Jack Black bermain didalam film garapan sutradara Michel Gondry, dengan judul: Be Kind Rewind. Judul yang mengungkit kata "rewind" itu memang terkait dengan masalah kaset rekaman.

Ceritanya: Jack Black berteman dengan Mos Def yang berperan sebagai Mike (Mos Def pernah bermain di film The Italian Job) penjaga toko penyewaan kaset VHS. Suatu saat ketika toko tersebut sedang dilanda krisis dan sang pemilik pun (Danny Gloover sebagai Mr. Fletcher) mencari inspirasi untuk mengembangkan tokonya agar keluar dari krisis. DIsaat akan berangkat beliau berpesan kepada Mike begini: Keep Jerry (Jack Black) Out!

Ya, Mr. Fletcher kurang begitu senang dengan Jerry yang bernatakan dan amburadul, sebab dia percaya bahwa Jerry selalu bawa sial, dan menurutnya tokonya akan sial dan terus dilanda krisis jika Jerry memasukinya. Lalu suatu malam Mike yang belum menyadari pesan dari Mr. Fletcher seutuhnya (Keep Jerry Out!) diajak oleh Jerry untuk mencuri sumber listrik yang akan dialiri ke toko Mr. Fletcher, agar tagihan listriknya tidak membengkak. Niat yang tulus dari Jerry tersebut disambut baik oleh Mike meskipun agak takut-takut dan tidak yakin. Tetapi ditengah misi yang sedang berlangsung, bisikan-bisikan alam mengenai pesan dari Mr. Fletcher akhirnya terbaca oleh Mike yang kemudian memutuskan untuk mengehentikan misi dan membiarkan Jerry ditengah-tengah power plant (menara sumber listrik). Jerry pun yang ketakutan karena ditinggal sendiri dengan sembrononya marah-marah dan merusak power plant hingga menyetrumnya.

Keesokkan harinya Jerry kembali ke toko Mr. FLetcher dan bertemu dengan Mike dalam keadaan bermagnet. Hal luar biasa yang tidak disadari baik Mike dan Jerry sekalipun (karena dikira oleh Jerry dia hanya sekadar masuk angin), malah berbuah kekacauan. Segala benda elektronik yang disentuhnya tiba-tiba rusak, termasuk semua kaset VHS yang memang tidak boleh didekatkan dengan benda-benda bermagnet bahkan hingga Tv sekalipun: semua rusak.

Ditengah tuntutan para pecinta film yang ingin menyewa, kenyataan bahwa semua kaset sudah rusak dan bagaimana dengan masalah pemasukan nantinya, membuat dua orang ini berpikir untuk membuat versi "sweeded" kaset-kaset film yang sudah tidak sengaja rusak tersebut.

Sweeded adalah ide yang tiba-tiba muncul dibenak mereka ketika harus menamai film-film buatan tangan mereka itu. Dengan alasan bahwa film itu di import dari Swiss dan itu sangat jauh, sehingga harus dikenai harga yang mahal, maka jadilah sweeded.

Sungguh alasan yang sangat dibuat-buat, namun sudah dasar kepalang tanggung dan semua orang di kawasan tersebut menyukai film "sweeded" mereka, Jerry, Mike dan toko rental Mr. Fletcher menjadi begitu terkenal sejagad Amerika Serikat. Tetapi cerita pun terus berlangsung. Krisis toko mereka sepertinya semakin membahayakan.

Begitulah ringkasan film tersebut. Sungguh bagus untuk ditonton. Menyegarkan, penuh ide dan kelucuan. Pertama saya menonton film Be Kind Rewind, saya pikir film itu bakal kurang seheboh film School of Rock yang dimainkan oleh Jack Black. Tetapi, film ini tertata dengan baik dan membuat penonton semakin penasaran dengan jalan ceritanya yang terus mengalir.

Although I had some high expectations for this film, I thought it would be more likely I would be leaving the cinema after the film disappointed with the story and structure rather than the jokes. But tbh I just didn't find it that funny, only the odd scene here and there, shame. Similar to my opinion of 'Be Kind Rewind', it failed to live to it's potential.

+ Some good scenes, story not as daft as expecting, good comic performances away from the big three (Jack Black, Robert Downey Jnr. and Ben Stiller).

- Failed to live up to expectations especially when it came to the comedy, didn't laugh as much as I should've done with Jack Black and Ben Stiller in a film together.

5/10

O primeiro foi aquele que eu mencionei no post anterior, In Search of a Midnight Kiss. Não é um filme genial. Mas é um filme muito bacana. Feito com pouco dinheiro (pode ter custado de 12 a 20 mil dólares, depende de pra quem você perguntar), mas com bastante coração. É isso que dá pra ver na tela. Alguns críticos aqui disseram que o filme é uma mistura de Antes do Amanhecer com O Balconista com Manhattan. Acho um exagero. A comparação com o filme de Richard Linklater é válida por ter uma premissa similar (duas pessoas andando pela cidade e conversando) e por ter sido feito por pessoas da mesma faculdade que Linklater frequentou. Na verdade, o filme tem a mesma produtora executiva de Antes do Amanhecer e muitos outros filmes do diretor texano. Já os outros dois filmes, nem tanto. Não é porque ele é branco-e-preto, tem piadas sujas e fotografa bem a cidade (com uma câmera HDV prosumer da Sony) que a comparação é mais válida.

Enfim, é um filme muito bonito. Não é um filme para revolucionar o cinema, mas é um filme que me fez gostar de estar assistindo ele. É um filme de amor, não só no tema, mas na própria concepção. O diretor/roteirista havia acabado de passar um ano terrível, estava sem dinheiro, sem nada. Até que um dia um amigo diretor de fotografia apareceu na casa dele com a câmera dizendo "vamos filmar alguma coisa". Aí ele escreveu o roteiro, se afundou em dívidas e fez o filme.

Enquanto assistia esse filme, não pude deixar de lembrar de outro - A Garota de Marte. O filme que nunca foi, mas poderia ter sido. As coincidências entre os dois filmes são diversas. O suficiente para me fazer ver algumas cenas e em alguns momentos deixar de prestar atenção no filme para assistir um na minha cabeça, que era mais curto e se passava em São Paulo. Foi o produtor desse filme, meu amigo Chelo, que me disse que tava apostando que quando as pessoas assistissem veriam o amor na tela. Talvez algum dia elas ainda vejam. Eu vi em In Search of a Midnight Kiss e pra mim valeu demais.

O outro filme eu vi hoje. Foi um que eu esperava há muito tempo, Be Kind Rewind. Pra quem não sabe, é o mais recente do diretor Michel Gondry. Seu filme anterior, The Science of Sleep, não agradou muita gente mas pra mim é um belo filme. Be Kind Rewind é igualmente belo, mas tem mais problemas que me incomodam.

É muito divertido ver Jack Black e Mos Def recriando filmes famosos, mas isso não dura muito. A impressão que eu tive ao ver o filme é que o diretor deve ter passado por muitos problemas na produção, problemas que não deixaram ele desenvolver plenamente todos os temas que queria abordar. Há muitas coisas no filme que parecem fora de lugar, o filme acaba parecendo uma colcha de retalhos um tanto estranha.

Mas apesar disso tudo, há algo que me cativou muito nesse filme, além das piadas engraçadas e as cenas inventivas que já esperamos de Gondry. É justamente aquilo que me fez querer escrever sobre este filme junto com In Search...: o amor pelo cinema. O filme é um grande elogio ao amor por fazer filmes. À vontade tão grande a ponto de fazer de qualquer jeito que seja possível, lançando de mão de qualquer coisa que estiver disponível para criar. Pessoas unidas pela vontade de fazer algo, dando tudo que podem dar de si. Quando acabou o filme, juro que fiquei me sentindo mal por não simplesmente pegar uma câmera e filmar.

Be Kind Rewind

IMDB

(Michel Gondry, 2008)

2.0/5.0

Son of Rambow

IMDB

(Garth Jennings, 2007)

3.0/5.0

Pairing movies together thematically because I'm so far behind in posting reviews.

Hey, we love movies. Let's make our own!

I've been carried away by the whimsy of Michel Gondry in the past, but I still feel his best work has been in short-form, specifically in music videos and commercials. He became widely acclaimed for his 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, where Jim Carrey, Tom Wilkinson and Kate Winslet were able to bring heart to the messy closet that is Gondry's creative vision. In Be Kind Rewind, Gondry unfortunately gives the reins to two non-actors (Jack Black and Mos Def), who are thrilled to go for the wild ride, but unable to ground any of it in reality. What's left is a lot of brilliant and creative ideas tacked together with an underwritten story and amateur performances from the professionals. However, the "Sweding" sequences, where Def and Black boil down popular movies to their core and refilm them guerrilla-style, are eye-popping and inspirational. So inspirational, in fact, that if you search for the term "Sweded" on YouTube, you'll be treated to real-life individuals who've taken the movie's message to heart. Influencing others to create is never a bad thing, so kudos to BKR, at least in that respect.

Son of Rambow takes a different approach. Two awkward English boys form a friendship while writing and creating their video response to 1982's First Blood, the first Stallone/Rambo film. I looked up director Garth Jennings' profile and sure enough, my hunch was right: we're the same age, both born in 1972. I suspected this because my childhood was colored by the original First Blood much like the boys in the film. Cable was new in our neighborhood, as was VHS, and First Blood thrived on both, particularly among prepubescent boys. It was an adult movie, that explained to kids certain adult matters. Watching that movie felt like an elaborate game of cowboys and Indians, and it was my first exposure to the effect of the Vietnam War. Kids played Rambo for a couple of summers by hiking up their shirt sleeves, tying bandannas around their heads, and generally running wild, felling trees and scaring the elderly.

I know the friendship of boys playing war and the film captures it with ease. The two leads (Bill Milner, and especially Will Poulter) come off as genuine kids who desire to recapture Rambo in their own movie. Their friendship is tested when others get wind of the project and threaten to derail the whole matter, but essentially, the folly of movie-making boils down to the relationship that is born out of it. It's sweet without being icky or sentimental, and it uses the device of mimicking art to reflect the impact of movies on our interpersonal relations.

One can't help but wonder what the upcoming Fanboys will teach us about how Star Wars effected our view of international politics.

Be Kind Rewind is a film, if you have not seen or heard of it, about an old Video store which is lacking money and needs renovations to continue running. Unfortunately, it doesn't begin well, when Jack Black, one of the main characters, wipes all the tapes when he strangely gets magnetized by a huge electricity generator. It's strange, I know, but from here it begins to get interesting.

Over the next hour of the film, they decide that to continue business they must re-record these famous films that have come out over the years, and to be honest, even though it wasn't as funny as expected it was still a joy to watch how they did it, and their enthusiasm towards it. They soon became popular amongst the people, who found their home-made, 20 odd minute editions of these films hilarious and soon enough, they decided to include these people in the films, decrease the times and earn more money.

I won't tell you how it ends, there really is no point. I just wanted to point out how interesting and inspirational this was to a 15 year old like myself, and how filming can be enjoyable to film and watch. It's given me a lot of ideas for projects to do next summer, if I've been able to buy a video-camera and some software to edit it upon. It really is a good job I got close friends with high knowledge of the stuff though, because I'd just buy the one which looked awesome.

Anyway, however meaningly pointless telling you all that was, I just thought it was something worthwhile for the blog.

Thanks for reading,

H.I. (Tom)

Rating: *  *  *

Verdict: An incredibly flawed film. But one that charms the cynics and invites you to a childhood world-of-oz.

From the childhoods of Hammer and Tongs, SON OF RAMBOW is a charming account of one Hellraiser and one Brethrenboy united to win a BBC filmmaking competition, by filming an homage to First Blood with home video equipment.

Packaged with love for filmmaking, the film is an incredibly flawed work that pollutes a brilliant premise with totally uninteresting subplots -- Why did Hammer and Tongs stray from the on screen Making Of with a one man Flock of Seagulls from France and an exclusive Plymouth Brethren?

Nevertheless, the passion behind the work of writer-director Garth Jennings is both infectious and nowhere to be found in dreadful Be Kind Rewind by Michel Gondry.

It's a fun idea but quite awkwardly staged and, in the end, not particularly engaging. Part of the problem may be the film's status as a British-French co-production; the introduction of a French schoolboy seems unnecessary to the plot and only adds to the overall raggedness of the production. -- From David Stratton's review.

Wonderfully acted by Bill Milner as Will Proudfoot and Will Poulter as Lee Carter. They're the most entertaining personalities of the story. Both characters have undeniable heart and tenacity. They're trapped in the childhood world of OZ. And pride themselves in imagination, Will sketches storyboards in his Bible and Lee wears a military trenchcoat...

They're sometimes hammy in the roles of protagonists, but when their friendship is tested, it is lovely to watch them apply adult sensibilities, and confess adoration, even though they cannot rescue the story from predictability and an excess of syrup.

SON OF RAMBOW achieves impact with wonderfully whimsical sequences that convey overactive imagination. But each subplot is handled inelegantly by Garth Jennings who obviously favored incongruous scenes in the cutting room.

And like his redundant debut feature The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, there's an abundance of irritating, twee sight gags --

On set antics are contained in passing moments, glossed over by cutaways and short scenes -- this draws attention away from the dramatic conceit of the film -- the kid-fueled production of an homage to First Blood...

The film understands that movies about movies sometimes overkill in-house references for the cinephiles (though some more would've been nice). But scores points for a wry reference to the classic Barbara Streisand picture Yentyl.

The result is a sweet and satisfying retreat to childhood with moments of genuine charm. Made for the Sunday Night Family Movie.

IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0845046/

Rotten Tomatoes: 75%

Cast: Bill Milner, Will Poulter

Director: Garth Jennings

Screenplay: Garth Jennings

Director of Photography: Jess Hall

Running Time: 91 mins

Rating: PG (violence)

Screening: Rialto

Hip Hop Minute will be a continous section where I'll randomly highlight one of my favorite hip hop artists. The first person I will highlight today is the infamous Mos Def. Arguably one of the best rappers in the game today, Mos Def has been a subtle force to be reckon with from his music to his acting to perhaps, even his political commentary. Below are youtube videos that showcase his multiple talents. Enjoy!

Mos Def in Music

Respiration by Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Common

Mathematics by Mos Def from Black on Both Sides

Ghetto Rock by Mos Def from The New Danger LP

Lifetime by Mos Def from Tru Magic LP

Mos Def in Film

Something The Lord Made

The Woodsman

16 Blocks

Be Kind Rewind

Mos Def in Spoken Word

Love Rain by Jill Scott featuring Mos Def

Mos Def in Political Commentary

Mos Def and Cornell West on Real Time with Bill Maher

Além de baterista, Gondry também criava os vídeos da Oui Oui e começava a criar um estilo (ou seria mais correto dizer vários?) que viraria sua marca registrada alguns anos mais tarde. 

Oui Oui, com Ma Maison, de 1990:

E Bolide, de 1986:

I now have bags under my bags because it was so hard to get to sleep last night with an exploding head, and it's much more difficult than one would imagine, trying to sleep on a hot water bottle, due to their wibblesome nature.  I am getting better at it though.  I may write a letter to the olympic committee suggesting it for a new sporting event.  One at which I would shine, naturally.

We watched 'Be Kind, Rewind' last night with the kids.  It was an odd film.  It was directed by Michel Gondry. Gondry makes superb music videos.  He did The Hardest Button to Button by the White Stripes and tons of stuff for Bjork, Daft Punk and The Chemical Brothers.  His work is fantastically innovative, and consequently, widely copied.  He also made the film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind', which I thought was fantastic.  I had great hopes of Be Kind.  They weren't really realised.  I think the problem was that although it was really funny in places and really clever, it was too much like a pop video and not enough like a film and it sort of petered out rather than having a proper ending.  I do like a good ending.  Also, I'm not over thrilled by Jack Black.  I know this is an unpopular opinion in the main.  Lots of people think Jack Black is hilarious.  I'm just not one of them.  I can stomach him in small, controlled clumps, but too much of him has my finger itching for the 'Stop, let's just watch Property Ladder' button.  The kids liked it though and it had the advantages of stopping them lamping each other, which they had spent most of the evening previously trying to do, and it wasn't a Disney film.

While I was steaming my head, Jason and I watched 'In Bruges' starring Colin Farrell and Ralph Fiennes.  I mostly heard it actually, because my face was under a towel being slowly boiled to death, but you get the idea.  It's an odd little film, about two hitmen, one of whom is Colin, who botch a job and are sent to Bruges to lie low.  Fiennes plays their crazy boss, who is obsessed by the wonders of Bruges and thinks he is sending them there for a little treat before setting them on to do their next hit.  It has midgets on ketamine in it, which I think is a fair indicator that it is not just your average heist type film.  If you like your films dark, funny and a bit perturbing, it's the one for you.

Bin day today and my recycling is going well.  Normally our regular bin is overflowing and today it is only half full.  I am rather impressed of me.  The garage is now full of plastic all waiting to go to the tip, but never mind.  I also have high hopes for my compost.  We're planning on doing a bit more to the garden in the next couple of weeks, building a new raised bed.  I'm looking forward to forcing the children to compost it for me.  It fills my heart with Percy Thrower like joy. AND, i resisted my usual gossip magazine temptations in town yesterday.  Of course there's a long way to go before the week finishes, so I could crack. I really shouldn't count my chickens...

Now I've got Tilly reasonably settled at school, Tallulah has now decided that she doesn't want to go.  Several times this week she has mentioned that she doesn't want to go because she would rather stay at home with me.  It's not like her.  At first I dismissed it because I thought she had been watching the attention that Tilly got and thinking that she could get a few more strokes doing the same thing, but now I'm not so sure.  She was very quiet on the way in this morning, and just before she got to the door she announced that she didn't like school anymore and that she would rather be at home with her family.  She seemed resigned when I told her that she had to go, which is also not like her.  Normally she would fight to the death for her right to disagree violently with what I pronounce from on high.  I think I may have to go and have a chat with her teachers.

She is doing really well, earning lots of merit points, being enthusiastic about her homework and the work she brings home to show me.  I can only assume it is to do with friends or the lack thereof.  She can be quite difficult to befriend because she is so fiery and always right.  At school though she is usually a model child and behaves herself wonderfully.  We always get glowing reports and last year we were inundated with friends coming round for tea and playdates, much to our total surprise.  I'm quite puzzled.  I think I will definitely collar the teacher tomorrow morning and see what she says.

If it's not one it's the other.  Sometimes child rearing reminds me rather of that game that people play in amusement arcades where you have to hit the gophers on the head with a big mallet just as they pop up out of their holes.  No sooner have you bashed one into submission than the next one pops up under the radar.

we gotta get past the race issue in America. its 2008...i mean come on. im not gonna touch to much on that subject because thats a whole nother post.

i watched be kind rewind earlier today. i remember when it first arrived into theaters. the critics were bashing it saying it was one of Micheal Gondry's worst films. personally, i think its pretty good with great roles from Danny Glover, Mos Def, and Jack Black....i think thats his name...(googlin)....yeah thats it.  i enjoyed that movie, might even buy it one day.

the world is not living in the present right now i feel because ive discovered a lot of shit here recently thats been pretty good. music, film, food..you name it. so as of today, im not listening to society anymore...i am definitely open to opinions but making my own judgment. i admit i should have been doing it before but i wasn't as strict with it...*stuck on words*

until the entry...

I attempted to fight off the din for an hour or so managing to get a few minutes of shut eye during each pause pregnant with the possibility of an even greater pandemonium. I even managed a quick dream in which I was trying to cross a desolate two lane blacktop under the cover of night only to be repeatedly discouraged by the threat of nearly invisible motorcycles racing by without headlights on. Though I'm not quite sure what it meant...I think the motorcycle noise just came from the jackhammering and the crossing the road part was me trying to get back to sleep.

Defeated at 9:20am I awoke to face the week...the summer gone...but this is not a moment to fret over the passing time. It's time to celebrate that which has most recently passed as is the tradition with all weekend recaps.

The lengthy labor day festivities got off to an early start on Thursday night as a group of friends gathered at Kishore's to watch Andy and Jeff's latest television triumph, Jacked, a reality show about the vehicle theft police unit in Newark, NJ. Prior to the airing of the show we did what we usually do when the weather is nice and we're in a Fort Greene apartment with a back yard and grill...and barbecued up some meat and burgers and various other forms of tasty goodness.

When the time came we settled in Kishore's sunken living room, Jayvalyn, Jeff, Andy, Andrea, Enisha, Suli, Miller, Flosario, Rich, Lina, Dmitry, and Nina to watch Jacked on A&E projected on the living room wall. I have to say, I think if you have a big blank wall a projector is a more than quality investment. It makes watching anything on TV that much more enjoyable and cinematic. The show itself was interesting enough. It was semi-fascinating to see how Cops in Newark spot stolen cars and then go about boxing them in, but I can't believe that any of the episodes are going to be drastically different from each other. That being said, I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I'm sort of thinking that the show will end up going into the category of yet another of the long list of shows about professions we don't need to know about, but seeing as my friends work on it, I remain cautiously optimistic that it will end up being better than that.

After Jacked ended we watched Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech. Miller left because he has insane political beliefs and was just going to end up saying stupid things all speech that no one wanted to listen to. I sort of give him credit for not staying around and ruining it for everyone else.

I'll say this, whether you like Barack Obama or not or believe he can do the job of President of The United States of America or not, the man can give an eloquent and stirring speech. I think he hit on all of the key points he had to in order to give himself a bit of a boost in his race for the White House. I still remain pessimistic of his chances, despite being the slight front runner for the sole reason that the Republicans are better at mobilizing people out of fear of things they should not be afraid of.

Political blah-blahs aside...after the speech, it was time to walk home after that and ready for the rest of the weekend. While everyone got the remainder of their work week out of the way on Friday, I sort of gave myself a day off from responsibility because I had been very productive the day before. I had sent out a book proposal and felt really great about finally just sending it to someone. To celebrate my forward progress, I met with my brother for lunch at Delicatessen and took a walk to Strand where I picked up three new books on the cheap: Salinger's Franny & Zooey, Twain's Roughing It, and Murakami's The Wind Up Bird Chronicles. It always feels good to have a nice little reading queue all ready.

I returned home to Brooklyn after my Strand run, ready for the evening. I waited it out a few hours before making it to Filler and Jenny's at 7pm for our friend Robert's 26th birthday. The party didn't start at 7pm, but me, Filler, and Arby grilled up some sausages for dinner and watched the Mets game before the proceedings began.

Slowly but surely partygoers arrived and Marie and Abbi began to fashion Robert's birthday cake. During our time watching the Olympic Opening Ceremonies, I learned that Robert was fascinated with Denmark, and in tribute to Robert's fascination with Denmark, the birthday cake was done up in the shape of a castle with Danish flags complete with a champagne mote, and a graham cracker drawbridge. It was quite the cake-complishment.

The party itself was quite the pleasant and amicable affair, with plenty of enjoyable conversation in the backyard and I believe we may have even delved into the merits of Guns 'n' Roses "November Rain". There were certain a wide variety of pop culture conversations, much of which was between myself and Robert's roommate Megan about our 3am HBO2 viewing habits. Undoubtedly though, the star of the night was the birthday boy Robert and his Castle Cake with Champagne Mote.

I'm not sure what time I left but it was probably around 2am or so. I didn't sleep as late as I thought I would on Saturday. I suppose that's because we had a party to get ready for. My housemates and I were having our end of the summer bash to celebrate my roommate Mike's 30th birthday as well as the arrival of our new roommate Sarah and there was cleaning to be done. Mike and Laura did a bang up job on the deck making it cleaner than it has been on years. I cleaned the grill and some of the chairs, a little bit of the kitchen, and of course my room which could perennially be described as in a state of squalor.

The first person to arrive on the scene were Pete and Dan. I was a little out of it at the time they showed up, but I think they played a role in getting the keg to the house as well as the projector. The get together was supposed to start at 6:30pm, but Suli showed up at 6 thinking he was fashionably late only to be rebuffed with the fact that the party hadn't yet begun. We sat on the porch for a little bit hanging out, but then joined Dan and Andrew who had just shown up in projecting cheesy music videos off of youtube from Dan's computer onto the wall, which was hilarious. As the party began and people started to file in they saw Paula Abdul's Opposites Attract playing on the wall, as well as the theme from Vanilla Ice's "Cool As Ice" amongst various other past hits. That later gave way to the DVD of The Song Remains The Same, which seemed to have lasted the duration of the entire party.

Soon enough our apartment was overflowing with people. Many were familiar faces and many I had never seen before. i guess that's what happens when you have four other roommates and they invite their friends over. Nonetheless, it was a peaceful, fun, get together. I felt like I was running around like a chicken with his head cut off trying to talk to everyone and so I didn't really spend any quality time with a single person. Either way, I spent the evening fully entertained as I intermingled with various groups of my own friends and others. There's worse ways to spend a saturday evening than being surrounded by great people. There was even some live band karaoke type thing going on as Mike played the drums and Pete the guitar for a sing-a-long rendition of Baba O'Riley.

Towards the end of the night after the beer well had run dry, some time after what might have been called the witching hour, there was more fun to be had with youtube projections as we dance and rocked out to Phil Collins "Easy Lover". Andrew, Dan, Pete, Laura, myself, and an unknown mystery girl who knew our names despite us not knowing hers were somewhat out of our minds as we put on the "November Rain" video and performed along with it.

After the last element of sing-a-long disintegrated, someone thought it would be a good idea to go to Union Hall and get a drink. As we arrived there they announced last call. We all grabbed a beer to finish the exhaustingly fun evening. However, I was still oddly curious as to who this mystery girl was. I asked Pete, Dan, Laura, and Andrew, and none of them knew her name even though she was one of the earliest and last people at the party. It was funny that a stranger had been so active in the waning hours of the evening, but as long as she was having fun I suppose. A few days later I learned it was Marissa and was a friend of someone that Mike worked with or something. Whatever, it's cool.

I woke up close to 2pm on Sunday afternoon. The previous evening at the party I had told my friend Lauren and her brother Nick that there was a 95% chance of me attending their get together the next day. When I awoke I knew that number was closer to zero. Thankfully, we had dealt with most of the bottles the evening before and by the time I woke the apartment had been cleaned, because I had no energy with which to do so. I more or less spent the entire day in the safe confines of my bedroom recovering. I did walk to get food and eventually around 10pm, my roommate Sarah joined me to watch Be Kind Rewind.

My slovenly Sunday made for a slightly more active labor day. I woke up at a reasonable hour and futzed around for a bit. I went to the upper west side for lunch at 3:30 with my cousin steve and from there I found my way over to Morwin's for a labor day BBQ that had much of the same cast as the get together that kicked off the long weekend on Thursday. Again, we partook in meat and enjoyed each other's company. I only stayed for about three hours but it was quality time, much of which was marked by my hummin of the guitar part to "November Rain". I even got a new book idea out of it. It never hurts to have a bevy of projects you want to work on. Anyway, that was it...that was Labor day weekend. Everybody get back to work and stop reading this. It's business time, not summertime.

My question is, does sweding have to be completed at the production phase? Why not write your high-concept script with the swede already in mind. To me, this seems like a great approach to writing for web content, which often plays up the no-budgety feel to appeal to the DIY crowd.

So maybe you should write the swede into your next short. Instead of writing about a spaceship, describe its cardboard exterior and the glimpse of your cat in the background. This would give more structure the "swede" since every element will be intentional rather than out of necessity. I certainly am going to give this a try.

And after all, didn't Gondry have to script those swedes in the first place?

BONUS - An example of a YouTube swede:

Il lavoro di Mike e Jerry viene apprezzato, tanto che la strampalata coppia decide di continuare con lo “sweding”: così i due definiscono l’attività di creare remake amatoriali. Lungo l’elenco dei film taroccati: “Il Re Leone”, “Robocop”, “2001 Odissea nello spazio”, “Rush Hour 2”, “King Kong”, “Men in Black” e “Carrie, lo sguardo di Satana”. Secondo il classico schema di Propp, a interrompere il momento idillico interverranno alcune complicazioni ma il lieto fine è assicurato.

Perché parlo di “Be Kind Rewind”? Beh, perché suggerisce come risolvere la querelle tra Rai e Lega Calcio in merito alla diffusione in chiaro degli highlights delle partite del campionato 2008/09. Come noto, l’offerta della Rai (Mediaset è poco interessata) è stata giudicata insufficiente, per cui domenica la storica trasmissione radiofonica “Tutto il calcio minuto per minuto” non andrà in onda per la prima volta dopo decenni e le immagini delle partite dovranno passare all’interno del Tg della sera per non più di 4 minuti… Come può il buon Massimo De Luca, Direttore di Rai Sport, evitare di passare alla storia come l’orco capace di privare gli italiani del piacere dei goal domenicali senza cedere al ricatto economico della Lega Calcio? Semplice, assoldando squadre di amatori che mettano in scena, con tutti i limiti del caso, le azioni più significative delle singole partite. Qualcosa di simile era stato proposto anche in una delle prime stagioni di “Quelli che il calcio”, con ex calciatori diretti dal coach/coreografo Gigi Maifredi. Perché non riprovare? Con i soldi risparmiati si potrebbero acquistare i diritti di alcuni sport cosiddetti minori, ma meritevoli di maggior attenzione… Caro Massimo, dimostri un po’ di coraggio e di ironia!

The Apprentice

Trama travisatissima per voi.

Passaic, New Jersey: l'ultimo baluardo contro la modernità. Gli abitanti sono quasi tutti anziani e la tecnologia li spaventa. Quindi resistono i negozi di videonoleggio con le videocassette come quella del Signor Fletcher e gli edifici fatiscenti ma pieni di storia. Non importa che sia puramente inventata quanto quella del balcone di Giulietta a Verona: è comunque storia. :D

Ma i tempi cambiano ovunque e il nuovo avanza: a Passaic è in atto una rivalutazione edilizia che non tiene in nessun conto il passato e quindi nemmeno il palazzo cadente in cui c'è il negozio.

Per far fronte ai costi di ristrutturazione, il signor Fletcher pensa di adeguarsi e accettare il compromesso. Lascia il negozio a Mike e parte per un Know-how fai-da-te per vedere come viene gestito un moderno esercizio come il Blockbuster.

Prima di partire si premura di lasciare un misterioso messaggio a Mike: "PEEK YRREJ TUO". Ma i danni sono inevitabili e come una valanga sono sempre più grossi.

Jerry cancella tutti i nastri e i due amici decidono che l'unico modo per riparare al danno e rigirare i film da loro. La moda dei film maroccati (sweded in originale) prende piede e poi dilaga fino a New York.

Ma non può durare. Arrivano i legali degli Studios è dichiarano illegali le opere di Mike e Jerry. Cosa rimane? Cosa si può raccontare che non sia già stato detto? Beh, rimane la storia di Fats Wallace, fantomatico musicista jazz che ha reso grande Passaic. Perché non raccontarla? Come dice Miss Falewicz: "Il passato ci appartiene e possiamo cambiarlo come ci piace" :D

Wilson: Are you the Key Holder or the Gate Keeper?

Jerry: [Alma is providing the voices for "The Lion King"] Listen to me. I need to you say the line. I need you to say "I will piss on the bones of your ancestors"...
Mike: No, no! That's not in the movie!
Jerry: [interrupts] This is the next Lion King. This is Part II.
Alma: Roar! I will piss on the bones of your ancestors!

Miss Falewicz: The past belongs to us, and we can change it.

Jag trodde Michel Gondrys Be Kind Rewind skulle vara någon slags Clerks där Jack Black och Mos Def springer runt i wellpapp och spelar in nya versioner av klassiska filmer. Istället kändes det lite mer som en Empire Records. Den lilla videobutiken med bara VHS som kämpar för sin överlevnad mot överheter som stora kedjor och politiker som vill röja upp i slummen. Inte för att det gjorde filmen dålig, jag blev bara förvånad. Ibland fantiserar men ihop vad en film ska handla om, och får något helt annat när man väl ser den.

Men varför måste Jack Black alltid sjunga och dansa i varenda film han är med i? Något sorts jävla ticks eller? Lägg av!

Sometimes the best movies are the ones you make

Be Kind Rewind

Dando vueltas por YouTube se puede encontrar casi todo lo que ha sido grabado, desde un barco chocando con un puente hasta 66,800 videos de Funny Cats. A su vez, YouTube ha empezado nuevos movimientos, insertandose como una parte escencial de nuestra cultura, casi como decir googlealo decir "Esta en Youtube"  se ha vuelto algo de todos los días."if you love it... Swede it" un lema que sigue la tendencia de que la única manera de mejorar una película que te gusta es reactuandola tú mismo.

La tendencia se le atribuye a Jack Black y a Def Mos que pusieron los trailers de sus peliculas Swedeadas a YouTube, y venden en DVD y BlueRay las películas completas, o bien verlas gratis en su página , en realidad, la mayoría de las películas que son convertidas en Suecas no se venden , son solamente por amor al arte, dichas películas se caracterizan por tener grandes errores de actuación, diseño, trama, vestuario, personificación, secuencia, fotografía, reparto, historia, acción, tiempo, tensión dramatica y díalogos. Por eso es que son fantásticas, porque estan mal hechas, son divertidas y son parodias que insultan al cine de toda una nación. Hurra.

Entre mis favoritas estan las siguientes:

Titanic: sin mencionar la íncreible resemblanza de Rose con uno de los apóstoles la película esta bien muy mal planeada. Muy Sueca, la mejor parte es escucharlos cantar.

Star Wars (Sweden) a Carboard Hope: la música es sensacional, los efectos especiales, la trama, debería de ganar por lo menos 5 Óscares suecos.

Jurassic Park

The Dark Knight (CCCC): Bruce Wayne ressort le costume pour débarrasser les rues de Gotham City du mal qui le ronge et se retrouve confronté au Joker.
Un film fort attendu, n°1 au top Imdb, des louanges, beaucoup de louanges. Qu'en est-il réellement ? Eh bien, le film est très bien. Long dans sa durée, mais le rythme ne ralentit pas vraiment. C'est un visionnage assez prenant, alors fatigant, mais dans le bon sens du terme. C'est maitrisé, il y a des rebondissements qu'on voit venir, et d'autres non (chacun sa mise, je n'ai pas deviné les mêmes que d'autres).
Le film respecte la directive prise par Nolan dans son premier opus, à part que cette fois-ci, c'est encore plus imposant.

Be Kind, Rewind (CC): Que se passe-t-il quand on tient une vieille boutique de location de cassettes et qu'elles se retrouvent toutes effacées ? On refait les films. Voici un peu l'idée de base d'un film que je pourrais presque qualifier de familial. Cela ne dépasse jamais le stade du sympa, offrant un visionnage décontracté, il y a de bonnes blagues, quand ils refont les films, surtout dans les premiers.

Asterix aux Jeux olympiques (C): on termine avec le pire du lot, sans pitch de base, car c'est mauvais, alors ça ne vaut pas la peine que je le fasse. Je peux juste le déconseiller, c'est tout, car c'est un peu une perte de temps. Poelvoorde nous fait son Poelvoorde, mais de façon assez lourde, et c'est lui qu'on voit le plus. 90% de l'humour tombe à plat, car c'est lourd, et le film, quand il devrait enfin s'achever en rajoute une couche totalement inutile pendant un bon quart d'heure.
Sérieux, dois je continuer ou tout le monde a compris ?