Search Results For wicker kittens

Selective Focus: Mike Scholtz

Mike Scholtz makes movies about odd little things that no one seems to know about, but after watching them, you think, “Why didn’t I know about that?” Also, these are not little things, they are big parts of some people’s lives. The world premiere of his latest film “Riplist” at the Fargo Film Fest was just announced today. Mike talks about what drives him to dig into these stories and presents some trailers from his work.

I’m a documentary filmmaker who enjoys making funny films about serious subjects. Or serious films about funny subjects. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure which. But I do like to sneak up on an audience with a few laughs before I hit them with the soul-crushing realization that we’re all going to die in a cold, uncaring universe.

That’s how I approached my latest film, Riplist. It’s about a group of friends from Fargo who compete in a celebrity deadpool. It’s a contest where players draft celebrities they think might die in the next year, like fantasy football but with elderly presidents and ailing musicians. I hope people are as morbidly fascinated with this hobby as I am, because it’s premiering at the Fargo Film Festival in March. I suspect it will play at some other festivals in the area shortly after that. If you like your comedy as black as your soul, I think you’ll like this film.

Duluth Puzzle Derby 2016

Let’s face it: competitive jigsaw puzzling is never going to be particularly exciting to watch. Unless you speed it up! Here’s some time-lapse GoPro footage from last Saturday’s third annual Duluth Puzzle Derby at Clyde Iron Works.

Music is “Held My Breath” by Portrait of a Drowned Man, which was composed for Wicker Kittens, a feature-length documentary about competitive jigsaw puzzling.

PDD Gift Guide 2015

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’Tis the season for the seventh annual PDD Gift Guide — a list of holiday gift ideas with a local connection. We present 15 ideas to get things started, and invite everyone to add their own suggestions and links in the comments below.

This Week: pickin’, politics, paintings and more

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Here’s a bit of what you’ll find on this week’s PDD Calendar:

Guitar wizard Jimi Cooper hits the Brewhouse, the Chamber Campaign Camp aims to help potential political candidates find their footing, writers meet at Amazing Grace, Duluth’s Life House holds its second Night to Shine event, a new Cheng-Khee Chee show opens at the Tweed with a reception and Grammy-winner Pat Donahue lands at Sacred Heart.

The owner of the Duluth Huskies baseball team discusses the team’s history, the Duluth Art Institute celebrates three solo exhibitions, the latest Wise Fool Shakespeare production opens, the Duluth Playhouse holds its casino night fundraiser and Portrait of a Drowned Man releases its vinyl soundtrack to Mike Scholtz’ Wicker Kittens.

Duluth Album Releases in 2015

Moors & McCumber
Pandemonium
(Jan. 1)
Available on Bandcamp

Feeding LeRoy - Love is a GambleFeeding LeRoy
Love is a Gamble EP
(Jan. 16)
Available on Bandcamp

Adam Sippola - Rising PointAdam Sippola
Rising Point
(Jan. 24)
Single “How Do You Know” available on adamsippola.com

For Another YearThe Christopher David Hanson Band
For Another Year

(Jan. 26)
Available on iTunes

Four Mile Portage - Can't Find HomeFour Mile Portage
Can’t Find Home

(Feb. 1)
Recorded by Eric Swanson at Sacred Heart Music Center
Available on Bandcamp

This week: trains, moors and jigsaw puzzles

  

Here’s a sampling of what you have to look forward to this week on the PDD Calendar.

Today is Memorial Day so go out and pay your respects to the dead before or after you fire up the grill. There’s a parade in West Duluth this afternoon without so many Veterans for Peace.

Zinema 2 will be showing a restored version of Orson Welles’ Othello on Tuesday for their Explorers Club series.

The Duluth Superior Film Festival opens on Wednesday and runs through Sunday with films in a variety of venues and, this year, the showings are all free.

Blood on the Tracks won’t get so much blood on so many tracks this Thursday, as construction is limiting the run, but you can still rock the train all the way from the Depot to Lakeside.

Other Desert Cities opens at the Duluth Playhouse on Thursday and runs two weeks. Inside tip: I’ve heard nothing but superlatives about this production.

You’ve seen them in Wicker Kittens, now you can jigsaw puzzle your way to fame and fortune in the first ever Duluth Puzzle Derby at the Depot on Saturday.

So what are you doing this week? Can we tag along? Any upcoming events that you want to promote? Let us know.

Wired’s 15 Most Fascinating at SXSW – Duluthian Mike Scholtz

Mike Scholtz and Amy C. Elliott

Wired magazine posted “The 15 Most Fascinating Filmmakers and Stars at SXSW” and right up there with Tilda Swinton, Robert Rodriguez, and Jon Favreau is our very own Mike Scholtz and his partner on Wicker Kittens, Amy C. Elliott.

Wicker Kittens premiered at SXSW, and apparently got great response. Here’s the trailer.

Minnesota is puzzling

If you liked my previous film, Wild Bill’s Run, you might also like my next film, Wicker Kittens. On the other hand, you might hate it. Because they’re two different films. This one is about competitive jigsaw puzzling. I’m going to stop trying to second guess your personal tastes now and let you watch the trailer.