Almost done
Last night, I stayed in to work on the collection of my short (movies) that I’m putting on DVD for this commercial/viral video agency rep that’s interested in working with me. Two nights ago, it took me a while to get set up and find everything I needed. Consequently, on Monday I only managed to import and make an MPEG-2 of A Sense of Entitlement, the very first movie I made after coming back to NYC from England. It’s not a bad movie, and it’s on 35mm. It’s just… I was watching a lot of Bresson, and so consequently the movie’s a little bit slow and humorless. I watched a bit of it as I imported it, and was reminded of the beginnings of my friendship/crush from afar with Rike. That was a long time ago. Late 2000.
But anyway, last night I was able to move faster because I guess I’d found my groove. Plus the movies were shorter. A Sense of Entitlement is over 28 minutes long. The Boy From New York City (a music video for Riviera) is only 4 minutes+; After An Autumn Day That Felt Like Summer is 15 minutes+; and Virginal Young Blondes is 16 minutes+. So, I got them all in and made MPEG-2’s of all of them. I even made a cool photo for the DVD main menu (I’ll post it tonight or tomorrow) and made the DVD. Tonight, I have to burn it and then let the rep in question know that it’s done. And then contact somebody else who inquired about it.
Of course, I lost an hour when I was searching through the original hard-drive for Virginal Young Blondes. I think that there might actually be two of them, since a bunch of media files were missing. And I have another hard drive that I have no idea what’s on it. So maybe VYB was originally on two files? Anyway, on the main VYB hard drive is the old behind-the-scenes documentary that Jen Hanks made when we were shooting. I tried to export it out so that I can post it on Vimeo (and, consequently, here) and on my own site, but it’s too long. It needs to be edited down. But it was fun (and kind of sad, since I’m no longer in touch with) to see Jen and Melissa onscreen. Still, maybe I’ll deal with that tonight after I finish with the DVDs.
I’m also going to output all of the shorts in their entireties (A Sense of Entitlement, the Boy From New York City, After An Autumn Day That Felt Like Summer and Viriginal Young Blondes) and post them on my site and on Vimeo. And I’ll put the Vimeo videos here. So you can see them.
Meeting postponed
The Thursday lunch get-together that I blogged about before has been pushed back until after the holiday. As I wrote last week, I’m supposed to meet up with a producer/director who’s already read 1/2 of the Casting Couch and thinks it’s excellent. I’m also hoping he’ll give me an introduction to somebody at the firm that reps him.
We spoke on the phone earlier today, and he was very apologetic about not having finished reading the screenplay. It’s all cool. I know he’s busy, as apparently he’s gotten funding for a feature and has been flying back and forth between NYC and L.A. to meet with actresses and whatnot.
Anyway, I’m supposed to touch base with him next Monday to set up a pow-wow for next week. Sounds good. At least he’s still taking my calls, being friendly and seemed reasonably happy to hear from me. Always good signs.
Something interesting things about my weekend
- Found out I’m getting a stimulus check. Weird, considering I claimed exemption on my taxes last year due to having my own business (and maybe I should put the word business in quotes, since it’s just a production company for my movie). Nevertheless, I got a letter telling me that I have a check coming for $300 in a few days. Which is great, but why send me a letter? Why not just send me the check?
- I did my first successful home repair ever. I didn’t want to bother my landlords since they’re elderly and don’t speak English, but I needed to repair the handle on my toilet. So, I did it myself. It was pretty easy, and cheap (it cost less than $20). And I only had to buy two handles to do it (I broke the first one). I was going to take a picture and post it, but I can only imagine how many Tumblr followers I would’ve lost if I’d put up a picture of my toilet tank.
- “Phucket Chicken” should not be pronounced “fuck it chicken”. Although the waitress at the Thai restaurant didn’t seem to even notice my stumbling over the pronounciation of this delicious dish.
- The special effects in Ghostbusters seem very dated and fake-looking now.
- I watched an Australian movie called the Proposition. It’s worth Netflixing. It’s a very beautifully-shot tale of outlaws in early Australia, and the director did wonderful things with what seems to have been a small budget. Very close attention paid to detail. For example, the inescapable flies buzzing over everything. And the cast is really good. Ray Winstone, Guy Pearce, Emily Watson (whom I met once, and she was very standoffish), Danny Huston and so on. As usual, the movie belongs to Winstone. He’s a powerhouse in the hands of the right director. But even John Hurt is good. And FYI, the director, John Hillcoat, was just hired to direct the Hollywood movie version of Cormac McCarthy’s the Road.
If you were to have a unanimous voice, saying quite clearly to Mr Mugabe… you are illegitimate and we will not recognise your administration in any shape or form - I think that would be a very, very powerful signal and would really strengthen the hand of the international community.
![Really well-written article about the state of contemporary Swedish cinema. With the ghost of Bergman hanging over everything, of course. I’ve always wanted to see the Andersson movie (I forget the title, it has the word elevator in it) since my friend Martin worked on it. And I do love Moodysson.
[Update: the Roy Andersson movie is called Songs from the Second Floor. I looked it up on Netflix.]](http://24.media.tumblr.com/7L91ojvDYaunk6ioAKPi3j8M_500.jpg)
Really well-written article about the state of contemporary Swedish cinema. With the ghost of Bergman hanging over everything, of course. I’ve always wanted to see the Andersson movie (I forget the title, it has the word elevator in it) since my friend Martin worked on it. And I do love Moodysson.
[Update: the Roy Andersson movie is called Songs from the Second Floor. I looked it up on Netflix.]
Scary IHOP commercial from 1969.
[via AdFreak]
As much as I’m morally opposed to the subjugation of images for the purposes of advertising (I know, it probably seems pretentious of me to write that, but deal with it), this is strangely beautiful when played without the sound. No idea what the audio is like, though.
Source: onemoretimewithfeeling
A Democratic senator told me that, late last year, in an off-the-record lunch meeting, Secretary of Defense Gates met with the Democratic caucus in the Senate. (Such meetings are held regularly.) Gates warned of the consequences if the Bush Administration staged a preëmptive strike on Iran, saying, as the senator recalled, “We’ll create generations of jihadists, and our grandchildren will be battling our enemies here in America.” Gates’s comments stunned the Democrats at the lunch, and another senator asked whether Gates was speaking for Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney. Gates’s answer, the senator told me, was “Let’s just say that I’m here speaking for myself.
Seymour Hersh has a terrifying piece in the new issue of the New Yorker, one that details the Bush administration’s, aided and abetted by the spineless Democratic “leadership” in Congress, clandestine moves to attack/invade Iran before they leave office in Jan. 2009.
In related news, Iran has begun digging mass graves to house the corpses of thousands of dead enemy soldiers that they believe will accumulate in the conflict.
(via cajunboy)
Source: cajunboy
For decades Republicans have constantly blocked Democratic attempts to increase fuel mileage and many other efficiency and conservation measures. They’ve also constantly blocked or cut spending on alternative energy, all the while mindlessly chanting “Free market”. The economics community had proven long ago that there are many situations and ways where a government role can add greatly to efficiency, wealth, and welfare, but this is a party that long ago refused to think beyond slogans. They acted as though not being simple-minded was a vice, liberal and un-American, when in fact, thinking, and believing in science, evidence, and logic is one of the things that made this country great, and the richest and strongest in the world.
Source: azspot
Friday afternoon
Not too much to report today. Am a bit hungover and tired. Am going to stop by the hardware store on my way home. Heard from Marc with a few leads. I’m loving the new Death Cab for Cutie album. I had four pieces of pizza and two slices of cake for lunch, and I feel like my stomach is about to explode. I had a cigarette with Paul at about 3pm, which was fun because I hadn’t seen him in forever and a month. I’m not going to go out tonight, but am instead going to stay in and relax. Last night when I got home, I turned on HBO and they were playing a George Carlin special that, in my drunken state, was hilarious.
Enjoy the rest of your Friday.
cvxn:
fek:
For me, PYT is a close second to “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.” I think the bridge in “Wanna” is one of the most joyous vocal performances to be put to tape (up there with his sister’s “When I Think Of You,” really).
I vote on Maura’s ticket: “mama se mama sa mama coo sa” is one of the best refrains in the history of pop (and Rhianna would be nowhere without it). But PYT is a better song than “Billie Jean” and “Beat It.”
IMHO, PYT is the superior track from that album. Put it on at a party and watch the dance floor fill up. Brilliant to wake up to this!
Wooohooo!! More Friday music. Love MJ. He may be a perv and downright scary-looking, but his songs can definitely put me in a good mood.
An Honor That Bush Is Unlikely to Embrace
From the Department of Damned-With-Faint-Praise, a group going by the regal-sounding name of the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco is planning to ask voters here to change the name of a prize-winning water treatment plant on the shoreline to the George W. Bush Sewage Plant.
The plan, naturally hatched in a bar, would place a vote on the November ballot to provide “an appropriate honor for a truly unique president.”
Kino International picks up Momma’s Man
My friend Dana, a fantastic musican who contributed two excellent songs to the Deafening Silence of a Very Bright Light, stars in the movie Momma’s Man. This movie was considered a sleeper gem at Sundance, and has since gone on to rave reviews at festivals such as New Directors/New Films at MoMA, Berlin (I think) and Cannes out of competition. I saw it at ND/NF, and really liked it.
The movie was originally picked up for distribution by ThinkFilm, but the deal fell through and Kino International has stepped in. Read more here.
And congrats, Dana!!!
There’s A Light That Never Goes Out - Death Cab for Cutie
Today is cover friday so here’s mine. Original by the Smiths.
Beautiful.
My all-time favorite Smiths song. Gorgeous.
Source: bijan
Yesss!!!
Just got off the phone with a producer who’s interested in getting involved with the Casting Couch. He’s also signed to an agency that I’m hoping to get an in at. During the course of our admittedly short conversation, he told me that he’d gotten halfway through the script and that the dialogue was excellent.
We now have a plan to speak on Monday to schedule lunch for Thursday. He’s hoping to finish reading the screenplay over the course of the coming weekend.
Today’s score is now –
Me: 1,000+
That dreadful feeling of life holding you back wherein you just feel despair and frustration in the pit of your stomach: -1,000
So, if you’re a regular reader of this blog you may recall how, about two weeks ago or so, my good friend Ola sent me two packages of coffee from Norway. He’s a professional coffee roaster at one of the more highly regarded cafes in Oslo, and is fanatical about all aspects of coffee, from storing it to preparing it. For example, he insists that you should always store your coffee as unground beans, sealed in a cupboard (to avoid the moisture of a fridge or freezer).
He sent me two bags of coffee that he had roasted: one for a French press, and another for a mokka (what they call those little tiny metal espresso makers in Norway). Last night, I finally made a pot of coffee from the beans that he mailed to me. From the moment I opened the bags, the smell of the beans was just deliriously, absolutely perfect. Even better once I ground them, as the oils wafted into the air. And the coffee itself? Gorgeous. Look at the crema (thin brown layer) at the top: a perfect height, with just the right amount of air in it.
And the coffee itself? Holy shit. Brilliant.
Ola is a genius, an artist, when it comes to making coffee. I’m floored.
