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Headphones On Boys

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Beach Libraries

Depending on where you live around the world, you might spend a lot of time reading at the beach or you might spend none there.

There are actually a few beaches that have libraries on them. Some are on wheels, but some are fairly permanent installations.

The biggest one, perhaps, is the one in Bulgaria — Albena Beach

And there are a few in Australia, Billy’s Books at Bondi Beach and another at Coogee Beach.

Israel has another style of beach library, at Metzizim Beach in Tel Aviv.

What makes ‘the great novels’ great?

Is there something identifiable that’s common to all ‘the great novels’?

Or is there something identifiable that each ‘great novel’ has itself, which other books don’t have.

Does something set ‘the great novels’ apart from other novels.

Here are some possibilities that have been suggested:

“Italo Calvino wrote that ‘A classic is a book that has never finished saying what it has to say’ which I think is a pretty good definition. There have been plenty of books which were very popular in their time, but now are out of print and hardly read or even studied.

I, for the most part, don’t really believe in a ‘universal human experience’ but really great books have enough in them that they never ‘run out’ of meaning, if that makes sense. They are rich and full enough to keep offering new interpretations for new ages and different people.” – Hedgerow

“Historical and cultural value. Use of style or language that is in some way important or indicative of a major movement. Philosophical underpinnings that relate in some way to the times it was written or relates to a broader philosophical school. Resonates with following generations.
Teachers put it on their syllabus.” – The Knife Business

“Circumstance and luck.” – Norwegian Wood

“To properly tackle this question would require more time and thought than I want to give right now, but instinctively I am not sure I would say universality and accessibility are important or necessary components. I think the greatest works create something that’s new, whether it is stylistic or thematic; they always steer far away from cliché and platitudes. These novels generally have a major influence on the artistic community and inspire or challenge future writers.” – TheEnchantedHunters – Joyce

A question has also been raised about “accessibility” — whether great novels are usually “accessible.”

Top 10 Films That Were Successful But Cost Nothing To Make, Or Could Have

This list is the top ten films that anybody — you included — could make today if you wanted to. These films required no extensive Hollywood-style production, and either cost almost nothing to make or could have. (What I mean here is that even though a few of these films actually cost hundreds of thousands, it wasn’t necessary to spend that to make the film per se, and you could make these films almost the same without any budget).

If you have any films to add to this list, or you disagree with any of them, you had better comment underneath the article.

TOP 10 FILMS THAT COST NOTHING TO MAKE, OR COULD HAVE:

1. Kids – Even though out of this list this film had one of the highest costs, anyone watching this movie can see that they could make it themselves with a camera or two and a handful of local actors. This is possibly the “ultimate indie film.” Everything about the aesthetic, cast, writing and locations showed us all that anyone could make a movie — even if you were a couple teenagers sitting on a couch watching Kids, you were struck by how non-Hollywood this 1995 film was, and that you could get a camera and make this yourself. Anyone could make a full-length, in-the-theaters-and-on-talk-shows movie, if this was what a film could be.

All that was required, it seemed, to make Kids or a show like it, was writing a rough script (this seemed optional, actually, when watching Kids) and shooting some friends around town.

Kids was the first film directed by Larry Clark, and launched the career of writer Harmony Korine (and several of the actors in the show), and a lot of the reason it got so much exposure was the hype that surrounded its controversial subject matter.

Kids was filmed on city streets, parks, a public pool, a house, apartments and a club. The production may have had something to it the large budget, but it seems minimal when watching the film. The camera is hand held, and this was something mainstream audiences hadn’t really seen before in 1995.

2. Swingers – Anyone — or maybe any guy — around in 1996 or the few years after that will probably remember how much of an important movie this seemed to a lot of the people they knew. Other films of the time were more popular and grossed more, but guys talked about and recommended this film to each other, and when they talked about it, it was with a special meaning.

Swingers was filmed in locations anyone could easily shoot in: apartments, bars, a car on the highway, a trailer, a diner, a casino. The story didn’t have a traditional Hollywood plot, but it definitely took you somewhere, and took you somewhere different from where you started from, and whatever the message is, it seemed a worthwhile film.

3. Buffalo 66 – Somber, sober, absorbing. Christina Ricci, who was hung up on quite a few guys’ walls at the time, was at her most beautiful, with her hair dyed blonde, her voluptuous presence highlighted by an unusual-seeming outfit — a baby blue ballet suit — and her characteristic sensitive mien made a movie out of reactions to Gallo’s character — the tension and simple complexity of the states of mind traveled through during the hours portrayed in the film.

The cast of Buffalo 66 is small: 4 or 5 main characters. The locations: a dance studio, driving around in a small car, a hotel, a house, a restaurant. The script does not have a lot of dialogue. Again, the arc is not a traditional Hollywood one, but some of the scenes are unforgettable and it too definitely takes you somewhere.

4. Blair Witch Project – How many of you were just waiting for me to write “Blair Witch” on this list? This film exploded when it was screened in art house cinemas, then was picked up by and exploded in mainstream movie theaters. A lot of its success came, like Kids, from the hype surrounding it. It made $250 million — yes, $250,000,000 — and cost $35,000 to make, but you could see how you could make this film for even less over a weekend with some minor adjustments. It also resulted in a sequel film and a lot of associated Blair Witch products.

It was shot on a cheap (and low-quality) video camera bought from Walmart (and returned after use — there WERE no phone cameras at that time, but today you could shoot this on your cell). The settings: houses, trailer parks, the woods. The script: there was one, but most of the film was improvisation done by the three main characters. Like Kids, this film clearly shows that anyone they can make a film with nothing but a camera and a few local actors.

5. Clerks. A story about some people in a town. Watching this film anywhere in the world, you may think “it’s just like normal life.” This film was made for $25,000 by writers and directors Jay and Silent Bob. It was picked up quickly by Miramax chief Harvey Weinstein, who saw something in it that he thought would cause it to succeed with a wide audience. Like Woody Allen, there is a lot of dialogue in Jay and Silent Bob’s films. Everything is done with dialogue. And it’s funny: The jokes, because the film depicts people and scenarios at the level of the common blue collar man, are jokes that could be made about most people’s lives and social circles. People laughed out loud at this film, and you’re never going to fail if a film does that. It appealed to a certain demographic as well — like Kids and Swingers — and was kind of in the same vein as a lot of TV shows and pop culture things going on at the time.

Clerks was filmed in a basement and a convenience store. There were no stars or outstanding beauties (as there were in Jay and Silent Bob’s later films). Did I mention it was successful despite being in black & white?

What are the next 5 of the “Top 10 Indie Films That Could Be Made for Nothing?” Click here to read on >>>

Top 10 Films That Were Successful But Cost Nothing To Make, Or Could Have, Part Two

(Continued from Top 10 Indie Films That Were Successful But Cost Nothing To Make, Or Could Have)

So, the next 5 films on this list:

6. Run Lola Run – For those of you who are out there saying, “Yeah, you can do drama, documentary-style, and horror with indie, but not action films because they require too much special costs,” here’s a high-intensity, high-suspense, blood-pumping movie that gets its “action” from the premise and the execution of that premise: Lola has a very limited amount of time to get something done … otherwise, something she cares about will be be in big trouble. Not only is the plot an action-based one (or action-demanding — that is, to execute it action is required), but also the character is creativity-based: Lola must solve problems to get through each obstacle in order to continue the plot.

7. The Celebration – It was called “Festen” in Danish, and it was a 1998 film about a group of family members who congregate at a house on the father’s birthday. Family conflict and various relationships are the subject of The Celebration. The budget of this film was actually $1.3 million, but how they spent that much on a small cast of people in a house I do not know. You could shoot this for nothing. Maybe the money went to actor’s fees.

This film was the first to be shot under the “Dogma 95” set of 10 rules which strictened the indie requirements for film-making, at least for those interested in this movement. Dogme 95 was proposed by Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg (The Celebration is Vinterberg’s work). The set of 10 rules supported a type of filmmaking that was cheap and stressed story, acting and theme over more expensive and elaborate film elements.

8. Shadows – In 1959, the successful film and TV actor John Cassavettes — who had taken the money he’d made and opened up a theater and put out ads for limited time free membership — made a film that had been worked out organically at his theater. The film was called “Shadows.” The subject was one most of Hollywood wouldn’t have touched in the pre-civil rights movement era: a black young woman starts dating white men, and what this means within her family.

Filmed on streets and in buildings in a city, the premise and its demands are intensified and amplified through the progression of the film. Cassavettes later made several other pictures in the same way, using actors from his theater and “scripts” that had been worked out organically by the acting troupe.

At this point I don’t care what the other films are. The most important have already been noted. So how much of a strict Top 10 list this is, I’m not too worried. Continuing:

9. My Own Private Idaho – Unforgettable scenes and based somewhat on some of Shakespeare’s better and more famous plays (those that revolve around the young King Henry IV and the father / father-figure in his life), this film cost $2.6 million dollars to make — it has a star-studded cast and was produced professionally. I would have enjoyed it just as much if it had no stars and was shot on a handheld video camera (so long as the stars were as magnetic as Phoenix, Reeves and the others). This film has a great script and some interesting happenings, some great shots and videography, great acting, memorable characters and situations. This is a film not every kid could produce because it succeeds based on a lot of quality elements — the kind of things not every film-maker is capable of — but for those indie writer/filmmakers out there it may be an inspiration for what great writing and film-making can be in the independent — and alternative — genres.

It was shot in a lot of locations, both in America and in Italy, so you’d need at least the price of a few plane tickets to shoot something like it, or transfer the Italy-element to some other location within or nearer to your country. Locations include motels, tenements, hotels, a city park, long prairie roads, and Roman outdoor architecture.

10. A bunch of films that you don’t need to watch if you know the ones already listed –For example, “Withnail and I,” a British film about some interesting characters who get into some interesting situations in the country. If the other films in this list hadn’t been made, I might cite this one. “Slacker,” a 1991 dialogue-and-normal-life film that preceded “Clerks.” Some other great films that could be made more or less with no money, but maybe not as seminal as the ones already listed: “Last Life In The Universe,” “Love & Pop,” “Linda Linda Linda,” “Lost in Translation,” “Drugstore Cowboy,” “Beautiful Girls,” “Millenium Mambo,” and “Fargo.”

11. Breathless – Yeah, I want to mention “Breathless” by Jean Luc Goddard. A lot of his films could be shot by anyone, anywhere, for no money. The remake with Richard Gere as well.

12. Naked – I want to mention this Mike Leigh film, too. Because it’s carried off excellently. Very deep and real characters, very good writing, and some laugh-out-loud humor — similar in some ways, perhaps, to “My Own Private Idaho.” “Naked” cost almost $2 million to make, but was shot in houses, streets, empty buildings at night, and a lot of the dialogue is improvised.

Once again, the films I listed here aren’t the most successful indie films or the cheapest successful indie films that succeeded; they are successful films that anybody could have made, including you.

David Lynch Resources

David Lynch and the Independent Filmmaker

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Room to Dream: David Lynch and the Independent Filmmaker features original interviews with acclaimed director David Lynch. See and hear how Lynch brings his unique vision to the screen with technologies that are now within easier reach for independent filmmakers. Interspersed with behind-the-scenes footage from a recent project, Lynch muses on the art of filmmaking, offers wisdom to aspiring filmmakers, and shows you the power of today’s tools to give you Room to Dream.

Best Movies

A list of the best movies from the past 100 years. Well, right now it’s a gallery of images, but maybe later we’ll also make it into a list in text.