A Bit Of Advice

I intended this blog for people who are interested in working the industry, and somewhat documenting my journey.  I have lots of advice, but so far... its mainly on what NOT to do or what HASN'T worked for me.  So, here is my first bit of advice for you all.  There will be more coming in the near future.

I am certainly not someone who understands what you have to do to get started in this industry.  But, instead, is someone who is struggling to figure out what one does to get a job if they don't know many in the industry.  The second part of that previous sentence is key, mind you.  If you don't know people in LA, who are working and can help you get started.... this town quickly becomes a lonely and depressing place where finding a job is very difficult.  

So, if you are like me I suggest setting aside a "going out" fund and meeting as many people as possible.  I tend to not drink during the week, and have found a good substitute if you are looking to go out, but stay sober - soda water and lime.  A good spot for this is a new bar/nightclub or a trendy restaurant on a sunday afternoon.  Going out, I've found, is very important.  You never know who you might meet.

I got some real advice yesterday defiantly worth sharing about finding jobs if you are having difficulty.  Read Variety and Hollywood Reporter.  If no one had told me these have job listings, I wouldn't have ever known.

Oh Ricky...

Ricky Gervais is one of my favorite actors.  From his dance in 'The Office' to his cameo in "Stardust", I always enjoy him on screen.  I think he is one of Hollywood's greatest comedians - and he is just another actor who does not get enough credit from us, the viewers.

Here he is - fighting with Elmo.

Bad Movies - Hating To Love Them

So, I realized that I've done a lot of bashing of movies the past few days (however I am not saying that they don't deserve it).  Though, I would like to say something about bad movies.  There are a few that I really enjoy, regardless of being hated by the general public.  I think it's a good time to acknowledge that I do love a "bad" movie every so often and will stand up for why I like them whenever someone wants to argue against them.

Let's begin, shall we?

1) Superman Returns

This movie, I enjoy arguing for most.  I loved it.  But, I know so many people who couldnt stand it.  So the question comes up, is Superman Returns a conventionally "bad" film? Certainly not.  People went to see it, and many enjoyed it.  But, those who didn't like it would most likely agree with this quote by Roger Ebert for the Chicago Sun-Times regarding "Superman" -"This is a glum, lackluster movie in which even the big effects sequences seem dutiful instead of exhilarating."  This movie has special effects in so many shots that are really rather breathtaking, but the action sequences fall short.  Why is this? Here's my personal opinion why I think so many were disappointed by this, and I wasn't bothered....

This film was done by Bryan Singer, so I say that to understand the film a little better, take a look as his past work.  Im going to use "X-men" as an example.  "X-men" was a tremendous success because it sought out to, and successfully reinvented, the comic book movie.  But if we now look back at "X-Men" (after being treated to the beautiful action and special effects in "Xmen2", "Batman Begins"/"Dk Knight", "Iron Man", ect.) we see a rather wordy film with not much action.  In fact, polls show that X-Men is the least favored by the public (I cant even begin to go into how much I disagree with that, being that I hate, hate, HATE "The Last Stand").  My point here, is that Xmen is a setup.  I believe that Superman Returns was created in much of the same way.  We are supposed to be waiting for the next film (which is apparently called "Superman Unleashed" and will be out in a few years).  People might see then that this film was supposed to show Superman having to deal with, not Luthor, but human emotion.  And perhaps they will appreciate Singer's attempt at revamping a comic book character that people find difficult to even identify with (we love a badass - Batman, Tony Stark, Wolverine- characters who arnt necessarily good people.  Superman doesn't seem to have anything wrong with him, and we have grown away from enjoying characters like that).

In a nutshell (sorry for that rant), Superman, in my opinion, is a beautifully shot setup film hoping to appeal to a new generation of young people who have not been introduced to the hero on the big screen.  If you are determined to hate this film, at least appreciate the soundtrack by John Ottman, its really a good one. So, does this mean that the public is just too stupid to understand?  I would like to say no, but generally people don't say nice things when talking about humanity as a whole...

2) Speed Racer

Now, this movie is hated.  People just HATED this film.  I first saw this movie on my big high def TV in bluray.   This means two things.  1-I did not see it in theaters and had heard for months how horrible this film was. And 2 - it looked unreal, beautiful, and shocking (I'm trying to say the graphics are spectacular in high def).  So, I went into "Racer" with a different view.  I was expecting something horrible, and got something I really enjoyed.  I liked this movie mainly for the graphics, and paid little attention to the story.  For me, It's like a being a kid in a candy store... on E and Acid.  

I've said before I am a visual person, and this movie just does it for me.  Its not trying to be like superman or x-men or Iron man.  It was appealing to the fans of the show (I am not one of those).  It is tremendously stylized, like the show, and doesn't pretend to be a conventional/normal looking film.  Its trying to be what you might imagine a live action anime to look like.  The acting isn't great, it makes people (not me, but I've seen it happen) dizzy, and there is so much happening all at once you arn't exactly sure where to look.  One thing I want to point out, is the ending.  I don't know what it is but, I just love that driving sequence edited with previous footage mixed in with the sports announcers screaming and the checkerboard swirling like a kelildeoscope.  Love it. 

For me, Its a fun film i can just zone out and watch.  If you go into this movie having bad expectations and just want to see some beautiful colors whirling around like your brights in the wash, It's very possible you will end up feeling the same about this movie as I do.

3) Golden Compass

This movie is a big disappointment to me.  I really had hoped for it to be better received, because I wanted to see the next two books on screen.... which I don't think is going to happen.  I know the story from the books (I cheated and looked them up on Wikipedia and didn't read them), but it's clear to me that people watching this movie had no idea what was going on.  Myself included (pre wikipedia search).

  There were so many characters, all doing different things, and there was no explanation.  Is Nicole Kidman good or bad?  What's the point of 

Daniel Craig's character?  Who/why what are Gyptians? Is the polar bear supposed to b an alcoholic? And why cant the witches have more screen time?  None of this is answered.  So, to feel a little strange when the credits start rolling (not to mention being paired with the awful song "Lyra"), is totally normal as everyone leaving feels a bit like you, bewildered.  What this movie needed was, simply, some more explanation.  We are an audience of the new millennium.  We want to be told, not sent to find information and answers.  

But, again for me, I like this movie for its visual story.  It deserved its academy award for visual effects.  But, alas, visual effects couldn't save this movie from religious opposition, its horrible ending, and ultimately disastrous box office results that helped put an end to New Line.

4) Stardust

Stardust is a great movie.  But, is another I find myself arguing for a lot. You either love this movie, or hate it.  There seems to be no gray area.  I'll keep this short, but its a film that has great performances, good humor, interesting storyline -I hate the comparison to "Princess Bride" but understand it, and a surprisingly great climax.  Its just a fun film that is easy to make fun of.  The graphics could be better - but other than that, I don't understand what people loathe about this film.

I think that's good (I am sure there are plenty more).  Really, I just wanted to say that I am no film snob and love a bad movie every so often.  You'll hopefully understand my point, and if you disagree with it.... you are certainly not alone.  ;)

Should You See Twilight?

I will start out by stating the obvious, this movie had an absurd amount of hype.  It was really amazing how much publicity this movie recieved simply by word of mouth.  I mean, sure it had a following from the already popular novels, but I was really very surprised by how the movie turned the series into a phenomenon.  

So, I dont know anything about the books, except that they have to do with vampires.  So, I decided to suck it up (no pun) and see what this movie was all about, when released on blu ray (not theatres... I didnt care enough to do that).    But was it worth all this hype?  

The easy answer is no.  Because Twilight is not a good movie.  Did it have things about it I liked?  Yes.  For one, I loved the scenery shots.  I liked the bizarre relationship.  And, being a person who loves fantastic imagry, I really thought the gazebo scene, along with the tour of the vampire home, were beautiful (blu ray really does this movie some well deserved justice - colors are vibrant and unreal but fitting - reviewed on one of my favorite high def sites - http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2045/twilight.html.  Also, I really liked the villian played by Cam Gigandet (right).

But that was really about it.  And with each good thing, there were about ten bad.  And the things that were bad....  were really, really hard to suffer through.  I actually started this movie, had to stop, then a few days later, convinced myself to endure it and try to understand what about it doesn't work.  

This is how I break it down.  The 'fast paced' walking/running effect was absolutly horrible and distracting.  Honestly, it looks like the disk is skipping.  The running through the forrest scene is outrageous.  The villians with the boat in the harbor was laughable.  And the climax was dissapointing as far as a finale goes.  

But, consider this, 'Twilight' was a low budget film (it actually only had a 37 million dollar budget).  Im not sure 

most people know that, and for me changes a lot.  But what should have changed to save money and thus added into other scenes?  

The running sequence could have been done better, the fast paced movements (I acknowledge as disk skipping nonsense) could have been done more simply, and some of the smaller scenes deleted.  The baseball scene could have been shorter, thats for sure.  A lot less driving (these people seemed to be in their cars at all times) Would have been nice. 

Being a guy who loves sci-fi and fantasy, I would have liked to see more action at the end.  All this build up for a pretty boring ending (minus, beating up of the Kristen Stewart character - which I appreciated - no pun intended actually).  Then, villain Cam Gigandet was hardly in the movie - this was disappointing because I actually was most interested in his character and how he was going to shake things up to the protagonists, alas... getting hardly anything.  I know it's totally a sexist remark, but this really feels like a movie directed by a woman (which, it was - Catherine Hardwickle), because so little is attention is paid to action and too much on sappy "I love you but stay away" romance.  Sorry, guys... (I feel your pain).

So, in the end, will I recommend this movie? Yes and no.  To people like my mom, and other people uninterested in creating film, no.  Stay away!  This has so little emotional value, 

you'll no doubt finish the film with a very raised eyebrow.  

But people who are in fact interested in making films, I say yes. You might laugh at my reasoning, but I'm 100% serious.  I think that to understand good film is to see just as many bad ones

 as good.  You need to know why a bad movie is bad.  Why it doesn't deliver (although, this movie had huge profits - 37 million budget and over 376 million gross revenue - maybe I should have said satisfy instead of deliver) and what you personally think was wrong with it.

Now, you might disagree with me.  Which is great.  Everyone should have an opinion.  But there it is- why, I think you should or should not see Twilight.   

Coming Soon...

I think many movies, and believe me when I say many, are bad.  It seems that so many of Hollywood's finest, have stopped trying.  My generation is who will either empower Hollywood or destroy it.  There are so many comic books, children's tales, and  saturday morning cartoons that make fans foam with excitement, simply at the thought of seeing their favorite characters on the big screen.  As Spring is now in full swing, so far we have be given Watchmen and now Wolverine is right around the corner, could we ask for more this year?  Always. But at what cost? Is it too much to ask, for a great movie once in a flipping while? I don't understand why we continue to get these huge budget disappointments!

Anyways, also approaching us this year is the cult favorite, G.I. Joe.  Now, if you are a fan of the series and clouded by your desire to see these fun characters on the screen, you may not have thought the same of the preview as I did.  It looks absolutely ridiculous (in my opinion).  If there is no explanation presented as to why someone can jump onto a recently crashed car, hurtling - no flying- down the street, climb on it, and jump off  in order to attack or save someone.... Im out. (I hated 'Wanted' ....btw.)

Then, there is the highly anticipated Where the Wild Things Are, by Spike Jonze.  This movie apparently has been a mess since the day the camera was first loaded.  

I found this on Wikipedia: "On February 20, 2008, rumors emerged that Warner Bros. was considering reshooting the entire film.^[3] Producer Gary Goetzman responded, "We support Spike's vision. We're helping him make the vision he wants to make."^[4]

Academy Award winning visual effects supervisor Howard Berger (The Chronicles of Narnia) turned down offers to work on the film four times. Although the book inspired him as a child to work in special effects, he felt filming it was a "horrible idea".^[5]

Anime voice actors Melissa Davis and Rachel Rivera were originally supposed to also provide voices for the film, but decided to not be involved"

So, Um... Yikes.  But!  Unlike G.I. Joe, this film has one of the best trailers I've seen this year.  Take a look, there may still be hope for this film!  Lets cross our fingers, knock on wood, and stay away from mirrors.... Ok, ok... this is Hollywood, I wont ask the last one of you.  ;)

Oh, and again... Do yourself a favor and watch it in HD.

What I'm Listening To

I am someone who enjoys music and likes to have it playing as often as I can.  One type of music I really have come to appreciate, is the soundtrack.  Recently, I downloaded a few soundtracks that are so amazing that I wanted to share.

Wall•E -

 Thomas Newman

Vicky Christina Barcelona - Assorted Artists

Ratatouille - Michael Giacchino

Peter Pan - James Newton Howard

Corpse Bride - Danny Elfman

Coraline - Bruno Coulais

Casper - James Horner.  

I know those aren't all recent movies, but if you haven't heard the soundtracks I'd recommend listening to them via Ituens (or whatever you use).

Some of my all time favorite soundtrack albums are:

Dragonheart - Randy Edelman

Pan's Labyrinth - Javier Navarete

Chronicles of Narnia (both) 

- Harry Gregson-Williams

Superman Returns - John Ottman

The Fountain - Clint Mansell

Big Fish - Danny Elfman

Lemony Snicket's A series of Unfortunate Events - Thomas Newman

What Does the Screen Do To Actors?

So since moving here, I have noticed something about celebrities.  Most of them are far better looking in person than on screen!  It is actually something that is really interesting to me.  I don't understand what one looses between going from their trailer, to makeup/hair, to the screen.  It's is baffling, really.  

Today I saw Orlando Bloom.  Never really thought much of the guy (aside from his hilarious -yet unattractive- appearance on Ricky Gervais's show 'Extras').  But today I was running my usual 5-6pm run on Runyon Canyon, and there he was - stunningly attractive!  It was another moment where I thought, "oh, THAT'S why he's famous."

But Orlando isn't the only famous person who is subjected to this...  Ryan Seacrest, Kimora Lee Simmons, Lance Bass.... the list could go on.  (AND TRUST ME... there are also the people who look worse in person, but I'll save the space)

Yahoo's 100 Movies To See Before You See Twilight

Whoops.... Meant to say Yahoo's 100 Movies to see before you die.  

Yahoo comprised a 

list, based on " historical importance and cultural impact. But we also selected films that we believe are the most thrilling, most dramatic, scariest, and funniest movies of all time."  Im not sure how some of these made it onto this list,  I certainly thought WTF a few times (Groundhog Day?! Maybe I should watch it again...) But for the most part, I agree with the list.  Not to mention it has 8 1/2 on there, which is quite possibly my favorite film.  Anyways, if you're interested in film studies/production, take a gander.  And if  just looking for something to rent, maybe you'll find something you've always been meaning to see but forget about when browsing the "new releases" section.

Also, there is a download checklist.  Kinda cool.

Yahoo's 100 Movies:

http://movies.yahoo.com/feature/100-movies-to-see-before-you-die.html

Love Or Hate Them....

I am someone who loves a good scary movie.... just as much as I hate it.  But what I cannot stand is excess amounts of gore.  I see no appeal in people being ripped apart, nor is it scary to me.  As far as scary movies go, I think one that relies on truly scaring an audience (instead of trying to make them sick to their stomach) is one that achieves success.  

This weekend marks the release of yet another "Haunting" film.  They always look intriguing to me, and because ghost stories scare me more than anything else, I kinda want to see it.  

Oh, and its now an HD world people, watch the preview it in HD.

Making a 'Love Story In Stop Motion' work

Carlos Lascano is one of my favorite short-film filmmakers. I think it is someone like Carlos that people would appreciate seeing doing feature length films.  This is mainly because, unlike so many films Hollywood rockets to the big screen, Lascano's films have real substance.  He has posted a few shorts online and they have all really made an impression on me.  Not only as a viewer, but as a storyteller.  Ill note two in particular:  Love Story In Stop Motion, and The Legend of the Scarecrow.  Take a minute and check them out!

Love Story In Stop Motion:

http://vimeo.com/877053

The Legend of the Scarecrow:

http://vimeo.com/811761

Rocky Dawuni

Rocky Dawuni is a reggae singer who performed at the house of blues in Hollywood this past Sunday night.  Lilly, our friend Emily, and I all went along. Rocky is an energetic performer who is being called "the next Bob Marley".  Whether or not you agree, listen to him on myspace at http://www.myspace.com/rockydawunimusic Or find him on Itunes: Rocky Dawuni. 

How I came to be.

Welcome all!  I think I may be the last person to be creating a blog and documenting their life, but hey….. Late is fashionable in LA.  To get started Im giving a brief background of me, where I live and how I got here.

I graduated from San Fransisco State summer 2008, being known for my writing skills and ‘clear vision’ when it comes to creating film… if that makes sense to you.   Just a few months later one of my best friends and I had found an apartment at the base of the Hollywood hills and we were moving in.  We were living two blocks away from Hollywood’s Walk of Fame and next door to one of the most popular hiking parks in Los Angeles, Runyon Canyon. 

 

Runyon Canyon is perhaps on of the most amazing spots I’ve ever been.  The road starts out pretty simple, dirt paths surrounded by trees. Then, before you feel like you have started an incline, you are looking down on everything from Santa Monica to downtown LA.  Everything - Hollywood Sign, Observatory, and our apartment’s rooftop (which looks pretty asinine next to all the others with pools on their roof). 

 

Since moving here, I have had a few jobs, which certainly been a ride.  I was a PA (production assistant) for a few television shows and loved it.  Its extraordinarily hard work, hours are long,  and appreciation from superiors is…. lacking.  But it’s a great opportunity to decide whether or not this is for you.  I have a feeling that everyone endures somewhere between five to ten years of grunt work before finding the path leading into what they had wanted to do.  So, endure 15+ hour long days, work on your days off on personal projects, and get your ass out there to meet people for drinks or coffee and don’t fall asleep come Monday, you are on the right path. 

So, like I said, I moved in with one of my best friends.  Lilly, is a unique conglomerate of beauty, comedy, compassion, and is quite possibly the biggest closet hippy I've met.  She is intent on changing the world (and my diet - which was already pretty 'in the pink') and although thriving alongside her might not be the most tasty experience... I sure am loving it. 

But since starting here in Los Angeles, I have certainly come to learn that when your teachers tell you that it is a difficult world to make a living… they were making a bold understatement.  And, I say…. If you cant throw youself in and love every minute….. Go home.