My Busy Life - Trying to Fit it All In

Where does the time go? I’ve been so busy during the last month, between pre-production on Love Song, and all the other things I do, I haven’t had a day off in about three weeks.

I started a new blog called the Canyon Nymphs but I haven’t had any time to go hiking. I’m glad it rained as much as it did because I was able to stay home and watch some of the films that are nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards (I get to vote because I’m a Film Independent member).

Speaking of, I loved the films Starting Out In The Evening and Eastern Promises. It’s a good thing that Viggo Mortensen did not get nominated because I really want Frank Langella to win best male lead for Starting Out In The Evening. I hope Viggo wins the Oscar but it’ll probably go to Daniel Day L. I have not seen There Will Be Blood. I’m so sick of the hype certain films get. I’ve heard very mixed reviews on this one so…. Another over hyped film is Juno. It was sweet and enjoyable but it’s no Little Miss Sunshine and certainly no Oscar contender. It’s too bad that a film like Starting Out In The Evening did not get the recognition it deserved by the Academy. Here’s my take on Juno and I’m taking this from an exchange that my friend Gus and I had about this film:

Gus: - It's been a while since I've seen a film trying so desperately to be cool. From the nifty title sequence to the quirky soundtrack to the self-indulgent dialogue, Juno is a film in love with itself, as is screenwriter Diablo Cody, a.k.a. Brook Busey. I'm still convinced that people love talking about this movie because it's written by somebody named Diablo. Some rave about the greatness of the script, but I think Amy Heckerling managed to catch the vibe of a generation better in the underrated Clueless, to much less fanfare. Plus, there were two superior films this year about unexpected pregnancies: Waitress (more heartfelt) and Knocked Up (funnier).

Lucy: I agree about Juno, I enjoyed watching it but felt the dialogue was contrived. Amy Heckerling certainly got the vibe of Clueless' generation by observing the kids of that generation and portraying them in their terms. She did this brilliantly in Fast Times at Ridgemont High as well. Cody's attempt at making June a cool, quirky teen of today fails miserably because all the things that make Juno cool and quirky came from a different generation, (her hamburger phone, her taste in music etc.) that's why the film feels so dishonest to me. Jennifer Garner's character was the only one who rang true

On Saturday, we recorded podcasts for MoviesByWomen. We had a line up of amazing guests including Martha Richards, Founder & Executive Director of The Fund for Women Artists. It was really nice meeting this woman because for the last two years I’ve been getting their newsletters every other month. She’s so passionate about empowering women in the arts and she flew from San Francisco to meet with us. The next guest was Chela Johnson, VP of Marketing at Lionsgate. She was so much fun mostly because we discussed horror movies and they are my guilty pleasure, wait, not guilty, I don’t mind saying I love horror movies. Our last guest was Catherine Jelski, a filmmaker who just directed one of the episodes of Quarterlife, she gave us great insight on how the TV industry works. The last podcast was Heidi, Stephanie, Tara and me discussing the Entertainment Weekly article Would You Dump This Woman. Read it below and rent the movie I Could Never Be Your Woman.

So no hike on Saturday but I did manage to go to the gym and do a pilates class and about an hour on the tread mill and then I went to Tara’s to record the podcasts. After the recording session I was exhausted but then my good friend and super talented director Daniel Eduvijes Carrera (Danito or Danny) called to invite me to two parties. I almost said no but he convinced me to go because it would be good for networking. I’m all about networking these days. I met a lot of nice people and I’m so glad that Danny takes me to these events. I had the pleasure of meeting a documentary film maker whose work I admire. Anayansi Prado directed Maid In America, a doc that takes a look at the lives of three Latinas working as maid/nannies in Los Angeles. I’ve been meaning to email her and invite her to be a guest on the podcasts but I don’t like to bother people so I didn’t. Maybe I should have because she was so nice and warm and asked what I was working on etc. I got her card so I’ll invite her. Out podcasts deal with the struggles women face making films and I’d like to get the perspective from another Latina’s point of view. I was too tired to go to the 2nd party. I got home at almost 2am.

On Sunday I somehow managed to scrape myself out of bed and go to another pilates class before meeting Jenna (Love Song producer) at 12pm in Burbank. I was with her for a few hours. Then, I was supposed to go to a meeting at the Filmmaker’s Alliance but I was too tired and decided to get a manicure instead. I went home, caught up on the last two L Word episodes and watched another movie.

Catch and Release written and directed by Susannah Grant (screenwriter of Erin Brockovich and In Her Shoes). I liked the film a lot mostly because of Jennifer Garner, but like the tv show Friends, these people live with a lot of affluence and yet they don’t seem to have jobs to pay for such a lifestyle. All that aside, it was an enjoyable watch and I’m all for promoting other women filmmakers so if you get a chance, you should watch it.

Last weekend I worked on the set of a cool martial arts project. Matt, the DP for Love Song hooked me up with it. It was a great experience to be on a set where I’m sure the budget for one day was probably more than the Love Song budget for 7 days!!! Welcome to IndieWood. I got to see some of the guys who worked on Love 10 to 1. It was so good to see Brian Sorbo again. He’s so amazing and we owe him so much. When our website is up we’ll upload his info because he’s a great resource for independent filmmakers. If anyone reads this is interested in an amazing gaffer w/a grip truck let me know and I'll put you in touch with him.

Just writing about all this made me tired. OMG, what will I do when I have a baby?!?!?! (No, I'm not pregnant and I'm not trying YET!)

That’s it for now. Hopefully Christine and Laura will blog soon.

xoxo,
Lucy