Sunday, November 15, 2009

Seventy-8 on DVD only a Week away!


Hey everyone sorry for the lack of posts lately, been quite busy. Just wanted to remind everyone that my first movie, Seventy-8 will be released on Nov. 24th. You can order it on a number of on-line sites, like Amazon, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, or at the distributor's on-line store R-Squared. Here are the links for all of them:

Amazon

Best Buy

Barnes and Noble

R-Squared Store

Monday, September 14, 2009

IGN: Breaking Bad: Season 2 Review


IGN: Breaking Bad: Season 2 Review

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DVD Review: Life On Mars - Series 1 (U.K.) - Video - Blogcritics


DVD Review: Life On Mars - Series 1 (U.K.) - Video - Blogcritics

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Flip Ultra HD Camera Demo

Flip Ultra HD Camera Demo from Atombomb.tv on Vimeo.

REVIEW: Crank 2: High Voltage


Well normally this isn't a movie i would see. I hated the first one, thought it was made by really immature post film grad students. (if they made it that far) But my old intern Coleman has a bromance brewing with Jason Statham or JS as he likes to call him. I have to say this film is much better than the last one, because this time the creators got the joke and embraced it. This is a full out cartoon the likes of Takashi Miike would revel in.

Let us sum up: JS survives falling out of a plane and hitting a car full force. Not a scratch. He is picked up with a shovel and has a heart transplant and given a battery powered replacement. And guess what, he has to keep the battery going. Shock! So with the help of Dwight Yokam he tries to find the people who transplanted his heart into an asian David Carradine. Still with me? Next is a series of cartoon like sequences that I have yet to fully understand. It all ends in a giant gang battle of the scum of LA. There is a pretty amazing sequence, (and when I say amazing, I mean they actually had the balls to do this amazing) where JS fights an asian guy in a dream like sequence where they are the size of Godzillas in a power plant. JS wears a deformed mask of himself. There is also a full out sex scene with (I'll do it if you put my name above the title) Amy Smart on a horse track during a race. Still living speaking decapitated heads in fish tanks, and Bai Ling and Pedro.

Go in prepared to have your mind raped and you'll enjoy the fun. I think this one works better, because the filmmakers embraced the absurdity of what they were doing and just went for it.

Guest REVIEW: Ip Man



Been so busy haven't had time to review movies, even though I've seen quite a few recently, so I am resorting to guest reviews..This one is for Ip Man starring Donnie Yen. I loved it!!!! Here is Koh So's review from Yes Asia...

Donnie Yen isn’t just the Man, he’s IP MAN. Hong Kong’s most prolific martial arts actor goes for FEARLESS-type cred in director Wilson Yip’s biopic of the legendary Wing Chun master. The film tells the tale of Ip Man (Yen) during the 1930s and 40s, covering his rise to prominence in 1930s Foshan, plus his involvement with the imperialist Japanese . Noted for its many famous kung-fu masters, Foshan comes under siege from surly kung fu master Jin Shan Zhao (Fan Siu-Wong), who’s looking to rob Foshan’s resident martial arts masters of their fame and face. They’re quick to jump to the challenge, and all are quick to lose - that is, all except Ip Man, who seems to have zero ego and is overflowing with serene modesty. Eventually Ip Man is required to accept Jin’s challenge, but as one would expect, Ip has no problem knocking Jin down to size. However, when the Japanese invade China, even Ip Man’s Wing Chun is of no help.

Or maybe it is. Though IP MAN is billed as a biography of the famed Wing Chun master, it takes massive liberties with actual history. Wilson Yip and Donnie Yen seem to be more concerned with capturing Ip Man’s spirit rather than his actual experiences and exploits. Ergo, his refusal to train the Japanese forces has been adapted to the screen as a framework for some physical one-versus-many battles between Ip Man and the Japanese soldiers, all culminating in a one-on-one match between Ip Man and the honorable, though still somewhat evil General Miura (Hiroyuki Ikeuchi). Can Ip Man beat up Miura and restore the honor of the Chinese people? There are currently two sequels in production to IP MAN, so the answer should be pretty obvious.

However, obvious answers can sometimes make for entertaining film, and that’s exactly what IP MAN is: entertaining. As a biopic, IP MAN doesn’t convince, and is historically inaccurate, not to mention over-the-top in its unflattering portrayal of the Japanese soldiers. However, as an action drama, IP MAN earns its wings, proving rousing and exhilarating, if not sensitive or particularly subtle. Sammo Hung’s action direction is top notch, and the one-versus-many beatdowns possess an entertaining and even emotional edge not seen since the days of FIST OF LEGEND. Donnie Yen brings the film to another level; besides being convincing when he’s whaling away at everyone in sight, Yen is surprisingly subtle, capturing Ip Man’s calm demeanor and also his buried inner emotion. IP MAN may not be the career turning point for Donnie Yen that FEARLESS was for Jet Li, but it’s surely a step in the right direction.

Music Video: 5BUGS-Maybe Tomorrow

I don't know anything about music anymore, but this band 5BUGS did the first 360 degree music video shot with a Canon 5d Mark II DSLR camera. So that's really why I'm posting it. It's pretty cool.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Grandpa Clapp's 95th Birthday Bash

My grandpa turns 95 on Thursday, we had his birthday party a little early this weekend. He had some grim advice to those of us getting older... And people wonder where I get my dry sense of humor. I decided to break out my new video camera to film the festivities. This is the mini Flip Ultra HD cams, that fit your pocket. Check it:

Lance Clapp's 95th Birthday Party from Atombomb.tv on Vimeo.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

North Texas Fresh Episode 2: Final Tryouts

North Texas Fresh Episode 2 from Immotion Studios on Vimeo.



This is the second episode in the web series for the North Texas Fresh basketball team of the ABA. This episode goes further into the final rounds of tryouts for the team and introduces a new coach and trainer to the team.

I had a little help in this episode thanks to our former intern, Coleman "cool daddy" Anderson, coming along to help out with camera and everything else. We got to have a little more fun this time, getting closer with the staff as they move closer to a final roster. Thus far this web series has been a learning process. We are making the rules up as we go along, and discovering what paths are best taken for our production.

I had a lot of fun editing the end sequence here. I went back to kind of an old school 70's way of stopping the action and zooming into the still. This is another example of us finding our sea legs while making things up. Pretty soon we will have a clear direction of where to take the series, but for now this is a lot of fun for all involved. I just hope I can focus when the NBA/ABA season begins! Till Episode 3...

Monday, August 31, 2009

Seventy-8 FINALLY out on DVD Nov. 24th


Just wanted to let everyone know that my little movie Seventy-8 is coming out on a special edition DVD on November 24th by R-Squared Films. You can already pre-order it on Amazon, and it should be available to order soon at Best Buy, Barnes & Nobles and Target. We are currently finishing up all the bonus features for the DVD.

You can also join the Facebook page for the release by going to the link below or by searching for Seventy-8 DVD Release on Facebook by clicking HERE.


More news to come closer to release date! Hope everyone is doing well.

Friday, August 07, 2009

The Best thing I've read in a while....


Seems John Hughes had a pen pal who wrote this tribute to him on her blog. This is truly an amazing article. Could be a movie!

Click HERE to read the post.

REVIEW: Breaking Bad: Season 1



Where to start? Granted I am only reviewing Season 1 here, as I have not watched any of Season 2 yet, but holy crap what a great show. And I don't think I know of anyone else who watches it but me. What a shame... I hate to rehash someone else's review, but Seth Amitin's review over at IGN.COM of Season 1 is right on cue. So instead of breaking my neck here is Seth's review. But please please people gotta get into this show. Buy the DVD's!!! It's great writing and brilliant character work from the entire cast.

Breaking Bad: Season 1 Review
The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river on this show.
by Seth Amitin


March 19, 2008 - You were probably skeptical about this show, too. The promotional poster, the one of Bryan Cranston standing in his underwear, holding a gun, with the RV and the plumes of red smoke in the background, seemed forced, like they were aiming for a 14-year-old demographic, someone that had this gangster-like image of cool. To anyone who's past that phase, it looked, well … stupid.

Instead, we got something completely different. A dynamic and deep show with some realistic insight into the world of meth dealing, and creating characters you care about, too.



We don't want to discount the drama, but the science is what captivated us to start the show. When Pinkman says his stuff is the best, he's Captain Cook, he's the alpha and omega of cooking meth, but then Walt's stuff puts his to shame. Walt's decided professionalism about it (taking off his shirt and pants on his first try and telling Pinkman that "we don't use") is kind of cute, too, in the same way as watching a kid ride a bike for the first time. The idea that a chemistry teacher could so easily create high-quality grade of meth is flat-out awesome.

Then came the drama – the really nasty stuff, the deadly chemicals, the hydrofluoric acid, the complete and utter failures and the rest of the nitty-gritty details of trying to be a drug runner in the world and just how awful it is to be dealing meth (on both the creation and selling sides).



But what really kept us in the show was the depth of character. Walt's unwillingness to tell anyone about his cancer and his subsequent reasoning to not get treatment, Skyler's refusal to accept Walt's bizarre behavior and being proactive about it, Pinkman's time with his family (and especially his genius brother) … everyone has weaknesses and strengths; faults and virtues. Here's where this show gets really cool:

Walt was a simple character to begin with. He's book smart, but not street smart, and he gets involved in meth dealing because he wants to provide for his family after he's dead – he's in the advanced stages of lung cancer, by the way. He's the character to root for, the guy you want to see win, but at the same time, you know there's an oncoming train wreck and that this is perhaps the stupidest get rich quick scheme anyone has ever had.

There's also Jesse Pinkman, who's stupid, but street smart. He failed Walt's chemistry class in high school and now deals meth. He's a born loser, but happens to make a good team with Walt, who is aces when it comes to producing meth.

(There's a point coming up, I swear).



Skyler, Walt's wife, isn't a dummy. She's quick as a whip and loves her husband and son and is protective of both of them.

Then the secondary characters are the enablers: Hank, Marie, Walt Jr., Crazy-8, Emilio and Tuco. You can make a pretty strong case that the cancer is a character in itself because of its broad repercussions and affectations on the lives of each character, but we'll leave that out for now.

And then you throw all of these characters together and you see what happens. Walt with Skyler is protective (see: refusing to tell her about his cancer). Walt with Pinkman works, but it's highly unstable and dangerous. Skyler and Pinkman rarely interact, but when they do, they don't go together well. Walt and Hank work pretty well together, though you wouldn't think that, since Hank's a DEA agent. Walt's interaction with Crazy-8 basically changed his makeup altogether (for anyone who hasn't seen this show yet, boy howdy are you in for a surprise on that one).



If you read all of that, you might know what it sounds like: chemical reactions.

This is what we're talking about. Everything about this show was thoroughly thought-out and it's a true joy to watch a show that can be dissected so much and make it more enjoyable. If you haven't watched this show yet, it's time to get on the bandwagon.

REVIEW: The Hurt Locker


OK, I'll admit it, I was in love with director Katherine Bigelow back in the day. She came into my life about the time I started worshiping directors, and then Near Dark came out and I crapped my pants, cause to this day its still my favorite vampire flick by far. Then I saw her picture and I was in love. She only makes movies every 3 to 5 years, so when one comes out i get all tingly inside. This brings us to 2009's The Hurt Locker, a movie that details the everyday life of a US bomb patrol unit in Bagdad.

Shot in Jordan, the film is based on recently declassified information about a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) (bomb squad) team in present day Iraq. The Hurt Locker is written by Mark Boal, a freelance writer who was embedded with a bomb squad.

First off the movie is tense. The jobs these guys do is insane to say the very least. The Hurt Locker follows a U.S. Army Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit as it works to defuse a series of improvised explosive devices (IED) in the streets of Iraq. Jeremy Renner plays the leader of the EOD team, as he contends with not only defusing bombs in the backdrop of a war, but also the psychological and emotional strain that it inflicts. As the unit deals with one explosive device after another, it confronts the unpredictable and extreme violence of a growing Iraqi insurgency. Team members struggle constantly to distinguish enemy insurgents from innocent Iraqis and to protect themselves while avoiding civilian casualties.



The mental stability that it takes to deal with this kind of pressure is one that if closely looked at is one that is probably one step closer to insanity than sanity. You can see it in all of the actor's performances. Every character is a timebomb waiting to explode like the damn bombs they have to diffuse day in day out. With only about 30 days left on their shift, two of the group played by Anthony Mackie and Brian Geraghty just want to do enough work to get home in 30 days. Then they get a new diffuser played by Jeremy Renner. He likes the rush of diffusing these complex bombs. He almost admires the work, and considers them art. He even keeps a box of fuses under his bed to remind of him each time he almost died. He's walking a line the other two men in his group are not really on board with. And things get a little tense not just in the field but off it as well. This is where Renner starts to lose touch with reality and himself in the process.



This is a great film, and I'd say the best of the Middle East war movies to date. Its a small film, but expertly crafted. And knowing that it was shot in Jordan in the middle of the shit makes it even more tense watching it. In fact they had a hard time getting crew people to begin with or even stay on for the whole movie it was that insane. Visually its gritty, yet fluid and never feels artsy for cool sake. It's a very grounded movie that does not preach to you about the horrors of war. It just shows you that war can be a drug like anything else in life. Some run from it, others run into it.

Great film. One of the years best by far.

Thursday, August 06, 2009

John Hughes Tribute RIP



Very sad about the passing of writing/directing legend John Hughes. He defined my generation of teen movies and beyond. He will truly be missed.

There is a great recent article about him HERE. But be sure and check out the video tribute from youtube below. Its really great. Sad day.

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Premiere Video



I recently re-discovered the greatness of Premiere Video off of Mockingbird and Central in Dallas. I found this groovy article on the local CW33 site, so mucho props to them as I am simply re-posting it. I encourage people who read this site to venture out of the Netflix/Blockbuster zone and experience a video store run by people who actually LOVE, and I mean LOVE movies. No corporate BS here, just love of film. I could spend the whole day in there, but alas I have a Job...

Premiere Video
A Dallas Institution Catering to Families and Film Buffs

Premiere Video, an unassuming independent video store on Mockingbird across from the train station, stands as a beacon and a hub for the fervent Dallas film community. Oh yeah, and you can rent just about anything you can think of there, too.

So how awesome is Premiere Video? Let's put it this way, the 2005 "Best Of" Dallas Observer issue named Premiere Video "The Best Video Store in the World, So Stop Asking" and retired the entire category in 2007. Given the rise of video home delivery services and video vending machines, how does Premiere - an old school "Mom and Pop" video store - continue to thrive after 25 years?

Chatting with Heather Hankamer, general manager and buyer for Premiere Video, she attributes the store's success and longevity to their diverse and loyal customer base. Their location places Premiere within easy distance to the students and academic crowd of SMU, as well as smack dab in the middle of the M Streets/Lakewood/Park Cities families and retirees. As Hankamer states, "we get a kind of mishmash of different customers, and that keeps us strong."

You're Here Renting Barfly Because No One Else Has It

Premiere has been able to stay successful by listening to the customer, catering to a clientele that might be looking for anything from the latest big Hollywood release to the most obscure documentary. One walk through the shop and their vast collection becomes obvious. In addition to your usual "New Releases," "Kids," and "Classics" sections, the store also features rows of documentary categories, British TV series, and an entire wall of foreign films.



Premiere's collection is unique due to a variety of factors. For one, unlike most video shops, Premiere still maintains a large VHS list. Not only does this allow Premiere to have rare titles not yet released on DVD, but there are still a lot of people who rent exclusively on VHS. Additionally, Premiere's relationship with local independent filmmakers and close ties to the AFI Dallas International Film Festival has resulted in gaining access to films that have never been distributed in the United States.

Hankamer does admit however, "the store isn't for everybody." While Premiere has an open and friendly atmosphere, it isn't a store that stocks 100 copies of the latest new release. Though they are sure to have the latest Hollywood movies, Hankamer explains, "The Dark Knight brings them in, but it's the specialty stuff that keeps them coming back."

Premiere's allegiance to keeping things local also gives the video store its distinction. A small crew of eight, including Premiere owner Sam Wade, run the shop, giving the Premiere folks an opportunity to know their customers. "What other job - in a retail environment - do you get to go to that you actually know your customer?" Hankamer asks. Indeed, Premiere's core top 100 customers tend to rent the majority of the movies.



In a further nod to their customer service, Premiere provides a video drop off box in the Bishop Arts District. The drop box was originally the suggestion of a longtime customer who was moving to Oak Cliff. After realizing a sizable percentage of their members lived in Oak Cliff, the drop box was a logical decision. And it had the benefit of increasing the store's visibility and their subscriber count.

One area where Premiere has resisted customer suggestion, indeed pleadings, is for a website. Google search "Premiere Video Dallas" and you will, at best, find a description of the store on citysearch or yelp. Why no website? Hankamer cites economics and inventory protection as the chief reasons for resisting a website. "Our goal has been to retain our inventory for our community and customers. If we put everything up there, we're afraid we'll attract collectors, and we don't want to have to implement a cash deposit policy for rare titles," Hankamer explains. By now, circa 2009, Premiere's "no website" status only fuels its "Mom and Pop" video store mystique.

And, What About that Mom and Pop Mystique?

Premiere Video (under the name Video Works) first opened its doors in 1985 by owner Sam Wade as part of a three-store franchise. At the time, it's hard to remember, the home rental industry was beginning to crest in awareness among the average person. This was an era before Blockbuster Video had arrived - but just barely. At that time, home video rental businesses rented VCRs as well as videos and the videos themselves cost upwards of $70.

Within the next five years, home video became as commonplace in the home as cable TV, and monster video chains like Blockbuster and Hollywood Video had squeezed out many of the small, independent video stores. In 1990, Wade left the Video Works franchise and renamed the Mockingbird store, Premiere Video.

Since then, Premiere has been able to wade (no pun intended) through the continuing evolution of the home rental industry. The introduction of DVDs, according to Hankamer, has been instrumental to Premiere's ability to thrive. The lower cost of DVDs gives the store an opportunity to experiment with lesser known titles. Unlike VHS films that were still expensive for more obscure titles, all DVDs were lower in cost. This enabled the staff there to fill their inventory with specialty titles.



One recent change in the industry that has hurt independent video stores the most is the "No Late Fees" campaign aggressively pursued by Blockbuster, Netflix and others like Red Box. The symbolic death of any late fee policy at these national retailers has helped recruit new members. Of course, it's only a game of semantics. It may no longer be called late fees, but $1 a day for every day you have the rental still translates into a $10 fee if you have the video for 10 days. According to Hankamer, the advent of no late fees was a "Big turning point for the industry, especially for the mom and pops because this new policy made it [video rentals] almost seem like a free thing in people's minds."

At Premiere, all videos rent for $4 and do charge for late returns. However, they don't receive too many complaints about this when signing up new customers. As one person wrote on yelp.com "It's four dollars to rent a vid [sic] which seems a little pricey, but isn't that comparable to b-buster? Plus, they're local, so spending a little extra to rent from premiere = good karma headed your way."(larua n. Dallas, tx, yelp.com) Another user notes that Premiere has "the best selection of indie films and music documentaries, no question. And very affordable. Give your Netflix account some rest and go support some locals!" (Nico M. Dallas, TX)

Premiere's fan base continues to grow and stay vital as the Dallas film community becomes stronger. At a time of contracting niche markets for books and local theaters, Premiere Video has seen the local film community take hold and thrive. Hankamer notes, "Dallas does have a strong film community. That's only been proven true by a very successful Angelika and Magnolia to be so close together yet still be able to compete. For years, it was just us and the Inwood."

For a glimpse of Dallas' film community and movie buffs, you're first stop has to be Premiere Video.
Copyright © 2009, KDAF-TV

REVIEW: Warlords



This is the first Jet Li movie I have really enjoyed in quite some time. The film is directed by Peter Chan and starring Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro and Xu Jinglei.

The film is set in the 1860s, during the Taiping Rebellion in the late Qing Dynasty in China. The story, based on an unresolved crime in 1870, tells of three sworn brothers (played by Jet Li, Andy Lau and Takeshi Kaneshiro) who are forced to turn against one another due to the harsh realities of war and political intrigue.

This film is brutal. With only a 120 minute running time it packs a lot of history and battles. Some of which are truly amazing. The canon scenes are crazy ill. Jet Li is great, and really shows some serious acting hops way above of that of peer Jackie Chan. No offence JC... There is not a lot of martial arts fighting, but there is in spats. This movie worked for me on a dramatic level, an action level, and a historical level. So it clicked in my head as one of the better Hong Kong films I've seen in quite some time. In fact as a result of this film I am curious to get back into that old Hong Kong movie binge I used to have back in the college days.

This film has not yet been released in the states. Its been out in Asia and Europe i think since 07. Not sure what the hold up is. If your looking for an alternative to overly stylized films like Crouching Tiger and Hero, then this gritty action flick will leave you wanting more. The cinematography is also top notch. If you want to score a copy of it, try HKFLIX.COM. They have it in SD and HD. I want Jet and Jackie to stay in HK! No more bad US movies...


REVIEW: Moon


You really can't review Moon, without spoiling it. I'll say this I really enjoyed it, and thought Sam Rockwell was very good. The basic premise is very "2001". An astronaut is the only one on a moon base camp on a 3 year contract to retrieve energy from the sun. He has a computer robot buddy named Gerty that keeps him company. He is set to go home before an accident happens, and well things get a bit out of control. Like i said its hard to say much more without ruining it, but I found it to be good solid film, by Duncan Jones( David Bowie's son) If you liked 2001, you will really dig this. It is almost a companion piece if you will. Good double bill maybe...

Monday, July 27, 2009

North Texas Fresh Episode 1: Tryouts

North Texas Fresh Episode 1: Tryouts from Immotion Studios on Vimeo.



This summer my company, Immotion Studios had the opportunity to meet with Jay Bowdy, the CEO of a new ABA basketball team in this area called The North Texas Fresh. They start their season in Fort Worth later this year. Right now they are just trying to get a team together by looking at local talent. I had several conversations with Jay about doing a documentary at some point, so on my vacation, I went out as a one man band with the HDCam and some mics, and filmed for most of the day at one of their tryouts. I'm not totally sure where this is all headed yet, but it was certainly a lot of fun melding my two loves of filmmaking and basketball. My ultimate goal is to do a documentary on a few players that might find there way to the NBA. If you know much about basketball, its a hard road to go from the minors to the majors. But many have done it, and I hope to capture the sweat and tears of those few players that do make it. So stayed tuned and we will see where this journey will take us...

Monday, July 20, 2009

Cheese Zone!

I WANT TO PRODUCE SPOTS LIKE THIS!!!!!!

Treevenge

Tuesday, July 07, 2009

REVIEW: Public Enemies



I have a bone to pick with director Michael Mann. Well maybe not a bone so much as a real conundrum. I love Michael Mann movies. Thief, Manhunter, and Heat are true classics in crime cinema history. Classics. And for me maybe that was too much to love up to. I have three topics I would like to cover here. 1. The movie itself 2. Mann and HD 3. Remake?

1. The Movie

Public Enemies is a movie of note because it stars Johnny Depp and Christian Bale. So people will go see it regardless. The story of bank robber John Dillinger most people know, so there is not a lot of suspense. The suspense comes in the action scenes in PE. Which are well done and shot quite well. They do not feel overly staged. The dramatic scenes however are flat as a board. You do not buy the love story between Depp and his sop called blackbird. They have no chemistry nor is there any offered. It just happens. OK. Christian Bale's character has an interesting mission to capture John Dillinger. But you learn absolutely zero about his life or interest in capturing Dillinger. Nada. He is getting slammed by some critics for providing a blank performance, which is BS because there is nothing given to us to even give a rats ass about him. He like the romance of Depp and Blackbird chick just is. Take it or leave it. So in a nutshell, great action scenes with little to no music, just guns and bullet hit sounds. That is great. The film is not really boring, but when you don't care about the characters there is no real interest in who lives or dies. The one saving grace of this film is actor Stephen Lang. One of my favorite character actors dating back to Mann's epic masterpiece NBC show, Crime Story, Lang gives a chilling performance as one of Bale's men tracking Depp down.



2. Mann and HD

For those who could care less about movie technology should leave now! WHAT IN THE WORLD IS MANN THINKING WITH HIS HD??? The movie has great scenes of epic beauty, then all of a sudden we are treated to a shot that looks like I shot it on my home video camera. It's very jarring. Public Enemies joins his own Collateral and the near incomprehensible feature film version of Miami Vice in the "bad HD" feature film list. And the fact that there are virtually tons of other HD movies among us that we never notice as being film or not is a bad deal for Mann. I think it boils down to Mann's insistence that night scenes be shot in really low light, which if you know much about filming in low light in HD, its a no no. I know with this and mostly Vice he is trying to push the edge of HD tech, but dude it's really noticeable and very distracting. Enough of that. The other thing that is not working for me is the use of shaky cam here. Mann used to be the master of the wide screen composition, and for a while now he has been the master of bad shaky cam while trying to sneak in his signature master shots. His style is now all over the map. Another distraction. Click HERE to read an article about the HD cam used on this film.


3. Remake?
If you know or love the Mann film, Heat. Look between the lines....think really hard. This is a remake of Heat to me. And Heat was in fact a remake of Mann's own TV Show, LA Takedown. So in essence he has now remade his own film twice now. This movie is like dating a hot model with little going on upstairs. And to quote Pacino in Heat. "Great Ass!"

This is a fun movie if you love historical crime cinema, and Depp does give a good performance as does everyone else, they just don't have much meat to chew on. Someone please give Mann a great crime script to make!!!!

Been There - Episode 2



I finished the second episode of Immotion Studio's web series, "Been There" for the client, Best Choice. This one stars Will, one of our designers at Immotion, and was a blast to make. The story was something that happened to yours truly. I am retired from on screen appearances so Will played the part of me. Although, I don't remember the beach part too clearly. Will did some great improv work to make the story even funnier. We had a lot of fun doing this on our new green screen studio upstairs. And my 2000 Isuzu Rodeo makes yet another appearance in one of my shorts. The short also features cameos by fellow Immotion employees Jonathan and Patti. Hope you all enjoy it, and look for Part 3 coming soon!

Click HERE to go to the video....

Friday, June 26, 2009

Review Roundup



Here are a few indies I recently viewed that I think are worthy of your attention...

The Red Violin

This came out several years ago, but I just now got around to watching it and i glad I waited, cause it recently began showing on HDNet Movies, and it is a breathtaking piece of cinema. Directed by Francois Girard, The Red Violin follows it's journey through three centuries of war, personal turmoil, and revolutions. The stories are all centered around it's auction in present day Montreal after being found in China. The famous Nicolo Bussotti violin, known as "the red violin," is being auctioned off. During the auction, we flash back to the creation of the violin in 17th century Italy, and follow the violin as it makes its way through an 18th century Austrian monastery, a violinist in 19th century Oxford, China during the Cultural Revolution, and back to Montreal, where a collector tries to establish the identity and the secrets of "the red violin."

All of the stories are interesting and are great showcases for actors such as Carlo Cecchi, Jason Flemyng, Greta Scachi, Sam L. Jackson, and Sylvia Chang to name a few. The imagery and camera work is first class. This is a classically made film for those with classic tastes. If it at the end your not freaking out over where the violin might end up, then you are not alive. screenwriter, Don McKellar and Girard do an amazing job setting up the violin as a character itself. You start to care more for the violin than you do for the characters that own it! Great film.

Look



Just for the record I am not a big fan of cult director Adam Rifkin. But that might change after this film. This film is very original in its execution. The movie sets itself up in the wrong way by saying that Americans are captured on surveillance cameras at least 170 times a day mostly without their knowledge. This produces millions of hours of footage revealing the nature of those hidden secrets.

Well true, but this movie is not real footage, it's a scripted movie that was made to look like it was shot with security cams. Once you get over that and let the movie take you, its a lot of fun. And stick with it, cause it gets better the more you get into it, and it does get a creepy vibe towards the end. The very end makes you a bit mad, due to one of the characters getting away with a really horrible crime.Overall I had a really great time with this movie. It was original and pushed the bounds of creativity. Something original in a sea of studio xeroxes is quite nice to behold once in a while.

Meet Karl Pilkington

Friday, June 12, 2009

Molester Stallone

This is a recut of the 80's classic "Over the Top". I laughed out loud at this one!

Uh-oh, Shaggy



This is my version of a press conference to let all of you know that have commented on this photo of me and Scooby-Doo and my nephew. I did not in any way touch Scooby inappropriately at Six Flags. My wife took a picture of me as my arm was going up to Scooby's shoulders. I am not part of the "Furries" movement, nor will I ever be. And if I was I would not do that in front my innocent nephew. Furthermore I am innocent, and will never pose for pictures with a man in suit ever again. I would like to thank my family and friends for there support during this troubled time in my life, but alas they have only laughed at me and pointed... Me and SD have talked it through and we are totally cool. So please, stop calling him for "Furrie" parties. It's not cool. Leave us alone. (Not together, but seperatly...)

Farewell to Analog TV...


Well today is the last day of analog broadcasting. It is kind of a sad day really. I thought about all the old TV's out there, that if found in a barn or an old house will no longer be able to pick up anything other than some pirate signals, that I'm sure will become popular someday. Here are a few of my favorite analog TV moments...



My Grandma's house in the hot summers... watching a 15 inch black and white TV all day. Gilligan's Island, Banana Splits and Godzilla movies. And speaking to that, until I was a teenager I thought all the Godzilla movies were in black and white!



My first TV in my room at my parents was a little 10 inch or so black and white TV. I still remember the first thing I ever saw on it. ABC was showing the broadcast premiere of 1978's Star Trek: The Motion Picture with new footage! It was 3 hours long with commercials, and I witnessed every damn second of it. I had the action figures from the movie too...



Camping in my Grandpa's old travel trailer in the middle of nowhere in the country, I watched "The Shining" on a 8 inch black and white screen in the back of the trailer with sheets pulled up over my head. I've never gotten those images from my mind. Even if it was cut for TV. Shelly Duvall still scares me to this today. And I am weary of any little kids named Danny including my cousin. And now I have twin nieces. Where are my covers?



Next was at home on maybe my first color TV set in my room. I was in the 6th grade and I stayed up late and watched Kubrick's 2001. That movie disturbed me in such a monumental way. I think it changed the way I looked at movies. I remember telling my Dad and classmates how amazing this thing was. Of course my classmates were more into Porkys than existential space movies. My dad told me stories of how he drove to Dallas to see 2001 on this new gigantic screen back in the 60's. he said he went twice. Lucky.



Other great moments in analog TV history for me were the mini series craze of the 80's that brought us North and South, V, and The Day After. Everyone and I mean everyone was home when these things hit. There was no VCR, no going back. You either saw it live or missed it. People would mock you if you didn't see it. I can remember the madness of going to the grocery store an hour before Miami Vice would come on Friday nights. People were in a panic to get back to there house so they could check out Don Johnson's fresh clothes.

There was also this time where my best buddy Joel and I discovered how to de-scramble the Playboy Channel using an analog TV tuner. But that's a story for another day... Electric Blue...



But maybe my favorite analog moment of all time was in college. I got the opportunity to work with the great Bobbie Wygant at NBC 5 for five plus years on her TV shows, and go home and watch what we did live with my parents while eating dinner. Getting to meet all the hosts of Channel 5 shows from my childhood was nuts. And gaining a lifetime friend, like Bobbie was a dream come true. She really taught me what the TV biz was all about. From watching a crappy 10 inch B&W set in my bedroom, to helping produce what came out of it has been a wonderful journey indeed! Farewell analog world, you shall be missed but not forgotten.

Check out these awesome Channel 5 promos!!!



Tetro



Francis Ford Coppola is a God among the legendary filmmakers. His new film, Tetro starring Vincent Gallo comes out in LA and NYC today, and who knows when it will hit the badlands of Texas. Tetro is the second new film Coppola financed himself and is also distributing. His winery is now making him enough money to where he never deals with studios when making films now. In an interview I heard with him on Howard Stern this week, he said his business of making wine has afforded him the luxury of making films a passion again. This is great news. This is what all filmmakers strive for, complete freedom and FFC has it. So if Tetro ever makes it to Texas, go see it and support it!

Assorted Review Madness

I've been on a pretty good tear recently, so I'd thought I'd share a few thoughts on some films I found interesting...



The Reader

I know I'm late to the party here on this one, but I found this to be a very good film. This film has a plot that is Nazi, but to me this is a device to explore some deeply wounded characters. I thought Kate Winslet, David Kross, and Ralph Fiennes were all interesting in their own ways. This is a very extended coming of age story if you will. The characters may grow up fast and get old, but their journey of self extends itself into several decades. I found Winslet's Hanna Schmitz character to be quite fascinating. My wife read the book, and said that is was very cut and dry, but here you get to see the closet that Hanna hides her soul in, and only at the end does she attempt to open it. I found this film to be a brilliant character study of very interesting characters.


Blindness

Everyone starts going blind, except Amber Waves (I mean Juliane Moore) I really liked the look and tone of this movie there are moments in it that are so sick and depraved you want to vomit. I was totally into this for the first hour or so, but after a while you get the point the filmmaker is trying to make, that humans are A-holes when they have sight and when they don't. Human emotions can get worse weather you have sight or not. I recommend this film cause it is different, and raises some interesting concerns, but I'm not saying its a great movie.


Frost/Nixon

Finally! A Ron Howard film I really liked. I often think most of Howard's films are pretty much like eating melba toast. They fill you up but leave you wanting something on them, like some jelly or something. This film is fleshed out. Again another really interesting character study of two people, Nixon and Frost who had their entire legacy resting on this one interview. Someone had to win, and who wanted it more. I never bought Langella's Nixon in the spots and ads, but after seeing the whole thing you totally buy it. He slips nicely into the role, much more effectively than Hopkins did in "Nixon" to me. I thought the contrast of Frost to Nixon was really riveting, and how they both really thought nothing of each other but actually needed each other. A great film worth multiple viewings.


Splinter

A fun little horror monster yarn from director Toby Wilkins. Its about a Splinter type infection that turns various body parts into a collage of a crazy monster. Most of the film takes place in a country convenience store. If there are any Jill Wagner fans in the house, then you will want to see this. It made me wonder why she doesn't get more tough chick work. She's a bad ass in the making. Someone give her a B-movie action vehicle of her own!!!


Body of Lies

Ridley Scott = brilliant (sometimes). Russel Crowe = brilliant. Leo = Growing Pains. Body of Lies = Boredom. This is a film of blown opportunities. I didn't even finish it.


Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist

I liked this one more than I thought I would. A good little comedy that reminded me of After Hours and other great nighttime urban comedy adventures. Great cameos from SNL people and Michael Cera is again a pleasure to watch. And Kat Denning's Norah is very easy on the eyes.


Phase IV

I sought out this film because of my love of Saul Bass. He did all the great Hitchcock opening credits and James Bond open credits. Not to mention a lot of Scorcese's too. Casino being one of my favs. Anyway back int he day circa 1974, he directed his only feature film called Phase IV, which was about ants, becoming hive brain minded and taking over the Earth! This is greatness you say? No, not so much. There is a LOT of macro ant footage and some Michael Murphy madness, but not much else. I was actually rooting for the ants in this one.

REVIEW: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas


This is a film that kind of slipped through the cracks to me. I rented it on Netflix and being a WW2 film afficando I was compelled to check it out. The film centers around Bruno an 8 year old who lives with his Nazi general Dad and Mom, and sister. Bruno is aware of the war around him, and the Nazi's that often live in his home in the country, but Bruno is more concerned with reading adventure books and exploring the land around their country home. One day Bruno sees what he thinks may be a farm in the far distance. He notices that the farmers all seem to be wearing striped pajamas. Curious about this "farm" Bruno decides to find a way to get over to the farm, and in doing so makes friends with an 8 year old behind the fence named Shmuel. Bruno keeps his relationship with Shmuel a secret from his family of course. His own sister is obsessed with the Hitler youth, so Bruno must sneak out every day to visit and feed Shmuel tasty treats from the mansion.



One day Shmuel tells Bruno that his father has gone missing in the camps and he cannot find him. Bruno hatches a plan from one of his adventure books, to help him find his father. I can't really say much more about it from here as it would ruin the impact of the film's climax. The film is based on the book for young adults by John Boyne, and it feels light in that respect but in a good way.




The thing I really liked about this movie was that director Mark Herman never strays from the perspective of the boy Bruno. It's about the ultimate loss of innocence. I have read some criticism that even though it features the great actors, David Thewlis and the awesome Vera Farmiga (If you have not seen "Down to the Bone" with her, then shame on you.) it never gets caught up in their own personal drama, it's still seen through Bruno's eyes. I think that's the right thing to do here. Even though this is a film about genocide, it is a very peaceful introspective experience. "Boy in the Striped Pajamas" is a wonderful little film that I think everyone will enjoy. It's out on DVD now.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

Fletch Blu-ray review


There is a great review of the blu-ray version of the greatest comedy movie ever made, Fletch with Chevy Chase over at Blu-ray.com. Check it out HERE. And if you don't own at least two copies of Fletch in your collection then get off your ass and get to the store and charge it to the Underhills. And don't forget the steak sandwich and a steak sandwich.

First Clips from the new version of "V" remake...

V is one of my childhood favorite shows of all time. It worked on a fun sci-fi adventure level and worked on a social/holocost level as well. I'm not down with this remake at all yet... but i will be watching when it comes out.



Tuesday, May 19, 2009

MINI-REVIEW: Star Trek (2009)


OK, I'm not going to review Star Trek here. It was great and it was bad ass. You don't need me to tell you that. There are a hundred other reviews that can tell you that. In fact I'm re-gearing this blog to talk more about movies you've never heard of or may have missed. The ones that may have fallen through the cracks like my own! But occasionally I plan on talking about some big budget stuff. But after its all said and done there is no reason for me to talk about Star Trek or Transformers 2. They get enough pub as it is. Time to concentrate on the little guys more. Having said that there was two big things about Star Trek I didn't like. The way it treated science and humanity. To me the essence of Star Trek has always been Humankind's quest for knowledge. And Star Trek always had that in spades. Now no one loves a great space battle more than me. But is that really the essence of Trek? No it isn't.



Star Trek was about peace and how The Federation was there to promote that and to advance science to make every one's lives better. The new movie is by all means a thrill ride but that's really all it gives you after its over. Back in the day I used to come out of Star Trek episodes thinking about how we can advance as a people without tearing each other apart with violence. It was a good seed that series creator Gene Roddenberry planted, and one that JJ Abrams passed up for a great roller coaster ride. Maybe a sequel will get it right and avoid the trap of having to outdo the space battle of the previous movie. People compare this movie to Wrath of Khan with good measure, but Spock gave his life so that science and the advancement of it would not fall into the hands of evil. So yes Star Trek is back in a big way and I am very happy, let's just hope it does not become Die hard in space!