Cinematical

So your movie premieres at Sundance, builds a lot of buzz and receives decent theatrical distribution, despite that it didn't cost much to make. And as an added bonus, you get grouped into a new wave of filmmaking, too! Your career looks like it's set. Then you make another movie, which also makes its big debut at Sundance. You land a better distribution deal than last time, and tons of other festivals book your movie. You've got it made. And then, suddenly, your second work has no title. Then it has the wrong title.

That's been the trajectory for Mark and Jay Duplass, the young sibling filmmakers whose breakout debut, The Puffy Chair, ruled Sundance in 2005, where it was bought by Roadside Attractions. The adorable road trip comedy gained them admittance to the nascent mumblecore movement, and the brothers moved out to Los Angeles, where they landed several studio deals (none of which have come to fruition yet). At this year's Sundance, the Duplass brothers returned with Baghead, their hilarious spoof of wannabe filmmakers, where Sony Pictures Classics bought it. However, if you visit the SPC site and looked for the title this morning, it was just called "Undefined" -- which sounds more like a description of the figure in the photograph. Now, the title's there, but the Tribeca Film Festival, which screens the movie in a couple of weeks, compensates for this omission by listing the entry simply as "The Duplass Brothers Movie."


Granted, if you're Mark and Jay Duplass, this isn't a big deal. The movie hits theaters in July, and having your work identified by your name suggests a certain "auteur" stature that's anything but an insult. They're already shooting a third feature, and then there are all those studio projects in their queue. At the same time, what's with all the confusion? The content of a movie is bound to its title, and its omission suggests that somebody's wearing a bag with low visibility.

Note: We currently have a few different emails out, and we'll update you when we have a final answer on this issue.

[via Lincoln Blogs]