Typing in the Background

Get it? Like an old news broadcast? Here are some updates...not that any of them are worthy of Walter Kronkite.

My reading is in 3 days. All but one of my actors are confirmed. I'm excited and scared. What if it sucks and all of the actors frown and cringe when they read my words? But then again, I am pumped to hear it out loud for the first time. Mentor Chris told me to be careful of this and if possible, not be present for the reading at all. Record it and review it later. I'll be too jazzed to hear my words to be very objective. But, I need to be there to read some minor characters and to read the Action sequences; or as I ignorantly call them; stage directions.

I went to "work" yesterday with the other half. Back to my old stomping grounds in the 'burbs. We were to meet with (my former; the other half's current) workmates, go to dinner and see Brokeback Mountain. So, I brought my laptop and sat down to watch a couple of movies while everyone around me worked the day away. The entertainment of the day was Shaun of the Dead and Season of the Witch. Shaun of the Dead was its usual fun, and I hadn't seen it in a while, so there you are. Season of the Witch is a very early Romero film. I had read about it, but never seen it. Within the past 4 months, I found a copy of it on VHS and on DVD. I had no idea what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised. Actually more so; I was super impressed. It was a cross between The Stepford Wives and Rosemary's Baby. A bunch of great performances, some very interesting camera maneuvers and angles, wonderful dialogue and some intense dream sequences. It follows a bored housewife who becomes interested in the occult and begins to study witchcraft. She has some strange experiences; including scary nightmares; extramarital sex and tricking her best friend into using "pot". Since some of Romero's other non zombie work; The Crazies and Knighriders for example; are nothing to go "crazy" over, I am pleased to announce that this is a great piece of filmmaking. The budget is obviously on the cheap, but it also has that early 70's graininess that lends an authentic air. Jan White is Joan; our heroine and housewife. She's got a stern but beautiful face, and very expressive eyes. It's an interesting ride down her path; and all things introduced are wrapped up nicely. A great movie. Romero is the man.

I had a title for a blog on Brokeback Mountain, had it been an entry of its own. "Brokeback Mountain Confirms that It's Better to Be Gay". It didn't blow me away as I had expected it to, but still this morning; the other half and I were talking about it. I guess that means I was more involved than I had first thought. The moments of pure bliss between the two men were rewarding, free and warm. The scenes between the men and their wives and children were loud, jarring, suspicious and uncomfortable. What was being said with this? It says to me that life is better and more stress free if you're gay. That's what I got from it. :) The sex scenes were not as graphic as I had anticipated, but they were still intense and hot. I believe the biggest asset of the film was its simplicity and subtlety. This is why it will play out with middle America and open a lot of closed minds. It was not at all sensational or "gay". It just was a story about two humans who found each other in this great big world. The film itself was beautifully shot and the performances were all top notch. Among the great performances was a small part for Roberta Maxwell as Jack Twist's mother. I loved her in Dead Man Walking and one of my favorites; Psycho III. Her brief moment with Heath Ledger was very touching. The "shirt" scene was heartbreaking and a great return to an earlier; seemingly throw away moment. I guess the more I think about it, the more I liked it. Kudos to Ang Lee and company.

At the request of friend Ryan (actually he sent me a copy of this film and another), we sat down to watch The Descent. He touted it as the most terrifying film he's seen in years. It was not a let down. It's a British film that was released in 2005, but apparently has not yet reached the US. It's on UK DVD, and in the festival circuits. Terrifying and spooky with incredible production values, it has a cast of all females; with the exception of one man in the beginning. They are all tough, Ripley-esque spelunkers out for a good adventurous weekend in an undiscovered system of caves. The build up was intense and quite effective. The fact that I knew nothing of this film added to its ultimate creepiness. When the payoff came, it was well worth it. The other half and I screamed more than a few times. When this arrives on US DVD (per friend Ryan), don't wait a moment to pick it up. I agree with his assessment that it doesn't have an original bone in it's body (it's a cross of the X-Files, Carpenter's The Thing and even a bit of Aliens), but it doesn't matter. It takes all of these ideas and throws in some fun, crazy scares, great claustrophobia and cat fights a-plenty. This film is also one of the juiciest, bloodiest movies to come along in years. Ugh!

Battlestar Galactica started its third season last week. We recorded it and finally got around to watching it today, just in time for the second episode tonight. Good timing; no wait for the exciting continuation. Can this show do anything wrong? It seems the answer; each and every season/episode; is a firm "no". So tense, so epic, so fun. I've said it so many times, and will say it again for those "slow" readers. Watch this. Set aside your Friday nights. You're too old to be out drinking and partying anyway. For the love of God, get the first two seasons, educate yourself now. There's still time to catch up. This show flippin' rocks!

Finally, we still don't have a dog. Thought I'd throw that in there for the sake of the other half.