self-analysis as an art form

Caveh Zahedi's I am a Sex Addict is another great American film that takes chances in a era that seems to have turned its back on this so-called poppy cock. Yes, this is another film shot on a shitty mini dv camera (I am seeing a lot of these lately) so you film purist can pass this one by.

Caveh is not new to the world of Cinema, I just haven't gotten around to seeing his work. I first heard of him when I saw Waking Life. He was the guy in the "Holy Moment" sequence. A high point in a movie with many peak moments. This new film of his is what you would call an autobiographical Docu-Drama. He re-enacts scenes from his life, mostly concerning his addiction to prostitutes.

Using old footage and new staged footage he has put together a wonderful and engaging look at himself; with all his flaws kept firmly intact. There is explicit sex but it is done in such a playful way that it doesn't detract from what is essential an updated version of Annie Hall. He really has cracked the Woody Allen code on this one.

His self-depreciating humour and observations really draw you to his character (which is essentially him). I found myself being truly moved during several sequences in the film. It's so great that a filmmaker can give so much of himself and not come off as self-indulgent.

The way he wraps up the picture is also a masterstroke. He alludes to Orpheus and the Sirens, with some wonderful animation, to give us a quick recap of what we just witnessed. With a lesser filmmaker this would have been a sucky pat ending but Caveh really hits all the right marks. I am so glad a film like this exists.

go to his website

http://www.cavehzahedi.com/index.html

Inland Empire

Can't wait to see the new David Lynch Movie. Here is a great review of Inland Empire. Hope this inspires you as much as it did me.

never speak it's name

There are things just don't say when we are in certain company. If you are with your parents you don't talk about your proclivity for wearing ladies undergarments and if I'm with one of my guy friends I never say "you know that part in The Devil Wears Prada". These are all minor foibles compared to what I am about to lay on you. If you are talking to people in the Broadcast Industry then you must steer clear of one particularly heinous acronym.

I regularly read several of the indie filmmaker websites to try to get the lowdown on what type of gear is availible in my price-range. Right now there is an inexpensive format called HDV - high definition video. This is a very efficient way to get a high definition image on a mini DV tape. Many argue it's not true HD but it looks a hell of a lot better than standard definition video.

These tapes can be purchased for $4-$10 a piece and they can record an hour of footage. the cameras are anywhere from 1500 to 12000 dollars. The one I am eying up is around the 5000 dollar range(the Canon XH A1). Everyone should be really excited, right?

Well they aren't.


Sure this technology has it's drawbacks but I've seen the images and they look great. If you see these images on a 42 inch HD plasma you will be too. For documentary it seems like a perfect fit.

But there is a problem.

Yes, in the broadcast industry you never admit you are filming your project on HDV. Why is HDV getting such a bad rap? There is Standard Definition (SD) and then there is High Definition (HD). In between these two formats HDV protrudes like a canker sore on your prom date. I wager that if you gave one of these industry types a project done on HDV they wouldn't be able to distinguish it from real HD.

Back in the 90's when I used to record bands, the recording industry hated these terms -- project studio, Home recording and four-track. If you were a proponent of those you weren't professional. Basically if you didn't spend a ton o' cash recording your album at a industry sanctioned recording facility they didn't want to have anything to do with you.

What the hell does professional mean anyway?

The thing is, in the audio and video world they have standards. Who sets up these standards? Accountants. These financial wizards are always finding creative ways to keep their bloated machine alive. The rental houses, the overpriced post production facilities...the old guard. As independent filmmakers we are in a powerful position. We can afford to shoot, edit and deliver high quality films. They don't like this because all they can control is the broadcast and distribution of your original work. These are things they should only be doing in the first place. So, when you say you are filming on a 5000 dollar camera and not a 100000 beast (that takes several people to run, rent and insure) they get scared. They feel they are being left out. Where's their peoples cut? They point out all of the drawbacks of your format and act as if theirs' is bulletproof. There is no perfect format or camera for that matter. All formats are temporary anyway, nowadays even more so.

I say employ the same technique the US Navy does: Don't ask, Don't tell. Just deliver the final cut to them in 1080i (the standard format for HDTV broadcast) so they can play it on their precious channel. Chances are they won't notice as long as it shows up on their monitors in 1080i everyone should be happy. Remember these are not technical people and most of them can't tell the difference.

Go out now and shoot your original idea (i can't stress that enough) with whatever you can get your hands on. Thankfully even the sub 5000 dollar cameras are way better than what was available for ten times that only 5 years ago.

I am a filmmaker not a film-developer or someone who lunches. I want to be actively making films not just writing proposals for overpriced TV shows that have a great chance of not getting made. That is what HDV allows me to do and what is so bad about that?

Mona and I are going to make our Rock Documentary on our puny HDV cameras...and guess what...it's gonna look great because it's who's doing it, not what you use. The thing is, the opportunity is here right now and waiting around for a better camera is a great way to avoid making a film.

For more info go to these sites

www.hdforindies.com

www.freshhdv.com

http://www.bluesky-web.com/prosumerhd.htm

What kind of Fuckery is this?

Even though the Cover Art is harshly inspired by Flashdance, the contents of this Amy Winehouse CD is pure 60's soul...and boy did they get the sound right. I like retro but when people try to rehash the classic sounds they usually get it wrong. Even my friends are guilty of such failures. In this case she's got the voice, the songwriting talent and the sound down pat. Not an easy task but she and her crew pulled it off. Jack White only wishes he could attain the heights this album has reached.

Is everyone hip to this in Canada already? Am I the last one to get into this? Well, it doesn't matter because I'm hooked for good. This is one of the few album I can say I could recommend to my parents. I could recommended it to my music snob friends as well without "Guilty Pleasure" prefacing that statement. I know Colin and Terry at the Hive will dig this, big time (if they aren't into it already). I can understand how some may hate this but I won't engage in any debates with those folks. She's done an amazing thing with this album in my opinion and that's all that matters.

Hope for Canadian Cinema?

The real coup here is that the Tracey Fragments is opening the Panorama section of the Berlin film festival. The Review of this New Bruce MacDonald movie is on Cinematical...and wait...it's sounds promising. Looks like if there is hope for Canadian Cinema, it will come from the East. Terrry M's UBC prof wrote the book it's based on, so there is a West Coast connection in this as well. The real success of the films seems to have been from the direction style not the original text. In the wrong hands it sounds like it could have been after school special material or worse: video poetry.

I really hope I like this movie cause Bruce stays at the Hotel all the time and he is an awesome guy (so down to earth and approachable). I will also point out that the review is from an American website so there is no nepotism going on.

here be the link

http://www.ciwww.cinematical.com/2007/02/08/berlinale-review-the-tracey-fragments/

The Long Blondes

I don't usually go in for this sorta thing but this takes me back to the nineties and I was really given' er in the nine o's; this was my decade. I'm reminded of bands like Elastica, Sleeper, Echobelly or even Late-Era Lush. Looming over all those band is the inescapable Pixies reference. The slightly surfie guitar riffs, the mobile bass licks and the wanna be wipe out drums are most likely to conjure up images of Black Francis' cash cow. This is not original but it's fun and it's creating some much needed light in my slate gray life (i'm just talking about the weather, it's February in Vancouver after all). Sure, I like the allusions to French 60's film starlets and Scott Walker but mostly I like the energy of this album. These songs are a great soundtrack for running through the streets of East Van. I may even go see them live it they come around these parts.

No, we don't rent rooms by the hour

I have officially reach a low point.

I am speaking of my job at the hotel. Thankfully I only work there 2 days a week. In the past 6 years I have been asked to do many things for the guests. It's my job, I'm a Bellman; the last line of defense in the war on customer service. I don't mind taking people's mail out, picking up a copy of the Globe and mail for them or even parking their cars in the underground lot. These are all not technically part of the service the Hotel provides but I do it for the guests anyway.

When I arrived at work Sunday the Bellman (I'll refer to him as X) who I was relieving says to me "Have fun with room 507". I asked him why and he said, "you'll find out." Just as he was leaving the switchboard rang...and what do you know, it was 507...

"Can you bring up some condoms?" A woman asked.
"sorry, we don't have any here, you'll have to go to the corner store".
There was a pause and then she hung up the phone. Right away the switchboard lights up again and it's 507.

"Can you go to the store to get those condoms? it's an emergency".
"I'm sorry I can't leave the building". I lied
"Wait someone wants to talk to you".
A man's voice now comes on the phone.
"There will be a huge tip in it for you if you go to the store".
"Er, ah I'll see if someone else can go for you." I look at X and the other two people who were working at the front desk. They all start laughing at me and then X leaves.

I'm holding the phone, not knowing what to say and from the back office the Mangager yells, while laughing at me, "just go do it, no else is gonna go for you."

"This place sucks" I yell and storm out to the corner store.

I buy the aforementioned unmentionables and take them up to 507. I knock on the door. The door opens, just a crack and she grabs them from me. "You're so sweet".

And she slams the door.



Story's over right?

Not a chance.

They phone the front desk again. This time they want BAND-AIDS!!!!???

I take up some and once again have to slip them through the crack. "Sorry, we're naked". and she slams the door.

Prepared for almost anything when the phone rings a third time she asks for 4 beers and adds "Make it fast, we're running out of time."

I take the beers up, this time they let me in. She's wearing a hand towel and a big beefy guy with a thorn tattoo on his upper arm is lying on the bed. Thankfully he has a sheet draped over his condom landing pad. As I survey the room I can only imagine the sexual-tsunami that caused this mess. I set down the beer on the 2cm's of clean space the room had to offer and I get the female of this dynamic duo to sign the bill. I leave and see they've left me a 15% tip. Not exactly the huge tip I'd expect (and was promised) for being their own personal condom valet.

The night goes by slowly. I talk with the regular guests (both in frequency and mental state) and go about my Bellmans' duties.

Of course, they call the front desk again. This time they want to know if any "High-End" restaurants deliver. I guess our restaurant isn't good enough for such royalty. I tell them I'll have to call them back. I do the bare minimum of research and then tell them NO. She says "It's OK, we're going to get dressed and go out."

They can do that? I wasn't aware they had such powers.

They go for dinner. When they come back, get undressed and just before they get down to their nasty business, they call down for another order of condoms (their first delivery included 6) and 4 more beers.

This time I pawn off the dirty task onto the Security guard who just got on shift.

He comes back just as I am taking the beers up so I throw the contraband on my tray and go up to their love-nest. When I get there she tells me they just got married. I a say "really"? cause I don't believe them. I think they were offended. Then she makes some comment about them being our most notorious guests. I couldn't argue so I said nothing and left. At this point I usually say to the guests "If you need anything just call the front desk." I conveniently became mute.

That was the last I heard of them. Later that night though I was told that the security guard found her running naked through the courtyard. He had to cover her with his jacket and take her back to her room.

A true low in my personal history at the Sylvia.

Cast of Rob on Bob clean up in Mexico

You might recognize these folks (Bob, Cathy, Marilyn and Barry) from a little film I did called Rob on Bob. No cliff diving or Bullfighting took place this time. Some livers may have been abused but that's about it. That 130 pounder was caught by none other than Bob.

Roc Doco Research

I just saw Gimmie Shelter as part of my research for the Ladyhawk Doc.

This is touted as not just another Rolling Stones concert film and boy did it deliver on that. Can't tell you enough how I enjoy the Maysles Brothers approach to documentary. They don't use narration and are very econmical when it comes to titles. What you get is a feeling of actually being there without any heavy handed manipulation.

One of my favourite parts was the scene where they are in muscle shoals studio mixing wild horses. It's just genius how Albert Maysles picked up on all the subtle things that where going on an commited them to film. Don't get me wrong this is a big doc culminating in the stabbing at Altamont but all along they managed to keep it at a very small human level.

The transfer thanks to Criterion, is stunning. The visuals are crisp and the new 5.1 surround mix is amazing. That subwoofer I got at christmas really made me feel like I was there during the live segments.

It's not all The Stones, there are a couple performances by The Flying Burrito Brothers and Ike and Tina Turner. The later was just breathtaking. All Mick has to say after seeing Tina Turner lay emotional waste to the audience is "it's nice to have a chick around once and a while." His way of dealing with being severly upstaged.

It's pretty sad that it took me this long to see Gimmie Shelter but hey I finally got around to it and am all the better for it.

The Good, The Bad and the Queen

i grew up on Blur. One of the first things i remember when I moved to Vancouver in the early 90's was walking into a club called Luv Affair. I heard this song There's no other way just wash over me.

It was a defining moment. I knew I wanted to find out who that band was and be a part of what that music represented. It must of had something to do with just moving from Edmonton, knowing I didn't want to be a part of what that city had to offer and looking for a place I could fit in.

I had wanted to break away from tradition and with a band like Blur I found they could open me up to another way of living. People would say if you like Blur, you'll like so and so. A few years later I quit my restaurant job of 4 years and started working at a record store. Modern Life is Rubbish came out and further solidified my love of these wacky Britons. I worked with a British guy who helped me understand all the UK-centric references on this album. He claimed it was album of the year and I couln't argue with him. It was a great antedote for the glut of grunge music that was surrounding us at the music store.

Later when I was in Thailand (around 1994) a British girl gave me the Parklife tape and that became the soundtrack for most of my trip. Cocky and cockney, this was not an album for North Americans who couldn't handle a little accent in their vocal delivery. This didn't stop Boys and Girls from being a huge international hit. Aside from that one track, though, the rest of the album was mostly ignored on this side of the pond. Once I got to Korea and started teaching English The Great Escape came out and I mostly kept that in my walkman and used it as a shield as I took the subway to my next teaching gig. This was the height of their slickness and they needed to change or they would become too mainstream for their own good. I guess they knew it, too, as seen from what they did on their next album when they went all lo-fi on our asses. When I started The Hive the S/T Blur album came out and we found ourselves disecting and trying to reverse engineer those sloppy sounds they were offering up.

Now comes The Good the Bad and the Queen. This album is the first thing I've liked from Mr. Albarn since that self titled Blur masterpiece. I've only had a few listens but this album has the makings of a Rube Lubener approved classic. A darker dubbier and more soulful version of Blur. With the help of Paul Simonon (the Clash), Simon Tong (The Verve) and Tony Allen (Africa 70 and Brian Eno's choice for one of the most important musicians of the last 50 years)they conjure up some of the bleakest pop you're likely to hear. I thought intially this effort would ram your head with noise but it's far more restrained and sparse (and all the better for it).

The confluence of ideas that brought about this album also gave us Children of Men. The world sucks and the future is not friendly. I think this as I write Dr. Tomorrow's treatment and think technology only allows us to spread our pain around in quicker and more mobile ways. There is no centre therefore we are clinging to the edges. There is no middle so we are slipping to left and right. A album like this helps me to focus on my creativity. I like to listen to it as I write and wash the dishes.

The sound of the album has touches of Air, The Clash and the British ska from the early eighties. There is still Damon's barhouse piano and Carnival keyboards but they are so depressingly drenched in post-apocolytic studio tweeking that it comes across as ancient and modern. It's very much a product of him being fed up with the perfection of modern music. The songs don't end as much as fade off into the abyss.

If you're looking for something to compliment your gorrilaz album, this aint it. I like my stuff depressingly anti-mass-consumerist; it makes me happy. Hopefully it will do the same for you.

Four Eyed Monsters

We should help out these young folks from NYC by requesting a screening of their film.

3XC and the New Realists

The other night was 3XC at the Sylvia Hotel. The tiny conference room was packed with about 30+ people. We showed my films as well as Terry's and Ken T's. There were a few technical glitches but mostly it went amazingly well. I will have to remember to not use a new DVD burining program without thorougly testing it first. There was really good audience response for my new cut of Rob on Bob (it's down from 22 to 15 mins) but I'm going to do more trimming and send it out to some film fests.

Also, I saw the film 'puffy chair' last night. A realistic comedic relationship road movie by the Duplass Brothers. I've been meaning to see this for over a year. Up in Canada this movie is almost impossible to find. Thanks to Ken T and the good people at Happy Bats Video I watched it last night.

To me, this is what low budget digital cinema can do at its best. Most of the time people try to use their handycams like the big film cameras (making a mockery of themselves and the medium they are trying to ape). In this film they knew the limitations of the camera and made the best movie possible. Most importantly the content was first class. The dialogue, the actors and the situations where so natual and compelling that no big budget could have made this film any better. Shot like a documentary with natural looking lighting I felt this showcased the DVX 100 (a sub-4000 dollar camcorder) a lot better than the over-hyped movie 'November' did. In that Courtney Cox vehicle they pushed the camera beyond its limits whereas the 'puffy chair' used it economically. It was the perfect match of form and function.

I can't begin to tell you how much I love this movie. No violence, no nudity, no crime capers gone awry. Just a movie about people in their twenties trying to figure things out. It's so original in it's approach. I feel like copying it but then I think: well, I should really make a movie that reflects my own style.

Let's take a look at this phenonmenon from a larger view. In the ninties we had indie rock which revitalized rock and rock and then mainstream rock and roll ruined it. The new american filmmakers are doing the music equivilant to what bands like sebadoh, superhunk and built to spill where doing in the nineties.

The Duplass brothers are one of many new filmmakers to come out of this movie-ment that include Joe Swanberg, Andrew Bujalski, Arin Crumley, and Susan Buice. These are movies about people their age told in a realistic way (realistica?). They aren't doing action movies or genre flicks; these are stories that spring from their own lives and the people around them.

The other thing that sets them apart is that they are very skilled at what they are doing. Using consumer brand equipment and small lighting setups (with the exception of Bujalski who used black and white film stock) they are all making high-quality and hugely original movies. Whit Stilman, Noah Buambach, Richard Linklater, Hal Hartley had some luck with their earlier films but until now nobody kept up with the tradition of documenting the lives of intelligent young people. There seemed to be this huge void around the millenium but now there appears to be a true independent movement south of the border.

This is a product of readily available technology that is fairly inexpensive. Arin and Susan AKA Four Eyed Monsters used the DVX 100 and a Mac to edit. Most of these movies are made for around US$20,000.

These films have an immediacy and importance to them that is sadly lacking in Canadian film. I want to be a part of this flow of creativity. I want Terry, Mona and Ken and I to be up there with these guys. I want to be free from the bureaucracy and mediocrity of Canadian film. I want to be as independant as the Hive is with Music.

I have made steps towards this...


I just got the go-ahead to do a documentary on one of my favourite bands: Ladyhawk. At the end of February they're going to a barn in rural BC to record a new album. I'll be there with Mona to catch the magic as it happens. I'll meet with them next week to discuss all the details. After that I plan on filming another short with the help of Ken Tsui.

Better get this out

Haven't posted much lately. Actually this is my first post of the new year. I've seen a few movies lately and worked a bit on the three docs. Mona and I are on our way to finishing our first wedding video (for a friend) and are seriously thinking about doing it for money. We think we can fill a much needed niche: hi/mid-price, high artistic quality. We'll shoot all of our stuff in HD and keep our crew small for now (just mona and I) and expand slowly. We still have to research the market more and then there's the matter of the name. We gotta come up with a good one.

Movies I've enjoyed -



Luna: Tell me do you miss me - A documentary about one of my favourite bands. Even though most of the film was shot through a dirty lens there were some great shots. We join up with them on their break-up tour through Japan, Europe and North America in 2005. This movie gave me a real sense of what they are like as people. I still think it's a crime that they didn't get bigger than they did. With me they are huge though. Their fans have a lot of insightful things to say about them. I thought Sean Eden (the guitarist) was kinda like the John C Reilly of the indie-pop world. This is the kind of film I would like to make.



When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in 4 parts.

I just have to start of with saying EVERYONE SHOULD SEE THIS. This movie by Spike Lee about the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is an amazing oral history of one of the greatest injustices in American history. I don't really into political films. This is not a political film.



All you have to think is what if this happened to people in your town and your government took their sweet time to help you. To think a city so rich in culture, one of the few good American cities, was basically left to die by the American government is just unforgivable. For Christ sakes it took them 5 days to get them food and water. What kind country would do that to their own people?

This kind of country...



Jesus Camp

Another great doc that doesn't lean on narration to give you all the info. This is about the new Christian army that's rising in the mid-west. These f--er's are scary and don't resemble the Christians I grew up with. Yes there are funny moments especially when one of the characters, a ten year old girl, is seen dancing to Christan heavy metal telling us she is dancing for god and not for "the flesh". Good thing she told us cause I was getting worried. Let's pray these Bush loving home-schooler don't screw the world up even further.

which leads me to...



Children of Men -
An important movie that stands right up there beside Bergman's Shame, Time of the Wolf and Code 46. This bugger was bleak as all hell but so well done. There were so many striking images in this film it's just hard to pick one to write about. The colour palette was all those great gritty greens and blues that I love so. In the wrong hands it would have turned out like Minority Report or the Island. Like all good dystopian movies this one captured the chaos and the mutli-facted social clusterfuck we're headed to; not just the technology. This movie also had elements of film noir with the hard drinkin' dishevled Clive Owen. He's been one of my favorite actors of late and this role further proves he is one of the best. Is he the British Robert Mitchum?

People have talked about the long takes and how well choreographed the action scenes where. Truth is you don't notice this as you are swept away by the action. After a second viewing I may notice what was going on with all that agile handheld camera but on first viewing it was all about story for me. I won't give much away but I don't think this is really a crowd pleaser and this is mostly the reason I liked it. Sorry, but the future is not friendly.

Didn't like so much

Volver: Almodavar on Auto-pilot. After 'talk to her' he has gone progressively down hill. This is an art house movie for idiots. It looks and acts like it was filmed in 1985. He has brought back his campiness and low-brow humour for this one, that's for sure. Why aren't there any transvestites? Why no dreggs of society? We really ate up that stuff. Bad Education wasn't really that great either but at least it was more earnest than this one. And what about art-direction, has he fired that department altogether. If this is him trying to do something different then don't bother.
....

Making progress on two of the three of the docs I'm working on. I have a screening coming up on the 25th of my short films at the Sylvia Hotel. Terry Miles and Ken Tsui will also be showing their films. It should be fun, although the room only holds about 40 people.

I laugh more often now

and the question is, was i more alive
then than i am now?
i happily have to disagree;
i laugh more often now, i cry more often now,
i am more me.
- Objects of my affection - Peter, Bjorn and John

The above quoted lyrics are from the first song i heard by Peter, Bjorn and John and what a song it is. When the singer hits the part where he say's I happily have to disagree it sounds like early Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Joe Jackson all crashing down at once. The music is pure phil spector wall-o-sound making the whole affair just an epic experience (fittingly wrapped with an fuzzy analog bow). The rest of the album has quite the variety of aural delights as well. It is sparse in many spots and overly dense in others. Other era's and sounds that come to mind are New Zealand's Dunedin sound of the early eighties (tall dwarfs, the clean), Britain's postpunk, and 90's power pop.

So now with Bergman, Lukas Moodysson, and Aha we have another reason to rush to the Ikea soiled shores of Sweden. I am told Loney, Dear, The Concretes and I'm from Barcelona are great but I haven't heard enough of these other Swedes to say if there is a scene going on there or not. If Peter, Bjorn and John are the only good one in the lot that is enough for me. I've said it in reference to Band of Horses but these guys care about pop and I can love anyone who cares about lost causes.

End on a high note

Music and Movies. Have I had time to compile a top ten list? Yes I have.

I will combine both film fest and general releases here because I haven't seen as much stuff as I wanted to. If I would have had more time to see films at the Vancouver Film fest this list would be a bit longer but working at the Hotel and the Docs doesn't leave time for much.

Little Miss Sunshine: Nietzsche and Proust don't usually make it into road trip comedies but they did here and that why I love it. Literate and dumb in all the right places.

A Scanner Darkly - a mind-fuck with great animation for people who flee from Pixar rendered nonsense at at every opportunity.

Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles - After Hero and House of Flying Daggers I thought Zhang Yimou had lost his soul. Zhang shows it is possible to do intimate and opulent with equal zeal. With this personal tale he showed Raise the Red lantern and To Live were not just the kind of films he used to do. Ken Takakura, who plays a parent struggling to connect with his dying son, evokes the grace and dignity of all the great father figures in OZU's movies. Also, China has never looked better.

The lives of Others - Amazing story about East Berlin in the eighties and how art thrived and infected the hearts of those trying to crush free thought. A great, almost wordless, performance by Ulrich Mühen as the Stasi agent who puts aside his politcal beliefs to help a talented playwright.

Radiant City - A hybrid doc about urban sprawl. Set in Calgary but it could be anywhere USA. A funny and informative vision of our every expanding neighborhood dystopias.

Brick - Film Noir set in High School with those kids from Third Rock from the Sun and Witness. A great concept expertly executed. One of it's many strong points is the slang and how they employed it without it sounding stilted.

Sketches of Frank Gehry - Inspirational and informative. For a first documentary Sydney Pollack did an amazing job.

Recent Discoveries
The Weather Man - A miracle it got made within the Hollywood system. I usually hate Nicholas Cage but he really was fantastic in this mid-life crisis epic.
Don't Move - Penelople Cruz is always great in non-english roles. In this one she uggs herself up and really breaks your heart. It really got to me the way only Bergman usually does. It thought about it for weeks after seeing it.

Music
I've been listening to lots of good music this year (I can do that while doing other things) so it's easy to come up with 10. Only a few new artists on the list. Mostly it's established bands coming up with near-career topping achievements.

The Greatest - Cat Power:
Hard to follow up "you are free" but she did it here with the help of the Memphis blues band. It came out early this year but when I put it on I still feel all those emotions I did in February.

Let's Get out of this Country - Camera Obscura:
Their others albums are great but this is simply magnificent. Doing what Belle and Sebastian should be doing (and getting paid substantially less). Lloyd are you ready to be Heartbroken? had me going back to the Lloyd Cole catalouge. I had forgotten about him but thanks to this song he's a staple in my itunes library.

Shut up I am Dreaming - Sunset Rubdown:
Holy shit, it's still a piece o' magic. Even after all these months.

Rubies - Destroyer:
Most accessible Destroyer and a timeless rock record to boot.

Mr. Beast - Mogwai:
Never been a Mogwai fan but this album made me go back to their back catalogue to find out how they got here. Even if Miami Vice is a lame turd, they aren't guilty by their association to said dud. They didn't write the album for the movie they wrote it for me.

Band of Horses- Everything All the Time:
A new band that just kicked my ass. Why do they care so much? It's only pop. The same question I ask myself all the time.

Axis of Evol - Pink Mountaintops:
More greatness from the Hive. I am biased but it looks like the rest of the people in the know are as well (from all the top tens they are on). They reference the greats yet wrestle originality out of every note they steal.

I am not afraid of you and I will beat your ass - Yo La Tengo: Renewed my interest in them. Makes up for the Summer Sun CD, which wuz dull to the second power.

Return to Cookie Mountain - TV on the Radio: Took me a while to get into this one but after seeing them live and taking it out on the run with the ipod I was taken in by these Brooklynites.

Almost on the list - need a few more listens

Bonnie Prince Billie - The letting go
Grizzly Bear - Yellow House
Peter Bjorn and John - Writers Block - Full review to come
Beast Moans -Swan Lake - Destroyer + Frog Eyes + Sunset Rubdown = a dense miasma that makes no sense on paper but in practice it shines. Mixed at the hive and still being untangled by many a scenester's brain.

The importance of titles and Wii

Why am i so obssesed with a title for the Dr. Tomorrow project. I want it to be named anything but Dr. Tomorrow. A lot of my favorite movies have horrible titles yet they made their way to me anyway (i.e. In the Mood for Love). This issue should be put away for now and dealt with during the edititing process, which will come in about a year.

Had a pretty good christmas party this weekend. Byron and Sonya brough over their Wii console. It was fun using those motion control wands. Although now my arms are sore. We played boxing, bowling, golf, baseball, Tennis and Zelda. I am seriously thinking of getting one of these in the spring. I still might get a PS3 though because that has the blu-ray player built in and you know I'm all about the movies.

Now the real work begins

The high of Whistler is over but so is the post-partem depress fest. David and I are now onto writing, writing and then a lot of re-writing. We also have to come up with a budget. I guess I knew all along there would be tons of work after Whistler but I was just so focused on the pitch that I couldn't see to next week. Tonight I've been writing some Dr. Tomorrow treatment stuff and I've come up with a few good ideas. When you finally see the film you'll know what I'm talking about.

The great thing about Doc Talk being held at whistler was that everyone was in the same confined area and we all had to interact. I got to know a lot of great people in the Canadian broadcast world (an oxymoronical statement, I know) and got to further loathe the myopic ones I met last year. They know who they are so I won't legitimize their sorry ass lives in this here blog.

I have 3 interesting projects that I'm excited to be a part of and I won't let these soul crushing broadcasters get me down.

Whistler and Doc talk

Mona and I just got back from Doc Talk which was held in Whistler. Seems that all that hard work has finally paid off.

Our pitch went great and we had some amazing meetings with Broadcasters and Distributors. All three of our doc projects now have some money people involved. David is really impressed with the progression of the whole situation and likewise I'm glad to be working with him. After talking to 15 different entertainment representatives my voice was shot by Friday.

I'm so glad I went down to 2 days a week at the Hotel. I believe positive thinking got me here. You just have to do it until you think it's beyond rational thought and then something good happens. I'm getting closer to 40 and I am happy that on my 40th birthday I will be considered a success (in my eyes as well as others).

closer to doc talk

Working hard on getting a 2 minute video and pitch ready for this years DocTalk. It is going to held in Whistler this time around. It should be fun although David and I have 14 meetings in 3 days so I don't think I will be hitting the slopes. What are we flogging this year? Dr Tomorrow of course. We were one of 8 teams chosen to pitch our idea of an 86 year old Futurist. I won't get into the details but you know this guy must have something going on if I'm gonna commit time to it.

We shot some doctor tomorrow yesterday on HD and I presume to say it is the best-looking footage available for this guy. My cinematographer (the amazing Kimm) is coming over this morning to drop off the footage. We will be editing all day. I will manage to go for a run sometime during the process.

Altman 1925-2006

Saw this coming but still a very sad day. I've been a fan for years. Must finish watching Praire Home Companion. Don't really have much to say but I knew I had to post. A man that has given so much to cinema needs to be remebered. After I saw Three Women in the 80's I wanted to know everything I could about the director. His imprint won't leave the landscape of independant film anytime soon. I'm just glad P.T. Anderson got to work with him on his last film.