New Ken Burns Documentary

Starting this Sunday, Ken burns new 3 part documentary, "Prohibition" on PBS. Check it out! Would be interested in what everyone thinks about it!

BUSTER KEATON SILENT MOVIE MANIA

FYI...Starting Sunday, October 2nd with “The General” through Monday, October 3rd @ 8AM, AMC is featuring a bunch of Buster Keaton silent movies. We show “The General” in the brick and mortar class! It’s a great piece of cinema and well worth the watch!

Thing 1, Thing 2, Thing 3

Dr. Seuss doesn't want any part of this.
A new version of "The Thing" is hitting theaters in October. The original "The Thing" (1951) was directed by both Howard Hawks (uncredited) and his Academy Award winning editor Christian Nyby. Not sure what the ruckus there was. It is also know as "The Thing From Another World". This picture is most famous for starting the "it came from outer space" craze. A good scary 50's flick but not overly remarkable.
"The Thing"(1982) by Wes Craven is much creepier. Lots of gore too, if that floats your boat. Kurt Russell stars in this version and puts in a solid performance. The 1982 version should be considered a cult classic in my book.

And Thing 3? Well, why don't you check it out and give us a review. I might save my pennies for netflix.

Pick of the week

"Kitten With a Whip"(1964)- A pre-Viva Las Vegas Anne-Margaret is a seductive teen delinquent on the run. She holes up with a Senator (John Forsythe, the voice of Charlie in the original Charlie's Angels t.v. series) and threatens to cry rape if he turns her in.

Best Scene- Kitten lays down the law and takes over. The ever so stunning Anne-Margaret seethes with anger, sexual tension and a sadistic pleasure in making the Senator realize he's caught in her trap. In the background a t.v. set shows a cartoon of a cat stalking a mouse.

Film Crew Slang

"On a Bell "- Rolling on a Sound Stage, a bell will ring telling us:

One Ring-Rolling

Two Rings-Cut

Film Crew Slang

"Cowboy" Shot- No, not a dead high plains drifter. A cowboy is a shot framing both an actor and his guns, even if he isn't wearing any, it's where they would be. It describes a shot that is wider than a close-up or medium shoot but not quite a full shot.

Full Shot- Framing an actor that shows them from head to toe. Also can be referred to as a head to toe. Imagine that....?

Bad Judge of Talent...

"Can’t act. Slightly bald. Can dance a little"- Screen Tester about Fred Astaire

Dialogue Greatness...

"Dumb & Dumber" (1994)
Harry: According to the map we've only gone 4 inches.

Film Gear has Funky Names

Taco Cart- No it's not lunchtime. There is no food on this cart. It is a wheeled cart that Grips use to keep certain equipment within easy reach. Flags, stands, apple boxes and other essential equipment are staged on it for quick access. There are several different types and configurations but all serve the same purpose.

2 picks this week

The 2nd pick:
"Swimming To Cambodia" (1987): I'm not normally one to recommend watching a 90 minute  monologue, but this film is the exception. Actor Spalding Gray spins a tale about working on Roland Joffe's film "The Killing Fields"(1984). He has just a small role in the film and his tale is more about the experience of working and playing in southeast Asia just 6 or 7 years after the end of the Vietnam war. From depravity in Bangkok to arguments with his neighbor in New York City, Gray is spellbinding. No small credit goes to director Jonathan Demme in turning a one man stage play into a feature film. Filmed during what I consider to be Demme's golden period, "Swimming To Cambodia" is right at the top. Performer/musician Laurie Anderson's score syncs perfectly with Gray's humor and self effacing dialogue which swings from absurd to sad and back again.
See it.

Film Crew Slang

"Last through the line": When the 1st Asst. Director calls lunch (or a meal), the clock does not start until the last person in the food line is served. Gives everyone a relatively equal amount of time to eat. Filmmaking is one of the few jobs that usually feed you on site at company cost.
P.S.: There are exceptions to this and a variety of incarnations depending on the gig. We will discuss "Grace" later.

2 picks this week

Labor Day weekend had me playing in Northern California. I neglected to give us a pick of the week. So there will be 2 this week. The first..

Kentucky Fried Movie (1977)- John Landis directs an off kilter set of skits spoofing film genres, television and pop culture in the late 70's.While the production value & skill is less than we see in Landis's following films like Animal House and The Blues Brothers, the spark of his irreverent sense of comedy jumps right out. Kentucky Fried Movie possesses that chaotic sense of true freedom & verve, like hanging out with your college friends late, late at night after the party.

Best Scene: The T.V. News is watching you....

I wish Mr. Landis would get back to work.

There 4 emergency exits on this aircraft

"Zero Hour" (1957) was just recently on cable. It is one of the main films that "Airplane"(1980) parodies. Other influences on "Airplane" were of course the "Airport" disaster pictures of the 1970's, but "Zero Hour" seems to be the model. As a matter of fact, the hero is a former WWII fighter pilot named Stryker and the flight crew gets food poisoning. If you can quote lines from "Airplane" then this is the picture for you. Sterling Hayden, most famous for playing General Jack Ripper in "Dr. Strangelove", plays the hardcore traffic tower man that has to talk the plane down. You'll want to play both films simultaneously to compare Hayden and Robert Stack. Highly recommended.

Film Crew Slang

"Second Sticks"- If the clapper on the slate was not visible when the shot was being marked, the cameraperson might call out “second sticks!” to tell the 2nd AC or Loader to mark it a second time.

More Dialogue Greatness

"Repo Man" (1984)- 80's Punk Rock sci-fi classic from the warped mind of Director Alex Cox. We'll take a look at Cox's "Straight To Hell" (1987) a little later

Parnell (mad scientist) : Ever been to Utah? Ra-di-a-tion. Yes, indeed. You hear the most outrageous lies about it. Half-baked goggle-box do-gooders telling everybody it's bad for you. Pernicious nonsense. Everybody could stand a hundred chest X-rays a year. They ought to have them, too. When they canceled the project it almost did me in. One day my mind was full to bursting. The next day - nothing. Swept away. But I'll show them. I had a lobotomy in the end.


Otto: Lobotomy? Isn't that for loonies?


Parnell: Not at all. Friend of mine had one. Designer of the neutron bomb. You ever hear of the neutron bomb? Destroys people - leaves buildings standing. Fits in a suitcase. It's so small, no one knows it's there until - BLAMMO. Eyes melt, skin explodes, everybody dead. So immoral, working on the thing can drive you mad. That's what happened to this friend of mine. So he had a lobotomy. Now he's well again.

Words to live by...

All the ills of mankind, all the tragic misfortunes that fill the history books, all the political blunders, all the failures of the great leaders have arisen merely from a lack of skill at dancing.

Moliere

Film Gear has Funky Names

Snot Tape- Thin, clear, double-sided tape often used to attach lighting gels to their frames. Camera Assistants may use it carefully & sparingly to attach gel filters to the rear of lenses. Also known as ATG tape.
Paper Tape- Paper tape is similar to masking tape. It is photographic masking tape if you will. Usually ordered in black (though it comes in other colors for various purposes). The big difference is that it has a matte finish instead of a shiny finish so that it is less noticiable on camera and reflects light a lot less. Grips, electrics (lighting crew) and art department rely heavily on this stuff. It also has the benefit of being easier than other tapes to pull off without taking a layer of paint or finish with it.

Both of these items are considered expendables, i.e. items that you use up regularly and have to replace.

Film Crew Slang

"Last Looks"- The A.D.  might announce, “Last looks!” just before calling the roll . The hair, makeup & wardrobe people hurry in, quickly touch up the actors and check for any problems, continuity issues or discrepancies.

More Dialogue Greatness

The Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Ron Burgundy: Everyone just relax, all right? Believe me, if there's one thing Ron Burgundy knows, it's women.
Brian Fantana: I don't know, Ron.
Ron Burgundy: Guess what, I do. I know that one day Veronica and I are gonna to get married on top of a mountain, and there's going to be flutes playing and trombones and flowers and garlands of fresh herbs. And we will dance till the sun rises. And then our children will form a family band. And we will tour the countryside and you won't be invited.

Words to live by...

"My movies were the kind they show in prisons and airplanes, because nobody can leave."
Actor/Director- Burt Reynolds

Pick of the Week

Koyaanisqatsi (1982)- Who cares how you pronounce it?! It means life out of balance or unbalanced life in the Hopi Indian language. Ok...don't get bored on me yet. "K" is a real cinematographer's and editor's delight. They call it a documentary but it is more of a piece of visual art with environmental and societal themes. I climb trees, rarely hug them. Give Koyaanisqutsi a shot. Incredible time lapse photography set to an eery musical score. Great for late night.
See it for no other reason than it was almost impossible to view for an entire decade due to copyright issues.