Independent Film

"Jamesy Boy," an independent film directed and co-written by Maryland native Trevor White and starring Mary-Louise Parker, Ving Rhames and James Woods, will begin filming in Baltimore March 5, the Maryland Film Office announced today. The film, which will be shot over five weeks, tells the story of James (newcomer Spencer Lofranco), a street-tough gang member who ends up in a maximum security prison. There, he befriends a convicted murderer who becomes his mentor and helps turn his life around.

Baltimore's own Charles S. Dutton, star of screens big ("Gothika") and small (Fox sitcom "Roc"), Emmy winner for directing HBO's "The Corner," returns to movie theaters this weekend with "Least Among Saints. " The film, from writer-director-star Martin Papazian, centers on an emotionally scarred war veteran suddenly having to play father-figure to an orphaned boy. Dutton, who said he remembers many friends who returned from Vietnam with emotional issues they never seemed able to stare down, plays a police officer sympathetic to the vet's plight.

Jonathan Slade, a Western Maryland College graduate and independent filmmaker, had every intention of showing his first feature-length film, "Forest for the Trees," at the recent Sundance Film Festival, even though the work had been rejected by organizers.Although he brought a projector along, he never got up the nerve to show his film at the prestigious festival in Utah. But he will show it at 7: 30 p.m. today at a Western Maryland College Honors Program lecture in Alumni Hall."Forest for the Trees" was produced on a $26,000 budget, financed by two of Slade's credit cards.

"Better Living Through Chemistry," an independent movie about a pharmacist's life unraveling after he starts an affair with a trophy-wife customer, will film for five weeks in Maryland starting this month, Governor Martin O'Malley announced Thursday. The cast includes Olivia Wilde, Michelle Monaghan and Sam Rockwell — TV and independent-film stars with wide mainstream-movie credits including blockbusters like "Tron: Legacy" (Wilde), "Mission: Impossible 3" (Monaghan), and "Iron Man 2" (Rockwell)

WATCHING HIS MOTION- picture debut reminds 14-year-old Nathan Corbett of how much he's changed since the film was shot a year ago. His facial features are more pronounced. His shiny, braided mane is thicker. His voice is heavier. But his smile -- a personal calling card that wins you over before he even utters a line -- hasn't changed. Coupled with a charismatic camera presence, that impish charm may explain why the Rosedale teen seems to stand out, whether he's playing a class comedian in Half Nelson, a critically acclaimed independent film opening locally Friday, or an effervescent, car-stealing youth in HBO's The Wire, which begins its fourth season tonight.

Though AMC's new, 14-screen movie complex at The Mall in Columbia is state of the art, it is not complete for people who like their films small even when their theater is big. "There are a number of people who are particularly interested in having independent and art films come to Columbia," said Maggie Greif of Columbia, who hopes that independent film enthusiasts can persuade AMC to start showing more nonmainstream fare. Greif and several other Columbia residents have spoken to theater management about their concerns, sent e-mails to corporate headquarters and encouraged fellow film buffs to speak up. The lobbying efforts for AMC Theatres Columbia 14 have caught the attention of AMC's corporate offices in Kansas City, Mo. "We are aware there is some appetite for upscale films, art and independent titles," said Rick King, a company spokesman.

HOLLYWOOD -- Before Tony Shalhoub broke through as the obsessive-compulsive detective Monk, the Lebanese-American actor had compiled a long list of supporting characters with widely diverse names: Haddad (The Siege), Kwan (Galaxy Quest), Scarpacci (Wings), Reyes (Primary Colors) and Riedenschneider (The Man Who Wasn't There). This year, he has again been nominated for a Golden Globe, and he won his third Emmy for Monk, USA Network's highest-rated show, which on Jan. 19 will launch Season 5 1/2 . Lately, Shalhoub, 53, has been adding to his resume, not only as an actor but also as a producer and advocate, reaching back to his Arab-American roots.

"Better Living Through Chemistry," an independent movie about a pharmacist's life unraveling after he starts an affair with a trophy-wife customer, will film for five weeks in Maryland starting this month, Governor Martin O'Malley announced Thursday. The cast includes Olivia Wilde, Michelle Monaghan and Sam Rockwell — TV and independent-film stars with wide mainstream-movie credits including blockbusters like "Tron: Legacy" (Wilde), "Mission: Impossible 3" (Monaghan), and "Iron Man 2" (Rockwell)

It is surely not as hard a slap in the face to Baltimore's sense of media identity as the makers of John Waters' "Hairspray" filming the movie version in Toronto. But now comes official word from the producers of MTV's "Skins" that this American version of the Brit teen hit won't be filmed in Baltimore — nor will it even be set here. It will be filmed in Toronto instead — and set in a "general eastern seaboard" city, according to Bryan Elsley, the co-creator and executive producer of both the BBC series and its American spinoff, which debuts early next year.

A single, sharp point of view can sometimes broaden everybody's vision. So contends the programmer behind "Independent Eye," a Maryland Public Television series premiering tonight that showcases the work of local filmmakers and videographers."

"Jamesy Boy," an independent film directed and co-written by Maryland native Trevor White and starring Mary-Louise Parker, Ving Rhames and James Woods, will begin filming in Baltimore March 5, the Maryland Film Office announced today. The film, which will be shot over five weeks, tells the story of James (newcomer Spencer Lofranco), a street-tough gang member who ends up in a maximum security prison. There, he befriends a convicted murderer who becomes his mentor and helps turn his life around.

It is surely not as hard a slap in the face to Baltimore's sense of media identity as the makers of John Waters' "Hairspray" filming the movie version in Toronto. But now comes official word from the producers of MTV's "Skins" that this American version of the Brit teen hit won't be filmed in Baltimore — nor will it even be set here. It will be filmed in Toronto instead — and set in a "general eastern seaboard" city, according to Bryan Elsley, the co-creator and executive producer of both the BBC series and its American spinoff, which debuts early next year.

Ramin Bahrani's Goodbye Solo is the best in a stream of new independent movies, including Kelly Reichardt's Old Joy, that bring feature films the intimate focus and sneaky power of regionally flavored short stories - the sort you'd find in a first-class magazine such as Oxford American. It's intelligent and emotional, not studied or sappy. Bahrani wrings honest humor and meaning from a two-character tale. The movie is about farewells and flying solo. It's also about the mistake of treating a certain span of life as a bye week in a sports season.

I realize these are the dog days of August. But really, couldn't the major studios release at least one good film in the waning days of summer? Conventional wisdom is that studios put out their blockbusters in the summer, their Oscar bait in the fall and winter. Which leaves the end of August, around the time the kids head back to school, as some sort of movie purgatory. All the potential blockbusters have already been released, and everybody knows that it's a sin to release a potential Oscar contender before Labor Day. So what are we left with?

Parker Posey's prodigious work ethic finds her frequently pitching in extra help on lower-budgeted productions. She fetched coffee for Billy Kent, the director of one of her recent films, The OH in Ohio, and made the call to get Heather Graham on short notice for an unbilled part after another actress dropped out. Posey also suggested and snagged Justin Theroux for a part in her new film, Broken English. "I like getting involved," she said. "I'll take care of it. It comes from independent film; I got used to it - there's tape on the floor, pick it up. It's just an awareness you have, like peripheral vision when you're Rollerblading in traffic.

HOLLYWOOD -- Before Tony Shalhoub broke through as the obsessive-compulsive detective Monk, the Lebanese-American actor had compiled a long list of supporting characters with widely diverse names: Haddad (The Siege), Kwan (Galaxy Quest), Scarpacci (Wings), Reyes (Primary Colors) and Riedenschneider (The Man Who Wasn't There). This year, he has again been nominated for a Golden Globe, and he won his third Emmy for Monk, USA Network's highest-rated show, which on Jan. 19 will launch Season 5 1/2 . Lately, Shalhoub, 53, has been adding to his resume, not only as an actor but also as a producer and advocate, reaching back to his Arab-American roots.

Any time you initiate a channel change like the one Comcast did over the past weekend in Baltimore, there are bound to be unhappy customers. But, in this case, the group of those upset about the big reshuffling of our local cable world includes two Academy Award-winning filmmakers, a Sundance Award-winning documentarian and the John Waters. What has the Maryland filmmaking community up in arms is Comcast's decision to drop IFC, the Independent Film Channel, from its digital cable lineup.

Advertising in movie theaters: As a sore point among filmgoers, it's up there with high-priced concessions and formulaic fare. Yet Landmark Theatres, a leading art-house circuit, is braving the critics by signing a deal with a carmaker for a series of projects it bills as "sponsored entertainment." Landmark has contracted with the Ford Motor Co.'s Mercury division to sponsor a series of projects and events related to independent film over a two-year period. Starting in October, the theaters will present pre-show "making of" featurettes and interviews with directors, and the carmaker might even arrange to admit patrons for free.

WATCHING HIS MOTION- picture debut reminds 14-year-old Nathan Corbett of how much he's changed since the film was shot a year ago. His facial features are more pronounced. His shiny, braided mane is thicker. His voice is heavier. But his smile -- a personal calling card that wins you over before he even utters a line -- hasn't changed. Coupled with a charismatic camera presence, that impish charm may explain why the Rosedale teen seems to stand out, whether he's playing a class comedian in Half Nelson, a critically acclaimed independent film opening locally Friday, or an effervescent, car-stealing youth in HBO's The Wire, which begins its fourth season tonight.

SAN FRANCISCO -- After becoming Internet moguls, Google Inc. co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page are dipping their toes into Hollywood. The pair are executive producers of a low-budget, independent film to be released next year, Broken Arrows, written and directed by a friend of theirs, Reid Gershbein. Google's founders tapped into their vast personal fortunes, estimated at $16 billion each, to fund about half the film's budget. Production cost just under $1 million, according to Gershbein.