It seems like there is a wave of hollywood stars directoral debuts at the upcoming Aspen Shortsfest, which starts this Wednesday. Josh Brolin's "X" has just been announced as part of the competition. Added to Kate Hudson's CUTLASS, the freshman directing efforts are becoming part of the story at this years Shortfest. Both films have called on family members to help out. CUTLASS stars Kurt Russell, Hudson's surrogate step-dad, and Brolin's piece stars daughter Eden. It will be i...

Yesterday, I started to get press releases from the Aspen Shortfest. The first one was for Kate Hudson’s directorial debut CUTLASS. Of course it’s great that Aspen helps support a local girl, albeit a famous one. I’ve seen a lot of these shorts that turned into vanity projects, but I am hoping this one avoids that pitfall. Almost all filmmakers, even the rich and famous, have to call in favors to get their film made. The problem is when stars get other stars and crews to work gratis on t...