Ramblings of a Constipated Mind

This is amazing. I can't get it out of my head now: The Chronic-What?

I realized I haven't updated in a while about filmmaking things. Might as well do it now, especially since I need to have some sort of written plan for the next few months.

As I posted a few weeks ago, Deej finished shooting The Act. However, he still hasn't sent the tapes to Canada to be edited, though they'll be in the mail as soon as he gets a chance. I'd be worried, except there's been a change in the festival schedule.

The films in this studio festival were due to premiere online in approximately 2-3 weeks. That is no longer what's going to happen. Many of the teams were having trouble finishing directing, let alone editing, due to the holidays and busy schedules. So the final deadline for all films to be submitted is now March 1.

Personally, this annoys me. If it was February 1, I wouldn't have much of a problem. I can understand delaying it a week or two. But March is crazy. That's 6 whole weeks. If there's one thing I can't stand about these online festivals, it's that the deadlines are always put back. Chad goes on and on about how these are serious festivals, says the deadlines are non-negotiable, and then ends up putting them back. It seems kinda hypocritical.

Out of the approximately 10 teams this time, only 2 or 3 have managed to work hard and stay true to the deadlines, including mine. And sure, I can understand wanting to have more than 3 entries. But six weeks of extra time seems like way too much to me. It's unfair. Here Deej and I have worked our butts off getting this thing done...and now there's an extra 6 weeks we could have had? Deej has told me that the footage turned out pretty good. But I got the impression it's not fantastic, and certainly not his best, simply because it was all shot in a single weekend - he was rushed. Six extra weeks would have been like a gift from heaven for him. He could have prepared more, worked out a better time for his actors to come down (they flew in from different states), and maybe even gotten into that surprise location he had mentioned to me earlier (it was Disneyland by the way, but in the end he didn't have time to get in there).

I don't know. I just wish for once all the entries would truly remain consistent in terms of how much time each team was allowed to make them. What's really going to be annoying is if the films of the teams that finished on time end up being the worst of the ten. No doubt if that happens my competitive side will take over and get angry. But I guess I should look on the bright side. Six extra weeks means that Andrew Cranford has around two whole months to edit this thing and get it perfect. Maybe that extra time will help compensate for Deej's rushed shooting, and in the end it'll all balance out.

Speaking of my dear editor and friend, he has asked me to help him out with a project. He wants to direct a series of Christian short films, 8 in total, 2 series of 4 each. He's asked me to write him up a detailed outline of the first episode, and if it's any good there's a chance I'll be allowed to help him out with the actual scripts and take on a bigger role in the project. I've got some decent ideas floating around as to where it could go, I just need to make time to sit down and really write out the details. I've been telling him I'll get around to it for weeks and weeks, so it's time I finally kept my word and did it. I'm excited. This will allow me to really explore some cool serious spiritual themes and I think I can do some interesting things with it. So I'll probably be working on that within the next few weeks. I'll most likely end up writing down general ideas for all the episodes in the series, and then really focusing on the first one. Should be interesting. His goal is to start filming the first series of 4 in April and have it finished by July, so it's possible I'll be spending a whole lot of my spare time working on that.

Also...I'm thinking that I'd really like to direct something this semester. It's been around a year since Stuffed Fantasies, and I need to do something new. I've got scripts I've started but haven't come close to finishing, but those are all larger projects I'm not ready to direct yet. I'm thinking about doing another romantic comedy. I don't know what it is that I always end up doing something related to romance and comedy, but I've got an idea that would most likely fall in the romcom genre that I'd like to do. It would probably be more of a straight-up comedy than Stuffed Fantasies, but it will definitely have romance as a key element of the plot.

So I've also got to get working on that. Right now it's just a what if. Stuffed Fantasies started with the question: "What if someone fell in love with an inanimate object?" Everything involving the stuffed animal, therapy, etc. developed from there. Right now I've got another what if, and I have no idea where it's going to go. I'm not sure if I want to go for something with an actual "message" or just go the fun, campy entertainment route. Given the themes associated with the idea, I'll probably be forced to work in a message, whatever that may be. I just have to make sure I handle it much better than I handled the central idea of Stuffed Fantasies, which really could have benefitted from a few more drafts. Having a character spend 2 minutes explaining what the point is is not good writing. Message aside, I'm also going to have to figure out how to handle certain elements of the subject matter, since I don't want to offend anyone. One thing's for certain: I'm going to have to go through plenty of drafts before I even begin to think about how I want to shoot it.

Anyways...that's what I've got planned in respects to movie making. We'll see how things work out.

Things are going well.

I haven't really seen any new movies, though I have been watching stuff I've seen before. Like all 3 extended Lord of the Rings movies. Oh yeah.

Christmas was awesome. I got money, some DVDs (Airlane!, The Jerk and The Shawshank Redemption), books, etc. I got this awesome book called Rebels in the Backlot about 6 film directors, including Quentin Tarantino and David Fincher. Can't wait to read it. Oh, and I got Super Mario Sunshine for GameCube. You can't go wrong with Mario. It's fun.

I've been spending lots of time with Souwa, which is good. Oh, and the podcast is being updated a ton over the holidays. Erik's releasing a lot of microreviews, some by me and some by newcomer Kathleen. My reviews of Walk the Line and Rope are up, and can be heard at Movie Survival Guide, as usual.

That's really all that's going on. I'm just chilling and relaxing. Yay.

I'm back in El Salvador! Woohoo!

Things I Feel Are Worth Mentioning About Being Back:
It's hot here.
Lucy is fat.
The house hasn't changed.
My family hasn't changed.
I went to bed at 8:30 last night.

Why did I go to bed at 8:30 last night? Because I was so tired, that's why. I only got an hour of sleep the night before, since I was busy watching movies. Yup. Everything's related to movies. So I might as well mention a few of them here:

King Kong - Worth seeing for the overall "bigness" of it, though it's not a perfect film. I'd give more details, but those thoughts will be in the podcast in a few days.

Cinderella Man - Good film, though predictable. Perfect if you want a feel-good movie.

The 40 Year Old Virgin - Yes, I saw this. Normally I'd stay away from movies like this (you know, the "adult" comedies that are all about sex) since they don't particularly appeal to me, but I rented this one since I'd heard it was actually good. And you know what? I was actually very surprised. Not only is it hilarious (one of the only movies in recent memory that got me to laugh out loud when I was alone), but it also has what might be considered a Christian message. I'm serious. Despite the title and the setup, it's not all about having as much sex as possible. Oh, and Steve Carrell is the man.

Superman: The Movie - I went back and saw the original one from the 70s. It's pretty good. Kinda campy, but good. Also, the entire thing is a blatant Christ allegory. You've got Marlon Brando as Superman's father giving speeches that sound like they're taken straight from the Bible. You've got Superman being adopted by Martha and Johnathan (Mary and Joseph) even though his real father is from another world. You've got his father appearing to him on earth, saying that he'll always be with him. You've got a villain named Lex Luthor, which sounds an awful lot like Lucifer. You've got a few comments about how the people of Krypton died due to vanity, which in Christian theology is often the sin associated with the demons and their fall. It's insane. Forget Narnia.

American Beauty - Wow. I am now convinced that 1999 was one of the pinnacle years of film, since so many of my favorite films came out then. It follows this guy named Lestor Burnham who is having what appears to be a mid-life crisis, but is actually a search for meaning. He starts to stop being so "sedated" when he starts having a crush on his daughter's teenage friend, and ultimately learns valuable lessons about life. There's also his wife, who doesn't know how to cope with this new Lester; his daughter, who hates both her parents and is starting to fall in love; his neighbor, who at first appears to be homophobic until we realize it's much deeper than that; his daughter's friend, who appears to be a total slut; etc. That description doesn't being to sum up the film or do it justice. This movie's fantastic, and also had a lot less nudity than I thought it would (only two brief flashes), and no sex scenes. It's incredible, and has so much stuff to take from it, if I said any more it would ruin the movie. Go rent it now.

Quotes of Da Moment:
"I'm a virgin. I always have been."
--The 40 Year Old Virgin

"Janie, today I quit my job. And then I told my boss to go fuck himself, and then I blackmailed him for almost sixty thousand dollars. Pass the asparagus."
--American Beauty

Oh. Yeah.

Having no school is awesome.

I've been sleeping late, watching tons of movies, getting podcast stuff together, and actually reading for pleasure again. Here's the lowdown:

Mysterious Skin - Disturbing movie. It's Unrated, which basically means the filmmakers were afraid to have it rated since they knew it'd get an NC-17, which is a death mark for business. Like Requiem for a Dream. The movie follows two teens, Brian and Neil. Brian has suffered from blackouts and nose bleeds since he was a child. Convinced he was abducted by aliens, he goes on a quest to find out the truth of what happened to him. Neil's situation is far more disturbing. He's a gay teenage hustler, giving sexual favors to men in exchange for money. Brian is described as one characters as giving out a vibe that is strangely asexual. Neil is promiscuous, often coming close to contracting STDs. Brian can at times be emotional. Neil is so psychologically disturbed he has only a bottomless black abyss for a heart. They couldn't be more different. Yet, as they will soon discover, their lives are linked together by a single event, one that impacted their lives and directly influenced who they became.

This movie is hard to watch at times, and too disturbing for me to say it's an excellent movie (though I'd certainly say it's well-made, and perhaps even good), or that I enjoyed it. Director Gregg Araki approaches themes and subject matter most directors wouldn't go near, and he does so in the best way possible: he lets the characters speak for themselves. The camera never sees anything graphic, but always seems to let the nudity and gore be right out of frame. The specifics of the events portrayed are not what's important. Rather, it's the characters and the situations in general that matter. In many ways, this makes it even more shocking. The camera often focuses on reaction shots, leaving the rest to the reader's imagination. This is a dark film about what an evil and twisted place the world can be, and how it can affect us in life-changing ways. Araki is giving a sermon, yet it never feels like he's preaching. The film ends on a note of despair, and yet there is also a hint of redemption. The truth can be a terrible thing, yet it can also be liberating.

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Holy crap. I had written a whole ton more about various things, but I accidentally went away from the page and that's as far as Blogger saved. This sucks. Blegh, I'll write it out again later. For now, I shall leave you with some links:

This is messed up. Some people are crazy.

Best Christmas Lights Ever - This is insanely awesome.

X3 teaser - I've been pessimistic about this movie. Bryan Singer left the franchise to go direct Superman Returns. Alan Cumming isn't back as Nightcrawler. It seems like there have been a whole lot of problems in regards to making this film. However, this teaser is amazing. You can tell they got a new director, but it looks awesome. I still won't be surprised if the movie sucks, but this is the first positive thing I've seen related to it. I think I'm actually starting to get somewhat excited about it.

The Fountain teaser - This film has had problems, too. Originally, it was going to star Brad Pitt and Claire Danes, but that didn't work out. Also, it's been delayed several times, and now recently pushed back to 2006. Frankly, I don't care. This is by far the movie I'm most excited to see so far next year. Darren Aronofsky is the man, and even the teaser looks visually stunning.

Hm. Well that's all for now. Nighty night.

My English exam went fine. Yay.

I had to go to the exam period for my Spanish exam, even though we're not actually taking in exam. We just threw a party and saw a movie. We watched Y Tu Mama Tambien. Yeah, the one about the three people on a road trip who have lots of sex. That one. The teacher brought it. It was...interesting. Lots of symbolism and things I could probably analyze to death if I was in the mood. Overall, it was pretty good. I can't believe it got an R rating though. There was tons of sex and nudity. The directing was superb though. Excellent photography, and amazing acting. The acting was so good at times it was like I was watching a documentary.

Hm. So this director (Alfonso Cuaron) does this very adult movie, and then does Harry Potter. He's like a Mexican Robert Rodriguez.

I also saw Happy Endings this evening. It was...good. I liked it. Perhaps a bit too pro-homosexuality for my tastes, but that's Hollywood these days. Incredible acting. I didn't know Lisa Kudrow could be that good. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Jason Ritter becomes big eventually. The guy's got talent. I'd recommend seeing it, simply because it's very intriguing and emotional. Not to mention darkly humorous at times. It's one of those "there's-all-these-people-and-their-lives-connect" movies. It's not as good as this year's Crash, but still good.

So, anyways. No exams for me until next Monday. I'm free. I plan on sleeping late, reading, watching movies, working on podcast stuff, and doing job work. Mainly just chilling.

Quote of Da Moment:
"Nothing says 'I love you' like blackmail."
--Happy Endings

My podcast discussion with Erik about Aeon Flux is online. The quality on my end isn't perfect, but that's what happens when you're talking through Skype. Hopefully we'll find ways to make it clearer in the future.

As usual, all comments and suggestions should be sent to andrew@moviesurvivalguide.com

I survived my Calculus exam. It went pretty well...I'm optimistic. I think I'm going to make a B for the course overall, which is good.

Tomorrow evening I'm going to take my English exam. After that, I'll have five days of no responsibilities. I can't wait.

Also: Part 1 of Aeon Flux podcast discussion has been released. Part 2 (the one with me) is supposed to be online tonight. Hopefully that will go smoothly, and Erik won't have that and the mid-week show clogging up his week.

Last night, I saw the South Park movie, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut. My thoughts: the show is better. It's funnier, and more insightful. That said, the movie wasn't bad...it was just so-so. It had its moments of brilliance, and its moments of sheer awfulness. It seemed to me like a lot a lot of the "inappropriate" material was just for shock value, rather than to make an actual point. However, there are some things I can understand - the need for nearly 400 uses of profanity, for example. The main message of the film is about censorship and how it's parents' responsibility to control what their kids watch, rather than blame an outside source (such as Canada). It feels very much like it is directed at people who say South Park is profane and an amoral tv show. The filmmakers basically are basically saying, "If you don't want your kids hearing profanity and sex jokes, then don't let them watch South Park. But if they do watch it, don't blame us. It's your responsibility." Which is true. The film also brings up some interesting comments on issues such as religion and race. It's an intelligent satire, there's no doubt about that, I just wish it was as funny as the few episodes I've seen of the show have been.

Oh, and the music is awesome. Just like in Team America. One song was nominated for an Oscar. I can see why some critics said it was one of the best musicals they'd seen.

Quote of Da Moment:
"Remember what the MPAA says: Horrific, Deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty woids! That's what this war is all about!"
--South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut

Slept until 11 today. Then I woke up, chilled out, went to lunch, and came back and took a nap. Then I woke up, goofed around some more, tried to study Calculus but ended up getting distracted, etc. Saw Murderball, which was really good. One of the best documentaries I've seen. It provided a fascinating look at quadriplegics and how they relate to rugby, how they learn to become accepted by society, pick up girls (I now know more than I wanted to about how quadriplegics manage to have sex), etc. Overall, great movie.

I then proceeded to spend the next hour and a half recording a podcast through Skype with Erik. We had some technical difficulties, but hopefully it'll be cleared up in the editing room. Erik and I began by doing a trailer on movie trailers that have been released, and how the upcoming movies look. I think this went so-so. I was still getting used to talking through Skype, and actually discussing things rather than having it planned out beforehand. After that, we talked about Aeon Flux. I think this segment went a lot better. Overall, it was fun. The Aeon Flux podcast should be released tomorrow afternoon. Some microreviews I've done and the trailer discussion should also air shortly.

So anyways...that's really all that happened today. I hate myself for not studying more. It's difficult. Hopefully I'll be able to get together with some fellow classmates and study with them tomorrow. That would definitely help. It's easy to get distracted when I'm by myself and studying things part of my brain thinks it already knows, but actually probably doesn't. I'm going to skip church and study study study. Which annoys me, because I really wanted to go tomorrow. But, hey. Exam times call for exam measures.

At approximately 12:10 this afternoon, I will be done with all my classes for the semester. Yay.

All I've got to do now is make it through finals.

Plan for Da Weekend:
1) Go see Aeon Flux Friday afternoon for the soul purpose of taking part in a podcast discussion that night. Hopefully, the fact that it has no buzz at all isn't a bad thing. Most of the times when a movie doesn't have advanced screenings, it's a bad sign. But this movie hasn't had any exposure at all that I know of. I heard that it's possible the prints weren't ready. Who knows.

2) Study Calculus. Study some more. Study even more.

3) Watch a few movies if I get a chance. Might not.

Yup . That's the plan. Not much going on.

Oh, and I saw Empire of the Sun. Decent movie, but too long. Christian Bale was a good actor as a kid, but he looked exactly the same as he does as an adult. It's scary.