Six from 2009 thus far that rock the socks...

I've been fairly happy with the year in film, generally speaking. The blockbusters have overall been very lackluster (this summer is the run off of the writers strike from 18 or so months back), but independent cinema has had it's share of gems.


These are in no particular order of preference.



UP - I list Up first simply because it will be the most universally liked of the films I list. So, I thought I would kick it off with one everyone will love. Yes, it is a big film that got plenty of notice. It also is one of the best films of the year. It is Pixar doing what they do - which is "be amazing." I promised myself I would not take them for granted a long time ago, thus I always mention their films when they rock (which thus far has been always). I marveled and I teared up a bit. This film is for all ages and should be adored by everyone.



MOON - Duncan Jones hits the film scene with an intimate sci-fi movie that is absolutely fantastic. This is science fiction of the most intelligent kind, so going in expecting gun fights and the like is a no no. I would not even watch trailers of this film, just give it a watch if you are a fan of the genre. Sam Rockwell stars as a man on the moon in the final days of his mission. And it goes from there. Stunning visuals on a budget of about 5 million. A haunting Clint Mansell score. Definitely check it out. It joins the recent wave of new sci-fi that is upon us.



ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL - I absolutely love this documentary. It follows the "career" of a heavy metal band that has been around for 30 years. It shows how they keep on doing what they do, even without a lot of success. It is very funny and very touching. It nearly plays like a real life Spinal Tap. If you pursue, have pursued or think of pursuing anything in the arts you will absolutely love it. Scratch that... if you love the indomitable human spirit, you will love this movie. Recommended for everyone - regardless of musical tastes.



DRAG ME TO HELL - Sam Raimi returns to his roots in a big way. After the fairly miserable Spiderman 3, he hits a horror home run with this film. All his early trademarks are there as well as some new tricks. This movie essentially plays out as Evil Dead 4. You have the slapstick he is known for, unbeatable atmosphere, and really fun performances. A great soundscape is a must and this film delivers the creeps in memorable ways. I wish more films like this came out. Recommended for fans of the genre pretty much exclusively. If you have any affinity for horror films, buy it on DVD.



IN THE LOOP - Maybe the funniest movie of the year. A laugh out loud look at the world of politics and how people with half a brain decide when it's time to go to war. It is also a bit scary, as it feels very real. In this film you have a "blunder" by a minor British politician that just escalates in their current political climate with hilarious results and characters. It takes place both with British and American politicians waging a war within their own ranks to get certain agendas through and into play. It is very intelligent and doesn't play for cheap laughs, yet still gets the full belly laughs with its quick wit.



OBSERVE AND REPORT - This is probably my favorite film of the year. I put it last as it is also the hardest to recommend. It is very dark. Uber bleak. But I found it very apt for today's society. It also happens to be flat out hysterical, but you will find yourself laughing for all the wrong reasons (if you enjoy dark comedy). A film that is incredibly deft in its execution with clear inspiration from the 70s films of Scorsese and Peckinpah. I love the amount of cinephile love that went into making this picture. It is a piece of true passion and vision. And Seth Rogen here is not the Rogen you have previously known. And for that I love him infinitely more. If someone would have said to me prior to watching the film that by August, Observe and Report will be my favorite movie of the year... I would have laughed in their face. But it is the real deal. A true force of cinema.

What's old is new again...

I'm about done with the social network thing. It was a fun experiment, but I don't ever get to say more than "The taco gave me heartburn." Or I get bombarded with ads... or people from the past... no I do not want to be a fan of Darius Rucker. I also am not a fan of being hit with peoples impotent impartings while they are on the potent potables. Having something your family can check on is a plus as well.

As a fan of old fashioned letter writing, I think I will mainly stick to this blog site from here on out. It is always fun to stretch your letter writing abilities and share yourself in that way, so I definitely recommend giving it a go yourself. Read, write, learn. Fun stuff. Anyways, welcome to my own little aria (bad pun, so sorry).

I will write about whatever I find worth writing about at the time. And my goal is to update at least 3 times a week. To be sure, you will find lots about films and also a lot about what I have going on.

Since I have lived in LA, I have definitely been writing, but it was not at any urgent or feverous pace. I outlined several ideas and "finished" a handful of scripts (both short and full length). They are "finished" because they still need a lot of work. I also wanted to establish a good marriage. One year in, I feel comfortable where we are and I am very happy. This was most important and now I feel it's time to work on other things (plus I have her full support - which rocks). Getting to know some great folks in LA really helped me along as well. Big thanks to the Moore family for lots of hospitality! Meeting someone like Jason who is very similar yet different compared to myself has been great. Also, I have been cutting some bad seeds out (but not Nick Cave). That's the way it goes. Negative energies away.

With that in mind, I have definitely picked up the pace writing wise in the past few weeks. I am currently revising a new script that feels very right to me. New as in the whole thing just came out recently (and morphed and evolved and I don't even know where this stuff came from). I have worked on it a lot, changing, getting it to where it needs to be. It is about 80 pages currently... which is a lot for me. There are more settings and dialog. I generally stick to more taciturn characters. Strange.

And this one I will shoot. For sure. I have been laying a lot of groundwork. Past mistakes have lead me to do a "shark tooth" approach to almost everything. If one thing falls out, another thing can immediately take it's place (many times over... it's the trace buster buster). No more worries about anything really... not even a large concern for actors. Which is weird, but hey, you'll see. All will be revealed, feel free to make guesses. But most important is I keep getting more and more excited for the idea, which doesn't always happen. And I have never had a big fear of failure, which means onward ho.

In the mean time... to quote the fat man... errr... Hitchcock - not the guy who worked with Jake - "To make a great film you need three things - the script, the script and the script." That will be my main focus for several more months. But I am already very happy with where it is... but polish is needed. I'll keep you updated. I'll do this just to keep myself updated. My own pensieve (+2 nerd points if you know the reference).

Oh, and what's it about? I'm not saying (much). It deals with themes I write on a lot. For the first time in a long time there is a lot of humor. Ultimately, it is about loss and how to move beyond that. Through a fantastical horror filter... and more.

Look for a list of films from the first half of this year that I think need to be checked out. Should be up by the end of this week.

PS (POSTSCRIPT) - Dear Little Friend is from Narnia, I believe. A friend mentioned my initials (DLF) are used as such in the series years ago. I never forgot that and am using it here.