Wed Aug 06, 2008
God, The Universe and "The Dark Knight"
Creepy new “The Day The Earth Stood Still” trailer. Finally someone is saying what I’ve been thinking for years: “You may die but the planet will survive.” All the "green this" and "eco-friendly that" is great. And I do my part by recycling to the point where my Mother says I'm taking it to an extreme (like everything else I do). I've switched my cleaning products to green sustainable naturals alternatives. It’s just the whole “save the Earth” campaign is a bit ridiculous. We’re really trying to save ourselves by saving the planet. It’s kinda the only place we have to put our stuff and grow food for the time being. I’m sure after we start living on Mars everyone will forget all this recycle, reuse business and trash the hell out of this little space rock. Call me a cynic, but I believe most humans will only do things that are completely necessary to save their own lives or to put money in their own pockets.
Which leads to my Pick of the Week and the conversation I’ve been having since I saw it the first time last week and the second time this week. This is a force so powerful it caused me to find a babysitter and actually leave the house with my husband for our first date night in over a year. This is something so special the likes of which we haven’t seen since “Titanic.” I just need to say a few hundred words about my Pick of the Week and the greatest film of the year, “The Dark Knight.”
This film is spectacular. It is sophisticated and terrifying in ways I had no idea film could be. It looked into the dark and sad places in my soul and pulled them out for me to stare at for two hours and forty minutes. Afterwards I cried, not just for the loss of Heath Ledger but for the fragile, angry and lonely character he created. I know logically the film needed Batman in order for The Joker to be so amazing but Ledger really did steal the show. And that was hard to do considering the powerhouse actors involved in this tremendous piece of cinema. And that’s really what this movie is, cinema.
Back in the 60’s we were given "Cinerama", which the Cinerama Dome can still play in its correct aspect ratio in Los Angeles. Today we have IMAX. “The Dark Knight” brings the art of cinema back to the really big screen. From cinematography without digital color correction to large format photography and heavy cameras, which eliminated any hand-held or “shakey” camera moves, this film is classic and classy from first frame to last credit.
After experiencing the IMAX version, and I do mean experiencing it, I can say officially, WOW!
It was breathtaking. It was spectacle at it’s best. I felt as if I were in the film, walking among the characters, in their world. I felt like I was flying right behind Batman. It was the ultimate vicarious experience.
And the sound, oh, the sound. The sound-mix is exquisite. It’s delicate, it’s powerful, it’s surprising, as when the Joker leans out of the big-rig to give a little “Woah,” as he passes the camera.
Both Ledger and Eckhart made amazing vocal choices throughout the film, choices which scared me and surprised me. They caught me off guard. The modulation of tonality from Bale, Ledger and Eckhart began to feel like a directorial choice. It may have been a reaction to the vibe Nolan was emitting. He is exploring the idea of duality of divinity and the human spirit. This film is a conversation about God and the Universe so perhaps he wanted to make sure the audience was paying attention and truly listening.
The Joker reveals the theme as he hangs upside down awaiting his fate from Batman. They are locked in an eternal fight for the soul of humanity. Yet the Joker, for all his pronouncements of being an agent of chaos and a man who has no plan, wears a conspicuous watch on the front of his nurse’s outfit. Why would a chaostitian need a watch if he was not exacting a plan to the minutest detail, down to the last second?
I began to ask, “Is Nolan saying that we are all victims of destiny, living our lives as a series of reactions play out from one event to the next like a row of dominoes? Or do we at some point choose our reaction, become conscious of our actions and how people react and chose to change for the good of ourselves and others?” Do we therefore only save ourselves through saving others? The end of “The Dark Knight” should answer this for you. It did for me.
Posted by: eldirector
on Aug 06, 08 | 2:11 am | Profile
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Sat Apr 19, 2008
Zero:Hour Festival Screening! Yes! I Said Festival Screening!
No, it's not April Fool's Day... there is really going to be a screening of the Zero:Hour promo reel at a festival this Monday night!
For Those of You in Austin, TX this Monday night at 9pm!
Please, if you worked on the film, know us, or just live in Austin, come on out and check out the film.
We are one of the 11 short films playing Monday night as Part of the "Texas Shorts Fest" in Austin, TX and we couldn't be more excited!!!!!!
To be picked out of the hundreds of entires from all over Texas is a great feeling and we are uber excited!!! Uh, I guess we can be more excited!!! Sort of like how Die Hard 2 was Die Harder! Only we are More Exciteder!!!
What with this screening and the upcoming screening of "REUE" out at the Cannes Short Film Corner, we couldn't be happier... Wait.. we could be happier, but at this moment we are beyond Happy!!! We are Happy with a Vengeance!!!
We are truly grateful for this opportunity.
Hope to See You All Out There! so that we can all Live Free and Die Grateful!!! (Oh look over there is that a dead horse? Yes we are still making Die Hard jokes!!!!!)
Here is the address for Lambert's Downtown Barbecue
401 W 2nd St
Austin, TX 78701
The event starts at 9pm on Monday April, 21st, 2008.
Chris
Sun Mar 30, 2008
REUE de Cannes 2008
That's Right!!!
Our short film "REUE" will be in France this May 14th - 24th, 2008!
It will be playing at the Cannes Short Film Corner!
More Details as they come in!!!
C
Mon Mar 10, 2008
Apocalypse HA!!!
So those of you that know us, know that Apocalypse Now is one of our favorite films. Well, now we finally get a film that sort of Parodies it. Tropic Thunder!
True, Tropic Thunder isn't really a Parody of Apocalypse Now, so much as a parody of films like Apocalypse Now that spiral out of control and go a bit off of the deep end for the better or worse.
This comedy from Ben Stiller is his first Directing gig since 2001's Zoolander and if it's half as great as this picture and short teaser is, then I seriously can't wait.
The great news is that the studio and Stiller are putting together a parody behind the scenes short or ad that will advertise Tropic Thunder as if it really is an Apocalypse Now style film that has gone over budget and has it's stars and director going over board just as Coppola and his Wife Eleanor did with Hearts of Darkness.
So even better, not only do we get a funny Apocalypse Now, but also a funny Hearts of Darkness!
Too good!!!
Here is the first still from the film.
See if you can guess who the actors are in it.
Hint...
One of the is also the star of this summers "IRON MAN".. But I'm not telling which one...
Also check out the teaser site here....
"Tropic Thunder Teaser Site"
Fri Feb 29, 2008
Michael Bay is AWESOME!!!!
Check these out for PROOF OF HIS AWESOMENESS!!!
CLICK MORE FOR AWESOMENESS!!!
More...
Fri Feb 22, 2008
I Drink Your Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard!!!
That’s right… back on the milkshakes again.
This is only because I have so many people asking and emailing me about what this milkshake thing is.
It seems that the saying is everywhere. It was used at a recent Basketball game as a smackdown by the color commentators. Keith Olbermann used it the other night as well, YouTube is cluttered with parody clips of the line.
Now, the line in question… “I Drink Your Milkshake” comes from the film “There Will Be Blood”, which is nominated for multiple Oscars this Sunday, and has gone on to mean more to the general public and has caused a great bit of interest in “There Will Be Blood” than Paul Thomas Anderson ever imagined.
At one of the screenings I attended of the film last week, I actually heard three Frat Boy types walking out of the theater during the credits state “That movie had some great lines in it that I will be using on everyone this week!!! Especially the Milkshake one!
So now it has become the new “Say hello to my little friend!” or the new hip, cool du jour saying that all of America, I won’t lie I am included in this as well, is embracing.
Crazy what we grasp onto, huh?
Well, for those of you who haven’t seen “There Will Be Blood” here is the scene that will more than likely be Daniel Day Lewis’s Oscar Clip on Sunday.
Beware… As it is a scene from the end of the movie… But I don’t think it ruins anything.
Like I said it will probably be an Oscar Clip used on Sunday night.
Click More To See It and for the Rest of the post!!!!
More...
Sun Feb 17, 2008
Atoning for Atonement
Remove Foot From Mouth!
Ok.. So i was wrong... WAY Wrong.
I retract anything negative I had said in my previous post about "Atonement".
I thought it was going to be one of those movies that my Mom watches hundreds and hundreds of times... (Which she will!!!!)
BUT I WAS WRONG!
That's right, I had no problem sitting through it, no problem with it at all actually.
It was really great and deserves all the nominations it got.
I still think "There Will Be Blood" is the best of the Five nominated films, but "Atonement" really did surprise me.
I found myself fully invested in these characters and was really, really, really into the film.
Alot of the credit goes to Joe Wright and the fantastic script by Christopher Hampton and the amazing editing of Paul Tothill and extra credit to Dario Marianelli for integrating the music so perfectly with the mood and sound effects of every scene.
And Kudos to all for pulling off that 5 minute plus single take scene on Dunkirk beach... I mean seriously... It was a feat... A bit showoffy.. but still amazing none the less.
I read that it took them only 5 takes to do and they actually used the third take.
So, that being said, I really do wish it luck at the Academy Awards, I don't see it winning any of the BIG awards, but who knows, It did win the Golden Globe and the Orange BAFTA (Those are the British Academy Awards by the way) ceremony earlier this week, so who knows it could take best picture here too.
In closing...
Once again... I am sorry I ever doubted you "Atonement".
Please Forgive me...
I am very, very sorry for the terrible distress that I have caused you. I am very, very sorry...
I will come back to you.
Chris
Sat Feb 16, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Reue-ing of the day while he is Drinking your Milkshake!!!!
That’s right the day has come so start Reue-ing!!!
Actually "REUE" is the title of our just completed Short film that has been a work in progress for a while now, but with life being what it is, it kind of took a back burner to everything else. But now it’s completed and out to festivals and part of a promotional DVD that is making the rounds as you read this.
So what exactly is "REUE" and where did it come from.
Well, "REUE" is actually a short film that we began work on a few years ago and never really could get the right tone or feel in the editing room, that is until this past year.
We spent the better part of the last 6 months reshaping and redesigning the film, doing the sound mix, color correction and getting the whole thing in shape. Now it’s done and we are unbelievably happy with it.
We have it out to a couple of film festivals now, but hope to also have it online very soon.
If you think that there is "Something in the Air" within "REUE"…. You’d be right…. YES this is a still from "REUE"
Beyond “REUE”, I actually find myself back in Dallas working with the AFI Film Festival for the next couple of weeks.
It’s a great opportunity and I am really enjoying the work, most of all I am finally also getting to catch up on all the Oscar Nominated films on my off time.
So far I’ve seen 4 of the 5 Best Picture nominees, everything but “Atonement”, really having a hard time wanting to sit through it, but I know I have to just so that I have a real opinion about the Best Picture this year. But I tell ya, It’s going to be hard pressed to surpass “There Will Be Blood” !!! I mean seriously. I saw it earlier this week and still can’t stop thinking about it.
THERE WILL BE BLOOD
I have the soundtrack playing constantly on my Itunes…. Even as I write this!!!
It’s a brilliant film, very much in the tradition of “Citizen Kane” and other films of the 30’s and 40’s. It actually feels like a Wells film or a King Vidor film!!!
Seriously…
It also has major touches and nods to P.T. Andersons idols and friends such as Kubrick (The film has no dialogue for most of the first reel, similar to 2001.) and Altman (P.T. lets many of his scenes play out in long takes and shots allowing his actors to really play with his words and become their characters…It really draws you into the film.)
Along with the editing by Dylan Tichenor and music by Jonny Greenwood, the film immerses you in a story and a time better than any of the other nominated films I have seen so far.
I mean “Michael Clayton” is very Pakula (All the President’s Men Pakula, not Pelican Brief Pakula!) like and has amazing performances and a great ending.
“No Country For Old Men” would be my favorite film, were it not for “There Will Be Blood”, cause no one can make that sort of film like the Cohen’s. They take one of the most evil Characters in film History and actually make him the Hero and have you identify with him more so at the end of the film than with any of the other characters in the film. (Well, maybe that was just me!!! Who know)
“Juno” is clever and cute, but a best picture nominee it is not. I really enjoyed it and will probably watch it a few more times, the script is a bit too smart for it’s own good, but Jason Reitman reels it in and the performance really make the film feel real for the majority of it's run time. But best picture? Not really.
Oh yeah the other big deal this week… The return of the man with the hat!!!
AWESOME!!! JUST AWESOME!!!!
CLICK MORE TO CONTINUE
More...
Tue Oct 23, 2007
New is the new New
There's another new entry in the Film Diary section in case you like that sort of thing. And there's a new contributor working for our site in case you like gossip. We've got an insider in Austin and oh is it juicy good stuff. Just take a peak at the Contributors section to get your fill of the latest dish. Happy reading.
Posted by: eldirector
on Oct 23, 07 | 5:03 am | Profile Thu Oct 18, 2007
In Case You're Interested
There's a new entry in the Film Diary section of the site.
Posted by: eldirector
on Oct 18, 07 | 1:59 am | Profile Wed Aug 22, 2007
We'll be in touch
We are working on some stuff but it's taking the time it's taking. We'll let you know as soon as we can.
On a funny note someone put a comment on our YouTube of "Toastmaster" they said they saw it 10 years ago and "it's still brilliant" end quote.
Nice to know we've still got it.
Thanks to whoever that cool person is out there.
Posted by: eldirector
on Aug 22, 07 | 3:26 am | Profile
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