Coppola: Grapes and Hollywood gripes

By Carol Beggy & Mark Shanahan  |  May 18, 2007

Anyone familiar with Francis Ford Coppola knows the guy can hold forth with the best of them, as he demonstrated to film students at the Institute of Contemporary Art the other night. Ostensibly in town to screen a new documentary shot by his wife, Eleanor, the three-time Oscar winner was happy to chat with the adolescent auteurs -- so much so that when ICA director Jill Medvedow tried, politely, to call a halt to the proceedings, Coppola objected. "My schedule? I don't have a schedule," he said. "I don't even believe in reality." The legendary director doesn't believe much in the movie business, either, criticizing studio execs for producing pablum and passing it off as art. "Every time I go to the movies, I say, 'I've seen this before,' " he said. "They just keep making the same movie." (Ironic talk for someone who made three "Godfather" films.) For financial reasons, Coppola said the truly creative directors -- he mentioned Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, and David O. Russell, in particular -- can't do what they want. "[ 'Boys Don't Cry'] Director Kim Peirce . . . Where's her second film?" he grumbled. Thanks to the success of Coppola's California winery, he no longer relies on studios, and instead makes "personal films" that he produces and pays for himself. (His latest, "Youth Without Youth," costars our man Matt Damon.) "I'm 68," Coppola said. "I'm making art films." The audience included composer Osvaldo Golijov, who scored Coppola's latest, as well as gallery owner Bernie Toale, and restaurateur Christopher Myers and his wife, Joanne Chang. Coppola and Golijov dined afterward at the Federalist.

Making a bid to be Tinseltown east

The state's once-fractured film community joined with Governor Deval Patrick and State House leaders yesterday to bring more movie production to Massachusetts. "[The state] has an awful lot going for it. Wonderful locations . . . and a long tradition of great movies," said Patrick. "We can't stand still in the face of stiff challenges from other states." The Legislature will now take up a proposal to lift a cap on tax incentives for filmmakers. Directors Sam Weisman and Dave McLaughlin made the scene, as did Teamsters Local 25 president Sean O'Brien.

Better late than never on ‘Chatham’

The cast of "Chatham" is long gone, but the crew that worked on the indie film is only receiving its final wages now. Word from the Cape, where the period piece was shot this spring, is that West Wind Productions ran out of money before finishing the film last month, and is now drawing on a security bond to cover its payroll obligations. (The romantic comedy about three 70-something sea captains competing for the affection of a younger woman stars Rip Torn, Bruce Dern, and David Carradine.) The good news is that the film's trailer has just been posted at cinemavault.com , and it looks promising.

Oh, those saucy Harvard students. Reacting to a recent New York magazine piece in which unnamed New Yorkers kept a diary of their sexual dalliances, Harvard undergrad Lena Chen wrote a letter of complaint: None were college students. So Chen and her chums started weeklong sex diaries of their own. Their findings? "After seven days of awkward dates, booty texts, and drunken hookups, we came to a conclusion: Harvard students are getting more play than New Yorkers." Her parents must be so proud. . . . For Providence filmmaker Michael Corrente, even a mob movie called "Brooklyn Rules" brings him back to Rhode Island. "Even the character who seems to act the worst has a reason for doing what he's doing," he says. Corrente could easily be describing his next film project, "The Prince of Providence," about imprisoned former mayor Vincent "Buddy" Cianci. "It's the kind of story you couldn't think up," Corrente says, "but here we all witnessed it." . . . Just returning to town from Aerosmith's world travels, drummer Joey Kramer was spotted at the Velvet Revolver show at Avalon Wednesday. Also in the sold-out house was "Brotherhood" star Kevin Chapman and JetSet Events' Ted Stamas. Helmed by former Stone Temple Pilots singer Scott Weiland, Velvet Revolver performed tracks from the forthcoming "Libertad," out July 3. . . . Last night's Big Brothers Big Sisters Awards honored Healthy Living Academy's John Gordon and Raytheon's Delecia Sampson as the adult mentors of the year at the Sheraton Boston. Hockey Hall of Famer Ray Bourque was the guest speaker.

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