Wrap it up, I'll take it.

Been Christmas busy lately, good and bad.  Realized that the disruption of my schedule, due to classes ending and holiday *stuff* throws me off.  You get used to a schedule, like everyone who goes in 9-5 can attest to, and it becomes comfortable.  It really takes a specific frame of mind to roll with changes to a daily schedule and continue to be productive and feel accomplished.  Eh, life's a learning process right?

Had the first actual "table read" the other day, which was amazing.  Big thank you to all my friends who were able to participate.  Even had a long distance connection from Mat's place in DC!  Fantastic.  As much as I hope the work was good, more than that my hope was that my friends would feel comfortable enough to critique it intelligently and in a helpful way.  They totally hit it out of the park.  I got great comments from them and I think it was successful simply because they all felt comfortable in critiqueing. 

I thrive on critical assessment of my work.  Whether it's actual office work or creative stuff, I'm a bit of a bad self critic.  Knowing that I can trust someone's opinions of my work is HUGE for me, and so the results were perfect.

The cool thing was a lot of the commentary was things that I had knocking around in my head too.  That tells me I'm onto something and at least can identify some issues on my own.  Of course the next and only SLIGHTLY important part is solving those problems, but identification is the first step.  There were plenty of things that I hadn't seen, which was great, so all of it was rewarding for me. 

Kudos to all my friends who stepped up and sacrificed their Sunday night to help me out.  You all performed fantastically!

Oh, and I haven't abandoned the redesign, at this point, I'm thinking of targeting the new year for that.

And the Bears fucking suck.

MotD:  The Pink Panther & The Pink Panther Returns

I enjoy Peter Sellers, he's marvelously talented, but I'd never sat down to watch any of the Panther movies.  my dad used to watch these a lot and a friend of mine was recently talking them up so I got the itch.  Eh, could have done without the scratch.  I thought I was waching the first two of the movies, but as I was writing this, I realized there were EIGHT Panther movies?  2 or 3 don't even have Sellers, one of them made with him using posthumous footage?  Blake Edwards milked this like a teat, apparently.  Oh, and that 8 doesn't include the two new Steve Martin versions. 

These have their moments, fun characters, witty dialogue and the requisite slapstick.  But overall I wasn't in love with them.  I think I'll watch at least two more of the sequels, just to feel like I got it out of the way, but overall I was nonplussed here.  Nothing makes me want to watch the Martin ones.  NOTHING.

Fresh out of Radioactive Clay

Conflict, change and transformation.

That's what makes life worth living, or so the writers of the world would have you think.  Think about the most interesting conversations you've had in your life.  Put these questions to them.

What was the conflict there?  What did each person involved want out of it?

What was the change or transformation that happened?  If something ws resolved, or two people came to an understanding, who compromised and why?  What were the motives?

Do that, and you feel a little like a puppet master right?  Always analyzing, always trying to read into the motivations of the other person.  That can get you in a world of trouble if you really do apply this to everyday life, because nothing is that tidy.  Most often you don't know what you're after, really, and then to try to anticipate what the other person is saying will get you swiftly kicked in the proverbial balls.

What I'm finding about crafting these things for yourself is the problem solving aspect is the most fun of it all.  Put two (or more) people in a room, find out what they want, what hurdles stand in their way, and how will they resolve it.  Play this game when you're watching a movie and it will ruin it for you.  Enjoy.

MotD: Hostel Part II - Two days in a row movies about man hunting man.  NOT planned, funny tho.

I like Eli Roth.  Not so much a fan of his "torture porn" but the craft and sensibility that he brings to the films themselves.  Cabin Fever was fun and low budget entertaining.  Hostel was creepy and gory around a good hook.  Along those lines, I like what he did with Hostel II.  Horror sequels are usually very much the formula that worked in the first one.  Different types of kills, but same themes, wash, rinse the brains out of your hair, repeat.  Roth does a nice thing with this sequel in that he pulls back the curtain on the bad guys a bit, to let us see how the whole kidnap and kill kids operation works.  What it accomplishes is making it less of a torture porn horror, tho there is certainly plenty of gore, and more of a story of the people who would partake in this.  It's a nice change of pace, and a necessary one to keep the interest up.  Certainly not for everyone, but I enjoyed it.

Description a Day: Living Room

Part 3 in my weekly saga of detailed room descriptions to fulfill a class requirement!  Please, try not to fall off the edge of your seats!  However, there is a treat for readers that make it to the end.

The Olive Green walls surround an room brimming with tiny details.  Hardwood floors throughout, the first item you encounter is a wooden bookcase, 3 levels, primarily stocked with Comic Book Graphic Novels and Trade Paperbacks.  Atop the shelf is a small radio and rubber chicken.  Beyond that, the door to the bedroom, and next to that is a wall mounted DVD case.  Two cases, to be precise, bracket a mounted TV, which sits above an entertainment center.  Various video game systems, DVD player and cable box rest here.  Atop the entertainment center is a Bobblehead Ditka, some family portraits and a replica of the Fertility Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark.  In the far corner of the room, sits two Guitar Hero controllers.  Along the north wall, 3 windows open up to the park across the street, adorned with light tan curtains.  In the far left corner, an end table sits, with a lamp, porcelain E.T., Batman & Robin Gumball machine, and a collection of knick knacks.  The tan couch resides along the long wall, next to a multil shelf media center.  Above the couch is a framed Star Wars: A New Hope poster.  On the near wall, to the left, is a bookshelf and computer desk.  The walls are covered in framed comic art, an illuminated shelf with multiple busts, action figures and comic books.  The entire room is lit by a ceiling spotling fixture and 3 wall sconces.

Ok, not thrilling, but whatever.  Fighting a shitty sinus infection this week, so grumpy and uncomfortable.  Slept most of the day, or tried to, can't focus on much.  As promised, here is the Escapist pic from a few Halloweens ago.  I think I'll dig up a bunch of Halloween costumes and post them.  Tomorrow you'll see the best damn Jack Knight Starman costume ever!

Notice the attention to detail, with the Key around the neck that grants him his uncanny abilities!  I would love to see someone dressed as the Escape-Goat.

MotD: Bug

I understand this was originally a stage play.  I can see that, for about the last 45-60 minutes.  I don't know for sure, but I'd wager the first 45 minutes of this movie were what the screenwriters added to make a movie.  Because the first 45 minutes absolutely sucked termite balls.  Seriously.  Tiny little termite testicles get sucked right off in the first boring ass 45 minutes.  The rest of the movie is a study of hillbilly crackheads getting paranoid, and there's really some good cringe inducing stuff, but overall this is a pass.  No need to waste your time on this.  And *SPOILER* WTF was up with the "psychiatrist" taking a hit on the CRACK PIPE?

MotD EXTRA!: Tyson

I'm glad I watched the extras on this dvd, because the director answered some questions that I had.  Primarily, it's a series of interview with Iron Mike Tyson, telling his own story.  It's gripping, especially anyone that watched him rise and fall over 2 decades, even if you have no interest in boxing.  I'm not a fan of boxing, but am fascinated by Tyson, as he's a truly messed up dude.  At the end of the credits, they run a "Persons depicted are fictional and do not represent real people..." blah blah disclaimer.  And it throws you off, because you thought you just watched a documentary.  Then upon reflecting you realize no, you just watched one man tell his story, with no conflicting opinions.  It's then you realize that the frank honesty that he discussed his various issues makes you feel as if you're listening to the truth.  Because if it isn't, and his version is sugar coated, well...  wow.  The director discusses that, saying that he really wanted it to be like a written biography, in Mike's own words.  I recommend this movie with two thumbs and an earlobe up.  It certainly glosses over some phases, but it's very revealing in others.

And here's a picture of Cecily Tyson, for those of you who read this far, hoping that she was the special surprise.

What do you want for nothin?

Rubber Biscuit?

Hold me closer, Tiny Details....

Tonights class was about the devil that's in the details.  We wrote, extensively, on descriptions of the same location, digging further and further into the story behind the images.  It was EXTREMELY helpful.  The main idea is to write in a 3rd person narrative, removing objectivity and distilling the essence of what you are looking at.  This was truly an envigorating excersize.  My homework for the week is to describe the rooms that I'm in, so I'll be using this blog to do so, because my god damn hand hurts from writing in a book!  It's crazy how used to not writing by hand you can get.

Followed up class by watching the improv set on the main stage.  I'm looking very forward to going to more shows, really talented people can make me laugh quite a bit.  I love the free pass I get as a student at the school, fantastic. Also posted my first 4 pages of the script in my other class today.  Nervous about the feedback, but I already see a bunch of things I need to improve on, so that's really encouraging.  I still need to prioritize reading the books I've gotten, but all things in due time.

MotD: 10/18/09 - Dirty Pretty Things - Watching today's movie as I write this.
Very well done tale of immigrants doing whatever it takes to find their place in the world.  Excellent performances by Amelie and the lead who I can't pronounce his name, it's an African name who's done some good things since.  Favorite line of the movie was at the end, which really felt like it was the kind of line where the screenwriter came up with it early on in the project, and possibly based the movie around it.  Paraphrasing here immensely, "We're the ones you don't see, the ones that do your laundry, wash your floors and suck your cocks."  Brilliant.

It's Alive! It's Alive!

In almost every treatise on writing, I've come across the idea that characters begin to make their own decisions.  Countless authors have written about it, and I'll just add my name to that long list.  (Audacity here of calling me an author, but I'm the one writing this so go screw)  It's totally true, and here's some examples.

First time I personally discovered this, was back in college, when I was writing/drawing Freelance Justice.  This was a pretty plot driven storyline, with character based comedy.  About midway through the second semester of adventures, the gang, consisting of Kid Justice, The King, and Barry Pope, took an excursion to Hollywood.  I don't recall having this be an exit point for Barry, but as I neared the story and started creating it, I realized that this was a perfect jumping off point for Barry.  He didn't have much else to do for the next few arcs, he just completed a personal "origin" arc, and his story was pretty much done for now.  I hadn't planned on it, but he decided to stay in L.A. and the other two went on their own.  The most disservice I think I did to his character, actually, was bringing him back at the end.  On one hand, he absolutely would have shown up to help his best friend, KJ, but on the other hand, his story was done.  I guess it was his Han Solo moment. 

Anyway, that was the first time I recall it happening to me.  It happened again today, as I was working on the "Ushers" screenplay.  I'd just finished plotting out, and had been ironing out the plot in my head for weeks, the story structure.  None of it involved a plot turn where the two adversaries "team up" to accomplish a goal.  It never entered my mind.  Yet, there I was, writing out the dialogue between my protagonist and another secondary character, and the secondary character put forth that proposition, and by damn it made sense.  Sense enough for my protagonist to agree to it, and it has now altered the direction of his goal.  The target of his quest is still the same, but now there's an added wrinkle.

I'm not convinced I like this, but I have to say, it makes sense, given the characters as I've established them so far.  A lot of work to do, but this was one of those moments where your creation gained that spark of life and I wanted to share.

MotD: Zardoz
Ok, so Planet of the Apes met Logan's Run in a bar one night.  They have a few cocktails, Planet starts sweet talking Logan, and next thing you know, Planet is dry humping Logan's run and snorting YaYo off Michael York's ass.  The product of this alcohol and drug filled one night stand is Zardoz.  THE craziest sci fi movie I've ever seen, at least the craziest that includes the phrase "The Penis is Bad" multiple times.  There is so much casual nudity in this, you truly don't see it after a few minutes.  Except of course for Sean Connery, who had more chest hair on than he did clothing.  I ALMOST want to watch it again with the director's commentary, but that would require me to WATCH IT AGAIN, which I can't do in good faith.

MotD Extra: Audition
Disappointed with this movie.  I'd heard a lot of good things about this Takashi (sp?) Mike film, where a widower has a literal audition for a new wife, and she turns the tables on his sexism.  Much like "Hard Candy" from a few weeks ago, I was intrigued by the revenge, table turning events.  That anticipation was overwhelmed here by a stunning sense of boredom.  It takes a slow burn approach to the story, which isn't helped by the language barrier.  That said, the delusion scenes were well done, just too little too late.

The Industrial Revolution!

I made some serious progress today!  I got six full pages written and most importantly moved the story along.  Not sure of the quality, but as I've said before, it's more important for me to get this DONE and then to go back and tweak, than to get gold from the first swing of the pick.

I worked on character today, which was part of the homework for class that I pretty much finished too.  Like I said, real productive day.  Spent 4 hours at Borders!  So, character is the name of the day, and my assignment was to describe how I get to know my characters.  I realized that I had done a lot of character thought all through my comic strip stuff.    This was a revelation to me, as I hadn't really put that together in my head.  But really, back then I was always developing characters, quality of that development will be left to my critics, but I fondly recall my process.

I took someone I knew, then had them make some choices.  The choice they made may not have been exactly what the person would do in real life, but my perception of them would translate to the characters choice.  Since that decision should serve the story, that character would quickly begin to take on a life of their own, and develop further from teh original template.  If I thought far enough ahead of publication, I could take that decision and backtrack it into the story. 

This last part was much harder to do with a daily strip, because I was making it on the fly, but with a complete story, I'll be able to go back and sow the seeds into the early part of the tales.  I like that.

MotD:  The Bucket List
I was expecting to dislike this movie simply for cheese purposes.  And certainly, it was cookie cutter and predictable.  With any other actors, it would have sucked.  However, they managed to find the PERFECT actors for this role.  Nicholson and Freeman could re-enact "I've Heard the Mermaids Singing" and I'd watch that.  It was real enjoyable, if toothless.

By Crom!

Today was a long, productive day.  Started with coffee with an old friend, knocked out a spin class and went to my first writing class at 2nd City!  Here's what I learned, writing hurts your hand.

Not much to rant on today, as I just wrote for 3 hours in class!  Hah, gonna have to compensate for that.

MotD: Conan The Barbarian
Why did it take me so GD long to watch this movie?  I'd seen bits and pieces over the years, but never all in one sitting.  That movie is badass!  Seriously, so much cool shit.  Of course Arnold is a horrible actor, but credit to Milius for finding a way to tell the story where the main character has like, 9 lines and can hardly emote, yet you know what he's going through.  Obviously, the best line is Arnolds "Vanquish your enemies, Drive them before you and hear the lamentations of their women" line, but after that ringer of a line, here it is.

"He is Conan the Cimmerian, he won't cry, so I cry for him."

Bears Victory Day!

The Bears tore UP the Lions today, a needed win going into the bye week.  That's all for sports, but awesome.

Sent in my first homework assignment for Screenwriting class today, officially doing Ushers, which is exciting.  However, I was reading a magazine at the gym tonight and had a GREAT idea for a story.  I'm not going to go into details, but it's a horror thing with a little SEVEN in it.  Which brings me to the point of the writing tonight.

I so want to get to a point where I have the skills and more importantly work ethic to take these stray thoughts and formally put them down.  Whether it's in a journal or a note here or there, I don't know what that will look like, but I've done stuff like this forever and they usually drift off into the ether.  On the machine, and my mind just fleshed out whole story beats and character motivations and what not, bursting out of my skull, but I always just feel crippled in being able to express them.  Not writing this for any self pity or anything, more just to get it out there and admit it to take the power from it.

Funnily enough, stuff like this I don't feel comfy putting in the blog, simply because it's public and the thoughts are too new and unformed to express publicly.  Funny that the writing I've commited to do doesn't include the writing I feel I HAVE to do.  Jason, have fun with that diagnosis.

Got a cell phone call from an area code today that could only have been from an ex.  Had about 10 seconds of "Wha?" then answered and realized it was for a confirmation on a gaming survey I'm doing tomorrow night.  Funny gotcha moment of the day.

MotD: The Last Detail
I feel like my movie waters run pretty deep.  Deeper than your average bear.  Prior to adding this to my Netflix queue at some point this year, I had never, EVER heard of this movie.  Nicholson and Randy Quaid in a Midnight Run kind of escort a prisoner movie.  Awesome movie, really enjoyable characterization and performances.  Nicholson is a trip, awesome as always.  So glad I watched it.  But the question remains why have I NEVER heard of this movie?  Recommended for all!

I FINALLY want to go to a coffee shop...

And they were turned into a Subway.  Not sure when this happened, but it must have been awfully quickly.  Did find one down the street with uncomfortable stools.  Will probably go to the bookstore across the way more frequently.

I know what you, the astute reader is asking, did Joe start drinking coffee?  No.  But I do appreciate a good hot chocolate and like the act of setting aside time to get productive, which is what I did today.  Read about 3 act structure and plot diagraming today.  All cool stuff that I'm itching to dive into.  I think I'm zeroing in on a way to tell the story that would be of interest to people.  It's becoming more than just a Clerks knockoff.  I like that.

I've lost over 7 lbs. since I started spin classes 2 weeks ago.  I'm real happy about that too.  Down to 236 according to the gym scale.  Nearing the magical 50 lb. mark total, again, real happy.

Deleted that girls number from my phone today, so I can't proceed with the long, drawn out plan that I had to call her, literally once a week until I either got ahold of her or had the police tell me to stop.  Much healthier to delete and move on.  Still a cunt tho.

MotD: Two movies today: Ghost World
I would do awful, awful things to Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansen.  Things that would get me arrested in some states and make me a folk hero in others.  Delicious.  Movie was also good, a bit smug, but that was the point.  Still haven't read anything by Clowes, but I imagine I'll do that one day.  That and Chris Ware are on my hipster comic to do list.

Thelma & Louise:
Loved this movie, plays very early 1990's, but quite enjoyable.  Sarandon is one of my favorites and Geena Davis got me to like her a lot, which says quite a bit.  A bit misandrystic, it plays fairly obvious that the FBI guy, Keitel, doing the worst southern accent ever, has to believe in their innocence, because EVERY other male in the movie is a pig.  However, the fact that the other males were portrayed pretty realistically, kinda proves the point.  I didn't realize it was a Ridley Scott film until today, which makes me love him and it more.  He really puts some strong, badass women on the screen.  He should get an award from NOW or something.  The Golden Labia Award.

P.S. I had to look up the opposite of misogynist, which is misandrist.  How telling is it that I've heard the word misogyny a MILLION times in print, speech and conversation, yet have NEVER ONCE heard anyone use Misandrist. EVER.  I think that deserves it's own blog.  Maybe tomorrow.

In the Beginning...

Today was the first day of writing class.  I can't say I had a great start, got caught up in bed this morning, but around 11 got the Ya Ya's out and made the right moves.  Showered, lunched, then went to the Library to get away from the distraction of my condo.

Was the right move, but wasn't really necessary.  Not much to do this week, a basic intro and the homework assignment was to decide on a topic.  I had that pretty much in mind, so it was good and easy.  I need to read more into the book and start a synopsis next.  I've decided to flesh out Ushers.  I think that's the right move, but I have Football Fantasy and Monkey Bars in mind if I need to change.

I think I'm most interested in finding the economy of words.  That's always been a weakness of my communication and I think this will help that.

MotD: Gangs of New York
FINALLY got this from Amazon.  Worth the wait, that's for sure.  A bit lengthy in telling, and it felt like is suffered a bit at the end from this.  Not due to attention span problems, but they seemed to lose Amsterdam in the story after he was attacked.  One could look at it as a parallel with the underlying story of society marching on and moving past the petty arguments of the gangs.  The movie had to move past Amsterdam and into the city.  It just didn't feel 100% successful there, it just felt like it had too much story to tell, so it fast forwarded a bit, in the process it felt dragged out because we no longer had a connection to the post attack Amsterdam.  Not sure if that makes sense, that the movie felt longer because it picked up the pace, but there it is.  Recommended nonetheless, Scorsese is brilliant.