Ramblings of a Constipated Mind

Went to see Saw II today.

I am now officially a Saw convert.

I know a lot of people who loved the first one. Personally, I just thought it was fair. The acting was overdone, and the structure was some of the worst I've seen. But the ending was awesome and it made me squirm, so it's not a horrible movie. Even so, once I heard they were making a sequel that was going to be released only around a year after the original, I was cynical. If you only spend a year making the sequel to a movie that was only so-so to begin with, the final product is probably going to really, really suck, right?

Wrong.

Saw II is surprisingly good considering how rushed it was made. Nearly miraculously so. Although it's not perfect, it fixes nearly all of the major flaws of the original. Sure, a lot of the twisted little "games" aren't as twisted this time around, but they're still pretty disturbing. And yeah, the original had some great character interaction that's kind of lost when you add so many new characters to the mix, but things could be a lot worse. The acting didn't make me laugh out loud. The structure was nailed down perfectly. And it feels a whole lot like the original in terms of tone and atmosphere, which is surprising considering that there was a new director on board (and this is his debut film at that). The main point of this movie is to make you squirm, and it succeeds at that. A few situations feel a bit forced, but others are just about as sick and disturbing as those in the original.

I've said it once, and I've said it again: Saw is a rip-off of Se7en. This movie didn't change my mind. You've got your serial killer doing really disturbing things in order to make a moral statement. You've got said disturbing situations and lots of blood. You've got your twist ending that makes everyone go, "Dude, that's messed up." There's a whole lot of similarities. And yet, that's not necessarily a bad thing if done correctly. One thing I really liked about the sequel over the original is that we finally get a chance to delve down deep into the motivations of the main bad guy. Sure, it's a lot like Se7en. But that doesn't make it any less interiguing or creepy.

Random comment: that girl from 7th Heaven is in it. Has she done anything else?

Fans of the original: don't worry, the ending of Saw II is just as unexpected and awesome as the ending of the first one. And don't worry, it leaves things wide open for yet another sequel. I'm fairly confident that this movie is going to do much better than the original at the box office, which will ensure that Saw III is made some time in the future. It appears that we could finally have another horror franchise on our hands (by franchise, I mean horror series spawning at least 4 sequels). After seeing the sequel, I don't think that's a bad thing. There is a lot of potential. If the makers spend a little more time developing the script and fixing all the little flaws, this series could be fantastic gruesome fun.

Oh, and I was right, Mason did laugh during a whole lot of it. There's just something not right with him at times.

After the movie I came home and wrote all but the conclusion of my English paper that's due next Thursday. Oh yes. I'm good.

Then it was time for Closer. I had heard some people say this movie was excellent. I had heard others say it was terrible.

My verdict: closer to excellent.

This movie really surprised me with how good it ended up being. It's an "adult" relationship movie - in other words, it's all about adultery and affairs and lies and deception. The script is fantastic - there were tons of great lines I found myself wanting to go back and hear again just so I could try to decide whether or not I agreed with them.

Also: Clive Owen is officially the man. This is definitely his best performance that I've seen. I know now why he won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar (as was Natalie Portman, who is also excellent). He stole the show for me. He plays the most morally corrupt, perverse, despicable character I have seen in a very, very long time. I found myself wanting to scream profanities at him. As Mason bluntly put it, "Good God, this guy is such a dick!" And he really is. Man, oh man, if only you could kick movie characters where the sun don't shine...

This is the kind of movie I could easily watch over and over just to try to figure out the details of what the writer is trying to say. This is a movie about truth and lies, and the structure and character complexities are fantastic. In many scenes I found myself thinking, "What is this character's motivation for saying that? Is he/she lying? Is this actually what he/she truly feels?" Emotion-wise, it's extremely complicated, but that ends up being very good, because you know what: love is complex. And that's without the sex thrown in.

It's sorta funny. Yesterday when I saw my mom she commented on how for a while she had worried that I was watching all these movies about sex, and how that might tempt me to actually have sex. I'm positive that's not the case, but I couldn't figure out why until now. I've got it.

The movies I've been watching aren't comedies. They aren't teen sex-romps about how promiscuous sex is the coolest thing in the world. Even Kevin Smith movies - if there's one thing Chasing Amy showed me, it's that extramarital sex can lead to a lot of really messed up problems. Same with other movies, and this most recent one. These are serious dramas that take sex seriously and show how it influences us and can harm us if we're smart and careful with it. If anything, seeing these movies makes me less likely to have premarital sex than if I hadn't seen them. In fact, let's just forget pre-marital sex, and say all sex period. Closer has some pretty messed up, complicated problems going on related to sex.

If anything, it made me think to myself, "This whole sex thing is way too complicated. Celibacy seems like the way to go."

Note to all readers: if you ever find me in a situation where I am about to give into sexual temptation, go rent Closer and make me watch it again. I shall immediately repent of my evil ways and walk once more on the path of righteousness. You'd have to be a moron to do something like that after seeing this movie.

So...yeah. Maybe it might actually be in my best interest to watch more serious dramas all about love and sex.

Sex drama watchers of the world, unite!

Quote of Da Moment:
"Where is this love? I can't see it, I can't touch it. I can't feel it. I can hear it. I can hear some words, but I can't do anything with your easy words."
--Closer

Yet another weekend. Finally. Today I had two classes, and two tests - Philosophy and Calculus. Philosophy was easy, and Calculus made me want to jam a pencil in my eye. But hey, that's life.

Saw my mom, went to eat Mexican, stocked up on soda...then just chilled. I went with Aaron and Jim to eat dinner, then we went to Best Buy so Aaron could buy some video games. I browsed the DVD section, and all I have to say is: great armadillos of tofu, I can't wait until November. I've decided that even though I have plenty of money in my account, I'm only going to buy DVDs once a month. That's it. I've got to control myself. When I do buy them, I can spend as much as I want, but it can only happen once a month. I already bought two movies this month, so I've got to wait to buy more. It drove me crazy. All these awesome horror movies were on sale, I guess for Halloween. I could have gotten Evil Dead I and II for $20. Or The Shining and The Exorcist for $16. Knowing my luck, those deals will be gone when I return. Grrr. Stupid willpower.

After that we went to Aaron's place and played video games for a few hours. Then I came back to my room and saw Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back with Jim and Mason.

That is one seriously funny movie. Being a Kevin Smith film, it's naturally filled with tons of profanity and enough sex jokes to make Freud blush. It's more in the vein of Clerks and Mallrats, in that it doesn't really have a deep moral or message. It's all about fun.

It's also brilliant. As in, smart. I think I remember hearing that this was supposed to be Smith's last film in his little "Askewniverse," and I can see how that might be true. This movie is basically a giant reunion for all the characters we've come to know and love from his previous four movies. I found myself realizing, "Those are the guys from Clerks! And that's Banky from Mallrats! And there's the restaurant from Dogma! And there are all those people from Chasing Amy! Sweet!" I loved how Smith manage to find space for all these characters, even the ones that were played by the same actor. Nicely done. This movie also has some of the best. Cameos. Ever. And spoofs a ton of other movies, which is probably why I liked it so much.

This would have been the perfect finale for the Askewniverse movies. Perfect. We learn why Jay has to swear every time he opens his mouth, and why Silent Bob never speaks unless he absolutely has to (and even then he doesn't like it). We meet our old friends from previous movies (with the exception of Dogma, since most of those characters weren't actually human). We finally learn what "Snoogans" means. And instead of referencing Star Wars, which is one of his trademarks, Smith goes the extra mile, and has some hilarious cameos from Star Wars actors themselves. It's great. What makes things even funnier is that he makes fun of his own movies, including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. For example: there's one scene with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck playing themselves in which they criticize each other about making Dogma. It's hilarious. This movie was not meant to be seen by anyone who hasn't seen the previous four films. A whole lot of the jokes are inside ones that only people familiar with those others movies will understand. That's what makes it such a perfect little Askewniverse ending.

Seriously, Smith should have just left his little universe alone after this movie. But now he's doing Clerks 2: The Passion of the Clerks, probably because his most recent movie (and first to be set outside the Askewniverse), Jersey Girl, was so poorly received by fans. I still need to get around to seeing that one. I was actually looking forward to Clerks 2, since I was hoping it would end up being a whole lot better than the original. But after seeing Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, I wish it wasn't being made. Let the Askewniverse end on that perfect note. I can only see one solution to this conundrum: Smith must make a sequel to all of his Askewniverse movies. That's right. In order to make things perfect, again, he's going to have to go ahead and make Mallrats 2, Chasing Amy 2, Dogma 2, and then Return of Jay and Silent Bob, which should once again be a perfect finale. Then he should just leave it all behind and move on to something new, which he should have done in the first place.

But now, on to other things.

Sylvestor Stallone is going to make Rocky 6 and Rambo 4. Pardon me while I simulateously laugh and vomit myself into another plane of existence.

For those of you who likes movies: I highly recommend that you subscribe to the podcast of The Movie Blog here. For those of you who don't know, the recent Internet fad is called "podcasting." Basically, it's audio programs that can range from anything to personal blogs, to music stations, to political commentaries, to religious sermons, etc. In other words, it's like radio for a computer. To subscribe, first get iTunes, then go to Advanced -> Subscribe to Podcast and enter the URL. I highly recommend The Movie Blog Audio Edition pocast. It's informative, interesting, and often funny. It's a great way to get a dose of movie news every 1-2 days.

I feel happy now. All is right with the world. I'm scheduling my weekend around sleep, movies, Calculus, and writing an English paper. I'm in the mood for some twisted and disturbing Halloween fun, so I'm going to go see Saw II tomorrow afternoon (or rather, this afternoon) with Mason. No doubt he'll love it - he's quite possibly the most sadistic person I've ever met. We watched Se7en and he was like, "I want to see the body of the dead girl! That's so cheap!" Aaron and I were kinda like, "Dude, after what happened to her, a shot of the body would get the film an NC-17. I don't want to see a shot of the body after what happened to her. That's just wrong." I won't be surprised if tomorrow he ends up laughing like a maniac as characters are killed off in gruesome ways. Sometimes I wonder about him.

Farewell. It's 3 AM, and I go on to a better place: clean sheets.

Quote of Da Moment:
"Oh, 'Chasing Amy'? That would never work as a movie."
--Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back

I was talking with Aaron about how I just don't feel like working at all. All I want to do is lay around and do nothing. He feels the same way. College is filled with work. Homework sucks. I'd be quite happy just going to class, not having homework, and the only work I do out of class being job work so I can get money. That would come out to around an hour of work per day. I could go for that.

Washington was great. The weekend went by too fast. I went with Souwa to the Old Post Office and the Smithsonian, which was fun. I saw the Puffy Shirt! The only thing that went through my head for around five minutes was, "I don't wanna be a pirate!"

I also saw a few movies there and when I got back, which was good. Sonia and I spent most of the time sleeping, exploring Washington and just chilling. She's going to come see me for my birthday in ten days, so I'm excited about that. The movies I've seen lately are:

A History of Violence
My first Cronenberg movie. Although I was expecting it to be dark and weird, I wasn't really expecting what I saw. I can see why some people love Cronenberg and others absolutely loathe him. Overall, it's a decent movie, but not great. I enjoyed it more on an intellectual level rather than just in terms of the story. It has a lot to say about human nature and the way violence is treated by society. It was extremely brutal and gory at times, perhaps the most graphic movie I've seen since The Passion. I don't normally cringe at movies, but this one made me wince more than once. The main problem I had with it was that I couldn't really see what the writer was trying to say.

One thing I can say about it is that it has one of the best sex scenes I've seen recently. In terms of context, I mean, not in terms of how graphic it is. It was nice to see a movie that presented sex in marriage in a positive way. Married people can have fun too! Unfortunately, the second sex scene made my brain hurt trying to figure out what the director was trying to communicate. In the end, I concluded it has something to do with how women view violence - perhaps as a turn on. It was weird, but interesting. Overall, not a bad movie, but not excellent.

I also saw Top Gun with Souwa. I hadn't seen that in years. I had forgotten how fun it is. Maverick rules.

Blue Velvet
I saw this when I got back to Raleigh. Bizarre movie. I think it's overrated. The acting was terrible....except for Dennis Hopper. He is definitely Da Man of Da Week. He was awesome in this movie, and stole every scene he was in. I found myself wanting to fast-forward to the next scene he was in. This movie is considered by many to be one of the best thrillers of all time, but a lot of the time I just found the acting and writing laughable. There are plenty of good, weird scenes though - the movie shines when the actors (except Hopper) aren't talking, but are free to concentrate on their actions and expressions. It's not a bad movie, but it's not great. Worth seeing just for Hopper.

The Sting
Good movie. Paul Newman rules. I can see why this movie won 7 Oscars. Good stuff.

I've got to get back to work now. Fun, fun, fun.

Quote of Da Moment:
"And if you screw up just this much, you'll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong!"
--Top Gun

In approximately 4 hours I will be getting on a train to Washington D.C. to visit Souwa for our one year anniversary. Oh. Yeah. I've been working my butt off all week trying to get all the work I'd normally do over the weekend done by now. It's been crazy. Monday wasn't too bad, but I spent all my free time Tuesday working on my script, and all day Wednesday and Thursday doing everything else (job work, Spanish, English, studying for a Sociology test I took early this morning, doing around 5 hours of Calculus work, etc.) It's been hectic, but so worth it. Now I can take 3 days off and not think about anything related to school.

Speaking of work: the final draft of my script for the NP2K 2nd Online Studio Film Festival has been turned in, and approved this time. I am officially done with the formal writing of the thing. Wow. I've been working and thinking about this thing constantly for the past month. It feels like there's a part of me missing now.

For the most part, all the major problems the Studio Head were fixed, and I'm happy to say I think the movie turned out better because of it. The only main thing that might ended up being changed is the ending, since although both Deej and I feel it's good, there just seems to be a little oomph missing somehow. Don't know hwo that will turn out. Anyways, Deej and I ended up changing a lot of stuff, mainly in terms of structure. We basically took this script and changed it from a character study into more of a mystery/drama. A mysterama, so to speak. I can't believe I managed to cram so much stuff into 15 pages. This is the kind of movie that will live or die by the acting and the editing. It is either going to be extremely awesome or just godawful. Such is the risk when doing serious drama. In comedy, even nearly everything sucks, if the jokes work you're off the hook. Not so with drama. One little mistake can have disasterous consequences on the whole film. I'm glad I have someone like Deej on the job who has experience and seems to know what he's doing.

Now that I've finished it, I might as well reveal a little plot info. It's called The Act, and follows a man over the course of a few days when an event from his past comes back to haunt him in the form of blackmail. If I hadn't so radically changed the structure, I could have said more, but I can't now without giving away plot twists. Suffice to say thematically it focuses on various themes such as responsibility, forgiveness, vengeance, destiny vs. free will, etc. In many ways I think it will definitely be the most "Christian" of the films in the festival, simply because the main character is a youth minister and there are at least a few Biblical references sprinkled around. There's plenty of subtle symbolism in order to satisfy any IB viewers, not to mention a few homages to some of my favorite movies thrown in for good measure that film buffs should recognize. I think it's quite possibly the best script I've ever written. It's gone through so many changes, it's unbelievable. Ninety percent of what was in the original outline is gone, and replaced with hopefully better things. All I can do is hope and pray that once January rolls around and I see the final product I won't think to myself, "Oh God, I can't believe I didn't see what crap this idea is."

I'm excited. The project has been officially turned over to Deej now and production is due to be finished around November 28, whereupon the DV tapes will be mailed to Editor Andrew in Toronto for post-production. Deej already has access to the main locations, and it's possible there might even be a surprise one thrown in that wasn't mentioned in the script. Let's just say it will depend on whether or not he can pull a Robert Rodriguez and get in, shoot the scene, and get out in around 10-15 minutes before being apprehended and asked to get a filming permit. Ah, guerrilla filmmaking. Always thrilling.

So yeah, that's about it in terms of script-related info. Once shooting begins I'll see if I can get Deej to send me a few stills so I can get an idea of what he's doing, and there's a chance I'll post those. I'll try to keep you guys updated on the status of the film.

Oh, and Office Space is a great movie. Perfect for people who don't like their jobs, particular those which involve sitting in a cubicle in front of a computer all day.

I'm off to bed (maybe) and then Washington. Later.

Quote of Da Moment:
"Human beings were not meant to sit in little cubicles staring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about about mission statements."
--Office Space

I was driving on the freeway in the fast lane
With a rabid wolverine in my underwear
When suddenly a guy behind me in the back seat
Popped right up and cupped his hands across my eyes

I guessed, "Is it Uncle Frank or Cousin Louie?"
"Is it Bob or Joe or Walter?"
"Could it be Bill or Jim or Ed or Bernie or Steve?"
I probably would have kept on guessing
But about that time we crashed into the truck

And as I'm laying bleeding there on the asphalt
Finally I recognize the face of my hibachi dealer
Who takes off his prosthetic lips and tells me

Everything you know is wrong
Black is white, up is down and short is long
And everything you thought was just so
Important doesn't matter

Everything you know is wrong
Just forget the words and sing along
All you need to understand is
Everything you know is wrong

I was walkin' to the kitchen for some Golden Grahams
When I accidentally stepped into an alternate dimension
And soon I was abducted by some aliens from space
Who kinda looked like Jamie Farr

They sucked out my internal organs
And they took some polaroids
And said I was a darn good sport
And as a way of saying thank you
They offered to transport me back to
Any point in history that I would care to go

And so I had them send me back to last Thursday night
So I could pay my phone bill on time
Just then the floating disembodied head of
Colonel Sanders started yelling

Everything you know is wrong
Black is white, up is down and short is long
And everything you thought was just so
Important doesn't matter

Everything you know is wrong
Just forget the words and sing along
All you need to understand is
Everything you know is wrong

I was just about to mail a letter to my evil twin
When I got a nasty papercut
And, well, to make a long story short
It got infected and I died

So now I'm up in heaven with St. Peter
By the pearly gates
And it's obvious he doesn't like
The Nehru jacket that I'm wearing
He tells me that they've got a dress code

Well, he lets me into heaven anyway
But I get the room next to the noisy ice machine
For all eternity
And every day he runs by screaming

Everything you know is wrong
Black is white, up is down and short is long
And everything you used to think was so important
Doesn't really matter anymore
Because the simple fact remains that

Everything you know is wrong
Just forget the words and sing along
All you need to understand is
Everything you know is wrong
Everything you know is wrong

Born on the Fourth of July is a good movie, even though by the end it does make you feel like Oliver Stone is sitting next to you screaming, "Do you get it now? Do you understand what I'm trying to say?" Tom Cruise may be a pretty boy, but the guy does have talent. The directing is also superb, which is why Stone got an Oscar for it.

Some recent troubles have arisen in regards to my script. I thought Deej and I had pretty much settled on a final draft, but it turns out the "Studio Head" didn't really like a lot of it. Particularly the ending. I'll probably end up changing a few things based on his suggestions, but the ending is going to be tough to deal with. It's hard to say how much of his criticism was due to the fact that it was unconvincing and how much of it was due to the fact that he simply didn't like how "Christian" it was. I wasn't aware there was a huge problem, though, until he implied one of the guys running the contest suggested I be fired from my position (in other words, disqualified from the film festival). That blows my mind. Fired just because I didn't agree with all of my Studio Head's suggestions? I know this is supposed to simulate real Hollywood, but that seems like going a bit too far. It's not like I've been stubborn or uncooperative in trying to sort out the conflicts. Thankfully that didn't happen. And even if it had, I would have strongly protested it. I've worked way too hard on this script to have it taken away from me now.

The final draft was due today, but I've got until Wednesday to talk to Deej about things and make some changes. This is going to be tough. I was looking forward to handing the project over to Deej to start directing, but I guess I'll have to wait a few days and go over every scene again. It's time to once again examine every detail, event and character motive driving the story forward and see whether or not changes are realistic. I can only hope the movie ends up being better for it.

Nighty night.

I'm going to try and make this a quick post, since I'm tired. Tomorrow (or rather today, since technically it's already Sunday) I plan on sleeping late for the first time in a week. Then I'm going to get up and have my own personal Bible/theological book study time, since I really need to sit down and focus on that. George MacDonald and Witness Lee are cool.

On Friday afternoon I went with two girls to their high school in order to film for a Spanish presentation. Why did we go to their high school? Because it's freakin' awesome! They had a teleprompter, lights, microphones, and the kind of camera I would get if I had a few thousand dollars burning a hole in my pocket (Canon XL1 and XL2, baby!). It was sweet. We filmed it and did a bit of editing. They use Avid, which supposedly what they use in the actual television industry. I'm not surprised; it looked really advanced. I could tell the learning curve was probably pretty steep, even though it did have some slight similarities to Premiere. Anyways, my group's portion of the Spanish presentation is going to make the other ones look like crap. Yay.

This evening I went to the Grains of Time concert. They're the best a cappella group on campus. Cherry is one of the new members, so not only did I get to hear some great music, but I supported my roommate as well. How sweet. The concert was awesome - 2.5 of instrumentless goodness. They had two guest groups perform during the first half from UNC Greensboro and UNC Charlotte, respectively, but Grains stole the show. It was great. And afterwards, they had some great deals on their CDs. I ended up getting 6 CDs for $10. Now that's a deal.

My mom is in the USA and she came to visit me today, so that was cool. We got to go out to eat and did a bit of shopping. I bought Jerry Maguire and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels for less than $20, which is awesome.

Speaking of movies: I saw Bulworth. Great movie, very funny, I recommend it. Warren Beatty is great, and it has a lot of interesting things to say about politics. It's basically about a senator who goes kinda crazy. He decides to actually fight for stuff that really matters, which makes a lot of people mad. He also acts like a gangster, flirts with Halle Barry, and raps his campaign speeches. I loved it.

I also just finished watching A Clockwork Orange. Bizarre movie, but good. See, unlike Lolita, I can see why this one was rated X when it was first released. It has tons of sex/nudity/violence. After seeing The Shining, Eyes Wide Shut, and now this, I have come to the conclusion that Kubrick was the master of movie nudity. The guy knew how to use it effectively and improve his films. I thought this movie was extremely intelligent - it brings up a lot of interesting concepts about morality and free will, and asks the question: would it be better to limit free will if it stopped crime? It reminds me of the whole theological web surrounding creationism and how God created man with free will. Would it have been better if he hadn't, in order to stop us from sinning? This film suggests no, and I applaud it for tackling such a difficult topic. It basically says: yes, people are sick and do terrible things, but this ability to choose is the very essence of what makes us human. We may not like it, but that's how things are. It is up to us to choose how to use the gift of free will. That's how it was meant to be.

Quote of Da Moment:
"All we need is a voluntary, free-spirited, open-ended program of procreative racial deconstruction."
--Bulworth

-"Choice! The boy has not a real choice, has he? Self-interest, the fear of physical pain drove him to that grotesque act of self-abasement. The insincerity was clear to be seen. He ceases to be a wrongdoer. He ceases also to be a creature capable of moral choice."
-"Padre, there are subtleties! We are not concerned with motives, with the higher ethics. We are concerned only with cutting down crime and with relieving the ghastly congestion in our prisons. He will be your true Christian, ready to turn the other cheek, ready to be crucified rather than crucify, sick to the heart at the thought of killing a fly. Reclamation! Joy before the angels of God! The point is that it works."
--A Clockwork Orange

Universal has released the first 9 minutes of Serenity online for free. Seriously. Check out out here. I honestly had no desire to see this movie, but the first 9 minutes has made me consider going to see it. That and the fact that many reviewers are comparing it to Star Wars, and in a good way.

In other news: Yesterday I finished and submitted the second draft of my script for the NP2K film festival to the "Writing Studio Head." Should receive his comments some time tomorrow. I'm starting to get really excited about this movie. Deej and I have been in constant communication for the past 3 weeks about the story and the script, and I think our collaboration is going to result in an awesome short film. This is definitely the hardest I've ever worked on a script (then again, I haven't finished a lot of scripts). It's been a challenge to tell a dramatic story in only 15 pages. Most of the time when people submit dramas for this kind of festival, they're only a single, well-developed scene that lasts about 8-10 minutes. Whenever people do try to make short dramas with more than one scene, the characters and plot usually aren't developed to their full potential.

That's why this has been hard. I've had to revise like crazy and find a way of telling the most developed story possible in such a short length of time. I've had to find a way to develop characters and a ton of relationships. Deej and I have brainstormed tons of ideas on where to take the story, some of which were really great and amazing. I think the basic concept of this short film could potentially be a great idea for a feature-length movie. Unfortunately, we're not doing that this time around, and as a result we've had to get rid of a lot of sub-plots and even whole characters that showed up in my original outline. When you compare the original plot outline to the most recent draft, there are huge differences. We're talking humongous. A lot of the character motivation has been completely switched around. I can only hope that it's for the better, and the final product will be a drama with fully fleshed-out characters and events that's jam-packed with emotion. In just a little over 2 weeks, Deej is going to be taking over in California and actually shooting this thing, and then the tapes are off to Canada to be directed by my buddy Andrew Cranford, who was supposed to edit my movie last time.

There are around a dozen scenes in this move recent draft. 12 scenes. 15 pages. This movie is either going to be insanely good or just so bad it's unwatchable. Honestly, I'm scared. It won't matter if my script is the best thing ever. If Deej or Andrew screws up, it could ruin the movie. The only thing that really worries me with Deej is that he'll be able to get some incredible performances out of his actors. If the acting isn't believable, the emotion of the movie isn't there, and without that this movie will fall apart. I'm more worried about the editing, simply because the editing has so much influence over the mood of the film. The length of certain shots, the transitions, the sound editing...it's a lot to deal with. A great editing job can turn the worst dialogue into poetry and a bad editing job can turn the best dialogue into a total bore-fest. Then again, that's how it works in Hollywood most of the time, and that's what the whole point of this kind of film festival is: learning to collaborate with total strangers and trusting they'll do their job well.

I won't be able to see what happens to my script until January. How will I survive until then?! I'm so pumped about this script I feel like flying out to California and helping Deej direct it. Of all the times to be in college...

Oh, before I forget, I have discovered that Family Guy is one of the best shows on television. All the guys on my end of the hall are crazy about it. I've seen a few episodes, and the recently released DVD movie, and it's great. You'll probably be offended at least once, but that's fine, because it offends everyone sooner or later. You've just go to learn to step back and laugh at everything every once in a while.

Quote of Da Moment:
Lois Griffin: Your third somersault was a little sloppy but what do I know, huh? It's been so long since I qualified for the Olympics.
Chris Griffin: You were in the Olympics?
Lois Griffin: No, I got pregnant with Meg and couldn't go. Now I'm Pro Choice.
--Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story

I have class today. Grrr. Calculus.

Here are a few interesting links:

Shame on Those Republicans - Now, I'm sure that the Democrats have pulled crap like this before too, but still. It's a shame our government puts up with it. That's not democracy. Check out the video. Holding a vote open for extra time just so you can twist a few arms into changing sides is not cool. At least the Democrats were brave enough to protest. You can clearly hear them chanting, "Shame! Shame! Shame!"...

Does the Bible Really Condemn Homosexuality? - a fascinating letter/article presenting an argument that the Bible does not condemn homosexuality. It's long, but from what I've read so far, the guy makes some interesting points. Makes you think.

In movie news: I saw Animal House last night. Though it basically just follows a crazy fraternity in their quest to break rules, get drunk, and have sex, it's pretty funny. I once read a list of the funniest movies of all time, and this was on it. Frankly, I don't think it was that funny, but it does have its moments, especially near the end. John Belushi is da man.

I also went to theaters to see Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It was good. It took years to make, mainly because rather than using computers, they used the old-fashioned way of making stop-motion movies. But it was worth the effort - the final product is one of the best family films (at least from what I've seen and heard) to be released this year. The attention to detail is incredible. Also, Helena Bonham Carter does some voice-work. That's the second time her voice has been used in a stop-motion movie this year. What's the deal? Is she giving up acting for voice work or something?

I also saw The Last Temptation of Christ. Wow. I can see why some people consider it to be the best film about Jesus ever made, and others think it's pure celluloid blasphemy.

The movie focuses on the conflict that occurred due to the paradox of the nature of Christ: he was 100% human, yet also 100% divine. The result is the most human presentation of Jesus I've ever seen. This is a Jesus who feels, who fears, who is at times weak, who is tempted, and who at his very core is struggling to come to terms with God's purpose for him. When we first see him, he is lying on the ground, writhing in agony. God is calling him, sometimes painfully, and he isn't sure he likes it. He hears voices and hallucinates footsteps following him. Is he going insane, or is this just God trying to get his attention?

The movie isn't based on the Gospels, but rather on the book The Last Temptation of Christ. However, I was surprised it stays more or less in line with the Bible. During the first two hours of the movie, there are a few things implied that seem to contradict Scripture, but I found them easy to overlook. For example, throughout the movie Jesus constantly mentions that he has sinned, out of fear. Near the beginning he goes out into the desert and becomes "purified," which I guess could mean that his sins are forgiven and now he is the blameless, pure Jesus we're all familiar with. It doesn't directly contradict the Bible, but it toes the line. Jesus also makes several remarks in regards to nature which could either be interpreted as pantheistic or a reaffirmation of the Biblical idea that God is reflected through nature, depending on how you look at it. Indeed, there are more than a few statements that are rather ambiguous, and could be viewed as either Biblical or blasphemous depending on how one looks at them.

The movie does some extremely interesting things with a few of its characters, particularly those of Judas and Mary Magdalene. It completely changed how I looked at Judas, and it doesn't actually contradict anything in the Bible. Same with Mary Magdalene - it doesn't flat out contradict the Bible, but takes a few interesting liberties with her character (such as implying that, although they never had sex, she and Jesus had some sort of relationship in which he broke her heart).

But back to Jesus. Willem Dafoe (who does a surprisingly good job) portrays a Jesus who is just as human as me and you, struggling to come to terms with the idea that he might be the Messiah. When he begins his ministry, he doesn't even know what he's doing to say. As he puts it, "I'll just open my mouth and God will speak through me." He even finds that sometimes he doesn't believe what he says! He says things that go completely against what he feels - he preaches love when at times he feels hate. We see Jesus as we've never seen him before - as a man, as well as the Son of God. His two natures collide, much like the natures of Christians today - we know we need to let God have His way with us, but sometimes we're just scared.

This movie is all about the paradoxes of Christ: the idea that he was both man and God. He preached love and yet also that there was a spiritual war and He came to bring a sword. He was tempted by desires of the flesh (lust, pride, anger) and at times was doubtful and afraid, yet at other times was strong, an instrument of God, and not afraid to be a revolutionary. This is a Jesus I can truly relate to, because not only was he God, he also went through some of the same things I do. There was something very spiritual about this movie; at times I found myself wanting to say, "Hallelujah!" or "Amen!" at the screen.

Then, after two hours, when I was certain the film was going to end and end up being my favorite film about Christ, something happened. In about 30 seconds it suddenly went from being no more Scripturally inaccurate than other movies about Christ to taking its speculation about Christ's humanity way too far. I went from being inspired and amazed to feeling surprised, shocked, and more than slightly offended about what I was seeing. It caught me off guard. Now that I look back, I realize that you could probably take something positive out of how the movie ends. But for me, my brain just spent around 40 minutes going, "Wait. This is all wrong. This isn't the way things happened!" And perhaps that's the point. However, I can certainly see why many people consider this movie pure blasphemy. The main fault isn't necessarily the ending, it's how it's structured. I don't have any problem with its asking "What if?" I have a problem with it implying that that's the way things actually went down.

The last 40 minutes take the humanity of Christ and take it too far. As I watched, I found myself thinking, "That's not my Jesus." Yes, my Jesus was human. Yes, he struggled. Yes, he was tempted. But there came a time when he prayed his heart out and said, "You know what, God? I don't really want to die, but I'm going to do it, because it's Your will." Indeed, the movie doesn't do anything to contradict that. The problem comes later. Frankly, though it's not specifically mentioned in the Bible, I'm pretty certain the event that happens in the movie never would have happened with the real Jesus. Not the Jesus I serve. My Jesus was human, and at times was probably weak, but near the end of His life, He was a pretty committed and determined guy. He knew His purpose, and He went through with it. He didn't keep questioning. My Jesus had God first, before Himself. He was more sure of Himself than the Jesus at the end of this movie.

To be blunt: My Jesus had more balls. And thank God for that.

I highly recommend this film for its first 2 hours. After that, take everything it implies with a grain of salt. There's nothing wrong with asking, "What if?" but there is something wrong when you don't make separate speculation from reality.

Quote of Da Moment:
"You think God belongs only to you? He doesn't. God is an immortal spirit who belongs to everybody, to the whole world. You think you're special? God is not an Israelite."
--The Last Temptation of Christ

I've been enjoying my fall break. Yesterday, I slept until 4:30 in the afternoon. Oh yeah.

I'm spending my break doing what I usually do: work on homework and watch movies. I interviewed two married couples for a Sociology paper I just finished up. Now I've got to work on some Spanish and finish up the second draft of my script. Fun fun fun.

As for movies: tonight I'm planning on watching The Last Temptation of Christ. Other than that, I've basically just been watching Kevin Smith and Stanley Kubrick films. My thoughts:

Clerks: Kevin Smith's first movie, made for a budget of $20,000. Lots of people consider this a great Kevin Smith "classic." Personally, I wasn't a big fan. It's a fair movie, but definitely not much compared to his other work. I couldn't really see what the point was. Whereas with Dogma and Chasing Amy, Smith would often be vulgar or profane as a way of making a point, with this movie it's like he just said, "I'm going to write a movie with tons of profanity and raunchy sex talk just for the heck of it." Indeed, this movie contains some of the most vulgar dialogue in all of his films, but not for a larger purpose. I was disappointed. However, this movie did have some pretty funny parts to it (the scene at the beginning with the cigarettes was great), and serves as a pretty decent base for the View Askew universe Smith has created.

Mallrats: Smith's second film. I liked this one a lot more than Clerks, though I would probably consider it inferior to Dogma and Chasing Amy. This one felt a whole lot more like "a Kevin Smith movie," with Jay and Silent Bob having plenty of screen time, and there actually being some sort of plot. Although there wasn't much of a "point" that I could see, at least it told a story and was entertaining.

One thing I noticed after seeing these two movies is that Kevin Smith has created his own little universe that all of his "View Askew" movies are set in. Once you see all of his movies, you're able to appreciate a lot of the dialogue more. For example, in Chasing Amy, one of the characters makes a reference to an event that happened in Clerks. Characters' names are mentioned that you'll recognize if you'll recognize only if you've seen Smith's other movies. There are probably a ton of inside jokes I missed, but hopefully I'll pick up on after a few more viewings. It's really fun to sit down and watch a movie knowing that all of the events and characters involved actually were influenced by and will influence other characters in other movies.

Also: Silent Bob is quite possibly the coolest movie character ever created.

I also saw two Kubrick films, each dealing with sexual issues in interesting ways. First up, Lolita. This movie was Not Rated, and I have no idea why. Even for a 1962, black-and-white movie, it seemed pretty harmless to me. The whole subject matter (a man sexually obsessed with a 12-year-old girl) must just have been too risque to deal with back then. Either that, or people freaked out because the word "sex" was actually spoken out loud on one occassion.

This was a pretty good movie. For some reason though, it didn't feel very "Kubrickian" to me at all. There just seemed to be something missing, maybe a bit of weirdness, or just an overall Kubrick atmosphere. All of Kubrick's other movies seem to have something slightly otherwordly about them, but that was missing here. The shot choices were pretty standard stuff. Nothing really eye-popping. I don't know. For some reason I just didn't get into this as much as I thought I would, and the ending felt a bit flat. Considering it's one of Kubrick's older movies, though, I suppose that's understandable. It's still a decent movie overall.

I also saw Eyes Wide Shut. Wow. Fan. Tastic. Movie. Definitely one of my favorite Kubrick films. It's basically a sexual horror film about adultery that follows a man (Tom Cruise) on a night-long journey of sexual and moral discovery after his wife (Nicole Kidman) admits she nearly had an affair. I loved it. The directing is superb, though that's to be expected since Kubrick spent years (nine, I believe) working on the film and it holds the record for the longest time spent shooting (more than 400 days). The whole atmosphere of this film is very eerie, and somewhat dream-like. I'm sure that's the effect Kubrick was going for, given the emphasis he places on dreams within the film. He doesn't flinch when dealing with the darker side of sex, and the movie is all the better for it. There's actually only one real sex scene in the entire film, but it's so bizarre and graphic that computer-generated people were digitally put in the foreground in order to cover up some of the more graphic material in order that the film would receive an R rating in the US. Oddly enough, I think that censorship probably helped the film, though I have nothing to compare it to, simply because it makes the shots even more fascinating and dream-like. Frankly, I'm surprised that's all it took to get the movie an R rating - there's very little actual sex, but nudity abounds. What really separates the nudity in this film from the nudity in other movies is the fact that it's not eye candy at all. This movie isn't a turn on. In each instance Kubrick is trying to achieve a certain effect regarding the mood of the audience, and it works.

When this movie cut to black and the credits began to roll, it was if I had suddenly awoken from a dream, and was now back in reality. This film feels like it was an extremely personal movie for Kubrick. His characters seem much more realistic and believable than those in most of his other films that I've seen. He delves deep into the crevices of the human sexual psyche so effectively that it's almost as if the film is semi-autobiographical. It's a bizarre and perhaps horrifying look at sexual temptation and how it can affect a marriage. As I watched it I was constantly reminded of when Christ said, "He who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart." The fact that Cruise and Kidman were married at the time this movie was made makes it even more effective. It's a pity Kubrick died only four days after presenting the final cut of the film to the studio, but I can't imagine a more magnificent final film to leave us with. It's a stunning end to a stunning film career.

Oh, and it's also an IB student's paradise. There are so many symbols and allusions that it will most likely take several viewings to understand everything that's going on and everything Kubrick is trying to say. No doubt it will take days for me to get this movie off my mind.

Quote of Da Moment:
"Don't you think one of the charms of marriage is that it makes deception a necessity for both parties?"
--Eyes Wide Shut

I have no school until Monday. There is a God.

Unfortunately, my extra-long weekend will not be spent sleeping until 4 in the afternoon and then watching movies until 4 in the morning (at least not entirely). Some of my teachers did schedule homework.

Tomorrow I'll be interviewing two couples as part of my Sociology project. I have to ask them ten questions about their relationship, and then write a paper analyzing what they tell me and what I observe. Hopefully that will go smoothly, and not make anyone uncomfortable. I don't them to feel like I'm sort of marriage counselor or anything.

I've also got some Spanish work to do. Thankfully, I've got absolutely nothing to do related to Calculus. I feel so free. If I'm lucky, after tomorrow I'll be able to just chill for most of the weekend and watch movies.

Speaking of movies: American History X is good. Edward Norton deserved his Oscar nomination. The only thing I didn't like about it was the ending. I could see it coming from a mile away, so it wasn't nearly as emotional as it should have been. Ah well.

This morning I saw The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I can only think of one word to describe it: bizarre. I'm not entirely sure what happened, or what the point was. It was just weird. Tim Curry is awesome though as the hedonistic transsexual Frankenfurter. I can see how it would be fun to watch live with a huge crowd, complete with props and sound effects.

Oh, and last night I saw Chasing Amy. Great movie. I loved it. Kevin Smith is incredible; I'm going to go out on a limb and say this is his most dramatic, emotional movie. Yet it also made me laugh harder than any other movie I've seen recently. Whereas Dogma was Smith's critique of organized religion, this is his critique of love and sex. It's basically about this guy who falls in love with a lesbian, and has a lot to say about love, sex, sexual orientation, etc. Amazing script. It really makes you stop and go, "Hmmmmm." Kinda like Dogma.

I'll probably end up watching Clerks and Mallrats this weekend. I've also rented Lolita and Eyes Wide Shut, since I'm in the mood for some Kubrick. It'll be interesting to see how he dealt with the theme of sexual obsession in both 1962 and 1999.

Anyways, that's all for now. Time to get ready for tomorrow's interviews.

Quote of Da Moment:
"What's a 'Nubian'?"
--Chasing Amy

I worked all afternoon on my script for Deej. I ended up writing a whopping 19 pages, which brings the total up to 22 pages. That's with my own personal formatting - if I have to adhere to industry standard formatting, it will be much longer. Either way, I'm going to be doing a whole lot of cutting - the final draft can only be 15 pages max. If I'm forced to use industry format, I'll most likely end up rewriting very large portions of the script. Either way, I'll be using the figurative scissors a whole lot.

I also saw Hable con ella. It was...interesting. It reminded me a lot of All About My Mother in that it has a whole lot of weird, sexual confusion going on. Almodóvar seems to like that theme. Anyways, it was good. I can see why it won Best Foreign Film.

Anyways, I seem to be on schedule as far as work goes. Tomorrow, it's time for more Calculus, and maybe some English studying. Fun fun fun. At least I'll bookend that time of torture with church (Vintage21) and Eddie Norton night.

Wow. It's not even midnight and I'm already getting ready for bed. I'm mentally and creatively exhausted.

Quote of Da Moment:
"Love is the saddest thing when it goes away, as a song by Jobim goes."
--Hable con ella

If there is, I won't be seeing it much until Monday.

My weekend plans:

Mornings and Afternoons - Don't sleep too late. Wake up. Study or sit in front of my computer typing until the late evening, only leaving the room to get food and take a leak.

Evenings - Turn my brain off and watch movies. Sleep for a few precious hours.

Calculus is driving me crazy. I've got all these stupid online problems to do. That's fine; the problem is that for some reason, I've got 5 of these electronic worksheets due Sunday. I've been working for hours upon hours upon hours, and I went to both of the optional review sessions for the test. I'm not as worried about the test as I am about these stupid problems. I'm either forgetting some key point on how to work the problems, or I'm just not inputting the answers in the correct format. Either way, I'm screwed. The first two worksheets are fine. I'm still missing some answers for the third. I've got about 40-50% of the other two correct. I just can't figure out why. These problems are more complicated than the ones that will be on the test - why do I have to do them?

I am sick of numbers. I've been slaving away at them for way too long, and I'm not much farther along than when I started. Note to self: math is the devil.

I'll be spending most of my day tomorrow (or rather, today) trying to figure out what the heck I'm doing wrong, and working on my script for Deej. I might also study some for either my Calculus test or English test. Tomorrow night I'm going to watch a Spanish movie called Talk to Her.

On Sunday I'm going to go to church. Then I'm going to come home and work/study some more. I might start thinking about what I'm going to write for a script I need for Spanish class on Tuesday (I just found out about this yesterday) - but there's no way I'm actually going to write that until Monday. I might also study for my English test...though there's a good chance I'll put that off until Monday as well. Then on Sunday night Aaron and I are going to have "Eddie Norton night" and watch Fight Club and American History X. It's always good to end the weekend on a positive (in other words, non-school related) note.

I went with some friends to see Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room tonight at the Campus Cinema. It was fascinating; I didn't really know much at all about Enron. It was also very funny at times. Overall, it's a really good documentary. Or, as Mason put it: "It's got strippers! This is the best documentary ever!"

And if you're wondering what strippers have to do with Enron, you'll just have to watch it. That Chinese guy = smartest guy in the room by secular standards.

After that, we came back here and saw Rushmore. Funny movie, definitely one of Wes Anderson's best. Owen Wilson wrote it, which I didn't know. Oh, and for some reason, I thought the main actor looked like a really nerdy version of Tom Cruise in some shots. I don't know why.

In other random news: I finally bought a new camcorder adapter. Now that I have that, and a new microphone, I'm ready to begin filming whatever again. Yay. Also, I bought Pi and Requiem for a Dream together for $15. Best Buy rules.

It's 2 AM. Time to stop typing short, declarative sentences and sleep before I begin my weekend of labor, stress and numbers that in a perfect world would be the right answer just because I say so. Whoa. What a sentence.

Quotes of Da Moment:
"Maybe I'm spending too much of my time starting up clubs and putting on plays. I should probably be trying harder to score chicks."
--Rushmore