Dear Travis:

Inspired by the "M*A*S*H*" episode entitled - "Dear Dad"

Someone by the name of Travis, has written my first negative review for last weeks blog about the serious problem of industry celebrities being taken down by stupid choices they've made in the past. I believe the moral to last week's column was to make sure when casting or working on your project you keep it professional and have an assistant handy to keep you in check.

Travis I believe, was enticed by my headline "Did David O. Selznick grope Olivia de Havilland?" I'm not even sure he read the entire column because of his remarks about what "my" column should contain.  I believe the operative word there was "My" column.  Travis wants me to write more about focusing a camera and lighting a project.  I have 4,031 followers most of which are industry friends, family and coworkers and most of them already know how to light a film and keep a camera in focus. I have to find interesting and topical issues to keep their interest and create a buzz and hopefully increase my following and at the same time make my regular readers happy.  I guess I am saying it's not all about you, Travis.

In today's generation we open ourselves up to ridicule every time we speak in front of an audience or post something in writing.  Social media can turn on us at any minute.  Take you for instance, Travis, when I researched you to find out why the bad review I noticed you like to critique a lot but have never written a kind word or good review to anybody.  Which if anything made me feel better.  I know it's easier to write a bad review than a good one but seriously there had to be a time you researched an article about the industry and thought to write something positive.  Your background also shows some religious mentions.  You like Christian Films and that's good.  I have a friend who is a follower and has a film running during the holiday season on Hallmark.  Wonderful film, I'd tell you the title, Travis, but I fear you would only look for the ugly things or twist the true meaning and make up one of your own and preach as if we should follow you.  Information on all of us is uncomfortably found on the Internet.

Since last week's column, more high profile names have been humbled by misdeeds.  The point which I was making and most of my other readers understood was it's Golden Globe and Oscar time and films are being judged without being seen.  "Wonder Wheel" for example was directed by Woody Allen.  Woody has had his share of controversy before it was fashionable to bring up.  He was found NOT guilty in the State of New York of any wrong doing.  The press to this day still thinks he married his step-daughter (he didn't, he married the adopted daughter of Andre Previn and Mia Farrow).  The eyebrow raising thought, was Woody married someone almost forty years younger. This wasn't the first time that happened in Hollywood.  Woody and Mia were never married and even kept separate dwellings, yet somehow "Wonder Wheel" has lost interest and distribution momentum because it was backed by Amazon and the studio heads there have their own problems with harassment.  Add that on to Woody's tale and the cast and crew of a wonderful period piece which should earn Kate Winslet and Woody Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, goes in the crapper. This has happened to several films and that's topical and that's industry related.

For those of my readers that have a vote, make sure you watch as many as you can screen and vote for the film's content and not the director or producer's backstory.  Travis, I hope you continue to follow and I will include technical articles as they are needed and I believe worth mentioning. Everyone wants to stay current with our ever changing industry.  I am not writing this column as a cheap answer to film school but to share feelings, emotions, and situations that we all encounter daily and perhaps someone has a solution that I can share.

Here's today's question for everyone...What films should receive Oscar nods this year?  The Independent Spirit Awards have already announced their nominees and I was disappointed not to see DOG YEARS starring Burt Reynolds, Chevy Chase and Ariel Winter on the list.  Solid direction and excellent performances all around especially by Burt.  If you can find it playing somewhere or can download it please take the time, you won't be disappointed.  An added plus, the producer of DOG YEARS is Neil Mandt who won Best Picture honors at the Central Florida Film Festival in 2007, with LAST STOP FOR PAUL.  Good to see one of the festival's alumni still making films in the mainstream.

That's all for this week.

See you at the movies!

Regards,
Bob