So I wrote this before I made this blog (over a year ago). Geez it’s been that long. Seems like yesterday I was sitting just moments before Transformers being totally confused by a trailer with no title or cuts. Just a date. Then I saw it. Then I wrote this (for the City College News Paper). Now I’m hear. Nostalgia…
I cannot deny the importance of luck in my life. The morning after I saw producer J.J. Abrams’s experimental monster movie, Cloverfield, I woke to an early phone call from a friend of mine who mentioned an interview session with the movie’s cast and director for college newspaper reporters later that day. Determined to squeeze into this opportunity, I made a few inquiring phone calls and found myself looking for the historic Jumeirah Essex House Hotel on 59th and Broadway, where the interview was to take place.
After registering, I relaxed a little and admired the renovations recently completed in celebration of the hotel’s 75th anniversary. Essex House is one of about 200 hotels recognized by the National Trust Historic Hotels of America for maintaining its historic and architectural integrity.
Before I could get too distracted, I was assembled with a dozen students in a long room on the second floor where we met the filmmakers and began our interview.
For readers who are not familiar with the movie’s history, the public was introduced to Cloverfield with an untitled trailer that played during the theatrical release of Transformers last July. Since that trailer, Cloverfield has been one of the most anticipated and carefully promoted films of the past year. The movies’s director, Matt Reeves, credited the mysterious trailer for Close Encounters of the Third Kind as inspiration for how he and Abrams wanted to release the film. It must have been somewhat of a mystery for Reeves and Abrams as well, since the script wasn’t completed until after the trailer hit theaters. Instead, the crew used a detailed outline written by Drew Goddard (Alias), Reeves, and Abrams. The beautiful actress Jessica Lucas, who plays Lily, added that about half of the characters’ lines were not scripted.
The movie imitates home video footage, like The Blair Witch and Cannibal Holocaust, and how a group of young people might capture a real monster attack. In short, no cut-aways, no close-ups, no musical score, nothing. Shots range from one second to several minutes and capture events from just days before the disaster to moments with the monster within feet. Reeves and his crew successfully blended cutting edge special effects with the amateur camera work, shot primarily by actor T.J. Miller, who plays Hud, for some of the most believable images seen in New York City based monster movies. Considering the movie’s short length, just under 90 minutes with much of it devoted to running and panic, the characters are likable and multidimensional. Actress Odette Yustman, who plays Beth, explained that she had to be in character during the entire takes because the camera position was unpredictable. “Every take is a oner,” she summarized.
After the interview was a brief photo op when my geekiness emerged and I allowed myself to pose with the cast. I thanked those who helped me into the gig and took one more look at the Essex’s exquisite lobby before I walked into the busy street.
Mr. Lee Iovino has completed his latest addition to the original content of our site. Staying true to his passion as one who puts footage together, he constructs his own music video from Matrix footage. The first Matrix that is. The two sequels are such bags of dung that no one with any integrity could consider them inspiring for future art.
So another year has passed. Another year in which people do certain things in certain places at certain times. Indeed, a lot was done this year. So what have we learned from doing all these things? I think Gandhi said it best with “From each according to his ego, to each according to his shoe size.” Phrases pertaining to these personally penetrate the platform of polygamy with a pure perspective on penultimate penciled puckeled paddy pog ping a dang dong.
No! we cannot allow this objective logic to taint our liberty! The time has come to dissolve the political bands which have bound our butts to this silly boat ride of a life we call… life. Whoa unto thee whoso casteth his gaze upon thy bosom with disdain in lieu of ebullience. Whoa dude. Take it easy.
I know it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but I hope this satisfies that void. Luis and I finally made a new video highstandard for the youtube/Sundance Project Direct contest. We made it in about four days and had to use a Polaroid photo, the pi sign, and a red phone (which only appears in the contest version).
Summary: A struggling student resides with a neurotic clean freak…
It was shot on a Canon GL2 and edited on Adobe Premiere. Enjoy!
So 4 beers (and some other drinks) and 2,000,000 jokers later we finished Halloween 2008. The plethora of Heaths didn’t stop us from strutting our stuff though. We were easily the most ambitious pair of villains in the Big Apple and are now in many photos of people whom we don’t even know nor will meet again. New York needs Halloween more often. Once a year is not enough. And why do the clocks keep changing? Imagine if Doc couldn’t get the Delorian to back to ‘85 ’cause of daylight savings mistakes. Marty would’ve been one of the most celebrated and innovative rock musicians ever.
A few nights ago, we at gooldster.com received an email from a cohort who got to see the latest feature film of the group that emerged from The State, Role Models. It stars one of our personal favorites, Paul Rudd, and an underutilized actor with three first names, Sean William Scott. Here’s what they said:
Rudd and Scott are two friends who work for an energy drink company and drive from school to school to promote the product as a substitute for drugs. They are really really bad at this and eventually are ordered by the law to serve 100 plus hours of community service at a children’s center called Study Wings. Both are assigned a kid and must develop a healthy relationship.
Now that that’s out of the way, check out the other cast: Christopher Mitz-Plasse (but until his name becomes easier to remember he will be known and referred to as McLovin) as one of the kids, Elizabeth Banks (Rudd’s beautiful-in-every-way girlfriend) , Ken Marino (being himself), Jane Lynch (the no B.S.ing, coked-for-life head counselor) , A.D. Miles, Joe Lo Truglio, and pretty much anyone else associated with director David Wain’s previous release, The Ten. With a style of humor somewhat unusual for the Wainy group, Role Models, delivers the rest of the laughs that The Ten should have (not that I’m knocking it, it’s just that Wain really hit the camel on the ass with this one). The jokes and overall tone are more accessible and not quite as bizarre as The Ten or Wet Hot American Summer. In fact, this is the first time I’ve seen a Wain production that was this marketable.
But the film is not a “sell-out” film (if there is such a thing), rather, in some ways, a hark back to W.H.A.S.. Wain has a talent for directing kids and perfected his skills with Robb’e J. Thompson’s character, who develops perfectly with Sean William Scott’s. It’s because of these well developed characters that Wain earns the more mushy moments (which are probably necessary in most comedies) and prevents unromantic viewers from rolling their eyes. In short, he never lets a scene get too serious.
I really hope this film is a success because The State/Stella/W.H.A.S. team needs to produce at least two films a year.
-gooldster
P.S. Don’t judge it by the trailer. Some of the trailer scenes aren’t in the theatrical release and it’s not as lighthearted or innocent as it looks.
Also Recommended: The Ten, Wet Hot American Summer
If you watched any of our older videos you might see a curly haired fellow who makes Chaplin look as morbid as Hitler. Beware ’cause this man is now no longer just a side character: he starred, directed,wrote, and produced his own short film. In HD!
When the name Søren Kierkegaard causes laughter in a audience, proceed with caution. Such a warning was the case a few nights ago when I went to see Carl Dreyer’s epically deep Ordet at the MoMA.
Being easily the youngest member of the audience, with 2nd place approximately ten years my senior, I felt out of place without a dangerous duo of large glasses and the New York Times. I also had know one to talk to, or more accurately, to listen to me talk, about the metaphysical implications of post-war post modernism’s post card art. Such conversations would have ruined my focus for the first five minutes of the film had it not been for the strange murmuring from the back that was trampled by a revolutionary militia of SSHH’s!!! Which preludes to one suggestion I have for the MoMA’s screenings: give me a hint the film is about to start. I’m a modern American with a steady diet of trailers and promotional attacks and accept that as a necessary feature of life. And I won’t even expound on the jarring visual of absent cup holders.
But to talk about Ordet for a moment: it is a great movie. It is amazing how emotional and complex a movie can be with minimal characters, minimal, and minimal setting. I don’t know enough about the movie to write intelligently about it, but I do have one thought. The ending might seem cheesy to some viewers. I will assume it was for the lone audience member (the runner-up to my age) who let out a chuckle of contempt. At the time, I was puzzled and had to agree but came to a different understanding after it sunk in.
It is a movie about how we hope or want life to be. And the life we want, in one way or another, is successful without the slightest blemish. Sure some of us say we want to earn something by working for it, but that’s because we know that in the “real” world we appreciate for what we struggle. But this movie is not about the real world; it’s about the perfect world. Plus I have a gripe against young, modern film fans who think anything that’s pessimistic is good.
In any case, go see movies at the MoMA. I know my last 3 ½ paragraphs seem to support the contrary, but these are minor complaints when seeing great films.
…but I’m kinda glad the stock market has been crashing and for this one reason only: less news about global warming. To further and quite literally illustrate my thesis, I have constructed the image below:
So the next time someone expresses their disappointment with the market, feel free to display this chart. Thank you.
Found this and thought I’d share it with whoever is lame enough to read my blog.
P.S. When I get some time I’m gonna post a review for Burn After Reading and Midnight Meat Train. Dankeschön.
So another year has passed. Another year in which people do certain things in certain places at certain times. Indeed, a lot was done this year. So what have we learned from doing all these things? I think Gandhi said it best with “From each according to his ego, to each according to his shoe size.” Phrases pertaining to these personally penetrate the platform of polygamy with a pure perspective on penultimate penciled puckeled paddy pog ping a dang dong. 
