Derrick Sims profile picture

Derrick Sims

makin movies makin songs & fightin' round tha wuld

About Me

Filmmaking has been my only professional passion since I was nine. Now, I make films and teach film production and analysis at the Northwest Arkansas Academy of Fine Arts. I've been married to my wife for 4 years. She's great!

My Interests

My loverly wife Alaina, making movies, rolling hills and flowers, harmony, whole milk, old books, pirate treasure, LOST, terrific adventures, pipe smoke, gaelic music and other motherland traditional things... oh and really good music (especially the kind without words)!

I'd like to meet:

Ray Bradbury, Danny Boyle, George Washington, Tim Burton, Albert Einstein, Tak Fujimoto, Clint Eastwood, Mother Theresa, Sergio Leone, Jesus, Sidharta Gautama, John Tolkien, Marcus Aurelius, Kurt Vonnegut, C.S. Lewis, Muhammad, Edgar Allan Poe (to ask how he died), Enya, Edward D. Wood Jr., Loreena McKennitt, Steve Buscemi, Orsen Welles, Gandhi, Heath Ledger

Music:

Sigur Ros, Devotchka, Smashing Pumpkins, Bowie, Enya, Imogen Heap, John Denver, Moby, Grapes of Rap, Klaus Badelt, Allison Kraus, Danny Elfman, Justin Turner, Johnny Cash, James Newton Howard, Jars of Clay, Madonna, Michael Giacchino, The Brothers Gibb

Movies:

The Lord of the Rings, Sunshine, Perfume, Rocky, Snow Falling on Cedars, Once, Tuck Everlasting, Last of the Mohicans, Love Actually, Sleepy Hollow, Equilibrium, From Hell, American Splendor, The Weatherman, Star Wars, Leone's Dollars Trilogy, Adaptation, The Prestige, Whale Rider, Motorcycle Diaries, 28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean, Ed Wood, Back to the Future, Karate Kid, Harry Potter, and M. Night Shyamalan movies (oh you know you like them too!)

Television:

Lost, Reading Rainbow, Jakers! The Adventures of Piggly Winks

Books:

Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (and other Holmes tales), Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, Dracula, The Game of Sunken Places, The Chronicles of Narnia, Rebel Without a Crew, The Screwtape Letters, Fahrenheit 451, The Poe Reader, Beowulf, The Giver, Solaris

Heroes:

Clint Eastwood, David Bowie, Dad, Danny Boyle, Sylvester Stallone, Arthur Conan Doyle, Christ, Rene Descartes, Edgar Allan Poe, Ghandi, Johnny Cash, Ray Bradbury, John Tolkien, Shakespeare, T.S. Elliot

My Blog

Mourning for a great actor

I was barely asleep on the couch today when CNN rang out the news about Heath Ledger's death. I couldn't believe it. When I heard Wolf Blitzer say the words, I hoped they weren't true. I hoped that L...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Wed, 23 Jan 2008 05:30:00 PST

Thanksgiving food is tasty

Alaina's family came up today, and we had Thanksgiving with them. Alaina made all of the food from scratch. Normally, that would be a bad thing, but she did awesome. No lie, the food rocked hard! Dres...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Sun, 18 Nov 2007 10:47:00 PST

Tombstones are a boy’s best friend

Do you remember when you were little, and you read that book with those creepy ghost stories and horrid illustrations? I do, and it was fun. I love me some scary stuff. I'm not talking slasher flick, ...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 06:36:00 PST

Puritan Beard

I'm growing a Puritan beard. I'm thinking about being Amish for Halloween. I've also looked into Puritanism over the past few weeks, and I think it's interesting. I believe a lot like them. Anywho, my...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Tue, 09 Oct 2007 09:42:00 PST

Rescue Rangers

Well, this week has been a pain, sort of. Still no camera for the department. I think my head's going to explode. Seriously...I'm not joking. This, among other things, have made me very irratable late...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Sat, 22 Sep 2007 10:03:00 PST

gods in the making...or at least demigods

maybe not even demigods. what i'm referring to are two students of mine. both are at my school for music...however, now they've both latched onto film, and they're very promising. I'd go so far as to ...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Thu, 30 Aug 2007 08:13:00 PST

School and Sweeney Todd

School started this week. The first two days were really tough, but that third day was encouraging. It really impresses me the amount of knowledge some of these kids have. One told me his favorite fil...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Sun, 05 Aug 2007 02:35:00 PST

The Lady in Black

Check out this video: The Lady in Black Add to My Profile | More VideosI was just watching this movie again, because I haven't seen it in a while. I muted the sound and found out that the ...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Tue, 24 Jul 2007 09:20:00 PST

Home

Alaina and I moved into our new home today! It's really cool, and I'm glad to be out of the apartment life forever! Hey, my new showerhead is really amazing. It's pretty much the awesomest shower head...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:54:00 PST

I'm lost on an island far from home...

Well well well I'm back. I graduated and am now packing for the move to NW Arkansas. I start my new job teaching film theory and method in July. Right now I'm looking at equipment to purchase for the ...
Posted by Derrick Sims on Fri, 18 May 2007 09:17:00 PST