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The New ‘Die Hard’ and Some Amusement for President’s Day

Posted on February 18, 2013

Good-Day-to-Die-Hard-Willis

First off, I finally saw the latest Die Hard movie. This one, called A Good Day to Die Hard, was not terrible. It wasn’t great, by any means, but it wasn’t terrible. It just was.

I won’t get into a lengthy review here, mostly because Nat Almirall does a fine job of it over at The Flickcast. However, I will say I mostly agree with him and his review, but I didn’t dislike it as much as he obviously did.

I also didn’t have as much of a problem with following things as he seems to have had. Maybe it’s because I have a background in editing or have just seen so many rough assemblies of films that jump cuts and poor attention to scene geography don’t really bother me.

Perhaps it was all the coffee I had before I saw the movie? Or, maybe seeing the movie with Matt Raub made me stay on my toes and pay better attention in case of potential discussion later? I don’t know.

The movie did spark one thing, though, Matt and I have a terrific idea of what the next Die Hard movie should be. Maybe we’ll share that with the class if we ever do another podcast. Hey, it could happen.

Now this:

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnM_tcDcZLE?rel=0&w=525&h=295]

The Doc ‘Room 237’ Looks Very Interesting

Posted on February 8, 2013

Room-237-Doc-Pic

Even though they’ve already covered this over at The Flickcast, I also wanted to call attention to it here. As you know, I’m a big fan of director Stanley Kubrick. We’ve discussed this before.

So, when I hear they’re coming out with a movie about Kubrick and The Shining, I take notice. The movie in question is called Room 237 and a trailer for it has recently dropped.

Check it out below. Can’t wait to see this.

And Just Like That . . . He Was Gone

Posted on February 7, 2013

keyser-soze-1

Or, so they thought. Turns out he was just working very long hours producing a movie called The Beautiful Ones. But now, at least for the moment, that’s over.

To explain in greater detail, the first phase of the shooting is over. The second phase will commence in about six weeks. I’m still working on other aspects of the production.

The reasons for this particular, and somewhat unorthodox, schedule are many, so I won’t bother to get into them now. Suffice it to say this is the way we’re doing it this time and that’s pretty much it.

Regarding this phase of production itself, I will have more to say about it, and various other related topics, after I’ve slept a bit more. Until then, enjoy this:

[vimeo 27009580 w=500 h=281]

Back On Set Again

Posted on January 29, 2013

me-beautiful-ones

So yeah, I’m producing a movie. It’s called The Beautiful Ones and it’s written and directed by a good friend of mine, Jesse Johnson. We’ve got a great cast, including Ross McCall, Julie Warner and Ed Lauter, and a great crew. So far, things are going very well. I’ve posted some pics and such on my Twitter.

It’s nice to be back on set again and I’m having a great time. I guess I missed all the fun and excitement. I’m not going back to producing full time, as I’ve got other things I want to do, but it isn’t a bad way to spend 14 or so hours a day.

I’m also meeting some interesting people. In fact, there’s a couple of them in the photo above. I’ll post more on the movie as it goes along.

Still More Useful and Interesting Things

Posted on January 23, 2013

sandra-bullock-the-net-1

Here we are again with another list of things I find useful and/or interesting. Yes, as you might have gathered by now, I’m going to be making this a somewhat regular thing.

Well, as regular as one can be when one has twenty or thirty things one has to do each and every day. When did I start referring to myself as “one”? I really can’t say, but I’ll stop now.

Moving along, here’s some more useful and interesting things I find, well, useful and/or interesting. Enjoy.

• Mailbox for iOS looks really cool and I’ve already signed up to be part of it. I’m always looking for newer and better ways to manage email on the go. This could finally be “the one.”

• A guy made a movie at Disneyland and Disney didn’t even know about it. It’s called Escape from Tomorrow and it looks really cool and weird. I would love to see the whole thing, but probably never will. I blame the lawyers. Again.

• I’m considering a new vehicle purchase and to help me decide on what to get, there’s a website about various vehicles and their respective fuel economies, courtesy of the U.S. government. You can even compare hybrid versus non-hybrid to see if it makes sense to spend the extra money. Hint: it sorta does, if you plan on keeping the vehicle for longer than 5 years.

• Technology has come a long way in the last 18 years, but we’ve also got a lot of the same problems we did back then. For proof (and some fun nostalgia) check out the trailer for the cutting edge movie The Net.

Oh, in case you forgot, someone at the USA network must have liked The Net enough to make a TV series out of it. Remember those amazing 22 episodes from 1998? Yeah, neither do I.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46qKHq7REI4?rel=0]

The Latest ‘Man of Steel’ Trailer . . . Made With Lego

Posted on January 17, 2013

man-of-steel-lego

Occasionally, I really like something I find on the Interwebs. In those cases, I feel compelled to share what I’ve found with the three or four of you who read this site. Okay, maybe the eight or ten of you.

With that in mind, I bring you the latest trailer for Zack Snyder’s upcoming Man of Steel — made with Lego. I loved Lego as a kid and obviously, the person who created this video still does. Kudos, I say. Kudos.

Enjoy. After the break.

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Sunday Meetings Are Fun — No, Really

Posted on January 13, 2013

peckinpah-wild-bunch-set

It isn’t really a secret, but yes, I’m working on a movie. It was written by an old friend of mine (old in the sense I’ve known him a long time, not the other thing) and he is also directing it as well. This isn’t his first movie. In fact, he’s directed several already, but he’s trying to broaden his range and show he can do something different than he usually does.

I appreciate that and I can relate. In fact, that’s one of the main reasons I’m producing the movie with him. Although, I’ve produced movies before so my motivation isn’t exactly the same as his. More on that in a later post.

In the meantime, we have our first production meeting today (Sunday) where all the key people get together, go through the script and discuss how we’re going to get this movie done. It’s usually a good time full of lots of creative energy and optimism.

It’s also one of the few times everyone will be in the same room before we get to the set on the first day to actually start filming. Or, in this case, capturing images to a really large flash drive. Still, it’s pretty much the same process.

I haven’t been to one of these meetings in some time, so I’m looking forward to it. In truth, I’m looking forward to the entire process.

I guess I missed it.

In case you were wondering, the picture above is of legendary director Sam Peckinpah on the set of The Wild Bunch, one of my favorite movies. If you haven’t seen it, now is a good time to remedy that situation.

Some Oscar Thoughts and Predictions Because People Asked

Posted on January 10, 2013

lincoln-day-lewis

As you’re likely aware, the Oscar nominations were announced this week by the event’s host, Seth MacFairlane, and the lovely actress Emma Stone. As usual, the nominations brought a flurry of angry denouncements from people on Twitter, and elsewhere, about what film, actor or director got “snubbed” and how the Academy doesn’t know what it’s doing.

This kind of anger and confusion is to be expected and happens every year. After a few years of really caring a lot, I’ve pretty much given up being angry, outraged or disappointed by anything the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences says, does or thinks is worthy of consideration.

The opinion of that group just doesn’t matter all that much to me, except for my friends who are actually in the Academy. Their opinion means a great deal to me. You know who you are and I thank you.

Still, seeing as how they went to all the trouble of announcing nominations, I suppose I should comment on them and make a few predictions. So, with that in mind, let’s go through the major categories and I’ll tell you who I think should win and then who I predict will win.

Let’s play our game.

Best Actor

Bradley Cooper in Silver Linings Playbook
Daniel Day-Lewis in Lincoln
Hugh Jackman in Les Misérables
Joaquin Phoenix in The Master
Denzel Washington in Flight

I’m torn right off the bat. On the surface it seems Daniel Day-Lewis should have this one locked up. He basically channeled Lincoln in the movie and from the first moment he’s on screen, he owns. Still, people really seem to love Hugh Jackman (and you can’t blame them really) and he’s playing a pretty well known character in a pretty well known musical, so it could end up being him.

As for the rest of the nominees, as much as I love Denzel, this feels more like a courtesy nomination, so I don’t think it will be him. Joaquin Phoenix won’t get it either because he’s been better in other things. Plus, nobody is going to give props to a movie that basically rips Scientology a new one. Not in today’s Hollywood.

This brings me to Bradley Cooper. Not bad for a guy who played what my friends and I used to call “Casual Will” on Alias. Good for you Bradley, but this isn’t your year. This is also a courtesy nomination. Don’t worry, you’ll get ’em next time — or maybe the time after that.

Who should win? Hugh Jackman
Who will win? Daniel Day-Lewis

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Trailer Tuesday – A New One for ‘Pacific Rim’

Posted on January 8, 2013

PACIFIC RIM

It’s CES time in Las Vegas and yes, I’m very glad not to be there. I’ve been several times and each time I vowed it would be the last.

This year I was able to keep that promise. Although, strangely enough, I’m kinda sorry I wasn’t there to at least see this new trailer for Guillermo Del Toro’s Pacific Rim.

Oh well, at least we always have the power of the Interwebs. That is, until the trailer gets taken down. . .

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FA_TQqENzQ?rel=0&w=525&h=295]

2013 – Shit Just Got Real

Posted on January 1, 2013

That title above, dear friends, is how I feel about 2013. And who better to help me express my feelings than Mr. Smith, Mr. Lawrence and Mr. Bay.

Happy 2013.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUH3JQjcweM?rel=0&w=500&h=261]