Crisis of Faith

We all have had those moments that shake our belief. I don't think this only pertains to religion. When I started reviewing I made it a point to see a movie, write a review and then compare my rating with other critics. I called it calibrating. I found that some of the reviewers I was comparing myself to didn't like the movies I did. 

I almost stopped doing reviews, then it hit me. I am not them. I am never going to be them. My problem was in trying to be them. I am a person of unsophisticated taste. It is really easy to entertain me. It took me a good long while to realize that is completely and totally fine. 

I am doing this blog and reviewing films because I love movies almost as much as I love talking about them. This is the core of why I am doing this. I want to have a conversation about movies. At times I feel like I am talking to the void but every now and again I do make a connection with another person like myself and those magical moments are why I write. 

Listing to a podcast one of the reviewers was saying that they haven’t had a connection with any films they have seen for the past few months. That happens it seems that there are dry periods. It’s these times that are needed to truly distinguish between the great movies. It almost cleanses the pallet so when something that comes by that is truly exquisite.

This same reviewer was saying that they had a concern that they would descend into only reviewing the one or two genres that speak to him. I think that we all have our favorites. The trick is you need to continue to enjoy the journey of the unfolding story. When I don’t care for a movie I go into my armchair director mode and start thinking of ways to salvage the film.

We have to understand our own blind spots. Mine is Luc Besson, I know that some of his films are not strong but I still love them. There is something that speaks to me in his way of telling a story. There are others but I’m not going to go into that just suffice to know where we are going to go into a viewing already loving a story or at least the hope of a good story.

With everything you do, there are sometimes when you need to take a break. I did that for a bit but I lost so much ground. So when I want to take a break I keep doing something but I change the way that I do things, I adjust my writing style or I move things around on my blog.

Don’t becomes stagnate with your passions, do something different and keep moving forward. If you are feeling stagnant your work will touch people, at some point and time you are going to be viewed.

Keep moving forward. Whatever you do, keep moving forward.

What You Can Learn From Movies.

As a movie fan, I take away some movie lines that mean something to me. Movie lines sometimes capture a way that I like to live my life. I am going to share some with you and explain why they speak to me. Even bad movies can sometimes hold a nugget of wisdom in them.

"Turns out, the short and very simple definition of a gentleman or a lady is: someone who always attempts to make the people around him or her feel as comfortable as possible. That's it! If you don't do that, nothing else matters. “- Troy (Blast From The Past)

Making people comfortable is the best way to connect with people. I think that a lot of the problems we have today could be eliminated if we applied to this our way of interacting with people.

"Years ago my mother used to say to me, she'd say, 'In this world, Elwood, you must be ... oh so smart or oh so pleasant.' Well, for years I was smart. I recommend pleasant. And you may quote me." - Elwood P. Dowd (Harvey)

This one is very much like the first one. I do need to clarify that being pleasant doesn’t me you are passive. It means that you keep others thoughts and feelings in mind when I am working with them.

"Some people without brains do an awful lot of talking." - The Scarecrow (The Wizard of OZ)

I think about this line when I start to find myself talking, and talking and talking. It helps me shut up.

“With great power, comes great responsibility” – Uncle Ben (TheAmazing Spider-Man)

This one helps me think about how I can help others and give back to my community. I am comfortable and I have been fortunate enough to not be in a place where I struggled. I use this line to remind myself that if I have a way to help someone, do it. But I do wish I had Spider-man’s powers.

“Don't be mean; we don't have to be mean, cuz, remember, no matter where you go, there you are.” – Buckaroo Banzai (The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension)

This is a very Zen remark for me. I have used this line to remind myself that I can’t run for myself and also to help me remember to not be a nuisance or rude where I am.

“Attitude reflects leadership, captain.” – Big Ju (Rememberthe Titans)

I had this on my wall when I was a team manager. It reminds me to keep my team first in my planning and using them as a barometer to see how I am doing. I would sometimes not have good news but I let my team know why the news was bad and how we were going to work together to get past it.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” – Ferris (Ferris Bueller’s day Off)

You have to appreciate the journey you are on.

“Candy doesn’t have to have a point. That’s why it’s candy.” – Charlie Bucket (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)

Sometimes the fun we have is just for the purpose of having fun. Embrace that distraction and don’t try and make every second of your life productive in different ways. Give yourself a break every now and again.

P.S I am going to go back and redo yesterday’s post but the wound still smarts so I am going to do it later. 

Hey Kirk Cameron I'll Give It a look.

I hadn't seen that there was a new Christmas movie out. I took my family to see The Hunger Games movie, of which was really good.  I will spend some time with that later.  Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas is now out so I had to do a little digging to find out about this movie.  Before I go on I am writing this as a commentary of films, not religion but as this film is a religious one it’s going to have to also be the subject.  I try and keep religion and politics out of my blog. Movies should be the only place where we can all meet as one. ( I have tomorrows blog idea) 

One quick Internet search brought up this very long list of reviews that are well worth the cost of the search.  There are a few things that are completely clear.

• This movie is apparently not doing very well. As of this posting, it is 8% freshness rating from critics and a 43% fresh with the normal people like you and me.

So naturally the film critic in me wants to see it just to see it, How bad could it be? I did go see Dumb and Dumber To Just because it was next to show and I haven’t seen it yet.  So you know I have no standards to what I will watch.  Hell, I am a soft sell at the holiday films. I enjoy It’s a Wonderful Life every year and I cry every time.

• Kirk Cameron doesn't know how either Rotten Tomatoes or the internet works.

On his personal and the films Facebook page there was an impassioned plea to go to Rotten Tomatoes and give it a good rating. Well, that’s going to give you a short time boost but in the long run, it's only going to cause you problems as you get the word out to the people who love you also bring out the people who haven’t seen your film and want to crush you.  It’s how the internet works. There are these things called trolls and they get joy from bringing you down.

Image from Saving Christmas Facebook page

More on the Rotten Tomatoes front. First off the reviews don’t work in that way.  It’s broken down into two sections. You have the critical review score and the regular viewer score. There is an approval process that you have to go through and you have to be an actual reviewer in standing to be one of the critics listed on rotten tomatoes.  Now Mr. Cameron may not know that because it’s not something that is widely known outside of critic circles. (even if it can be found on the site itself) The audience section of the review form works on the idea that if you have 100 people say they like the film they get a high rating. However, if you draw attention to yourself…You draw attention to yourself.

In an attempt to bring out his followers I think he may have tainted the data pool with people on both sides who haven’t seen the film and are just using the space as a flame war. So I don’t know if I can trust what I am reading online. I would like to see it for myself.

I have asked the film company if they have any screeners out there so I can watch the film and give it my honest review.

• Christian filmmakers never learn from the teachings of Jesus.

From my admittedly limited understanding, it seems to me that Jesus was a pretty chill guy, who enjoyed hanging out with the groundlings of his time. He never gave lectures he told stories.  He educated and entertained the masses. His stories must have been pretty good because people are still talking about them. You could say he was the first practitioner of Edutainment. (That word I stole… err borrowed word with full legal rights referring back to Mr. Joss Whedon if he coined that phrase, the Man is Brilliant)

What Christian films are missing is the entertainment portion of that formula. Jesus’s teachings would not have been handed down from generation to generation if they were boring. Movies like “God is Dead”, “Left Behind” and now this one is their primary goal is get the agenda out and let the storytelling be damned.

I say think about how Jesus would have told a story? If he would have used the methods today back them the miracle of the loaves and fishes would have been less impressive because it would have been only seven people staying to listen.

Image from Art in Faith 

(Actual number who stayed if Jesus was boring)

So I ask for a screener to see if they want me to review it, I will look at it with an open mind and heart and give you a fair and even review.

Do you think they will accept my request? 

Nope, You Lost Me.

When you build a relationship with your audience in a film or on TV you lay a foundation. That foundation is like an understanding between you and them about the type of story you are going to tell. If you want to keep that relationship you have to make sure you follow the rules you have set. 

If you do a good job of playing with your own set of rules the audience will go along with whatever story you are telling. If you break those rules you also break that foundation and in turn the relationship with the audience. I am going the long way to describe the suspension of disbelief.

to give you an example I am going to explain why I am not watching Fox's Sleepy Hollow anymore. 

I understand this is going to be a world where magic is real and the headless horseman is one of the four horsemen and is trying to bring on the apocalypse. So I am bought into the whole I am going to see things that I won't normally believe because you have given me the framework of magic to explain it. Let me Just hang my disbelief on this plot hook. So I understand the physics to be real with the possibility of being enhanced by magic.

During season one they had laid that out for me. I am with them for the season cliffhanger. The main character Ichabod is buried alive. He is in a poorly made coffin so the dirt that he is covered with is falling through the crack in the wood. He detects the presence of sulfur so he quickly takes a scrap of cloth and rubs it in the sulfur and the lights it. A spectacular explosion and the six feet of dirt that was on him is now blown completely free. 

Nope, you lost me. 

See the problems I have with this can be summed up in three points. First and foremost is the fact that sulfur is not explosive by its self. It is one component of three that is needed to make black powder. Now you can ignite and explode sulfur if you make it into a fine powder and let it fly in the air. But as our hero was under packed earth there was no way that it could do that. 

Let say for the sake of argument you can do that, he would have the force of that blast coming down onto him just as hard as it would have onto the pact earth above him. The force of the blast would have crushed him. 

Now let's say that the force didn't kill him, that would not have been enough force to clear the dirt completely away from the grave, it would have blown the dirt into the air and then it would have come back down again crushing him without the benefit of the coffin that he just blew away. 

I know this next line is going to sound completely foolish but here it goes. You have to make your make believe magic enhanced world believable. 

There are other problems with the show. Inconsistencies with the day and night transitions. Its noon and the characters say they have to get across town and now its night, I mean how big is this little town? 

Also, the way that Ichabod has a photographic memory but can't seem to keep names straight. 

A word to the storytellers out there, when you gain the trust of someone and they join you on the journey you start, keep them engaged by playing by the rules. Whatever you make them be. 

Web Wombat and Me

I have been contributing to Web Wombat an Australian web browser service.  I have been doing things off and on for them but recently they have asked me to do a weekly Netflix review.  I am very excited about this.

 Looking at the site, as of this posting, of the top ten movie reviews they have I have two. Here are the links to them. 

22 Jump Street 

Maleficent

I have done some Netflix reviews here they are. 

Butter

The Expendables 2

As they have asked me to do a weekly submission I am going to put this as one more step to getting on the press list, maybe ask to join a film critics society or two. 

I have Snowpeircer on deck I will post a link to it once it's up. 

Give these reviews a look and if you have a suggestion of what movie I should review next let me know.  I am always up for a movie. 

Why You Should Listen to the F This Movie! Podcast

With my new iPhone, I started to look at different podcasts.  I was looking for a movie related
one to add to my very small list of subscriptions.  I was given the suggestion to check out F This
Movie!

I downloaded ten different movie podcast.  Out of all of them, I only stayed with F This Movie.  Here are a few of the reasons they have kept me as a listener.  

The format – They break out the show into different parts.  The first set is a rapid fire round with The Host Patrick Bromley (@patrickbromley on twitter) and a variety of different guest hosts all rapid-fire talking about movies they have watched. Four or five quick liked didn’t like an update on
what they have seen recently.

They move into a more focused review on a chosen film and then start off by talking about the movies at a high level and have a bit of back and forth with impressions  and then slip into a spoiler section of that movie so they give you ample time to switch off if you want to go spoiler free.

One thing that turned me off of a number of other film podcast was the way the reviewers talked about a film.  F This Movie communicates from a position of looking at the art of cinema and don’t make it personal.  The hosts are not rude or disrespectful of the work that is being talked about, they don’t care for something they don’t demean the work or make you feel like an idiot for liking something that they didn’t care for.  

The feel of the podcast is like you are among friends, there is an openness to the way they talk about movies that I think comes from there true passion for the art. The others that didn’t make my list felt like I was eavesdropping in on some strangers talking privately.  I started listening when they were going through the Scary Movie Month. During October they ask their listeners to watch a scary movie and make a seven-word review of the comment section of the website.  Some of them are outstanding.  This is another reason I like them, they engage their audience. 

I tried my hand and podcasting about a year ago, we had some really crappy gear and it took a long time to edit, as a one-man production process it was way more work than I could handle, so I have a lot of respect for these guys.  It was what I had in mind when I started mine.

Do yourself a favor and give them a listen.  They do use expletives if the situation calls for it so keep that in mind if you are sensitive to that sort of thing.  It’s not excessive.

Here is the last one I listen to.

F This Movie!: F This Movie! - UHF: Don't change the channel. Don't touch that dial. You've got it all with Patrick and Erich Asperschlager.

The Shame of Loving a Bad Movie

When I was younger I was sometimes ashamed of liking movies that people didn’t. I thought that I was an outcast or something was wrong with me. Now I know that it’s all a matter of opinion and no one is right or wrong when it comes to taste.

Image from IMDB

Everyone has that one movie that really touches them and other people don’t seem to like. For me, it’s The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. As a movie reviewer I know how the movie falls down, I see the areas of the script that are weak. I know where it loses people and how it could have been better.

Despite all of that I see it as perfect it touches something in me that I can’t explain. What I can tell you is that watching that movie brings me a feeling of satisfaction. I really connect with the message it is delivering and how the character grows. It gives me hope that people do change and that they improve.

It can be hard to hear people bad mouth a film that touches you but I think that I know something about the movie that they don’t. I have an inside track to what the movie is really about. That allows me to accept the fact that people aren’t into a film I like. I know that this movie was not made for you. It was made for me. I am the one that has a connection to it so the filmmaker is talking to me.

What you love to watch speaks to you, the viewer; it’s a very private thing. It is a shared experience with the filmmaker and you. If someone is really into a film, they can share the same emotions and the same moment in time that is created on screen. You feel their loss and it is an emotion that is just as real as if it were happing in real life.

This is where the magic happens. You have the ability to show people a different side of life or social structure or the world. If the message is strong enough you can change people’s minds, hearts, and attitudes.

As a filmmaker, you may never know the effect your movie had one the viewer. You at times seem like you are presenting the work that can be a part of your soul to a dark void of the universe and you hope that it makes a connection. I am reminded of Calvin screaming into the verse “I'M SIGNIFICANT”

Image copied from Cry Havok 

To the filmmakers who feel like their art doesn’t matter, it matters, a lot you hold a lot of power with the product you create. Not everyone will get it… but the right people will. And really that message could be given to anyone who creates art.

Remember you are significant and you matter, your art is reaching someone and it is changing lives. You can’t see it, but you can feel it in the way that you feel about your art, someone else has that same feeling someplace.

Keep creating, writing, filming, performing, doing.  I'm receiving you. 

Who I Want to Have Dinner With

Here is a list of people that I want to share a meal with because I find their work to be fascinating. They have made my invite list because of something they have done in the Entertainment Industry or other media outlet that has touched me.

In no particular order, I am going to list the name and why they have made the list.

Jon Stewart – Not only the work on The Daily show but also because of his new film Rosewater. That story’s bravery really appeals to me.  Actually having dinner and then watching his movie would be a blast.  I would talk to him about his process with the show; I would love to be an intern for a day. Can I pay to do that, Might be a revenue stream. 

Sean Astin – There is a moment in his life that moved me and I know he doesn't know how. I was feeling low and in a rut in life.  We had attended Starfest and it was right after the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings.  He was sitting at his table engaging with his fans. And he was genuinely engaging with them.  I admired his openness and his honest appreciation for his fans. I was watching him for a while over a balcony.  I was thinking “I need to do something different with my life. I wish I could do what he does.” At that moment he looked up at me and nodded and gave a wave.  I know that it was completely happenstance and there is no way he was confirming what I was thinking but that is what happened in my head.

Joss Whedon – His work has been central to the things in my life, from Buffy to Avengers.  It would be wonderful to talk to him about the things that motivate him and inspire him to do the wonderful things he creates. I want to know his process.

Felicia Day - Her work on Geek and Sundry really fascinates me. It’s like she has her own network. A lot of companies could learn from that.  She is so creative and also in a lot of the media we surround our self with. Dinner with her would be nice but I think gaming with her would be just as fun.

Luc Besson – This man surprised me I was enjoying his films for a long time without ever knowing who he was.  Once I started blogging about movies I started reading the credits and looking at who was making the movies. His name comes up in a number of movies that I adore.  

Ellen DeGeneres – I enjoy her playful nature and her show is awesome when I can catch it.  Her best feature is how she inspires people and her spectacular sense of humor.  It would be great to have a meal with her and talk about just anything.

My next would have to be a double date

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis - I would imagine that the dinner conversation would; be dangerous because everyone is laughing.  I enjoyed the SNL skits that he was in and her work choices always seem to be driven by what would be fun to perform in.

Jody Foster – I have loved her work for a very long time. An evening of wonderful conversation with an intelligent funny person is always a delight. I would love to talk to her about her impressions of the movies that she enjoys.

Don Cheadle - He is so talented His role in The Family Man brought him to my attention and I have followed him ever from that moment on.  He needs more work.  We can talk about what projects he wants to do over dinner. 

I could go on and on but I wanted to keep this one short..ish

Who would you pick, and if I do have these dinners what ones do you want to go to? 

What DC Should Do to Win The Hero Movie Race

Image from Deadline.com

My brother is brilliant. He has this idea for the DC universe that will set its self apart from the way that Marvel has been doing films and give it a new and fresh start.

Some of my favorite heroes are in the DC universe. Breaking into the medium of film, they have only really had two good footholds: Batman and Superman. These were the original hero films. Arguably they were the ones that were the gateways from comics to film in today’s cinema. However, DC is losing the movie race. With weak turnouts for films like Green Lantern and Superman Returns you have to ask yourself why?

I have said in other posts that the DC studios need to have their animation department be put in charge of storytelling and just shoot a live action of what they are telling. Marvel seems to have the right idea with having the creative team be the ones who are passionate about the characters and keeping true to the story arc instead of the money grab that other films seem to be.

My brother suggests this. DC is poised to make a Justice League movie. Instead of going the origin story for all of the characters, because people are bored with those kinds of stories. They need to do a five-episode lead in with the different members of the Justice League.  The stories will all surround the big battle that leads up to the film.

DC has an in for use with the Small screen. They have Arrow and The Flash both as a vehicle to tell the big story and highlight some of the other heroes without losing time with origin stories. These characters are Iconic and because of that, they have a well-known history.

The Flash and Arrow Picture from Screen Rant 

None of these specials are going to relate to an origin, Marvel has done that to death and if DC does it they are just copycats that are trying to cash in on a formula. Filmmaking could be so much better if they use Bruce Lee’s philosophy in filmmaking. Using No style as style will give you the freedom to try new things and get people involved in different ways. There are definite formulas in scriptwriting and other technical aspects of the craft but you run into the same things over and over you lose people’s attention.

Because they are missing out they need to do things differently. Get ahead of the game and start writing its own rules. The DC universe has been darker thanks to Christopher Nolan and they should make the tone of every DC movie feel the same as they are all in the same universe.

Marvel has Agents of Shield but it is really a side note in the Movie franchise and a neat little gimmick show that rocks its ass off but is underused. DC needs to learn from its competitor’s mistakes and maximize on this easy win.

Logo from Forbes

What do you think? Is my bro completely off his rocker or does he have something here? If you like what he is saying, you should like this post to DC via Facebook or Twitter, let other DC fans know that we want our stories just as strong and popular as Marvels and this is a good way to get our act together. Share this post if you agree. 

Spoiler Waring!! Lincoln dies at the theater

When is the time limit that you have to observe if you are going to talk about something in the media? Is it a few months, a few years? I have had conversations with people and I say something about a movie that was two years ago and I get scolded for not giving a spoiler warning.

The best moment for me was when I was talking about The Historical film called Lincoln. And I started to talk about the theatre scene. I was quickly shushed and was told if someone important dies I shouldn’t give it away.

I wish I could make this kind of stuff up.

I started to chuckle and then realized that she wasn’t kidding.

What do you think? Should Television shows also be included? Has the invention of streaming seasons of shows made the rules different? I remember watching Dexter once it was on Netflix and I remember that someone at work told me…Spoiler warning! Dexter’s wife had been killed and their son was sitting like he was when his mother died.

I was only on season two. So she gave away some of the future bits. Did she spoil it for me, sure a little. I have no right to have the world be put on Hold until I catch up. At the very least I should have explained what season I am on.

Kevin Smith had a show called Spoilers. If you are watching that show with that title you can’t be mad at him, he gave you fair warning. That show only had one season but I think it was a great idea. The audience would have been a very slim few. People who love Kevin Smith fall into two categories. The ones who love him and don’t care if they get spoilers, and those who do but only watch the episodes of films they have seen or don’t care to see.  The other people who don't know him are probably going to avoid this because they don't want to see spoilers.

Movie reviewers do tend to give things away in their review but I always try and keep my comments to what you can see in the trailer when I break into my synopsis. I used to have a section for spoilers that you had to click on to see. It was a lot of work for very little pay off so I stopped.

So here are my rules on Spoilers.

• If a movie is historically accurate and about a very famous person that has or /should have a common history for everyone, spoiler warnings are not required on anything that happened as a result of the historical events.
• Television shows that have been on for longer than two seasons, however, you have to calibrate where each of you are in the series.
• Books will also fall under this umbrella for the same time frames as television shows.
• Any work that has been added to the public domain can’t have spoiler warnings.
• Any movie that has been out so long you can now find it in the $5.00 bin at the supermarket will not have any spoiler warning. To be fair if it’s in the bin right after release from the theatres it’s not of quality that would warrant spoiling.

What should I add or remove from the Spoiler rules?

How I found Neverland

In finding Neverland the playwright J.M Barrie, played by Johnny Depp, used children strategically in his audience and get the adult viewers engaged in the play by having the emotions of the kids infect the adults.   I thought this was brilliant because I had a very similar experience when I went to go see castaway.  

Allow me to lay my scene, my wife and I go to the opening night of Cast Away.  It is packed.  We find four seats together.  My wife and I take two and we are followed by a man and his six-year-old daughter. They take the two remaining seats. The little girl is sitting right next to me.

In my mind, I am going over the possible outcomes.  She is a bad kid and squirms and chats up a storm about stuff because this movie is not going to hold her attention.  She is into the movie but asks a hundred questions like “Daddy, why is he doing that”  or she is very bored and goes to sleep and I just have to put up with having kid feet kick me every so often.

During the movie, she was the model of a good audience member.  She was quiet and still and was riveted to the screen. I was unprepared for this so I was very pleased to enjoy the movie.

I have a bit of spoiler here... Wait this movie came out in 2000 there has to be a statute of limitations on Spoilers.  Humm another blog post, just making a note here.   Back to my story.

In the film when Chuck Noland (Tom Hanks) is making a break for it on his raft and Willison his traveling companion floats away.   My emotional state at this point is one of mild sadness I feel just the twinge of sadness for his loss.  But next to me I hear the smallest of whimpers, and this angelic little girl who was superb during this movie is ever so quietly crying.  My emotional involvement in the scene was immediately dialed up to 11.  I cried like a hungry angry baby.

I was amazed at how much her evolvement had an effect on me.  I know that who you go to the movie with can color if you like a film or not.  A friend of mine wanted me to go see Dumb and Dumber because he took his girlfriend and she hated it so he couldn’t enjoy himself in the film.  So after work, he took me and I laughed at all the right bits. (I am not proud of this moment in my life) and he could let himself go and laugh at all the bits his girlfriend was scowling at.

To sum up, your enjoyment of a movie is affected by who you are with.  You are out with your parents and a sex scene shows up un-expectantly in a film and you are now wishing you could fall into a hole. That you would totally enjoy if you were there with your friends.

Just an interesting experience I thought I would share. Do you have anything like this happen to you?

Lost for Life

A good friend Jonathan, who can be found over at BTA, invited me to go see a movie tonight. It was Lost for Life a documentary about juvenile offenders who have been given a life sentence for murder. This was a well-made documentary.

Some of these films are made with a heavy hand that is forcing an agenda down your throat. This one didn’t. It presented the people that were the subjects and gave a larger picture of what is at stake here. This one didn't hold back on any of the facts of the case.  It shows you the truth and the effect these horrendous acts have had one the families of not only the victims but the offenders.

The point of the film is to start a discussion on the effect of giving a child a life sentence without parole. My biggest take away from the film is that children who are in this situation are going sent to a system and treated like an adult. They are often denied services that could help rehabilitate them because those services are reserved for only the ones who are going to get a chance to get out.

We as a society have given up on them. But the Supreme Court removed the ruling that Life without hope of parole was removed as a mandatory sentence. That is still in effect if the jury deems that it is what is necessary. There are about 50 inmates who are in Colorado who fall into this category.

The best part of the evening was the Q and A with three people who were in the film. There were some themes that really hit home for me.  I appreciate the open and honest of the panel. They have made it their mission to make sure that people understand this issue and know about ways to change what is going on.

Your past is yours; no one knows what you have done in the past if you don’t tell them. When you feel like an outsider it’s sometimes just you feeling out of place. Act like you belong and you will.

The power of forgiveness is very potent. It has an effect on not only the Victim and the offender but on everyone who comes in contact with them.

A lot of stupid things are done in the heat of the moment and can cause a lifetime of pain.

I am going to write up a review of the film for my What Is Showing Next blog. But I had to share with you the emotional impact this movie and the experience had for me. If you get a chance take a look at it as it’s on Netflix. It’s well worth the look

Tomorrow I am going to write about an experience in a movie that made me appreciate another film. Are there any topics you want to talk about? I feel like the conversation is kind of one-sided. But I am happy to continue if you are.

Why Movie Travern Crushes AMC

I have just gotten back from movie tavern.  They invited me over for a VIP event. They showed Interstellar of which I will be talking about later.  The star of the night was the new renovations at the Movie Tavern.

The facelift was great the outside looked like it has a new coat of paint and they have done away with the old interior lounge area.  They have updated the arrangement and removed the video games.  There are nice cinema scenes on the walls of the lounge. Aside from the facelift, the layout is still kind of the same.

But the biggest change was the theater itself.  They have a completely new layout that has wall to wall recliner chairs.  They each have their own table, no more sharing with the person next to you.  The theater seems spacious and the front row is far from the screen and with the full recline ability, there doesn’t seem to be a bad view anywhere in the house.

Now, why is AMC losing in the food and theater category?  Let me break down why this is.  First, the chair quality in comfort is the same but the chairs in AMS when you recline there is squeaky leather on leather sounds as you go down and up.  Movie Tavern is completely silent.  They sit the same but if you happen to be sitting with a rambunctious kid you are going to be listing to down and up and down and up all through the boring plot bits of your film. So point Movie Tavern.

The second point is the food quality.  AMC has a huge industrial looking kitchen in their front lobby across from the bar.  And it’s impressive.  You walk in expecting Gordon Ramsey to be yelling “YOU DONKEY” at someone.  When you order they have digital interfaces and the food gets delivered to your chair.  I have to give it to them they do have the front lobby down.  Point AMC

Once you get your food it comes to you already in a takeout box and the food taste like it was prepared by Chief “Mic” as in Microwave.  The boxes are quite huge, and the portion is kind of puny sitting in the bottom of your to go box.  Movie Tavern doesn’t have the fancy order system but they do have an outstanding staff and the food is way better, and they serve your food on plates.  The quantity of food is bigger as well. Point Movie Tavern times two.

The only points that AMC has over movie tavern are that they serve Angry Orchard.  Movie Tavern has yet to get that going.  So AMC has a point but not much of one because I am not going there to get my cider of Choice.

The last difference is that you have assigned seating in AMC and we didn’t have that in Movie tavern. But with no bad seats in the house, I say it’s not needed.  Winner, Movie Tavern go and check them out, the decor has caught up with their food quality.

The AMC Southlands needs to step up their game if they want to stay competitive IMHO.

100 Million Investment

Yesterday I had a thought of something the studios could do to invest in the future. Wouldn't it be cool if a studio invested 100 million in school scholarships? That is one summer blockbuster but instead of getting ticket sales they would be getting access to future directors and scriptwriters. 

Script image from Thoughts On Acting 

Imagine with this 100 million scholarship being broken down into 1 million parts that would go to high school film departments. Each school needs to present a production plan. That would include a script. This could be worked on by the students with the help of the English department. The script would need to meet some criteria and be of quality. They could submit them to a board of industry professionals who would use a grading rubric to make a standard grade. something that measures the precise nature of a script in meeting the technical requirements for a Script. 

After that process, they would need to be graded on the content. Have another set of industry professionals read them and rate them on a scale and the ones that get the most response gets sent back with a letter saying they have been selected to move forward in the selection process. The ones that didn't make it past this process would need to get back the script with an explanation of where it lost points and some feedback on how to improve for next time. 

Storyboard image from Advanced Portfolio Blog

The second phase would have to be taking that script and put it into a production book. to include storyboards, this could get the art department involved. A marked up the script, budget and location shot list and the rest of the needed documentation. Once they have it they would submit them back to the studio and it would go through vigorous review again and the top 100 would each be given 1 million dollars to buy equipment and produce the film they have written. 

So the movies could all be reviewed by students in the English department to determine the best film. Only schools who didn't make a film would be allowed to participate in the review of the film. This could get more people involved at all of the schools. The movie that gets top marks in all criteria would win the filmmakers a fellowship at a studio for a summer or year after graduation. 

This is the same kind of thing that the Young Eagles do. They get kids in the air and fly at a young age to get them hooked into a future in aviation. The thing is if I had this kind of film opportunity when I was in school, I would have been in the industry. 

So to sum up, this project would get the English, Art, Drama, Math and Media departments all involved in a project that could one day lead us to a person who could make a movie that touches millions and all for the cost of one summer blockbuster bomb. I would have rather watched 100 student films with heart than say The Lone Ranger. 

Ideas like this never go anywhere because they have no financial bottom line that can show a profit. I wonder in Freakonomics could do a show on this and prove if this is a worthwhile project even if there is an easy bottom line to see. 

I am going to watch a few films for a cooperative project I am working on. A friend of mine Jon McMillan and I had an idea about comparing original movies with their remakes. Well a
film student/blogger in the UK and I are going to try and do just that. 

Is there anything you want me to talk about for this month, let me know. 

Why Can't Studios Understand?

I would like present  Marvel Studios. They have brought us the most recent successful stories in the theaters of recent years.  Even the worst of their films have still brought in a lot of cash.  Why are their movies so much better than say Spiderman. This blog post is going to try and break down that reason. 

Spiderman, is owned by Marvel but they sold the rights to the Spiderman stories to the  Sony Company.  Sony didn't creat the character they just have the rights to him.  This means that their only goal in making movies about him is to make money.  Financial gain is their primary goal.  So this means they  have to come out with movies at a regular intervals or the rights go back to Marvel. 

Sony was rushed into making another origin story because of this requirement. Well, and because Spiderman three was so bad they had to start fresh to get the stink of that film off the character. What ever the reason the new origin story did a good job of keeping the story the primary focus.  They didn't over complicate the story with extra characters they had to start fresh, They inadvertently made the story only about the creation of spiderman. 

They did well, so they thought to take that momentum and take a huge step backwards by trying to include more villains and convolute the story to base the movie around more toy selling opportunities. 

They had three different bad guys in the second film.  I am guessing trying to maximize the toy potential.  But they are not seeing the long term potential.  Instead of cramming as much as you can into three hours.  Look at drawing out the spiderman story out for the next 20 years. 

They should have had just electro and Spiderman start off then introduce the green goblin as Parkers fend , develop more of the relationship between Pete and Harry and Gwen. We become more invested in the characters and when the inevitable happens and Gwen dies at the hands of Harry or Pete because of Harry we are way more effected.  But that happens in its own story,  Not laid over the same story line of Elcectro. In all of those films have a local gagster slowly become the Rhino. 

Look at the way they are drawing out the stories over at Marvel released Captain America : The Winter Soldier. Note this movie introduced one major bad guy and the organization that was controlling him was introduced in pervious films. 

We also get one new good guy because Captain America and Black Widow were also introduced in previous films. There is no need to over complicate this one move because the story threads were laid out in previous movies. 

Marvel continues the story in the universe they have created and have potential to make more movies and continue to do well with toy market because they are not trying to squeeze so much into one film.  

Sony needs to take a step back from the old school thoughts of do as much as you can to get as much as you can out of the viewers. Viewers will always come back for more if you keep them entertained. 

I hope Sony is doing the way I have explained and not just throwing what ever sticks to the wall because they figure they are only doing this for a kid market. That s undermining them in two ways.  The first way is vastly underestimating who will pay for this kind of content.  Secondly they are not writing to an appropriate kid level. Kids are capable of way better stories than that last attempt. 

Getting back to my original point, Movies have been influenced by one thought. The perfect formula in writing stories.  Take a look at this web Page on Slate, it explains it perfectly. Save The Cat was a book by Blake Snyder a Spec writer.  He pend the book as a definitive guide to the perfect blockbuster formula.  So thats why we have a lot of the same thing and we are staved for something  different. 

I watched The Bicycle Thief recently and really enjoyed the journey. I was completely brought into the characters and story. It was an excellent break from all of the same stuff we see on the screen. It was that experience that made me think of what we could enjoy if studios were more focused on telling good stories that made money. What power could we wield of we focused on stories that challenged the stereo types and focused making the future a better place.  

What if we spend 100 Million on funding high school media programs to see what the future Peirce, Lee (spike and Ang), Scorsese and Spielberg had to show us.  That is just one Movie in the Catalog of films that come out each year. 

HUmmmm, more on that on that tomorrow. 

Movies and Me

This is the first day of National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo) so I am going to take on the challenge of posting every day this month. My first post is going to be about how I watch films and some which are milestones in my life.

I look at movies a lot different than other people. I sometimes feel I don’t fit in with the critic crowed and I also don’t seem to jive with the causal watcher. I watch a movie with two views, one from the critic in me, the other the movie fan. I'm going to write this out because I have been thinking about how I watch movies for a while and perhaps going back through my cinema history will help explain how I watch a movie.

I want to talk about how I watch first. I see a movie with two points of view in mind. One point is from a critical review standpoint. I look at a movie’s pace and tempo. How do the film makers set up the scene. How do they compose the shots? Do they choose an arrangement which builds tension or gives perspective. What do they choose for the editing of the scenes together? Does the music fit the scene or does it distract. How are the actors doing? Do They make the scenes work? Do they look good together? Are they believable? Do They sell it well or are they out of their depth. Does the story make sense? or has writer and the film maker come at the story from different directions? If a movie has too many technical problems I am too distracted to enjoy the film. If I see a boom mic in a shot I am done.

The other point of view I watch a film with is the point of view from an entertainment stand point. Does the story movie me? Am I bought in with what the characters are doing? Do I feel sad when they are low? Do I celebrate their victories? What does the writer and film maker want me to learn or take away or think about? Do I enjoy what I am seeing or do I not enjoy it but it is very thought provoking. Are they too preachy with their own personal agenda or do they pepper in morals through the story and let me do all the heavy lifting with the message. Am I the target audience for this film? If not does it fit who is? Does it also have something for others who watch the film?

These two different points of view are fighting in my head when I watch a film. If a movie has too many technical errors I will start not listening to the story. If a Film has a very engaging story I will overlook errors because of the emotional connection with the material. But a film technically clean from errors but has absolutely no emotional connection will make what ever small errors seem bigger.

 My "in-between" viewes gives me an unique position to talk with both groups. I can enjoy a conversation from the hardened critic and bat errors back and fourth with the best of them. I can also slip into the mindset of just a film lover and talk story and favorite lines and how movies made me think or feel with the most fevered film fan. The long and short of all this is I love what movies give us to talk about.

When I meet a new group of people I always ask what their favorite movies are. I rarely have someone hit me with a movie I haven't seen. I love to armchair quarter back what should have been done in a film and I love to praise the wonderful things done. I wanted to set aside some time to talk about the movie which have influenced me in my life. Or at least ones which are at milestones in my life.

The first movie I attended is 2001: A Space Odyssey. This will probably let you know I am a geek from the start. Not that I remember anything from the film I was only a few days old. So perhaps it's best to say I was in attendance of the film. It just goes to show you I come by my geekiness honestly. My father was the very into science fiction. He died when I was very young so I never had a chance to share in the things he was passionate about. I took some time to watch 2001 again once I was older and if I could work my will I would love to go back and watch this movie with him and then go have coffee and talk about what he thought of the film. I really love the movie it spans the length of humanity and the subtext the story tells about our brutality and our possibility for the future. As I recall all of the sciences in the film is close to reality. Not all of it but for its time they took great care in making it as real as possible.

When I was 4 I saw Charlotte's Web which was the first movie I cried at. I walked out of the theater balling my head off because (spoiler alert) Charlotte dies at the end. I was un consolable as it really touched me. I sometimes wonder if in my young mind I associated Charlotte death with my fathers. I had an outlet which let me cry, truly cry from the heart and let me feel the loss I needed to express. Maybe I am over thinking it. But I remember no other kids feeling the way I did at the film. This movie was an excellent example of the mixture of song and animation which are the kind of films I grew up on. Iwao Takamoto had a hand in a lot of the animation I watched as a kid. Scoobie Doo was my favorite. Kids today don’t know what they are missing from this kind of story telling.

Logan's Run was my next experience with a movie. Some parts scared me, really bad, the renew scenes in the film are ultra creepy to a seven year old. I had problems enjoying that movie for a while but I finally got past it. The runaway surgery machine freaked me out as well. But once we got past those points I started to settle in and start to enjoy the story and the explanation of what was happening. I was also too young to appreciate the nudity in the film. when I went back to watch it I see it with older eyes and had no idea there was any adult themes in the film.

Star Wars was also very pivotal in my young life. I loved it I saw it every chance I got. This movie is one I sought out to see because the trailer scared me. To this day the sand people kind of give me the wig. But I had to see this movie from personal growth. It scared be but I was intrigued by it. I had to go and see it. It was alike I had to overcome the fear I had in Logan's Run because I was older and needed to face my silly fears. I will always love the first time I saw this film because it was the first time I was personally brave by choice. The movie reminds me of my courage and it was always be the way I saw it in the theater. Han shooting first.

A side note on the remastered work. In my personal feeling George Lucas was looking at his film from a stand point of we could never do what I wanted because of the technology and budget constraints. He was so engrossed with making it the way he wanted in his head he never stopping to think when you create something which touches so many you kind of give up your single ownership and it kind of belongs to everyone it touches. Yes it is his movie but it is our youth he was altering. 

Silverado was my first date movie. My mom had to drop us off and pick us up but I will always remember it as the movie I went to with my first girl friend. I will always remember looking over at her and enjoying the feeling of independence I got from watching the movie with no members of my family. Yes I needed a ride but I really remember how pure the experience was. We also saw Top Gun and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Not on the same day but other dates.

Aliens was my first movie with a girl and no parents drop off and or pick up. I drew up the courage to ask the girl I went with. She worked at the movie rental stand at the local supermarket. I would go with my mom to do the shopping she would drop me off at the movies and go and do the shopping. I would spend what seemed like hours talking with her about movies. And it just popped out, we should go to a movie. She said yes and there we were going to the movies. My mom wanted to see this really bad movie and I refused. She then said "Julie said it was a really good movie." I thought to myself, this doesn't seem like a movie she would recommend but ok I will give it a go. Halfway through the movie I leaned over to mom and said, “Julie did not recommend this movie” Mom laughed and confessed. She said that just to get me to watch.

After High school I went into the army. I was always at the theater on Post of I was off. I saw a lot of films most of them just by asking “one please” because there was only one film playing at a time. The poster for the film was on the other side of the building and I walked up on the ticket booth side. It’s not like I had a choice I would just go. None of the movies really spoke to me. I did how ever really like the freedom from choosing a film. I was pleasantly surprised at films I wouldn't have chosen. This may be where I got the idea for my other blog What Is Showing Next.

I served in Iraq and had a hard time once I got back to the states. I transitioned out of the Army and was still struggling with finding myself in this new environment. I saw Mr. Baseball. This movie was exactly what I needed because like Jack from the film I was a fish out of water. What I got from that film was the world doesn’t adjust to me but I need to adjust my views to adapt to my surroundings to accept what is going on. Now whenever I am in a mood I re-watch it as it keeps me grounded.

The last film I am going to talk about is Seven Samurai. I picked the film up at Hastings and it was two whole VHS tapes. The person who watched it before me didn't rewind the second tape so I had to. I was pissed because I really enjoyed the movie. I had to wait till the movie was done rewinding. I started at 11:00 I needed to finish the entire 3 hour film. I totally fell in love with this movie. I think it brought out the passion for film again.

What are some of your movie milestones?

Check out some of the other blogs participating this month over at BlogHer on the blogroll. Many different topics to read. Enjoy.