The Oscars are only a few days away and who can help but falling over from anticipation? The glitz! The glamor! The hallowed red carpet. Well we’ve got some news for you with today’s Oscar links. Have you not been keeping track of all the Oscar hosts throughout the years ever since the beginning? Don’t worry we took care of that for you, we have provided you with a comprehensive guide. Also for all you fashion mavens out there, check out what the stars spend their salaries on. Don’t be jealous! And of course a few other links, to round out and compliment any raging Oscar obsession. Enjoy!

Check out some favorite Oscar fashions on Pinterest.

Do you think the Oscars need a makeover? OnPoint.

That comprehensive list of Oscar hosts: The Paley Center.

The Descendants and Midnight in Paris take home the Writers Guild Awards. First Showing.

Check out a 360 degree view of red carpet preparations. 360.

Also, the Costume Designers Guild Awards. Deadline.

Do you like today’s links? Share some of your own!!!

Hey Buffs! It’s Oscar mania! So maybe your not attending any posh private parties but you can still take part in the festivities. Beat out Roger Ebert’s Oscar guesses or take Vulture’s Oscar-themed personality quiz and win prizes! Content to ogle celebs from the comfort of your computer? Catch up on how your fave celebs $pend their Oscar weekend or browse a photo gallery of your favorite nominees before they were big. If you haven’t caught the Oscar bug yet then check out our links and get hyped!

The Oscar’s may be Copper and Gold…but the board is White!  Nerve

Baby faces… Oscar slideshow  Yahoo

Hotels and Drinks: Oscar Nominees TheHollywoodReporter

Cannes has something to say since The Artist is French  HitFix

Personality Quiz with Prizes!!! Facebook

Indie Animation. Read More Deadline

Share you links with us!

Hey Buffs! It’s been a busy week and this weekend is only getting busier! So much happened, lets recap the last week: Adele won 6 Grammy’s, there is Glee in the air all to remember Whitney…just saying we care about both worlds of music and the movies. Also, highlighting scandals within politics, more Oscar racing and juicy topics that will touch all areas of interest or lack of. Check out these headlines:

Airing out the Dirt….Skeletons walking out the closet (1940′s style) Book Exclusive: InterviewMagazine

German scandals present a resignation…see what film executive had his hand in this production! TheHollywoodReporter

Golden Collar Awards…WINNER and Interviews the Dogs NYMag

Movie Rankings from Hunger Games to Snow White HitFix

Review: Titanic 3-D looking good. Can you see the tip of the Iceberg? IndieWire

Hell Yeah! Film Festival Picks…Get Involved Filmlinc

Comments for the links we liked? Share your links with us!

Despite what we learned in middle school, peer pressure can be a good thing for both parties. Last month, Lionsgate Entertainment acquired Summit Entertainment for a good $712.5 million. The agreement comes with the rights to a certain eternally-youthful vampire series and some how-tos for international distribution. Good call, LionsGate.

Summit Ent. has had a decent range of more independent theatrical releases from Memento to Mr. and Mrs. Smith to the Oscar-winning The Hurt Locker. But the production company is most synonymous with the film adaptations of Stephenie Meyer’s Twilight Saga. Yes, screeching tweens everywhere have Summit to thank for bringing to life Bella, Edward and Jacob (and female fantasies alike) for the big screen, but aside from these films… the studio has hardly had another marquee headlining movie to brag about (unless you’re a fan of Sex Drive…).

Along these lines, Lionsgate’s biggest claims to fame are the blockbusters Fahrenheit 9/11 and testosterone-heavy The Expendables. And thank this studio for every nightmare you’ve woken from in terror after watching Saw I-XVI. Other than that… we’re hearing crickets.

The merger comes at a perfect time as Lionsgate is ready to launch its new YA-adaptation hopeful The Hunger Games in March and could use Summit’s advice in promoting such a popular series and forgoing the fates of less fortunate series (The Golden Compass and Percy Jackson come to mind). Also, Summit had great success in the late ’90s distributing American Pie overseas, and maybe that’s why people look at us funny when we’re biting into apple pies while abroad. But seriously, campaigning for THG is going to take serious skill that Lionsgate can’t afford to be lackadaisical about.

Studio mergers, of course, are nothing groundbreaking. Back in the ’20s and ’30s when film was just becoming a viable industry, there was a rat pack of studios known as The Big Five: MGM, 20th Century Fox, Paramount, Warner Brothers and RKO Radio Pictures. It’s because of these production companies that we worship celebrities today, as they formulated the star system that allowed audiences to associate actors and actresses with certain film genres and archetypes. However, the Hollywood studio system ended with the Golden Age as stars and filmmakers felt too constricted with the monopolies and binding contracts.

Independent studios and films arose from this circumstance, creating a new league of “mini-major” studios like the Weinstein Co., Lionsgate and Summit. Now that the latter two will be joining forces, what does that mean for the future of indie filmmaking? Mergers make things easier in terms of business and name-game association, as studios like Marvel and Disney can attest.

Lionsgate-Summit could potentially dominate the YA demographic with its franchises, and buying out the latter studio could even mean proliferation of Edward and Bella’s love in future films/TV shows/action figurines. And together, they are more appealing to indie films looking for a wider audience.

Win-win for us all! Bring out the bubbly for the sparkling vamps and girls on fire!

Do you guys agree this is a good move on both studios’ parts? Let us know!

It’s the day after Valentine’s Day. You either ignored the holiday in all its commercial annoyance or embraced the hearts and flowers and spent a buck or two on your love. Either way, this weekend it’s time to treat yourself to some more stories with a biting edge. And nothing will make a Buff happier than the choices we’re urging you to see.

Theatrical Limited Release

On the Ice
Cast: Josiah Patkotak, Frank Outuq Irelan, Teddy Kyle Smith, Adamina Kerr, Sierra Jade Sampson
Director: Andrew Okpeaha MacLean

Andrew Okpeaha MacLean offers up his first full-length narrative feature with On the Ice, a film that garnered long lines at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival because of MacLean’s award-winning short films and impressive inclusion into the Sundance Lab.  MacLean’s film zeroes in on the town of Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost town in the United States where there is a perpetual landscape of snow. In the heart of this town, there’s a close knit Inuit community with children wrapped up in rap, hunting and partying.

We follow the lives of teenagers Qalli and Aivaaq, who seemingly have their whole lives in front of them, until one tragic day they get caught in a dangerous fight with their friend James on a hunting trip. James is stabbed, and the boys quickly decide to pass James’s death off as an accident by hiding his body. Everything begins to unravel as the boys become ridden by their guilty consciences and as Qalli’s father heads up the investigation to discover the truth.

While MacLean’s film takes place in a community that often receives little attention via Hollywood, his film is a classic whodunit type of thriller. In many ways, that’s both the film’s biggest accomplishment and most glaring flaw. The story follows the same twists and turns of the classic genre and offers little innovation in its storytelling, which can be a problem when it’s portraying a much told story in such a unique setting. The film begins as a very intriguing slice of life commentary on the Inuit community, one that doesn’t set them apart as a society, but rather reveals how the lives of their youths are as similar as any mainland child.  That the story veers into a predictable thriller is slightly disappointing as the unique setting makes one wish for a more unique story. The reason that On the Ice makes our Watch This Weekend list is because while the film follows a basic formula, it does it very well. The film is indeed intriguing, suspenseful, and leaves us on the edge of our seats. While the film doesn’t necessarily do anything new with this genre, it reveals that this type of formula film can and should be told in different and diverse settings.  Hopefully, other genres will soon follow suit.

Video on Demand

The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour
Cast: Mike Smith, Robb Wells, J.P. Tremblay

The title of this Canadian show should be enough to intrigue any viewer in the mood for some very unique comedy. Famous for The Trailer Park Boys, stars Mike Smith, Robb Wells, J.P. Tremblay are right in the center of this six-part sketch comedy mini-series. As an added bonus Jay Baruchel and Amy Sedaris also pop up in small roles.

Mike Smith, Robb Wells, J.P. Tremblay all play versions of themselves as characters Mike, Robb, and JP. The first episode starts with Amy Sedaris, a production executive, receiving seemingly incomprehensible footage for her new show The Happy Funtime Hour, sent to her by Mike, Robb, and JP. We’re then sent to the small town of Port Cockerton where Mike and Robb wake up in a hotel, unable to find their friend JP or to remember what exactly has been going on for the last six weeks of shooting. They discover that an actor hired to play a crazy German scientist, Dr. Funtime, has fully inhabited the character after synthesizing a powerful and addictive hallucinogen from berries. As Mike and Robb search for their friend, they discover that the cast has been corrupted by the drug and now believes they’re the characters on the show, which includes pirates, playboys from a 1980′s television show and wannabe superheroes. Sound confusing? Well, it’s supposed to be, and that’s the reason The Drunk and on Drugs Happy Funtime Hour makes our Watch This Weekend list.

This latest Canadian offering is not merely a sketch show. In fact, much of the humor isn’t necessarily of the laugh out loud variety. It’s a meta show within a show as characters explore the trippy landscape in a refreshing, absurdist way. In classic sketch comedic style, Mike Smith, Robb Wells, J.P. Tremblay also play all other characters on the show. What makes the show repeatedly watchable is because we’re not really sure of what’s real and not real. The characters attempt to find out the truth but are constantly sidelined with their own hallucinations and the hallucinations of others. Real or unreal, The Drunk and On Drugs Funtime Happy Hour is a must watch comedic gem.

Cable on Demand

Drive
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Carey Mulligan, Albert Brooks, Bryan Cranston, (little boy)
Director: Nicolas Winding Refn

Drive follows Ryan Gosling’s character, a man simply known as The Driver. We don’t really need to know The Driver’s name because he’s an archetype we’re all familiar with—the strong, silent male protagonist that seemingly acts with shallow and questionable motivations but adopts a twisted code of honor that redeems him in both the eyes of the viewers and his lady love. The Driver has a simple, if not exciting life. By day, he’s a crash test stunt driver for movies and by night, he offers up his superb driving skills for criminals looking for a reliable getaway source of transportation. He’s drawn into the world of Irene, a single mother, played by a mature and wounded looking Carey Mulligan, and her son, Benicio. Soon, the Driver’s purpose of life has shifted—he once lived only in his own self-interest and now he acts solely for this new love of a mother and her son. The love story, of course, doesn’t last as the woman’s husband, Standard, returns from his stint in jail to take his rightful place as both father and husband. When the husband is revealed to have a large debt that needs to be repaid, The Driver decides to help the husband. The plan goes awry as the husband is shot, and The Driver is now in possession of the debt due to the husband’s enemies.

The film is not exactly of the new or innovative variety. It’s more of an homage to a variety of archetypes—ones like Clint Eastwood in Man with No Name, Steve McQueen’s hero in Bullitt, and the 1978 film The Driver. But the reason we’ve placed it on our Watch This Weekend bucket list is because Drive is perhaps one of the best and most underrated films of last year. Drive is Gosling’s most powerful performance since Half Nelson, an understated and moving inhabiting of a man whose actions speak louder than words. He injects a quiet and terrifying presence as The Driver’s simple wish to take care of the mother and son takes him into a place of surprising violence and destruction. It’s also a departure for the normally comedic Albert Brooks, who shows great range with his menacing villain, and for Bryan Cranston, a man known for Breaking Bad, who relays the role as the Driver’s boss with a mix of vulnerability and greed.

With a spectacularly ear-catching soundtrack and smooth directional style, Drive is the thinking man’s action film. That’s not to say that the movie has a complicated plot. It doesn’t. Everyone’s motivations in the film are fairly simple and straightforward.  But this film isn’t about slick car chases and CGI effects like all action films are today. While the movie shines with a prototypical L.A. produced heist, the results go deeper and darker than your average American blockbuster and a lot of that is due to the Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn, who won the Best Director Award at Cannes last year. There is an attention to detail in the cinematography, a crisp and slim script by Hossein Amini, and action scenes that look astonishingly real. It’s thankfully raised the bar for action films, and one that hopefully many other directors will try to reach.

Happy day after Valentine’s Day ‘Buffs! While you’re recuperating from that chocolate-induced stomach ache, plenty of news has been breaking throughout Hollywood. Michael Bay announced his plans for a new Transformers movie that is scheduled for release during the Summer of 2014. Don’t get too excited because the success of the fourth film could lead to a whole new trilogy, sans Shia LaBeaouf. The difference a year makes, to think it was just one year ago Bay was finishing up his work on the third film and now plans are already in the works for a fourth. Talk about what can happen in a year, Melissa Leo has a new film, which premieres at the Berlin Film Festival this week.  She’s been making the press rounds and talking about what’s been going on since she won an Oscar last year.  Also, a viral video of a talking dog is about to be turned into a full length movie.  Bet you didn’t think that would happen last year. Check out some more of today’s links we like:

What happens when you mash-up a Jay-Z and Kanye West song with clips from Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris? Indiewire

Paramount turns YouTube hit into a feature film. Fandango

Michael Bay is confirmed for another Transformers movie with a new cast and a new story. Fandango

Melissa Leo catching up on life post Oscar and her new film at the Berlin Film Festival. Indiewire

Plans to remake a Hitchcock classic. Good luck in this unchartered territory. Chud.com

Hannibal Lector goes from movie icon to T.V. icon? The Wrap

Nervous about a Hitchcock remake? Ready to see Melissa Leo play a crazy cat lady? Share some of your favorite links with us!

Who says that we can only have awards fun in the States? Believe it or not, awards season is a global phenomenon and millions of eyes tune into the Oscars every year.  But there is another large scale show that happens to take place just across the Atlantic (we’re talking U.K. people).

The BAFTAs (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) showcase the latest achievements not just in Britain, but also Hollywood performances.  Like the Academy, the BAFTAs not only honor films from all over the world but also feature categories specifically for British films.  Unfortunately for your Oscar pool at work, typically the BAFTA’s do not predict the Oscar winners. Get excited ‘Buffs because this is the one ceremony that could shake things up before the big night in two weeks.  Let’s take a look at some of this years nominations in the most important categories:

Best Film:
The Artist
The Descendants
Drive
The Help
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

So over in Britain, they stick to the old school way of nominating 5 films. Only 3 overlap with the Oscar nominations (The Artist, The Descendants and The Help).  This one should be another victory for The Artist, since it has basically cleaned up Best Picture in every major award show thus far. Incase you need a refresher, The Artist has won the Golden Globe, Producer’s Guild of America Award and the Critics Choice Award. The BAFTA should be an easy win for this Black-and-White silent film.  Last year The King’s Speech won this award and went on to win Best Picture at the Oscars in the pool of 10 films. Expect history to repeat itself this year.

Best Director:
Michel Hazanavicius, The Artist
Nicolas Winding Refn, Drive
Martin Scorsese, Hugo
Tomas Alfredson, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Lynne Ramsay, We Need To Talk About Kevin

This is one of the categories that is not a great indicator of the Oscar winner. Thus far in the season, the Best Director has been all over the place.  Scorsese won the Golden Globe and the National Board of Review, Hazanavicius won the Director Guild of America and Winding Refn won at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. To keep it harder from predicting who will take the Oscar home, Scorsese and Hazanavicius are the only nominees here that were recognized by the Academy. In addition, last years BAFTA winner was David Fincher (The Social Network) but Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) won the Oscar. This is a tough call but we’re feeling a BAFTA allegiance to Europe, allowing French director, Hazanavicius, another victory before the Oscars. We’ll admit when we’re wrong but don’t be surprised if Scorsese pulls an upset (who last won the BAFTA Best Director for Goodfellas in 1991).

Leading Actor:
Brad Pitt, Moneyball
Gary Oldman, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
George Clooney, The Descendants
Jean Dujardin, The Artist
Michael Fassbender, Shame

Before you got all huffy and puffy about why we chose Gary Oldman, hear us out. This should come down to the battle that has been going on for months: Clooney vs. Dujardin. Each has won his fair share of awards so far: both won Golden Globes, Dujardin claimed the Screen Actor’s Guild and Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival while Clooney has Critic’s Choice and National Board of Review awards to his name.  After the BAFTAs and before the Oscars, the two time Sexiest Man Alive will face off against the Frenchman again in the Independent Spirit Awards. This is the battle royale to watch! However, based on history the BAFTAs have awarded a Brit and it does not guarantee an Oscar victory. Case in point: Colin Firth won both awards last year for The King’s Speech but he also won the award two years ago for A Single Man and Jeff Bridges won the Oscar for Crazy Heart. With history on the potential victor’s side we say Gary Oldman will win this one and laugh in Clooney and Dujardin’s faces as this becomes a three-way race to the Oscar. Or maybe the BAFTAs will sympathetically vote for the snub of the year: Fassbender. We have a feeling an Oldman win is more realistic.

Leading Actress:
Bérénice Bejo, The Artist
Meryl Streep, The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams, My Week with Marilyn
Tilda Swinton, We Need to Talk About Kevin
Viola Davis, The Help

This year the category is a bit harder to predict, as oppose to last year’s Natalie Portman sweep.  First let’s address the shocker: Bérénice Bejo is nominated as a leading actress while everywhere else she’s been put in the Supporting Actress category. We doubt this will help her chances as she faces tougher competition here than she does in the supporting category. Excluding Bejo, these actresses have been splitting the awards left and right this year. Streep and Williams won the Golden Globes, Swinton won the National Board of Review award, leaving Viola Davis as the frontrunner with victories in the Critic’s Choice and SAG awards. Since Streep is nominated as British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, we feel the BAFTAs will honor her performance of the controversial figure. However, Swinton won a BAFTA in 2008 for Supporting Actress in Michael Clayton and surprisingly won the Oscar for that performance. We’re calling Meryl Streep for the win but Swinton could pull a sympathetic upset.

Supporting Actor:
Christopher Plummer, Beginners
Jim Broadbent, The Iron Lady
Jonah Hill, Moneyball
Kenneth Branagh, My Week with Marilyn
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Ides of March

There isn’t much to share here.  This is one of the weakest categories of the year and Christopher Plummer has done a clean sweep at every award ceremony this year. No surprises and no upsets here, Plummer will win. If he loses, heads will roll!

Supporting Actress:
Carey Mulligan, Drive
Jessica Chastain, The Help
Judi Dench, My Week with Marilyn
Melissa McCarthy, Bridesmaids
Octavia Spencer, The Help

Another category that should be easy to predict. Along with her award winning supporting actor companion, Christopher Plummer, Spencer is the one to beat this year. Her performance as Mississippi maid Minny, Spencer has been the frontrunner since the film was released last summer. Although Judi Dench can win an Oscar for a whole 5 minutes of screen time (see Shakespeare In Love win in ’98), we feel that Spencer’s character has connected with audiences, critics and voters across the world. With her win here, she should start making room for that Oscar on her mantle.

Original Screenplay:
The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
Bridesmaids, Annie Mumolo, Kristen Wiig
The Guard, John Michael McDonagh
The Iron Lady, Abi Morgan
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen

Although the Writer’s Guild of America awards haven’t happened yet (that’s next week February 19), we’re going to take a lucky guess and say that Woody Allen will win his 7th BAFTA for Original Screenplay. Based on that outrageous number of awards, Allen is clearly a BAFTA favorite. Also, every other nominee in this category is a first time nominee.  It would be lovely to see a newcomer like Kristin Wiig take home an award this season but we think seniority will take precedence tonight.

Adapted Screenplay:
The Descendants, Alexander Payne, Nat Faxon, Jim Rash
The Help, Tate Taylor
The Ides of March, George Clooney, Grant Heslov, Beau Willimon
Moneyball, Steven Zaillian, Aaron Sorkin
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Bridget O’Connor, Peter Straughan

Again, another tough category to call since we don’t have any Writer’s Guild winners yet. Sadly, Bridget O’Connor passed away a few days before filming started on Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. This screenplay is the third and final work of Ms. O’Connor to get produced. We predict the British Academy will posthumously honor her short-lived career with an award tonight. Especially since Aaron Sorkin won last year for The Social Network and the other nominees are American films, this award should honor the memory of Bridget O’Connor.

So do you agree with our predictions? Who do you think is going to win tonight? Sound off below and check back tomorrow for our BAFTA round up!

So you’ve already got your bets placed for the dark horses and frontrunners of the Oscar race. When the nominations were announced early January 24, most came as no surprise. The Artist and Hugo lead the noms, the ladies of The Help are shining brighter than ever before, and it looks like it could finally be Clooney’s year for Best Actor. But the only thing more exciting than nomination announcements are the snubs. And boy, were there a few that riled up the fans and critics.

Young and old shed a few years the world over when The Boy Who Lived waved his wand for the last time in Deathly Hallows: Part II. Audiences were essentially unanimous in thinking the final installment was a series’ best, with acting, action, and visual effects. And yet…Alan Rickman got not even a nod for his last act as the cunning Severus Snape. The film wasn’t even considered for Best Picture, despite the fact that it definitely grossed more than all the nine nominated movies combined worldwide! In fact, like a few of the other installments, Harry Potter was only appreciated in the visual department, for Art Direction, Visual Effects, and Makeup. We can’t help but be a tad offended by this.

But looking at Deathly Hallows: Pt. 2 from a genre standpoint, it’s hard to narrow the film down to one category. Fantasy? Action? Children’s movie? A combination of the three and more, which throws Oscar voters in for a loop. Though the J.K. Rowling books are geared towards a demographic under the age of 25, the films have reached populations of all age spans. Both the universality and ambiguity of who in the audience can relate and appreciate the film shows how voters were not swayed by an adaptation of YA fiction novels, no matter how great of reads they are or how well they translate on-screen.

Actor Ryan Gosling sure kept busy in 2011 with three starring roles in Crazy, Stupid, Love; Drive; and The Ides of March, not to mention his much-hyped role in last year’s Blue Valentine. No doubt he’s one of the hardest working thespians out there (good thing he still has time for the gym…), but come ON, voters! Give the man his due for something other than Half Nelson. It’s not enough that he was robbed of People’s Sexiest Man Alive by a tool; now he had to show off his muscles that much harder. Gosling is one of few actors who can say a mouthful within a script by saying nothing at all; shame the Academy Awards didn’t use those few extra votes wisely. But the Oscars rarely go for films so edgy and indie like Drive, which had many good aspects and even Albert Brooks’ terrifyingly-amazing performance to back it up.

And let’s not forget the man who dropped trou and made US, the audience, feel bad about looking. Steve McQueen’s Shame was one of the most provocative films of last year, and we’re not talking just about Michael Fassbender’s impressive member. The film made the viewer feel sorry for his nymphomanic character, and it seemed more violating than pleasurable watching Fassbender get it on with, well, everything on-screen. Hardly has an actor this year been so raw in a role, and we feel Fassbender, as a rising star of 2011 and 2012, deserves much more praise in the form of gold statuettes. Or at the very least, why not fill the awkward 10th spot of Best Picture nom with Shame, which portrayed a usually-euphemistic-looking New York City as a grim, gray place. McQueen and Fassbender were horrible robbed of such fine craft that we the audience so rarely get for our money’s worth at the theaters. It’s a damned shame that the NC-17 rating made the film so taboo for moviegoers and critics, who have truly missed out.

Are we just huffing and puffing here, or do you ‘Buffs agree with these snubs?

Thirsty Thursday is in effect and buzzing with celebrity news, deals and GROUPIE LOVE. Yes Buffs, we have the highlights for Daniel Radcliffe sexy-times, Josh Hutcherson’s hungry fans and Some Guy that is claiming the interactive web! Lots of gossip for you folks today, stay informed and check out these links.

The Websites on defense for Patent Troll Claims…MUST READWired

Confessions of the Drunken Potter…Nerve

Fan-Crazed Hunger Games…Actors reaction CeleBuzz

Skywalker Ranch tour, Get your light sabers ready!HitFix

Meryl Streep advocates for women critics. GO GIRL! IndieWire

How good are his notes…Joseph Gordon film debut? Flickeringmyth

Meryl Poppins? Find out more…Cinemablend

Love the links? Comment and share your likes!

Theatrical Limited release

The Turin Horse
Directed by: Béla Tarr
Starring: János Derzsi, Erika Bók and Mihály Kormos

Cable on Demand

Anonymous
Directed by: Roland Emmerich
Starring: Rhys Ifans, Vanessa Redgrave, Jamie Campbell Bower, Joely Richardson and David Thewlis

In 2007, Shauna and I were working on a script about a New York City doorman. We wanted to attach a name actor and seek financing, a process which can take years. During that time, I met the filmmaker Andrew Bujalski, who inspired me to make a much lower budget film using my friends. All I had to do was to pick someone in my life who I thought would be an interesting subject. The first person who came to mind was Andrew Von Urtz.

Andrew and I went to film school together, and we’ve been friends for nearly 20 years. A nonprofessional actor who has never appeared in a film before, Andrew is known among his friends for being an incredibly witty and charming yet frustratingly elusive personality. Although the story for “Loveless” is fiction, Shauna and I based much of it on Andrew’s life, and he plays a version of himself that is very close to the real thing.

In the film we learn that Andrew has written a film script, but we never quite find out what that script is about. In real life, Andrew wrote a screenplay called “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” about a young man in downtown New York and his encounters with a Russian prostitute. The opening scene describes the young man sorting through the possessions of his recently deceased father. I knew that Andrew never knew his own father, so when I read this scene I felt that it might offer some insight into Andrew’s otherwise elusive personality. The idea of lost fathers and their impact on people’s personalities and relationships helped form the basis for the story of “Loveless.”

The characters of Ava and Ricky have also lost their father, but, unlike Andrew, they deal with it in a very open way, a way which he sees as foreign and absurd. Andrew clings to his prized independence, while Ricky and Ava cling to familial bonds. These basic character contrasts dictated how the film was written, cast and directed, and inspired us to develop “Loveless” as an experiment in contrasting tones.

Andrew’s world, for which we sought to create a naturalistic tone, is populated by nonprofessional actors playing versions of themselves. Cindy Chastain, who plays Andrew’s ex Joanna, is Andrew’s real-life ex-girlfriend. Kendra, Andrew’s office-mate, and Sabin, his boss, are both played by his close friends. One exception is that Gary Wilmes, a professional actor, plays the character of Tad. Reality and fiction come together, though, when the real-life Tad makes a cameo, as a banker who, in one scene, is seated next to the fictional Tad.

For the absurdly comic world that Andrew encounters represented by Ava’s family, we cast professional actors. Ricky is played by Scott Cohen, with whom Shauna and I have been friends for years. Ricky’s younger brother, Paul Jr., is played by Scott Cohen’s son, Liam. And Ava is played by Genevieve Hudson-Price, the daughter of the novelist and screenwriter Richard Price; we found Genevieve on an audition tape through our friend Meredith Tucker, who is a casting director. Shauna produced the film out of our apartment, all the actors wore their own clothes and all the locations were donated by friends. Our daughter, Lily, plays herself in the film. It was truly a labor of love.