A Dear Little Friend, indeed.

Best Film Stuff 2010

2011-01-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

My film picks for 2010. I will do individual nods and a score blog later (scores were killer this year).

Here is last years list. http://adearlittlefriend.blogspot.com/2009/12/best-film-stuff-2009.html

I do this to try and spread the word on films I think are worth while for any year. I know 5 people look at it, but if one person sees a film they otherwise wouldn't have, it makes it worthwhile to me. 2010 was pretty bad in terms of big films. Almost every big film was a disappointment. There were plenty of quality films to fill that void, but a lot of people didn't see them (and instead poured money into the bad batch). What else is new. Sometimes films are from the previous year or from the upcoming year (I import some or check festivals). No, I didn't see everything. Here is my list of 15...

15.

The Fighter is a very solid film. The biggest complaint you could levy on it is that it is a bit formulaic, but David O Russell shoots the film well and it is an actors' showcase. Everyone is bringing their A game and this may be Bale's best work as an actor. A fun watch.

14.

Shutter Island is Martin Scorsese stretching his legs and really having fun as a visual artist. He directs this through the roof. Absolutely stunning visually and a nice throwback film. Very much taking cues from Shock Corridor, Scorsese never makes any deception about what is he is doing. Unlike many, I don't in anyway consider this to be a "twist" movie. It is a simple, elegant story told by a master in a fairly straight manner. The Sixth Sense has ruined people thinking they are going to jump all over a TWIST in any suspense/mystery/thriller... even if there really isn't one there.

13.

The King's Speech is probably the most "awards" baiting film on my list. That said, it is still an amazingly fun and somehow slight movie. You have Colin Firth and Helena Bohnam Carter giving (or equaling) career best performances and you have Geoffrey Rush on kill mode as an actor (and when he is, who is better?). Fun around the three as well with Michael Gambon, Timothy Spall, Guy Pearce and more giving strong support. Wonderfully directed, I recommend seeing it blind (I did, with no trailers). Amazing tension and an epic scope all from the way a man talks. Great work.

12.

I love South Korean cinema. Super love. They have three directors who may be kicking more tail than any three, modern directors from any other country you can think of (including America). They are Chan Wook Park (OldBoy, Lady Vengeance, Thirst), Joon-Ho Bong (this film, The Host, Memories of Murder) and Ji-Woon Kim (The Good, The Bad, The Weird). I had a chance to see this at a fest in LA last year and missed it. Makes me sad now! Mother is a very well made and well acted film. It is directed in a smart way that leads you exactly where IT wants you to go... not where you want it to go. I love that it is a film revolving around a middle aged woman, which is a rarity in American films. Watch it blind... and enjoy a bit of the great work from another country.

11.

I'll take this film over Toy Story 3 any day of the week. Dreamworks has been really trying of late with several strong releases over the past few years (not including Shrek sequels). Pixar went back to the well and Dreamworks stole the animation crown for the year. They (or someone else) may do it again next year as Pixar has another sequel in store. Dragon was original, well designed and had a lot of heart. Also, I like vikings and dragons.

10.

Ozarks Noir. Sounds strange, but it works brilliantly. A film that is interested in showing a brutal reality that many do not know exists (or don't know how truly dangerous it is) - the meth ravaged areas in the impoverished areas of the South. A great year for women in film, Jennifer Lawrence is among the best as Ree. John Hawkes gives what may be the best supporting actor performance of the year as Teardrop. An unflinching view of a problem and world I glimpse all to often (in my own backyard it feels like), this film does not misstep once.

A very funny film (just look at the poster... it says funny) that also feels genuinely edgy and dangerous. How often does that happen? Almost never. Four Lions depicts a small group of Jihadist living in the UK (from the UK even). It shows them bumble and bluster through their terror plans while also making them human. Another great one to see blind, the film will make you laugh and then question yourself "is it OK to laugh at that?" - The answer is yes. The first film being distributed by Austin, TX legends Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and as such support it when you can. Buy the DVD. See it if it plays in your town. Brave and deft filmmaking, the topic of Muslims in other areas of the world is turning into a creative hotbed for filmmakers (see last years A Prophet).

In a year when big name sequels and other big ventures fell fairly flat (even Iron Man 2), Kick Ass was one of the films to pick up the slack and really show what can be done when passion and talent tackle the subject matter (super hero action in this case). Kick Ass is funny, touching, amazingly directed and all around a great time. This is one of my favorite super hero films ever and really gets the genre and what makes super heroes so appealing. The trailers were absolutely awful, but luckily I knew it was a great film from buzz that escaped long before its release. If you missed out... rectify that. Nick Cage is even solid.... I swear!

Roman Polanski is, for my money, the best director of thrillers since Hitchcock. Despite the baggage associated with his name, he can direct tension like no one else around. The film is a very thinly veiled parallel/jab at Tony Blair and is very deft & adult. It isn't trying to hit a home run, it is just an intelligently made and incredibly competent ADULT thriller (a rarity these days). The score is also among the best in year that has a lot of great scores.

This film fires on all cylinders. A movie so well directed and edited that it can be mind blowing. Probably the only film that is more fun than Kick Ass. I can see this film maybe not hitting with older audiences (over 35), but I say give it a shot regardless. It is a fantastic look at relationships and a lot deeper than most will give it credit for. A video game generation love story made with killer talent at every level. Watch if you like to smile.

MOVING INTO THE TOP 5... THINGS GET TRICKY AND CAN BE MOVED AT ANY NOTICE. BUT THIS IS WHERE I FEEL THEM TODAY.

Chris Nolan makes good on the credit he accrued from hitting the Dark Knight out of the park. Nolan makes a personal film that is also a blockbuster. It has his fingerprints all over it and it was great to see audiences flock to a deserving film for once. The way I think Nolan makes films makes me think it will be hard for him to top this one. I hope he proves me wrong. Not as mind blowing or mind bending as most say, Inception still is a joy to behold. Nolan kills it and Hans Zimmer may have created his greatest score to go with this film. DiCaprio nails it... which is starting to be a regular thing for him and all of his "team" are brilliant in their performances as well. When Lucas and Spielberg reaffirmed what a blockbuster could be, it drove us in the wrong direction. Not their fault, but this shows what they laid the groundwork for. You can make amazing art and be extremely crowd pleasing all at the same time. Crazy (Michael Bay and studios, please take note).

Darren Aronofsky is a flat out amazing director. And he always does things the hard way. The only "new" directors in his league (in my mind at least) are Chris Nolan and Chan Wook Park. Black Swan is a fantastic portrait of a stressed individual who pushes herself for the sake of her art. Portman is in almost every shot of the film from a fairly close angle... so, if she didn't work the film would be awful. But she very much pulls it off and gives the best performance of her career. It is incredibly deep and layered. I fear most people won't dissect it the way it deserves. Before seeing it, I was expecting something more akin to Amadeus or the Red Shoes... instead you get a close up character study. It has more in common with Aronofsky's the Wrestler sent in a teleportation pod with Cronenberg's the Fly than an Amadues/Red Shoes.

How fun is this film? Super fun. The Coens deliver their most accessible work yet and Jeff Bridges gives what I think is his best performance (and one that easily steps out of the shadow cast by the Duke). The amazing thing is that despite the seasoned actors giving strong work, the best performance is by a 13 year old Hailee Steinfeld. She is the film and if she doesn't work, nothing will. The film has a sense of hardship that all films set in this period should have, but it never goes out of its way to illustrate unnecessary points... it just is the way it is. The way the relationships evolve is awe inspiring cinema. The best western to come along in a long while and one that can stand along with the genre's greats.

I SAW THE DEVIL. One of South Korea's great filmmakers delivers an absolute gut check. Ji-Woon Kim (The Good, The Bad, The Weird; A Tale of Two Sisters) shows up and takes a film to truly dark and disturbing places. A film that can stand toe to toe with a Seven or Silence of the Lambs and back them down in terms of dark tone. I have rarely (if ever) seen Nietzsche's concepts displayed in such a powerful manner on film (I mean... check the title). The violence hits hard and is never for gratuity's sake. My wife had a hard time watching this film and that is rare (she watches all sorts of weird films due to my tracking things down from all over). The film starts off in a fairly standard way, but it evolves in a way that I never saw coming (the first 10 minutes seemed to have slight nods to Silence of the Lambs, Seven and Blue Velvet). Another that gets the SEE IT BLIND nod.

I am not sure if The Social Network is my favorite film of the year. It is certainly in the conversation (again, see the top 5 disclaimer). I know that I feel like it is the most deftly made and the most important. Aaron Sorkin's script teamed with David Fincher's visuals are a match made in heaven. The performances are all fantastic. The score is incredible. The editing. The themes. The you name it and it probably did it better than other films this year. This film feels like a piece that could join films that say something about the decade (or time period) in which they were made. Easy Rider. A Clockwork Orange. Wall Street. Fight Club. Those come to mind. Never really the best films of their time, but some of the ones that say the most about them. I also love, LOVE that this film is brave enough to show one of the true motivations for creating things... and it isn't a pretty rainbow land with flowers and altruistic art ideals... it is out of spite. Simple, powerful... spite.

2010-10-31T14:24:00.001-07:00

I remember Halloween... a film list!

2010-10-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Halloween is upon us and I noticed this may be the worst Halloween ever in terms of what is in the cinema this year (seriously). You have Saw 48 and Paranormal Activity 2 (I would recommend seeing Buried if it is playing in your area, the solid Let Me In or the excellent looking Walking Dead series on AMC). So, mostly a lot of nothing. Because of this, I am going to list a handful of movies to see in the comfort of your home that you may not have seen. I'll try to make recommendations that can fit anyone's taste. A small category will be under the poster... that will be incredibly broad.

WAIT UNTIL DARK

Category: Plain scary.

Wait Until Dark is a terrifying movie. Released in 1967 and starring Audrey Hepburn, you'd be forgiven for letting this slip by your scare meter. But trust me, absolutely tense and terror driven. My word not good enough? Stephen King has said this is the scariest film of all time. While that may be debatable, the quality and chill factor present here is not. Absolutely worth seeing and completely devoid of gore.

THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL

Category: Satan.

We watched this film a few weeks back and I really enjoyed it. If you want a barn burner, this isn't it. But if you like slow burns, then maybe give it a chance. A lot of why a loved this flick was due to the fact that it feels like an undiscovered gem from the early 80s. The techniques, look, sound... everything is pitch perfect early 80s. It is really remarkable. On top of this I found it to be tension filled and a film that would make a good Halloween treat.

BEHIND THE MASK: THE RISE OF LESLIE VERNON

Category: Slasher.

Any love for slasher films? Then you must see Behind the Mask. Hands down the best slasher film since Scream and one of the few to truly innovate. An absolute blast... well made, very funny and scary. The lead is great and all the cameos from horror legends make for a great time for any horror buff. Above all, it is the writing, directing and performances that set this one apart and make it such a worthwhile watch.

GINGER SNAPS

Category: Werewolf.

Another film with a female lead. A great werewolf film that uses the werewolf curse as an allegory for girls turning into women. Yes, all parts. I mean look at that tag line - "They don't call it the curse for nothing." Great stuff and this film did what Jennifer's Body wanted to do, but better (Body is underrated, but not on Ginger Snaps' level). Captures an awkward phase of a young woman's life in a great way.

MARTIN

Category: Vampire.

Felt I should add a vampire flick on the list and there were a few ways to go. I decided to follow up Ginger Snaps with one of Romero's few worthwhile films, Martin. Martin is also largely about social ineptitude and tells a great story where you are never sure what the proper reality is... this needs a wider audience and is a marvelous take on the vampire tale.

SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES

Category: Family.

Very surreal and bizarre, but with very clear moral guidelines which makes it great for kids. One of many Disney productions from the early 80s that tailored to children's love of horror films and one of the more memorable. Eerie, magnetic performances should make it watchable for anyone.

THE FRIGHTENERS

Category: Ghost. Funny ghosts.

Peter Jackson got his start with horror comedy and this is his last effort before going full time serious with Lord of the Rings on. I hope he returns, as perhaps only Sam Raimi has a better grasp of blending the two genres. This is sort of like Ghostbusters... but with Michael J Fox. Well made with a lot of creativity on display, if you like Ghostbusters or early Robert Zemeckis, you should enjoy this.

THE THING

Category: Sci-Fi.

While I hope most have seen this... I am putting in on my list anyways. It may be my favorite horror film and is certainly one of the most intense (without going to massive gore levels of some modern stuff at least. I like my tension deft.). If you don't know the story... this film was slaughtered at the box office. This terrifying alien film was released two weeks after E.T. and audiences weren't having any bad aliens at the time. Probably one of the worst release decisions around, but the quality of the film has allowed it to hang around and grow in prestige. Definitely a great horror film and probably John Carpenter's masterstroke.

ABOMINABLE

Category: Cheesy monster.

A lot of people revel in SyFy's cheesy monster trash... but the problem is they do it so poorly it isn't really watchable. There are plenty of cheesy/bad monster films out there that are made with talent and love where you can still get your goofy monster fix. Abominable is one of the best from the last 5 years or so. Cheesy, but with some real laughs and scares. Definitely worth checking out if you like B class monster fare.

MONSTER HOUSE

Category: Kids.

Is this one underseen? I have no clue. I do know that it is a great film for all ages that captures the art of being a scared child in a magic way. I want this film to stick around and have a place along others that seem to get more attention. So, here it is. The poster also looks neat next to the second film on the list.

That's my list. Find something you like and have a fun Halloween.

- D

More about the film... inspirations and thank yous...

2010-10-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Note - this is the last Kickstarter update. Please continue to follow updates at http://adearlittlefriend.blogspot.com/ if you want to be in the loop!

First is a slightly impersonal thank you to all backers on the Refracted Kickstarter. I won't forget your help and will appreciate it forever. A more personal thank you is coming to everyone soon. I learned a lot about people by who donated and really offered assistance regardless of their lot.

As for rewards, I will try to exceed any expectation in terms of presentation, but just be patient. Filming is hoped to conclude by the end of January. I then expect a fairly painful post process that could drag on for a bit. I always expect the worst as that is just part of this game.

To shed a bit more light on the film (which you deserve), it is essentially my take on...

MAIN PORTION ONLY ON KICKSTARTER.

Wish me luck and thanks again.

Kickstarter is go.

2010-09-12T20:28:00.001-07:00

Kickstarter has launched. Please take a look and pass it on.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1056700508/refracted-presented-by-fine-slanderer-films

Prop peek.

2010-09-06T19:46:00.001-07:00

A quick peek at a prop... prototype really. But still...

Kickstarter.

2010-09-01T16:53:00.000-07:00

Great news. I applied for a Kickstarter page for our film and it was accepted. Kickstarter allows us to create a page that will make it easy to share the early stages of the film and raise money in a convenient way for all.

I will post more on this as soon as I get it set up and launched.

Teaser.

2010-08-28T16:48:00.000-07:00

We started shooting a teaser last week to help with funding and to get everyone acclimated to what we wanted to do. So far it looks fantastic. There is minimal work left to be done (outside of post) and we are waiting on props and people to complete it.

I can't wait to share it. Here are a few photos from the shoots. I will update with actual stills from the footage soon.

Let Me In

2010-07-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

How To Destroy Angels

2010-05-06T22:17:00.000-07:00

Trent Reznor, his wife Mariqueen, and Atticus Ross have formed a band. How To Destroy Angels.

Check it out here...
http://howtodestroyangels.com/

You can listen to the first song here...
http://pitchfork.com/news/38686-how-to-destroy-angels-a-drowning/

The news and Kick-Ass amazes.

2010-05-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

I have been busy. I always say this, but I have started doing some work that pays in addition to doing the film stuff. I like it fine, just makes me feel like every moment has to count... twice.

I have been holding some auditions as I try to fill the last major role. More as that develops.

My vision for the film has gotten even stronger (keeps on happening)... I have new visual themes that have emerged that compliment the story very naturally and strongly. Things I didn't realize at first keep seeping out and I am very excited for where things are going.

I came up with some new elements for the ending which were much needed and should get it to where it needs to be.

Next up is some funds grabbing that I need to do to really move forward. I didn't realize we are now in May... and I need to step this aspect up.

KICK - ASS

I thought about heaping praises on this film a few weeks back, but I restrained myself. I will do it now.

It is weird to me that this film hits me so hard and I love it so much... less than a year after Inglourious Basterds hit. I love lots of films, but for two films to be as highly regarded on personal level that close to each other is very rare.

The film may be the best comic/super hero film made up to this point. It kills it. It works so well for a number of reasons.

It is a great teen comedy. It captures the anonymity and awkwardness of the age. It shows how much friends and your circle are the universe to you.

It is a flat out amazing action movie. Every action piece is very different from the last. They actually build and keep raising the bar. The shots and choreography are spot on... old HK John Woo would be proud.

The music is mostly existing tracks... many of which are now OWNED by this movie. The songs gathered are very powerful and fit it like a glove.

The cast is spot on in every role. Nic Cage reminds you how good he can be (and makes you cringe all the more when he is so bad!).

Matthew Vaughn, director, really reaches a level here that I didn't know he had in him. He reaches amazing heights and joins the list of "anything they do, you should see" directors.

That just some skip over thoughts, but the film is great. If you can handle violence, go see it ASAP at your nearest theater.

Busy bee...

2010-04-27T10:51:00.001-07:00

Been stupid busy. Will update things when I get a chance.

Things are moving along nice enough though.

I do so have a crew... Part 5

2010-04-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

Part 5. Being put up on a hectic day. Boo to you IRS. Actor meeting later. Anyways, on with the crew info. 100th post on this blog, big one.

ACTOR

Adam Bowles

Adam came out and auditioned for me (us) after I had met with him like I do most everyone that has an interest in working on this film. So, we met and it went well enough. He came out and auditioned and did well. He got invited out for a second time and did even better. We talked and he has agreed to be the lead.

I repeat, I have a lead and it is Adam. It's exciting to have a lead.

The audition process was actually a lot of fun and I was lucky to have almost everyone give really good reads. But Adam owned the role. He made it his own and felt natural. He asked how he did after the first audition and I said well enough. I never know for sure until I go back and check the tapes. But he was the guy. Doesn't have much experience either, but the audition was all him.

He doesn't really look how I envisioned the character to look, but that doesn't matter. I think he has a good, strong look that reminds me of old WWII posters and Max Fleischer Superman cartoons . He has a look that screams America to me. It is the lantern jaw more than anything. I will use that to my advantage.

He has been very personable up to now and I look forward to getting to know him better. I hope to be able to have some of you meet him in the near future. With the lead cast I (we) will be able to start getting some serious stuff done soon enough.

Don't sleep on this... Vol 2

2010-04-13T15:32:00.000-07:00

PTU

I had another movie I started doing this edition with... but decided to change it. Twice. I had a favorite... changed it to a classic... and ended up with PTU.

PTU is a Hong Kong film directed by Johnny To (who is incredibly hit or miss). It came out in 2002 and details the story of a detective that loses his gun and the night that follows (yes, this borrows some element's from Kurosawa's Stray Dog if you are familiar). Many different factions try to sway the course of their fates and gain power/favor as the night progresses.

Story wise, I find it to be engaging and interesting, but not mind blowing. It will definitely keep you watching and entertained. The acting and characters are great and give a good sampling of the kinds of people you can come across is law enforcement. There is a tag line that sometimes is present with the film or its materials, INTO THE PERILOUS NIGHT. Great line for this film. The night is a dark and dangerous place in this (film) world. Some of it is made worse by the police and some of it just exists.

The overall package of the film is very solid. The direction, acting, story/writing, editing - all these elements come together for a great HK film. But what elevates it for me and why I love it so much...

The cinematography is killer. It is right up my alley and really takes this movie to new heights. Taking place at night, the lighting is done in very bright and blown out sections, almost like spotlights. It creates pools of light that ward off the dark of night. The film also feels desaturated (it may be). The full effect creates a modern day noir aesthetic that is great to bask in.

All in all, a nice film that illustrates the light battling the dark. It does so wonderfully through story and in visual terms. Again, not one that will shake the foundation of your world, but definitely one to check out and not let pass you by.

This film is available on Netflix among other places (and can be purchased at the bottom link).

New post soon. Crew one.

Lead cast.

2010-04-07T17:29:00.001-07:00

More info soon. Excitement.

I do so have a crew... Part 4

2010-04-05T20:02:00.000-07:00

Part 4. As promised.

MUSIC COMPOSER

Marshal Brabson

Marshal is one of my oldest collaborators, if not the oldest (in time working together, not age). When I first wrote a full length script with the hopes of shooting it, I went to Marshal to see if he would be interested in working on some music for the film. He was and we hashed some things out right there. Not soon after there was samples of potential music for the film. That element was pretty far along for a film that didn't get very far along.

At any step when I would ask Marshal if he wanted to work, he was always willing. It was nice having someone who was so eager to work and collaborate. He also has good taste in film, so that helps make wanting to work together a lot easier. Best yet, he is a great guy and a good friend.

A lot of time could go by, but he was always ready to go. This was still the case when I asked him about the current project. We have spoken about a few broad objectives, but that is about all at this point. It is good to have him back on board and ready to go. Look for more info in this department as it becomes available.

I do so have a crew... Part 3

2010-04-04T21:25:00.000-07:00

Alright. Been a hectic and stressful week (last week that is). So, here are two back to back posts detailing people who are working on this project to get back on track. I don't have suitable pictures for either one, but look for pictures when my website is up and running in full.

HAIR STYLIST

Henderson Willis

Henderson has actually done my hair (for the most part) for the last 8 or so years. He is one of the best I have come across (the best for me personally). I have always been impressed with his work and he is a very down to Earth person. Working with him is always fun and he does a lot to put people at ease. His country demeanor seems to be in stark contrast to his skill with scissors, but that makes him all the more fun to be around.

He has done commercial work in the past and has done very well for himself as soon as he started down this path. I was a bit hesitant to ask for his assistance as I didn't want him to feel obligated to help. So, I told him as much up front. When I asked, he was genuinely excited to help and excited to be a part of the project. I am lucky to know people with talent that can assist, and even more lucky that they WANT to assist.

As soon as my lead is cast, I expect to meet with Henderson more to discuss what can be done in particular instances to achieve the desired effect with the actors hair. It is important to me... as is every little detail.

If you are looking for a hair stylist, let me know and I will get you in touch with Henderson. He obviously comes recommended.

I will do another one of these profiles within 24 hours.

Updates and what nots.

2010-03-30T11:45:00.000-07:00

Updated the script today. There are a few small things I want to update in addition to today's updates. After this, I will go over the script with the actors cast to clean up their dialog and make it sound good coming out of them. The it will be time to make a massive shooting bible (best that I can with not all locations nailed down).

Fun. Had a good audition last night. Have some more to plan. I am excited. Starting to work on getting some more practical things out of the way.

Prop man may have went away (don't know for sure), but I'm working around that. I starting looking for a new one, but have had little success. I think I can handle it on my own though.

Should have the website in somewhat presentable form soon... soon.

Hilarious.

2010-03-30T10:48:00.001-07:00

FRESH POTS!

2010-03-29T07:37:00.000-07:00

I will get an update on some crew people times two this week since I am behind.

I made a website last week and will try to get it worth looking at this week. That is not 100% since there is some stuff going on. I wasn't going to bother, but I figured some people do care about appearances, so prior to fund building, I built that. Went to a lot of the Gatlinburg film fest this past weekend. I like seeing what the local filmmakers have been involved with and want to support them.

I have some auditions today. Maybe I will talk more about them later, but that depends on how it goes.

I tested (sort of) my homemade steadicam yesterday. It works pretty well. It is a simple piece and I may be a few others (more complex) to see how they work as well. I may not, this one is simple and may work just fine.

Below... enjoy FRESH POTS!

Pull your fingers out of your.... ears. V1

2010-03-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

Now time for me to force music of merit onto you. I said it up front, so you know what to expect.

MURDER BY DEATH

Something I get sick of often, is country music. Something I get sick of even more frequently is complaining there is no good country music. It is terrible by and large. But here is a secret, it has almost always been terrible. I love the genre. Let me repeat, I love it. The really strong artists are rare and almost always overshadowed by the bad ones. The point is that great artists are always on the fringe of the scene and that they are there representing the best of what the genre can do.

That being said, I want to tell you about one of my favorite groups, Murder by Death. The group hails from Bloomington, IN and has four full length albums under their belts (with a fifth coming in a week or so). Every album they have made is incredibly strong and you can't go wrong with any of them. The group may or may not like being labeled a country act (sometimes I see them listed as Alt-Country), but including them there is meant in the best possible way. This is a group that recalls Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard, all while putting their own stamp on the sound.

This is one of the few bands I would wholly recommend to anyone. Like the best of the genre, song topics often include murder, whiskey, women, money and god. Each album has a distinctive sound and is worthy of a listen (in addition to a purchase). The music has a roots rock and country flavor that is anchored by Adam Turla's deep vocal delivery. Songs have a strong sense of melody and have the power to transport you to where ever they are about.... which is often a place of six shooters where the spilt whiskey mingles with split blood. Great stuff.

If I had to suggest an album as a jumping on point or a hook to get into the band, I would suggest either Who Will Survive, And What Will Be Left of Them? or Red of Tooth and Claw. Who Will Survive is what hooked me on the band. It is a concept album about the devil coming to a small Mexican border town and the hell they bring upon themselves. If a concept album with a story appeals to you, go this route. Red of Tooth and Claw is probably their strongest collection of songs and is a bit punchier than their other releases. If you like Johnny Cash and how his songs move along, this is a great album for you.

Oh... their first album has a song called Holy Lord, Shawshank Redemption is Such a Good Movie! - seriously.

Murder by Death consists of four member - Adam Turla (vocals and guitar), Matt Armstrong (bass), Sarah Balliet (cello, keys), and Dagan Thogerson (drums). Vincent Edwards plays keys in what seems to be an on again/off again capacity.

Below are links to the two recommended starting point albums. Below that is a song. I would recommend going to THEIR WEBSITE if you want to order their newest album Good Morning, Mag Pie. Doing so will more than likely net you some nice goodies directly from the band themselves and it only costs 10 bucks.

Don't sleep on this... Vol 1

2010-03-23T08:27:00.000-07:00

This is a whenever I feel like it feature that will detail a film that I feel is under seen, misunderstood, relevant for today, or just plain needs talking about. I want this to be about movies that matter (or should matter). Movies that show the power that the art form can have on people. I will try to do one every two weeks.

PLANET OF THE APES

This first installment is an easy one. Easy because I slept on this film. I had seen it years ago, of course. But I had a weird amalgamation of ideas that were all the films rolled into one and I had disdain for the mostly worthless Tim Burton remake from 2001. But I recently rewatched the first film and was floored by how ahead of its time it was (and still is) and by its overall quality.

For a film that is a bit of a goofy late 60's sci-fi piece, it sure has a lot going. You may recall the film having some kitsch. It may be there in a tiny amount, not near the amount you might recall. Let's move past that and revisit a great film. This is largely spoiler free in terms of actual plot progression.

I was surprised on my recent watch at Charlton Heston. Don't get me wrong, I don't discount him. He has some wonderful early 70's movies that are a blast to revisit to this day (Omega Man, Soylent Green spring to mind). But given his image, I was surprised he would be in a film like Planet of the Apes. But his ridiculous red blooded American image improves the film and makes that much more of a contrast for the state of things on the ape planet. He is the perfect foil for the filmmakers to paint their picture.

Not long into the film, there is some very obvious set piece that shows the brutality of hunting and killing for sport. I am no tree hugging vegan, but I found this very poignant. Like many things in the film, it is presented a face value. The simple juxtaposition of the switched roles is all that is needed to make it hit home and be felt by any viewer. Directly prior to the scene really taking off, there is a line "Blessed are the vegetarians." It is said simply because our heroes are glad that they didn't stumble upon something that would try to eat them, but it directly telegraphs the intent of the scene that follows. Even today we are privy to some needlessly inhumane practices towards animals.

That is just an early set piece, but the message is held throughout the film. Other themes are within the same contexts, including class/race relations. This is woven in with a fair amount of subtlety and are witnessed by a simple, yet brilliant caste system that where differing simian races are given higher or lower status. It works so well due to the fact that it is shown and not overly discussed. We pick up on it immediately as it unfortunately mirrors much of what we have seen in our own world. The treatment of humans even slips in here as a picture of how we have treated other peoples/races and is not just a comment on the treatment of animals. Some people were really thought no better than animals, I am sure I don't have to remind anyone of that.

One of the most overt and powerful themes presented is the need for a separation in church & state. Again, it is presented in such a simple and powerful way that one would be foolish to argue against it. Why does a 1968 Charlton Heston film about an ape planet present this in a better way than most can today? The film clearly illustrates the conflict of interest that comes when these two things are combined. It doesn't condemn one or the other, but when they're together - it is a recipe for disaster. A third grader could watch this and see how ludicrous this combination is... which makes it all the more sad that there are many adults who don't grasp this concept. One, I might add, that is wholly American.

The reason I think it can be said that the film doesn't talk down to religion by itself is due to the powerful look at human nature that is presented by the ape's theology. Their belief system is set up in a way that gives a harsh evaluation on the destructive nature of man that rings true. Conversely, one could point out that the apes shouldn't follow some things so blindly and without their own evaluation. Some do, some don't. Which again reflects reality as well as keeping things fairly level. I think most people can appreciate this approach.

That is a quick (?) look at some themes from Planet of the Apes that feel relevant even today. The fact that this film was made over 40 years ago is eye opening. It is really solid filmmaking and I encourage everyone to take a look at it again if given the chance (it is on Netflix watch instantly). This film is now held in high regards amongst my sci-fi favorites. If you like this film and want more, the wonderful District 9 came out this past year and is more socially relevant sci-fi done right. I hear they are making (trying) a prequel to the series, here is hoping it stands with this classic and is not a forgettable exercise like the 2001 remake.

I do so have a crew... Part 2

2010-03-20T09:15:00.000-07:00

I didn't know where to start this first real installment (I don't count myself). I think I will start with my friend Jason (and it was his birthday this week). He and his family were like a family to me while I lived in LA. He was the only person who had a role written specifically for him in this script. A dangerous practice I've learned in the past, but one I felt comfortable doing this time around.

ACTOR

Jason Moore

Jason Moore. While being friends with him in LA, I thought... hmm... this guy would be good on film. He is a character, but also very fierce and sincere. I challenge anyone to spend some time with him and not laugh. A lot. CHALLENGE! So, I wrote a character with him in mind. Turns out he had done some acting in the past, so my instincts were right. He graciously accepted the part and is someone who has read the whole script (a past incarnation at least).

He will be one of the few imports for the film, as I will bring him from LA to shoot. We have already gone over his dialog and hammered out what works for him. It is a large section of the script and one that has not changed much over many drafts. And for that, I am thankful.

I think his character will bring a lot of energy to the film. It should be memorable and funny. With some heavy themes and dourness (par for the course with me, it seems), the character is needed to shine some light even in an unconventional method. But even with all that other stuff, he will fit right in with the surreal tone of the film.

I'm glad to have him on board. I'm even more glad to count him as a good friend.

Vampire fiction... it can still be worthwhile.

2010-03-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Been a rough week. Will do two updates today. Maybe three. I cast three roles and that is good. Still working on some others.

First is a recommendation on a new comic book. Before I go into that, I should say works of vampire fiction of late have been better as a whole maybe than they ever have been. I know what most of you are thinking (the sane ones, that is)... but D, there is a this big, awful beast of a thing that has made the fiction look ridiculous.

You are right. But in its shadow are some really great works. Written fiction like The Strain from Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan, Baltimore from Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden. 30 Day of Night (Steve Niles, Ben Templesmith) from several years back that jump started an entire genre in the comics industry. The movie side of things has fared even better. Chan Wook Park's Thirst. The truly great Let the Right One In.

Those examples are simply meant to illustrate that stories about vampires will always be fertile ground for a good storyteller and will always appeal to people. The whys would be a much longer post than this, but you hopefully see the point. I left off many examples from recent years. Now why people will settle for sub par works in this field when greatness abounds, I'll never know. Anyways, on to the recommendation.

A new Vertigo Comics series by the name of American Vampire. Vertigo has tried to cash in on the vampire trend in the past and failed (Bite Club, ugh). So, under normal circumstances I would not have given this a chance. However, this is not a normal circumstance... you see, this has original just for comics work by Stephen King (a first, I think).

Let's take a look at the first issue's classy cover.

The series was created by Scott Snyder. I am glad this book introduced me to him, as he is a talented writer. The book has two loosely related stories (these first two stories will run the first five issues, I believe). The first story is written by Snyder with the second being written by King. Both are of high quality. One is set in 1920's Hollywood and one in the 1880's Wild West. Good stuff. Both stories are illustrated by someone else who is mostly new to my eyes. Rafael Albuquerque does a great job bringing these tales to life. His art fits the book perfectly and really brings the package together. Each storyline also has distinct visual feel, this is in large part to colorist Dave McCaig (who does a bang up job).

I am completely on board with this book and looking forward to where it will go in the future. Many other decades throughout America's history are promised to be grounds that will be traveled. The two starting points (Wild West and 20's Hollywood) are an amazing way to kick things off. I have a sneaking suspicion that this book will be pretty big. I also would not be surprised if a TV series came about soon (since vampires are the vogue thing, and we already have True Blood and Vampire Diaries). This is one of the few comic series I can recommend to ANYONE (the Unwritten being another recent one). So, get on board.

You could also get the FIRST TRADE... in October.

PS - Justified on FX was great. I am sure they will be replaying the first episode. I would watch it and start tuning in on Tuesdays.

Justified on FX

2010-03-15T11:48:00.001-07:00

FX's new series Justified premieres tomorrow at 10 PM. It is being billed as the ultimate modern western and the reviews thus far have been very positive. FX can hit series out of the park when it wants, just see the Shield or Damages. This one stars Timmy Olyphant and Walton Goggins (Shane from the Shield) has been featured prominently in the previews.

Jump on with episode 1 tomorrow!

I do so have a crew... Part 1

2010-03-13T22:14:00.000-08:00

Alright. Here is what will be a weekly or so blog that details who is involved in helping me make this film. The first installment is boring, as it is me and you know me.

Today was not a good day. I had auditions and they didn't go. Not that they didn't go well... THEY DIDN'T GO. No shows. First time ever. Frustrating a bit.

Anyways, on with the show...

WRITER/DIRECTOR/CLOWN

Daniel Fersner

Daniel Fersner. That is me. You know this. I have been trying to make a film for about a decade now. Which is a bit staggering to think about. I have had two misfires, but those were very nice learning experiences (despite the stress caused). I have studied film from all over the world from every decade of its existence. I like to think I have a pretty good handle on what works for film as an art form.

The current script has been worked on for about a year now and is definitely the most "complete" script I have written. Regardless of anything else, time has certainly helped my writing. I always want to deliver a small, honest story with big happenings going on all around. I want honesty and depth of character.

One thing I find difficult is how much to consider an audience (which I'll probably never have anyway). Do I pander to what they would like? I have no doubt I could smash something for an audience... but I have little interest in that. It feels like a terrible thing to do. So, I just make what I would want to see and what I feel does the art form justice. Which means many may be left wondering what is wrong with me...

But I am trying to do this for the sake of storytelling. I have no delusions of fame and fortune. But I do have some good ideas... and I do think some people will be impressed that I do sort of know what I am doing (after all).

That is all I will say on me. Look for more about the great people I have collaborating with me soon!

I just lost an hour... time change.. NO!

Auditions...

2010-03-13T09:02:00.000-08:00

Finally back to auditions today.

Look for some news here soon, I think.

I will start my series of people working on this today, with myself. But that will be after I get back.

Enjoy the trailer for the next TRON -

2010 Oscar Blog

2010-03-07T16:52:00.001-08:00

Doing my taxes... and starting the Oscars. Academy gets it wrong half the time, but I still find it interesting. Follow along...

Wow... terrible intro graphics. Glad we are in 1993.

Kathy Ireland... terrible announcer.

Enough with the Gyllenhaals already...

These opening interviews are painful.

Really? Zack Efron gets screen time at the awards for the supposed best in the medium? Rob Pattinson will too no doubt. And Kathy Ireland... still doing terrible.

Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren... some people with actual weight.

I really enjoy when they show these past nominees... Casablanca, you got that right. Wonder how the general public feels about it.

I love that a film with BASTERDS in the title will be repeated all night.

Matthew Broderick is relegated to Sarah Jessica Parker accessory these days...

Cameron Diaz in interviews... shows she isn't the brightest bulb around.

8:22 - Jeff Bridges FTW. That guy rocks.

I guess Meryl Streep will continue to be nominated forever for being her... regardless of the role. She is often great, but often gets noms by just being her.

8:30 and we start. This is different... the best actor/actress people hanging out up front. That guy from Hurt Locker could blow up (no pun) as a star.

NPH kicking it off! YEAH! That's right Harold and Kumar reference at the Oscars.

Alec and Steve always have great chemistry. The set this year is elegant.

Very funny opening dialog.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - Kicking it off with a good one. A no brainer, CHRISTOPH WALTZ.

Waltz gives a nice, sincere speech.

8:51 Blind Side montage. Meh.

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE - Strong field this year. UP wins and it probably wasn't close. I really want to check out the Secret of Kells.

These are presenters... Miley Cyrus? Can't they get someone with some prestige?

BEST ORIGINAL SONG - THE WEARY KIND. Great song and really a stand out from this years nominees. Crazy Heart has great music.

District 9 montage. A truly special and great film. Genre snobbery will keep it from getting close to a win. Yet, if dumbed down, the genre has a chance (see Avatar).

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - THE HURT LOCKER. Not really deserved, but perhaps a good sign of things to come for the film. BASTERDS script owned this one. Tarantino not being in WGA really hurts him around awards time.

9:17 - John Hughes montage presented by Molly Ringwold and Matthew Broderick. Almost no other person has had as much impact on pop culture over the last 25 years than John Hughes.

Up montage. Lovely film. Sad there won't be a non-sequel Pixar film for a while.

Nice bit about short films. Criminally under seen format. The net should have made these things explode, but no such luck.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT - LOGORAMA. Never saw it, want to.

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT - MUSIC BY PRUDENCE. Never saw it, want to.

LIVE ACTION SHORT - THE NEW TENANTS. Never saw it, want to.

9:38 - Ben Stiller as a Na'Vi. Great.

BEST MAKEUP - STAR TREK. No surprise. Good makeup in that one. Ben Stiller always does good presentations.

A Serious Man montage. Super strong filmmaking. Sad that it wouldn't have even gotten a nom without the 10 picture structure.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - PRECIOUS. Meh. Not a knock on the film, but In the Loop is ridiculously great writing. Also, D9 is imagination in overdrive. But Precious feels like a good win.

Governor's awards montage... nice stuff.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MO'NIQUE. Well deserved. Two Precious wins in a row. Still wish Melanie Laurent was nominated. Good speech save BET mention.

10:01 - An Education montage. Need to see it.

ART DIRECTION - AVATAR. No surprise. In the speech... Jim Cameron this award SEES YOU... WTF. Avatar boo.

COSTUME DESIGN - THE YOUNG VIC...yawn... er sorry. THE YOUNG VICTORIA. Costume designer is one of the best. Her dress is amazing.

Precious montage. Good stuff.

Kristen Stewart and Tayler Lautner (ugh) giving a horror send up. JAWS of course... but it's Spielberg... what else. Some good stuff. But Twilight is not horror.

SOUND EDITING - THE HURT LOCKER. Deserved.

SOUND MIXING - THE HURT LOCKER. This could spell big trouble for AVATAR.

Inglourious Basterds montage. Travolta. UGH and boo to you. But yay for an amazing film.

10:35 - CINEMATOGRAPHY - AVATAR. This evens the field a bit. How can a movie with almost no cinematography get this award?

The montage of people who died this past year.

What does break dancing have to do with Sherlock Holmes score... And the Hurt Locker gets pop lockin with force wave blasts... WTF. This is terrible. Fantastic Mr Fox... gets the nutters. UP gets Mr. Roboto. Avatar's terrible score gets... bright lights and head spinners. Best score through interpretive dance everyone... terrible.

BEST SCORE - UP. Well deserved. My favorite composer to come on the scene in the last decade. Zimmer's Holmes score was also excellent.

BEST SPECIAL EFFECTS - AVATAR. Of course. Nothing to say, can't knock the effects work... too much. I am tired of everyone who wins from Avatar kissing Cameron's douchey self.

Up in the Air montage. Nice film. Director is a jerk. Not as fantastic as some people try to say, but nice and timely.

BEST DOCUMENTARY - All good films this year. Anvil deserved a nomination, light as it may be. THE COVE wins. No surprise as it was the most high profile, which is what it often comes down to in this category.

Tyler Perry. You sir make terrible films. And you aren't funny as a presenter... imagine that.

BEST EDITING - THE HURT LOCKER. Good. GREAT editing in that film. Worked on Drag Me to Hell too... great work this year from these editors. No competition.

The Hurt Locker montage. Amazing set pieces in that one.

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - This was a possibility. EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS. The vote was split between people who know good film... The White Ribbon was great and A Prophet is INCREDIBLE. They split, and a film that is more palatable to generic Academy members wins. Ugh.

Avatar montage. Awfully generic film. Much of it is a montage... so a montage for the film is fitting. James Cameron keeps looking like a toolbag.

These actor talking on actor things are always a bit awkward.

BEST ACTOR - JEFF BRIDGES. Deserved out of the nominees. Fairly strong field. Bridges is so much the Dude.

Oprah speaking for Precious... predictable and boring.

BEST ACTRESS - SANDRA BULLOCK. Bleh. Tied for the bottom of the nominees with Meryl's Julia.

BEST DIRECTOR - KATYRN BIGELOW. Super deserved. Tarantino and Lee Daniels did great work too. Streisand was a bit of a bitch for saying the time has come... Lee Daniels looked like he was about to crack with that pressure. He would have been the first black winner. We get the first female winner, which is astounding by itself.

BEST FILM - THE HURT LOCKER. Avatar got shut down and out of big awards. Take that, king of the douche. Hurt Locker is solid and infinitely better than Avatar, but still not the best picture of the year. But it is a small movie that is expertly made, so it is good to see it slay Goliath.

Don't be...

2010-03-06T15:34:00.000-08:00

Don't be an uninformed ignorant idiot.

Information on Healthcare reform... from PBS.

2010-03-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

Auditions have been moved to next week sometime. So, no news on that front.

Starting next week I will probably start doing a blog a week detailing someone who is involved with the film.

A Hurt Locker producer was lobbying for his film to win best picture... which is all fine and well, but then he started lobbying to slam Avatar on the ballots (which is warranted given Avatar's quality), but that is against Academy rules. So, Hurt Locker looked like a good bet to win Best Picture (it's not, but it is better than Avatar), but now... who knows. Makes it more fun at least. That producer is banned from the ceremony now... and probably hurt his career pretty bad.

I will put up my Oscar pics in a day or so.

This is via Chud... about a skit cut due to James Cameron being a baby...

"But one thing we won't be making fun of is a Ben Stiller/Sacha Baron Cohen skit that pokes fun at Avatar and James Cameron. The reason? According to Vulture the Oscar producers think that Cameron is so thin-skinned he could literally walk out of the ceremony. What's so offensive?

Our insider informs us that Baron Cohen planned to appear onstage as a blue-skinned, female Na’vi, with Stiller translating “her” interplanetary speech. As the skit went on, though, it would become clear that Stiller wasn’t translating properly, because Cohen would grow ever more upset. At its climax, an infuriated Baron Cohen would pull open “her” evening gown to reveal that s/he was pregnant, knocked up with Cameron’s love child, and would go on to confront her baby daddy as if s/he were on Jerry Springer.

What's nutty is that this doesn't even sound all that offensive. But then again, I guess when you're a director with a habit of sleeping with your leading ladies, this is a joke that hits close to home. "

Umm....

2010-03-01T19:31:00.001-08:00

Oscar predictions... thoughts.

2010-03-01T11:25:00.000-08:00

No, I haven't seen everything. I give who I think SHOULD win and who I think WILL win. I will also live blog the Oscars for my own enjoyment come Sunday. Check it out if you want to see my thoughts on how it went down.

Actor in a Leading Role
Jeff Bridges in “Crazy Heart”
George Clooney in “Up in the Air”
Colin Firth in “A Single Man”
Morgan Freeman in “Invictus”
Jeremy Renner in “The Hurt Locker”

Who should win: Sam Rockwell in Moon... or Tom Hardy in Bronson. But from here Jeff Bridges.
Who will take the cake: Jeff Bridges with a strong performance.

Actor in a Supporting Role
Matt Damon in “Invictus”
Woody Harrelson in “The Messenger”
Christopher Plummer in “The Last Station”
Stanley Tucci in “The Lovely Bones”
Christoph Waltz in “Inglourious Basterds”

Who should win: Christoph Waltz
Who will take the cake: Christoph Waltz, no contest

Actress in a Leading Role
Sandra Bullock in “The Blind Side”
Helen Mirren in “The Last Station”
Carey Mulligan in “An Education”
Gabourey Sidibe in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”
Meryl Streep in “Julie & Julia”

Who should win: No idea... Gabourey Sidibe? Anyone but Streep.
Who will take the cake: Sandra Bullock

Actress in a Supporting Role
Penélope Cruz in “Nine”
Vera Farmiga in “Up in the Air”
Maggie Gyllenhaal in “Crazy Heart”
Anna Kendrick in “Up in the Air”
Mo’Nique in “Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire”

Who should win: Mélanie Laurent in Inglourious Basterds... Oh wait... no nomination? Mo'Nique for her stance against Oscar campaigning.
Who will take the cake: Mo'Nique

Animated Feature Film
“Coraline” Henry Selick
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Wes Anderson
“The Princess and the Frog” John Musker and Ron Clements
“The Secret of Kells” Tomm Moore
“Up” Pete Docter

Who should win: I find Fantastic Mr. Fox to be delightfully off kilter.
Who will take the cake: Up, and it's not undeserving.

Art Direction
“Avatar” Art Direction: Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Kim Sinclair
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Art Direction: Dave Warren and Anastasia Masaro; Set Decoration: Caroline Smith
“Nine” Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Gordon Sim
“Sherlock Holmes” Art Direction: Sarah Greenwood; Set Decoration: Katie Spencer
“The Young Victoria” Art Direction: Patrice Vermette; Set Decoration: Maggie Gray

Who should win: Avatar
Who will take the cake: Avatar

Cinematography
“Avatar” Mauro Fiore
“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” Bruno Delbonnel
“The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd
“Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
“The White Ribbon” Christian Berger

Who should win: “Inglourious Basterds” Robert Richardson
Who will take the cake: “The Hurt Locker” Barry Ackroyd

Costume Design
“Bright Star” Janet Patterson
“Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier
“The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
“Nine” Colleen Atwood
“The Young Victoria” Sandy Powell

Who should win: “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus” Monique Prudhomme
Who will take the cake: “Coco before Chanel” Catherine Leterrier

Directing
“Avatar” James Cameron
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
“Inglourious Basterds” Quentin Tarantino
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels
“Up in the Air” Jason Reitman

Who should win: “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow
Who will take the cake: “The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow

Film Editing
“Avatar” Stephen Rivkin, John Refoua and James Cameron
“District 9” Julian Clarke
“The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
“Inglourious Basterds” Sally Menke
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Joe Klotz

Who should win: “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
Who will take the cake: “The Hurt Locker” Bob Murawski and Chris Innis

Foreign Language Film
“Ajami” Israel
“The Milk of Sorrow (La Teta Asustada)” Peru
“A Prophet (Un Prophète)” France
“The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)” Argentina
“The White Ribbon (Das Weisse Band)” Germany

Who should win: A Prophet (thank you, European DVD release). This is a seriously major work of cinema that can stand with some big films.
Who will take the cake: The White Ribbon - A very strong film that has beat A Prophet almost universally. But it is not the superior work (though both are incredibly good).

Makeup
“Il Divo” Aldo Signoretti and Vittorio Sodano
“Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
“The Young Victoria” Jon Henry Gordon and Jenny Shircore

Who should win: “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
Who will take the cake: “Star Trek” Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow

Music (Original Score)
“Avatar” James Horner
“Fantastic Mr. Fox” Alexandre Desplat
“The Hurt Locker” Marco Beltrami and Buck Sanders
“Sherlock Holmes” Hans Zimmer
“Up” Michael Giacchino

Who should win: “Up” Michael Giacchino
Who will take the cake: “Up” Michael Giacchino (why is Avatar nominated here? truly awful score)

Music (Original Song)
“Almost There” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Down in New Orleans” from “The Princess and the Frog” Music and Lyric by Randy Newman
“Loin de Paname” from “Paris 36” Music by Reinhardt Wagner Lyric by Frank Thomas
“Take It All” from “Nine” Music and Lyric by Maury Yeston
“The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Who should win: “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett
Who will take the cake: “The Weary Kind (Theme from Crazy Heart)” from “Crazy Heart” Music and Lyric by Ryan Bingham and T Bone Burnett

Sound Editing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson
“Inglourious Basterds” Wylie Stateman
“Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
“Up” Michael Silvers and Tom Myers

Who should win: “Star Trek” Mark Stoeckinger and Alan Rankin
Who will take the cake: “Avatar” Christopher Boyes and Gwendolyn Yates Whittle

Sound Mixing
“Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson
“The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
“Inglourious Basterds” Michael Minkler, Tony Lamberti and Mark Ulano
“Star Trek” Anna Behlmer, Andy Nelson and Peter J. Devlin
“Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers and Geoffrey Patterson

Who should win: “The Hurt Locker” Paul N.J. Ottosson and Ray Beckett
Who will take the cake: “Avatar” Christopher Boyes, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson and Tony Johnson

Visual Effects
“Avatar” Joe Letteri, Stephen Rosenbaum, Richard Baneham and Andrew R. Jones
“District 9” Dan Kaufman, Peter Muyzers, Robert Habros and Matt Aitken
“Star Trek” Roger Guyett, Russell Earl, Paul Kavanagh and Burt Dalton

Who should win: District 9
Who will take the cake: Avatar, can't fault this win. But I find Christopher Johnson from D9 to be an amazing work.

Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
“District 9” Written by Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell
“An Education” Screenplay by Nick Hornby
“In the Loop” Screenplay by Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, Armando Iannucci, Tony Roche
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Screenplay by Geoffrey Fletcher
“Up in the Air” Screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner

Who should win: In the Loop, no question. Absolutely fantastic writing.
Who will take the cake: Up in the Air

Writing (Original Screenplay)
“The Hurt Locker” Written by Mark Boal
“Inglourious Basterds” Written by Quentin Tarantino
“The Messenger” Written by Alessandro Camon & Oren Moverman
“A Serious Man” Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
“Up” Screenplay by Bob Peterson, Pete Docter, Story by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson, Tom McCarthy

Who should win: Inglourious Basterds - Tarantino killing it... who TRULY comes close? No one.
Who will take the cake: The Hurt Locker... I think.

Best Picture
“Avatar” James Cameron and Jon Landau, Producers
“The Blind Side” Gil Netter, Andrew A. Kosove and Broderick Johnson, Producers
“District 9” Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham, Producers
“An Education” Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey, Producers
“The Hurt Locker” Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro, Producers
“Inglourious Basterds” Lawrence Bender, Producer
“Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire” Lee Daniels, Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness, Producers
“A Serious Man” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, Producers
“Up” Jonas Rivera, Producer
“Up in the Air” Daniel Dubiecki, Ivan Reitman and Jason Reitman, Producers
Short Film (Animated)
“French Roast” Fabrice O. Joubert
“Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty” Nicky Phelan and Darragh O’Connell
“The Lady and the Reaper (La Dama y la Muerte)” Javier Recio Gracia
“Logorama” Nicolas Schmerkin
“A Matter of Loaf and Death” Nick Park

Who should win: Inglourious Basterds - but probably isn't even in the top few of votes.
Who will take the cake: The Hurt Locker. Also, Avatar could take it. Both have run a nasty campaign. The Hurt Locker has much more merit, though.

Whichever of the two wins... it will be one of those things where in 5, maybe 10 years, everyone is like WTF... why did that win Best Picture. Slumdog was one of those last year. 1994 also strikes me as one of those years (off the top of my head)... in what world is Forrest Gump better than Pulp Fiction and the Shawshank Redemption?

In another story of the dirty campaigning this season... Weinstein's have supposedly been torpedoing Hurt Locker, but not building up or pushing their own very worthy film... Basterds. Blows my mind.

80th Post...

2010-02-26T11:33:00.000-08:00

Is an over 100 years old Alice in Wonderland...

It is the weekend...

2010-02-26T10:02:00.000-08:00

Nothing really coming out locally this week at the theater... I really want to see A Prophet. I hope we get it sooner than later. EDIT GEEZ. I just checked and we get it April 9th.. one thing that I miss about LA is getting movies on time.

Today marked just my 3rd day in the gym. This is the first time in ages I have done real work outs. It can certainly make wear you out. I am feeling more energetic on the whole though. I also am very pleased with my progress only a few days in... I have already gotten my stomach largely where it needs to be. I wish others had my luck when it comes to getting into shape and having your body do what you tell it to do.

Working on some rewrites today, I think I will hold off on a handful I had planned to do... will need to get more casting done first to make sure some are the right moves. The next day of auditions is set to Wednesday. So, yay to that.

I watched A Serious Man the other day. Really nice little film. It is one of those films I cannot possibly recommend to anyone. It is just paced in a way and has a story that goes in directions that most people wouldn't like. Very allegorical. Very deft. Very odd. Great work from the Coens... but you didn't hear that from me.

I also watched a documentary about an old person choir that sings rock songs, Young @ Heart. It was cute. Give it a watch if you like that sort of thing.

Check the trailer for A Prophet....

All kinds of stuff...

2010-02-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Some people act in a truly spectacularly ridiculous manner. But I always have fun calling them on it, which is bound to happen in this vague instance. People do something and think no one will know. Probably no one that reads this is the mark, but still. Fun. Unfortunately it is film related, but I have a sense of humor about it now.

In Pixar news... sad stuff. SUPPOSEDLY (not confirmed) they cancelled one of their original films, NEWT. This means the next 3 Pixar films would be sequels - Toy Story 3, Monsters Inc 2, and Cars 2... this coming after Up, Wall E, Ratatouille, Cars, The Incredibles, Finding Nemo and Monsters, Inc.

Really, guys?

Really bad word of mouth on the Nightmare on Elm Street remake/reboot. Oh well.

I am about to buckle down for some more rewrites and modifications to the script. Not a ridiculous amount, but some very nice additions (I hope). This will be ongoing until it is "in the can."

There will probably be more rewrites done after casting gets firmer. I have some ideas already brewing and am starting to put some people in place (in my head, I hope they accept in reality). It has been fun becoming much more fluid with my vision and learning to work with the pieces I have available. Sometimes it results in something different and sometimes out right better... so far no compromise or change has been bad. I am glad I am the creator/writer/director... it just makes changes a lot quicker and easier.

I've met with some great people and look forward to meeting more.

Shutter Island

2010-02-21T19:05:00.000-08:00

So, I finally saw Shutter Island today. After it being delayed for months and after missing the screening earlier in the week... the wait had been killing me. Scorsese returning to a "lower" fare of film a la Cape Fear. I love when the truly great directors go move into this territory. Before seeing the film I got a bit of a Psycho and The Shining vibe from what I was seeing (not plot wise of course) and thankfully the film gave me exactly what I was looking for in an entry of this type.

This is most definitely not the best Scorsese film... it isn't even close. I just want to make that clear before I go on. It is not even close.

However, it is one of the best examples of why Scorsese is one of the greatest directors of all time. He has so much room to play in this film and he is in total mastery over every aspect. He kills it. The film is incredibly dense and layered. Shots are composed wonderfully, the actors play amazingly, and everything is layered with an overall sense of dread most modern directors would have no clue how to build.

This film screams of classic storytelling that was perfected by the likes of Hitchcock and Wells. Large amounts of symbolism and meaning behind every choice in the film. Fantastic.

Every actor is cast perfectly, from the smallest role right up to the lead in DiCaprio, who is the backbone of the film (actor wise. and he has had an impressive decade or so... but working with Scorsese, Spielberg, Danny Boyle, Ridley Scott and more will do that). The cinematography accomplishes a very strange thing. It feels very classic... yet incredibly modern. It has a bit of a classic grainy feel... but skies and other things are CGI enhanced to make a really surreal visual. I mean that in the best possible way. Editing is in peak form. Costumes are exactly right. Great stuff at every turn.

I want to single out the films soundtrack. It is a remarkable compilation. No original score was composed, yet the selections fit it perfectly. The sounds invoke a classic Bernard Herrmann score and caused me to have a huge smile on my face the entire time. Herrmann's career of course started with Citizen Kane and came to an end with Scorsese's own Taxi Driver.

This film opened with a 40 million dollar opening weekend. Impressive. Sadly, it is Scorsese's largest opening ever. That says a lot about the movie going public. Reportedly, the film has a very mixed word of mouth. This is ridiculous. On the other hand, I can see why... mainly due to the fact this film is the work of a master who won't pander and also that modern audiences have no idea how a thriller/mystery that actually stands the test of time should be composed. In a true rarity for the genre (in the modern age anyways), this film will be BETTER on repeated viewings. Take in what was laid before you... and smile that someone has a handle on film like Scorsese...

Make no mistake. This film is the work of a master who continues to impress over 40 years into his career. This one will be around for a long time, regardless of what your average drooler thinks of it coming out of the theater. I will be going for a second theater viewing. Make sure you make it for at least one go round.

Bravo, Marty.

Ouch.

2010-02-17T08:12:00.001-08:00

The snow let up (has been hitting just enough to keep me off the roads early) and I was able to get to the gym today. I feel a little wiped out. But, I do feel good about getting back into it. And I will need to get my legs and things with me for filming.

The second wave of auditions will be taking place this evening. Exciting. I really wonder how long this process will be... when do I say that is enough and that kind of thing. I still have at least one more wave lined up after today... beyond that I don't know.

Was supposed to go to see Shutter Island for free today. Going to have to miss that. Well worth it though.

Few films and other stuffs...

2010-02-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

So, the first round of auditions for the lead were held this past Saturday. It was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to getting to the other's that are lined up. I won't talk about anyone or how they did, but it was a blast.

Next round in Wednesday... which is great, but means I will miss my screening of Shutter Island I was to go to... but it is not even a question of which to do. Can't wait.

I start getting back to the gym in the morning... time to get back in real shape. Should be good, just wish it wasn't so cold out.

I saw Crazy Heart today. It was a nice little film with all the actors doing great work. Very defined character arc but delivered with nuance and reality. Good stuff.

I also watch Tsotsi today on DVD. Really nice little film with a lot of good ideas. It was directed very well. I recommend both films.

Then you tried to dis my shoes...

2010-02-12T07:55:00.000-08:00

One not making it out of the woods. One not out yet. One just heading in. Bleh. The more I stay focused on the movie, the easier it is...

Been reading over some lines the past few days. I really need to get it done for sure today... have people auditioning for the first time tomorrow. Woo. More to come next week. I have largely been out of "vision" mode... just too much other stuff going on. And I want to get this role cast. After that, I'll probably go back that side of things.

Working on getting a soundman. Some promising leads.

Mastodon is coming in May. Rock.

FINALLY!

2010-02-07T11:24:00.001-08:00

There is a skit that draws inspiration from the sax player in Lost Boys....

Fun short.

2010-02-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

Had some pretty good meet ups this week. Finished some small revisions on the script and will have a few other people read it soon. Readings soon.

I am going to start making a shooting bible version, that will include all the stuff in my head and scattered on random bits of paper in one hard copy of the script. This will obviously help me get a better handle of things.

This short is pretty interesting.

Keep on rockin'

2010-02-02T09:53:00.001-08:00

“I’m not Grammy material. I hate that shit. It has nothing to do with rock ‘n’ roll. It only has to do with Hollywood, and it’s jive — a buncha people handin’ each other awards and talkin’ about how they made the best record … There is no best in music.”

- Neil Young, 1987

Jonsi solo...

2010-02-01T23:18:00.001-08:00

Sigur Ros frontman goes solo for an album...

Self photo.

2010-02-01T13:33:00.001-08:00

Moving past...

2010-02-01T10:23:00.001-08:00

I finished the latest draft. The last for possibly a long time. Probably until there are more actors involved. That way I can read through with them and make changes according to them.

I hope to have some reads with people in a few weeks time to get even more perspective on things. Ready to start moving forward.

Director Michael Haneke has been rocking my socks of late. If you get a chance to catch his latest, The White Ribbon, do it. I just got around to watching his Caché and I loved it.

Really want to see Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer. Also, really looking forward to Edgar Wright's take on Scott Pilgrim. I think it will be something truly special.

Raining...

2010-01-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

When it rains it pours. The family stuff continues to pile on. And in really bad ways. It is what it is... not much I can do about it except be there for my peoples.

I have had a few conversations in the last week or so that have lifted my spirits in terms of working here. I have a few things to set up hopefully soon.

Working on the latest revisions has been a bit of a longer process than I expected. It boils down to me not getting it done in a timely manner more than anything else. I have a small piece of paper with the remaining rewrites. These equate to about 2 new pages I wrote that need to be surgically pieced in the proper places.

About to do that now...

I started this blog days ago and it isn't even long. I'm on point!

It is snowing outside.

Goofing off...

2010-01-26T10:24:00.001-08:00

The strange story of Machete...

2010-01-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

I was going to write something semi-serious, but I'll save that for tomorrow. Today (or this past weekend), I learned that Robert Rodriguez's Machete was purchased by Fox for distribution in theaters across the country.

This is all based on the fake trailer starring Danny Trejo from the financial failure, Grindhouse (a piece of work I think has some merits, but I understand its detractors).

It was originally slated to be directed by who knows who and made for direct to video. Just something quick, cheap, and fun for the fans. Rodriguez decided to lens it his self. Now, that ups its stature automatically.

What do you think? Are you on board? Still seems a bit low end though, right?

What if I say Steven Seagal is in it? How about Jessica Alba? Michelle Rodriguez? Anything yet?

Tom Savini? Rose McGowan? Lindsay Lohan? Cheech Marin? Have a pulse yet?

Don Johnson?

OK... how about Robert De Niro? Seriously. How this direct to video became such a big piece of fun, I have no idea. Will it be good? Probably not. Will it be a blast to watch? Probably.

Star studded cast and a director who knows how to direct action (and that is about all he knows how to direct, but he is one of the best at it). A fun movie to watch along side the hopefully fun Expendables. Star studded, throw back fun. It is the thing to do in 2010.

This is all based on the fake trailer starring Danny Trejo from the financial failure, Grindhouse.

Amazing and strange.

Locally implanted headaches...

2010-01-16T19:57:00.000-08:00

Man. Long have I wanted to make a film here. Where I am from.

There are a number of reasons for this, all of which feel pretty right. But man... there are some headaches and lows that come with trying to do this. The people behind the camera are in fairly large abundance around here. Which is great. I love working with people who want to work on something like this... something they can apply their skills on and not be the same stuff they normally do. They get stoked. And I think they should. And the people I speak to I feel very confident in what they can bring.

Someone told me that was the hard part. The behind the camera part. You could always get people to be in front of the camera. No problem. I will have to respectfully disagree with that sentiment. Or maybe it is just not easy to find certain qualities.

Having met with a handful of people, I am very confident that smaller roles will be filled with competent people. I am working on getting the larger roles read for... some are filled, some will be hard going.

But so much of the film hinges on the lead. THE FILM hangs upon the lead. It is about as main character centric as you can get. And no one has come close to matching my vision. I have met with some solid actors, but I don't want to have to compromise so much that it is nowhere near where I wanted it to be.

We will see... shooting here makes me happy... but also can give me large headaches.

Meet n Greet

2010-01-15T11:53:00.001-08:00

I have been re-reading and cleaning up some areas in the script. Most of them are the newer things that have not been read over that much. Which always happens. At the same time, I am reminded of why I like it and how strong my vision is for the story I want to tell.

After many, many delays.... weather and others... I should finally be sitting down face to face with my composer Sunday to flesh out some ideas. I'd like to get some sonic ideas out there before filming to help on a number of levels. And of course these can be (and will be) tweaked and worked on further after filming is complete and in post.

I have met with a handful of actors this week and will continue to sit down with more as time goes on... I have a fairly full day of this tomorrow. I enjoy doing this, but it can be tiring and it makes my throat sore from talking all day. Almost all of these have gone fairly well and it has been nice to meet some local talent. I hope to be able to do some readings/taped auditions in the near future. I still fear the look for the lead will be a long and painful one.

Here's hoping...

And that was all serious... here is the fun.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

2010-01-13T20:29:00.000-08:00

Terry Gilliam is back in true Gilliam form. If you are a fan of his work... this is fabulous news. I will stay mainly spoiler free and I just now watched a trailer. I recommend going in blind to the film as well if at all possible.

I have a huge admiration for the works of this man and really feel for him as he has had some of the worst luck of any director working. Not to take away from the tragic death of Heath Ledger, but the fact that he died while working on a Gilliam film seemed an "of course it happened while on a Gilliam film" situation. Given the hammering the production took due to the loss of Ledger, it is amazing the film was completed at all (not to mention some of the brave choices made with what they had already filmed). Even more astounding is the fact that the film works and that the film makers creative fix for the situation makes for a really strong device. I feel it actually enhances the film and surely pushed all involved to give their best.

This is the first film in over 20 years that feels 100% like a Gilliam film. This sits alongside Time Bandits, Brazil, and Baron Munchausen as a work that could only spring from the man who started out as Monty Python's cartoonist. His signature style is represented here in a number of ways. Even some goofy CGI, which is a first for his style. Some critics try to blast the look of the CGI as being distracting for lack of realism... but knowing his work and what he likes to do... how could anyone expect any form of realism? How would that ever be perceived as a goal of his?

Seriously.

Gilliam's faults are on full display here, but those come with the Gilliam. If you enjoy his movies, you know this already. Not a good handle on narrative and pacing. In fact, his narrative sometimes spins out of his control... but this just seems to be a product of his vast imagination. I say, go with it. This film seems very personal, it seems like Gilliam is speaking to everyone... but much like the message in the film (one of them, anyways)... no one will listen. Except those already in the know. He is preaching to the choir and he knows it.

All the actors give fantastic performances. The core group is fun. Tom Waits is in true Waits form. The three actors who stepped in to save the day play their parts wonderfully and blend perfectly with Ledger. Each actor's part even plays to their public persona a bit... which is a brilliant stroke. Dr. Parnassus is the titular character and seems to be the canvas... but Ledger and friends' Tony character seems to be the true main character. It is a bit of a strange structure, but one I enjoyed.

This bit of praise is all over the place... much like the film and his other works. It felt like an honor to see a true Gilliam vision piece on the big screen. He is trying to ramp up his Don Quixote project yet again... hopefully it gets up and stays up and he can complete his dream project. See the documentary Lost in La Mancha to get a sense of his troubles with that project and in general.

A daily planner...

2010-01-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

Is this a sign of getting old? I don't know. I do know I am starting to get a lot of stuff going on... and a lot of meeting with people I don't really know... so I have moved to the daily planner to make sure I don't miss appointments and such. Hooray.

Working on meeting some actors and things of that nature. Just plugging along. Things continue to look up on that front. For the most part...

If I was to have theme music that followed me where ever I go... it would be this. Thought you would like to know. Long live John Carpenter.

Pixar short... featuring characters from UP.

2010-01-04T11:21:00.001-08:00

Enjoy this...

2010-01-04T10:56:00.000-08:00

I love the acoustic version of this song. I remember catching him playing it over a decade ago on the telly. Great stuff.

Best Film Stuff... 2009

2009-12-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

I'll have a top 15 below and below that will be some individual accolades. Some films may have been out in 2008 in some places and some may not see wide until next year. I thought it was a strong year, but it was strong outside of your typical big movies or award baiting dramas. And no... I didn't see everything.

TOP 15

15) The Hurt Locker

A very tense portrait of a bomb squad in Iraq, this one has the best direction and set pieces of the year. A truly thrilling film that deserves a look from everyone. It doesn't completely gel as a narrative, but the few snapshots present will make you sweat.

14) Thirst

This almost plays as Twilight for adults. An interesting tale of vampires featuring a priest. Not Chan-Wook Park's best (director of OldBoy, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), but a nice little film with a director that is always worth watching.

13) Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson's stop motion adaptation of a Roald Dahl book. Really timeless and bizarre... exactly like Wes Anderson's other films. This is his best film since the Royal Tenenbaums.

12)World's Greatest Dad

Maybe the darkest film on the list... and it is hilarious. Best advice would be to watch it blind, watch no previews as they give too much away. Robin Williams stars in one of his occasional films that matter. Written and directed by Bobcat Goldthwait.

11) Gomorrah

OK, maybe this film is darker than the one above... as this film has no laughs. No traditional narrative to be found here. Just a handful of characters that are involved or within reach of the Italian mob and quick peeks into their lives. Brutal and real, this is a post modern look at the mob. No romanticism or lovable characters, just the ugly truth.

10) Bronson

A film that features one of the best leading performances of the year (if not the best). A TRUE story about Britain's most infamous prisoner. Tom Hardy disappears and delivers a truly singular, visceral performance as Bronson. I really enjoyed this film, even if it doesn't have much to say other than just putting Bronson out in front for all to see.

9) Drag Me to Hell

Sam Raimi returns to his horror comedy roots and shows no one can do it the way he does. Great atmosphere and direction, it is rare that a movie can invoke huge laughs while still being able to turn on the tension. All a credit to Raimi's skill and knowledge of the audience.

8) In the Loop

So funny. So true. Which makes it so sad. A laugh til you cry look at politics and the people who are in charge of things... it seems so ludicrous. But we all know all to well that it is unfortunately the truth. As for laughs per minute ratio, this is probably the highest of the year. And it is incredibly smart to boot. Walrus.

7) UP

Pixar always delivers and Up is no exception. Poignant and beautiful, Pixar are the masters at delivering stories that anyone at any age can enjoy and take something away from after viewing.

6) The White Ribbon

I am still mulling this film over. Does it belong on my list... and if so... where. I put it here for now. It could go up or down. It is without a doubt deft film making. The story of a small German village just before WWI and how certain elements can rot a society. I don't think it is alluding to one specific thing (the to come WWII), but can be applied to many things including the human condition. Not overly complex in its symbolism and allegory, yet so much going on and with a huge cast it gives you plenty to consider. Wonderfully shot, each shot composition reinforces the narrative. If you can handle a long, non scored black and white film with subtitles and enjoy thinking about your consumed art... Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon is highly recommended.

5) District 9

An absolute stunning film. A first time director who made a more endearing "big" film than anyone else who released one this year. The film does massive amounts with a modest budget of $30 million (modest for this size film). A lead you've never heard of delivers an incredible performance and the pacing never lets up. A few tiny things keep this one from being perfect, but it is good enough that it will be around forever. Delivers a haunting look at certain issues with an allegory as simple as refugee aliens. Brilliant.

4) Observe and Report

I consider this film pretty much to be perfect. I don't think it is for everyone, but for what it is and what it wants to do, it does it flawlessly. An incredibly dark film, but also very funny... it is akin to a comedy version of Taxi Driver. Great film making.

3) Where the Wild Things Are

This movie hits pretty hard. It also talks down to no one. It paints a three dimensional view of a child, which is rare in any medium. The film shows a rare and small time in anyone's life... when even your personal havens are no longer safe. A movie that shows the raw power of cinema and how it can transport you.

2) Moon

Hmm. This film ended up higher than I would have guessed. I love it. I think it is fantastic sci-fi. A small film that is carried by Sam Rockwell more than any other film is carried by its lead (that I can think of off the top). Fantastic acting coupled with a very smart script that leads to some truly haunting emotions for you the viewer. Special mention to the Clint Mansell score, guy does killer work.

1) Inglourious Basterds

Amazing writing. Killer direction. An ensemble cast that destroys on every level. A level of fun and excitement rarely reached. Just fantastic. I adore this film more than I care to write about. One of my most watchable and favorite "me" movies ever. Special mention to Christoph Waltz who delivers one of my favorite performances ever as Landa. This may be Tarantino's best film ever. Truth. It will not revolutionize cinema the way Pulp Fiction did, but as a stand alone no baggage piece of work... it may be the best. Time will tell. Regardless, amazing film.

Honorables:
Up in the Air, Anvil! The Story of Anvil, Coraline, Public Enemies, Watchmen Director's Cut

Best Individuals

Direction
Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker

Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino, Inglourious Basterds

Editing
Bob Murawski, Drag Me to Hell & The Hurt Locker
Chris Innis, The Hurt Locker

Score
Clint Mansell, Moon
Hans Zimmer, Sherlock Holmes

Cinematography
Chung-hoon Chung, Thirst
Larry Fong, Watchmen

Special Effects
District 9
Where the Wild Things Are

Best Actor
Sam Rockwell as Sam Bell - Moon
Tom Hardy as Bronson - Bronson

Best Actress
I thought it was a pretty awful year for lead women in film... can't pick one out of all the films I have seen. I hear Michelle Monaghan is very good in Trucker. I will check it out this coming week.

Best Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz as Col. Landa - Inglourious Basterds

Best Supporting Actress
Mélanie Laurent as Shoshanna Dreyfus - Inglourious Basterds
Anna Kendrick as Natalie Keener - Up in the Air

Best of 2009 (non-film)

2009-12-22T09:01:00.001-08:00

Here is the stuff from this year that I enjoyed... sans films. Look for a top 15 of those around the new year.

Music

Best Single

Depeche Mode - Wrong

Runner Up

Massive Attack - Splitting the Atom

Best Albums

5) Metric - Fantasies

Super slick synth pop perfection. That is pretty much what this album boils down to... yes, it is glossy, but man is it good. Three albums in my top five have ten tracks. This is one of them.

4) Pearl Jam - Backspacer

One of Pearl Jam's absolute best albums... coming in 2009. Yes. This is a band with legs. A fantastic album that has more energy and punch than any of their other albums. The ballads take a back seat on this one, which is a bit of a reversal for a PJ album.

3) The Horrors - Primary Colours

Ten tracks. All great stuff. For my money, this is one of the best albums to come out in this genre (sort of a indie gloom rock) in a long, long time.

2) Silversun Pickups - Swoon

A fantastic album from start to finish. Ten tracks and not a single one is filler or wasted. This feels like how albums should be done. They take many cues from when Smashing Pumpkins mattered (SP, get it, though they are named after a liquor store)and deliver a memorable and extremely well crafted album.

1) Mastodon - Crack the Skye

Heavy and beautiful, Mastodon released one of the best heavy album of all time with Crack the Skye. Only 7 tracks long, yet it clocks in at 50 minutes, an epic album that fits together perfectly. The heir has finally become apparent in regards to heavy music.

Honorable Mentions

Morrissey - Years of Refusal, Alice in Chains - Black Gives Way to Blue, Blakroc - Blakroc, M Ward - Hold Time, Them Crooked Vultures - Them Crooked Vultures, Jay-Z - Blueprint III, AFI - Crash Love, Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, La Roux - La Roux

Videogames

Man, I wrote a lot in 2009... and I also played a lot of video games. Geez. Anyways... here are the favorites I played. Based mostly on fun I had with them. Didn't get to some (Uncharted 2, for example). Here are 3 I really liked... no explanations, but a video to show you about it if you are unfamiliar.

Brutal Legend

Demon's Souls

Batman Arkham Asylum

Books

With all the gaming and writing... and the usual film viewing... I did not read as much as I wanted to... but I still read several books this year. My favorite below.

The Death of Bunny Munro - Nick Cave

This book really snuck up on me. I didn't know if I liked it for at least the first 25% of it. But by the end I was really on board and felt it was a great work. Some really nice character work and some things I can't even mention structure wise, or else it would spoil. Definitely check it out. Bizarre, crude, and yet somehow heartfelt.

Comics

I read some, but it was largely an off year for keeping up with the comic universe. I did come across a new series that is absolutely fantastic. Imaginative, currently vital, literary, and intelligent. A series I can't recommend enough to anyone who likes a good story... which means everyone.

The Unwritten

Written by comic veteran and great Mike Carey, this series is fantastic. The first collected volume hits in a few weeks for only $10. Get on board with something great.

Television

I haven't had cable for two years now... I have no idea what is great beyond network TV. I still think Lost is one of the best shows around (ever). Supernatural has been really great. I watch a lot of cartoons. The only new show I would recommend is Glee. But that is sugary and bright... so, know that ahead of time... all you lovers of realism and gloom.

Avatar reaction....

2009-12-20T22:08:00.000-08:00

This may be long.

Avatar is the latest James Cameron film and one that has been getting a huge amount of buzz and positive word of mouth. I am responding to the film and people's reactions to it.

The short of it... the film is decent. It flirts with being good a few times, but decides to reside in tepid territory. As a film, you know... because that's what it is, it barely passes. Barely.

As an FX demo reel it is pretty good. As a 3D tech demo reel it is amazing. That is what Avatar is good at... that is all.

It is recommended over other big fare... like the films of Michael Bay, Roland Emmerich, or Stephen Sommers. Cameron is good at what he does. The film is intelligent even if it is sort of a "behind" the actual script and story intelligence. There was obviously a lot of thought and care put into it by very smart people.

Go see it in a theater if you care to see it.

So, on to more in depth stuff. Score following the text on a few points.

Story/Characters

The film is a compilation of a million things you have seen before. All story points and characters are recycled and completely unoriginal. Every character is a "that guy" character that are expected to be in a film such as this. There isn't a single non-cookie cutter character in the film. And no character really has any depth. It is disappointing.

6/10

Script

See the story section above. Characters come off ridiculous and their dialog reflects this. Might as well be twirling their mustaches if they are bad guys.

6/10

Actors

Do what they can with what they have... which is cartoon characters or cliches. Everyone pulls their weight, even if it is feather light. No one stands out as bad and no one gets a chance to be good.

7/10

Direction/Pace

Putting these together since it is all under Cameron. The film is Cameron's best and worst qualities times 10. The direction is compelling enough, but he seems more interested in extended montages of native life (both the wildlife and the way of life) than any real weight in the storytelling. But he is good at what he does and this is why the film succeeds the best it can given its ludicrous plot cliches.

7/10

Design Work

I am giving this a separate section as it is one of the main points of the movie. Mild spoilers. This is less about personal preference for the designs and more about just what is. Looking at the flora and fauna of Pandora is one of (if not THE) best thing in the movie. Seeing a bevy of newly created things is quite fun. All is not rainbows though, as there are some problems. Everything is just a riff of some Earth creature which dampens the creativity a tad. The design philosophy is uneven... most critters have 6 limbs and breath out of their chest cavity (which makes sense from an energy stand point). But the Navi are 4 limbed and breath from the nose. This is really for audience connection, but it is an obvious design flaw. It was done for the old rat vs squirrel argument (which was wonderfully mentioned in Inglourious this year).

Also, very annoying is the direct copying of Native Americans for the Navi culture. Lame.

8/10

Digital Effects

The Navi and planet look good. Not fantastically awesome ZOMG this is so much better than anything ever made like so many people like to say. But solid. You never feel like the creatures are real, real. At least I never did. I thought Davy Jones from PotC Dead Man's Chest was a MUCH more convincing character in terms of photo realism.

(compare that to the blue folk above)

Pixar films even have fairly photo real backgrounds. Backgrounds are easy these days. This film also cheats by having humans rarely appear near or next to Navi. So, it makes it easier for your brain to accept. That being said, still very solid and impressive work. Just not groundbreaking or leaps above anything else out there.

8/10

3D Tech

Ah... something the film does astoundingly well. This is the best aspect by far, but that is a real shame. As it is a gimmick. One that won't carry any weight away from a nice theater. This is some of the best 3D work I have seen. Easily the best for live action. Coraline from this year also has fantastic 3D. This isn't tons better than that, but it is still fantastic tech.

10/10

Score

The music is so/so. Which is disheartening. I was hoping for something great. When it goes too native sounding, the score flounders. When James Horner does what he does best and doesn't try to invoke Native Americans, the score soars.

6/10

That will be it for scoring sections. As a film you (assuming you are intelligent and actual expect quality story telling) get a barely passing, but fun ride.

Film
6/10

As a theater experience in 3D it gets an upgrade. If you have ANY interest in seeing the film, see it in theaters. This film will not hold up. In 5 years, this will be a forgettable film.

Theater Experience
7/10

The film is decent. A bit tepid. Which is a shame for the most expensive movie ever made and one that has been gestating well over a decade. Any real weight in the story is just glossed over. Ask yourself... what Cameron film is this better than? Exactly.

Also, I'll end with a point that have been making the rounds on the net. This film could only be made by a white person. This mechanic is so tired and outdated (part of the overall generic story), colonization bad. We bad. But WAIT... only one of us can save you. Only the turncoat who comes to see the error of his ways can save the silly savages. Ugh. Go away, stories that use this ridiculously outdated mindset and device.
Read more here... What I was telling you before...

Beat down.

2009-12-16T13:50:00.000-08:00

Have gotten some small things done over the last few days. Have the latest (hopefully last, at least in terms of story revisions) draft printed. Will be some dialog changes dependent on actors. Built a small camera utility yesterday.

The holidays were going to keep me busy as it was, but some bad family stuff has been going down and this has exhausted me and will make it hard to get many concrete things done until afterwards. I do have some meet ups scheduled with work people, so there is that at least. More show and tell.

My 15 Films of the Decade...

2009-12-14T16:03:00.000-08:00

I figured I would make a best of the decade list for films...

This is the decade that saw me transformed me from someone who thought they were fun to someone who thinks about film almost constantly and studied it extensively. Weird to think about. These are my personal favorites... I think.

It is almost impossible to make a list like this, but this is composed of things I liked, passed my critic test and felt were important. Honorables in the comments.

15) Mulholland Drive

I can understand why some don't like this film, but this along with Blue Velvet are two of the things from David Lynch that I love through and through. Things that I love as much as about any piece of art. This one has a great vibe and air of mystery throughout. The cast delivers fantastic performances all around... this movie is just very special and can deliver feelings that few other films can. You may have to watch it a handful of times to decipher something out of it, but that is half the fun.

14) 25th Hour

Spike Lee's best film? Maybe. This is a film I feel is hugely important. It was made by a New Yorker very soon after 9/11. Other films tried to capture a panic type feeling from the event or not even bring it up... in this one the reality of the situation is just a part of the characters' everyday lives. There is some truly haunting imagery that comes with the story of a man who messed up and is now trying to figure out if he has any options left in his life. I think this film is overlooked a bit. Everyone should watch this film.

13) Memento

This film would announce the arrival of Christopher Nolan. Of course he has had a killer decade, but this film is really special. True, it loses a touch on repeat viewings... nothing really compares to sitting through this one for the first time, but with incredible direction, writing, editing, acting, music, cinematography, and more... it is a fantastic film. The writing is incredibly tight... absolute awe on my part. This film also seemed to be part of a really nice neo-noir set that was emerging, which seems to have since cooled in many ways. Shame.

12) City of God

A film that has probably sworn me off of going to Brazil forever... incredibly real with its depiction of life in the slums of Rio De Janeiro, it shows what paths are open to some youths and how no option is really a "good" option. Forget last years Slumdog Millionaire, this is the real deal. A much more powerful and real portrait which ultimately makes it one of the decade's best.

11) The Incredibles

Brad Bird's (Iron Giant, Ratatouille) first film at Pixar seems like the perfect film from that studio. A fantastic superhero film with a great score and so many homage's to old Bond films makes for a throughly entertaining film for all ages. The family dynamic presented here is very true to life and each character is three dimensional and feels very real. Just a complete joy from start to finish. This along with Wall E, Ratatouille, and UP show just how universal and endearing to all that Pixar's medium can be.

10) OldBoy

I don't think a director had a better decade than Chan-Wook Park. This guy is an insane talent and he absolutely killed this decade. In terms of a director of the decade award, it is either this guy or Darren Aronofsky. JSA, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, OldBoy, Lady Vengeance, I'm a Cyborg but That's OK, and Thirst. All in the 2000s. This is probably his most liked and well received film. I love it and what it does with traditional anti-hero archetypes. This is sort of a Man with No Name meets the Count of Monte Cristo. Incredibly powerful, disturbing, and thought provoking.

9) Inglourious Basterds

This is one of my most fun, favorite films ever. If that makes sense. I just have a blast watching this film. The writing is the usual stellar Tarantino dialog we expect. The performances are out of this world (Christoph Waltz for best supporting actor!)... bringing so many unique and colorful characters to life. A WWII film that changes history and laughs as it does so... so cry about it and you cry alone. As for its style, a balanced homage to Spaghetti Westerns and French New Wave wraps it all up in a way that lovers of film should squeal about. Some people have tried to rain on Quentin's parade since he changed cinema in 94. This is his best movie since then (and I really like all his films period) and shows that he will be around to annoy his detractors for a long, long time. Oh... and a David Bowie song piping in at full blast = win.

8) Lord of the Rings trilogy

A bit of a cheat having all films in one spot. But it is what it is... truly epic film making on a scale that is rarely seen. These films definitely have more in common with Lawrence of Arabia than other films that share the "fantasy" tag. A completely believable world brought to life with considerable care and love by the whole cast and crew. Great pacing for such a long epic... just astounding work. A huge gamble that paid off creatively, financially, and critically.

7) Spirited Away

The master Hayao Miyazaki's best film? Probably. Which certainly means it is in the conversation for greatest animated feature of all time. Very beautiful and very poignant with its emotional attachments, the film brings a hugely fantastical look to an awkward time in a little girl's life. A+ work from every single angle. I love getting swept off to this land that has been so vividly brought to life.... over and over again.

6) Amelie

This film absolutely makes my heart soar. I love the director and this film is just so full of the idiosyncrasies that he and his characters are known for... love it. Expertly made with cinematography that makes me giddy... actually the whole film makes me giddy. So in love with life and all that it entails, this film is for everyone. Expertly showing that bravura storytelling can be saccharine, but still possess the upmost artist merit. I get so sick of women who try to defend Twilight as something "for them"... so lay off... no. No. No. Terrible is terrible and there are too many examples in art, such as Amelie, where something can be made for the hopelessly romantic and still produce stellar results with true merit. Thank you, Jean-Pierre Jeunet. I look forward to your newest film, Micmacs... which is coming soon!

5) The Departed

Based on a Chinese film (Infernal Affairs) that could have just as easily made the list, the Departed is Martin Scorsese showing that he knows best. A thrilling ride with proper twists and turns that is assembled as only a true master could. Scorsese returns to the genre that made him famous and shows no one can do it better. Loaded cast delivering a great script to you. Be grateful. Enjoy this ride again and again. The film also has an amazing use of music, showing why in addition to theme and style, others such as Tarantino and Mann have also learned from Scorsese's deft use of "modern" music. Anyways, a fabulous tale of the lengths the good will go to take down evil.

4)The Fountain

A film I did not have the pleasure of seeing upon release... something I regret massively. I want to see this on the big screen so bad. This film is beautiful. Just, tear inducing. The visuals are astounding. The message and emotion present... heart breaking. The Clint Mansell score can make me tear up all on its own. Maybe my favorite score of the decade. Crushing. This film I had skimmed some reviews of before release. After viewing the film, most of the reviews were dead wrong on everything. Absolutely off point. The film is incredibly small in scope, there are some large visuals and themes present, but it is a very intimate story. The best kind of storytelling. It never holds your hand and deals with things that everyone secretly fears and thinks about. A piece of art so raw and honest in its emotional delivery it can be hard to watch without want to look away.

3) No Country for Old Men

An absolute mind blowing film. Richly layered with great themes that really seem like universal truths. I feel like this film is oft misinterpreted, even by those that really like it. One of the most thrilling films I have seen and one that comes by everything very honestly. Almost no score is present throughout its entire duration, so you know the tension is truly present and earned. The Coens are masters of so many genres and this film is their crowning jewel. Weirdly, all Coen films feel like the Coens no matter how different they are... great talents.

2)Let the Right One In

A taut and small film that really deals with some universal subject matter in interesting ways. The film centers on a young boy and his encounter with a vampire. The film is fabulous. I really like films that deal with the awkward stage that the lead character is in, and this film delivers. When all you want in the world is a friend, but you don't have a lot of experience in that area... how do you behave. A great coming of age story that shows the power of friendship and loyalty. This film along with Thirst and the upcoming Daybreakers show that there is still a lot of creative material to be mined from vampire lore... despite the vampire's current vogue status and apparent creative bankruptcy.

If you have yet to check this film out, please do so... but a HUGE word of warning. There are two subtitled versions running around in the retail sector. If you get it from a rental store, Netflix, or even a retail store... you will probably get the bad one. You have to search for the one that says subtitled (THEATRICAL) on the back to get the good one. The correct version came out later... so look for the theatrical subs.

1) Children of Men

Yup. This is my favorite of the last 10 years. A movie that has some amazing contrast and visuals. A movie set in the near future that deals with a world where child birth is impossible. This film absolutely hammered me. A simple premise anchored by an incredibly weighty performance from Clive Owen and rounded out with great performances from all. This movie is about hope most of all... including the lack of it. Some see it as bleak, but I see it as incredibly bright and the length humanity will go to preserve hope. The music in this film is amazing... another score I listen to regularly. The direction for this one is out of this world. If you have an appreciation for film making, you will have your jaw on the floor.

This film is also part of a seeming sci-fi resurgence. But it leads the pack there and amongst most others. It is a true example of what cinema should strive to be.... tight, emotional, gripping, ambitious, beautiful, real, intimate, intelligent and large in meaning.

Finished?

2009-12-14T10:09:00.001-08:00

I pretty much finished the script for good Saturday. I think I want to add one element, but it is very minor.

Now that I can officially put the script in the done pile, I can focus on other things. I think this week I will be building some items that will be useful for filming.

On top of this, I will be working out my "effects" shots to make sure I have how to do them all worked out well in advance of shooting.

Also will start to work on a few costume elements. Character design is ongoing... starting to work on something really cool.

After the holidays, I hope to add a few additional cast and crew.

Way too much to do.

Here is a sketch by M of our friend Jason who is playing a role... cropped for a reason.

Blargh.

2009-12-12T10:14:00.000-08:00

Back, after a month of settling in...

Lots and lots of good stuff has happened. Almost none of which I can talk about.

Over the past few days the ending of the screenplay presented itself to me... so I am spending today working on that. Then I think it is pretty much done, done. And on to the next thing.

Favorite 10 Heavy Albums...

2009-11-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow all goes dark for a week or so. But as I song I love goes... by the light of the moon...

Alright, so in sort of honor of Brutal Legend and the heavy music kick I have been on... I present my favorite ten heavy albums of all time. Some rules... I judged based on personal preference as well as overall influence and importance. Only one album per band (or else several spots would go to Metallica). Has to be in hard/heavy rock/metal for the most part... no super genre benders. I am not a music critic or musician. I give other albums that are close and a track from the selected. So, in no particular order...

JUDAS PRIEST - BRITISH STEEL

I love Judas Priest. Most of the time. Without a doubt one of the most influential metal bands of all time. This is their best album and one that shows why they are so fun. Songs that are heavy and still manage to be fun... but serious. An album with Living After Midnight and Breaking the Law is a winner already... but the whole album is great.

Honorable mentions: Screaming for Vengeance, Angel of Retribution

Powerful piece: United

MOTORHEAD - ACE OF SPADES

Along with the above mentioned, really a huge catalyst for the genre. Motorhead brought the heavy and the loud. Ace of Spades is hands down their greatest album and one of the best heavy rock albums around. Every song is a killer.

Honorable mentions: Motorizer (yup, 2008's album was a beast)

Powerful piece: the Road Crew

METALLICA - MASTER OF PUPPETS

Maybe the best metal album of all time from their greatest act. One of the best albums from any genre top to bottom. A complete and utter master stroke. Can't say much else. Every song is a killer. On top of the musicianship the album was very topical at the time.

Honorable mentions: ... And Just for All, the Black Album

Powerful piece: The Thing That Should Not Be (top shelf Met meets Lovecraft = one of favorite songs ever)

WHITE ZOMBIE - ASTRO CREEP: 2000

An incredibly heavy and groovy album from Rob and Co. Easily one of my personal favorites. Rob understands showmanship and knows that you can be silly and still write a killer and catchy song. Despite the funk and fun, this album brings the heavy. Every song is a winner.

Honorable mentions: Nothing close in their catalog.

Powerful piece: Electric Head pt 2.. but here is More Human Than Human due to embed issues...

AC/DC - BACK IN BLACK
Band loses an amazing frontman... done? No. They return with Brian Johnson and release a flat out beast of an album. A top to bottom monster of hard rock. All the radio songs and all the rest slay.

Honorable mentions: Nothing in that category, but Razors Edge and Black Ice are both fantastic albums.

Powerful piece: the opener Hells Bells

MASTODON - CRACK THE SKYE

Hey... this one is from this year! I think these guys are the new kings of heavy music. This is their best album, even if it only has 7 songs. Great technical players and song writers who know how to put together a complete album (every time thus far). It is great to know that a group can still push the boundaries and take over the mantle.

Honorable mentions: Blood Mountain

Powerful piece: Oblivion

PANTERA - VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER

The great Southern heavy band (at least until the Don). Funny that these guys started as a glam hair band and went on to define a certain kind of groove oriented heavy. Was hard to decide between this one and Cowboys... but out of respect (har) I went with this one.

Honorable mentions: Cowboys from Hell

Powerful piece: WALK!

GUNS N' ROSES - APPETITE FOR DESTRUCTION

Ahh.. GNR. One of the most powerful debuts ever... and then proceeded to go off the rails almost immediately. Regardles, Appetite stands as an amazing achievement in hard rock. Yes, the band members have issues... but don't tell me you don't want to be taken to the paradise city.

Honorable mention: nope.

Powerful piece: It's So Easy... why not.

MEGADETH - RUST IN PIECE

I used to like this band... then I didn't... now I do again. Regardless, easily at the top of the speed metal game with only Metallica in their way. Rust in Peace is a great album and one of the shining examples in this genre. Mustaine is always killing it on guitar and always has something political to say, which I can respect.

Honorable mentions: Countdown to Extinction, Endgame (new album is great)

Powerful piece: Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

BLACK SABBATH - PARANOID

A fantastic album from a fantastic band... the album came out in 1970... 1970. Seriously. The closest we get to that on my list is Ace of Spades, Back in Black and British Steel... all 1980 (what a year!). The group's second album and amazingly in top form. Paranoid and Iron man... oh yeah. Group sort of did the opposite of Judas Priest... Sabbath exploded out and then fizzled after 4 albums... Priest took about 4 albums to really warm up in the first place. Other fun fact... both bands were formed in the same English city (Birmingham) about a year apart (68-69)... what was in the water there.

Honorable mention: I'll go... Master of Reality

Powerful piece: War Pigs

Tuckered... thoughts on a book and a game.

2009-11-10T19:45:00.000-08:00

I am super tired. Hooray. Huzzah.

Been super busy. All will be dark for a bit come Friday.

Below are thoughts on a recent book I read and game I have played.

THE DEATH OF BUNNY MUNRO

Nick Cave's second novel is the Death of Bunny Munro. When I first started this book, it wasn't what I would immediately expect from one of the better song writers around. Well... maybe if you count his Grinderman project. The book is crude and seemed a bit off kilter at first. I stuck with it (of course) and was glad I did.

Coming in at 288 pages, the book is a fairly brisk read. It is written largely in the way the lead characters think... a TON of sentences end in "or something." Anyways... what started out as a seemingly crude and simple story evolved into a fairly deep and involving tale. It details what happens when you just do what you want and think you have life in a headlock... and all it takes is one important bolt to come loose and all starts spiraling out of control.

That's all I can really say about it without getting into plot and what not. Not really where I want to go. I will say I definitely recommend it to any man. As for women, it would just depend on how much you can stomach a crude character who acts like a man with no restraint.

BRUTAL LEGEND

I recently played through Tim Schafer's Brutal Legend on PS3 (also on 360). This game is a weird amalgam of action and real time strategy that takes the world of heavy metal and makes it real. Think heavy metal album covers and that is the world you are thrust into. Jack Black is the voice of the lead character and coupled with Schafer's dialog is quite hilarious (Ozzy Osbourne, Lemmy Kilmeister, Rob Halford, Tim Curry, and others provide voices as well).

The gameplay is fresh and the game looks like concept art come to life. It has a great style. The soundtrack also is composed of over 100 hard rock tracks (this game has very much put me in a heavy metal frame of mind). I had a blast. The game has a great multi-player mode as well.

I highly recommend this game to anyone who values fresh concepts, original IPs, action or RTS games, heavy music, and/or quality writing. A trailer follow below... followed by a reminded that you can't kill the metal.

WATCH A BRUTAL LEGEND TRAILER!

My new favorite funny video at the moment...

2009-11-06T10:29:00.001-08:00

But don't forget the classic... Rollins vs Techno Viking...

7 for 7....

2009-11-05T22:02:00.000-08:00

I just cleaned up some dialog that needed to be cleaned up... based on a read through... think it was last week. Hard to keep up as my brain has been mush the past few weeks.

Too much going on.

I noticed while discussing this script a few weeks back that all of my scripts intended to be first features share a lot of elements. A ton. This would be cause for alarm if all my story ideas were like this... but for whatever reason it always just applies to whatever will be "first." After that, things go crazy. I hope a get to go a little crazy. I know I'll get a little bit with the first one though.

I was laying awake the other night and cracked an old story idea wide open. Really happy with what happened with it and where it could go. Still get to keep all the cool elements from before too... woo.

In about a week I will be sans technology for a week or so... all will be dark. I'll post some more before that and then when I get back up and running.

For my Bday I am getting myself Windows 7. Woo. Found an upgrade for students with edu email addy for only 30 bucks. M has an addy just like this... what a steal!

Halloween fun...

2009-11-02T19:05:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T12:29:00.001-07:00

Good week...

2009-10-31T10:47:00.000-07:00

This week turned out to be pretty great. Few minor bumps in the road aside.

Monday had a good read through and heard from some people in regards to assistance with the film. Very important things. Woo.

Tuesday found out something super spectacuLAR, but can't say what it is at this time.

Wednesday went to the movies.

Thursday went to the Queen Mary's Halloween deal. It was pretty fun. Always fun watching some of the people we go with...

Friday... took it easy for the most part.

Now for Halloween...

Gamer tag, ZOMG.

2009-10-29T12:16:00.000-07:00

Get your Portable ID!

Them Crooked Vultures...

2009-10-26T09:31:00.001-07:00

The super group featuring John Paul Jones on bass (Led Zeppelin), Dave Grohl on drums (Foo Fighters, Nirvana), and Josh Homme on guitar & vocals (Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss) finally have a studio single.

New Fang off their forthcoming album...

Insomniac Games community day...

2009-10-24T11:20:00.000-07:00

So, yesterday (Friday) was Insomniac Games' community day celebrating the launch of the new Rachet & Clank game. I have long respected Insomniac Games, but have never been a huge follower of theirs. Knowing that they created the Spyro series (did the first 3 games on PS before the rights went away), the Ratchet & Clank series on PS2 and PS3 (these games ALWAYS rate extremely high), and the Resistance series on PS3 shows that this is a developer that knows their stuff.

They join a small group of elite developers that are very close to Sony (the other two being Naughty Dog and SuckerPunch) who put out fantastic Sony exclusives. These studios are amazing. Sony has made some boneheaded business decisions this generation, but these guys never miss a beat. I had the good fortune to be able to test Uncharted 2 prior to release and all those guys at Naughty Dog were fantastic. Having just visited Insomniac, that group joins the ranks of fantastic people on top of stellar game makers.

When I found out about community day I decided I would try to get in, as I love game developers and their studios (seriously, you have not seen a cool work environment until you have been in a good game studio). The biggest problem is I am not overly familiar with their work. I know it.. but I haven't played much. I played a bit of Resistance and that is about it. I hastily d/l the first Rachet & Clank demo for PS3 (which turned out to be amazing. amazing gameplay, art, graphics, writing... epic fail on my end for missing out until now).

So, I get to the studio (or the Marriott next door as that is where the event starts) and there is already a huge line. They said space was limited so I am a bit worried. Luckily, after a slight delay, everyone is admitted with no turn aways. We get inside and Adam Sessler from G4TV is hanging out. He is very polite and fun. Turns out he was part of a panel that included some programmers, voice actors, and the president of Insomniac. It was a fun panel that discussed all aspects of production and other company philosophies.

After that was free lunch where they announced everyone there would be getting a copy of the new game (woo! and not yet released!) upon entering the studio. They gave everyone limited edition posters (and shirts and things earlier). We got to go and check out some of the studio which was a really nice environment with a great view of Burbank. Parts of the studio were shrouded with black curtains so we could not see what they were working on... good to know they are deep into working on whatever comes next even before this one is released.

After the studio/signing session we (I had by then formed a group with 3 other guys) head back to the Marriott and get to play some games and they raffle off some prizes. I didn't win, but with the free game and great swag already received, I felt like I made out like a bandit.

All in all it was a really fun time. Being so into a lot of media, for whatever reason I am the most awe struck by games. So much work goes into them.. so many arts (music, animation, character/world designs, writing, acting) coupled with perfected sciences of gameplay and game engines... all just amaze me. The most WOWSA moments for me in LA have come from being around game studios. Perhaps I just know too much about my #1 love, movies. I know all the magic... I want to make my own magic. But with games, I don't know the tricks. I just get to sit back and be amazed at the final product.

So, yeah... game developers are probably my "rock stars"... one guy while signing posters said "I should just do this for a living"... Funny. The developers enjoyed the day as well... they are huddled away for years making one product. To see fan appreciation and to have people give them a pat on the back is a big deal and a great gratification.

Support good game studios. Insomniac now joins the select few developers who I will support no matter what. I am immediately picking up the last Rachet & Clank to play through before I start this newest one. After that, I will be grabbing the Resistance games.

To end... here is a new PS3 ad featuring Ratchet & Clank. It is pretty funny...

Weird Science...

2009-10-20T21:58:00.000-07:00

Tinkered with script a bit earlier this week.

Am going to do some overhauling of the final act tomorrow or later this week.

Have tons I want to do, but am at a bit of a road block. Real life road block that will be cleared soon enough. But in the mean time it is taking a lot of attention.

Will be in contact with more people soon. Feel like I have a solid enough core group at the moment.

Have a Saul Williams show on the map. Want to see Wild Things again. Maybe even Zombieland, it's very funny. Fantastic Mr. Fox and The Men Who Stare At Goats on deck.. both with Clooney. Go figure.

Halloween next week... no idea what is going on. Prolly will do Knott's Scary Farm again before then if everyone has decent health.

For some reason I just found out that Atlanta has the Museum of Puppetry. They have a long standing Jim Henson exhibit. Going to that for sure when I am out in that direction. Any takers?

I took a trip on a gemini spacecraft... it took me on a space odyssey... to a world of fashion and rebels... who were all starmen... from the outside... and they spoke of their golden years... and how you can put out fire with gasoline... to impress scary monsters. I'm deranged, they said... yet we could be heroes... I grunted my reply in a garrulous croak... I am an Earthling... a young American... and Aladdin Sane... take me to your disco king... it's time for some changes.

Wild Things... they indeed made my heart sang.

2009-10-18T22:29:00.000-07:00

I saw Where the Wild Things Are just about an hour ago. First and with understatement, the movie was good. I hate to bust into hyperbole or what not, so if that sort of thing bugs you stop reading.

Still reading? OK, I warned you.

Where the Wild Things is the best movie I have seen this year. It's not even close. That is a nice honor with very nice films such as Up, Drag Me to Hell, Inglourious Basterds, District 9, Moon, Observe & Report and several other winners.

The film is about the pains and joys of childhood. I'm sure that has been said before. But it is important to note, the film does not shy away from the pain. This film is painful and full of melancholy. That right there will derail many a viewer. People who expect a movie that is clearcut and just about an imaginationland adventure of a child are in for a shock. They are getting a true work of art full of true, garish emotion.

Max is a child in a world that is changing all around him. He feels all sorts of things that he cannot fully articulate and this confuses him. It hurts him. It angers him. Max's real world tumbles into his imagination. This is his articulation of it all, after all.

So, yeah. That is just a cursory glance of what is in store. The performances are all great. That kid is perfect and does such a brilliant job. The voice actors for the Wild Things all nail it. Spike Jonze kills the direction. It is pitch perfect. Karen O and Co deliver a very fitting and emotional soundtrack.

Back to the Wild Things themselves... absolutely astounding. The best creations I have probably ever seen. Lots of practical work by the Jim Henson Company enhanced with CGI to present fully realized characters that are wholly believable... both physically and emotionally. Jim Henson would cry if he could see these wonders (I did, both from their technical stand point and from the film's emotional punch).

So, some people won't like it because it is a true portrait of growing up and not some nostalgic trip to when you may actually have had an imagination. If you remember what it was to grow up and still have an imagination, you are in for a treat. Albeit one that may punch you in the stomach and leave you reeling.

As for kids, I say let them see it. It may not be right for kids 6 and under (there is some "scary images"). But anything above that I feel they need to grow up with this movie. The book was hated on by adults when it came out as it was not deemed right for kids. Who was correct there? This film will present new things for them and strong imagery and meaning that they can latch onto even more as they grow up. Family films that don't talk down to anyone and grow as the viewer does are the ones that are around forever (largely).

This film is just as challenging as... the Wizard of Oz. The Princess Bride. Both films have some intense scenes... who doesn't want their kid to see those? (If you said me, then I feel sorry that your child is THAT kid.) Speaking of those two films, this one is just as perfect. I feel it is one that may have some misinterpretation and not runaway love immediately (like those two), but will more than stand the test of time and be there forever.

Yes. This film is that good. It surpasses almost all others and joins a very select group. It is a true reminder of the ultimate force of cinema and what it can accomplish and convey. Moving.

ACTION... we got action here...

2009-10-18T11:29:00.001-07:00

I haven't really been updating like I want to... to much other stuff going on. Will try to update more this coming week.

On the plus, I reaffirmed my music man. I am working on a few other things.

Saw Law Abiding Citizen, lots of good ideas wasted. Pass on it.

Tinkering...

2009-10-08T09:23:00.000-07:00

I have been mostly mulling over the script. Sometimes I get these "bright" ideas or desires for major overhauls. These are usually bad. So, it is at the point where I fear I will over tinker with it. I have to keep in mind the essence and not stray too far from it's base. Awesome ideas in the wrong place are wrong ideas. ::But it's awesome...:: says the little voice... go away voice.

Seems a bit lull like too... still working, but have lots of other things going on. Also, there are lots of things I want to do and it just isn't time. Soon enough.

Went to Motorhead last night. It was a good time. Rough show even though we were far away and on the raised section. Go figure. It was my first old man show, as I wore ear plugs.

And... this makes me laugh. The titles says it all... Zombie Kid Likes Turtles.

Jamming...

2009-10-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

So, Thursday night brought Pearl Jam. One day after seeing Alice in Chains we got to go see Pearl Jam, both born out of the late 80s/early 90s Seattle scene. Both my favorite bands to come out of that explosion.

Mayra got tickets through Ten Club (the fan club). This means we don't know our seats. They are distributed by seniority save the front two rows, which are random. We get there and the guy at the ticket booth informs us our seats are FRONT ROW. Which was crazy (see that pic at the top? Yeah that was taken with a terrible cell phone camera, that's how close). The venue was really nice and had no bad seats... but that's still not front row. So, that was an awesome surprise.

Ben Harper and the Relentless 7 open up. He did a good job and you can do loads worse for an opener 98% of the time.

Pearl Jam take the stage and start off with Corduroy (for the most part, actually played some Pink Floyd Interstellar Overdrive first). Awesome. They sounded awesome. Being so close was awesome. We were posted directly in front of lead guitarist Mike McCready and I was glad. He played with the most energy and was all over the place.

I learned that Eddie Vedder is a lot better guitar player than I thought. He played 3 songs with a string quartet backing him up. Ben Harper came back on to play on Red Mosquito. The set list was satisfying to me. I got to see Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town.

All in all it was good to see a band that tight that has never really missed a beat in their entire career. I've felt for a long time that Pearl Jam is in the same category as Bruce Springsteen and Neil Young. The kind of artist that is in it for the long haul for all the right reasons. A band that tours until it can't and loves bringing live music to all.

Keep it up, PJ!

Videos and Set list below...

Eddie Vedder puts the string quartet on the spot to play Lukin'... which they have not rehearsed.

Part of new song Amongst the Waves... in this one... down on the front row left just in front of security in yellow... in white... is me being all big. You can see M dancing on my right.

Jeremy... M is dancing in this one too...

Set List: (Interstellar Overdrive)/Corduroy, Severed Hand, Got Some, Do The Evolution, Dissident, Given To Fly, Johnny Guitar, Amongst The Waves, I Got Shit, Daughter, Jeremy, Unthought Known, Small Town, Driven To Tears (Police), The Fixer, Rearviewmirror

1st encore: Just Breathe w/string quartet, The End w/string quartet, Lukin w/string quartet, Red Mosquito w/Ben Harper, Jazz Odyssey, Better Man/(Save It For Later)

2nd encore: Gonna See My Friend, I Believe In Miracles (Ramones), Once, Alive, Yellow Ledbetter/(Star Spangled Banner)

Somebody check my brain...

2009-10-01T09:34:00.000-07:00

Tuesday marked the first new Alice in Chains album in 15 years (it's excellent, btw). First of new material anyways. Lead singer hooked on heroin a large portion of his life and eventually dying of a drug overdose in 2002 can do that to a band. The band never complained publicly and always stood by poor Layne Staley. But a handful of years after his death the band decided to test the waters with a new singer, William Duvall. Response was overwhelmingly positive and the band soldiered on eventually leading up to Tuesday's release of new material. And why not. They always did the right thing, never made a scene, and the surviving three members deserved to move on. And to be fair, Jerry Cantrell sang on most of the songs and wrote the vast majority of them as it was.

Alice in Chains is a band I wrote off seeing live years ago. Having gotten to see them last night was a great treat.

When we got to the venue it took forever to get inside. Doors at 7? I don't think so. Show starts at 8? Yeah right, show started at 9:15. Crowd was starting to get a little restless. There was no opener.

They took the stage and immediately broke into Rain When I Die and all was forgiven. Duvall slayed it. He was awesome. Band was awesome. They sounded great. They had an acoustic break down which should be par for the course. The new songs stood up great next to the old ones. It was a flat out fantastic show. Not to mention I was 4 or 5 people back from the stage. It wasn't the longest set list ever, but that is easily forgivable when every song is a monster. I also loved that they didn't stay in "position," every member made a point to stand at different spots for different songs.

The crowd loved it and was one of the loudest crowds I have been around, despite the venue's tiny size. The guys were very appreciative and looked incredibly happy to be where they were... finally playing a show after releasing some new material. It was said several times that it was the end of the beginning, but that it was still a beginning. I think without a doubt we will be seeing a lot more of these guys and a lot of new albums down the road. Congrats to them and thanks for the great show. Set list and some videos of various things below. Tonight brings one of their Seattle brethren, Pearl Jam!

No Excuses, Old song performed this week on Kimmel

Check My Brain, first single off of new album

And most of Rain When I Die... last night from the Avalon.

Set List

Rain When I Die
Again
Check My Brain
Them Bones
Dam That River
A Looking In View
We Die Young
Nutshell
Love, Hate, Love
Black Gives Way To Blue
Your Decision
No Excuses
God Am
Acid Bubble
Angry Chair
Man in the Box

Encore:
Sludge Factory
Would?
Rooster

In a galaxy far away...

2009-09-29T20:14:00.000-07:00

At one time I loved all things Star Wars.

Super loved. The movies were amazing, great art existed for them, cool video games were made, the toys had an air of awesome... it was massive.

Then the prequels happened... and it was all bad. At first, you tried to trick yourself into thinking the first one was good. Once that bubble popped, all you saw was awfulness. Bad stories, acting, direction. So many racial stereotype aliens... this is unique to the prequels and is not present in the originals. To make matters worse, Lucas went in and tampered with the originals in terrible ways. He also said the original films as they were would never be seen again.

Furious anger. Bad cartoons, movies, and games. Messing up the original masterpieces. I took a long, long break from all things Star Wars.

Recently, I rewatched the entire trilogy in their original forms. ORIGINAL original. No A NEW HOPE. No Greedo shoots first. No cleaned up effects. No lame Hayden Christensen at the end of it all. No anything, other than what played for audiences 30 or so years ago.

Man, those movies still have it and are incredible. They are very timeless. They are helped tremendously by the fact that they are fantasy and are given a large leash to play with. Roguish romance. Dynamic friendships and relationships. Memorable characters. A "chosen one" story line. Technology busting special effects. A score for the ages. One of the top villains of all times. SCRUFFY NERF HERDERS!

So, yeah. I love the futuristic vibe mixed with old school film making. The wipes between shots are fantastic. I love being more schooled in film these days and seeing things that Lucas picked up from lots of old classics.

Watch the original Star Wars. Not any changed versions. The original effects are still awesome and I feel it is a huge slap in the face to people who broke down boundaries giving their all if you change their work or act like it wasn't good enough.

Star Wars... I love you. But only the you before George Lucas went crazy and stained you by association.

PS - Check out the ORIGINAL trailer that is so wrong in tone... fascinating.

One of my favorite things about Halloween...

2009-09-29T20:08:00.001-07:00

Blush Response...

2009-09-27T19:49:00.000-07:00

We went camping this weekend with friends and had a pretty good time. I got a bit red from swimming and beaching. The weather was pretty cool and windy at night which wasn't the greatest, but all in all a good time.

Friendly reminder - Observe and Report came out on DVD last week. It is one of my favorite movies of the year, so definitely give it a chance if you like dark comedies. Again, it is dark. You've been warned.

Busy week lined up. Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains. Script changes to make. Few other things. Hopefully get to check out a movie at the Art before it goes away Friday.

Buzzzzz

2009-09-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

Been a tad busy. Not 100% with "important" stuff, but busy none the less.

Yesterday went over a lot of visual concepts/conceits aloud with a friend. Just flipping script ideas out there. Fun stuff. Movie stuff has been going pretty well and I have relatively no stress concerning it.

It became cool for two days and then it got really hot for a few days... I'm hoping for a weekend in the middle. This weekend will largely be spent out doors. Woo.

Longer, more painful to read updates will resume next week.

Healthcare...

2009-09-22T10:33:00.001-07:00

Protect Insurance Companies PSA from Will Ferrell

With the sure shot...

2009-09-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

I got a new notepad today. Spiral bound! I will be using it (am using it, in fact) to write out shot list the best that I can. It is impossible to do 100% without 100% locations, but I can still do a lot of work with this right now. So, that is where I will be spending the next week.

Also looking at getting the practical special effects figured out. Nothing too major, but still something that has to be taken care of... no real concerns though.

Still weighing sound issues... capturing sound is the only thing I am worried about (still).

Since my football teams are in the tank, I will not be paying any attention to that stuff. Which is good.

Will know more in a month or two, I suspect.

HEALTH

2009-09-18T10:03:00.000-07:00

I feel better. Today is the best... as has each successive day. Last night we abandoned a concert early. Was not up for the full 4 bands it seems. But still, lot better than I was last weekend.

Going to be working on a few minor things script wise today. There is also 1 scene that needs a lot of work, but I am not sure how to proceed with it. I'll fix it by weekend's end.

Starting to get more specific shots and transitions in mind.

I also have a lot of ideas on how to rework and old script that I want to rewrite. So, I may do that soon or in a few months. Just have to see.

Too much work to do. Time to get back to it. Spent some time away for perspective's sake. Played the Batman game. Had an illness. Time to get back to the full time.

Hey, pig.... yeah, you.

2009-09-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

Think I have the flu. Not 100% of course, but I feel pretty awful. IT may even be the dreaded swine flu... DUM DUM DUM. You know... that thing that causes panic... but that is JUST A FLU. I'd wager I got it at the NIN show this past week. Supposedly there had been something going around from the shows in NY to Chicago to now LA. Mark me as one victim of the NINfluenza. It was worth it.

This is the worst sickness I've had in at least 4 years or so. Definitely the worst since I have been in L.A. M is a bit worried, but it is nothing to be concerned about. I'm eating soup, drinking my JUIIIICE, and taking my vitamins (cause that's what good Hulkamaniacs do).

Being sick (I sleep on the couch for some reason if I am really sick), I was able to wake up at 4 or 5 in the morning and catch an episode of Mr. Ed. Had't seen it in at least a decade. Ludicrous, but somehow charming.

Back to laying down, watching Batman The Animated Series, playing some Burnout Paradise, and feeling all around bleh. We had big plans this weekend too... boo!

It was the best show... I ever seen...

2009-09-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to blog on the show last night, but as it turned out to be the best show I ever saw, I will.

Nine Inch Nails - 9/8/09 Henry Fonda in L.A.

We get there and go through check in (have to have ID and pick your tickets up there, cut way back on scalpers) and then line up way around the block. I've been to several sold out shows at this venue but the place usually doesn't fill up until during the show. For the second to last NIN show, the line was way down the block hours before they took the stage (or before the doors even opened).

Crew was very polite and got everyone in at a decent pace and without too much waiting.

We get in and the venue is as I remember (of course), but the size (very small) seems all the more epic due to the fact we are about to see a huge band here. We get in and are very close to the front. Maybe 6-8 people back, slightly right of center. Awesome spot. Opening band Health was pretty good and the crowd was respectful (and remained a good crowd throughout). Some guy passes out right next to me on my left side just before the show starts. A pro camera guy sets up shop directly to my right.

Lights go out. Band comes out. Immediately tear into Head Like a Hole. Which is unusual as that is almost always a near closer. Then Terrible Lie. By this point much of the crowd, myself included, figure we are going Pretty Hate Machine front to back. NIN had gone through The Downward Spiral twice at the recent closing shows. Turns out, this did not happen.

What did happen was the best set list I have ever seen from NIN and the best concert I have ever been too. The band sounded awesome. The set list was varied and fresh. Oh, and there was a ton of awesome special guests.

Trent was into it more than I had personally ever seen. Being so close was great as you could see all the extra expressions and gestures he put into the songs. You could also tell that it had hit home this was the end (or very close to it).

So, after 15 awesome songs Trent introduces Mike Garson as a special guest and I was super happy. He is best known as David Bowie's pianist/collaborator and had played on a previous NIN album (and is my favorite pianist). They started with Just Like You Imagined, which is one of my favorite pieces of music ever (and one Garson played on album wise). After that we got The Becoming and I Do Not Want This from The Downward Spiral with Mike Garson killing the Becoming and also doing several improvs. This added a whole new dimension to already amazing songs.

Mike Garson played a solo piece (which at the time I didn't know was Down in the Park piano version). Then Gary Numan (WICKED!) came out and played Down in the Park (!), Metal and Cars. Oh yeah... and Mike Garson played on those songs as well. Oh... and with Cars, Eric Avery from Jane's Addiction came out and played bass. The Numan mini-set was a treat. That guy sings as good as he ever did.

After Cars, Mike Garson departs. Then NIN + Gary Numan + Eric Avery are joined by opening band Health for a cover of Gang of Four's Anthrax. It was pretty neat and there was a ton of people on stage.

At this point, the band (and everyone) exits.

After a minute the lights go dark in a show time again kind of way... Trent comes out and explains this is a mess up. He says that the house lights were supposed to come on, so when the band came back out it would be a bigger surprise. "So, please, when we come back out in one second, act surprised." He walks off then back on and the crowd feigns loud surprise. So, does Trent. Hilarity.

Trent then introduces someone he almost had to drag on stage (it took a few reassuring waves to come up). He said it was a good friend and a member of NIN. Then Danny Lohner (former bassist) came up and started an amazing encore set. They played the Queen cover Get Down, Make Love during this time which was a real treat to see live. On top of the other great songs during the encore, they played Mr. Self Destruct and Wish with vocalist Greg Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan.

So many surprise guests. After the encore, the band departs. The crowd is still going nuts. There have already been 28 songs!

NIN return for Encore 2 and finish off the night with a great 4 song ender. They play the Joy Division covers Atmosphere and Dead Souls. Both were awesome.

Then came the final two songs. The Day the World Went Away... another favorite. This version killed. I started to tear up a little which hasn't happened at a concert in ages. Trent got emotional and wiped tears away. Hard to explain. But a lot of themes in the song (loss) are present in what I am writing. And what others around me are going through. And I also knew this was the end. They finished with a fantastic rendition of Hurt. Which is a song often used for closing, but was very appropriate here. The whole band looked thankful for the great crowd and seemed to know that was a special night.

It was the best show I ever saw. Thank you guys (Trent and Co.) for the music and good times!

Set list and videos below... thanks to GetBonus for videos! (http://www.youtube.com/user/getbonus)

Just Like You Imagined with MIKE GARSON

Opening with Head Like a Hole...

Set List
1. Head like a Hole
2. Terrible Lie
3. Sin
4. March of the Pigs
5. Piggy
6. Echoplex
7. Reptile
8. I'm Afraid of Americans
9. Survivalism
10. Head Down
11. 1,000,000
12. Letting You
13. Burn
14. Gave Up
15. Eraser
16. Just Like You Imagined (with Mike Garson)
17. The Becoming (with Mike Garson)
18. I Do Not Want This (with Mike Garson)
19. Mike Garson solo Down in the Park piano version
20. Down in the Park (with Gary Numan & Mike Garson) [Gary Numan song]
21. Metal (with Gary Numan & Mike Garson) [Gary Numan song]
22. Cars (with Gary Numan, Eric Avery & Mike Garson) [Gary Numan song]
23. Anthrax (with Gary Numan, Eric Avery & Health) [Gang of Four cover]
ENCORE
24. Heresy (with Danny Lohner)
25. Get Down, Make Love (with Danny Lohner) [Queen cover]
26. Mr. Self Destruct (with Danny Lohner & Greg Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan)
27. Wish (with Danny Lohner & Greg Puciato from Dillinger Escape Plan)
28. The Hand that Feeds
ENCORE 2
29. Atmosphere [Joy Division cover]
30. Dead Souls [Joy Division cover]
31. The Day the World Went Away
32. Hurt

Because you asked for it...

2009-09-07T13:06:00.000-07:00

Friend sent me this... it is pretty great.

CLICK HERE BECAUSE THE EMBED DOESN'T WORK RIGHT!

If only this was the real trailer to 2012.

They send me singing I am an American...

2009-09-06T22:56:00.000-07:00

Do you?

I am working on the synopsis still. Right now, actually.

It is alright. It is interesting because sometimes I articulate things in there that aren't properly expressed in the actual script. So, I have to go back and fix it in the script. Still, synopsis is very basic and bare. Poor thing has no eloquence.

Budget really scares me. I have plenty to work on before money would have to come into the picture, but still. I have several hypothesis about this... and all may be put to work in the end. Who knows.

I have been looking at bare minimum and what would be "appropriate" money wise. Ultimately it will have to be tackled later.

I really wish I could put more definitive shot lists together as well. Pretty much impossible when you have no idea where your locations and sets will be. I have some places in mind though. If I ask you to use a place you own or whatever, please consider it... !

Also, I continue to poor over footage from independent people all over. Which is by and large terrible. I don't mean to be rude, but when you disregard basic framing and lighting techniques that anyone could do with household items, it's annoying. So much of this stuff is so loose and never taut. This is before getting into story and script. Ugh. No vision. Sometimes I think this could be me. But anytime anyone starts to ask me about my own ideas I rattle off so much stuff without even trying... this makes me feel better. My attention to detail and vision are fairly immense and specific I think... hopefully this will be conveyed to viewers. On top of a good story...

Totally unrelated... I am not much of a John Wayne fan... but watching the Searchers today... wow. That film is fantastic. So much nuance in the performances. Sure, you could take a lot of the movie at face value (and I am sure plenty of people do), but there is a wealth of stuff you can dig into. There is an EQUAL number of story to the film that is peripheral and can be unearthed by the attentive viewer. And speaking of the aforementioned framing, John Ford was a master. Great Technicolor as well... I love that look. So many movies that came after it show its obvious fingerprints... great flick - check it out.

Next... a rekindled love of Star Wars or more of my stuff.

He aint going out like that!

2009-09-04T13:11:00.000-07:00

Details for refunds to the NIN show were supposed to be announced yesterday. They were not. I was hoping for the best and that something was afoot.

I put on the Downward Spiral for some good mojo. The show was rescheduled! It is this coming Tuesday and this is great news for myself. I am sure a lot of people were put out with the concert date shuffle that went on, but stuff happens. And I am glad I get to go.

Here is a funny video that was circulating in the community after yesterday's announcement of cancellation. The video was then posted on NIN main website... which is even funnier.

I have been working on a synopsis/scene flow deal as one piece and it is annoying to me for some reason (started yesterday). Just seems tedious and I need to spruce it up with a little bit of better writing. Back to it.

KKHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!

2009-09-03T11:49:00.000-07:00

Today I was to be waving goodbye to NIN at one of the final NIN shows of all time at one of my favorite venues. And yes, NIN is one of my favorite bands. Last night (at another venue in LA), they played the Downward Spiral in its entirety and had special guest Gary Numan. Tonight's show was cancelled due to illness. I get a refund, no reschedule. I am sad.

I am going to work on a synopsis and scene flow chart today if I can get out of my current funk. Actually, I am going to do this for sure and get a few things together. Fun. Was playing with budget numbers last night (movie budget), money is not fun.

On a happy note... here is more new Massive Attack with the singer from TV on the Radio. Good stuff. This will be on the Splitting the Atom EP due out October 6th. Pick it up.

More heat than a Deniro/Pachino film...

2009-09-01T13:18:00.000-07:00

Not having A/C can be the worst. Past two apartments have had no AC (which is not uncommon here) and have been upper level... so we get hammered heat wise.

I have been playing the new Batman game, Batman: Arkham Asylum, which is a bit unusual. I never play these games because they tend to be terrible. But this one is absolutely fantastic. It is one of my favorite games of this generation. It is a game that finally does the character justice. There is action and detection. Stealth plays a large part in the gameplay. The cast of characters is well represented and properly portrayed. One of the best things is the cast from the animated series largely reprises their roles. All in all it is a must purchase for Batman and video game fans. It is available on PS3, 360, and PC.

Watch the Arkham Asylum trailer!

I have noticed over the last month or so that most independent horror films lean heavily toward exploitation and torture. I don't know why this is... if you are independent you should have a lot of freedom to do what you want creatively, so why so much in one subset of the genre? It makes me a little embarrassed. It is also ammunition to people who say they don't like horror films. I can understand with so much crap in the genre, but there is junk in every movie genre. I think ultimately all people like horror films, whether they want to admit it or not.

Halloween, Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm Street? Slashers. Alien or the Thing? Sci-Fi tinged. Evil Dead II or Drag Me to Hell? Raimi's slapstick/horror infusion. Psycho or the Birds? Plus lots of other Hitchcock. Seven or Silence of the Lambs? Procedural, but still loads of horror. Shaun of the Dead or An American Werewolf in London? Example of horror comedy. Night of the Living Dead? One of Romero's social commentaries masked by horror paint. Devil's Backbone? Del Toro's chilling ghost tale. Poltergeist? Spielberg and Co family fun scare. The Excorist? Demon stuff. Twilight? Horror tinged for people who can't get a date.

I could go on forever really. The genre is diverse. It saddens me to see so much one note stuff float out of it and sour people's impressions of a great genre. So, I know whenever I mention I am working on something horror related (which seems about 50% of the time), people may scrunch their nose. All I'm saying is... have faith.

Next week!

2009-08-28T11:35:00.000-07:00

Next week kicks off a month of good concerts.

Next week I will be seeing one of Nine Inch Nails last shows ever (allegedly) at the small venue the Music Box. Floor tickets in a 1200 people max capacity venue (give or take when it comes to show goers). Of course, I am super excited. NIN are playing 4 shows ending their touring career (again, allegedly) in Los Angeles. Four different venues. I got the venue of my choice. I went with the Fonda due to it's intimacy and overall niceness. I didn't want to shell out for multiple shows. I feel lucky enough to go to one.

A few weeks later at the Fonda (again) is a smaller show, but one that should be very cool. Gaslight Anthem and Murder by Death.

Today, I got some great tickets. Alice in Chains at the Avalon. The day after their new album (and first in 14 years) comes out! The Avalon is a similarly tiny venue holding about 1200 as well (I think). These tickets weren't easy to get as it was through Live Nation and those people are terrible. I thought I wasn't going to get any tickets after failing miserably for a long time.

A few days after that, we go to Pearl Jam at the Gibson Amphitheatre. This venue holds about 6,000 and we should have great seats in this venue as M purchased them through the fan club.

So, WOO! Good month of shows coming up. Seeing three big bands I "grew up with" in very small venues will be fantastic!

I have a 95 page version of the script "completed" and set to be read sometime soonish. I am still working on it a bit. I will probably take a week or so away from it then get back to it. I say that, but I can already feel myself wanting to work on it tomorrow.

The return of something MASSIVE...

2009-08-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

Massive Attack return! An EP in October with a full album slated to follow in February! These guys are one of the most important groups of the last 20 years and I can't wait to give their 5th album a listen. Below is a the new single, Splitting the Atom. Everyone check it out and give it a proper listen!

REMOVED - Youtube had to take this one down.

No one picked this, it's on random...

2009-08-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

Thoughts on The Strain.

Today I finished reading Guillermo Del Toro and Chuck Hogan's The Strain. Yes, Del Toro the director of films such as Hellboy I and II, Pan's Labyrinth, and the Devil's Backbone. Chuck Hogan is a well established genre writer. The Strain is a vampire novel that read a bit more like a procedural thriller than a straight horror tale. Early word I saw hyped it has something new and fresh in vampire fiction. While I don't think it is very "new," it is still a very solid and exciting read and miles ahead of most books in the genre. One of the reasons it didn't seem super fresh, it's worth noting, is that Del Toro had already given many of these great vampire ideas a test run in Blade II.

The characters are well developed and you care about all of them. One of the things the book does best is structure the introductions and appearances of various characters through out the length of the book. You get a great feel for these characters before fate sets them on their path and they meet face to face. Switching between so many characters, you never forget who is who which is important. The pacing never falters. I don't like giving too much away, but this book is the first in a trilogy (2010 and 2011 the follow ups... follow up). I am definitely looking forward to continue this journey at that time. For fans of procedurals, vampire fiction, and Guillermo Del Toro.

Order the Strain and give it a read!

I'm going to try to squeeze in Good Omens this week. Maybe. It's my next must read, but I also want to read that Nick Cave book as soon as it's released. So, I may have to put Good Omens after that one. Depends on my schedule. I have video game testing Thursday and Friday. Love doing that!

I've been making a list of things I need to do effects wise and a few other thing wise that I'll be getting on as soon as I can. Once I get all that stuff worked out logistically and operating, I'll feel a lot better.

I currently watch a lot of sample videos and test footage from various cameras to peg what I am going to use. Have to find something capable, but affordable. It is boring and can be annoying. Back to it, YAY!

Presenting... the new M website!

2009-08-24T19:49:00.001-07:00

I have been lending an assist to M as she revamps her website to something more "currently her," I guess you could say. It is still very much a work in progress and will change a bit over the next few weeks. Yes, we know there are links that go nowhere. Those pages have yet to be made. Regardless, let us know what you think and enjoy M's work and new space! She is the best!

Check out the new site!

Oh, and if you see an error besides a busted link... report it!

Been doing some slight revisions - rewrites, additions, etc. Sitting at 94 pages. Vision continues to sharpen as well. Woot.

Long live the basterds...

2009-08-23T18:51:00.001-07:00

I saw Inglourious Basterds this weekend. This is Quentin Tarantino's newest film and certainly one of his finest efforts. The film takes heavy cues from Spaghetti Westerns and the French New Wave to create quite an awesome display of cinema. As a disclaimer - the film is not really the action film that it is marketed as... it is a TARANTINO film. As such, expect the real drama and tension to come from great dialog and not from other means.

Now, back to a bit of the film. No spoilers.

I saw Inglourious Basterds THREE times this weekend. On Friday, Saturday, and on Sunday. I didn't really set out to do that, but that is the way it worked out. I was not bored for one second in any viewing. I have never seen a movie everyday of a weekend before (I don't think).

I tell you this because I obviously love this film. I think the film is so strong that almost no one would be dissatisfied or would say that it is a bad film. But for me, the film hits everything perfectly. It may not be the best film of the year, but it is my favorite film of the year. If someone was to set out and make a perfect film FOR ME, then this is probably that movie.

Spaghetti Western stylings? Check. French New Wave influence? Check. East TN character? Check. Nazis as the bad guys? Check. Killer use of music? Check. Amazing dialog? Check. Amazing cast and performances? Check. Exciting structure? Check. Takes you places you don't expect? Check. Are the characters nuanced? Check. David Bowie used in some fashion? Check.

The list literally goes on and on.

I don't want to get in too much with the plot or who gives the most stand out performances out of a long list of stand out performances. I want people to go see it. The cast is large and the movie has at least 4 languages that are used. This is a large, international cast. I'd say I'll see it again after a few weeks. This film shows why Tarantino is considered the best of the modern age. No one makes films like this guy. He makes movies for people who truly love movies.

This feels like a cop out to me. It isn't a review. It's a gush. Sorry. But please, go see the movie. I am fairly certain you will enjoy yourself a great deal. Especially if you enjoy any of the following... Spaghetti Westerns, well written dialog, amazing use of music in movies, WWII films, Tarantino films, Brad Pitt, international ensemble casts, and movies in general.

As a side note, M loved it as well. She had no hesitation in seeing it each and every time and pushed for us to keep going. Awesome.

PS - It is important to note that this movie showed me that Hitler loves "The Willhelm Scream" just like the rest of us.

CHECK OUT SOME WILLHELM SCREAMS!

AVATAR day impressions...

2009-08-22T11:34:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was "Avatar day" as dubbed by Fox. This is James Cameron's first film since Titanic (which was ages ago) and he has been developing it for a long, long time. The amount dollars that have been sunk on this will probably never be known, but rest assured it is a massive amount. So, the studio along with Cameron held an event in theaters all across the country. They showed off 15 minutes (or so) of footage from the movie in IMAX 3D to make people's jaws drop.

How was it and how did it go? Well, the best thing I can say is that the 3D tech was really strong. It was nice 3D. But the film itself seemed very sterile and dare I say boring. My wife, M, absolutely hated it. The designs look bad all around, the computer effects are cartoony, and the story seemed a bit redundant. I personally thought it felt more like digital art storyboards from art school graduates in motion as opposed to photo real. Now, if they were going for this, awesome. BUT - the problem is everyone involved, Cameron included, have been claiming your eyeballs will catch fire with how amazing and groundbreaking it looks. It does not come anywhere close to this level. District 9 looks loads better and it only cost a reported 30 million.

The marketing campaign is a wreck too, in my opinion. From the director of Titanic? Really? You have a huge sci-fi movie and that is the message you want to send? How about from the director of Terminator 1 & 2, Aliens, and the Abyss. That would hit much better with fans and people who would be interested in this. Or maybe not, the footage was very romantic in a "I know you are not from my people, but I love & believe in you anyways" kind of way. Maybe this is this is the chick sci-fi epic flick. A movie for Twilight fans in space.

I could be wrong. It is James Cameron. I will give him the benefit of the doubt and see it. But will most everyone else? The theater was mostly full, but response was largely MEH. I heard a few younger people (16/17) who said how awesome it looked. Mostly though, I heard a big uneventful sigh. Scary for something that was to be an eye firing hype beast.

On a very positive note, after the footage we headed over a screen for Inglourious Basterds. Film knocked my socks off. I will post more complete thoughts after I see it again. And maybe even see it again, which is absolutely unheard of for me (I did hit Moon and D9 twice, but not thrice).

Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.

2009-08-21T08:27:00.000-07:00

REMAKES!

Today is an apt day to finally yell at the world about remakes. Today Tarantino's Inglourius Basterds hits the cinema. Brace yourself, it is a remake. Or based loosely/closely around the film Inglorious Bastards (I can't say, as I haven't seen it yet). Resevoir Dogs has whole sections based right off of City on Fire (Hong Kong film). Tarantino is a high quality filmmaker.

And a lot of his stuff is borderline remakes... or homages as he would say. But still.

It is amazing to me that people cry and cry about stuff being remade constantly. And it is constantly (both the crying and the remaking). But guess what, despite what some people say about modern Hollywood being out of ideas or remakes being a new thing... remakes have been a part of Hollywood since there has been a Hollywood. Seriously.

If something was a book first, does every film based on the work after the first film become a remake? If so the classic Maltese Falcon and Wizard of Oz would be bad news to most. They are not even the SECOND film adaptations of the works and this was back in the 30s.

Would we be better of without the Departed? Martin Scorsese's brilliant modern gangster tale? No, we wouldn't. This film is a direct remake of the great Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs. Scorsese, largely considered to be one of the best directors of all time, also made Cape Fear. You know... another direct remake.

How about the give and take that the samurai and western genres did back in the 60s (OK, westerns mostly took)? Kurosawa's Yojimbo was directly remade with western paint for Leone's For a Fistful of Dollars. Both movies are amazing and this let Leone forge ahead with two fantastic sequels (you know.. that little the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly film). Kurosawa's Seven Samurai got the cowboy paint with Sturges' the Magnificent Seven. All the above mentioned films, remakes or not, clearly enrich the world of cinema.

Now, of course I am not saying all remakes are good. But are all movies good? No. Are MOST movies good? No. But to knee jerk and demonize remakes as "bad" is silly. Just like anything, it comes down to who is making the film and the talent of those involved.

Someone might say... but bad remakes far outweigh the good! This may or may not be true. But even if it is... bad films in general far outweigh the good. Do we stop making movies? The same can be said of book, games, music, anything really. Quality is a rare beast.

So, get off the "stupid remakes" train and enjoy good work no matter where it comes from. We shall end with Oscar Wilde - "Talent borrows, genius steals."

I'll report back on Basterds and a few others by the end of the weekend.

He is a tiller... he has a tiller's hands!

2009-08-20T23:05:00.000-07:00

I found out Nick Cave has a novel coming out in a few weeks titled The Death of Bunny Monro. That guy is great. Besides his music with the Bad Seeds (he is one of my absolute favorite songwriters), he has written a great screenplay (the Proposition) and done some fantastic film scoring with Warren Ellis (the Proposition, the Assassination of Jesse James, and the upcoming the Road). So, I definitely will be checking out the book.

Order the Death of Bunny Monro!

Listen to Nick Cave's Hallelujah live - One of my favorite songs off of one of my favorite albums.

I got in to the Halloween II premiere. All the premieres I get to go to are horror related. Go figure. Not overly looking forward to the film, but I do have an open mind about it. I will definitely be on the look out for the director, one Rob Zombie. At least it is on a Monday... that means Hollywood shouldn't be too bad.

I watched a movie, Transsiberian, the other day based on a recommendation from my uncle Kenny. I recommend everyone track it down if you can. It should be at your local video store or definitely on Netflix. It is a nice little throwback thriller that hits the same notes Hitchcock liked to hit. It is deftly made and stars Woody Harrelson and Emily Mortimer. It is written and directed by Brad Anderson (Session 9, the Machinist).

I have a few notes to implement into the script and then I will feel comfortable calling it version 2.0. I still like it and am plugging away on a few small things with it. I've got a handful of other things I would like to work on as well. I don't know if I will or if I will put them off until later while I focus on the main, current one.

It's late, so no real substance in this blahg. Listen the that Nick Cave at least. I'll return tomorrow (for real this time) to actually say something.

She's a total blam blam...

2009-08-18T22:15:00.001-07:00

So, my script has several characters. But most are minimal. So minimal, it almost doesn't matter who plays them. There are FOUR who are really important. A central character and three very structurally important and not easy to cast side characters. Good news is 2/4 slots are pretty much filled. I'll work on the last two when I know more about rolling. Plus, I don't want to have to ship people a ton to where I'll be filming. That costs money. So, I'll stick to what I have now and worry about the rest later. I'll say more when it feels right to do so. I don't want to throw out the few interesting things I have right away and then have nothing for a long time (that's the main issue).

I got the free tickets to watch 15 minutes of James Cameron's Avatar in IMAX this Friday that the studio is showing. They want to build the hype. Now that I have had my expectations lowered thanks to people's comic con reaction, I am really looking forward to it. But Avatar has its work cut out for it if it wants to stand with Moon and District 9 in this year's sci-fi field. That being said... James Cameron gave us Terminator, Aliens, and the Abyss. Bring it on!

After that, we will prolly jump over a screen to see Inglourius Basterds. QT rocks my socks every time. Couple in Brad Pitt playing a crazy Tennessean, I'm there. FYI, Tarantino was born in Knoxville. Hence all the East TN references in all his films.

I'm probably going to check District 9 out again tomorrow. Thoughts on remakes and piracy are two things in the pipe. Probably do one tomorrow.