Limes with Orange

"Silence is a message, just as doing nothing is an act." ~ Leonard Peltier

I was watching the documentary "Trudell" by Heather Rae about John Trudell, American author, poet and political activist.


When the film got to the incident at Oglala, I started thinking about how unthinkable it is that Leonard Peltier is still in jail. And then I realized that he has served more jail time than Nelson Mandela. 32 years now; Mandela was in prison for 27. Unthinkable.

But then I had this fantasy. A fantasy of President Barack Obama granting clemency to Peltier, that Peltier would be released as Mandela was eventually released. And then, think about it, four years later Peltier follows Mandela's lead and becomes elected president of the entire country.

Then I remembered that we are talking about the United States of America. If they still aren't ready for a woman as president, what chance is there for a Native American? But I'm okay with that part of the fantasy remaining just a fantasy. The thought of Obama being able to intervene here, however, that thought is stuck in my head regardless of how unlikely it seems.

And now I'm feeling the urge to go and listen to Buffy Sainte-Marie's song "Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee." I've uploaded it to My Music Box on the side of this blog if you want to join me.

Labels: film, politics, quotes, videos

I keep thinking that the end is in sight (not to be confused with the "end is nigh"... although sometimes it feels like that, too) but I realized that, as long as I'm taking my animation course, it still feels like I'm in the midst of production. So, as much as I'm enjoying the course, I will be relieved when it's finished next week and my schedule lightens up a bit. Then maybe I can get caught up on my life. (A grrl can dream, right?)

I'm quite pleased with the puppet that I made as part of my final project, although I still have to film her in stop motion animation (we'll see how much I like her after that!). My free-gift-with-purchase digital camera pretty much sucks (or maybe it's my still photography skills, which would be kind of ironic for a filmmaker, dontcha think?), but here's a photo of her:



I'm planning on incorporating this final animation project with "Echoes," the film that I said I wanted to finish by the end of February (and I'd like to mention that I DID finish the rough cut by the middle of February, I just want to take a little more time to clean it up and add this animation before I start showing it).

Well, my brain is on overload and I'm at a loss with how to wrap this post up (not normal for me). Although I did want to mention that I got my first grant!!! The project that I've been trying to get off the ground for the past year now has half of the funding required. I'm crossing my fingers that I get something from the other funder that I applied to so that I'm not living hand to mouth the way I have been while grant writing for the film. Don't get me wrong, I'm willing to do that. Or my spirit is willing. I'm just not sure my health could take another year like that. But I've got a couple of months before I find out, so I've decided to just move forward assuming that I'll get it. I realize that some people might caution me against such hopes but, as far as I'm concerned, this film is getting made one way or another so I might as well just keep on working on it with that goal in mind.

Labels: film

Well, I emerged into the world last night to go to the second evening of the $100 Film Festival. I forgot, when I posted that I would be crazy busy until February 15th, that I also had a deadline on March 1st. (I also forgot to update that I got an extension from the 6th to the 27th, extending my time to write but also extending my misery.) Anyway, the extra deadlines combined with my annoying habit of getting a migraine the instant I finish whatever is stressing me out, has led to me being a bit of a hermit of late. (It would not be an exaggeration to say that the instant I got home from mailing my script to Sundance, I got hit with the migraine.) So after an 8-day migraine (yes, if you do the math, the last grant was written mid-migraine), I decided to venture forth into the world and see some short films.

Why, out of everything that's going on in this city, is this what finally got me out of the house? It's not like I had entered a film this year. And it's not because it's programmed by the Calgary Society of Filmmakers, my local film co-op. It's also not because I know many of the people organizing, volunteering and screening films at the event. It's the inspiration that I get from watching these low-budget, independent and wildly creative films. Now that's not to say that I enjoy all of them, some of them make me want to cover my eyes because the images are flickering so, some of the sound is either badly recorded or simply experimental (which is often hard to listen to). But… and it's a really big but (as opposed to big "butt")… the gems that speak directly to me leave me floating out of the theatre thinking about my next film idea.

So what did I consider the gems of the night? For starters, the special anniversary screening of Don Best's "Damaged Goods" was a wonderful example of different styles of animation. "Vote Reagan" by Charles Chadwick was quite amusing but actually gave me a great idea for a vaguely related but slightly more serious film. "That's Why I Like Film" by Roger D. Wilson is a film that I think many low budget filmmakers will be able to relate to although it didn't necessarily inspire me. "Mind(stat)" by James Reckseidler was a lesson on avant-garde filmmaking all on its own, with visual references to Marcel Duchamp, Maya Deren and Deco Dawson. "Bumblebee" by Eric Ostrowski was a clever little experimental animation. Visuals within "V=d/t" by Amanda Dawn Christie, "Sleep Lines" by Kathleen Mullen and "Lilly" by Jodie Mack also stirred my imagination although the films as a whole weren't favourites. My favourite film of the night (and I would be very hard pressed to explain why) was "Running Time" by Helen Martin. Her use of found footage was stunning and showed me an example of techniques I would definitely like to try. Those visual techniques came together in my mind with the idea generated by "Vote Reagan" to create a fully fleshed out concept for my next film. Definitely worth leaving the apartment for, even if I do feel a little worse for wear today.

Labels: film

It's been a crazy week. I started both my Introduction to Judaism course and my Animation course. Intro to Judaism is only one hour a week but it lasts all year long. The Experimental Animation course is three hours a week but only lasts for 10 weeks. But that 10 weeks of overlap is going to be kind of killer for me. Plus I have a grant deadline on February 15th and I need to send my completed script to Sundance by February 6th. So be warned, blog posts will probably be few and far between for the next few weeks.

For now, I'll leave you with a quote by Carl Jung that a friend of mine just passed along to me: "I would much rather be a whole person than a good person."

Labels: film, judaism, quotes

I've decided to put together a list of things I want to accomplish in 2009. I suppose most folks would call these resolutions, given the time of year, but I'm a list maker by nature so to me this is just another list:

1. Breakthrough my "neurotic procrastination" and make a "guerrilla" film from start to finish by the end of February. (You can thank Scientific American Mind for providing me with my self-diagnosis of "neurotic procrastinator"; as for the "guerrilla" part… I've realized that I've become obsessed with permissions and copyrights, not a completely bad thing but I think that sometimes I just use that as an excuse to continue procrastinating.)

2. Add a short workout to my morning routine. (It's a two-hour long routine anyway, so what's another 15 or 20 minutes?)

3. Get a vermicomposter (for all of those banana peels I'm left with after making my protein shakes)… Corollary: Try not to be grossed out by the fact that it means I'll have worms living in my apartment.

4. Try to complete sleep restriction therapy and get a handle on my insomnia.

5. Learn more about Judaism. (I mentioned my interest in Judaism a bit in my post "I Believe…" and followed up a smidge in "A Piece of the Pi", but it's not something I feel like discussing in depth on my blog.)

6. Get a tattoo to memorialize my cat Tobi. (The design that I've come up with incorporates the Egyptian goddess Bast; I'll post a pic of it once I get inked.)

7. Learn some animation techniques.

8. Finish writing current draft of my feature film screenplay and submit it to Sundance to apply to their Screenwriter's Lab. (I have more film goals for myself for the year, but I'm trying to have this list reflect that I do try to have a balanced life… try.)

I did think about some of these things from a "resolution" standpoint, the types of ways that we try to "improve" ourselves: lose weight, quit smoking, etc. I remember this book that I read that talked about how many of us focus on "packaging" and "marketing" ourselves but spend far too little time on "product development"… so I thought about whether I'm addressing "product development," i.e. improving myself as a person on the inside. While I suppose starting to work out and compost could be seen as improvements, I think they're still more external.

Internally, in terms of character or personality, I suppose I would like to be more patient. And while it may not look like I'm addressing that with my list, I think that reducing my insomnia would increase my patience as a direct result of increasing the amount of truly restorative sleep I get (which is practically nil at the moment). So, since it addresses both health and character, I guess I should put that "resolution" at the top of the list.

I start courses on both Judaism and animation next week, so I'm getting going on those ideas. And I just bought a hip-hop workout DVD that I put in this morning (and realized just how long it's been since I took a dance class… yikes!). I'm already working on my guerrilla film and plan on doing some recording for the vocal track on Friday. So that just leaves my vermicomposter, tattoo, insomnia and screenplay. The vermicomposter and tattoo should be simple enough, but the other two are rather more daunting. Then again… I don't need to do it all right away, right? So maybe I'll just keep on with what I'm doing now and address those two when I've adjusted to my new routines and finished this little film.

Am I procrastinating by leaving these bigger goals for later? Maybe. But the fact is those courses that I want to take start now and I can't change that. And I can only do so much. Am I now just justifying myself? Possibly. But it's my blog so I can justify if I want to (hmm, "justify" may rhyme with "cry" but the extra syllables kinda mess up my play on words… oh well).

Labels: education, film, health, judaism, philosophy, tattoos, writing

I guess this will be a massive catch up post. First of all...

Shame on you, Mr. Harper, for breaking your original campaign promise of no early elections and for wasting Canada's time and money to get essentially the same minority government you had before. And shame on those Canadian voters who voted this liar back into office. But greater shame to those 40% of eligible voters who didn't bother to exercise their democratic right and so let this imbecile be voted back into office (though if you tried to vote but the new, under-publicized changes to voter identification resulted in you getting turned away from the polls, my apologies). Congratulations to Jack Layton for strengthening the New Democratic Party by eight seats! And now we'll see what happens to poor Dion. I don't blame him for losing the election. I blame Gerard Kennedy for making Dion leader of the Liberal Party in the first place. Dion's a good guy but lacks the charisma needed to oust Harper. So I'll wager that Ignatieff will end up the next Liberal leader, which was the expected result last time. Though I've still got my fingers crossed that it will be Bob Rae.

But enough about the Canadian election, now let's hope the Americans choose more wisely!

The imagineNATIVE Film + Media Festival is a bit of a blur to me. Participating in the pitch workshop and session were great (Deborah Day's workshop was a truly positive experience) and very educational (with the pitch session a crashing-down-to-earth reminder that my artistic sensibility isn't really broadcast friendly) but I did end up missing a lot of screenings because I was so focused on my pitch. (But I got to see "Before Tomorrow," the film by the Arnait Collective from Nunavut, and I highly recommend it. And I think my favourite film from the experimental program that "Coda" screened in had to be "Alice Eaton," a rather gothic flavoured film that used highly-stylized characters from Alice in Wonderland as inspiration to tell the story.) Next time I go to imagineNATIVE, I'd still like to have a film screening but I'll be glad to have more free time and get more involved in the festival. And don't get me started talking about how great it was to be back in Toronto, otherwise I'll start waxing rhapsodic about the food (and there might be drool, which would not be pretty).

My older cat has been quite sick and requiring what feels like constant treatment (but I think it’s more like constant worry) so all of my "free time" and "extra money" has been focused on her lately (I felt it necessary to use the quotation marks since I rarely feel that I have time or money to excess anyway). I almost didn't go to imagineNATIVE because I was so worried about leaving her. As it was, she threw a small blood clot the day after I got back which convinced me that I'm not leaving her again until things change. I anticipate that my resulting hibernation will continue until either her condition improves or she needs to be put down (which will then, undoubtedly, result in a different kind of hibernation). Oh and for those who are keeping track, this current state of affairs had an "interesting" effect on my pitch session at the film festival... when I got to the euthanasia scene in my pitch, I had to struggle to maintain composure (which I then proceeded to lose seconds later anyway... *sigh*). Oh well, at least it shows I’m "connected" to the material, right?

And that's the kind of day... er... several weeks... it’s been.

Labels: animals, film, harper bashing, politics

Well, I've decided to utilize my new feature already... and I've also decided to distinguish between "Things That Make You Go Ha!" (strange but funny) and "Things That Make You Go Huh?" (stuff that doesn't make sense to me). So this one falls in the latter category:

If the Calgary International Film Festival has a program called "Best of Alberta Shorts," why do they only select films that have never actually been exhibited within Alberta? Does that make sense to anybody? Isn't the "best of" usually referring to the best of things that have proven themselves already?

Labels: film, odds and ends

Some time ago, I wrote a post entitled My First Muse about Marc Chagall. So naturally, when I logged onto the internet today and saw my Google homepage had images from Chagall's works I had to click. Which is how I happen to know that today is Chagall's birthday.

I was particularly pleased by the timing because I recently updated my Artist Statement to include the following: "I regard film as visual poetry and have been equally inspired by the mythopoetic work of Maya Deren, the wonderfully complex storytelling of Darren Aronofsky and the beautiful cinematography found in the films of Luc Besson. Other, less obvious, influences in my work are the paintings of Marc Chagall and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Chagall's use of symbolism, bright colours and visual storytelling have always inspired my imagination..."

And here is my very favourite Chagall painting: "I and the Village"

Labels: art and photography, film

Apologies to my handful of regular readers for the sparseness of my posts of late. As you can see by the content of my last few posts, it's been a challenging few months. But I wanted to let everyone know that my short film, "Coda in G Minor," will be screening at the Fear No Film Festival! (Isn't that a great title for a film festival?!)

Read more on my Coda blog.

Labels: film

I finally have Ripley back, my beautiful '95 Honda Civic! But it was a battle royal. The insurance company wanted to write her off. Said that to make her pristine would cost over 80% of her value. My outside voice response was "she was in very good condition before she was stolen, but certainly not pristine." My inside voice response was "value according to whom?!" Because I Ripley is my baby. So I fought for her and in the end the insurance company gave me a settlement that would allow me to keep Ripley and get her fixed. I know the insurance guys thought I was nuts. The mechanics at the first garage thought I was nuts. But it was worth it to me.

Looking back, I realized that out of the six cars that I've owned in my lifetime, three of them have been Honda Civics. I've also come to realize that my devotion to Civics is not isolated. Apparently, people who love their Civics, really LOVE their Civics:

Labels: film, pop culture, ripley

Just wanted to remind everyone that my short film "Coda in G Minor" screens at the $100 Film Festival this Friday, March 14. The festival runs from March 13-15 at the Plaza Theatre, starting at 7pm each night. Advance tickets are available at the CSIF or Casablanca Video, but tickets will also be available at the door. For more information about the $100 Film Festival, go to the official festival site or check out the $100 Film Festival on B-Side Entertainment or MySpace.

I've also started a blog for "Coda" where I'll post future screenings along with information about my process and influences. (Yes, a film can have a blog of its own!)

P.S. Any follow up about "Coda in G Minor" will be on the Coda blog from now on.

Labels: film

I went by the CSIF yesterday to drop off the film print of "Coda in G Minor" for the $100 Film Festival (Did I mention that it got accepted?! It's screening on Friday, March 14 at 7pm at the Plaza!) and I ended up picking up passes to see "Cidade dos Homens (City of Men)."

The IMDb plot outline: "Best buddies Acerola and Laranjinha, about to turn 18, discover things about their missing fathers' pasts which will shatter their solid friendship, in the middle of a war between rival drug gangs from Rio's favelas."

Quite frankly, that's not a description that would lure me into the theatres. I'm usually not interested in films that focus on gang violence. But I took the passes because of the involvement of producer Fernando Meirelles (dir. "The Constant Gardener") and the beauty of the trailers. Now, having seen the movie, I have to say that the gang war in the movie is mostly just a backdrop for the human story between the two boys. And it's a beautiful story, well acted and stunningly filmed. While the events going on around the boys may be heavy, the film somehow portrays a childlike innocence that it maintains, regardless of external influences.

And so the question becomes: can these innocent boys grow up to be good men in a city where the greatest challenge is simply survival? The answer... all that I'll say is that the answer is definitely worth the journey.

Labels: film

"This season a mother will become a warrior, a son will become a hero, and their only ally will be a friend from the future."

I've started watching Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I may have been dissatisfied by the TV adaptation of Painkiller Jane, I may have been disappointed by the remake of The Bionic Woman, but I finally have my "women who kick ass" show! (Just to be clear, the only reason that Battlestar Galactica doesn't fill that bill is because it's an ensemble show. Yes, it does have plenty of women who kick ass but it has an equal number of men who kick ass. Different category. But I digress…)

Perhaps I'm simply blinded by my love of the James Cameron Terminator movies, but I don't think that's the case; I love it because it's faithful to Cameron's vision. I love how Lena Headey's Sarah Connor stays true to Linda Hamilton's Sarah from T2. I love how the opening and closing narration mirrors the films. I love the nods to the films, with the line used as the subject for this post being a prime example.

But I also appreciate the new directions: the time travel, the presence of Cameron (nice choice of name, btw) and the questions that her presence raises: Why couldn't the other terminator identify what kind of cyborg she is? What is her special relationship to John and/or Sarah? Basically, what's her secret? Because you KNOW she's got one.

One quibble: I get that the TV show has a fraction of the budget of a feature film, especially when that feature film is Terminator 2: Judgement Day, but they should have at least taken a moment to explain why we wouldn't be seeing any of the high tech T-1000 terminators with that cool liquid metal. But if that's my only problem with it, I'll learn to deal.

Overall, I think it succeeds where Painkiller Jane and The Bionic Women fail because of the power of its mythology. Yes, it has the advantage of movies to provide backstory for that mythology (mind you, Painkiller Jane should have had the advantage of comic books to provide backstory, but they didn't really bother to use that advantage). But I think it could stand on it's own without the films. The epic nature of their struggle, combined with their solitary existence as they hide from the world, gives it far greater scope than the other two series mentioned here.

If anyone believes that I'm overrating Chronicles and underrating the other shows, I would be very interested in your opinions so feel free to comment.

Addendum: Just realized another interesting name choice. The FBI agent in the show is named Ellison. James Cameron's original Terminator story was inspired by the writings of Harlan Ellison. Pretty cool, dontcha think?

Labels: film, pop culture, tv

I just read a review in FFWD about "Walk All Over Me" that complained about the plot leaving its "study of the dominatrix world" and turning into "a fumbling caper." The reviewer was disappointed that the film didn't live up to its "potential of exploring a sexy master-and-apprentice relationship"... um, yeah but that's not what the movie is about. Maybe that's what certain types of people would want a movie starring Tricia Helfer and Leelee Sobieski in dominatrix garb to be about, but thankfully it's a much better and more universally relatable story than some penthouse channel piece of trash that Lisha Hassanali apparently wanted to see.

Perhaps she should have read the FFWD article about the movie during the Calgary International Film Festival, where a much more discerning reviewer wrote: "Despite its dalliance in the world of S&M and the prerequisite violence of all indie-crime movies, the film isn't the lurid exploitation film the description evokes."

Thank you! Nor is it supposed to be lurid or exploitive.

If "Walk All Over Me" was an onion, the outer skin would be the dominatrix layer. (And I think we can all agree that it's a very attractive layer.) Peel that back and you've got a caper flick, with both the danger and the comedy of the classic capers and a bit of buddy movie thrown in. But at it's core, "Walk All Over Me" is a coming-of-age movie. The young woman in question, Alberta (played by Leelee Sobieski), just happens to come of age in a crime thriller laced with dark humour. But the whole dominatrix bit is largely a means of getting Alberta's journey started, the journey of a guileless woman beginning to find her confidence.

So how is it that a published film reviewer is unable to comprehend that the dominatrix subplot is a METAPHOR for a young woman learning how to take control of her own life? Yes, it's a metaphor that happens to add humour and spice, but it's still a metaphor. Do you know what a metaphor is, Lisha? Here, this might help: Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary.

Labels: film, rant

With the holidays coming up, I've been asked to update my Christmas list. Which mostly just means updating my Amazon.com wishlist. And I've just discovered that they now have a handy dandy widget (that should technically go in my sidebar but it's wider than my Music Box which is already wider than any widget that I'd like to have in my sidebar... so blog post it is) so that I can share my list with the world (or at least the fraction of it that visits my blog):


FYI, for anyone actually checking out this list, I recommend sorting it by priority because there is some stuff on there that's been there for a while but I still want more than more recent stuff that I've added.

Labels: books and literature, film, music, special days

This is the post that I promised way back in September in my Film Gala post. My fellow CSIFer and Herland participant (who was also volunteering at the Calgary International Film Festival) and I decided that we were going to splurge to go see the Calgary premiere, complete with the film's stars, of "Walk All Over Me." For me, this decision was largely influenced by the fact that my screenwriting instructor, Jason Long, was one of the co-authors of the film.

I truly did not expect to be so completely entertained by a film about a dominatrix, but that's really just one small plot point in this hilariously twisted film. And really, how can you resist the tagline: Love, Latex, Larceny?

Starring Leelee Sobieski as the only American in the cast (let's hear it for Canadian talent!!!), it also stars Tricia Helfer (as if I need to mention that she currently stars in "Battlestar Galactica") and Lothaire Bluteau (who I've been in love with ever since I saw him in "Jesus of Montreal" back in 1989). This quirky film has action and intrigue, a compelling story, a great look, talented acting and, last but definitely not least, it is laugh out loud funny. Truly the best qualities of Canadian film merge in this dark comedy that is sure to have mass appeal. Check out this trailer:


So at the screening, there was a brief Q&A following the film with Robert Cuffley, the director and co-author, Jason Long, co-author, plus Tricia Helfer, Lothaire Bluteau, Michael Eklund and Jacob Tierney. I don't remember the majority of questions asked but I do remember Tricia mentioning that she was auctioning off one of her costumes on her website, with the proceeds going to an animal rescue charity. That kinda gave me the warm fuzzies.

Then there was the after party. Very chichi. Where I was one of the many audience members interviewed for my opinion of the film and I happened to mention that Jason was my screenwriting instructor. Which apparently led to Jason getting an interview which made me pretty pleased. Then I met Jason's lovely wife who made a point of introducing me to all of the cast members and also shared my crush on Lothaire (which was rather nice after confessing my crush to several people who just looked at me blankly when I mentioned his name).

Michael and Jacob were both very friendly and easy to talk to. Meeting Tricia was kind of surreal. I mean, I watch her on TV all the time, I own all of the Battlestar DVDs and her character on the show is... well, kinda mean and bitchy quite frankly. But Tricia, aside from being even more beautiful in person, was friendly and funny and gracious... very girl-next-door. As I said: surreal. And then I finally met Lothaire... and I was a little star struck and tongue tied. That really doesn't happen to me very much these days, but what can you do? I just tried not to make a fool of myself and hopefully I succeeded. But the whole time the little girl inside of me (or more accurately, the hopelessly romantic teenager) was giddy with glee. All in all, it was a very good night.

And while I realize no stars will be attendance this time, I am definitely intending to go see it again when in opens on the weekend of December 7, 2007. And if you have any desire to be entertained, then you should, too!!!

Labels: film

By now I'm sure that most people, even those completely outside of the entertainment industry, are well aware of the WGA writer's strike. But there is cautious optimism in the air as news trickles out that talks between studios and writers will resume next week. For more about that news, check out WILDsound's Entertainment News. I certainly hope that they can sort things out before the strike affects Battlestar Galactica (dontcha love my priorities?). But if they don't, if the final season of Battlestar gets cut short *gulp*, I still support the strike. Why? Watch this video:

Labels: film, politics, tv, videos

I figured that I should probably mention that I volunteered for the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers' $100 Film Festival Committee this year, because I've just realized that I won't be posting here much for the next few weeks. Our call for submissions is December 1, 2007 and we're madly trying to get the word out. Plus I'm running the film festival MySpace site, so I'm a wee bit busy with that. And on top of that, I'm trying to finish post-production on "Coda," the film that I'm hoping to enter into the festival. (Don't worry, I'm not on the selection jury... so I don't get to vote for my own film.) So I don't know how much time I'll find to post here when I'm online until after that big push is over. So I guess I'll see ya on the flip side.

Labels: blogging, film

Hmm... now there's a title that can get the imagination started. What it actually refers to is the Calgary Cinematheque Society's screening of Joseph von Sternberg's masterpiece "Underworld" at the Plaza Cinema tonight accompanied by the Alloy Orchestra. Now this is gonna be cool. Here's the blurb:

"Recently restored by Paramount, Joseph von Sternberg's masterpiece UNDERWORLD plays for one night only at the Plaza Theatre on November 10th. This will be the Canadian premiere of the film that is credited with starting the gangster genre in Hollywood. Gangland big shot "Bull" Weed (George Bancroft) takes high-class bum "Rolls Royce" (Clive Brook) under his wing, but things go afoul when Bull's moll "Feathers" (Evelyn Brent) starts taking an interest in the new recruit. Initially ignored by Paramount, UNDERWORLD opened in one small theatre in New York in 1927 and went on to become the box office smash of the year. It made a star of George Bancroft and earned writer Ben Hecht an Academy Award.

"The Calgary Cinematheque is pleased to present the world famous Alloy Orchestra to accompany the screening of UNDERWORLD. Fresh from the recent New York Film Festival screening of UNDERWORLD where they premiered a brand new score, the Alloy Orchestra will be in Calgary on November 10th to play live to the screening at the Plaza. Mark your calendars and join us for this unique, one-time only event. ALLOY ORCHESTRA is a three man musical ensemble, writing and performing live accompaniment to classic silent films.

"Working with an outrageous assemblage of peculiar objects, they thrash and grind soulful music from unlikely sources. Performing at prestigious film festivals and cultural centers in the US and abroad (The Telluride Film Festival, The Louvre, Lincoln Center, The Academy of Motion Pictures, the National Gallery of Art and others), Alloy has helped revive some of the great masterpieces of the silent era."

Maybe I'll see you there!

Labels: film, music

Well, last night's screening went very well. Lots of people in attendance and they all seemed to be having a good time. My screening stations got a lot of use, which was rewarding (a huge thanks to Mitch and James... I couldn't have done it without your help!). "The Curse of the Piano" looks really good, so look for it at a festival near you. I'll be curious to find out how much money the silent auction raised, because the bidding wasn't exactly fast and furious. But I think bidding for these types of things only becomes fast and furious when you've got a bunch of oil execs in attendance. Artists tend to have a little less cash to throw around. But hopefully it will still add up to a reasonable amount.

I went down to the Wildwood for a bit afterwards because the Mocking Shadows were playing. Unfortunately, someone had spilt a drink on their sound board so they were in the middle of technical difficulties. They finally managed to get a board for the instruments and such to go through but I guess they couldn't get the mikes back up. So they ended up just jamming with no vocals, which was kind of cool. Their new CD is out and they'll be throwing a CD launch party shortly. Can't wait!

And now I'm exhausted. Unfortunately, I can't totally veg out until tomorrow because today is the very last day of my screenwriting workshop were we get to hear actors read sections of our script. The instructor is working with them as I type this and pretty soon I'm going to be heading down to the CSIF to see how my script translates to the spoken word. It's a little nerve wracking but I'm so tired that I don't think I'm capable of mustering up the energy for anxiety. Probably a good thing. Wish me luck.

Labels: film, music, writing

One of the reasons that my post election post was so delayed is because I've been spending every spare minute this week helping to organize tomorrow night's screening of Michael Peterson's latest short film, "The Curse of the Piano." If you're not doing anything, you should check it out; it's going to be a pretty happening night at the Cantos Music Museum. Besides the main screening, the event also features live music with Jay Crocker, a showing of a few local visual artists, a silent auction with proceeds being donated to CJSW and screening stations to show the short films of some other local filmmakers... including me.

And that's what I've been working on madly all week: the screening stations. But those screening stations are gonna rawk, baby! Okay, I realize it's not the main attraction but by the time I'm done with them, they could be! Or else I'm just tired and delusional and should go to bed now so that I can get an early morning for the long day ahead. Say g'night, Gracie. G'night.

Labels: art and photography, film

No wonder I'm having so much trouble connecting with people about this screening on Friday! In case that isn't a logical leap for you, you should know that Mercury is the planet that rules communication. So when Mercury is in retrograde, messages may be misunderstood, whispers may be overheard and mail or email may be misdirected. Now I understand why my attempts to organize people and things this week felt like I was trying to herd cats! Anyway, I'll be doing a separate post with details about the screening, so watch for it.

But speaking screenings, I went to a pre-release screening for "Rendition" on Monday night and it was excellent. In case you're wondering about the title of the film, rendition refers to 'extraordinary rendition' — a term whereby suspected terrorists in the US can be sent, without the legal consent of their parent nations, to prisons abroad (where there are no anti-torture laws) to be questioned and detained. So you can figure out where this movie is going pretty quickly by the title alone. I read a review on IMDb that argued the film had too many characters for you to get to know any of them in any depth, but I would have to disagree. There have been other movies that have made me feel that way, so I understand what the reviewer is saying, but I absolutely did not have that feeling here. It was a beautifully constructed story with current political relevance that was well acted and beautifully filmed. And the climax is quite brilliant. I highly recommend it.

Labels: film, odds and ends

It's been a busy week so I'll just do a summary post. Wednesday night after the Doc School screening I watched the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Why is this noteworthy when I watch the Daily Show most nights? Because this was the night that my friend Liz was in the studio audience! And it was the night that Lynne Cheney was on the show. Yep, you read that right... Lynne Cheney agreed to be interviewed by Jon Stewart. And my friend was there to witness it in all its hilarious awkwardness. Starting with the "You Don't Know Dick!" segment that was modified to "You Don't Know... Richard Cheney" right up to when Lynne made a dash for the exit at the end. Wish I'd been there, too!

Then Thursday night was the Deco Dawson screening. He showed several of his short films in chronological order and then ended with his latest film "The Last Moment" which is quite brilliant (and I'm not just saying that because it reminds me of a short film idea of mine that is in outline form at the moment). I was going to quote the Toronto International Film Festival program, but I feel like its brief blurb says too much and yet not enough. So I'm going to use this quote from Winnipeg's Uptown Magazine instead:

Winnipeg filmmaker Deco Dawson... emerges with the best film of his career — perhaps one of the best short films ever made. The Last Moment... shows us all that is fascinating about the medium. It's lurid, depraved, sleazy and cold. It's breathlessly romantic, hopeful and poetic. It's intentionally absurd and self-referential. It's shocking, confrontational and breathtaking. It's sexy and it's violent, artificial and honest. In short it is Cinema. The Last Moment is beautiful.

If you ever have a chance to see this film, watch it!

Friday night was Deco's Director's Eye talk at the CSIF. The Director's Eye series gives filmmakers an opportunity to talk about their cinematic influences and show clips that inspire and inform their own work. Well, Deco's style has a wide variety of influences from the Surrealists, Film Noir, Dogme 95, Hitchcock, French New Wave and recent filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino. So his clips ranged from an extravagant Busby Berkeley number in the 1934 musical comedy "Dames" (I had no idea that you could find Surrealism in Hollywood musicals) to "Dark Passage" (it's Bogie so it must be Film Noir) and "Europa" (not a Dogme film but by a Dogme director) and many, many more. I have to admit that before Deco's residency I would have been stunned to learn about the variety of his influences but having seen some of his more recent work, and hearing him talk about why these clips influenced him in such a way, it really makes perfect sense.

A couple of noteworthy news items: The Liberals won a second majority in the Ontario election... not a huge surprise, but a relief that at least they didn't go big-C Conservative (even though McGuinty is rather small-c conservative anyway). And congrats to Al Gore on being awarded the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness about the threats posed by global warming. (I wonder if he still has no plans to return to politics?) Unfortunately, the Nobel committee decided to split the award between Gore and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rather than Canadian Inuit environmentalist Sheila Watt-Cloutier (who was jointly nominated with Gore by Norwegian parliamentarians). Pity.

But enough of all that... now I'm ready for a little weekend chillaxin'... Ciao!

Labels: film, jon stewart

I went to NUTV's Doc School screening at the University of Calgary tonight. My partner in crime... er... I mean my partner from IN:Camera, Ranjene, was screening her documentary "From Darkness to Light." It was both brave and beautiful, a personal journey that she chose to share with the world. I can't wait to work with her on another project. (If you want to know more about this summer workshop, check out my Doc School post over on my film blog.)

Labels: film

I went to see a fabulous play on Saturday night: "Good Girls Don't" by Ellen Chorley (read the description in my recent Culture post). Not only was the story compelling and the acting excellent, but the staging added so much to the play that it was more than just another character (something that a good location for a play or film really ought to be anyway)... it was almost like adding a fifth dimension.

Mob Hit Productions likes to incorporate new media into their stage productions and they do it quite well. In the past, I've seen them use video screens to establish locations or use pre-recorded video for images that can't easily be portrayed in conventional theatre. Well, this play went even further than I've seen before. There were three screens: a central screen for the uses I just mentioned, plus two additional screens serving as the computer monitors for the two teenage girl characters. Those two screens projected real time images from computer laptops on the stage as the actresses "chatted online" during the play. It was a very cool experience. Not only did it add visual interest, but it gave me the feeling that I was inside a film or something. Hard to explain... you just need to experience it.

I also found the structure of the play itself quite intriguing. It made interesting use of repetition. There were a couple of monologues that were recited more than once but by different characters in different contexts. You might think that it would get boring but, on the contrary, the most powerful monologue of the evening was the last one in the play, one that we'd heard two versions of already. But Emma Claire Miller delivered it with a heartfelt emotion that provided a dramatic contrast to the stark, calculating main character of Kimi. For me, it was that monologue that punctuated just how cold and rational (in a psychotic way) Kimi really was. And of course I'm not going to give away the ending, but I will say it was the perfect ending to satisfy me.

In addition to the play, they were also featuring artwork by Aimee Qiu. Her work is quite stunning... looking at her prints certainly made the intermission fly by. All in all, I highly recommend that you check out this production.

P.S. I also took the Editing Workshop with Deco Dawson this weekend at the CSIF, as well as attending his welcome reception. I'll be posting about the workshop on my film blog in the next few days.

Labels: art and photography, film, theatre

"The Mind that lies fallow but a single Day, sprouts up in Follies that are only to be killed by a constant and assiduous Culture." ~ Joseph Addison
So if you are looking to avoid a fallow mind and the resulting follies, here are some things to check out...

Deco Dawson
Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers' Artist in Residence
October 5, 7:00 pm: Reception for Deco at the CSIF Sofa Cinema.
October 6 & 7, 1:00 pm: Editing Workshop... The workshop will look at the differences between editing digitally and using old school methods. Space is limited.
October 11, 7:00 pm: The Last Moment, a Deco Dawson film premiere at the Plaza Theatre... "The Last Moment is currently on a tour of festivals including the Toronto International Film Festival, the Atlantic Film Festival, the Vancouver International Film Festival and Montreal's Nouveau Cinema festival and CSIF's presentation is its first stop in Alberta! The Last Moment will be presented along with a selection of Dawson's short films, followed by a Q&A."
October 12, 7:00 pm: A Director's Eye lecture by Deco Dawson about his cinematic influences including the Surrealists, Film Noir, Dogme 95, late era Hitchcock, French New Wave and recent filmmakers such as Quentin Tarantino.

"Killer of Sheep"
Film screening by the Calgary Cinematheque Society
October 10, 7:00 pm at the Plaza Cinema
"Killer of Sheep examines the black Los Angeles ghetto of Watts in the mid-1970s through the eyes of Stan, a sensitive dreamer who is growing detached and numb from the psychic toll of working at a slaughterhouse... The Library of Congress has declared it a national treasure as one of the first fifty on the National Film Registry and the National Society of Film Critics selected it as one of the "100 Essential Films" of all time. However, due to the expense of the music rights, the film was never shown theatrically or made available on video. It has only been seen on poor quality 16mm prints at few and far between museum and festival showings. Now, thirty years after its debut, the new 35mm print of Killer of Sheep, brilliantly restored by UCLA Film & Television Archive, is ready for its long-awaited international release."

"Good Girls Don't"
A play by Mob Hit Productions
October 5, 6, 9, 11, 12 & 13 at 8:00 pm at the Arrata Opera Centre
"Good Girls Don't follows the story of Kimi, a 15 year old Japanese girl who is obsessed with famous poisoner and serial killer Graham Young. Striving to exceed Young's body count and scientific discoveries, Kimi sits alone in front of her computer for months spreading her doctrine halfway around the world while her mother dies in the next room. In another hemisphere, 16 year old Christine Brewer is struggling to flourish under the foreboding shadow of her alcoholic mother. Alone, isolated, and seeking guidance, Christine turns to an internet chat room for friendship. What she finds is a game of lies, manipulation, and murder that will make you lurch with every twist and turn of Ellen Chorley's script."

One of my favourite Calgary actresses, Emma Claire Miller, is featured in this play. That's enough of a reason for me to go... even if it didn't sound wonderfully dark and twisted!

So now go out there and get yourself a little culture (and I don't mean the yogurt kind)!

Labels: film, theatre

I had a great time at the Calgary International Film Festival gala last night. Watched a great movie (Walk All Over Me), met some great people, yada yada. I promise I will go into the details soon, but I'm just a little overwhelmed until the end of this month so I guess you'll just have to wait a bit longer. Am also going to a screening of the short films nominated for the Alberta Centennial Award tonight. I'll discuss that in the next film post, too.

Labels: film

Well, I got my first draft of my feature length screenplay handed in for my screenwriting workshop. It's a little nerve wracking to know that other people are going to read it before I've even read it through from start to finish myself. But the draft is done. Well, it's more like 2/3 draft and 1/3 outline… but that part is done. Hopefully, by the end of the workshop it will be a full first draft. I've already started a list of the research that I want to do before writing my second draft, but one step at a time.

I also worked on a new film by Michael Peterson this weekend. It's called "The Curse of the Piano" and it's going to be screened at the Cantos Music Museum in October. I worked a bit as a lamp operator but I was mostly doing set decoration, which was a lot of fun. I even got to put together the actual bed that Brad Pitt slept on for "The Assassination of Jesse James." Of course, that would be more exciting for me if it was… say… a bed that Jake Gyllenhaal had slept on in "Brokeback Mountain," but Brad Pitt still makes for a good story, dontcha think?

And the Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF) starts soon. My screenwriting instructor, Jason Long, co-wrote one of the gala features of the festival: "Walk All Over Me." It stars Leelee Sobieski, Tricia Helfer and Lothaire Bluteau. I'm really hoping to make it to the gala screening on the 22nd. And while we're on the subject of CIFF, James Reckseidler's film "Ice Climber's Waltz" will be premiered at the Alberta Centennial Award screening night on Sunday, September 23. Also check out "No Sense" by Mitch Barany in the short program Relationships: The Short of It on Wednesday, September 26 and "Robot Love" by Mike Peterson (mentioned above) in Sci-Fi and other Absurdities on Saturday, September 29. (Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to that last one because it's my best friend's wedding day!!!)

Labels: film

I had planned on giving a blow-by-blow account of tonight's show, but let's skip right to the important stuff...

And the winner is: Will Bigham!

I have to admit that I'm thrilled. Not that Jason and Adam weren't both talented and deserving, but I was definitely rooting for Will. I just didn't want to type that last week because my predictions seem to be turning into jinxes lately. But now I can proclaim my bias proudly and celebrate loudly!

And for your viewing pleasure... "The Yes Men," one of Will's best films in my opinion:


The Yes Men - On the Lot
Uploaded by starmometerdotcom

Labels: film, tv, videos

So Sam Friedlander was sent home from On The Lot after last week's voting, which I thought was the right choice. But the remaining filmmakers didn't have to make new films this week (pity), just choose two of the films that they'd made this summer. Starting with…

Jason Epperson — These are the films that he made this summer:

"Getta Rhoom"
"Blood Born"
"Eternal Waters"
"Sweet"
"Old Home Boyz"
"The Move"
"Oh, Boy"

Jason chose to screen "Eternal Waters" and "Sweet," both good choices I thought. They definitely showed his range as a director, as well as the optimistic outlook that he brings to his films. It was kind of sweet (no pun intended) how he kept choking up tonight, but not very helpful when he was supposed to be answering why he wants to win this thing. Garry Marshall said that he thought Jason should win.

Will Bigham — These are the films that he made this summer:

"Lucky Penny"
"Glass Eye"
"Nerve Endings"
"Spaghetti"
"Unplugged"
"Road Rage 101"
"The Yes Men"

Will chose to screen "Glass Eye" and "The Yes Men." While I definitely agree with his second choice, I actually thought "Glass Eye" was one of his weaker films. Of course that's all relative because all of his films are strong and the visual style of "Glass Eye" was very cool, but I think I would have picked either "Spaghetti" or "Unplugged" or "Road Rage"… wow, it really is hard to choose. I also think he gave a very good spiel when asked why he wanted to win this. And Carrie Fisher said that she thought Will should be the winner.

Adam Stein — These are the films that he made this summer:

"Dance Man"
"Dough: The Musical"
"Discovering The Wheels"
"Worldly Possessions"
"Girl Trouble"
"Driving Under The Influence"
"Army Guy"

Adam chose to screen "Dough: The Musical" and "Army Guy." As with Jason, I thought these were good choices. They really showed his diversity. And while I stand by my assertion that "Army Guy" is very derivative of that Twilight Zone episode, Adam's work does show quite a lot of originality. Unfortunately, I think his explanation of why he should win was the weakest and neither of the judges pegged him as the possible winner. But it's up to America so it's still anyones game.

Who do you think should win? Who do you think will win? I'd make a prediction myself but with my anti-psychic powers these days I think my predictions are more like jinxes, so Mum's the word from me!

Labels: film, tv

First of all, what the frack is going on with the voting public?! I haven't watched Canadian Idol yet, but I heard that Greg Neufeld was eliminated. And I was so sure he would be in the top 3. And now Zach Lipovsky gets eliminated from On The Lot?! I really thought he was going to win the whole thing. I must stop predicting things; I think I just end up jinxing them instead! But I'm here to talk about the remaining competitors, so let's get to it:

Logline: A man wakes up and finds himself in a dress but can't remember what happened the night before

1. Will Bigham – "The Yes Men"

I thought this film was clever, fun, stylish and original. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up.

2. Sam Friedlander – "Dress for Success"

Even before Carrie mentioned "9 to 5," I was thinking Sam's film was rather derivative of that movie myself (I haven't seen "Saw" so I can't comment on how this film compares to that movie). I still thought it was pretty good, but the tag at the end was weak so it didn't really sell it to me.

3. Adam Stein – "Army Guy"

Um… have the judges never watched episodes of the original "Twlight Zone"? Because, no offence Adam, but this was incredibly derivative of Episode 79: "Five Characters in Search of an Exit." So it really bothers me that the judges are saying how original this was. It was good, yes… but not original.

4. Jason Epperson – "Oh, Boy"

This was definitely more of what I expect from Jason than his film last week. It was sweet and funny and optimistic (possibly a strange choice of words for a film that involves a bomb exploding, but I stand by that word in describing Jason's films).

My favourite film of the night? Once again, Will walks away with that honour. My predictions? Um...

I will not make predictions
I will not make predictions
I will not make predictions…

Labels: film, tv

I have to say, I was shocked that Andrew Hunt went home after last week's vote. And even more shocked that Zach was in the bottom two. I think we can safely say that I do not possess any psychic ability whatsoever. But on to tonight, with Penny Marshall sitting in for Garry, Jerry O'Connell acting for Jason and Gary Ross as the guest judge ("Pleasantville" director, "Dave" writer)...

1. Adam Stein - "Driving Under the Influence"

My regular readers will not be surprised to hear that I think this mini-musical was delightful. I thought the ending could have been stronger but I definitely enjoyed this film.

2. Sam Friedlander - "Backseat Driving Test"

I have to agree with the judges that the mother character generally and mother-son relationship specifically were underdeveloped, but the tag at the end was cute.

3. Zach Lipovsky - "Bonus Feature Two"

I adored the first part of this film last week, even though it didn't really fit the brief. Well, this sequel was even better. More story, better character development with a good tag at the end. I think he should be safe this week. I hope.

4. Jason Epperson - "The Move"

First of all, even though I enjoyed Jason's film last week I am surprised that it garnered the most votes, giving him the opportunity to direct Jerry O'Connell. Unfortunately, I don't think he took advantage of the edge that should have given him. While he did a good job building suspense, the payoff was not nearly as good as the buildup. I'm a little worried for Jason this week.

5. Will Bigham - "Road Rage 101"

This was hands down my favourite film of the night. Well shot (loved the Vertigo shot or "Zolly"), great ending. Will's hitting them out of the park. He'd better be safe after this!

Based on a body of work, I think it's Sam's time to go. But based on tonight's films, I'm really not sure. And, as we've seen, my predictions rarely come true so why bother. Let's just see what next week brings.

Labels: film, tv

First of all, let's talk about the On The Lot eliminations. I'm shocked but relieved that Kenny went home… I guess I should have more faith in the voting public. I am sorry to see Mateen go, no offence to Sam but I would have preferred to keep Mateen over Sam. But I'm not entirely surprised.

Guest judge: Brad Silberling (director of "City of Angels")

1. Zach Lipovsky – "The Bonus Feature"

I enjoyed this immensely. It was fun and clever and yes, Carrie Fisher said it was more like a ride than a movie but I've gotta say I loved the ride. And just a shout out to Zach if he ever does any ego-surfing: The judges said you were a great director in need of a storyteller. Well, I've got a great story in need of a director… so if you don't win this thing, drop me an email!



2. Adam Stein – "Girl Trouble"

I have to confess that I was underwhelmed. I don't know how Carrie didn't see the Susan gag coming at the end, but I agree with Garry Marshall that it was more like an SNL skit than a movie.

3. Will Bigham – "Unplugged"

This one was definitely charming, nicely bookended by the human characters. I would say that he certainly fulfilled the romantic comedy brief and should be safe for next week.

4. Andrew Hunt – "Keep Off Grass"

The superhero schtick was a riot but the execution wasn't as good as the idea itself. But I think the concept was original enough to keep him safe, also.

5. Sam Friedlander – "American Hoe"

The performances were a little stiff and the story could have been stronger, but it had a nice tag at the end.

6. Jason Epperson – "Old Home Boyz"

I really liked this one. A fun, funny, well executed, boy-finally-gets-girl-after-50-years film.

I think that Jason and Will best fulfilled the romantic comedy brief, but my favourite film of the night was still Zach's. I think it's probably Sam's time to go, but time will tell. One week to be exact!

Labels: film, tv

Well, I didn't make it to Grease, the Singalong because my friend that I was supposed to go with got sick and apparently all of my other friends are too wimpy to go to a midnight movie! Are we really that old, people? Thankfully, it will be playing again on August 24, so all is not lost.

But I did make it to a production of "Twelfth Night" by The Shakespeare Company that was wonderfully fun. Emma Claire Miller, who has starred in two of my as-yet-unfinished short films (Coda & No Time Like the Present), was cast as Olivia and she was the most fun, most forward Olivia that I have ever seen. Stuart James who played Sir Toby and Janos Zeller who played Malvolio were also standouts for me, but the entire cast was delightful. And the scene where Malvolio discovers the letter that was planted for him was so well done that it had me rolling on the floor with laughter. The Calgary run of the show is finished, but it's playing in Canmore from July 25-29 and there's a matinee in Banff on August 5. Then it tours to British Columbia for a few days. For ticket and scheduling information, check out their website.

And if you miss this production, allow me to recommend the film version of "Twelfth Night" with Helena Bonham Carter, Ben Kingsley and Imogen Stubbs. It's one of the best non-Branagh Shakespearean film adaptations that I've ever seen.

Labels: film, theatre

I just found out that the Plaza Cinema is holding midnight showing of Grease this weekend, complete with costumes and singalong! So, as a warm up for tomorrow night, I've posted three songs from the Grease soundtrack to My Music Box in the sidebar: "Summer Nights", "Look at Me, I'm Sandra Dee" and "We Go Together".

And here is a link for the lyrics to all of the songs from Grease (there is the odd error here or there but, by and large, they're mostly accurate): Grease Soundtrack Lyrics.

Labels: film, fun, music

I'm afraid I missed On The Lot last night because I was shopping for my maid of honour dress for my best friend's wedding. (The dress is awesome... but I probably won't have any decent pictures of it until the wedding itself, so don't be holding your breath on that one.) I didn't bother to check the TV listing times, just assumed that it would be on CTV after Canadian Idol. But (a) I didn't check the Canadian Idol times which turned out to be earlier than I assumed (all this assuming... well, I guess we don't need to say out loud what that makes me), and (b) CTV didn't even bother showing On The Lot for some reason. And I was definitely too late to watch the Fox airing.

Thankfully, Fox posts videos of the contestant films the next day, so I just finished watching them. And I have to say that my favourite, hands down, was Jason Epperson's film "Sweet."

Labels: film, tv

Too sick for a full review tonight…

Favourite film of the night: "Spaghetti" by Will Bigham.
Favourite concept of the night: "Time Upon a Once" by Zach Lipovsky.

Labels: film, tv

First of all, I totally blanked on the losing film from last week's episode of On The Lot. I didn't even remember to write about it immediately after the show. Guess it really didn't leave much of an impression on me and I understand why David was sent home. Sorry David!

But on to this week. I would have to say there are no real winners and no real losers here, there are just varying shades of pretty good. I think my least favourite was Kenny's "Malibu Myth." I didn't feel that it was remotely original and I didn't feel any building tension. And I think Kenny should have let his Director of Photography do his job because the change in colour tone when the actors stepped out of the vehicle was jarring and I'm quite certain it was not intentional. But aside from that, the style was cool. But that's the problem with Kenny's work... it's always style over substance (as in there is no substance at all).

My middling ones were Sam's "Ankle Biters," Andrew's "Midnight Snack," Shira-Lee's "Open House" and Mateen's "Profile" (links to come once they're posted). The attack in Sam's film was very well done, but the film wasn't cohesive overall. And "Midnight Snack," while enjoyable, really was more comedy than horror. I think both Shira-Lee and Mateen got excellent performances from their actors which is a big plus for me. And I think that Mateen's approach to the horror genre was unique and should be commended. The moment when the rookie cop stepped into the bathroom had all the tension that one could ask for. But, unfortunately, the beginning and the ending didn't support the middle as well as they could have.

I guess my favourite film of the night (by a very narrow margin) was Jason's "Eternal Waters." The beginning of the film was excellent and really set a nice tone. And I loved the combination of real life scariness combined with the supernatural. And I enjoyed the twist that the supernatural stuff was the positive stuff. But I agree with guest judge Eli Roth (director of "Cabin Fever") that the performance by the actress playing the mother really let down an otherwise excellent film. I don't know whether that has to do with her acting ability or with Jason's directing ability, but if that performance had been stronger I'd be giving this film two very enthusiastic thumbs up. As it is, I'll give it one solid thumb up instead.

Labels: film, tv

First of all, I thought On The Lot this week was going to be Horror Week. The first week was comedy, so why are we back to that genre already? And why are the groups doing different genres? Did the group going this week get a head start or is the group going next week going to have the advantage of having extra time to think about their ideas? I'd really like a better understanding of their plan for this show. (Probably just because I would actually like to be a contestant... and I have to say, after doing the Herland workshop this February, I'm not at all intimidated by the thought of doing a two-minute film in 5 days. That's completely do-able. Especially with a professional crew!)

Second of all, I think the voters got it right this week. (Sorry, Jessica.) And I think the reason that voting was up 37% from the week before is that America knows they got it wrong the previous week when Marty Martin got sent home.

Guest judge: Mark Waters (I think he did a great job with Freaky Friday!)

Now on to the films. My least favourites were Hilary Weisman Graham and Adam Stein... which is a shame because I've enjoyed Adam's work in the past, but neither film did anything for me. Will Bigham's film "Nerve Endings" was funny until it got to the crazy dancing bit and lost whatever subtlety it might have had. But I think Mark Waters did a disservice to this film with his comments... I just don't think he gets black comedy.

I really enjoyed Shalini Kantayya's "Doctor-in-Law." It was very chuckle-worthy, especially given the fact that she claimed to be out of her element in comedy. Shalini, my dear, you can absolutely do comedy.

But the best film of the night? Zach Lipovsky's "Die Hardly Working" (video embedded below). I would say "What a surprise" in a sarcastic tone, except that it WAS a surprise... there were no special effects!!! Well, no visible special effects that is. It was all done with sound effects and camera angles. Very clever and hilariously funny. And I just realized that Zach's Canadian! Go win this thing you crazy Canuck!

Labels: film, tv

Okay, I was waiting to do this post until I got the photo that I wanted to have accompany it... but the first photo attempt was a no-go and I just bumped the teaser post off the front page, so I figured it was now or never. A while back, I posted about The Police concert and how I wasn't going to have a chance to go. Well, I didn't go but I did write a little teaser that I had another post in me about that. So here's what happened..

Two days before the concert, just as my cousin Zenon and I were preparing to go to our Handmade Film Workshop, I got a phone call from I.A.T.S.E. Local 210 in Edmonton. For those of you who aren't familiar with them, I.A.T.S.E. is the union for film and stage crew and I'm a permittee member of the electrics department for I.A.T.S.E. Local 212 here in Calgary. (Not a lot of women in that department, but I wanted a chance to learn more about lighting from the big films that come through town.) Anyway, I got this phone call saying that 210 had a job for me in Edmonton for the following day and if I came up for that, they'd keep me over to work... THE POLICE CONCERT!

Alas, my mother was arriving in town the very next afternoon to stay with me before heading to another cousin's wedding the following weekend. So, even though it nearly killed me to say it, I had to say no.

About an hour later, sitting in our workshop, Zenon's phone vibrated. He checked the number and it showed an Edmonton area code. Zenon is also a permittee member of 212. I told him it was probably about the concert and he should go call them back ASAP. Which he did and, long story short (and the preparation for that trip was a very long story), he went and worked the concert!

I have to admit I was insanely jealous... until he got back and I heard about his 17 hour day on Friday and the all-nighter that was the concert teardown. Yep, that's right... he didn't work the concert itself, just the teardown. But he did catch a glimpse of Sting and he did drink one of Sting's expensive, imported-from-Norway water bottles (that was the photo that didn't quite work out). I guess I'm not quite so jealous now. I still have my Police Picnic memories and I didn't have the backbreaking labour that my cousin had, so it's all good.

Labels: film, music, odds and ends

Just finished watching this week's episode of On The Lot. First of all, I'm glad that they put the poor departing filmmaker out of his misery at the beginning of the show this time. But Marty?! Are you fracking kidding me?! But I'll save that rant for another post; this one's about tonight's show.

Guest judge: Wes Craven!!!! I guess I don't typically cite him as one of my directorial influences, but he really is. So I was very excited to see him on the show.

The films: a strong group tonight… mostly. So I'm going to do a mini review of each, from my least favourite to my favourite.

5. The Orchard (Jessica) – The concept was intriguing; it was clever and had potential. The execution, however, did nothing for me. Absolutely nothing. If she doesn't go home next week, then something is wrong with the voting public.

4. Lost (Mateen) – This was a nice film, well-written, well-acted, but it didn't really grab me. Maybe because it was so dialogue heavy. Film is a visual medium and the visuals didn't make much of an impression on me.

3. Glass Eye (Will) – This was pretty cute. Of course, it used one of my favourite techniques of combining black & white with colour. Unfortunately, I felt nothing for the main character. The dog, yes. The man, not so much.

2. Blood Born (Jason) – I loved the concept. The style was slick. The ending had a nice irony. My only criticism would be that the main character wasn't proactive at all. He simply reacted. Otherwise, I thought it was great.

1. Sunshine Girl (Zach) – Granted, I wouldn't have understood the film as well as I needed to if Zach hadn't explained beforehand that the little girl was afraid of the dark. But aside from that, I thought it was excellent. Sweet and clever and surprising, with the main character even managing to show growth in such a short period of time. (And having directed a little girl myself, kudos to Zach in his casting and directing of his sunshine girl.)

So it looks like I agree with the judges this week. Hmm… should I be worried?

Labels: film, tv

I've had a number of my film workshop instructors mention the usefulness of practicing with a basic still photography camera to learn how to compose and light shots for cinematography. Unfortunately, I always had others around me taking photos so I never really got the hang of it. But I think it's time to change that, time to finally learn photography.

So do I just buy a camera and start practicing? Do I sign up for a local adult education photography course? Or do I get even more ambitious? I'm leaning towards the first option as a starting point. Then, if I don't really feel that I'm learning anything that way, I might consider a night class of some sort. I'll let you know how it goes.

Labels: art and photography, film

I missed last week's episode of On The Lot and have yet to view the films from last week, so for now I'll keep my comments to the films shown tonight. My favourite was "Dance with the Devil" by Marty Martin (who directed "The Big Bad Heist" that I mentioned briefly in my previous post). My second favourite was "Polished" by Andrew Hunt (this is a little more like what I was expecting, though still not up there with his fantastic pitch session). I enjoyed "Beeline" by Shira-Lee Shalit, but felt that the acting was overdone. I'm not quite sure why this was a judge favourite, but c'est la vie.

Personally, I would opt to send Kenny Luby home. His work lacks narrative and I find it self-indulgent. The judges seem to be suggesting that it's simply experimental and independent but I've watched and enjoyed a lot of experimental and independent films and I stand by my statement that Kenny's work is neither. But it's possible that the popularity contest that is reality shows where viewers vote will keep cute Kenny and his charm and poor David May will be sent home instead. Tune in next week to see if I'm right.

Labels: film, tv

I watched On The Lot tonight, the comedy shorts episode... which apparently means potty humour to many of the contestants. I have to say that I think I could have done better than many of them, and that my herland film workshop teammate, Moksha, did do better than many with her "Lean Mean Queen Machines." But there were also a few tonight that make me realize I'm sooo not there yet. I think my two favourites were "Dance Man" by Andrew Stein and "Danger Zone" by Zach Lipovsky. "Dance Man" was a fun quirky story with heart and "Danger Zone" was technically brilliant. I was a little disappointed by Andrew Hunt's film "Spaced Out"; not that it was bad, but I just expected more from him. Other films worth mentioning: "Big Bad Heist", "Lucky Penny", "Soft", "Check Out" and "Replication Theory". "Please Hold" started off really well but the weak ending spoiled it for me. The rest... well, I predict that the three going home tomorrow night will be three of the ones I didn't mention.

And I just have to say that I know Garry Marshall thinks he's trying to encourage women filmmakers, I just wish that someone would explain to him that he's actually being rather patronizing. With his talk about women's issues and women's perspectives... well, that's great, but sometimes it's just a human issue (or a penguin issue) or just an issue. And sometimes one woman's perspective bears no resemblance to any other woman's perspective or any other person's perspective (although that might make it hard to find an audience, but I'm just trying to make a point here). So please, Garry, just treat the women on the show like filmmakers, not "women filmmakers." Muchly appreciated.

Labels: film, tv

Having just entered a contest to win an iPhone (see my previous post), I think it's an interesting coincidence that I've just now landed on a website that talks about cool iPod software. Namely the iPod Video Converter software, which is a great tool to convert all kinds videos and DVDs into iPod video with a few mouse clicks. Following a few links, I discovered that there's also a DVD to iPhone Converter available. So if I happen to win that iPhone, I'm good to go!

Labels: cool stuff, film, videos

Now there's a statement I never thought I'd write. But they finally made the perfect reality show for me! It's called "On the Lot" and it's for wannabe filmmakers. Pick me, pick me, pick me!

P.S. I'll be keeping my eye on Andrew Hunt.

Labels: film, tv

I discovered this thanks to NickQueen.com:

Pick out ten favorite movies, then look them up at IMDb. In the overview at the top of each movie's page, there are "Plot Keywords," usually five of them. (Plus more, if you click the link.) Take the first five, and post them. Then the rest of us get to play movie buff and see if we can guess them.

1. Catcher In The Rye / No Opening Credits / Alternative History / Parallel Time / Parallel World

2. Bureaucrat / Parcel / London / Daydream / Fight The System

3. Directed By Star / Blind Man / Snowman / Heart Ripped Out / Decapitation

4. Sister Sister Relationship / Sister / 19th Century / England / Estate

5. Parenthood / Mission / Profanity / Tense / Crushed Head

6. Pennsylvania / Reporter / Stock Trading / News Anchor / Guitar

7. Vomit Scene / Poker Player / Poker / Black Comedy / Robbery

8. Male Female Relationship / Love / Actor / Male Nudity / Theater Life

9. Sequel / Native American / Hippie / Sexual Promiscuity / Xenophobia

10. Cello / Childbirth / Death / Ghost / Love

Feel free to post your guesses in my comments or on your own blog with a link in my comments.

My guesses for Nick's movies (without trying to search for them on IMDb):
1. Casablanca
2. Grosse Pointe Blank
3. ?
4. Superman
5. Ferris Bueller's Day Off
6. ?
7. Signs
8. It's a Wonderful Life
9. ?
10. ?

Labels: film, memes

I've got a shelf full of movie books. Some are general film and video guides, some discuss film theory, some are books about the making of specific movies and then there are the "best movie" books. But what criteria do you use to consider something a "best movie"? Number of Oscar wins? Amount of money grossed? Breaking new ground? Do you judge based on story, cinematography, acting, directing, emotional impact?

Personally, I don't care who wins the Oscars. And I care even less about the amount of money grossed. If we went by that standard, Miss Congeniality would be a better movie than Memento... and so help me, if you think that's actually the case then you might as well just stop reading now because du bist ein dummkopf!

Of course, if you head over to the American Film Institute, their top 100 is predictably classic with their best movie being Citizen Kane, followed by Casablanca, The Godfather, Gone with the Wind and Lawrence of Arabia. Yawn.

If you were to go by the Internet Movie Database, the best movie ever would be either The Godfather or The Shawshank Redemption (I admit to being surprised at seeing Shawshank that high). Now I'm not saying The Godfather is not a good movie, but I'm sooo sick of hearing it touted as the best movie of all time. Personally, I think a lot of the people out there who claim it to be the best are just sheep, following the lead of so-called experts.

Pulp Fiction is right up there on IMDb and that would be one that I would be more likely to pick because I think its chronology is wonderfully mind-bending, the acting is outstanding, the script makes me wish I could write like that and of course the ending elevates it from a good movie to a fracking brilliant one. But that's not what I'm picking as my best movie ever.

So now we come to the big reveal. What movie will I proclaim as the best movie ever? Drumroll please... Mary Shelley's Frankenstein by Kenneth Branagh.

Why? First off, let's just say right off the top that Branagh is an artistic genius. Dislike his ego all you want, but his genius should never be in question. But why Frankenstein, which was far less "successful" than Hamlet or Hank V or most of his other films? Because for the first time someone actually captured the true vision of Mary Shelley, instead of the Hollywood horror films that completely failed to understand what the story was about. It makes my blood boil when people claim that it was Branagh who missed the mark when they've never taken the fracking time to read the actual book! Branagh's film portrayed the tragedy of the creature's life and the philosophy that infused Shelley's original novel, that of Locke's sensationalism and her own father's philosophy of the importance of companionship and the social affections. And I do believe that holding true to the original source is an important aspect of a good movie. But certainly not the only thing.

And allow me to address the scene of the creature's "birth." It is not "ridiculous" as some reviewers claim. It is compelling and beautiful and heartbreaking. And if you can't see that, if all you see is two actors rolling around in a bunch of slime, then you just don't get it, won't get it and maybe don't even deserve to get it. Think context, think subtext... just think! And maybe you'll come to appreciate it rather than mock it.

But film is, above all, a visual medium. The stark settings of Branagh's Frankenstein add a surreal quality to the film and that sweeping staircase in the Swiss castle is fantastic... in the true fantasy sense of the word. And with it's grand imagery, spiraling cinematography and exponentially increasing pace, Branagh's Frankenstein truly becomes the nightmare that inspired Mary Shelley to write her story.

So maybe next time you go to rent movies, you'll give this underrated but brilliant movie a chance.

What movie do you think is the best ever? Have I dissed it in the course of this diatribe? Let me know.

Labels: film, rant

I came late to the horror movie genre. I think it was mainly because I was a bit of an artsy elitist as a teenager and I thought horror films were beneath me. It never occurred to me that (a) horror films can sometimes be very artistic, and (b) even if they're not artistic they can be damn good entertainment. "Nightmare on Elm Street" was the movie that converted me. And it certainly wasn't the aesthetic of it. It was the whole "it could happen to you while you sleep" concept that really got under my skin. (Just so you know, that last phrase was for my own amusement because what I'm getting to in this post is about a creepy crawly get under your skin bug movie.)


I've seen the poster on the right on the Internet Movie Database and it's fine, but personally I LOVE the poster on the left. It's far more artistic, dontcha think? In fact, I think it would look awesome on the wall in my home office along with my other movie posters and my "beat sheet" bulletin board that I use for plotting movies. But I digress.

In case you haven't heard about it yet, "Bug" is about a paranoid, unhinged, war veteran (Michael Shannon) who sees insects everywhere and holes up with a lonely woman (Ashley Judd) in a spooky Oklahoma motel room. Check out the trailer:


Sounds like a typical horror movie, right? Looks like a typical horror movie, right? Except from what I've heard, this bug movie is about much more than just bugs and it's much more than a horror movie. It's a psychological thriller about the politics of paranoia with more than a hint of black comedy. Gotta love that combination. And it's directed by William Friedkin, who directed "The French Connection" and "The Exorcist". We're definitely not talking John Carpenter style horror here. Personally, I can't wait to see it.

P.S. Their website is very cool in a wonderfully eerie, gritty way!

Labels: film

Well, I'm supposed to be at the opening night gala of the Herland Film & Video Festival tonight. I'm not there, thanks to a Lupus flare. Having a hard time finding my happy face at the moment.

Labels: film, health

The lure of sites like Post Secret and Hidden Lives has made me realize that the way I project myself to others is somewhat misleading. I mean, I know we all keep parts of ourselves secret and I know we all feel like the world just doesn't understand us sometimes, and that's part of what I'm talking about but not all of it.

I write a lot of fluff on this blog. But if you read between the lines, especially my poetry and the music that I talk about, you might see that the fluff is simply a costume that I feel comfortable wearing in front of others.

No, I didn't write about Virginia Tech even though I'm working on a film to commemorate the Montreal Massacre that happened almost 20 years ago and that I still remember like it was yesterday. I don't write about a lot of what's going on in the world even though these issues are ever present in my mind and weigh heavily on me. I can't even bring myself to write about Canadian poltics much of the time because I get so frustrated that I become incoherent. I vent about President Bush's foreign policy by posting cartoons and clips from The Daily Show, not by offering up the deep political analysis that I know I'm capable of.

Why? I'm not entirely sure. I think it's partly because of my health. That I want to seem like a happy person because I really feel like a burden and I don't want to inflict my burdensome self on someone else. And I think it's partly because of my art. That when I talk about these things in every day life, I'm less likely to have passion to unleash when pen hits paper to write a poem or a script.

Since I've mentioned my health, I'd like to take a moment to talk about it. I've mentioned before that I have various health conditions: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, secondary Sjögren’s Syndrome, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis with intermittent Hashitoxicosis and the occasional bout of IgA nephropathy. And let's not forget the migraines.

A lot of people compliment me on the positive attitude I have towards my life. Not to say that I don't actually possess a certain amount of optimism, but I feel anything but positive on the inside most of the time. It's not that I'm repressed or trying to be fake, I just can't stand talking about it anymore.

My rheumatologist likes to show me off to her residents as an example of someone whose lab results indicate that I should be non-functional and yet I "present like a well woman." What I can't bring myself to say to her is that I present that way because I have completely changed my diet, my lifestyle and my goals. I am incapable of holding down a job that requires regular hours. I need a minimum of nine hours of sleep a night which is very tricky as I am also an insomniac. It takes me at least one hour (if I'm lucky) to fall asleep. I'm thrilled if I sleep for four hours in a row; two and a half to three hours at a time is more likely. And then I have to try to fall asleep all over again.

I wake up in the morning feeling like I've been hit by a train and it takes a good hour for my morning meds to kick in, but because of the assortment and timing of my meds I can't actually take them all right away. So I'm not really functional until around two hours after I wake up. So there goes more than half of a 24-hour day. Then I need to take breaks every couple of hours so I don't hit the wall of mental and physical fatigue. Needless to say, this is very limiting.

I used to dream of competing in the Olympics as a member of the Canadian Three-Day Eventing Team until I developed my first autoimmune symptoms at the age of 19. I'd hoped that I would eventually figure out how to manage them and still compete, but unfortunately that didn't happen. Then I went to vet school. I figured if I couldn't compete, I could at least treat the top-level event horses. But in my third year of vet school, my Lupus took over my life and I needed to take a leave of absence. I was never able to go back.

Last year, I became involved in the film community here in Calgary. I was working as a freelance writer, text editor and graphic designer at the time and I come from a theatre background, so this wasn't much of a stretch for me. I threw myself into it with abandon because it had been so long since I'd felt such enthusiasm for something, anything. And I've recently realized that I have to accept that I will never be physically capable of directing the feature film that I'm writing. I'm not coping very well with that conclusion.

I hate it when people ask me how my health is because good days are very few and far between. Basically, I struggle with my symptoms every day but I get sick of hearing myself talk about being sick and I also get sick of lying and saying I'm fine.

I hope this doesn't sound like a pity party and I really didn't mean to go on about it for this long, but I guess seeing another dream elude me has been a little too much to bear.

Labels: film, health, odds and ends, writing

Here's a website with a very cool idea. You can trade your DVDs, music CDs, games, books and audiobooks all in one place. It's called Hitflip UK and, as the name implies, is currently only in the UK. But they started in Germany and it looks as though they're planning on expanding into the States, so I'm crossing my fingers that they'll end up in Canada eventually (hopefully they'll post these kinds of updates on their blog).

I love the idea of being able to swap DVDs that I've grown tired of (doesn't happen very often) or have duplicates of (which is somewhat more common) or that were gifts from people who didn't check my Amazon.com wish list (probably the most common reason I would swap).

*a few moments pass as I browse the site... *

Okay, now I'm desperate. I just did a search and seasons 1-5 of "Drop the Dead Donkey" are available to swap! I know the site is just for residents of the UK and I know the DVDs would be the wrong format anyway, but I want that show!!!!

*takes deep breath*

Okay, I've calmed down now. But I still want that TV show. I'll just have to figure out another way to get it. And I will. I'm quite determined that I will.

Labels: books and literature, cool sites, film, games, music, tv, videos

I know I only mentioned my film production workshop in brief on this blog (much more information over at my film blog), but one of the women that I worked with during that workshop is screening her animation short tomorrow night. Ranjene is very talented (I'm hoping to work with her on another film project in the future), so I can't wait to see what she's done for the Youth Animation Project Premiere Screening:

A bunch of talented young guns from Calgary have come together in a Big Brother like setting for the past three and a half months to put their creative juices at work, to bring you a bunch of cool short films comissioned by the Alberta Wilderness Association. Social and Psychological environments are explored.

It's not just cartoons people...think an average of 50 drawings for a second of film. That's dedication.

Where: Epcor Centre's Engineered Air Theatre (205 8th Avenue SE, Calgary)
When: Friday April 20th, 2007 at 7:00pm
Cost: FREE!

Labels: film

It has recently come to my attention that Kenneth Brannagh's "Hamlet" will FINALLY be released on DVD. There has been an ongoing campaign to convince Warner Brothers to do this. I still don't understand why such a campaign was needed; after all, everything's being released—or re-released—on DVD these days.

But I don't care about the whys and wherefores. All that matters is they're no longer saying "we're working on it"; now they're saying:

"Branagh's Hamlet is done, and will be out before the end of summer. In SD, HD-DVD and Blu-Ray!"
(see transcript of chat with WB execs)

Woohoo!

Labels: film

In honour of today being Friday the 13th, I've included 13 links to sites that reference Friday the 13th in one form or another.

1. Friday the 13th, 2029
Exactly 22 years from today, Friday the 13th will be a lucky day... when asteroid 2004 MN4 does NOT hit the Earth.

2. Greenpeace: Friday the 13th is here
Watch your worst nightmare unfold.

3. Urban Legends at Snopes.com: Friday the 13th
Why do some people believe that Friday the 13th is a day fraught with peril?

4. Care2 eCards for Friday the Thirteenth
Celebrate the day... from the safety of your own home.

5. Friday the 13th Quiz
How much do you know about this superstition? I only got 3 out of 8 and was told I would have 7 years of bad luck.

6. Is the 13th of the month more likely to fall on a Friday than on any other day of the week?
Enquiring minds want to know.

7. Friday the 13th Horoscope: Scorpio
Just follow the links to find your own horoscope for this "unlucky" day.

8. PsyBlog: Is Friday the Thirteenth Unlucky?
A bit of scientific research leading to no solid conclusions whatsoever.

9. Friday the 13th History & Cartoon Fun
The lighter side of this day.

10. Friday the 13th Special: Debunking the Myths of Bad Luck
Black cats and broken mirrors... what do you believe?

11. Friday the 13th: Film Theory Essays
You knew I had to start heading in this direction, didn't you?

12. Friday the 13th - From Crystal Lake to Manhattan (8 Movies)
Sometimes you just gotta go with the obvious. I'm actually not much of a Jason fan, though, give me Freddy over Jason any day of the week (pun intended... in hindsight).

13. The Gematriculator
And finally... How evil is your website? (Okay, not directly a Friday the 13th reference, but as far as I'm concerned it fits the general theme... and it's my blog so that's all that matters. )

Labels: film, fun, odds and ends, quizzes, special days, weird stuff

Did you know that Francis Ford Coppola, best known as an award-winning filmmaker also happens to make wine? I gather he's been doing this for around 25 years on his Napa Valley Estate, so I could see where this is something that other people know already. But I only discovered it by the merest chance. I was looking for a good wine quote and I found one by Mr. Coppola himself.

He says the two professions of filmmaking and winemaking are almost the same and that both depend on quality source material and both take a lot of time to perfect. The big difference according to Coppola: "Today's winemakers still worry about quality."

Ouch! Nice one.

Labels: film, humour, pop culture

I've lived in Calgary for almost seven years now, and it's only in the past year that I've really managed to find the artsy people that I want to hang out with. I'll admit that much of that is my own fault. I arrived with the attitude that Calgarians expect from Torontonians: what little redneck, culturally-bereft backwater have I just landed in? Not too endearing an attitude, I'll admit. But I only seemed to be meeting people who worked directly in the oil and gas industry or indirectly for the oil and gas industry. And my parents were hippie actors. No common ground. I did try. Really. But I felt like I was selling my soul.

Then last year, I joined the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers and started taking a bunch of courses there—meeting people who had not only heard of my favourite movies, but actually liked them—and my one musician friend married a really cool actress with really cool creative friends and all of a sudden I have artsy people back in my life. Yay!

This whole process could have happened a lot sooner if The Whole 9 had been around when I first moved here. The Whole 9 is an online community to connect creative and artistic people for networking and dating (there's even a place for your portfolio). I may not be needing it for friendship or dating at the moment, but I'll definitely be exploring the networking potential!

P.S. Couldn't resist the Beatles reference in the title, especially since 9 is one of my favourite numbers. My fave favourite number is actually 108... long story... short answer: I'm weird, remember?

Labels: art and photography, cool sites, dating, film, music, theatre

I'm not very good at asking for favours. Fortunately, there's this new site that makes it a whole lot easier. Zakle.com — do favours, get favours from anyone in the world.

How does it work? By providing a website that allows members to post requests for favours and offers of favours to which other members can respond. Individuals can earn Points when they grant favours and spend Points to obtain favours.

So I decided to sign up and see what happens. (Just a heads up… there's $2 verification fee that they don't explicitly disclose. If you've already verified with PayPal, you might expect that you're going to get that fee back after Zakle verifies you through PayPal… but you won't. Another registration note: make sure you enter your address exactly as it's listed on your PayPal account or the verification won't work.)

These are the offers I submitted:

Title: Métis Card - Genealogy Lookup
Details: Would you like to apply for your Métis card but don't have the documentation that you need? I have access to the Glenbow Museum Archives that has a vast amount of Métis resources for Western Canada. And I have professional experience in utilizing those resources. So let me help you get your card.

Title: Short Story Editing
Details: I am a professional writer and editor. I would be willing to edit and provide feedback on your short story, up to 3000 words in length.

Title: Review your website
Details: I have several blogs, one of which is bound to suit your website. I also have some background in website design. My offer is to review your website, applaud what's good, suggest things that could be better, and provide a permanent link to your site.

And these are my requests:

Title: A photograph of the Ashbel Woodward Museum
Details: The former home of Dr. Ashbel Woodward, a Civil War surgeon, was turned into a museum a few years back in Franklin, CT. My ancestors lived in the house next door (which may or may not still be standing). I would love to have a photograph of the Woodward home. And, if the Mumford home beside it is still standing, I would love a photo of that as well.

Title: Link to my Film Blog
Details: I've started a Filmmaker's Blog on MySpace (blog.myspace.com/weirdgrrl). If you have a blog with some decent traffic, I would love to have you review my blog and provide a permanent link.

Title: Film Editor Needed
Details: I am in the process of editing a short film. I have basic knowledge of Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects and I have my rough cut done. But this short film requires sci-fi effects like wormholes which are somewhat beyond me. I would love to sit in with an experienced editor while they finish my film. Estimated time: one day.

So I did the Zakle. And you can do the Zakle, too!

Labels: blogging, cool sites, film, genealogy, odds and ends, writing

Apparently mailboxes across the US are being dressed up as R2-D2 to celebrate 30 years since the release of the first release of Star Wars. Um... sure, why not. But couldn't they at least have made them round?

Anyway, I found this tidbit thanks to a new blog I discovered: CastleNottingham.com presents High Strangeness Altoona. It's "a chronicle of strange happenings, news, opinion, original fiction and true tales of the supernatural." Very cool!

(I was so tempted to copy the original post title: A Long Time Ago, In A Mailbox Near You. Now that's my kind of title! But since I didn't think of it myself, I didn't feel right using it... *sigh*)

Labels: cool stuff, film, odds and ends

Okay, I'm not actually "leaving today" but I wouldn't mind making "a brand new start of it in old New York."

I've often thought that I wouldn't mind living in New York City. For starters, since Torontonians (which I still consider myself) believe that Toronto is the centre of Canada, I've already got the right attitude. I mean, don't New Yorkers believe that New York is the centre of the known universe? Okay, so that's not actually why I would consider moving there. Well, not for the attitude, I mean. But New York is kind of the centre of the world… at least the world of art and culture, at least in North America.

But now that I'm trying to make a go of it with independent film, is that the right place to be? Am I better off moving to Vancouver? (I will NOT move to L.A.) Or back to Toronto? Or to Montreal? (No, I think the Francophone Quebecois filmmakers would not welcome me with welcome arms.) Then again, there's so much indie art stuff happening in New York, there must be a thriving film community there.

Mind you, I haven't actually been to New York since I was a teenager (and I don't even want to think about how long ago that was), so maybe I should start with a visit. I do have one high school friend who lives there now that could be my tour guide. I don't know how big her place is, though, so I may have to find someplace else to stay. The last time my mother went to New York, she stayed at the Hotel Chelsea. She said it had a great atmosphere and was very reasonable. I remember finding a quote about it when my mother asked me to look it up on the internet:

"The building sits on 23rd Street with the air of a great dame who finds herself in the midst of a party of her social inferiors but instead of complaining decides to join right in the fun."
~ The New York Times

And lo and behold, this site that I was checking out about New York listed the Chelsea as one of the best New York City Hotels for folks on a budget. The site also lists best NYC attractions, restaurants and clubs, all of which helps a grrl plan her trip. And then, should I actually decide to move there, there's even a page about moving to New York. If the site had more links to the places it talks about, it would be even better. But it's a good launching pad.

Labels: film, fun, pop culture, travel

I have to confess that my introduction to Bollywood movies was the Canadian-made "Bollywood Hollywood" by Deepa Mehta. I had previously seen her more dramatic films "Fire" and "Earth" (I still haven't seen "Water" but I hear it's the best of that trilogy). But "Bollywood Hollywood" opened up a whole world of film to me that I hadn't even realized existed. Quirky, over-the-top musicals with plots that are almost Shakespearean... too perfect. I followed that up with "Bride & Prejudice"—think Jane Austen meets Bollywood—and now I think I'm ready to try some less Westernized Bollywood flicks. I'm just not quite sure where to start.

I found this blog that talks about Indian movies that I'm hoping can give me some ideas. It assumes you already know some of the major players, but that's okay. It's kind of amusing and even has one post that talks about who would be the Bollywood version of Rocky. (I went to the Internet Movie Database to check out the actor they chose, but there's no photo for him. Pity, I wanted to see for myself. *sigh*)

Like I need another genre of movies to get hooked on!

Labels: film, pop culture

Or should I call it a Grover or a Big Bird or a Bert? I'm talking about the results of the CSIF $100 Film Fest (see previous post).

I ended up only making it to Friday and Saturday night of the festival. Migraine on Thursday... ack phooey! Fortunately they showed the best of Thursday on Saturday, except for the Film/Music Explosion (which was, according to my cousin, the very best part of Thursday night's line-up).

What is a Film/Music Explosion? You might ask. Well, it's when someone makes a silent film and screens it with a live band playing an original soundtrack. Each night of the film festival was kicked off with a different explosion, made specifically for the festival. Very cool concept!

There were five awards presented at the end of the festival:

Best of Alberta
"Bronwen's Ark"
Hans Olson (Camrose, AB)
2006, 16mm, 5:00 min
Despite her young age, Bronwen is angered by talk of selling the family farm. Things come to a head when her cousin and his friend arrive for a visit.
My comments: This was a nice, cleanly shot black and white film with a nice story line. Unfortunately, that's the best way I can sum it up... nice.

Best 16mm
"Avery's Gnome"
John Driftmier, Christina Takahashi, Evan Warner (Vancouver, BC)
2006, 16mm, 12:00 min
After a near car accident, Avery, an elderly man, begins to see gnomes. When his wife starts questioning his sanity, Avery must risk everything he cares about to uncover the truth.
My comments: I enjoyed this film. It was cute and funny and whimsical. I would have liked to see some kind of resolution between Avery and his wife, but otherwise I quite liked this one.

Best Super 8
"Fish Arms"
Mike Maryniuk (Winnipeg, MB)
2006, Super 8, 2:30 min
Fish Arms got Fish Forearms; Fish Arms really really strong; Fish Arms really tip the scales; Fish Arms, strong like 50 whales.
My comments: Umm... I go back and forth on this one. Sometimes I think it was funny and catchy and wildly original. Other times I think it was just plain odd. Nothing wrong with odd, though.

Jury Award
"Breakfast in America"
Anu Jindal (Halifax, NS)
2006, 16mm, 1:02 min
The most important meal of the day!
My comments: The description does not do this short, short film justice. Think of it as a horror film with a runny egg as the villain. Hilarious!!!

Audience Choice
"Photosynthesis"
J. Scott Portingale (Didsbury, AB)
2006, 16mm, 5:34 min
An emerging fashion photographer and his spouse go to a party of the senior editor of a well established fashion magazine. When they close the door to their humble abode, all is quiet... or is it?
My comments: Highly entertaining use of stop motion animation. And the story had a sweet and sappy heart, to boot.

Personally, I would have selected "Photosynthesis" for best of Alberta. "Bronwen's Ark" was a nice enough film, but I just enjoyed "Photosynthesis" more. But at least it got something. Even though I voted for "Breakfast in America" for the Audience Choice. But I'm willing to be generous on that point since my pick got the Jury Award.

A few other films that I thought worthy of mention:

"Swings" (Mark Borowski, Victoria, BC): This insightful Super 8 film peers into the thoughts of two female friends before and after their first kiss. Interesting yet simple approach. Nicely done.
"Solie's Dream" (Jeanne Ju, Halifax, NS): A sensitive look at Solie as she sleeps, her grumbling muzzle and twitching paws and the answer to the question, "What do dogs dream about?" Really sweet.
"Rage of Silence" (Justin Lovell, Toronto, ON): Forget killing Bill — this sword-weilding assassin is ready to deliver swift retribution to those who dare to pursue her. Beautifully shot, black and white martial arts film with a hint of humour.
"A Day in the Park" (Rhys Bevan, Toronto, ON): A silent film about a Mime, a Flower Girl and a Villain. Oh so very funny!

Labels: film, pop culture

Get your ticket, grab your popcorn, it's time for the CSIF's $100 Film Festival. (And no, that's not for "CSI's" who got an "F"... that would be the Calgary Society of Independent Filmmakers.)

I had so hoped to finish "Coda in G Minor" in time for this year's festival, but alas... for a laundry list of reasons it didn't happen, maybe next year.

Hopefully, I'll be able to make all three nights of the festival. Partly because I just like to watch movies, partly because I'm curious to see what got selected (planning ahead, dontcha know) and partly to support the CSIF, a not-for-profit, artist-run centre... okay, so it's mainly just to watch movies, but the other reasons sound so much more intelligent and cultured.

Anyway, the film festival runs from March 8-10. Check out their website for details about what's being screened when. And enjoy!

Labels: film, pop culture

Well, I just spent the last 20 minutes watching "Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe, Chapter 1: Purple Death" thanks to ReelTime.com. Oh my, what delightfully cheesy story lines and what wonderfully bad acting. (I always knew that Captain Proton from "Star Trek: Voyager" was based on the old Flash Gordon, but I had never realized just how closely the one resembled the other.) And, oh my gawd, Queen Fria has Princess Leia hair. Or, technically, I guess that would be the other way around. Too fun!

I'm really quite excited by the ReelTime.com website. It's a DVD quality streaming video site offering movies and vintage television shows. Its content may be a little limited at the moment but it's growing. And it's cheap!!! Whether you buy a membership or opt for the pay per view route or just enjoy their free content (like the aforementioned cheesy Flash Gordon).

Now, you may be wondering why I'm touting watching movies on your computer when I recently questioned whether people really want to watch TV shows on their cell phones. Well, (a) the ReelTime website shows you how to hook your PC up to your TV so that you could actually stream the movies directly to your TV set, and (b) my computer monitor is actually larger than my TV and I have a love seat in my office, so watching a movie on my computer is a pretty enjoyable experience for me.

I'm kind of keen to check out the short films they have available (what a surprise ). Now I just have to decide whether to pay the whopping $0.49 up front, or get a membership first. Decisions, decisions.

Labels: cool sites, film, pop culture, tv

I just read this article called "Get Tuned In: TV Programming on Cell Phones." It's kind of interesting to see what's coming down the pipe in terms of TV on cell phones; the article gives a sneak preview of what the various cell phone carriers will be offering. Verizon really looks like it's got the best package as far as television programming goes, with plans to offer network shows after they've been aired on regular TV plus their intention to expand their FiOS TV service to wireless handsets, which would let users control their DVRs from their phones without having to be at home. Both very cool features. (They don't mention Bell Mobility... is that only a Canadian service? Because their commercials make their package look pretty good, with their movie service and everything. It would be interesting to see how Bell stacks up to the carriers mentioned in the article.)

The article goes on to discuss the downside of mobile TV features in terms of bandwidth, but I have to ask this… do people really want to watch an entire TV show (or movie, for that matter) on a screen that can fit in the palm of their hand? I mean, people complain about my 14" TV being too small, but they'll watch it on their cell phone instead? As the Scots say (okay, it's actually a Yorkshire expression, but I first heard it from a Scotsman so I still hear it with a Scottish accent in my head): there's none so queer as folk.

Labels: cool stuff, film, pop culture, tv

I just bought my first Super 8 camera off of eBay!!! It's a Sankyo LXL-250 which is very similar to the camera I borrowed to shoot "Coda in G Minor"... that one was a Sankyo LXL-255 Macro. From what I can tell, the main difference between the two is the ability of the Macro to film ultra close-up. 'Twould be a nice feature to have but I can live without it for the time being (especially when I paid less than $25 for both the camera and the shipping). I'm so excited. I can't wait to try it out!

Labels: cool stuff, film

Well my body may be exhausted and my brain in a fog, but that foggy brain is still busy with the workshop in particular and film in general. About the workshop in particular, I've decided to re-shoot some of my footage even though I know I can't change it for the herland festival screening. But if I decide to submit it to other festivals, I want the new footage. (At some point in the next few days, I'll go into detail about what I'm re-shooting and why on my Film Blog.)

But the new footage will require additional editing and, after watching Brenda at work, I see what's possible but don't really know how to do it myself. It's definitely an art form that I would like to learn, but I certainly understand why people hire others to do the post production work for them (still being in post on my first two short films… *sigh*).

Anyway, a little internet browsing landed me on this site of a post production studio called MDFilms. It's a slick website and their demo reel is pretty cool, though I thought a few of the effects were a little cheesy (but who knows how much of that was the client). There were also a few really cool effects that made up for the aforementioned cheesy effects, so it balanced out overall.

At this point this is sort of just wishing and dreaming, since everything that I've made so far is pretty much no-budget (forget low-budget), so I'm kind of forced to do my own post production at this time. But oh how I'm looking forward to the day when I can just hand the footage off to somebody like MDFilms and not spend hours in the editing suite myself.

Labels: cool sites, film

I miss my mind the most.

Well, my film production workshop is finished and both my mind and body are pretty much like mush right now (except for the body parts that are stiff and aching... I think I prefer the mush). So updates and further blog posts will be made when my brain returns to its normal level of (dubious) coherency. But I have a finished film... yay!

(Hmm... showing enthusiasm when you're this tired is kind of like trying to smile after botox injections; the tepid result is hardly worth the effort.)

Labels: blogging, film

This post is actually for a play called "This is for You, Anna: A Spectacle of Revenge"... but the first part of the title makes me think of the movie "Dead Again" when the creepy young Frankie saying "THIS is for you!" just before he stabs one of the other characters with a pair of scissors. But I'm digressing before I even begin...

This is for You, Anna: A Spectacle of Revenge
Tag line: When a child is taken away, what can be taken in return?

The play is being directed by one of the actresses who was in my workshop film last summer and who was also in one of the films for the workshop that I'm in right now: Elizabeth Kirkland. (This girl's going places, so keep your eyes open.) I believe it's her directorial debut, so I'm really interested to see the results. And the play itself sounds fascinating. Check out the description.

It runs from February 28 to March 10. For more information, head over to the Downstage Performance Society website.

Labels: film, pop culture, theatre

Well, tonight is the Meet and Greet for my IN:Camera intensive film workshop. And when they say intensive, they really mean it. Starting tonight and ending on the evening of Sunday, February 25, we're into 10 hour days and then whatever the production days end up being... three production days in a row next week, with a different production each day. I'm already exhausted and we haven't even started yet. Needless to say, my blogging will be pretty spotty for the next week and a half. If I'm feeling particularly ambitious, I may post updates on my Film Blog about how the workshop is going... but I can't promise anything. Wish me luck!

Labels: blogging, film

I was originally going to call this Battlestar Galactica commentary "The Mayor of Dogsville" but changed my mind. I picked my current title because Helo, like Apollo in the original series, is that stand-up guy who always tries to do the right thing, always has the best intentions, always stands up for what he believes no matter who opposes him. Then I realized the title was even more appropriate than I first thought. Circumstances creating heightened tension, racial intolerance leading to violence and death... sound like any particular Spike Lee movie you know?

I suppose it may be obvious at this point to say that I really enjoyed tonight's episode (and not just because it featured Helo). Confession time: even I was glad not to be subjected to the Starbuck-Apollo love quadrangle this week, much as I've tried to be tolerant and defend this storyline to the naysayers. And oh what a lovely tease: the Baltar inside Caprica Six's head is back! I think we'll be seeing more of Head Baltar in the future...

Labels: battlestar galactica, film, pop culture, tv

I went to the CSIF screening of Edge Codes last night. Very interesting documentary about the history of film editing (and no, that sentence is not an oxymoron). I plan on posting more about it over on my Film Blog, where I'll also be talking about both my upcoming Lamp Operator Workshop and my upcoming IN:Camera Film Production Workshop over the next few weeks. So check it out.

Labels: film, pop culture

My friend and I went to see a production of Chicago this afternoon, presented by the Front Row Centre Players. I've always loved the play. I saw it for the first time when I was a kid and one of my mother's acting students used to work the box office at the Royal Alex Theatre in Toronto. We used to hang around until everyone else was seated and then he would let us sit in the empty seats. That's where I saw Chicago and Sweet Charity, and others that I can't remember… I think it's the Bob Fosse shows that tended to stick in my head. And obviously I saw the movie and I thought they did a fabulous job with it (even if Renée Zellweger was distractingly skinny).

But back to today. I had seen the ads for this production of Chicago but hadn't been planning on going just because I'm so busy (and currently rather broke after buying my new couch). But then I got an email from Nikki—who played the female demon in my short film last summer—saying that she was the understudy for Velma and would be performing that role in the matinées. So I bought my tickets and off I went.

Already a huge fan of the script and the music, I was curious to see how it would be handled by a community theatre group. Overall, I think they did well. The singing, acting and musicianship were all very good. The choreography, however, was just so-so. Maybe it was that the dancers weren't up to anything more challenging, maybe it's because we were watching the understudies, but the choreography and dancing were definitely the weakest link. The energy, however, was great and the actors were obviously having loads of fun which makes up for a lot in community theatre, as far as I'm concerned. And I got to introduce a friend of mine to live theatre for the first time… so that was pretty cool, too.

And that's
Good, isn't it?
Grand, isn't it?
Great, isn't it?
Swell, isn't it?
Fun, isn't it?
But nothing stays

In fifty years or so
It's gonna change, you know
But, oh, it's heaven
Nowadays.
(listen to sample)

Labels: film, music, pop culture, theatre

Tomorrow, my cousin and I are taking "Set Etiquette & Protocol," a film industry workshop required for admission into IATSE Local 212. And what the heck is IATSE, you might ask. That would be the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States its Territories and Canada (I guess they decided that IATSEMPTAACUSTC was a little too cumbersome).

This is just the first step. I'm also on the list for the "Lamp Operator" course which will let me work on industry shoots. According to Sir J (aka Joshua Whitford, instructor of my "Lighting for Low Budget" workshop), this is a good way to make decent money while learning from the pros.

Between these workshops and the IN:Camera Film Workshop coming up in February (they just called me on Tuesday to tell me that I'd been chosen as one of the participants!) it's going to be a very busy couple of months. But I anticipate learning loads and being mucho productive.

Here endeth the lesson.

Labels: film

I came across this movie trailers website that I wish I'd found before Christmas, so I could have posted their trailer for "Black Christmas"… would have been appropriately seasonal, no? I have to admit, now that I've seen the fake trailer that morphed "Sleepless in Seattle" into a horror film, I realize that all horror trailers are pretty formulaic… it's kind of funny, actually.

Speaking of funny, this site has a good selection of trailers for comedy movies, too. (I REALLY want to see "Stranger than Fiction.") And I like their Random Videos feature—a very useful tool for discovering movies that you might never have heard of. That's how I found "Notes on a Scandal" which I would also like to see, now that I know about it. Like I said: So many movies, so little time.

Labels: film, pop culture

I have to start off by mentioning an incident that happened many years ago when I was still living in Toronto. I don't remember a lot of the circumstances, but I think my sister had just written the MCAT (she had briefly thought she wanted to be a doctor, before she found her true calling as a teacher). I don't remember if she thought she hadn't done very well or what was going on, but for some reason I got it in my head that she simply had to watch "Gross Anatomy" and that would cheer her up. So we went to the local video store but they didn't carry it. There was another video store a couple of blocks away, but their copy had been rented. We might have given up at that point, if someone hadn't mentioned that the nearest subway station had a video kiosk. Huh?

Neither my sister nor I thought we'd understood this guy correctly, but we went over to the subway station and, sure enough, there was this vending machine where you could rent movies just as easily as buying a pop. Unfortunately, that particular kiosk didn't have our movie, but there was a 1-800 number you could call to find out the closest kiosk that had that movie in stock. And there was one just a subway stop away. Success!

Since that time, I have told that story to many people but found no one who had ever even heard of these kiosks. I began to think that I'd made it up (I have a very active imagination and dream up all sorts of things that I manage to convince myself really happened, because of which I am quick to believe that I might have made something up even if it's actually true... making me quite a target for people who take pleasure in teasing me).

Anyway, this is a very long winded way of saying that I now feel vindicated. Check out these DVD video rental kiosks! Granted, this isn't what I rented from all those years ago (back in ancient times, before DVDs) but it's the same premise. Which is a pretty good case to support my hazy memory. Or, if I did dream it up, I was obviously way ahead of my time!

Labels: cool stuff, film, pop culture

I had the opportunity on Monday night of going to an advance screening of Pan's Labyrinth. It is one of those rare movies that I found completely satisfying on all levels: A gothic fairy tale worthy of the Brothers Grimm, with familiar classic elements that are made to feel fresh and original; a backdrop of the all too real man-made evil of the Spanish civil war; a fantasy that is neither escape nor horror, but a dark refuge; a rich visual tapestry reminiscent of Terry Gilliam or Tim Burton; an eerily lilting lullaby that haunts the recesses of your brain; and a perfectly cast young girl at the centre of it all. (Watch the trailer.)

I was enthralled as a viewer. I was inspired as a filmmaker. In the application that I just submitted for the Herland IN:Camera Workshop, the short film I proposed was based on a modern retelling of the Greek myth of Persephone and Demeter. There were definitely elements of that myth present in the movie: the underworld, the pomegranates in the bowl of fruit that she's not supposed to eat. Not that either of those are restricted to my particular myth, but the association pleased me. As did the young girl's name: Ofelia, the Spanish form of Ophelia. Perhaps it was not intended to reference Shakespeare but, once again, the association pleased me.

I also particularly appreciated the ending. Do you believe only in the tangible, corporeal world? Or do you believe in dreams and fantasy? It doesn't really matter; you can interpret the ending to suit either.

Me? I'm a dreamer.

Labels: books and literature, film, pop culture

I went to see Snow Cake on Sunday. It was a wonderful film. And the more I think about it, the more I like it. But this post is not about writing a review (there are numerous reviews of it out there; like the one at Future Movies), this is about one of my favourite moments in the movie: the scrabble scene. It's "comic book scrabble," where you can make up any word you like as long as you can use it in a sentence. In a piece of dialogue that is beautiful and poetic and wonderfully delivered (even if it's not true to the character's voice; yes Brendan, I admit it... you're right), Sigourney Weaver's character makes up the word "Dazlious." When Alan Rickman's character asks for her example of the word, she weaves this intricate story:

Mr. Fantastic from the fantastic four. He's got arms made of elastic so they can stretch for two maybe three hundred miles. He's been imprisoned in a cave for seven days with no food and no water and no light. And on the eighth day, he manages to loosen a rock and push his way up through the top. And up into the daylight, just as the sun is coming up over the mountains and filling the sky with this white yellow light. And there's a stillness. And in the few minutes he's got before his captor—the evil Dr. Doom—returns, he stops for one second. And all he can hear is his own breathing. And he's totally overwhelmed by how big the world is, and how small and unimportant he is. And as he turns around, you see his face look to the sky and he says very quietly, so that no one can hear him, he says, "Dazlious." (Watch the Scrabble clip here.)

Dazlious. I think it's a fabulous word. One that I intend to add to my vocuabulary of awe and wonder. Dazlious.

Labels: film, language, pop culture

My dad gave me this old 16mm projector that he came across while he was going through a bunch of stuff that he has stored in my uncle's basement. It's a Motio-Scope projector made by Peko in the 1930's that he bought second-hand before I was even born. Unfortunately, it's missing a motor, the belt needs to be replaced and there's no instruction manual with it. Not that it isn't cool just as a vintage accessory, but it would be so much cooler if it actually worked. So I guess I'll be scanning eBay for replacement parts. It would probably end up being cheaper to just buy an intact one (a Google search came up with an old eBay auction for a Motio-Scope projector that sold for $9.99), but I like the idea of having the one that my dad bought all those years ago. If anyone reading this has any other suggestions for locating the missing bits, I would love to hear your ideas. In the meantime, I guess I'll just find somewhere to put it where I can just look at it and say, "Isn't that cool?"


P.S. This is a photo of an intact Motio-Scope... mine doesn't look quite this good at the moment.

P.P.S. Merry Christmas!

Labels: cool stuff, film

Watch Trailer
Free API to the web's largest collection of movie trailers! I just came across this massive collection of streaming movie trailers and music videos on the web. On Video Detective, I watched a trailer for "Curse of the Golden Flower" (shown above); it looks REALLY good. Then I headed over to Video Detective's sister site Singing Fool and watched the music video for "Lithium" by Evanescence. Definitely enjoyed that, too.

Essentially, these sites provide free API interface for web applications to stream these trailers and videos. And it's open to web developers from any site. How cool is that?!

Labels: film, pop culture

I'm not entirely sure that I want to see "Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny" but I came across this interview with Jack Black and his cohort, Kyle Gass, that is wildly funny. An excerpt:

Other than The Pick of Destiny, what's the high point in the history of metal?
KG: Led Zeppelin IV is pretty good.
JB: Black Sabbath's "War Pigs." Metal at its most metal.

And the low point?
KG: Rock Star: Supernova.
JB: Did you know that Dave Navarro's not in Supernova?
KG: He is. He joined. First he was a host, and then he realized... Actually, I don't know what he realized.
JB: I realized they'd be lame without him...

I definitely had to laugh at the Supernova reference (see my previous Supernova post).

Still not sure about the movie, though. There are times when I think Jack Black is hilarious ("High Fidelity") and other times when he makes me cringe ("Saving Silverman"). So which will this be? I'm not sure. I've heard some people comment that they wished it were a weird little super low budget film more in keeping with the cult trappings of "This Is Spinal Tap," but that it comes off instead as your typical lowbrow comedy. I have a feeling that I'll wait for the video on this one.

But go read the interview. It's funny!

Labels: film, pop culture

I went to an excellent Director's Eye talk at the CSIF tonight with Sandi Sommers (interdisciplinary artist extraordinaire and co-founder of Road Pictures). The talk was excellent, the turnout depressing: the organizer, me and one other person. It's not THAT cold out. It's not THAT close to Christmas. Come on people, what's the deal? Afraid you might learn something new?

And coming home in that state of mind, I did a little internet surfing and ended up at Boing Boing reading this:

Canada's documentaries lost to copyright

Canada's taxpayer-funded National Film Board has underwritten many brilliant documentaries that are no longer available due to the prohibitive cost of re-licensing the copyrights for the materials they incidentally feature... Quebec filmmaker Sylvie Van Brabant's film Remous/Earthwalk has been withdrawn from public circulation because its main character sings 30 seconds of a recognizable tune whose rights the National Film Board has deemed too expensive to renew.

I followed the link to the Globe & Mail article "Classic docs sent back to the vault: Copyright material too costly to renew" to read the further depressing statement: "The [Documentary Organization of Canada's] white paper also details how imminent changes to Canadian copyright law—probably coming early in the new year—could make matters even worse."

Great. People suck. Well, not all people. Not the people who showed up tonight. But a lot of other people.
In the immortal words of Bill the Cat: "Ack Thpppbbt!!"

P.S. All ranting aside, my thoughts about the Director's Eye talk itself are posted on my Film Blog.

Labels: film, pop culture

I know I said that I would track my film activities in my My Space, but I just had to post the main title card for my short silent film here just because I want to and I can.


But if you want to know more about my progress with the film, I suggest you head on over to my Film Blog.

Labels: film, pop culture

I came across this website that sells fingerprint door locks... and yes, that's just like the futuristic sci-fi movie item that it sounds like. Forget the archaic notion of keys and stick out your finger to be scanned instead.

I was trying to decide what this reminded me of. James Bond? Maybe. Star Trek? Meh, I don't think so. Total Recall? Unfortunately, my "recollection" of that movie is iffy (sorry, I couldn't resist the bad pun). Gattaca? Oh, hey... I think that might be it. Just be glad that the lock only scans your fingerprint and doesn't take a sample of your blood.

To be honest, I'm not sure what I think about this type of security. I mean, it sounds cool but it also sends off little alarm bells in my head. Now maybe those little alarm bells belong to my inner Luddite, or maybe they have the ring of common sense or maybe I've just watched too many movies like Enemy of the State, turning me into a closet conspiracy theorist.

On the other hand, you would never have to worry about losing your keys... unless both your hands got cut off (don't worry; people have already informed me that I can be a little morbid at times).

So I'm curious, what do other people think about this product?

Labels: cool sites, cool stuff, film

This weeks Word Beads:

Deer
Shake
Envy
Behoove
Aphorism

My latest attempt, somewhat longer than my last:

"There are some lines from movies that, as a writer, I wish I'd written (and maybe... just maybe... a little envy creeps into the picture). One of my favourite bits of dialogue is actually from My Cousin Vinny (Marisa Tomei was awesome in that movie): "Imagine you're a deer. You're prancing along. You get thirsty. You spot a little brook. You put your little deer lips down to the cool, clear water — BAM. A fuckin' bullet rips off part of your head. Your brains are laying on the ground in little bloody pieces. Now I aks ya, would you give a fuck what kind of pants the son-of-a-bitch who shot you was wearing?"

"But obviously I didn't write that line of dialogue, so it would behoove me to shake that feeling off so I can eventually come up with brilliant lines of my own... eventually. But for now, I should probably just live by the aphorism: Whatever is clearly expressed is well wrote."

P.S. You can hear Marisa deliver the line here in all her brilliance, courtesy of The Movie Sounds Page.

Labels: film, memes, pop culture

I've decided to participate in Sunday Seven - Episode 65, and in a more timely manner this go 'round.

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name the top seven gifts on your Christmas list this year. (They must be tangible gifts that one could buy for you; items like "Peace on Earth," while a beautiful sentiment, are not allowed on this particular question.)

1. 19" flat screen computer monitor
2. Computer upgrades sufficient to run Adobe Creative Suite
3. Movie Magic Scheduling software
4. Re-upholstering my couch
5. Art Deco pendant watch
6. Framed poster of "I and the Village" by Chagall
7. DVD double feature: Donnie Darko (The Directors Cut) & Memento (Widescreen Special Edition)

P.S. When in doubt, there's always the Amazon.com Wish List!

Labels: film, memes, pop culture

I've just discovered this concept of "memes." What is a meme? You might ask. In the context of blogs, it's some kind of list of questions that you saw somewhere else and you decided to answer the questions. While browsing The Daily Meme, I came across this Sunday Seven at Patrick's Weekender that I decided I had to play, even if I am a little late...

THIS WEEK'S QUESTION:
Name seven of your all-time favorite lines from the movies.

You can see how I couldn't resist. So here we go, off the top of my head...

1. "Yeah man, but it’s a dry heat" ~ Hudson, Aliens

2. "I'm voting for Dukakis." ~ Elizabeth, Donnie Darko

3. "It's not easy being a cast-iron bitch. It takes discipline, years of training... A lot of people don't appreciate that." ~ Lindsey, The Abyss

4. "It’s so easy for you to die dramatically! It's a hell of a lot tougher for those of us who have to keep on trying!" ~ Jean, Billy Jack

5. "Zed's dead, baby. Zed's dead." ~ Butch, Pulp Fiction

6. "I am only resolved to act in a manner which will constitute my own happiness without reference to you or any person so wholly unconnected with me." ~ Elizabeth, Pride & Prejudice

7. "Get away from her you bitch!" ~ Ripley, Aliens

Labels: film, memes, pop culture

I can't believe I didn't even post myself a Birthday Greeting (Remember, Remember the fifth of November... anybody see "V for Vendetta"?).

Anyway, things have continued to be crazy and my blog has continued to be the innocent bystander of that craziness. I'm beginning to wonder if that's what I should expect from now on if I continue to pursue this film thing. I'm still in the process of trying to catch up with everything that I fell behind on after getting sick for a month after filming this summer. And now that film is finally back from the lab and I'm about to start editing, but I'm also trying to throw something together for the CSIF film festival. (Am I nuts? Okay, in general I'm nuts... but is this particular decision pushing me even closer to the loony bin? Probably.)

In light of all this, it probably comes as no surprise that I'm not participating in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) this year. Makes me a little sad, but unless somebody starts a National Screenplay Writing Month, I may well be finished with these intense group writing months (how the heck would you abridge that into a short and pithy abbreviation: NaScreWriMo? That just doesn't quite flow... or look particularly benign, for that matter... but I digress).

Hmm, I guess

t-t-t-that's all folks...

for now.

Labels: film, pop culture

Shot my short film over the weekend. Short, ha, what a laugh (you get that it's a barked, ironic, humourless kind of laugh... right?). Not counting the countless hours of pre-production, I just spent 40 HOURS setting up and filming a FIVE MINUTE film! Yikes. Exhausted is not the word. My dreams of Sundance are rapidly disappearing. *sigh*

Labels: film, pop culture

Okay, here's the deal... I was planning on inventing a made-up language for the demons in my short film. It was going to be a mash up of Russian, German, Finnish, Ojibway and Klingon. Yes... Klingon. I was able to find regular online translation sites for most of the... er... non-alien languages (and I have a human source for Ojibway), but I wasn't sure how much luck I would have with Klingon. As it turns out, the Klingon was almost the easiest one. I came across a Universal Translator that will translate (or "relexify," to use their word) into Klingon, Vulcan and Romulan: Universal Translator Assistant Project.

I had loads of fun making up my language, but I didn't end up using it for my script. Why? Because I my film course doesn't include a sound workshop... *sigh*... Not that I was going to let that stop me, but after my "Directing Survival On the Set" Workshop yesterday I'm thinking that I should follow the advice of those who know more than I. So I'll just be dubbing in guttural gibberish mixed in with a bunch of clicks and clacks. It'll probably actually work better in the long run, but I did have fun coming up with my "language."

Labels: film, language, pop culture

I finally got around to watching the season two finale for Battlestar Galactica (why it took me so long to watch the season finale to my favourite show is a long and boring story... and by the way, for any Americans who might be reading this, the finale was only aired here in Canada about a month ago. So I'm not THAT late in watching it).

While watching the part where Chief Tyrol gives his union speech, I thought it seemed somewhat familiar. When he got to the "gears and levers" bit, I realized why. The Chief's speech was paraphrased from the speech given by Mario Savio on the steps of Sproul Hall in 1964 as part of Berkeley's Free Speech Movement. Compare:

Chief Tyrol: "There comes a time when you realize that the engine you built with your blood and your sweat and your tears is being used for something so foul, so perverted, it makes you sick in your heart. And it's then that you must throw your body on the gears, and on the levers, and on the machine itself and make it stop! And you have to show the people who run it, the people who control it, that unless we're free that machine will be prevented from working at all!"

Mario Savio: "There's a time when the operation of the machine becomes so odious, makes you so sick at heart, that you can't take part, you can't even passively take part, and you've got to put your bodies on the gears and upon the wheels, upon the levers, upon all the apparatus, and you've got to make it stop! And you've got to indicate to the people who run it, to the people who own it, that unless you're free, the machine will be prevented from working at all!"

Now I hope you don't see this as Battlestar Galactica ripping off Mario Savio. I think Mario Savio was an incredible man and see this as more of an homage. And I think it's amazingly cool that a BSG writer would be familiar with the Savio speech, identify the perfect context in which to use it and reword it in the Chief's unique voice. Bravo!

P.S. I did a little research and found out that BSG actually got permission from Savio's family to use the speech. Maybe this sounds a little corny (or Klingon-ish), but it kinda makes me proud that they acted with such honour.

P.P.S. Allow me to highly recommend the documentary "Berkeley in the Sixties" by Mark Kitchell. That film is what made me fall in love with Mario Savio in the first place.

Update May 1, 2007: I've just embedded a video of Mario Savio's speech in a new post: Watch Mario Savio's Gears & Levers Speech.

Update May 16, 2007: I've just embedded video of Chief Tyrol's speech in a new post: Watch BSG's Gears & Levers Speech.

Labels: battlestar galactica, film, politics, pop culture, tv

Now for the third and final installment of my writing exercise. This is the first person stuff, where all the breakthrough happens. In my case, it's a flashback for my character... possibly to be used in the script or maybe just backstory, don't know yet. But I learned a lot about my character while writing it:

I was fourteen when my brother died. When I watched him die in a car accident. I don’t really remember what happened. Not as a continuous memory. What I see in my mind is a series of jumbled images. His face tight with pain. Rain on the windshield. Broken glass. The dashboard wedged impossibly where his pelvis should have been. Blood. Mostly I remember the blood. And the moment when his face relaxed. Not unconscious. Dead. I knew it right away, even though there was no one there to tell me. Not yet, anyway. They all came later. The lights, noise, people. People taking me away from Bernon, who was long past feeling pain, telling me it would be okay even though I knew it would never be okay again. And I was right.

If my dad had been there... but he wasn’t. He’d won the big bronc belt buckle at the rodeo the day before so he’d stayed overnight to celebrate, leaving Bernon to drive me to the horse show. But Bernon was only sixteen and not used to hauling the horse trailer. We made it there all right, but coming home I guess I distracted him as I swung between joy and despair at my third place ribbon. I had so wanted to win but Elizabeth Bennet — Lizzie, my pony — had simply been outclassed. As if that matters now.

There is no sound in my memories. Except for Lizzie’s scream. They told me she died instantly but I don’t believe them. In my memory, the scream goes on and on. But maybe it was me. Memories are unreliable. Like my dad forgetting about the horse show. Unreliable.

I don’t remember much about the months afterwards either. Well, maybe I could if I tried but I don’t really want to try. Whenever I start down that path, the guilt and the heartache smack me in the face and I turn away again. I think maybe my parents feel the same way and that’s why they split up... so they wouldn’t have to look at each other and remember. I think it would have been easier for them if I could have disappeared. One less reminder.

But I didn’t disappear. I’m still here. And I’m okay. I’ve always been okay. Really. I never broke down and bawled like my mom. I never got blitzed drunk like my dad. My grades didn’t drop. I didn’t act out. Everyone told me I was such a good girl, a brave girl, a comfort. I was the only thing that wasn’t messed up back then. I was okay. I am okay. Really.

Labels: film, horses, writing

This post has been moved to: http://www.weirdgrrl.ca/2007/05/screenwriting-101-csif-workshop-part-ii.html. Please update your bookmarks.

For further posts about writing, please visit my new blog: Weirdgrrl's Words.

Labels: film, writing

This post has been moved to: http://www.weirdgrrl.ca/2007/05/screenwriting-101-csif-workshop-part-i.html. Please update your bookmarks.

For further posts about writing, check out my new blog: Weirdgrrl's Words.

Labels: film, writing

Went to see Poseidon at the IMAX. The special effects were fantastic, which one would expect with that budget in this day and age, but I must confess that I prefer the original The Poseidon Adventure. With all it's dated cheesiness, the original is just a better story with more relatable characters. Or maybe it's just nostalgic for me. No, I won't wimp out on my opinion. The remake relies too much on the effects, as so many action movies do nowadays. And I'm going to shut up now before I start saying things like "back in my day..."

P.S. I was excited to see my old friend Gordon Thomson seated at the table with the Richard Dreyfuss character, but unfortunately his character must have died when the ship first capsized because we never saw him again after that.

Labels: film, pop culture

Okay, so I know these have been around for a while but they're new to me... so here are some of my favourites:

The Shining: a heartwarming family film
Sleepless in Seattle: a horror movie
West Side Story: a zombie flick

Labels: film, pop culture

3-D sucks when you're astigmatic.

Labels: film, pop culture

Okay, it's still National Novel Writing Month and I'm still writing away. One of the things that I like to do when I write is come up with a "soundtrack" for my story. Then I listen to certain songs from my soundtrack while I write certain scenes; it helps me visualize what I'm writing.

But my muse seems to be playing a sick joke on me at the moment. One of the songs from my soundtrack won't get out of my head. Whenever I turn off the TV, get off the phone, finish listening to a CD... whenever the silence falls, this one particular song starts playing in my head again without fail. I swear it's going to drive me insane (insaner?).

I'm hoping that maybe when I finish writing the story, my muse will release my mind from this musical torture. Kind of like Clarice and the lambs, right?

Hannibal Lecter: You still wake up sometimes, don't you? Wake up in the dark, and hear the screaming of the lambs?
Clarice: Yes.
Lecter: And you think if you save poor Catherine you could make them stop, don't you? You think if Catherine lives you won't wake up in the dark ever again to that awful screaming of the lambs.
...
So here's hoping that at the end of November, that creepy Hannibal Lecter voice will come back into my mind and ask: "Well, Cara, has the song stopped screaming?" And I can answer: "Yes!!!!!"

Labels: film, pop culture, writing

Cameron Crowe To Release Only Soundtracks
November 9, 2005 | Issue 41•45

LOS ANGELES—Explaining that his movies were but a small step in the pursuit of a career he has always dreamed about, Almost Famous director Cameron Crowe announced Monday that he is retiring from filmmaking to focus exclusively on soundtracks. "For me, the moving image has become redundant, and I believe that I can more effectively tell stories with carefully chosen music," said Crowe, backed by Electric Light Orchestra's "Do Ya." Crowe's first soundtrack, Walking With Headphones, will begin compilation later this winter for a summer release, with the soundtrack's soundtrack available on Polydor Records.

For more irreverent misinformation (such as U.S. Dollar Slips Against Canadian Acorn), check out The Onion.

Labels: film, music, pop culture

I'll confess, the title of this post should just be "Cellar" which is the name of the midnight movie I saw on Saturday night, part of the Calgary International Film Festival. But when I started writing the word cellar, I remembered the part in Donnie Darko when the English teacher (Drew Barrymore) says that a famous linguist once described "cellar door" as the most beautiful phrase in the English language (actually, it was Tolkien and he never said that it was the most beautiful... just beautiful). So my fingers just took over and wrote the whole phrase. Now on to the actual point of this post...

As I already mentioned, I went to see "Cellar" this weekend: "Two men awake in a locked cellar. There's canned food, a trickle of water and a gun with a single bullet."

Not a bad premise, not a bad movie (pretty low budget, but nothing wrong with that). There are a couple of plot points that I would definitely want to discuss were I having a chat with writer/director Ben Hickernell, but they didn't really impact on my enjoyment of the movie. I did, however, find it a little predictable and realized that audiences in this day and age are pretty hard to sneak up on. It doesn't take a genius IQ to be a sophisticated viewer; just watch a couple of M. Night Shyamalan movies and you'll get the hang of it. So I had a pretty good idea where we were going with this movie and what we were going to "discover" about the characters. I didn't even mind that, because the film actually did the reveals well, even if they weren't surprises. My major issue was with the last few minutes of the movie.

I tried to figure out why the ending didn't sit well with me. At first, I thought it was because my macabre mind had come up with about three other, much darker endings that I would have found far more thought provoking. But I don't think that was it. Then, in a completely unrelated conversation, I was talking to someone about this old English teacher of mine who insisted on hammering home religious imagery in books that were actually bereft of any intentional religious imagery. It drove me nuts (I dropped his class). But I had an insight, a slightly uncomfortable insight, one that I'm not sure Hickernell intended. But I felt like I saw the ending clearly now: the main character had finally confessed his sins and been absolved. That instant gratification offered by the Catholic church... doesn't matter what you've done, just confess it, ask forgiveness, and you're off the hook. That's what the ending felt like to me.

And now I'm left trying to decide whether I should hope that Hickernell intended that metaphor, in which case my opinion of the movie sinks lower. Or whether I should hope that it's just my brain imposing an interpretation on the film, in which case I have become that English teacher that I hated. Hmm... I'm gonna hope it was intentional and I'm just damned insightful.

Labels: film, pop culture