Tuesday 15 September 2009

Woody Allen Oscar Speech for New York City.

I wish he still did stand-up. It's amazing seeing this, as you can see him putting his stand-up writing skills to good use, something he hasn't had to do in about forty years.




I'm looking forward to seeing his new movie, 'Whatever Works,' it's great to see him working in NYC again.

Care to share?

Monday 14 September 2009

used to take the subway up to houston and 3rd, i would wait for you and I'd try to hide.

it's dawning on me that i head for an extended trip to new york in just over a month. it also dawned on me that i was not in the mood for using capital letters in this post, although it wasn't so much a dawning as it was just a decision i made. so i thought for today at least i would capitalize on using lower case lettering.

it also dawned on me, as it is a day of dawning, that i am yet to decide upon any accommodation or a distinct plan of action for my time there. this doesn't concern me, as it's exactly what i did last year and it ended up turning out pretty good. last year i did a bit of helping out on shoots, and shot a little short film myself. this time, i am more interested in sitting around in cafe lalo writing a feature. writing a great nyc film, in a month, whilst sitting around in cafes. that sounds like a good idea. of course, i won't just sit around in cafes. occasionally i will lay horizontally, depending on how busy they are. i also must head to caffe reggio for a strawberry yogurt, which is extremely delicious. one thing that amuses me about caffe reggio is how it states on the menu that there is a minimum order of one item per person.

i found this annoying, as i usually go into cafes, order absolutely nothing, and then leave a 20% tip.

i am definitely going to visit the museum of moving image in queens again. i spent a day there walking around by myself last time. although, maybe i was with someone as i'm pretty sure i was having long conversations whilst there? maybe i was talking to myself. maybe i just thought i was. or maybe i just think i went to the museum but actually didn't. in fact, if that is true -- maybe i didn't go to new york at all. maybe i've never been. maybe i'm not going next month. now i'm confused.

anyways, if you happen to know of anyone in new york who rents rooms cheaply to anonymous bloggers, do let me know. also, if you know anybody who works in any movie theaters who can be bribed into letting me see cheap/free movies, then please let me know. this is of course, a bit ridiculous of me, as the bribe fees are normally far larger than a month's worth of movie watching.

new york, new york - here i come. if any of you have any fun ideas of things for a writer/director/producer/blogger/obsessive tea-drinker to do in NYC, please let me know.

Care to share?

Sunday 13 September 2009

Kids In The Front Row, Complaining About Neck Pains

A few weeks back I asked, "Why Are You A Kid In The Front Row?" and got some great responses. I had three books to give away, so I have three winners.

One of them, is a screenwriting blogger, Michelle Goode. I couldn't resist giving her a prize after she went to effort of writing a poem. Not only that, but the poem was brilliant! Here's an excerpt:

"I am a kid in the front row
Because I get that fluttery feeling before it's about to start
and get sucked into the story as it latches onto my heart
all the while immersed in that buttery popcorn scent
until I find myself wondering where all the time went"

Another winner is Emma Robertson, from Australia, who's excitement and passion for film is plain to see:

"I am extremely in touch with my inner-child & Films always bring this out in me. Making me feel highly energised and more & more IN LOVE with Films & Film Making with every Film that I see. Yes, that's me...always FALLING IN LOVE (again) with MOVIES! It is for ALL of these reasons and many more that I believe I AM THE KID IN THE FRONT ROW!"

The final prize goes to Heather Parks, an actress; who finished her great email with;

It takes thirst for knowledge and a listening ear. Now, I've learned I can't acquire the knowledge I need if I'm sitting in the back row. And the view may be a bit skewed if I play it too safe (near the emergency exits) at the side. So I'm the kid in the front row because to me, it's the only place to be.

Thanks to all who entered, I loved receiving your emails.

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Friday 11 September 2009

Steven Spielberg is remaking 'Harvey' - This had better be the greatest film of all time.

So, Steven Spielberg is remaking 'Harvey.'

And I really hope he knows what he's doing.

'Harvey' is magic. It's one of those rare films that isn't just about words and acting and what you see. It has that something underneath it that makes it magic. Like 'The Kid,' like 'The Apartment,' like 'Shawshank Redemption.' It's a film that goes beyond being just something well made. It is a movie that I never thought would get remade. Just like one of those buildings you can never knock down, because it's just too amazing.

"Hey everyone, let's go to Egypt and build new pyramids! We have more money now. We can make them out of metal! They'll be great!". NO, they wouldn't be great. The new 'Harvey' won't be great.

Okay, maybe it will be great. Maybe remakes can be awesome, it's just that I've never seen one. Well, I've seen some good films that have been remade out of decent older stuff. But when it comes to the TRUE classics, like the outrageously PERFECT 'Harvey' - you wonder why they're doing it.

Specifically, you wonder why Steven Spielberg is doing it. Spielberg, a man who's been at the forefront of black and white film preservation, a man who loves old cinema as much as anyone in the world. If he wants a film about an invisible rabbit, I'll write him one. Or, fuck, just remake 'Donnie Darko' -- but why oh why does he need to remake the original 'Harvey'?

I can understand some random producer hack wanting to remake the film. It's a great idea, it could do very well commercially. I just don't understand why one of the geniuses of cinema would even think of remaking it. And yes, I know, I read what everyone is saying, about how 'oh, he's remaking the play, not the film.' That really makes no difference here.

Rumours abound that Tom Hanks will be filling the shoes of Elwood P. Dowd. Hanks is my favourite actor. Spielberg is one of my heroes. But I don't want this to happen. If 'Harvey' gets remade then before we know it all of the old films will be up for grabs. We'll be going to see 'Alien Versus The Odd Couple,' 'Some Like It Hot 3D,' it'll be horrific.

I want us to be more careful. If we are really and truly out of ideas, then let's just shut the film industry down. That's it, thank you, goodnight. Let's end all filmmaking and instead people can just sit in empty cinemas and update their Facebook statuses. 'Harvey' is magic. Leave it alone.

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Wednesday 9 September 2009

Understanding Your Dreams - A Weird Short Story.

A Short Article By The Kid In The Front Row

Dreams are strange. People who like country music are also strange, but have been subject to less scientific research. My personal experiences on this matter have indeed been noteworthy. In fact, the content of my dreams were once planned to be the basis of a 20,000 word scientific study, but the scientist instead opted to do a Twitter update only. Dreams, we have long been told, are an absolute mystery. However, through my own studies, I can reveal they tend to happen at night and when sleeping.

I once fell asleep whilst wearing my glasses. This was unfortunate as for the next few hours I dreamt I was waiting for a consultation with my local optician. I only realized I was dreaming when a large gorilla walked in and praised me for being a great single Mother and an award winning acrobat. The amusement was short lived as he immediately charged me $50 for a contact lens examination.

Carl Jung, Freud and numerous other dead people believe dreams are the doorway to learning about our subconscious wants and desires. If this is true, why do I keep dreaming about Stephen Hawkins giving me foot massages? To get to the bottom of all this I enrolled in a three year psychology degree. This went great until three days before graduation when I woke up in a sweat; and realized it had all been a dream.

I have since learned that most of the time you can tell if you are in a dream because things seem completely unrealistic. For example, I can always tell I'm dreaming if people are polite, a girl remembers my name, or George Bush completes a full sentence.

In recent years there has been a distinct lack of research into what happens when people go to sleep at night, but Dr. Ralph Piffell from Oregon, USA, is determined to bring the matter into the public consciousness. The last heavily-funded study into the effects and meaning of inner dream life was in 1967 in Neuschwanstein, Germany. Unfortunately the study had to be called off as participants were found to be drowsy and close to nodding off. Dr. Piffell says that he dreams of the day they can do another in depth study. But he also admitted to dreaming of naked Albanian wind-surfers joining him for barbecues, so is fraught when it comes to deciding which dream to bring to life.

One of the main ways dreams are analysed is by looking closely at the meaning of symbols and objects within the visions witnessed during sleep. For example, if you dream about pasta, that is actually your subconscious desire for sexual activity in your life. However, if you find yourself dreaming about sex you are more than likely to wake up with an urge for penne pasta.

One of the most common concerns is that of the recurring nightmare. Throughout centuries the greatest minds have done their best to find ways to stop them. Only now are they realizing the simplest way of halting them, which is by not sleeping.

In summary, there is still much to learn about dreaming. The good news is that many myths are now being debunked. For many years people believed that to die in your dream meant that you would die in real life. It turns out this is true, but often the death does not happen until 50, sometimes 70 years later. Another key thing to remember when looking into dream interpretation, is that it is not completely accurate. For example, if you look up the meaning behind your dream about a piece of cheese; it is often difficult to tell exactly which type of cheese it was in the dream. This type of thing is of major importance, as dreaming of mature farmhouse cheddar cheese means you are coming to a new, positive stage in your life, whereas dreaming about moist blue cheese indicates you are likely to have limbs amputated if you ever travel to Scandinavia. It is for reasons like this that I strongly recommend only dreaming in supervised situations.

Care to share?