So Looking Forward to May!

Whew. I think, I hope, I have completed my coursework at BU for my Masters. I submitted my last paper just today, and it felt GREAT (and a little scary)!!! I'm hoping to have that degree in, oh, I guess 2 weeks time - just a year delayed.

The month of April has been INSANE - super hectic on all fronts - hence the lack of blog posts since April 8. There was this little event called the TCM Classic Film Festival (1st ever) out in Hollywood - and though I did not get to go - the week proved to be the busiest I've been at work in a loooooooooooong time. The quiet was nice, the extra money was awesome, but I've put my bid in for next year, and I plan to have first-hand documentation of the 2nd Film Fest. The out pour of appreciation for the Festival was overwhelming. I mean, I know people like TCM, but I never knew HOW MUCH! I have a job that actually means something to a lot of people. It's nice to know that my obsession with Classic Movies is not in vain, and a ton of folks out there feel the same way!

Mainly as a way to avoid the work I should have been doing, I've been watching movies and tv shows via the beauty of Netflix Instant Play (most especially WEEDS which I am a bit addicted to - haha, funny, get it, Addicted to...). However, one date night consisted of a trip to the cinema to see a movie I did not choose, and one I'm still trying to decide about. The movie was Kick-Ass, and I have to say, I did not hate it. It was pretty hilarious in parts, horribly violent and graphic in others, but overall, it made me laugh at the absurdity of it all. And  yes, Nic Cage was in it, but he didn't ruin the movie! When the usher tore the tickets and saw Kick-Ass on them he said, "Ah yeah - I liked this movie." Which I replied, "Really, even though Nic Cage is in it?" And laughing, he responded with, "It works because he's got the weird mustache going on." Indeed. And I have to say, the usher was right: I kinda liked the movie, too. I'm sure you all know, but just to be clear, Kick-Ass is definitely NOT a kids' movie. The best description I can give, which is not mine, but I'm stealing it: "It's kinda like South Park for superhero movies." Tru. Nuff.

Okay, that's all I can post right now. I'm looking forward to May, and hopefully the return of normalcy. We have a shoot on Monday, and I'm producing two of the pieces. Lots of work, but the people are really great! I'll write more about that later. Enjoy the weekend!

My Most Favorite Shoes

I had to share this great article Dr. Martens Article I just read from the NYT Magazine because it conjures up such good memories for me. God, I can't even begin to explain how much I loved Dr. Martens back in the day. The Nineties were AMAZING. The music. My So-Called Life. Bill Clinton. No REAL responsibility yet. Dr. Martens! You know, sometimes being a kid has its perks.

Of course there was the time when I thought my life was over. My parents, younger sister, and I moved from Georgia north to Illinois in the middle of my freshman year of high school, and a month or so before my 15th birthday. Let's just say, I took the move hard. Though I never saw a therapist, I'm pretty sure I could've been diagnosed as clinically depressed. It sucked. But the purpose of this post is not to vent my teenage woes; rather it's to share that in the center of our new town was a store that specialized in Dr. Martens (pretty much my mecca at that point in life other than the 5 story Dr. Martens flagship store in Covent Garden in London which, like the small store in Geneva, no longer exists. Le sigh). For my birthday that year I really, really wanted this specific pair of Docs. They were rusty, orangey wingtips and while they may not have looked it, were uber comfy. Because he felt somewhat guilty and bad about uprooting my sister and I, my Dad fulfilled my wish and bought me the (overpriced) shoes. I wore those things out. I wore them EVERYWHERE not really caring if they went with the rest of the ensemble or not. I mean, I wore those soles out to the point that when my parents moved to Cape Cod 7 years later, my mom gladly took it upon herself and threw those puppies out -- probably a moment of pure satisfaction for her because she hated those thick soled British-made shoes. But God. I loved them.

Those wingtips were not my only pair of Docs. I had boots and sandals which I also wore to the point of death -- I trekked all over Europe in one pair of Doc sandals and never got a blister. But those rusty orange wingtips are very dear to my heart and I'll remember them fondly. The above picture is the closest thing, syle-wise, I could find. But the color's way wrong. If you knew me back in the day, you know the footwear to which I'm referring, and I'm sure you loved them almost as much as I :)

I Wish I Could See It On The Big Screen.

I think the title of this post sums up my view of Days of Heaven really well. The 1978 Terrence Malick period drama, photographed by Academy Award winning cinematographer Nestor Almendros, starring a young Sam Shepard and an equally young Richard Gere, is one of the most beautifully filmed movies I've seen in a long, long time. Not surprisingly, my 26 inch television could not do it justice. The lighting, the angles, the close-ups --- each shot was so well thought out and so well composed, that it becomes clear that only a filmmaker as meticulous as Terrence "I Make a Movie Once Every 20 Years" Malick could make it. 

The story of Days of Heaven takes place during the 1910s and follows a brother (Richard Gere), his younger sister, and the brother's girlfriend -- who they tell everyone is also a sister (could this perhaps cause a conflict?) -- as they make their way from ultra urban Chicago to the really rural Texas Panhandle. The train they're on brings them to Texas during harvest season, and there they meet a young, rich Farmer (Sam Shepard) who, the brother soon discovers, is dying. When the Farmer takes an interest in the brother's girlfriend, the brother persuades his girl to oblige the Farmer because, well, what's the harm if the poor guy is close to Death's door, right? At least, so he thinks, and as we, the intelligent moviewatchers know, if it seems too easy, it probably is.

Malick both wrote and directed the film, and he took his time doing both. Production went on for over a year with most scenes being filmed during "magic hour" and at one point with Malick throwing the script out and letting the actors work out the story for themselves. Malick then took over two years editing it down into its final product. But it was for sure a team effort: Not only did Nestor Almendros win his Oscar for this film, but legendary Haskell Wexler lent his own expert eye when Almendros could not be on set. Additionally, with Art Director Jack Fisk's incredible design and Ennio Morricone's hauntingly beautiful music score, this film is hands down a technically awesome motion picture. Absolutely gorgeous and a film which really should be seen as it was meant to be: On the big screen, and not a 26 incher.

Fortunately, right now something will be on my TV which works just fine: LOST. And it's a Desmond-centric episode. Ahhhh, heaven.

"You Say I'm Related To Whom?"

As I mentioned earlier this week I saw the new doc Prodigal Sons, a film which touched on many fascinating subjects but whose overall theme was that of familial relationships. The doc's director/producer/editor and overall main subject is Kimberly Reed - a New York based transgendered magazine editor/filmmaker who is about to attend her high school reunion in Helena, Montana - a place she has yet to be as Kim, and no longer Paul McKerrow, who in high school was captain of the football team and object of many teenage girls' desires.

While the documentary begins as a way for Kim to process and accept her feelings about facing her former classmates (who welcome her warmly), the film refocuses on Kim's attempt to reconcile with her older, adopted brother Marc. The McKerrow family has 3 boys: Marc, Paul, and the youngest Todd. Paul and Todd - and later Kim and Todd - have always had a strong relationship, but both have strained relationships with Marc. The doc makes it plain that their rivalry stems from the fact that Marc - though 11 months older than Kim - was held back a grade, and therefore, grew up side-by-side with Paul, thus graduating the same year. As we learn almost immediately, Marc has issues of his own in addition to his estranged relationship with Kim and his adoptive past. When Marc was 21, he was in a horrific car accident which resulted in brain damage and an eventual partial lobotomy. He goes through drastic mood swings which turn violent, and he often threatens suicide. At times the film becomes increasingly difficult to watch and you start to feel helpless knowing that this person is unwilling to accept help from the people who love him.

But things take a very fascinating turn once Marc discovers his biological familial lineage. He makes contact with his mother, Rebecca Welles, and soon learns that Rebecca is the daughter of Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, making Marc the grandson of the two movie legends. While plans are in the works for Marc to meet Rebecca, she passes away before the reunion can occur. The son attends his birth mother's funeral, "meeting" his mother as she lays in her casket. Not long after all of this occurs, Marc becomes somewhat of a local celebrity, telling the story of his ancestry, and soon meets Oja Kodar - Orson Welles' companion upon his death in 1985. She invites Marc, his wife and daughter to Croatia to get to know a little something of his grandfather. Kim also takes the trip with Marc and documents this story, hoping that by embracing his famous lineage, Marc will be able to put his issues with Kim aside and move forward into a much healthier relationship.

I don't think I can say too much more without giving away all of Prodigal Sons. The film is a very low-budget doc which captures the unease of its subjects but also easily pulls its viewers into the story as it offers glimpses of much darker and complex relationships within the McKerrow clan. Kimberly Reed got much more than she bargained for when she embarked on this project, and I would be interested to find out how she has been doing since the film wrapped.