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| Hi all,
I haven't updated this thing forever, but I just wanted to let you know that the movie I made last year is
finally viewable online! I actually finished it a while ago but didn't get around to doing this until now.
YouTube
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-I2CE25VNNU
(allow 4-5 minutes of buffering time, BUT I prefer you use YouTube to rate the movie and leave comments for me!)
Google Video
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4495844819297035282
(faster loading time, BUT no ratings or comments)
The movie is called Sharing Mike and is loosely based on me and some
friends. Its running time is 13 minutes, 33 seconds. In a nutshell, I
started writing this last January and started shooting in May. I edited
the movie a couple times late last year before getting it to its
current state right around New Year's.
Hopefully, this is the
1st of many interesting projects you'll be watching from me. I will
follow up in a little while with two special features - one is a
collection of outtakes, and the other will be a surprise. I would
really appreciate any and all comments, even the most brutally honest
(e.g. "you're a terrible actor" or "I don't get the title"). Thank you
in advance for watching and commenting!
P.S. how about them Oscars? I'll post about them soon, too.
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| I haven't updated this thing in a really long time, and I'd like to say
I have a good excuse, but it's more like a bunch of small excuses.
Working very slowly on a short film with friends, moving to a new
place, watching a lotta football, visiting home, etc. However, I did
continue to watch movies. Nothing in the theaters yet, but here's a
run-down of stuff I liked:
Golden Age-ish movies (fun and not too involved): Grand Hotel, The Big
Sleep, The Maltese Falcon and a pair of Astaire-Rogers movies, Top Hat
and Swing Time
old Japanese movies: Tokyo Story, Floating Weeds, and Ikiru
other: Angels in America (cool cable movie on AIDS in 1980s America), Blow Up (awesome awesome awesome)
U2 U2 U2 U2 U2
Here's a ridiculous review of a U2 concert I just went to. I posted
this on various U2 fansites and U2.com and figured I might as well
share here. If any of you is gonna be in the general admissions line
for the Oakland show on Wednesday, Nov 11, come find me! Anyways, on to
the review:
I finally did it! Tuesday night, the first of back-to-back U2 shows in
LA, I got into that ellipse. I hesitated to give my ticket to the
scanner, realizing at that point that I could no longer depend on my
hope to carry me through. Screen stays blue, and you proceed to the
floor. Screen turns red flashing the Vertigo logo, and you proceed to
the ellipse. Simple binary process, but let me tell you, waiting for
the screen to give you an answer feels like an eternity, to use an
often quoted but seldom appropriate cliche. Just as I handed my ticket
to the scanner, I watched the person in front of me disappointingly
leave the desk as his ticket received only a blue screen. Now, it was
my turn. The ticket's barcode was scanned, and after as close as to an
eternity as I have felt, the screen turned red, and those amazing,
beautiful Vertigo logos splashed across the screen. Between pumping my
fist, screaming at my sister and approaching that massive ellipse,
security guards yelled to stop running and slow down, and other people
milled about to find friends and spots on the floor outside the
ellipse. Realizing he or she is going to be kept from the ellipse is
probably the most disappointing point for any GA ticket holder, but
that's a feeling I won't have to worry about (at least for another
week).
The day started for me at around 7am. After a couple false starts
hitting the snooze button, I finally fell out of bed and steadied
myself for the U2 concert. My sister and I were ready for a long day.
In the car with us were 2 bags full of nourishment and entertainment.
This was a whole day we were going to spend there. We squinted through
the morning sun to find the GA line at the back of the arena. Already,
nearly a hundred people sat in front of us, some with mattresses, some
with fold-out chairs, all with U2 memorabilia of some sort and all with
a U2 obsession many would find sick. For my sister and me, we were at
home. We chatted up many fans along the way, whose breadth of knowledge
and depth of dedication put us to shame. "Those are real fans," I told
my sister, after a band of longtime fans passed out 16,000 (yes,
16,000!) Happy Birthday signs for us to present Larry during the show.
His birthday is October 30th, but most of us didn't know that, of
course.
The second part of the day began at 1:30pm, when I discovered a small
corner near the loading ramp and under a big tree of all things. 15
people were firmly ensconced at the rails, waiting for none other than
our Irish boys to show up for soundcheck. A report trickled down to us
that soundcheck would begin at 3pm. I rushed back to the GA lines and
ordered my sister to the loading ramp to occupy a spot for us while I
roasted away in the GA line for another hour. I joined her at 2:30pm
and anxiously scanned every approaching car for the next 2 hours,
hoping that any of them might match the description of Bono's ride:
shiny, big, black SUV. Finally, at 4:30pm, a black SUV approached, and
its driver wore a suit and sunglasses. Everyone clamored to see who was
in the car, but it quickly drove underground. One fan waved, but who
was in the car, we asked? She didn't know. She just waved. Then,
another and another. None stopped! Then, one car finally slowed down as
it passed us, the back window opening and the tip of a cowboy hat
peeking out. Under the cowboy hat, you could see light red sunglasses.
The crowd began to rush Bono's car as it stopped at the top of the
loading ramp and his door opened. He leaned over a rail and shyly said
the band was late for its soundcheck and had to go. He seemed genuinely
disappointed for us, and even in turning back to retreat into his car,
he couldn't help but sign a couple autographs. That is the kind of man
he is, to put his fans first. If only we got some eye contact, my
sister bemoaned.
We returned to line in time to return our bags of crap to our car and
to use the bathroom a last time before entering the arena. The lines
were compressed, and we filed in. Walking into the ellipse is one of
the greatest moments of my life. It was practically empty, and it felt
so welcoming. There was the front rail rubbing up on the main stage and
beckoning to us! We grasped at the rail, barely believing our luck. We
would not have a sip of water or a bathroom break for the next 5 and a
half hours because we would not leave our spot in the ellipse. This was
too important. A shorter man behind me offered me $100 to switch
positions with him. $100 for 2 feet? Normally, a no-brainer of a deal.
But for U2, no deal. "Sorry, I've been waiting too long for this," I
explained, and he laughed. One U2 fan to another.
At 7:30pm Damian Marley and his backing band, The Empire, took the
stage to our relief. For the first time in hours, we forgot our aching
feet, stiff backs, and sunburns to take in music. No Doubt this was
not, but Marley is easily more enjoyable than the Kings of Leon and PJ
Harvey. Throw in tricked out versions of Exodus and Could You Be Loved,
and you've got solid entertainment. Perhaps unfairly to Marley and his
band, the fans in the building paid him only partial attention, as they
were ultimately still distracted by their anxious anticipation of the
main attraction. At 8:15pm, the opening act was done, and we cheered as
much out of appreciation as out of relief that we were that much closer
to U2.
The familiar echo of The Arcade Fire's Wake Up brought the crowd to its
senses again as it signaled the arrival of the greatest band of all
time. The lights dimmed, and we were washed in the familiar red glow of
City of Blinding Lights. Edge came on, receiving his guitar from guitar
tech Dallas Schoo. Adam came on, Larry came on, and the opening notes
crept in. Larry started beating away, and from the corner of the stage,
Bono leapt on. Now, the most ridiculous part. Bono began the song and
started approaching our side of the stage. Through his glasses, he
peeked at my sister for an entire 2 lines of the first chorus!!!!!!!!
To me, it was as if he was looking into my own soul. I stood there in
shock with my arm raised toward him, becoming a groupie myself. Being
on Adam's side of the stage, we were treated to many upclose views of
the "posh" bandmember himself. My sister got a couple smiles and a
wink! Holy fucking shit.
The show was the greatest I've experienced, after 6 previous shows, and
one of the greatest moments of my life. That comes across as a gross
exaggeration to non-U2 fans but is par for the course for us believers.
Obviously, being within arm's length of the band and making eye contact
with them were the greatest factors. But to add to those:
- Bono invited an all-girl cover band named Exit to the stage, and the
band gave them their instruments as they launched into a crowd-killing
version of Out of Control, with the band ultimately joining in and
encouraging them
- singing Happy Birthday to Larry and Bono leading chants of "Hip, Hip, Hooray!" for Larry
- Bono brought a small girl onto the stage for Sunday Bloody Sunday,
and she was so nervous, she didn't even have the breath to speak into
the microphone when he held it in front of her
- great quotes: Bono - "Larry gets the girls, I get the books, Edge
gets the rocket scientists and Adam gets the large penis", Bono - "Hola
Amigos! Hola Mama Sitas!", Larry - "Thanks for coming to my birthday
party, you can leave your gifts at the door. I'd like to thanks Bono,
Edge and Adam for being my backup band."
After experiencing the general admission/floor ticket experience only
through TV specials and fan reviews before, now I can say I've finally
done the real thing! | | |
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Well, it’s been almost 3 weeks since I’ve updated this damn
thing, and what have I been doing during that time, you ask? Nothing! I think
doing nothing is highly underrated. I certainly enjoy it more than most. What
better time to enjoy the mundane and allow the world to soak in. And of course,
watch movies …
Crash: I’ve been
waiting for a while to watch this. Didn’t seem like the kind of movie I’d need
to see in a theater, but it made for a great time on DVD. The movie is not
subtle, and it should not be taken too seriously. From his commentary,
writer/director Paul Haggis seems to have intended this movie as a fable about
how people perceive and treat each other, and I think it works wonderfully this
way. There are some scenes that are just incredible, enough to go back and
watch them again after watching the entire movie. There are some other scenes
that don’t quite work or don’t make sense, but like with other movies that take
risks and dare to dislodge an audience from its comfort zone, “Crash” can be forgiven.
It’s also so much fun to see veteran actors give everything they’ve got in
small roles. It seems like smaller roles really encourage actors to compete
with each other (in a good way) to steal scenes, and I’m so impressed with Matt
Dillon, Thandie Newton and Sandra Bullock. Michael Peña, a relative unknown,
steals every scene he’s in.
L’Avventura: You
have to watch this movie for its photography and cinematography, but you can
also enjoy it for its plot. Michelangelo Antonioni made this film so beautiful
it’s as if you’re watching artwork. The actors he has, the landscapes, the
angles, everything comes together to the point where the story is important yet
almost secondary. Although this is a long and slow movie, you really want more
by the time it’s done. You want to know what exactly happens to the main
characters and their relationship, and you want to see more resolution.
However, the movie stops at the perfect place – the relationship is still
uncertain, and we don’t need to see what happens. When you watch “L’Avventura”
you will be more concerned about how the main character evolves than what she
ultimately decides in her relationship, so in the final scene, you’re satisfied
that she is in the position to decide as opposed to being controlled by others.
Rules of the Game:
Jean Renoir’s movie about class differences and bourgeois complacency scared
the French when it was released in the late ‘30s because of its harsh
criticisms, and it had to be edited down into a softer, fuzzier version. Luckily,
some scholars devoted to his work put the movie back together some years back,
and so you can watch the movie almost exactly as Renoir intended. The movie is
clever and sometimes even slapstick the way the Marx Brothers or the Three
Stooges were, so you don’t get too bogged down by all the social statements.
This movie obviously inspired Robert Altman’s “Gosford Park” which copies many scenes for
its own purpose. I liked both movies, but “Gosford Park”
was more entertaining and structured.
also recently watched and RECOMMENDED: “Layer Cake” (just released on DVD, fun crime story with twists and
turns), “Poseidon Adventure”
(shipwreck classic with Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine), “Ballad of a Soldier” (old Russian film about a teenage soldier’s
quest to go home, set during WWII),
“Chase” (suspense movie with Brando, Jane Fonda, Robert Redford, Robert
Duvall – worth it just for the cast!)
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The Stanford Theatre in Palo Alto, CA
recently reopened, and they’re showing some incredible movies over the next few
weeks, including “Citizen Kane,” “All
About Eve,” “Laura,” and some of Garbo’s great films, including “Ninotchka” and “Grand Hotel.” If you’re around the Bay Area, check out: www.stanfordtheatre.org. And if
you’re not, I’m sure you can find old movie houses like this near you. The
greatest thing about this is that I can try to go watch some of these oldies
that I’ve never seen before and on a big screen instead of my inadequate 27’’
TV.
Now on a completely different subject, I’m a big fan of “Chappelle’s Show,” and I own the
Season 2 DVD set. One of my roommates has the Season 1 DVD set, so we’ve got
plenty of Chappelle at our disposal. Add to that the recent Comedy Central
airings of his 2000 standup comedy special, and there’s almost too much
Chappelle going around. Unfortunately, his recent Showtime special, “For What It’s Worth”
(now on DVD),
just doesn’t live up to all that other stuff. I hoped that it would be
on par
with Season 2 because he taped this on tour during the peak of the
show’s
popularity. While he does have his moments, Chappelle often rambles on
without a good setup or punchline. Slamming police and the justice
system and complaining
about his fans’ harassing him on vacation is really good stuff. On the
other
hand, a story about a homeless man holding a bus hostage has promise
but goes
NOwhere sadly. A story about visiting some American Indians in the
Southwest
does little but recycle old and inappropriate stereotypes. Give me the
Wayne Brady sketch or Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories any day!
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