Post by metalfantasy on Apr 1, 2022 0:55:43 GMT
Hello everyone! Around a year ago I stumbled upon a movie by the name of 'How to Make the Cruelest Month' on IMDB. I found it when I was scrolling through actor James Duval's credits. The IMDB page for the movie has only one picture (the poster), the year, actors, and even a 6.8/10 rating. The only user submitted review of this film is asking where to find a viewable version (this is the same on Letterboxd as well, only with a few more people asking). After finding this I decided to do a bit of research and ended up getting some interesting information, but no actual copy. I am going to break my findings down into paragraphs and explain each as best as possible. I completely forgot about the film for a while and just recently got interested again so hopefully we can make some progress!
Film Information/IMDB Page
IMDB
Letterboxd
Synopsis according to Sundance website - Link
"Year after year, New Year’s resolutions are made and forgotten as quickly as the night is over. When Bell unearths that year’s resolutions on the first of December, she attempts to break the cycle. She has one month left to accomplish the two items on her list: quit smoking and fall in love. She already has a sort of ex-boyfriend, but he doesn’t count. So onward and upward.
As she begins her urgent quest, a whirlwind of activity ignites around her and those close to her in this small college town. Bell’s eclectic group of friends and bohemian family provide nonstop adventure in her life. Seemingly everything starts to happen, with the exception of the two things on her list. Her parents split up, her ex falls in love with her model younger sister while he’s failing out of school, her older sister has a baby, and as for Bell? More cigarettes and no love in sight. How to Make the Cruelest Month is an irresistible, quirky film with a collection of lively characters and hilarious situations. Bell is an absolutely charming protagonist who’s intelligent and spirited and boasts a wonderful sense of humor. A brilliant ensemble cast features winsome newcomers Clea DuVall and Gabriel Mann, as well as the established Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Mary Kay Place. Sharply written and directed, Koenig’s debut feature is a marvel of welcome humor and freshness, as well as establishing a notable presence of positive women’s roles. "
Finding 1 - James Duval (DM Pictures)
I decided to send James Duval a message on instagram asking if he knew anything about the film or where it could be viewed since he was supposedly in the film. A day later he responds saying that he remembers acting in it and it was played at Sundance back in the 90s (1998 to be exact) but he doesn't think he has actually seen it for himself. I thanked him for the information and he sent me one more message saying that he would update me if he found anything out (this conversation was almost a year ago). I find it very interesting that he has never even seen the film, though he acted in it. Anyways at least he remembers it.
Finding 2 - Sundance - Link
The next finding comes from the UCLA Library Film and Television Archive. This is one of the archives that houses a lot of the Sundance films so I figured it would be a good place to look. After searching, I found that they have 1 “Non-circulating Safety Storage research copy M220170” which cannot be loaned. At least we know that there is a copy still in the world, but I'm not sure how we would access this.
Finding 3 - Jorjafox.net - Link
Jorjafox.net is a fan website for the actress Jorja Fox who happens to be the main character in the film's sister. This website contains multiple photos from the film and serves as a way to verify and compare any actual copies that are actually found. I would recommend viewing this site to familiarize yourself with how the movie looks.
Finding 4 - Clea Duvall Fan Boards
Finding 4 is not much of a finding but more just general information about the film. While doing some digging on the wayback machine (I do not have exact links any more unfortunately, but they could be found by researching the films name or “Clea Duvall) I came across a couple of fanboards for Clea Duvall (The main character in the film). A few people seemed to be talking about the films and some even saying they had gotten copies off of ebay but this was way back in time (2008 I believe but I could be completely wrong do not quote me on that) so I doubt anyone would be reachable or any listings could be found.
Final Additions
I just want to add a few things before ending this post. The first thing is that I have looked through pretty much every google and wayback machine result and these findings are some of the more notable things. Though I did look through pretty much everything, I think that combing through them again could be a good idea so don't let it stop you. The 2nd thing is that a lot of this information was found about a year ago so I could be completely leaving something out but to my knowledge this is everything that stuck out like I said. Finally, please be respectful when trying to contact anyone associated with this film, i'm sure that goes without being said but I just want to reiterate.
Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading my findings. I am super passionate about finding this film and I have been wanting to see it since I found out about it so hopefully we can find it! I will update everyone if I find anything else out as well!
Please feel free to contact me with any inquiries, information, or if you have a copy!
Film Information/IMDB Page
IMDB
Letterboxd
Synopsis according to Sundance website - Link
"Year after year, New Year’s resolutions are made and forgotten as quickly as the night is over. When Bell unearths that year’s resolutions on the first of December, she attempts to break the cycle. She has one month left to accomplish the two items on her list: quit smoking and fall in love. She already has a sort of ex-boyfriend, but he doesn’t count. So onward and upward.
As she begins her urgent quest, a whirlwind of activity ignites around her and those close to her in this small college town. Bell’s eclectic group of friends and bohemian family provide nonstop adventure in her life. Seemingly everything starts to happen, with the exception of the two things on her list. Her parents split up, her ex falls in love with her model younger sister while he’s failing out of school, her older sister has a baby, and as for Bell? More cigarettes and no love in sight. How to Make the Cruelest Month is an irresistible, quirky film with a collection of lively characters and hilarious situations. Bell is an absolutely charming protagonist who’s intelligent and spirited and boasts a wonderful sense of humor. A brilliant ensemble cast features winsome newcomers Clea DuVall and Gabriel Mann, as well as the established Marianne Jean-Baptiste and Mary Kay Place. Sharply written and directed, Koenig’s debut feature is a marvel of welcome humor and freshness, as well as establishing a notable presence of positive women’s roles. "
Finding 1 - James Duval (DM Pictures)
I decided to send James Duval a message on instagram asking if he knew anything about the film or where it could be viewed since he was supposedly in the film. A day later he responds saying that he remembers acting in it and it was played at Sundance back in the 90s (1998 to be exact) but he doesn't think he has actually seen it for himself. I thanked him for the information and he sent me one more message saying that he would update me if he found anything out (this conversation was almost a year ago). I find it very interesting that he has never even seen the film, though he acted in it. Anyways at least he remembers it.
Finding 2 - Sundance - Link
The next finding comes from the UCLA Library Film and Television Archive. This is one of the archives that houses a lot of the Sundance films so I figured it would be a good place to look. After searching, I found that they have 1 “Non-circulating Safety Storage research copy M220170” which cannot be loaned. At least we know that there is a copy still in the world, but I'm not sure how we would access this.
Finding 3 - Jorjafox.net - Link
Jorjafox.net is a fan website for the actress Jorja Fox who happens to be the main character in the film's sister. This website contains multiple photos from the film and serves as a way to verify and compare any actual copies that are actually found. I would recommend viewing this site to familiarize yourself with how the movie looks.
Finding 4 - Clea Duvall Fan Boards
Finding 4 is not much of a finding but more just general information about the film. While doing some digging on the wayback machine (I do not have exact links any more unfortunately, but they could be found by researching the films name or “Clea Duvall) I came across a couple of fanboards for Clea Duvall (The main character in the film). A few people seemed to be talking about the films and some even saying they had gotten copies off of ebay but this was way back in time (2008 I believe but I could be completely wrong do not quote me on that) so I doubt anyone would be reachable or any listings could be found.
Final Additions
I just want to add a few things before ending this post. The first thing is that I have looked through pretty much every google and wayback machine result and these findings are some of the more notable things. Though I did look through pretty much everything, I think that combing through them again could be a good idea so don't let it stop you. The 2nd thing is that a lot of this information was found about a year ago so I could be completely leaving something out but to my knowledge this is everything that stuck out like I said. Finally, please be respectful when trying to contact anyone associated with this film, i'm sure that goes without being said but I just want to reiterate.
Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading my findings. I am super passionate about finding this film and I have been wanting to see it since I found out about it so hopefully we can find it! I will update everyone if I find anything else out as well!
Please feel free to contact me with any inquiries, information, or if you have a copy!
