Hugh came up with that one. Blood Car will be playing Austin, TX and Arizona (many cities) in 2008. just played Dallas and we've sold almost 10,000 DVDs- which is pretty good for a movie called Blood Car, right? For screenings check the Blood Car Myspace- link on the blogroll to the right
Been a minute since I blogged. Here's what's new.
On feb. 1st I will move to LA. Yeah, I know, but I been stuck in ATL too too long.
Just finished watching a cut of Hugh's short (hopefully soon to be feature) DEPTH CHARGE.
here's a pic of a slate
the movie is good. Hugh will finish the feature length script and make this character have a feature. I know that sounds odd, make him have a feature- but you need to see the short.
Speaking of shorts- check out the poster (below) for The Adventure. Which got accepted to that's right...Rotterdam. Attendance 360,000 folks. There will be 35mm too. Oh how I have waited for the day to see some Fake Wood Wallpaper 35mm projected. that is one fucking cool poster, too. Designed by Adam Pinney.
I worked on a pilot for Adult Swim recently. Funny stuff- you'll see it. Here are some pics from all of us hanging out after we wrapped.
we didn't know when to quit that night and woke up the next day needing some brunch-beverages to stop the shakes. Emmi and Hugh joined Katie and I and we had a few and laughed- then some asshole....um that was me....suggested we go to the World of Coke. I knew that The World of Coke (new or old, no mater how many fucking fun flavors from Zimbabwe there are) is the most depressing place on Earth. I knew that. But seeing it made me very sad. Knowing that people from other countries were come to a "museum" of ads for a big company AND paying $15 a head to do it made me wanna cry. It ruined our happy mood and eventually the whole day. it goes like this. into the World of Coke. Forced to watch a shitty movie that probably cost 25 million to make. Picture with fucking polar bear. Warhol coke pieces. coke tasting. thoughts of moving to France. here is an immature slideshow thingy
I have gotten knee-deep into a script (well research anyway) and hope to have it done in early 2008. I'm excited about it. It is about Little League and everything that goes with that, which each day I am learning is more and more.
movies- Bee Movie, shit turd. I walked out. have eased up on my movie viewing to make them President? You got me. Who wins, the Better Looking Person, The Most Qualified Person or The White Guy? I really have no idea who will pull into the lead in the minds of the American voter. If it is Guilliani.....Oh Canada! for me. I just won't be able to do it. I will actually be someone who the phrase "If you don't like it, then get the hell out!" works on.
recently read Cormac McCarthy's the road. Good stuff. Terrifying scenes in that book. Optimism through Cynicism. The world is ruined. Envy the Dead. This is my favorite line from the novel- "There is no book and your fathers are dead in the ground."
At first when I was reading this book I thought, "Why doesn;t McCarthy just blow his brains out?" But I don't think he really has a completely negative outlook on the world and its future. If he did, why write? and also why write this kind of book with its satirical themes. That is the writing of a cynnical man who does care for his world. I read Michael Chabon's revue of the book here it has a great passage in it about a book that is truly about the end of the world and an apocalypse like the one in McCarthy's novel would be a book just full of white pages. That's funny to me
I saw Margot at the Wedding. I loved it. A friend of mine said that Jack Black trying to act ruined the movie for him but I disagree. Sure another actor could have played it better, but he didn't bother me. I loved the lighting, the fact that it seems or with either is natural light. I also really loved Kidman in the film. Casting her as the jerkoff parent was hard to accept, which is really the same position the family is in. It is really hard to accept that a close family member is just a self centered asshole.
I'm Not There. a mess but an entertaining one. The movie is trying to be the contradicting, myth filled, confusing life of Bob Dylan, and I guess it does that. I just don;t know if the goals the film has are one's an audience really wants to watch. Cate Blanchett is great, she is asshole 'Don't Look Back' Bob Dylan in Fellini's 8 1/2. I can't say that setting this part of the film on the sets of another film really did much for me- I see the connection. I just don't care. The story between Heath Ledger and the pretty french girl was well done also- I just don;t know what it really has to do with Dylan. Maybe it didn't feel like it fit because it told a story. I guess it si the kind of movie I say to see but I won;t ever watch it again.
it is time for you to begin to help Mike Brune's amazing short THE ADVENTURE here is something you can put on your own blogs or mymspace pages to help us spread the good word:
I can give you the HTML code for that if you just email me at alex@fakewoodwallpaper.com just cut and paste it into your blog or MySpace and that it the beginning of what is sure to be a sweet ass festival run for Mr. Brune
The Adventure just got into a really great festival in Europe- I can't let the cat out of the bag yet but I will say that the fest is days after Sundance in Europe. So help us get some exposure by posting stuff about it around so more folks will find out.
Yesterday I attended the color correction of Mike Brune's new short The Adventure. It looks pretty freaking sweet. Jon Peterson at Cinefilm did the color- he also did my (and many other people's) student film. He used the new Final Cut Color program. I don't think it is the program but the operator. I can't wait to see what festivals The Adventure plays. It is a hell of a short. There was also some talk about s
Speaking of festivals - bad segway - I received my volunteer packet for Sundance '08. that's right I will be staying in a hostel and doing the entire Sundance Film Festival this January. It's gonna be great. Hopefully I'll be attending a screening of The Adventure there too.
Right now I'm on set, yes I'm blogging on set. But the spots are about water conversation. I wonder if I can buy stock in water? That's the future, not oil or apple stock, but water. I want to be a Water Baron in the future.
HOLY SHIT!!!! I was talking about The Adventure and I just got a call. We got into a cool festival. not in the US. I'll keep you posted!
Asheville is a cool town of for only one reason- they have BANNED chain anything from their downtown area. No Wal Mart, No Starbucks, none of that crap. That is awesome. I was there for a day because Blood Car won Runner Up for best feature film. We lost to Year of the Fish. We tied with Randy and the Mob for that award. When I got the award Don Mancini gave it to me- he wrote all the Child's Play movies (and he's a Blood Car fan) how cool is that?
That's a short blog. I'm tired, I actually got a job.
Ever since I saw the myspace page for Snakes on a Train I think about how that movie got off the ground. I bet it was something like, "let's do that shit" Which is how I feel everything should go. And if the idea is good the person you're talking to should say, "Seriously? Somebody is gonna pay for that?"
That brings me to Iron Pan. Well, almost.
Mark Wynns had posted something about mockbusters that he read in the NY Times and I got to thinking about 'ol Snakes on a Train again and laughing. I think I read that and the next day Tony Holley and I were driving from Houston to Austin and I was on only a couple of hours sleep so I was idiot o'clock and I bounced around and ranted and we come up with Iron Pan.
In May Iron Man will be released. Will it be good? I doubt it but you never know, maybe someone won't fuck up a huge budget superhero movie. (yeah and maybe Pimento Cheese will taste good) so first watch the Iron Man trailer.
Now let me give you the pitch on Iron Pan. (I really should just be making this instead of blogging it but its 4:30am and I can't sleep so you get the chance to steal it from me) it is about a cocky, alcoholic Iron Chef type guy. Well, he's a big shot and then some terrorists snatch him up and try to force him to make a dessert to kill the President. But he doesn't. He makes a frying pan. that's it, it is just a regular iron skillet. It looks like a regular skillet. He bonks people on the head with it, fights Mongols and ninjas and vikings, blocks bullets and all kinds of other dumber, dumb ass shit. But it's just a drunk with a pan. I'm just gonna shoot a trailer because really, I'm gonna need someone to shell out some cash to jam out a retarded feature about a drunk chef with a pan that has an adventure.
But if you saw that Iron Man trailer, Iron Pan could rock ass for about 124 seconds as a trailer. If you wanna help me get this monkey on a stick, gather up some funny shit and some ninja outfits and let's go. A horse would be good too- for the Mongols. Just imagine someone saying the line, "I AM IRON PAN!" over and over and over and over
That's Blood Car on the same Marquee as a Godard movie. That's pretty sweet company, eh?
My girlfriend and I walk everywhere we can, we live in a great area for it and driving a couple hundred yards is for assholes. So we're walking and I meet eyes with some random guy- I look at everyone- and he says "You want to buy a computer?" I think that its probably gonna be something stupid (I'm mac only) and I'll just walk away. So this guy pulls out a brand new 17-inch macbook pro. He asks for $100. $100!! I KNEW he had to have stolen it so I go ehhhhh and start to hand it back. He says, "Will you give me less?" and I say $50 and he says $60, so I buy it. Then as Katie and I are walking down the street she decides that if we find the owner and give them their computer we can probably restore someone's faith in humanity. So I found the owner's contact info in his address book, called him and told him I bought his macbook for $63 (the $3 was my ATM charge) Here is a picture of him with his computer. He was happy.
After he gave me the money I spent, his girlfriend bought us some nachos. I call them the $2,000 nachos. We didn't take a picture, we just ate them and watched the Indians play some more cruddy baseball against the Red Sox. I don't know who at MLB decided that fucking Dane Cook should be doing baseball promos, but he shouldn't be anywhere near them. Get that guy on a bus with that Albatross Kenny Lofton (he's more cursed than Wrigley Field) and drive it right up Barry Bonds ass and that will be a start to fixing baseball. You fix baseball and just watch everything else start to get in line. Give our national pastime back its dignity (from strike to juicing- things have been better) and then you'll see all these other problems fix themselves. I promise.
Saw Gone Baby Gone. Some great stuff, some shitty stuff but Ben Affleck should get to do another movie. Casey Affleck was, of course, great. I liked the movie because C Affleck plays a character that reminds me of Hammett. Always finishing the job he was hired to do, even though no one wants him too. I like the part of a detective story when everything seems wrapped up and then one small thing starts everything unravelling. 'something doesn't sit right with the gumshoe so he stirs up a bunch of shit that ruins everything for everyone, even him.
I also got this hammock up - safely now. I did have it tied to some crap and it fell on me several times but I got t fixed now.It is one bad ass hammock. It makes not having a job ok. not really ok, but not as bad.
Holy shit this movie is great. I watched Chopper that night. Really interesting to see what this filmmaker like to focus on. After Adam Pinney saw the movie he said we shoulfdshoot a Beardman titled The Assassination of Adam Pinney by the Coward Beardman. I said ok- let's see if we do it. Our last effort at a short- Smelly Couch, was abandoned by me because it had funny parts, from Amber Nash, Katie Rowlett and Adam- basically everyone but me) but wasn't totally funny as a whole. Maybe it is, i don't know anymore. I also just saw Vanaja. Not really worth catching. Although I get the social side of the film, the person pulling the strings- Rajnesh Domalpalli- didn't really do it for me.
I went to the Austin Film Festival with my film Blood Car and saw some movies and i'll tell you what I think of them and my trip and the town without ruining the movies or going on and on:
First the movies
Chicago 10: I hate this movie. If I was 17 I would say "Hell Yeah" and hold my fist in the air and protest and be politically charged. But I wasn't feeling like a kid at this screening and the filmmaking in this "docu-drama" is really appalling. (I think docu-drama is what you call someone lying to you in documentary form) basically the sound is punched up for dramatic effect and serious liberties are taken with the performance of the court transcripts. But the film parades as a Doc because of the subject matter and archival footage (tons stolen from a movie with real balls- Medium Cool)the music choices are very MTV with even Eminem and they are really loud-so loud I was unable to hear dialogue. I was angry after the screening and felt the film was manipulative when it had all the material to be Hearts and Minds. I'm for the cause, just not this film.
Juno Great film. At first I thought, awww another Rushmore rip off. The editing is quirky the main character is too smart to be in high school and so on. But its not that at all. the first scene just gives you a feeling that the film is going the wrong way, it has Rainn Wilson (that weird guy from the American Office) in it as a cashier and he shouldn't be in the film. It is a great film. It is so god that Jennifer Garner made me shed a tear. Really funny and sweet and great characters. Better than Thank You For Smoking which is the director's previous work. I think the film will do very well with a wide audience. Control i didn't know anything about Joy Division (nor have I seen 24 Hour Party People) and I LOVED this movie. It is really hard to believe that its the first feature from a music video director because it is not style over substance. Just see it. I'm probably in the minority on people who aren't into Joy Division liking it but I think its great. And so wonderfully shot (except for the 360 dolly shot, why is that in every director's first feature?)
The Living Wake It's the most original comedy I have ever seen. Seriously. These guys jump head first into such an absurd world and character and really pull it off. it runs a little long at 90 minutes but it doesn't matter because when the lead in this film is on, he's on fire. I don't know when you're gonna get a chance to see this, but if you do, watch it. Its another movie made with Original Media. They did The Squid and the Whale, Half Nelson and the horrible reality show I worked on Miami Ink. They're great people and they make great films, keep it up.
Yeti in the City you'll never get to see this movie. fucking crazy is all I can say. If you get your hands on it, take drugs and then maybe it will pull it all together. This film has really amazing moments, like a Yeti break dancing and cops with dog heads (like mcgruff), talking flies, French monkeys, random animated sequences (yes the previous things were not animated) and a ton of reflexive elements and the filmmakers purposefully muck up the plot and story just to....well I don't know why but its really experimental and i'd even watch it again just to see someone else's reaction. And to take the drugs.
Gimme Green this is a short about lawns. It is awesome. Check out its site HERE the movie played everywhere on the festival circuit and rightly should. It is wonderful. Really funny and addresses what no one thinks is a serious problem. Grass. its about more than that but basically grass. You can see it on the Sundance Channel real soon, check the gimme green site for times. I saw some other short docs but forgot them after I saw this.
I also missed a few movies. 2 of them I will see this week and post about, STREET TEAM MASSACRE and BEYOND THE PALE. I missed LARS AND THE REAL GIRL and I heard it sucks shit from everyone who I listen to. RANDY AND THE MOB was there but I'd rather chew glass than watch that turd again. I had to leave before THE DIVING BELL AND THE BUTTERFLY and I wanna see that. I saw Born on the 4th of July and saw Oliver Stone talk after. I don't really like Born on the 4th of July. I can just watch BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES which is infinitely better. I just don't like the acting or editing or script or choices in music, so I pretty much just don't like it. Oh, I don't like the sound design either. Honestly, i laughed at the acting in the family breakdown scene. But I saw an Oliver Stone Q&A and I even got him fired up with a question about satire. And he and John Milius talked about war films for 90 minutes at another thing. That was cool. I also saw a ton of other great panels that i'll put in my blog.
All in all, Austin is a great town with what looks like 3 great film festivals. I hung out with folks from the Ann Arbor Film Festival (that needs your help, click here to learn more) the guys at Bside and bunches of random filmmakers and folks.
So this bitch Jodie Foster somehow got into my computer and read a script I wrote for a short film and made it into THE BRAVE ONE. If I told that fucker once, I told her a thousand times.
Well since I've heard that her film is a big 'ol shit sandwich and mine would have ruled- I have decided to post the script here for you to read. Please reply with you feedback- positive and negative. I especially enjoy it when someone really rips into something I write. You can't get better at anything without criticism.
here it is. It is called MY BOYFRIEND IS RETARD between myself and a couple people. I'm not sure that the title s really that good but you be the judge.
Black Title Card
BASED ON A TRUE STORY
INT. POOL BAR DAY The bar is almost empty being that it is noon. A MEXICAN YOUTH is playing pool in the corner of the bar with a slim young man in a white T-shirt and jeans. The young man quickly moves around the table as he sinks ball after ball. He is a pretty nice looking guy for a pool hustler, well kept- not a slimy dirtbag. This is MIKEY.
MIKEY In the corner.
MIKEY sinks the eight ball, grins at his opponent and shrugs. The Mexican youth take two hundred dollar bills from his pocket and gives them to Mikey. Mikey puts the money in his pocket and looks over into the corner where an attractive young woman sits reading a book and drinking a colorful cocktail. She has long brown hair and glasses. She is long, slender and not likely to be kicked out of bed by any sane man. She looks like a librarian in some graphic designer's wet dream This is FEMALE LEAD.
MIKEY (CONT'D) I won.
FEMALE LEAD Good. Are we leaving, Mikey? I'm hungry.
MIKEY I think. I'll see if he'll play one more. Then we can go and eat.
Female Lead looks up from her book and raises an eyebrow. Behind Mikey the Mexican Youth breaks the fat end of a pool cue over Mikey's head.
CUT TO:
BLACK CARD 2 YEARS LATER
INT. SMALL APARTMENT LIVING ROOM DAY Female Lead washes dishes. The sounds of a TV game show can be heard in the background. She looks over her shoulder to MIKEY who sits in front of the TV looking at the floor. He is slumped in a chair and rocks slightly back and forth. His eyes have dark circles under them and his skin is very pale. He is basically a vegetable.
INT. BATHROOM DAY Female lead undresses Mikey while bath water is heard running in the background. Mikey wears an adult diaper. Female lead takes off the diaper to bath him.
INT. BATHROOM DAY Female Lead shaves Mikey's face and combs his hair. She speaks to him like a child and says his name softly.
INT. SMALL APARTMENT LIVING ROOM DAY Female Lead reads a book and eats while Mikey continues to watch television.
INT. SMALL APARTMENT DAY Female Lead changes Mikey's Diaper. He has shit himself like an infant.
INT. PAWN SHOP DAY Female lead looks at the firearms in the pawn shop. She picks out two pistols and a large shotgun. The firearms are shown to her by a large man with a pony tail wearing a Motorhead T-shirt and carrying a hand-cannon on his waist- a .357 Or something. He is the PAWN BROKER and he is greasy, the kind of guy you expect to be hustling pool. She purchases the guns and ammunition. The pawn broker makes a racist comment or joke. The Female Lead doesn't respond.
EXT. JUNKYARD DAY Female lead loads the pistol and tries to shoot a bottle from about 20 yards away. She misses and walks very close to the bottle and shoots it. She then loads the shotgun with some difficulty and fires it at a car. The windshield explodes.
INT. BATHROOM DAY Female lead looks through the medicine cabinet and removes a few prescription pill bottles.
INT. KITCHEN DAY Female Lead is crying. She takes the pills from the bottles and places them in a blender that sits on the counter. She puts two scoops of ice cream into the blender and a small amount of milk. She blends the contents of the blender and pours the milkshake into a glass.
INT. SMALL APARTMENT LIVING ROOM DAY Female lead pets Mikey's head and feeds him the milkshake. She cries as Mikey drinks the shake down from one of his over sized sippy cups with his name on it.
FADE OUT.
FADE IN: INT. CAR DAY Female lead drives into a gas station. The station is filled with day laborers. Female Lead exits the car and speaks to one of the men in Spanish. All this is Spanish and someone will need to translate it because I don't speak Spanish for shit.
FEMALE LEAD I need two men to help me. Simple work, digging. How much?
MAN 1 50 dollars per day
FEMALE LEAD For both?
MAN 1 No. 50 each.
FEMALE LEAD Ok. get in.
INT. CAR DAY Female Lead and the two Mexican men ride in the car. They go down a dirt road. Female lead stops the car.
FEMALE LEAD Ok, we're here.
Female Lead and the two men exit the car. Female lead goes to her trunk. She removes the shotgun and shoots Man 1 at very close range. It is messy and sudden, there is no stylized manner about the violence. The nonchalant way it happens and is repulsive. Man 2 runs through the woods to get away. Female lead fires at him but he is too far away and escapes. Female Lead jumps into her small truck.
EXT. WOODS DAY Man 2 runs through the woods.
INT. CAR DAY Female lead drives quickly down the dirt road.
EXT ROAD DAY Man 2 runs out to the paved road and tries to flag down a car for help. No one stops for him. Female lead's car comes around the corner. Female Lead spots him and runs him over. She stops the car, takes the pistol from her glovebox and exits the car. Man 2 looks bad, getting hit by a car doesn't agree with him. Female lead shoots him in the head. Her face doesn't register insanity or rage and she doesn't have the satisfaction of a person who has exacted revenge.
INT. SMALL APARTMENT LIVING ROOM DAY Female lead comes home. She sees Mikey in the chair. Mikey is dead.
INT. BATHROOM DAY Female lead is bathing Mikey
INT. BEDROOM DAY Female lead has Mikey dressed on the bed. She curls up next to his body and closes her eyes.
FADE OUT.
EXT. DAY GAS STATION Female Lead is at a gas station picking up two more day laborers. One has a red hat the other is short and fat.
INT. CAR DAY Female lead drives her car with two different day laborers as passengers. Both are young and fit and are sipping water from the cooler in the back of the truck.
EXT. WOODS DAY Female lead gets out of a pickup truck with a shotgun and six Mexicans start to get out of the back. She speaks in Spanish.
FEMALE LEAD Hold on, hold on.
Female lead fires into the truck shooting the Mexican men. One gets away and runs into the woods. Female lead watches him run and decides not to give chase.
INT. BEDROOM DAY Female Lead trims the fingernails of Mikey.
INT. MEXICAN APARTMENT - DAY The fellow who just ran away from the Female lead sits at his small kitchen table with a woman holding a baby. They look at each other for a moment. The woman has been crying. They speak in Spanish.
MEXICAN WOMAN What will you do?
MEXICAN MAN Nothing.
INT. MEXICAN RESTAURANT DAY Female Lead sits and eats a taco. Salsa music plays in the background while two Mexican children laugh and giggle with their parents. Female Lead gets up from her table and walks past the other white patrons to the register. Female Lead pays her check at the counter and an average white suburban girl gives her change.
COUNTER GIRL Thank you for coming to Mexico Fantastico. Have a great day.
A tall man in a suit appears with a newspaper under his arm. This is COWORKER.
COWORKER Hey there, eating some lunch?
FEMALE LEAD Yeah, eating some tacos.
COWORKER OK OK. What have you been up to?
FEMALE LEAD Oh, about 5'11'' 125 pounds.
COWORKER Huh?
COUNTER GIRL Ha, ha . That's funny.
FEMALE LEAD Thanks. (TO COWORKER) I gotta run.
COWORKER OK, I'll see you around.
INT. OFFICE - DAY Female lead sits at her desk typing and doing work shit. A man walks up to her desk. We do not see his face or any part of him really. We only see Female Lead.
COURIER Excuse me, Miss Young?
FEMALE LEAD Yes?
The man hold out a package. The Female lead stares at his Courier Company name tag that reads M. GLASS
COURIER I just need you to-
FEMALE LEAD What does the M stand for?
COURIER Michael.
FEMALE LEAD Oh, really? Do people ever call you Mikey?
COURIER Some people call me Mikey.
FEMALE LEAD My boyfriend's name is Mikey.
COURIER Oh. That's nice. If you could just sign right there.
Female lead signs for the package and places it on her desk. The courier exits and she continues working. After some time passes and she does something mundane- the credits roll.
Well Jodie, if you would have asked me nicely I would have just written you a different script. You don't get to play this part. I don;t think you;re cut out for it. You were once, but things have changed, Jodie. Oh my, how they've changed.
couple more things. I saw Rebel Without a Cause on the big screen. Awesome. I saw Eastern Promises. Forgettable, except the asshole-naked fight scene. That was great- watch this fat guy get punched in the gut. This was shot on some job I was on
I had my #1 and #16 teeth removed earlier today or my top 2 wisdom teeth. Can't say I was unhappy to see them go. About two weeks ago my father called and asked how long it had been since I had gone to the see the dentist. I admitted it had been a while and said I would schedule an appointment. About 2 hours after he called my wisdom teeth started to cause a pain so great I won't flounder around in trying to accurately describe it. For the next week or more I spent a great deal, if not all of the day self medicating myself with liquor store remedies. I went into the Dr's and they pulled them and it was not unpleasant at all. The staff was really nice and the doctor called me (that's right, he called me, on the phone) to see how I was doing later that day. My advice to you, reader, is to get your wisdom teeth out before they hurt if you have health care.
I don;t have health care so I paid $790 to remove 2 teeth, and be put to sleep for the operation. My teeth had fully grown in so they were easier to remove than most. before I went to the dentist I was in pain and Katie found a website full of home tooth remedies. HERE It is really quite sad the lengths people must go to because they are in such pain (and tooth aches are debilitating) and can't afford treatment. If they only had some sort of preventative measures in place they would never get to such a state. I'm lucky- I have no family so I just charge that shit.
Speaking on the subject of health care, the Wal-Mart bastards have given on a bit and offered their employees better health care. Here's a bit from the NY Times article Starting Jan. 1, Wal-Mart’s insurance will look a lot like that offered by many other American companies, but with some twists that even longtime critics described as innovative. Independent experts praised several features of the plan and said it could represent a turning point for the retailer, the nation’s largest private employer.
And Hillary Clinton is the leading receiver of campaign contributions from health care organizations. Does this mean she's a sell out on her ideas of health care reform or has she learned to play the game? an MSNBC article touches on the fact that she is the front runner for the presidency, plain and simple. So Health care wants to give money to anyone on either side of the issue even her. Going into 2008 the GOP has fucked up so bad the democrats could get any candidate they put up elected. As long as they seem to not have had a recent frontal lobotomy. I hope sincerely that if Clinton is elected into the White House (that will make 2 families over at least 5 terms, isn't that odd to anyone?) that she has learned to slowly make strides towards socialized medicine. That's a pretty rough job in a country as numb-skulled as ours. We've been bred to believe socialism is communism and we still believe that the world is out to get us for no good reason at all. Come on folks. The argument that one of my friends makes is that you can't trust the government with your health care. If we can't trust our government with our health care than we can only blame ourselves because their our elected officials and our complacency that has let charlatans like our current administration run wild. We should trust that our government will be there to help us and make this a better place to live. Not that we need to work against them.
I tried to find this anti-hillary health care spot I read about that ran in 1997 and scared the shit out of people and away from the Clinton health reforms of that era. I wanna see that if anyone can dig it up.
I'm reading Dashiell Hammett's 5 novels at the moment. I'm on #2 The Dain Curse I read Red Harvest a couple weeks ago. Red Harvest has been remade into so many films (notably Yojimbo and A Fistfull of Dollars- Miller's Crossing has many elements of it too and the Coen's title Blood Simple comes right out of the mouth of the lead character in the book. He's talking about leaving town before he goes all 'blood-simple' like everyone else. Or everyone but him was finding the easiest way out of a situation was killing) The language and characters in these stories are amazing, and wow, talk about a misanthrope. This guy has no faith in anyone, and I love that in these stories. He has the Thomas Hobbes outlook on the world- that is all people are motivated solely by selfish concerns especially fear of death. Noone can be trusted to not be selfish in these books, even our (anti)hero, the detective. He's just there to do a job and abuse whoever needs it to get answers. In Red Harvest his only motivation is revenge, not cleaning up a town or anything admirable.
Stanley Kubrick had this outlook on the world in many of his works. I rewatched Barry Lyndon today- i gave it another shot and it is a great film. Really tough when I was younger because it is a slow film so I'm glad I gave it another shot at an older age- like David Lean films. Barry Lyndon is a man without any purpose in life but to improve his class and wealth. He is a completely soulless opportunistic leech but his life gets meaning when he has a son- something that wealth or nobility has nothing to do with. So really Barry would have been fulfilled without clawing his way to the top. But the narrator states it best- I'm paraphrasing "Men that strive for great wealth usually lose their riches because of the same traits that brought them to them" The VO in the movie is so fatal because it keeps us really distanced. The narrator tells of of Barry's fall before we see it. Which is to say that was Barry's fate and that's life and here ya go- its sucks.
Fatalism, cynicism and a hopeless outlook on basic human nature is a common theme in many works and is one that I am drawn to. It reflects the world or the outlook that we all have on it in this time. Caring about anything but yourself is really just a waste of time in the eyes of most people. I wonder how we came to this attitude. When I see good stories of people oppressed I get angry and want them to fight back, to overthrow the oppressors. I watch Battle of Algiers or Z and want to take up arms, or Harlan County USA and I'm so furious my hands are shaking and I'm crying. In the past 40 years all of our authority figures are corrupt in our stories and are rarely punished, usually just replaced, for their corruption. Think of the last time a politician or government or military wasn't portrayed as cold-hearted and unconcerned with the people over themselves. I'm sure there are tons of factors to blame but it is an odd phenomena to me. Is it because out Government and media have duped and lied to us so many times? Is it because we are a prosperous, fat and complacent people by nature and everyone should be duping us? Maybe these stories are just more entertaining- the only place we want to see people doing good is in the past. I mean, they already made Ghandi, right?
I hope that a person making strives to install a better way of life here is not torn down only because we just can't trust them or believe its possible. Because we no longer have the ability to believe that someone is actually looking out for our best interests on a serious issue. We as people may not be able to accept that someone is doing something to help us in spite of the money/power to be obtained by exploiting us. So hopefully when the changes to get health care affordable with out working for Wal-Mart or some corporation start to happen, we can accept it. Hopefully we will be ok with some government regulation getting us prescription drugs that we can afford. I know that sounds naive but I don't believe that after civil rights and Vietnam there's no room for anything but shrugging shoulders and bumper stickers for people to have a voice. I'd rather live in a progressive world of change with some hope and read about a fictional world in which it's every man for himself. I don't want the newspaper to read like Dashiell Hammett or Orwell. I want some Common Sense for the generatiom.
let me start with some gems from this baggy pants story in the AJC:
"Exposed boxer shorts and thongs would be illegal in any public place in Atlanta if the City Council approves a proposed amendment to the city's indecency laws."
it gets better "Saggy pants are an "epidemic"', said one moron who can ignore a million real problems in this city. AND they're gonna go after bras too. I love it when they turn back the clock in the south. the city council went on to say, "Seriously folks, we just need to give the APD another way to arrest black people. Why not get them by the pants?" Read the mind blowingly stupid story HERE
Another thing in the news is this War in Iraq. Anybody hear about this thing?!?
I went to this candlelight vigil tonight in East Atlanta. There were some empowered speakers and a Dr. Lowery who didn't show and then we all went outside and held candles and everyone read a list of dates and how many soldiers died on that day and where they were from. it read like:
May 3 6 troops were killed they were from Lebanon, Tennessee Seattle, Washington Independence, Iowa East Lansing, Michigan and so on
At first I was confused. I didn't know if I was supposed to listen or read along or what. Then people started reading and so did I. Then I became determined to not stop reading. I thought, "how can I read about this person who died and not that?" I read loudly and the pages and the cities were endless. My eyes started to go, every time I read Ohio I said Iowa, every city from Puerto Rico and Hawaii was horribly mispronounced- after a couple stumbles I laughed a bit and then felt immediate shame. my legs started to hurt, as did my voice so I lowered my volume and the candle I was holding burned all the way out and someone brought me another. It seemed like it would never end. After we finished I was sweating and dizzy. A man said to us, "The first time I started this ritual I thought it was stupid and silly. It was a very sloppy thing, these people all reading aloud for so long. People aren't in sync, they can't keep up. It's just a mess. Then I realized as I was reading for so long what a perfect metaphor for this war it is."
More news:
I ended the evening watching Billy Wilder's Ace in the Hole. It's Network in 1951. A scathing story about yellow journalism, American Voyerism and the deterieroration of the human soul in the pursuit of success. It's really great except for the fact that you can't care about Kirk Douglas' Tatum like you can for William Holden's Schumacher, so in the end I liked the writing but none of the empty-chested characters. Still a really awesome movie, right up my alley. Sam Fuller with awesome cinematography and good acting (well, the female lead looks like she bought a one way ticket to run-down-slutsville but she doesn't really matter) that last bit was from watching the 50's newspaperman talk....sorry.
As for more newspaper facts. His Girl Friday- best paper movie ever (best dialogue comedy?), Hudsucker Proxy- best movie to steal so many jokes from the previous. Me- I can only do the Monday crossword puzzle and have stolen from both the previous films. The numbers-52% of people in the US read the newspaper and 80% of internet users read the newspaper and 89% of all dogs under 8 Lbs have shit on Ann Landers' by line.
before i post the rest of my Chicago goings ons I wanna say that I just turned up the milk and it was sour. That's never happened happened to me before. It was really unpleasant.
I once thought Film Forum was the greatest place I'd ever been. The few seconds of anticipation before I entered the Sistine Chapel or the memories I had from riding the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ride at Disney World from when I was a kid are up there on the list too. (I though it was a real deal submarine ride with real fish and all, that memory was ruined years later by returning to the park.)
I thought those places were the best one's I'd ever been to, but they have been eclipsed by a hard, baby blue plastic chair near the right field foul pole at Wrigley Field. I had an Old Style Beer and an Italian Sausage covered in toppings (delicious) and it was heaven. I was so excited walking to my seat at that filthy stadium I almost started to cry. I was a little sad as I finished off my sausage because I knew there could never be another first sausage at Wrigley again.
The Cubs played a good game then it rained but we stayed right in our seats wearing these snazzy ponchos. The game was delayed for a good couple hours so we ate nachos and drank beer in the crowded area around the food stands. The great thing about Wrigley Field is that there's nothing there but baseball and seats. No batting cages, kareoke or other stuff to do. The park is not for hanging out in or just going to play some games like Turner Field. You either watch baseball or....uh, read a book....somehow this girl behind me was just reading a book while her boyfriend watched the game. I would have left that bitch at the house.
After the game we decided against any more "chicago" style food and went to a place called LuLa Cafe in Logan park for some healthy action. On the way there I saw this socailist movie exchange box (The Who was inside) I called homeland security and set fire to the box immediately.
At the restaurant I had a gazpacho (that's salsa, right?) which was good and a Vegan "stew" that was awesome. Katie had some chicken and then we split a poo looking desert. Even though the desert was a letdown after the meal, i'll definitely go back. On the bus on the way to the Days Inn I remembered that I didn't have a bratwurst at Wrigley. So the next time I find a cheap Plane ticket I can go for the first Bratwurst.
I accidently drove to Chicago from the center of the Earth. Whoops, my bad. (insert hilarious fake laugh) I'm kidding you, jackass, I went to the Chicago Contemporary Art Museum. They had a great Magritte and some other art and in the gift shop i met Malphie.
Malphie made me laugh to no end. The People at FRIENDS FOR YOU! made him and other creatures but he's the best. His tag says he brings good fortune or death- what could be better than that? Either things go great for you or you're dead. Katie felt much better today also, she was sick yesterday today she is SUPER INGMAR
WHOA!
Is that Ryne Sandberg's gorgeous face on a pair of Cub's tickets? That's right it is you lazy-eyed trollop- cause I scored some tickets to wrigley field off craigslist and i've never been, although when I was a young man I was BASEBALL CRAZY and I watched the cubbies on WGN all the time.
On the food scene: A chicago hotdog contains Hot Peppers, 2 Tomatoe Wedges, a pickle spear, kryptonite green relish, celery salt, onions and green peppers. This one is from Downtown Dogs and guess what? It ain't that good. It's like Chicago wants some original food sooooo bad it has these Island of Dr. Moreau freak foods that somehow people tout as edible. "Let's make a ham sandwich but call it a CHICAGO Ham Sandwich because it has 3lbs of bacon, shrimp and cold slaw on it." I did have the third very Chicago food- an Italian Beef sammich. Pretty simple, a shit ton of beef. I liked it.
After that, we walked the Magnificent Mile- if you think a mall can be magnificent, then you'll love it. We stopped at the Descartes coffee shop and met some nice people, had some great coffee and gelato. I don't know exactly where it is, but how many coffee shops can be named after philosophers? Then we were off to the CHICAGO UNDERGROUND FILM FEST
At the festival these kids in front of the theatre made their own Blood Car stencil and were making t shirts and blood car wife-beaters for people. that's a car eating a bike They also made this device that took people's blood for the car. (Blake Myers would be proud) Their friend's short DISARM was playing ahead of Blood Car so they decided to push the movie to everyone without ever seeing it.. These kids were pretty awesome, they had this weird double decker bike they had made. I think they said they jousted with it. I rode the fucker and yes, I was scared. I didn't get hurt but I didn't take too long of a ride either. I felt like the oldest kid in the neighborhood after someone built a ramp- I had to get on the bike..they were all looking at me.
After the screening, we drank some bush beer on the corner and went to the after party where BLOOD CAR WON BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE FILM! No shit. So that was great.
Then katie and I got some drinks in us, found a nice cinephile named Carl and proceeded to scream at him about the cinema and its greats. That's what I love most about film festivals, drunken talks about your favorite filmmakers. I'm posting this after the fact because I can post pictures now. that was day 2 in CHI town.
First off- Deep Dish pizza, I don't care about you because you are not a pizza. I hope the pizza place (UNO, the original inventor of fake pizza) bartender comes to the screening. Days Inn- you suck but you are next to this mini leaning Tower of Pisa, which is fucking weird and awesome and makes me wanna meet the crazy who built it. I've been to the real thing and really there's no difference.
I was walking down the street and spotted a film crew and then I saw that it was the next Batman movie. (which they said was Romie's First Kiss) Whenever I took pictures PAs would try to block me. PA stands for Production Assistant if you don't know. They are the lowest guys on the totem pole that get awesome jobs like dealing with stupid questions, keeping people quiet and the like. Here's a short to help you understand:
There's a picture of Batman too. He's hanging from a wire.
Here's one exchange a hardass PA and I had: "Don't take any pictures, sir" "Ok" (i take a picture) "Sir, I told you not to take any pictures, now get out of here." he had such authority in his voice I had to challenge it. "Please Mr. PA, don't rough me up" "I ain't no PA" "You look like a PA to me" pause "YOU look like a PA"
that was fun. Also went to an improv show at IO Theatre. It was awesome. The theatre is right beside Wrigley Field, which I will see Monday. Great improv Harold, $2 schlitz. The Cubs beat the Cards and the fans really went on a bender afterwards. We entered the theatre just as the game was ending and when we got out people were still going nuts. Talk about a baseball town, when these guys win or lose another World Series, I'm coming to town to shoot the riots.
my favorite building of the day:
I like Chicago. I will eat a giant 'Chicago Style' Hotdog and get back to you. Why is it that every city's signature food is horrible for you? I'm not complaining but does anywhere have a signature salad? If they do, i bet it's fried and dipped in mayo.
This is a picture of Hugh Braselton taping a pinata to my head. We are working on a commercial for a cell phone. I am the Gaffer (guy in charge of lighting) and Hugh is the first Assistant Cameraman (guy who makes sure stuff is in focus)
Since i work in the film industry I am a firm believer in having quality technicians on set to do the job correctly, with the utmost professionalism. Some people don't think as I do which is why Hugh and myself get to work.
On another note I am going to Chicago to attend the Chicago Underground Film Festival (with Blood Car) and to go to a Cubs game. I'm sure there will be some other stuff in there and I will post pictures and write my thoughts of the city and impressions of its food and bartenders. I'm sure I will immediately fall in love with Chicago if it is not a sweltering hellhole in triple digit temperatures like the one I live in.
I also have a new trailer of Blood Car on the site HERE. Its funny and sloppy, like the film.
I worked on Mike Brune's Short film titled THE ADVENTURE, which I hope has its trailer online very soon. I've seen the short and Mike made something special that will have a great festival run I'm sure. It was a great set. A bunch of friends making a movie over the weekend- here are some pics from it: that's brune on the ground using his still camera as a viewfinder. yes, that is a big ass crane in the back of a pick up truck that we got some amazing footage with. We had a dolly too. Here's me and Adam Pinney shooting some b roll. See those flags? flags= serious business
Mr. Brune ran a great set and we all had no idea what was going on. I love it when that happens. When directors explain things to everyone it makes me think they are just trying to convince themselves. We all shot two actors inside a car for most of the time and only Brune and the sound guy could hear the dialogue, the crew was clueless and all hopped up on Power Horse-which if you don't know is a good crew.
When I saw the short a week later, Brune cut it with amazing speed, I was blown away. That's all i'll say for now-until I see it in a dark theatre in a strange town full of cinephiles.
When I was a kid I was a big history buff thanks to my middle school history teacher, Mr. Wisehart. He taught me that the really important question to ask was WHY? and since then I always have enjoyed that question in connection with any historical fact, current event or with any story. Sometimes I think why? can even serve as an answer. That last sentence is really stupid now that I think about it. Really, that's only an answer a five-year-old can give.
This week I went to see the Annie Lebowitz exhibit at the High Museum of Art here in Atlanta. Her famous people stuff is cool, sure. Her landscapes, eh. but her work with families and groups is where its at. I love the group pictures and even some of the portraits. but I think she is put on a pedastel for shooting actors when she should be for just shooting her father and brother and families and Storming Norman. i may be stating what other people have said or think is wrong. and I am ill informed, I only saw a fraction of her work at the High, which was of the last 20 years or so, but from what I saw, her group shots and those of her family and other families touched me and pictures of Brad Pitt and the White Stripes just left me shrugging.
i want to mention that I am about to eat 28 cents of Ramen- and if you don't know- that's a good bit of Ramen noodles. my father swears by a recipe that his girlfriend, Chris (kris?) makes for him with Ramen. I will test her recipe and if i feel it is worthy, I will post it for you readers. Both of you. now pictures I saw....
well. I can't find the pics i wanna post online. Which is good. go to the museum lazy face and see them yourself. I really liked- Stormin' Norman, the mugshot of the Junkie Queer, the Bush Cabinet beside a photo of Micheal Moore and his crew and a picture of Lebowitz's father and brother after they just got out of the pool. they are standing with their arms crossed and looking into the lens and it is perfect. they say the famous folk are comfortable with Lebowitz, but these two men have so much more than that in their smiles and in their posture. It is just a great photo
I also saw some films. Clean, Shaven- wow. see it. amazing sound. (I don't wanna say more because I like seeing movies blind. no trailers, no idea about the plot- it's fun) Zodiac- why make this movie? why? i don't know. don't watch it if you missed it. if you saw it and you can tell me why the film got past the initial chat over coffee and saying, "that could be cool" i'd like to know.
I try to get people t go see Sicko but they say, "I don't want that propaganda!" I just can't understand why people are more interested in iphones than in things that will directly affect them or their families. My mom and stepdad went. my mom was fired up! she said, "those shitheads, I'll go move to France"
and I read some books Youth in Revolt- it has funny parts. I laughed out loud. But the last third of the book tragged on for so fucking long that I grew to hate the main character, hate the author and hate the whole book. Missing an ending is just a killer.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret- by Brian Selznick-what a great book! I read it in a day. Its a kids book filled with film history. Its just great. go to the library and get it. RIGHT NOW! My friend Mike Brune gave me the book and said I had to read it but I put it off and I'm sorry i did.
This afternoon after I got home from an all-nighter at work on a stupid music video (someone needs to show me a music video set that is not full of shit because I'm starting to think they don't exist) I was bitching and tired. My wonderful cinephile girlfriend was watching a DVD of shorts that various filmmakers made with the Lumiere Camera invented by the Lumiere Brothers in 1895. In between the shorts they were asking filmmakers various questions that were all answered very seriously. One of the questions they asked was "Why do you film?" -or something close to that- people responded with "There's nothing else" and things like that. But one filmmaker said "I like subversion."
a bleary eyed and weary Alex exclaims, "Hell Yeah!"
My girlfriend responded by asking what exactly that means and I said, "Basically sticking it to the man, but let's look it up."
My little widget dictionary on my computer defines it as:
sub·vert undermine the power and authority of (an established system or institution)
Later I got some much needed sleep and when I woke up started watching Hal Ashby's Bound for Glory. It is about Woody Guthrie who also liked to subvert or be subversive. The movie was great (Hal Ashby + Randy Quaid= life changing cinema) and it got me thinking about why I enjoy subversion so much. Why do I get so excited about people saying that they aren't having this shit anymore and doing something about it? When I see movies like Z, Reds, Battle of Algiers, Ghandi, Dr. Strangelove or docs that attempt social change, I go nuts. I love the idea of undermining authority in the hopes of reassessing things and changing them for the better. Questioning the guys in charge to see if things can be done a better way should be done constantly.
I was first a history major in college partly because the subject of people in revolt so interested me. The other part is that you can't understand the present without a grasp on the past which means I like to argue about politics with old people.
I sometimes wonder how everyone can't see things that get them angry, or read about injustice and want to make a few molotov cocktails and attack a drive in. I guess my generation for the most part is more like the generation of the 50's. We don't care about anything really except for consumerism and self obsession. We like to blindly think everything is fine (except progressive opinions) and don't really rattle the cage- most of us that is. And even though I enjoy the ideas ofcivil disobedience and all things subversive and constantly having contempt for contentment I am really just am armchair activist.
I'm just a big jerk. I like to talk about this and that but I don't really do too much. I'll email or call a state representative and vote. I recycle and try not to waste gasoline because of some beliefs I have but really- who am i kidding? I don't try to talk to other people, get people to vote or any other things that involve actually striving for something bigger than knowing, at least I do my part. I'd be doing y part if I got other people to care enough to do their's. Someone got me to care, why can't I get other people to. I'm a filmmaker but I really don't use that to subvert either. I'm probably just another self obsessed person. (I do assume someone wants to read my rantings) I don't really want to make film because I love subversion, although I really want to believe that. I probably agree more with another filmmaker's answer to the question, "Why do you film?"
"I make movies because I want people to love me."- he responded.
This morning I woke up at 7am for no reason at all and started my day. Usually when I get up this early, i mess around the apartment for a couple of hours before I go bother my girlfriend, Katie, and wake her up too. I am frequently greeted by an unhappy, violently screeching, monster. But sometimes she wakes up and tells me about her bizarre dreams and I get a good laugh.
This mornings dream started with her opening a crate (like for a dog) she had in her house in the crate were two turtle boys. I picture them as about the size of a 7-year-old boy but turtles- that walk upright. One of them had on a red bomber jacket. They got out of the cage and rammed their heads into Katie as she sat on the floor. I think the head ramming thing was a game they played.
So the Turtles get up and one of my Katie's friends is there and she doesn't like them much because they have mouths full of rabbit food. Katie talks to the turtle boys for a minute and tells them she wished she didn't have to leave them in the crate all day when she was at work but she doesn't want them to go out. One of the turtle boys said they really wanted to go out and Katie told them if they did and something happened she would just kill herself.
Then the one turtle boy told Katie that his little brother's (turtle boy #2) skull was hurting him.
So she said to #2, "Don't make any plans for tomorrow."
"Huh?" said #2.
"You heard me. Your brother told me in secrecy your skull has been hurting you and the weather is not agreeing with you either. You're going to the doctor."
"Aww, man." said the younger turtle boy. and then she woke up.
The other night I went to the Fox theatre with my family and friends and watched the Wizard of Oz. The projectionist wasn't on his game, but it was still a great time at the movies. I really love those flying monkeys and the end when the all powerful Oz is just another bureaucrat who can't really help people as much as he can run his mouth, cut ribbons and give people meaningless awards. And the only one that really needed help was Dorothy and she could help herself all along.
After the movie we started talking about the fact that the book is actually a political allegory of some sorts. Someone said, "Oh yeah the tinman is like a factory worker, right?" Someone else chimed in about the scarecrow being the farmers and that the slippers were silver in the book and someone joked that the Lion represents the zookeepers of America that had major problems at that time. When I got home later I did a little research to find out what the deal really is and really, no one knows for sure. Or i should say there is debate on the subject.
The book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was written by L. Frank Baum who prefaced the book by saying that it was just a story for children and until the 1960's no one said anything different. L. Frank Baum never admitted it to be an allegory, but Henry M. Littlefield came up with the theory in '64 that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a monetary allegory for bimetallism in the 1890's.
from wikipedia: From 1880 to 1896, the price level in the U.S. economy fell by 23% (deflation). Most farmers of the west during that time were debtors, making their interest owed to the banks worth more than expected due to the deflation. According to the Populists' beliefs of the time, the solution to the farmers' problem was free coinage of silver (the U.S. was operating under a gold standard at that time). Democratic presidential nominee William Jennings Bryan supported the free silver requisition, summarized in his Cross of Gold speech. However, Republican William McKinley won the presidency and the gold standard remained.
So our man Littlefield's theory was used to teach what is described as "often the dullest episodes in money and banking"
So to get students interested in what the symbols could represent one has to learn the history behind the monetary allegory. Well, it worked on me. Here is a list of some of the symbols from the film and with the list some of the references by Bradley A Hansen, a former professor of economics at Mary Washington College. He wrote a paper that can be downloaded HERE about how the facts just don't add up to an allegory in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. There is another argument that Oz is China
Dorothy: traditional American values-she is dressed in red, white and blue in the film- but in the book she has a pink bonnet (symbolic meaning? I dunno) Toto: Prohibitionist party (also called Teetotalers who were populist supporters) Scarecrow: western farmers Tin Woodsman: industrial workers but also Baum worked as Cowardly Lion: William Jennings Bryan (who was said to be all roar, no bite) Munchkins: citizens of the East Wicked Witch of the East: Eastern business and financial interests Wicked Witch of the West: William McKinley or the drought that plauged the farmers of the west- since all that was needed to destroy her was a little water Good Witches of the North and South: the southern and northern electoral mandate; that is, to see the agrarian south and the industrial north vote in harmony Wizard: Mark Hanna (chairman of the Republican party) Oz: abbreviation for ounce of gold (Oz) Yellow Brick Road: gold standard Cyclone: the free silver movement also a common symbol for political change Emerald City: It is "emerald" only because those in it wear green glasses and hence think it is made of a green jewel; just as paper greenbacks have value only because people pretend that it has value. It is also a nice comment on people forced to see everything the same, no difference in opinion. Silver Slippers: the free coinage of silver Uncle Henry: In 1900 by far the most famous farmer in America was Henry Cantwell Wallace, editor of the leading farm magazine. Everyone called him "Uncle Henry Flying Monkeys: Native Americans. the Winged monkeys in the West, whose leader tells Dorothy, "Once..we were a free people, living happily in the great forest, flying from tree to tree, eating nuts and fruit and doing just as we pleased without calling anybody master... This was many years ago, before Oz came out of the clouds to rule over this land." Dainty China Country: Only exists in the book . in the China Country there is a Great Wall… And once Dorothy has climbed over it, its China people resent the intrusion of the foreigners, there is violence and they are forced to leave. People claim this section of the book is representative of the Boxer Rebellion in China.
I think it is really interesting all these different things people have projected on the story. I bet you could make Bush the Wizard and the characters are all factions of Americans looking for answers in tough times, which he doesn't provide. Modernize it a bit. Tinman: He is technology. He wants a heart so he can care about the world around him, not just profits.He could stop deforestation and cut his dependence on oil. Scarecrow: America's youth, so stoned (straw = weed, he's full of weed) he can't stand up straight. He's also disenfranchised to the point claiming to not have a brain, to avoid responsibility or having to take part in the ruined system. He's the kid that says voting doesn't matter. Cowardly Lion: Al Gore, he should of put up a fight when they took his presidency Flying Monkeys: 2008 Presidential candidates Muchkins: Al Queda Yellow Brick Road: Haliburton ToTo: Michael Moore Cyclone: 9/11 Emerald City: Iran
Actually that's just a bunch of nonsense but I bet someone could take that idea and run with it and write a magnificent pile of shit out of it. I personally would love to hear an argument that links the lollipop guild to Islamic Extremists.
I think its time for me to grab a camera and do a little investigative journalism. let me give you the set up.
first I googled Investigative Journalism and I found this picture. I posted it to let you know this is serious buisness
Yesterday I had dinner with my father and brother. my brother and I were sitting around and he was telling me how to identify American Indians by the shape of their earlobes, a theory he came up with the day before. (He said that Indians have larger earlobes and larger ears- I said I don't think that's just an Indian thing and he won the argument with "How many Indians do you know") My brother then mentioned in passing that his landlord has him staying in the garage. He lives at a sort of half-way house for people with schzicophrenia. It's him and some war vets and the woman who owns the house. They cook him meals and that sort of thing. Well my brother mentioned that the house has room for 6 people but the woman has 10 staying there. I'm not sure if she has to be regulated by the state or what to have people like my brother in her care- but I'm going to research that today.
But if she has people sleeping in bunk beds and is charging their families or taking their social security checks then I better go stick a camera in her face and expose her, right? If she is the kind of person who earns money by exploiting the mentally ill and overcharging innocent people then it is my duty to do whatever I can to topple the system. What if I do that and those people have nowhere else to stay? or what if it is just a temporary thing and some of the residents are being relocated? Or what if my brother doesn't have his facts straight- like the earlobe theory- which I haven't disproven, I'm just skeptical. My brother wasn't complaining, he likes his place. He doesn't have to work and he goes fishing and ties flies all day. Flies for fly fishing like these: My brother is actually a fly tying genius and many of the flies he has designed are sold at fishing shops around the country. Most of which were designed and tied at his current residence.
So after I get to the bottom of whether any wrong doings is going on I should make sure that if I stir up trouble that the landlord doesn't kick my brother out of his room or put any Vietnam Vetrans out on the street because she is not following some sort of county code. I will also get some of those "I am a reporter" glasses at the top of the page.
At first this bit of Investigative Journalism seemed like a no brainer. Put a camera in the face of evil and expose it, but things only seem that simple if you don't stop and think about them. Or am I just over thinking it and things are all that simple unless you have time to think of ways to complicate them?
Hello. This is my Blog. I’m trying to get into the habit of writing something everyday and this is something. In theatres a few great movies are playing (in Atlanta where I live) they are
ONCE (at the Tara)- which is probably the best film of the year. Its great. If you need to know more than the movie is great- google that shit. I don’t want to give you plot descriptions, I like just hearing a movie is great and going to see it.
Also playing at Cinefest is THE HOST this is the other movie in contention for best movie of the year. It is just about perfect. It’s a brilliant allegory about America and its reaction to 9/11.
THE LIVES OF OTHERS is still running at the plaza- film students should study the script it’s so tight.
KNOCKED UP- yeah- it’s really funny. Sure it could be cut down by 20 minutes but I never thought about it while watching the movie. It’s sweet and there are a ton of great jokes. I had no expectations even though the film gets good reviews everywhere (the NY Times and the Post liked it- that’s rare) and yes I saw 40-Year-Old Virgin and yes, it sucks but this is funny.
SICKO- come on. You want something to talk about while you eat your fish tacos? Its SICKO. It will fire your ass up. It makes me want to move to Paris. - The health care, the protesting and the fact that the French watch movies in theatres. If you don’t like Michael Moore because of Fahrenheit 9/11 or whatever you should get over it. I personally enjoy his attempts at social change through filmmaking- movies are that powerful to me.
And on video I saw some stuff too, the most memorable being PARIS, TEXAS. I was reading Tom Hall’s BLOG and he was doing his version of the New Yorker pieces about why you love movies and he wrote about Paris, Texas- so I watched it. For about 95 minutes I watched the movie and was interested and really loved the photography- but I wasn’t enthralled. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll watch Harry Dean Stanton walk around the desert in 35mm for quite a while- but when I started the movie I had come off reading this blog about how Paris, Texas was the movie that made Tom Hall love movies and that guy really loves some fucking movies. So I’m watching and then the third act comes around and I am devastated. The end of that film tore me apart. Everything that leads up to the scenes with Natassja Kinski was the best set up for that ending. I recommend you watch that film.
And because the 4th has been around, so has been hanging by the pool and drinking. Usually when I have too much to drink, I force my girlfriend to watch Jaws with me and I blather about how awesome it is until I pass out. But lately I switched it up and have thrown in some movies from my childhood. When I was a kid I watched a lot of movies on TBS. 80’s action flicks and westerns and ROAD HOUSE, ahhhh Road House, you brilliant turd. So on the fourth I watched DIE HARD- still awesome. Enough said. And Last night I watched RAMBO- First Blood. Awesome. The ending and what it is trying to say about anything is beyond me. But it runs fast and is great for the bad ass pushed too far sub genre. That is a genre of movies that TBS swore by when I was a kid. Charles Bronson, Jeremiah Johnson (have you seen this? I remember R. Redford killing a shit ton of Indians on a racist revenge mission. I need to watch that again) Well the first Rambo was a good time. How Brian Dennehy holds it together in the face of all that horrible acting from the supporting cast is beyond me. Then we watched Predator. Predator is for kids. My memories of Predator were so great and I only saw the for TV version. Seeing the movie last night I think it goes on the Gremlins list. That is a list of movies that were awesome to 10 year old or 6 year old Alex, but not to this one. That happens though. I’m sure Predator is being discovered by a bored preteen this very Sunday afternoon on TBS and he is loving it.
For a minute I wanna type about the Hollywood machine. I’m not watching any more crap movies. There are too many good movies out there that I haven’t seen or there is playing Frisbee or cleaning my apt or learning to make a better omelet or anything better than the poop Hollywood has been feeding me the last few years. If I read something is actually good- I’ll watch it. But when I read that everything is just fucking mediocre- I’m not in. I’m not, nor will I see Spiderman3, Pirates 3, Transformers (I did sneak in and watch 10 minutes, that was enough) or that Silver Surfer trash. If you would like to join me in my boycott of over-marketed crap then stop giving them your money.
Ok. When I find the digital camera I will Blog about 4th o July and soapbox derby races.
