Philadelphia!

So last weekend, I attended the greatest wedding I've ever seen. It was called Rachel Getting Married. Now if you don't know Rachel you should and if you don't know Kym, her sister, then you REALLY should because she's Anne Hathaway. If you haven't caught on, I'm talking about a movie. This is the ultimate wedding film and family film. Jonathan Demme who over a decade ago redefinied a genre with Silence of the Lambs has done it again. What I love about this is his choice to film it as if the camera is a character itself. It's intimate and you're in this set space of a limited time - just a few days. You come in on these characters problems not at the very beginning like most films are but right smack in the middle of it. You see it as it is. It doesn't give everything that happened in the past, but just enough so you can follow where this family dysfunction comes from. Anne Hathaway is great, giving her best performance to date, but the rest of the cast, while mostly unknowns or theaters actors are all very strong. While it feels like a huge ensemble, and it is, Demme cast most of his friends and family as extras and the cast's friends and families so everyone felt comfortable with one another. I knew I'd love this film about half way through, there's a rehearsal dinner scene where about 10 different people give speeches. Half of these people, are really limited roles, some of the people giving a speech, we haven't seen in the film and won't see again, but what they have to say about Rachel and her future-husband is so beautiful and of course, it's all leading up to what Rachel is going to say and how it's gonna affect this family and boy does her speech deliver. There's so much to this film that makes it great, check it out.



It's a great time to live in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Phillies won the 2008 World Series this past week and the entire city just went nuts. Out on Broad Street, seas of people marched all the way to City Hall to riot and it was nuts. A few film friends and I took a camera out and documented the chaos at its finiest, catching people hanging off stop lights, screaming drunk and standing on top of moving vehicles. It was unbelievable. I've never seen anything like it in all my life and I probably never will again. City Hall was a complete riot and it was amazing. That was Wednesday night and this afternoon on Friday, they had a Philadelphia Phillies Parade and even more people were down there celebrating, detched out in their red and white. We saw all the players come by on top of buses and the whole Broad Street and Market and City Hall went crazy. It was the most incredible moment I've ever seen in the city. It makes me proud to live in the city. Its been like 25 years and we earned it.

Sunshine Cleaning

So this is the blog where I shamelessly plug a movie. Sunshine Cleaning. I remember a time when this movie was announced and I went bananas - Amy Adams AND Emily Blunt. Someone could have knocked me with a feather because I would've fell over. I love these actresses so much. They're so talented it's ridiculous. Amy Adams is so full of charm and grace. Since Junebug, I can't rave enough about her which is one of the greatest performances I may have ever seen and the most heartbreaking. Honestly, I walk around and try to just channel her. Emily Blunt you can't take your eyes off of her in a single scene. She might have stolen The Devil Wears Prada from Meryl Streep but she owns everything else she's in just as well.

Anyway, I love the premise of Sunshine Cleaning - two sisters start a cleaning business that cleans up dead bodies. It sounds as "indie' and "quirky" as it gets, but the drama stuff is in there too. You can't have a great movie these days without the great Alan Arkin either. I'm really just psyched about this film. Big Beach Productions has a great team of produces and they've put together some really great films over the past few years. I have a lot of respect for them.

I think this looks good. Really Really good. It premired at Sundance and sort of - disappeared for a while. I thought it was in distribution hell or worse - dead. To my surprise, this popped up the other day. I've watched this trailer no less than 15 times. I know every beat of it by heart and I still adore it. There's something about these actresses, something about this film's formula - I just know I'm already in love with this movie.

Enjoy.

Tax Breaks

The first thing I have to address is an article in the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/12/us/12incentives.html?pagewanted=1&_r=3&sq=pitt&st=cse&scp=1&adxnnlx=1223841758-yuuojxrImIE0G4ekgtJKrw"

It talks of the tax breaks that state gives for films. NYT seems to be against this in the sense of how much taxplayers are going to be giving up to bail out wallstreet, but let me explain how tax breaks for films from the states are a GOOD thing. First of all, it's super expensive to make movies. Even a good independent film these days cost millions of dollars to make. California has gotten way too expensive for these independent films to film and compete in. Same with NYC. Now, if you go to Michigan - you get a 40% tax break, so it's cheaper to make the films. You can either take a loan out with that and use it to make your budget more money, or you can save that money so instead of spending all that money, you save some of it. It lowers costs or you can get more for your money. In return, you film your movie there and create jobs. You hire extras. You hire catering. You hire people from local areas. You bring a cast and crew that you pay to stay in hotels. It's CLEARLY a good thing for their economy. They get more tourism and attention. It's not just the glamour of films. It's what films can do for even a small town. Pennsylvania has a 25% tax break. NYC is only 5%. Even Connecticut is 35% I believe, so it's cheaper to just drive across the state boarder and film there and film exterior shots for NYC and pretend. Overall, it's an excellent thing. I'd hate to see that go away because then, we would be filming more indie films in Canada and losing those jobs.

On Friday, I heard the producer of Day Zero - Anthony Moody speak and he was really great. He talked a little about these tax breaks which makes a producers job so much easier. It's so hard to make a movie, so we really need theses. Moody really talked about about film and the industry and producing in general and I really learned a whole lot. I felt so much more inspired and I never for a second doubt that I'm pursuing the right career for myself. Sure, I've doubted myself and my chances - everyday, but I've never doubted what I love and believe in.

Report back to me when it makes sense.

My first post in two months! This is a big deal. It's like I've been too busy for the internet lately. That's somewhat true. I just got internet a week ago though so I've been living without it. It made me appreciate the finer things in life though. Like rainbows and roses and Philadelphia bums. Actually I didn't appreciate anything. I just wanted to check my facebook and webkinz! I had over 1000 emails but at least my dalmation didn't die!

So what have I been up to? Well, I've been living in Philadelphia for about six weeks now. I'm really enjoying it. I like my apartment a lot. Right now, I'm sitting on my new chair which is really comfy listening to christmas music and watching the Phillies win! I picked a good baseball city to live in at least (unlike Chicago). I'm taking a lot of interesting classes. I have biotechnology which I hope after today's test I'm not completely failing. I'm taking Foreign Governments which I really like - it's interesting to learn why we're democratic and why that's important. I have Women in Literature which I love. I mean where else am I going to get to write a paper on avant-garde writer Gertrude Stein discussing whether or not Tender Buttons is an erotic domestic love poem for Alice B. Tolkas?

I'm really getting out a lot of my film classes this semester. I have Screenwriting II which is really getting my creative juices flowing. I just finishing writing a short screenplay called Goodbye Trixie and I'm gonna revise that soon and I already have another one planned out as well. Perhaps I'll end up directing one of them one day. I'm just working my way up to writing a feature and improving my skills. I'm also taking a producing class right now which I LOVE! I'm really into producing - getting the film made. It's exciting to be a part of the creative element as well as the pre-production and production side of it. It's really the best of all the worlds. Right now we're in pre-production hell as some like to put it. Apple (the script I'm producing) is in another re-write but I'm confident it's going to end up somewhere very good. I got a bunch of meetings coming up with my co-producers and director going over the script breakdown, redflagging and production scheduling - EXCITING! Most probably wouldn't think so, but I'm really into it. I like being responsible for something that's actually to mean something.



I've been really busy lately so I haven't been watching movies like I should. I did catch The Coen Brother's Burn After Reading though. After No Country for Old Men, the Coen Brothers wanted to prove that they're not going to stick to just one type of film - which is what I love about them. They could have easily just taclked another serious drama and done it beautifully but I think what a lot of people miss about the Coen Brothers is their twisted dark humor. I first noticed it when I saw Fargo a few years back. I mean, that movie is a comedy. Don't let all the murders fool you. It may be as intense and bloody as NCFOM but Fargo is hilariously twisted. Burn After Reading is a lot closer to The Big Lewboski which is one of my favorites. The Big Lewboski is one of the most quotable films I've ever seen. One thing I love about the Coens is that they're very much throw-back directors to older films. The Big Lewboski may seem new to some people, but you can clearly see The Big Sleep connections. In a lot of their films, I just notice little things that can connect with other films. I really appreicate that about them. They take something older and update it in their own fresh way.

Anyway, Burn After Reading is really funny. It's very similar to The Big Lewboski's "stupid" humor. The characters are really enjoyable and rich. Frances McDermond is a great actress and she hasn't been funnier since..well...Fargo. Brad Pitt has the funniest role I've ever seen him play as well. He's really the best actor of our generation. Each role he does is really different from the last. Say what you will and argue about who is your favorite - Brad Pitt has to be acknowledged. Pretty much, I love the connections in the movie and how one bad thing that happens leads to another bad decisions. The movie at times doesn't make perfect sense and it doesn't need to. It's just a cause and effect type film. This is how stupid people are basically. The film isn't for everyone, but if you're as twisted as I am - you'll really enjoy this.




Oh and lately, Saturday Night Live has been getting a lot of attention with Tina Fey and her Sarah Palin impression. While, it's pitch perfect - there's no doubt about that. I live for Tina Fey. I worship the ground she walks on. I can't wait for 30 Rock to come back on. Tina Fey is my hero....with that said, the BEST skit I've seen in a really long time has to be given credit to Kristen Whig. This girl needs to be given more attentions. She's hilarious. She's the best cast member on (Tina Fey guest appearances and Amy Poheler) aside. Kristen just has an energy that no one else can even bring up to the table. Watch this skit - I've seen it no less than 10 times and I DIE laughing with tears rolling down my face every time.