Minority Report
Old roomie Scott is moving back to Hawaii, so I caught up with him tonight for dinner, then we took in Minority Report. Good luck to Scott as he continues his career in surfing country.
[Sidenote: before the film, I saw one of the worst trailers I've ever seen, for a film titled Swimfan@. Jesse Bradford and Erika Christensen looked like bizarro Freddie Prinze Jr. and bizarro Julia Stiles]
Excellent film. Interesting look to the film. Spielberg put the film through a process called bleach bypass, which is does to Technicolor what bleach would do to your tie-dye t-shirt. Skin tones go from rosy to pale. He also shot some scenes on 800 ASA film, which photographers know adds grain to the picture.
I admire Tom Cruise not for his acting but primarily for his go-get-them spirit. He seems like a high energy, organized, ambitious, intense dude. Perhaps it's the Scientology. All I know is that for a guy who once starred in Top Gun and Legend, he has caught the eye of some of the leading directors in the world. When his career is over, he'll be able to say that he starred in films by:
Steven Spielberg
Cameron Crowe
Ron Howard
David Finsher
Stanley Kubrick
John Woo
Paul Thomas Anderson
Martin Scorsese
Oliver Stone
Barry Levinson
Sydney Pollack
Rob Reiner
Neil Jordan
Brian De Palma
That is the definition of a list that is "long and distinguished," a phrase usually reserved for my roster of ex-girlfriends. There's no one better at playing the young hotshot than Cruise--I'd like to channel some of that energy in my own life.
Philip K. Dick--would he enjoy all the films being made from his stories? None of these movies capture the psychological complexity of his stories, but they do blow them out into high entertainment. I'm looking forward to Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly which is based on a Dick story and being produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. In an article in last week's NYTimes, Dick was noted as having approved of the script of Blade Runner: "[The script] bore no relation to the book. Oddly, in some ways it was better. What my story will become is one titanic lurid collision of androids being blown up, androids killing humans, general confusion and murder, all very exciting to watch. Makes my book seem dull by comparison."
Of course, he then added, "As a writer, though, I'd like to see some of my ideas, not just special effects of my ideas, used."
Some new movie trailers: Daredevil (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner), Red Dragon (remake of the prequel to Silence of the Lambs), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the final Austin Powers in: Goldmember trailer, a new xXx trailer (Vin Diesel as the Gen-X James Bond), and a real teaser for Solaris (Steven Soderbergh, James Cameron, George Clooney).
Ah, you gotta love the debut of summer popcorn movie season. The trailers don't disappoint, though many of these movies will. Daredevil's costume looks terrible, and Ben Affleck does not fit my mental picture of Matt Murdock. Jennifer Garner is a babe, but she doesn't have the dangerous, slightly crazed bloodlust of Elektra. Red Dragon is a money making ploy. It doesn't need to be made, as Manhunter already covered the story effectively, minus the big stars. Ed Norton is great, but he looks like a scrawny kid compared to William Petersen who played Will Graham in the original. Hannibal Lecter as played by Anthony Hopkins would eat Norton for an appetizer.
Had a small dinner to send off Lance on Thursday. He's off the the UK for a new job with Vodafone, and it will be sad to see him off. Lots and lots of friends from Amazon and Seattle are moving on, leaving town.
I will miss Lance's wry, understated British humor. A more pleasant chap you'll seldom meet. I'm sure a successful career awaits him in the UK, and I've his promise that when I visit the UK I'll be able to crash his flat and go for a spin in his new M5. Good taste in cars, that Lance.
Women have their biological clocks. I have a clock, too. It's the one that says I better make something of myself before my useful years of brainpower fade away. Can't tell if the clock is ticking louder recently, or faster. I feel like Captain Hook.
[Sidenote: before the film, I saw one of the worst trailers I've ever seen, for a film titled Swimfan@. Jesse Bradford and Erika Christensen looked like bizarro Freddie Prinze Jr. and bizarro Julia Stiles]
Excellent film. Interesting look to the film. Spielberg put the film through a process called bleach bypass, which is does to Technicolor what bleach would do to your tie-dye t-shirt. Skin tones go from rosy to pale. He also shot some scenes on 800 ASA film, which photographers know adds grain to the picture.
I admire Tom Cruise not for his acting but primarily for his go-get-them spirit. He seems like a high energy, organized, ambitious, intense dude. Perhaps it's the Scientology. All I know is that for a guy who once starred in Top Gun and Legend, he has caught the eye of some of the leading directors in the world. When his career is over, he'll be able to say that he starred in films by:
Steven Spielberg
Cameron Crowe
Ron Howard
David Finsher
Stanley Kubrick
John Woo
Paul Thomas Anderson
Martin Scorsese
Oliver Stone
Barry Levinson
Sydney Pollack
Rob Reiner
Neil Jordan
Brian De Palma
That is the definition of a list that is "long and distinguished," a phrase usually reserved for my roster of ex-girlfriends. There's no one better at playing the young hotshot than Cruise--I'd like to channel some of that energy in my own life.
Philip K. Dick--would he enjoy all the films being made from his stories? None of these movies capture the psychological complexity of his stories, but they do blow them out into high entertainment. I'm looking forward to Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly which is based on a Dick story and being produced by Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney. In an article in last week's NYTimes, Dick was noted as having approved of the script of Blade Runner: "[The script] bore no relation to the book. Oddly, in some ways it was better. What my story will become is one titanic lurid collision of androids being blown up, androids killing humans, general confusion and murder, all very exciting to watch. Makes my book seem dull by comparison."
Of course, he then added, "As a writer, though, I'd like to see some of my ideas, not just special effects of my ideas, used."
Popcorn, soda, action
Some new movie trailers: Daredevil (Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner), Red Dragon (remake of the prequel to Silence of the Lambs), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the final Austin Powers in: Goldmember trailer, a new xXx trailer (Vin Diesel as the Gen-X James Bond), and a real teaser for Solaris (Steven Soderbergh, James Cameron, George Clooney).
Ah, you gotta love the debut of summer popcorn movie season. The trailers don't disappoint, though many of these movies will. Daredevil's costume looks terrible, and Ben Affleck does not fit my mental picture of Matt Murdock. Jennifer Garner is a babe, but she doesn't have the dangerous, slightly crazed bloodlust of Elektra. Red Dragon is a money making ploy. It doesn't need to be made, as Manhunter already covered the story effectively, minus the big stars. Ed Norton is great, but he looks like a scrawny kid compared to William Petersen who played Will Graham in the original. Hannibal Lecter as played by Anthony Hopkins would eat Norton for an appetizer.
Cheers, Lance
Had a small dinner to send off Lance on Thursday. He's off the the UK for a new job with Vodafone, and it will be sad to see him off. Lots and lots of friends from Amazon and Seattle are moving on, leaving town.
I will miss Lance's wry, understated British humor. A more pleasant chap you'll seldom meet. I'm sure a successful career awaits him in the UK, and I've his promise that when I visit the UK I'll be able to crash his flat and go for a spin in his new M5. Good taste in cars, that Lance.
Tick tock
Women have their biological clocks. I have a clock, too. It's the one that says I better make something of myself before my useful years of brainpower fade away. Can't tell if the clock is ticking louder recently, or faster. I feel like Captain Hook.