Happy Halloween!

Good week...

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.

Get your Portable ID!

Them Crooked Vultures...

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...

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...

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.

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.