Journal entries with drawings in them! (And sometimes real pictures) When I find something remotely interesting in my daily life, I report it and draw it out for your entertainment here.
The Official blog of Rotten Sandwich co-founder Dan Lam, his drawings, doodles, pictures and mindless jabber as you like. This may be the only thing keeping his sanity in check and his mind off of smoking, at least till his fingers leave the keyboard.
Hi there internet world and blog readers. I just want to drop a quick line about a short film I worked on two years ago that is being entered in a film festival in France. Ebbe the Hunter or Le miroir et l'enfant as it is called in French. It is slightly cut for the film festival, but it would be great if we can get the support from my readers and visitors. I'm very proud of this film, I was the cinematographer on it. I've worked with this cast and crew many times and I don't think we could've made the film without them. We shot the film in Toronto, Canada on one of the snowiest winters. It was a joy and pain to make the film, but it was all worth it. So please watch and vote! Vote everyday until January 15th!
Hollywood has a way with hype during the holidays or big events. Whether it's releasing teasers during the Super Bowl or bombarding and repeating trailers everywhere during the July 4th. It seems that this winter holidays we are treated to next year's 'must see' sequels, prequels & adaptation blockbusters. From 'Prometheus' to 'The Dark Knight Rises'.
It seems that these 'event-trailers' are tied to films that don't belong to the same studios. As in, 20th Century Fox's 'Prometheus' with Sony Pictures' 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' & Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight Rises (trailer 1) is the opening act to Paramount Pictures' Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Even the 6-8 minute prologue is screened before the IMAX version of Mission: Impossible. Which is reasonable, seeing how 'Mission' is the only film to open in the IMAX format this month and The Dark Knight Rises has portions of the film shot in the same format.
Non-Spoiler-
The 6 to 8 minute prologue which gives us a taste of The Dark Knight Rises, includes a scene that I think belongs somewhere in the first 20 minutes of the film. Afterwards it just gives us brief glimpses of thrilling scenes from the film, some not in trailer no.1. Where the montage of clips failed for the prologue actually succeeded in the actual trailer. In trailer no. 1, the clips are voiced over with Ann Hathaway's Selina Kyle confronting Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) of what's to come to the 1% (there seems to be heavy references to Occupy Wall Street.)
This comes in the style of most Christopher Nolan films, where dialogue is placed over a dramatic montage. A device he uses at the end of 'The Dark Knight', 'The Prestige', 'Memento', etc. Unfortunately, trailer no. 1 falls into the traps of big Hollywood action/comic book movie trailers. Apparently, it's protocol for these genre trailers to include an epic CGI effects laden scene. Where footballer Hines Ward runs through the field not realizing his playmates tumble into a massive crater that is formed in a series of explosions.
The trailer for Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' will open before his co-production with Steven Spielberg of 'The Adventures of TinTin'. The trailer seems to be a warm reminder of what 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy looked like and how the next two movies in the world of Tolkien's Hobbits will be. Returning are Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm & Ian McKellen.
This trailer works because it is familiar with it's fan base and it doesn't exclude newcomers to the world of the One Ring mythology because this is the prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. The trailer starts with Ian Holm's Bilbo Baggins explaining to Frodo that he hasn't told him the full story of his adventures with Gandalf. Then the trailer proceeds to flashback to the young Bilbo Baggins this time played by Martin Freeman (The Office UK, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.) Gandalf introduces us to new characters that will join in their party, cut to a scene of the only human singing and the rest follows, then a montage of their journey (just like old times.)
Ridley Scott's highly anticipated return to science fiction since 'Blade Runner' with 'Prometheus' has been cleverly teased throughout this past week, with daily countdown teasers and twitter tweets of images from the film. Although the film has not debuted online yet (it is said to go online today), it has already screened in front of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' since December 20th. I'm planning to catch the film tonight, so I will be posting an update on my review of the trailer.
Courtesy of Coming Soon.net
Other trailers that have all the hype following them are 'Clash of the Titans' sequel 'Wrath of the Titans' , Adam Shankman's film adaptation of Broadway hit 'Rock of Ages', Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones' return in Men in Black 3 & Dwanye 'The Rock' Johnson's turn in 'G.I. Joe - Retaliation'. These trailers don't offer anything special, they feature your typical spectacle of action, movie stars and over the top music. One thing is clear from all of this, next year promises to be bigger than the one before it. Hopefully, we won't feel bloated from all the camp.
UPDATE: 'Prometheus' Teaser
So having seen the teaser to Ridley Scott's widely speculated Prequel/Not Prequel of 'Alien', 'Prometheus' seems to be one exciting science fiction film of 2012. There is many evidence in the teaser the points to it being at the very most related to the Alien films. The trailer starts with the eponymous string of lines that as the teaser progresses forms the film's title, there are also clips of familiar set pieces such as the crescent shaped space craft, a field of jars (?) that resemble the field of Alien eggs and a scene of one of the crew attacked through their helmet and possibly burning from acid (?) Even the unmistakable Jerry Goldsmith score with it's various plucking of strings comes from the first Alien film.
So maybe the film won't directly link itself to the Alien series, but it certainly comes from that world. The teaser does an excellent job in "teasing" the audience, each clip is shown for now more than three seconds each. Even the premise as revealed in the title cards are compelling, "They went looking for our beginning, What they found could be our end."Almost reminiscent of the 1970s kitschy marketing with 'Alien' with the tagline, "In space, no one can hear you scream."
Haven't been keeping up with the blog due to lack of interest and abundance of work. Wish I had a secretary... or another writer. Anyhow, I'm back and winter is here. Which means I'll have more time on my hands to devote to this blog here. I'll be bringing back my movie trailer reviews and more photographs from work! Here's a preview taste:
Taken in El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, CA for 'Reservoir'
Here are some more photos from my trip to Berkeley.
The one thing I love about California is that it is a big car culture over there.
You can find fixed up vintage cars parked in almost every corner.
Abandoned sneakers.
View from Grizzly Peak.
Daryn Deluco (Director of Photography)
While I was in Berkeley, I made myself a little playlist that included mostly Cali's own Best Coast. And one of there songs, I would like to post up here is my favorite.
Earlier last month I spent some time in California working on a short film for a friend. I've had an amazing time out there and plan to go back to visit. During the shoot, I would take walks in the mornings before being picked up to go to the set and I would take my Nikomat with my 24mm lens with me and document what I saw. There's more to come.
Continuing my list of favorite Hong Kong directors and their best films, is famed "Gun-Fu" director John Woo (Face/Off, Mission: Impossible II)
John Woo is famous for his gun action films, his trademarks are double wielded guns, ballet-like choreography, slow motion, themes of brotherhood and justice, tragedy and of course doves. Just think of him as the thinking man's Michael Bay. Even though his action is described as "high-octane" and "roller coaster ride", Woo knows hows to inject irony into his films. Whether it be a 'killer' caring for a victim in The Killer or a huge shootout in a hospital in Hard Boiled, all of these conflicting images work in a bigger poetic narrative.
Woo is a master of timing. His action sequences are cut in a way where it flows smoothly, his protagonists know exactly when and where to shoot. Violence is glorified and yet at the same time it becomes a shock to the viewer. We get to see the blood in plain sight and it's not pretty, we can sense the fear and pain in Woo's victims. John Woo has stated that he doesn't encourage violence, this can be apparent in his films when an innocent bystander gets hit with a bullet or the fact that no good comes to any character firing a weapon.
Although John Woo has had a string of critical successes in the late 80s and early 90s, his career has been shaky in the 00s. After the success of Face/Off, Woo could not replicate that with his other American films such as Windtalkers and Paycheck, and several failed attempts at the television industry. Woo later returned to China to tackle a big budget historical war epic with Red Cliff. The film includes Woo's previous themes, in addition 'politics' is something he hasn't tackled before in his films.
Leslie Feist's long awaited third album is to be released in October 6th in North America, she recently released a paint by numbers album cover on her facebook. This is my take on what the cover could look like. Hope you all like it!
You can also catch snippets of her new music at her official website @ www.listentofeist.com. There is a great piece about the new album which gives a more information on the songs that may be included in the album, you can find there here.
Plus, don't forget to catch the amazing documentary on Feist and her creative process called "Look at What the Light Did Now"
I don't know about you but something about listening to Feist's music makes me feel like I want to put on a nice wool sweater, drink some hot chocolate and feelin' chilly (gonzales). And since I'm on a Feist fix right now, here is my playlist of her music that I will be listening to all week:
So, I've been away from blogger world for a bit and now I've come back with some stuff to share.
I've recently made a short playlist of videos that culminates the best work of Hong Kong action film director Tsui Hark. Considered to be the Steven Spielberg of Hong Kong cinema, he brought action, comedy and dazzling visual effects to the films of the 1980s. He has produced and directed many staple Hong Kong films such as A Chinese Ghost Story, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer and Iron Monkey. He's produced for "Gun-Fu" Director John Woo (both of which famously had a falling out) and famed Action coordinator Yuen Woo-Ping.
His directing efforts has been few compared to other prolific Hong Kong filmmakers. He's best known for the Once Upon a Time in China series with Jet Li, based on an actual historical Chinese figure Wong Fei Hung (a physician/martial artist). They were made in a time where Hong Kong was still occupied by the British and national identity seemed to be at a crisis. Peking Opera Blues is a kind of Charlie's Angels set in early 20th century China, Twin Dragons was his first project with Jackie Chan and Seven Swords was Tsui Hark's 'Lord of the Rings' big adaptation.
The playlist was inspired by a recent Facebook posting by a friend who posted the trailer of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, Tsui Hark's latest film starring Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs I, II & III), Tony Leung Kar-Fai (Election I & II) and Carina Lau (Days of Being Wild, 2046). I felt that Detective Dee was not Tsui Hark's strongest film, it had the well intention of being a period mystery thriller, but bad screenwriting, sloppy cinematography and underwhelming CGI made the film campy. The film will be released on September 2nd in select theaters around the nation.
So I put together a short list of films that I think best represents Tsui Hark's body of work.
Watch my playlist here:
Coming out at the end of the year is Tsui Hark's second attempt at the Dragon Inn story, working with Jet Li again but this time in 3D. Here is the teaser trailer of their latest effort.
Update (7/31):
Catch the chance to see one of Tsui Hark's early special effects heavy film, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain on the big screen at BAM in Brooklyn, NY on August 8th. The film stars Bridgette Lin (Ashes of Time), Yuen Biao (Once Upon a Time in China) and Sammo Hung (Project A).
There has been an unexpected hiatus of entries that I will have to write for another day. In the meantime, here are some photos I took on my little Nikon camera and beautified with the iPod Touch app, Instagram. Click on the photos to enlarge.
North Bank Seafood Restaurant The West Building in the TimBuck II Shopping Village 794-G Sunset Blvd. Corolla, NC 27927
(252) 453-3344
One might not notice the North bank Seafood and Raw Bar when driving through North Carolina's Outer Banks. The restaurant is tucked inside a strip mall flanked by surf shops and ice cream parlors, and had the most unassuming front door. When entering the restaurant you might think it's kind of small but probably has an additional party room in the back. When you sit down in your seat, you'll realize that this place really is just kinda small. The blue wallpaper and fish replicas floating by the ceiling offer little decor but it's certainly a reminder of what I'm eating. Yum!
We were a party of 14 and were told to wait for about 30 minutes. The lobster beepers they handed us kept me entertained but we were soon whisked off to our seats and given our warm bread basket. We didn't wait long for our orders to arrive, with the raw clam appetizer coming first. The clams were definitely appetizer sized but were quite good despite being particularly fishy.
Their Panko Fried Shrimp had a very satisfying crunch to them but the seasoning on them was very plain. The tangy and sweet sauce that came with it was delicious and I spread that all over my other dishes.
Their version of the fried onion appetizer comes in the form of their Bird Nest; it's exactly what you'd expect if you had this sort of thing before like the Onion Bloom at Outback Steakhouse's. It's considerably thinner than the onion bloom and it's enjoyable if you're into this dish and comes in a shareable portion.
In the United States, Entertainment has been subject to careful censorship since the late 1920s. During the time of prohibition, rich conservative Christian groups banned alcohol because they thought it was the reason for society's depravity and crimes. People started looking at films and found that there were material cause enough to form a censorship group. The Motion Picture Commission, which oversaw all films before they were exhibited in theaters and cut out any material that didn't fit into Christian morality such as nudity, violent deaths, etc.
Today we have the Motion Picture Association of America. You might be familiar with their name from those green place cards in front of every trailer that is shown. They're simple notification for the audience to let them know that what they're about to see is deemed 'appropriate' by the MPAA for anyone who watches them. Those trailers are called green band trailers.
The Muppets (2011)
With Jason Segel, Amy Adams and the Muppets crew.
Kermit, Miss Piggy and co. are finally back! This time with the help of Flight of the Conchords series co-creator James Bobin and writers Jason Segel and director of Forgetting Sarah Marshal, Nicholas Stoller.
Disney's marketing strategy (or more like Muppet Studio's) is to turn out faux trailers that mislead the audience into thinking that the film has nothing to do with the Muppets and turns out to be the Muppets. I like this approach and I think it is a smart one. This helps to gain new audience while enhancing the interest of the former audience.
The first teaser to come out of this is a faux Romantic Comedy film called Green With Envy, it stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams as school teachers who fall in love and move to Los Angeles. It also features the typical heavy voiced narrator, cheesy uplifting score and of course the boy-loses-girl plot.
The second trailer, which is a straight-forward parody of the recently released The Hangover 2, The Fuzzy Pack emulates the anti-promotion critics' quote.
To go with the gallery is the new track from Arcade Fire, "Culture War" from the upcoming Special Edition release of their Grammy Record of the Year winner The Suburbs. The CD and DVD package includes the Spike Jonze directed short film Scene from the Suburbs.
It's supposedly the beginning of the end and what better way than to spend it with the people you admire and love. To help get things going and groovin' why don't I share my newly created playlist that can make the fiery apocalypse a little fun and chilled. Check it out on my iTunes link:
Starring Jean Dujardin, Missi Pyle, John Goodman and James Cromwell.
French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius is a man of tribute. His previous films with star Jean Dujardin "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies" and "OSS 117: Lost in Rio" are tributes to the James Bond films of the 60s and 70s. With every aspect of the films created as they would have been at the time from script to cinematography.
Here we have their new film "The Artist" which opened to great fare at the 64th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. This time paying tribute to the films of the early 1930s, where sound was being introduced and genres such as musicals, gangsters and adventure were thriving. The film seems to be a great companion for Gene Kelly's "Singin' in the Rain", where in that film it is also about a movie star who finds his true love in one of his fans.
Note: This film is produced by Warner Brothers, which also happens to produce most of those famous sound era musicals and gangster pics like "The Jazz Singer" (1927) and "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938)
Emma Roberts is quickly becoming one of my favorite young actresses. She is pretty and she has a face of a girl who can't be fooled easily. Her project selection as of late has been very smart, after her big introduction into Hollywood with failed franchise starter "Nancy Drew" she quickly saved herself with hip independent fares such as "Lymelife", "Twelve" and last years "It's Kind of a Funny Story". She also starred in this year's famous horror franchise "Scream 4" for Wes Craven. Although the film tanked, her role in the film shows that she has range to play different parts.
Well, last night wrapped up the screening of all the short films that were selected to show at the IFC Center for the Columbia University Film Festival. And last night's screening of films rounded up a strong year for the school with over 40 filmsshown at the festival. These amazing films can prove that filmmakers can tell you compelling stories in a limited amount of time. It is an art form that should not be overlooked.
So the short films that I worked on for Columbia University thesis have premiered over the past three nights. I have to say, I'm proud of all the work and I'm glad that I got to be a part of this amazing group of talents. Thursday evening at IFC Center will be showing the last batch of shorts that were made in the past year. I will be there and I hope to see some readers there as well. Tickets are still available at the box office or online and if you get a ticket, there is an offer of Buy 1 Get 1 free drink when you present your ticket stub at 'the Dove Parlour' onThompson Street between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets. Meet the filmmakers and enjoy excellent entertainment!
Meant to post this a while ago, it's a short comic written and drawn by my friend Raymond Salvador. He drew this in preparation for our screening ofPaul that we attended. Check it out:
This is the first Vandaveer music video I worked on, the song is titled "The Nature of Our Kind". We shot this in all over Brooklyn and in Philadelphia.
That the short films I worked on is going to be presented at the Columbia University Film Festival this April 25th to 28th at the IFC Film Center.
Last year I worked on a ton of Columbia shorts and some of them has made it to the fest. I am excited to go watch them projected on the big screen for the first time and to see the cast and crew I worked with. I've made a lot of good friends through these films and I'm proud to have been a part of them.
I'm excited and so should you readers. French electronic duo Justice or † as I like to call them, are going to release their first single for their second album on April 4th. The new song "Civilization" is featured in the Adidas ad campaign entitled "Adidas is All In", here is that video:
Also from their record label, Ed Banger Records, remix artist SebastiAn will release his first original album Total on the same date.
Last night was my friend's going away to LA party. It was a fun-filled night of drinking and riding mechanical bulls. We went to Mason Dixon, a bar down in the Lower East Side.
We were a party of ten and most of us got to get on the mechanical bull, I was second in line. It was a fun experience, especially if you've had a few drinks in you beforehand. I got to last for more than thirty seconds, maybe just under a minute. There were professionals that rode the bull that night as well, they knew how to move and when to counter the shake.
I probably wouldn't last two seconds on a 'real' bull.
Mason Dixon is an interesting bar, they have arcade games in the front, a photobooth (which we used) and extremely loud but good music. It gets crowded pretty quickly and uncomfortably. They really should rearrange where the speakers and seats should be.
After that we spent the rest of the night at Imperial Tavern on Ludlow St. It's a bar that keeps it pretty cool, the bartenders are nice and seats are usually free. Cocktails are pricey though. It's a good place to have a drink and hold a conversation with your friends.
Here is the song of the night: "Living in America" by DOM. It summarizes the return of Spring and the social night life.
One film that I have the most anticipation for is Kelly Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff. Starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan. Reichardt's previous film Wendy & Lucy, also starred Ms. Williams and that was one of the best independent film I've seen in the past few years. Very meditative and natural in terms of performances, editing and camerawork. I cannot wait to see how the director and actors handle a period piece, and it seems interesting to me that the filmmakers decide to choose the 4-by-3 format to compose their frames. I want to see the reason behind that decision.
Upcoming documentary on fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, titled Bill Cunningham New York
I'm always interested in discovering famous photographers, I love Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank and William Eggleston, and I discover them through museum trips and trips to the photography section at the Strand Bookstore. Rarely would I chance upon a documentary about them and from what I've seen of the trailer, Mr. Cunningham looks like an exciting figure.
I have a love/hate relationship with Gus Van Sant's films. They're photographed beautifully and the acting and direction is minimal. My problem is that sometimes his films can be a little boring, they meditate too long on its characters or the thought doesn't come through clearly. Examples can be found of Elephant, Gerry and Paranoid Park. Don't get me wrong, I love those films, but they're just a tad bit too long for my tastes. Van Sant is an interesting director in that he studies characters and styles, and he gives off an obsessive quality to his work which makes me respect him.
Restless appears to be a small attempt by the director to make a quirky independent film, like that of Juno or Little Miss Sunshine. This film could've easily been picked up by Fox Searchlight, famous for turning aforementioned indie films into Award winners and Box Office champions. But Sony Pictures got to it first and hopefully they can turn out a smart marketing plan just as Searchlight would.
Been in a slight creative hiatus at the moment. Haven't been doing much except for making taking a photograph here and there. A few days ago I spent the day taking pictures for my friend's line of pins he's made to sell on Etsy.com, they're interesting pins with pop culture icons. Some are from video games, TV cartoons and comic books.
I recently started listening to this French pop singer, Yelle. Her new album Safari Disco Club is coming out this month. The video to her two new songs are funky and really odd.
And it truly was, for a while the weather was good. The sun came out and gave New York City a break. I spent the day watching Rango with my friend, Ying, which wasn't too bad. The visuals are super realistic and the filmmaker's take on the Western genre was brilliant. It was perhaps 20 minutes too long?
After the film we went to SoHo to have lunch at Cubana Café, one of my favorite spots in New York. It's a bit small, but the food is great and the value feels right. They treated us very well and even gave us dessert, a brownie, on the house for being patient (It was busy that day). We both had Hanger Steak sandwich, which we've never tried before and it was superb! It was cooked medium rare and the cheese melted with tomatoes, it was just a great combination of flavors.
Afterwards, Ying went to have her spa treatment and I dropped by Top Man to say hi to a friend.
I've ridden my bike today for the first time in months. The weather has been pretty good, the ice has melted away and the air is warmer. I rode for an hour to the 'rich' people's neighborhood in Queens, called 'Malba', like the one in Florida and California. I enjoy riding my bike, although it's in constant need of fixing and riding in Queens isn't perfectly safe in terms of traffic. I get a visceral feeling out of it, especially when I'm listening to my music. I listened to my Feist mix and a mix of Lykke Li music. They go pretty hand in hand with how I felt and the activity.
The other day I got to work on a book trailer for Mary Higgins Clark's new book. The crew and I interviewed her on where she grew up and how she started as a writer. It was interesting to meet her, she's a very driven woman and has a great sense of humor. I pictured her as a woman in her 50s, sort of campy, sort of like those women from 'Designing Women'. I hadn't realized that she would be older and actually quite cool. She talked about her distaste for The Situation and Snookie and how she had made her first million when she was still in college. Although I still don't like her writing, I think I've come to appreciate her as a person.
I miss warmer weather in New York. Found out that one of my friends is moving to L.A. I'm jealous that she'll be in nicer climates before it will come to me. Plus, it's going to be a little sad and boring here in the city without her. She's been fun to hang out with. I guess New York will just be a little colder longer.
Well, it has been an amazing two weeks. Despite it being difficult and freezing, working on this short film has been a learning experience and a great adventure with my friends. I appreciate any chance I get to travel and see things I would never get to see if I weren't in the film industry. I got to see bisons, lions, elks and tigers. I got to meet cool people, especially the canucks on set. I saw stars and the moon on the horizon. I saw myself growing as a person. I hope to share pictures of my trip with you guys soon. In the mean time, here's a new song from Lykke Li which kept me inspired throughout my trip.
Here in breezy freezy Toronto for the past few days. Enjoying the blistering winds and wet cold socks. Filming in the snow is just as every enjoyable as swimming in the middle of the ocean. While I'm here for a few more days, I'm going to chill out to the sounds of Santigold. I want to see her live again. Long live sANNEtigold.
Hey guys, so I'll be leaving tomorrow evening for Toronto, Canada. I'm going there for the second time to work on a short film with a few Columbia University friends. I'm going to be Camera Assisting on the RED One. About eight days of shooting, four days outdoors and four in. I'm leaving this cold weather for even colder weather, I am looking forward to it... Last time I went, it was around the same time, so I know what to expect. I just hope that I don't lose a finger or two to frostbite. Plus, we're working with more equipment this time around.
I've been a little stressed about the shoot these past few days. I normally worry about a shoot the day before it starts, but this has been building up for a while. A lot of things factor into it. I've been procrastinating in packing up and doing the laundry. I spent the last few days just watching movies and hanging out with my family. I've got like five other DVDs at home to watch. Hopefully, once I get into it I'll forget my worries and will get the chance to concentrate on my work.
This is a photo I took last time I was in Toronto.
Just viewed a couple of trailers for 2011, some I'm super excited for and others not too hot about. Here's what I'm looking forward to so far:
Submarine (2010) Just been purchased by The Weinstein Company for US distribution at Sundance 2011. Made by first time director Richard Ayoade, a music video director for Arctic Monkeys.
The music featured, "Quand On N’A Que L’Amour" by Jacques Brel, is very choice.
Sourced from "Twitchfilm.net"
Ceremony (2011) Starring Uma Thurman and Michael Angarano. In this is romantic comedy about Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) attempting to get back with his ex, Zoe (Uma Thurman) who is about to get hitched to an absurd documentary filmmaker. The trailer looks promising, has your typical assuredness humor, things go wrong in a important event and wrong directions (from the characters, not the director). Complete with your trendiest bands to provide for the trailer's soundtrack.
It seems that this is the year of the Alien invasion. JJ Abrams' Super 8, Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens. All of which are produced by extraterrestrial advocate Steven Spielberg. The most promising of the three is Super 8, previously released information on plot and story were limited to an effective teaser of a freight train accident and possible monster unleashed.
The super bowl teaser provides a glimpse to a bigger and possibly emotional story behind all the sci-fi action. As with all the other bloggers of the net are claiming, this appears to be JJ Abrams' nod to the Spielberg films of the 80s that shares the awe and wonderment of aliens. I.E. Close Encounters of the Third Kind & E.T.
Beginners (2011) Directed by Mike Mills, Installation artist/graphic designer/music video director, as his second feature after Thumbsucker. This film appears to be sentimental (but not as sentimental as Ewan McGregor's Big Fish, where Thumbsucker was more extracted in its view on the strangeness of its characters. This film is about a non-traditional father/son relationship, coupled with romance with a young woman and a dog that speaks in subtitles.
But we can still party! Last night hung out with my buddies and went to Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn for the first time. We saw this band 'Tayisha Busay', an electronic/dance trio and they totally rocked hard. They come across as a crazy mix of Amanda Blank, Uffie & Ke$ha, but more hardcore. The venue was small, but they played as if they were in an arena. Check out their EP Shock-Woo on iTunes, it's well worth your money. You can find the link here.
So it's snowing like a bitch out there, I'm just staring at the blizzard and I can't really see 10 yards all around. This is turning out to be one of the biggest snow storms in New York City history, at least from my perspective. I've been saying this a lot lately, when we're kids snow doesn't bother us to much. We love to have the day off and play in the cold all day long. When we grow older, we find winter to be bothersome and limiting. It hinders us from going to work or it stops us from attending social gatherings. At age twenty-five you really come to the realization that snow blows.
So I rang in the new year with a slow start. No work for a few weeks, but this past weekend got to be on a music video shoot for Vandaveer. We shot it in different music venues, Southpaw in Brooklyn, NY and Johnny Brendas in Fishtown, PA. We also went around Red Hook in Brooklyn and did some cool traveling shots, can't wait for it to come out. I'll post up a link of the video here so you can see.
We're doing their next video this coming weekend and it's supposed to be crazy, as in being out in the cold weather for 10 hours a day crazy. On a side note, the band is great. It's a duo, a singer-guitarist and another singer. They are kind of folky and bluesy. They remind me of that couple in the film Once.
and lastly, check out this remix of Chromeo's eightiestastic song 'Hot Mess' from Duck Sauce. Recently I've been getting my music from the blog RCDLBL, they're fantastic for finding rare b-sides and remixes of hip bands. So give 'Hot Mess' a listen, it features Elly Jackson of La Roux.
You can check out his stuff here: 
