New Year's Resolutions for 2010

My god, can we please put this recession-wrought year out of its (and our) misery? Not that 2009 didn't have its pleasures, especially when it came to film, as it was a fruitful year for the cinema. My own New Year's resolution for 2010—again, when it comes to film—is about the same as it was last year. I'm going to strive to be progressive, pragmatic and curatorial as a critic, innovative as a distributor, and motivated enough to write and direct a second feature. I thought it might be fun to ask fellow members of the film community to share their own pledges for 2010, and was excited that less than 24 hours' notice yielded responses from over 40 filmmakers, critics, distributors, publicists, and other noteworthy voices. Be safe tonight, friends... Nah, screw that. Get into some trouble, try something radical, and let's shake things up in the new year.

"To have no shame: no 'guilty pleasures,' only pleasures; no wish for do-overs, only excitement re: the next opportunity."

David Edelstein
film critic, New York magazine

"To write (as much as my myriad obligations will allow). To ignore outside pressures and follow my own instincts (as foolish as that may be). To revisit favorite old movies. How many times did Orson Welles watch Stagecoach to prepare for Citizen Kane? Movie-watching is still the best film school."

Greg Mottola
filmmaker (Adventureland; Superbad)

"New year's resolution: Try to stay within budget. (Amazing how $60 balloons to $96.)"

Zachary Oberzan
filmmaker and star of Flooding with Love for The Kid, a one-man Rambo epic filmed in a studio apartment for under a hundred dollars

"Like Pauline Kael says, I hope to go deeper into movies—but especially into horror: besieged, underpromoted and loveably in transition (as ever). I also resolve to watch Russell Crowe's Robin Hood movie with a straight face."

Joshua Rothkopf
film critic, Time Out New York

AH: "For 2010, I'm looking forward to celebrating Milestone's 20th anniversary (!) with a special night on TCM, and working on the re-release of the amazing Word is Out, which will be screened at the Berlinale in February. Otherwise, we plan to stay small, work hard and keep the overhead LOW (pretty easy to do since we work out of our basement)."

DD: "The same as every year. To keep energetic and enthusiastic in distributing our films, and to hope that archives will continue to find and preserve more works that make our lives better."

Amy Heller & Dennis Doros
co-founders, Milestone Films

"When I began blogging about film and eventually settled into my niche as an aggregator, I consciously gave equal weight, whenever warranted, to views from nonprofessional critics. Resolved for 2010: Seek out more noteworthy opinions on movies from people who aren't critics at all, whose expertise lies elsewhere and who can bring something fresh to the conversation."

David Hudson
former editor of GreenCine Daily; now blogs at The Auteurs Daily

"I solemnly resolve to wage a one-man war on people that text during movies. I don't wave a flashlight around in your face when you go to your church, so don't do it to me, or 44oz of Diet Coke has your name on it."

Dylan Marchetti
president of Variance Films; former THINKFilm director of distribution and marketing

"In 2010, I resolve to WERQ."

Nathan Lee
freelance film critic, formerly of The New York Times and The Village Voice

"Projects shot on cell phones, projects shot in 4K or film, more organized shoots, more chaotic filmmaking—2010 will be all about embracing the extremes in filmmaking, and working in both fiction and non-fiction is no longer enough..."

PJ Raval
cinematographer (Trouble the Water) and filmmaker (Trinidad)

"To put at least one moment on film I've never seen before. Preferably several!"

Graham Reznick
filmmaker (I Can See You)

"In 2010, I resolve to continue to give thanks every single day, and to remember to connect to the larger picture instead of rattling round and round my more limited neurotic mental landscape."

Janet Pierson
producer and director of programming, South by Southwest (SXSW)

"I resolve to fast-track my long-delayed transition from writing about other people's films to making my own. And I'd sincerely like to thank our economy for the kick in the ass."

Mike D'Angelo
freelance film critic, formerly of Esquire and Time Out New York

"My New Year's Resolution is to try to make some video essays as innovative and surprising as the best work done this year by Kevin B. Lee, Steven Boone and the Red Letter Media guy, whose Phantom Menace review [on YouTube] is just mind-boggling."

Matt Zoller Seitz
critic, film editor and founder of The House Next Door

"I resolve to read more and faster, see less crap movies (and, implicitly, more good ones) and finish my film Revenge of the Mekons. God willing."

Joe Angio
filmmaker (How to Eat Your Watermelon in White Company); former editor of Time Out New York

"To quote Craig Yoe: 'Resolving not to make any resolutions—life's too short.'"

Nina Paley
filmmaker (Sita Sings the Blues)

AE: "Finish the script for The Living Day, get it financed and into pre-production. Get really healthy without drinking any less."

AA: "Same as Audrey. Plus, record and release a new album."

Audrey Ewell & Aaron Aites
filmmakers (Until the Light Takes Us)

"After reading the new Robert Altman biography I resolve to make sure the next project has cinematic BALLS, even if it scares off the gatekeepers."

Craig Johnson
filmmaker (True Adolescents)

"Less je ne sais quoi, more work. More production."

Barry Jenkins
filmmaker (Medicine for Melancholy)

"2009 was probably the best artistic year of my life, so as the new year approaches, I'm trying to be more thankful than openly hoping for new and better stuff. But, that said, if 2010 wants to try and do 2009 one better, I welcome the attempt..."

Nat Sanders
editor (Humpday; Medicine for Melancholy)

"Not only production, but distribution. Innovation in a dynamic way, on every single film. Not expecting audiences to come to us, rather going to them. Telling not only the stories we want, but the ones the world most needs. Breaking traditionally-accepted boundaries of what is a film is, not only in terms of content and production, but in terms of audience engagement and collaboration. "New budget" filmmaking: high-value, low-cost. "Distribution partnerships," not "sales." Paying filmmakers for their work. Creative collaboration. Only good movies."

Thomas Woodrow
producer (True Adolescents; 2010 Sundance selection Bass Ackwards)

"Make another movie."

Damien Chazelle
filmmaker (Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench)

"This isn't the first time I've made this resolution but: Spend less time watching new releases and more time brushing up on the classics. Don't know how I did it in 2009, but I saw 274 new features (38 more than '08) and still found time to watch all 61 Oscar foreign language winners. The latter project was by far the more enlightening."

Peter Debruge
associate editor (features), Variety

"My goal for 2010 is to help good films get released to audiences, and to help good filmmakers make as much money as possible."

Matt Dentler
head of programming and marketing, Cinetic Rights Management

"Cover more film festivals... and publish an epic piece about underground Japanese splatter comedy. And pay the rent doing it."

Steve Dollar
freelance film critic, formerly of the New York Sun

To see more made-for-TV movies with titles like Her Last Chance. Also, to watch more Japanese sexploitation films. And to find my inner avatar."

Ry Russo-Young
filmmaker (You Wont Miss Me)

"My goal for 2010 is to find out whether Dr. Carl Weiss killed Huey Long."

David Modigliani
filmmaker (Crawford)

"In 2010, I will direct my 2nd film and also develop six pack abs."

Mark Webber
actor (The Hottest State) and filmmaker (Explicit Ills)

"Funny, my New Year's resolution is also: In 2010, I will complete my 2nd feature film and develop six pack abs."

Laurel Nakadate
visual artist and filmmaker (Stay the Same Never Change)

"First, do a documentary web series. And then make an IMAX movie. The latter not by 2010, but definitely by 2015."

Jeremy Yaches
producer (In a Dream)

"My biggest resolution is to get back in touch with the young man who voraciously devoured cinema of every stripe back in college—working through that dog-eared copy of Danny Peary's Guide For the Film Fanatic—but has since been preoccupied by reviewing contemporary fare for a living. Basically, I feel like I'm drawing from a mental database that's about 15 to 20 years old, and need a refresher course—both to get new perspective and insight, and to remind myself why I care about movies in the first place."

Scott Tobias
film editor, The A.V. Club

"I'm finally going to get all my DVDs and CDs sleeved and shelved, to make my home less of a hovel."

Noel Murray
freelance film and culture critic, The A.V. Club and The Los Angeles Times

"I'm going to finish and release a new EP, and an album of film scores if it kills me. (And it just might!)"

Michael Montes
musician and film composer (The Windmill Movie)

"Hang out with Bill Ross more, work harder, and watch every movie that has 'Warren Beatty' written in the credits somewhere."

Jody Lee Lipes
cinematographer (Afterschool) and filmmaker (Brock Enright: Good Times Will Never Be the Same)

AS: "When a person proposes to make a documentary project about their life story, do the responsible thing and run in the other direction. Here's to 2010!"

DR: "My resolution is to recover from 2009."

Ashley Sabin & David Redmon
filmmakers (Invisible Girlfriend) and co-founders of Carnivalesque Films

"Back to Mono. (A lesson from P. Spector.)"

Zach Clark
filmmaker (Modern Love is Automatic)

"My aim (while also hopefully true) in 2010 is to finish a new script I'm currently drafting out, revise a script I finished in '09, and going back to revise page-by-page the one script I'd optioned. I'd also resolve to see more films in '10. Not that I slacked this past year, but I really want to watch several a week. Lastly, I'd like to become backup point guard for the Lakers, but I think the scriptwriting thing probably has better odds. Slightly."

Craig Phillips
editor, GreenCine

"To begin production on my next film, to make that a better film than my first, to write more and to do my damndest to keep my baby sister from growing up into a Right Wing Republican."

David Lowery
filmmaker (St. Nick)

"Since my 4-year-old daughter has recently declared—after watching Shaun the Sheep (from the creators of Wallace and Gromit)—that she no longer likes 'talkie movies,' I plan to make her discover the pleasures of my favorite silent comedy directors and actors, from Buster Keaton to Harold Lloyd and Charlie Chaplin, all the way to Jacques Tati, who might as well be considered silent. My other resolution, harder to keep, is to try and stay awake one Saturday night in the year to make it to the opening monologue of SNL, and maybe beyond..."

Sophie Gluck
film publicist, Gluck PR

"Kentucker Audley resolves to shoot for 12 feet down so even if he comes up short, he'll still be 6 ft. under... r.i.p. jokes."

Kentucker Audley
filmmaker (Team Picture)

"My goal for 2010 is to simplify my life as much as possible and find a healthier balance between consumption and creation."

Michael Tully
filmmaker (Silver Jew) and film blogger for Hammer to Nail

"To find one modern action movie that doesn't include at least one person screaming 'GO, GO, GO!' while running away from a fireball."

Matt Singer
on-air host of IFC News

"Sorry Aaron, just no time! Happy New Year!"

Rob Corddry
actor and comedian (The Daily Show), creator of Childrens' Hospital

Posted by ahillis at December 31, 2009 9:03 AM