Saturday, April 28, 2007
Late Night, Early Morning Musings
I spent a lot of today napping and giving my brain a break. Played some video games. Watched some movies. I ended up going over to Mason's apartment to watch Gattaca with him and some other friends at around 1 in the morning. Fun times. Now I just wish I could do sit-ups while hanging upside down.
I realize I haven't posted my thoughts on Knocked Up. They are still brewing. I have a feeling it's a movie I'll have to see again to really digest everything that's going on. Unlike The 40 Year-Old Virgin, which has some very concrete metaphors and a more easily-understandable conflict, this movie is a bit more subtle. Or at least, that's how it seemed to me. Maybe it's because I can relate more to the idea of a geeky guy who hasn't yet "done the deed" to a different type of loser who gets a girl pregnant after a one-night stand.
I don't know. The 40 Year-Old Virgin is a film about how sex is more important than we give it credit for. Knocked Up is more about how complicated things can get when we forget that. There's a lot more lurking beneath the surface in terms of the characters, and the complexities of each of them. I guess it's realistic in that it really explores the gray areas of people. I spent a lot of the film not sure who I should be rooting for, if anyone. The moment you find someone you like or dislike, they do something to completely reverse your opinion of them. In some ways, the script for Knocked Up is a lot more mature and darker than its predecessor. There's a whole slew of themes coursing through it. You've got everything from the importance of responsibility, to marriage and the highs and lows that entails, to how to cope with aging and how relationships change over time. Complicated stuff.
That said, it's still a really really funny movie. I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard. Like 40 Year-Old Virgin, there's a lot of crude humor, but also like that film, that's not the only kind of humor there is, and it seems appropriate. Sexual situations play a key role in both movies, so it fits that the characters would joke and talk about it a lot. Apatow has a gift for writing snappy dialogue and situations. I'm wondering if his next film will also be a relationship/sex comedy, completing a trilogy. Perhaps one focusing on marriage, and the temptation that exists there?
I also saw The Big One, the second documentary by Michael Moore. Now I have seen all of his mainstream documentaries. This one was really similar thematically to Roger & Me, but it focused on the general problems caused by corporate America rather than a single company. It wasn't quite as tightly structured as his other films, but it was still pretty good. If I had to rank his movies, they would be in the following order:
4) Fahrenheit 9/11 - I don't remember anything about this film except the first scene. I remember it was funny, and I liked it. However, I also seem to remember thinking that it went a bit over-the-top, even for Moore. Overall, it didn't leave a huge impression on me.
3) The Big One - Good and funny, with some really intriguing events and scenes. However, it seems a bit too generalized and poorly-structured, perhaps due to the fact that it was filmed during the course of his book tour.
2) Roger & Me - Great film. It's really well-made, particularly for when it came out, and was the first documentary to achieve somewhat "mainstream" status. There's a lot of dark humor in this examination of corporate America and class struggle. For me, the key scene comes when a company representative tells Moore, "You don't represent anyone." Perhaps there is some grain of truth to the idea that capitalism has the potential to undercut democracy and promote inequality.
1) Bowling For Columbine - This is just a great film, worthy of its Oscar. What starts out as an examination into whether or not gun control is necessary turns quickly into an overall examination of violence in American culture in general. It's really quite fascinating. If you only see one of his movies, see this one. The climactic scenes with Charlton Heston are incredible.
I'm looking forward to Sicko, which comes out this summer. No matter what you think of Moore's politics, you can't deny he's a decent filmmaker with some intriguing ideas. Is he biased? Yes, but then again, I guess we all are. And Moore is willing to completely rethink his views and change his film if he finds something that makes him change his mind.
---
I have about 40 pages written of my screenplay. The plan for Saturday and Sunday: finish getting all of the scenes I know have to be in there written. Then spend next week working on structure, transitioning between plot points, putting it all in the proper form, etc. I'm gonna make it. And let's be honest: it's not like I was going to spend a lot of time studying for exams anyway. At this point, I really don't give a crap. As long as I finish this screenplay and pass, I'm happy. The sooner I can leave this semester behind, the better.
I find myself teetering between two extremes in a lot of ways. I'm either very stressed out, or quite relaxed. Confident or very insecure. I'm about as stable as a bi-polar teenage girl on crack: not really. I find myself both extremely optimistic at times, and very cynical at others. The result is that I have mixed desires. I want to love the world and find my place in it. At the same time, pardon the French, but at times I also want it go fuck itself and leave me alone. I want to get out there and stay busy and be focused. Yet some days I just want to stay in bed and not get up. Ever. I don't want to be alone, yet I also find myself extremely bitter and distrustful of women and relationships in general. If Keira Knightley walked up to me and said she wanted to go out, I'd tell her I'm more than willing to provide her with a brief makeout session, but if she's looking for an actual relationship she'll have to go find some other chump to manipulate. I'm not falling for it. Women are just as shitty and selfish as men, except it's easier for them to convince themselves they're not, and we men help them do it.
Wow. I'm really feeling the cynicism tonight.
I firmly believe there was a period of a few weeks where I could have been considered clinically depressed. I'm pretty sure I'm over it, for the most part. At least, I'm not having psychosomatic symptoms anymore. I don't feel randomly nauseous. I don't find myself suddenly extremely short of breath and having trouble breathing. I don't cry myself to sleep every night anymore (though it took about a month to five weeks for that to stop). Headaches aren't as frequent or as intense. Oh, and I don't wake up screaming now, so that's good. Surely this is progress. Life's a bitch. You just gotta deal with it. Tom Hanks was right: I've just gotta wake up every morning and breathe in and out, and then eventually I'll reach a point where I won't have to think about getting up in the morning and breathing in and out, and I'll forget about how I had it good and perfect for a while.
I never thought I would be looking forward to leaving the state and working 80 hours a week. Sometimes I'm scared to death. But overall, I can't wait. Selling books is a lot of work, but it's not exactly a hard job, and it really is more fun than people think. I need to get away for a while. Hopefully over the summer I'll be able to regain some focus and find some stability of some sort.
I'll stop whining now. Time for sweet sleep. Then back to work. Yay.
---
Forgot to mention: Yesterday I called in to my favorite film podcast, The Movie Blog: Uncut. They had Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, the directors of Crank, on the show to talk about that film and the upcoming thriller they wrote, Pathology, starring Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli on Heroes). Very down-to-earth guys. I didn't think Crank was a fantastic film, but I did like it. It was just a big, dumb fun ride, which was exactly what it set out to be. And as a result for calling in, I'm getting mailed an autographed copy of the DVD. Woohoo! I love free stuff.
Also: speaking of Heroes, I'm a convert now. A few weeks ago I realized that all of the episodes could be viewed online. I had heard that it was a good show, so I watched a few. Then I got hooked and ended up watching all 18 episodes in around 2-3 days, while I was working. Now I can watch it on television. This is just a consistently good show. The writing is really amazing, considering they manage to give all of their characters a decent amount of screen time and fully develop their plotlines. I'm upset, though, because I'll miss the last two episodes by being off in Wisconsin. I guess I'll have to watch them when I get back.
I realize I haven't posted my thoughts on Knocked Up. They are still brewing. I have a feeling it's a movie I'll have to see again to really digest everything that's going on. Unlike The 40 Year-Old Virgin, which has some very concrete metaphors and a more easily-understandable conflict, this movie is a bit more subtle. Or at least, that's how it seemed to me. Maybe it's because I can relate more to the idea of a geeky guy who hasn't yet "done the deed" to a different type of loser who gets a girl pregnant after a one-night stand.
I don't know. The 40 Year-Old Virgin is a film about how sex is more important than we give it credit for. Knocked Up is more about how complicated things can get when we forget that. There's a lot more lurking beneath the surface in terms of the characters, and the complexities of each of them. I guess it's realistic in that it really explores the gray areas of people. I spent a lot of the film not sure who I should be rooting for, if anyone. The moment you find someone you like or dislike, they do something to completely reverse your opinion of them. In some ways, the script for Knocked Up is a lot more mature and darker than its predecessor. There's a whole slew of themes coursing through it. You've got everything from the importance of responsibility, to marriage and the highs and lows that entails, to how to cope with aging and how relationships change over time. Complicated stuff.
That said, it's still a really really funny movie. I can't remember the last time I laughed as hard. Like 40 Year-Old Virgin, there's a lot of crude humor, but also like that film, that's not the only kind of humor there is, and it seems appropriate. Sexual situations play a key role in both movies, so it fits that the characters would joke and talk about it a lot. Apatow has a gift for writing snappy dialogue and situations. I'm wondering if his next film will also be a relationship/sex comedy, completing a trilogy. Perhaps one focusing on marriage, and the temptation that exists there?
I also saw The Big One, the second documentary by Michael Moore. Now I have seen all of his mainstream documentaries. This one was really similar thematically to Roger & Me, but it focused on the general problems caused by corporate America rather than a single company. It wasn't quite as tightly structured as his other films, but it was still pretty good. If I had to rank his movies, they would be in the following order:
4) Fahrenheit 9/11 - I don't remember anything about this film except the first scene. I remember it was funny, and I liked it. However, I also seem to remember thinking that it went a bit over-the-top, even for Moore. Overall, it didn't leave a huge impression on me.
3) The Big One - Good and funny, with some really intriguing events and scenes. However, it seems a bit too generalized and poorly-structured, perhaps due to the fact that it was filmed during the course of his book tour.
2) Roger & Me - Great film. It's really well-made, particularly for when it came out, and was the first documentary to achieve somewhat "mainstream" status. There's a lot of dark humor in this examination of corporate America and class struggle. For me, the key scene comes when a company representative tells Moore, "You don't represent anyone." Perhaps there is some grain of truth to the idea that capitalism has the potential to undercut democracy and promote inequality.
1) Bowling For Columbine - This is just a great film, worthy of its Oscar. What starts out as an examination into whether or not gun control is necessary turns quickly into an overall examination of violence in American culture in general. It's really quite fascinating. If you only see one of his movies, see this one. The climactic scenes with Charlton Heston are incredible.
I'm looking forward to Sicko, which comes out this summer. No matter what you think of Moore's politics, you can't deny he's a decent filmmaker with some intriguing ideas. Is he biased? Yes, but then again, I guess we all are. And Moore is willing to completely rethink his views and change his film if he finds something that makes him change his mind.
---
I have about 40 pages written of my screenplay. The plan for Saturday and Sunday: finish getting all of the scenes I know have to be in there written. Then spend next week working on structure, transitioning between plot points, putting it all in the proper form, etc. I'm gonna make it. And let's be honest: it's not like I was going to spend a lot of time studying for exams anyway. At this point, I really don't give a crap. As long as I finish this screenplay and pass, I'm happy. The sooner I can leave this semester behind, the better.
I find myself teetering between two extremes in a lot of ways. I'm either very stressed out, or quite relaxed. Confident or very insecure. I'm about as stable as a bi-polar teenage girl on crack: not really. I find myself both extremely optimistic at times, and very cynical at others. The result is that I have mixed desires. I want to love the world and find my place in it. At the same time, pardon the French, but at times I also want it go fuck itself and leave me alone. I want to get out there and stay busy and be focused. Yet some days I just want to stay in bed and not get up. Ever. I don't want to be alone, yet I also find myself extremely bitter and distrustful of women and relationships in general. If Keira Knightley walked up to me and said she wanted to go out, I'd tell her I'm more than willing to provide her with a brief makeout session, but if she's looking for an actual relationship she'll have to go find some other chump to manipulate. I'm not falling for it. Women are just as shitty and selfish as men, except it's easier for them to convince themselves they're not, and we men help them do it.
Wow. I'm really feeling the cynicism tonight.
I firmly believe there was a period of a few weeks where I could have been considered clinically depressed. I'm pretty sure I'm over it, for the most part. At least, I'm not having psychosomatic symptoms anymore. I don't feel randomly nauseous. I don't find myself suddenly extremely short of breath and having trouble breathing. I don't cry myself to sleep every night anymore (though it took about a month to five weeks for that to stop). Headaches aren't as frequent or as intense. Oh, and I don't wake up screaming now, so that's good. Surely this is progress. Life's a bitch. You just gotta deal with it. Tom Hanks was right: I've just gotta wake up every morning and breathe in and out, and then eventually I'll reach a point where I won't have to think about getting up in the morning and breathing in and out, and I'll forget about how I had it good and perfect for a while.
I never thought I would be looking forward to leaving the state and working 80 hours a week. Sometimes I'm scared to death. But overall, I can't wait. Selling books is a lot of work, but it's not exactly a hard job, and it really is more fun than people think. I need to get away for a while. Hopefully over the summer I'll be able to regain some focus and find some stability of some sort.
I'll stop whining now. Time for sweet sleep. Then back to work. Yay.
---
Forgot to mention: Yesterday I called in to my favorite film podcast, The Movie Blog: Uncut. They had Brian Taylor and Mark Neveldine, the directors of Crank, on the show to talk about that film and the upcoming thriller they wrote, Pathology, starring Milo Ventimiglia (Peter Petrelli on Heroes). Very down-to-earth guys. I didn't think Crank was a fantastic film, but I did like it. It was just a big, dumb fun ride, which was exactly what it set out to be. And as a result for calling in, I'm getting mailed an autographed copy of the DVD. Woohoo! I love free stuff.
Also: speaking of Heroes, I'm a convert now. A few weeks ago I realized that all of the episodes could be viewed online. I had heard that it was a good show, so I watched a few. Then I got hooked and ended up watching all 18 episodes in around 2-3 days, while I was working. Now I can watch it on television. This is just a consistently good show. The writing is really amazing, considering they manage to give all of their characters a decent amount of screen time and fully develop their plotlines. I'm upset, though, because I'll miss the last two episodes by being off in Wisconsin. I guess I'll have to watch them when I get back.
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 4/28/2007 03:08:00 AM 
