DIY Filmmaker blog - also Spaceship 1 movie of the 53 Spaceships movie series blog

 Here's the trailer for the new movie: Links for watching the movie here -  https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/casey-makes-a-mixtape

What a lot of filmmakers and also fans fear when filmmakers move from small movies to large scale movies is the loss of the unique style and approach that made a filmmaker's early work interesting.  A few filmmakers are able to make large budget, large scale movies with stars that still retain their unique filmmaking approach - and are able to make those movies a success (filmmaking wise, not the fake box office numbers type success).  Lav Diaz did the following in his new large scale movie Magellan, and managed to, I think, make a movie that is not very different from his small scale projects - in many respects: - he used the camera as he has always done - largely a stationary camera, and very minimal edits, long takes. - he used costume choices (or lack of clothing) most likely for historical accuracy, but also to make the movie interesting (or shocking in some instances). a choice that can be done on a small budget. - the sailing scenes with the ships were done in a very mi...

 

By Sujewa Ekanayake * Blake Calhoun is an experienced indie filmmaker - but, it's very difficult to do period movies well - movies set in another era - on a low indie film budget, and it can be difficult to have several teenagers in your cast as the main characters - to get great performances. Calhoun has managed to do both things well in his new movie CASEY MAKES A MIXTAPE. The early 1980s Texas in Calhoun's movie looks - and more importantly feels - believable.  Great cinematography and color grading work.  And his teen actors do a great job bringing their characters to life.   I think the movie is being promoted as a mainstream accessible, realistic, light comedy-drama.  And perhaps it is also being marketed to a teenage audience. But, as an old person in NYC, I found the movie to be almost an observational movie - documenting a summer in the life of the main character (played in a low key, somewhat dramatic, and overall an entertaining way by the excellent Presle...

 

Now available to stream on Apple TV. Highest 2 Lowest review. Pretty good. Cinematography, editing, script could have been better. Weird use of music under some action scenes. But, movie has some nice images and some nice moments. Unique auteur movie, not typical crime movie - 7/10. Everything could be tightened up. Maybe start w/ a part of the action scene on the train towards the end. Cut to "24 Hours Earlier" or something. Shoot the family scenes at start of movie w/ more of a dramatic camera and editing - show the danger under the calm surface. DW does a great job most of the time. Camera work, editing, music could have improved the movie. A lot of the movie had a "shot on iPhone" quality - wide, detached, not much cutting, kind of a lazy camera. But, some great images of NYC. A more cinematic, action/crime in color, color grade could have worked - could have been a green/orange look, a grainy 16MM or grainy 35MM look. The movie now has a chill Netflix, modern...

  Slow Cinema - like Jarmusch's Mystery Train - establishes the reality of a place, of a world, in great detail. Same with works such as Goodbye Dragon Inn. In Slow Cinema movies we are definitely at a specific place - hearing the sounds carefully, seeing the sunlight or movie theater projector lights, seeing shadows in the night. Alien: Earth offers the same - it's like being at a real place. The production design, the cinematography, the editing - it all establishes the reality well.  You can chill out and think about things while being inside the world of Alien: Earth. It's very much Slow Cinema.   Alien: Earth is also boring at times - like Slow Cinema movies.  You can zone out of the story in front of you, half-register it, while thinking about related matters. The attempt to create immortality for humans, the worlds that the space aliens are from, the political system and history of Earth shown in the TV show - stuff to think about, somewhat similar to stuff yo...

See trailers below. These 3 shows are very good. Foundation - A sci-fi show. Everything is pretty good on the show. It's not at the new Dune levels of cinematography and related work, but, pretty well done.  Deals w/ interesting ideas - using math to predict the future, cloned emperors, and a robot that lives for thousands of years. Chief of War - A very good historical drama. Pre-colonial Hawaii islands. Well made. Dramatic. With some war and violence.  The Morning Show - A drama-comedy about TV news. Overall very well done. Feels like a good HBO show from the 1990s. Several interesting minor characters. Also Mark Duplass from the indie film world plays a fun character - a stressed out news person who can freak out and do something crazy without warning.