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My First Time.

Well, now I am actually going to film school.
I recieved a phone call today saying that I actually did have housing.
I will be leaving the state of NH for the state of IL on Friday.
And just like Steve Carell in The 40 Year Old Virgin, I didn't fully lose
my grasp on the situation/goal at hand. I just had to try my best to wait for my chance,
and now I have it.

The 40 Year Old Virgin is an enjoyable movie. You can't deny it.
Steve Carell made this movie, and easily, nobody else could have done this role like he did,
or even come close to embodying the endearing shy-guy who has yet to fornicate.
Sure I didn't laugh at all the jokes or giggle along with the audience -
some of the content was dry, and didn't amuse me. But as the movie went along, it certainly did become better and more pleasurable.
By the time the out-of-left-field closing number arose, I had a smile on face.
The 40 Year Old Virgin is almost worth holding out for.

Posted by madamczyk at 01:14 AM | Comments (0)

Shoot - or How I'm Not Going to Film School (yet) + Imaginary Heroes

image = ethiopianfilms.com

That's right. I'm not going to college next week, and I'm not going to Chicago.

The damn school couldn't provide me with housing for the year, so I'm not providing them with my money. REGRETTABLY, I could have applied earlier, but they certainly could have called me at least a dozen times, since I called them and left messages on machines to certain housing/residence officials that many times over.

So what am I left with ?
A vast supply of Facebook friends I probably will never meet.
A useless school email address.
Orientation papers that will be recycled.
And knowing that I'll have to spend this entire semester at UNH (again).

But what else can I do ?
Re-applying to Emerson College, where I was previously wait-listed and then rejected in the Spring.
Deffer until January (but do I want to have the same problems I had before ? Not really).
Apply other places.
OR SKIP SCHOOL ENTIRELY.
(Hey - I could do it --- and my parents could disown me).

Most successful filmmakers never attended film school (Paul Thomas Anderson dropped out of NYU in the first week), but how can I hopefully excell in my visual development as a Cinematographer ?

Hmmm. So many choices, and none of them clear.

-

image = newyorkmetro.com

Just yesterday, I had the displeasure of watching the family drama Imaginary Heroes,
a suburban fable about a family who experiences a heartbreaking loss, and continues their downward spiral by getting totally depressed. Newbie director/writer Dan Harris can't decide if these boneheads are going through a phase or the real deal - the big sister slips her quirk-doesn't-fit-in little brother drugs in the bathroom when she visits, and the parents, Jeff Daniels and Sigourney Weaver, are completely wasted (I mean, in actor usage terms). By the end of the movie, I was pissed that I had spent nearly two hours watching a modernized version of Ordinary People, equipped with teenage sexuality, stupid neighbors, community service, high school bully issues, and binge parties (and to be honest, none of it was even slightly convincing or entertaining).
By the end of the film, supercool teen actor Emile Hirsch has to play the 'could be gay' card, and we're given completely ridiculous answer to why he 'doesn't fit in' with his family. If I had wanted to see this movie in the theaters, I'm sure I would have walked out within the first 45 minutes. If you are going to enter the deep end to see Imaginary Heroes, swim at your own risk.

Posted by madamczyk at 04:56 PM | Comments (0)

Backwards and Forwards

images = Rottentomatoes.com

Although summer is almost over, there has just now been a movie I've wanted to see at The Music Hall as apart of their SummerFilm fest.

Palindromes is the fourth feature from Todd Solondz. If you don't know who he is, you should. His movies are both shocking and thought-provoking, in simple terms, delving into sexuality, personal identity, relationships, and death --- or you could say any sort of 'touchy' subject that could result in a movie not having a formal MPAA rating.
There is a lot of 'mature' material in Solondz' work, most of it being awfully uncomfortable whenever discussed in general society, but his movies are so incredibly honest with the material. He has never gone too far with the expressed content, and usually acts in favor of his characters, to have them free themselves from their personal burdens and issues. Todd Solondz' last film Storytelling has a rather infamous 'red box' placed over a sex scene in the film, as he mocked the MPAA's distaste of his filmic content to receive an actual 'R' rating. The dvd release of the film gives an option for either the red box to be turned on or off.
Todd Solondz' work is very much unlike other controversial filmmakers, such as the Larry Clark and Harmonie Korine type, who use extreme issues as a means to throw the harsh violence and graphic sexual content at the audience, seemingly (and possibly) for no reason except beneficial controversy, and always achieving an 'unrated' film or by biting the NC-17 bullet.

Palindromes tells the story of Aviva, a young teenage girl who wants to have a baby. Her mother tells her that she's simply too young to have a child, saying how much of a hardship it would be, such as she might have to go on welfare for support for her child (Ellen Barkin's character is very much in a Dark Comedic tone, as is most of the movie). Still, Aviva is used to getting what she wants, being a seemingly spoiled yet simplistic child, and finds a way to become pregnant. Her mother reacts exactly the way we expect her to - and Aviva is lead down the road of consequences and finding out what the outside world holds for her.

The real genius in Aviva's journey of fufillment is how she isn't exactly simply the character of Aviva - she isn't one soul, or exterior - she's several different actors used for their expressions and appearance to exude the development of the story, progression of awareness, and change of environment. Near the end of the film, a key character explains to Aviva how no matter what happens to her, and every single person in the world and around her, they will always be the same. The shape of your body, the color of your skin, hair, eyes, clothing -- nobody ever really changes. Palindromes isn't about pregnancy or a teenage girl - it's about experiences that everyone has, and what affects us in life - as they will never change the core of a human being.

NOTE: If you are interest in seeing Palindromes, I suggest watching Welcome to the Dollhouse, as it is a steppingstone to the characters and issues in the film. Todd Solondz other films, Happiness and Storytelling are available on dvd. Palindromes is not rated and obviously contains mature content, such as sexuality, violence, and language.

Posted by madamczyk at 01:49 AM | Comments (0)

'Crash' and Burn ...

images = Rottentomatoes.com

The big 'surprise' hit this summer is the R-rated comedy The Wedding Crashers, about a pair buddies Jeremy Grey and John Beckwith (Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson), who have a generic friendship -- co-workers with steady jobs, hanging out together -- except when it comes to WEDDING season . Every single chance they get, these two fraud their ways into the bedrooms of various women that they've met at weddings to two have crashed. They have rules they've made up for each other and live by them, such as never leave another crasher solo, and avoid virgins (they're clingy).

In the off season, the guys come upon the ideal wedding to crash. Christopher Walken plays Secretary Cleary, who's daughter about to be hitched. The guys scope out the family details, history, etc , and arrive to impress as John and Jeremy Ryan - 'two brothers from New Hampshire'. While at the church ceremony, they sit and chat with the relatives, and decide which girls they want. By the time they arrive at the reception, John has his eye on Claire Cleary (Rachel McAdams), and Jeremy is working the balloon animals for the kids, to get Gloria Cleary (Isla Fisher). Unbeknownst to the guys, Claire has a steady (overbearing) boyfriend, and Gloria is ... well, simply insane.

Thankfully in the end they all get together, despite insanity and engagements, and the movie ends on a happy note. But throughout it seems that the script tries too hard to make you laugh at physical humor, harsh language, crudness, and the unwanted advancements from the kooky Clearys which go absolutely nowhere (including a very ridiculous gay brother being fond of Jeremy, and Mrs. Cleary, Jane Seymour, wanting John to 'touch' her). I constantly found myself laughing at things and thinking "Was that even necessary??".

Around the 90 minute mark, the movie loses it's composure, and has NO IDEA how to move forward. How do we get to that cutesy satisfying end ? Throw in a cameo, and have one of the leads lose all hope to getting with his girl. Of course the movie is crude - it's rated R. But it's a kind of forced humor that easily could have been cleaned up and felt less desperate to achieve the maturity it so wants to exude, despite the shallow motives of John and Jeremy.

Posted by madamczyk at 12:53 PM | Comments (0)

Summer Bummer

All Images = Rottentomatoes.com

I'm gonna say it, and not hold it back :
The Summer 2005 Movie Season Sucks.

That's right. Awful, stupid movies have come out one-after-the-other .
Everything I've seen has been less than stellar,
and I have barely even been to the movies this year BECAUSE everything looks so horrible.

Take the photo above from 'Must Love Dogs'. a JOHN CUSACK movie that, without even seeing it, I KNOW is something bad (and I love him. Really).
Diane Lane it set up with a bunch of men from the internet. .
oh, and guess who she meets? John Cusack - I can see the result from a mile away .. . Bad Bad Bad Bad Bad. I value my 98 minutes, and will not spend it watching that movie.

And even most of what I did see was absolutely disappointing, lack-luster, and infuriating.

I'll give you a little list . .. descending order of badness...

LORDS OF DOGTOWN --
I was so pumped for this movie. Based upon Stacy Peralta's excellent documentary, the movie lacked real enthusiasm, convincing attitude, and felt like an after-school special on boards.

DARK WATER
Jennifer Connelly .. really great actress. Dark Water, however -- murky.

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN
To sum it up, the movie consists of Orlando Bloom, formerly Legolas the Elf in Lord of the Rings, being the worst knight ever for about two and a half hours.
(doesn't he look absolutely stupid next to Liam Neeson ?!!!)
Ridley Scott sure does know how to make a beautiful picture, but what the hell ? Most of it made no sense and felt cut up .. .deleted scenes ? I should hope so.

WAR OF THE WORLDS
It was as if Spielberg pulled a big M. Night Shyamalan in the second half of this movie. I loved the opening, was enjoying myself when I didn't even want to see it, but POW! It went to total shit.

CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY
Greedy, sticky, and pointless sludge added to my Wonka fixation. Blegh.

THE FANTASTIC FOUR
Fast-paced stupidity with less-than fantastic elements all around.

MR. AND MRS. SMITH
Dumb hot couple experience marriage problems, which they try to solve with action-packed spousal abuse. But how do they figure out their enemy issues? Going with the boredom already displayed, they shoot up a bunch of people, for no reason whatsoever.

*sigh*
I guess I'll just have to wait for the Fall '05 film season, but alas, the forecast doesn't look like it'll be in my favor . .

Posted by madamczyk at 09:35 PM | Comments (0)

Confessions of a Video Store Clerk - Episode I

image = withacauseproductions.com

"Excuse me, do you carry Pink Floyd's THE WALL?"
(yes, it's in drama)

"How many copies of Under The Tuscan Sun do you have on DVD?"
(FIVE -- which is a lie, since it's three, but really two, since one is broken)

"Which movies do you have starring Angelina Jolie ?"
(this was asked a LOT .. mostly by teen boys)

When it comes to video store questions, you name it, I've heard it.

For years and years and years, I was living the life seen in Kevin Smith's CLERKS.
I was working in a video rental store, near a certain convenience store,
but only after the place had moved from a downtown location . .
now, by working at this place, after the move, I was literally living across the street from my job.
And what did I experience ? Total movie overload.
I would rent about a half dozen movies, and whether I watched them or not, I'd return them on time,
and get out another bunch. This went on for about two years, the non-stop close-to-home renting, until I left the job, simply because I moved outta town.

Sometimes I think, gee, why'd I quit the greatest job in the world ?
I'd give people recs, straighten the shelves, and WOW! the customers when I knew EXACTLY where that hidden VHS was. Yeah. I was good, I knew it, and didn't feel bad about having the same job for six years. It was just what I did, and little everyday hassles were a snap for me.

Now, about those movies ::
I think I officially racked up a total rental history of about 6,000 . . maybe more, maybe less. But that's my best guess, from two separate store locations. And it's still going up every single day.

During hours at the store, I'd put on movies. But not new stuff. . oh no. I had to have seen it before and know if the content was suitable for the time of day.

The Usuals ::
Anything PG (post 1985)-
stuff like The Princess Bride, Monty Python and the Holy Grail are excellent for all hours.
And The Sandlot is good all day, in the mode to expect a customer to ask to rent it.
The ONLY PG-13 movies I'd consider putting on would be something like The School of Rock,
a movie which SHOULD have been rated PG in the first place.

All this stuff is fun, the job rules, and I got free rentals on anything that wasn't super new. But the downside ? The dark, dirty secrets of the job that nobody wants to know ?
You. The customer. You're our best friend, and sometimes our worst enemy.

Let me get it out of the way ::
Late Fees.
Blockbuster claims to have eliminated them, and Netflix uses them as a tool for selling.
If a customer has late fees on their account, I automatically tense up, ease in my soft, sweet-not-harsh voice, and say, as politely as possible . . "You have a six-dollar fee on your account "

You might be saying , Why I am preparing for this with some sort of fear ? Well, I'm sorry, but for every nice person who takes responsibility for their fees,
there are about a dozen people who

a) say they never rented the movie (I would NEVER rent "Boogie Nights!)

b) blame someone else in their allowed renters of the account
(which leads to the ol' "IT WAS MY KIDS" thang. Oi, the most tired phrase in the book).

or the kicker
c) blame us.
(or D) Anything you can think of. I've heard it)

Yeah. Us. The store. The place, because they often believe we put the fee there, to differ them from
renting in the future, since we're giving them extra charges. You know, I will admit that sometimes we don't check them in to the minute of due time, since you waiting til the last minute anyway - there are time tacks on all returns, so if it's too the minute, mention and it'll be waived. But come on. It's like $6, $12, $105 (oh believe me, I've seen higher).
If you cannot return the movie on time, maybe you shouldn't be renting that overnight movie,
or getting the kids The Incredibles for the hundredth time (just buy it already -- they love it).
Responsibility is something you're taught in grade school, and if you cannot face it, then get out of the store. Remember, it's our movie we paid for and let YOU rent.

But there are obvious situations which fees are 110% wrong. The movie was re-shelved w/o check-in.
It got stuck in your VCR, and we told you we'd waive the fee, but an employee forgot to do so. You know, if you're polite, we're polite. If you ask questions, we'll give answers. It's as simple as that.

Now, back to the tensing up over fees, on my end. There was one particular customer whom I hated more than -- well, Brett Ratner.

This woman thought ::

a) the vhs which fell behind her entertainment system was not her responsibility.
It was over a week late, and an overnight movie as well .. . $3 x 7+ isn't pennies.
Plus, she never called us to make a bargain on the fee or anything.

b) that our prices were OUTRAGEOUS
(This was one of her earlier rants, about a year into my position, and yet, she continued to rent until the day I left five years later.)

c)that even if she returned the movies TWO HOURS after due time, as we're about to close too, that we'd take the fee off because she was taking her kids to soccer.

She begged. She pleaded. But not one of her cases for waving was legit to get past my managers
(if you have a problem at a video store, just ask for the manager. Don't subject the general employee to their problem . .there's really not so much we can do except hold your hand for about a minute, if we're even willing).

I did put a note on her account before I left the job, since it seemed to me that I was always the one experiencing her wrath. This woman was psycho, and even threatened me once.
But I could not let anyone else have issues with her without being warned.

-
SETTING the negativity aside, in the customer service aspect, giving recs were my favorite part of the job. The simple satisfaction of giving someone something to enjoy for 90 - 120 min or so, something they might have never considered, all because I told them to get it -- it feels great. And then the follow up .. the regulars would listen to me, or even inform me about other employees recs - - discussing movies is FUN, isn't it ? I wanted whomever walking out of that store with the right movie for them, not the general public, and not because Roger Ebert said so. It's my job to help you,
and I'm gonna do my best to read what you've got to say.

I had some issues with the job- how we did business, ordering certain movies, etc.
That's going to happen no matter what if you're not running the joint yourself - and that's why I left the job. I was never going to be the boss, it would never be my movie paradise, where there would be contests, special promotions, etc. and we'd carry the entire Criterion collection.
When I started to question motives for business, I knew it was time for me to go. I would be there hating the new rules, knowing that I had another job at the same time, because I wasn't getting enough hours. I had to leave when I did because I had two reasons to go :
I was moving, and I didn't want to go from walking to driving out of the way to somewhere that I had issues with.

But don't we all have issues with our jobs ? I know I do at my current job,
but it was definitely time to exit. My last shift I watched The SANDLOT, and left in the mid afternoon.
The ride was fun, and I'd consider doing it again, but not soon.
For now, I'm going to sit in the theater, watch my DVDs, and not have to worry if I locked the store door, or updated someone account info. It's a fun job, but it can be rough.

Maybe in the future, some employee at a video store will tell a customer to see the movie I had a hand in making - that is my dream. And dammit, wouldn't it be nice.

Posted by madamczyk at 10:55 PM | Comments (0)

Highway to Hell

image = rottentomatoes.com

Let me get this outta the way : I enjoyed Rob Zombie's 'House of 1000 Corpses'.
Yes. I admit it. I thought it was a good movie, and I was a tad psyched for his follow-up 'The Devil's Rejects'.
'Rejects' stars out as a follow-up of the Firefly clan, who have committed one of the most gruesome acts in history (according to the opening) - mass graves, torture records, murdering cheerleaders, etc, etc, etc, etc. You name it, they've done it.
The opening scene has the police surrounding their current holdup, having the folks wake up, grab their armour, and get ready for a shoot-out. A few of the family members die, having only brother Otis and sister Baby escape, while Mother Firefly is captured by the authorities, soon to be questioned, beat up, and eventually murdered by Sheriff Wydell, who's on his own vengeful journey to destroy the Firefly clan. After killing a bunch of Musicians they encounter at a Motel, Baby and Otis soon meet up with Captain Spaulding, that creepy clown dude who would never get an actual show in this universe.
Wydell is still on their trail, catching the trio at their pal Charlie's XXX ranch, and taking them back to the house where the movie started, to torture the group for their crimes with a staple gun, nails, punches -- well, he beats them up, and tries to kill them. Try is something he can only do, since we have to have an inevitable 'shoot out' ending, but it's still enjoyable from a slight touch of 'Free Bird' by Lynard Skynard.

Where 'Corpses' was in the horror realm is similar to the basic formula of a couple of college kids caught in a bad storm, deciding to settle at the wrong place for the night, soon to be tortured by a sadistic family of freaks, and having various body parts hacked up - that is, with a more circus-freaks meet 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' feeling, 'Rejects' is similar in the road movie with an attitude, a story universe similar to 'The Hitcher' and a more dirty, sexed up Texas setting than the original 'Massacre'.

When it comes to movies like this, filled with violence, gore, etc, the only reason you should even consider the movie is if you think you'd enjoy the material. Now I'm not really talking about the entire universe of Rob Zombie, but instead a movie about disgusting people who do disgusting things.
It's like a modern Bonnie and Clyde and 'Corpses' all over again. And if you think you can tolerate that for 101 minutes, go see it. 'The Devil's Rejects' isn't a movie I liked, but I don't feel like I wasted my money.

Note ; I personally wasn't grossed out by this movie at all, and I felt it could have gone further, but this isn't rated PG-13. It's R. No kids, no teens. Adults only folks.

Posted by madamczyk at 03:00 PM | Comments (0)