Moviepalooza
11/29/07 | Genius Mode, Movies, My Writings | 0 Comments
In the past two weeks, I have seen a LOT of movies. Some were good, some okay, some amazing, some a bore. Yes, I experienced at least one of each.
But before I talk about these movies, I wanted to say two things:
1) My classes end on December 4th, which means that I will have an ENTIRE MONTH to work on my novel! I’m going to bunker down and work my widdle fingers raw, so help me god! It has been driving me absolutely mad not being able to write, to the point where it’s all I can think about lately. Thank god I only have five more days of this crap to deal with!
-AND-
2) My friend Dawn finished her first novel, Absolution…!!! Congratulations Iusey! From what I’ve read and heard about it, it’s going to be amazing… I’ll be first in line (though, of course, I’m really expecting a free, signed copy… I’ll buy one and give it to someone to spread the love!). If any members of our Ohana read this, please send out some positive energy that the book gets picked up by an agent soon!
WATCHED
I am notoriously easy to impress when it comes to movies. As long as I felt mildly entertained during its duration, I feel the movie did its job and am relatively pleased with it. So, my method of rating movies is rather simple. Meaning, I like the majority of movies I see. However, it is rare that I walk out of a movie completely speechless, yet it does happen occasionally (most recently with V for Vendetta). Well, it happened again.
This was, quite literally, quite amazingly, one of the best movies I have ever seen in my life (and in a very long time). It is almost impossible to pinpoint my criteria for favorite movies, because each of them is so different from the others. Some of my favorites are (in no particular order): Michael J. Fox’s The Secret of My Success, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Powder, Finding Neverland, The Bourne Supremacy, Pay It Forward, and Love Actually. A comedy, sci-fi action, drama, comedic drama (I say it like that because there’s way more drama than comedy), action/suspense, family drama, and romantic comedy, respectively. Any relation? No. I’m just crazy. Now, I can add August as one of my Top 10 Favorite Movies.
I know that one of my favorite adjectives is “amazing,” but it’s a really versatile word. This time around, I’m going to use a different word: extraordinary. I have liked Freddie Highmore since I first saw him in Finding Neverland. There’s something about him that most adult actors can’t emulate, a sort of sadness and deep, penetrating gaze. I knew that he was destined for great things, and I wasn’t wrong. Freddie plays a boy who has lived at an orphanage for the first eleven years of his life. He has an intrinsic passion for music, a passion he runs away to New York to pursue in the hopes that it will help him find his parents.
In NYC, the eccentric Wizard (Robin Williams, who was perfectly cast for the role… watch the movie and you’ll see why) gives him shelter and provides the musical knowledge and instruments August needs to broaden his talent.
Lyla Novacek (Kerri Russell) is an acclaimed orchestral cellist, who even headlines the New York Symphony at a young age. One night she meets Louis Connelly (Jon Rhys Meyers), a charming, Irish rock singer. They spend the night together, fall in love, but are kept apart by Kerri’s father (played by Roswell alum, William Sadler).
I wish I could just tell you all about the movie and its amazingness, but that would give away too much and ruin the movie for you (something I HATE… I once overheard a conversation where someone said, “But then you find out that Bruce Willis was dead the whole time!”… NOT cool). So, please, go and see it. And, because of the musical score and how important it is to the plotline, you should really see it in theaters. You won’t regret it one bit.
You know what? This movie was a lot better than it looked. It looked so stupid from the commercials and trailers, but it actually turned out to be really funny (and, of course, adorable). The beginning of the movie is done in the classic Disney animated fashion, but the plot twists when the wicked Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) pushes the unsuspecting and naive Giselle (Amy Adams) down a well, where she ends up in New York City. There, she meets Robert (Patrick Dempsey) and his daughter, Morgan, who take her in (though reluctantly). Prince Edward (James Marsden), the queen’s loyal servant Nathanial (Timothy Spall, who played Wormtail in the third and fourth Harry Potter movies), and Pip the Chipmunk follow, and hilarity ensues. Worth a watch.
I have great respect for George Clooney and Tilda Swinton (the White Witch in the first Chronicles of Narnia movie, and Gabriel in Constantine), and this movie got such great reviews that I had some high hopes for it… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… Oh, sorry, did I just doze off right there? Right, well, this movie had a really cool premise, and some amazing actors, but… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…
This movie has been out for a while, but I watched it for the first time last weekend. It was surprisingly good. Edward Norton plays an illusionist (well, duh), who falls in love with a childhood friend, Sophie (Jessica Biel), but they are kept apart because of their different social classes. They are reunited later in life, when Sophie is betrothed to Prince Leopold (Rufus Sewell… why does this guy always play bad guys? I’m starting to hate him as a person). With one of the best plot twists I’ve seen in a long time, drama ensues. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already.
There are actually a couple more movies, but I think this post has gone on long enough.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
First Movie Casualty Of Strike
11/20/07 | Business, Movies, The Industry | 0 Comments
The following is an article from IMDb Pro:
“‘Angels’ wings clipped
19 Nov 2007 11:25am EST - By Borys Kit and Leslie Simmons
Sony has postponed production on Columbia Pictures’ Angels and Demons, the latest major film project to be derailed by the writers strike.
Tom Hanks is set to reprise his role as symbologist Robert Langdon in Angels, a prequel to The Da Vinci Code, with Ron Howard again directing. The studio said Friday the screenplay by Akiva Goldsman, an adaptation of the Dan Brown novel, was not ready to go before the cameras.
But Angels isn’t alone. Several other projects are in limbo and might be heading towards postponement, even with the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers returning to the table next week. The shifting schedules are causing some directors to leave projects and others to pick up projects as the labor drama plays out.
Columbia’s Edwin A. Salt, a spy thriller with Tom Cruise attached, has been pushed back due to director Terry George is stepping off the project. Michael Mann wants to pick up the directing reins but only will step in if there’s a rewrite, which can’t be done while the strike is on. Visit HollywoodReporter.com for more ...”
That makes me sad. Settle with the WGA already! They’re not asking for much…!
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Full Moon
11/16/07 | Books, My Writings | 0 Comments
I have been talking to a friend of mine who is going to school for psychology. There are a lot of things I didn’t know about how certain people react to abuse, and she’s helping me get a realistic portrayal of young people in the situations I’m putting some of my characters through. It probably sounds horrible to say this, but it’s really a fascinating subject, something I plan to study more in the future.
Writing’s been going slow. For those of you who know the plot of the story, I’m beginning the complete rewrite of Pat’s journal, which is a central plot piece. It needs to be right (which is why I’m talking to my therapist friend). Because classes are over on December 4th, and new classes (my last semester as an undergrad!) won’t begin until the second week of January, I’m literally going to have a month off, which I’m going to dedicate to writing. I missed my personal deadline for finishing the novel by October 31st, so I need to pick up the pace. I know that an agent will wait a little for a novel they requested to read, but I don’t want to keep her waiting much longer. As I said in a previous post, being asked to send the entire manuscript is an amazing request (something all writers want to hear), and I don’t plan on losing the opportunity.
If you noticed, I said that it’s going to be my last semester “as an undergrad”. Well, that’s because I’ve decided to apply for grad school. Yup. And this time I’m going for creative writing! I’m going to apply for the Creative Writing MFA from Emerson College here in Boston, which is one of the best schools for creative writing in the country. There are only 47 spots, and they receive over 250 applications a year, so I’ve got some work ahead of me. Wish me luck!
READ
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
You know what? She was damned if she did, and she was damned if she didn’t. Almost everyone has heard of Alice’s debut novel, the internationally bestselling The Lovely Bones. It has sold millions of copies worldwide, and is currently being filmed by acclaimed director Peter Jackson for a feature release next year. So many people loved this book that any book following it would let people down. If she wrote a book like TLB, everyone would have said that she’s a one-trick-pony. If she didn’t write a book like TLB, everyone would be all Where’s Susie? Well, she opted for the latter, and her new book has gotten some VERY mixed reviews. It currently has a 2.7 out of 5 stars on Amazon.com. People say it’s too depressing. Depressing? Did they even read TLB? Susie is a 14-year-old girl who gets raped and murdered in the first chapter, then looks down from Heaven as her family and friends fall apart. That sounds pretty depressing to me.
Personally, I loved it. It was amazing. Alice is such a brilliant writer and deserves some more respect. This book was about a woman in her 50s who is caring for her elderly mother. The mother is so far gone, that Helen (the main character) ends up suffocating her with a pillow during the first chapter. The remainder of the novel takes place over the next 24 hours, as Helen tries to figure out what to do and reminisces about the past. There is a lot of dark humor in the novel, and Helen is deeply moving.
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
Okay, so I haven’t read this book yet, but I went to an event of his at Harvard and had the opportunity to attend a personal meet-and-greet with the man himself. This book is about his life’s ambition to build schools in needing countries (such as Pakistan and Afghanistan). He really is an amazing person, and is so passionate about promoting education abroad. The subtitle for the book is “One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace… One School at a Time”. His reasoning behind this is that educated people are less likely to participate in acts of violence in the name of peace. One reason in particular (something that I didn’t know and find quite intriguing, considering their usual view of women) is that men going on missions actually need the blessing of their mothers, who usually approve because they are not educated enough to make the proper decision. With a proper education (or any education for that matter, considering that they usually don’t have one at all), they would know the true ramifications of their sons’ actions.
Not only is this an amazing man, but he’s apparently written an amazing book. Out of the 424 customer reviews on Amazon.com, 390 of them were 5 stars. Now that’s saying something.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
WGA Strike
11/9/07 | Awesome, Business, Movies, The Industry, TV Shows | 0 Comments
Something has been going on this week that will affect my future (at some point). The Writers Guild of America is on strike. I had to put together some information on this topic for one of my classes, so I’m going to put that here now (so you’ll know the facts):
As of 12:01AM on November 5th, 2007, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) went on strike for the first time in almost 20 years. Writers had been in negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP, which represents studios) since July of the same year, though terms for a new three-year contract were unable to be reached. The WGA ordered all of its 12,000 members to put down their pens and take up their picket signs.
Two of the biggest issues are as follows: higher residuals for DVD and New Media sales. The WGA is seeking to double residuals for DVD sales, which are currently at $0.04 per DVD (average retail price $19.99-34.99). Also under negotiation is the percentage of revenue from New Media, which refers to newer ways of displaying video, such as the internet, cell phones and mobile (iPods). The current residual for New Media is 1.2% of revenue, which the WGA is looking to increase to 2.5%.
“It’s an extremely volatile industry,” said Diana Son, a writer for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”. “There’s no job security. Residuals are an important part of our income. There’s no cushion.” The battle also has big repercussions for the way Hollywood does business, since whatever deal is struck by writers will likely be used as a template for talks with actors and directors (whose contracts expire June 2008), one of the reasons why the AMPTP is being so cautious.
In 2007, consumers are expected to spend about $16.4 billion on DVDs, and studios could generate about $158 million from selling movies online and about $194 million from selling TV shows online.
According to several sources, the AMPTP does not want to agree to the increase in New Media residuals because the market is untested, and they unsure how profitable or unprofitable the new ventures will be. Producers say that they want “the economic flexibility to experiment as consumer habits change in reaction to technology,” which they would not be able to do with the added burden of increased residuals.
The first paragraph of the official 2007 strike rules, as laid out by the WGAe (east region), states that all members “…must immediately stop writing for any and all struck companies. [Members] may not continue to write or complete writing started before the strike for a struck company. [Members] may not start writing on a new project during a strike. [Members] may not perform writing services even if [s/he] work[s] at home or at [his/her] own office rather than at the company’s premises. This Rule also prohibits [members] from attending meetings, or engaging in conversations, as a writer concerning new, pending or future projects or writing assignments with producers, directors or other representatives of any struck company. [Members] may not attend pitch meetings or communicate with a company representative to receive notes on literary material even if [s/he] intend[s] to wait until the strike ends to make any requested changes.”
The above mentioned “struck companies” include all of Hollywood’s major studios, including the “Big Five”: News Corp (Fox), Universal (NBC), Viacom (Paramount, CBS), Time Warner (WB, New Line Cinema) and Disney (Pixar, ABC). The strike will not immediately impact production of movies or prime-time TV programs. Most studios have stockpiled dozens of movie scripts, and TV shows have enough scripts or completed shows in hand to last until early next year.
The last WGA strike was in 1988 and lasted 22 weeks (five months), resulting in a reported $500 million loss for the entertainment industry. A similar strike in 2007, according to Los Angeles economist Jack Kyser, could result in over $1 billion in economic losses. These losses would be the result of television shows being forced into reruns, which, for many networks, will happen in early 2008. Talk shows (such as Jay Leno, David Letterman and Jon Stewart), which rely on current news events, will be affected immediately [and they were, all are off the air as of now]. Losses will be in the form of advertising dollars, which will shrink due to declining viewership due to the reruns.
Here’s a short video to explain all that to you:
As of right now, five days after the strike started, negotiations have not restarted. Bill Clinton has even offered to mediate the process to try and resolve the issue.
People seen on the picket line with the writers: Robin Williams, Jay Leno, the casts of Grey’s Anatomy, Scrubs, and Desperate Housewives, Julianne Moore, Tina Fey, Tim Robbins, David Duchovny, Roseanne Barr, Ellen DeGeneres, Eva Longoria and Julia Louis Dreyfous. Jon Stewart is paying his writers for the next two weeks… out of his own pocket.
According to an article from The Hollywood Reporter, democratic Presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are also behind the writers:
Said Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York: “I support the Writers Guild’s pursuit of a fair contract that pay them for their work in all mediums. I hope the producers and writers will return to the bargaining table.”
“I stand with the writers,” Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois said from his campaign headquarters in Chicago. “The guild’s demand is a test of whether media corporations are going to give writers a fair share of the wealth their work creates or continue concentrating profits in the hands of their executives… I urge the producers to work with the writers so that everyone can get back to work.”
Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards also backs the strikers.
“These writers deserve to be compensated fairly for their work, and I commend their courage in standing up to big media conglomerates,” he said. “As someone who has walked picket lines with workers all across America and as a strong believer in collective bargaining, I hope that both sides are able to quickly reach a just settlement.”
I completely agree. It is ridiculous that studios are not paying writers adequately for their work. Did you know that they are not compensated for episodes of TV shows aired online? The same goes for the actors and directors of the shows as well, not just the writers. Studios are screwing everyone. It’s disgusting, it’s amoral, and it’s about time that it stopped.
If it were feasible, I would be on the line with them. As many of you know, it is one of my dreams to write screenplays as well as books. This is my future at stake here, too.
I wish all of you the best of luck, and hope that the studios will see sense. Stay brave and stay strong.
Until next…
Kyle W. Kerr
Still Chugging Along
11/6/07 | Books, Movies, My Writings, Procrastination | 0 Comments
Still writing, I’m chugging along as usual. It’s going well, and with the help of two of my friends I found another problem that was holding the narrative back (which I am now working to fix). I can only hope the novel will be finished by the end of the year. Keep praying!
I got the opportunity to see NYT and Internationally bestselling author Matthew Pearl for the second time. The first time I saw him was at an event, but this time he was generous enough to come to my writers group on campus! It was an amazing time. It’s rare that young authors get face-time with someone who’s “made it.” And he was very open about his experiences and he was an immense fountain of knowledge for our members.
READ
The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
In honor of Matthew Pearl coming, I bunkered down with his first book. Guys, it was really good. I’m not a huge fan of historical fiction, but I couldn’t put this book down. It was based around a group of leading literary figures in 1865 Boston (who are all real people, by the way), who are trying to create the first American translation of Dante’s Divine Comedy. However, some of the leading members of society are being murdered, and they realize that the killer is reenacting the tortures found in Dante’s Inferno. So, in order to protect themselves, as well as the work they are trying to create, the group members become overnight sleuths. It was amazing, and it will honestly keep you guessing right to the very end. It’s kind of hard to get into because of the language (it’s written in 19th century prose), but once you get past the first few pages, it flows in a way you can’t imagine unless you experience it. Now I definitely have to pick up his second book, The Poe Shadow.
WATCHED
This was a really cute movie. David (played by John Cusack) is a widower sci-fi novelist who adopts a young boy named Dennis… who thinks he’s from Mars. Sounds like a perfect match, right? David and Dennis are both lonely and need to be loved, and to love in return, and David should understand the boy’s fascination with thinking he’s otherworldly. However, it’s not always a match made in heaven, and David soon finds himself overwhelmed with the prospect of raising a “different” child all on his own. Really beautiful acting and a great storyline. Worth a watch!
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Okay, this movie sounded… weird, to say the least. But, it also sounded intriguing. So, I rented it. I’m so glad that I did. As the title suggests, it’s the story about a murderer who’s obsessed with scent, and preserving scent… particularly, the scent of women. He finds these women with unforgettable scents, and harvests them (which usually includes killing the women; a small price to pay when you think about it, wouldn’t you agree?). It sounds insane at first glance, but it was really an amazing story. The director also did a beautiful job portraying scent visually, which is just as hard has it sounds. The main character is the anti-hero (he’s the one doing the killin’s), but he is played with such compassion and honesty that you can’t help pulling for him! Fantastic movie, and it has an ending you’ll NEVER see coming. Now I have to go and read the book…
Oh, and here’s a little treat.
Anyone else excited?
Until next…
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