I have a confession to make. I hate independent cinema.
And this is coming from a guy who cut his teeth in that world, who was part of that world, who knew (back in the 1990s) a lot of major players in that world. (In fact the first movie I tried to make was a co-production with Nick Gomez who went on to write and direct the breakout hit Laws of Gravity, one of the few bright spots in an otherwise drab 1990s indie landscape.)
I was at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival. A feature (and a short) I’d shot were both playing at the festival. The feature, Parallel Sons, was actually in competition. (We didn’t win anything because Samuel L. Jackson was on the jury and fucking hated our film.) 1995 was the year The Brother’s McMullen snagged the big deal and introduced Ed Burns to the world. But have you seen The Brothers McMullen? It fucking sucks.
And you know what? Almost all the other movies I saw at the festival that year sucked. And I saw a lot of them. (The exception was Rebecca Miller’s Angela. Which was amazing. )
It was the go-go Sundance scene of the 1990s that foisted Kevin Smith on us. Kevin, who worshipped my old school-mate and breakout indie filmmaker Hal Hartley, came to the 1994 festival with Clerks. My sources inside (a development friend of mine who was there) told me the only reason that movie got picked up was the studios were desperate to buy something, anything and Clerks was the only half-way decent thing there. Thus was one of the most useless careers in cinema history born from an accident of timing. (Yes, I hate Kevin Smith movies. Though I can’t say I hate them all because I stopped watching them after Mallrats. Though I did try to watch Dogma. Only made it halfway. Almost threw the TV out the window.)
But over the past few decades, something’s been happening. Independent film, which has gotten a somewhat less independent, has also gotten better. A lot better. When I say independent, I don’t mean strictly independently financed outside of the studio system, but films embodying the independent spirt. That is movies which are about something more than just explosions and lasers.
Birdman
Whiplash
The Imitation Game
Theory of Everything
Enemy
Maps to the Stars
Frank
Selma
The Grand Budapest Hotel
American Sniper
Boyhood
Foxcatcher
Wild
Two Days, One Night
Still Alice
Inherent Vice
Unbroken
Under the Skin
A lot of pretty damn good films on that list. (Though I am the guy who wasn’t all that impressed with Birdman. ((Ed: Call that blasphemy number three.))
What seems to have happened is the independent spirit, the quirky story lines, the attempts at intelligence and relevance of the 1990s indie scene has merged with higher budgets, better writing, technical expertise and (most importantly) star power to produce this latest crop of awesome.
And it is the star power that makes these films happen. Thank God movie stars are willing to appear in smaller, more personal films. because without them, those movies would never find funding.
Yet there are still plenty of shitty indie films out there. Adventureland, The Way Way Back, and Submarine to name three, but the tide is shifting and more indie films seem to be, if not excellent, then at least tolerable compared to a decade ago.
And it’s not a one way street, just as a more professional, “Hollywood” ethos has infused independent cinema, the independent spirit has also worked its way into some of the largest film franchises in history. Batman director Christopher Nolan came right out of the indie scene and wound up making The Dark Knight, not only the only truly great Batman movie, but the best movie made about the war on terror. Look at the subversive humor of The Avengers or Iron Man not to mention Guardians of the Galaxy. Look at The Lego Movie, which may be the funniest movie of the year. That’s not a film built by a committee around a conference table, that’s a genuine work of pop art.
So what’s the point? The point is we have it pretty damned good right now, movie wise. Where’s this all going? I have no idea. But I’m happy to be here, like a pig wallowing in some particularly good slop. Man, is it a great time to be a movie fan. Though all the shit I’m taking on Facebook for dissing Birdman isn’t all that stellar. Good thing I haven’t made my views on Beasts of the Southern Wild public.