- H6: Diary of a Serial Killer
- High Noon (BFI)
- Bullitt
- Once Upon A Time In America
- Killer Nun
- Midnight Movies
- Shock (Beyond The Door 2)
- The Killer Inside Me
- Buckaroo Banzai
- Hatchet For The Honeymoon
- Valley Of The Dolls
- Assault (1971)
- Two Evil Eyes
- Body Count
- Grace
- El Topo
- Silent Night Bloody Night
- True Stories
- The Hills Run Red
- The Good, The Bad, The Weird
- Kill Bill
- Dance Of The Dead
- Bright Star
- The Vanishing
- The Decline Of Western Civilization
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
June movie playlist
Thursday, June 10, 2010
favourite celluloid moments
Got this film stuck in my head this morning for some reason. Dragged my friend James to come see it at the PCC a while ago, in an epic double bill with American Werewolf. He'd never seen it before and his reactions to this scene were brilliant.
John Carpenter, Kurt Russell... I love you.
John Carpenter, Kurt Russell... I love you.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
keep on keepin' on
So you know what? Today was a tough day. I woke at 4:45am and couldn't get back to sleep for ages, finally did then slept through my alarm. Great start. The shit is really hitting the fan at work causing lots of worried faces; I'm out of a job anyway two weeks today with nothing lined up and nothing in sight, the job market fucking sucks ass right now, and I have rent and bills to pay that I don't how long I'm going to be able to afford. It'd be safe to say my mood was a bit of a downer for the best part of the day.
We went to see The Killer Inside Me after work. I'm a fan of Michael Winterbottom; I think he's an inventive and brave filmmaker (not to mention pretty prolific) and I'll always give his films a chance. Plus, 24 Hour Party People is pretty great. I definitely dug The Killer Inside Me. Great visual style, great soundtrack - incredible performances. Yes, there was some pretty brutal violence, but it was in character, not for shock tactics. Though the audience drove me nuts (talking and making out loudly, rustling snacks, laughing at inappropriate moments), I left the cinema feeling a little better about things - good films always inspire - and walked home.
It was while procrastinating from writing that I had a look at Adam Green's Formspring, read some of the recent Q&As. Decided to post one myself, after a day like today.
My question was:
How did you stay motivated and upbeat when you were just starting out? Sometimes I look ahead and the uphill struggle seems immense, and when there are bills to pay and people close to you not necessarily supporting what you’re trying to do, it can be kind of painful. I’m not about to give up but how did you get through the early rough patches?
Of course genius here didn't notice there was a character limit for questions so the last part got cut off, but he was still kind of enough to answer:
"Because you have to know deep down that it's this or nothing. You have to be able to find the comedy in being down and out and try to embrace the struggle and learn from it. The hard part is that I've seen so many struggle and NOT make it. The odds are against you. But if deep down you know that you really HAVE it and don't just really WANT TO HAVE it... you gotta keep going until there is just no other option. I ate out of the trash at one point and during those awful times I definitely thought about trying to find another dream. But it just didn't happen and I kept fighting and fighting. But find solace in your work. Write it out. Shoot to feel better. Don't let the world's negativity get you down or disenchant you. As you can see from the guy who asked a question below you [which was: “When everyone else here is done sucking your cock, can I suck it to get cast in a movie?”] - there are a lot of assholes out there who feel entitled or who just want to be douchebags because they are frustrated. Zone that all out and stay positive- even in times of duress. Chin up!"
And you know what? The pep talk worked.
A couple minutes later a text came through from the editor - all looking good, we've more or less got a final cut, and she'll send it down on the weekend. Then I opened my current major writing project and managed to spill out about 5 pages in 20 minutes.
Everything Adam said in his response I'm aware of - this really is it for me. It's all I've ever wanted, and for too long and for too many reasons it was out of my grasp, but now it feels so much nearer and if I just keep on, it could be there. I can find the comedy in having to couch surf and eating Tesco Value baked beans or inviting myself back to my parents' for dinner too regularly, if necessary. And I know the odds are against me. Always have been. But it's a risk worth taking. I have no other dream. I don't think I could at this point. How can you trash something you've wanted for so long, just because it seemed too hard? Creativity has always been my solace, as I'm sure it is for many others, and perhaps I should look at this impending period of no (paid) work as a chance to really focus on writing and filmmaking (second short is already in early preproduction) while jobhunting at the same time. Unfortunately it's not always so easy to not let the world's negativity get you down - have you seen the state of this planet at the moment? - but by focusing on the smaller things, the things you can work at and change, it's possible to stay positive, and keep that chin up.
As another wise New Englander (hey Chris Hall, I'm looking at you) once said to me, Keep On Keepin' On.
We went to see The Killer Inside Me after work. I'm a fan of Michael Winterbottom; I think he's an inventive and brave filmmaker (not to mention pretty prolific) and I'll always give his films a chance. Plus, 24 Hour Party People is pretty great. I definitely dug The Killer Inside Me. Great visual style, great soundtrack - incredible performances. Yes, there was some pretty brutal violence, but it was in character, not for shock tactics. Though the audience drove me nuts (talking and making out loudly, rustling snacks, laughing at inappropriate moments), I left the cinema feeling a little better about things - good films always inspire - and walked home.
It was while procrastinating from writing that I had a look at Adam Green's Formspring, read some of the recent Q&As. Decided to post one myself, after a day like today.
My question was:
How did you stay motivated and upbeat when you were just starting out? Sometimes I look ahead and the uphill struggle seems immense, and when there are bills to pay and people close to you not necessarily supporting what you’re trying to do, it can be kind of painful. I’m not about to give up but how did you get through the early rough patches?
Of course genius here didn't notice there was a character limit for questions so the last part got cut off, but he was still kind of enough to answer:
"Because you have to know deep down that it's this or nothing. You have to be able to find the comedy in being down and out and try to embrace the struggle and learn from it. The hard part is that I've seen so many struggle and NOT make it. The odds are against you. But if deep down you know that you really HAVE it and don't just really WANT TO HAVE it... you gotta keep going until there is just no other option. I ate out of the trash at one point and during those awful times I definitely thought about trying to find another dream. But it just didn't happen and I kept fighting and fighting. But find solace in your work. Write it out. Shoot to feel better. Don't let the world's negativity get you down or disenchant you. As you can see from the guy who asked a question below you [which was: “When everyone else here is done sucking your cock, can I suck it to get cast in a movie?”] - there are a lot of assholes out there who feel entitled or who just want to be douchebags because they are frustrated. Zone that all out and stay positive- even in times of duress. Chin up!"
And you know what? The pep talk worked.
A couple minutes later a text came through from the editor - all looking good, we've more or less got a final cut, and she'll send it down on the weekend. Then I opened my current major writing project and managed to spill out about 5 pages in 20 minutes.
Everything Adam said in his response I'm aware of - this really is it for me. It's all I've ever wanted, and for too long and for too many reasons it was out of my grasp, but now it feels so much nearer and if I just keep on, it could be there. I can find the comedy in having to couch surf and eating Tesco Value baked beans or inviting myself back to my parents' for dinner too regularly, if necessary. And I know the odds are against me. Always have been. But it's a risk worth taking. I have no other dream. I don't think I could at this point. How can you trash something you've wanted for so long, just because it seemed too hard? Creativity has always been my solace, as I'm sure it is for many others, and perhaps I should look at this impending period of no (paid) work as a chance to really focus on writing and filmmaking (second short is already in early preproduction) while jobhunting at the same time. Unfortunately it's not always so easy to not let the world's negativity get you down - have you seen the state of this planet at the moment? - but by focusing on the smaller things, the things you can work at and change, it's possible to stay positive, and keep that chin up.
As another wise New Englander (hey Chris Hall, I'm looking at you) once said to me, Keep On Keepin' On.
Monday, June 7, 2010
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