The style might have been more relaxed, but the content was as impressive as ever. Last night, at Dolby Labs in San Francisco, we got a glimpse into the 39th edition of the Mill Valley Film Festival. For the first time (that I can recall) at the annual press briefing there...

Oscar nominee Emma Stone. Nicole Kidman. Ewan McGregor. Annette Bening. Gael Garcia Bernal. Julie Dash. James Franco. Edward James Olmos. If you're keeping score, that's a whole lot of star power. As Paul Liberatore of the Marin Independent Journal writes, "The 39th Mill Valley Film Festival boasts one of the most glamorous...

More indie film festival news to report today. Organizers of the Mill Valley Film Festival (MVFF) have announced that La La Land (Lionsgate) and Arrival (Paramount Pictures) will open the 39th edition of its festival next month. Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling "sing, dance and crack wise" in La La Land, a cinematic update to...

Smash or trash? Nicolas Winding Refn probably doesn't care which you choose. My guess is the Danish director is content with you just having the very thought, and the inevitable conversation. Trafficking in drama -- boos and derision at Cannes for his last two films -- seems to ignite his inner Alejandro...

One of my favorite past-times when it comes to video production is to look for inspiration in various places (art, cartoons, video games, movies, etc.). This time I find it in a little known film from the 1980s starring two of the era's biggest stars. 9 1/2 Weeks (imdb) may well...

"Capture the moment." One of this online film school's final suggestions is simple enough. But when it's delivered by none other than legendary director and documentarian extraordinaire Werner Herzog the advice may well have been hand-delivered from the heavens. Maybe it's the charismatic German accent? The passion in the eyes, the face?...

Film festival season will soon be here, and news and details have begun to emerge about one of our favorites, the Mill Valley Film Festival. Today organizers announced that Jeff Nichol's Loving (Focus Features) will close out the 39th edition of MVFF. Stars Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga are scheduled to attend....

When it comes to Catherine Hardwicke one word comes to mind: hustle. As I discovered when I met the energetic director at the Mill Valley Film Festival you can't help but come away from a Harwicke encounter without being inspired. And educated. It was while filming the seminal skateboarding and surf...

While on a mission in Afghanistan, a French captain's men begin to disappear. Clément Cogitore's war mystery features a thoughtful script, and brilliant performance by Jeremie Renier.

The beauty of filmmaking, film culture, and film history is that it is an interdisciplinary study. And, it requires you to read. A lot. And not books about filmmaking -- rather creative fiction, pages filled with visual story-telling. I'm learning this in earnest thanks to the online filmmaking class I'm taking...