By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
Reeler Link Dump: 'Actual Sex' Edition
–The Hollywood Reporter’s Gregg Goldstein has the scoop on the Shortbus deal, which will bring John Cameron Mitchell and ThinkFilm together in rosy coital bliss and which sets up a come-spattered art-porn fight to the death with IFC Films’ own smut showcase Destricted. Goldstein’s emphasis on Shortbus‘s “actual sex” alone makes this both an entertaining and informational read, but even more intriguing is the anonymous distributor who said Mitchell’s $500,000 asking price was totally fucking crazy for a film that cannot be advertised and cannot play in 97 percent of theaters and will never see the light of day in video chains or at big-box DVD retailers or on basic cable a little rich for his blood. But all parties wished Mitchell and ThinkFilm a long, lubed and happy union.
–Not-so-newsflash: AIVF is no more. According to a letter passed along by indieWIRE kingpin Eugene Hernandez, the filmmaker support organization will cease operations June 28 but will attempt to continue its house publication, the Independent, in the months ahead. The July issue will feature a best-of selection cherry-picked from AIVF’s 33-year history; the status of future issues has yet to be determined. This especially sucks for some of AIVF’s senior board members, who must now find a new benefactor to milk in support of their own personal networking. You know who you are. The Reeler sends its condolences.
–David Lynch, he of meditative serenity and institutionalized incomprehensibility, has filed for divorce from Mary Sweeney, his producing partner and wife of–wait for it–one month. It was Lynch’s third marriage, and papers filed this week in Los Angeles Superior Court revealed “irreconcilable differences” to be the grounds for ending it. Look for a high-profile custody battle to follow: Lynch and Sweeney have a troubled 4-year-old named Inland Empire that needs all the love it can get.
–Yeah, it is short notice, but if Christopher Hitchens, free beer and the premiere of American Zeitgeist are not compelling enough reasons to change your plans tonight, then you have a cold, craggy void where your heart should be. Filmmaker Rob McGann promises a balanced ratio of blood, spittle and vomit in the post-screening debate between Hitchens and Eric Margolis; protective eyewear is strongly advised for those viewers up front.