Ares

I've decided to do a more personal blog which can be found here. I kind of always want to post stuff about music and movies and I don't feel like that fits in with the Film Junkie Pictures blog area so that blog will work for that and this blog will work for this and the world will continue on like normal.

Also an update. I'll try and get up the next step in the editing process soon. We have actually finished editing and completing the last two episodes of The Bounty already and they turned out good. Different, but good. Post it soon.

And don't forget, visit this like right now.

Making An Episode: Part One (The Writing)

Yesterday we set out to create another episode of our online series, THE BOUNTY. If you're not familiar with the series, it's a documentary style show following several bumbling bounty hunters. I would guess that it's most similar to shows like The Office and Reno 911. We ended up completing two episodes. One episode features our characters being forced to live with one another after a recent bounty hunter strike while the other focuses on one character's quest to participate in the Summer Olympics. 

We always intended for these episodes to be fifteen to twenty minutes each but after doing the first one and having it clock in at about ten minutes, we learned that for now the show serves a better purpose being two to three minute episodes, if that (episode three is under a minute and twenty seconds). Writing can be easy and difficult all at the same time and whenever you are trying to showcase any sort of comedy, it's either hit and miss with whoever watches it. That can be frustrating, especially when we come up with an idea we think is funny stuff and people either don't get it or just don't find it funny at all. While I spend the next few days editing our videos, I figured I'd write short blogs about the steps I we take in order to create a video, in this case an episode of THE BOUNTY. 

The first step for my writing partner and I is to come up with a story first of all. We shot episodes four and five together in one day which is something we normally don't do. It was also different because episode four was written by my friend Josh Jacobson, while I came up with the idea and wrote episode five. Normally what happens is that either he or I will come up with an idea and immediately write out a script for it. Then we'll send it to the other and we'll add and take out whatever we choose, making a particular episode a joint effort. I think coming up with the idea to be maybe the hardest part because once you have an idea, you can generally piece it together in a script pretty easily. Normally after coming up with an idea, we jot down funny plot lines and dialogue before we ever write the script, then from there we literally write the script. 

There is only so much you can go into on step one besides just coming up with the idea, putting your ideas down on paper, then forming it into whatever you want to shoot on that given day. Even when you have your script done, it's never a bad idea to change things on the spot or come up with new ones. Whenever we are actually shooting something, the script hardly ever stays the same. It follows the same format but we are constantly coming up with new ideas in the middle of doing it. 

STEP ONE > WRITING

- Come up with an idea.

- Write down story ideas and any dialogue that immediately comes to mind.

- Write the script.

- Edit, Write, Repeat

For now, here is episode three of THE BOUNTY. We did this episode shortly after the new Die Hard movie came out in 2007. In it, our main character Bailey decides he is going to take a shot at writing the fifth Die Hard movie. We found it funny because the forth Die Hard film ended up being a tame PG-13 picture compared to the first three films so we wanted Bailey's script be full of profanity with the normal stereotypical villain in terms of both race and appearance.

I think it turned out funny, but then again, I helped write it.

Step Brothers (Film Review)

STEP BROTHERS

Director: Adam McKay

Writer(s): Will Ferrell, Adam McKay

Release Date: July 25, 2008

Will Ferrell ... Brennan Huff

John C. Reilly ... Dale Doback

Mary Steenburgen ... Nancy Huff

Richard Jenkins ... Dr. Robert Doback

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Will Ferrell (Anchorman, Talladega Nights) re-teams with both John C. Reilly (Magnolia, Talladega Nights) and director Adam McKay (Anchorman) with Step Brothers, a movie which not surprisingly increases and surpasses the absurdity and raunchiness of their previous efforts to brand new heights. 

The film starts off funny enough. Ferrell plays Brennan Huff, a 39 year-old mama's boy who still lives at home while John C. Reilly is Dale, a 40-year-old, who like Brennan, still lives at home. The parents of the two (Steenburgen, Jenkins) meet, fall in love, get married, and move in together.

But where does that leave Dale and Brennan? 

After a giant brawl between the two, their parents give them one month to find jobs and move out into the real world.

The two spend the first part of the film whispering threats to one another while they lay in bed ready to fall asleep. They hurl obscenities at one another and at one point, we see Brennan's ball sack on Dale's drum set.

Did I mention that this was produced by Judd Apatow?

Will they grow up and move on or will they remain trapped children in adult bodies? I won't spoil the ending but I'm sure you already know what it is.

While Talladega Nights had it's share of offensive material, Step Brothers raises the bar and more often than not, ends up falling a bit short. While the language and gross-out gags nearly send the movie off the tracks, the appeal of both Reilly and Ferrell keep the movie going. 

Even when the movie takes a more serious tone, and the two brothers/best friends/enemies/whatever are forced to grow up and become respected (?) adults, the movie still manages to find a way to both remain dirty, and somewhat worthwhile.

But not by much.

Step Brothers isn't Ferrell's best, but it's not his worst either. It's just that something in between.

"The X-Files: I Want To Believe"

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

Director: Chris Carter
Writer(s): Frank Spotnitz, Chris Carter

David Duchovny ... Fox Mulder
Gillian Anderson ... Dana Scully
Billy Connolly ... Father Joseph Crissman

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The X-Files: I Want To Believe is being billed as a stand-alone feature hoping to bring in new people as well as please long-time fans. Don't expect this movie to do either.

With the help of a pedophile priest (Billy Connolly) with psychic powers, the desperate FBI seek the help of Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) to help solve a case involving one of their missing agents and a not-so-strange serial killer involved in the black market organ trade.

That's it?

It's a shame that after six years of waiting, this is the film we are given. There is nothing remotely spooky or suspenseful about this movie and at times the central idea of both wanting and needing to believe in something severely slow the film down with it's consistently boring scenes of dialogue.

Credit should be given to writer/director Chris Carter. It's nice to watch a movie every once in awhile that doesn't rely too much on CGI and special effects to get it's message across. I Want To Believe boasts none of these things and that is both a blessing and a curse. Perhaps the low-budget was the reason the movie ends up being just another average CSI episode.

I Want To Believe isn't a bad film, it just feels lazy, created for the sole purpose of bringing back these characters together and perhaps give hope of the possibility of future films. Sadly, if the future of the series is resting on the shoulders of this movie, it's time to say goodbye to Mulder and Scully forever.

But, maybe that's a good thing.

2.5 / 5

"Wanted" - Film Review

WANTED (2008)

Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Writer(s): Michael Brandt, Derek Haas

James McAvoy ... Wesley Gibson
Angelina Jolie ... Fox
Morgan Freeman ... Sloan
Terence Stamp ... Pekwarsky

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I don't want to call Wanted a guilty pleasure, but it's hard to take a film seriously when your core group of assassins decide who to take out next by looking into a supernatural fabric loom. Yeah, I really didn't understand it either.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) is a frustrated office worker who is recruited by Fox (Angelina Jolie) and asked to join The Fraternity, a group of assassins that have the ability to bend bullets and slow down time. Their leader, Sloan (Morgan Freeman) gets his orders from a magic loom which spits out binary revealing the name of their next target.

What transpires over the next two hours is nearly constant, over-the-top action pieces that never quite reach the excitement they set out to be. When Fox snatches Wesley up in her Viper early on the film, she spends the new few minutes on the hood of the car shooting at the bad guy while dodging traffic by steering the wheel with her feet.

Turns out that's not as fun as it sounds.

The film picks up speed whenever Jolie is on screen, but the emotional core is completely missing with a movie full of characters you don't care about.

Even McAvoy, who I loved in last year's Atonement (should have won best picture), doesn't do enough to keep me interested in his character's journey and he actually ends up being annoying at times.

Director Timur Bekmambetov does deserve a bit of credit. Some of the action sequences, especially the train fight, are impressive, but it's not enough to save Wanted from being more than just serious action fluff.

2.5 / 5

The Dark Knight - FILM REVIEW

THE DARK KNIGHT

Director: Christopher Nolan
Written By: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan

Christian Bale ... Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger ... The Joker
Aaron Eckhart ... Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Maggie Gyllenhaal ... Rachel Dawes
Michael Caine ... Alfred
Gary Oldman ... James Gordon
Morgan Freeman ... Lucius Fox

What I Love: Batman, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Christopher Nolan, Tragic and dark heroes.
What I Don't: Campy Batman, Batman & Robin, Neon Gotham City.
What I Now Love: The Bat-Pod, IMAX Batman

Since the very end of Batman Begins, I have tried my best to be patient in waiting for the sequel. While not a perfect film, I felt Nolan perfectly brought my personal favorite hero, Batman, back to life. His idea to surround Batman in a realistic universe is one of the things I appreciated most about what Nolan did with Begins, not to mention finally giving me my own personal Bruce Wayne/Batman with Christian Bale.

With the Dark Knight, Nolan has not only created a far superior sequel to the original, but also one of the best films of 2008.

The Dark Knight ends up being quite a few things. For me, it's easily the best comic book film ever created, but there is a problem with that. Simply lumping The Dark Knight into the whole "comic book movie" category is an understatement. The film has more in common with Michael Mann's Heat than the recent superhero flicks like the Spider-Man franchise, allowing the viewer to think about the moral issues each of the characters have to face.

At this point I'm sure most of you already know what The Dark Knight is all about so I won't waste too much time on the specifics. Batman is still working towards cleaning up Gotham City and with the help of new DA Harvey Dent and friend Lt. Gordon, things seem to be on the up and up. Bruce Wayne on the other hand is still in love with Rachel Dawes who is now with Dent, thus giving us a nice love triangle to watch. Along with the Gotham mobs, The Joker (Heath Ledger) is wreaking havoc, demanding that Batman reveal his true identity.

The anticipation was already at an all-time high even before actor Heath Ledger passed away in January, but his death has now brought more attention to the film than ever before. People have been saying that Ledger has given one of the best performances in recent memory and a supporting Oscar nomination is a must. What I feared was that his death was the way people would love his take on The Joker, and not the actual performance itself. That was quickly put to rest after his first real introduction. The film begins with the robbery of a Gotham Bank where we are first given a glimpse of Ledger as The Joker, but it's a few minutes later when really understand how good Ledger's performance is. Meeting with a bunch of local mobsters, The Joker enters the room sarcastically laughing, licking his lips, darting his eyes around the room. It's absolutely one of the best character introductions I have ever seen on screen. So good that I actually had a hard time believing it was Ledger at all.

What's sad is he is so good the other actors actually end up being pushed to the back, especially Christian Bale. Bale is my personal favorite actor and once again he plays the duality of Batman/Bruce Wayne perfectly. Like Bale, Eckhart is fantastic as Harvey Dent, the real backbone of the film. The Dark Knight is the story of Harvey Dent's rise and tragic fall from hero of Gotham to villain, and Eckhart is perfectly casted. His performance was actually what I noticed most after seeing the film for a second time.

The other great addition to the film is Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes. I never personally had a huge problem with Katie Holmes in Begins, but Gyllenhaal gives her character so much more depth in this film that it's a shame she wasn't in the first one as well.

I have very little to complain about with The Dark Knight. Nolan has proven that this is the material for him. Instead of simply creating a comic book film, Nolan has chosen to put comic book characters into the real world giving each of their moral decisions serious weight. This is absolutely one of the best crime movies to hit screens in a long time and features one of the strongest performances supporting actor ever.

Heath Ledger, you are now and forever the definitive Joker.

Something To Write Home About

I'm not exactly sure what I should say except that this is the first post on the site and I have plenty of ideas and plans in the works for the blog. Basically I want it to be a showcase for what I create, whether it's a video I put together, or a story/review I have recently written. 

For example, I got lucky (as a normal moviegoer) with advanced tickets to see The Dark Knight tomorrow (early!). I hope to have my review of it up by Tuesday night or Wednesday afternoon.

I also plan on doing some "How-To Guides" where each week I'll add a new step in the process of creating short films. I have my own personal methods for doing this but it also follows a path that I have learned so far in school.

The layout will be changing gradually and I hope to have a better menu system at some point, but this is just a starting point of something that I hope to continue for a long time. I'm looking forward to finally getting the site underway.