Limes with Orange

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