Guns & sex toys - they're basically the same thing, right?

Guns & sex toys - they're basically the same thing, right?

This new advocacy campaign from gun-safety group Evolve shows two young gents fencing with a pair of marital aids they've discovered, much to the dismay of their onlooking mothers. I appreciate the humor (and the seriousness) of the message "if they find it, they'll play with it," and the initial embarrassment and horror of both women is perfectly natural. The drawn-out shame sequence, on the other hand, makes me weary. 

Short Film: FOOD

Short Film: FOOD

Filmmaker Siqi Song takes a page from the books of Aardman Animation's Creature Comforts series with this short animated film. As the title implies, the piece is about food and the complicated relationships we form with the stuff that keeps us alive.

Now Backing: Do I Sound Gay? (George Takei interview outtake)

Now Backing: Do I Sound Gay? (George Takei interview outtake)

Documentary film in progress "Do I Sound Gay?" invites us to examine the funny and serious sides of "the gay voice." And by "voice," director David Thorpe literally means voice. Read more to learn about the film's aims and search for support through Kickstarter.

SXSW 2014: Do it Like a Local

Sadly, South By Southwest is a thing of the past for yours truly – at least until I'm not working for a film festival that happens around the same time of year. I do enjoy watching the internet turn its attention to Austin, though. One of the highlights is the "Do It Like A Local" video, which has become an annual tradition for the folks at Flow Nonfiction. I love the production design in these -- the subtle sound effects, the slightly over-saturated picture, the omnipresent bottles of Topo Chico. Tune in for restaurant recommendations and SXSW survival tips. 

A preview for the jealous and bitter filmmaker in you

A preview for the jealous and bitter filmmaker in you

Hat tip to ATLFF Artistic Director Charles Judson for pointing out this one. It's parody trailer time again. The latest example, "Not Another Sundance Movie," lampoons some well-worn tropes that visit the indie film scene every year.

Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns (at Sundance)

Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns (at Sundance)

It's that time again – a selection of short films from this year's Sundance Film Festival are available on YouTube. I quite like Tim and Susan Have Matching Handguns because it's a great example of what you can do with a film in just a couple of minutes -- and then play the most coveted festival in the land.

Video Stores Explained To Modern Kids

Video Stores Explained To Modern Kids

Check out this video from BuzzFeed which explains what video stores were. I spent a lot of time in video stores in my 20s, and while I don't exactly miss the inconvenience, it's depressing to think of the conversations I'm not having about movies because these physical spaces are gone. I guess movie fans find each other online now, but that hardly seems like the same thing.

Everything I Learned In Film School In Under 3 Minutes

Everything I Learned In Film School In Under 3 Minutes

 "Some people are gonna want to be Tarantino a little too much. And then you'll find other people who wanna be Altman a little too much. No one will ever wanna be Michael Bay."

Comedian Mikey Gleason imparts the wisdom gained from film school in 3 minutes.

Michelle Obama's workshop on "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Colleen Curtis, writing for the White House blog:

First Lady Michelle Obama today welcomed 80 middle and high school students to an interactive workshop with the cast and crew of the film Beasts of the Southern Wild, in the State Dining Room. The students, who were from Washington, DC and New Orleans, LA, got to talk with director Benh Zeitlin, actor Dwight Henry and the movie's 9-year-old star, Oscar-nominated actress Quvenzhané Wallis, who stars as Hushpuppy.

You can see the entire workshop, moderated by Rachel Goslins, Executive Director of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, on YouTube.

Film Festicles 1: That's a Wrap!

New from Film Threat: an entertaining series of videos about the film festival process, written and directed by my friends Mark Potts & Don Swaynos. Above: episode 1, in which a filmmaker wraps his shoot and gets a little bit ahead of himself.

Potts' newest feature Cinema Six will debut in April at the Dallas International Film Festival.