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Under discussion:

Roger & Me  (1989)

Sicko  (2007)

Manufacturing Dissent  (2007)

Late last Friday, I got an email from indieWIRE's Eugene Hernandez, pointing me to this, an "open letter" from film producer/professor John Pierson to his former friend and colleague, Sicko director MIchael Moore. I was traveling at the time and didn't get a chance to read the letter until today. An exemplary excerpt:

You're on the side of the fucking angels with SiCKO and no lapses, omissions or oversimplifications can detract from its contribution to the greater good. But please baby please, let the movie, which you have so beautifully made, do the talking.

My instant reaction was that Pierson's letter, which is in some ways meant as propaganda in favor of Manufacturing Dissent (the pseudo-expose of Moore in which Pierson appears, and which recently provoked an expletive-laced reaction from its subject), managed to put forth the arguments made in that film with a clarity and aggression sorely missing from the film itself.

Still, as Agnes Varnum points out, why would Pierson suddenly feel the need to order Moore to "get out of the way"? And considering Sicko is already the least Moore-centric Michael Moore film in a good long while, what would that even mean? "I asked Eugene why this letter now? What bug is in Pierson’s britches? He let me know that there was an article in the LA Times that might have caused some bristling." Varnum then goes on to read that LA Times article and conclude that Moore "is as phony and as hypocritical as they come." Point: Pierson.

If you haven't yet, you really should read Pierson's missive in full. Make sure to scroll down to the comments, where Pierson and a Moore supporter beat the "did Moore really interview Roger Smith?" dead horse for a couple of rounds, before other commenters (most apparently in opposition to Pierson) begin to debate the importance of fact vs. fiction within the context of documentary filmmaking. Though he's certainly not explicit about it, I think you could argue that the letter is Pierson's acknowledgment that, as Dissent seems to be in no danger of receiving a release to rival that of Sicko, the internet might be the only place for that debate.

More on Spout:

Sicko
Manufacturing Dissent
Roger & Me

Under discussion:

Donnie Darko  (2001)

Remember last week, when I wondered what would happen with Donnie Darko director Richard Kelly's Southland Tales with the director officially moving on to his next project? Shortly after writing that post, I got on an airplane, and Kelly updated his MySpace blog:

As for Southland Tales... we are about halfway through completing all of the new visual effects. We have to deliver everything by the end of summer. I have to tell everyone that the amount of visual effects work being added to the film is SIGNIFICANT... and I am so grateful for the work being done by Thomas Tannenberger and his team at Gradient VFX in Venice Beach.

And I can confirm that a company has been hired by Sony to begin work on a trailer. The release date will be announced very soon.

This post would seem to be carefully designed to telegraph two messages:

1) Those are his caps on SIGNIFICANT. At ComicCon last summer, Kelly distanced himself from the Cannes cut of Southland, insisting that the version shown to critics the previous May lacked the special effects needed to flesh out the story. (Post-Cannes 2006, there were rumors that the stars of Southland were looking for distance, too--rumors which were given credence by the fact that not a single boldfaced name joined Kelly on stage in San Diego.) He's clearly saying, "This movie looks totally different from the movie that got those crappy reviews."

2) Based on the phrasing of the final sentence, it;s sounds like Sony isn't planning on setting a release date until they have a trailer/a better idea of how/when/to whom they can market the film. Considering the time and money they've already invested, that would make sense.

The verdict? This news is better than no news, but Kelly fans can hardly breathe easy.

More on Spout:
Southland Tales: What's The Deal?

Southland Tales
Donnie Darko

Under discussion:

The Simpsons Movie  (2007)

Fox is doing a few cool, nontraditional things to promote The Simpsons Movie -- and if you agree with Chris Thilk that the pic's traditional marketing materials have been so far unremarkable ("We get it, guys. Homer likes donuts."), that's probably smart.

First, you can go to the movie's official website and create your own Simpsons-style avatar. I've posted my first try on the right; I tried my best to make it look realistic, but I still ended up looking something like Otto's slutty sister.

Then, you can head to your local 7-11 and order a blueberry Squishee. This past weekend, the convenience store chain actually transformed twelve of its stores into Kwik-e-Marts; over the coming weeks, most of its locations will start selling previously fictional products, such as Squishees, Buzz Cola, and Krusty-brand cereal. No word yet on whether or not the Duffman will be making in-store appearances. If your local 7-11 was not one of the lucky locations, check out this Flickr set documenting the Burbank store, posted by Flickr user Unsure Shot.

More on Spout:

The Simpsons Movie