doulble movie review tuesday!!!

Let's see how long I can keep putting up reviews every tueday. You never know, this could be the first and last time I ever do this! Savour it!

Just watched Transformers 2. I LOVE LOVE Michael Bay. He has his style, and sticks to his guns. You gotta admire his tenacity. Plus, as part of the generation that first enjoyed Transformers in the 80s, you could say this movie, and the upcoming GI Joe flick are like my childhood dreams realized.

So, to summarize. Michael Bay? check. Giant robots kicking the shit out of each other? check. Surprisingly funny script from Kruger and Orci? check. Foxy Megan Fox? Double check. Transformers 2 is win, win, win, win, win.

Seriously, not a great movie, but good for a popcorn night. Plus, Michael Bay does Michael Bay better than JJ Abrams does. (Star Trek had the same writers, I believe...) Now onto the second review.

So, I promised a film review a while back... and I threw the film in question on again in the background while I worked last night, so while it's fresh I might as well review it.

What can I say about Soderbergh? Yes, I realize he's a respected and accomplished director, but many of his previous films left me cold. From what I can recall, most were adaptations and remakes, and I'm just not into that or the breadth of his concepts. Robbing Casinos? Trafficking drugs? I lived that shit (not really)! So, why would I give a fuck about Soderbergh's chosen subject matter?

Well, apparently, I give a fuck about upperclass call girls and escorts, because I LOVED THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE.

Of course, the big headline is that Soderbergh cast adult film star Sasha Grey as the lead. To me, it's like Tarantino casting Paris Hilton. But in this case, it works. I thought Grey was amazingly real. Sure, she could just be playing herself, but it comes off much more believable than any of the other actors in the flick, in my opinion. And I'm not gassing up Grey, the beauty that she is, she's just not my style of porn star. Not that I've seen any of her adult films. No. I've never watched porn in my life. Porn? What's porn? I just pretend to be in the know so I don't look weird. What is it again?

Plotwise, we follow the doomed relationship of a callgirl and her boyfriend. The story is chopped and screwed and reconstituted in a stream of consciousness/dreamlike narrative, which creates some interesting juxtopositions in terms of scenes and tone. The one drawback is the allusions to the Obama/Mccain campaigns of 2008. It sort of dates the film, and provides another thematic connect the metaphors puzzle for the audience to decipher. I find the emotional journey of the characters more appealing than the policital subtext.

So, bottom line: Unless you're a fan of the art house, particularly nouvelle vague and Goddard (big influences on this movie), I'd veer onto the shoulder when you see THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE in the incoming traffic.

ADC

ps- here's a self portait for the day. click to enlarge...i think.

the way you make me feel

When I was in grade one I bought my very first record (vinyl!!). That LP was Michael Jackson's Thriller. I remember bringing it to school for show and tell, and breakdancing.

Out of all the different soundbytes about MJ's life that the media has spewed, I think I dig Al Sharpton's speech the best. Clicky to read.

ADC

one week

So, I'm on a bit of a family vacation type of thing. I'm working while I'm here, and will be back to blogging and uploading comics next week!

I would upload some pics of the lush mountain valley in Quebec which is where I'm currently typing this, but I'm lazy.

ADC

you don't have to be so strong all the time (being ADC#3)

So, previously, I was turning my current graphic novel project into my own personal 8 1/2.

Currently:

I'm on the fence as to whether I should name the main character after myself. Kaufman did it in Adaptation. And numerous others in film have done it, though examples elude me at the moment.

Also needing a decision, and quick, is whether or not to make the dude an Asian, as I, am. Asian.

I've yet to create an Asian character. I lie. I have one in Kissing Chaos, and it's not like she wears it on her sleeve, or that an issue was ever made about it. I'd even say that due to my crude artwork, no one even knows that she's Asian. I'll leave it to ya'll to figure out who I'm talking about.

Now, I realize a character being asian isn't groundbreaking. It's probably a non issue for most people. Perhaps my growing up in a largely non Asian environment, and being part of a scene where in high school there were max 2 non "white" folk in my peer group of punk losers, but I have it in me that if I ever do a story where the main character is a minority, I MUST address this in the narrative. Dealing with being different than everyone,when no amount of hair styling or clothes styling could make me "like" everyone else, was a huge part of my life. Still is.

I guess I'm wondering if I make the character asian, it may just add another element to the story that would take the focus away from the current theme, and I'm not sure if I want to do that. But if I want this to be mildly autobiographical, it would make sense to make the dude a visual minority...

I dunno.

For your playlist today:

Rivers is my fucking hero.

ADC

Look at me do interviews..

So, a few weeks ago, myself and the rest of the TX crew did a podcast/interview thingy with the good folks at Digital Kontent. Have a listen, I'm somewhere in there with Cameron Stewart, Andy B, and Eric Vedder.

Now you'll understand why I suck at talking to people.

Listen to the podcast shenanigans...

adc

in defense of a certain type of poetry... (being ADC#2)

Previously on the blog, I was talking about how my current writing project is becoming a deeply personal, self referencial work. It's pretty much me doing my own personal 8 1/2 in comic form. It's kinda weird.

On today's blog:

I had this thought while writing yesterday. This project is digging deeper into who "Arthur" is, more so than anything I've ever written. It's delving into depths of my being that I hide under meticulously crafted layers of social awkwardness. This is stuff I've spent my whole life to trying hide from everyone. I'm not sure why. But there it is.

Now, at this point in time, I have a publishing company and a film producer interested in the work. There's something weird about having what is essentially my diary garner even the slightest bit of interest.

I don't know what to make of that.

IN OTHER NEWS, I finished reading Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World. He's got to be my fave writer at the moment. The book is a bit harder to penatrate than other works, as we are dealing with multiple, converging narratives, but to me it's brilliant. It's actually what I've been trying to achieve with my series Kissing Chaos. So, thanks Murakami-sensei! I now there's a set precedent for my work!

The book also features what I currently believe to be the greatest line of dialogue ever written, if only because it totally relates to something going on in my life right now...

Currently I'm reading Bukowski's Portions from a Wine-Stained Notebook. I had never heard of this guy til recently, and he's blowing my mind.

For your listening pleasure:

ADC

being arthur dela cruz#1

Previously, on my blog, I mentioned a personal/sorta autobiographical project that I was working on.

On this episode of blog:

I did a soft pitch to a publisher, and while they were pretty receptive to the concept, they mentioned that they had just published a book just like it. After some screaming into pillows and at no one in particular, I got over the fact that things so personal and meaningful to me, events I've gone through, aren't so unique. It's humbling to think one's lifecan essentially be reduced to dramatic fodder for writers everywhere...

But in a stroke of genius, or a stroke of plagiarism, I decided to include the process of getting the story published, in the actual story that I'm trying to get published! It's basically my version of Fellini's 8 1/2. lol. or my worst impression of Charlie Kaufman. Let's call it an homage.

cool?

/adc

ps-I'm a week behind on deadlines, so no comic/animation will be uploaded today. I know, I break promises. If you want to break up with me, I'll totally understand.

so lay your head on me

The animated short film I'm working on for Kissing Chaos: 'Til I Die is still a work in progress. I plan on coming through with my promise to update the comic this week, so thus thursday check out a new COMIC update to my "weekly"(ish) web comic.

I love Say Anything, and have heard this song a million times, but never realized it was Hayley Williams singing during the outro. I love Hayley. Shut up.

Next up, some ultra quick movie reviews:


1)JVCD-meh, but not horrible. Could be worth a watch, as the subject matter is sort of meta, with Jean Claude Van Damme playing himself in a movie about himself. He has a long soliloquy where he rants about his life, his career that s arguably honest and real, and it makes the movie IMO.

2)The Girlfriend Experience- Though I find Soderbergh's choice to cast "adult film actress" Sasha Grey in the lead equivalent to Tarantino casting Paris Hilton, I thought her acting was the most believable in the entire movie. And I LOVED the movie.

3)Synecdoche, NY. AWesome. Charlie Kaufman is my hero. Hands down, he writes the best love stories of this era. If you like metanarratives, watch this movie. It comes extremely close to dethroning Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless mind as my fave Kaufman, and one of my fave movies of all time.

4)He's just not that into you. All this movie does is show that EVERYONE is fucked up. Not fantastic, but if you dig rom coms, I suppose this isn't a waste of time. It's probably best to watch with a group of friends, so you can pause every five minutes to discuss the different relationship issues the film brings up. We did that, and It took about three hours to get through this one.

I'm also addicted to the American Idol game on PS3. karaoke is awesome, made awesomer by polygonal versions of the Am Idol judges dissing you.

ADC

failed.

I'm epically failing my multitasking. It seems when I get into a writing headspace, I forget that I have tons of other shit that needs to be done. Plus, scripting 3 projects at the same time really messes with my head.

So, my next webcomic/animated short will not be up next week. I'll have a regular comic update. So, hit up kissingchaostilidie next thursday!

I don't know why, but this is very appealing to me today (I blame midlife crisis!!!):

adc

E3

So, my twitter was afire today with live updates from the Microsoft E3 presentation. No, I wasn't at E3, but was watching a live stream on via the interweb.

what can I say, I'm a nerd for games.

I was very impressed with all the non gaming/multimedia features, and the full body motion control Microsoft announced for the Xbox360. They are weathering the storm of a more powerful PS3, and a extremely popular Wii, quite well.

Announcing a Metal Gear Game for the 360 was huuuuge. I love MGS, and it's nice to see it go multiplatform, even though this game isn't directed by the man, Hideo Kojima himself.

I'm stoked for tomorrow's Sony presentation, as more MGS announcements are sure to come. And at last year's E3, MS destroyed the competition with the FF13 announcement. So, I'm sure Sony's got lots of tricks up it's sleeve.

As for Nintendo. meh.

ADC