Caveh Zahedi

Inspired by the bizarre Black Dahlia murder case, The Devil's Muse tells the tale of a beautiful young actress who's cast to play the tragic victim in an upcoming film, and whose nightmares gradually fuse with her desires as she delves ever deeper into the script. The moment Lisa Small (Kristen Kerr) is cast as the Black Dahlia, her reality is transformed into a mysterious dream world in which nothing is as it initially appears. The 60th anniversary of the high-profile Hollywood murder is fast drawing near, and somewhere on the streets of Los Angeles lurks a killer who's collecting and killing women in order to commemorate the grim fate of the Black Dahlia. Meanwhile, Lisa does her best to prepare for the role by becoming better acquainted with the screenplay. But with each turn of the page, Lisa comes two steps closer to discovering the truth behind the murder that continues to baffle investigators to this very day. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Underground Zero takes a look at the tragedies of September 11, 2001, from the viewpoint of independent filmmakers, in an effort to counter the mainstream media's representation of the events. The short films collected here were created by a variety of experimental and documentary filmmakers. San Francisco filmmakers Jay Rosenblatt and Caveh Zahedi masterminded the project, asking 150 independent filmmakers to make a short film or video addressing or related to the events of 9/11; 11 of the submitted films are presented here. Touring the U.S. in 2002 and appearing in abbreviated form on Cinemax, Underground Zero was critically praised and honored by several publications. ~ Dana Rowader, All Movie Guide

Richard Linklater returned to the semi-improvised approach and philosophical themes of his debut feature Slacker while embracing a new and groundbreaking visual technology in his sixth feature film, Waking Life. Linklater and cameraman Tommy Pallotta shot the film on location in Austin, TX, using digital video equipment. Linklater and digital animator Bob Sabiston then used newly developed computer software to transform the images through a process called "interpolated rotoscoping"; the result merges the naturalism of live action with a stylized look that resembles a cartoon or a painting in motion. Waking Life's flexible, non-narrative approach follows a young man (Wiley Wiggins) who arrives in Austin and hitches a ride with a stranger, who engages him in a conversation about rarely considered facets of existentialism. As the visitor drifts through the city, he encounters a variety of people and finds himself absorbing their views on art, philosophy, society, and numerous other issues of contemporary life. Linklater's cast is dotted with well-known actors (Ethan Hawke, Julie Delpy, Adam Goldberg, Nicky Katt) and pop-culture notables (filmmaker Steven Soderbergh, Martin Scorsese associate Steven Prince, comic Louis Black), alongside a large number of relatively little-known players. Waking Life received its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival; Linklater's next film, Tape, was also screened at the same festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Indie filmmaker Greg Watkins directs this indie film about an indie filmmaker who wants to direct indie films. The protagonist (Caveh Zehedi) remains undaunted by overdue loans, eviction notices, and his girlfriend's pregnancy, and he perseveres, trying to direct an all-dwarf version of "Little Women." ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

In this drama from experimental filmmaker Gregg Lachow, a man named Money (Jeff Weatherford) and his wife Georgia (Megan Murphy) are looking for happiness, though neither seems sure just where to find it. While Money believes they should renounce all their material possessions to celebrate the new millennium, Georgia is disinterested and instead tries to make contact with a former lover named V. When a close friend of the couple commits suicide, they are given his piano, which they have to push 50 blocks back to their house. While Money tries to lug the piano back home, Georgia takes care of their son and goes off to work, where she records voice-overs for commercials and telephone announcements. In seemingly mundane events, we are shown how far Money and Georgia have drifted apart, and how little they care for one another. Money Buys Happiness received positive notices in its screening at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Superb black-and-white photography highlights this independent drama. John Lee (Peter Alexander) is the son of a Chinese-American father and a French mother, living in California shortly after World War II. John's grandfather was a Chinese laborer brought to America to help lay tracks for the Continental railroad, and John has inherited an obsessive love of trains. When John discovers that the short-line railroad that runs from Merced, California, to the Yosemite Valley is soon to be shut down, he persuades his father to back him as he takes over the line and attempts to restore it. John hires two experienced railroad men to help him run his new railway: conductor Robinson (Henry Gibson and traffic manager Skeeter (Michael Stipe). As he tries to put the Yosemite Valley Railroad back on its feet, he becomes romantically involved with a beautiful park ranger (Jeri Arredondo) and exchanges subtle flirtations with both Skeeter and his sister Wendy (Diana Larkin). However, his all-consuming interest in the railroad prevents these relationships from going anywhere, and his family begins to lose patience with him as he digs himself deeper into a business that seems doomed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A 20-year old woman living a life without direction in Los Angeles provides the focus of this contemporary drama. Jane is the unfocused protagonist and narrator of the story. She makes a minimal living as a typist. In her spare time she writes a novel. Jane experiences a constantly deepening depression as she copes with her father's death, a distant lover, and her new romance with an artist. She prefers to avoid confrontation, but cannot when Sam, the distant lover, returns from Europe. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this leisurely, meditative drama, Jo-Jo hears strange voices but it's nothing to worry about, since she's so passive and inactive that there's little danger of her acting on their instructions in a way which will endanger herself or others. Indeed, the real danger is that she will allow herself to drift into an unwelcome situation with a slimy phone-sex entrepreneur before she makes even the feeblest effort to avoid him. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide