Official Rejection

Just caught this amazing and brutally honest doc at the Hell's Half Mile Film Fest in Bay City, Michigan. And having worked the fest circuit with two features now, I can say this film rings so true that's it's almost painful to watch in places (and I mean that in a good way).

This is the indie filmmaker's life, this is our humiliation, this is our reward, this is our freakin' angst! OFFICIAL REJECTION plays like the film companion to Chris Gore's Film Festival Guide. It covers the life (and sometimes death) of mainly one feature as it aims for Sundance, then reevaluates. As it aims for Slamdamn, then reevaluates. As it aims for SXSW, then...well you get the picture. And it's not all doom and gloom. (Well, OK, there is a film fest meltdown that has to be one of the most uncomfortable moments I've ever seen on film.) But...there is a (somewhat) happy ending here.

If you have any plans to make a film, watch this movie! Learn from it. These are the rules of film festivals. Realize that you will not be the exception.

I love OFFICIAL REJECTION. It is my life. If you are a filmmaker (or are close to any filmmakers), it is your life too!

I was one of the few who endured this movie at the Phoenix Film Festival- which, big surprise, is largely featured in this mediocre film.

The root of this film is what other reviewers seem to be ignoring- it's about trying to get the film TEN TILL NOON into festivals, and TEN TILL NOON is quite simply a bad film. Netflix it and see if you disagree.

So you have the filmmakers, the director and writer, trying to get it into festivals. Who cares? We sure didn't. Certainly not after the forced pep rally that the head of the Phoenix Film Festival tried to lead.

The whole event made us a. want to avoid film festivals, especially sad little local ones who court bad movie makers thinking we'll find value in them and b. never see a movie made by Paul Osborne again.

The quality of the film is poor. Some of the interviews are fairly interesting, but I guarantee you can find a brief interview with Kevin Smith et al on youtube in under 10 minutes- saving your time and money.

As someone who has visited a couple of film festivals, I have always been curious about how they find the films for the festivals. This film lets you in on some of the secrets and shows you just how competitive it is. It's interesting, but only really for hard-core indie film fans. You could probably add another star or two, if you're a filmmaker yourself and this is more your milieu.

What a missed opportunity. These guys had a perfect chance to really dig deep into the politics and B.S. that goes on behind the scenes at the biggest film festivals in the United States. Upon renting this I expected a little "investigative journalism" to back up many of their claims and complaints regarding the politics and the favoritism towards major studios, big stars and sponsors that goes on behind closed doors at Sundance and other major festivals. Instead, we get a group of filmmakers (specifically Scott Storm, touring the festival circuit with his unwatchable film "Ten 'Til Noon") whose sense of entitlement knows no boundaries. One of the questions brought up by one of the subjects was (and I'm paraphrasing here) "just because you can make a make a movie, doesn't mean you should make a movie". One would have hoped when they were making "Ten 'Til Noon" they would have considered this very thing. This group seems to go on and on wondering why they aren't getting the attention and accolades they obviously feel they deserve, just because they made a movie. It was nauseating to say the least. What was even worse than their sense of entitlement was how disgusting these guys acted in front of their own cameras in regards to not only their opinions of many of the festivals and the people that curate and run them, but also how they basically made fun of the gift bags, accommodations and their hospitality. The same can be said about their unfunny sarcastic commentary regarding celebrities, many of who were gracious enough to appear on camera, yet the use voice over to basically make fun of their subjects. It disgusted me. In the end, I'm glad I watched this because now I know to steer of any movie or project these filmmakers are ever involved in. They don't deserve my hard earned money. They need to learn a little about something call "humility". The only time you see a modicum of humility from these filmmakers is when Scott Storm "fakes" it when accepting an award for his film... only to make fun of the very award on camera moments later. Avoid this film.

I had a chance to see this movie at the Idaho Film Festival in Boise, Idaho this weekend. As an emerging filmmaker, I thought it would be great to know the inner workings of the festival circuit. Paul and Scott take the audience on the journey of submitting their film "Ten Til Noon" to various festivals around the country. You get to see what life is like after the cameras are put away, and the work truly begins. Independent filmmakers are unique, because they have to sell their work themselves. This film taught me more than I hoped! I would highly recommend it for anyone who makes films. However, it is also entertaining for those who are not in the business. One woman at our screening loved it -- and she does not make films.

Paul and Scott are amazing. I had a chance to meet them this weekend, and they have a passion for making films. Check out this documentary -- not a dull moment. It's out on DVD in November.