Nertz

Hailed as one of the rising stars of the DIY/indie film scene at the turn of the 21st century -- including a "favorite filmmaker" designation by perennial bellwether critic Amy Taubin and a "Someone To Watch" Award given by the Independent Spirit Awards -- Andrew Bujalski, rather unwittingly, has been called the pioneer of the so-called "Mumblecore" movement in cinema. Perhaps the most recent alternative film ethos (or maybe just a marketing catchall by lazy journalists -- you decide), Mumblecore has boasted such "graduates" as Greta Gerwig, the Duplass Bros., Lynn Shelton and Joe Swanberg, amongst many others. And it all started -- for good or ill -- with Bujalski, whose films include Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation and Computer Chess. As the Mumblecore gang has grown up, with Bujalski himself having had recent mainstream success with his Support the Girls and screenplay for Disney's upcoming live-action Lady and the Tramp, we can now ask: What happens when film nerds and geeks become major movie stars and