Filmmaking, movie-watching, music, pop culture, politics, history, literature, UFOs (I'm telling you -- we were visited by ancient aliens!), nostalgia trips, late night excursions, useless facts, Dick's drive-in, interesting "what ifs", eating unhealthy foods, pulling all-nighters, sketching, photography, sleeping ... that's about it at the moment.
I'd like to meet:
Famous filmmakers:
(Scorsese, Spielberg, Coppola, Lucas)
Ray Bradburry, Jerry Bruckheimer, Joseph Campbell, Frank Capra, Cameron Crowe, Alfonso Cuaron, Cecil B. Demille, Richard Donner, Clint Eastwood, David Fincher, Mel Gibson, Paul Haggis, Jim Henson, Alfred Hitchcock, Ron Howard, Peter Jackson, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Stephen King, Stanley Kubrick, David Lean, Ang Lee, Spike Lee, H.P. Lovecraft, John McTiernan, Christopher Nolan, Edgar Allan Poe, J.K. Rowling, J.D. Salinger, Bryan Singer, Sylvester Stallone, Oliver Stone, Guillermo Del Toro, Orson Welles, John Woo, and William Wyler.
Last Fall I met Darren Aronofksy at a screening of The Fountain. THAT was a tight experience.
Also, Bill Murray is a comedic genius that I would give anything just to sit down have a drink with.
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And Seth Rogen goes without saying.
Audrey Hepburn when she was alive and in her prime.
Natalie Portman. Just so I could profess my undying love for her. After all, she's the new Audrey Hepburn.
Last but not least, cinema's answer to Stephen King -- M. Night Shyamalan.
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Music:
I'm into classic rock, folk rock, glam rock, goth rock, hard rock, pop rock, psychedelic rock, punk rock, soft rock, and rock.
The musical artist who transcends all others would be my favorite--Bob Dylan.
Besides that, my favorite bands/musical artists are as follows: (+44), Band of Horses, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Byrds, Johnny Cash, The Cure, Dashboard Confessional, Death Cab for Cutie, The Doors, Eminem, Fugazi, Green Day, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jimmy Eat World, The Killers, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Dave Matthews Band, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, The Police, The Postal Service, Queen, Simon & Garfunkel, Bruce Springsteen, Sunny Day Real Estate, Loudon Wainwright III, Kanye West, The Who and U2.
I also enjoy the film scores of David Arnold, Marco Beltrami, Danny Elfman, Michael Giacchino, Ellito Goldenthal, Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner, James Newton Howard, Steve Jablonsky, Clint Mansell, John Ottman, Gustavo Santaolalla, Howard Shore, Alan Silvestri, John Williams, and Hans Zimmer.
And it wouldn't be right not to mention blink-182--the soundtrack to my teenage/young adult years. I hope they get back together soon.
Movies:
I love cinema. It is my main area of interest both as a hobby and as a future career.
That said, nothing will ever counter my love for the Star Wars saga and the Raiders film series. In terms of movies, they were the essence of my childhood, and they're at the core of my love of film.
Excluding those, however, my TOP TEN films of all-time are as follows:
1. The Godfather -- One of the only pitch-perfect films ever made. Francis Ford Coppola has never been more in control of what he's doing, which is ironic considering his many battles with Paramount during the production of this. Here's a movie where the script, the casting, the performances, the pacing, the screen direction, the cinematography--everything that falls under tone--is all 100%, consistantly at the same, incredibly high level. Perfect direction--it's almost unheard of in any other movie. It's also the most perfect movie ever made.
2. Vertigo -- In my mind, this is unquestionably Alfred Hitchcock's masterpiece, and that's saying something. This is Hitch at his most emotional, and his most confessional. Jimmy Stewart's performance is chill-inducing while Kim Novak's is hypnotic. This, combined with a story about a man engaging in emotional necrophilia and a woman who knows it, but is incapable of doing anything because of her love for him, make this one of the most engaging movies of all-time. Hitchcock's notorious filmmaking experiments, also produced some innovations--most notably the "Vertigo shot"--and the stylized opening credits and dream sequences. This movie is The Master's masterpiece.
3. Unbreakable -- The geeky side of me comes out (as if it hadn't already). This is my favorite M. Night Shyamalan movie, and it should be so much more than a cult classic. I love how deliberately paced it is. But more than that I love how the cinematography is made to recreate the panels of a comic book--long, stylized takes. And how Shyamalan uses color as a tool much like an illustrator would. Not mention the subtle nods to how the film ultimately unravels--Elijah Price's (Samuel L. Jackson) many intro shots always show him reflected in glass for example. Or the way David Dunn (Bruce Willis) is always dressed in green and Price is always in purple--to colors frequently complimenting eachother in comic books (The Hulk, The Joker, etc.). The performances are great too--Bruce Willis gives his best ever, in my opinion. James Newton Howard's score is perfectly suiting the tone of this as well. The best part, however, is how this is revealed to be something entirely different by the end--a
"psychological duel" between two men on opposite sides of the spectrum. If this is given the trilogy it so rightfully deserves, then I consider this the Godfather of superhero movies.
4. Close Encounters of the Third Kind -- Made when Spielberg was in what I refer to as his "badassery geeky" period. What makes this movie for me is how visceral, or hyper-real, it is. I believe everything that I see is happening. The mystery of the UFO sightings, what they mean, and more importantly whether these visitors are friendly, or hostile, is always alluring right to the very end--which is also one of the most memorable, and even touching movie endings ever (depending on what cut you go with). Told from the point of view of everyman Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss), we have a protagonist we can relate all too well to. That, intertwined with the scientist's and government's point of view, make this as epic as anything Spielberg has produced.
5. Lost in Translation -- A movie of which I can only aspire to make. The accomplishment here is not unlike Sofia Coppola's dad's in The Godfather, everything from the script to the casting to the atmosphere is perfect and perfectly consistent. That and I can't help but admire Bill Murray's quiet performance, which is easily one of this decade's best.
6. E.T. the Extra-terrestrial -- I always say that this movie "reeks" of childhood. It's interesting that a movie about a boy and his alien isn't actually about a boy and his alien. Steven Spielberg manages to treat his child characters without any kind of condescension. They talk and react to real things--divorce for example. Henry Thomas also delivers the best child performance I've ever seen. And by the end, I find myself so engulfed in everything that I can't help but have an extreme emotional response.
7. Silence of the Lambs -- For a post-modern thriller to be so unconventional is in itself an accomplishment. This is another movie where the "hyper-realness" of everything sucks me in, and it's scary as Hell. The duel between Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) and Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) is surreal and elevated by the actors' performances. By the end, it doesn't seem contrived that the two of them have formed a bond. The extreme close-ups Johnathan Demme uses, Howard Shore's avant-garde score, and the overall gothic atmosphere haunts me long after the movie's over -- a testament to a great film.
8. Signs -- An unusually thoughtful thriller trapped inside a B-movie shell. I always love it when these kind of movies get the treatment they deserved--such as in Jaws, Star Wars, Raiders of the Lost Ark, and this. The story of a man in a crisis of faith intertwined with a classic, paranoia, alien-invasion flick is just too cool. I'm one of the few who thinks this movie is as tightly-written as Shyamalan's biggest hit, The Sixth Sense. The movie builds up, just like the birds, and the resolution of everything is so unexpected, yet so obvious. Like Jaws, or Hitchcock's most accomplished thrillers, the humor manages to elevate the tension instead emptying it, all thanks to well-balanced direction. This is also one of the best theater experiences I've ever had.
9. Pulp Fiction -- A movie that broke every rule and burned all the conventions while somehow staying ... conventional. I love the tongue-in-cheek humor, I'm wowed by the dialogue, I'm blown away by its structure and Quentin Tarantino's craft, and I can't help but completely geek out at all the classic noir stories (the hitman who takes his bosses girl out, the boxer who is pressured to throw the fight but doesn't, etc.) that are flipped on their heads. I really wish more movies could be this fun and this well-paced. It's rare that a movie can set its aspirations so high and not be a gimmicky, pretentious piece of shit.
10. Sunset Boulevard -- It's always hard choosing between this and On the Waterfront when I think about what's my favorite film noir, but today I'm going with Billy Wilder's classic. What wows me about this film is its perfect structure. I consider this something of a horror film with a sense of humor--it's narrated by a dead man after all. And it encapsulates the glamour of old Hollywood like no movie I've seen, including L.A. Confidential. And that last shot gives me chills.
Grand Jury Prize (Or: Movies I'd have on my top ten if I could put more than ten on them...): 2001: A Space Odyssey, AI: Artificial Intelligence, Almost Famous, American Graffiti, Apocalypse Now, The Birds, Blade Runner, Brokeback Mountain, Chasing Amy, Collateral The Conversation, Die Hard, The Exorcist, Fight Club, The Godfather Part II, Goodfellas, The Graduate, Groundhog Day, The Incredibles, Jaws, Jerry Maguire, Kingdom of Heaven, Mallrats, The Matrix, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, North By Northwest, Pan's Labyrinth, Peter Pan, Poltergeist, Psycho, Rear Window, Requiem For a Dream, Reservoir Dogs, Rocky, Rosemary's Baby, Schindler's List, Se7en, The Shining, The Sixth Sense, Sleeping Beauty, Spider-Man 2, Taxi Driver, T2: Judgement Day, The Thing, Witness, The Village, and Zodiac.
A movie that's close to my heart is Jurassic Park. I saw that in a packed theater Summer 1993, and I been into movies ever since. That's one of the best theater experiences, if not the best, I've had. It was certainly the most impactful.
In the spirit of ripping off my savior, Jacob Bearcham, I will now post my TOP TEN filmmakers:
1. Steven Spielberg
2. M. Night Shyamalan
3. Francis Ford Coppola
4. Alfred Hitchcock
5. Martin Scorsese
6. George Lucas
7. David Fincher
8. Cameron Crowe
9. Peter Weir
10. Darren Aronofsky
TOP TEN of 2007 (thus far):
1. Zodiac
2. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
3. There Will Be Blood
4. No Country for Old Men
5. Knocked Up
6. Juno
7. Superbad
8. Ratatouille
9. Sweeney Todd
10. Live Free or Die Hard
Honorable mentions: 3:10 to Yuma, 28 Weeks Later, 300 (God I wish I could put more than 10 on my Top 10), American Gangster, Atonement, Black Snake Moan, The Bourne Ultimatum, Charlie Wilson's War, Death at a Funeral, Grindhouse, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix, In The Valley of Elah, Into the Wild, Lions for Lambs, Michael Clayton, The Mist, The Namesake, Reign Over Me, and Transformers.
And mostly anything starring Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, Jimmy Stewart, Jean Arthur, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Bill Murray, Steve Carrell, Mel Gibson, Bruce Willis, and Nicolas Cage.
And most superhero/comic book adaptations -- here's my TOP TEN (excluding Unbreakable and The Incredibles):
1. Spider-Man 2
2. Superman: The Movie
3. Batman Begins
4. Batman (1989)
5. Hulk
6. X2: X-Men United
7. Batman Returns
8. Superman Returns
9. Sin City
10. 300
And because there's nothing cooler than a series of movies (why have one movie when you can have more?), here's my TOP TEN movie franchises:
1. The Star Wars saga
2. The Indiana Jones adventures
3. The Godfather trilogy
4. The Lord of the Rings trilogy
5. The Terminator trilogy
6. The Matrix trilogy
7. The Die Hard series
8. The Alien quadrilogy
9. The Batman anthology (sans Batman & Robin)
10. The Rocky series (sans Rocky V)
Television:
A TV show I've recently discovered is Undeclared, created by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up) and Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Superbad). There's only one season, which is why it deserves first mention on here, but it's definitely worth checking out.
I generally haven't been a big TV person, but I'm recently discovering for myself just how great TV is in recent years. I'm starting to believe that TV really needs to be looked at the same way movies are--as cinema, and even art. Also, a lot of what's on TV outdoes what's in the theaters.
Alias, American Idol (I admit it), Batman: The Animated Series, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Da Ali G Show, Family Guy, Freaks & Geeks, Friends, and The Twilight Zone to name a few.
Oh, and Old School Nickelodeon rocks my world: Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Clarissa Explains it All, Doug, Hey Dude, Pete and Pete, Rugrats, and Salute Your Shorts.
I've become a major South Park fan in the last year or so as well. I think it's funny as shit, and outdoes a lot of the satire found in most feature films. It's brilliant.
LOST is something that I've been turned onto recently. I've finished the first season, and so far I think it's probably the best, most character driven, most cinematic thing I've seen on televison.
The U.S. version of The Office is hilarious, and I friggin' love the cast. This completely redefines the sitcom.
Heroes, like Lost, is incredibly big in scale, both visually and story-wise. I'm slowly becoming an addict.
Books:
I'm into classic literature all the way, although my favorites are mainly modern classics.
My favorite books are The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte.
When it comes to nonfiction, Erich Von Daniken's Chariots of the Gods really blew my mind, as well as James B. Stewart's Disneywar, Stephen King's On Writing..., and Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul M. Sammon.
I've also become a huge fan of the Harry Potter series in the last few months.
I'm really into the work of Richard Matheson (I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come?), Stephen King (The Shining, The Stand, It) and just recently Michael Crichton (The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, The Lost World).
I've also become obsessed with the works of Agatha Christie since last Summer. I think all of her work is brilliant, namely Murder on the Orient Express and one of my all-time favorites, And Then There Were None.
And how could I forget comic books?! My favorites are The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb, Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, Batman: Dark Victory by Jeph Loeb, Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid, and Will Eisner's The Spirit.
Heroes:
"A person should set his goals as early as he can and devote all his energy and talent to getting there. With enough effort, he may achieve it. Or he may find something that is even more rewarding. But in the end, no matter what the outcome, he will know he has been alive." - Walt Disney
Bob Dylan, Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Jordan, George Lucas, M. Night Shyamalan, and my idol Steven Spielberg.
Most of all, my cousin: Pat Tillman (1976 - 2004) -- a man who had the courage to not only follow his convictions, but to die for them.
Last but not least, my dear, ever shrinking list of friends: Kyle Tuthill, Nicholas Gyeney, Jamie Cremin, Jacob Bearchum, and Taylor Gilkeson.
