I've spent the last month or so working with Rob Scarpelli on bringing a film news podcast to life. Rob is an extremely talented radio guy, behind and in front of the mic... and I was fortunate enough to catch him at the right time. I've been sitting on this idea for quite some time and Rob jumped on board. Since then we've been putting the production elements of the show together and fine tuning things.
Basically, it is a weekly show that offers listeners the last week of substantial Hollywood news in about a half hour. Of course, it will be infused with our opinions. But essentially, we want to give the audience the facts in a straight forward and entertaining way. There are a bunch of decent film related podcasts out there right now: KCRW's The Business with Kim Masters, Filmspotting with Adam Kenpennar and Matty Robinson, and SlashFilmcast with David, Devindrah and Adam... but they are more or less open discussions and revolved around reviews or discussing a certain film or two.
It's looking like late August we'll go live, or at least be up and running and ready to go live. So stay tuned.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Movie Review: Mother
After seeing haunting Memories of Murder
and the really fun The Host
, I was excited to see Joon-ho Bong's Mother
. It also came with rave reviews from my buddy Dikran, whose opinion I really respect.
Like the two previous movies I went in knowing just about nothing in regards to the plot, which is pretty refreshing. I think sometimes we are inundated with trailers and sales material that sometimes you walk into a movie having felt like you've already seen it. I'm glad I didn't because this movie was exactly what i had hoped from Bong.
A serious mystery/drama with elements of humor that only exists in Asian films for some reason, this wasn't as creepy or entwining as Memories of Murder, but as a character study was a much more vibrant film.
We follow Mother, the aptly named mother to a somewhat dim adult, Do-joon, who still lives at home. He's been arrested for the murder of a teenage girl... and his mother sets out to clear his name. Dedicating her every waking second to restoring her son's name and bringing him home, she goes from down on her luck to rock bottom... but never gives up her fight. Hye-ja Kim gives the performance of a lifetime as Mother, the best female performance I can recall in recent cinema. Apparently a well-known television star in Korea, Bong does an excellent job of subverting her role here.
But this is no mere character study, the case takes some extremely interesting twists and turns and has the audience guessing about who the killer reallly is the entire time. And the ending will definitely surprise you.
Bong shows that he is truly becoming a master of cinema. His name should be right up there with the leaders in other parts of the world, such as Fincher and Aronofsky. I wonder when he will make the jump across the pond, if ever.
and the really fun The Host, I was excited to see Joon-ho Bong's Mother. It also came with rave reviews from my buddy Dikran, whose opinion I really respect.Like the two previous movies I went in knowing just about nothing in regards to the plot, which is pretty refreshing. I think sometimes we are inundated with trailers and sales material that sometimes you walk into a movie having felt like you've already seen it. I'm glad I didn't because this movie was exactly what i had hoped from Bong.
A serious mystery/drama with elements of humor that only exists in Asian films for some reason, this wasn't as creepy or entwining as Memories of Murder, but as a character study was a much more vibrant film.
We follow Mother, the aptly named mother to a somewhat dim adult, Do-joon, who still lives at home. He's been arrested for the murder of a teenage girl... and his mother sets out to clear his name. Dedicating her every waking second to restoring her son's name and bringing him home, she goes from down on her luck to rock bottom... but never gives up her fight. Hye-ja Kim gives the performance of a lifetime as Mother, the best female performance I can recall in recent cinema. Apparently a well-known television star in Korea, Bong does an excellent job of subverting her role here.
But this is no mere character study, the case takes some extremely interesting twists and turns and has the audience guessing about who the killer reallly is the entire time. And the ending will definitely surprise you.
Bong shows that he is truly becoming a master of cinema. His name should be right up there with the leaders in other parts of the world, such as Fincher and Aronofsky. I wonder when he will make the jump across the pond, if ever.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Hell of a Day
I intended to write this post last night, in the heat of the moment, but I wound up crashing pretty hard.
Due to my fighting hobby, my ear started to cauliflower. This past week I have been sparring with the best guys at the gym. And in doing so, I was getting my butt kicked and it was great - but I was also taking some punishment on that ear. It wound up blowing up and yesterday I had to go get it drained. I made the mistake of thinking it was a simple procedure. I went to my general doctor, who immediately looked at it and said - 'Oh, I wish I knew that's what you were coming in for. I can't do this.' Well, doc, I let the receptionist know. Maybe you should actually talk to your employees.
So he sends me to a plastic surgeon. But before I go I have to hit the lab and get bloodwork done. The guy taking blood made me wait 30 minutes, and in doing so I was late to the surgeon. He had to go into surgery. So another doctor agreed to do it, but I had to drive to a different hospital's ER. An hour later I was getting my ear drained. If my insurance doesn't cover all of it I am f*$ked. We'll see in the next week or two...
Either way, about six hours for a 20 minute procedure was awesome. And now I'm out for at least a week. Just as I was starting to train hard again.
Movie Review: The Girl Who Played with Fire
Not only was I able to catch Salt, but I made it to the theater two days in a row. This time I got to check out Stieg Larsson's The Girl Who Played with Fire - the second of the Millennium Trilogy after The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.
If you haven't read my review of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
, then I will preface this review by stating that I was a pretty big fan of that film. So I was really excited to see this one... and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I must say that it wasn't as good as the first one. The characters are all back for the most part - and are for the most part great, but I think the mystery of the first is much stronger.
In this, we get a young wanna-be journalist trying to expose a sex-trafficking ring. He approaches Millennium to publish his story and is soon killed... setting off a string of events that pulls Blomqvuist and Lisbeth back into the fire.
Bad pun intended. If you aren't aware of this series, I highly recommend the catching both of these, if not the books (I plan to read them, but I have a lot on my plate right now). And I cannot wait for David Fincher's remake.
If you haven't read my review of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
, then I will preface this review by stating that I was a pretty big fan of that film. So I was really excited to see this one... and while I thoroughly enjoyed it, I must say that it wasn't as good as the first one. The characters are all back for the most part - and are for the most part great, but I think the mystery of the first is much stronger. In this, we get a young wanna-be journalist trying to expose a sex-trafficking ring. He approaches Millennium to publish his story and is soon killed... setting off a string of events that pulls Blomqvuist and Lisbeth back into the fire.
Bad pun intended. If you aren't aware of this series, I highly recommend the catching both of these, if not the books (I plan to read them, but I have a lot on my plate right now). And I cannot wait for David Fincher's remake.
Movie Review: Salt
It has been way too long since I was able to not only post but actually get out to a theater and catch a new release. I've been sparring in the mornings lately, which helps free me up a bit... So I caught Phillip Noyce's Salt.
Right from the opening scene we are thrust into a roller coaster ride that just doesn't let you up for air the entire 99 minutes. The first half, particularly, is extremely fast-paced and go-go-go... and definitely keeps the audience on their toes. Making you guess if Salt is who she says she is and always staying a step ahead of where your guess is. It is a fun movie, even if the wheels spin off towards the end a bit.
Jolie looks great here and she is pretty awesome overall - even if some of the action is extremely unbelievable. Liev Shreiber, who I guess is a great actor - but I say that more because that sentiment is crammed down our throats more than my actual opinion - is actually really good in this movie. And the rest of the cast is great as well.
Spoilers:
The biggest problem I have with the film occurs about 3/4 of the way through - when we find out that Evelyn Salt is actually a Russian Spy. The twist however is that she is not going to rise up on Day X, but fight back against her Russian handler/creators. Salt's motivations for doing this are just never truly explained. Has she fallen in love with America and her new life? Is she just anti-war? Has she abandoned her Russian heritage and mission? They try and set this up with her German husband - and them killing him, but he isn't killed until after she makes her decision. So, although fun, once you leave and start to ask questions the train went far off the tracks...
Right from the opening scene we are thrust into a roller coaster ride that just doesn't let you up for air the entire 99 minutes. The first half, particularly, is extremely fast-paced and go-go-go... and definitely keeps the audience on their toes. Making you guess if Salt is who she says she is and always staying a step ahead of where your guess is. It is a fun movie, even if the wheels spin off towards the end a bit.
Jolie looks great here and she is pretty awesome overall - even if some of the action is extremely unbelievable. Liev Shreiber, who I guess is a great actor - but I say that more because that sentiment is crammed down our throats more than my actual opinion - is actually really good in this movie. And the rest of the cast is great as well.
Spoilers:
The biggest problem I have with the film occurs about 3/4 of the way through - when we find out that Evelyn Salt is actually a Russian Spy. The twist however is that she is not going to rise up on Day X, but fight back against her Russian handler/creators. Salt's motivations for doing this are just never truly explained. Has she fallen in love with America and her new life? Is she just anti-war? Has she abandoned her Russian heritage and mission? They try and set this up with her German husband - and them killing him, but he isn't killed until after she makes her decision. So, although fun, once you leave and start to ask questions the train went far off the tracks...
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday, July 26, 2010
SDCC 2010 - A Hit
Just got back from San Diego and Comic-con 2010... where Harbor Moon debuted. For all intents and purposes it was a successful trip. I had a lot of nerves and stress leading up to it, and even while there - but it was a lot of fun being on the other side of the booth for the first time.
Just wanted to thank everyone at Arcana and booth 2415 for being so great - Sean, Mark, Erick, Rachel, Amanda... you were all great.
I also learned that Harbor Moon was the first book that Mark Poulton actually gave the thumbs up to - so I owe him a lot already, but that is pretty cool...
Just wanted to thank everyone at Arcana and booth 2415 for being so great - Sean, Mark, Erick, Rachel, Amanda... you were all great.
I also learned that Harbor Moon was the first book that Mark Poulton actually gave the thumbs up to - so I owe him a lot already, but that is pretty cool...
I did some interviews, handed out some copies to reviewers, met a ton of creators/artists/writers who were all awesome and sold some books. Special shout out to Sean Wise and Pennance, the story of a superhero on trial, and Scrooge vs. Santa - a pretty self explanatory title... two other books that were debuting at the Arcana booth - with awesome creative teams. And Mark Poulton's Koni franchise kept steamrolling forward (a great signing with the team and Malese Jow from the Vampire Diaries who is attached to star in the TV version went down on Sat that lasted for a long time...)
I'll do future posts that highlight each of those creators and their titles. As well as some of the other artists/creators that had some excellent stuff at the con.
Oh - and special thanks to my dad - who braved the trip to SD and the jungle of fellow geeks all weekend. We were on our feet for four straight days and he rarely complained and seemed to genuinely enjoy himself. Without him none of this was possible and he helped me realize a dream I've had since I picked up my first comic. He is my hero, my patron and my best friend.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
HARBOR MOON at Comic-con
Harbor Moon will be available all week during Comic-con at the Arcana Booth - located at booth #2415
Myself and Dikran will be signing copies at the booth at the following times:
Thursday 7/22: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Saturday 7/24: 10:00am - 11:30am
Come check us out!!!
Myself and Dikran will be signing copies at the booth at the following times:
Thursday 7/22: 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Saturday 7/24: 10:00am - 11:30am
Come check us out!!!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Harbor Moon Mania Hits!
As of this week, you can order a copy of the graphic novel HARBOR MOON through me for a discounted price of $15.00, plus Free S&H.
Once Comic-con hits next week the cover price is $20.00, and the book will be sold through Amazon.
Click on the picture below and it will take you to the IndieGoGo site, where you can buy the book via Paypal, Amazon Payments or Credit Card. Also available are some amazing looking pieces of original artwork from the actual book.
Once Comic-con hits next week the cover price is $20.00, and the book will be sold through Amazon.
Click on the picture below and it will take you to the IndieGoGo site, where you can buy the book via Paypal, Amazon Payments or Credit Card. Also available are some amazing looking pieces of original artwork from the actual book.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
R.E.M. - The Graphic Novel
Just this past week I got the next 40 or so pages of layouts from the artist, Marco Magallanes. Sometimes a project can seem so far away - and sometimes it seems like you're making huge progress. This week was one of those. Stuff looks pretty sweet and the book, although I'm biased, is going to be killer.
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