March 24th, 2009 - The day I finally watch The Shawshank Redemption!

and then the move finished and I ran outside, the sky opened up, lighting illuminated the clouds and the rain pour down on me.

That didn't happen. For many years, Shawshank was the movie I'd "shock" people with by not having seen it. For some reason, everyone has seen and loved this movie. Many a year ago, I declared I would watch it someday- but it had to be a day I just needed to watch a great movie. Some thought that day would never come! And it's not to say I haven't had a bad day all these years- there's been plenty- but as time moved on, I couldn't put that kind of pressure on the movie, was it really a bad day I was waiting for? When I lost something, or felt I couldn't be cheered up by anyone- No. It was today. I woke up early, again, which has been my recent issue- I'm typically a 9 hours straight of sleep if an alarm doesn't wake me. The last week or so I've been struggling to stay asleep past 5 hours- this is strange. I had a lot to get done in the day, but there I was, early in the morning, not feeling particularly content or excited about anything- and Instant Netflix was calling- You need to watch a movie- Should I waste money I don't have on going to a theatre and just seeing a few movies? No. Should I make a peanut butter sandwich, sit around in pajamas and watch a movie about HOPE? Yes. Today was that day. Turns out it, it was a pretty good movie.



I haven't posted in a while- and it's not say there wasn't plenty of great things to write about- I've decided to not write about the entire Zombo experience, as I figure I need some stuff for people to talk to me about in person. It was an amazing experience, tons of work, but tons of fun. And at this point in time, I'm excited about our cut going into our pick up weekend- when the crew and cast reunite to grab a few needed shots. The band's getting back together!

I also went to NY for spring break- it was relaxing, low-key with obvious spikes of excitement and amusing nights. Plus it was productive, I got a lot of writing done- especially at Starbucks, where the same guy was working three days in a row, and the one day I took off, and decided to stop in at night to get a drink, he was there working. He clearly believes I go twice a day. Luckily it won't be until August when I will go to that Starbucks again. I also read some, watched some movies.

Only 6 weeks until the final screening, my summer schedule is starting to form - time is speeding up! Good thing I found two hours to fit in Shawshank before it was too late!


Also, I'm rereading J.D Salinger's Nine Stories - one story a day for nine days (that band is awful) today is day 4, for those keeping count at home.

Update

Dollhouse is on HULU - I love HULU

The Interview of The Decade... or at least the month!

We (I) recently caught up with myself (as I was sitting on the couch sipping coffee) to find out what's been going on? Here is an exceprt from that interview:

Jeff the interviewer (J.I.) : Have you been drinking a lot of coffee?

Jeff (J): I wanted to cut back, but now I'm on three cups a day, plus an energy drink. Oh, what a world!

JI: Any reason for the sudden rise in caffiene intake?

J: Yeah- the movie! Don't get me wrong, nothing beats spending two weekends in a row, overnight in a cold, damp, spooky alley. Take a look:


JI: Wow!

J: I know. As producer I get to play the corpses the zombie's feed on, which is great, except for the freezing puddles i have to lie in, but sometimes you looks up, see the fog, and the zombies surrounding you as you peer into the bluish night from the walls of a brick alley and it's like "now, this is the life."

JI: You have a strange perception on what makes life worthwhile.

J: I know- I mean that's what's really makes me tick- those peripheral subjects that take me away. And really, this week has been chock full of visual and viceral reminders of the importance of the things I love or have loved as it were...

JI: Gah?

J: As you know Watchmen is coming out in a few weeks- and there's plenty of us who love that graphic novel who can't wait, but it kind of defeats the message within the book, having a huge budget movie, billboards of Rorschach all over L.A.- I mean the commericialism is tackeled head on by the characters in that world- yet- there's the awesome nerd factor of the fact that the Watchmen are plastered all over Los Angeles. Like who ever thought their be a time when this was the big "it" thing. I mean, I didn't read it until I was in college, as I had always hear of it, but never really sat down to read it until a friend lent me his copy- of course since, I passed it along to many others- two of my favorite times include when I had Amy come to me with help to find graphic novels to send to her husband Alan in Iraq- and I quickly chose Watchmen - and she reported back how much he loved it! There was also the time when I was finishing up teaching and started working at Borders again at night, and one of my students (who I knew to be an avid comic fan) came in and suggested he read Watchmen- he too was blown away and actually contacted me to tell him how much he loved it. So, yeah, I'm excited to see so much Watchmen commercialism - even it is an metaphysical conundrum. See:


JI: Maybe you should spend more time thinking about important issues...

J: Like Blink 182's announcement that they are a band again! And my 17 year old inner self can dance once again? ( I mean I have a whole blog cooking in my head defending my love of this band and it's importance in my adolescent years)

JI: The stimulus package that was passed...?

J: Or how about the fact that not only is Blink back, but GREEN DAY has announced the name of their American Idiot follow up" 21st Century breakdown and has started letting the media hear snippets of the album- and the early buzz is enough to make this my 15th year of listening Green Day, just as exciting as when I first bought Dookie at the ripe young age of 14?


JI: I mean, what about the important parts of life you are missing being so damn nostalgic about bands, books, movies and crap you like as a teenager?

J: Yeah, I know what you mean. Last night I MISSED the premier of Joss Whedon's new show Dollhouse. I was on set and talked with another crew member how I never thought I'd miss a Whedon show (especially since knowing it may only last a few weeks on air). He agreed, but he reminded me that it's probably Whedon's fault we were even out on that set- so I took some pride in that. Besides, I'm sure some friends DVR'd that shit!

JI: Uh huh, and what are you doing this Valentine's Day?

J: Well, we're shooting all night- so spending it in a cold, dark dreary alley.

JI: Exactly.

J: Yeah, I was concerned about this too, but a good friend pointed out that so many of my friends who are having "traditional" Valentine's Day are kidding themselves in loveless or pointless relationships. Maybe this is why we all need our visceral escapes.

JI: Agreed.


Jeff maintains this blog, and reads others. He's only ever interviewed himself because he is a little narsicsitc.

"Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead. "

The minutes tick by faster each day. Friday night I finally get to start principle production on this wacky film I'm producing. It's this state of delirium that I'm enjoying so much- The fact that every detail is still up in the air, that so many people seem to be pushing themselves to the brink, and my addiction to Rock Star Energy drinks soars everyday- it's in this chaos that I'm finding peace. After all, it's just a movie! I'm stressed, but not in the typical soul crushing sense. It's more of just a heavy sense of focus. This doesn't bode well for my other class (which I laugh at saying as I forget daily I'm producing for a class, and this isn't a full time job that will pay me any money- and I'm not even working for free, but actually paying a small fortune for this exhausting lifestyle) meanwhile, I'm left to almost no writing time in the week, and no time to stop and watch a movie, or read a book - it's draining to miss these escapes. In the morning, as I drive off to wherever it's I need to be or search for, I think how, I'm going to make that time to read, make that time to write, make that time to just catch up on my instant netflix. But there's plenty of time approaching. Spring Break for instance, maybe I'll finally have a chance to read that copy of Infinite Jest sitting on my shelf, collecting dust and mocking me for not taking advantage of my time during the holidays, when I had nothing filling my days.

Oh well, at least I had time to fill out that annoying Facebook survey that's swept the site. People seem to love it, while I know plenty who judge it as trivial and childish, but we are a generation who needs to take the time to write about ourselves, so everyone we've ever known can TRUELY know us. Where else can you pick up conversations or inside jokes that were last pertinent in 11th grade? We live in strange times. So says everyone who's ever lived.

I recently bought a few more records, the new Springsteen on Vinyl, which was the perfect deal for me, as it came with downloadable versions of all the songs. I can listen to the record and still load it on the ol' ipod, which is less amusing to me now that I can spin my favorite albums in lo-fi (oh yes, I picked up an Alkaline Trio album too). What's even better, next week The Get Up Kids "Something To Write Home About" will be released on vinyl to celebrate the 10th anniversary of such a pivotal album - I can't CAN'T believe it came out 10 years ago- I still feel the charge when songs come on from it, like I felt a decade ago. What's my Age Again (also celebrating 10 years for that song and wow, I suddenly miss Blink 182 and hope that they will make a triumphant come back sometime this year.

Last and not least, has anyone been watching this (what should be the last) season of Scrubs? I've been catching them on the 360 over the weekends, and I do believe this is the best the show has been in 3 seasons at least. It feels fresh, it feels like every line is well thought out, jokes packed in, character's moving forward- the show isn't dying of last gasps, it's more like they are steering to go out in style. After last season I was sure it had turned rotten- It's not just 30 Rock keeping me watching television anymore!

Okay, I'm very tired and have a large list of things to do tomorrow, Thursday, a day away from the first day of shooting.

This Amercian Life

I was driving to school yesterday morning when it was reported on the news of NPR that John Updike had died. I actually verbally expressed remorse. I haven't read a fraction of Updike's work, but I always read his reviews in the New Yorker (which I tend to buy at airport magazine shops- probably because I assume I use my 5- 7 hours of travel time to actually finish a whole issue - which makes me wonder how anyone can have a subscription to the New Yorker and actually have the time to read it cover-to-cover on a weekly basis, but this is really besides the point) UPDIKE! Yes, I was sad to hear he passed away, as it was in my senior year high school class, The Short Story, that I first read "A & P." It's really one of those first times where I felt like a story was written for me, and was able to illustrate my own thoughts and realizations of growing up- which I couldn't verbalize. This story is that verbalization. I often think back on the story, the young guy working in that A & P- and what he witnesses, and what he attempts to do- because it bleeds of truth. It's about rebellion, and it's about making personal choices that may not be accepted by the status quo- it's about the consequences of being an individual, about the often futility of martyrdom- but being young an naive enough to believe that one can change the quo. Or it's about a teenage boy trying to impress some girls. Either way, it hit home then and for something as simple as that, I was somber at the news of John Updike's passing.

One side note- I never had the chance to officially teach this story in any of my classes, but in one of my teaching classes I created a lesson plan for it. Just in case you were wondering~

“If being crazy means living life as if it matters, then I don’t mind being completely insane.”

SO the OScar nominations were announced on Thursday. I expected all of the top 5 but one. Substitute THE READER for DARK KNIGHT - and I would have happy. Ben Button landed the most nominations- but this movie-that-tries-way-too-hard-to-be-emotionally-meaningful is really a hollow spectacle devoid of true emotions. (I choose The Reader over this one!) I was also sorry to see Rev. Road get passed over- though the backlash it received is understandable- it takes a lot to make a film of unlikeable characters in a depressing detierioating marriage- but I liked it!
All I can hope for is that Slumdog or Milk walk away with best picture - ditto for the directors. (I always root for Gus Van Sant, even when he makes awful painfully minimalist films such as Gerry and Last Days. Mostly, because in high school, my film/video teacher, Ms. Smith, knew Van Sant, and had tried to get him to do a workshop with us. He never did, but still it was nice that he even thought about us enough to reject us.


The following are pictures of my new room. Please notice the bold choice for my walls. I hope this doesn't end up driving me insane!





And here's video of the record player in motion!

Speaking in Images

My headaches and words escape me.