IndieShares Blog

Movie Trailers on Apple

2009-05-13T17:21:00.001-07:00

Are you one of those people who goes to the movie theatre early to catch the previews? Well, there’s an easier way to do it. You can watch many of the upcoming trailers on demand. If you have an Apple computer with OS X Leopard, you can watch trailers using Front Row (MacBook users: this is a perfect time to use the remote).

If you don’t have a Mac, you can watch them on Apple’s iTunes Movie Trailers website. Once you start, it’s almost impossible to stop. Before you know it, you’ll have just watched 80 trailers and the crazy thing is you want to see more!

Happy viewing!

Movie Theatres

2009-05-06T15:20:00.000-07:00

We love going to the movies! There’s something special about the experience. While the huge multiplex cinemas are popular, the local ones have a lot to offer.

In Seattle, one of our favorite theatres is the
Big Picture. It’s a 21 and over cinema that has a lounge with a full bar. Not only can you have a drink before the movie starts, but you can also order ahead of time. The staff will serve your cocktail during the movie so you don’t miss a scene.

Central Cinema is a dinner theatre that shows independent and classic films. It has a great selection of wine and beer. It’s known for its pizzas, but also has a variety of salads and appetizers. Waiters take your order and bring your food and drinks to you.

Thanks to Paul Allen, Seattleites can still enjoy one of the few remaining Cinerama theatres in the world. It was refurbished in its original 60s décor, but has state-of-the-art sound and projection technologies. And its 90 foot long and 30 foot high screen makes for spectacular viewing.

Tell us about your favorite theatre!

Must See TV Shows

2009-04-29T16:25:00.000-07:00

It seems like the caliber of TV series has improved over the past several years. It probably has something to do with the success of HBO’s and Showtime’s TV shows. There’s nothing like competition to pressure major networks to shake things up.

Shows like 30 Rock, Lost and Breaking Bad have earned success despite their tight restrictions around language, nudity, sex, drugs and violence.

But some of our favorite shows are the more R-rated types. Entourage not only gives a peek into a celebrity’s lifestyle, but also has entertaining subplots for the supporting cast and one line zingers from Ari Gold, the arrogant agent. Californication centers around a morally conflicted writer, whose sex addiction usually lands him in a comprising, but humorous, situation. And if don’t mind a little blood, Dexter is the show for you. It’s about a psychopath who directs all of his evil desires on the dregs of society, which makes the violence tolerable.

Adventureland

2009-04-24T11:17:00.001-07:00

This movie centers on James Brennan, a recent college grad who plans to travel around Europe the summer before he starts grad school. But his dream trip is canceled when his parents announce their dire financial situation. Instead, James has to find a part-time job. After a series of rejections, he finally lands a lowly job at a dingy amusement park. Although James expects it to be the worst summer ever, it turns out to be quite an adventure when he falls in love.

Writer-director Greg Mottola delivers strong characters, who are flawed and awkward, but likeable. He also captures compelling issues of love and disillusionment. Mottola perfectly balances the comedic and touching moments, so the story seems authentic.

And just to make it more amusing, it takes place in the 1980s, where the clothes and music are all too funny!

Netflix Bliss

2009-04-07T16:09:00.000-07:00

Who doesn’t love Netflix? I love browsing titles, managing my queue and checking out which flicks my friends liked. I also appreciate the option to watch a movie instantly on my computer, but prefer to watch them on my TV.

So I was really excited when I heard about Netflix’s exclusive deal with Xbox. It’s the only game console that lets you instantly watch movies and shows on your TV. All you need is an Xbox, an Xbox Gold LIVE membership and a Netflix unlimited plan. Of course, you can play hundreds of games and watch DVDs too.

Netflix also has a deal with TiVo (HD, HD XL, and Series 3 DVRs), which allows instant streaming from Netflix to your TV. There’s no additional charge if you have an active TiVo account and a Netflix unlimited plan.

Currently, Netflix has 12,000 movies and TV episodes available to watch instantly. You can learn more by checking out the website.

Our New Mascot

2009-03-31T16:37:00.000-07:00

Meet Boomer—the newest IndieShares mascot. This three year old Boxer was found wondering the streets of a small central Washington city. Little did he know, he was about to become part of an exciting new company.

Boomer’s top priority is exercise. So he’s instituted a before and after work walk routine—making sure we stay in shape. He’s also a fan of long naps, but doesn’t mind taking them on his own.

We wouldn’t have found Boomer without Petfinder. Petfinder is an online, searchable database of all animals who need homes. It is also a directory with more than 10,000 animal shelters and adoption organizations across the country.

Luck of the Irish

2009-03-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

There are so many great Irish films, it’s difficult to choose which ones to highlight.

“Michael Collins” is about the defeat of Irish rebels who are fighting for their country’s independence in the early 1900s. “In the Name of the Father” is about Gerry Conlon, who is falsely implicated in an IRA bombing. His friends and father are also accused of the crime. He spends 15 years trying to prove their innocence. Both of these movies are based on actual events.

The Irish also have a great sense of humor. “Waking Ned Divine” is about Irish villagers who go to great, and often humorous, lengths in order to share the winning lottery ticket—that belongs to an elderly man who died of shock upon discovering his win.

“In Bruges” is a dark comedy about two Irish hitmen who are sent to Belgium to hide out after a botched job. Ignoring their boss’s instructions to stay in hiding, they have a string of strange experiences with the locals, prostitutes and a dwarf American actor. In the end, their friendship is tested in a struggle to survive.

These are just a few movies that prove there is more talent than luck when it comes to anything Irish.

Screenwriting Resources

2009-03-10T15:49:00.000-07:00

There are many great screenwriting websites that provide a wide range of useful information.

Done Deal Pro tracks script, book, treatment, and pitch sales and options made in Hollywood. It also provides development-related industry news, interviews, a searchable database of screenwriting contests and contest deadline alerts.

Script Pimp and MovieBytes publish a free email newsletter featuring contest deadlines, screenwriting news, screenplay marketing opportunities, events and more.

Final Draft is software for writing and formatting a screenplay to meet the standards set by the film industry. It also publishes Script Magazine, which contains articles, interviews, features and in-depth coverage of the scriptwriting industry.

We also recommend registering your script with the Writer’s Guild Association and/or the U.S. Copyright office.

If you have an original feature length script, we’d love to review it. It's an easy four-step submission process.
Check it out!

Movies for Spring Break

2009-03-03T12:37:00.000-08:00

With spring break just around the corner, we’ve been thinking about fun movies that revolve around party-loving students.

Classics like “Animal House” and “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” are must-see films. They’re filled with hilarious quotes, and have almost award winning performances by John Belushi and Sean Penn.

Other films like “Dazed and Confused,” “Old School” and “Superbad” make for good entertainment and also reinforce the definition of inappropriate behavior.

This might be a good time to watch some of your favorite party movies!

New Video Pitches

2009-02-24T16:57:00.000-08:00

We recently optioned three new scripts. In preparation for the voting web page, we shot video pitches last weekend. Similar to the last voting event, we will create a notebook for each script, which includes a video pitch, summary, selected scene and writer’s bio.

The shoot went very well. We had a fantastic actress and an amazing crew. We shot it at Pacific Office Automation, which has a very nice building near the stadiums. Our contact there was extremely helpful and made us feel at home.

The new scripts include a drama, a comedy and a supernatural mystery.

Stay tuned for the next round of scripts to vote on!

Academy Awards Party

2009-02-18T16:25:00.001-08:00

I love throwing parties. Birthdays, showers, poker—there’s always an occasion to celebrate. But my absolute favorite one to host is the Academy Awards.

It all begins with the red carpet and taking photos of guests as they arrive. The menu includes heavy appetizers, cocktails and fun desserts. Decorations include balloons, fresh flowers, black tablecloths, gold confetti, and a variety of Hollywood paraphernalia I’ve collected over the years.

And you can’t forget the ballots. I send them beforehand, so people don’t spend time filling them out during the party. I also prepare trivia questions in the event of a tie. Prizes are given to the top three winners and I usually award the last place person with some sort of trophy.

The Oscars Website has an entire page dedicated to throwing your own party. It’s a good place to download recipes, games, trivia and the ballot.

You still have time to throw your own bash. The show starts at 5:00 pm on February 22.

A Quiet Little Marriage

2009-02-11T16:45:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at this year’s Sundance and Slamdance Film Festivals. We watched several great movies, including “Tyson”, “Rudo y Cursi” and Pierce Brosnan’s “The Greatest”.

The film we liked the best, though, was “A Quiet Little Marriage”, a wacky dramedy, about a couple who is very much in love, but at odds on whether or not to have children. That issue combined with problems dealing with their emotionally draining families, makes Olive want a child even more, while setting Dax on a mission to avoid paternity. Their opposing opinions lead to some drastic actions and counteractions, which are both horrifying and entertaining.

We weren’t surprised when “A Quiet Little Marriage” won Slamdance’s Grand Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature. The feature competition is limited to first-time filmmakers working with production budgets under $1 million.

Congratulations to writer-director Mo Perkins for the well deserved award!

Indie Films in Park City

2009-01-14T16:28:00.000-08:00

This week marks the opening of two major independent film festivals in Park City, Utah: Sundance and Slamdance. While Sundance is better known, Slamdance showcases over a hundred of independent shorts, music videos, features and documentaries.

Slamdance has a great line-up with comedies like “Spooner”, whose main character is a 30 year old used car salesman that lives with his parents; and “Finding Bliss”, which explores the adult film industry through the eyes of an idealistic film school grad. Other interesting films include “City Rats”, which follows eight people who are trying to find redemption in one another; and “Unwanted Witness”, a documentary about a journalist who fights for change in Colombia.

For the full lineup of films and details, check out the Slamdance website.

Tickets go on sale at the Slamdance Box Office on January 15.

Golden Globe Nominations

2009-01-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

This Sunday, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) will host the 66th Annual Golden Globe Awards. In case you’ve always wanted to know what the HFPA is…it’s a non-profit organization that has about 90 members—international journalists who disseminate entertainment news to publications around the world from Los Angeles.

Although there’s often crossover with the Academy Awards nominations, the Golden Globe Awards show breaks out categories by Drama and Musical/Comedy genres and includes television.

It may be because of nominations like Colin Ferrall’s performance in “In Bruges” or Tina Fey for “30 Rock”, or the fact that drinks are served all evening. Whatever the reason, the Golden Globes feels more like a pre-party celebration than an awards show.

You can watch this year’s awards show on January 11, on NBC at 5:00 pm PST.

Slamdance Film Festival

2008-11-18T17:20:00.001-08:00

True to its tagline, Slamdance is a film festival organized and managed exclusively by filmmakers, for filmmakers. In 1995, a group of independent artists established Slamdance in order to provide a venue for first-time writers and directors to showcase their creative works.

The festival has featured and helped more than 50 indie films find theatrical distribution, including “The King of Kong,” “Mad Hot Ballroom” and “End of the Century.” It has also served as a launchpad for cinematic luminaries such as Steven Soderbergh, Christopher Nolan and Marc Forster.

Slamdance also supports new and emerging talent through its website, writing competitions for features, shorts, teleplays and horror scripts and short film competitions.

This year’s festival runs from January 15 – 23 in Park City, UT.

For more information, visit Slamdance’s website.

Foreign Films

2008-10-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Like many American independent films, there are countless foreign
films that deserve greater attention. Most of them do not follow the Hollywood method of casting beautiful people who have perfectly applied makeup in all scenes. Instead, the actors may look as real or flawed as the characters they play.

Some films tell extraordinary stories, such as “Pan’s Labyrinth” or “Volver” or are told in an exceptional
way, like “Run Lola Run” and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.” And many of the best films about the Holocaust like “Life is Beautiful,” “Downfall” and “Counterfeiters” are foreign films.

If you’re not excited about reading subtitles, there are also fantastic movies from the UK, Australia and other English speaking countries. “Trainspotting,” “Secrets and Lies,” “Muriel’s Wedding,” and “Lantana” use familiar language, but have distinctive tones and humor that highlight cultural differences.

Try mixing up your DVD queue with some foreign films. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

“La Fin,” “Das Ende,” “El Final,” “The End.”

Vegetarian Vampires

2008-10-14T13:12:00.000-07:00

You don’t have to be a fan of vampires to enjoy Stephenie Meyer’s first novel “Twilight.” The story centers on a budding romance between two teenagers, Bella and Edward. Unlike typical storylines of this genre, the heroine Bella, is a clumsy human who doesn't make friends easily. Edward and his family are vampires who have chosen not to kill humans, but rather feed on wild animals. We won’t go into details, but Meyer does a fantastic job developing characters and adding unexpected twists.

The production stayed true to the NW setting by filming mostly in Oregon and Washington. There are also a couple of local actors, including Billy Burke, who plays Bella’s father and Cam Gigandet, who plays an evil vampire. We’re excited to see the movie and hopeful that it captures the essence of the book.

Movie Mojo

2008-10-08T12:58:00.000-07:00

For those of you interested in the success of movies, check out Box Office Mojo. This website contains production budget totals, theater and DVD sales and release schedules. It breaks out domestic and international grosses. For example, the production budget for “Troy” was $175 million. It only grossed $133 million in the U.S., but made an additional $364 million worldwide.

It also has an “All Time Box Office” section that lists the top grossing movies, including a list adjusted for inflation. You may be surprised that the number one box office movie isn’t “Titanic” or “Dark Knight.” A hint: it’s a classic that was released in 1939.

The site is rich with film-related articles and trailers. It also has a game section where you can predict movie grosses for the week. When you sign up for a free membership, you can customize how you would like to view movie showtimes, create a favorite list of theaters, rate movies and subscribe to an email alert that gives an overview of the weekend’s movies. Box Office Mojo earns an IndieShares nod!

The Great Wall

2008-09-30T12:10:00.001-07:00

Our recent trip to Beijing was nothing but spectacular. We hit all of the major attractions—Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace. They were all worthwhile, but the one sight that exceeded expectations was the Great Wall.

We headed to Mutianyu—just 56 miles outside of Beijing—where we practically had the Wall to ourselves. Built mainly with granite, the Wall in this area is 23 – 26 feet high and the top is 13 – 16 feet wide. The mountains and forests make a perfect setting. Fortunately, there was a gondola to take us to the top of the mountain, so we could spend most of our energy on hiking on the Great Wall.

Other than a good pair of walking shoes, we brought a tour guide, camera, and our top negotiation skills. We learned about the history, took countless photos and bought beer from an outgoing vendor—who respected a good haggler. And the trek would not have been complete without our IndieShares t-shirts, which just so happened to be the best looking shirts around.

The Internet Movie Database

2008-09-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

Have you ever forgotten a movie title? Or wanted to know what other movies an actor has been in? IMDb not only gives you a filmography for almost any actor, director or producer, but can also tell you fun factoids. Impress your friends with trivia like the fact that Diablo Cody (the director) used her hamburger phone in “Juno;” Matt Damon was Christopher Nolan’s first choice for Harvey Dent; and Ryan Gosling’s first break was the Mickey Mouse Club.

It also includes movies currently in production or ones that have just been announced: Amy Adams is currently on location for her role in “Night at the Museum 2;” “The Time Traveler’s Wife” is in post-production; and Johnny Depp is rumored to be in “Sin City 3”.

You can also watch trailers, view photos, and make your own movie lists. It’s so useful, we wouldn’t be surprised if “I’ll IMDb it” becomes a household phrase.

For the Love of Water

2008-09-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

Did you know that the U.S. uses approximately 17,000,000 barrels of oil per year for bottling, transporting, disposing of, and recycling bottled water containers? That's enough oil to power more than one million U.S. cars and is responsible for more than 2.5 million tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere.

Did you know that nearly one quarter of the earth's citizens lack access to clean drinking water? Or that over 116,000 human-made chemicals are finding their way into public water supply systems worldwide? “FLOW: For Love of Water”, shown at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival, is Irena Salina's award-winning documentary that brings awareness to these issues.

FLOW is an excellent film that will open your eyes to one of the greatest threats of our time–the global water crisis. Using brilliant detail and stunning photography, the film chronicles myriad problems with the world's water supply and appetite for water. Unlike many documentaries, it spends a fair amount of time discussing ways we can address this problem individually and on a larger scale.

FLOW hits theaters nationwide on Sept. 12. For more information visit www.flowthefilm.com.

Summer Movie Pool

2008-09-01T13:47:00.000-07:00

NCAA Tourney pools are commonplace and who hasn't heard of Fantasy Football? But what about a pool based on blockbuster movies? A couple of years ago, we were introduced to such a pool and it's so much fun we wanted to tell the world about it. What started as a friendly competition among a few friends, has now ballooned into a fierce bloodsport with almost 100 participants.

The rules are simple. A moderator sends out a list of films that are scheduled to be released between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Everyone picks the 15 films they think will make the most money. You win one point for every million dollars your first ten movies earn at the box office. The first ten are not ordered and ties are settled by people’s ranking of their remaining five choices, as needed to establish a winner.

The game is easy and is a great way to stay in touch with friends over the summer—a witty moderator adds to the fun. The trick is being able to differentiate those films you think will be "good" but not make much money ("Hustle and Flow" or "Smart People") from those you think will make lots and lots of money regardless of how technically "good" they are ("The Dark Night" and "Ocean’s Thirteen"). Pull one together for yourself and see how much fun they can be.

Meet the IndieShares Mascots

2008-08-19T11:18:00.000-07:00

If you’ve had a chance to read our management team and advisory board bios, you’ll learn a lot about the people, but nothing about the mascots.

Triton and Maddie are two happy boxers who add a bit of excitement to our office. Although, they don’t make coffee or answer emails, they each have unique talents. If given the chance, Triton would give Beckham a run for his money with his tennis ball soccer skills and Maddie would win the gold medal in the world competition of tug of war.

They nap through most of our meetings, but wake up for "cookie" breaks and lunch. Like other mascots, Triton and Maddie take their positions very seriously.

Seattle's 5th Independent South Asian Film Festival

2008-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

For the fifth consecutive year, a group called Tasveer (which means "picture" in Urdu) has hosted the Independent South Asian Film Festival, featuring the latest and best South Asian-themed narrative films, documentaries, workshops and forums. Seattle-based Tasveer is a community-based organization that brings independent, progressive films from South Asia and the South Asian Diaspora to the Pacific Northwest.

I've had the opportunity to attend a number of ISAFF films over the years and have greatly enjoyed them all. Among my favorites were "10 Questions for the Dalai Lama" and "Monsoon"—both well made films with lots of heart.

This year's festival will take place between September 24th and 28th at Seattle's Broadway Performance Hall, so if you're in town then, I highly recommend checking it out.

For details about ISAFF, please visit their website.

In addition to ISAFF, Tasveer hosts a number of other events throughout the year. For example, I attended their live performance of Yoni Ki Baat, a South Asian version of the world famous Vagina Monologues in March. The show was very compelling and honest.

Our Shoot at DRY Soda

2008-07-02T12:50:00.000-07:00

We recently decided to reshoot our video pitches for our website and searched for a location. We stumbled upon DRY Soda, a high-end beverage company. Not only does DRY Soda have a very cool space in the heart of Pioneer Square, but it also has a genuinely nice group of people. During the shoot, we got to feast on all of the delicious sodas, which are sweetened with a modest amount of pure cane sugar. They have unique flavors, such as kumquat (my favorite), lavender, lemongrass and rhubarb.

The actual filming went well. We’re currently in the editing phase, but hope to complete the videos by early July. We’re revamping the voting site to include more information about each script—which you should see by the middle of next month.
Until then, check out the cocktail recipes on DRY Soda’s website. They’re original and refreshing—perfect for the summer!