NYT prods young directors to pick up the pace, while others have their hands full

“Is it a sign of timidity, or laziness, or some unexpected lack of drive? Is it a lack of interesting material? Is it the fault of the studio system and its emphasis on high-paying, mind-numbing commercial fare?” Sharon Waxman’s piece for The New York Times hunts for the answer on why it takes so long for certain filmmakers, (among them - Kimberly Pierce (Boys Don’t Cry), Darren Aronofsky, David O. Russell, and Alexander Payne) to get a film made. As you may recall, Armond White posed the same question, in regards to Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze (pictured) and a host of other Gen X directors back in 2006

— Cinematical calls off the dogs in search of Whit Stillman, virtually unheard from since The Last Days of Disco, to find that he’s enlisted the help of John Malcovich and Peter Sarsgaard for his upcoming project - Little Green Men.

— Never at a loss for new projects, Woody Allen is set to team up with Penelope Cruz next summer, for the comedy-drama Midnight in Barcelona. All this to follow Cassandra’s Dream, starring Ewan McGregor, Colin Farrell, Michelle Williams, and newcomer Hayley Atwell. (Via Coming Soon)

— Finally, is the Director’s Guild award for best director a precursor to Martin Scorsese’s first Oscar? The Guardian claims that there’s a 90 percent chance - only 6 times in the past 58 years have the DGA’s and the Academy Awards differed on their Best Director selections.

tedzee | Permalink | February 5 2007 | Comments (View)