MY [Late] QUICK UPDATE (12/16/08)

These posts are supposed to be written on Saturday. The last one I wrote was on a Sunday and last Saturday, I was out the entire day and forgot to write one up. Hopefully, I'll get back to doing this thing right.

Got to see Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York on Friday! Probably may be my #1 film of the year. At least out of the films I've seen thus far. As much as I love seeing his scripts through the eyes of other visual directors, Charlie Kaufman should continue to direct his own scripts.

Been working on a list of my Top 10 Films of 2008 lately. What I found interesting is that the list of movies that I need to see is almost as long as the list of movies I have seen that I feel might belong on my Top 10. This is going to be much harder than I thought.



On Saturday, I had a cookout with a few friends over at a friend's apartment complex. It was an event I had come up with and planned for the film club that I am in, FUF, and it was a blast. I called it the "FUF End-of-the-Year Potluck/Cookout".
At first, it took us about 45 minutes to actually get the charcoal on the grill to stay lit. But, in that time, we had quite a few very large fires. I find that nothing impresses men more than more fire. THe more fire, the more we grunt, drink beer, scratch ourselves, and abuse women make sexual jokes at the expense of women.
I made a rockin' potato salad - inless all my friends were lying to me to protect my feelings - and made a few hot dog rollups. If you are unaware of the hot dog rollup, click the link. It will change your life forever, but not necessarily in a good way. There were pictures taken of me making the hot dog rollup, but I am not in possession of these photographs. Hopefully, I will get them later and post them as an update to the post.
My friend, Adam "A-Train" Isaacs, made some surf-n-turf (shrimps and steak) that were unbelievably amazing. And Todd Jurgess' wife, Stephanie, made some great cheese dip that we were all devouering throughout the night.
Great night!

Trying to trooper through Ingmar Bergman's Fanny and Alexander. I've gotten through the first two episodes, of four. The second episode made up for the first one quite a bit. The first episode mainly dealt with all of the adults in the story rather than the child characters whom the film is named after, Fanny and Alexander. I believe each of them had around 5 words each throughout the 90 minute first episode. But, the second episode really developed Alexander's character a lot. This episode was still mainly about the adults, but how their situations were seen throughout the children's eyes.
So far, it is growing into something great. I cannot wait to finish it!

Alternate Teaser Trailer for WATCHMEN

As anyone who knows me knows, I am NOT looking forward to Watchmen at all. I will most likely see it on opening night - maybe even at midnight - but I'm planning on it being pretty awful.
I do not think that Zack Snyder will succeed where Terry Gilliam, Darren Aronofsky, and Paul Greengrass (three of the best living directors ever) failed.
Anyway, here is the alternate teaser trailer for Zack Snyder's Watchmen. I personally think that it is better than the first. Less Snyder slo-mo shots. They are still present, but there are less. Also, a few more interesting shots, in general.
So, here goes...

"Pushing Daisies" to be Brought Back to Life by the Touch of Other Mediums

"Pushing Daisies" was canceled. I am personally distraught (but not surprised) by the news. Bryan Fuller has since signed a writing deal with Universal. First, he will return to NBC's now-failing "Heroes" to finish up the third season. After that, it is not said whether he will continue with "Heroes" or if NBC will set him up with his own new show...that will be canceled most likely in its first season.
"Pushing Daisies" will, however, live on. First, in a comic book published by either DC Comics or DC's imprint, Wildstorm. Then, if all goes according to plan, Bryan Fuller will bring "Pushing Daisies" to the silver screen. I'm glad that one of Bryan Fuller's works will live on beyond cancellation. I loved "Dead Like Me" and "Wonderfalls" a lot and hope that they, or at least "Wonderfalls", gets a second chance on another medium.
Joss Whedon's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8" and "Angel" comics have given new hope to continuing television shows. I see this becoming a new way for television show creators to continue their storylines and universes. After all, comic books are to literature what television is to film. Comic books are the best way to continue a serialized story.
The unfortunate thing is that actors Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Kristen Chenoweth, and Chi McBride cannot continue their characters in the comic. So, hopefully, a studio picks up the "Pushing Daisies" movie.
As the show's tagline goes, "life. death. and life again."

MY QUICK UPDATE (8/30/08)

The point of the "MY QUICK UPDATE" posts were to be a weekly Page 2 for the blog. The Page 1 stories being the long posts that have their own titles and the Page 2 posts being random things throughout the week that I want to write a quick blurb about, but not a full post.
Also, they're supposed to make me write at least ONE post per week. The point is to have a couple posts in between, but I now realize the last post I wrote was last Saturday's "MY QUICK UPDATE". Hopefully, next week will be different.

Went to see Tarsem's The Fall earlier today at the Hippodrome. Had to see it alone since everyone that I knew that would want to see it had seen it already.

Re-watched Michael Haneke's 2007 remake of Funny Games. I think I liked it more this time around. Which is odd, because I really liked it a lot when I first saw it.

Bought "Tiny Toon Adventures", season 1, volume 1, at Best Buy ealier this week since they're having a 25% off TV DVDs sale. After I finish watching it, I plan to write a post on the cartoon revolution of the 1990s vs the cartoons of today.

Started a post on one of my favorite underrated films, Galaxy Quest, but still need to finish it.

I realize that I talk more about writing posts than actually writing posts for this blog.

Barack Obama's DNC acceptance speech was phenomenal! The first Democrat I've seen that actually responds to the Republican smear campaign rather than play ostrich to it.

Re-reading "Watchmen" while reading "DC Universe: The Stories of Alan Moore". I feel an Alan Moore discussion coming on.

Is it odd that I was excited to see Shannen Doherty on the cover of my "Entertainment Weekly" this week? I realize that this season, the new "90210" series may become my new primetime guilty pleasure, i.e. "The OC" in 2004 and "Gossip Girl" last season.

Fishnet stockings! Man, I love Shannen Doherty...

MY QUICK UPDATE (8/23/08)

Party went well on Wednesday night...to an extent.

Been playing "Galaga Legions" on Xbox Live Arcade (Possible review coming soon?).

Savannah College of Art and Design still refuses to put up the schedule for the 2008 Savannah Film Festival and that makes it a harder event to plan early.

Can't stop watching Eddie Murphy Raw. Apparently, I'm 13 again.

Watched Steven Shainberg's Secretary and loved it.

Bought "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" on iTunes, put it on my iPod, and cannot stop listening to it and singing along in my car. There's just something about that Neil Patrick Harris that makes me want to sing. So now, I'll end up buying it twice when it comes out on DVD. Worth it.

I should find a good therapist.

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Listening to: Madvillain - Accordion
via FoxyTunes