Hi Blog. Let's catch up.

I get this random phone call and this guy is all heavy breathing on the phone and he says, "You're not blogging."
ME: "Hello, is someone fucking with me?"
Heavy mouth breather guy: "This is no joke. you must blog......you must blog."
ME: But everyone is blogging all the time. What's the point? its pointless.
Mouth Breather: If you blog it, they will come....
ME: Ok, who is this? Stop goofing around.
then I hear some kinda smashing and the mouth breather is breathing really fast, it sounds like a broken whistle. I can hear people speaking Korean, eh, more like shouting Korean at this guy and he starts rattling off all this craziness at me about "when the third moon is half empty" and "the crow caws to the east" and the "sugar pops won't float anymore" and whoever it was really went all out on this joke because it sounded like these Koreans were kicking hell outta this mouth breather. Then they are wrestling the phone away from him and he's SCREAMING and I mean screaming the word OSTATINE over and over. like a panicked asthmatic parrot.

ok, so I thought. that was a good one. maybe I should blog about it. And now that I'm here I'll let you know about things I have seen and done.

Dark Knight is not perfect, but it is pretty rad. I'm tired of everyone throwing around the word AMAZING. "OMG this spider roll is amazing." Stop that shit, people. Everything cannot be amazing unless you're eating windowpane all the time.

I did see CALIBER 9 at the Egyptian. Holy shit! rock n roll! I was going to see these Italian Grindhouse movies, hoping to see that one gem. the crazy, well shot masterpiece I didn't even know existed. well my friends, Caliber 9 is that masterpiece. it is not on DVD for some crazy reason, but it should be. there is so much greatness going on. A hilarious cop and his partner talking about class struggle instead of fighting crime. the opening sequence is some sort of money passing- hiesty kind of thing. then the money is gone so these gangsters start gathering people up and torturing them and then they put them in a cave, tie them to TNT and blow them up. That sequence is before you even see the damn title and super fast/crazy/great. The plot is nuts, the climax is so great in so many ways, I don;t want to ruin it but I was smiling for 3 hours after I saw it. The second this movie can be watched...you fucking watch it.

I was in Scotland. I ate some Haggis with neeps and taddies. Mmmm, Mmmm. good. Saw Radiohead in Glasgow- good times. Played all the hits, and a bunch of new stuff. pretty lights. Hanging out at the Edinburgh FIlm Festival was great. MAN, those scots do some drinking. they broke me one night. I was still a charming disaster though....I'm sure of it. I saw Erol Morris talk about makign docs, that was tits. I saw Roger Deakins and Seamus McGarvey talk about DPing and Christopher Doyle sat in the audience doing some heckling. that saw like dancing on a rainbow. I took this cruddy pic on my phone:


listen to this all you DPs- Roger Deakins has a webiste that is all about lighting and camera and all that shit and he answers your questions and discusses things with you. INTERWEBS WOW! here is the site http://rogerdeakins.com/ just sign up so you can talk in the forums.

So the EIFF was a great time. Movie went over well, met tons of really cool people. It was great. They have the BEST venues ever, and they are all really close together. AWESOME venues that all have great pubs in them for drinking and yelling about cinema in. and the town is just so pretty. I went on a castle tour and had an idea for a movie about some regular people touring a castle and then zombies attack them, so they all have to use the old ways of defending the castle from the zombies. And because Ray Harryhausen was at the fest (I got a signed book) I thought the Zombies should ride giant lizards. So you have japanese tourists and a family of four and some boy scouts all in armor shooting canons and sword fighting zombies. I'll probably never write that, so if somebody wants a go at it- be my guest. I just want a story credit.

Yesterday I went to DIY DAYS. A bunch of cool panels and stuff about DIY filmmaking and distribution and all that. I dunno why people always ask about raising money at these things. I thought the point was that none of the filmmaker really have a bag of money and they are just making movies. just Doing It Yourself...get it asshole guy who thinks everyone should be writing him checks? I actually did a couple panels at EIFF on this stuff to. there's plenty of information out there about finding an audience and getting your movie out to them. there's great stuff to learn so you too can go from hopeful, bright eyed soon to be feature filmmaker to jaded "I made a film and now I want money" person. what? Me? Oh I'm not like that....you go to hell. I'm gonna make another cheapy movie or two. I don't know who you think you're talking to.

Since I've been back, just been kicking around. You know, doing this and that. A little writing. A little movie watching. Hopefully tonight I'll be going to see BULLITT and POINT BLANK at the Egyptian. I love the Egyptian. greatest theatre ever? I dunno, I have many more theatres to visit. But the Egyptian is amazing, if you've never been.

Off to SCOTLAND

Hello Blog reader(s)

I haven't been blogging because I have been writing screenplays. I know, right?

Well Blood Car is taking me off to Scotland where I hope to write about seeing great movies and arm wrestling with Roger Deakins. I got some GREAT swag to throw out over there so I hope someone shows up to take it from me. A new one sheet, some flyers, postcards, rad Tshirts, Buttons, stickers. Huh? How you like that? Want one? Meet me at FilmHouse in Edinburgh.

I got 6 one sheet posters printed and I must say...it was really cool. The last posters we did weren't full size 41'X27' (or whatever it is) but these were and I was like "wow, that's a poster for a movie." It was really exciting. One day it will hang in an office and in that office I will do things and take naps.

I have been watching a few movies, but I don't have anything to tell you that you're not reading on every other blog everywhere else. So instead I will tell you that I am going to loose my fucking mind if I don't go make a movie real soon. So get out your check books because there are pictures to be made. DAMMIT!

I'm going to see RADIOHEAD in Glasgow while i'm in Scotland also. So one break from the film festival to see my first radiohead show.

Well no more bloggin for now, I'm off to the Chinese Theatre to see The Strangers

oh, someone came up with a funny expression. When someone starts whining about a kid's movie (Indy, Marvel, etc) Instead of "Why don't you just cry about it?" you say "Why don't you just blog about it?" I'm sick of people crying about kid's movies. Grow up sissies.

Hitchens and Sharpton

WATCH VIDEO
sure this is an old video year old, but it is really entertaining to watch Al Sharpton debate a book he only read the title of. Hitchens is very entertaining, as is Sharpton's way of debating that I have nick named "gooble-dee-goop"

Songs From the Second Floor.

Sure, I could blog about Indiana Jones, but I don't wanna waste my time- it had good, it had bad, if you were let down maybe you should think twice about spending your money to see a 60 year old man go on an adventure.

I want to let you know about SONGS FROM THE SECOND FLOOR
That image, first shot of the film, should be all you need to see this film. two men have a serious conversation while one is in a tanning bed. wonderful. This film feels like a Bunuel film to me. It is a film of trivial things in an absurd, modern world. The production design, still camera and wide shots of the film feel like Tati's Playtime- but the film is completely original.

It is an amazing mix of comedy and tragedy. Filled with people who are at the lowest points in their life, in a world that is on the brink of collapsing.

The production design is nothing short of amazing, with almost everything in the movie built on a sound stage. I don't want to toss out a bunch of names that it is "like"
it's great.

You could go on Youtube and watch a trailer, but just do as I did and see the film cold, and on the biggest TV you can see it on. The film is shot VERY VERY wide. I so wish I could have seen it on the big screen.

The director is Roy Andersson. this is his fourth feature made in 2000. His first was in '69, then '70, '87 this one is 2000 and he has a new feature that I hope to see soon.

The film is challenging, but worth it. I am now going to give Uwe Boll some help in his opening weekend. I have never seen one of his films, and this one -POSTAL- looks to be pretty amazing. What kind of amazing? we shall see

YES!

Dexter

you know that show Dexter? I am watching an episode now- it sucks. SO if anyone tells you it is "amazing" don;t trust them- they will steal from you and act like your friend.

Indy! Blaxploitation! Blood Car Hipster T's

Its a good week that started pretty crappy.

Day one of this week: I go to sleep and wake up and someone just went to the main breakers and cut off my power (WTF? right?) then I go out to my car- when I parked it the day before, it was fine- but that day they installed parking meters and I had a ticket- WHAT A JIP, L.A.!

I was pretty let down so I bought some Blaxploitation DVDs (Black Ceasar, Shaft in Africa, The Black Klansmen, Hit Man, Soul Man and I got The Education of Sonny Carson- which is an amazing film) I know what you're thinking- why all the 70's soul flicks, Alex? Because I am starting to do research for the next retarded movie- which will have Blaxploitation and other race elements-(handled tastelessly), Banditos and some kind of Frankenstein thing going for it- I don't want to jump the gun or anything BUT THIS FILM IS GOING TO BLOW YOUR MIND HOLE OUT YOU'RE EAR HOLE

I also may get a job of some kind with some kind of writing of some kind of something. -official press release, ho's- so that's good news

I'm counting down the seconds until I can go see the new Indy Movie at Arc Light. I'm really excited even if George Lucas is involved.

I also ate some Sushi at a place called Sushi Go 55. It was hidden in a mall in Japantown, was almost completely empty on a Tuesday, was fairly priced AND WAS AWESOME. No trendy-town atmosphere, just really good sushi and a really friendly staff of people to make sure everyone is all smiles, and we were. I recommend it highly. The Toro almost made me slap someone in the face it was so good. And we had this weird Japanese desert called Moki(sp?) rice paper covered sherbert- odd (but good odd)texture and very tasty.

Today I am going to order some hipster cool Blood Car shirts to take to Edinburgh so everyone will know about BLOOD CAR in the UK. These shirts are gonna rock, so if you want one, throw me a couple bucks and I'll add one to the order. Just go to American Apparel website and check out the men's 50/50 shirt (product # ) and the women's baby ribbed T (product # 4377) I will give them to you for only $12 each- they cost more than that WITHOUT a Blood Car logo on them at American Apparel.

THE FALL

I just saw THE FALL at Arclight and it was followed by a very long Q&A with the director Tarsem. you should do yourself a favor and go see this film. it is eye candy meant for the big screen- it also features one of the best child performances I have ever seen. you might dig the movie- like I did- or you might not. But you should see it . It was shot in 18 countries over 4 years. The director does A TON of big big commercials and music videos and all that kinda stuff. He piggy backed a bunch of the locations onto commercial shoots and let a 6-year old Romanian girl dictate the flow of the film. He also directed The Cell...which I never saw. But this movie is really cool- it is a fairy tale, fantasy- whatever you wanna say and the story of the making of the film and the ideas the director had for it were really amazing. And even though I would think that a huge commercial director with one name would be really full of shit, he actually wasn't. He quoted Rodney Dangerfield and sited Kurosawa and Polanksi as influences. Just go see it- the guy made it out of pocket too and believe me, it is pretty nuts. This movie was TRASHED by every reviewer because the guy made commercials or they said the film was boring or whatever. But I am glad I shelled out the cash to go see it. And I paid full ticket price. I could write more but I'm tired.

AFF, IFFB, nice people in UK and more!

Hello everyone!

I went to the Atlanta Film Festival, Independent Film Festival Boston and I have discovered couchserfing.com
Let me catch you up on some movies I saw first.

FROWNLAND! FROWNLAND! FROWNLAND!
Whoa....that's my review of Frownland. For the first chunk of Frownland, I wasn;t sure what was going on, at all. But PLEASE watch this film because it is jaw dropping in how good it is, and not indie film "awww, those kids made a movie" good. The acting in this movie can be help up against any performance in film history. It brings to mind A Woman Under the Influence - if that means anything to you, its not the same at all, but still an amazing performance. After the film I saw what was probably the most entertaining and insightful Q&A I've ever seen. if I win the lottery, I'm financing a Ronnie Bronstein film.

Glory at Sea - I worked on this short film from Court 13 in NOLA. these kids are nuts and they made a really wonderful film. There is something going on in this film that allows it to cut right into me. It was an extremely emotional experience watching this film, I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but something visceral that shouldn't be overanalyzed - just appreciated.

BIG MAN JAPAN - you may remember me RAVING when I read the synopsis for this film and yes, I LOVED IT. I don't want tohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif go nuts and tell you it is the greatest thing for monster movies, comedy and my own reasons to be a filmmaker (but it was) you have to see it, the awesomeness is in the last reel. I almost broke myself laughing at it. I.....Lost.....MY....MIND at the end of this film. I like to laugh, everyday, every hour, as hard as I can and I can seriously count on one hand the films that made me laugh this hard. The movie kind of meanders around in parts but I loved that about the film. It could be tighter, but ot wouldn't be the same film.

Transsiberian- not for me.

Secrecy- I missed this film at Sundance. It was full of information, that was interesting. But as far as the film goes- it was a little thin a lot of talking heads and I got a little bored. It presents a pretty awesome paradox about what it means to be safe and the nature of secret intelligence that always leads me back to a Ben Franklin quote that I will paraphrase- Any person willing to give up civil liberties for safety, doesn't deserve to have civil liberties.

Wild Blue Yonder - this film is made by the daughter of David Maysles and the film seems to be about this girl making a film to get to know her Dad, who if you didn;t know- died too young. But that is not what is really going on. The film tries to make some sort of case against Albert Maysles and put us in the middle of a family squabble about who should have the rights to the Mayseles brothers' films- or one film in particular (ummmmmm, the other brother that made them, or the family that decided to start a court battle- no brainer there) the film is full of emotion that seems to be because this girl can't get what she wants and paints Albert Maysels as a bad guy, but the film does the opposite of what it intends and makes me root for Albert because he was never wrong. See it, it will get a good dialogue going after, but mainly about the delusions of the filmmaker. During the Q&A after the film the filmmaker said that "anyone can get a camera and make a film, and that's part of the problem" that comment makes me so mad I can't begin to describe it. I can't even go into what that comment means to me in less than 10,000 words.

that was at IFFB

at the Atlanta Film Festival I was on a panel with a bunch of big shots- here's a pic.

Mark Wynns (blurry), Alexis Fish, Me, Craig Zobel and Alexander Motlagh we talked about distribution

movies in theatre:
I saw a Streetcar Named Desire, Last Tango in Paris double feature- uhhh awesome
My Blueberry Nights- so terrible it broke my heart because I ADORE the films of Wong Kar Wai
Standard Operating Procedure- go see it, it is Errol Morris so its interesting but i think the really disturbing thing is that these things happened and I really don't care anymore. I hate to say that, but it is true. I am over the Iraq War film so much. No more evil empire for me for just a minute. we fucked up, it will stain our country for 100 years or even more, but I am burnt on it in film right now and there is no easy way out of the situation.

I WENT TO FENWAY!!!

I sat 5 rows from the Red Sox on deck circle. Saw them give out 2 golden gloves and a silver slugger award (just coincidence), saw a AA pitcher throw 6 innings of 2 hit baseball and saw an Ortiz home run. great game but the Sox lost.

here are a couple pics:
Ortiz HR! that's the view from our seats!


me and my old friend Clay Neely, who now lives in Boston


we also went Candle Pin Bowling. you use this little ball and get 3 throws at little pins. its fun! you can get a "crazy wicked" curve going on the little ball.


I also did a walking tour of historic Boston- which I love that American History stuff! Here is our guide and our group and Paul Revere's grave. I like those guided tours full of historical info, I recommend them. we did the Freedom Trail and our guide was AWESOME.


going to see Iron Man today

oh and www.couchserfing.com
it rules. check it out if you travel and can...well...couch serf

let's learn about.....Vancouver

So I am looking up things in Vancouver, British Columbia and I learned things. let me please share them with you as I find them interesting
-3rd largest place for film production
-10th cleanest city in the world
-4th in population density in North America
-3rd highest quality of living in the world
-

look at it:

that is not NYC, it is Vancouver.

some drawbacks to this town...
-13th least affordable housing in the world
-Junky encouragement- they are nice to drug addicts and dope fiends
-tolerance of homosexuals...just kidding- you guys can gay it up sideways to Sunday for all I care
-break in capital of North America -1100 break in per 100,000 residents- NYC 300 per
but they don't murder each other, which is nice

not as cold as I thought, here is a chart


I guess I should explain this chart, average temp by month starting at JAN

so I have decided that after a little time in LA, maybe three or four more days, I will be moving to this place. Wish me luck

The movie gods are smiling upon us....

Have you heard of BIG MAN JAPAN??? it played Cannes, I'm gonna see it when I go to IFFBoston with Blood Car..here's the synopsis

An eccentric man aged about 40 lives alone in a decrepit house in Tokyo. He periodically transforms into a giant, about 30 meters tall, and defends Japan by battling similarly sized monsters that turn up and destroy buildings.


HOLY SHIT! That sounds awesome. I don't know much about the Monster Movie genre...but I'm about to start learning. After seeing the masterpiece that is THE HOST last year- I know understand the limitless possibilities of the genre.

I also saw this poster when I was driving down Hollywood Blvd.


that's right, Jenna Jameson is in a movie called Zombie Strippers. Its the kind of movie you look at and say "Ok, that won't work, but I want to believe it can." Whch is great because you go in not expecting much and then you can get your doors blown off....or not. They have the Grind House poster ripped off- the background images are kinda lame- but its still called Zombie Strippers so....hey, you'll get my $8.

I saw a Film Noir double feature night before last that was a 50/50. the film Wicked Woman...awesome. So good, I wanna remake it. its a little shuffle of The Postman Always Rings Twice, it builds into this AMAZING scene and the movie never leaves three locations. They just didn't include the scenes I really wanna write and shoot. A lot more meanness and a nice dose of "that makes me feel dirty" sex and this movie would rock ass. I better shut up before someone beats me to the punch. It was followed by a new 35mm print of The Story of Molly X- I didn't care for it at all, and it was on the heels of the basassss movie I just fell in love with. Molly X is so redemptive that I could argue it's not even film noir.

There are plenty of good films at IFFB. MONGOL sounds pretty sweet. (If you don;t like the sound of a Genghis Khan, Oscar nominated film, than you go to hell)- I gotta see MISTER LONELY. There's another Ping Pong movie called PING PONG PLAYA- gotta see that, cause its gotta be better than KING OF PING PONG that I saw at Sundance. The director of one of my favorites- Re-Animator has a new film called STUCK count me for that one too. and I haven't even read all the synopsis or gotten into the docs!

And my god buddies Adam Pinney and Mike Brune are going to the Sarasota Film Festival where they are doing a Liv Ullman retrospective. You know...Liv Ullman..she is in the golden years of the Bergman films. damn those guys are lucky. I sometimes fantasize about the day I can just go to film festivals nonstop, occasionally stopping to make a movie... oh how I was those days would come


a post note. I started reading about Genghis Khan on wikipedia and these are two facts from his early life:

Genghis Khan is a rotten cabbage!!!

He rides sheep backwards!!!

ahhhhh, the internet. History will be dead soon enough and replaced with etchings on the bathroom wall from 14-year-old-boys.... I can't wait.

in the mood for macs

wong kar wai is at the apple store in SoHo on April 1st

He better come to LA

paid for a car with my pee pee

So I bought a car. You can't be in LA without a car so i got one. It is the most unexciting, unimpressive car possible. But it is mine and it won't break down. It's a 2003 Honda civic 4 door. the base-est model with no frills- I haggled with a car dealer on a lot after 12 days of trying to find a deal through regular folks. I tell you what 'regular folks' you go to hell and take your shitty cars with you

Blood Car is playing the IFF Boston in April with some really great films. I saw some of them at Sundance but others I missed and am excited to get a chance to watch. I'm always amazed when Blood Car keeps playing in the midst of really great cinema- it is such an honor.

I saw a couple movies-

21......eh. Not for real movie goers. not really terrible, but kind of unbelievable and not really engaging. very...ah hem. by the numbers...Kevin Spacey is bitchy an gay (seriously! never seen that huh?) and some pretty people try to make me believe they are math wizards. Disbelief in unsuspended

Flawless- you may not have heard of this one. the pitch- starring Demi Moore (strike 1) and she has an english accent (strike 2-674)
this movie is a pile of (madlibs it)
so bad, so so bad. stupid heist movie that is a period piece with a forced feminist angle

what else? I got a library card, and discovered the Echo Park Film Center- which I will hopefully have a full report on after I see a screening there

there's an elliptical trainer in my living room....gee thanks, craigslist

I actually got into a pharm clinical trial.....boring work but I did get to watch the original Alien.....I love that movie
I also played some Star Wars Battlefronts on XBOX- I don;t play video games, but sometimes boredom and circumstance will thrust them upon me and I get addicted. the star wars game claimed a day or two of my life but I was able to fight it off and watch a couple movies and get out of that place. If you have no idea what I'm talking about when I say 'pharm clinical trial' let me fill you in. i agreed to take a drug never taken by a human being and then stay in a place day and night (5 days 4 nights) while people studied the effect (mainly how quick it leaves the system) through my piss and blood. I read about this in the New Yorker and thought it might be interesting subject matter for a film...it may be, but being there won't show me it. I'll have to make it up because that place was dullsville- but they paid me about the rate of a PA to do nothing.....because it wasn't that dangerous of a study

I also saw a traveling STD test center today on Vine (ave? street?) never seen that before. and I heard 2 casual pitches (just chit chatting about movies, noone is really pitching me to get something made) today and they were both exciting and awesome.

tomorrow I will kill a man with my mind! i'll write about it

The chicken or the egg?

its a little past 3 am so I guess I can start blogging, right?

So in LA the eggs are really expensive compared to Atlanta, BUT chicken by the pound is cheaper.....I'll let you process the bad jokes and witty observations there

I worked 3 days.

Day one of work:
I tried to take part in a Pharmaceutical study on Asthma- I failed the admittance and was paid $100

here is a picture of the device that cost me the other $1900

I was a PA on a INFORMATION OMITTED DUE TO SOME SHIT I SIGNED
and that was just great. I set up some tables and wandered around.

Here a the only pic from set
I can show you because of said 'disclosure agreement'

I have been trying to get around LA on the metro...HAHAHA that's a joke- Although after seeing this station full of- what looks to me like- people jumping from buildings...as art, I will have to do a tour of metro stations. because my camera phone didn;t do this justice


I have been trying to buy a car through craigslist and the classifieds. Buying a car in LA is like negotiations at the UN- it takes translators, bizarre rituals and customs get in the way, people have old grudges from generations back- it's a diplomatic mess. But I have seen many parts of the city and had conversations (or conversations with translating relatives) that reach the ears of discerning Russians, groggy Armenians and many Mexicans-who are all so remarkably agreeable. Its a pretty good time actually. I feel like Kissinger

I have learned that NYC is a pizza town, ATL is a wing town and LA is a burger town. So let me give you my burger report- its weak now, but it will grow.

Tommy's Original: burger with lot's of shit and chili....awesome. here's a pic


In N Out Burger- I Love it. Double cheese burger 'animal style' -there's some kind of bullshit secret menu and animal style is on it...its good. The fries kinda suck though

One more thing. People of LA, please stop being douche bag's to me. what's the deal here? I ask this guy what street I'm on today because I'm lost- he says "what did that sign say?" He was like 70 years old. Just douching out on me. There are so many instances in you people giving me the high hat that I can't even count them. But just to set it striaght LA people: you can't drive for shit, you're not half as important as you act and the grocery store is not the place t dress like a hooker to be "discovered"

I will try what I would normally do anywhere else tomorrow- I will test just how easy the people of LA like conflict. They seem to invite it with their asshole faces and attitudes- so I will respond to your jackass antics with my normal smart-ass, make you red-in-the-face-mad comments and taunts. There's no way these fuckers will swing on people faster than rednecks will....I just hope that rednecks don't drive BMWs and have ponytails here

movies:
Lubitsche double feature: Trouble in Paradise (amazing) and another of his (eh)
Mario Bava double feature: this guy is Russ Myers/Argento awesome, check him out they are showing a gaggle of his films at the Egyptian
4 Months, 3 Weeks, 2 Days- if I have to tell you that you should try to go see the Palme D'Or winner then you should just have another Cheeto and look for Road House on TBS. it is fucking great (4 Months and Road House) seriously- it was a big screen experience

Making moves

Katie keeps telling me I gotta start "making moves"
so I thought "ah screw it, I'll do some extra work"

So katie and I respond to an ad seeking people for extra work. Should be a short interview right? Take my picture, submit my "type" and give me a damn call time.
Wrong.

it was some stupid scam and they wanted me to PAY to get some hotline # to do extra work. so stupid. But I came up with a fun game out of the experience. I want to crazy myself up a bit (stupid clothes, big hair- something weird looking) and get some more of these "interviews" and go in and be bat-shit crazy and do bad audition monologues and start crying and talk myself out of it. Maybe bring cupcakes- just basically be as idiotic as I can and keep an audio recorder in my pocket. That would be entertaining.

So after that stupid crap I had a beer at this great old school Hollywood Cafe called......ah shit. Can't remember- if I do I'll update this. It was red and on Santa Monica.

After that we ended up by the house at the Silver Lake Lounge and it happened to be an open mic night so we stayed and a bunch of the guys that were there were really funny.

But this one guy, named Ben, had this deadpan routine about rape and abortion that made me and Katie (and pretty much only us) laugh so hard I couldn't see straight. I started talking to the guy and he told me that everyone in the bar was a stand up- which is odd, right? They all come there to work on new stuff and "get some time" one guy told me- i did get his name Adrian Mesa. He was visiting the rape joke guy (who was recently on Jimmy Kimmell I think, different material) and from Miami. He had a helluva funny bit about booty bass music and he used the phrase "pig knuckle" (like camel toe) -that's a new one right?- in his booty bass bit. I laughed. I will no doubt go back to that deal. $2 beers, free laughs, walking distance- I'm in

Steal this blog

this got posted late- wrote yesterday, posted now

Last night I saw a double feature at the Aero in Santa Monica. (two movies-$8) Two heist films that I have never seen before- the first being THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE TWO THREE


Awesome. I loved this film. Robert Shaw, Martin Balsam, Walter Matthau. Tony Roberts is the Lt. Mayor. The orderly Washington- from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, plays a transit cop, his name is Nathan George. Jerry Stiller plays a cop who could give a shit. The movie is PACKED with amazing one-liners, great jokes, refreshing political incorrectness and it is a hell of a heist film. Every character actor in this film is so on their game- it’s sick. Like a Preston Sturges (or for you younguns- Coen Bros) film. Skillfully written by Peter Stone- who wrote Charade- he effortlessly moves between the remorseless character played by Robert Shaw and killing innocent people in cold blood to laugh out loud funny bits with Matthua and every other city employee character involved. The mayor is so silly he could be Mel Brooks taken down just 12%. That guy who runs out holding the Blue Letter in Hudsucker Proxy is in it and he looks exactly the same- it is amazing- he doesn’t age. Pelham is directed by Jo Sargent.

This film has been remade once for TV – and is being remade again with Denzel Washington- they are shooting now. Tony (throw up in my mouth) Scott directing. Everyone has stolen from this movie, everyone, if you’ve never seen it- do yourself a favor and go buy it- it should be studied.

After the film Hector Elizondo was there for a Q&A. I have realized that you can only hope for maybe one good story and rarely anything too insightful from Q&A sessions. Its not anyone’s fault really, well actually sometimes it is and sometimes they are fun, but usually not- especially when the geeks of the geeks are asking the questions. There was the gem, “I think improv works for people with a sense of humor” there was some random pettiness about Robert Shaw being a hard-ass drinker and kick ass ping pong player and some other random shit. A story about Garry Marshall that started good (he got hit in the face with a basketball) but ended with a bad kicker that false laughter over the years has not improved. And too many people asking about an actor’s process on a film he shot 30 or 40 years ago- he even said he hadn’t seen the film in 20 years- and people are asking him about the working relationship between him and the director- or who came up with what business. Come off it, guys.

Then I watched Joel Siegel’s CHARLIE VARRICK- starring Walter Matthua and featuring John Vernon. Things started good- a heist went wrong and the wrong thing was there was too much money, some people and small town New Mexico cops got shot. Not bad. Then the writing went south- forced bits of comedy with a kooky old woman, scenes so inconsistent I was shaking my head- but John Vernon has the weirdest bits of business in it I have ever seen, its like he’s coming up with things to do that make no sense- or beyond no sense- so that someone could think they might mean something. Pretty weird and amazing stuff from him in this film-doing lines while strattling (sp?) a fence next to cows (and making groanful cow analogies), doing lines and then playing the piano like Rock Monanoff, having a conversation while pushing a retarded girl with a kitten in a swing. There’s a decent joke or two- a bad ass El Camino that the “sociopath” killer drives- but Joe Don Baker doesn’t play much of a sociopath.

I don’t want to ruin this movie telling you all the things that made me “huh?” so watch it. You’ll laugh and get a bit bored toward the end but so what. Its John-Fucking-Vernon and Joel-Goddam-Siegel.

Ok- more movies to watch will report soon. I tried to watch the whole godfather trilogy in the past day or two. I and II -as we all know- are amazing. Part III is so amazingly unnecessary and poorly constructed that I have invented a drinking game to make the piece of shit watchable.

One person drinks every time the word “family” is said.
One person drinks when Sofia Coppola gives a shitty line reading(or in other words, appears on screen).
One person drinks when Talia Shire gives a shitty line reading. (drink twice when it is obvious she made up the line on the spot)
One person takes the combo shitty lines of Eli Wallach and Andy Garcia and Joe Montenga (drink twice when either of them fails at acting anything like a gangster)
Whoever takes that last one ain't making it through Act I.
Every time there is a clip reel from I or II- everyone drinks.
Every time someone says “Fredo” all older brothers drink.
Every time someone says Sonny or Santino- all loose women drink (which is all women who are sitting around getting bombed to Godfather III, I'm sorry)
Everyone drinks until they black out when Sofia Coppola gets shot and all the characters flail around.

I shouldn’t be so hard on the film- it must be a sore spot with everyone involved and I’m sure it has been trashed enough by everyone but me, but hey- whaddya gonna do, eh?

Oh, that last crack was so bad.

Snow Angels Premiere

Went to the EGYPTIAN THEATRE to see the premiere of David Gordon Green's latest SNOW ANGELS. Much like everything since Mr. Green's first film George Washington (masterpiece?)- I really liked a lot of things, I thought some things unnecessary, and I didn't care for others. This is not an uncommon reaction to a film- but I really LOVED things in this film -Sam Rockwell- although all the other characters were great to watch, except Kate Beckinsale. The character she played was not well written and when it was time for Beckinsale to deliver the goods, she didn't do it for me.I don't just blame her- I don't think it was on the page and when she wasn't really giving a performance to pull me in, the editing didn't help her out. Don't get me wrong, this movie is a whole hell of a lot better than most things released. There is always a moment in a Green film that makes me happy I watched it, something I had no idea I would ever see and feel better for seeing. In this film, for me- it is a scene without dialogue in which some people dance. It is fucking amazing. But because there are always these moments that amaze me so in these films- I hold them to an entirely different, and probably unsurmountable standard.

I also want to say how impressed I am by the line up of films at the American Cinematheque. Holy shit- is all I can say. See for your self at their site. If I could go everyday- I would. Don't think I won't try.

I also left a message for the theatre goers near me on Craigslist. read it here- those people sucked.

here's a pic of Ava Gardner, that K Beckinsale played in The Aviator

Go West, Young Man

So someone recently asked, "Hey Alex, whatcha been doing? No blog?" well actually, someone- I've been driving across the country because I moved to California. So I need to write a blog to catch everyone up.

yes, that pic is a cat on a leash- one of the last pics from ATL- how fitting

My friends threw a party for Katie and I (yes, she came with me across the country- I couldn't believe it either) but we never really got sentimental- its not like I won't ever see my friends again- so what's the big deal- right? Then we packed up a small uhaul truck and towed Katie's car behind and drove to LA - which is in California all you asses with cats tied to the porch. A few things needed for a cross country drive- in my opinion.

Speed and speed taking implements.

ok, I'm just kidding- I'm too old for that shit and I don't know where to buy it anyway. I found a GPS useful, because it is a GPS- HEY OH!, they do all kinds of road trip shit. I like to eat the local flava on the road not just Subway. Plus having the internet on my iPhone to cross check some hotel rooms or settle arguements about random trivia (like what kind of cheese is supposed to go on a French Onion Soup?) was invaluable. download a book on tape and a bunch of non music stuff to listen to- like the free iTunes University lectures or NPR's This American Life. those are great because your music will get old and radio just sucks. That means you need an iSomething to play that crap on. Gum, sunflower seeds, snacks, cigarettes, trash mags, digital camera. those are good stuffs

I had in LA what I had in Atlanta- no job, no apartment- In the weeks leading up to the move I was never nervous or had butterflies or any of that. It never really effected me. But when I pulled out the uhual onto the highway to leave and there were no more boxes to pack or hugs to give; I was stricken with fear. I was terrified. I tried making lame jokes like saying goodbye to places and things that didn't mean anything to me but it didn't help. "Goodbye H.E. Holmes exit" like that would make me feel better- that's just stupid. I asked Katie if she felt ok now that we were on the road and she lied and said she did. After we got closer to Alabama- I was fine and back to my normal state of-
"what's worst that could happen" On the first day we made it to SHREVEPORT, Louisiana and stayed with Chris and Julie they are in Shreveport working on movies. Tekken and Jack Black does some midevil funny (or not) are the flicks they are on.

When you come up on that town going West you see a squat little shithole being towered over by cowboy themed casinos. Kinda sad. Chris and Julie welcomed us into their BIZARRO building that they only inhabit. It is a 4 story building that they have sweet apartments in and the rest of it is eerie and empty. really empty. its the kind of place that if you were unexpextedly taken to after a night of drinking you would think it was just the coolest thing ever. Dead sober after a good bit of driving- it was surreal.

We were hungry so we went to a dive bar and had sandwhiches. I ordered a Gator Philly- which really had alligator meat on it. When in Rome...eat shitty food, right? Katie thought it was just some clever name so she ordered it too- she was none too happy when it arrived. After that, Katie was ready for bed but I had a crisp $100 bill in my pocket just begging for some action so Julie, Chris and I were off to EL DORADO
here it is: inside and out


Yes, I took pictures in a Casino. I did it sneaky because I guessed it wasn't kosher. I was thinking that a Casino in Shreveport at 3am on a sunday would be full of - to quote HS Thompson -burnt out caractures of used car salesmen from Dallas, all humping the American Dream. but I only saw one of those. It was a mix of military rednecks, rednecks, locals, one big Keno table of asains, general low rollers, slot hogs and what my father lovingly refers to as "Dirtbags."

When I was 19 or 20 I went to Canada and visited a casino- no alcohol as an incentive to gamble in Canada...boring. The night before I got there I had a dream that I won a ton of money playing roulette- all on 15 Black. The next day in the casino I bet $15 on the number from my dream, it didn't win so I threw all the money on red- the next number was 15 Black- true story. I was a magiacian then and I was hanging out with a clown- that's true too but if I started the story out with it you'd think i was about to go, "so the bartender says......" anyway-I wanted to try it again. 15 Black hit every table within 10 minutes- every table but mine. So i went with Chris to play a couple hands of blackjack and he helped me lose the rest of my $100. after I lost a few hands he used his Chris Campbell drunk logic and said I should bet all my money on the next hand. What was I thinking? My $100 was gone 20 minutes after I walked in. Julie did quite well though and went to play craps. I know nothing about this game so when she gave me a $5 chip i turned it into more money pretty quick. Them's the ropes. I could never understand how people go on vacation to gamble. that is just plain ol stupido

on the way out of the casino- CHECK THIS OUT- the ORR CADDY

the next morning we ate an AWESOME breakfast place called the cotton pan, cotton bowl....aww shit. here's a picture:

I had a helluva southern breakfast. I tasted the sweet tea and I guessed that would be it for sweet tea until I went back to Georgia. We said bye bye and hit the road. We were soon in Texas.......holy shit Texas is big. I once heard an idiot arguement that there was no way people could harm the Earth- like global warming and all that- because the Earth is sooooo big and all the people in the world could fit in Texas. Well no shit, all the INSERT ANYTHING could fit in Texas- it is big as big gets. - who buys that kind of talk, anyway? People can't hurt the Earth?


Well next blog- TEXAS, Oil Explosions, and I wrestle a 40 lb hamburger steak into my belly!

Aids Island

well, in the state of Fucknut, where I live- Mike "Mr. Funny Guy" Huckabee won the primary.

correction- I was really hating Huckabee in every way until I saw this ad 10 seconds ago


every policy of Huckabees- is pretty disgusting to me. But add CHUCK NORRIS and I will jump on with the rest of the of my southern countryfolk to vote against progress and change and forward thinking- God Bless the South (you dumb SOBs)

I actually voted for Obama yesterday, but if Clinton gets the ticket, I don't mind. I forgot to blog about the end of my Sundance trip. Will do that later

more movies

let's catch up before the awards are announced tonight and before I see the Doc shorts.

Momma's Man

This really hit home with some of the NYC crowd. I really liked it, but I couldn't relate as much as others.

A guy goes home to stay with his artist parents in NYC- his world and NYC are changing and he is having problems and dealing by lying to everyone and trying to hide in his childhood room.

Acting is great- the director cast his parents to play the parents in the film. Azazerl Jacobs is the son of avant-garde filmmaker Ken Jacobs. His parents are really great in this film- this movie will have a great festival run so you should get to see it at a fest near you. It is funny and touching with a devastating ending- shot in the Jacobs apartment that has a personality of it's own- the apt. is a character in the film.

Gonzo: The Life and Work of Hunter S Thompson

Not a fan. Too long, never got below the surface- did a bad drug bit- I hate that. I did really enjoy the section about Fear and Loathing on the Campaign trail- maybe for someone who new nada about HST this would be fun- I had already done the introduction so I found the doc to be flat. But I will nonetheless post a pic of the man


Goliath


Funny and Absurd but I wanted a little more. A guy loses his wife is demoted at work and then his cat, Goliath, is missing- he unravels. There is hilarious shit in this movie-hilarious. I mean- look at this poster
But in the end I felt the film was a little stretched to be a feature- don't get me wrong- I would program this in any festival. I laughed very hard and the opening of the film is so strong I can;t stand it. There is the best font joke ever in this movie. And amazing use of a chainsaw on a stick-type pruning device. See this movie and go to their site later and watch their awesome shorts HERE

BALLAST

My pick for Dramatic Grand Prize. Nonprofessional cast gives an amazing performance in this quiet, superbly shot drama set in Mississippi River Delta. I don't want to give you the synopsis or any of that- I saw it cold, didn't know a thing and I loved it. I think it is the only way to really see films but that's me. It feels like the filmmakers were just there to capture things- it didn't feel lit or like a heavy hand was there controlling it. Just a beautiful film. Slow Burn- not for fans of plot driven poops. It plays Berlin next.

Pretty Bird

this movie is nuts. Paul Schnieder writes and directs his first feature an it is a bit of a rudderless ship. it has funny stuff and it definitely feels that Schnieder has a handle on scene work but the film as a whole is all over the place and ultimately tough to accept. Billy Crudup plays a nut who wants to sell rocket packs. Him and Paul Giamatti team up and make them- things are batshit crazy scene to scene and the movie takes a weird and dark turn when a character turns up dead. If you get a chance- an I don;t know if you will- watch this film. You will laugh and not believe the level of absurdity that is committehtted to in every aspect of production- every prop, set dressing, blocking, line reading- everything is crazy and fun for about an hour. use of a wolf poster right out of Robert Paraguassu's arsenal.

Be Like Others

Everything that happens in this doc is fucked. every idea, every action made me put my heads into my hands. Listen to this set up: In Iran homosexuality is punishable by death- but having a sex change is legal. So everyone in contact with anyone gay- or someone denying they are gay by having a horrible mutilation of an operation because they want to be accepted for being attracted to the same sex. The filmmaking is fine but the movie is tough to watch- if the punishment for being gay is death, then the punishment for having the operation seems just as bad. The whole thing makes Alabama look like the most progressive place in the world.


STRANGERS

Good stuff. The film is about an Israeli and Palestinian woman who meet in Germany an have a brief affair. The film was made by two directors- that's it. I like the film a lot- it has a Truffalt kind of feel to it- the it easily drifts between comedy, drama, love story. Great scting that the filmmakers said was all improv, but is edited well enough never to feel like it. The characters also speak in broken English a lot which I thought was really charming. They throw in really dynamic editing towards the end that I loved a la Jules and Jim- there was some split screen (yuck) but that's just nitpicking because the film is great. And because it was a first feature they do get the 'we have a 360 shot' award for including that shot in their film.

I talked to the lead actor and directors almost everyday. we took a picture

Heath Ledger at Sundance!!!!

What? Too soon, too soon?

I walked by the press office and outside the door on this couch a Film Threat writer was passed out a and his buddy laid that Entertainment Weekly on his head.

it was a sunny day in Park City- high of 36. this is the view from my bus stop on my last shift.




I spend most of my time staring at this heater to keep my face warm

Good thing it was my last day because I sure am over being nice to assholes- I must say that I don't encounter very many of them- but on friday they must have had a 'Cocksuckers get Half Off' fare sale to SLC because they were sure out in drones. But i never lost my shit and yelled at anyone- I did have a dream last night that I was at a little league baseball game and some guy was acting up and I beat him with a very small metal bat. There was some other weird Gwar type of band hanging around the ball field in my dream too.

My favorite type of bus stop asshole is one that asks for directions and then asks the bus driver the same thing. That or the classic asshole that thinks he's so special he can get across town on a bus in five minutes. Some people......

Wackness, Man on Wire and more!

me and Mountains
I was watching RED- but I wasn't feeling it so I thought I would catch you guys up on all the awesome stuff I have seen.

THE WACKNESS

Let me first say that an 830 am movie after 4 hours of sleep is hard….real hard.

During the opening scene of The Wackness, when the lead starts to fantasize about some fly girls (a-la In Living Color) ancing for him on an empty subway car, I was in. He looks into the lens, nods and the title comes across the screen and I wanted to cheer. I love The Wackness. Love it. It takes place in 1994 in NYC. The lead is an outsider pot dealer who just graduated high school. He trades pot to his shrink played by Ben Kingsly and falls in love with the shrink’s daughter played by Famke Jansen. Both characters help each other grow up and learn about women.

This movie captured my high school years perfectly because I was in fact, a loner pot dealer with really no friends. The movie is shot wonderfully, is hilarious and it has a lead character that is white and into hip hop that is not cliche. Can anyone name another of those? The soundtrack is- to say the least, the dopeness- taken from those great years during the emergence of The Notorious BIG, when hip hop was starting to take a hold with young white kids- before it reached the sorry ass state it is in now. This was the kind of film that was so good that when it reached the third act I was praying they wouldn’t fuck it up with a bad ending or some kind of stupid moral, and for my money- they don’t. I predict an Audience Award for this film or some kind of special mention for all the drugs consumed through Ben Kingsly’s performance.

Did I mention that there's an Olsen twin in this movie on mushrooms? there is.

MAN ON WIRE

In 1974 a French man strung a wire between the two towers f the world trade center and walked it. That’s what the doc is about. It is a close second to ANVIL! In the “goddam that was a great doc” competition I am having in my head. It is almost like a heist movie, following these guys in their planning of the stunt, sneaking into the building and doing the deed. When it finally happens in the film, it made me cry it was such a wonderful moment. The film also does a great job of cross cutting through time to keep things from slowing down- and the archival footage is all (insert something equal to awesome). Towards the end of the film there is a news clip with the arresting officer on the day talking about watching thttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifhe Man on the wire and knowing he was seeing something that could never happen again. It is a really special moment that stands out among every film I have seen at this festival.

BAGHEAD

Rock ass Duplass Brothers. Just cut down that ending- it drags a bit.
Baghead is the story of 4 actors who go to a film festival (and see the film We Are Naked- holy shit it was funny) and then get the idea to write a movie themselves, so they can star in it and not be extras any more.

The movie was shot in the mumblecore fashion and transferred to 35mm- much like their absolutely gut busting hilarious and rockin short films. WATCH THEM HERE

The movie is funny and scary and bounces back and forth in a really original way I have never really seen before. The acting is great- the camera work and lighting is secondary to story and performance- but they did do quite a bit of night work that they pulled off.
For some reason I always hear a really negative response to the films of Duplass, Swanberg, and and the like. I mean nasty comments about the production that doesn't make sense from some random asshole- these guys make good films- don't be a hater. or make a movie if you wanna say 'I can do that' kinda shit.

KATIE REVIEW


At the screening we ran into Joe ,Ronnie and David


they are doing a little Sundance coverage for Spout/MySpace HERE

so tired

I need a nap before a midnight movie. quick update- The Wackness is awesome, Man on Wire is wonderful and Goliath is absurd. I will blog more.

Funny Games, SWAG, Slamdance

Saw the FUNNY GAMES premiere in SLC. It was a lot of work to get there an no Haneke Q&A- but the movie is good. Plenty of walkouts from the Salt lake locals- people were actually- audibly arguing during the screening, that is amamzing.

This is a remake- shot for shot- of Haneke's Funny Games- by Haneke, but it is very different.

Casting Naomi Watts and making the movie in English will finally get the audience Haneke's last Funny Games was intended for into some seats. Mike Brune said it best- the film is for American Audiences- you like violence..well here you go, you want to see a home invasion...really? see if you can handle this. But in casting N. Watts an audience that says, "let's go see that N. Watts movie " get a serious bit of nastiness. Michael Pitt holds it together in the lead but the previous version is far superior in every performance. The movie will be fun to watch with a full house- couples were getting into agruements about staying to see the film...AT A FILM FESTIVAL- just wait till/if it hits the burbs. There is a weird new slant of sadism in a section that wasn't present before and the breaking the 4th wall stuff is way heavier this time around.

Here's some Funny Games SWAG- that's just wierd


pic is a little crappy but you got it. The golf ball has the title of the film on it.


went to Slamdance and saw some old friends projecting

that's a little BLAKE MYERS

and I saw ARON BARNES- they both project at Slamdance

check out slamdance:


polar opposite of Sundance


MY MOTHER'S GARDEN

This is a doc on a subject that fascinates me- thhttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gife horder, clutterer disorder. I first heard this given a name in an amazing NPR bit. Check it HERE These are people who can't throw anything away, people with stacks of old newspapers filling a bathroom, drawers of pens that don't have ink- houses that you can't see the floor in. there are different degrees of this disorder- and the subject of this film has a serious one.

I had a high school friend with a mother with this problem- to walk to his room- or any room- you went through small pathways through the house. The kitchen was buried, as was the living room and back door. If there ever was a fire, it would be over in no time because of all the collected newspapers and magazines- stacks and stacks 5 or 6 feet high.

The doc is directed by Cynthia Lester- the daughter of a women with the disorder- the film has a handicam feel to it- the camera work is shoddy- but ti doesn't matter and can't stand in the way of how shocking/frightening the story is.

The back story is deep and barely delved into- When the director was 13 she left home because her mother's problem forced her out of the house and into preforming sexual acts for money- her two brothers ha it tough too, one joined a gang and was shot in the face, the other is an alcoholic. When the city calls to condemn their mother's home the family is forced back together to eal with the problem they have avoided their whole life.

It is amazing stuff that could be developed into a serious narrative work that I wouldn't mind writing. The mother uses environmentalism to justify digging through dumpsters and keeping tons of recyclables in and around her home. The mother can't even sleep in her home- she camps outside- when the camera and family take us into the home it becomes scary.

I don't want to tell you everything that happens in this doc- you should see it. It raises issues about the nature of consumerism and the fact that this disorder really has no diagnosis or treatment. Tell your local fest to program it

Oh this is awesome....MORE ANVIL!!!!!!

I saw ANVIL LIVE!!!! That's right, Tattoo. Here's Katie and I before the show:



just to the left of that picture Tarantino an the corpse of Otto Preminger are doing coke off a donkey that is doing coke off of Dakota Fanning- yeah...we party like that

we chatted with the director and producer of the film before- awesome folks, I hope they blow up like the World Trade, yo. Funny side note- the director was in some crappy band with his friends in the UK- he quit because they had no future, they changed their name to...Bush. he also turned down writing some wizard-boy script called Harry Potter. He said it wasn;t commercial- that's also funny. Well, he picked the winner here with ANVIL! (i'm no Potter Bush fan anyway)

here's pic of leadman Lips starting the show with some wicked shredding (right term?- I dunno) in my face. He ran out into the crowd- the club was really small- great place to see a show


then Scott Ian from ANTHRAX came out to play on their anthem METAL ON METAL


Oh! you ho's want video? ta dow:




Just when I thought it couldn't get better....Slash shows up. Yes, Slash. That Slash...the Slash. You'll never guess what they played- watch this video:



yes yes, you can buy me dinners and wines and ask me to tell the story

OLDER POSTS

I'm reposting some older stuff

Up to speed

All the premiere's should have happened so I'm gonna give you a rundown on the films I've seen. I know how it is to have your film in a festival and see some asshole blogger gave you shit....but tough. These are my thoughts on things and if you don't like them read something else..... jeez. I'm not Variety

Before movies I want to say that last night it was 3 degrees outside. This morning my feet have never been colder. Ever.


IN PRISON ALL MY LIFE

On the day MUMIA was sentenced to death in Philly the director for this film was born and 24 years later decided to make a doc about all that action. The Filmmaker talks to people about Mumia's case, possibility of release and race relations around his issue and race relations of the country and Philadelphia, even slavery. While the information and archival footage for this film are amazing, the film falls short because the filmmaker is the through line of the film. It takes away from the arc and structure of the film- which is also a bit too long. Basically the kid needed to get out of his movie.

There is one piece of footage of a bomb being dropped on a building in Philly from a helicopter that will make you ashamed to be American- it happened in 1985. So sad.

Katie didn't see it

FROZEN RIVER

Smuggling immigrants into the country to keep her family above water. There are some great concepts and parallels in this film- between the indentured servants being smuggled and the smugglers struggling to earn a living and keep their family together- but all in all, the performances from almost every character except the female lead felt stilted and contrived. The cinematography was at times very breathtaking- even for video. I read in Variety that someone bought this film- I'm not sure I would do that


SHORTS

DENNIS

Here’s the pitch: Imagine Cassavetes directed a short film version of Marty but replaced Ernest Borgnine with a giant bodybuilder. That is Dennis- and everything about it is wonderful, uncomfortable and amazing. I love this short.

KING OF PING PONG

I was really excited by this film, youth in trouble and ping pong- but it was ultimately boring and unimpressive despite my love for the bleakness of the setting and the use of a at least a half dozen hairless cats. Oh, I almost forgot tons of heavy anti American sentiment including one character that wore a hat with am American flag in it with the word FUCK written in sharpie in the flag. That’s ball-z…huh?



THE WAVE

I’m down with this film although the concept is not anything new....but I found out based on reality- it happened in South America I believe. A teacher tries to get through to his apathetic, valueless class of German high school students about fascism by making them fascists- things go too far. Very well done, although I wish the film would have gone somewhere a little less expected at the end, But very high energy and some MTVish sequences for the kids. The film falls into the new wave a political films geared towards a generation of youngsters that couldn’t care about anything and have nothing to rebel against because no one has any values to challenge. See it. It raises tons of great issues to tackle over a few bottles of wine with a group of people that do that stuff. Katie met the writer an one of the actors- she said they were super great guys. I met another actor who was also very pleasant. The film has US, UK and Spain sold- so you'll see this one somewhere.

That’ll catch you up. I have been LOVING my volunteer position as a Transportation Liason. I have fun, only work 4 hours and get to joke around with folks that leave me shortly thereafter. Great Job, I like being the AD of my little bus stop.

I went to MAIN STREET- the main nerve of Sundance. What a zoo. The Anti-Fur guys were raising hell – that was cool. I just walked around for a few minutes and went back to the Yarrow where I watch movies at the Press an Industry screenings because no other volunteers go there. I always see Tom Hall and Holly Herrick, Film Festival Bob, ran into the Atlanta Film Festival’s ex-pat Brian Newman and I ran into:

(IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE)


MIKE TULLEY!!! He’s got a sweet writing gig reviewing films for INSERT WEBSITE LATER. Love talking movies with that guy.

Here's an FFB ( Film Festival Bob) What is this? pic



Ran into Dennis Harvey at my stop who wrote Blood Car’s VARIETY review. I’m sure I have been chatting with tons of really important people.. but who cares? What are they gonna do, give me a 3 picture deal at Miramax because I know where the yellow bus line goes?…..nope. Better to just be myself, have fun and watch movies. If things are gonna happen, they will happen. I don’t like networking unless networking means talking movies an making fun of the scenesters.

The cold ain’t shit- I don’t spend any money, - not even on food and since that high altitude bitch slap by the booze at the volunteers party- I don’t touch the sauce. I have breakfast at 8am- work 9:30am to 2pm watch movies till there aren’t anymore (last show 12am) and go to bed around 2 or 2:30am an do it again. What could be better? Parties? Looking for clelebrites? Getting turned away from parties? Waiting in cold lines for parties? Fuck that shit- I watch movies. Katie and I plan on hitting 30 before we leave- so shove that in your party pipe guest-listers.

I am in the lobby waiting to go to the FUNNY GAMES PREMIERE with Katie. We hope to see a Haneke Q&A…will we…….


more moview thoughts to come:
Katie saw Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden?
i've seen:
Baghead, Pretty Bird, Momma's Man, The Broken, Trouble the Water, Ballast, Strangers,
August, My Mother's Garden, Gonzo:The Life and Work of Hunter S Thompson- plus shorts and plan to see Golaith, The Wackness, Hamlet II and more!

Oscar...you little fag- nice work

I have a theory- maybe the way for the Oscars to get better and not just be a celebration of star-fucker box office winners- is to endanger the whole show. Jesse James did get shafted on a Best Pic nom- but we all knew that would happen. 8 for No Country an There Will Be Blood- that's awesome. Juno....a little over praised? Yes is the answer to that question. and 2 YES 2! Noms for Roger Deakins- that's awesome. I'm generally pleased to see that shit-turds like American Gangster are not in the running. I haven't seen Atonement...I will, But I don't really care to. Hopefully No Country and There will be Blood won't split the vote and end up handing Atonement a win.

So for once- nice job academy. I usually think you have you're head so far up your ass that you wouldn't know a good movie from a bowel movement. Where's Margot At the Wedding? oh well, I can't win em all

my bad

I have seen 15 movies as of now. Barely time to sleep-will catch you guys up on my movie seeings tomorrow. i promise. I am at the Festival HQ shuttle stop by the way, if anyone wants to holla-930am to 2pm. I want some SWAG-without going to main street

ANVIL! ANVIL! ANVIL!

At the volunteer screening last night I got to see what MUST be the breakout doc at this year's festival- ANVIL! THE TRUE STORY OF ANVIL

It is the story of one of the founding bands of metal ANVIL their leadman and drummer. The movie has the same feel as The King of Kong in that you just want them to win so bad. (on a side note- it is a shame that the widest release King of Kong got was 58 screens- it only grossed $700k) The filmmaking is simple and doesn't interfere with how awesome/entertaining/passionate the subjects and their journey to be rockstars is. The band has been together for 30 years and they were pretty famous in 1982 and they just faded away. This is their big album METAL ON METAL:




I tell you- I laughed my ass off and I cried a couple times. It was a movie experience, which is what we all want. I don't want to tell you too much because every asskicking second of this doc rocks. And of course the music is all metal. We got some pics of Anvil and director Sasha

Guess which one is the Director

katie and Anvil






I also saw Mermaid a Russian film about a girl growing up. It was really a film that felt like it was made for 14 year old girls. It had some really cool things in it, but as a whole....eh..shrug. Not for me.

It was shot very well and had some good performances in it but was really just too long and I never really cared. It felt like a bunch of never-fully-realized scenes and images strung together. Narrative storytelling was not the main focus of this film, I know- and which is fine- but the film still never really grabbed me. The film does have a section that is full of hot Russian models, not that that makes a movie but it is worth mentioning. There was also a ton of positive reinforcement for the lead character (who was good, and interesting to watch) from random advertisements all over Moscow. That was a new one on me.

KATIE REVIEWS ON THE WAY!!



Time to go to work now, snowing like a sunnofabitch- I wrote this blog but did not post until both these films premiered.