Dude, Where’s My Photos, Videos and Related Media? #movies #amblogging

Welcome to the latest edition of the Monday Movie Meme, hosted by yours truly. Last week, Dale at Smurfin the Web had us discussing movies that won an Oscar for Best Picture during his time to host, which was a fun way to take notice of the 2012 awards season that is upon us.

I’m not going to lie, this week is starting off on a pretty sour note for me, as I just lost everything....I mean, EVERYTHING including media and notes with work for my job and upcoming blog posts that I planned on publishing, including four guest posts for a fellow blogger. After being on the phone with Apple for longer than expecting and being told that I’m at a loss and there is no way to get my content and media back, I have no energy nor patience to write another extensive post like the one on Rupert Grint's $50 socks that I did over the weekend. Needless to say, the topic for this week’s meme is: Lost and Found.

Share on your blog movies about people trying to retrieve something or someone that they once had. Remember to visit fellow Monday Movie Meme participants and leave a comment with your thoughts on the films covered in this topic. Here are my selections for the Lost and Found films. All of them may not represent the best in cinema but hey, the titles are what I can come up with in a short amount of time, among movies that may not have already been mentioned in a previous Monday Movie Meme week.



Overnight Delivery
Reese Witherspoon and Paul Rudd star in this romantic comedy about a guy who sends a breakup letter -- complete with a used condom and half-naked photos of him and another woman to his girlfriend when he suspects her of cheating. After learning that his suspicions were false, the guy goes on a road trip to try to stop the letter from arriving in his girlfriend’s mail but encounters some shady people and wild antics along the way. I watched this movie when it came on television many years ago and while I thought it had some humorous scenes, I’m not surprised that it was a direct-to-video release.



Blood Diamond
After being captured to work in a mining field for diamonds, man loses son to a group of rebels manned by child soldiers. He then makes a deal with a gun smuggler, risking his life to try to find and save his son from being caught up in the Sierra Leone Civil War. I watched “Blood Diamond” at my Grandmother’s house and was moved enough to add it to my DVD collection, despite the fact that she totally ruined that first-time viewing experience for me by mentioning the fate of one of the main characters, as soon as the movie started playing.



All About the Benjamins
Comedian Mike Epps, rapper Ice Cube and actress Eva Mendes star in this comedy about a bounty hunter who pairs up with a con artist to capture a group of diamond thieves. The con man is only concerned about finding a winning lottery ticket that he lost, to redeem it and get back in the good graces of his girlfriend. The only problem is -- the con artist skipped bail, so the bounty hunter is supposed to arrest him as well. These two men have to learn to work together to get the people and items that they are after.

and lastly....



Dude Where's My Car?
Two stoners named Jesse and Chester wake up with a hangover and cannot remember what they did in the hours leading up to them being at Jesse's house. After realizing that Jesse's car is missing along with their girlfriends' anniversary gifts, the two friends start retrace their steps to figure out where they parked the car.

Yes, I am fully aware that this movie is no Best Picture Oscar contender but to be fair, I was a fan of "That 70's Show" on Fox, back in the day and figured that Ashton Kutcher would be just as funny in "Dude Where's My Car" as he is on the show -- so I bought the DVD. Yes, I have it in my movie collection. No, I don't watch it and haven't played it in years, but I have a cousin who finds this movie to be quite hilarious -- and he's like 35 years of age or something like that.

So that’s it. What are some Lost and Found style movies that come to YOUR mind?




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How I Learned about Ron Weasley’s $49.39 pair of Socks Providing Sea Safety #harrypotter #volunteering #disasterrelief

Harry Potter movie fans would probably not be as attracted to the Ron Weasley character as we are today, if it were not for the talents of actor Rupert Grint, who plays Weasley in the Harry Potter film series. So, join me in dedicating this last Ron Weasley themed King Dong post of January 2012 to Grint, whose charitable work in the United Kingdom (UK) seem just as fun as the magical adventures that he bestowed upon us as Harry Potter’s right-hand man over the last several years.

While reading up on Rupert Grint, I found out that he has participated in the Wacky Rally, an annual event where teams of two or more obtain cheap cars costing around $300 Pounds and then dress them up to race across Europe and complete challenges along the way. From what I've read, it sounds a little like NASCAR meets "The Amazing Race" on CBS.



Grint joined forces with actors Oliver and James Phelps, who play his sibling’s in the Harry Potter movies, once in a race to Barcelona in 2010 and then to Prague, last year. While Wacky Rally teams can join the event just for mere fun and prizes, Rupert Grint and the rest of his Harry Potter trio race to raise money for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI).

Now, I’m no sailor and have been lucky to reside in an area that does not experience the effects of disasters at sea or on beaches, but RNLI looks like a worthy cause to support. The all-volunteer organization provides 24-hour search and rescue services for floods and emergencies along the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. RNLI also provides lifeguard services to beaches in England and Wales, while teaching beach, sea and fishing safety to adults and youth.

I don’t fish but my Uncle does and while I’m not in the UK, I can certainly understand the importance of being safe at sea. To date, RNLI has saved over 130,000 lives, thanks to their rescue missions -- If Rupert Grint aka Mr. Ron Weasley himself can do something to help them continue their exceptional service, so can I -- or so, I thought. I browsed the RNLI store to find something to buy and came across a nice pair of socks for only 3.95 Pounds ($5.21 for those of us in the United States). After considering buying them for myself, I decided to give them out as a prize to one of you lovely readers.



My shopping plans came to a halt when I reviewed their shipping information and found out that the delivery charges for U.S. orders are 33.45 Pounds, which comes out to $44.17 -- yikes! Forty-four dollars for one pair of socks? I love me some Ron Weasley and understand the importance of safety on water and all but in moments like this, a Geminio Spell like the one Hermione used in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows would come in handy -- cause that’s the only way I’m forking over that much cash for a pair of socks. That way, I could multiply the $5.21 for these socks, into at least $40 toward that expensive RNLI store shipping fee.

Since RNLI is said to use 100% of profits from online sales toward their lifeboat crews and related services, it is a shame that, kind of like health care, saving a lives comes down to a matter of dollars and cents -- at least where my reaction to the sock order is concerned. Still, I’m holding off on the socks for now, with plans to order them when I can also buy a few additional items from RNLI to give out as prizes on this blog -- so the group of items can at least make up for that astronomical delivery charge.

In the meantime, I did some further reading after the RNLI service had me wondering why there isn’t an organization like that or an RNLI affiliated branch here in the U.S. and then I realized....”Oh! I guess that’s what the Coast Guard is for, right?” That goes to show you how much (read: little) I know about our military.

In matters of life and death where the scope of available rescue service is in your hands, would you rather....

A. Spend almost $50 on one pair of socks to contribute at least a little something to make sure rescue volunteers have the tools they need to be heroes at sea.

or

B. Pimp your ride to look like a lifeboat and then drive across the country in an old 1992 Vauxhall Carlton, Toyota Camry or equivalent vehicle in a race for a chance to win around $1,300?

Also,

Check out what Grint had to say about his experience in the Wacky Rally:




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My Favorite Oscar Winners for Best Picture #movies #academyawards #amblogging

It’s about that time for another dose of the Monday Movie Meme. Dale at Smurfin the Web is serving up some Oscar love for his turn to host this week, which I am grateful for because it makes the task of choosing movies to fit the current meme, pretty easy. The best part about the Smurfdok’s topic of choice is also that we get an opportunity to take a moment and think about those golden statue front runners from way back then, on up to now.

Dale asks “Which are your favourite winners of the Best Picture category at the Academy Awards?” so, my selections include but are not limited to the films that I have the pleasure of listing here.

Disclaimer: This post contains some vulgar language....I’m THAT amped about these films. Actually now that I think about it, I think I’m starting to understand what Craig Downing meant when he said that he would defend and get in a fight for any of the movies he programs at his film festival.



Million Dollar Baby

I've said it once...a few times actually and I’ll say it again, "Million Dollar Baby" is one of the Best movies ever made. If any movie deserved the Academy Award for Best Picture, in 2005, it was and still is this film. I remember watching it in one of the local (formerly) independently owned theaters in Philadelphia at the time and being moved by the relationships between the characters, their own personal struggles and one woman’s determination to make her dreams a reality, even when faced with adversity on many different levels.

Hilary Swank played the hell out of what looks like a physically and emotionally demanding role and "Million Dollar Baby" was probably the first time in my life that I actually paid close attention to Clint Eastwood’s on-screen performances and his work as a director. I mean, I knew who he was. Who wouldn’t? He’s Clint Eastwood, after all. Still, I never really watched his movies. I was drawn to this particular film for many different reasons both personal and professional; it will always be dear to me.



Oh, and do I even need to mention that killer ass dress that Hilary Swank wore to the Oscars? The dress would be forever remembered, as she accepted her golden statue for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role wearing this form fitting black-less gown that had even one of my older Aunts talking about the Oscars for days following the initial Academy Awards broadcast!



No Country for Old Men

Up against “Juno” that year...are you kidding me? No contest. It’s No Country’ all the way! While it took me a few years to finally watch this movie (shout out to Netflix!), I now understand what all the fuss was about. “No Country for Old Men” is a badass movie! Enough said.



Woody Harrelson’s appearance was a nice surprise; Winning the 2007 Academy Award for Best Picture was well deserved for “No Country for Old Men” because if for anything, it introduced me to Javier Bardem...and maybe he was in one of the movies that I saw before No Country' came out but if so, I surely didn’t notice him. Now, I want to see “Biutiful,” a movie that I would likely have no interest in had Bardem not been the star player. While watching “Eat, Pray, Love,” I said to myself “Oooh! Is that the dude from No Country’?”...all because of one film.

I do wish, however, that I didn’t used to call this movie “Old Country.” Now, that’s just plain silly.



The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Did you really even have to ask? I mean, really? LOTR all day, baby! This movie defines epic shit! That is why it won a whopping 11 Oscars in 2004, including the Academy Award for Best Picture, and no one should be surprised that it did.

In all of my praise for this movie, however, it is bittersweet because "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" was up against Sean Penn’s “Mystic River” that year and I loved “Mystic River” too. Both films hold a special place among the titles in my DVD collection but only one can take home the gold, where the Oscars are concerned. How does it go?...One ring to rule them all and one statue to rub it in, I suppose!



A Beautiful Mind

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this fucking movie! By the way, did I say I love this fucking movie?!! Yes, “A Beautiful Mind” feels like it has a running time that is long as hell when you are watching it but Russell Crowe gave a stellar performance as a mathematical genius battling schizophrenia. The film is touching, both in a sad way and in an inspiring way. It is hard to imagine being in the shoes of a human being who has a great gift and a huge impact on the economics of the world but at the same time, an illness causes this person to question reality.

“A Beautiful Mind” won the 2001 Academy Award for Best Picture and Crowe was nominated for Best Actor in a Leading Role but he lost this Oscar to Denzel, who took home the golden statue for “Training Day.” As much as I love Crowe’s performance in “A Beautiful Mind,” and as an actor in general, it wouldn’t be far fetched to say that he had some pretty stiff competition in the Best Actor category that year....Sean Penn for “I Am Sam,” Will Smith for “Ali” and Tom Wilkinson for “In the Bedroom,” so it would have still been a tough call for voters to make, even if Denzel didn’t win.

That’s what happens when you’re in the company of great men who just happened to bring their A-game in the same year, I suppose, which isn’t a bad thing.

I could go on *ahem* “Titanic” and on *ahem* “The Deer Hunter” but that will take all day and I know you all have more blogs to visit, more posts to read and other stuff to do, so until next time....it’s been fun!

What are some of YOUR favorite Best Picture Oscar winners?



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5 Harry Potter Cocktail Recipes for Ron Weasley Fans #movies #drinks #entertaining

Red is the new Black today, as we take a look at Harry Potter cocktails inspired by Ron Weasley. I found a few Weasley-based cocktail recipes that are suitable for both men and women, making your party plans, weekend getaway or evening wind-down routine a little more enjoyable.

The Weasley by Nerds Need Drinking Games Too
The Weasley cocktail has a lot of variation to it, allowing you to adjust the recipe to fit your juice preferences (cranberry, pomegranate, cherry, etc.) or favorite character (Ron, Ginny, Molly, Fred, George, etc.) in the Weasley family. For the sake of this post, however, I’m sharing the main recipe with you because it’s based on Ron -- the most important of the Weasleys, after all!

Ingredients for The Weasley:
Gin
Cranberry Juice
Ginger Ale

The Weasley Instructions:
Pour four shots of gin into a glass and then add eight shots of cranberry juice. Add four shots of ginger ale and then stir to complete this Harry Potter cocktail.



The Ronald Weasley by Ashley Bryce and Liana Cole at The Little Pink Blog
Not to be confused with The Ron Weasley, which we’ll cover later in this post, The Ronald Weasley is a peach lemonade concoction that Bryce and Cole say is “best for this brave comrade who secretly hopes for his own glory.”

Ingredients for The Ronald Weasley cocktail:
Vodka
Peach Schnapps
Dash of grenadine
Lemonade
Peach half
Lemon slice
Maraschino cherry

The Ronald Weasley instructions:
Fill a glass with ice and then add 1½ ounce of vodka, ½ ounce of peach schnapps and grenadine. Cut the peach into slices and add it to the drink mixture. Fill the remaining part of the glass with lemonade and then garnish with one slice each of a peach and lemon. Top it off with a cherry.



Weasley’s Wicked Brew by Donna Pilato
Can you say “Ginger snap”? I’m guessing that Pilato’s ‘Wicked Brew has a bit of a kick to it, so this may be one of those Harry Potter cocktails that Ron Weasley fans who like spicy drinks would enjoy. The sake base seems interesting.

Ingredients for Weasley’s Wicked Brew:
Sake
Ginger Ale
Fresh Ginger
Lemon Peel
Basil

Weasley’s Wicked Brew instructions:
Grate the fresh ginger into a cocktail shaker and then add two ounces of sake. Muddle the ginger and sake mixture together and then add four ounces of ginger ale and ice. Shake it up and then strain it into a tall glass. Garnish with basil, wrapped inside the lemon peel.



The Ron Weasley by Coryanne Ettiene
If you’ve read this far, you should know by now that while it may sound the same, this particular Harry Potter cocktail is a whole different ballgame from The Ronald Weasley mentioned earlier in this post. Ettiene’s drink looks good and easy to make, but I’m a little lost on the recipe. I mean, what is Campari? I never heard of it nor have I ever (I think) drank it. As the saying goes, we learn something new everyday!

Ingredients for The Ron Weasley cocktail:
Gin
Campari
Grapefruit Juice
Ice

The Ron Weasley instructions:
Add ice, two ounces of gin, 1½ ounces of Campari and three ounces of grapefruit juice to a tall glass. Stir and serve.*

*Madlab Sidebar: Is this one of the simplest Harry Potter cocktail recipes, or what?!!

Last but most certainly not least, I bring to you...



The Ron Weasley by The Backyard Bartender
Ok, so while it as the same name and a similar ingredient as Ettiene’s drink above, this Harry Potter cocktail recipe appears to be stronger. The style of The Ron Weasley is also very old-school, according to The Backyard Bartender, whose concoction reflects certain traits that she noticed in Ron -- “manly, a little bit rough - and a little bit bitter.” Therefore, it may not be suitable for lightweight drinkers.

To lessen the confusion between all of the Harry Potter cocktail recipes that I listed here, however, let’s refer to this one as “The Ron Weasley No. 2” -- fair enough?

Ingredients for The Ron Weasley (No. 2):
Rye whiskey
Cherry brandy
Campari
Sweet Vermouth
Fresh orange juice

The Ron Weasley (No. 2) Instructions:
Add 1½ ounce whiskey, ¾ ounces of cherry brandy, ½ ounce of campari, ½ ounce of sweet vermouth and 1 ounce of orange juice to a pint sized glass filled with ice. Stir for thirty seconds and then strain into a cocktail glass for your drinking pleasure.

So there you have it -- 5 Harry Potter Cocktail Recipes based on Ron Weasley, our January 2012 King Dong!

See you all tomorrow.

In the meantime, let me know what you’re drinking from this list. Cheers!


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Characters on the Movie Title Card #atthemovies #DVD #netflix #blockbuster

After a little mini vacation during the Smurdok's home renovation that is currently still in progress and coming along pretty well, our Monday Movie Meme is back in action.

While checking out movie theater showtimes recently, I thought about "Martha Marcy May Marlene," a movie about a woman who tries to start a new life after growing up in a cult. It is one of several films that I wanted to see, back in December but didn't get around to watching any of them. I will, however, use the flick as inspiration for this week’s Monday Movie Meme topic (because it’s um, simple, and...I have a lot of other things to do today): Role Call!

Share on your blog movies where names of the main characters double as the title of the film.
Easy, right? Yeah, I thought so too!
Here are my selections for the Role Call movie meme.



Jimmy and Judy
Rebellious teens go on a destructive road trip slash runaway journey that involves drugs, vandalism, cults, jail time and murder....oh, and a wedding. Things weren’t so peachy in Jimmy’s home life nor in Judy’s social life before these two outcasts became lovers either. Jimmy had the pleasure of walking in on his parents in a compromising position while Judy was introduced to the joys of school bullying. So yes, their environment is sorta a recipe for disaster but the good news is they recorded it all from their own point of view so we all get a front row seat to their screwed up and misguided world.



Wanda
For those who haven’t heard of this movie, I wish I could give you a brief overview of what it’s all about but I tuned out from my TV screen after popping this thing in the DVD player. Yes, it’s THAT boring. All I remember from watching “Wanda” is that she is a financially broke drifter who trades sex for alcohol, after leaving her husband and children. As much as I wanted to like “Wanda” after reading about it, I do not care for this film. “Wanda” fits right in line with the movies listed on my snorefest post about the most boring movies on DVD.

Runners Up: Bruce Almighty and Forrest Gump.


What other movies with their character names in the title have caught YOUR attention over the years?



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Harry Potter Party Ideas Inspired by Ron Weasley Scenes #entertaining #movies

As the King Dong series continues, this month begins with a new content posting strategy to try to make it more useful and no longer skip any months like I did in December 2011. Without further adieu, join me in welcoming Ron Weasley, played by actor Rupert Grint, as our January 2012 King Dong. While Ron is one of the cutest little boys ever who often gets in situations that are way over his head throughout the Harry Potter film series, he does have unmatchable skills at the game of chess, compared to his friends Hermione and Harry.

One of my most memorable scenes from watching 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone' is the one where Ron sacrifices himself in Wizard’s Chess to help his pals. After several years of Hogwarts mania at the movies, Harry Potter themed parties may seem like they feature the same activities and planning for entertaining guests, no matter who’s hosting it - a book club, HP fan club or a family somewhere around the world.

Thanks to Ron Weasley, however, you can squeeze out little aspects of the Harry Potter movies, to create fresh party ideas that can be used when entertaining adults or teens and kids who know how to play the game. Here are some Harry Potter party ideas that I thought of based on that Wizard’s Chess scene from The Sorcerer’s Stone film.



A Ron Weasley Inspired (Non)Seating Arrangement

Make a giant chessboard featuring 64 black and white (32 for each color) squares made out of towels, pillow cases, painted cardboard, card stock sheets or whatever you can bind together using masking tape (or duct tape, depending on the materials and your preference) to create a flat game board surface. You can also use blue squares as a substitute for black.

Cover your living room, basement or other party area floor with the giant chessboard. This will become the “seating” area for your guests, so make sure that each guest stands on the proper square, according to his or her position in the Wizard’s chess game. You will need a total of 32 guests to complete the chessboard style seating arrangement for this party theme. However, a smaller guest size for your Harry Potter party will also work just fine, allowing more flexible options for Wizard’s chess costumes as well.

Since this arrangement obviously creates a standing-room-only setup, either position chairs along the walls surrounding the chessboard or move them into another room altogether.



The Harry Potter Party Dress Code

All of the standard Gryffindor and other favorite Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley costumes go out of the window for this Wizard’s chess party theme. Require guests to come to the party dressed in a costume that coincides with one of the 16 chess pieces needed for your giant game board.* There are two ways you can enforce this dress code:

1. Assign costumes or dress codes to each guest who is invited to the party - This provides each guest with a running start on making their costume, since they don’t have to spend extra time trying to figure out which one of the chess pieces to dress like.

or

2. Allow guests to select their desired costume from the 16 chess pieces, for which you can check off as you go along the list, on a first come, first served basis. - This can help you to speed up the RSVP process, as some guests may race to make sure that they nabbed one of the few king or queen positions.

*If you are planning a smaller party that is more casual in design, then just rearrange these dress code options to fit the needs of your celebration.

The dress code options for guests should include kings, queens, rooks, bishops, knights and pawns. Thanks to merchandising, there are a variety of color options for your Harry Potter party dress code. Instruct guests to come in either red or white costumes if you want your live chess pieces to match those from the actual scene in 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone' where Ron beats Harry in a chess game at Hogwarts. Or, create a black and white or black and grey dress code if you want guests’ costumes to match those of the chess game pieces that are found in the retail version of Wizard’s chess board games, manufactured for consumers.



Wizard’s Chess Game Activity

Nothing says “entertainment” at this type of Harry Potter themed party than a live game of Wizard’s chess. Get a standard size chess game or the Harry Potter chess game and play it with a co-host, while both of you announce each move that you want to make, out loud. The guests will have to navigate through their positions on the giant chessboard based on the moves that you and your opponent announce.

You can also re-enact the scene from 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,' allowing Ron to be the unofficial host of your party game. This way, you can be part of the live action while everyone is moving based on the chess moves that he calls out. While the Ron Weasley element of this activity may fun, it won’t last as long as a real game of chess between two people. It’s your call though -- literally!

Now that we’ve gone through some alternative Harry Potter party ideas, here’s a question...

Would YOU beat Ron Weasley in a game of chess?




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Drunken Characters Gone Wild in the Movies #amblogging #atthemovies

While expressing apprehension to cook a full meal and feeling regret about agreeing to host a New Year’s Eve party for family and friends, at her house, a young lady recently said to me “It’s not about the food, it’s about the (alcoholic) drinks!” Plans for cooking chicken wings changed to serving some meatballs, and nothing else, for guests so they can at least have something in their stomach to prevent them from getting wasted on booze.

Since many people around the world celebrated New Year’s with a drink or two or three or several, I’d be willing to bet that some of these folks treated others in their surroundings to a handful of stories, jokes, insults, incomprehensible rambling and other outbursts that became the highlight of the EVE-ning -- which brings me to this week’s Monday Movie Meme topic: She/He said what?!!!.

Share on your blog movies that feature drunken outbursts during holidays or special occasions. Here are my selections for this week’s She/He said what?!!! movie meme.

The Other Sister



It’s hard to not feel embarrassed for Carla, when her boyfriend Daniel revealed their sexual escapades in front of a room full of family and close friends, at a Christmas party. For what it’s worth he did say that he is in love with her too. His drunken announcement at the party was funny, sweet and surprising. Who can forget the scene...”last year on Thanksgiving, we did it...and it was so beautiful.” I don’t know what’s worse...Daniel’s public declaration filled with TMI or the fact that many of the guests started laughing at him and Carla and not with them.

What’s Your Number



Ally’s tipsy toast left much to be desired after she insulted her sister Daisy’s fiance Eddie by calling him a douche-bag, aired the couple’s dirty laundry out in front of guests by introducing another woman who he cheated on Daisy with and then accidentally broke a champagne glass during an engagement party. Needless to say, Ally sure does know how to drink and say inappropriate things at the most unseemly moments. She’d probably be a lot of fun during a New Year’s celebration but I wouldn’t want to give her the floor unless I was tipsy too and unlikely to remember what she said, the next day.

Poetic Justice



Ok, here’s a lesson for Iesha: Never get so drunk after a family reunion barbecue (that you and your friends crashed) that you feel bold enough to tell your boyfriend “that’s the reason why I’m fucking somebody else” after calling him impotent and weak during an argument, and then expect him to be cool, calm and collected about it.

Chances are, he’s not going to take that one sitting down or standing up for that matter and while the situation in this particular movie scene is messed up and Chicago was wrong for hitting a woman, Iesha’s drunken outburst is the reason that he whopped her ass on the side of the highway. If she kept her mouth shut....better yet, if she wasn’t cheating in the first place, then none of that would have happened. Now, the better way to deal with that from Chicago’s position would be to just end the relationship and tell Iesha to take her drunken behavior to the new man that she’s sleeping with...but I guess that’s too logical of an option.

Don’t forget to visit your fellow Monday Movie Meme participants and show some love by leaving a comment or two. By the way, Happy New Year!

Shouts out to Dale at Smurfin the Web! I look forward to another fun month of hosting this thing alongside you.




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On Directing Commercials, Opportunities in Entertainment and Maintaining Relationships: An interview with Filmmaker Nick Santana – Part 3 #indiefilm #kickstarter

As the short film “Elvis” continues to raise over 100% of its production funds through a Kickstarter project that ends in under 24 hours from now, it is clear that crowd funding is not only alive and well but also here to stay in 2012. After discussing how immigration challenges affect more people than we know and realizing ways that second tier film festivals may reach targeted audiences better, “Elvis” director Nick Santana also shares some insight into navigating the landscape of opportunities for filmmakers who want to direct commercials and/or motion pictures.

Madlab Post: In what ways did your work at William Morris Agency help to build your filmmaking reel?

Nick Santana: I built my filmmaking reel while I was there. It was great but very difficult because when you are an assistant to an agent, you don’t have a life – you’re constantly chasing new deals, trying to stay up on everything -- but the person who I worked for was a very cool mentor and very helpful. More importantly, I got to read a lot of good scripts and then I got to see a lot of good short films that came across our desks. So, it was great to see – I think it’s important to see other good work.

I don’t understand when people – like writers or novelists say “Oh, I don’t want to read certain books because I don’t want that to influence me.” I really think you’re cutting yourself short because you need to see good work and read good material. I mean, that’s the only way you’re going to ever get better.

I can assure you that the way you interpret something is so different than the way someone else is going to do it. You can direct the same movie and it will be completely different. So, I don’t think you should worry or let that get in the way – you should see some really good films and you should see some really bad films so you can go “wow, ok. This is bad!”

I think you need to allow yourself to see good work and bad work and then go out there and try it yourself and fail and not be afraid to fall short – to constantly keep doing stuff so you can improve.

How do you maintain a work/life balance or does film take up your entire existence?

You have to treat it like a full-time job. Sometimes, I get up at 6a.m. just to write and you kind of also have to make that a priority – you have to balance your social life, of course. I now only go out when I’m invited to dinners with friends or if it’s something where it’s like “I must do this,” then I’ll go out. Now, I’m so focused on doing this (“Elvis”) and I have some side projects in the tech space, there’s no time -- I want to come home immediately so I can work on all of these side projects and then, obviously, get some sleep as well. It’s hard but you just have to put in the time and do it.

Does indie film kill all relationships, as Heidi Van Lier says?

I don’t know Heidi, so I’m not speaking for her but speaking on my own terms and personal life with my wife – you have to have a balance in any relationship and you have to be supportive. My wife runs her own business and I’m supportive of her – I want to see my wife succeed, and everyone says “I support my spouse” but you really have to stand behind them and vice versa – My wife stands behind me, so, we just allocate time – Friday nights is date night, no matter what. It also helps that we don’t have children, but, we make it a point to do the date nights and going to bed early helps because I get up early.

Technology makes it so easy now to reply to emails – I can reply to emails on my phone, I don’t have to be on a desktop, so that cuts down on a lot of time but I think it really is about organization. I have another friend who is an independent filmmaker, Brant Sersen who is working on a new movie – he got married right after he went into production on his second feature film and now he has a daughter. He has a fully functional and healthy marriage. It’s with anything in life – you can’t be selfish. That’s the bottom line.

In a relationship, it’s a team effort – not one person, it’s two people and you have to realize that you have to be considerate to your partner and that’s it. Think about, not even filmmakers, but entrepreneurs or CEOs like Steve Jobs. He was the CEO of Apple and married and had kids. He was able to do it. Think about Sheryl Sandberg, who is the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook. She is married, has a high-level executive position and has children.

So when I hear “oooh, independent film ruins relationships,” they’re just being selfish artists, because when you think about someone like Sheryl Sandberg, I think the work that she is going has more of a global impact than an independent filmmaker and she’s still able to maintain a healthy relationship -- kids and all that.

How can filmmakers get jobs directing commercials for corporate brands?

That’s a hard one. The way I did it was crazy – I had a company represent me and the first company was kind of cool but then I left to get with a smaller company and that was a disaster and then I left. Now, people are doing it on their own without representation. There is a company called Tongal where assignments come on board and you can try to find work with brands to do online content. I think it’s easier moreso now than ever and you just have to have the chops and keep doing it – and networking as well.

You gotta get in there and network and constantly keep shooting because your reel can get outdated. Keep updating your work and show new stuff. A couple of years ago, I just put my reel together and go out there and get signed. I had to send my reel out – I was working at the William Morris Agency at the time and it was hard just to get anyone to notice me.

So as a favor, the agent that I was working for made some calls on my behalf and then people saw my reel. Again, you have to understand that the landscape for commercials has changed as well. Now, that’s why I feel like it’s so much easier for independent filmmakers to make things and get it online quicker, faster and cheaper whereas some of the commercial directors that were getting paid a lot of money aren’t used to doing that. They’ll still get the big accounts, but now, brands want to do consumer engagement so they’re looking for user generated content that obviously has good quality, of course, or that is clever or has a really good concept.

I don’t have representation and I’m actually working on something this Friday, so, there is no template or no one-way to get in. Some people do a commercial, enter a contest and get discovered that way. I also think about how we always hear these stories of someone posting something on YouTube and then they’re directing a commercial from that.

What are the differences between New York and California, regarding opportunities for independent filmmakers who want to direct movies?

L.A. has more production. The city of New York is a little more diverse so it’s not entirely focused on entertainment. With that said, I think it’s easier now, in general, to fund something and make a movie – Look at me, I’m using Kickstarter to fund my movie and I’m shooting it on an HDSLR camera and I’m probably going to edit this movie myself – do the first edit and then give it off to an editor, but, I remember having to pay an editor to sit there and edit my commercials for me, when I was getting my reel done.

There was just so much cost involved and now, you can kind of eliminate a lot of those costs and do it yourself – you can spend $2,000 and buy yourself a nice camera, go out and start shooting and get practice. Back when I was starting, I was shooting on film and that’s expensive! Most of the stuff that I did on my reel was shot on 35mm and we had to literally beg, borrow and steal – I can’t remember who lent me their camera, but it was an old school 35mm camera and I bought short ends.

Then, I had to haggle for the telecine, to transfer from film to video. Now, I bought myself a camera -- $2,000 and shot the trailer for my Kickstarter project myself, came home and edited it together. That cost me nothing but time. Now, I feel like it’s almost even made me a better filmmaker -- a better storyteller. The more you do, the more you practice, the better you get.

Thanks to Nick Santana for doing this interview!

If you’ve been following the happenings on Twitter or reading my recent blog posts, you’ll be happy to know that “Elvis” is now fully funded…but the campaign doesn’t stop here.

The Kickstarter project for this short film runs until tomorrow afternoon, which means that you still have time to support this movie by either sending a donation, posting on Facebook or telling your friends about “Elvis.”

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The latest on Brooklyn Short Film ‘Elvis’ Kickstarter Campaign: An Interview with Nick Santana – Part 2 #indiefilm

New York based filmmaker Nick Santana’s “Elvis” depicts immigration from the perspective of a teenage boy whose citizenship status takes him by surprise. This short film is currently seeking support in $1, $5 or $10 donations toward its Kickstarter project. Here is the second part of my interview with Santana, where you can learn more about his plans for “Elvis” and his fundraising platform of choice.

Madlab Post: Why did you choose Kickstarter over other crowdsourcing services that are available to filmmakers?

Nick Santana: I chose Kickstarter; which I’m sorta now trying to figure out if it was a good choice or not; because of its brand equity – More people know about Kickstarter than they do IndieGoGo or some of the other crowd funding platforms and for me, that was important. I was trying to lower the barrier of entry, so if someone says “Oh, I know Kickstarter” or “I’ve heard of Kickstarter,” they’re more willing to donate and give their credit card information (rather than) to a service that they really don’t know anything about.

What is the production status of "Elvis"?

I secured one location – It’s a deli, a bodega that is Dominican owned. I walked in there and told them what the story was about and they said “Hey, whatever you need,” and I said “Well, I need a scene – I have a scene in a bodega” and they were like “Done! You can shoot here” (laughs) and I said “I’m going to need to shoot here for like six to eight hours” and they said “No problem, whatever you need.” So, I have one location so far. I haven’t done casting yet because I haven’t raised 100% of the budget.

I do have a producer on board and a music supervisor on board who’ve been great and they came on board from the very beginning. That’s where it stands right now -- I’m so far 50% (update: at the time of this posting, “Elvis” is 76% funded) funded and I need to make 100%. Kickstarter’s all-or-nothing approach to crowd funding is great because it gives you an incentive to go out and really make it happen – to campaign, and that’s how I’ve been able to raise (76%) so far.

I literally feel like I’m campaigning every day – reaching out to people on Facebook, on Twitter; I’m the “Elvis” ambassador. I did a guest blog post for an immigration law themed blog two weeks ago, so I’ve been kinda doing the circuit of trying to get the word out.

What are the plans for "Elvis" once the film is finished?

I want to do the festival circuit. I think that the subject matter – it’s not a comedy – but you can consider it a docudrama, it’s something that no one really speaks about. I’m not telling the point of view from parents that are being deported, but from a child being left behind. So, the plan is the festival circuit and if there are any children advocacy groups for immigration organizations that want to use it for their website, I’d be more than happy to just say “Yeah, here, please – screen it, use it!”

I thought about going with the big festivals like Sundance, Cannes but I actually would almost prefer to go with the smaller, maybe second tier festivals -- just because there would probably be more of an audience. It would reach more people. When you think about the Cannes or the Sundances, those are like the elite of the entertainment industry. They’re not accessible to the everyday person, to the majority of people who are voting on immigration issues.

So, I’ve been kind of rethinking my strategy for film festivals and definitely considering only sending it to the second tier and the third tier festivals that are probably based in smaller cities – because I feel like “Elvis” would get more exposure to the people who really need to see it -- maybe South by Southwest (SXSW), or the Morelia International Film Festival in Mexico, which shows films that are very serious in tone, also the L.A. Film Festival – I mean, that’s my hometown. I would like to look at the Brooklyn Film Festival, you know – kind of more of the local stuff that I can go to, pop in and do a Q&A, if of course, the film festival programmers would take me. (laughs) I don’t want to get ahead of myself.



Stay tuned for more on film director Nick Santana, this weekend.

I donated some money toward the production of the short film ‘Elvis.’ Can you do the same?

It only takes $5. You can also help by posting a link on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or your blog, website or other online places that you frequent to help support the Kickstarter campaign for ‘Elvis.’

Do Not Wait. Do it Today! No, do it Right Now!

I did yesterday, right before blogging about this movie, so if I can take a few minutes to help promote this project by posting online, I know you all have it in you to do the same. Join me in the fun of supporting independent film!





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‘Elvis’ tackles Teenagers Lost in the Immigration Shuffle: An Interview with Film Director Nick Santana #indiefilm #kickstarter

Inspired by the life experiences of a cousin from Mexico, filmmaker Nick Santana is providing a voice for teenagers who are faced with immigration challenges with his short film debut, “Elvis.” The movie is set in Brooklyn, New York and tells the story of a 15 year-old boy named Elvis who suddenly learns that he is undocumented and may be deported. In a recent interview, Santana shares some background information on how the screenplay for “Elvis” came to light while also reminding me why movies centered on real-life circumstances that are rarely seen in film deserves our support.

Madlab Post: How did you get attached to this film?

Nick Santana: I wrote the screenplay. It was an idea that I’ve been playing with for a couple of months. I’ve done other stuff in films – commercials and online content, but mostly for (corporate) brands; I wanted to do something else that was a little bit more personal and I was trying to figure out what that would be and this is the project that I wrote.

What inspired you to want to make "Elvis" during a time when our country's political landscape is battling such a touchy subject?

As I was trying to come up with an idea of what the short film would be, I kept pitching ideas to friends, to my wife and nothing struck a chord -- I didn’t feel passionate about them. I read a couple of articles in the New York Times, on children whose parents are being deported and it sparked a childhood memory of one of my cousins – he and I discovered that his citizenship was not legal, when he was about to graduate from high school.

He was an undocumented citizen, so he couldn’t apply for University -- he could, but he wasn’t eligible for student loans, the Pell grants or any financial aid, at all. I remember him getting discouraged; He wanted to study architecture. So, I drew from that – personal experience and the article that I read. That’s how I came up with the story for “Elvis” and I made it specifically very New York based.

Was the New York setting of “Elvis” chosen based on this city’s high immigrant population?

“Elvis” is set in New York because of two reasons – I’m here, so it’s easier for me because it costs less money to make the film -- I don’t have to fly out to Los Angeles. Also, New York has always been an entryway, a hub of immigration and diversity. We have the Statue of Liberty – that’s one big example, one symbol of immigration.

You meet a plethora of immigrants from all over (the world) in New York – West African, Middle Eastern and people from the South Pacific. In California, the biggest complaint is that there are people from Mexico and Central America there, but New York has people from everywhere. Your cab drivers, the street vendors selling food – you’re exposed to it; that’s what makes this city so amazing – you’re constantly exposed to change and to diversity.

In what ways can "Elvis" help teenagers become more understanding of either their peers or their own circumstances?

In this particular story, Elvis comes to a realization of his citizenship status and much like a lot of teenagers, you go through life not thinking that your life can change – you’re immortal when you’re young; The short is less than 10 minutes long but in the beginning we see Elvis being a normal teenager, wilding out and hanging out with his friends, trying to pick up on teenage girls from the city and then his life is turned upside down. He then almost steps up and becomes a man.

What I hope to achieve by telling the story of Elvis is that this is a serious problem – a lot of children come to this country, not on their own choice, they’re brought here by their parents from many different circumstances – escaping poverty or political persecution, etc. but all of a sudden, what do you do when you grow up and you honestly think that you’re American and you don’t know anything else?

I was recently talking to a neighbor who told me that his cousin, who is from Haiti, never knew that he was undocumented. When neighbor’s cousin got into trouble, was picked up for a minor infraction and sent to a detention center. While in detention, he got into a fight and they ended up not only keeping him there longer but they also deported him. They sent him back to Haiti. His entire family is in New York City! He doesn’t know anyone in Haiti and he doesn’t speak the language, so you know, it’s like these cases that I’m starting to realize that they’re not uncommon. So, that’s the story of Elvis.

"At a time when adolescent passage into adulthood is marked by achieving certain milestones, the Elvises of this country have to adapt to living in the shadows." - Nick Santana on 'Elvis'

Stay tuned for more on Nick Santana’s Short Film “Elvis,” tomorrow. In the meantime, support this film by donating $5 to the “Elvis” Kickstarter campaign.

Contributions to this project will help make the production possible in areas such as sound mix, transportation costs, editing and lighting. If you don’t have $5, there is good news – you CAN still donate even only $1 to help get this film in the can!




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The DVD Snorefest: Movies that were Less Exciting to Watch #netflix #amwriting #boring

It’s another installment of the Monday Movie Meme and today’s theme is inspired by my tiredness and recent lack of motivation to write a blog post. First and foremost, big thanks to Dale at Smurfin the Web for putting us all in the holiday spirit last week. Since it’s my turn to host the meme this week, here is the topic: Cue the yawning! Share on your blog some of the most boring movies that you’ve ever watched.

Amistad



Now don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a good opportunity to get new views of Matthew McConaughey as much as the next woman but even he could not keep my attention on “Amistad.” Maybe this is one of those movies that you have to watch in the theater to fully appreciate the work and not fall asleep. I bought “Amistad” on DVD several months ago because I never saw it and always wanted to check it out but about 30 minutes in to this movie, I lost interest in the film.

I started multitasking and then just let the DVD play in the background while I worked on the computer and performed other household tasks. I don’t know what happened and I don’t even care. Amistad’s lengthy running time doesn’t help the situation either, especially today when I tend to skip that selection while considering DVDs in my movie collection to watch on a lazy, boring or depressing afternoon or evening. Maybe I’ll get around to watching “Amistad” in it’s entirety one day -- if I have the time and patience to do so.

In the Bedroom



You can’t go wrong with Sissy Spacek and Tom Wilkinson, but somehow, it felt like “In the Bedroom” was set into a cruise control mode that never let up. Fortunately,
this was a good movie, so I did give it my full attention, unlike the experience in watching “Amistad.” I still kept anticipating the end credits, like I couldn’t wait until the movie was over.

The few dramatic and action-packed moments were forced to make up for a LOT of down time. I get the point -- something tragic happened, people are sad, there is resentment in the air and the grief has to be dealt with in one way or another. So, why do we have to watch a guy sitting in his car for what seems like 15 minutes to forever, doing absolutely nothing?

Slacker



I’m probably going to be criticized for this point of view, because “Slacker” is an independent film classic and everything.-- still, it’s boring. Sorry, but there’s no way getting around the fact that I just could not get into this movie. I don’t remember much about it because it stopped paying attention to it not too long after I popped the DVD into the DVD player.

Funny enough, though, I did find the short film located on the special features menu (or do I have this “Slacker” DVD mistaken for another movie? somebody let me know, please) to be much more interesting to watch than the main presentation. I don’t know if that is a plus or a minus for the DVD nor am I sure if there is something to be said about a special feature that gets more kudos than the main menu item that we bought (or rented or streamed, whatever) the DVD for in the first place.

Land of Plenty



Michelle Williams stars in “Land of Plenty” and aside from reading something somewhere that referenced this film, she was the only reason I wanted to check it out. Big mistake -- not because of Williams per se, but because this movie is not very entertaining. Hell, it isn’t even interesting enough to make me want to champion it or recommend it to anyone.

Nights and Weekends



I started playing “Nights and Weekends” and then after not even a few minutes of watching this movie, I turned it off. Enough said.

There are a few more boring movies that I would mention in this post -- if I wasn’t tired of being in front of a computer you know, kind of like how I became tired of watching the films listed here. Ha!

What movies have YOU found yourself falling asleep on?





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