The Hollywood Jackson

We shot a music video yesterday for #peopleunderthestairs. Had some really cool PD and lighting. #finelightent #film #hollywood

For the future of filming please let your state reps know they need to extend California tax incentives to KEEP filming here.

Help I'm trapped in a #honeycomb. Or at the #arclight #cineramadome. #thedome #casablanca #screening

And I've seen you, you're not cool.....

This documentary is nominated for Best Doc Feature at the Academy Awards this year. Watch it now so when it wins March 2nd you can tell everyone all about it!

All I'm gonna say is some good, some bad.

I am ashamed sometimes at how out of touch I am with our world.  Much of this is by choice due to some rather cynical views I have, but still.  Watching THE SQUARE (Jehane Noujaim, Participant Media, 2013) brings my glaring lack of world knowledge into full light.  This film is an incredible documentary, eye opening both personally and socially, showing me how much I don’t know and emphasizing how misinformed Americans are in general.  The film is revelatory in seeing opposing factions working together.  Two of the main protagonists of the film, Ahmed and Magdy, are diametrically opposed politically and religiously yet work together throughout this journey for a singular Egypt.  And the third protagonist, Khalid Abdalla was a revelation.  A man with great success putting that aside to return to Egypt and join the struggle with other Egyptians.  I admired all of them for the honesty, forthright demeanor, courage and the conviction all displayed.  This documentary supplied an incredible insight into what was happening on the ground in Egypt during this period.  With in your face footage the filmmakers did an excellent job of capturing the protests and activities but also of recording the three protagonists and humanizing them to us, simultaneously creating sympathy for the larger cause as well as their individual ones.  This documentary is powerful in content and provides us with a picture previously unknown to us.  I do fear for the country of Egypt though as it seems they still have quite the road to travel.  Please watch this documentary it is highly recommended.

The dreaded consensus buzz about how great a film is strikes yet again.  This months victim is LONE SURVIVOR (Peter Berg, Universal, 2014).  I didn't see the film on opening weekend, I waited a week or so and of course all I heard was what an amazing film it was.  The film was good; it knew what it was and it carried that out well.  The problems I had lay with three distinct opinions I have towards the film.  First, films such as this one always feel forced and contrived.  they overtly dictate feeling and sympathy.  I feel this is something I want to derive on my own.  The excessive stylization in the film contributes to my emotions being overtly manipulated. Second, if you want to have stylization that is great.  If done correctly it works.  But stylization and realism do not work with each other, you can’t use one and expect the results of the second. Lastly, I felt the narrative to the film was a great story but was not full enough or developed enough to stand alone as feature length film.  I did like the fight sequences they were rather realistic and intense, almost too graphic at times.  The film was shot beautifully; picturesque mountainsides, harsh and demanding country, unforgiving steppes and plains.  This capturing of the Afghan theater of war adds depth to the film, helping to create a picture of insurmountable odds.  Again, I liked this film, enjoyed it even, just should've went to see it opening weekend.

One of my favorite authors ever is the late Tom Clancy and I, like millions of others, love Jack Ryan.  So what was done to this great character with the release of JACK RYAN SHADOW RECRUIT (Kenneth Branagh, Paramount, 2014) should be viewed as a hate crime.  It is a film, a work of art so I don’t want to say anything disparaging.  It is exceedingly difficult to get a film made so instead I will say these things.  It was good seeing Kevin Costner in a film.  Always a favorite of mine its been too long.  I really like Chris Pine and I think he is a fine Jack Ryan, particularly for a planned reboot to this franchise.  But like Pierce Brosnan found out as 007, being perfect for a role doesn't mean a damned thing if the narrative for the film is scattered, if the writing relies on cliches and picks the easiest route to safety or even if the dialogue is predictable and boring.  But I digress.  Keira Knightley, I still await her marriage proposal.  Finally, I wonder if I am one of the few who realized who Mikhail Baryshnikov was in the film and  thought this not only a sly piece of casting but a nice throwback to the salad days of the original Jack Ryan.

It's amazing what part Disney encompasses our lives.

Very disappointing movie

Must see documentary

Assembling all the elements that were gathered for SAVING MR. BANKS (John Lee Hancock, Disney, 2013) had to give the producers of the film a great amount of anticipation to making a great film.  A well written script, an excellent cast and the Disney backing of a Disney tale almost ensures success.  Personally I was expecting a good film and had read some good comments but was not expecting the film to be so near perfect.  Every aspect was just absolutely spectacular.  The narrative was engaging and charming with a well written script that contained intelligence, wit and displayed an elegance not often found in film today.  Perhaps it was the films setting during the glory days of Disney or maybe it was a re-imagining of a Hollywood legend but either way this narrative had me from the beginning and I didn't want it to end.  Any script can be well written but a film requires good acting and here the entire cast was superb.  In fact the filmmakers hit with excellent casting in general (would anyone else pull off Disney besides Tom Hanks) but without Emma Thompson as P.L. Travers I'm not sure the result would have been the same.  Thompson is incredible.  She pulls off high class British snobbery crisply, yet all the while showing us faint hints of cracks in her upper class armor.  As she slowly gives in to Disney (Hanks) and his team I found myself pulling for Travers to get out of her own way and  allow the inevitable Disney magic to take over.  Such a nuanced performance and one deserving of accolades should she garner them.  John Lee Hancock also does quite the job directing the film, seamlessly integrating the Disney classic MARY POPPINS  throughout the film whether it be a song, a reference or the premiere of the film at the end of our film.  Hancock collaborates wonderfully with cinematographer John Schwartzman as the two men shoot a beautiful film craftily executed around Los Angeles while staying in the 1960's.  Which brings me to a final nod to production designer Michael Corenblith.  Often overlooked,  I often feel  production design is the one essential element that can make a film go from great to memorable and that's what Corenblith accomplishes here.  This film was superb all around, I loved it from beginning to end and consider it one of the years best.

Watching a documentary such as DIRTY WARS (Richard Rowley, Sundance Selects, 2013) usually provides the viewer with inflammatory knowledge which ultimately serves to frustrate and render insignificance to the viewer (me).  This documentary introduced me to Jeremy Scahill, the author of the source material and the films narrator; Scahill is intrepid to say the least, courageous and admirable for what he does.  The film raises awareness to under reported (or misreported) activities sanctioned by the U.S. Government including covert paramilitary operations in Yemen amongst other countries.  It touches on the endless erosion of our civil liberties as well as the permanent attack on the Constitution.  The main issue I had with the documentary is that it isn't that revelatory in its presentation.  The narrative doesn't come full circle and in fact near the end of the film Scahill narrates that he himself wonders what his journey in the film really meant.  No justice has been attained, operations by the U.S. Government surely continue on as normal and as the viewer, our frustration for the helplessness in which we reside in here in contemporary America has only grown.  The film also lacks if you keep or maintain any grasp of current world news and/or guard yourself against the extreme naïveté prevalent here in America.  This naive faith that our government is not complicit in these actions and that it does not conduct itself with morally ambiguous and ethically challenged aims around the world.  Still, the most impressive part of this documentary is Scahill.  In and out of war torn areas, places where his life is in danger, antagonizing a government such as ours takes guts and I applaud him and this film.

Man, I hate it when I hear a film was really good, a must see.  this statement is almost always the kiss of death.  Having heard that THIS IS THE END (Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, Columbia, 2013) was hilarious and such a good film I queued it up on Netflix and was I ever disappointed.  The film was not funny.  This is a problem; the film is a comedy and I laughed maybe 2-3 times throughout the film.  Lately I am trying to go beyond my impression and see what it is that maybe I am missing.  Okay, the narrative to the film was innovative (or lazy).  Self reflexively making commentary on their celebrity personas was smart, especially to the extent in which they took it.  This doesn't obscure the fact that the story was generic and bland.  Two things they did get right were the casting of Emma Watson and the complete subversion of Michael Cera’s persona.  So what is it about the film?  I mean it made critical best of 2013 lists, there has to be something right?  Looking at the films representation of contemporary American  society is where the film shines.  The light provided the inane absurdity and deadly seriousness we apply to our lives is mocked so perfectly; from our drug obsessed youth culture, our persistent infatuation with celebrity in any form to our never ending pursuit and addiction to wealth.  The film focuses on these things and ridicules our views.  Satire like this isn't done anymore, its too controversial and this helps to elevate the film.

I try to watch all films so that when I make commentary on them I know what I am talking about and sound intelligent.  With many animated ones it has been quite a long time, usually childhood, since I have seen the film.  Which brings me to CINDERELLA (Geronimi, Luske, Jackson, RKO Pictures, 1950), a wonderful film and a true Disney classic.  The film provides a universally loved story, one that is ubiquitous in presence and a core part of so many of our contemporary film narratives.  The singing of Ilene Woods (Cinderella) was perfect for the part, fresh and innocent.  it was also interesting to later read that Mike Douglas sang the prince parts; the talk show Mike Douglas not the other one.  Technically the film was up to the usual great Disney standards.  This is where I learned the most important thing about this film.  If you noticed the film was distributed by RKO.  Disney had faced a string of failures in his animated features through the war years and CINDERELLA helped secure the studio.  This fact, along with the films ongoing ubiquity in our contemporary society will forever elevate the film in cinematic hierarchies.

Only six more hours to go....