This is Tony Jaa's protege, Jija Yanin, who starred in the move Chocolate. (Not, Chocolat... very different movies.) The movie is called Raging Pheonix, and Twitch has the trailer.
"(Guillermo del Toro) has an endlessly inventive imagination, and understands how legends work, why they entertain us and that they sometimes stand for something. For love, for example."
I am now the proud owner of this:I had pre-buyer's remorse, but after getting it home and popping in a couple of the discs, I am completely satisfied with my somewhat expensive purchase. Okay, $65 bucks for 5 cuts of a single film is a little... obsessive, but this is arguably the most important American film of the second half of the 20th century, if not the most important film ever. The sheer amount of influence the film has had on just about everything is astounding.
For the record, expect one of my messays on the topic in the next couple of days. I'm composing it in my head at the moment.
So, various writers from various guilds, including the striking WGA, are asking you to make the, ahem, ethical choice and stop consuming TV shows and movies.
Give me a break.
Not watching CSI or Heroes isn't going to do anything to affect the outcome of the strike unless you're a Nielson family, and even then I have my doubts. Watch them until they run out of fresh episodes, and watch the repeats, it's not going to matter. You're not showing solidarity with the writers, you're just not watching TV. The longer you don't watch TV, the less likely you are to pick it up again, which would be detrimental to the strikers in the long run.
However, please don't watch the reality shows that will be replacing the scripted stuff. Not because it helps the writers, but because they just suck and you'd be better off reading a book or something.
Not buying or renting DVDs is pointless, as the studios already have their money, and all you're doing is hurting the retailer and their staff that doesn't have the benefits of collective bargaining. Also, for crying out loud, don't go to the kid at Blockbuster and explain to him how you aren't renting movies in solidarity as the kid couldn't give two tugs why you're screwing with his income, and it makes you look like a self-righteous wanker.
Lastly, not buying the products advertised isn't going to do anything either, for the simple fact that those who couldn't give two tugs about any of this greatly out-number you, and your little sad symbol of rebellion will fall on deaf ears. Sure, you could write them, but mostly they'll just laugh and send you a "thank you for writing" form letter, probably with coupons attached.
You aren't some special snowflake. You really don't matter.
Still want to show some solidarity?
Fine. Make some sandwiches and coffee, then figure out where the closest picket-line is. I'm sure that those on the line would be grateful.
Oh, right, you just want to rage against the machine through inactivity, rather than actually do anything.
Q. In your response to the question about promising new directors, you answered, "Do we have to stick with Americans? There is a New Mexican Cinema." Perhaps you have forgotten, but Mexicans are Americans. Of course, I realize that the battle against identifying the United States with "America" is already lost, but in the war between the gods and the giants, the giants may win, but I fight for the gods.
Bart Odom, McKinney, Texas
A. Another famous son of McKinney, Haystacks Calhoun, fought for the money. Thanks for the tip about my xenophobia! Of course, Canadians are also Americans. I plan to attend the Toronto Film Festival this year, and meet such leading American directors as Norman Jewison, Denys Arcand, Atom Egoyan, Deepa Mehta, Paul Haggis, Arthur Hiller, David Cronenberg, Guy Maddin, Ted Kotcheff, Patricia Rozema, Alison Maclean, Sturla Gunnarsson, Sarah Polley, and Ivan and Jason Reitman. I'm betting the first one to punch me is Gunnarsson. He was born on the offshore American island of Iceland, and you know how they are.
I spent most of the day either sleeping, or watching DVDs, and I'm not ashamed to say it. Well, okay, the reason for that is that I haven't exactly been well the past few days, but still...
Anywho, I think I shall return to doing my DVD capsule reviews in the near future, as I've watched a few notable ones. Most notable would be Land of the Dead, which was far better than most of the fanboys would admit it was. Sure, it was more of an action/SF flick with zombies, but you can only do things a certain way for so long. I for one was glad that he took this approach, as his last foray into zombies was absolutely terrible. This time he had a budget, and a decent enough cast, which made all the difference. I'm looking forward to his low-budget Diary of the Dead, which he's working on now. That one sounds interesting, and pretty experimental for Romero.
From Kung Fu Cinema, and other sources, comes news of a new HK/US production company called Qi. The goal of Qi is to produce HK-style films, in HK, but for the English language market. They've teamed up with The Weinstein Company, and their Asian cinema label Dragon Dynasty.
The aforementioned article also goes into the challenges that the HK film industry is going through, which sounds a lot like a hyperkinetic version of what's going on in Hollywood these days. Where the new crop of actors just aren't cutting it.
This is Aayla Secura. A Twi'lek Jedi, generally considered 'hot', from the prequel trilogy:
This is somebody cosplaying Aayla Secura:
Note the sheer failure. Now, that's not to say that the character can't be successfully cosplayed, as this picture demonstrates:
This one even pulls it off better:
And yet another one:
So, it can be done, and done well on a budget. Smearing on blue crap, and putting funny tubes on your head does not a Twi'lek Jedi make you. Sure, the first one's costume was mostly good, except for the shoes... okay, I'm just being nice as the costume pretty much sucks, but if you're going to show off that much skin, well.... you could at least get the shade right at least, and y'know, a little matte goes a long way. You just look kind of greasy, and well, it makes you look like a fat chick (which I don't believe she is) unsuccessfully trying to look hot. I'm sure that, under that horrible grease paint, there's a very attractive woman there, but the end result is far less flattering. Horrible, even.
Also, the above applies to the various Slave Leias... well, except for the blue crap and funny tubes.
The moral of this story is that if you can pull it off, more power to you. If you can't, then people are just being nice if they compliment you because they know you'll take it personally.
(For the record, the leering and sneering Jedi just isn't pulling it off either. Sure, the robes are decent, but he just doesn't look very Jedi. He looks more like an Alan Rickman villain.)
Also, in case you're wondering, this came about as I was trying to remember what the Jedi's name was. I just finished watching Clone Wars, and it couldn't remember it. I Googled 'hot twilek jedi', then the proper name. The first cosplayer was on the first page.
It's an episode of IFC's Dinner for Five, hosted by Jon Favreau, featuring Roger Corman, Rob Zombie, Bruce Campbell, and Faizon Love. It's also not work or kid safe, as there's a lot of colourful language.
Part 1:
Part 2:
Part 3:
This episode, for me, defines what I feel about film. While I love my Hollywood event movies, it's the guerilla indie spirit that drives me. Both Corman and Campbell are two of my idols, not necessarily for what they've done, but how they've gone about it. These guys, along with James Cameron in the early days, symbolize the gonzo world of guerilla film making. The hit, run, and fix it in post mentality.
The odd thing is that while I consider these guys my heroes, and I love the genre stuff they produce, it's not what I'm good at. I'm a romantic comedy guy. Still, I find that genre film making, especially SF and horror, is film craft at it's best. If you can put a scare in someone, or make them believe that they're watching something happening on an alien world, that's something and it's directly linked to the craft.
Rom-Coms are a different beast. It's all about the performance. If you can't believe that there's chemistry between the people on-screen, you can't fix it in post. (Well, with CG these days, you probably could but it defeats the purpose.) Jokes are jokes, with the writing being equally important to, if not more than, the performance. Sure, it's all about timing, but if the joke isn't funny, perfect timing isn't going to help. Film craft doesn't really apply here, and if Kevin Smith can shoot a successful comedy, anybody with some film background can. Smith is a funny guy, and it comes natural to him, at the same time he's a pretty mediocre (to be diplomatic) director. He's very smart to not step outside his niche, despite badgering by the Harv to do otherwise. (I cringe when I imagine how the Green Hornet movie might've turned out.)
All that said, I'm also a big fake. I haven't done anything since film school, and really, all I do is talk the talk these days. My school years were a pretty dark time for me, but my film work was what got me through. I think I've actually been afraid to go back and embrace it, but I'm going to try and change that. By this time next year, I hope to have something in development. It's going to be indie. It's going to be cheap. It's going to be me back on my game.
Who knows. Maybe I'll get Roger Corman's attention.
Ebert on the past, present and future of film distribution
This is from the introduction to Roger Ebert's 2007 Video Yearbook, and it's a great read for those who are interested. I'm not going to quote any of it, as it's too long for me to quote the whole thing, and because it needs to be read in it's entirety.
A look at the inner workings of all things Jay, and an experiment with online identity. Also, an experience dedicated to the memory of a woman named Mary, who will always hold a special place in my heart.
I had pre-buyer's remorse, but after getting it home and popping in a couple of the discs, I am completely satisfied with my somewhat expensive purchase. Okay, $65 bucks for 5 cuts of a single film is a little... obsessive, but this is arguably the most important American film of the second half of the 20th century, if not the most important film ever. The sheer amount of influence the film has had on just about everything is astounding.
First the Joker pics, and now this. Damn. Still 13 months away.
