Nilbog! It's goblin spelled backwards!

On Thursday, Emerald and I started a documentary called Best Worst Movie. The synopsis by Netflix states, "Most people don't set out to produce a horrible film, so how exactly does it happen? This documentary attempts to answer that question."
Basically, this is a documentary about the film, Troll 2, and how it's awfulness actually makes it great. Years after it's release, people start having Troll 2 parties (it is described by many as a cult of sorts), where everyone fangirls over the film and that other people have actually heard about it. Which is hilarious.
The actors were absolutely ashamed of being a part of this film for years. They would go an audition, and if Troll 2 was on their resume (or they were recognized for being a part of that film), they would leave knowing they would not be getting the part. Everyone knew that their acting was awful for that film. Some continued to act, while others got different jobs. Like the lead, George Hardy, who is now a dentist. But once he heard that people actually enjoyed his film (even if they were laughing about it), he started going to showings, doing Q & A's, and living life. So yay him.
I have yet to see Troll 2, but it is on Netflix. I feel as though it is essential to the survival of the universe that this film be watched.
M'kay. I'm done now.

Mmmm Christmas.

I have an undying love for the stop-motion Christmas classics. I freak out whenever they are on TV (ABC's 25 days of Christmas is the bomb-digity), and once November hits I watch them at least once a week through January. It's a great time.

But my absolute favorite is The Year Without a Santa Claus. Mostly because of the following clip:

Heat Miser and Snow Miser are so awesome. And that song is so clever. I love that they are such opposites, and the lyrics are essentially the same except for not (Mr. 101 & Mr. 10).

I also enjoy that they have Mini-Me's. With fancy hats. And they dance.

I very much appreciate how much time people took in order to make films like this great gem. Stop-motion takes sooo much time (so I hear), and it is super crazy long when a full-ish-length (51 mins) film is being made. And these little puppet fellows have so much going on, I can only imagine how long it took them to make them.

My other favorite would have to be Santa Claus is Comin' to Town. Depending on the day, this one trumps The Year Without a Santa Claus because I love the whole "put one foot in front of the other" sequence. And that penguin, y'all. But then I think about Jessica's useless solo montage, which then makes me think of Sandy's stupid song in Grease (I'm going to throw this nice stationary you gave me into this pool of water and whine about my life through song), and then I get all annoyed and it's a bad time.

So yeah. Christmas movies. They're nice.

He was the only man I ever killed worth remembering.

So, I watched Gangs of New York yesterday. It was quite magical. 
I would like to take a few moments to comment on some things.
1) If I were the head of a gang and needed a fake eye, I would totes get one with a cool design on it like Bill Cutting. It makes him that much more terrifying, because he isn't hiding the fact that it isn't a real eye. It is also impressive that he can battle so well with but one eye (perception, man).

2) About 20minutes in, when Amsterdam and Johnny were chatting, I found it frustrating that Amsterdam had his little hobo bag over his shoulder, but when the camera angle changed to over Amsterdam's shoulder to show Johnny's face he had the darned bag under his arm. And that wasn't for just one shot. It was each time in that scene when the angle switched. So that was a sad time.
3) I appreciate the fact that the gangs all had a certain uniform going on. And it wasn't just some crappy clothes, these fellas went all fancy with top-hats and those waist-band things. Not to mention that shade of blue they chose. Nicely done, Natives.

Well that was disturbing.

So I sent my brother the link to Allaxis' video for Kaly Live Dub and his response was, "you should take a look at Michel Gondry and Chris Cunningham. Get their stuff from before 2003. The music videos are pretty amazing." With this trustworthy recommendation, I went to Youtube.
The following video is the first one I came across. It is weird as hell, and I am probably going to have nightmares, but it is pretty awesome.

The other videos I could find (Chris Cunningham wise), whether they were made prior to 2003 or not, are kind of discomforting and cool at the same time. So yeah.

Top three, son.

Well. Music videos. I found them utterly delightful; specifically the following:

Manchester Orchestra- Simple Math
This entire music video was phenomenal. I mean, just look at how pretty this screen cap is. Look at it. It is beautiful. I loved how they took different events from the guy's life (I just love the "life flashing before your eyes" idea).  I also thought it was super cool that things from the car accident were present in these "flashbacks." For example, when the kid gave the girl the stuffed deer head (which is what every girl dreams of receiving at some point in her life). And those floor shots. It was also wonderful when everything crashed and was thrown around in the scenes of the past, going along with the movements of the vehicle/guy in the car crash. Mind=blown.

Totally not a sketchy individual.

Allaxis- Kaly Live Dub
You have to admit, it was pretty sweet when objects changed along with the beat of the song. That takes a lot of time and patience to work out, but it was perfect. Nicely done, animators. I also thought the framing was super magical. And whatever technique they used to make it look the way it does, I approve of. It all flowed quite nicely.

Hai.

Bright Eyes- First Day of My Life
I love how they decided to film people listening and reacting to their music. A lot of music videos generally have the same look (artist walking/sitting casually making music). Those are cool, too-- don't get me wrong. But it is refreshing to see people thinking outside of the box and coming up with something so uniquely simple. A music video doesn't have to be super elaborate to be good.

Double Bog Credit Opportunity!

Hello, people of the world.
On Friday evening at precisely 9pm in HINER HALL (SCIENCE HALL, ROOM 225, the same room class is held), we will be watching Mansome, as summarized by IMDb, "A documentary that explores the question: In the age of manscaping, metrosexuals, and grooming products galore- what does it mean to be a man?"
Since we got to watch Miss Representation for double blog cred, Leeper agreed to give the same credit for Mansome (watch and blog). Women are not the only ones with gender role probs, so we shouldn't leave the fellas out.
This documentary contains Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, Zach Galifianakis, and Morgan Spurlock (the guy who did Supersize Me). It is going to be a glorious time. For realsies. 
If you are not sure if you want to watch this documentary, please revel in this marvelous trailer.

Comments after:

Overall I found this film delightful. It was interesting to learn how serious some people take their beards. I mean, look at this guy (to the right, son). Everything he does is for the health and growth of his beard. It is kind of ridiculous. And it bothers me how his hair doesn't go with his look. Consistency is key, my friends. But, hey. We all need hobbies. I also did not realize how much effort guys put into their appearances. I was under the assumption that it was a bathe, clothe, and go kind of life (I extend my sincerest apologies for such misconceptions).

As I had the magical class of physics Tuesday evening, I did not get to view Miss Representation. However, this film is available on Netflix, and has actually been in my queue for a while. So I watched it last night.
I found the information given in this documentary quite frustrating, and many of the statistics discouraging. Apparently, women make up only 7% of directors and 13% of writers (for the top 250 grossing films at the time the documentary was made). So that sucks. It was also upsetting to find that 65% of girls and women suffer from an eating disorder. If that doesn't lead you to believe that there is a problem, I don't know what else could. Over half of the female population has a mental disorder because of their body image. And I am positive that every single female ever has felt bad about themselves because of how she looks at some point in their life.
I am annoyed by how women are portrayed in media today. Women are very objectified and sexualized in almost everything you see on television and in print. Take Scarlett Johansson's character in The Avengers, for example. All of the other heroes in this film get super-awesome (and practical) uniforms, while Black Widow gets this uncomfortable, skin-tight, low-cut (which is not practical for a girl running around) onesie. 
In one of the promotional movie posters for The Avengers, Black Widow somehow manages to contort perfectly to show off her boobs and her butt all in one shot. Her body is facing the opposite direction of everyone else, while her head is turned the proper way.  If you are preparing to fight evil, why in the heck would you turn your body away? This makes absolutely no sense. Again, this can't be comfortable and unrealistic.
So yeah. Thats all. Please enjoy the image to the right I found on the interwebs. I find it quite hilarious.

Geri's Game

I quite enjoyed Geri's Game, a short by Pixar. It is a cute idea, having an elderly gentleman entertain himself with a game of chess-- against himself. We get to see two sides of this individual, allowing Geri to express his alter-ego (more aggressive, competitive, and non-glasses-wearing).
In this class period, we talked about how you shouldn't try to be like the big animation companies, because you just don't have the resources to create such high-quality material. While Geri's Game if fabulous, there are other ways to make such a film; we shouldn't be discouraged just because we don't have the same resources as Pixar, etc.
This idea also transfers to those of us pursuing live-action filmography. We don't have the man-power, money, or resources in general to create a film that "compares" to big studios like Universal and Paramount (we shouldn't be making something just to compete with them, either). We need to do the best we can with what we have. We shouldn't try to be something that we aren't. But just because we aren't a part of a major studio does not mean we can't create something super awesome. There are so many different styles and methods available to us. There isn't just one way to make a film.

So...triple blog cred? Yeah. I'm in.

I will admit it. Blood Brother made me cry. I kept willing myself to stay strong, but when the little boy opened his eyes... I lost it.
This documentary was successful in it's purpose- to open our eyes to the crap Rocky goes through practically every single day, and maybe show that anyone can make a difference (Rocky described himself as being "borderline retarded," if he can do these things, so can you).
A few days ago, I came across an article online about a three-year-old girl who was cured of HIV. She is the second person "who is believed to be functionally cured of HIV."
The child was given a larger dose of HIV medication (ART) within the first 30 hours after she was born, which is sooner than most babies with HIV. Anthony Fauci, from the National Institutes of Health, says, "You could call this about as close to a cure, if not a cure that we've seen."
Unfortunately, the conditions in the areas with the greatest problems with HIV and AIDS do not allow medical services like the article described above. These services are harder to come by, especially if you don't have any money. But it is good to know that there are some advances in finding a cure. If a cure is truly found for newborns with the virus, it will be easier to find a cure for older carriers.
A final note: Leeper- you wanted to know if Rocky Braat is a Christian. After minimal Facebook creeping, I found that he does indeed love Jesus.

Don't leave me hangin' on the telephone.

This weekend I experienced an interesting film called Electrick Children. I was scrolling through Netflix, saw it's cool movie poster, and decided to give it a shot. I actually quite enjoyed it.
This film is about a 15 year old girl, Rachel, from a "fundamentalist Mormon community," who becomes pregnant by listening to a blue cassette tape she finds in her basement. Yes. She has an "immaculate conception," and is impregnated, without sexual activity, by music.
Once her parents find out, they decide that she needs to get hitched. To avoid the marriage and to find the father of her child, Rachel steals her family's truck and drives to Las Vegas.

That awkward moment when your parents
 think you got your sister pregnant.

Unbeknownst to Rachel, her brother, Mr. Will (who was kicked out of the family) travels with her in the back of the pick-up. Throughout their journey, he tries to get her to "confess" how she actually became pregnant, which would allow him to return home. But Rachel is convinced of her virgin pregnancy and refuses to lie for her brother's benefit.
Rachel and her brother happen upon a bar, where a group of drunk, druggie musicians stumble onto the sidewalk in front of them. Rachel sees that one of the boys has a blue cassette tape on his t-shirt and is holding a guitar. Naturally, this leads her to believe that he is her baby daddy. The guys invite them to go home with them, and Rachel and Mr. Will agree. Because it is always good to go home with random strangers. Especially the sketchy ones.
Rachel and her brother chillax with these people for a few weeks. Their eyes are opened to the outside world. Rachel eventually realizes that just because a dude plays guitar, it does not mean that he impregnated her with his musical abilities.
Throughout this film, Rachel would record her thoughts and feelings, presumably, on the blue tape. This is super cool, because she tells you what is going through her mind. She shares her fears, which, oddly enough, does not include being a 15 year old pregnant virgin. Because she has more important, life-changing things to worry about.

Stay away from the mentally and physically handicapped; that's cheating.

Whilst looking for something to watch on Netflix, Becca and I came across How to Be a Serial Killer.

Mike Wilson, a serial killer, wants to share the joy he finds in homicide with the world via a life-changing seminar. His theory is that it makes you appreciate life more, as it can end at any moment.

One evening, Mike observes a man treat Bart, the video store clerk, poorly. Mike does what any sane person would do in such a situation: he shoots him, and recruits Bart as his protege.

The film goes back and forth from this seminar to real life. There are different "lessons" taught about serial killing, and they are taught in practice with Bart. Towards the end of the film, Mike starts to do the opposite of what he teaches, and crap hits the fan. This makes the film even more comical and ironic. 

At one point, Mike goes in and out of consciousness. While this is happening, the music plays, then screeches to a halt along with him. Which is pretty sweet.

Alrighty. Please enjoy this lovely clip:

*Disclaimer: We are not, and never have been, serial killers, nor do we wish to become so.

I watched "Signs" again last night.

Parallels are nice. Jeff, Who Lives at Home uses them very well.

The main character, Jeff, enjoys pondering the meaning of life and the purpose of his life. It all starts with a wrong number. A man calls Jeff's residence, asking for "Kevin." Later, while riding the bus, Jeff sees a man with "Kevin" written on the back of his jersey. He takes this as a sign, and follows him to several places, is jumped, and runs into his brother. From there, Jeff helps his brother, Pat, find his wife and save his marriage.

At the same time, Jeff and Pat's mother, Sharon, realizes that she is utterly unhappy with her life. She thinks about all of the things that she wanted to do, and how they didn't turn out. Eventually, she is convinced that it is time for her to live for herself.

I love how the stories came together. Everyone ended up in one place for different reasons. No one knew how much these people had gone through just to be on that bridge at that moment. All for their own specific purpose. Everything in each person's life was pushing them towards that moment. And it is beautiful.

Eggs over-easy. Hash-browns.

I have been watching a good amount of The Twilight Zone, which is phenomenal.
I really liked the first episode of the original series, "Where Is Everybody." This fellow does not know where he came from, who he is, or anything before he appears on a road in front of a diner. After walking around the small town, he quickly realized that he is...wait for it...the last man on Earth. I love this idea. It is such an interesting concept to think about. What if this actually happened? What would you do?

What a doll.

My favorite scene in this episode is when the man sees a woman in a parked car. He is visibly relieved, as this is the first person he has come across all day. The scene is shot from behind him, his body shielding the woman from view. When he opens the car door and the woman falls out. Surprise! It's a mannequin. That's okay, the man continues to talk to it anyway. Because YOLO.

After wandering around aimlessly, the man runs in panic screaming, "Where is everybody?" He quickly gets over it and helps himself to a fudge sundae.

The man then becomes convinced that someone is watching him. Which we find out to be true. He had hallucinated the entire thing after being stuck, alone, in an astronaut training pod for 484 hours and 36 minutes.

"There is one thing we can't simulate...man's hunger for companionship."

The trouble with Marlon is that he thinks he's Brando.

Today I watched Color Me Kubrick ('tis on Netflix, for those interested). It was quite special.
It is based (very loosely) on a true story. This guy, Alan Conway, pretends to be Stanley Kubrick, even though he really has no knowledge of filmmaking, or even the films Kubrick worked on. Conway impersonated Kubrick to meet his own needs and desires. For example: he would say that he forgot his credit card and borrow money, promising to pay it back (which he never would).
My favorite part was how they used the soundtracks of Stanley Kubrick's films throughout the movie. It made the whole situation more comical.
I only liked the beginning and end of this film. The middle felt drawn out and redundant, which was disappointing. Conway did the same thing to everyone. All he had to say was, "I'm Stanley Kubrick, y'all," throw in a few artsy sounding things, and people did what he wanted. Conway tricked a crap-ton of people out of a lot of money and expensive gifts, ruining everyone's lives in the process. So that was nice.
In the end, he didn't even get into trouble. Conway just pretended to be crazy, convinced his psychiatrist of his "mental illness," and was sent to a high-class rehab facility for his alcoholism. He was basically rewarded for being an amazing liar. Yay, justice.

I recently came across a documentary called I Am by Tom Shadyac, whom you may recognize as the director of Ace Ventura, Liar Liar, and Patch Adams.
Shadyac experienced a bad bike accident a few years ago. From this, he developed post concussion syndrome, which causes mood swings and depression for a longer period of time than normal concussions. Some people live with post concussion syndrome for the rest of their lives. Fortunately, Shadyac is no longer concussed. During his depression, Shadyac frequently contemplated the meaning of life and his purpose in the world. At one point, as he stood alone in his new Beverly Hills mansion, he realized that it did not make him any happier than he was before.
And so this documentary was born. Shadyac asked people the following questions: What is wrong with the world, and what can we do about it? There were many thoughts as to what causes the world to be as it is, and, oddly enough, most of those interviewed agreed with one another.  I won't give too much away (because y'all need to watch it for yourselves), but in the end it was decided that there are a lot of things wrong with the world; and most of all, we are.
The documentary challenges us to look at ourselves and the lives we live. What are we working towards in life? Does achieving the "American dream" really make us happy? What really matters, in the grand scheme of things? Money plays a role, obviously, in our happiness (am I correct in assuming we all like to eat and have a roof over our heads?). But there are many times when we choose the extravagant when something simpler would have sufficed.

Babel

I have been on a Mumford & Sons kick as of late. Today, I watched the music video to their song, "Babel." This is probably one of the coolest music videos I have ever seen. If you haven't seen it, you may do so now.

I LOVE the way they use a panoramic-type view. The camera moves flawlessly in a circle around the room. The band members all play an instrument (sometimes more than one at a time), and even trade instruments throughout the video. Sometimes a person is shown twice in the same shot, both playing different instruments.
The building used in this video itself is phenomenal. I love how much character it has. The building is old, and parts of it are falling apart. This is fitting for the song, as they are singing about walls "crumbling down."
I am so impressed by how well done this video is. It would have taken a lot of time to plan out, film all of the different parts, and then put it all together.
Four for you, Mumford & Sons. You go, Mumford & Sons.

The Apocalyptic Apiarist

The Apocalyptic Apiarist is a magical short film (6 minutes) that you should all watch. It is quite comical. OBSERVE: (click here to watch)
I first saw this at my hometown's film festival this summer. The director, John Richard, did a Q & A after the viewing. Basically, John worked at a camera store with David Heffner in downtown Iowa City. John thought that David was a pretty interesting dude, so they decided to film his everyday life for a couple of weeks.
My favorite scene was probably when David was up in the tree, cutting down the beehive. John said that they got a call at 5am from David one morning, saying that half of his bees escaped and had made a new hive. He then invited them to come over and film him as he took care of the situation. David is well known for not thinking things through, which is demonstrated as he attempts to cut down a branch containing the hive of angry bees without protective gear.
The only problem I have with this film is that the ending leaves off awkwardly. It's like there should be more, but it just ends. John said that he is cool with that because, "I would rather be left wanting more than to drag on."
John and his fellow filmmakers got a lot of footage during the few weeks they filmed David Heffner's life. They plan on making more shorts with this footage. The director admits that they made David seem crazier than he actually is, but everyone involved (including David) is very happy with the film.
One final fun-fact about this project: they sent this film to Doomsday Preppers. They met with David, but they decided that he wasn't extreme enough. As you can see from the film, he doesn't believe that he would do all that well in an apocalyptic situation.

I think it would be fun to run a newspaper.

I have been on a mission to watch many of the films deemed "classics." Today, I watched Citizen Kane. I hadn't even heard of it until Emerald pointed it out in the DMA movie library.

Click here.

At first I was a bit worried. I didn't read the summary of the film before watching it (those give too much away, in my opinion). It seemed like a boring documentary of the Most Interesting Man. Naturally, I was quite happy when it became a story about a group of reporters trying to discover the meaning of Charles Foster Kane's last word, "rosebud," and telling Kane's life story along the way. They embraced the fact that it is a documentary, but an entertaining one. Throughout the film, we are given little parts of his life as recalled by those who knew him, pursuing the answer to the mystery of "rosebud."
I am very impressed with the camera angles used in this film. Particularly in the scene after Kane loses the election for Governor. The low angle shot from the ground is actually my favorite. You don't see this angle very often in films, but it gives you a different perspective of the scene. I really appreciate it when this angle is used.
Another shot I very much enjoyed was when Kane walked through the "hall of mirrors." The camera work throughout the entire movie is absolutely beautiful. It all flows so nicely, and keeps you very interested from beginning to end. I honestly wasn't expecting the cinematography to be as good as it is in Citizen Kane, but it truly is remarkable.

You're tacky and I hate you.

BEHOLD: RIDING CHAPS FOR YOUR UPPER BODY.

Gee, I'm cold. Let me throw on my leather sleeves.

I am very much annoyed by Spider's clothing, or lack thereof, during the Battle of the Bands in School of Rock. This "shirt" clearly serves no purpose other than to make Spider look douchey.

Not only is it ugly, but it is completely useless. You simply cannot stay comfortably warm with only your arms covered, and your chest/abdomen exposed. And if it is hot, the leather would be extremely uncomfortable and sticky. Range of motion is essential for proper rockage. This can't be good if you are performing in a band, or if you are in an area filled with way too many people with no sense of personal space.

Her Morning Elegance- Oren Lavie

Emerald and I have been talking about some music videos and how they are made. She actually sent me a link to this video. If you haven't seen it, go forth and do so.

It's pretty amazing. right? I mean, imagine how much time it took to plan and execute. I love how they used still photography. I also love the way that they told this story. It is simple, yet so beautiful and complex. They only use a mattress, sheets, pillows, and various articles of clothing. And when they use these things, they aren't always in a conventional way. They use socks as fish, pillows as stairs, or scarves as birds. Her life and dreams are acted out, all without moving from the bed. One of my favorite parts of this video is when she is on the train. I love that the light blinks, mimicking when a train passes a column. Its an extra detail that really adds to the "reality" of the video.
There is also a behind the scenes video:

Even though there was only one angle and one set, there was a crazy amount of work put into this video. It took six weeks of scripting, three weeks of storyboarding, 48 hours of shooting, and who knows how much time it took to edit and finalize the piece.
This video has over 25,500,000 views, and rightly so. All of the team's hard work clearly paid off. This video is so different from other music videos, and it really challenges other artists to think of more unconventional ways to portray a story.