Screenwriting

You probably won't hear too much from me today because I'm busy finishing the rewrite of my script. That's right, I'm almost done. Drinks on the house.

Beck Rides Again

Interesting stuff regarding Corgan. He was slamming former Pumpkin James Ihan on past posts. It would seem that the only former bandmate Corgan gets along with is Jimmy Chamberlin...

Moving away from the sometimes dark, sometimes unbearably sunny alt-rocker, I should note that there's a new album by folk-singer, groove master, country-boy extrordinare Beck on the horizon. This new album has been reported for some time as being much more in line with albums like Odelay and Midnight Vultures. You can read all about it on Pitchfork. They even have some songtitles from the new album and info on a surprise collaboration.

B.C. Rides Again

There's a new message from Billy Corgan at his site. He's currently working on a new album. He also has some "not so kind words" about former Zwan mates. Ouch.

Do any of you Pumpkinheads know what's up with Adore? I was listening to my copy the other day and it's scratched beyond repair. I need to replace it, but it appears to be out of print. Yes? I just looked online, though. I have yet to visit the local music shop.

Crossover

"Perhaps after Josh sees the movie, we can openly discuss the specifics of the “surprises.”"

Sweet, a Try Avoidance/Eyes Like Static crossover.

Su-plise!

(No spoilers)

Shyamalan has developed a well crafted ability to draw in his viewers. He does this with character development, music, tense drama and other methods. These methods are often compared to Hitchcock’s. He takes stories that could otherwise be deemed ridiculous if done by another director, and makes them engaging. I very much agree with Roger Ebert when he said:

“...the writer-director, has been successful in evoking horror from minimalist stories, as in ‘Signs,’ which if you think about it rationally is absurd -- but you get too involved to think rationally.”

I was only disappointed with the movie as it came to its near end. The first 90 minutes were just as engaging as his previous two works. Then, there were the two surprises. The first being too obvious, though, I had not guessed it. It was one of those surprises that makes you blurt out “that’s it?” It completely made sense but didn’t match the intensity of the build up.

The second twist, the one that was supposed to be “the big one” also did not trigger a climatic emotional response. In fact, it was one of my few guesses. Would I have thought different if it wasn’t one of my guesses? I sincerely doubt it. The major flaw was that the “shock” was more appropriate for the characters of the movie, the newest generation of the villagers. We as an audience simply cannot relate to the contrast. Did Shyamalan confuse the newest generation of villagers for the audience? It felt like it.

Perhaps after Josh sees the movie, we can openly discuss the specifics of the “surprises.”

A story more fragile then Mr. Glass himself

They say that this review has a surprise ending...

Yes, after months of heated anticipation I finally got a chance to see M. Night Shyamalan’s latest work The Village Saturday night. Shyamalan gained my admiration years ago with his dark portrayal of a hero’s ascension in Unbreakable. He cemented that admiration with Signs, a work that smacked of Hitchcock influences and techniques. With slow moving and methodical plots I saw a direction that gracefully revealed the cinematic landscape of his stories. His brilliant cinematography and visuals didn’t hurt either. Yes, until now the name M. Night Shyamalan was associated with the words “sublime cinema”. But with The Village the young filmmaker has produced a film of high expectations and mediocre achievements.
This new movie revolves around the story of a small isolated 19th century village and the fearsome race of malignant “creatures” that live in the surrounding woods. The villagers, holding themselves to a pact with the creatures, have agreed to never enter the woods. Likewise, the creatures have agreed to not disturb the peace of the quaint community. However, when the film begins, that pact between man and creature is wearing thin.
It’s around this basic premise that Shyamalan develops the film by focusing upon Joaquin Phoenix’s character Lucius and the relationship shared with romantic interest Ivy Walker, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Despite Ivy’s blindness and Lucius’ introversion, the two develop a strong connection with one another. Shyamalan always created strong characters, and through this blossoming relationship the Village enjoys some of its strongest moments. The story is lean and fast; the cinematography is picturesque; but above all the story’s characters were nicely crafted and dimensional. Howard in particular lovingly plays Ivy as being colorful and emotive. Lucius is revealed by Phoenix as being quiet and contemplative. Even Adrien Brody, an actor I normally dislike, nicely pulls off the mental simplicity and thickness of his character Noah Percy. With masterful performances and well-written characterizations Shyamalan develops the first half of the film as being a fluid character drama. As I enjoyed this first half I couldn’t help but think to myself, “I can’t understand why this is getting mixed reviews”.
But then the film takes a turn for the worse. A sharp twist in the plot forces one of the film’s protagonists to make a harrowing journey into the forest inhabited by the violent creatures.
Sadly, too many new ideas and themes are expressed during this latter portion of the film. Many of these ideas have thin ties to the stronger plots introduced in the beginning of the story. Moreover, such new elements barely manage to germinate over the rough landscape of the second half and few feel truly connected with the strong characters and emotions of the first half. It’s as if Shyamalan mashed together enough ideas for two films, one being his usual suspense fair and the other a romantic character drama. Yet, while one would imagine his suspense roots taking over in the story, you can’t help but feel like he’s asleep at the wheel. The story construction throws out revelations and then backs up and tries to build suspense through plots that it previously dismantled. Motivations grow to be unclear and the delightful interplay between the film’s characters becomes muted.
And as for those who hope for salvation by his signature “twist” at the end of the film, don’t hope for too much. Yes, even the film’s ending, almost guaranteed to be a doozy, only ends up feeling like it was tacked on at the last minute. It’s abrasive and dull. By no means is this ending complementary of the film’s plot like so many of Shyamalan’s previous finales.
You want a real shocker of an ending? Here it is: after a string of masterworks M. Night has created what can be called his first real disappointment. Perhaps the real disappointment lies in the fact that this let down comes about due to his trademark suspense techniques. They were innovative and witty in Signs. Here they’re simply gimmicky and intrusive. The monsters, if they can be called monsters, are revealed with difficulty and awkwardness, completely unlike the amiable progression of the aliens in Signs. And by the time the “surprise” ending is over, the story wraps up leaving the viewer feeling no delight whatsoever in the story’s resolution. M. Night has failed with The Village. He made a film that was unique in its own right and then forced the atmosphere of his previous works upon it. You heard me; The Village was mediocre. You wanted a surprise ending and you got it.

XLent!

The new Canon XL2 mini-DV camcorder looks pretty sweet. Sorry for the long post, but I must list these. Here's the new major features:

16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratio shooting formats

With an increasing consumer shift towards widescreen TVs that deliver the full width of film-based theatrical movies, plus the resulting need for productions in the 16:9 aspect ratio, Canon's XL2 offers both the standard 4:3 aspect ratio and the 16:9 widescreen TV aspect ratio. Representing the ratio of the screen width to its height, the 4:3 aspect ratio is that of the common TV screen, and is the most commonly used aspect ratio in broadcasting today.

The 16:9 aspect ratio is the more common aspect ratio for film-based movies, and produces full screen playback on widescreen TVs. 16:9 also is the world standard aspect ratio for HDTV.

By offering a camcorder that is able to be switched between the two aspect ratios, Canon opens the door for multiple production options with the same camera -- the XL2.

Variable frame rates

60i / 30p / 24p (2:3 and 2:3:3:2 both with 1/48th second shutter speed) frame rates are available in the XL2.

The demands being made on the video production community to be able to provide solutions under a multitude of different scenarios have been met with the Canon XL2. It delivers 60i, 30p, 24p (2:3 and 2:3:3:2) frame rates. 60i (interlaced) is the standard video frame rate that has been in use for decades; it's what you see on your home TV, and is captured by handheld consumer camcorders. Progressive (non-interlaced) scanning mimics a film camera's frame-by-frame image capture. 30p, or 30-frame progressive, a non-interlaced format, produces video at the rate of 30 frames per second, delivering spectacular clarity for high speed subjects. Shooting in 30P mode offers video with no interlace artifacts.

The 24p frame rate, for example, is now widely adopted by those planning on transferring the video signal to film. But film/videomakers turn to 24p for the "cine" look even if their productions are not going to be transferred to film, simply because of the "look" of the frame rate. Also just as important as 24p, is the shutter speed of 1/48th per second. This is the standard shutter speed that movie cameras use. The combination of 24p frame rate and 1/48th perfectly mimic a motion film camera.

24p with 2:3 pulldown produces video with the look and motion of film. (24p, used in conjunction with a cine gamma curve on the XL2, produces images that have similar tonal characteristics as film. This mode is used when the finished video will be shown on television. 24p with 2:3:3:2 pulldown, is used when the video is going to be transferred to film. The 2:3:3:2 pulldown allows to editing software to extract true 24 frames a second.

SMPTE time code

The Canon XL2 offers many on-camera enhancements to help capture high-quality footage, including features commonly found on broadcast camcorders. Among these is the placement of a SMPTE time code on the tape. SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers) time code is a digital signal that assigns a number to every frame of video, representing hours, minutes, seconds, frames, plus some additional information. The SMPTE time code is used to identify a precise location on a video tape, a mainstay of professional editing allowing all tape and equipment to work together for precise editing.

You can choose Drop, Non-Drop, Rec Run and Free Run modes. Also provided is User bit settings, allowing the inclusion of reel number or other user data.

The XL2 also generates SMPTE color bars with 1 KHz tone (-12dB and -20dB). SMPTE color bars with tone are the standard method of setting up video and audio monitors and edit suites. By using industry standard color bars and tone, the XL2 fits in with all production equipment.

Sweet Anticipation

Brock and I saw The Village over the weekend. I was disappointed. In summary, the setup was too big for the ending. The anticipation, sweeter than the result. More on this, later.

Review

Review of M. Night's latest film The Village later today. Keep a look out.

And the lesser known 451

A celebration indeed! We’ll have to plan something and think about what we want to say for the 500th post. I think we’re also about a year and a half old. We’ve definitely stayed committed to this blog, even when we thought that we had no readers.

To answer a question Gabe posted a few posts back, yes, I will be posting my short story here on the blog. I can’t be sure when I’ll do it, but it’ll be before the end if August. I finished writing it and now I’ve got to go through the tough work of rewriting and polishing it up.

I’m sorry to hear that Anchorman was less then great. You’ll have to post your thoughts on Damon and The Bourne Supremacy if you see it Gabe. I think you’ll agree with me on the camerawork, but we might be split on the criticism of Damon.

I need to get that Dear Your reissue. I purchased 24 Hour Revenge Therapy a while back and I’ve enjoyed it immensely since then. The song that this place is named after is “I Typed for Miles”, and I must say the song title alone denotes everything about a post on our blog.

450

This is post number four hundred fifty. Fifty more and we hit the big 500, Brock. We'll have to hold a large celebration. Especially since we have a reader now.

Dear You

For those of you who have been yearning for a copy of Jawbreaker's Dear You, you can get it as of February 23rd, thanks to Blackball Records. Somehow that passed me by, probably because I already own the album that went out-of-print and became hard to find.

Jawbreaker was a punk band in the early 90s that are now quite influential. I really like to rock the Jawbreaker. The singer, Blake Schwarzenbach, fronts Jets to Brazil and is one of my favorite lyricists. In fact, the title of our blog was lifted from one of his Jets to Brazil songs.

"Dreamed I was a fireman. I just smoked and watched you burn."
"Honey, it's depressing what depression does to some."
"It hasn't been my day for a couple years. What's a couple more? And if I go, don't forget the one good thing I almost did. I learned your name without words."

All from Dear You. He just kept getting better with Jets.

Revenge

Ladies and gents here it is, the next Batman film trailer.

Now

Now you can see comments at the end of our posts. I hope that works better then the timedate stamps. I also want to see some comments.

Cool Breeze, Hot Sun

Nice posts, broheimer! Can't wait to read your short story. Will it be posted?

Nice review of The Bourne Supremacy. Funny you should mention Damon's acting. I listened to Ebert and Roeper's review (Two Thumbs Up)and they thought his acting was great, even mentioning that he's underrated. I also think he's underrated but I'll have to see this movie to see how it was. Roeper thought this movie was one of the best of the year.

Was Brock's opinion of over used handheld camera work only noticeable to his "eyes in training?" Would the casual movie goer sit through and not pay notice? Coincidentally, right after reading Brock's review, a co-worker came in and was relating his experience of having seen this movie over the weekend. The chaotic camera shots was one of the first things he brought out, negatively. Too bad.

Over the weekend I saw Spider-Man 2 again, and Anchorman. The latter had it's hilarious moments, but failed to meet expectations over all. It's better as a renter.

This morning at work I sat outside and wasted about 20 minutes on an extended non-smoking smoke break. The breeze was quite pleasant, but the sun still hot.

The Bourne Normalcy

Just when you thought you’d gotten enough of covert operations films and spy movies, Paul Greengrass brings you the follow up to 2002’s secret agent flick The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy. Yeah, it was a big movie this weekend. I even heard that it raked in somewhere around 50 million dollars. I happened to see it over the weekend and I have to say however that the film, although a step up from other spy films, tended to suffer from numerous problems.
As I see it, this film’s key to success, aside from its status as a sequel to a highly popular film, lies in three specific areas. They are the film’s lead actor, Matt Damon, the film’s allegedly “smart” storyline (that’s minus the fluff of a Bond flick), and the film’s rugged, washed out cinematography. These three points, which could have served to make this a uniquely engaging film, instead served to crop up as its greatest mistakes.
Starting with Matt Damon, we come to the indispensable fact that he’s really nothing more then an emotionless robot. Many could argue that a covert operations specialist would be void of emotion, trained to be bland and tasteless. Others could just as easily argue that this is a movie. And if the character isn’t engaging or elicit empathy in some way with the audience, then there must be problems with the character and/or the actor. In this case I thought it was Damon who made the slip-up. No matter what happens in the film, his character Jason Bourne, accepts it with the quiet gravity and personality of a wooden marionette. When he does display some sense of emotion he falls pray to the cookie-cutter emotional responses common in 9 out of 10 actors.
Regarding the film’s plot however, I tend to be a bit more forgiving. True, it was a mess of espionage and double-crosses, but I think we’ve come to expect that from our spy films. Spy films offer a unique opportunity; when a plot hole exists in the story, simply cover it over with “missing files” or “information that’s encrypted”. The Bourne Supremacy, like any other spy film, builds for itself a history that’s muddled in secret missions and devious government programs. While its choking thickness is something I’d normally slander a film for, I feel I can let this issue off with a warning. The Bourne Supremacy you see is merely a cinematic manifestation of everything we’ve come to love in modern serial television. Shows like 24, Alias and a host of others coast by week after week on contorted plotlines like this. If the people love it why change it?
But the biggest and most unforgivable mistake of the film lies in the cinematography and camerawork. This is without a doubt some of the worst camerawork to be committed to film this year, and the most railing thing about it is that you just know it was done on purpose.
Most, if not all of the film seems to be shot on a very shaky handheld. Why? Probably because the director of photography and the director felt that it would give the movie a cool, edgy and independent look. It doesn’t, it just looks unprofessional. Shots fail to frame up; views seem to wander on and off the characters, and to worsen the matter the editing is sharp and fast. And the film’s strengths suffer because of it. There’s a car chase sequence in this film that’s just fantastic. It’s truly a contender for being as well done as the respective sequences in Ronin or the French Connection. But it’s all lost due to the shaky hand-held camera. There’s a reason why the steady cam was invented. And believe me, no matter how much of an aesthetic appeal some filmmakers think a handheld has, there are entire legions of independents that wish they had the budget to use a steady cam.

All in all? Fine, but just like the samurai genre, I’ve yet to see a good spy film that’s definitive of this generation. The Bourne Supremacy had what it took to become a noteworthy film, but it wasted its strengths because of a few misplaced weaknesses.

Time Stamps

To be honest, I have no idea why we get the time stamps and not the "comment links". I also went through the settings, trying to figure it out. It's crazy. I'll try and figure out what the dealio is...

My Trip Smoked

My Trip Smoked

What follows is an account of the blogger Brock H. Brown's travels...

Braid

In writing a detailing of my experiences at the Braid shows, I came to two conclusions: The first is that Gabe, being the bigger fan, wrote a much stronger summary. The second conclusion is that a justification of Braid's excellence is pointless. History has already written volumes on Braid's worth. Hence, instead of spending your precious time and emptying my vocabulary, I'd much rather expound upon the band's dynamic. Don't worry; you can rest assured that the shows killed. In my exploration of Braid's live inner-workings however, you will come to an understanding of that.
First and foremost, you need to take into account that Braid is a vastly different band then Hey Mercedes. I say this because in my observation of Hey Mercedes live I've noticed that Hey Mercedes is primarily a "frontman" band. Although influenced by its other members, it’s shaped by the stage presence of its frontman, Bob Nanna. But in order to see the difference between Hey Mercedes and Braid you must throw in Chris Broach. And the second you do that, the group ceases to be a "frontman" band and becomes a counter-balancing act. Broach is quite simply the frontman opposite Nanna. Nanna is poppy, thoughtful, whereas Broach is dark and emotive. In essence, Bob Nanna croons the audience with his feelings; Broach unloads them like caps from a semi-automatic. Nanna was always a performer of want, and Broach one of need. And this dynamic between the two, this contrast shows greatly in a live performance.
That isn't so say that Broach’s lack in Hey Mercedes makes that group worthless, just that his presence is part of what made Braid so worthwhile.
The truly haunting moment during the shows came however at the end of the night. Closing with the last song on Frame and Canvas, "I Keep a Diary", the boys who became Hey Mercedes gradually exited the stage, one by one, until the audience was left with the visual commentary of a solitaire Broach whom strummed the song's final chords.

Disneyland

Being able to see the Braid shows with Gabe, Rebeckah and Alex was a real treat. But the secondary purpose of my trip to California was a hook-up with my family at a two-day stint in Disneyland.
Aside from being able to enjoy the added presence of my aunt, uncle and young cousin (they all flew in front Salt Lake City just to be there) I got to enjoy some of the rides at the massive theme park.
Yeah, Mickey Mouse is a corporate bastard, and Eisner has enough money to mass-burn his greed in the world's most expensive bonfire, but the immense fun of the park quelled every anti-corporate slogan that normally emerges from my mouth. Besides, why should I let the brutal opinions of the anti-corporate cannibal within me interfere with family time? We all got to go on cool rides like Indiana Jones, and the brand new Tower of Terror. My Mom, a normally timid person, went for some of the most gut-wrenching rides at the park, like the Tower and even Disney California's loopy, vomit churning roller coaster.
While I have yet to fully get behind roller coasters, I did go on the Tower of Terror. And let me tell you, the free fall experience of you and 20 other people hurling down a metal shaft into absolute darkness is far worse then anything a mere roller coaster could throw at you. My Uncle tended to think so too: "The rush of speed on the coaster is completely different then the feeling of free fall. I just felt like my stomach was trying to force a way up my throat there."
Still, there were a few oppressions that befell us at "the happiest place on earth". Namely, the tormenting heat. "Hey! I thought Disneyland was in California," you say, "not Phoenix". I thought so too, but apparently, California is going through a patch of warm weather right now. And the combination of heat and being dropped down dark shafts serves to drain the stamina very quickly.
The other downside? This would be the un-ending vendetta between my family and "Splash Mountain" (or the 'log-raft' ride for you non-Disney folk). For years we've tried to ride that infernal attraction to no avail. Massive lines and time constraints always kept it out of our schedule. But this year would be different. This year we got "fast-passes" to the ride, allowing us to skip ahead of the throngs of people and experience the ride at our comfort. It was all coming together when, in my family's moment of triumph, the park shut Splash Mountain down due to "ride difficulties". What?! You mean the ride had won again? Next year...it’s end game for the log-rafts.

Coronado

After Disneyland we made the trek down to San Diego and stayed a few days on the beautiful Coronado Island. While I could let my volatile disposition pass subtly at Disneyland, I couldn't help but comment a few times on the snooty disposition of Coronado and Hotel Del. And a few others in my family couldn't either. You see, us Browns, we're not wealthy, but we do enjoy spending time in nice places. And Coronado, despite all of its catering to society's "upper-crust", is a relaxing and sociable place to visit. The Hotel Del is always nice to stay in, more for its architectural impression then its elitist tendencies. It was built about a hundred and sixteen years ago, and it still smacks of the rich Victorian era. The dark woodwork and shining handrails, they were a lone Bohemian’s entire dream in the 1800's. And they're still nice surroundings. Besides, spending time on Coronado, despite the riches, added much needed inspiration for my short story. It does reference the island's "golden beeches and shores" after all.

Super

Recently purchased DVDs:

X-Men 1.5
Superman: The Movie
2001: A Spacey Odyssey

Yup, trying to fill up on the older movies.

Yo, Brock, why is it we don't have a link for comments that actually says "comments" instead of the time stamp? I went through the comments settings and didn't see anything.

Oh, Mickey

Welcome back, Brock! Good to have you back. I can't wait to hear about your trip, like how you ran into Mickey Mouse's arms and he spinned you around, all the while you're peeing your pants! Or not. That's just kind of how I imagined it. My sick mind.