And all is once again right with the world. I broke my own rule and checked out the trailer for his new film ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ on the Apple trailers site…

Man, can he shoot a picture! Anderson’s work has been near and dear to my heart ever since ‘Bottle Rocket’, one of the movies that firmly cemented my desire to be a filmmaker. ‘Rushmore’ was phenomenal, ‘The Royal Tennenbaums’ even better. I felt like he backtracked a little bit with the Zizou movie: for me it seemed like a retread of Tennenbaums, but not as tight. Unfazed by this misstep, I waited with bated breath for word of his next project.

Well, the wait appears to be over. ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ looks phenomenal. The plot seems to revolve around three brothers on a spiritual journey through India, who end up regenerating their damaged family bond. Longtime collaborators Luke Wilson and Jason Schwartzman are back, always good for a laugh, a cry, or an otherwise stirring performance. Oh, and for good measure, how about a little Oscar-winner? Yeah, that’s Adrian Brody rounding out the principle cast.

Themes of familial love overcoming dysfunction have been a part of all of Anderson’s films, something that resonates so profoundly for myself, and for many in the modern world. Besides that goodness, ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ has Anderson’s trademark look: intimate camera work, lush, ridiculously-detailed production design, and a deadpan irony that engenders either love or hate, but never apathy.

Check it out, it’s gonna be something!

Jeez, could this post have been any more dorky…

Agnes Varnum’s wealth of knowledge, and the concise way in which she communicates, never ceases to amaze me. Along with being a wonderful person and friend, I always learn from her during our conversations. Her latest item as the official Indiewire Doc Blogger tackles the murky territory of the Oscar qualifying run. I would strongly suggest printing it out for the subway home. And not to fan yourself off with. To read. Closely. And then fan yourself off with, if need be.
Another one of my favorite bloggers is Karina Longworth, who delights me not only with her witty and illuminating daily posts at Spout , but also keeps me abreast of everything from her daily lunches to her thoughts on Lohan-mania via the addictive, yet maddening web “service” Twitter the ultimate in both narcissism and voyeurism.

This is my first meme tagging, and I’ve never heard of it before. A meme (according to my friend Agnes Varnum) seems to be kind of like a chain letter but instead of passing on worthless information, the hope is that you’ve added something of value to a continuing thread, or blog wave if you will. My blogger friend Agnes tagged me with 8 Things so here goes…

Rules:
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

8 Things about Danielle (that are non-film related…)

1. I have an identical twin named Alana who is two minutes younger than I am. She is married to a British dude named Nick Neyland.

2. I lived for 5 years in a small town in Western Maryland called Cumberland. Along with my best friend, another NYC transport, my sister and I were the only Jewish people in the entire school system.

3. Jordan and I took an audio tour of Alcatraz together.

4. Two of my favorite books are THE EXECUTIONER’S SONG by Norman Mailer and BLINDNESS by Jose Saramago.

5. I’ve lived in Rome and London for periods of more than 6 months. My favorite cities, not including those, are Barcelona, Berlin, Helsinki, Valparaiso, and Glasgow.

6. I could eat hummus for every meal.

7. Two of my favorite experiences 1) My three days spent at Ralf Forsstrom’s 60th birthday party at his self-designed complex in Northern Finland. Skinnydipping in a private lake, two saunas, a fishing hunt, a red velvet tent (designed for a production of Siddhartha) where we ate clams, pig roasted over a spit, sleeping in a teepee, chatting with Jimmy Carter’s former speechwriter and watching the daughter of Finland’s former President dance. 2) An evening Vespa ride along the Appia Antica in Rome; the sun setting and ruins strewn through the fields.

8. I watched LOGAN’S RUN in a hotel room in Pecs, Hungary, while recovering from Strep throat.

So now I guess I am supposed to tag 8 more bloggers?

Okay — Sorry guys.
Mike Tully – BOREDOM AT ITS BOREDEST
Eugene Hernandez at Indiewire
Karina Longworth at Spout
Matt Dentler
Mike Lerman at Lincoln’s Blogs
AJ Schnack at All These Wonderful Things
Jordan at Indiepix.net
James Israel at JUMP CUTS

In today’s blog-hungry age, everyone has the opportunity to thrust their thoughts and feelings onto the general public. But I must strongly suggest that before you decide to utter any sort of opinion about a film, first try to make one. Not like in your basement with your box of rusty Hot Wheels and half-decayed G.I. Joe’s, but with actual people. Find some equipment, find a production, join a crew, and become part of the amorphous creative enterprise called ‘makin’ movies’. I DP’ed a short film this past weekend, and was again blown away by the level of effort needed to create one of these things we spend so much of our time watching, talking about, and picking apart. Face it, even a bad movie takes an enormous effort by a substantial group of people. Hell, ever think about the dozens and dozens of people who assisted with the production of ‘Stayin’ Alive’? Who pushed themselves through twelve hour days, eating bad food, drinking cold coffee, watching take after take of this freaky fluff, AND somehow managing to maintain the belief that it was all going to work? That alone is a psychological mind-twister of nothing less than herculean proportions.

So, back to my experience. It’d been awhile since my last taste of production. I had nearly forgotten the pace, the adrenaline rush, the joy of collaboration, of seeing people you barely know at their best and worst in a span of minutes. And in and among all of that sensory input, you also have to find your way through the creation of a functional film. I mean, throw good or bad out the window. On a shoestring budget with a less-than-wholly-professional crew (both the norm in independent filmmaking), many times you count yourself lucky if the sound is well-recorded and the images cut together with something approaching seamlessness! How do you even find the time to craft something better than that? When the creative quality of the final project leans on the skills and vision of people who couldn’t be more different from each other. When time marches on regardless of your needs or level of preparation. When your mind is torn in fifteen directions, all of which seem not merely interesting, but absolutely mandatory, it’s almost more of a surprise when a movie is good! And money has nothing to do with it! In fact, it can make it worse! For example, for every-

there’s a-

And for every-

there somehow sprouts a-

Speaking of musicals, I recently saw the film ‘Idlewild’ during one of it’s six-a-day plays on cable. And I have to say, what an great movie! Yeah, it’s not perfect, but the music was phenomenal, the visuals astounding, and the dancing really transcendent. All this by a first-time feature director, and three stars with absolutely no track record. Talk about the joy of filmmaking! Served me as a reminder: perfection in film may only come around once or twice a generation, but the love of creativity and collaboration can be expressed at almost any level, with almost any budget, if you’re willing to hop in and give it a shot.

Anyone out there want to share their own stories from the trenches of filmmaking? There’s strength in numbers, people! Especially in sexy, semi-authentic period-piece numbers!