Comments on: IN THE FAMILY

By: HOME VIDEO PICKS – Hammer to Nail

HOME VIDEO PICKS – Hammer to Nail — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 14:28:49 +0000

[…] more viewers, for it is a truly special gift that Wang has given all of us. Read Dave Boyle’s HTN review, as well as A Conversation With Patrick Wang, then do yourself a big, big favor and track down this […]

By: THE 2011 HAMMER TO NAIL AWARDS – Hammer to Nail

THE 2011 HAMMER TO NAIL AWARDS – Hammer to Nail — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 20:38:31 +0000

[…] and writing, almost as though every decision were made in response to a dare. (Dave Boyle) Read The Full HTN Review as well as A Conversation With Patrick […]

By: A Conversation With Patrick Wang (IN THE FAMILY) – Hammer to Nail

A Conversation With Patrick Wang (IN THE FAMILY) – Hammer to Nail — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 14:57:26 +0000

[…] through the cluttered clouds (read Dave Boyle’s “Filmmaker Pick of the Week” HTN review of the film if you haven’t already). Recently, I sat down with Wang in a SoHo cafe for a long […]

By: doghouse

doghouse — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:04:00 +0000

I wonder if it’s that simple. Looking at international art-house cinema as a whole today, there are any number of formally accomplished but plot-driven and seemingly accessible films around which, from all appearances, would have a very hard time getting made in the U.S. Perhaps this reflects the way films are financed in the U.S., or who goes into the medium as a writer or director. But the peculiar characteristics of American independent features would seem to reflect more than a lack of producer interest in the kind of films made by Pedro Costa, Tsai Ming-liang, or Joe Weerasethakul. There are whole realms of thought and feeling which are apparently off-limits in the American indie world, even as the favored product typically flops at the box office.

By: mike s ryan

mike s ryan — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 04:21:00 +0000

There is no grand conspiracy at work regarding formally challenging films. The reality is there are very few American producers who are actual fans of formally challenging cinema.The reason may be financial—producers must find a way to interact with the marketplace—but I suspect it’s just simply that few producers enjoy watching say a Pedro Costa, Jake Mahaffy, Tsai Ming-liang, or Joe Weerasethakul film.The reality is that in America, filmmakers, film schools, audiences and the marketplace are slaves to plot-driven films. The concept that a film can value form and structure above plot is just by American standards ‘avant garde’.If you value cinema as ‘art ‘ rather than purely entertainment, you are in a very small minority in this country and financial environment. This doesn’t mean we can’t make these films, it just means it is harder and we have to make them for very low budgets and thus for next to no financial return for all involved.

By: Sammy D.

Sammy D. — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 23:22:00 +0000

Mike Ryan’s filmography is beside the point. He can accept as little or as much blame as he wants, and still address the issue. If we mentioned the other producers who “are indeed out there”, their defenders would also come forward to claim that it’s all somebody’s else fault, that their guy producer is nothing but self-sacrifice, unfailing insight and virtue, and how dare you say otherwise.

Festival accountability to filmmakers and producer responsibility for independent film are the two forbidden subjects. You could sit through a thousand hours of symposia, panels and seminars, and not hear either question raised, much less addressed. Which is remarkable control of the discourse, when you think about it.

How about we give Mike Ryan a crack at it?

By: Tully

Tully — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 20:01:00 +0000

I think you make an interesting point, Charles, but challenging Mike Ryan about his choices is a somewhat silly thing to do. Check his IMDB page. He’s one of the few who consistently fights the good fight. As for dozens of other producers we could name, yes, they are indeed out there.

By: Charles Dilmot

Charles Dilmot — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 19:55:00 +0000

While we’re grilling festival directors, per Mike Ryan’s suggestion below, it might be helpful to keep the lights on and put producers in the same chair. Why, for example, are so few of them willing to take on formally inventive material, of the kind described here?

There could be good reasons: the difficulty of assessing non-formulaic, “execution dependent” scripts; the investment climate; Sundance; even the possibility that producing skills go only so far, that it may take more than a love of movies to assess scripts, that it may demand actual affective ability.

As one of the more self-critical producers around, maybe Mike Ryan would care to start?

By: mike s ryan

mike s ryan — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:05:00 +0000

Thanks Dave for this review, this is a great film, if you are in NYC today Sunday Nov 27, do not miss it! It reminded me a lot of late Bresson and Edward Yang. Shame on every festival programer who did not accept this film. This actually may indicate that there is something deeply wrong in the way that festivals view submissions. We should put some of the programmers who rejected the film on the spot and demand an explanation that will help us understand how this gem ALMOST fell through the cracks.