Films Gone Wild

Editor’s column/daily commentary welcoming feedback and opinions.

FILMS GONE WILD: Singing the praises of the truly great Florida Film Festival: Claire Carré ; doing the jury thing and talking to Billy Crudup for an hour

By John Wildman 9 years ago

that attention to detail and/or the prioritization as to where that attention to detail should be focused routinely comes from the top. And this is where I have to give a big nod to Executive Director David Schillhammer, Programming Director Matthew Curtis, and Programming Coordinator Tim Anderson. Those positions are fraught with epic headache-inducing crises and tough judgment calls, and thankless task after thankless task. And David, Matthew, and Tim, managed to both do whatever they had to do to command their film festival ship and heard the cats that are the filmmakers, jury members, patrons, sponsors, film fans, etc. quite obviously have good film programming chops, and also display poise befitting Mr. Roarke from “Fantasy Island.”

FILMS GONE WILD: Honoring Faye Dunaway among My Personal Happy Moments at this year’s Dallas International Film Festival

By John Wildman 9 years ago

And let me tell you, it is very hard to convince a famous director or movie star, etc. to leave their home in New York City or Beverly Hills or wherever to come spend a couple days at a film festival in Oxford, Mississippi, or Wichita, Kansas, or Birmingham, Alabama, or Dallas, Texas, so they can have film fans make a big deal over them, talk about a film or films they made 10 or 20 years ago, and receive a cool award and endless praise. It’s even harder to convince a personal publicist, or agent, or manager.

FILMS GONE WILD: Justina Walford moderates Women Texas Film Festival’s Special Screening of XX at Alamo Drafthouse Dallas on International Women’s Day

By John Wildman 9 years ago

While discussing the films in XX, praise was evenly distributed among THE BOX, BIRTHDAY PARTY, and HER ONLY LIVING SON for various reasons, but the biggest laugh of the night came from the diminutive Niki Pence, when she explained her preference of DON’T FALL by explaining that the film connected with her since throughout her life, she has been “full of rage.”

FILMS GONE WILD: Who was De Veau Dunn?

By John Wildman 9 years ago

If you look him up on IMDb, you’ll see the biography that I wrote for him five years ago. It’s a bio pushing how much promise he had, with The Ben Stiller Show appearances, a Tom Arnold series, and a ton of commercials in a short period of time. It talks about the two short films he directed which both won a lot of awards in film fests in the San Diego area (he wasn’t that savvy about the film fest circuit to take them farther). And that’s where it pretty much ends.

FILMS GONE WILD: The loss of Bill Paxton, the people person surpasses the loss of the talented actor and filmmaker – and that says a lot

By John Wildman 9 years ago

There is a balance that someone that has achieved fame and celebrity is always re-calibrating. And it involves being a “good guy,” a “nice guy,” a “sweetheart,” etc. and not allowing themselves to be used, abused, and exploited for that fame. It is not easy, I don’t think. Holding the people around you accountable, and insisting that they “be cool” with what they are asking of you, and yet not being a pain-in-the-ass about it takes some work, actually.

FILMS GONE WILD: So who exactly are the snowflakes? Budweiser’s Super Bowl ad hurts the feelings of delicate conservatives all over again

By John Wildman 9 years ago

Those are the snowflakes, we were told. They, and others like them, in several cities across the country, far outnumbering the Trumpettes that turned out – paid or otherwise, for the inauguration festivities, staked a claim to the country they rightfully share in, refusing to be cowed, and insisting that there ideas would continue to be put forth, and fought for.