The Year in Movies...WITH PICTURES!

Well Welcome to the end of 2009. I don't know about anyone, but it has been a very long year, personally and cinematically.

I am deep in to making my senior project and I moved in with my girlfriend this year.

So I want to talk about something very dear to me...movies.

Since this is the end of the year I will now provide a list of the greatest movies of 2009. I must preface this list, 2009 is widely considered one of the WORST years on record, but this year has produced some amazing movies. These are the top of the year.


10. Trick r' Treat
This was suppose to be released back in 2007, but it was released this year straight to DVD. The story behind why is ummm well sketchy, but who cares. It has a great villain, a well put together stream of stories that all connect. Anna Paquin is great so is the rest of cast. I hope they get the suppose to be sequel out, but it sounds like that is probably not gonna happen.


9. Where the Wild Things Are
This is a gorgeous movie. Plain and simple. The problem is that it is very dark. Now we all know I love dark, but it's suppose to be a family movie and I wouldn't say that anyone under 13 should see it. It's pretty creepy. It's been in the books for 15 years and it's been in the last few years that Maurice Sendak finally greenlite the movie based on his book only if he was able to pick the director. Enter Spike Jonze. Who did wonderfully. The characters were made by The Hensen group. It's done well it's fun and a great adventure, but make sure the kids can handle it.


8. (500) Days of Summer
This is a movie out of left field. It is a great anti love story. It starts out by saying it is not a movie about love. The performances are great. The story is sweet. I do have to warn people who hate movies that jump around a lot to stay away. It jumps around from day 1 to day 500 and it does it frequently. The good thing though is that it tells you what day you're on before the segment. Oh and how can one forget about the hilarious Bollywood style dance number in the middle of the movie. haha


7. Away We Go
This one was directed by the great Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Road To Perdition) It's a tad of a departure for him. It starts out as a movie about the main characters getting ready to have a baby. It slowly turns into a story about finding home as the couple goes from friend to friend trying to decide who they want to live by. I love the message and the whole idea.


6. Moon
I saw a trailer early in the year and became fascinated. It stars Sam Rockwell as a man who has been living on the dark side of the moon for the past 3 years harvesting Helium 3 which is a renewable energy source. It's a gorgeous piece if independent filmmaking. It's use of miniatures and minor CG is used to make you really feel like you're on the moon. It's a great plot and interesting twist. The biggest issue is that you roughly know the end by about half way through the movie, but it doesn't hurt the overall movie. I definitely suggest seeing it when it's on DVD. I kick myself that I didn't see it in theatres.


5. Watchmen
What can one say about Watchmen? I think we all know I love Noir and guess what? Watchmen is a great graphic novel style noir. It's very real in the same breath as being very strongly comic book. It is a work of sheer art with a thriving soundtrack (they still do those?) and amazing visuals. Sadly it's greatest strength and most powerful weakness is it's complete reverence to the source material. No matter it's still a fabulous piece of filmmaking.


4. Avatar
I am not going to lie I fought myself putting it on the list at all. Why would i fight it? mainly because it is so newly out. I ended up putting it here because it is purely a genius movie. James Cameron, the man behind Terminator 1 and 2, True Lies, The Abyss, and the highest grossing movie of all time, Titanic spent 14 years and $300 million on this beauty. Its story is simple. its visuals are where you really get the greatness. The direction is great. The shots are great. The acting is fine the script is so so. Honestly see it in IMAX 3D before it's too late. This is the movie to see this year. You'll kick yourself for not seeing it in IMAX. It really will revolutionize filmmaking. This is the first film that is helping scifi come back after it's destruction in 1997 with Independence Day


3. Star Trek
Thank you J.J. Abrams for putting enough money into this franchise. Normally I condemn too much money, but Star Trek was one that needed some more money to really make it great. Star Trek is a great prequel to the originals. They got great actors to be the characters we all know and did a great job creating new ideas to the Star Trek canon. This is the second film that will help Sci Fi come back in a big way.


2. Inglourious Basterds
There is a reason Tarantino is one of the greatest living directors and he proves it again this year with what was at one point "The fabled Inglorious Bastards" Notice his title is spelled wrong, he refuses to explain why. Only he can make a movie and title it after some lovable side characters rather than the actual story. Only he can make you laugh and make you feel bad for doing so. His dialogue that has been so great since Reservoir Dogs is front most in this out about A jewish theatre owner, jew hunter, and a group of American jewish men out to kill Hitler himself and believe me it's great dialogue all around. Oh and did I mention this one is up for best picture, director, script, and best supporting actor with Col. Landa played by a very popular German actor Christopher Waltz. Just a great "history" piece.



1. District 9
Say what you will, but this movie is genius. It has heart, it has great effects, it has great style, a great concept, and top it all off it is rooted in history. Now you're probably thinking how can a movie about aliens be rooted in history? The Director grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa during the Apartheid. Since this movie is based there, there is a lot of parallels between the movie and the treatment of the South African people by the Apartheid. It starts out as a documentry about evicting the aliens and turns into something so much deeper. This is just amazing and only cost 30 million. This is the 3rd and final movie of 2009 that will explode Sci-Fi in the up coming years.



Biggest disappointment
Public Enemies
Now don't get me wrong. It's not a terrible movie by any means, otherwise you'd find it at the bottom of my list (scroll down to see the worst of 2009 list.) Public Enemies just happens to be one overly long, sadly underdeveloped movie. Acting is good...thats really it. The direction feels more like a HBO First Look rather than the movie. It was so disappointing considering all involved (Depp, Bale, and Michael Mann, who made greatness like Collateral and Heat) I feel this is a shell of what should have been. I do have to admit it's better than the painfully long, boring, crappy, American Gangster.


Sleeper Hits of the Year
The Hangover
Did anyone hear about The Hangover before it came out. I doubt it. The year was crashing due to the poor releases and then this comedic bomb exploded all over everything. Was it great? Yes. Was it one of the best comedies in years? Yes. It's raunchy, but not too raunchy, it's not really smart, but it knows it and has a lot of fun being the crazy out of control movie.
Paranormal Activity
This movie freaked me out. I started watching it at 10PMish I was up till at least 430...The movie is an hour and a half. Yeah I was freaked. It's one of the few horror movies to actually scare me. Is it perfect? No, but it takes a documented thing and shows you what "has" happened in the past and by that I mean it deals with the idea of a person being possessed by a demon. Has that happened? Not sure. There are documented cases, but it all depends on your belief system. Either way I looked at Anna after she fell asleep and thought..."You're breathing funny. First sign of you being possessed it's over." haha

Most Underrated
9
Zombieland
Terminator Salvation
My Bloody Valentine 3D
All 4 of these are good movies. Only Zombieland can be considered a great movie the rest are good and don't deserve the lack of attention they got this year. If you want some fun check them out.

Next one to look for
Imaginarium of Doctor Pernassus
This is in limited release and frankly I can't wait to see it. This is in fact Heath Ledger's last movie. Yes! He died in the middle of making it. It took way too long for some studio to take this movie up and distribute it. i truly believe that hollywood is trying to rewrite history and shove this into the shadows so you will remember last years amazing movie, Dark Knight. As soon as he died 3 actors were brought into replace Ledger. They include, Colin Ferrel, Jude Law, and Johnny Depp. Yeah I am excited and so should you.

The one I don't have to talk about
Up
I know every year that Pixar puts out a movie there is one asshole who keeps complaining that the Pixar movie isn't on the top 10 movies of the year lists. I will tell you why. It's because it doesn't have to be. We all know it's great, it's freakin Pixar for god sakes. They are the only studio in history to have a 100% success rate. Up was a great movie, personally i cried and you should to if you see yourself as having a soul. It's great Pixar always has been and always will be.

Here is the list of movies getting a lot of praise, but I haven't seen them yet.
Up in the Air
Hurt locker
Precious
Men Who Stare at Goats
The Road
Whip it!
A Serious Man
Sherlock Holmes

And my list for the worst of the year. No it's not in any order. All of these I either endured through like a marathon, fast forwarded through most of it, or I just could not get through.

Land of the Lost
X-Men Origins: Wolverine
Year One
Transformers 2
G. I. Joe

The Last Chapter Post 2

Well...

It's been a battle. Why haven't I posted since the beginning of October? Simple...Well maybe not. The whole project has gotten away from me. I have a decently full crew. I have a new writer, I have finished casting, and I am not sure how I feel about the script. Let me explain.

I gave the script to Mr. Everitt, who read it and then gave it to his wife (an academy script reader), who then gave it to another friend in the academy member. They came back and told me it was crap. To get another opinion I gave it to my program director, Don Schaab, who was nicer about it but still told me it was crap.

My first writer couldn't get enough time to over haul the script so I had to find a new writer. Enter Naomi. She's a great writer and her and I have been trying to find a project to do together for a while.

I am rereading the script tonight to get a stronger handle on what needs to be fixed so I can get her some solid feedback.

I've been in a tale spin ever since Everitt destroyed the house of cards that was my script.

I talked to my producer, Tony, who after reading an older draft said he thought it would be a great idea to do the whole thing on green screen...it took a week or so but he convinced me it was a good and interesting idea. Sad as it is, that idea was thrown out not that long ago, with Tony telling me he didn't have enough time to convince the people that needed to be convince that it was a good idea. So we have decided to make sets which in fact will make it much more Noir, as the project is intended to be.

See Noir was not made by some doof sitting there saying "I am going to make an art movement" It was built out of necessity. They had no money bad sets and poor costumes. Thus the harsh lighting to hide all the poor things in the movie.

Anyway on to good things. We finished casting today. Last week's turn out was not very good. So we called back the people we really liked to give them a different scene to play with and another chance to wow me.

We pretty much had the guys figured out last week so we called them back to lock that in.

These guys nailed the characters.

Now see I have to say the characters were written to be...20s-30s. One guy who I actually put at the bottom of the pile was this 50 something guy who I though to myself "Did he seriously think he could pass as 20-30? Well long story shot he didn't think he could...He new he could make me change my mind on River's age. He came in with a trench coat and gloves on, looking like Robert Stack form Unsolved Mysteries. He took the scene and showed me how bad it was to think we could find a 20-30 something to play the role. His name is Norman and he is in fact River. My main character.

My next pivotal role is Jake Keller. The puppet of the true villain Charlie. The guy who came in to play him was the only one who just knew the character from the start. Jake doesn't show up much in the script but he is key to the story. My new actor was another one I put at the bottom of the list thinking he didn't really look the part. After his audition I just said, "Well ok then I am wrong again." His name is David and his is My Jake Keller.

We had a harder time finding a Charlie, the voluptuously shaped and evil coniving crazy of a woman. I am still deciding actually. I have it narrowed down to 3. Possibly 2. I had some terrible auditions for all 3 roles. So it will be nice to have this out of the way.

I want to highlight some key points of etiquette here. First I know I am in Art school, I know I am student and I know there is no money involved here, but seriously people! I had 5 no shows today. I gave 2 actors who didn't show up last week the opportunity to come back this week and show me something...THEY DIDN'T SHOW UP!!!!!! They were no call no shows...Oh wait my AD got an email from 1 of them at the time he was suppose to audition. REALLY!!!! Try again. That's stupid as hell. I know stuff comes up, but that's why we have this awesome invention, maybe you heard about it, it's called a PHONE!!! Try it. It's quite nice.

Secondly, take it seriously, again I know the above still applies but I am pumping a lot of time and effort into this and I don't need some hack who fancies themselves as an actor to come in and pretend to try. I've read the script. It's not kids in a sandbox or fluffy puppies or a ferret in a Hawaiian shirt, it's good old fashion dark noir detective stuff. So don't laugh while being a psycho bitch who's put her friends through shit. Seriously it's called professionalism. Again try it. You're a joke not an actor.

Also be in time. Early is on time, on time is late, and late is dead. You're not important enough to be late. You're a no body don't show up late and just expect the world. Ain't gonna happen. Have some damn respect!

My last point is. When the director asks you a question as in "What brought you to the project" The proper answer is NOT "Performer's call-board" I KNOW WHERE WE POSTED THE BLOODY POSTING!!!! I want to know what interested you about the project. Also this is NOT a proper answer "Ya know I don't even know what the project is about. I saw it and it must have interest me at the time. Ya know I am interested enough to be here so yeah."

Yeah that is almost verbatim an answer I got. My answer should have been "Get out! You evidentially don't have the brain power to actually do what I need. Get off my set!"

Anyway I will get back to my point. It's just common sense to be professional about all of this. So please be as such.

I will post more when I have more finalized,

Here's to a finished script by mid December.

Simon

Director/Producer

Senior Project Post 1

Hello all,

This is the debut post about my Senior project which will here on out will be referred to as

"The Last Chapter". During last quarter Erik and I were hard at work on the script.

The story was conceived two quarters ago. I decided that I liked it enough to be my senior project. I gave basically what turned out to be a treatment to Erik and ask him if he would be willing to rebuild it and expand it. He agreed and here we are.

Erik and I talked last night about some changes that I would like made for the ending. Over all I love the script and am happy with what Erik kept from the original treatment and what he changed.

I still have some positions to fill on my crew so if anyone is interested you know how to contact me. Either by facebook, phone, or email.

I am going to be consulting with Chris who is my Director of Photography (DP) and Mr. Everitt on storyboards. We will have everything planned this quarter so we can go into next year good to go so we can film the first week in January.

My main focus now is the storyboards and finding an Assistant Director (AD). I need someone who can and is willing to email potential actors and to post a casting call.

I shall post some more when we have more to say,

Simon