milwaukee Film rolling! THE NEED TO KNOW: Fest Date / Loc: Oct 23rd @ Oriental Theater Deadline / Cost: Sept 19th / FREE Who Can Submit: Milwaukee County Residents Prizes: Milwaukee Filmmaker prize package valued at over $10,000, including a camera rental package from North American Camera. from Milwaukee Film PR Office: NEWS RELEASE For More Information: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Marie Maas, 414-390-5500 August 22, 2008 MILWAUKEE FILM ANNOUNCES INAUGURAL SCREENING, ISSUES CALL FOR ENTRIES Local filmmakers invited to participate in October showcase Milwaukee – Milwaukee Film, a newly formed independent organization dedicated to hosting Milwaukee’s premiere film festival, announced today plans for an inaugural screening on October 23, 2008. The Milwaukee Show will be a premiere showcase of diverse locally-made short films at the Oriental Theatre. Films may be submitted by residents of Milwaukee County for consideration at no cost, with select films featured as part of the screening. The top filmmaker will also receive a Milwaukee Filmmaker prize package valued at over $10,000, including a camera rental package from North American Camera. The deadline to submit a short film is Friday, September 19, 2008. This screening is just one of the many year-round screenings and events Milwaukee Film plans to host, supported by the former staff of the Milwaukee International Film Festival and its primary funders. “This is a great opportunity for local filmmakers to showcase their work, and a really engaging way for the community to experience all that our city’s growing film industry has to offer,” said Jonathan Jackson, Artistic Director for Milwaukee Film. “We are excited to kick off our first screening in October by highlighting locally-made films.” For an official submission form or more details, visit the Milwaukee Film group on Facebook or contact Milwaukee Film at (414) 755-1965 or MilwaukeeFilm414@gmail.com. ABOUT MILWAUKEE FILM BOARD OF DIRECTORS: Chris Abele, Milwaukee Film Board Chairman; President & CEO, Argosy Foundation Tina Chang, CEO, SysLogic Alec Fraser, Attorney, Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP Bill Haberman, Attorney, Michael Best & Friedrich, LLP Carmen Haberman, Vice President, Herzfeld Foundation Julia Taylor, President, Greater Milwaukee Committee STAFF: Jonathan Jackson – Artistic Director Jonathan Jackson is the Artistic Director for Milwaukee Film, overseeing the content and programming for the organization’s events. Jackson previously served as the Artistic Director for the Milwaukee International Film Festival, directing film programming from 2003 – 2008. He previously worked as the Program Manager of the UWM Union Theatre and has curated film programs for the Milwaukee Art Museum. Kyle Heller – Operations Director […]

The Wackness

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48 Hour Films Screening in Milw

2 Days to shoot em and 1 Night to show em….. 48 Hour Film Project – click here Milwaukee 48 Hour Film Project Screenings Date: Wednesday, June 25th Time: Group A: 6pm Group B: 8pm Place: Landmark Oriental Theatre, 2230 North Farwell Avenue Tickets: $9 for one screening; $15 for both (on-line service charge not included) Notes: From Friday, June 20, until Tuesday, June 24, advance tickets will be available on-line. If you buy your tickets on-line, they will be available will-call at the theater. There is a small service charge for on-line sales. You may also buy them at the 48 Hour Film Project ticket table at the Oriental Theater. In other words, don’t stand in the main ticket line, go inside to the 48 Hour Film Project ticket table. Please note that tickets sales at the theater will be CASH ONLY. There will be no credit card sales at the door. Ticket sales start half an hour before the show. Milwaukee Teams Group A, Screening Wed., June 25th at 6pm Aurum Design Black Tai Blue Doodle Cross Word Films Foxtrot Hairy Doughnuts GuysHouse Ideogram Films Metals’ New Ethland Clan Chowder Smoking Magpie Group B, Screening Wed., June 25th at 8pm 5PM Productions Anatomically Correct Avant Guardian Dark Pony Productions Mostacolli Films The Moleskin Old Monk Storm 1 Studio Bib Simmons Ted Tate Films

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