I’m starting a new segment here that I’m calling Retro Reviews.  Here’s how it works:

-          Films must be watched in alphabetical order.

-          TV Series are not allowed.

-          For now, film within a series will be watched chronologically once the first is reached alphabetically

-          Exceptions can be made for movies that are rented, but only if they are new.

Those are the basics.  As of this moment, between my wife’s and my own collection of films, we have 276 movies on DVD.  The point of this process is to study films that I either would never watch for any particular reason (ie: Failure to Launch) and to hopefully rediscover films that I have not viewed in some time.

My lovely wife is at somewhat of a disadvantage because my share is much greater in number than hers, which basically means that more science-fiction, action/adventure (read: “better”) films will be screened.

All that being said, the first film screened for this series belongs to my wife.

I don’t want to get bogged down in describing the plot of the film, since in the age of the internet, you have the tools to research that yourself.  My initial reaction to the film was “pretty good.”  The story is intriguing enough and has just about all the classic beats to make the story interesting.  The acting is decent, for the most part.  However, were it not for Kevin Spacey, this category would be severely lacking.

Jim Sturgess plays the lead character, a young man by the name of Ben-something who wants so badly to get into Harvard Med, but needs to make sure that he has the $300,000 to afford it.  This is where Kevin Spacey comes in to save the day.  A professor at Ben-something’s college (MIT), Mr. Spacey has put together a team of bright young students in order to strike it rich by counting cards in… you guessed it, 21.

"Time to win some old-fashioned Rummy!" "Twenty-one." "Whatever."

I don’t know what it is that has always drawn me to stories of card games.  It probably has a lot to do with the fact that most card games rely less on the cards and more on the people holding them.  21 tries to combine the two as a modern successor to Rounders.  The problem with this is that it’s really hard to sympathize with our main character, Ben-something.  He’s boring, he’s whiny, and he goes to MIT which means that he’s super-brainy and can’t be doing that bad financially.

Throughout the film we only get the sense that he’s changed very little.  Sure, by the end he’s a bit wiser and maybe has come out of his shell a touch, but he’s essentially the same person, just older and tinged with a small amount of remorse.  And the whole “love story” sub-plot with Kate Bosworth felt completely tacked on just to give Ben-something something to do. Many of the supporting characters also seem to serve very little purpose other than to allow Ben-something the opportunity to make lotsa da cash.

Kevin Spacey, as previously mentioned, is the one exception who is convincing as the conniving professor chasing some of his former glory.  The problem with his character and with the story as a whole was that he wasn’t really the bad guy.  And neither was the other “bad guy,” a casino security expert played by Larry Fishburne. Both characters are more of an inconvenience than a personal threat, and the only thing generally on the line is a buttload of cash.  I need more than that.  If his “relationship” with Kate Bosworth was actually at risk, it might have hooked me more.  Say, if she were kidnapped and Ben-something had to rescue her.

"Larry, someone farted in here." "Wasn't Me." BLUFF.

The pacing of the film dies about halfway through and you start really feeling the minutes slowly ticking away.  You’ll find that this is one of my main peeves when watching (or creating) any film.  If the pace starts to crawl, then you really begin to lose me as an audience member.   The first act is brisk, even leading into the second act when the scheme has begun in Vegas I was right with the story. Then it goes on a little too long. All in all, the film could stand to lose about 30 minutes without drastically altering anything.

The Takeaway:

-          Instead of giving me eight to ten so-so characters, really take the time to explore the ones that matter.  Losing money is never the best threat to a main character.  Show me the human element behind that.

-          Pacing is everything. All of the right elements and beats are not enough to hold an audience. Unless you are Lord of the Rings.

Up Next: 27 Dresses (Obviously not mine)

Here’s a quick rundown of things to expect in the coming weeks:

1. NEW DEMO REEL – I’ve done more video and graphics work this past year than ever before, and I plan to show that off in style.

2. MOTION GRAPHICS VIDEOS – I’ve been working with some friends at a local appliance store to create many new graphics for their in-store TVs and also some commercials for local television.

3. GHOSTBUSTERS TRAILER – This is something I’ve slowly been piecing together since I finished the Neverending Story Trailer this summer.  I’m hoping to finish it soon.

4. NEW MUSIC VIDEO – A great band that I’ve been in contact with is collaborating with me to churn out an awesome new mini-movie style video.  Look for updates.

5. BIG BIG BIG SHORT FILM - This is probably what I’m most excited about.  Preproduction has begun on a new short film that I’ve been writing and planning for months now.  I’m hoping this will truly re-invent what is possible for no-budget, DSLR cinema.  Really cool stuff to look forward to here.

6. GETTING IN SHAPE – Ok, this is obviously a more personal project, but one that I am equally looking forward to.  This past year has not been kind to my double chin or my mid-section and I’m looking to diminish both substantially.  Root for me!

Those are the major projects going down at the moment.  Christmas was great! My wonderful wife bought Beatles Rock Band for me and I’ve been loving it so far.  There’s going to be a lot of amazing changes for the better in the coming year and I’m really excited!

Enjoy!

I recently found an article that I wrote while in my senior year at film school and after reading it through I thought that there might be some useful nuggets in there. Movie magic is something that I’ve heard people talk about for years, but no one has been able really give a good description of it. This was my own attempt:

As a small boy I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I grew up, just as many other children do. I wanted to be Indiana Jones. The good guy. The funny guy. The brave guy. However as children often do, I changed my mind from time to time. Eventually I had my sights set on another venture in life. I wanted to be Peter Pan, soaring through the skies, fighting pirates and just being a kid forever.

My childhood was shaped by the images that flashed before my eyes on a glowing screen about twenty inches across. There is something inherently mystical about the world of film that captures our imaginations. As children we tend to be more capable of giving ourselves to a world that doesn’t exist. We have not yet entered the realm of paying for car insurance, worrying about the mortgage, or the making sure that the car is running properly.

When we grow older, films can become something completely different. They can function as escapist, educational, or simply as background noise while we rest our eyes after a long day at work. What do most children have to escape from? We do not yet have all of the responsibilities of the world laid upon our shoulders when we are young. Films mean something else to us at that age. They possess a quality which I will refer to as movie magic.

When we grow older, films can become something completely different. They can function asescapist, educational, or simply as background noise while we rest our eyes after a long day at work.What do most children have to escape from? We do not yet have all of the responsibilities of theworld laid upon our shoulders when we are young. Films mean something else to us at that age. They possess a quality which I will refer to as movie magic.

The crew at Pixar know all about Movie magic. Their shorts, such as 'Presto' exhibit their mastery of the art.

Magic is a very broad idea and a word used to categorize things that are not easily categorized or explained. It can be applied to a rabbit instantaneously appearing from an empty hat, a torrent of rain in the middle of a drought, or even the way a girl you fancy looks back at you and smiles. I would argue that one of the most important aspects to making a film work is including an element of magic. It occurs when we connect with the audience not just on an emotional level, but even deeper than that.

Movie magic succeeds at the point when the viewer gets that tingle in the pit of their stomach. Their whole body is connected to something in the film at that particular moment, be it a character, a setting, or a situation. At the point when they become a part of the film, no matter how fantastic or outlandish it may be, this is when we have the audience. It’s not enough to make an audience believe in your world, you have to make them WANT to believe it.

Magic can be seen in stories spanning across cultures and millenia. From the tales of Heracles to the poetry of King Arthur and even to graphic novels of today, we have never lost touch with our yearning for that little something more. We want more than what we have, and it’s not just out of greed. As a species we are drawn to mystery, to things that do not have a tangible or easily found explanation. Since the very beginning humans have been telling stories as a means of sharing information but also to exercise that part of our brains called the imagination. It is not something to be taken lightly.

Without the use of imagination we would not have the wonders of technology that we have today. Imaginations are fueled by things that are not, yet could be. “Imagine if we could fly!” “Imagine if we were on another planet!” It is the pairing of imagination with ingenuity that allows us to advance. As children we seem to be more in tune with our imagination than later on in life. To imagine is simply to accept something magical as possibility.

I emphasize the accessibility of magic to youthful minds as a key factor to consider when constructing films for a specific reason. It is first the film maker’s duty to determine what type of film they wish to create and what sort of connection, if any, they desire to share with their audience. If the hope is that the viewer will connect deeply to the material, then my advice would be to keep in mind the thought process of a child. This doesn’t mean telling a story more simply or dumbing it down so that your local second grader can follow along. It means looking at your film with a certain naiveté or innocence.

As children we see adult characters and we want to be them. They have power, which is something children do not generally possess. As adults we see childlike characters and we want to be them. Here it is the purity and carefree lifestyles we long for again. It is a certain nostalgia that we can experience, where we remember exactly what it was like to have our entire future ahead of us. Not caring how we would get there, but nonetheless knowing that it was completely within our grasp.

Indiana Jones epitomized movie magic for me when I was a child.

For myself, the element of magic tends to have a supernatural touch. A photograph that flutters in the breeze and seemingly has a will of its own. Pixie dust that allows anyone it touches to fly. Things that cannot easily be seen in the world on our side of the glowing screen. The realms of fantasy and science fiction tend to make the magic more apparent to us as an audience. We may even use the word “magic” in these films to rationalize what is happening. But magic can come in all shapes and sizes. The moment when the underdog sports team overcomes the odds and wins the championship. The moment when the main character finds out that his struggles and actions actually did make a difference.

The magic is a connection. Whether it be between people, places, or moments, it is that point when the audience accepts your world and wants to play along. To give up and give in to what you have created. Not every movie requires it, and certainly not every scene, but the magic is a thread which weaves throughout the course of our cinematic journey. It is the building block upon which the entire story may stand and a little bit goes a long way.

The Neverending Story as it is, could never be made today. It was bold, daring, and steeped in the type of fantasy that transports young and old to another world.

This is the first of a set of trailers I plan to edit for movies from what I consider the greatest decade of cinema… the 1980s.

All rights belong to Warner Bros. and Constantin Films.

Enjoy!

Shot on Canon T2i/550D
Edited with Adobe Premiere
CC: After Effects

BIG THANKS to my wife, Ashley, without whose encouragement I would not even be in it!

And thanks to G4, Attack of the Show, and Butterfinger!

I’ll be posting pictures, updates, and news from San Diego next week!

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Click on that handsome devil below to see him in motion:

Hey everyone! Check out my submission to the $25,000 Skinit commercial contest that I made with my wife Ashley and good friend Cody Bingham:

VOTE HERE!

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