tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28927378513516896542024-03-07T23:54:30.097-08:00Film is my LifeA blog of musings from a born filmmaker, who started her quest at 16 and has continued her determination to be a great media creator in the industry.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-33891033690698621452012-03-12T09:43:00.005-07:002012-03-12T10:15:09.325-07:00Resurrecting this BlogHello again world!<br />
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I'm back after a long 3.5 year stint in college film school to inform you that I'm still at it!<br />
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Here are some updates!<br />
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Junior Thesis Film was featured as NFFTY's Film of the Month in February 2012:<br />
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<a href="http://www.nffty.org/interviews/vigilance-film-of-the-month">http://www.nffty.org/interviews/vigilance-film-of-the-month</a><br />
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I'm currently job hunting here in LALaland. It is tough, ego driven, tightnit, and tiny out here. You are bound to get screwed, trampled on and told no or not even recognized no matter how much work you do. Fortunately, I do have one last interview this week. Fingers crossed.<br />
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In the meantime, the goal is to keep creating. So, I am helping my friends documentary happen:<br />
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Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a group of disorders that can involve brain and nervous system functions such as movement, learning, hearing, seeing, and thinking. The ability for people with CP to communicate effectively is often impaired by problems with speech and also gestures usually used in communication, causing most students to be misunderstood. This keeps capable young men and women from their true potential in higher education, even though, each of these students are talented and can achieve many things, on many levels.<br />
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Help us raise awareness and support through, Chain Reaction, a documentary that is currently being filmed, about a cross-country bike ride raising awareness for students with Cerebral Palsy, in support of CP Scholars who's mission is to raise scholarship funds for students with cerebral palsy who are seeking higher education, through the newly established, Kineavy-Gaynor Scholarship Fund.<br />
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To learn more about the Scholarship and the trip please visit our website at <a href="www.cpscholars.org">www.cpscholars.org</a>. Spread the word and donate here:<br />
<a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/Chain-Reaction?a=482010">http://www.indiegogo.com/Chain-Reaction?a=482010</a><br />
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Thank YOU for taking the time to help.<br />
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More to come!cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-64445445647734725902009-10-17T00:00:00.001-07:002009-10-17T00:00:38.846-07:00The Wild Thing Is Right HereLoved this movie. <br />But a certain someone asked me what it was about and I found myself realizing how complex this story is.<br />If at first I had to put it in only a couple words I'd say love and forgiveness. But there is a deep complexity to that.<br />Hidden within everyone is an instinct for anger and rage. It bursts out every now again and it is something very real to life. I remember feeling that way as a child, ready to explode. Whether it was sister rivalry or being at odds with mom or brotherly impatience, you could feel it bubbling to the surface and all you wanted to do was scream, let it out, make someone listen. As you learn and grow older, gaining a certain level self-awareness, you can begin to step back from the situation, but that feeling is still there, ready to fly out. When it does, being human it will, you have to be ready to forgive because love is the greatest part of humanity. How do we show that even when we're scared or angry or hurt... when we're lost, or lonely or confused we still love each other? To accept that feeling, let go and forgive. It's that kind of love that connects us. Life is a wild thing.<br /><br />So for me, Where the Wild Things Are is about what it means to be human.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-2988415919708112362009-06-29T12:33:00.006-07:002009-06-29T12:53:59.171-07:00Oh Dear Its been a long time...Curiously enough people do find another's blog interesting...<br />What an adventure... I'm in the strangest place in my life right now. Things are falling away and while I still have the tendency to act like a child sometimes, I am back in my home town finding out how people tick... how life is endlessly changing. I'm evolving and trying to adapt. It's unnerving. <br /><br />So far this summer... going with the theme of this blog... I have an internship at a local production company and I just participated in the 48 Hr film festival:<br /><br />1) The Internship. I've learned some and yet have been kind of disappointed. Transcriptions, research, casting assisting, production assisting, extra, QC, etc. It's good, but I just want to be needed for more than just a little job here and there. Shadowing associate producers I guess is the best I can do.<br /><br />2) Almost a complete fail... We didn't make the deadline but we did complete a film. There's a little success. I got to understand production dynamics a bit better with what is really necessary not to overlook. I also got to see how a team can really not mesh.<br />I'll link the film if it's ever put online :)<br /><br />Leaving for the mountains in a few days... it's so damn hot here.<br />That's all I got.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-382285931001650542009-02-20T06:39:00.001-08:002009-02-21T12:52:53.957-08:00Maid of Honor and Philosophical backup that needed to be let outFrom June 1st 2008:<br /><br />Okay I have a lot of things just stirring around in my head so I'm just going to start writing...<br /><br />Yesterday was my mom's birthday. She's 43 now. We went and saw Maid of Honor at the theater, super awesome chick flick. Kadeem Hardison (lead guy in Cassidy Kids, the movie my brother is in) was in it and I couldn't place him until the credits. Patrick Dempsy is still looking fine for being old :) lol The movie made me really want to marry a guy who has become my best friend... and I don't think that's a false idea. They preach to you that these chick flicks give women a false reality about love (and albeit some do) but others have great themes. I recommend Maid of Honor to any girl looking for a decent chick flick :)<br /><br />Last night I was contemplating a statement my friend made on the second to last day of school.<br />After reading my sentence I was using for my project he goes,<br />"That's cool. I don't believe in absolute truth. I wish I did but I just don't."<br />"Oh okay."<br /><br />So whenever someone says they don't believe in something I believe in, I like to reexamine my belief... so as I lay in bed thinking out how I logically see absolute truth this is kind of what came to mind...<br />I believe that there is an absolute truth that we must find for ourselves... and there are many paths to getting there. Now I thought well what do people believe in the most generic of terms possible: either there is an afterlife (some sort of heaven) or we just die. To me, the earth being the end-all-be-all to the meaning of our existence (Atheism) seems just so limited when you really look at how amazing life itself is and how in the grand scheme of this galaxy/universe we live in, if things had been just perfect we wouldn't all be here... there's a design. That is my opinion but just like my friend I just don't see how there cannot be a creator... Random luck? Naw, I've seen karma at play too many times to believe in pure random luck.<br /><br />Now if there is some higher power, then there is probably some sort of heaven or afterlife (though Agnostics might just think there is a high power but we still die and the end). As for all the other religions, I believe they are just different paths to same end: absolute truth...<br />The universal truth that we will all come to find when we die. There is one but it's a constant journey toward it through some sort of means of truth you believe is right. For me I'm Christian (Catholic to be specific) because for me that is the absolute truth I have found.<br /><br />That doesn't mean I can judge whether or not you will go to "Heaven", nor does it mean either of our paths to truth are "wrong" (esp. to the point of needing to threaten me). It is what I believe is right and I will tell you about my beliefs, but you have the freewill to take it or leave it.<br /><br />While it all is a mystery, there is a logic to it that gives my life stability. With relativity (ie. you're right and I'm right and he's right...etc) there is nothing stable to believe in... because if everyone is right we are just contradicting our own belief. That is why I believe in absolute truth.<br /><br />One thing though... if you ever take a good hard look at each religion... there are underlying themes that bring peace to people's lives that are all the same. I think there is a connection to these philosophical principles that would keep us from being so divided. Another friend in the same class... his belief was that Religion divides and racism will always exist... I don't think its religion that divides i think it is ignorance (because if we were truly following a christian, hindu, muslim, or jewish... etc life then we would understand the principle of do unto others, sacrificing love... we are to judge for ourselves not for others... etc. Disrespect, hatred, causing physical harm to those who don't think or look like us... are all preached against in every faith and yet it never occurs to anyone that they are contradicting their own beliefs).<br /><br />Just somethings I've been thinking about... I wouldn't mind someone playing devils advocate and giving me a good argument as to why there is no absolute truth. I'm up for philosophical, or musical, or cinematic-al or just plain random discussion any day... Ramble away (or rather Ramble on...)<br /><br />EDIT: (6 Months Later) <br /><br />Alright I've been reading a book called Consilience by E.O. Wilson... this is some more thoughts that pertains to this idea:<br />After finishing the last three chapters of Consilience, I wonder if consilience is something else. As he states toward the end, his book is focused on the “gap analysis” of his goal of unity, growing increasingly complex with each chapter on another area of integration. The gaps are huge, almost dauntingly so. But what is consilience really? Filling in the holes in science? Filling in the personal holes?<br />I’m going to define consilience as something personal. Personal consilience is at its core synthesis. We gather all this knowledge from all different realms to what end? We don’t need to flippantly disregard any knowledge gained by non-scientific means. Sure people might give hierarchy to the knowledge base they indentify and understand the most (in regard to our modes of inquiry for the world: practical, scientific, spiritual/ethical, and aesthetic), but consilience can still succeed in our lives even if I am an aesthetic and spiritual viewer. When Wilson gave his interpretation of a transcendentalist’s account, I found myself agreeing. When Wilson gave his own Empiricist view I found myself questioning. His broad rationalizations left me wanting. I am not a zombie; emotional relationships with the world and within the world are defining.<br />In a three-hour conversation with my friend, feeling depressed, we discussed religion and life, coming to the idea that if you listen long enough you realize everyone is arguing the same thing. War, which Wilson makes as his first point for dispelling religion, is an irrational construct of man, not of religion. Since if people rationally synthesized all the views they are presented, we would see encompassing similarities. With religion and race, I don’t know if it’s natural or artificial, but man seeks out (and often focuses negatively) differences rather than fully embracing similarities. Christianity, although painfully divided in denominations, has a set of pretty much the same beliefs, Judaism very close, and so on. Even in Eastern traditions I see overarching beliefs that are all leading to personal fulfillment and understanding. Returning to consilience, even if religion and spirituality have some biological basis, we can use both elements to better understand the faith, fulfillment and morality found there. <br />The other thing that bothers me about religion becoming purely biological firings in our brains as Wilson states is that we become godlike in status, a power not meant for fragile humanity. This idea follows Heidegger; man is god. That understanding may or may not fundamentally alter how we see, interact, and support each other. Unfortunately I feel it will affect us negatively. If there is one thing religion does (in hopes of gaining science’s support) is humbling man into a gratitude and altruism for this world. Global climate change can be helped through man’s efforts, but if man thinks he’s godlike and has this power to overcome anything thrown at him, he will wait until it is most convenient for him to do so. And where does that leave man if he finds out he waited in vain? In a sort of hell, hoping that we survive it.<br />To sum this up, in a personal sense, consilience is attainable within my transcendentalist view of the world. It’s how I synthesize the knowledge I gain from all facets of my life that brings those views together into a unified wisdom of my being. Humanity is not merely the sum of its infinite parts, but the whole as found through consilience.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-74237438433823629622008-11-19T11:15:00.004-08:002008-12-06T14:02:27.618-08:00Killer of Dreams: Looking for Sheep to CountPaper I wrote for class:<br />While most people enjoy being told a story, art, even film, does not always seek to tell us one. Sometimes every image is simply placed together to form an idea or theme, or the series of events is merely a portrait of a person, situation, or historical event. In the case of Killer of Sheep, Charles Burnett paints the picture of the slum life for African Americans in the late seventies. To do this, Burnett creates a unique, unstructured narrative, and combines it with untrained actors, raw cinematography, and a real setting to convey and comment on the dreary social situation for poor African Americans during this period of history in the United States.<br /> Killer of Sheep is an examination of Watts, a Los Angeles ghetto where the protagonist Stan lives with his wife and kids. The film follows various events that happen in his life and his family’s lives with very little plot structure and a sense of detachment from the rest of the world. The general audience also becomes somewhat alienated since the situation is not one they can directly relate to, nor is there a storyline to pull them in. By making the audience feel this way, Burnett uses the film as a whole to convey that growing alienation within Stan’s character, which is a distinguishing feeling amongst black men of this slum society who could hardly hope for anything better for their families. <br />During the seventies, African Americans still had to fight for equality in society as the Civil Rights act had passed only in the last decade. To put the setting of the film in a historical context, twelve years had passed since the huge riots in Watts had destroyed much of the area. Economically incapable of rebuilding the area, the film shows the audience still bombed out buildings, piles upon piles of rubble, and ever-deteriorating homes, which no one seemed to have the capacity to overcome or reclaim. Yet, the outside world had moved on and had no interest in these people. They had no ability to escape the past that was present all around them. As shown in many scenes in the film, the majority of the people in impoverished Watts were African American, and were either unemployed, or had a dead-end job with no prospects of getting more money or a better position. This defeating social climate left this rather unnoticed population living day-to-day with hardly a dream of escaping or rising above. The lifestyle presented in Killer of Sheep does gain sympathy from viewers, but there is little to no hope to which the characters can cling or the audience can feel. <br />The oppressive nature of living in the unchanging society of Watts captured in the film could not have been as effective without Burnett’s choice in doing away with a distinct story. Without a story, the film is static, the characters are stuck, and the audience is forced to analyze what is going on in this time, in this society. They are forced to look at how these people live and what they go through. Even in the alienation of being stuck in a world the audience has probably never experienced without any kind of plot structure, Burnett makes it evident that he wants viewers to watch life in Watts as plainly and truthfully as he can. He offers no solutions to the problems the characters face, but his film does foster discussion of whether there is any hope of a solution for the social situation to which these people are confined.<br />Along with this lack of a plot, the way Burnett chose to make the movie adds to our experience of the characters’ situations. Within the cinematography aspect of the film, Burnett shot on black and white 16mm film stock, which gives it an older, grittier, feel (not to mention, it was cheaper for him as a student). Black and white, in particular, gave things a stronger contrast and yet a duller view of the world. The film stock Burnett chooses, in a sense, is the pair of glasses the audience is forced to view the world he presents to them. Thus the high contrast black and white image makes one feel that this dreary world is all there is, and this is how it always will be.<br />In addition to the stock, many of the shots Burnett uses are unique from the mainstream shot-reverse-shot pattern. There are usually very long continuous takes of the children fighting or playing or trying to escape the cruelties in their world. One scene that stood out in this way was the scene of Stan’s daughter in the dog mask. It illustrated the continuous imaginative escapism that the children of the slums were using to cope with the fear and hopelessness of their situations. <br />While some of his shots were characteristic of being an amateur, Burnett’s mainstream-quality compositional skills enhance this torn-apart world in a way that accentuates the details. In one of the opening scenes where the boys are playing and fighting, the viewer sees the endless rubble in an old train yard that is their playground. Again, while using the world imaginatively, the reality of the situation these kids are in is emphasized by these wide shots. Additionally, shots in the house accentuate the bareness of the walls and rooms, as well as the overall worn-out feel to every part of their home. What little these people had was mostly falling apart to the point of being un-repairable, adding to the overall feeling of oppressive hopelessness.<br />The scenes in the slaughterhouse with Stan are artistic montages where repetitive shots graphically feature the killing of sheep represent the mundane, yet disturbing and queasy nature of his work. Each shot seemed to add another layer of detachment and resentment to Stan, causing his character to become more and more indifferent to the world. With little money and little dreams for anything better, Stan’s plight is also evident through the shots in the scene where he tries to buy the car motor. Any possible glimmer of hope he had was immediately killed by ignorance and indifference from the people in the society that he is surrounded by, which was emphasized by the final long shot of the motor lying broken in the middle of the street.<br />Shots of course could not be made without lighting, but Burnett’s use of lighting was minimal to completely natural. If the scene was inside, characters were either lit by the natural light coming through the windows or directly from light sources in the house, such as the overhead light in the nighttime kitchen scene. The use of realistic lighting brings a sense of integrity and simplicity to the characters’ situation. Lighting is not used in the traditional sense of making the characters or setting look good, but rather to objectively paint a world that outside audiences are meant to analyze truthfully. <br />As far as motifs within these shots and scenes, the killing of sheep over and over again became a metaphor for the reality of the world in which he lives. His dream that there were no sheep there to count illustrates the lack of opportunities to even dream of a better life. In reference to the area of Watts itself, the slaughterhouse effectively represented the violent undertones and oppressive surroundings that seemed to plague their lives. Even if a man did not have a job in a slaughterhouse, this manual factory labor is the only type of job he could truly aspire to have. If a man was unemployed in this environment, then the next best way to make money was to join a gang or resort to some kind of illegal trade, where violence is often necessary. The violence of killing animals for a job parallels the violence of gang killings in Watts. Either way, dead-end blue-collar employment or dead-end unemployment, the film repetitively suggests these people bare the knowledge that life is without hope for positive change.<br />Another recurring theme intertwined amongst the darkness in Stan’s life is noticing simple moments of beauty. When he holds the coffee cup to his cheek reminding him of the warmth of a woman’s body, or when he dances with his wife slowly in the living room, or while holding his daughter; these tender moments are the only source of escape Stan has from the harsh realities in which he finds himself. The people of the community understand the permanence of their position and must find ways to cope and be content with what live does have to offer them.<br />Aesthetically, sound design was a somewhat lacking attribute of the film. Audio replaced with ADR from the studio was extremely noticeable as voices felt out of sync with the image. This was not necessarily a huge hindrance since most of the film was without dialogue and much of the dialogue was mostly meaningless. This being true, the lack of meaningful dialogue suggests that what is said between people has no impact; everyone remains rather unchanged by an argument or a dinner conversation. It continues the theme of an oppressed and hopeless society. Other than dialogue, music popular from the time period is what stands out in the film’s sound design. The songs tend to characterize the emotions of whatever is going on in the scene, since the film hinges on these emotions within this particular setting.<br /> Beyond the image and sounds presented, Burnett chose to use mostly inexperienced actors to enhance the realism and honesty of the film. By bringing sincerity to the characters themselves, viewers, while alienated, are sympathetic to them, hoping they might achieve a better life, but then knowing they never will. While this idea might be cynical and depressing to most people, the characters redeem the world they live in with their frank, un-glamorized performances, through the simple action of choosing the higher road (as Stan does in not helping a gang) or seeing the simple beauty of life and imagination in one of the bleakest areas in the country.<br /> To conclude, Killer of Sheep seeks not to entertain us with a story, but to present a realistic view of a marginalized society in which specific characters represent the thoughts, opinions and actions of those who are a part of that society. It presents hard truths of the impoverished lives of people in our country, while showing an underlying theme of pausing for simple pleasures being a way to cope with these truths, as do people in every walk of life. Beyond this, Burnett sought to show another side of the spectrum of African American films, getting away from the Blaxploitation films of the seventies and providing an artistically unique commentary on the social and historical implications of the time. While detached from any kind of story of development, the audience is meant to analyze not only the world on the screen, but also their own world. The film is not there to provide the viewer an escape, but rather to motivate questions. Charles Burnett’s modern approach and deviation from the mainstream white Hollywood cinema may not be much in the way of what people traditionally think of as entertainment, but it historically and socially remarks on the lives of Americans, thus making it an important contribution to the world of cinema. That is why it was one of the first fifty films declared a national treasure and placed in the National Film Registry created by the Library of Congress as part of an effort by the United States to preserve historically important films made in our country.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-4018373650631091642008-08-09T22:40:00.006-07:002008-08-15T13:19:26.315-07:00LMU Homework - Don't Look Back and Midnight Cowboy - 13 & 14 of 15Nearly done.<br />Though I'm not watching all 20 movies on the list. just 15.<br /><br />Don't Look Back is a documentary on Bob Dylan while he was in England in 1965.<br />Pretty interesting... pioneered the use of Cinema Verité, the director had created a portable 16mm camera and made portable sound so to get in the moment footage. But as I suspected Bob was putting on an act. People never act like their "true" self on the camera. But anyway, it was a good documentary nonetheless. I liked that even though it didn't have much of a plot the end note of Bob Dylan being an anarchist kind of summed up a little of the insanity and no rules way he went about things in the movie. Enjoyable... and I really like Bob Dylan's music. I want to see I'm Not There (2007)... a drama based on Dylan.<br /><br />Midnight Cowboy... ehhh bleh. Good acting, nice editing and use of flashback to further the story. BUT I really didn't like the degrading view of humanity...<br />Okay so I'm being harsh... its true these people are here and they do immoral and stupid things, but I guess overall the story led to at least Joe finally realizing there are easier ways to make a living that are an actual honest JOB. Haha<br />So while I was screaming at the screen the whole time saying GAHH just get a job stop being so stupid and stealing all the time... at least the guilt led him to realizing he should look elsewhere to make his life less painful.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-69407895867998685372008-08-07T00:05:00.002-07:002008-08-07T00:17:05.110-07:00LMU Homework - Citizen Kane - 12 of 15I just watched "the greatest movie ever made". And for its time, its relevance and technical beauty, it pretty much is the most cutting-edge film of the age. I will not rave that Citizen Kane is my new favorite movie, no it's not, But that does not mean I don't deeply admire it. In fact it's very inspirational as a filmmaker (besides that Wells was incredibly lucky, but luck is when opportunity meets preparation...). One other thing Wells had was such a deep multi-layered understanding of his main character as a hybrid of himself and Hearst, And it played well on the screen. Their shots and angles were fresh and the editing was unique... I adored the crane-ish shot through the club sign into the skylight that cross faded into the scene. :)<br /><br />Power is self-destructive.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-29624441708058655422008-08-04T00:30:00.007-07:002008-08-15T13:22:55.850-07:00LMU Homework - The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs - Freshman bookAlright so I have semi-mixed feelings on this book. While I adore its dedication and exploration of the bible, I'm too much in love with faith in God to see how this secular Jewish man can keep such a guard up to believing. Eh... maybe its how we grow up. At least he's open minded and that's where many people fail to understand that in keeping an open mind we can see all the view points and more fully come to know why we believe what we do.<br /><br />His conclusion is interesting. While I've been told in church not to be a "Cafeteria Catholic" (and I agree with not being such within Catholicism because to embrace your confirmation as such you should believe in the teachings of your faith.), his view is that practically every sect of christianity and judaism has a Cafeteria grasp on the Bible. Which after reading it is basically true... you can't really embrace every minute detail and expect it to work out, in fact the contradictions in the Bible make it near impossible. Old Testament laws weren't "abolished" by Jesus' coming, and yet as a christian we hardly follow most of the old ritual laws... this book helped give me a better understanding of the rituals of Judaism and their meaning. But do these contradictions and very varied interpretations (is everything literal or is most of it figurative?) that make the bible any less sacred? No, at least in my opinion.<br /><br />This book is thought-provoking, hilarious, and humbly truthful. You'll probably be saying hey I've thought that or Hmm, never thought of it like that before. But whatever your spiritual walk in life is right now agnostic to mormon... this book is a nice refreshing read. :-)cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-38137495696050626902008-08-03T23:34:00.004-07:002008-08-04T00:10:46.729-07:00LMU Homework - Ladri Di Biciclette and Rashomon - 10 and 11 of 15While I almost immediately loved Rashomon, Ladri di Biciclette slowly grew on me as I realized the profoundness of the Italian neorealism movement. <br /><br />Ladri Di Biciclette, or Bicycle Thieves, follows the story of a poor man and his stolen bicycle. His son also tags along. Generally it has hardly a plot... just lots of random encounters in Rome... This being the basis for neorealism, its point was to pare down the story and focus in on reality, the situations and walks of life in a truthful, documentary-seeming way. It moved the shooting off the set and into the streets with real people, with real architecture. The man never gets his bike back and is under such increadible pressure because of the poverty following the war and trying to provide for his family, he attempts to steal a bike himself... failing miserably. It ends with a big question mark, which emphasizes the fact that while we are obsessed with the future we have no control or answers to what is going to happen. We just have to live out what life gives us and that's the reality.<br /><br />With Rashomon, Kurosawa completely questions reality. In this murder-mystery-esque Japanese drama we are told five completely different stories of a man's murder (the only fact we seem to have). All are shown to the audience, who, with artful camera work, seemingly become the interrogators trying to find the truth. Each story is completely different and suits each person's need to defend their honor, except that of the woodcutter, whom at first his story is a lie but then I think the truth finally comes out under the pressure of knowing. But then this again emphasizes that all men seem to be liars, and as the priest fears how can he trust humanity after all of these lies and betrayal. <br />There are so many great themes in this movie, its just such a smart look into a sort of psychology of man... we lie, we succumb to evils, we are selfish, we blame and yet are guilty, we hope and yet we fear, we trust and yet are skeptical...etc<br />But I like the way this movies ends, because there's this respect between the priest and the woodcutter that there is hope for some good in people, even if its only a few. <br /><br />Anyways very interesting movies! :)cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-462217374273979272008-08-02T12:31:00.005-07:002008-08-04T00:11:10.969-07:00LMU Homework - Harlan County USA & Thin Blue Line - 8 and 9 of 15DOCUMENTARY FILMS!<br />Oh how I adore your justice seeking ways!<br /><br />Thin Blue Line by Errol Morris opens with a shot of Reunion tower in DALLAS! <br />That made me smile, but the rest of the film made me shake my head in disgust...<br />Dallas (the city itself) is one of the worst in the country for crime. We have the 6th largest prison in the US, and our criminal justice system is notorious for being pathetic and brutal and this film really highlighted that. Then again it certianly isn't uncommon in most the rest of the USA... Jurys putting away OBVIOUSLY innocent people. <br /><br />The best thing that came from this film was that soon after its release the innocent man was finally released after 13 years in jail. I don't know whether to be happy this film made it possible for his release or if I should be upset to see another man's life ruined by the justice system. I'm pretty sure I would never want a jury trial... my fellow man is rather incompetent.<br /><br />One other interesting thing was that in the bonus section of the DVD there was an episode of Morris' tv series... it looked into the range of human evilness, if there is a rating system at all and the extent of the horrendous things people do to one another. It was interesting despite its morbidity.<br /><br /><br />Harlan County, USA... Again a great documentary that lets you really get to know real people and their struggles. It focused on the coal miners strikes during the late 60s into the early 70s. It showed the point of view of why people wanted unions, these very poor people trying anyway to get what they needed to atleast live semi comfortably instead of straining in pathetic housing with no plumbing and no means to climb out of their situation. A undereducated, resilient group, coal mining is all they knew or had but they fought for better conditions and pay that they truly deserved...<br />Won the Academy Award in 1976.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-19947704014247037152008-07-27T11:27:00.003-07:002008-08-04T01:01:59.516-07:00In the News...Interesting Article on a late Egyptian director:<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7527562.stm">Click here</a><br /><br />Also, I watched The Shining yesterday. The acting was awesome in that every single character was disturbing in some way. I was very well cast. I loved the moving/following shots...like something was always watching them. Great filmmaking. :)cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-61465887617394612832008-07-25T22:19:00.008-07:002008-08-04T00:10:23.491-07:00LMU Homework - Raging Bull, It Happened One Night, and Talk to Her- 5 thru 7 of 15Okay so in the last week I've watched several movies:<br />The Avatar Movie (Show Finale)<br />The Dark Knight<br />Raging Bull<br />It Happened One Night<br />and...<br />Talk to Her.<br /><br />First, non homework movies:<br />The Avatar series is one of my favorite animated shows along with Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends. It has great messages, very likeable characters, and an interesting plot. The movie was an awesome sum up of the whole series, very wise. I enjoyed it.<br /><br />The Dark Knight... oh there is lots I could say on this and I'm sure each person has their own opinions. I loved it! (*SPOILER*) My dad said the fact they HAD to blame everything on Batman ruined it for him, and the fact Harvey was portrayed as such a strong person but then fell apart so swiftly into a villain, was kind of odd... somewhat akin to Skywalker's quick transition into Darth Vader... just didn't seem developed enough.<br /><br />HEATH WAS AWESOME, the Joker was phenomenal! The whole battle against this anarchy-thriving villain was thrilling and scary... because it is really something we can fear... it is basically terrorism. And how far Batman could use violence and aggression to fight it was another concern that parallels current situations in the world. Also, Bruce's realization that his identity is Batman and Bruce is the mask is interesting... he can't just walk away from this life.<br /><br />To me the best thing was that the characters were very real in their internal struggles... they came alive to me. The superhero, good vs evil, traditional structure is always fun but twisted with the smart, maturity of the overall plot it created a truly awesome movie... That really kicked butt with new box office records! :) I recommend this, (but for children over 12... because it is disturbing).<br /><br />Homework Films: (more on these later)<br /><br />Talk To Her - This is a really well acted and directed film despite its somewhat disturbing material... but I liked the way it was handled. <br />Utilized the movie within a movie style as a metaphor for what made this movie oddly disturbing to me... but it also kept you in suspense about the whodunit<br />The main character Benito was a likeable creeper, you were sympathetic to him until you really know what he did. <br /><br />Funny thing... my waiter at Anamia's reminded me of him because of the intensity of his friendly-ness lol.<br /><br />It Happened One Night by the legendary Frank Capra! Witty little romantic comedy that even though the actress did not want to do it, that played right into her little pretentious character... she won an oscar for what she thought was her worst performance ever. Clark Gable was the lead man, the Brad Pitt of the day... well I don't think so but most sources will say so. :) Fun watch if you are interested.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-83201228823907223242008-07-10T15:07:00.008-07:002008-08-04T00:11:44.485-07:00LMU Homework - Psycho - 4 of 15Alfred Hitchcock. Master of suspense. The thriller.<br />I loved Psycho (although I could have done without the know-it-all psychiatrist at the end.) Anthony Perkins was awesome for the part and his acting was perfect... best I've seen for an old movie. Great twist (too bad I learned the entire story before seeing the movie, but my sister didn't know so it was fun watching her keep guessing). You think the story is about this girl's romance and lapse of judgment but no its about Mr. Bates and his mother. The very end was awesome... Anthony's creepiness was so great! :-)<br /><br />Themes:<br />1. Madness, and how it effects people.<br />2. Traps, being in them<br />3. Mothers, their omnipresence <br />(there are many more... but these ones stood out)<br /><br />Interesting thing about old shot-on-film movies is that they often have long continuous shots, many times starting from a full shot of the conversation and moving into a medium close up of one of the characters, or following them about the room at a steady full shot.<br /><br />I think the most interesting thing I learned though was how Alfred directs... because he has storyboarded every shot and how his camera moves... basically what he tells the actors is that when my camera moves, you move, what you bring to the character and what gets you to the next mark is up to you. If you need help, I'll be there. Janet Leigh said often actors said this hindered them but she felt it was a nice challenge for her to find the motivation to move when he wanted her to.<br /><br />Fun Facts:<br />1. The blood in the shower scene was Chocolate Syrup<br />2. There were 70 setups for the shower scene which took a total of 7 days to shoot.<br />3. First time a toilet was ever seen in a movie<br />4. The censorship department had a cow over the word "transvestite".cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-89300054570741687482008-07-09T07:56:00.005-07:002008-08-04T00:12:05.289-07:00LMU Homework - Blade Runner - 3 of 15Blade Runner. Hmm... I guess the good points about this movie are:<br />1) Technically it's awesome. The special effects are good for its time. The shots are interesting, with the lens flare sci-fi style. The red-eye flicker for the Replicants is cool symbolism (also key to second guessing Deckard's humanity).<br />2) It leaves you with more questions than when you started. Sometimes movies give you all the answers and you don't have anything to talk about after the movie. This one on the other hand wants you to think about the social and ethical implications of human-esque robots and just the value of life, as well as the idea of living in constant fear in this world.<br />3) I think its very intriguing how this movie combines, historically the fears and beliefs of the time.<br /><br />The ambiguity got me. I still can't decide if Deckard was human or a replicant (the director, Ridley Scott, says he's a replicant). I also don't understand... Why a unicorn? I guess if he's a replicant that could be an inserted memory and the reason the creepy cop knows is that he oversees Deckard's operations. And also why does it end with him running out with the girl replicant? Sure they are acting on their newly developed emotions... but does that sum up the story? I don't know.<br /><br />Overall this movie examines a lot of the fears of the future and are still present today as technology continues to develop.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-33093004362166257612008-06-22T20:40:00.005-07:002008-08-04T00:12:23.445-07:00LMU Homework - The Triplets of Belleville - 2 of 15This somewhat silent film style animation, has quite a different story. The general plot... a little boy lives with his grandma (I'm assuming his parents have died) who tries constantly to make the boy happy, she buys him a dog... which helps but when she figures out he truly wants a bike she gets it for him right away. The boy's life is focused on training for the tour de france. In the race the boy along with two other of the last racers... are captured by the french mafia and put into a sort of derby-gambling bike show as a money making scheme. All the while the grandmother is in desperate search for the boy with his dog companion. When she starts to give up hope she befriends the triplets of belleville (old singers). They make music together until one day they discover the mafia and are able to team up to track down the boy and take down the mafia. The movie ends with a lovely chase scene where the old ladies kick butt!<br /><br />Overall the main thing that surprised me was that this 2 hour was story was quite engaging for being nearly silent! The sound was either music or the over dramatized sounds of life. The animation was quite awesomely done everything was very big and proportions being completely distorted were very surreal.<br /><br />There was a lot of satire in the film... Belleville seemed to represent New York. People are animated very large... obesity seemed to have a certian beauty or status in this society. The dog dreams made me laugh... and they were in black & white.<br /><br />All in all a very interesting film and a very unique and unconventional way of telling a story. Watch it.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-49788754972434634312008-06-21T21:53:00.007-07:002008-08-04T00:13:01.663-07:00LMU Homework - Chinatown - 1 of 20<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071315/">Chinatown</a> has pretty much nothing to do with chinatown.<br />The basic plot as best I can retell it because this story was not predictable and quite unique... goes something like this:<br />Gitties (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000197/">Jack Nicholson</a>), a personal spy, is hired to pin Evelyn's husband as an adulter by a woman who we later find out isn't really Evelyn but Ina Sheilds. Anywho Evelyn (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001159/">Faye Dunaway</a>) later comes files a lawsuit against Gitties, while Gitties tries to figure out who set him up.<br /><br />His next pursuit is of the husband himself... whom he finds dead. Now that he's dead Evelyn comes back and drops the lawsuit and suddenly the tables turn to where now Evelyn decides to really hire Gitties. As he still tries to unravel the mystery of her husband's death many things unfold coming upon these final facts: Kathrine (who the Husband supposedly had the affair with) is really Evelyn's sister and daughter... her father (who owns all the water supply of Los Angeles County) killed her husband due to disagreements about who should own the water and who should have kathrine... Everything was a huge set up to hide the father's power and money scheme... in the end evelyn is killed by the police (who her father owns) and the father takes the daughter, and Gitties is let free instead of arrested ("as a favor")... corruption and injustice win...<br /><br />There were some great shots... and as with many movies made on true film the continuous shots have to be made more interesting to keep the story moving and the audience engaged. There is one shot where there is a spot on the lens!!! (even the classics have blunders) The sound is nothing brilliant... everything has a noise... props are more pronounced and sound Fx are seventies cheesy. One thing I noticed was there was hardly music... just when it was getting tense and/or something was about to reveal itself.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000591/">Roman Polanski</a> (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063522/">Rosemary's Baby</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0253474/">The Pianist</a>) is the director and has a wonderful little cameo where he cuts Jack's nose.<br />Just before watching this movie I watched a documentary on the trial scandal on his conviction: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1157705/">Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired</a>. It was interesting to see footage of this man and here about his life. His mother was killed by the Nazis, his father was sent to a German concentration camp 2 years into the war and was killed... but he survived. From an early age he knew he wanted to have something to do with cinema. He moved out to London, free from the communist life he'd known, he now strove to become what he always wanted and nearly overnight became a sensation. He moved to Hollywood and made huge productions married Sharon Tate and generally was living the lime life. When Sharon, pregnant, was brutally murdered (Charles Manson)... Polanski crumbled and the media twisted it as though he was the murderer. He was able to recover from the slander but he was more insecure than ever. And as the trial unfolded the media never ceased to defame him and print lies. So he fled the country and has yet to return (until recently if he did return he would have been arrested). He is still held in high regard as one of the most influential directors of the time.<br /><br />They talk in the documentary about how almost every Polanski movie dealt with how corruption and injustice triumphed over the young and innocent... Chinatown is no exception. The corruption of power wealth and greed in man.<br />Its odd though too that Polanski's life would continually be tortured by injustice specifically in the media.<br /><br />Thinking about all this has left me with a question... What makes a great person?<br />Polanski is a star-studded, unique, talented director; but his morals seem to have been lacking greatly... was it just then? was it a lapse of judgment? Or do some people have a dark side?... Do you have to have morals to be great? (I would like to think so... but many could say Hitler was a great man in history for his amazing command over so many people but he had absolutely no morals... I do not know. Maybe its not about greatness... its about how humble you can be while believing in yourself.)cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-77054772850064154952008-06-18T07:10:00.001-07:002008-06-18T07:13:44.547-07:00Adventures In HumanlandMy teacher asked me to shoot and edit his film he wrote, cast, and directed.<br />This is the finished product in four parts:<br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jivcf8rsJXA&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Jivcf8rsJXA&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/J-tAFw2ZuyU&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/J-tAFw2ZuyU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BYASYR5DR6I&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BYASYR5DR6I&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UyjVCQeImcg&hl=en"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UyjVCQeImcg&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-84819139185441570462008-06-17T16:31:00.001-07:002008-06-17T16:32:59.959-07:00The movie -DailiesFor my non-facebook readers to check out some dailies of my film go to:<br />http://vimeo.com/user268809<br /><br />Thanks for any and all support.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-76959222811880375212008-05-31T12:01:00.002-07:002008-07-02T20:41:22.116-07:00Documentaries and FeaturesSo I think I've got a pretty smooth version of my documentary done.<br />watch it if you like:<br /><object width="400" height="267"> <param name="allowfullscreen" value="true" /> <param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always" /> <param name="movie" value="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1260265&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=c9ff23&fullscreen=1" /> <embed src="http://www.vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=1260265&server=www.vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=c9ff23&fullscreen=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" width="400" height="267"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://www.vimeo.com/1260265?pg=embed&sec=1260265">Jail Diversion Program</a> from <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/user268809?pg=embed&sec=1260265">Ashton Kennedy</a> on <a href="http://vimeo.com?pg=embed&sec=1260265">Vimeo</a>.<br /><br />Life update,<br />Band fell through for a scene in my movie so I'm begging my other friends band. <br />but if that fails... guess I should start begging my uncle to DJ. hah oh well<br /><br />Pre-planning is happening.. slowly but surely... And hopefully I'll be ready.<br /><br />Time to get back to work.<br />Au revior!cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-70633035842315957582008-05-28T17:44:00.003-07:002008-05-29T16:32:04.699-07:00The Effects of TragedyI am making a full fledged movie.<br />For Reals.<br />This is not a joke. I'm going to do this.<br /><br />The Effects of Tragedy:<br />Sydney is the self-made invisible wallflower who lost her father at a young age. Now that she's a senior things are going to have to change... or so it starts with her maintainence worker friend Darrell. After he is transferred Syd begins to realize she should participate in her life and this movie deals with what unfolds in her transition, ultimately culminating in new found relationships and hopes.<br /><br />The Cast:<br />My wonderful classmates, teachers and friends!<br /><br />The Crew: <br />The kids who know I'm into what I do and are happy to help.<br />(a nice handful I'm thankful for)<br /><br />Rehearsals and prep are all this week.<br /><br />Shooting begins June 2nd! AHH I'm so psyched!<br /><br />BTW, Come help out!<br /><br />EDIT: So a couple days ago Sydney Pollack died of cancer. He was a great director. He will be missed.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-72726558979095784142008-05-28T17:28:00.000-07:002008-05-29T16:28:58.242-07:00A simplified crewDirector and Producer - Sometimes same person, better if they are different people... Director is in charge of the artistic vision and the performance of the actors, the producer secures the details and the finances.<br /><br />1st Assistant Director - Scheduling and timing, keeping the production moving, mediator.<br />2nd Assistant Director - paperwork, runner.<br /><br />Continuity/Wardrobe (this can usually be combined on smaller sets but you have to find someone committed to every day of the shoot) - Very detail oriented person!<br />Make-up Artist - exactly what they do<br /><br />Director of Photography - Behind the camera at all times, decides the shots with the director (good to plan the shot list before the day of the shoot)<br />1(2?) Camera Assistant - moving tripod/other camera equipment. getting timecode for the shot list (since they are standing there this makes it easier)<br /><br />Sound Head - knows sound well, sets the sound equipment up for each shot<br />1 Sound Assistant (boom operator) - helps the sound head and holds the mic<br /><br />Lighting Head - Knows light and works with the DP to get the lights set up for the shot<br />2 Grips - Sets up lights where the light head tells them to and fixes other light problems for each shot.<br />2 Production Assistants - Runners, extra assistants and extra grips.<br /><br />approx. 16 people on crew (pre-planning can help combine jobs)cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-20283969974106981572008-04-21T16:49:00.002-07:002008-04-21T16:59:30.911-07:00AFI Dallas, Projects, LifeI've been so busy lately!<br /><br />AFI Dallas Rocked! I volunteered nearly every night. I saw The Guitar (Amy Redford's movie... decent). I saw Amal (AMAZING! I loved this movie!). I saw Resolved (very thoughtful doc). I saw shorts program 2 and chatted up James Duvall ( Frank from donnie darko! He is so cool! so is director SJ Main!) I also saw one of the documentary shorts: Movement (enjoyed it!)<br />Escorted lots of really awesome filmmakers around. Saw some great talk show panels.<br /><br />2nd AD on a shoot the other weekend. T'was fun! Got to work with 16mm for the first time.<br /><br />Now I'm still working on shooting (last scenes to be shot tonight) and editing my teacher's movie...<br /><br />Tomorrow I'm shooting part two of the documentary/promotional video for Judge Wade at the Dallas court house. Its on their mental health jail diversion program. Got to edit that<br /><br />Still editing my friend's band's music video.<br /><br />Working on a segment on the Genocide in Darfur.<br /><br />Working on two screenplays (shorts).<br /><br />Working on preproduction for my friend's screenplay (feature length).<br /><br />Prom was this weekend and Now I AM DEAD TIRED! 2 weeks till AP testing, 6 weeks till graduation.<br /><br />Hopefully I can start getting things knocked off my list... or my head might explode!cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-30108317273093497142007-12-17T12:21:00.000-08:002007-12-18T19:32:44.663-08:00A film musingHollywood sells us movies it thinks we will buy, each ruled by the almighty dollar. We are stuck spending $8 hoping that the fourth version of Saw or the next overly hyped comedy is not as horribly overdone as the last one; that we might actually get something out of spending two or more hours at the movie theater. In fact this year was full of movies that were the third addition to a series; Rush Hour 3, Ocean’s 13, Bourne Ultimatum… etc. of which, I only felt Bourne was decent enough to say it was worth those 8 bucks. This reoccurring pattern in today’s cinema has consumers trying to avoid the noise of contrived Hollywood dins, in search of the few gems making a theatrical release. As box office sales trickle down this year, what if the Hollywood idea of what will rake in the cash is really not what their audience wants? <br />Of the several films I went to the theater to see this year, only a few stood out from the noise to gain my admiration. Most recently, Bella and Juno have found a place on my favorites list. With great storylines and important pressing issues found in everyday life, both movies made me think about the complex choices we constantly are faced with. Juno, in particular showing the decisions made surrounding a teenage pregnancy (including abortion), gives viewers a new window to the world of a teenager learning about herself through unplanned circumstances, which we all can relate to in some way. It entertains with its sarcastic humor and holds you in the drama of the story of Juno. Bella, while dealing with abortion and another instance of an unplanned pregnancy, gives insight into the deep longing humans have for redemption and forgiveness. Both deal with one of the most hotly debated subjects in society today and yet give a somewhat neutral, but positive view on having the baby rather than terminating it. This what I look for in a film; a truth about average life it is looking to share with its audience. Why then do we still get films that have a plot centered on farfetched ideas, or unoriginal remakes, or pointless sequels, or crude, unnecessary humor? Does this noise really sell, or is just because that’s all they have to offer? <br />Will it change? I hope so. I believe that future filmmakers should find it necessary to leave their mark on cinema that changes the noise into a decipherable message. Instead of adding another unwanted sound of the stereotypical pile of Hollywood films, producers and directors should want to bring something unique to the screen, something we can leave the theater questioning or pondering, and knowing our 8 dollars was spent supporting cinema that sings with purpose.cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-67698026404188663532007-12-08T18:08:00.001-08:002007-12-08T18:17:15.491-08:00JUNO is a new all-time fave.<a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0467406/">JUNO</a> is a fabulous movie and I recommend you see it!<a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0680983/">Ellen Page</a> does a wonderful job of creating a unique character on screen. I love how goofy she is and she's completely comfortable with that.<br />The story is an eccentric twist on a girl who gets pregnant as a teen. Diablo really knows how to write clever dialogue. <br />I also got to talk to <a href="http://imdb.com/name/nm0718646/">Jason Reitman</a> while he was here, which was amazing! He's so laid back and the nicest guy ever. Definitely watch <a href="http://imdb.com/title/tt0427944/">Thank You For Smoking</a> if you haven't already! It rocks! Also check out this short film by Jason (it's so good); <object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/UzShzffetWU&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/UzShzffetWU&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br />More to come... :)cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892737851351689654.post-36344483962430152872007-11-17T08:20:00.000-08:002007-11-17T08:22:22.157-08:00WGA StrikeI fully support the writer's strike. Here's a couple videos about the strike and you can see more at the Writer's Guild of America's YouTube page.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/RjGbHHtbZP0&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/RjGbHHtbZP0&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><br /><br><br /><object width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/S8_N-cklL1c&rel=1"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/S8_N-cklL1c&rel=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object>cinemadolcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06522931443935852386noreply@blogger.com0