This review requires a little back story before I get into the film itself. About a year ago, a friend of mine told me about a film called “The Fall”, and kept pontificating about it for a long time after that, trying to do whatever he can to see it, begging theatres to have screenings of it so he would have the opportunity to go see it in this province, sadly to no avail. After hearing him talk about it for the summer months, telling me details of the production of the film (filmed over four years in 18 different countries, sadly not in Canada), the critical success of the film, and that it was directed by the man who gave us the Jennifer Lopez film “The Cell” (which, given it’s horrible writing, was visually breathtaking) and REM’s “Losing My Religion” video which as a kid I remember being blown away by. After my friend had finally seen the film, pontificating even more now on how fantastic the film was, I relented and bought the dvd the day it came out, just around when University started back up, and given all the hype I had heard thus far, one assumes there was no way after months of hype a film I had never heard of previously could be good.
Boy was I wrong. Tarsem’s (he gave no last name on the credits, sorta like Prince) “The Fall” is a brilliant piece of art. The story is set in Los Angeles in the 1920’s (Once upon a time, as the film’s title card states) when two hospitalized people, Roy, a Hollywood stuntman who nearly died falling off a bridge into a river during the filming of a western, and Alexandria, a little girl who suffered a fall of her own and broke her arm, strike up an unusual friendship with each other. Both characters have fallen more than just literally, with Roy’s girlfriend breaking his heart, and Alexandria’s death of her father and her house burned down. Roy tells her a fantastic story of a group of people whom team up to get revenge from the evil governor Odious, which parallels both Roy and Alexandria’s relationship as the film progresses, becoming very emotional at some points when the real reason why Roy tells her the tale is revealed, resulting in a moment when I even started shedding a tear or two.
I know I’m going to get hell from my friend for dumbing the plot of the film down to its simplest explanation, however, the film is remarkable simple yet remarkable complex, and similar to “The Princess Bride”, both Roy and Alexandria’s friendship and the myth that Roy tells her are both child-like in it’s simplicity, yet both offer a complexness to the motivations behind why the characters do certain things, and like “The Princess Bride”, the audience just succumbs to the fairy tale like storytelling like going into a warm bath, and every time Roy stops the story, the audience feels just like Alexandria, eager to know what happens next. Really there is very little to say negative about this film, other than the reference I have made to a previous fantasy tale, as The Fall has very little wrong with it.
On the positive side, this film deserved Oscars for the following: Cinematography, Production Design and Costume Design. I know the last few reviews I keep discussing cinematography, but this film really deserves mentioning, with every shot looking like a painting or a shot from the BBC series “Planet Earth”, the film is quite literally jaw-droppingly astonishing (those who have a Blu-Ray player would definitely revel in the clarity and stunning beauty in each shot). Furthermore, the films costume designs (from the Oscar winner designer of Francis Ford Coppola’s Dracula) and the films various and vast sets also deserve extreme kudos to go with how beautiful the film is. The acting as well is incredible, with Lee Pace playing Roy as such a troubled figure who sees good in Alexandria and does what he can to hide his pain from her. Special notice goes to Alexandria, played by Catinca Untaru, whom at such a young age, is able to convey so much in her leading performance to the audience, between her innocence and her feelings to Roy, whom she sees as a father figure. Last but not least, credit goes to where it is due: Tarsem for crafting a film which is clearly a labour of love, investing more than 10 years of his life into making this film, and four years of filming, finishing the film in 2006 before the dvd came out last year. Directing, Producing, and Co-Writing this film, Tarsem was able to have complete control over his film, and thus he crafts such a fantastic story in both Alexandria and Roy, as well as the fairy tale, with moments in the latter that are so well constructed and play with the conventions of telling a story that, coupled with how stunning the film looks and how emotionally incredible it is, it’s impossible not to be engaged in fully, and I can gladly say I want to be in line to see what the director makes next.
This film, along with “The Dark Knight”, tied #1 for my best film of last year, and that was when I had seen “The Fall” once, and “The Dark Knight” about a dozen times by the end of the year, which tells you the impact “The Fall” had on me. One note, although the film is Rated R for: Some Violent Images (14A in Canada), this film could have easily gotten away with a PG-13 in the US compared to the violence of films such as “Fast and Furious” as the violence in “The Fall” is artistically done and fairy tale like (similar to swordfights in “The Princess Bride”...okay that’s the last time I’m referencing that film). However, it is emotionally intense as some themes are quite serious (Roy attempts suicide, the finale of the story Roy tells the girl gets dark during the climax, the deaths of characters in the fairy tale), but again the film is quite delicate when dealing with these moments, and, should have resulted the film getting a lighter rating than it did. This film reminds me why I love the movies as I do, and how powerful a film can make an audience feel. My friend kept telling me to see this film, and I don’t regret it for a second, and now it’s my turn to pay him back, declaring this film as my underrated film of the week.
5/5 stars.
The Scotch this week is Grants.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Underrated film of the week: Serenity
If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for Joss Whedon, the man that gave our generation “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”, “Angel”, “Dollhouse”, “Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog”, and of course “Firefly”. Now Firefly, a science fiction western (Yes I wrote that right, a western set in outer space) only lasted a dozen episodes which for the most part weren’t even aired in the right order before it was quickly cancelled by Fox. Flash forward three years, and the show was brought back to life into a feature length film entitled “Serenity” written and directed by Whedon himself and with all the original cast back.
Some quick backstory: In the future the earth has become so packed that the human race explore and terriform other planets. In doing so, small towns are formed, and matters such as farming and settling and horses (think America in the old west). However within this some settlers in the outer rims of the new galaxy declared a civil war on the Alliance (the universal government) and, much like the American civil war, the South...errr outer rim planets, lost the war.
The film, like the show (although set six months after the show ended), brings the viewer to the crew of the Serenity, a group of rag tag mercenaries (for lack of a better description) led my Captain Malcolm Reyonlds (Nathan Fillion) who come to discover that one of his crewmates River Tam (Summer Glau) was experimented on by the Alliance as a child because she could read minds, to the point where she’s a little...funny in the head. She’s had so much programmed in her and absorbed that she can’t understand any of it. However, the Alliance wants her back, sending the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor, from “Love Actually” and “Dirty Pretty Things”) to find her, and killing anyone who is helping her. After seeing a commercial at a bar that is programmed to trigger her, River goes off fighting like Bruce Lee randomly without anyone knowing why, and it’s up to Mal and his crew to protect her from the operative and find out the secrets that River has in her head.
Now for those of you who aren’t a fan of Whedon’s long list of shows, then Serenity may not interest you. Matter of fact if you don’t like science fiction or westerns this may not interest you. However, the film is a marvel, with critics loving it and science fiction authors enjoying it (to the point where Ender’s Game author Orson Scott Card stated that if Ender’s Game can’t be as good as this film, I would never want it made. I’d just rather see Serenity again) However the film was barely able to make back it’s $20 million dollar budget worldwide, although finding life on dvd. One note, although the film does a solid job of being self contained for those who haven’t seen the show Firefly, watching the show either before or after would help the viewer understand the background of the character and their arcs which are concluded within this film. And although some main characters on the show were largely sacrificed to minor roles, specifically Sheppard Book, and Inara, which may leave some first time viewers questioning any development or understanding of who they are, the film still remains largely self contained.
Now the good things: First and foremost, the comedy. A lot of the comedy in this film is dry and mostly things that the characters would probably say, which makes their moments funnier, however like all comedy, some people may not find the humour funny, but it works very well for the film. Also, the visual effects need mentioning. In a year where Star Wars: Episode III, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, and War of the Worlds (among others) we’re scooping up all the visual effects kudos, Serenity was able to make a $20 million film look like a $100 million summer blockbuster, with fantastic spaceship action sequences and a pretty sweet chase scene in the beginning, Serenity’s effects deserved more kudos compared to the other films running for the VFX Oscar. Going off that, the films action sequences are also a marvel, with River sporting some amazing martial arts scenes which are done with very few cuts, and the film is also fairly scary (the Reavers, whom are a savage cannibal like villain play a major role in the film, with scared and self inflicted piercings) which really works to ramp up the suspense when it matters. Having said of what a fan I am of Joss Whedon’s work, I have to talk about the writing and directing. It’s stellar: The man has known these characters, created their world on the small screen years before, and even though years have passed since he wrote about the world, the story and the characters fit so well it’s like no time has passed. The characters are written so well, and the plot is, while not complex, still strong. Also a positive note is that many times you won’t know what the film will do next with each scene, although the basic plot has redundant elements we’ve seen hundreds of times over, Whedon tweaks them to keep the audience guessing and on the edge of their seat (including killing a character of two randomly).The directing is also top notch, with Whedon making the budget look a lot bigger on screen then they actually had, playing the drama, the scares, and the comedy with finesse. The acting is also stand out as well, the actors clearly loved their characters and it shows in their performance, with Nathan Fillion both charming and goofily funny, but clearly leader material, and Summer Glau playing insane ninja girl with surprising effectiveness and sympathetic love. Oh, and hats off to Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb, the crew’s tough violent thug guy, who is pitch perfect in the film, and Alan Tyduk as Wash, the ships pilot, who spews comedy with every line.
As I have said, it’s not for everyone, but the film hits all the right beats, and sadly didn’t get it’s due when it was released in theatres, which is why I’m proud to declare it my underrated film of the week. Give it a shot, watch it to the end, let the characters absorb you and the action overwhelm you, and if you like it, give the show a shot, since it’s doubtful a sequel will ever be made.
4.5/5 stars
Some quick backstory: In the future the earth has become so packed that the human race explore and terriform other planets. In doing so, small towns are formed, and matters such as farming and settling and horses (think America in the old west). However within this some settlers in the outer rims of the new galaxy declared a civil war on the Alliance (the universal government) and, much like the American civil war, the South...errr outer rim planets, lost the war.
The film, like the show (although set six months after the show ended), brings the viewer to the crew of the Serenity, a group of rag tag mercenaries (for lack of a better description) led my Captain Malcolm Reyonlds (Nathan Fillion) who come to discover that one of his crewmates River Tam (Summer Glau) was experimented on by the Alliance as a child because she could read minds, to the point where she’s a little...funny in the head. She’s had so much programmed in her and absorbed that she can’t understand any of it. However, the Alliance wants her back, sending the Operative (Chiwetel Ejiofor, from “Love Actually” and “Dirty Pretty Things”) to find her, and killing anyone who is helping her. After seeing a commercial at a bar that is programmed to trigger her, River goes off fighting like Bruce Lee randomly without anyone knowing why, and it’s up to Mal and his crew to protect her from the operative and find out the secrets that River has in her head.
Now for those of you who aren’t a fan of Whedon’s long list of shows, then Serenity may not interest you. Matter of fact if you don’t like science fiction or westerns this may not interest you. However, the film is a marvel, with critics loving it and science fiction authors enjoying it (to the point where Ender’s Game author Orson Scott Card stated that if Ender’s Game can’t be as good as this film, I would never want it made. I’d just rather see Serenity again
Now the good things: First and foremost, the comedy. A lot of the comedy in this film is dry and mostly things that the characters would probably say, which makes their moments funnier, however like all comedy, some people may not find the humour funny, but it works very well for the film. Also, the visual effects need mentioning. In a year where Star Wars: Episode III, King Kong, The Chronicles of Narnia, and War of the Worlds (among others) we’re scooping up all the visual effects kudos, Serenity was able to make a $20 million film look like a $100 million summer blockbuster, with fantastic spaceship action sequences and a pretty sweet chase scene in the beginning, Serenity’s effects deserved more kudos compared to the other films running for the VFX Oscar. Going off that, the films action sequences are also a marvel, with River sporting some amazing martial arts scenes which are done with very few cuts, and the film is also fairly scary (the Reavers, whom are a savage cannibal like villain play a major role in the film, with scared and self inflicted piercings) which really works to ramp up the suspense when it matters. Having said of what a fan I am of Joss Whedon’s work, I have to talk about the writing and directing. It’s stellar: The man has known these characters, created their world on the small screen years before, and even though years have passed since he wrote about the world, the story and the characters fit so well it’s like no time has passed. The characters are written so well, and the plot is, while not complex, still strong. Also a positive note is that many times you won’t know what the film will do next with each scene, although the basic plot has redundant elements we’ve seen hundreds of times over, Whedon tweaks them to keep the audience guessing and on the edge of their seat (including killing a character of two randomly).The directing is also top notch, with Whedon making the budget look a lot bigger on screen then they actually had, playing the drama, the scares, and the comedy with finesse. The acting is also stand out as well, the actors clearly loved their characters and it shows in their performance, with Nathan Fillion both charming and goofily funny, but clearly leader material, and Summer Glau playing insane ninja girl with surprising effectiveness and sympathetic love. Oh, and hats off to Adam Baldwin as Jayne Cobb, the crew’s tough violent thug guy, who is pitch perfect in the film, and Alan Tyduk as Wash, the ships pilot, who spews comedy with every line.
As I have said, it’s not for everyone, but the film hits all the right beats, and sadly didn’t get it’s due when it was released in theatres, which is why I’m proud to declare it my underrated film of the week. Give it a shot, watch it to the end, let the characters absorb you and the action overwhelm you, and if you like it, give the show a shot, since it’s doubtful a sequel will ever be made.
4.5/5 stars
Underrated film of the week - Dead Silence
"Beware the stare of Mary Shaw. She has no children, only dolls. If you see her in your dreams, Be sure you never, ever scream, or she'll rip your tounge out at the seam."
Okay, first thing's first: I'm bias to being creeped out by dummies. They're wooden, they're eyes are freaky when they look at you, and they generally make me feel wierd. (I also have a fear of clowns, but that's another story) Even the Goosebumps "Night of the Living Dummy" series scared me as a kid, but this film's dummy ain't no Slappy.
The writing/directing team of the first "SAW" film, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, must of had a lot of pressure after their new found success with their next film, and "Dead Silence (2007)", despite the critical and box office bombing that it was, (pretty much went into theatres for a week before leaving), I was one of those ones who caught the first screening in theatres between classes because I was genuinely excited to see the writer/director's next horror film.
To summarize the very little plot there is: After receiving a mysterious package with a mysterious puppet (named Billy) inside and his fiancée dead soon after, Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten from HBO’s True Blood *playing Sookie’s brother*) goes back to his hometown to discover why the doll was mailed to him. However he is constantly being followed by a sceptical detective (Donnie Wahlberg) who believes that Jamie is responsible for his fiancée’s murder. Soon Jamie discovers that the doll was created by a ventriloquist Mary Shaw, who after trying to create the perfect doll, is blamed for the disappearance of a child and was killed by the community, and now 50 years later is seeking revenge against all the descendents of the town. The story doesn’t need to rely on gore and excessive violence to be scary, but rather a simple old school ghost story to succeed in it’s job to keep the audience involved.
This film isnt’ going to win any awards for acting or writing, in fact both are pretty horrible. The dialogue is hilariously awful in some spots, although the short runtime allows the pace of the film to be pretty quick at a brisk hour and a half running time. The acting is good enough for a horror film of this shallow range, with Donnie Wahlberg giving as much cheese as he can with his lines, creating the best comedy in the film.
However where the film does excel though is in it’s scares, something that Wan and Whannell did well in the first Saw film. While the acting and dialogue maybe bad, the film oozes scares, starting with the amazingly creepy score by Charlie Clouser, who also has scored all the Saw films. Clouser, who has worked for Nine Inch Nails, Rob Zombie, and Marilyn Mason, knows exactly what kind of music produces an eerie effect which makes your skin crawl, and that’s without the amazing cold cinematography which kicks back to the old school horror aesthetic that the film is harking back too, and gothic sets to reinforce the aesthetic and the scares. Standing out though is the sound design, which is nothing short of breathtaking. When the sound goes from loud to non existent, and you see the lightning but don’t hear the thunder, or hear the slow creaking of every dummy, the film employs the sound perfectly to ramp up the atmosphere of the film. Like the Universal films of the late 30’s such as Frankenstein and Dracula, the scares from Dead Silence come from the mood and tone of the film, which as I’ve said, is handled perfectly, and let’s be fair, people watch horror movies to be scared, and not for the acting, and does this film deliver the scares. (for a fun little easter egg, in the climax of the film you can see the Jigsaw puppet from Saw in the climax of the movie, look closely at 1:13:50 into the film. Rarely the first time watching a horror movie am I scared, but watching this for the 6th or 7th time and still being so invested that i’m terrified is a rare gift for a movie. So sit back, turn the lights off, get some popcorn, maybe a significant other, and get ready to be terrified .
4.5/5 stars
Okay, first thing's first: I'm bias to being creeped out by dummies. They're wooden, they're eyes are freaky when they look at you, and they generally make me feel wierd. (I also have a fear of clowns, but that's another story) Even the Goosebumps "Night of the Living Dummy" series scared me as a kid, but this film's dummy ain't no Slappy.
The writing/directing team of the first "SAW" film, Leigh Whannell and James Wan, must of had a lot of pressure after their new found success with their next film, and "Dead Silence (2007)", despite the critical and box office bombing that it was, (pretty much went into theatres for a week before leaving), I was one of those ones who caught the first screening in theatres between classes because I was genuinely excited to see the writer/director's next horror film.
To summarize the very little plot there is: After receiving a mysterious package with a mysterious puppet (named Billy) inside and his fiancée dead soon after, Jamie Ashen (Ryan Kwanten from HBO’s True Blood *playing Sookie’s brother*) goes back to his hometown to discover why the doll was mailed to him. However he is constantly being followed by a sceptical detective (Donnie Wahlberg) who believes that Jamie is responsible for his fiancée’s murder. Soon Jamie discovers that the doll was created by a ventriloquist Mary Shaw, who after trying to create the perfect doll, is blamed for the disappearance of a child and was killed by the community, and now 50 years later is seeking revenge against all the descendents of the town. The story doesn’t need to rely on gore and excessive violence to be scary, but rather a simple old school ghost story to succeed in it’s job to keep the audience involved.
This film isnt’ going to win any awards for acting or writing, in fact both are pretty horrible. The dialogue is hilariously awful in some spots, although the short runtime allows the pace of the film to be pretty quick at a brisk hour and a half running time. The acting is good enough for a horror film of this shallow range, with Donnie Wahlberg giving as much cheese as he can with his lines, creating the best comedy in the film.
However where the film does excel though is in it’s scares, something that Wan and Whannell did well in the first Saw film. While the acting and dialogue maybe bad, the film oozes scares, starting with the amazingly creepy score by Charlie Clouser, who also has scored all the Saw films. Clouser, who has worked for Nine Inch Nails, Rob Zombie, and Marilyn Mason, knows exactly what kind of music produces an eerie effect which makes your skin crawl, and that’s without the amazing cold cinematography which kicks back to the old school horror aesthetic that the film is harking back too, and gothic sets to reinforce the aesthetic and the scares. Standing out though is the sound design, which is nothing short of breathtaking. When the sound goes from loud to non existent, and you see the lightning but don’t hear the thunder, or hear the slow creaking of every dummy, the film employs the sound perfectly to ramp up the atmosphere of the film. Like the Universal films of the late 30’s such as Frankenstein and Dracula, the scares from Dead Silence come from the mood and tone of the film, which as I’ve said, is handled perfectly, and let’s be fair, people watch horror movies to be scared, and not for the acting, and does this film deliver the scares. (for a fun little easter egg, in the climax of the film you can see the Jigsaw puppet from Saw in the climax of the movie, look closely at 1:13:50 into the film. Rarely the first time watching a horror movie am I scared, but watching this for the 6th or 7th time and still being so invested that i’m terrified is a rare gift for a movie. So sit back, turn the lights off, get some popcorn, maybe a significant other, and get ready to be terrified .
4.5/5 stars
TORCHWOOD: Children of Earth
For those of you who love soft sci-fi (the kind that doesn't involve spaceships and outer space, like LOST or The X-Files), "Torchwood", from the creator of the new Doctor Who, maybe for you. Focusing on a team who tracks and polices alien activity going on since Queen Victoria's reign, Torchwood is outside the government and beyond the police in Cardiff (Wales, which is in England for those of you out of the know). Unlike Doctor Who however, Torchwood is an edgier show that is not for kids: Sex, Swearing, Violence, Drugs, and really serious themes (more on that in a bit), Torchwood would probably be on HBO if it was made in America, fortunately the BBC is a lot more tolerant.
"Children of Earth" marks the third season of this show, and unlike typical network shows, this season is an event, spanning 5 consecutive days back to back instead of a 12 episode season. This is a positive and a negative, and the 5 episodes are all top notch, however those who are fans of the shows, including the cast, will be disappointed at the limited amount. Without giving too many spoilers away from previous seasons the basics of the show goes like this: Team Leader Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a time agent from the future who can't time warp anymore, can't die (and not for lack of trying in every episode as the bad guys and himself find new and creatively funny ways to try and kill him), and is well...pan sexual. However his more recent love interest is Ianto Jones, also part of the team, responsible for mopping up the mess the team leaves, as well as the resident tech guy. The third and recently last member of the team Gwen Cooper is forced to hide from the world what she does, with only her new husband Rhys recently finding out and unofficially joining the team.
"Children of Earth", without giving away too much, concerns itself with Aliens (called the 456) coming back to Earth after taking a handful of children in the 1960's. However these aliens before they even get to Earth use the children of not only England but the whole world to stop all at once and carry the message to the world " We...We are...We...are....We are coming...We are coming...We are coming...we are coming...back!" Since your don't see what the aliens look like until the third episode, the threat of making every child in the world do what the aliens want them too is scary enough. Although Torchwood isn't aware why they have come back, the government knows and in order to hide the real reason why from the public, tries to destroy Torchwood and all it's members. The first episode alone is fantastic, being thrilling, absolutely frightening, and full of action that doesn't let up for an hour straight. The other episodes devolve more into back story of the who/why/what of the aliens and the governments reaction, and does so brilliantly as it focuses on themes of government control, what they have to do to seem as victims, and the horrifying things they must do to make sure the aliens do not wipe out humanity. In doing so, the reaction from the parents to what the government does is nothing short of cold, breathtaking and heartbreaking, (including *SPOILERS* a scene which the military kidnaps children from schools and homes as parents try to fight back), as the series paints a strangely realistic view from both sides within this unlikely scenario that allows the experience to be emotionally heartbreaking without losing any suspense.
Granted, there's aliens, and a guy who can't die, but that's about as sci-fi as this show gets. Although not as adult themed as the previous seasons were (making this series, although really scary, accessible to young teens to watch instead of strictly adult audiences), the five episodes are all the top of not only it's genre but television in general, fantastically written, directed, acted, and action packed and thoroughly engrossing. I can't recommend this show enough, and although it's already premiered in the UK (how I saw it), in Canada it starts on the Space channel Monday night at 10 every night at that time until the finale on Friday. I can't recommend this series enough, and even if you think this show sounds stupid, give the first episode a shot on Monday night, watch it all the way through, and see if it's your kinda show. Television doesn't get better then this.
9.5/10
"Children of Earth" marks the third season of this show, and unlike typical network shows, this season is an event, spanning 5 consecutive days back to back instead of a 12 episode season. This is a positive and a negative, and the 5 episodes are all top notch, however those who are fans of the shows, including the cast, will be disappointed at the limited amount. Without giving too many spoilers away from previous seasons the basics of the show goes like this: Team Leader Captain Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), a time agent from the future who can't time warp anymore, can't die (and not for lack of trying in every episode as the bad guys and himself find new and creatively funny ways to try and kill him), and is well...pan sexual. However his more recent love interest is Ianto Jones, also part of the team, responsible for mopping up the mess the team leaves, as well as the resident tech guy. The third and recently last member of the team Gwen Cooper is forced to hide from the world what she does, with only her new husband Rhys recently finding out and unofficially joining the team.
"Children of Earth", without giving away too much, concerns itself with Aliens (called the 456) coming back to Earth after taking a handful of children in the 1960's. However these aliens before they even get to Earth use the children of not only England but the whole world to stop all at once and carry the message to the world " We...We are...We...are....We are coming...We are coming...We are coming...we are coming...back!" Since your don't see what the aliens look like until the third episode, the threat of making every child in the world do what the aliens want them too is scary enough. Although Torchwood isn't aware why they have come back, the government knows and in order to hide the real reason why from the public, tries to destroy Torchwood and all it's members. The first episode alone is fantastic, being thrilling, absolutely frightening, and full of action that doesn't let up for an hour straight. The other episodes devolve more into back story of the who/why/what of the aliens and the governments reaction, and does so brilliantly as it focuses on themes of government control, what they have to do to seem as victims, and the horrifying things they must do to make sure the aliens do not wipe out humanity. In doing so, the reaction from the parents to what the government does is nothing short of cold, breathtaking and heartbreaking, (including *SPOILERS* a scene which the military kidnaps children from schools and homes as parents try to fight back), as the series paints a strangely realistic view from both sides within this unlikely scenario that allows the experience to be emotionally heartbreaking without losing any suspense.
Granted, there's aliens, and a guy who can't die, but that's about as sci-fi as this show gets. Although not as adult themed as the previous seasons were (making this series, although really scary, accessible to young teens to watch instead of strictly adult audiences), the five episodes are all the top of not only it's genre but television in general, fantastically written, directed, acted, and action packed and thoroughly engrossing. I can't recommend this show enough, and although it's already premiered in the UK (how I saw it), in Canada it starts on the Space channel Monday night at 10 every night at that time until the finale on Friday. I can't recommend this series enough, and even if you think this show sounds stupid, give the first episode a shot on Monday night, watch it all the way through, and see if it's your kinda show. Television doesn't get better then this.
9.5/10
Underrated Film of the Week - Elizabethtown
I was considering doing my second weekly underrated film note on something that would have been easier to argue, I ultimately decided to save it for next week and try to argue something a little more tougher to defend. This was a film that I was debating to include as an underrated film, as I’m somewhat bias towards it, but “Elizabethtown“ (2005) is a film that, although full of film clichés and some really strange characters, the film still has some solid heart and sweetness, and a few solid comedic moments, and although not Cameron Crowe (Almost Famous, Vanilla Sky, Jerry McGuire, Say Anything)’s best film, it’s better than what the critics gave it, and the failure it made at the box office. Although the film has been compared to Garden State (2005), having not seen Garden State in the last couple years, I’ll try not to discuss parallels to the two works and focus solely on this film.
Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom), a big shot city guy that, after reeling from a losing gamble on a new design for a shoe that costs the company he works for...well the amount is so large you can round it to a Billion dollars, decides to end his life. However, just before he is able to, his sister (Judy Greer) tells him that their father died in his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, while with his brother. As Drew has to go back to the town to bury his father, the plane ride he meets Claire (Kristen Dunst), a flight attendant whose way to preppy throughout the film, as if she’s an angel or permanently high. When he arrives in the small town, he meets his extended family and his father’s friends, and in the process begins to get to know the father he never had time to see, as well as the charm of the small town, all while falling in love with Claire, whom for some reason her flight attendant job allows her lots of time not actually working.
Aside from the problem with Claire’s character, which may be a fault more with the way it is acted rather than the writing (although the end of the film leads me to be wrong), the pace of the film is somewhat stagnant and slow, with the romance between Claire and Drew only working at some points. Also, although it doesn’t really bother me personally, a lot of people may find the small town charm that the film portrays uninteresting and boring, with a tad of ridiculousness. Again going back to Claire’s character, the reason the romance doesn’t work out is because we never really get a feeling of who she is as a person: no background, no real depth, just constantly chipper and cute and lovable, which makes the romance somewhat unbelievable as I can’t really see what Drew sees in her. Lastly, Jessica Biel seems completely out of place in this film, and although she’s only in the film briefly, she never adds anything to the film.
However, for all that is bad, the good aspects are still prevalent. For starters, the supporting cast is great (Alec Baldwin steals his scene; Susan Sarandon is so perfect in the role of Drew’s mother, with one of the most touching moments in the film during Drew’s father’s funeral where she tap dances to “Moon River”) and almost the entire inhabitants of Elizabethtown fit their roles well. The film really plans on the emotions, especially love and loss; the importance of family; that no matter how small a town is, there is still a sense of community. And when the film throws these filmic clichés into this film, one would expect the final product to be dull and boring, but the strings are played so well that it still hits you. (I defy anyone not to find the road trip montage at the end touching and sweet) The moments where Drew really gets to know his father through moments with his father’s brother and associated townsfolk is just touching enough not to be overdone. Orlando Bloom, although coming off The Lord of the Rings trilogy when this was released and didn’t really have any other films under his belt, does a solid job in the lead role as a young up and coming show designer who goes into the small town roots and really looks like he enjoys it and finds the homeliness of it all, and although the role isn’t exactly a tough job (see him in Kingdom of Heaven for that one, but I’ll save that for another review), Bloom plays it just right. Most important in any Cameron Crowe movie, the music is also an integral factor to what makes the film work, between soundtrack music from everyone to U2 to Elton John, and everywhere in between, every song works perfectly to hit the right emotional beats. The fact that Drew’s father’s funeral takes precedence over the romance subplot between Drew and Claire is what makes the film better than what Cameron Crowe could have sold out too.
Going back to why I’m bias to this film, it came out at the perfect time for me. Just when I got into my own and went to St. Catharines for University (first time I’d really been away from the quiet town of Kirkfield and its surrounding small communities), to me being at Brock, and St. Catharines in general, was big city compared to the tiny City of Kawartha Lakes, which is actually a couple dozen small towns amalgamated. Elizabethtown was one of the first films I saw in theatres after starting University, and the small town charm resonated with me at a time when, although I always resented living in a tiny town, really made me miss what made a small community great. It’s not a great film, but it deserved better than typical romantic fair (to call this a romantic comedy would be misjudging the film, as the comedy in the film is fairly light compared to the romance and drama) and despite its bashing from critics and failure to make any real money (possibly the beginning of producer of this film Tom Cruise [not kidding, he is a credited producer on this film] drive to failure and madness during that year), the flick ultimately hits the right emotional notes, and with that in mind, I’ll give it 3/5 stars, just enough to classify it as underrated. If your looking for something light and sweet, something that will make you smile, give this a rent or a download.
3 Stars out of 5
Drew Baylor (Orlando Bloom), a big shot city guy that, after reeling from a losing gamble on a new design for a shoe that costs the company he works for...well the amount is so large you can round it to a Billion dollars, decides to end his life. However, just before he is able to, his sister (Judy Greer) tells him that their father died in his hometown of Elizabethtown, Kentucky, while with his brother. As Drew has to go back to the town to bury his father, the plane ride he meets Claire (Kristen Dunst), a flight attendant whose way to preppy throughout the film, as if she’s an angel or permanently high. When he arrives in the small town, he meets his extended family and his father’s friends, and in the process begins to get to know the father he never had time to see, as well as the charm of the small town, all while falling in love with Claire, whom for some reason her flight attendant job allows her lots of time not actually working.
Aside from the problem with Claire’s character, which may be a fault more with the way it is acted rather than the writing (although the end of the film leads me to be wrong), the pace of the film is somewhat stagnant and slow, with the romance between Claire and Drew only working at some points. Also, although it doesn’t really bother me personally, a lot of people may find the small town charm that the film portrays uninteresting and boring, with a tad of ridiculousness. Again going back to Claire’s character, the reason the romance doesn’t work out is because we never really get a feeling of who she is as a person: no background, no real depth, just constantly chipper and cute and lovable, which makes the romance somewhat unbelievable as I can’t really see what Drew sees in her. Lastly, Jessica Biel seems completely out of place in this film, and although she’s only in the film briefly, she never adds anything to the film.
However, for all that is bad, the good aspects are still prevalent. For starters, the supporting cast is great (Alec Baldwin steals his scene; Susan Sarandon is so perfect in the role of Drew’s mother, with one of the most touching moments in the film during Drew’s father’s funeral where she tap dances to “Moon River”) and almost the entire inhabitants of Elizabethtown fit their roles well. The film really plans on the emotions, especially love and loss; the importance of family; that no matter how small a town is, there is still a sense of community. And when the film throws these filmic clichés into this film, one would expect the final product to be dull and boring, but the strings are played so well that it still hits you. (I defy anyone not to find the road trip montage at the end touching and sweet) The moments where Drew really gets to know his father through moments with his father’s brother and associated townsfolk is just touching enough not to be overdone. Orlando Bloom, although coming off The Lord of the Rings trilogy when this was released and didn’t really have any other films under his belt, does a solid job in the lead role as a young up and coming show designer who goes into the small town roots and really looks like he enjoys it and finds the homeliness of it all, and although the role isn’t exactly a tough job (see him in Kingdom of Heaven for that one, but I’ll save that for another review), Bloom plays it just right. Most important in any Cameron Crowe movie, the music is also an integral factor to what makes the film work, between soundtrack music from everyone to U2 to Elton John, and everywhere in between, every song works perfectly to hit the right emotional beats. The fact that Drew’s father’s funeral takes precedence over the romance subplot between Drew and Claire is what makes the film better than what Cameron Crowe could have sold out too.
Going back to why I’m bias to this film, it came out at the perfect time for me. Just when I got into my own and went to St. Catharines for University (first time I’d really been away from the quiet town of Kirkfield and its surrounding small communities), to me being at Brock, and St. Catharines in general, was big city compared to the tiny City of Kawartha Lakes, which is actually a couple dozen small towns amalgamated. Elizabethtown was one of the first films I saw in theatres after starting University, and the small town charm resonated with me at a time when, although I always resented living in a tiny town, really made me miss what made a small community great. It’s not a great film, but it deserved better than typical romantic fair (to call this a romantic comedy would be misjudging the film, as the comedy in the film is fairly light compared to the romance and drama) and despite its bashing from critics and failure to make any real money (possibly the beginning of producer of this film Tom Cruise [not kidding, he is a credited producer on this film] drive to failure and madness during that year), the flick ultimately hits the right emotional notes, and with that in mind, I’ll give it 3/5 stars, just enough to classify it as underrated. If your looking for something light and sweet, something that will make you smile, give this a rent or a download.
3 Stars out of 5
Underrated movie of the week: The Island
Howdy! This is, if I can actually make a deadline, the first in a weekly series of notes about underrated films, the ones that have been swept under the rug, or people have never heard of, or ones that critics didn't like and didn't make much money, but I consider good and thus am defending them so that anyone who reads this can give the film a second chance to check it out and see what they're missing.
Now, for my first review, I chose Micheal Bay's "The Island" (2005), a film that, despite it's $125 million budget, tanked in North America's box office and critics bombed (much like Bay's previous films, "The Rock" excluded). However, the film is probably Bay's best (at least up there with "The Rock"). The film combines elements of Logan's Run, The Truman Show, Blade Runner, and classic Micheal Bay style with a science fiction element as in the near future a large group of "survivors" inside a colony (Ewen McGregor, and Scarlett Johansson included) believe that they are the only survivors of a outbreak that has decimated the earth, hiding in a futuristic site where everything is clean, advertisements for X-Box to Aquafina surround the environment, and everyone has the mental capacity of a 15 year old. However, nothing is what it seems; The reward of the lottery is one lucky person within this group gets to go to The Island: The only non-contaminated place on the earth. However these people are not survivors, but rather clones used for insurance to extend the lives and health of the worlds very rich when they are needed for organs. As Lincoln (McGregor) starts questioning the facility and the lottery, eventually discovering what "The Island" actually is, he runs with Jordon (Johansson), discovering the outside world and how different it is from their "perfect" existence inside the facility. However, the ring leader of this facility (Sean Bean) doesn't want the outside world to know that these clones are alive, (society simply believes that these clones are not alive, bringing forth the Stem cell debate in an interesting way) and thus send assassins to hunt down Lincoln and Jordon, leading to some breathtaking action sequences.
What makes this film better then not only the previous films from the director, but also from what the critics have said is that: yes there is a lot of product placement, yes as I have mentioned the plot harkens to films such as Logan's Run and Blade Runner, and yes this film has that classic Bay visual style. However, all of this plays in the films favour.
With exceptionally beautiful cinematography (as much as you may hate Micheal Bay, you have to admit his films look beautiful), "The Island" takes these better films, and is still able to mold it's plot into something interesting in concept and execution. Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (from Tv's Fringe, and writers of Transformers 1 & 2, M:I-3, and the most recent Star Trek film) "The Island" makes what is arguably the most interesting plot from Bay's filmography, or at least the most complex, with McGregor and Johansson playing their characters a spot above Bay's typical acting. (perhaps because they are not typical actions stars like Will Smith and Ben Affleck are), allowing the audience to genuinely like and care about these characters without stilted action acting to hurt their performances. The action scenes are also something truey breathtaking (much like the filmmakers previous works, something that any viewer has to admit, Bay's action sequences are one of the few things he does really well) Although the first real action scene doesn't begin until a little more than an hour in, it last a hell of a long time: going from a train station, through city streets, to a highway where train axels are being thrown into oncoming cars chasing our heroes, to a hoverbike chase through the skyscrapers of the city, and climaxing on top of a giant logo on a office building which comes down. Phew! This scene is probably one of the best action scenes I've seen in a long time, it's pure kenetic and breathtaking action that you've never seen before: not just in terms of the execution of the action and it's extended length, but also in terms of the incredible amounts of visual effects that play off so well. From Hoverbikes, to the city of the near future, to trains and holographic fighting, ILM's visual effects work (from the same group of VFX supervisors that did Bay's Pearl Harbour, and got a oscar nomination for that work), the detail in each shot, and having the effects make the action even more breathtaking makes the film worth a look alone. If that doesn't entice you, there's always the cameo's: From Micheal Clark Duncan playing a brawly scared clone of a football player, to Steve Buscemi playing...what I can only describe as himself, and letting the comedy that comes out of all of his roles come out naturally.
Overall, it might not be the best science fiction film ever, or best action film ever, but it's damn fun entertainment and is absolutely an underrated movie from Micheal Bay, and for popcorn entertainment with a plot that is interesting, " The Island", although the lowest grossing of the directors films, is probably one of his best works. The beginning is pure science fiction, with the middle being simply a chase movie, and the End of the film merging the previous two genres into a ending that is, although satisfying, is slightly cliche, but doesn't bring down the rest of the film that much. For it's 2 hour 15 minute run time, its a hell of a fun ride, and although it's not a brilliant film, it's better then the criticism it's gotten and deserves another chance. I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5, maybe even a full 4th star.
Now, for my first review, I chose Micheal Bay's "The Island" (2005), a film that, despite it's $125 million budget, tanked in North America's box office and critics bombed (much like Bay's previous films, "The Rock" excluded). However, the film is probably Bay's best (at least up there with "The Rock"). The film combines elements of Logan's Run, The Truman Show, Blade Runner, and classic Micheal Bay style with a science fiction element as in the near future a large group of "survivors" inside a colony (Ewen McGregor, and Scarlett Johansson included) believe that they are the only survivors of a outbreak that has decimated the earth, hiding in a futuristic site where everything is clean, advertisements for X-Box to Aquafina surround the environment, and everyone has the mental capacity of a 15 year old. However, nothing is what it seems; The reward of the lottery is one lucky person within this group gets to go to The Island: The only non-contaminated place on the earth. However these people are not survivors, but rather clones used for insurance to extend the lives and health of the worlds very rich when they are needed for organs. As Lincoln (McGregor) starts questioning the facility and the lottery, eventually discovering what "The Island" actually is, he runs with Jordon (Johansson), discovering the outside world and how different it is from their "perfect" existence inside the facility. However, the ring leader of this facility (Sean Bean) doesn't want the outside world to know that these clones are alive, (society simply believes that these clones are not alive, bringing forth the Stem cell debate in an interesting way) and thus send assassins to hunt down Lincoln and Jordon, leading to some breathtaking action sequences.
What makes this film better then not only the previous films from the director, but also from what the critics have said is that: yes there is a lot of product placement, yes as I have mentioned the plot harkens to films such as Logan's Run and Blade Runner, and yes this film has that classic Bay visual style. However, all of this plays in the films favour.
With exceptionally beautiful cinematography (as much as you may hate Micheal Bay, you have to admit his films look beautiful), "The Island" takes these better films, and is still able to mold it's plot into something interesting in concept and execution. Written by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (from Tv's Fringe, and writers of Transformers 1 & 2, M:I-3, and the most recent Star Trek film) "The Island" makes what is arguably the most interesting plot from Bay's filmography, or at least the most complex, with McGregor and Johansson playing their characters a spot above Bay's typical acting. (perhaps because they are not typical actions stars like Will Smith and Ben Affleck are), allowing the audience to genuinely like and care about these characters without stilted action acting to hurt their performances. The action scenes are also something truey breathtaking (much like the filmmakers previous works, something that any viewer has to admit, Bay's action sequences are one of the few things he does really well) Although the first real action scene doesn't begin until a little more than an hour in, it last a hell of a long time: going from a train station, through city streets, to a highway where train axels are being thrown into oncoming cars chasing our heroes, to a hoverbike chase through the skyscrapers of the city, and climaxing on top of a giant logo on a office building which comes down. Phew! This scene is probably one of the best action scenes I've seen in a long time, it's pure kenetic and breathtaking action that you've never seen before: not just in terms of the execution of the action and it's extended length, but also in terms of the incredible amounts of visual effects that play off so well. From Hoverbikes, to the city of the near future, to trains and holographic fighting, ILM's visual effects work (from the same group of VFX supervisors that did Bay's Pearl Harbour, and got a oscar nomination for that work), the detail in each shot, and having the effects make the action even more breathtaking makes the film worth a look alone. If that doesn't entice you, there's always the cameo's: From Micheal Clark Duncan playing a brawly scared clone of a football player, to Steve Buscemi playing...what I can only describe as himself, and letting the comedy that comes out of all of his roles come out naturally.
Overall, it might not be the best science fiction film ever, or best action film ever, but it's damn fun entertainment and is absolutely an underrated movie from Micheal Bay, and for popcorn entertainment with a plot that is interesting, " The Island", although the lowest grossing of the directors films, is probably one of his best works. The beginning is pure science fiction, with the middle being simply a chase movie, and the End of the film merging the previous two genres into a ending that is, although satisfying, is slightly cliche, but doesn't bring down the rest of the film that much. For it's 2 hour 15 minute run time, its a hell of a fun ride, and although it's not a brilliant film, it's better then the criticism it's gotten and deserves another chance. I'd give it 3.5 stars out of 5, maybe even a full 4th star.
How to make a movie in 7 Hours: The making of Fear Itself (Part 3)
Post-Production
After we finished filming (except for the last scene of course), the next morning after very limited hours of sleep, I logged and transferred all the footage to final cut pro, which is pretty much the only way to go when it comes to editing. Side note for people reading this, even though it's important to log all the footage you put onto the computer, it takes a hell of a long time just to name what shots are what, keywords like "Mack-A two shot bad sound" or whatever to give you as much detail as possible what that shot is so when your editing you can go right to it and you know what you want. When editing Fear itself, one of my big issues was trying to have the least amount of continuity errors as possible when your cutting between shots, such as how the actors are positioned between shots, and for the most part I think it's hardly noticeable, but there's some continuity errors that unfortunately I couldn't re shoot and to the actors credit they tried to stay in the same positions and blocking they were in previous takes which for the most part helped a lot, but there's the odd time it didn't match. A lot of continuity errors were in the audio also, in some cases the audio wasn't good because of the crappy microphone on the camera so I would just use the audio of another take, and it wouldn't match no matter what I tried, so instead I just tried to make it as unnoticeable as I could, which I personally think worked, no one's complained about it...yet.
Considering I couldn't re shoot like I said, I can't really complain with the continuity errors. All those transitions were done because actually I had some others to make everything more dream like, and later I took them out because there were simply too many of them and gave away the dream ending too quickly. However the ones I have now pretty much just cover continuity errors pretty poorly. Another important feature which worked amazingly well for me in editing was a smooth cam feature which nine times out of ten smoothed shaky cam shots which really helped my film which was about 95% shaky cam, made it look a lot better, and in some shots making look better then what it was, such as tracking shots that were really me walking backwards, which really made the film look better then it was.
After I got a rough cut done the second day of editing (the end of the first night I think I got to the pay phone scene) I showed a version to my roommate and he just hated it, and to his credit as a rough cut I understood a lot of his points, and I changed them. And the next day I got Spencer who did Gunfight! that I helped with to come in and help me refine some of the sound and editing, since all the sound was from the microphone in the camera, the audio for the most part sucked, so he helped refine it, and especially Nicole's monologue the rough cut was much much darker, almost to the point you couldn't see her, so Spencer showed me how to boost up the brightness to the right level where it didn't distort the shots which helped a lot. Also there was a line that was taken out in the first scene where Tom says "We decided to eat instead of study", there was a line after where Victoria says "This is how you two were studying?" kinda jokingly sarcastic and then Tom says "We got kind of bored", but it just seemed to drag the moment.
Overall, I'm happy with the film considering the factors in making it. I don't think i would have changed the actors for anyone else after how much they gave for the sake of this film, and keeping me sane in the late hours getting those last shots in, and I know I've said this before, I just hope they see the finished product and are proud of it.
Rich
For Mim
After we finished filming (except for the last scene of course), the next morning after very limited hours of sleep, I logged and transferred all the footage to final cut pro, which is pretty much the only way to go when it comes to editing. Side note for people reading this, even though it's important to log all the footage you put onto the computer, it takes a hell of a long time just to name what shots are what, keywords like "Mack-A two shot bad sound" or whatever to give you as much detail as possible what that shot is so when your editing you can go right to it and you know what you want. When editing Fear itself, one of my big issues was trying to have the least amount of continuity errors as possible when your cutting between shots, such as how the actors are positioned between shots, and for the most part I think it's hardly noticeable, but there's some continuity errors that unfortunately I couldn't re shoot and to the actors credit they tried to stay in the same positions and blocking they were in previous takes which for the most part helped a lot, but there's the odd time it didn't match. A lot of continuity errors were in the audio also, in some cases the audio wasn't good because of the crappy microphone on the camera so I would just use the audio of another take, and it wouldn't match no matter what I tried, so instead I just tried to make it as unnoticeable as I could, which I personally think worked, no one's complained about it...yet.
Considering I couldn't re shoot like I said, I can't really complain with the continuity errors. All those transitions were done because actually I had some others to make everything more dream like, and later I took them out because there were simply too many of them and gave away the dream ending too quickly. However the ones I have now pretty much just cover continuity errors pretty poorly. Another important feature which worked amazingly well for me in editing was a smooth cam feature which nine times out of ten smoothed shaky cam shots which really helped my film which was about 95% shaky cam, made it look a lot better, and in some shots making look better then what it was, such as tracking shots that were really me walking backwards, which really made the film look better then it was.
After I got a rough cut done the second day of editing (the end of the first night I think I got to the pay phone scene) I showed a version to my roommate and he just hated it, and to his credit as a rough cut I understood a lot of his points, and I changed them. And the next day I got Spencer who did Gunfight! that I helped with to come in and help me refine some of the sound and editing, since all the sound was from the microphone in the camera, the audio for the most part sucked, so he helped refine it, and especially Nicole's monologue the rough cut was much much darker, almost to the point you couldn't see her, so Spencer showed me how to boost up the brightness to the right level where it didn't distort the shots which helped a lot. Also there was a line that was taken out in the first scene where Tom says "We decided to eat instead of study", there was a line after where Victoria says "This is how you two were studying?" kinda jokingly sarcastic and then Tom says "We got kind of bored", but it just seemed to drag the moment.
Overall, I'm happy with the film considering the factors in making it. I don't think i would have changed the actors for anyone else after how much they gave for the sake of this film, and keeping me sane in the late hours getting those last shots in, and I know I've said this before, I just hope they see the finished product and are proud of it.
Rich
For Mim
How to make a movie in 7 Hours: The making of Fear Itself (Part 2)
(edit: If you want to see the film, drop me an e-mail theshape13@hotmail.com, or post a comment)
Production:
Now hopefully you haven’t been bored by the background stuff, and if you haven’t read it, it really doesn’t matter, except you are a horrible human being for not reading it. (not really, just kidding) So onto filming, and I’m going to begin from where the film began. No I didn’t shoot the film the chronologically, but if you’re watching it, it makes more sense to talk about what happened from beginning of the film to end.
Okay first scene: Originally I wanted to do a dolly shot (something the trailer had a lot of) to give the dream like quality. The shot was suppose to be at the end of the hall, going from right to left where Brett and Ashley would walk into the frame from afar from a long shot to a close up and then track around (think a sideways J) so when it tracked around Lace and Brett would come out of nowhere, sorta giving away that it is a dream (especially when Ashley asks where did they come from). However since I couldn’t really get it to work in the time we had, instead I just did it handheld, tracking down from the bright light and just did a medium shot, which gave a sense of the real world through the camra (which was a huge thing, to make the film seem real and with each scene slowly letting the film give more of a dream feel so the audience got to figure it out eventually as the movie progressed). Also you’ll notice that when Brett says “what do you mean” his lips aren’t moving because the audio was bad for that take and a previous take had horrible video but good audio so I tried to match the two. It didn’t really work but it’s hardly noticeable. The sound was a problem because the boom mike took too long to set up and some of the equipment I didn’t get, so I had to shoot with just the microphone in the camera. Oh and if you look closely you can see people in the background of the shot which really pisses me off when I see it because there wasn’t supposed to be anyone then the four people in the dream, kinda destroying the dream.
Scene two: First of all, I’m a huge fan of Twin Peaks, and that show was very heavy on the dream-like feel, so I through this dialogue in there because I was such a fan of the show and the rare person who watched the show would get the reference and would understand the film was a dream. To be fair I broke the 180 degree rule in three shots which is usually something you never do, but again it works for the dream. Oh and if you look carefully you’ll see the battery charger on the table. The last shot goes on a little too long, but I wanted them to just walk normally and turn the corner and without disrupting the shot before it geographically.
Scene three: These two shots looked really good, again the sound sucks and I wish the second shot lasted longer, but that was my fault.
Scene four: This worked well in the sense that I wanted Mike to purposefully act in a way that everyone in the audience would agree with Ashley that it’s a really stupid idea, but also to call attention to the stupid idea in horror movies where they always split up and to mock it slightly. Also another important factor in this scene was to shoot Ashley separate from the other three to give the sense of foreboding isolation, like she’s just someone watching this moment unfold without her being able to do anything about it, which rely worked when Iain takes her away
Scene Five: This is the second time you see the battery and charger in the shot on the ground, make it a drinking game now. The reason there are those dissolves between shots is because this was the second last scene we shot late at night, and in my tired mentally drained stupor, all the camera equipment was in the background in some shots, and in a couple cases completely destroying shots, so I used these dissolves to cheat it. The voice is actually Nicole’s, and through some sound design tricks I just made it seem more childish.
Scene Six: The only thing to say was that this was the last thing we shot that night.
Scene Seven: This was shot in the same area we filmed scene three, and the person in the background was actually Mike, because I didn’t want to give away that Brett was controlling her dream. The scream on the phone was actually Nicole in an elevator screaming which really gave that neat echo feel.
Scene Eight: This scene I have to give Nicole props for, she really nailed the monologue in one take without having to cut, and we did it about four or five times and I after seeing her do it in the editing room each time, I figured I couldn’t cut it without losing some of the impact of the moment, so I kept a full take in. And ending the scene on the door was Suzie’s idea which worked really well to cut to the next scene. This monologue was something I had in my original script as well and really really wanted to keep it in this one in some form. Also, I keep getting asked what is it with the cheese line, and to steal something from Joss Whedon, the cheese line represents that arbitrary randomness that are in dreams, no real point to the line just that it’s an ode to the Buffy Episode “Nightmares”. Also this was the first thing we ever shot in the film.
Scene Nine: This scene didn’t work the way I wanted, mainly because when Ashley runs in, I wanted the lights to just turn on much like it was in the trailer, and unfortunately it didn’t work when we tried it. However the acting worked well, Thomas did a really good job in this scene because in retrospect the writing sucked on it because It really didn’t get the idea that each of the lines he says is part of Ashley’s subconscious, giving hints to her childhood which really didn’t work as well as I wanted. Hinting about gallivanting with boy’s thing (something that I thought it would be cliché for a parent to say), running away from home (which is a reference to her choice to go away from home to university) all to convey this idea.
Scene Ten: The first shot where she runs out of the door into the hall was one of those random shots I loved because you see Brett for a flash of a second when she’s running and the frame doesn’t return to him, so the viewer sees just this blurred flash. Iain played this differently then I was thinking when I wrote it, when I wrote it I had the idea that the character would be more playful, but Iain really brought something a lot better to the character, this really evil omniscient persona that’s really just a kid inside. And I really hate that exam sign behind Iain because when we shot this I didn’t think about because I was so mentally drained, this was one of the last scenes we shot and I was in the mindset that I just wanted to get it over with. Overall it the scene worked though on a few levels.
Scene Eleven: Iain is creepy as hell in this moment, and I’m sad that the sound was so horrible because how he delivered that line was so perfect. The montage of Ashley not opening the doors was something we shot quick, I think two takes of her just running down the hall trying to open doors and when cut to music it worked really well. Very few horror films use the montage to music really well, take Halloween for example, fantastic horror film and great music which ultimately suffers from a lack of montage (and no I’m not comparing my film to Halloween...maybe Jaws II but not Halloween) .
Scene Twelve: The big climax for me was important for a couple reasons, firstly to get Iain in that shot of the window was something I had in the beginning when I wrote it which we actually got really well in the second take. This confrontation was really well acted, credit to the actors. An important aspect I wanted to get at is when Iain goes back to himself, the anger at the end when he chokes her was supposed to be his, not the child’s, Ashleys own fear of what would happen if he knew to the worst degree. Also Iain is not really choking her, if you notice carefully she steps on a garbage bin and a chair on the ground, but the effect still works, that’s something we did in the trailer to a similar degree.
Scene Thirteen: This we did actually a couple days after the rest of the scenes at a friends house. One of the great accidents is A) When she wakes up she has a really cool silhouette against the stark blue window which was an accident which worked well , and B) The people laughing was people outside the bedroom watching tv and they laughed so loud the microphone picked it up, so when I was editing I just tried to get the least amount of laughing I could in the scene, but some of it I kept because it really gives a strange feeling of the real world, where she’s had this nightmare, but the outside world is just laughing and doesn’t notice, which worked really well against Ashley waking up. The last 10 minutes of the film has been a completely different world and tone then when she wakes up, but even with people laughing outside that eerie quality is not all together gone. The ending was something I purposefully left ambiguous because...well I was lazy. I wanted people watching to decide for themselves what would happen. Also you’ll notice no credits for a couple reasons: 1. It took away from the film, the beginning started from the white light and immediately would have taken away from the “reality” of the film I wanted to achieve at the beginning, and 2. At the end I wanted it to be abrupt so it would be easier for people at the end to wonder if there was anything after it, and to let them draw their own conclusions.
Production:
Now hopefully you haven’t been bored by the background stuff, and if you haven’t read it, it really doesn’t matter, except you are a horrible human being for not reading it. (not really, just kidding) So onto filming, and I’m going to begin from where the film began. No I didn’t shoot the film the chronologically, but if you’re watching it, it makes more sense to talk about what happened from beginning of the film to end.
Okay first scene: Originally I wanted to do a dolly shot (something the trailer had a lot of) to give the dream like quality. The shot was suppose to be at the end of the hall, going from right to left where Brett and Ashley would walk into the frame from afar from a long shot to a close up and then track around (think a sideways J) so when it tracked around Lace and Brett would come out of nowhere, sorta giving away that it is a dream (especially when Ashley asks where did they come from). However since I couldn’t really get it to work in the time we had, instead I just did it handheld, tracking down from the bright light and just did a medium shot, which gave a sense of the real world through the camra (which was a huge thing, to make the film seem real and with each scene slowly letting the film give more of a dream feel so the audience got to figure it out eventually as the movie progressed). Also you’ll notice that when Brett says “what do you mean” his lips aren’t moving because the audio was bad for that take and a previous take had horrible video but good audio so I tried to match the two. It didn’t really work but it’s hardly noticeable. The sound was a problem because the boom mike took too long to set up and some of the equipment I didn’t get, so I had to shoot with just the microphone in the camera. Oh and if you look closely you can see people in the background of the shot which really pisses me off when I see it because there wasn’t supposed to be anyone then the four people in the dream, kinda destroying the dream.
Scene two: First of all, I’m a huge fan of Twin Peaks, and that show was very heavy on the dream-like feel, so I through this dialogue in there because I was such a fan of the show and the rare person who watched the show would get the reference and would understand the film was a dream. To be fair I broke the 180 degree rule in three shots which is usually something you never do, but again it works for the dream. Oh and if you look carefully you’ll see the battery charger on the table. The last shot goes on a little too long, but I wanted them to just walk normally and turn the corner and without disrupting the shot before it geographically.
Scene three: These two shots looked really good, again the sound sucks and I wish the second shot lasted longer, but that was my fault.
Scene four: This worked well in the sense that I wanted Mike to purposefully act in a way that everyone in the audience would agree with Ashley that it’s a really stupid idea, but also to call attention to the stupid idea in horror movies where they always split up and to mock it slightly. Also another important factor in this scene was to shoot Ashley separate from the other three to give the sense of foreboding isolation, like she’s just someone watching this moment unfold without her being able to do anything about it, which rely worked when Iain takes her away
Scene Five: This is the second time you see the battery and charger in the shot on the ground, make it a drinking game now. The reason there are those dissolves between shots is because this was the second last scene we shot late at night, and in my tired mentally drained stupor, all the camera equipment was in the background in some shots, and in a couple cases completely destroying shots, so I used these dissolves to cheat it. The voice is actually Nicole’s, and through some sound design tricks I just made it seem more childish.
Scene Six: The only thing to say was that this was the last thing we shot that night.
Scene Seven: This was shot in the same area we filmed scene three, and the person in the background was actually Mike, because I didn’t want to give away that Brett was controlling her dream. The scream on the phone was actually Nicole in an elevator screaming which really gave that neat echo feel.
Scene Eight: This scene I have to give Nicole props for, she really nailed the monologue in one take without having to cut, and we did it about four or five times and I after seeing her do it in the editing room each time, I figured I couldn’t cut it without losing some of the impact of the moment, so I kept a full take in. And ending the scene on the door was Suzie’s idea which worked really well to cut to the next scene. This monologue was something I had in my original script as well and really really wanted to keep it in this one in some form. Also, I keep getting asked what is it with the cheese line, and to steal something from Joss Whedon, the cheese line represents that arbitrary randomness that are in dreams, no real point to the line just that it’s an ode to the Buffy Episode “Nightmares”. Also this was the first thing we ever shot in the film.
Scene Nine: This scene didn’t work the way I wanted, mainly because when Ashley runs in, I wanted the lights to just turn on much like it was in the trailer, and unfortunately it didn’t work when we tried it. However the acting worked well, Thomas did a really good job in this scene because in retrospect the writing sucked on it because It really didn’t get the idea that each of the lines he says is part of Ashley’s subconscious, giving hints to her childhood which really didn’t work as well as I wanted. Hinting about gallivanting with boy’s thing (something that I thought it would be cliché for a parent to say), running away from home (which is a reference to her choice to go away from home to university) all to convey this idea.
Scene Ten: The first shot where she runs out of the door into the hall was one of those random shots I loved because you see Brett for a flash of a second when she’s running and the frame doesn’t return to him, so the viewer sees just this blurred flash. Iain played this differently then I was thinking when I wrote it, when I wrote it I had the idea that the character would be more playful, but Iain really brought something a lot better to the character, this really evil omniscient persona that’s really just a kid inside. And I really hate that exam sign behind Iain because when we shot this I didn’t think about because I was so mentally drained, this was one of the last scenes we shot and I was in the mindset that I just wanted to get it over with. Overall it the scene worked though on a few levels.
Scene Eleven: Iain is creepy as hell in this moment, and I’m sad that the sound was so horrible because how he delivered that line was so perfect. The montage of Ashley not opening the doors was something we shot quick, I think two takes of her just running down the hall trying to open doors and when cut to music it worked really well. Very few horror films use the montage to music really well, take Halloween for example, fantastic horror film and great music which ultimately suffers from a lack of montage (and no I’m not comparing my film to Halloween...maybe Jaws II but not Halloween) .
Scene Twelve: The big climax for me was important for a couple reasons, firstly to get Iain in that shot of the window was something I had in the beginning when I wrote it which we actually got really well in the second take. This confrontation was really well acted, credit to the actors. An important aspect I wanted to get at is when Iain goes back to himself, the anger at the end when he chokes her was supposed to be his, not the child’s, Ashleys own fear of what would happen if he knew to the worst degree. Also Iain is not really choking her, if you notice carefully she steps on a garbage bin and a chair on the ground, but the effect still works, that’s something we did in the trailer to a similar degree.
Scene Thirteen: This we did actually a couple days after the rest of the scenes at a friends house. One of the great accidents is A) When she wakes up she has a really cool silhouette against the stark blue window which was an accident which worked well , and B) The people laughing was people outside the bedroom watching tv and they laughed so loud the microphone picked it up, so when I was editing I just tried to get the least amount of laughing I could in the scene, but some of it I kept because it really gives a strange feeling of the real world, where she’s had this nightmare, but the outside world is just laughing and doesn’t notice, which worked really well against Ashley waking up. The last 10 minutes of the film has been a completely different world and tone then when she wakes up, but even with people laughing outside that eerie quality is not all together gone. The ending was something I purposefully left ambiguous because...well I was lazy. I wanted people watching to decide for themselves what would happen. Also you’ll notice no credits for a couple reasons: 1. It took away from the film, the beginning started from the white light and immediately would have taken away from the “reality” of the film I wanted to achieve at the beginning, and 2. At the end I wanted it to be abrupt so it would be easier for people at the end to wonder if there was anything after it, and to let them draw their own conclusions.
How to shoot a film in 7 hours - The Making of Fear Itself (Part 1)
Right of the bat, I want to say that I usually don’t blog or post notes, unless it’s for people to see, but not in the pretentious way like Twitter where every 20 minutes I can update my status for people to see, but rather to inform people about things, bring up interesting videos, or just rant for people to have opinions or create discussion about a topic. Now having said that, I want to go back to a previous post about the film Trick R Treat:
In a previous post I expressed my anger that after a year the film had not been released yet (the original release date was 2007) and only having seen the trailer on the dvd of 300, I was excited which quickly turned into disappointment when they pushed back the film indefinitely. Anyways long story short, it is finally being released on dvd this October. (Finally!)
Okay now on to the title. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for DVD commentary’s, listening to the cast or director talk about how they made a movie, finding out behind the scenes information etc. Now since I don’t really have any time to do a dvd audio commentary or something, I’m just gonna talk about how Fear Itself was made, some of the problems in shooting a film in 7 hours, things I wanted to do that I couldn’t, etc. Hopefully I haven’t put so much detail you won’t be really really bored. So first things first:
Background
Okay, Summer 2008, around the same day The Dark Knight came out, I went over to my friend Mike Moores place to see TDK with him and some other friends. Hanging out, I threw an idea for a script I wanted to do for my film production class which I was accepted to a week before. A huge part of that class is to write a script, pitch it and if it gets voted by the class, you can make it. So I threw Mike some ideas, he threw me back some ideas to make the story work, make it scary, and I got to writing. Now fast forward to November, I submit my script, and the prof thought it was decent. I kept rewriting and rewriting it, making it better to the point where I wanted to make it, and I thought it as good (not great, but there I’m still really proud of it, there’s moments in there which I really liked, really gave the characters space to develop, made the exposition in a way which was fun and kept suspense going without having the audience be bored of being thrown story information, a cool ending). Fast forward to about a week and a half before my pitch was due, I went to the Brock library because that’s where my original script took place almost throughout. However talking to them, they ultimately decided not to let me film there. Now in a panic, I had to furiously rewrite my original idea, so over some beers with Lacey at Issacs (the University bar) we threw ideas at each other to make a new script, which my main idea was shooting everywhere else but the library.
Now, the reason why I asked the Brock Library if I could film there was I wanted to make a trailer to pitch to the class, something juicy to get people excited, and also to prove to myself that I can film what I wanted to show with the tone I wanted. So I booked the camera a week in advance, and since I was forced to rewrite my script, I suddenly was forced to make a trailer out of a script I had to rewrite. So with a friend of mine Sam acting, and Spencer acting/cameraing (yes that is a word...at least now it is) and shot a bunch of crazy ideas of shots I wanted but no dialogue because I hadn’t written any yet. So I got the new script and the trailer done, edited, and the pitch went well but it didn’t get voted to be made, but I was still determined to make it after Spencer was done his film which got the most votes, GUNFIGHT. The good news about not getting my script accepted was helping make Gunfight allowed me a crash course to see filmmaking get done, as well as being able to cast after seeing how a lot of the actors performed in that film, and let me pick and choose what roles which actor would work for what wanted. Now I told Sam that she was going to be the main character because she was around since I shot the trailer, I’ve talked to her about it, she has probably the most knowledge of my film up to that point. However with exams (I didn’t want to shoot any film until GUNFIGHT was done) , she was too busy and with her blessing, I recast her with Victoria, whom I’ve known for about half a year now, and she really wanted to be an actress, and at this point I really didn’t have much to lose. I couldn’t shoot until GUNFIGHT was done, so I could only shoot during exams where everyone was available, so on a Wednesday night, the film would be shot. Now, 2 things: 1) Since I could only shoot during exams, that meant that I couldn’t film at some places until exams were over, which meant I had to plan out where I would shoot when so I could film everything else before I shot those places where exams were being held around. 2) Because of essays and exams, I didn’t have much time to plan my shots out, and although I had very specific ideas of shots I wanted in some scenes, other scenes I had nothing, which meant I had to improvise a lot on the spot.
Onto Production in the next note....
In a previous post I expressed my anger that after a year the film had not been released yet (the original release date was 2007) and only having seen the trailer on the dvd of 300, I was excited which quickly turned into disappointment when they pushed back the film indefinitely. Anyways long story short, it is finally being released on dvd this October. (Finally!)
Okay now on to the title. If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for DVD commentary’s, listening to the cast or director talk about how they made a movie, finding out behind the scenes information etc. Now since I don’t really have any time to do a dvd audio commentary or something, I’m just gonna talk about how Fear Itself was made, some of the problems in shooting a film in 7 hours, things I wanted to do that I couldn’t, etc. Hopefully I haven’t put so much detail you won’t be really really bored. So first things first:
Background
Okay, Summer 2008, around the same day The Dark Knight came out, I went over to my friend Mike Moores place to see TDK with him and some other friends. Hanging out, I threw an idea for a script I wanted to do for my film production class which I was accepted to a week before. A huge part of that class is to write a script, pitch it and if it gets voted by the class, you can make it. So I threw Mike some ideas, he threw me back some ideas to make the story work, make it scary, and I got to writing. Now fast forward to November, I submit my script, and the prof thought it was decent. I kept rewriting and rewriting it, making it better to the point where I wanted to make it, and I thought it as good (not great, but there I’m still really proud of it, there’s moments in there which I really liked, really gave the characters space to develop, made the exposition in a way which was fun and kept suspense going without having the audience be bored of being thrown story information, a cool ending). Fast forward to about a week and a half before my pitch was due, I went to the Brock library because that’s where my original script took place almost throughout. However talking to them, they ultimately decided not to let me film there. Now in a panic, I had to furiously rewrite my original idea, so over some beers with Lacey at Issacs (the University bar) we threw ideas at each other to make a new script, which my main idea was shooting everywhere else but the library.
Now, the reason why I asked the Brock Library if I could film there was I wanted to make a trailer to pitch to the class, something juicy to get people excited, and also to prove to myself that I can film what I wanted to show with the tone I wanted. So I booked the camera a week in advance, and since I was forced to rewrite my script, I suddenly was forced to make a trailer out of a script I had to rewrite. So with a friend of mine Sam acting, and Spencer acting/cameraing (yes that is a word...at least now it is) and shot a bunch of crazy ideas of shots I wanted but no dialogue because I hadn’t written any yet. So I got the new script and the trailer done, edited, and the pitch went well but it didn’t get voted to be made, but I was still determined to make it after Spencer was done his film which got the most votes, GUNFIGHT. The good news about not getting my script accepted was helping make Gunfight allowed me a crash course to see filmmaking get done, as well as being able to cast after seeing how a lot of the actors performed in that film, and let me pick and choose what roles which actor would work for what wanted. Now I told Sam that she was going to be the main character because she was around since I shot the trailer, I’ve talked to her about it, she has probably the most knowledge of my film up to that point. However with exams (I didn’t want to shoot any film until GUNFIGHT was done) , she was too busy and with her blessing, I recast her with Victoria, whom I’ve known for about half a year now, and she really wanted to be an actress, and at this point I really didn’t have much to lose. I couldn’t shoot until GUNFIGHT was done, so I could only shoot during exams where everyone was available, so on a Wednesday night, the film would be shot. Now, 2 things: 1) Since I could only shoot during exams, that meant that I couldn’t film at some places until exams were over, which meant I had to plan out where I would shoot when so I could film everything else before I shot those places where exams were being held around. 2) Because of essays and exams, I didn’t have much time to plan my shots out, and although I had very specific ideas of shots I wanted in some scenes, other scenes I had nothing, which meant I had to improvise a lot on the spot.
Onto Production in the next note....
Relationships
Woody Allan's Annie Hall (1977), although both hilarious and depressing, gave a pretty accurate study of relationships. In the end of the film, and hopefully I'm not spoiling the ending for everyone, the main character says to the audience "You know how your always trying to get things to come out perfect in art because it's real difficult in life." This is a key point I've observed: Every romantic movie by the end everything goes perfect, but in the real world it's never clear cut like that.
This is going to make me seem extremely shallow, possibly more so then some of you may already think, but at any point in my life since I was about 14, I've always had a crush on at least 3 girls (single of course...well with the exception of one), usually there's one girl that topples over the others. I can never find myself to fall for just one, I've never figured why, probably cause in an instance where I make a move and ask that one girl out, it usually doesn't work so it never hurts to still have something left so your not completely out of lucky. The rare time I actually get into a relationship, I tend to completely drop all those girls I've had crushes on out of the picture and concentrate on the one I'm with. Ironically although the girls i usually do have crushes on, tend to break up with their guys, or suddenly quest a relationship around the exact same time I just gave up on the others to be in one (life works strangely that way). If it's a relationship I want to try make work, considering my extremely limited experience of relationships, I only focus on that one girl, try and learn from my failing past experiences, and just go with the flow. However in all cases previously within a month on average it fades out and I'm left back on the bottom which during this time, all the girls I crushed on previously whom were looking, have either found a guy or have given up the search, which leaves me back in square one. It's a paradox really.
Well now I've hit an interesting chapter, since being back into the single life everything's started over, in which all cases have ended negatively. Either I discover they have or newly acquired some guy, or something in my mind just clicks and I think it's just better to be simply friends, that a relationship with this girl would either work great and we'd work really well together, or it'll be a complete foul up and afterwords it just becomes uncomfortable. So now i'm at this rare, i donno, dead space. Not to sound completely depressing or anything, just a strange unknown feeling, it's sorta like purgatory (again I don't mean to sound intentionally depressing, i'm sure purgatory is a decent place) A friend of mine came up with a great phrase, "Winter Warmth" Hopefully I really don't to explain it and you get the general concept, but I thought to myself that's it's a good idea. Something that gets rid of the long distance relationship equation (something that i've become aware simply never works, with the exception of a few cases) and it fits the limited period of school left for most college/university students, allowing a relationship to last while both parties are at school, and when school ends one of two outcomes can emerge: A) The two of you part ways as distance or other variables may be factors in realizing it won't work over the summer, being a mutual understanding of course, or B) Both parties really do love each other and strive to make it work (the kind that lasts a good year or two at least) This concept is really win-win for both involved.
Another strange concept out there is that guys are almost always having to make the first move and ask out some girl (single guys obviously), but it's rare that a girl will be crushing on a guy would make this move. Now I mean of course i accept that it is possible, but where a guy goes and actually makes the first move, a girl will almost never do. It's somehow a necessary part of our society that the guy has to make the first move, to assert some kind of, I donno I was trying to avoid the word "phallis" or "manhood" in this note, so you get what I'm getting at at least. Here's the thing, women keep fighting for equality, so why don't they go out of their way to make the first move? it would make it a lot easier for guys not to be burdened with this.
The movies might portray relationships as some sort of metaphysical ideal that reality can never achieve the standards of, but even in real life, sometimes a curve ball can be thrown, something becomes unexpected and it changes some aspect of your life previously. And who knows, maybe this new chapter will be interesting, who the hell knows what can happen now. This curve ball may open ideas and opportunity's never before considered, and even if my friends concept is ever proven right, who knows what could grow from that. Or maybe (and this is almost an impossibility) maybe some girl will find me cute and ask me out, at this stage who the hell knows. It's gonna be fun finding out what happens now.
This is going to make me seem extremely shallow, possibly more so then some of you may already think, but at any point in my life since I was about 14, I've always had a crush on at least 3 girls (single of course...well with the exception of one), usually there's one girl that topples over the others. I can never find myself to fall for just one, I've never figured why, probably cause in an instance where I make a move and ask that one girl out, it usually doesn't work so it never hurts to still have something left so your not completely out of lucky. The rare time I actually get into a relationship, I tend to completely drop all those girls I've had crushes on out of the picture and concentrate on the one I'm with. Ironically although the girls i usually do have crushes on, tend to break up with their guys, or suddenly quest a relationship around the exact same time I just gave up on the others to be in one (life works strangely that way). If it's a relationship I want to try make work, considering my extremely limited experience of relationships, I only focus on that one girl, try and learn from my failing past experiences, and just go with the flow. However in all cases previously within a month on average it fades out and I'm left back on the bottom which during this time, all the girls I crushed on previously whom were looking, have either found a guy or have given up the search, which leaves me back in square one. It's a paradox really.
Well now I've hit an interesting chapter, since being back into the single life everything's started over, in which all cases have ended negatively. Either I discover they have or newly acquired some guy, or something in my mind just clicks and I think it's just better to be simply friends, that a relationship with this girl would either work great and we'd work really well together, or it'll be a complete foul up and afterwords it just becomes uncomfortable. So now i'm at this rare, i donno, dead space. Not to sound completely depressing or anything, just a strange unknown feeling, it's sorta like purgatory (again I don't mean to sound intentionally depressing, i'm sure purgatory is a decent place) A friend of mine came up with a great phrase, "Winter Warmth" Hopefully I really don't to explain it and you get the general concept, but I thought to myself that's it's a good idea. Something that gets rid of the long distance relationship equation (something that i've become aware simply never works, with the exception of a few cases) and it fits the limited period of school left for most college/university students, allowing a relationship to last while both parties are at school, and when school ends one of two outcomes can emerge: A) The two of you part ways as distance or other variables may be factors in realizing it won't work over the summer, being a mutual understanding of course, or B) Both parties really do love each other and strive to make it work (the kind that lasts a good year or two at least) This concept is really win-win for both involved.
Another strange concept out there is that guys are almost always having to make the first move and ask out some girl (single guys obviously), but it's rare that a girl will be crushing on a guy would make this move. Now I mean of course i accept that it is possible, but where a guy goes and actually makes the first move, a girl will almost never do. It's somehow a necessary part of our society that the guy has to make the first move, to assert some kind of, I donno I was trying to avoid the word "phallis" or "manhood" in this note, so you get what I'm getting at at least. Here's the thing, women keep fighting for equality, so why don't they go out of their way to make the first move? it would make it a lot easier for guys not to be burdened with this.
The movies might portray relationships as some sort of metaphysical ideal that reality can never achieve the standards of, but even in real life, sometimes a curve ball can be thrown, something becomes unexpected and it changes some aspect of your life previously. And who knows, maybe this new chapter will be interesting, who the hell knows what can happen now. This curve ball may open ideas and opportunity's never before considered, and even if my friends concept is ever proven right, who knows what could grow from that. Or maybe (and this is almost an impossibility) maybe some girl will find me cute and ask me out, at this stage who the hell knows. It's gonna be fun finding out what happens now.
Buffy the animated Series (Yes it was once happening)
Back a little more then 10 years ago, a show that changed the impact of teenagers came into television called Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. Staying on for 7 years, (possibly 2 more then it should have), spawning a comic book series chronicling Season 8 of the show (A fantastic comic book to boot) as well as a spinoff called Angel, which was also a pretty damned good, taking a direction different then the original show and adding some darker roots which gave the show some originality for a spinoff.
Now, after two very successful shows on his mantle (not to mention the very underrated Firefly), Joss Whedon also came up with the idea of an animated Buffy show, which although never getting made, had a pilot be produced. This 5-minute clip seen below allows fans of the universe to now get an idea of what could have been, taking place sometime during season 1.
Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnUvZP7-5LM
Now, after two very successful shows on his mantle (not to mention the very underrated Firefly), Joss Whedon also came up with the idea of an animated Buffy show, which although never getting made, had a pilot be produced. This 5-minute clip seen below allows fans of the universe to now get an idea of what could have been, taking place sometime during season 1.
Enjoy
http://www.youtube.com/wat
Well known filmmakers and their famous music video starts Share
If you`ve talked to me recently, chances are I`ve tried to shamelessly promote a little known film called ``The Fall`` by director Tarsem Singh, whom previous directed the Jennifer Lopez (pre Jlo) thriller `` The Cell``, which wasn`t that well written but was visually amazing. His big career start was directing the REM video Losing My Religion, one of the best video`s I`ve ever seen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7vs21ZKrKM&feature=related
Michael Bay, a director known in relation to summer blockbusters like The Rock, The Island, Bad Boys 1 and 2, and most Transformers, got his break directing the Meat Loaf music video ``I would do anything for love`` from the Bat out of Hell II album
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GNhdQRbXhc
Tony Kaye, the director of one of the most controversial, yet one of the universal favorite films, ``American History X`` got his break directing, among others, the Soul Asylum hit song ``Runaway Train``, which is quite possibly one of the saddest and most depressing music video/ Public service announcements ever created.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psP1bKKEtHg
Spike Jonze, famous for "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" got his music video career going with one of the most memorable and funniest video's ever created, Fatboy Slim's video "Weapon of Choice" featuring Christopher Walken dancing and flying (yes flying) in a hotel lobby. Pure Classic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WW8flwpH-Q
http://www.youtube.com/wat
Michael Bay, a director known in relation to summer blockbusters like The Rock, The Island, Bad Boys 1 and 2, and most Transformers, got his break directing the Meat Loaf music video ``I would do anything for love`` from the Bat out of Hell II album
http://www.youtube.com/wat
Tony Kaye, the director of one of the most controversial, yet one of the universal favorite films, ``American History X`` got his break directing, among others, the Soul Asylum hit song ``Runaway Train``, which is quite possibly one of the saddest and most depressing music video/ Public service announcements ever created.
http://www.youtube.com/wat
Spike Jonze, famous for "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation" got his music video career going with one of the most memorable and funniest video's ever created, Fatboy Slim's video "Weapon of Choice" featuring Christopher Walken dancing and flying (yes flying) in a hotel lobby. Pure Classic
http://www.youtube.com/wat
Play
Here's a strange little video, staring Alan Rickman (Yes, Hans Gruber and the Voice of God himself) in a very abstract short film. if you can watch it all in one viewing, your made of more then me.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3453298926288406872
http://video.google.com/vi
In Appreciation for: Trick R Treat
Edit: It now appears that this film will (finally after two years) be released on dvd and Blu Ray, pending of course if Warner Bros screws this poor film over again. But at least it will be out there for people to see :D
If you happened top buy 300 on dvd, chances are you saw a trailer for a unheard of scary movie called "Trick R Treat". The trailer showcased some familiar, although not famous talent (Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, among others), fantastic yet eerie set direction, and an intriguing premise: An anthology of Halloween tales all set during the same day and same community. Although supposed to be released in October 2007, the film was pushed back because of a surplus of less then half decent horror films such as 30 Days of Night and Saw 4 taking up the Halloween movie market, smaller films such as Trick R Treat were pushed away. As of yet, there are no plans to release Trick R Treat this Halloween season, and recently Warner Brothers has dropped the film off their distribution, which means that this film may never be released until another distributor picks it up, not even on dvd. It's sad to see shlock paint-by-number films like the Saw franchise offer tons of gore, which doesn't make a film scary just disturbing, and a small film like Trick R Treat, which (from what I have been able to gather through the trailer and from the select few who have been to the screenings have stated) a scary atmosphere and honest scares.
For those interested, here's the wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trick_r_treat
And the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ggDNhd5FC2U
If you happened top buy 300 on dvd, chances are you saw a trailer for a unheard of scary movie called "Trick R Treat". The trailer showcased some familiar, although not famous talent (Anna Paquin, Brian Cox, among others), fantastic yet eerie set direction, and an intriguing premise: An anthology of Halloween tales all set during the same day and same community. Although supposed to be released in October 2007, the film was pushed back because of a surplus of less then half decent horror films such as 30 Days of Night and Saw 4 taking up the Halloween movie market, smaller films such as Trick R Treat were pushed away. As of yet, there are no plans to release Trick R Treat this Halloween season, and recently Warner Brothers has dropped the film off their distribution, which means that this film may never be released until another distributor picks it up, not even on dvd. It's sad to see shlock paint-by-number films like the Saw franchise offer tons of gore, which doesn't make a film scary just disturbing, and a small film like Trick R Treat, which (from what I have been able to gather through the trailer and from the select few who have been to the screenings have stated) a scary atmosphere and honest scares.
For those interested, here's the wikipedia link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wi
And the trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/wat
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