Nothing Specific

Well, this will be random. For those of you that know me that'll come as no surprise. Generally, my mind feels very random and draws random connections that, if unexplained to the listener, may make no sense. At any rate, now some of you know be better than you did 30 seconds ago. So hang on to your mouse and, if you try really hard, you may be able to make some sense out of the following stream of thoughts. Actually, you probably won't...but it will fill you in on the last couple weeks of my life.

First of all, the short film we shot over the summer, "Previously Viewed: 2 Day Rental" is nearly finished. A little ADR and maybe a hint of music and we're done. I'm trying to work out a premier in December at the Downtown Arts Center in Lexington. I'll let you all know when that happens.

As most of you probably know by now I was cast in an independent film with a company out of Columbus, OH. The film is entitled "Bangin'" and NO it is NOT a porn. We'll shoot sometime in November. I'm quite excited about it and wowed and flattered that they selected me over so many talented people. many of whom I thought were far more talented than myself.

Yesterday I was supposed to be in a scene for another independent film called "Mountain Mafia" in which I am a hitman (fun to play against your character traits) and we've choreographed, with the help of a stuntman, a rather brutal-it'll look great-fight scene. The shoot got rescheduled and I'm hoping for cooler weather on the reshoot date.

I think...no, I know I have had the easiest part in Asbury College's Fall Musical, "The Spitfire Grill." This is another project that I'm really looking forward to, but as the only character with no lines or songs (there's irony there folks...to go audition for a musical and then get cast as the mute!) I've not been needed at all the preliminary rehearsals. I won't actually have to be there until the week before tech week. It's a small part, but the emotions in the scenes is high and they have potential to be very strong and powerful for the audience.

My good friend and partner in crime, Zack, and I went to Louisville on Saturday to audition for a TV pilot. It was tons of fun and we'll just wait and see where it goes.

At the end of my first week of my second semester at Asbury, I'm feeling a wee bit overwhelmed, to be honest. I love to read, but there's a lot of it and all of it from one class (Screenwriting) is making it painfully obvious to me that writing scripts may not be my strongest point in the whole filmmaking process. I love the whole process, but am finding the the majority of my passion lies in the acting department. I do, however, wish to have a solid understanding of all the pieces to make me a better rounded actor/filmmaker.

At any rate, between family, work, school, and the other projects, I've been feeling just a little stressed out this week. Not really super over tired, just tense and not relaxed in the slightest.

Lastly (I'm really going to be done now), let me drop my brief opinion on a couple movies I saw recently (which I pulled myself away from my school work to watch in hopes of refreshing my mind).
"What Happens in Vegas" I really had no preconceived expectations for the movie other than Cameron Diaz being her normal cute self. She was. It was rather humorous and I thought the concept was rather funny and provided plenty of conflict. Not in my top ten new movies, but perhaps the top twenty. I would watch it again. So if you need a good laugh, check it out.

"Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay"
Nutshell...hated the first one. I don't get into the drugs are funny humor. There's some exceptions to that rule of mine (as far as humor in movies goes), but it was the whole catalyst for the first movie and plays a huge role in the new one. Granted, there are several moments that are actually funny that don't involve pot, boobs, or vaginas. While there were those funny parts, I didn't feel they justified my hour and a half.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"
Directed by Steven Spielberg

I was one of the fortunate few that didn't have their expectations set unrealistically high on opening night. Thank God. I just recently went to see the newest Indiana Jones film this last week with my son. I had heard so many negative things about it ("if it wasn't Indiana Jones I wouldn't have cared at all about the story or characters...") that my expectations were ridiculously low. This turned out to be a good thing. since I wasn't expecting anything at all I was pleasantly surprised. Admittedly (spoiler warning), I really hated the whole alien tie in. That tended to add an element of "cheese" to a franchise that had been mostly "cheese free." The characters didn't really change to much through the film and, the fact that we know at least two of the characters from past films not withstanding, seemed a bit flat. That was disappointing. However, I still managed to enjoy the film overall. It was fun and entertaining, although not the best of the four films.

"The Shack"

"The Shack"
By William P. Young
As well as enjoying films, I also enjoy reading. I always have a book with me or by my bed to read. Depending on what's going on in my schedule I have more time for reading than at other times. I've never actually blogged my thoughts on a book before, but this was just so good I had to share.
"the Shack" is a must read, as far as I'm concerned, for christians and non-christians alike. It will challenge your preconceptions of God. How much of the God we "know" is really God and how much is centuries of lifeless man-made tradition and dogma? How does God feel about people? The author presents God (although he explains why he does this) in a rather unorthodox way. In fact, I've already heard of one person saying that they found it somewhat offensive. At any rate, you'll have to read it to really understand what I'm getting at. I don't want to tell too much.
So, my thoughts are this...christians seem to be comfortable living in bondage to a God that expects us to preform and try to live up to an impossible standard, only to find that we can't do it alone. But we keep trying anyway because that's what we've been told and taught for years. Christians are also afraid of new ideas. We don't want to listen to someone or read something that we might not agree with. Reading or listening does not involve an obligation to accept and adopt. We automatically assume that if something is contradictory to what we've been taught for years (I'm not talking about Biblical truths here) than it obviously wrong and heretical. Really, though? Do we really think that we've got God so perfectly figured out and fit into our little comfort zone that we may not have missed something? I think we've missed tons! Organized religion is lifeless. I believe that God's plans for a "church" transcend a building or a specific theological doctrine that divides. It goes so much deeper than what we have made it. I believe that god wants so much more out of his relationships with us too. More than we've made it; a rigid list of "do this" and "don't do this." It has become something we do instead of a relationship with God. We live in guilt and condemnation when we do not "preform" up to his "expectations." all which doesn't bring life is not from God. I have started ranting...
At any rate, the story has some very interesting things to say about life and presents life and God in a very real and relevant way. Check it out. I promise it will revolutionize your life.

Dark Knight

"Dark Knight"
Directed by Christopher Nolan

Probably the most anticipated movie of the summer...the year. Heath Ledger's death only added to the movie's appeal. Had Ledger not passed away the film would still stand on the brink of breaking all kinds of records and would still be, in my opinion, on of the best films of the year and certainly the best (hands down) comic book movie ever. Yes, that's right. DC has set the bar several notches higher for the movie making machine known as Marvel Studios. While Iron Man was the best Marvel movie I've seen in years, it paled next to Nolan's Dark Knight.
Performances of an extraordinary level run throughout the film. Ledger's being the most noticeable larger due in fact to his current absence. Not to impugn his performance, because it was chilling and amazing. But, the others' can't be forgotten. Bale, Cain, Freeman, Eckhart, Oldman, and Gyllenhaal give great performances as well and compliment Ledger's beautiful portrayal of the Joker. Gyllenhaal, whom I like, is the only one playing a character from Batman Begins that was originally portrayed by another actress (Katie Holmes). I can't say too much without giving too much away and I certainly don't want to spoil the film. Suffice it to say that early reviews were calling the Dark Knight "The greatest superhero movie of all time" and "one of the greatest crime dramas...." I fully agree. Granted, I am a huge Batman fan, but that aside...Dark Knight is a fantastic film no matter how you look it. It is a piece of cinematic genius and beauty. Check it out. I promise it won't be a film that you easily forget about once you leave the theatre.
One last thought to leave you with...I still thought Michael Keaton made a great Batman/Bruce Wayne...Val Kilmer was okay, and Clooney was just a horrible choice. Christian Bale, however, is my favorite with no room for debate. Just so you know:-)

Batman Returns

Let's be honest, shall we? Up until the most recent Christopher Nolan "Batman" movies there were only two of the original four that should have ever been made and both of them starred the same actor (Michael Keaton) as Batman and were directed by the same genius (Tim Burton). I saw both of those movies in the theaters and recall not being very impressed with "Batman Returns." I revisited the film twice in the last three weeks and both times I was blown away and going, "Why didn't I like this movie when it came out?" Everything about it was intelligent (says me) and the acting was great. Michelle, Michael, and Danny were amazing. At any rate, watching this movie again for the first time in almost twenty years was like rediscovering something that you had misplaced. Hooray for the Batman movies (not counting the Batman Forever and Batman and Robin...poop) that started a trend.

Superhero Movie

"Superhero Movie"
Directed by Craig Mazin

I'm not a big fan of spoof movies. Well, let me clarify...I loved Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein, and Dracula: Dead and Loving it, but I usually shy away from things like "Scary Movie" or "Meet the Spartans." I think my reasoning has been that it seems like these movies are made by taking someone else's perfectly good ideas and then just making fun of it. I suppose that's the point exactly with a spoof, but I've always felt that that approach lacks a certain creativity. Although it requires a certain amount of its own too. I'm clearly conflicted. "Outrageously funny" as it was billed on the DVD cover may very well be the overstatement of the year. I did find myself chuckling from time to time but wasn't in pain from laughing so hard. Thankfully there were no penguin testicles or scenes of a penguin crapping on anyone's face (see "Meet the Spartans"). At any rate, while I did laugh a little, the best part of this film, for me, was that it was only 82 minutes long. Thank God!

It has arrived!

As I've said earlier, I had to work very hard at occupying myself today instead of staring out the window waiting for the FedEx guy to show up with my Mac. My wife called and asked if I wanted to play golf. Well, normally I wouldn't think twice...but, I figured it was already almost 2:00 and it probably wouldn't come until tomorrow. So we left a note on the door, just in case, and asked my neighbor if she'd sign for it if it did come. Naturally, the FedEx guy showed up a few minutes after we left the house. When we got back (I actually had a pretty good game too...well, for me it was good) I only had thirty minutes to get it out of the box and drool over it before I had to go to work. Anyway, it was the longest night of work ever! Now I'm sitting here and the beautifully sexy Mac is telling me that it is going to take another 17 hours to finish installing Final Cut Studio! That's over half a day! I've got to sleep...well, that's what my wife tells me anyway:-)