I was sitting here today thinking about why I don't like writing. Well its not that I don't like it, it's just hard for me to motivate myself to sit down and do it. I think part of it is I'm way too critical of myself. There have been countless times when I've sat down to write a script and within 20 minutes of just daydreaming and scratching out thoughts, I give up on it or give myself a reason to take a break. But I want so much to become great at writing. I even wish there were more writing assignments in school. I know they'll be a lot of writing this coming school year because of AP English IV and the creative writing class I'm taking so that gives me some hope for the dilemma. You may being saying to yourself, "well he's not too bad at writing in here", I guess its just easier for me to write out personal thoughts like this. When I try to write scripts, I should probably mirror the way I think when I'm writing in here. I don't know...next subject...
Amélie
I had the pleasure of watching this AMAZING film last Wednesday. It brought together all that I love about film and was just so amazing to watch. I was captivated from the title credits to the "fine". I know I get a little too excited about all the movies I see and I'm not the best at critiquing them (I'm a little to easy on most movies) but this just blew me away. It's one of those films that you can watch over and over again and it still has the same charm and beauty as it did in the first viewing. One thing I'm very grateful for is that I had never really heard that much about Amélie before I saw it. I knew it had been nominated for a lot of awards but other than that, I had heard nothing of it. I've been constantly thinking about it for the past week and I can honestly say that it changed who I am. After watching the film I was left with this awe and happiness. The plot is that Amélie is a shy introverted woman who works in a cafe. After returning a long-lost childhood treasure to a former occupant of her apartment, and seeing the effect it has on him, she decides to set out on a mission to make others happy and in the meantime pursues a guy who collects discarded photo booth pictures. The message the film sends out is one of making others smile, taking risks, and finding love in the midst of it all. So basically, it's a film about life in general.
Jeunet, the director, was flawless in his direction and Audrey Tautou is a brilliant actress. She was so captivating and interesting...and beautiful!
Ok, well enough of my infatuation with Amélie. I'm sorry! I can't help the film is one of the most amazing films I've ever seen!
Anyways, after tomorrow, my insane part of the summer begins. I'll basically be gone for the next 3 weeks on 3 different vacations that are days apart from each other. Tuesday morning, I leave for Washington D.C. with my Dad. He's there on business and we happen to have enough credit card free miles for a plane ticket for me. Geoff Davis, our Representative, got us access to a White House tour -of the West Wing (Oval Office, etc.) and a tour of the Capital. I'm pretty excited about it all.
Then there's the mission trip after I get back from D.C., then Orlando for my sister's dance competition. Then, in July (11th), I have to have my molars pulled (all 4). I'll be out for another week and a half...on the couch...in constant pain (I'm getting a head-start on pitying myself).
This summer will be a lot different from last summer....I did nothing last summer.
NEXT TIME...
The time I hit my childhood bully on the side of the face with a snowball...and the results of the incident.
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Alice Cooper eat your heart out.
School's almost out. 19 Days.
(not me obviously, but this picture pretty much sums this post up)
(not me obviously, but this picture pretty much sums this post up)
Friday, April 20, 2007
ACT, The Girl, Babel
Not too much has happened over the past few weeks. I took the ACT last weekend and the same day threw a surprise b-day party for Dad. The ACT sucked. I just hope I got above a 20. Which isn't too good of a score but its still average. I just did do too well on the math and science portions. I get the results back in 4-7 weeks. Dad's party was fun. He was extremely surprised and he loved the new TV mom bought for him.
I guess I should explain what happened on the days following the ACT. Well, during the test, there was this really attractive girl sitting a few seats in front of me. She had my attention the entire time; literally from the time she walked in to the end of the test. She had this really natural beauty and these really charming little quirks about her. She kept eating these peppermints (peppermint apparently stimulates the brain - helps you do better on tests). When she first walked in she took a few out of her purse and put them on the empty desk next to her. She then proceeded to eat about 25 of these mints all throughout the test, noisily unwrapping them each time. She had this other little thing about her. She wore this baggy jeans that look like they could have been her brothers. She doesn't really sound like some super-hot girl but just had this uncommon charm and beauty to her, and I was captivated. I never did get her name or anything; I couldn't see what was written on her test paper. But I did make about 2 seconds of eye contact with her as I was leaving through the school lobby. The thought of her stayed with me for a few days. I even tried to find her on myspace, without any luck. Well, you can't always get what you want.
Today I faked sick so I could stay home and catch up on some movies. I've watched Babel thus far. I thought it was really good. It was very dark and a bit depressing but that's the way it was supposed to be. I remember one the critics from my favorite podcast, Filmspotting, said Iñárritu (the director) was too harsh on his characters. In a way I agree -There was almost nothing good that happened without a horrible consequence. Babel was a series of stories that all connected in some way, so I guess I see what Guillermo Arriaga (the writer) was trying to say -that since all their stories are innerweaved, the bad that occurred in the beginning trickles down to all those connected. It's also a film about human flaws. Some of the choices the characters make have serious repercussions. This film reminded me of a much better version of Crash.
I guess I should explain what happened on the days following the ACT. Well, during the test, there was this really attractive girl sitting a few seats in front of me. She had my attention the entire time; literally from the time she walked in to the end of the test. She had this really natural beauty and these really charming little quirks about her. She kept eating these peppermints (peppermint apparently stimulates the brain - helps you do better on tests). When she first walked in she took a few out of her purse and put them on the empty desk next to her. She then proceeded to eat about 25 of these mints all throughout the test, noisily unwrapping them each time. She had this other little thing about her. She wore this baggy jeans that look like they could have been her brothers. She doesn't really sound like some super-hot girl but just had this uncommon charm and beauty to her, and I was captivated. I never did get her name or anything; I couldn't see what was written on her test paper. But I did make about 2 seconds of eye contact with her as I was leaving through the school lobby. The thought of her stayed with me for a few days. I even tried to find her on myspace, without any luck. Well, you can't always get what you want.
Today I faked sick so I could stay home and catch up on some movies. I've watched Babel thus far. I thought it was really good. It was very dark and a bit depressing but that's the way it was supposed to be. I remember one the critics from my favorite podcast, Filmspotting, said Iñárritu (the director) was too harsh on his characters. In a way I agree -There was almost nothing good that happened without a horrible consequence. Babel was a series of stories that all connected in some way, so I guess I see what Guillermo Arriaga (the writer) was trying to say -that since all their stories are innerweaved, the bad that occurred in the beginning trickles down to all those connected. It's also a film about human flaws. Some of the choices the characters make have serious repercussions. This film reminded me of a much better version of Crash.
Saturday, April 7, 2007
NYC and Grindhouse
NYC:
Wow, so much happened. I got Tarantino's autograph on a Pulp Fiction poster I bought the day before we left. Well, my Dad was the one who got it signed. We went on a Fox morning show called The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet and Quentin happened to be a guest on the very day we were supposed to go. So right off the bat, this NYC trip is pretty amazing. We arrived at the Fox Studios near Time Square about 2 hours early. Time passed and before we knew it we were heading in to the holding room before the start of the show. As they were checking the list of people who signed up for the tickets, they couldn't find our name anywhere. Turns out our email confirmation was wrong and we were supposed to be seeing the show the next morning. But, we only wanted to come because of Tarantino. So after all the people on the list are in, we're told there's only one ticket left. So Dad said I could have the ticket and he'd wait out at the coffee shop across the street. I felt horrible...but, the security guy said we'd have a better chance of getting the poster signed outside as Quentin was entering the studio. Sure enough, Dad got the poster signed while I sat in the audience waiting for the show to begin. Next big surprise, I see some crew members bringing my dad into the studio and into the audience. It couldn't have worked out any better- and the show was really good too.
This trip was awesome. After the Tarantino experience, for the next 3 days (we were there from 4/1 to 4/6) we visited Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn College, the U.N., and went to 3 Broadway shows.
I'll post a NYC Vacation Video up here once I'm done editing it. The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island day was second to Tarantino. It was humbling to take the ferry past the Statue and onto Ellis Island - a route taken by millions of anxious immigrants from the early 1900s to the late 1920s. I was awestruck by the statue. I'll never look at it the same. That one monument served as the beacon of hope for so many entering the country, as well as its native citizens. It was a great day.
Brooklyn College wasn't that impressive. It looked pretty average. Just your basic Macs for editing and storage rooms with cameras. But what can you expect, Its no NYU or USC. I'm just not big on moving to NYC. I love the town, but my sights are set on LA. I'm still standing by my NKU option.
I saw Grindhouse today! Wow, that was the most fun I've ever had in a movie. It's moviemaking in its best, rawest form. It just looks like everyone had a blast making it. And like I said, it was just as fun watching it. Tarantino never fails to amaze me. And might I say Rodriguez's portion of the double feature Planet Terror was very good. I'm not the biggest Rodriguez fan but Terror was great -definitely his best. Grindhouse can be looked at this way: Rodriguez's Planet Terror was Grindhouse Cinema in its truest form -it was basically a replica of your typical 70s Grindhouse movie. Tarantino's Death Proof was a neo-grindhouse sort of deal. It took certain elements from the old Grindhouse films and made them modern day. This is similar to what he's done in his other films. Pulp Fiction (neo-noir), Jackie Brown (neo-blacksploitation) and so on.
Until next time...
Wow, so much happened. I got Tarantino's autograph on a Pulp Fiction poster I bought the day before we left. Well, my Dad was the one who got it signed. We went on a Fox morning show called The Morning Show with Mike and Juliet and Quentin happened to be a guest on the very day we were supposed to go. So right off the bat, this NYC trip is pretty amazing. We arrived at the Fox Studios near Time Square about 2 hours early. Time passed and before we knew it we were heading in to the holding room before the start of the show. As they were checking the list of people who signed up for the tickets, they couldn't find our name anywhere. Turns out our email confirmation was wrong and we were supposed to be seeing the show the next morning. But, we only wanted to come because of Tarantino. So after all the people on the list are in, we're told there's only one ticket left. So Dad said I could have the ticket and he'd wait out at the coffee shop across the street. I felt horrible...but, the security guy said we'd have a better chance of getting the poster signed outside as Quentin was entering the studio. Sure enough, Dad got the poster signed while I sat in the audience waiting for the show to begin. Next big surprise, I see some crew members bringing my dad into the studio and into the audience. It couldn't have worked out any better- and the show was really good too.
This trip was awesome. After the Tarantino experience, for the next 3 days (we were there from 4/1 to 4/6) we visited Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn College, the U.N., and went to 3 Broadway shows.
I'll post a NYC Vacation Video up here once I'm done editing it. The Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island day was second to Tarantino. It was humbling to take the ferry past the Statue and onto Ellis Island - a route taken by millions of anxious immigrants from the early 1900s to the late 1920s. I was awestruck by the statue. I'll never look at it the same. That one monument served as the beacon of hope for so many entering the country, as well as its native citizens. It was a great day.
Brooklyn College wasn't that impressive. It looked pretty average. Just your basic Macs for editing and storage rooms with cameras. But what can you expect, Its no NYU or USC. I'm just not big on moving to NYC. I love the town, but my sights are set on LA. I'm still standing by my NKU option.
I saw Grindhouse today! Wow, that was the most fun I've ever had in a movie. It's moviemaking in its best, rawest form. It just looks like everyone had a blast making it. And like I said, it was just as fun watching it. Tarantino never fails to amaze me. And might I say Rodriguez's portion of the double feature Planet Terror was very good. I'm not the biggest Rodriguez fan but Terror was great -definitely his best. Grindhouse can be looked at this way: Rodriguez's Planet Terror was Grindhouse Cinema in its truest form -it was basically a replica of your typical 70s Grindhouse movie. Tarantino's Death Proof was a neo-grindhouse sort of deal. It took certain elements from the old Grindhouse films and made them modern day. This is similar to what he's done in his other films. Pulp Fiction (neo-noir), Jackie Brown (neo-blacksploitation) and so on.
Until next time...
Sunday, March 25, 2007
American Movie, Sobriety, and Scripts
I watched American Movie. Wow, what a great film. It's definitely now my favorite documentary. Not only was it extremely entertaining, but I could really relate to it. Well first off, it's about a filmmaker, Mark, who's trying to make films for a living, or at least he wants to. He's broke, he's has bills up to his waist, and he just wants to live "the american dream" -to be able to do what he loves (filmmaking) for a living. At one point, he talks about how he can't understand how people take these factory jobs, or in other words "normal" jobs when they're ultimately not taking them anywhere.
"There's no passion in a factory job...screwing bolts into some piece of metal on an assembly line"-or something close to that. While this isn't entirely true, not everyone has a passion for film or the arts. They just want to make a living and find their happiness and passion in something else.
But Mark can't do anything but make films. Its what he's destined to do. That's where I could really relate. I can't see myself doing a desk job or anything like that. I can't just ignore this passion I have for cinema. I mean if it means getting a "normal" job to help me get closer to my goal of making films for a living than that's different. And don't get me wrong, I have nothing against desk-jobs. In fact, I think I'd be good at doing something like marketing, but thats just not where my heart's at.
Watching this film also reinforced my commitment to stay sober all throughtout my life (as well as drug-free, but that's always been set in stone). Mark just spends so much money and time with alcohol. I think that's a big part of why he's in such a bad situation with his money, and family problems. I said I would never drink in honor of my dad staying sober for 25 years and I still keep my word.
I'm not anti-alcohol...I think if its used in moderation its fine, but most of the time, its abused. I just can't accept the idea of giving my body over to a drug (and yes, alcohol is a drug when its abused). Not knowing what I did or said the night before and waking up sick just doesn't seem worth it.
Anyways...
I need to start a script. I mentioned this in my first post, and I still haven't started. I need to just lock myself up somewhere for an hour with a notebook and pen. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
"There's no passion in a factory job...screwing bolts into some piece of metal on an assembly line"-or something close to that. While this isn't entirely true, not everyone has a passion for film or the arts. They just want to make a living and find their happiness and passion in something else.
But Mark can't do anything but make films. Its what he's destined to do. That's where I could really relate. I can't see myself doing a desk job or anything like that. I can't just ignore this passion I have for cinema. I mean if it means getting a "normal" job to help me get closer to my goal of making films for a living than that's different. And don't get me wrong, I have nothing against desk-jobs. In fact, I think I'd be good at doing something like marketing, but thats just not where my heart's at.
Watching this film also reinforced my commitment to stay sober all throughtout my life (as well as drug-free, but that's always been set in stone). Mark just spends so much money and time with alcohol. I think that's a big part of why he's in such a bad situation with his money, and family problems. I said I would never drink in honor of my dad staying sober for 25 years and I still keep my word.
I'm not anti-alcohol...I think if its used in moderation its fine, but most of the time, its abused. I just can't accept the idea of giving my body over to a drug (and yes, alcohol is a drug when its abused). Not knowing what I did or said the night before and waking up sick just doesn't seem worth it.
Anyways...
I need to start a script. I mentioned this in my first post, and I still haven't started. I need to just lock myself up somewhere for an hour with a notebook and pen. Maybe I'll do that tomorrow.
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