Baghead

HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: 25 Run-of-Engagement ‘Humpday’ Passes With Mark Duplass

HollywoodChicago.com — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 16:57:31 -0600

CHICAGO – In our latest edition of HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film, we have 25 admit-two run-of-engagement tickets to the new comedy “Humpday” with Mark Duplass (the writer of “Baghead”), Joshua Leonard, Alycia Delmore, Lynn Shelton and Trina Willard from director Lynn Shelton.

“Humpday” opens in Chicago on July 24, 2009. To win your “Humpday” pass courtesy of HollywoodChicago.com, all you need to do is tell us your best dare story in this Web-based submission form. That’s it! Directions to enter this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup and win can be found beneath the graphic below.

“Humpday” stars Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard from director Lynn Shelton.
Image credit: Magnolia Pictures

Here is the synopsis for “Humpday”:

It has been a decade since Ben (Mark Duplass) and Andrew (Joshua Leonard) were the bad boys of their college campus. Ben has settled down and found a job, wife and home. Andrew took the alternate route as a vagabond artist and has skipped the globe from Chiapas to Cambodia.

When Andrew shows up unannounced on Ben’s doorstep, they easily fall back into their old dynamic of macho one-upmanship. Late into the night at a wild party, the two find themselves locked in a mutual dare: to enter an amateur porn contest together.

But what kind of boundary-breaking, envelope-pushing porn can two straight dudes make? After the booze and “big talk” run out, only one idea remains: they will have sex together… on camera. It’s not gay; it’s beyond gay. It’s not porn; it’s art. But how exactly will it work? More important, who will tell Ben’s wife, Anna (Alycia Delmore)?

Writer and director Lynn Shelton – director of “My Effortless Brilliance” and recipient of the “Someone to Watch Award” at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards – expertly mines the biggest ironies of the male ego to hilarious effect. “Humpday” is a buddy movie gone wild.

To secure your free “Humpday” pass, you must be logged into your HollywoodChicago.com Web site account. If you don’t yet have one, you can quickly register here. Having a free Web site account with a valid e-mail address is required to win this HollywoodChicago.com Hookup.

Next, simply tell us your best dare story. You must submit your answer using this confidential, Web-based submission form. Please do not comment in this Hookup. Your entry will be invalid if you only comment here and don’t submit into our Web-based form. Please only submit your answer using this submission form.

You must include your first and last name, e-mail address and physical mailing address in your submission. Your personal information will be kept strictly confidential and is only for awarding winning entries. Your personal information will not be sold or shared.

Tell us your best dare story now!

This HollywoodChicago.com Hookup: Film is simple: 25 HollywoodChicago.com readers will be randomly selected as the winners of our “Humpday” Hookup! The winners will be mailed the passes at our expense. Good luck!

By ADAM FENDELMAN
Editor-in-Chief
HollywoodChicago.com
adam@hollywoodchicago.com

Interview: Filmmaker Brothers Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass Advance Mumblecore Movement in ‘Baghead’

HollywoodChicago.com — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 12:59:50 -0600

CHICAGO – The “mumblecore” movement, which is the made-on-digital-video movie revolution, has two significant practitioners: filmmaker brothers Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass.

Lauded in 2006 at Film Independent’s Spirit Awards for their first feature entitled “The Puffy Chair,” the Duplass brothers have their first major feature release in “Baghead”. It’s a funny send-up of “Friday the 13th”-type scary movies and the desperation of relationship dynamics.

“Baghead” writers and directors Jay Duplass (left) and Mark Duplass in Chicago on July 23, 2008.
Photo credit: Patrick McDonald, HollywoodChicago.com

Left to right: Steve Zissis as Chad, Elise Muller as Catherine and Greta Gerwig as Michelle in “Baghead”.
Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

HollywoodChicago.com interviewed the two filmmakers on their recent Chicago visit. They talked about the road to their first distributed feature, the process of their filmmaking and – yes – the meaning of the term “mumblecore”.

“Baghead” is about two couples. They’re all struggling film actors in Los Angeles who decide to go to a remote cabin in the woods to create a usable screenplay.

There’s a sexual tension between Chad (Steve Zissis) that’s not being reciprocated by Michelle (Greta Gerwig). Matt (Ross Partridge) and Catherine (Elise Miller) are the other story-pitching pair.

Soon they are all torturing each other with the story of Baghead, which is a potential movie character who stalks his victims from the woods.

“When we were shooting our first feature (‘The Puffy Chair’), we had long drives between where we were staying and where we were shooting with stretches of just woods,” Mark Duplass said. “Inevitably, with eight people in a van driving through the woods, we started talking about scary stuff.”

The character Baghead in the film “Baghead”.
Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

Rating: 4.0/5.0

“It became the opposite direction from ‘Cloverfield,’ which had the villain the size of Rhode Island,” Jay Duplass said. “We couldn’t beat that, so we went with the most low-fi version of horror films – both small and ridiculous.”

As the Baghead legend unfolds for the four characters, the line between the fictional story and reality begins to blur.

“Obviously we’re aware of ‘Friday the 13th,’” Jay Duplass said. “The reference point for us was: ‘What if it were happening in the real world and not just the dreamy world of teenagers taking showers?’ We wanted create a situation that was real where you know these characters and introduce the scary element into it.”

“Our goal was to scare the audience, but also to make them laugh and to not take it too seriously,” Mark Duplass said. “We wanted a great experience because some things in this life are a little scary or funny or stupid.”

Elise Muller as Catherine in “Baghead”.
Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

One of the key features of the story is the uncomfortable rejection Chad receives from Michelle even though his plan was to get her alone at the cabin.

“With our approach,” Mark Duplass explained, “it will be funny, but you have to mine the reality of what it is and slowly let it play out. Looking at the character of Chad, you know he’s had the struggle of rejection in his life.”

Left to right: Elise Muller as Catherine, Steve Zissis as Chad and Greta Gerwig as Michelle in “Baghead”.
Photo credit: Jen Tracy Duplass, copyright Duplass Brothers LLC

“Everyone has that type of rejection on a weekly basis,” Jay Duplass added.

“Our hope is of the three things going on in this movie – the relationship stuff, the comedy stuff and the horror stuff – the audience will find something to connect to,” Mark Duplass said. “It’s about the characters, and if you like them, you’ll like the film. Then we’ll make $750 million (laughter).”

The tense atmosphere in the film is heightened by the desperation of actors trying to make it in Los Angeles.

Mark Duplass added: “They represent everyone, but in our world, the epitome of the human being who wants something they’re probably never going to have is the desperate actor. It is horrifying and beautiful at the same time.”

The “mumblecore” film movement, which is a genre created out of the small digital video festivals that play across the country, is close to the hearts of the Duplass brothers.

Mark Duplass defined the term: “Mumblecore are films made really cheaply on digital video – often with improvised dialogue and unprofessional actors – that tends to focus on realism in relationships and a distinct lack of plot.”

RELATED IMAGE GALLERY
View our full, high-resolution “Baghead” image gallery.

RELATED READING
More film reviews from critic Patrick McDonald.

“We are half in and half out,” Mark Duplass added. “We like more plot and use professional actors, but we do tend to focus on the relationships.” Jay Duplass added: “In ‘Baghead,’ the short film shown at the festival in the beginning is hardcore mumblecore.”

It is Mark Duplass who sums up the progression of the brother’s film journey with a reflection on coming up through the independent digital video movement.

“We made a lot of bad movies for a long time until we hit onto something that was watchable,” Mark Duplass said. “It instills a very healthy fear of making a piece of shit. That keeps us on our toes. It’s real easy to make a bad movie and really hard to make a good one.”

“The advantage is that the only limitation is yourself,” Mark Duplass said. “Money is an issue, but the reality is about honing your vision and living and growing as an artist.”

“Baghead,” which is written and directed by brothers Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass and features Ross Partridge, Steve Zissis, Greta Gerwig and Elise Muller, opened on Aug. 1, 2008 at AMC Loews Pipers Alley 4 in Chicago and CineArts 6 in Evanston, Ill.

By PATRICK McDONALD
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
pat@hollywoodchicago.com

Despite its Title, ‘The Strangers’ Actually a Familiar Repeat of Horror Film Conventions

HollywoodChicago.com — Fri, 30 May 2008 02:29:19 -0600

CHICAGO – Poor Liv Tyler. She’s stuck in a remote vacation home with nothing but the blank-stare acting of Scott Speedman to “save” her. What’s a rock daughter who becomes an actress to do? First, she shouldn’t sign onto yet another version of the couple-in-terror cliché.

“The Strangers” is a scary movie that has been there and done that with a few style points thrown in to distract from the ripoff.

Read Patrick McDonald’s full review of “The Strangers” in our reviews section.

View our full “The Strangers” image gallery.

Tyler is Kristen McKay: a single gal who’s on the precipice of the big engagement. Speedman is James Hoyt. He’s her potential fiancé: a boorish chap who thinks the big rock is a slam dunk.

After they both attend a wedding, Hoyt sets up his uncle’s remote cabin (cue ominous music) to celebrate what he figured would be his betrothal.

Surprisingly, though, Kristen has rejected his promise. For some reason, they’re still completing their depressing journey to the cabin. The heavy and forced atmosphere is interrupted by a mysterious female stranger who asks if someone else lives in the cabin. After they run her off, the house explodes with sounds of a break in. Scary figures are out to get them.

Bryan Bertino in “The Strangers”.
Photo credit: Rogue Pictures

Liv Tyler in “The Strangers”.
Photo credit: Rogue Pictures

Read Patrick McDonald’s full “The Strangers” review.