If you are one of the regular vistors to DFB, I apologize for not posting in such long time.  I had good intentions and kept telling myself, “I’ll post a review tomorrow,” but it didn’t happen.

I hope to be back soon.  I enjoy the process of putting my thoughts and feeling into words.  As soon as time permits, I’ll be back.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you soon.

Candyman: The David Klein Story is the true story of the rise and fall of an eccentric entrepreneur with a dream that would change his life.  On the website for Candyman, the film is described like this:

“Candyman tells the amazing true story of David Klein, an eccentric candy inventor from LA, who in 1976 had a once in a lifetime epiphany and came up with the concept of Jelly Belly jellybeans. These colourful beans came in numerous shockingly realistic flavours and were a radical new product. They became a pop culture phenomenon and revolutionised the candy industry. It didn’t hurt that no less a personage than Ronald Reagen, president of the USA, proclaimed Jelly Bellies as his favorite sweets. David’s eccentric personality and peculiar sense of business led him to give up the business just as it was about to explode. He has struggled with bitter regrets ever since. Jelly Belly has grown into a billion dollar enterprise, and the company has deliberately erased him from its history. There is no room for a flaky genius like this in the modern corporate world. The movie is all about both sides of the American dream. It tells how Klein lost his beans, but kept his soul.”

I love stories like this, where the underdog comes up with a crazy idea, and through luck, or genius, or sheer willpower, turns the idea into reality.  The backstory to the business or invention is almost always more interesting that the business itself.  Apple is a great company, but it’s nowhere near as interesting as the backstory of company founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniack.  The story of how David Klein’s life led to Jelly Belly looks like a similar situation.

Candyman hits the festival circuit in 2010 beginning with the SLAMDANCE Film Festival January 21-28 in Park City, UT.  It looks like a great film and I’m looking forward to seeing it.

You can find out more about the film by visiting the Candyman website.

Candyman: the David Klein Story (trailer) from Jennifer Klein on Vimeo.

Here’s how it works:

An artist posts a description of their project on Kickstarter.com.  The description includes the amount of money that the artist is seeking for their project.  In order to receive funding, the project must attract the requested “pledges” within a predetermined amount of time.  If the project does not attract 100% or more of the requested funding, the pledges made are returned to the people who made the pledges.  The artist only receives the funding if the Kickstarter community funds it 100% (or more).

Kickstarter is a really innovative way to build support for artistic projects and provide funding for artists.  In an effort to build support for deserving documentary film projects, I am going to post information about three projects each month.  Take a look at the three requests for funding and use the links provided to visit the  projects on Kickstarter.com.  If a request speaks to you, consider helping to fund the project.  You can give as little as $1.00.  Every little bit helps.

Here are December’s projects:

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Project:  One Nine Nine Four
Description:  In 2006 at the ripe old age of 22, I left my home in Sydney, Australia to travel to Los Angeles and shoot a documentary on my favourite music scene; 90′s punk rock. At the time I didn’t know any of the artists personally, but with my producer Matt Wardle and executive producer Bill Silva, I was able to interview every band that I had on my list(Green Day, Blink 182, Bad Religion, NOFX, Rancid etc) and also get professional skateboarder, Tony Hawk, to come on board as the narrator.

3 years later and I have completed 99% of the film, I’ve interviewed all of the bands, cut it together, added archival footage, Tony’s narration, sound mix, colour correction you name it. However I have hit a wall with the music clearances, when we started this project we set aside 45% of our small budget for music, but the record labels and publishers(the big guys) unfortunately want more money than we can provide. This means that to release the film we need to pay the labels and publishers what they are asking as they, not the artist, control the copyrights.

Our Plan
We need to raise money from the community(meaning you) to finally finish this project, clear the music and have it released to the world. We are also trying to raise money from other areas such as sponsorship but to date this movie has been 100% independently financed out of Australia from family and friends.

We have a music supervisor now working around the clock to sort out all of the deals and paperwork with the publishers and labels, but we still need the money to pay for this music once the paperwork is signed.

Awareness
The film already has a lot of awareness and good will in the community. It has been mentioned in press all over the world such as NME, Spin, Rolling Stone, Triple J, Indie 103.1 & also punk websites such as Punknews.org and Absolutepunk.net. Collectively the trailers have been viewed over 100,000 times on Youtube and I was also invited to be interviewed on Last Call With Carson Daly, after he heard about the film through the grapevine. We were also invited to screen at the Calgary International Film Festival recently where the film received a standing ovation & Blink 182 even have us in their top friends on Myspace!

What Now?
I have set the pledge target quite low at $5,000 which I believe we can raise. However this is only going to pay for a portion of the music, the more money we can raise the less music I will have to cut out of the final version of the film. Ideally if we can raise over $30,000 we will be able to finish the film immediately as is. Please help spread the word through your blogs, facebook, twitter, myspace etc.

Honestly making this film was one of the best experiences of my life. When I was 16 years old listening to these records in my bedroom I never imagined that I would meet any of my heroes, let alone get to interview them and even become good friends with some of them.

Pledge Goal:  $5,000
Deadline:  January 31, 2010
Website:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jaialattas/one-nine-nine-four-90s-punk-rock-documentary

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Project:  Edible City
Description:  Hidden between buildings and across networks of backyards, germinating in classrooms and sprouting up in city centers, a grassroots movement is thriving in the Bay Area …

Edible City is the forthcoming documentary from East Bay Pictures, following the stories of folks who are digging their hands into the dirt, fighting for sustainability and social justice by doing something truly revolutionary: growing a local food system.

Now is the time to tell this story about real people making real change! Edible City will provoke critical thought, further the dialogue surrounding food and our food system, and inspire audiences to action.

The East Bay Pictures team has been hard at work on Edible City for over a year now, and we’re nearing completion. Throughout the process we’ve had incredible support from hundreds of generous people around Bay Area, and across the country. Now we need your help to finish!

Our goal is to raise over $5,000 by February 1st, 2010, so we can stay on target to finish the film by March, 2010. Once completed, Edible City will be entered in film festivals worldwide, and shown to distributors like PBS, the Discovery Channel, and the Independent Film Channel. Ultimately, the film will be available online and on DVD, in order to reach as broad an audience as possible.

Many people have supported Edible City because they share the vision of a sustainable and just food system. If this is a movement you want to support and a movie you’d like to see, we’re asking you to pre-buy a digital download and signed DVD of “Edible City” for $25.

Pledge Goal:  $5,000
Deadline:  February 2, 2010
Website:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/andrewhasse/edible-city-faces-of-the-food-revolution

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Project:  Fresno
Description:  I started this feature documentary back in April 2009. I’ve been up to Fresno to shoot many times now and have grown to like the town a lot. Back when the housing foreclosure crisis was about to hit, Fresno, was the proverbial canary in a coalmine. Too much development too fast and way too many bad loans.

But how to frame this and keep it interesting? Then I heard that skateboaders were cleaning out the pools and skating them. That was all I needed. I left for Fresno within the week. Just me, a small HD camera and the addresses of some Motel 6′s.

So now the film is finished. There’s a couple tweaks, but it’s done. Completed. I even have some great original songs and all the signed releases.

The film can be bought on-line and is getting a wonderful reaction wherever it’s shown, but to get to the next level, I need your help. I made this film entirely by myself. I clipped on every mic. Shot every shot and asked every question. No one else funded it and there were no other producers. Hard work, but fun.

I need some funding to enter it in as many film festivals as possible and produce the Blu-Ray disk.

Pledge Goal:  $2,500
Deadline:  January 6, 2010
Website:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/paynie/fresno-a-sweet-little-film-all-about-the-housin

Synopsis:  Frank Zappa once said, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.”  But what of talking about music?  Many of today’s top artists and scholars do just that in this cinematic look at a uniquely human obsession.  Celebrities as diverse as the Flaming Lips, the Dandy Warhols, Guns N’ Roses, George Clinton, Elijah Wood, Juliette Lewis, and Tool offer their answers to the seemingly simple but ultimately complex question: What is music?  When you unleash more than 100 people to answer the question, you begin to capture the diversity that is music – and humanity.  The Heart is a Drum Machine, from the producers who brought us the brilliant Moog, does just that with its surprisingly moving energy.  If music be the food of life, then this is the ultimate life-affirming documentary. 

Review:  Here’s a great idea:  Gather together some of the world’s best, most well known artists and ask them to answer one single question:  What is music and what does it mean to me?  It’s a great idea.  And The Heart is a Drum Machine is a great example of how not to do it. 

If you’re going to talk to celebrity artists, don’t go for the B-list.  And rather than including all types of artists, stick primarily with musicians (or exclusively with musicians).  

Why are Elijah Wood and Juliette Lewis in this film?  I’m guessing that Wood is in because he owns an indy record label.  I’m still not sure about Lewis. 

Why did one artist just stare into the camera while his description of what music was to him was given in sub-titles?  I think it had something to do with his feeling that music provides tension to life (or something like that), but I’m just guessing. 

Why do so many musicians have such a hard time putting together a few sentences into a coherent thought?  And why did the filmmakers fell compelled to include those incoherent thoughts in the film? 

The Heart is a Drum Machine is simply not a good movie.  It is poorly done, contains too many gimmicky graphics, too many non-sensical interviews, and in the end it commits the cardinal sin of documentary filmmaking; it is boring.

 (2.0 out of 3.0)

Film website: Unavailable

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Synopsis:  The music of Trimpin has to be seen to be believed – and that’s not a syntactical error because Trimpin doesn’t just make music.  He composes the music, plays the music, and creates the instruments upon which the music is played.  Starting out in his workshop – a cross between Frankenstein’s lab and Santa’s workshop – we are introduced to this (mad?) genius as he turns wooden clogs, toy pianos, and discarded guitars into brand new works of musical art.  Director Peter Esmonde was granted more than two years access to Trimpin and his cameras take us everywhere – to the several stories tall interactive guitar exhibit in Seattle, to the glass blowers workshop where new instruments are crafted based on Trimpin’s specifications, to his experiments with the world-famous Kronos Quartet.  It’s worth saying a second time.  It must be seen to be believed. 

Review:  Director Peter Esmonde started with a disadvantage.  The story of Trimpin is not a particularly interesting story.  In a nutshell, Trimpin collects what others would consider junk, and he makes musical instruments out of it.  I suppose there’s something there, but it’s not very interesting. 

As I’ve said many times in other reviews, in order for a documentary to be a success, it has to start with an interesting story and the filmmaker then has to tell that story well.  Regardless of the subject matter, if the documentary has these two elements, it’s probably going to be a success and I’m probably going to like it. 

Trimpin: The Sound of Invention is just okay.  I can’t imagine being the director of this film and following Trimpin around for two years to get the footage used in the documentary.  Trimpin himself is eccentric (hence his name), but I will admit that he is creative, just not very interesting, at least to me. 

I should say that Trimpin is about more than turning junk into musical instruments.  He is also an inventor, an engineer, and a sculptor.  He has received several awards and grants, including a Guggenheim fellowship and a MacArthur “Genius” award.  He’s not simply an eccentric mad man toiling away in his garage.  He’s a bonefide artist and composer.  Again, he’s just not particularly interesting.

The culmination of the film is a performance by the Kronos Quartet on instruments created by Trimpin.  I have to admit, I did enjoy that small part of the film, but for me, it was too little, too late.

 (2.75 out of 5.0)

Film website:  http://www.trimpinmovie.com/

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Synopsis:  Sonicsgate is a feature documentary film exposing the truth behind how Seattle lost the SuperSonics after a heated legal battle in 2008. The team’s celebrated 41-year run in Seattle included an NBA Championship, three Western Conference titles, six division titles and legendary players such as Gary Payton, Shawn Kemp, Ray Allen, Tom Chambers, Xavier McDaniel, Jack Sikma, Freddy Brown, Slick Watts and Spencer Haywood… just to name a few.

Sonicsgate is an investigative piece that explores what really happened to cause this tragedy, as the perfect storm of greed and political impotence cost Seattle its only championship team. 

Review:  In 2008, the Seattle Sonics NBA basketball team left Seattle after 41 years in the city.  They were beloved by fans and are the only Seattle-based team to win a professional sports championship.  

Sonicsgate explores the history of the team and the actions that led up to the sale of the team and their move to Oklahoma City.  Director Jason Reid does a tremendous job of sifting through all of the evidence and pointing blame at those responsible for the team leaving Seattle.  And as it turns out, everyone – from the former owner to the new owner to the mayor of Seattle to the Washington State Legislature – is to blame. 

I really enjoyed this movie.  I was not familiar with the story behind the Sonics move to Oklahoma City, but director Jason Reid did a great job of telling the story so it could be understood.  He also did a good job of not trying to paint a black and white picture.  The story is complex and at times convoluted.  It involves greed, betrayal, political ineptness and intrigue, and a loyal, dedicated fan base that never gave up hope that their hometown team would actually stay home. 

Sonicsgate is an interesting and entertaining documentary full of intrigue and suspense.  Even though you know how it ends, you can’t help but hope that the Sonics remain in Seattle. Whether you are a basketball fan or not, I think you’ll enjoy the film.  It is a very well done film and a very interesting story.

 (4.0 out of 5.0)

Preview from sonicsgate on Vimeo.

Film website:  http://sonicsgate.org/

Here’s how it works:

An artist posts a description of their project on Kickstarter.com.  The description includes the amount of money that the artist is seeking for their project.  In order to receive funding, the project must attract the requested “pledges” within a predetermined amount of time.  If the project does not attract 10% or more of the requested funding, the pledges made are returned to the people who made the pledges.  The artist only receives the funding if the Kickstarter community funds it 100% (or more).

Kickstarter is a really innovative way to build support for artistic projects and provide funding for artists.  In an effort to build support for deserving documentary film projects, I am going to post information about three projects each month.  Take a look at the three requests for funding and use the links provided to visit the  projects on Kickstarter.com.  If a request speaks to you, consider helping to fund the project.  You can give as little as $1.00.  Every little bit helps.

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Project:  Remember Where You Are
Description: In the fall of 2008, Portland, Oregon based singer-songwriters, Catherine Feeny and Sebastian Rogers (aka The Challenge of Feral Green) took off on a 2 month long, 15,000 mile journey across the United States playing their music in the living rooms of fans, friends and strangers they met along the way.

The idea was simply to bring live music back to where it had begun… in the home. Using the internet to book their tour (sometimes the night before), the film follows these two artists as they experience the highs and lows of being on the road from playing for a packed room to an intimate show for a family of six, from recording in Sun Studio where Elvis made his name, to blown tires, traffic jams, and canceled gigs….all that makes a no-budget tour a true adventure.

Both artists having once been affiliated with major labels (EMI and Dreamworks), this film also explores the state of the music industry today, and looks to where it began and where it’s going now.
Pledge Goal:  $5,000
Deadline:  2/7/2010
Website: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/faction/remember-where-you-are

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Project:  For Thousands of Miles
Description:  Our 1st round of initial post-production funding was a great success on Kickstarter! And because of the amazing 18 backers, which helped raise $1,105, I’ve been able to work full-time on FToM for the last three months.
Recently, I finished editing a huge chunk of this ambitious documentary, cutting down over 120+ hours of footage into a near 5 hour rough edit. Which brings us to our 2nd round of funding:
So what’s the next step? I have a long road of writing still ahead of me. The script, which mainly deals with several narratives blocks in the film are still rough at best, and in most cases detailed treatments and outlines.
The few connecting pieces of FToM that have yet to be filmed – that mainly deal with the experience of coming home from a long ride – need to be story-boarded and added into the editing sequences as place-holders for pacing and mood.
During the length of this KSR campaign, I’ll be hard at work writing / story-boarding. The goal is to be done writing when this campaign ends and use (if successful) the raised funds to carry out the following steps as quickly as possible:
Pick-up shots: it’s time for Amanda and I to travel to Northern California, where our main character in the documentary, Larry McKurtis, is currently living and working. FToM deals a lot with the hardest part of a long-distance experience… waking up one morning in your bedroom, and realizing it’s over.
That is to say, your entire experience on the road shifts when it begins to sink in that it’s over. Moments that, at the time, felt slow and uneventful, blur together and begin to represent something more. You try to move on with your life, your routine, but so much of your mind is still stuck on the road.
There is a very, very short list of needed equipment (mostly simple hardware-store lights, an SLR adapter, and a basic DIY dolly cart) that we’ll have to secure for the 1-2 weeks of controlled shooting.
From there, we’ll need to purchase additional hard-drive space (because I’m working on two completely maxed out Lacie drives as it is) to import the new footage (as well as inexpensive USB LaCie drives for redundant backups… can’t be too careful). Several more weeks of heavy editing will follow – which will mostly involve replacing all story-boarded sequences with the actual footage. Recording any temporary narration track (we have someone professional in mind for narration, but that’s a different adventure all together at this moment).
At this point – we should have a watchable edit in Final Cut. Amanda and I will begin to work closely on making adjustments, and doing small personal screenings to receive outside feedback on the project. Make more adjustments. Repeat.
From there we’ll need to ship off a locked edit to Belgium where Olivier will color correct the film. As well as hire a visual effects creator (for “I’m doing this because I love your film” wages) for a small number of simple and subtle layers to scenes dealing with imagination on the road.
I know this sounds like a lot – and it is, but all these overwhelming steps can be speed-up and more easily managed with a working budget and, more importantly, a supportive community.
DIY film-making can be a crushing, lonely, experience… but all things worth doing are difficult – and together we can be a part of something that I believe will beautiful, inspiring and unique.
Pledge Goal:  $8,300
Deadline:  11/26/2009
Website: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/mikea/for-thousands-of-miles

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Project:  Sonicsgate
Description:  SONICSGATE is a feature documentary film premiering free online October 12 at www.sonicsgate.org

The film focuses on the rich history of the SuperSonics and how the team was scandalously ripped away from fans after 41 years in Seattle. By exposing the truth and holding the responsible parties accountable, we hope to gain momentum for the issue and get the ball rolling for a new NBA team in Seattle.

Oh and did we mention we are giving the movie away online for FREE?!?!?!

Please help us secure the Sonics legacy in Seattle! Contribute to Sonicsgate now, and we’ll use your donation to license footage, print DVDs, press T-Shirts, cover travel costs and maintain our website!

No amount is too small! Please contribute early and often to help us reach our goal!

$6 – Sixth Man Level – Donor’s name appears on a personalized jersey in the Sonicsgate.org Virtual Wall of Fame.
$41 – Key Level – Donors receive a DVD copy of the film.
$79 – Green Level – Donors receive the above plus a special thanks in the credits.
$141 – Gold Level – Donors receive the above plus an official Sonicsgate T-shirt.
$440 – Kemp Level – Donors receive the above plus an Associate Producer credit in the film.
$920 – Payton Level – Donors receive the above plus two VIP tickets to the Sonicsgate screening of your choice, Dec. 11-17 at SIFF (for donations recieved before Nov. 30. Face value of ticket is $10 each).
$1,979 – Championship Level – Donors receive the above plus a VIP dinner in Seattle with the Sonicsgate production team.

Here’s how Kickstarter works: we only get your contributions if we hit our goal. So if we don’t hit $5K by the end of our 90-day Kickstart campaign, your generous contribution stays in your pocket and we get nothing! Spread the word and help us get there so we can hook you up with your free gifts, which will ship when our countdown to collect donations expires!

Thanks for your support! Seattle SuperSonics forever!
Pledge Goal:  $5,000
Deadline:  11/30/2009
Website:  http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sonicsgate/sonicsgate-the-documentary-film

Synopsis:  Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey is a documentary about former Major League Baseball player, Bill “The Spaceman” Lee. Lee was the ultimate gonzo player, a brilliant left handed pitcher who defied every manager or front office executive who tried to control him. The fans loved him and so did sportswriters who delighted in asking the usual baseball questions, only to get philosophical responses involving the relationship between existentialism and the curveball or the effects of karma on a pitcher’s rotator cuff. 

Review:  Bill Lee is an interesting character.  He was a Major League pitcher from 1969 – 1982 for the Boston Red Sox and Montreal Expos.  During his career, Lee developed an almost cult-like following due to his opinionated, often rambling answers to reporters’ questions.  Lee was never at a loss for words.  He was left-handed, both physically and philosophically.  Lee started out as a baseball player and became a modern day folk-hero. 

Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey is a character study of Lee, whose nickname is Spaceman.  The film starts with a historical perspective of Lee and his major league career, interspersed with sometimes odd, disjointed quotes from Lee himself.  His quotes range from behind-closed-doors baseball stories, to political philosophy, to existentialist thought.  

The movie also follows Lee and a group of Americans who travel to Cuba to play baseball against older Cuban players.  After being released by Montreal in 1982, Lee began playing amateur baseball all around the world, including in the U.S., Canada, Cuba China, Russia, and in South America.  His love for the game is evident.  He’s never stopped playing, even as he nears 60 years of age. 

I really enjoyed Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey.  Director Brett Rapkin did a terrific job of profiling Lee, who is a complex and often misunderstood character.  Rapkin didn’t shy away from Lee’s drug use, drinking, and on and off-field antics.  But he presents these aspects of his life as part of a bigger picture; a picture that has baseball running through every inch of it.  

Bill Lee is a terrific character and Spaceman: A Baseball Odyssey is a terrific film.

 (4.0 out of 5.0)

View the trailer:  http://www.spacemanincuba.com/view-the-trailer.php

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Germans in the Woods was produced in collaboration with StoryCorps oral history project.  It is a poignant and moving tribute to our soldiers, as well as a sad reminder of the human cost of war, not only to the soldier who was shot, but the soldier who lived. 

To see Germans in the Woods, visit the Rauch Brothers channel on YouTube.

Synopsis:  Who is Jack Sheldon?  You may remember him as Merv Griffin’s trumpet-wielding sidekick, or the indelible voice of School House Rock (I’m just a bill.  Yes I’m only a bill.”), but musicians know him as a jazz giant.  Unlike his close friend and collaborator, Chet Baker, Jack Sheldon survived the demons of drugs, alcohol and unspeakable personal tragedy.  As friend Billy Crystal puts it, Jack Sheldon is the “last cat standing” from the bebop generation.  Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon features on-camera interviews with Clint Eastwood, Billy Crystal, Merv Griffin, Chris Botti, and Johnny Mandel among others, along with historic footage with Benny Goodman, Stan Kenton and other legends.  Penny Peyser and Doug McIntyre’s award-winning Trying to Get Good examines the eternally dissatisfied soul of a musical perfectionist and his quest to just ‘figure things out” – both musically and personally. 

Review:  Okay, the truth is that I never heard of Jack Sheldon.  I’m too young to remember him as Merv Griffin’s sidekick on Griffin’s TV show and I’m not enough of a jazz fan to recognize his name.  Yet, when I heard that he sang School House Rock, I immediately knew his voice.  Jack Sheldon just might be the coolest guy I’ve never heard of. 

In Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon, directors Penny Peyser and Doug McIntyre introduce us to a man that has had more success, more failure, more high points, and more low points, than just about anyone on the planet.  He is immensely successful as a jazz musician, yet he has a history of acting in ways that tend to prevent his own success.  From alcohol and drug use, to just plain wacky behavior, Sheldon is the quintessential  self-destructive personality.  Yet he somehow not only survives, but ultimately thrives. 

As I watched the film, I was somewhat amazed at how I was almost instantly drawn into the life of a guy I had never heard of before.  Jack Sheldon is an unbelievably interesting character who has lived a full life, full of joy and tragedy, and continues “trying to get good” on the trumpet and in his life.  Kudos to directors Penny Peyser and Doug McIntyre for putting together such a wonderful film.  Trying to Get Good: The Jazz Odyssey of Jack Sheldon is terrific.

 (4.0 out of 5.0)

Film website: http://www.tryingtogetgood.com/v2/

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