J-E-T-S

Have I told you lately that Mark Sanchez completes me?

It helps that he's also a USC guy...

Losing Leon Washington for the year, and Kris Jenkins last week, is an absolute killer though.  I was one of the only ones who loved the Greene draft pick.  The kid was RB of the year for a reason.  He's a beast.

Movie Review: Watchmen

It's probably too early for me to comment on this movie, as I just watched it... but my gut reaction is that I wasn't thrilled about it.  I guess hardcore fans of the book wanted it this way, but it mirrored the book almost too much.  It felt like it wasn't allowed to breathe for this reason.  And for something that was set in 1985 - why did the soundtrack not reflect that?  It was an eclectic mix of songs from no specific generation when it should have clearly been songs from the early 80's.

Lori Jupiter was annoying... and since she's a major character it didn't help.  She's hot for sure, but that only goes so far.

I wasn't a big fan of Dr. Manhattan's VFX.  He looked fake and I just couldn't get around this.  Billy Crudup is a great actor - they should have let him act.

At the end, although Veindt's plan came to fruition and it made sense not to rat him out - why did it make sense for them not to kill him?  Why kill Rorshach and not him?  It made the movie completely unsatisfactory.

Also, the relationship between Lori and Dan is beat... because she kisses Dr. Manhattan at the end.  So he's that much of a loser that he'll stay with this chick even though she would probably choose another guy if she could?  And Dan - he teetered on the edge of pussy and hero the whole time and when it looked like he was becoming the hero - he lets this go down?  Right back to pussy.

Rorshach and the Comedian were the bright spots throughout.

Injury Tally

I was going over my injuries since 2002 today and it is a lengthy list.

Before 2002, I had broken both my pinky toes in the 8th grade playing on turf - which is something you can't do anything about because they just keep breaking.  It is uncomfortable for about a year or so and then you just don't notice it.  I also have a dislocated radial head on the right arm, which I may have had since birth.  Since I have movement in my arm, although not full movement, and the pain only comes and goes - there is nothing they can do for me without risking possible loss of movement completely and a possible amputation.  No thanks.  I had a benign tumor in my mouth (found out during a dental exam for the Air Force Academy) and a tonsillectomy, both when I was 17.

On April 14, 2002 I ruptured my kidney playing lacrosse.  It was a miracle I did not bleed to death internally and I was in the ICU for about a month.  After that, my body's ability to bounce back and/or avoid injury completely went to hell.

Since then I have done the following playing lacrosse:

-Torn achilles
-Separated right shoulder
-Separated left shoulder
-Torn left hamstring
-Partially torn right hamstring
-A few broken fingers
-Degenerated discs in my lower back and neck

Add in a broken left cheek bone from a fight against about 15 guys in San Francisco and you've got a good picture of the last 7 years.

Movie Review: Where the Wild Things Are

Go see this movie.  But do not bring your kids.

Right from the start it is filled with energy.  Although at times it is a melancholy and grim energy.  This film is very much like a child - going from crying to laughing in a heartbeat... What struck me about the film is that what lurks beneath is a much darker story.  The wild things in this movie are depressed, sad, lonely creatures... one step away from snapping and eating our hero.  Although we never really feel that Max is in danger, we are adults and know he's not.  If I were a child watching this movie, I would be traumatized.  At one point, one of them rips another's arm off in anger and throws it.  And they are best friends.  There is even a speech by a teacher, but we get the distinct impression he isn't talking to the class - he is talking to us the audience, which is mostly children.  A dark, depressing speech about the death of the sun and our universe.  Even still the whole thing had a wild air about it... So real and yet so fake.  I guess that is what being a kid is all bout.

I went in hearing all about how there isn't much of a plot and that it meanders along until the end.  And, although I agree with this general statement found that the 90 minutes or so flew by.  And with any movie I truly enjoy, I didn't want it to end...

Technically this is a sight to behold.  Spike Jonze has proven once again that he is a master at his craft.  He does hip and trendy better than any of the pretentious wanna-bes - because he is constantly evolving and his films are all so different while clearly originating from the same director.  Unlike a Wes Anderson, who has become a clone of himself.

Giving what is one of the best performances of the year is Max Records.  Jonze had said he didn't want the precious actor type, and went with a real kid with zero acting experience.  He is in every scene of this movie and it lives or dies on his shoulders - and he carries it.  To say he was amazing would be an understatement.  He even has that 1000 yard stare that all troubled kids have.  Where you don't know if they're going to break out in laughter or stab you.

All-in-all it was a good film, a vivid world painted by a master craftsman.

TV Teaser

This is a teaser I directed for a TV show we were trying to do (and still hope to come back to in the future).  It is sort of a modern day 'Odd Couple'.

Chad Crone (passenger seat) and Mike Scovotti (driver) are in it.

Fridays at the Bean: Teaser

Fuzzies - First Painted Page

I just got the first painted page for the children's illustrated book I am doing in.  To be fair, this comes after three revisions... the cat had to change colors and the blanket started off a little too dark.  In fact, I will post all three and the illustration to give you a chance to see how it progressed.

Illustration:

Version 1:

Version 2:

In this version the stone was painted a shade of yellow as well.  And the blanket was softened, but we wanted a green instead of a pink.  

Version 3:

Movie Review: The Boys are Back

For those of you who live on Long Island and have Optimum's Triple Play, you know that Tuesday is free movie night.  But only at Clearview Cinemas.  The choices at Clearview, for the most part, are slim.

Last week I slugged it out while sitting through Surrogates.  Tonight was shaping up to be no different.  Then I saw a title I had never even heard of (I'm a nerd, so for this to happen it must really be under the radar).  'The Boys are Back'.  A movie about a father grieving his dead wife and dealing with his two sons, starring Clive Owen.  Clive Owen in a film I've never heard about?  What is up?

So, deciding between that and... well, a Coco Chanel movie or some romance named 'Paris' - it was a pretty easy decision.

And I must say, I was pleasantly surprised.  It was by no means earth shattering.  It was what I expected, story-wise.  Father must cope with his own loss, while helping his young son grieve.  In the middle of all that comes his teenage son from a first marriage who feels abandoned by his father.  Pretty melodramatic stuff on the surface.  But this film, directed by Scott Hicks, did an amazing job of painting a picture of a man at wits end.  It was sweet when it needed to be sweet.  Funny when you needed a moment of levity.  And sad, because life is sad sometimes.

Clive Owen, who also produced the film, was great.  It was easy to see him as the right choice for the part, someone who displays little emotion and that guard begins to wear on him.  A man who was present in his son's lives, but now without a mother figure - is thrust into the spotlight and must play the role of both parents.  It's not the bitter story of an estranged father reconnecting with his kids.  It is just the story of a man, trying to be the best father he can.

It genuinely touched me and I would definitely recommend seeing it.

Children's Book Moving to Painting Phase

The children's book, Warm Fuzz, that I am overseeing has just finished illustrations and we are moving on to the painting phase.  The artist, Liu, is from somewhere in the middle of China and the guy is pretty bad ass.

I'm hoping to have it done by the Christmas, but it will most likely be Jan/Feb.

Here is a piece of concept art.

Here is an illustration from the book:

Book Review: The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss - thank you.  You have renewed my faith in humanity.  You have proven that genius does in fact exist.

Flat out, this was the best book I've read in a very, very long time.  Since I have spent the last year or so focusing on myself, I haven't done a lot of reading.  But when things settled down and I completed my move to NY, I went book shopping for the first time.  I had never heard of it, despite it being a fantasy book on the NY Times Bestseller.  You'd think that wouldn't escape my attention.  Now, I wish I could go back and start on page 1 and have no idea what was coming...

They label this a fantasy book, but it is much more than that.  There are no trolls.  Or orcs.  Or giant battles.  It is a love story.  It is the life story of a man, a very interesting man, who we come to know as a child and watch grow over the course of twenty or so years.

I never make book recommendations.  Films are easy - it is an hour and a half, two hours.  You hate it, you can stop it.  But books are a commitment.  And I think much more personal than films.  But I cannot implore you enough - go out and buy this book.  Read it immediately.  Fall in love with reading and storytelling again.

And, like myself and all the others who have read this, wait anxiously for the second book.

Did Universal make the right choice?

So Universal fires one marketing maven only to replace him with another as chief of the studio.  It didn't work the first time, do they think this time it will.  I think Disney is facing a similar situation with Oren.  These guys are great at what they do, but when you don't have production experience how can you expect them to successfully handle running production?

I find a similar problem with bringing top notch specialty label guys (and girls) in to run the studio.  They are doing specialty films, not films for the masses.  I hope they are getting paid a fortune, because I have to believe they are smart enough to realize their tastes will never run congruent to what the studio needs to survive - and that is big franchises and four quadrant type films.  Dreck like The Fantastic Four and The Mummy.  And bad directors like Stephen Sommers and Tim Story.

I think a notable exception could be Peter Rice.  The man is a genius.