Paranoid Android

Goodbye Blogger

2011-09-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

Sad to leave this blog.. but I've moved onto greener pastures. Wordpress really gave me the functionality I needed to expand into a full website. So, this blog will live on at: www.alinfilm.com

New Beginnings

2011-07-18T00:50:00.001-07:00

There's a lot to talk about, and still a lot left for me to do. Everything's been happening pretty fast, and sometimes I feel like there isn't any time to just relax and breathe. Not to say I haven't had free time either, in fact, I've been watching all the latest films in theatres. I decided to only review Super 8 and Transformers though, partially just for time, but just because I don't feel like talking about the other ones I've watched this summer.

First of all, I passed my Midpoint. The committee thought my work was pretty strong, and that I'll be successful on the thesis films I've chosen. It's good to know it's over with, and that I can move forward with my plans. If everything falls into place, I should be getting my Master's Degree this time next year. It's kind of scary how fast everything's moving but my confidence level is really high right now. I'm getting great projects lined up and I'm progressing tremendously.

I'm going to be quitting my job at Aaron Brothers quite soon. I'd really like to be able to take some time off before school starts. It'll be good to relax, but it will also give me a chance to tie up any loose ends before I start working on new things. I will hopefully have my new website launched by September. There are two films that are still being kind of wrapped up, "Dinner for Four" and "The Prometheus Sequence." Then we can start talking about submitting them to festivals or something.

Speaking of which, the project that's really starting to scare me a little is "Kenya Boys." It started off as a 14-minute short documentary, for our school's Epidemic Film Festival. I've just received new footage that is about to change all that, and now we're looking at possibly making it a feature length of 1+ hour. The film now has an IMDB page, I'm about to have an IMDB profile. It's been submitted to the Hawaii International Film Festival, and is on its way to San Diego Black Film Festival. It's become something bigger than I ever could have imagined, and I am so glad to have taken that leap of faith in March. This thing could really take me places, and even if it doesn't get me into Hollywood or something, it will at least be an incredible learning experience.

Today I really had a chance to sit and reflect about how I ended up here. I read through old blog posts and watched how much I've changed and grown up since college. At first, passing the Midpoint didn't feel much different from say, getting grades back at the end of the semester. Looking at it now, it's really a milestone to how far I've come along, in terms of a career, and also in terms of me as a person. I feel wiser, having learnt from past mistakes. I feel more mature, psychologically and emotionally I've become a lot tougher. Moving forward from this Midpoint Review, I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life. I'm not that UCLA kid who loves taiko anymore. I almost don't even feel like a graduate student anymore. I feel like an adult who is eager to become a professional and start a career.

Super 8

2011-07-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

Super 8
This film was so great, I had to see it twice. There is a lot going for this film, despite the critics' reviews I've read. I think the main criticism is the borrowing (or stealing, as some might argue) of old Spielbergian classics. But I don't like to judge a film based on films that come before it. It makes it all the more difficult when I haven't seen the films it references (E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind... yes, I am a horrible person for not having seen these). Anyways, I'm here to talk about Super 8, and I cannot recommend it enough. It is definitely the best film of the year so far. The performances are superb; the tight cast of kids work extremely well together. They are charming, very natural, and talented. The lead girl is Elle Fanning, and I'd say she delivered a performance far more memorable than any of her sister's. J.J. Abrams is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. He certainly has a great visual style and direction, and is great at putting together talented ensembles and creating dynamic characters.

Verdict: See it in theatres. Buy the Blu-ray when it comes out. This is a keeper. I didn't grow up with E.T., but I'll have Super 8 to rave about when I'm older.

Score: 10 out of 10

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

2011-07-18T00:14:00.000-07:00

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
This is one of those films where you just want to shut off your brain. Sit there, and watch the glorious spectacle of robots smashing each other, flying through buildings. The film could've been trimmed down, but it's at the same time, quite impressive how much action they throw into the last hour. I saw this in IMAX 3D, and have to say the use of depth really made it an immersive experience. In terms of story and character, the series has always struggled with this aspect. The story actually is pretty decent, enough to create rooting interest and make you care about the outcome. The twists and turns keeps it interesting and not stale. Sam is still an annoying character to me, and I think the "girlfriend" was a step down from the first two.

Verdict: See it in theatres, and be amazed by the visual effects. It's an enjoyable experience, you will get your money's worth.

Score: 8 out of 10.

Editing Reel

2011-07-03T22:47:00.000-07:00

I've been pretty busy the past few weeks. I've been getting all my stuff together for my Midpoint Presentation. Basically I'm at the halfway point in my graduate program, and I need to show my department the goods, so that they approve my thesis idea. Once that's approved, I'll be working towards my thesis films and getting my degree. Everything's coming together... although there were a few things I wish I had more time to do, like create a new website, and make some adjustments to the films you see in this reel. But this shall do.

Jury Duty

2011-06-10T15:18:00.001-07:00

So today ends my first experience serving as a juror. It lasted 8 days (10 if you count jury selection process). I have to say overall I enjoyed it and would not mind serving again. Would I prefer to serve every time? That's a different case. The experience was a good experience, but it's also a personal inconvenience obviously. The amount of time spent away from home, from work... But those inconveniences didn't really outweigh the good parts about the experience so, yeah, it's a split.

We did reach a verdict, and it was favorable to what I believed the verdict was. But I'm still left a little unsettled, and that's because I feel like those who were against the verdict didn't really understand what they were being asked to do. Objective, fair, logical judgment was not being used on their part. And while I can't force someone to do that, it just speaks to me about common sense (or lack thereof). From what I understand of the law (and what is actually written in our jury instructions), a person is innocent until proven guilty. For those declaring the party was guilty, the argument revolved around "there is no evidence." If there is no evidence, that means the party is guilty? Imagine: "There is no evidence that this man committed murder. He is guilty of committing murder." Did we just sentence an innocent man?

I can see it the other way as well. Guilty men not getting sentenced in jail. And I guess it's a morally gray area. Do we let a criminal walk around back in the streets, or do we let an innocent man weep in the jail cell? The law system is a trip, ain't it?

Progress

2011-04-25T01:32:00.000-07:00

Hello world, yes I'm still alive and kickin'. The past couple of weeks have been grueling, but I feel like a lot has come out of it. We're heading into May, and the months of March and April have been all a blur. Before I know it, halfway into May and the semester will be over.

The better half of March was all about "Kosovo Boys," a 14-minute documentary I edited over the course of 2 and a half weeks, eating right through my spring break in order to make a March 31st deadline. We were pushing to enter it for our school's Epidemic Film Festival. We pulled it off, got it done to where my producer and I were happy with it, and just two days ago, found out it has been officially selected! So May 6th, we will be at the festival, fingers crossed we take home "Best Documentary." And even if we don't win it all, I can at least be happy that something I've worked on has made it into a festival. There's a first for everything, right?

The second I finished "Kosovo Boys," I had to immediately switch gears into directing mode. April 1st-April 17th took me from pre-production all the way to the shoot. Those 16 days were pretty intense, throwing out audition notices, doing the audition and choosing actors, finding crew and location, writing/revising script, storyboarding, equipment... I guess in the real world these duties wouldn't all fall unto the Director, but I decided to skip finding someone to help me with all that stuff. It was an almost hellish experience, rewarding yet stressful at the same time. Coming out of it... yes I would probably direct again, but it's not something I could always do. If I really had a story I wanted to tell, I would.. but if someone approached me and asked me to direct something of theirs, I think I would have hesitations. It would have to be a project I'm really intrigued by. I'm perfectly content with editing, or being someone on the crew of the set.

This weekend I finally had a moment to breathe. Things will get crazy as we roll into finals. I've taken on 3 other Directing 1 projects to edit (and will be crew member on two of them). And I need to oversee editing on the project I directed. Then my editing class I have a final project as well, although it is pretty far along compared to everything else that's in the pipeline.

There's all sorts of stuff I'd love to post online for my friends to see.. it's a matter of can I or should I? May and June will be all about me pushing out a new website, that will have more of my recent stuff, a reel, a big giant portfolio site. I don't know if I would post any of the films I've worked on in their entirety though... it'll depend on those directors I guess. I'd certainly like to, but there are probably some issues in putting these things full out in public. Legal rights perhaps, or maybe the director isn't comfortable doing that type of thing. We'll see.

Gary Ho - Tall Fiddler

2011-03-12T00:24:00.000-08:00

Living the Life of an Editor

2011-03-10T19:39:00.000-08:00

Well, haven't been posting here much, mainly because I've just been so busy! I'm really excited because I've got a lot of projects in the pipeline. A music video, a short film, and a documentary.

I recently finished up one project, which was a lot of fun to work with and got a great response from class. It will be up online pretty shortly. It's a music video featuring a close friend from middle school. I just realized, we actually began the project a month ago. The past month has felt like such a blur. With work and school, I would fit recording sessions with Gary for about 3-4 hours a week. The first two weeks the footage came out so rudimentary, and we looked at it and knew we could do better. So in just one day, very spur-of-the-moment, I call in a cinematographer friend, Cliff, who has helped me in the past. His lighting setup and production design really saved our project, and elevated it to a new level. And all in a day's work! Now it was up to me and Gary to get the best sound recording, which we would spend 3 weeks getting and fine tuning. I can't wait to share Gary's talent, and the video, to everybody.

While that's been going on, I've also started working on editing a short film that we shot in November. It's a gangster film, and the biggest production I've been a part of. Prop guns, blood make-up, costumes, the whole works. The editing is shaping up real nicely, and I really shocked myself at how fast I was able to craft out the story. Working on set as a boom operator, I had no idea how the shots turned out and whether we had a complete story captured on film. But the crew worked very hard, I was able to find all the shots I needed, sync it to sound, and I'm almost ready to present a first cut for class. For the final draft, I'm feeling a little ambitious, and hope to be able to maybe add some music or spice up the sound with some sound effects.

And now, just a few days ago I've been working with a producer friend to try and get a 14 minute documentary cut and ready to submit for the school's Epidemic Film Festival! The deadline is March 31st, which means I probably need to get started VERY soon (and maybe stop blogging, hehe). The Festival is a pretty big deal at our school, it's the only time of the year where students get to showcase their work. I hope I'm able to craft out the story and bring the producer's vision to screen. I've been able to see the footage and there's some really fantastic shots that I'm excited to start playing with.

So, I'm alive and well, and getting a taste of an editor's life!
It's jam-packed but I love it.

My Top 5 of 2010

2011-01-15T19:53:00.000-08:00

You could call this list late, since it's 2011 already. Or you could say this is early, since some people like to do this during Oscars season. Either way, I felt like doing it now, having just saw Black Swan a few nights ago. After seeing that, I felt like I've seen all the best that 2010 had to offer, and compelled to write up this list. Here we go!

5. Kick-Ass
I was so impressed and surprised, I had to see it again, just one week after the first viewing. It sucked me in right from the beginning, and I have to say it is one of the most entertaining comic-book movies I've seen. Big Daddy and Hit Girl were awesome, and single-handedly made the film for me.

4. Toy Story 3
It once held the number 2 spot, but after thinking about my list some more, the next 2 films on the list really brought something different to the table. Toy Story 3 was an awesome film, and I think I walked out saying it was better than Up. Reflecting now, Up is still the best Pixar film, and Monster's Inc is still my favorite one. I've been dying to watch it again though, to better appreciate all the nuances. The new characters and storyline were very refreshing for the series, and further expanded on an already deep and explored franchise. I hope we get more new Toy Story in the future, either as shorts or as feature-length.

3. The Social Network
I wasn't ready to believe all the hype. Right when it came out critics were already raving and calling it the best film of the year. So I had to check it out for myself, and boy was I impressed. I would never have expected to be so impressed, but when you look at the director's credentials (Se7en, Fight Club) he delivers pretty consistently great films. Jesse Eisenberg does a fine job portraying Zuckerberg, and he convinced me, and I'm not particularly a fan of Eisenberg. Garfield delivered a breakthrough performance, and I look forward to seeing him as the new Spider-Man, I think he is very talented.

2. Black Swan
Watching this film in theaters, I remember having a physical reaction to it. Certain scenes would kind of give me chills - the type of scene where you shift in your seat and prepare for what's about to come next. I find this experience enjoyable, because then I feel engaged and feel a connection to the movie. It's an interesting, unique feeling that I can't quite describe, but it's usually a sign that I really dig the film.

It's a very beautiful film, visually, and I don't find myself using that adjective very often when I do a review. What the film really succeeds in is using that beautiful (and sometimes haunting) imagery to tell the story and get inside Nina's psychological struggle. The film has a real raw feeling to it, and Natalie Portman's strong performance (she had better win Best Actress) is what fuels that feeling. The performance, the visuals, the music... Black Swan blew me away.

1. Inception
Most of you can probably tell I'm obsessed with Christopher Nolan's work, but I truly believe he is the best director in present day Hollywood. Inception represents the best film he's ever done, and I remember walking out of that theater thinking, "This is the best movie I've ever seen in my life." And I still stand by that statement. The story, and pretty much the entire concept of the film, is original and extremely well-executed. Reading critic's reviews, or hearing friends complain about it, they like to point out various plot-holes or other logical fallacies. It's an extremely complex, yet tight screenplay though really. I was baffled by how intricate you have to be, and creative; I can't imagine what it would've been like to write that screenplay, or read it even. It's clear how much time was spent on it, and how much time he spent working out how it will play out on screen. And for that I have a tremendous amount of respect for Nolan.

I loved every bit of this movie, and I had to go see it again just 4 days after I had seen it. It is an amazing piece of film, and I think it is a shame for those who try to over-think and over-analyze it, instead of appreciating it at a filmmaking level. The film delivers a strong message, and I believe those people that focus on the flaws are missing the whole point. Call me biased, or a Nolan nut-hugger, whatever you want to call me, but I stand by this movie 110%... best movie I have ever seen.

Hot Fuzz

2011-01-12T00:59:00.003-08:00

Hot Fuzz
Yeah, this one's a bit late, but I've been meaning to watch this for awhile. I am not really that big of a fan of Edgar Wright. I thought Shaun of the Dead and Scott Pilgrim were both good, but not great. I found this film extremely entertaining though. The premise itself is pretty funny, and the execution is just perfect. Everything is so over-the-top, and the characters are so thoroughly convincing. Some scenes are ultra-violent, which surprised me quite a bit, and bothered me to an extent. I didn't feel it was that necessary to show all the gore that they show, but in a way, it does fit in with the style and tone of the rest of the film. It doesn't take away from the film too much, but still, it was a bit of a turn-off for me.
9.5 out of 10

Exit Through the Gift Shop

2011-01-12T00:59:00.002-08:00

Exit Through the Gift Shop
I watched this one late last night, and afterwards, I found myself googling more about it 'til 2AM. I think that's always a sign that I've seen a good movie. I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, there was a lot of mystique going into it, much like the artist Banksy himself. It hooks you right from the start though, and you keep wanting to go on and learn more about these mysterious artists. It is very entertaining, and at the same time gives a really different perspective of the art world.
9 out of 10

The Fighter

2011-01-12T00:59:00.001-08:00

The Fighter
I'm not much of a boxing fan, but I would've liked to have seen more of the fights that are in the film. That's the only flaw I can think of really, the film itself was great. I guess the movie is more about the drama rather than the actual fights, but still, I would've preferred more boxing to build up the character. Christian Bale on the other hand did a terrific job, and I can't think of any other performances in 2010 that stand out as much as this one. I respect Wahlberg as well, for all the training he had to do to portray the role.
9 out of 10

True Grit (2010)

2011-01-12T00:59:00.000-08:00

True Grit
Fine performances and an interesting plotline for the most part. However it lacks the drive and suspense that made No Country for Old Men so great. It's still a film worth seeing, but I couldn't help but want a little more from it. I thought I'd be at the edge of my seat throughout, but instead it was more of a kick back in your seat and enjoy the ride. Which is just fine, it just wasn't what I was expecting or hoping for.
8 out of 10

2010 was a great year

2011-01-03T00:30:00.000-08:00

but 2011 will be better! I have a good feeling coming into the new year. I think I grew up quite a bit in 2010. I feel much wiser, more mature, more capable, more responsible, and generally a better human being than when I started the year.

The first half of the year, I got to experience the difficulty in starting your own company, and while I had 3 others to work with, being able to monetize and develop a momentum was really tough. Gopher Hole eventually disintegrated in July, but having that experience was well worth it. I learned a ton both in the technical/production aspect, and the whole team dynamic, and how each person has to function a certain way for the group to succeed.

As that was going on, I started the Masters program at Academy of Art, and graduate school is such a different environment from undergraduate. I was a little iffy at first, but it must have just taken a little getting used to, because in fall semester I really came to enjoy my classes and got more comfortable getting to know my peers. Everyone in the program just seems a lot more serious about what they're doing, and that focus and determination helps motivate each other. There really is no comparison to my mindset as a graduate student vs. as an undergraduate; there's definitely no turning back.

Finally, starting work at Aaron Brothers has really made a big impact on me this year. I never would've thought working in retail would have played such a positive role for my life, but it has. I guess in general, just having a job has helped me grow up. Earning money, being the next-in-command after manager and assistant manager, having duties/responsibilities, all that good stuff... In addition to all that though, in retail, I like all the interactions you get to have with people, both co-workers and customers. You get a whole range of characters: the super nice ones, the impatient, the thrifty, the rude, the silent types... It's nice to have to face all these kinds of people on a regular basis, learn how to deal with them, and learn how to deal with myself (i.e. not getting impatient, not getting overwhelmed, staying cool and calm under pressure). The added bonus to Aaron Brothers is the frame shop. I've always been into building/putting things together (when I was a kid, Lego's, jigsaw puzzles) so it's fun going back there and cutting glass, mats, putting wire on, etc.

I'm not really doing resolutions this year, other than to just outdo myself in 2010. I want to keep improving myself, get better at what I do, and stay focused in school and at work. I'm feeling a lot of momentum going into the new year - the semester ended strong with finals, and at work I got the full 40hr/week during the Christmas rush. Being able to withstand all that, I'm feeling pretty confident in myself, and confident that 2011 will be an awesome year.

Knight and Day

2010-12-30T19:22:00.002-08:00

Knight and Day
This movie got a lot of bad rep, but I like to give these kinds of movies a fair chance. It's not a must-see, but it is still an entertaining movie. People go overboard about Tom Cruise and his whole Scientology thing - c'mon, it doesn't mean suddenly he's not a good actor anymore. I liked him in War of the Worlds, Tropic Thunder, and he does pretty well in this one too. The chemistry with Diaz is okay, the problem I had was that her character would get pretty annoying at times. At the same time, that's part of what makes the film entertaining. Certain scenes get pretty over-the-top, but I enjoyed it nonetheless, this is an action-comedy. It's ok if things aren't super realistic.
7.5 out of 10

Tangled

2010-12-30T19:22:00.001-08:00

Tangled
Disney's still got it. I wasn't expecting characters to break out into song, like in the classic hand-drawn animated films, but they pull it off pretty well in a 3D-animated flick. The animation itself was nice, everything had a polished look, and one sequence in particular is quite memorable. Voice casting was quite good, it was refreshing (and pleasantly surprising) that they went with the lead from Chuck. He fits the role well. I'm not totally familiar with the Rapunzel story and how closely they followed it, but this adaptation was an interesting take.
8 out of 10

TRON Legacy

2010-12-30T19:22:00.000-08:00

TRON Legacy
One of the few movies I've been excited about this year, and I have never even seen the original. Really slick visuals and a kick-ass soundtrack, this is definitely a film you should watch in theaters. The 3-D wasn't really necessary, but then again, that's how I feel about pretty much every 3-D film that isn't Avatar or something by Pixar. There isn't really much I didn't like about the film, from beginning to end it had my full attention. The only distraction was the CGI version of Jeff Bridges, who looked like a video game character when put together with the live actors, but the technology is really coming darn close to making them look real. The story has a good foundation, the father and son relationship is compelling, and the lead actor (sorry, don't know his name) does a good job carrying the whole story. Overall, very entertaining, there's nothing more I could ask from it.
9 out of 10

Sound Final Project

2010-12-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

Watch the full thing on youtube.. you can watch it in HD, for better video, and better sound quality too.

So yeah, here it is. The project was to take a clip from a film, strip out the sound, and re-create everything. It was a really fun project to work on, I know there are things I could improve on it, but this is what I ended up turning in. Maybe over the break I'll work on it some more, do some fine tuning.

It's been such a crazy past few weeks, getting all final projects and exams out, just one more week left, 2 exams. But getting this project done was a huge deal to me, I felt it was a really big accomplishment. I surprised myself, this sounds a whole lot better than what I thought I was capable of, especially with my limited knowledge of the software. I'm real excited about what new things I can learn with Pro Tools, and how much better I can make my editing with it.

Knowing what you want to do the rest of your life

2010-11-18T21:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was an incredible day, editing 16mm film on a flatbed. Handcranking the film, squinting in the dark lab with just a little lamp on, hunched over the bench running the film through the splicer. Save for bathroom breaks and a 30 min lunch, 9 hours just flew by without me even realizing it. When you keep doing something for that long, completely focused and enjoying yourself, I think that's when you discover the thing you want to keep doing.

Clocking in at 9am, splicing the last piece of film at 6:30pm, then running it through the projector to watch the whole thing. And watching it through there was different from the little viewer on the flatbed, too. The picture was a lot brighter, more clear, and each cut more seamless than before. Halfway through I started getting a little teary-eyed. At that moment, all that physical work and all the time put into it was so worth it watching it on the screen.

I had a similar experience the very first time I used Adobe Premiere, back in high school, to complete some video project for Japanese class. Learning all the tools for the first time, staying up til 3am for a few nights to finish it, then watching it with the whole class.

But cutting on film is so much different from cutting digital video. It's why I had such an intense feeling yesterday, and felt so much more joy out of editing than I normally do. A lot of it has to do with the physical act. The film is something you can hold in your hand, like something precious or valuable. An accidental scratch with your finger, or through the machine if not loaded correctly (which did happen for a portion of my film, even cut a hole through several frames) - it's an irreversible process. Every decision made, when to cut, where to splice which part to which... you can go back, but when you put it back together, even then, there's been a permanent change. It's hard to describe. But film is a tangible object, and digital video is something virtual.

Film is something I hope doesn't go away. There's a quality to it that digital can never recreate. I hope in 20 years filmmakers are still shooting with film, and editing film natively instead of converting it to digital. Because I want to keep feeling this same feeling when I work as an editor in the future. I was feeling so good, that it didn't matter to me that I came home at 9:30, only to leave at 10 to go to work and unbox Aaron Brothers merchandise for another 8 hours. I was on top of the world, and I'm hungry for more.

The Social Network

2010-10-26T18:01:00.000-07:00

I had some skepticism coming in. I wasn't sure how a movie about Facebook was going to turn out. I also am not a big fan of Jesse Eisenberg (or Michael Cera, or any derivative). But there's plenty of things to like about this movie. The story behind the creation of Facebook is actually quite interesting. I had heard bits about it, like how Zuckerberg was hired by another group to develop a Facebook-like website, then went on and worked on his own version of it. On the other hand, the film deals a lot with Zuckerberg's roommate and co-founder, Eduardo, and I found that aspect very interesting. Eduardo is played by Andrew Garfield, and I think this was a breakthrough performance for him.

I was a little bothered at times by some of the digital cinematography techniques, there's something about it that stands out and distracts me. There's just some shots/sequences that definitely look like they were shot with a DSLR, and I didn't like that. Other than that, cinematography was excellent, as was the editing. The soundtrack by Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) surprised me too, it fit in pretty well.

Overall, this is probably going on my top 5 list for the year. It's just great storytelling, it never gets boring or slow, always keeps you into the characters and the story.

9 out of 10

La Vie en Rose

2010-09-29T17:34:00.003-07:00

La Vie en Rose
I'll admit, the main reason I chose to watch this was because of "Inception." The film is a biopic of Edith Piaf, a great French singer. Structurally and thematically, it's quite similar to a number of other biopics about musicians who live troubled lives, eventually leading to their sudden and early deaths. What separates this film from others, is Marion Cotillard's performance. Not to say that I know what Edith Piaf was like in real life, but man did Cotillard put on a show. She embodied Piaf so well, both in her mannerisms, and her physical movements. I was really amazed by her performance, which at a certain point, I stopped thinking of it as a performance, and felt like I was watching the real Piaf. There are some really great and memorable scenes, like when she sings in these great big concert halls, and her spirit and passion as an artist is all there.
9 out of 10

Devil

2010-09-29T17:34:00.002-07:00

Devil
We all like to poke fun at M. Night Shamylan's recent string of bad movies, but I thought I would give this one a chance, as it technically isn't a film he wrote or directed. Well, he might as well have. The performances aren't really there, and some of the dialogue is horrendously bad. I don't know what it is, but in this movie and "The Happening" (I have yet to see "Airbender"), it almost seems like the acting style and questionable dialogue are intended. Not to say that "Devil" isn't entertaining to watch. It had its moments where the audience was cracking up (although I doubt the filmmakers intended those moments to be humorous). From a film critic's perspective, this film is really quite poorly made, because some of the concepts and story twists are actually quite interesting, but the execution and delivery are not well-done. But from a casual movie-goer's perspective, just come in, watch, be entertained, and enjoy the ride.
4 out of 10

The Town

2010-09-29T17:34:00.001-07:00

The Town
I have to say, I did go into this movie with quite a bit of hype. Usually I try to drown it out, and go into the theater dropping these expectations. I'm not sure I was fully able to separate the hype from the movie. It was a good movie, but a lot of the buzz was it was definitely the frontrunner for Best Picture this year. As far as the performances go, I definitely see Jeremy Renner getting a nom. Ben Affleck, maybe. In the other departments, I don't know, I wasn't really too impressed. The story was interesting, but the film never really pulled me in. I couldn't really root for the characters, or feel any sort of emotional attachment (except to Rebecca Hall's character, who once again delivers a nice performance). Overall I would have to say it's a good film, but I'm not dying to see it again, or pre-order the DVD.
8 out of 10

Humbled

2010-08-28T00:37:00.001-07:00

Today was a good day, even though maybe at first it didn't seem like it. I had an appointment with my Director at school today, to try and waive 2 classes. I thought the classes would be really redundant, not much of a challenge, review of stuff I already knew. But he really caught me off guard, started firing all these questions related to the course content. It wasn't what I came in expecting to happen, got a little nervous, and it just felt like I had got caught red-handed.

My first reaction was frustration, and even felt intimidated by my Director, who has a very strong personality. But I quickly got over it, and while driving away I felt very humbled. It was a wake-up call. I left that room finally feeling like I'm at a Graduate school, not Undergrad. My first semester was a lot of fun, but the content (aside from Directing Actors) felt like review. A lot of my classmates (and 1 teacher) was quick to recognize my experience and suggested I might be able to waive/skip a few classes and get ahead. I thought I was the big fish in the little pond. But today I realize I'm still very young, and very early in my career, and there's a lot for me to learn, and there are a lot of ways I need to grow up. So today, I swallow my pride, and erase that ego that was starting to develop. I'm no better than any of my classmates. I have a long way to go.

Graduate school is a lot more serious, things aren't so sugar-coated, and the staff here are more than happy to completely school you like they did to me today. I'm glad I got this opportunity to get lectured by my director today, to save a greater embarrassment further down the line.

Long time no blog

2010-08-20T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hm, haven't really felt the need to blog lately, just updating this so people know I'm still alive. Gopher Hole Productions kind of disintegrated about a month ago, so there hasn't been much work, or things to post. I took summer classes, but my screenwriting work is nothing to blog about, heh. I will say though, the screenwriting process is enjoyable, and I can see myself putting a story together one day if I'm in a jam and can't find a solid script to work with.

So with no work and 2 online classes, I squandered most of my summer, not doing much else than hanging out with the pup, playing video games, and catching up on movies. Netflix 2-at-a-time plus Instant Queue can really shut you in for quite a few days. I got a chance to watch a lot of great movies though (can you believe I had never seen The Shawshank Redemption or Saving Private Ryan until just the past two months?) I'm not really in the mood to go back and post reviews though, and I think I might be done with that part of the blog. In going back and reading some of the old ones, my reviews weren't all that interesting anyway. They were more a way for me to catalogue and reflect on what I had just seen.

However, I do feel the need to say something about Oldboy. It's a Korean film, and it really blew me away. It's very unconventional, the storytelling was unique and just something American filmmakers probably don't have the guts to do (although I heard rumors of an American version in the works. I hope it never comes to fruition). Anyway, it really left an impression on me, and I hope others give it a try. It's definitely not a movie for everybody though.

My summer of screwin around won't last long. I start a part-time job next week, and then Fall semester will start at the top of September. I'm really glad I got this job actually, it'll keep me busy and productive. I'm just looking forward to getting away from the house a little, I don't like being lazy and idle for too long. And any type of work experience is good for me too, even if it's not completely career-related. I'll surely miss my Big Bang Theory marathons, and staying up til 2 every night though. Oh and Starcraft 2 will be arriving at my door any day now. whoops.

INCEPTION

2010-07-14T00:57:00.000-07:00

I was fortunate to see a free screening of the film today. I'm still recovering, the scenes still playing back in my mind. I'll say nothing about the film, just that you should go see it for yourself. I don't think anyone will be disappointed by it. I may come back and write an actual review once the film is released and people have the chance to see it.

Another year gone by...

2010-06-23T02:22:00.001-07:00

For some reason, around this time of year, ever since I did this post 2 years ago and this one last year, I guess it's a "tradition" of mine on this blog to reflect on my journey towards my dreams. The good news - my goals and aspirations are still on track, I still wake up every morning feeling like I want to become a great filmmaker. It's hard to believe a whole year went by, it didn't quite hit me until I was in the audience of the UCLA graduation... the year truly flew by.

On paper, the past year looked pretty good for my journey. I had a successful internship for a few months, started a video production company, and got admitted into a masters program. But looking deeper into it, yes there were a lot of positives but I can't help but focus on the negatives at this moment. The internship with SFStation really forced me into production, and I learned a great deal and got plenty of hands-on experience with the camera and in the editing room. The company I co-founded started off pretty great, and we added quite a few clients to my growing portfolio.

But those positive things come at a great cost, and that is, me working like a dog, while others around me get away with doing significantly less work than I do. I put so much effort into the things I love to do, and it is such a discouraging feeling when those you work with have nowhere near the same amount of passion. What's worse is having such a person think they know more than you, and don't appreciate the hard work that goes behind what you do. And yet they're out there, walking all over you, trying to tell you what to do.

Film production is such a confusing industry. Over the year, I've either been called "a killer editor" or someone who "lacks professional experience." And what do you know, those comments have come from the same person even! I guess now that I've graduated college, I'm starting to enter and face the evil, harsh reality of the "real world." The real world, in which, "who you know" is far more important than "what you know." The world in which "working hard" and "hardly working" can get you the same amount of pay.

Well, I'm fed up with it. And this is the mindset I'm going to enter with, and we'll see one year from today how it all went down. It's time for me to take charge, and get the respect I earned and deserve. If I'm working with people who don't treat their team with respect and equality, then I need to surround myself with people who do. Someone who commits less time and effort into their work at the expense of others should not be getting away with it. Their pay should be cut, their opinions should have less weight. If you want to call yourself 25% of the team, then dammit, show that you are 25% of the team. It's what I truly believe in, deep down, a core belief of mine. And those of you that know me, know I can never compromise on my core beliefs. They are a part of who I am, and I don't give up on those no matter what the consequences.

Feels Weird to be Home...

2010-06-17T23:43:00.000-07:00

I haven't spent much time at home the past 3 weeks, been living out of a suitcase for so long that it started to feel normal. The festivities started Memorial Day Weekend, where I went to Vegas for the first time, with my brother. It was good times, losing money at the casino, checking out the UFC Fan Expo, and watching the fight.

2 days after Vegas, it was off to Chicago, to hang out with an old high school friend. I joined in the University of Chicago senior week activities, and got to feel like an undergrad student again. Deep dish pizzas, Harold's fried chicken, parties, Great America, boat cruise... I was treated well and life was goood. Next stop was LA for 2 days, to congratulate the new UCLA graduates at APIG. Then hop back on the plane to Chicago again.

The last leg of the trip, back in Chicago, was some of the craziest shit. It was fun, it was tiring, it was stressful. So my Sensei from NSU Odori, who is one of few Kabuki masters in the U.S. needed me for a performance there. He was asked to do a rendition of Matrix Ping Pong for "Ellen's Somewhat Special Special." I got called in last minute (while I was already in Chicago), hesitated at first (the rehearsal/performance dates would be while I was in LA, after just leaving Chicago), then realized how big of an opportunity it was and decided to just go for it.

And man, it was a pretty serious undertaking.. I still can't get over the scale of the production. Once I walked into the Chicago Theatre and saw where we'd be performing, then it really hit me. We got booked into a super nice hotel, had our rooms and flights paid for, got compensated for food, had studio space for rehearsal, our own trailer for the final dress rehearsal/performance... if you needed water, Starbuck's, lunch, they get someone to go get it for you. It got kind of overwhelming at one point, the whole star treatment. It even bothered me at some point, to keep being asked if everything was okay, if I needed anything, and to have everything done for you when sometimes you just want to take care of yourself.

Being on stage and performing for the crowd was the greatest thrill. A live audience of that caliber, cheering you on, it was such a humongous rush. We gave it our all, and well, I guess we'll never know exactly how well we did until we see it. It will air on TBS, Sunday June 27th, 9PM EDT. Check your local listings!

Spring '10 Final Projects

2010-05-20T02:07:00.001-07:00

Here is the documentary short I did for Film Language Studio. I ended up just choosing taiko as a topic, because I have the connections and resources to come up with something quick. And of course, it's a topic I have passion for.

We directed scenes from a script called "Full Frontal." It was also turned into a film, but it didn't do too well, and I have yet to see it.

The scene I directed is about Lee firing David.

My teacher asked me to edit the scene that she directed. So here it is, so you can compare my pathetic directing ability to the pros.

Winding Down

2010-05-20T01:31:00.000-07:00

Past few weeks have been quite a rollercoaster. Lots of editing, shooting, with some directing thrown in there. The quarter is practically over, I only have 2 classes left in which I just have to turn in my final projects, which I finished editing last night. It's been awhile since I wrote a post, so I thought I'd just reflect on my life, how things are going.

It was a very busy time, dragging camera and equipment around, doing multiple projects at once. I got kind of overwhelmed at one point, when I had something everyday, or days when I'd leave in the morning and come back home at midnight. But it felt good to be that busy, to be going to this and going to that, work on school project, work on Gopher Hole project, go to taiko practice, and then still have the energy to hang out and eat with friends, or go out and watch a movie.

All the experience is really paying off too. As I was editing my Taiko Documentary final, at one point I remember just being on auto-pilot. I was totally in the zone, I wasn't even thinking about what I was doing, I was clicking and dragging and pressing keys... it was an experience I can only relate to during a performance. It was the equivalent to a violin recital one time, where I had my eyes closed, and my fingers just knew what to do, and all I could think about or focus on was that very moment and how I was feeling at the time. Surreal, and difficult to describe, and also something I wouldn't expect to happen when staring at a computer screen. Anyways, I think it just means I'm starting to really get used to working with video, that it's starting to feel more natural, which is a good sign.

Everything's just improving. I'm learning a lot, and sometimes, not even because of class or the teacher. Mostly just learning by doing... Camerawork for instance, just shooting any opportunity I get, paid or unpaid, it helps me be more comfortable with cameras, operating them, and avoiding past mistakes.

Kick-Ass

2010-04-18T22:49:00.000-07:00

Kick-Ass
I already want to see it again! I actually wasn't really that hyped for it going in, but I loved this movie beginning to end. Strong performances, great storytelling, and cool visuals and action sequences. I totally was not expecting to be blown away like this... but man it is such a badass movie. And Nicholas Cage was amazing, and I haven't liked most of his roles since The Rock.
10 out of 10

Gopher Hole Productions Demo Reel 2009-2010

2010-04-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

Gopher Hole Productions Demo Reel from Gopher Hole on Vimeo.

Demo Reel for our company.

The Lovely Bones

2010-04-05T15:14:00.004-07:00

The Lovely Bones
I really didn't know what to think going into it, whether I'd like it or not. I heard such mixed things about it, but I didn't let any outside opinions influence my own. And I thought it was a good film. First of all, visually it is very unique and intriguing. I read some critiques about Peter Jackson overdoing it with the CGI, but I disagree, I think it really works and adds a lot to the atmosphere. As for the story, I had never read the book, so I can't say how true it is to the original, but after reading the synposis on wikipedia, it doesn't seem like any of the major plot had been altered. No adaptation is going to be word for word, and I think here any sort of liberties the filmmakers took with the source material didn't really bother me.. it's not like they completely changed the ending or anything. The only critique I would have is that it draws too long at certain parts, such as the 'heaven' scenes, but at the same time, there's so much going on visually during those parts that it didn't really take anything away for me.
9 out of 10

The Professional (Leon)

2010-04-05T15:14:00.003-07:00

The Professional (Leon)
I've been meaning to watch this, and when we watched the first half in class, I had to go home and finish it. It's really intriguing, the concept, and the characters. The performances were all very strong, Natalie Portman, Gary Oldman, Jean Reno. I don't know how popular this movie is, if a lot of people have seen it or not.. I had never heard of it until my brother brought it up a few months ago, so I really recommend this one.
9 out of 10

Where the Wild Things Are

2010-04-05T15:14:00.002-07:00

Where the Wild Things Are
I actually forgot to write about it during my last review round-up, but anyway, I dunno about this one. I wanted to like it, but it was such a strange film to me. I don't know if I liked it or not, which probably means I didn't like it. I wasn't moved, engaged at all really, never felt drawn into the film for some reason. Half the time I didn't really know what was going on or what the characters were talking about.
7 out of 10

Saving Private Ryan - Lightning Review

2010-04-05T15:14:00.001-07:00

Saving Private Ryan
Yes.. I am ashamed to say, I had never seen this film until two days ago. "What? And you're a film major?" I could have seen this on DVD I guess, but part of me just wanted to wait to see it in HD... and it was worth the 12-year wait. Just blew me away, don't know what else to say about it.
10 out of 10

Spring '10 Week 8?

2010-04-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

School's just flying by, I think I just finished Week 8? We got off spring break so I'm kind of confused, but regardless, the semester is already half-over. jeeez. Classes are going well, everything's starting to gear up towards the final projects.

In Film Language, we're creating a 3-5 minute documentary. Still coming up with ideas, but one cool idea I had has to do with Photoshop and the effects of photo manipulation on pop culture. Should be fun, interviewing people, showing them side by side comparisons of photos untouched and retouched, gauging reactions, that sort of thing.

Directing Actors class is pretty cool, we held auditions on Friday, and last night I finished calling my two actors and casting them! They get paid $75 to do it, which we pay as a course fee. We're doing scenes from "Full Frontal" which I had never heard of before. Our final project is to film the scene and present an edited version in class. I'm really excited to see how this one goes, a little intimidated because I chose two very experienced actors, but they were great to work with at the audition so I think things will go quite well.

Last week was pretty Gopher Hole heavy - we shot a Hep B PSA, 2 STD PSA's, 2 Diabetes PSA's last Saturday and Monday. It was a crazy shoot, all the way up in Sonoma County but I had a lot of fun and gained a ton of experience. On top of that, there was a screening last Thursday for the San Francisco Environment. We have worked on that video off and on since October, so it was great to finally finish it and hold a special screening for it for some San Francisco Green Businesses. In addition to the video, I was busy preparing some promotional materials for Gopher Hole - flyer, DVDs and a demo reel. I lost a lot of sleep but everything turned out really well.

Spring '10 Week 7

2010-03-17T18:46:00.001-07:00

Film Language Studio: Today we shot in groups a short film using Super 8 cameras. It's all film, black & white, no sound. Not sure if we will get it transferred to digital, it may or may not. I hope it does because I would love to be able to share it.

Man, shooting with these old cameras got me to think about how spoiled we are in this technological age. Super 8 camera shoots like 50 feet of film or so, which equates to probably about a minute or less. My HDV prosumer camera shoots 60 min on DV tapes, and then there are cameras out there that could store 6 hours of footage on flash memory.

Then there's the whole auto thing.. auto-focus, auto-exposure, auto-white balance. Yeah, and how about seeing the image right after you've taken it. I have no idea how the film turned out today - it could be all out of focus, it could be completely over-exposed because we were out in the sun, it could've been shaky, or even the shots may not come back developed (which happened to me last week, which I'll explain next). It made me appreciate all the fancy new gadgets we have, how lucky we are, and I hope by reading this, others can appreciate how even an iPhone can take a pretty decent picture.

I've finally gotten the time to upload last week's assignment, which didn't turn out quite like I hoped (which is why I felt compelled to talk about my experience with film vs. digital above). This time I used a slide scanner at school, so the images are of much higher quality than the last one. Still, a lot of shots went wrong this time around, including what I was talking about above... I got the film developed and when I got it back, I was missing about 5 shots. I had already left the store so I couldn't ask what happened, and my teacher even couldn't explain why. It really bummed me out because, while luckily, my story still worked without those shots, they really would've added to it too. Anyway, all the bluriness I should've expected I guess, because dogs will move around a lot and not do what you tell them to. But other times I felt like I failed to focus or expose properly, so I'm disappointed at my failures as the photographer.

Despite the shortcomings, the class still enjoyed my story, and so do I - gotta take what you have and be proud of your work, regardless of its flaws. Here it is: "a story of conflict between two actors."

I would love to hear comments about it this time!

Developing Story: The class has really slowed down lately.. we still have as much assignments every week, and we're still doing quizzes/tests like normal... but in terms of lecture material it's really slowed down over the past few weeks and I'm getting less and less interested in the class. What was once a class I really was excited to take, has become a class I feel like I need to take (which I do, to get my degree). So, whatever... no use complaining though, but still.

Directing Actors for Motion Pictures: On the otherhand, this class is really picking up, and we will be having a real audition after the break. Our job for this week and next is to get the word out about the audition, post flyers, post on casting agency websites, etc. to get as many people to audition for our scenes. Then in the coming weeks, we get to be the directors, cast the actors, direct rehearsals, shoot the scenes on video, edit, and show in class. I think it will be a great learning experience.

Hachiko: A Dog's Story

2010-03-13T01:05:00.006-08:00

Hachiko: A Dog's Story
Stumbled on this kind of randomly, but I saw the dog and couldn't resist checking it out. It's based off a Japanese film, but there probably isn't too much of a difference other than they took the story and set it in America, and you have Richard Gere as the dog's owner. Anyway, I think anyone who likes dogs ought to see this movie. It'll make you go "Awwwwwwww!"
8.5 out of 10

Shutter Island

2010-03-13T01:05:00.005-08:00

Shutter Island
Even though you might know or think you know what the story is, or have a theory based on the trailer, or whatever.. I still really liked how you get to the end. The journey they take you through, it's very interesting, suspenseful, and once you get to the end you kind of want to see the whole thing again, with that new piece of knowledge. I don't want to spoil anything, and I recommend not reading about it or reading other reviews, because they tend to do that.
9 out of 10

Up in the Air

2010-03-13T01:05:00.004-08:00

Up in the Air
I really enjoyed Clooney in this one, and thought Anna Kendrick was excellent. I hear a lot more about Vera Farmiga's performance but I felt Kendrick deserves those accolades more. Anyway, great story and some interesting character developments going on. I look forward to seeing what Jason Reitman's doing next - he's got a good streak goin.
9 out of 10

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

2010-03-13T01:05:00.003-08:00

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
It was a fun movie to watch, with some good performances for Alice (don't remember actress' name) and the two queens. I didn't like Depp as the Hatter. When Depp plays a wacky character, it's already hard enough to understand him. Throw in the British (and sometimes Scottish) accent, a ridiculous costume, some made-up words... and the fact that he's the "Mad" Hatter.. and man. You lost me... it really became distracting for me at a certain point, where it takes me out of the movie. But fortunately, the film focuses much more on Alice, which the marketing hardly seems to acknowledge for some reason. Anyways, I think it's a great movie to watch in theatres, although I'd say skip the 3d if you want to save some money... the 3D didn't seem to really add at all to the experience.
8.5 out of 10

Brothers

2010-03-13T01:05:00.002-08:00

Brothers
Just saw it and my initial reaction was, oh it's pretty good.. thinking about it some more though, I don't like how it was called "Brothers," because I feel like they set up the story in such a way where it seems it's about the two brothers, but that's not what it's about at all. Tobey Macguire has some pretty strong scenes in this though, and I will say it's almost worth watching the whole movie for it. But yeah, don't believe anything the trailer makes it out to be. It's still an interesting story, but for me, by twisting the story away from the brother relationship, I got kind of turned off by that. It's almost like they couldn't decide what they wanted the story to really be about.
8 out of 10

Oscars '10

2010-03-13T01:05:00.001-08:00

Just had a few thoughts on the Oscars I wanted to share. I knew Hurt Locker was a big favorite coming in but I had no idea it would win in so many categories... editing, original screenplay, best picture... those are where I disagree. I wanted to see District 9 win something, and if it was anything I would've given it Best Editing. There's a lot of different ways that story could have gone, and I think the choice they went with was so much more interesting and unique. Hurt Locker had great editing too but, what can I say, at the same time it's also kind of just another war movie. Inglourious Basterds, not getting best screenplay was disappointing for me. Best Actress - I hadn't seen any of those performances nominated so I can't really say much about it, but Sandra Bullock?? Thought it was going to Sidibe for Precious, which I've been meaning to see. Last thing I'll say, I knew it probably didn't stand a chance, but Up for Best Picture! someday... Pixar will win it. I hope.

Spring '10 Week 5

2010-03-03T20:09:00.000-08:00

Man does time fly when you're in school. Went by so quick I forgot to post an update for Week 4.. just been real busy, with Gopher Hole stuff as well. We have three videos wrapping up and hopefully uploaded to our website within a week or so.. Two more videos in the works, a commercial (which will air on TV this time!) and our first paid gig, which is for a start-up tech company.

Really excited to post this up: for Film Language Studio our assignment this week was to create 20-25 slides of a story about one emotion. I picked an emotion I didn't think most people would do (and I was right) and it turned out super well! I was very happy, my teacher and my classmates all liked it. It's funny at first I liked this class the least, but now I love it, simply because we get to shoot stuff, learn how to use film, and really, just be able to be creative.

What emotion was my story about???

Developing Story I'm not liking as much anymore. Not sure, I think when I work on my story a little bit more maybe I will.

Directing Actors last week was really fun, I got to act in 2 scenes directed by a classmate, then got my turn to direct two other classmates. Fun stuff, and I think I did fairly well (if only because I went last and heard the other two get critiqued on their directing, haha).

Must get back to homework! Lots of things going on right now, including my return to taiko! More on that later when I have time to blog about it.

Fantastic Mr. Fox

2010-02-25T20:54:00.001-08:00

Fantastic Mr. Fox
The animation is impressive and the characters were pretty charming. Very likeable characters. My only beef with the film is sorta the mixed message I get: is this film for adults or for kids? If I were a kid I don't really know if I'd like this movie. I liked the book, I liked all of Roald Dahl's books when I was a kid. And there's a certain quality in his books that I don't think any film has really captured yet. Matilda came closest, but James and the Giant Peach, the new Charlie and Chocolate Factory, and now Fantastic Mr. Fox... they all lack something I can't really describe, but is what makes Roald Dahl's work so special. Maybe I'm being a little harsh, or a book purist or whatever, but I've never really been too ecstatic about making his books into films in the first place, and mainly because of this.
To sum, I thought it was good, but not great.
8 out of 10

Spring '10 Week 3

2010-02-24T18:44:00.000-08:00

Film Language Studio: Class is going good, there's just one guy I really don't like... he's always talking (and usually quite loud) and everytime the teacher is explaining something, he has to make a nice big, "mmmHMMM..." "ahhhhHHH..." "WOOwwww.."
My assignment for the week was to tell a story of a location. I chose the Peace Pagoda in Japan Town. The slides turned out quite nice, here are a few samples:

(Well.. they look a lot better when scanned/projected properly)

Developing Story: I actually don't remember what we did last week.... just more development on the story idea I think. Anyway, my story is starting to take shape, and it has something to do with a prisoner and his mistreatment there.. It'll have to do with how he overcomes and tries to fight for human rights and expose the prison for its wrongdoings. More on that later........

Directing Actors: Alright, I didn't fall asleep but I totally zoned out. Later, she did a cool demonstration using some classmates. She directed a scene and fabricated a story out of a simple script. The dialogue by itself didn't really make any sense but when she told the actors the backstory, and developed the characters, there was a huge change in how the scene played out. Our assignment is to take the same dialogue and create our own scene out of it, which I think we will then direct in the next class.

Performing Arts

2010-02-19T19:46:00.000-08:00

I've been getting pretty involved with all this film production stuff since I graduated. But I'm starting to feel that the one part of me that's been missing the past 8 months is the stage. Since I was 6 there was always something I'd be practicing on a weekly basis, some sort of performance to gear up for. Mom's recitals, Youth Orchestra concerts, Cultural Nights, Taiko gigs, Odori dances.

I want to get back into something, but I don't know what. I went to NSU's CN this past weekend and during each performing group I thought to myself, "Man, I miss that.. I kinda want to go back to it." Acting was always a lot of fun, and it does relate to film, so I thought it might be fun to try some classes or find like an improv group that I could just have fun with. If I wanted to do taiko, there's both SF Taiko Dojo and San Jose Taiko. Odori might be difficult to get back into, but my old teacher does come by to Monterey every month where I could practice and learn.

But then I worry about stretching myself too thin.. Gopher Hole stuff is starting to pile up, and school is of course my number one priority. Still, performing has been a big part of my life over the years. After graduating I thought it'd be easy to just say, those were all just my past experiences, they were fun, put them behind me and focus on work. But then everytime I see a performance or a youtube video I go "damn, maybe there's still some stuff I want to do before I put it all behind me."

I'm supposed to play for my mom's recital coming up in May. It doesn't feel the same. It's still rehearsing and performing, but I guess I don't see it on the same level as my other activities in college. Maybe all I'm really looking for is a group -with acting, taiko, odori - half of what made those experiences what they were was the people I socialized and performed with. Either way I hope I find something soon. Performing in front of an audience just gives me a thrill like no other. And so does being with a group of people where I can be myself and connect with freely on a daily basis - maybe that's what I truly miss.

Spring '10 Week 2

2010-02-16T22:16:00.001-08:00

I like my last post, how I sorta keep track of what I'm doing in each class. I think I'll try to regularly update, just so I have something interesting to post and keep this blog alive.

Film Language Studio: We went around AT&T Park and shot with a Nikon FM10, a still camera that shoots 35mm film. It was fun and I got a better understanding how to manually adjust things like shutter speed, aperture, etc. A lot of it was second nature because I've been working a lot with video, but it's helpful to know and hopefully helps me take better pictures when I use a DSLR (which I usually just set on auto out of laziness). The film was developed and the teacher will project the slides in class tomorrow.

These aren't my slides but I wanted to spruce up this post somehow.. so that's what my slides are supposed to look like (if I didn't f up all my shots).

Developing Story: We spent the whole class going over everyone's 3 story ideas/themes. It was long but some ideas were pretty interesting. I dunno, it just didn't seem like the best use of our time but what can you do? I'll explain my story idea once I spend some more time on it.

Directing Actors: went over some stuff about result direction and how to tell if actors are really listening to each other. I liked the latter subject a lot, I think it's interesting and really could make or break a performance. It reminded me of NSU CN's in the past, where in the beginning stages of rehearsal you're reading off a script and kinda just waiting for the other person to say their line and then you say your line. For the real performance though, actors play off each other and it really seems like a real conversation (at least, I hope my performances in the past came out that way :P)

And Now For Something That's Not a Movie Review

2010-02-09T01:02:00.000-08:00

School started last week and while it's a bit of a slow start, it's a good preview of what's to come. I'm glad I'm not swamped with homework (but I'm expecting to after a week or two).

"Film Language Studio" is a little dry and boring, but we will be shooting with real film cameras by the end of it, so there's something to look forward to.
"Developing Story" should be extremely useful. The teacher said flat out it was going to be a more laidback type of class, which I like and don't like because I definitely want to be challenged too. But who can complain about a class where you come up with your own story ideas, pitch it to the class, and eventually turn it into a full (or maybe half) screenplay? Definitely something that will come in handy for our production company.
"Directing Actors for Motion Picture." It's an 8am class on a Friday, which kinda sucks because I take Caltrain to school, not like at UCLA where I could walk. But it's the class I know I'm going to look forward to each week. I think we get to act a little, as exercises, but the end goal is to be able to audition and cast real actors into real scenes, which will be filmed and shown as our final projects. Super excited for that, even though I'm not necessarily focusing on directing, I am pretty sure at some point in my career I will want to direct.

Meanwhile Gopher Hole Productions is really picking up steam. We've got our first paid gig coming up for some tech company. We started shooting a commercial today for my coworker's parents' construction company. We shot some interviews for a solar panel installation organization called GRID, just need to go through and edit it into a nice promo video. And my work with the San Francisco Environment should be wrapping up soon. It was nice working on that video actually, it reminded me of myself 4 years ago when I was starting to become more environmentally-conscious, and I've started to do that again.

iMargarita App for iPhone/iPod Touch

2010-02-09T00:57:00.001-08:00

I also want to shamelessly plug another work. This was recently released as an iPhone app, where the Ambassador of Tequila shows you in easy-to-follow videos (which we made) how to make the perfect World Famous Tommy's Margarita. It's only 99cents, and can be purchased on iTunes now!

Click to view the Promo Video

Ta Restaurant Commercial

2010-02-09T00:53:00.001-08:00

I was looking through the posts in "My Work" section and can't believe I never made a post about this.. we finished this quite awhile ago actually.

Yes that's me drinking the martini.

The Informant!

2010-02-08T23:57:00.002-08:00

The Informant!
I think the trailers are a little misleading on this one, from what I remember this was a laugh-out-loud kind of movie. There are little bits that did make me chuckle, but the humorous aspect of the film wasn't what drew me in. As the story moved forward I found myself more and more interested - I think it's the unfolding of events and the mystery of how it's all going to go down that really drives this film. I'm somewhat of a Matt Damon fan, and I loved his performance. What I was surprised most was the realization that the story is based on true events (something they mention in the beginning, but was not something I was always thinking about while watching). It intrigued me so much that afterwards I ended up googling Mark Whitacre and caught a few interviews. The film can be confusing, as it does deal with a lot of legal vocabulary that I didn't even understand until I searched wikipedia later.. so the film isn't for everybody, I guess. But I enjoyed it quite a bit, and for me that's what's most important when I watch a film.
9 out of 10

Amelie

2010-02-08T23:57:00.001-08:00

Amelie
I was drawn in almost immediately, and after about 10 minutes of watching, I knew I was going to like this film. The first thing that stood out to me was the cinematography; I just loved the vibrant colors. Amelie is very charming, I don't know how anyone could not like her. Yep, I was just amazed throughout... I wish I had seen this earlier.
10 out of 10

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

2010-02-08T23:57:00.000-08:00

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
It was a bit cheesy and some characters went a little too far over the top (Andy Samberg, who was funny sometimes, super obnoxious the other times). I liked the art direction though, it's a very colorful movie and I think it helps make the movie enjoyable on many levels. The structure of the story isn't the most original, but in terms of content I felt it was imaginative and creative. There's not much I could say that is wrong or bad about it, but I also can't say that anything makes the film outstanding.
8 out of 10

Moon

2010-01-25T02:49:00.005-08:00

Moon
Lot of buzz about this limited release, so I had to go see it for myself. I had no idea what to expect, and I was pleasantly surprised. The way the story starts off and unwinds - very well executed in my opinion. Also a very strong performance by Sam Rockwell, who I wasn't familiar with before. Highly recommend it, I'd watch it again just to catch the little things - I would throw this on my list of top films of 2009.
9.5 out of 10

In the Line of Fire

2010-01-25T02:49:00.004-08:00

In the Line of Fire
Gran Torino was my first taste of Clint Eastwood's acting. Then I went back to see Million Dollar Baby. This was the next film I got my hands on and he's terrific here too. I wonder if there are any films where Eastwood doesn't deliver. John Malkovich was the 2nd reason I had to see this, and he plays such a great villain. I didn't care much for the love story on the side, and thought it would have been a stronger film if it just stayed focused on the cat-and-mouse aspect.
9 out of 10

Whip It

2010-01-25T02:49:00.003-08:00

Whip It
I'm a big fan of Ellen Page's work, especially after seeing Hard Candy, so despite the mixed reviews I decided to check this out anyway. It's a little slow to start, and roller derby isn't the most exciting thing to watch. But the characters were likeable and Ellen Page is great as usual. I can see why guys might not like it, but if you just keep an open mind and watch it, there's something to appreciate out of it whether you're a guy or a girl.
8 out of 10

A Serious Man

2010-01-25T02:49:00.002-08:00

A Serious Man
I'm generally a fan of films by the Coen brothers. This one left me puzzled by the end of it. I know I enjoyed it, the lead actor delivers a great performance. There's just a lot of subtleties to it that I guess, I just don't get. There are a lot of references to Judaism, so that could be it. Overall though it's an intriguing film, and even though you might not get the story, or the ending, maybe that's the point?
8.5 out of 10

Adventureland

2010-01-25T02:49:00.001-08:00

Adventureland
Two movies ending in -land, with the same lead, but I felt totally different about this film. I actually didn't really like anything about this film - the characters, performances, plot... everything kind of just moves along, there's a few laughs here and there. I don't know, it was all very underwhelming for me. I've heard praise for Ryan Reynolds and Kristen Stewart's performances, but I did not like either character one bit. The film reminds me of Napoleon Dynamite/Superbad for some reason, (and I really did not like those movies either).
5 out of 10

Zombieland - Lightning Review

2010-01-25T02:49:00.000-08:00

Zombieland
Good performance by Woody Harrelson. Overall not as many laughs as I had anticipated, but watching the film was an enjoyable experience. That's all I can really ask for really. Bill Murray cameo was awesome.
8 out of 10

Gopher Hole 2.0.

2010-01-17T01:16:00.000-08:00

It feels awesome when you struggle with all this code you don't understand, googling the solutions along the way, and finally see the end result the way you pictured it in your head. So I'm proud, even though this is no breakthrough in web design, Gopher Hole Productions' new website. I powered through it last night, going 5 hours straight putting the finishing touches. It's not perfect of course, and there's still changes to be made, but overall it's a great feeling of accomplishment.

please support!
www.gopherhole.tv

When does school start?!

2010-01-14T02:13:00.000-08:00

In undergrad, I wouldn't really get excited about going back to school after a break.. the only reason to be excited ever was the ability to see people and hang out again. But I'm friggin excited for film school because I can't wait to dive deeper into the subject and really start training to become a legit filmmaker.

The months of December and January have been awesome, and something I will surely miss. I can procrastinate all I want, which is great since I can catch up on things before school kicks into gear and I can no longer. The flip side, of course, is the amount of work that's piled up. I was supposed to have a new version of the Gopher Hole Productions website up... but it's hard to find the motivation when the company has sorta died out a little. Not a lot of opportunities come up lately, and believe it or not, that Jose Ortega school video that got such positive response.... still has some issues and I'm putting the final (let's hope it's the final) touch on it. It sucks having to re-edit it, but if it's to respect the privacy of some of the kids and the teachers, then it's a necessary 'evil.' 'Evil' because it's more work, but actually upon revisiting it I'm actually glad I had to because I went back and did even more fine adjustments. If I could post it I would, I'm more happy after the improvements than ever before. Let's hope there's no more conflict with it.

Aside from Gopher Hole stuff, it's good to be able to work with San Francisco Environment. It keeps me busy once or twice a week and gives me a chance to practice camerawork. Shooting always feels much more relaxed, and I have a good time with the crew. Thanks to one of the interns I discovered this new TV show called Modern Family. I got hooked immediately and caught up on all 10 episodes in about a day and a half.

Speaking of TV, I'm really appalled by the NBC/Conan/Leno thing. Sucks for Conan to move his family and staff coast-to-coast and then get canned 7 months later for not doing anything wrong. I never liked Leno and will never understand the decision to keep his show alive.

22!

2010-01-06T00:22:00.000-08:00

It was a really nice day today, pretty low-key; I don't like announcing it all over Facebook or Twitter or whatever (though I guess I'm kind of doing it now, on this blog, but the day is over anyway). No need to have lots of people say Happy Birthday or to hold a party or anything, I was pretty content today just spending time with family and just treating it like a normal day. And then it's really nice to get calls or messages throughout the day from people who took the time, and who remembered.

Hm I also didn't do a New Year's thing, but this year I'm not really doing one. When I thought about resolutions, and when I thought about a wish before blowing out the candle... I didn't really have anything in mind. Everything is just perfect the way it is, and if there's any wish or resolution to make it's just to keep things in this equilibrium-like state. Everything in its right place.

Sherlock Holmes (2009)

2009-12-28T00:06:00.005-08:00

Sherlock Holmes
I wasn't sure what this movie was going to be like, and I was pretty pleasantly surprised. I really enjoyed it, it's fun and Robert Downey Jr. plays the role very well. Jude Law makes a pretty good Watson too. I'm not too familiar with the books, but this is a very interesting adaptation and I hope people go see it. I really like the editing here, where it sort of takes you through Sherlock's puzzle-solving logic. Kinda like The Prestige, where you sorta go back and see the clues in a different perspective. I really like that kind of effect. Overall, I was really impressed and liked it way more than I thought I would.
9 out of 10

Hard Candy

2009-12-28T00:06:00.004-08:00

Hard Candy
Holy crap! That was my reaction like.. 15 minutes into it. And again 15 minutes later. And again, and again... this is an intense film and realllllly stunning performance by Ellen Page (Juno). If you thought she was a good actress before.. man you need to see this, and this was 2 years before Juno. I think this is one of those films that stick with you for a long time (maybe even haunt you a little).
10 out of 10

The Hurt Locker

2009-12-28T00:06:00.003-08:00

The Hurt Locker
I know this was on a lot of critic's top 10 lists, so I had to just see what the buzz was about. The hype didn't get to me, I just tried to sit down and take it in. I think they do a really good job putting the audience in the battlefield and into the lives of these soldiers. And man do they have it tough. I have newfound respect for what the troops are doing in Iraq. I don't think it's the movie of the year or anything, but I definitely would recommend it to someone. Good cinematography, the pacing is for the most part pretty good (although drags here and there), and lots of tension/suspense to keep you interested.
9 out of 10

Avatar

2009-12-28T00:06:00.002-08:00

Avatar (IMAX 3D)
I can't imagine what this would look like not in IMAX 3D.. you lose most of the experience. Reading up on how it was filmed, using the latest in 3D technology, I knew there was no other way to watch it. I still don't think 3D will change the way films are made, even when executed this well. But I think they made a damn good attempt at it, the visual effects just blow you away. While the visuals were extraordinary, I have to say the story and characters felt a little one-dimensional. The plot isn't anything you haven't seen and some of the characters are way predictable and stereotypical. Overall though, the movie is still worth seeing, in IMAX of course (or at least in Digital 3D if you can't get to one).
8.5 out of 10

The Princess and the Frog

2009-12-28T00:06:00.001-08:00

The Princess and the Frog
When I saw the trailer for the first time, I knew I wanted to go see this. I've been waiting for Disney to go back to its roots, and I think they really did in this one. The music is great, as always, and initially I wasn't sure about how they'd pull off the New Orleans setting but they execute it very well. It's short, it's sweet, and I think it ranks up there with classics like Aladdin and Lion King.
9 out of 10

Ponyo

2009-12-28T00:06:00.000-08:00

Ponyo
I enjoy watching Miyazaki films but sometimes I really just don't get them. This is one I could really connect with, maybe because the story is so simple and yet is so imaginative. Animation looks awesome, esp. in HD of course. If I were to recommend 3 Ghibli films to someone not familiar, I would recommend Mononoke first, then Totoro, then this one. And I'd throw in Pom Poko cos I love those magical raccoons.
9 out of 10

My Top 5 Films of 2009

2009-12-14T00:13:00.000-08:00

Inspired by my brother's post on his five favorite albums of all time, I've decided to make my list of my top 5 films of 2009. The year's not over yet but the remaining films left kinda leak into 2010, sorta like how Gran Torino (which is on my list) was technically released in 08, but didn't get much attention until 2009. Yes, Avatar comes out in like a week, even though it's such a big release, and even if I decided it was the best film this year, I don't want to overshadow these 5 fine films.

HONORABLE MENTION: Coraline
This one broke new ground in my opinion. I'm a bit skeptical with 3D but Coraline goes all out and it's unique art style really shines in 3D. I just wish I could see it again in all it's glorious 3D, but 2D will have to suffice.

NUMBER 5: (500) Days of Summer
I literally just watched this two nights ago and thought it was excellent. I never put up a review on this blog like I normally do, so here it is. I wasn't sure I was going to like it, or whether this was "my type" but it's got great storytelling and the leading performances were really strong. I'm not very familiar with Joseph Gordon-Levitt or Zooey Daschanel (and I'm not very familiar with the spelling either) but they played their characters damn well. There were some elements that tried to make the film unique, like use of split-screen, that I thought really were implemented well, although some things I felt were unnecessary, like the 3rd-person narration. Overall I really enjoyed it, had a lot of great moments that stick in your mind which is what I love about watching a film.
My rating for it would be 9 out of 10.

NUMBER 4: District 9
This one really surprised me, but watching it in theatres was quite an experience. The aliens visually looked amazing (although my mom's first reaction was, those aliens look so fake!) - I thought quite opposite, I felt the aliens looked (and felt) more real than any other alien movie I've seen. There's just so much CGI out there that doesn't feel like a breathing living thing, but here they really feel organic, and very real. The biggest surprise to me was the film's lead role, played by Sharlto Copley, which really made the film for me. I loved his character, the plot, the visual effects..... The mockumentary style too is icing on the cake, they utilized it well.

NUMBER 3: Inglourious Basterds
I'm not a huge Tarantino fan or anything, (I've only seen Kill Bill 1 & 2, Pulp Fiction) but I think this is his best work. Kill Bill 1 was great, I can't quite remember much from Vol. 2, and for some reason Pulp Fiction didn't click well with me (though I am willing to watch it again and give it another chance). I just saw this again last week, and liked it even better the second time. The pacing is just right, mixing some humor but keeping the tension so you're always on the edge of your seat (especially anytime Colonel Landa is around). I think Landa is played by Christopher Waltz? Yeah I think his performance easily wins all sorts of awards for this year. Such an incredibly talented actor - I mean that opening scene is something I'll remember forever.

NUMBER 2: Gran Torino
I think a lot of people missed this one and I think it's a shame. A very simple story and yet so powerful emotionally. There's one scene, that in theatres really hit me hard, and even watching it again a few weeks ago still hit me, even though I knew what to expect. I remember one commentary about the acting in this film - it really doesn't bother me at all. Clint Eastwood puts on a tremendous performance, but the critics of course point fingers at the Hmong actors.. but what I like about Eastwood's choice in these actors is that they are real people.. they aren't some perfect English-speaking Asian-American actors, they are just normal average people and that's part of what makes it emotionally powerful to me. For example, what if Thao was played by John Cho? That to me would take everything away out of this film (no offense to Cho).

NUMBER 1: Up
Anyone who knows me knows I'm a huge Pixar fan. This one finally dethrones Monsters Inc. as my favorite, Ratatouille came close. Wall-E is still a quality film but what it lacked for me was heart. Impressive with what they could do with the story revolving around robots, but it is no comparison to Up. The opening montage of Carl Frederickson and his life.. it was so beautifully done, it actually brought tears to my eyes, and there's hardly ever a film that does that to me, especially not an animated one. The best part about Pixar films, they can be enjoyed no matter what age, no matter what culture you're from. Their films are truly universal and I think the overall story structure and message of Up is really the pinnacle of their filmmaking. I'm really not sure how Pixar will be able to top this, it's a masterpiece.

hmmm..

2009-12-09T23:04:00.000-08:00

I'm not the type to back down, especially if I feel strongly about something. I am not afraid to speak my mind and defend my beliefs, no matter who it is I'm talking to.

So what do you do when you feel like you've done everything you can, explained your position thoroughly, but yet are still powerless of the outcome in the end?

JCVD

2009-11-23T12:18:00.004-08:00

JCVD
Pretty weird film, I wasn't sure what this film was supposed to be about. I think it's an introspective on Jean Claude Van Damme's life, like seeing another side to him aside from his action films. So it's kind of interesting, but the film is also a little artsy, maybe too artsy for its own good, in that it gets in the way of storytelling sometimes. I'm not too sure how biographical it is either, since there are what seems to be a lot of ficitional elements in here (although maybe the events did happen). I'm not really sure about this one.
6.5 out of 10

The Hangover

2009-11-23T12:18:00.003-08:00

The Hangover
I missed this in theatres, and everyone has been raving about it so I'm glad to finally catch up. I love Ed Helms in The Office, and he's even funnier here. Bradley Cooper was pretty good, though annoyed me a bit, and the fat guy, Zach something, had some pretty awesome moments. Overall good comedy, but I was hearing people throwing Best Picture noms for this? Best Comedy sure because this year hasn't had too many great comedies, but Best Picture, nah.
8.5 out of 10

Shinjuku Incident

2009-11-23T12:18:00.002-08:00

San Suk si Gin (Shinjuku Incident)
Also stumbled on this randomly, and also a recent Jackie Chan film. This is probably the darkest, grittiest, and most violent Jackie Chan movie I've seen. The story is a little confusing, with lots of killing and Yakuza business going on, and Chan looks almost as uncomfortable in the movie as it is to be watching it. This came out just this year I think, and I hope it's not the direction he'll continue making films. There's a few good performances in here though, Daniel Wu, who is also in New Police Story.
7 out of 10

New Police Story

2009-11-23T12:18:00.001-08:00

Xin Jing Cha gu Shi (New Police Story)
I found this film pretty randomly, but it's a Jackie Chan film and it was made fairly recently. I didn't think he was still making films in Hong Kong, but apparently he is and I liked this one. It's a lot darker and more dramatic, but maybe I've only seen his more comedic roles. He doesn't kick as much ass as he normally does, but when he does, at his age, it's impressive and fun to watch. Interesting plot with some twists
8.5 out of 10

Terminator Salvation - Lightning Review

2009-11-23T12:18:00.000-08:00

Terminator Salvation
I think it belongs in the Terminator series, moreso than Terminator 3 at least. Nothing will ever compare to T2, but that's a given. Salvation does a pretty good job linking events and characters though. Some of the references to the older movies are pretty bad, but I guess every Terminator movie needs to have "I'll be back"
8 out of 10

The Next Step

2009-11-16T11:08:00.000-08:00

I got a call this morning from Academy of Art and they want me! The funny thing is, the advisor read me a review from the director, very positive comments etc.. but he wasn't actually able to view my porfolio? They said the link wasn't working for them. So I'm just kinda baffled, I would think it's the other way around, where they see the work, like it, and don't really pay attention to the resume, the letter of intent...

In other news, we're wrapping up our last project, "AyTequila," which is going to be an app for the iPhone, teaching you how to make the "perfect margarita." Pretty fun project, video looks great, hopefully I'll be able to post a link sometime. If not, maybe you'll just have to go buy the app to see it, heh.

Update: Well, I sent them a youtube version of my portfolio, and have received a review from the MFA Director.. and it's just so overwhelmingly positive, that I'm in disbelief. It's almost like we're looking at two completely different videos. "The portfolio shows a rising star in the film business." I'm really honored and appreciate the compliment but.. I dunno. I think there's so much more I need to work on and learn before I could be given such a title. We'll see about that.

Jose Ortega

2009-11-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

Originally just supposed to be a quick 2-3 min video explaining why this Elementary School is great and why parents should send their kids here... ended up becoming a miniature documentary.

Fall Back

2009-11-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

How is it November already? I can hardly remember what I did in October. For the most part, I haven't been doing any SFStation stuff really.. it's been all about pushing this new production company, Gopher Hole Productions. I think that's what October was all about - designing the website, putting videos up, and finishing up that restaurant commercial.

Which meaaans.. I'm starting to really fall behind on my priorities. I was supposed to have finished my new reel and submitted my application for Academy of Art. My goal was to do all this before November, and I haven't even gotten started. It's not due for awhile, but I would still like to get it to them so it's off my chest and I can focus on other things.

There have been plenty of times where I know I could've been doing work, but instead I'm slacking off playing a video game or watching a movie. Last week even, I picked up violin again. Ok, so I only practiced a total of 2 maybe 3 hours all of last week.. but it's something I hope to continue. There is one piece I had never gotten a chance to play and I want to do it before I never get that opportunity again. And I think that's what my whole post-graduation life has been all about actually. Even though I've been without a job, and just working small video projects here and there, I've been able to spend a lot of time for myself. And people have really been encouraging me with that as well, just saying things like, "Enjoy it while it lasts. You're about to spend the whole rest of your life working." As eager as I am to pursue a career doing film editing... it's also really nice to just slow down and enjoy life.

This is the piece I'm trying to learn.. wish me luck, it's probably impossible for me to ever play it this well. But I want to be able to someday at least play through the damn thing.

A taste of what I've been up to the past week

2009-10-17T23:09:00.000-07:00

Gopher Hole Productions

The crew I've worked with and met through SFstation decided, it's time we should make videos, and get paid. We worked on that commercial I mentioned earlier (which I might add, is finally done!) and is being used to jumpstart our new business venture.

The above site is not nearly complete yet, I've spent the past few days learning new tricks in HTML/CSS I have never known before.. the next challenge is working with flash so we can put up our sample work on there. It's challenging, since I don't know much about web design, but it certainly is rewarding to finally see the site functioning the way you want it to. Man, it's a lot tougher than it looks, I've definitely underestimated web design. Today's standards for websites are way higher than they were 3 years ago, when I first designed Kyodo Taiko's website (which has now become a wordpress because I couldn't stand the ancient design template.)

Toy Story 3-D Double Feature

2009-10-17T23:03:00.000-07:00

I'm really glad I caught it before it disappeared from theatres forever (only a 2-week release! c'mon!). I must say it was well worth the price of admission. Two classics from Pixar, looking better than ever. The 3D made all the objects stand out more, and gave them a real sense of depth that the original lacked. The thing I like about Pixar's way of doing 3D is it's very unobtrusive, like in Up. After about 5 minutes you completely forget you even have the glasses on, and you're just totally in the environment with the characters.

On to the movies themselves, I can't believe Toy Story 1 came out in 1995.. 14 years later, where we're spoiled with such amazing CG graphics.. sure some objects look a bit crude, and the lighting is a little off, but damn it's really impressive how it manages to not look too dated. Toy Story 2 came out in 1999? It looks a lot better than a lot of the crap you see in films today (e.g. Terra). A lot of people think Toy Story 2's a lot better than the first, which I agree, but you still gotta love the first. It's just awesome. Now, just 7 more months til Toy Story 3!! After watching these I'm super excited.

10 out of 10, for one of my favorite movies of all time.

The Bourne Supremacy - Lightning Review

2009-10-07T20:34:00.003-07:00

The Bourne Supremacy
Also good, though I watched the two so close together I'm starting to forget a little what happens in which. Also doesn't help that I should've posted this 'review' about 1 month ago when I actually watched it. errrr.....
8 out of 10... ?

The Bourne Identity - Lightning Review

2009-10-07T20:34:00.002-07:00

The Bourne Identity
It's hard to believe this came out 7 years ago? Doesn't feel like Matt Damon has changed much. I've been wanting to see the whole trilogy for awhile now. I liked it a lot, it's a little different from your typical action/spy thrillers. Good setup, and interesting/exciting plot.
8 out of 10

Million Dollar Baby - Lightning Review

2009-10-07T20:34:00.001-07:00

Million Dollar Baby
After watching Gran Torino, I've been wanting to see more of Clint Eastwood's work. He is definitely the man, and I thought this was a great film. Didn't know what to expect, and it caught me off guard, the movie didn't go the way one would normally expect. I gotta check out more Eastwood -- any recommendations? (I heard Changeling was not so good?)
9 out of 10

Braveheart - Lightning Review

2009-10-07T20:34:00.000-07:00

Braveheart
Believe it or not, I have never seen this, until just two days ago. And after watching it I can't believe I never did. Super good, didn't even seem like 3 hours, everything about it was just amazing. Only way to watch it is in full 1080p too...
10 out of 10

The Black Seeds

2009-09-28T20:43:00.001-07:00

We actually had a good time shooting this. There was no BS whatsover, we got in the venue, didn't have any problems, were in and out in 2 hours. The perfect shoot. They even gave me a free CD. Best SFStation gig yet.

Portugal. the Man

2009-09-25T20:45:00.000-07:00

My boss told me today that I'm really improving on my editing.. is that really so? Or am I just starting to get more interesting footage to work with now? This video and the one that I'll post next are playing to my strengths - concerts and live performance; those are things I have most experience with. So yeah, editing club parties and fashion shows aren't obviously going to be my best work.

White on Rice

2009-09-24T00:45:00.001-07:00

Strange... So, after doing all those revisions for Outside Lands, and never getting it posted... now, when I did this draft of an interview for the film premiere, "White on Rice" I just did one take, showed it to them, they thought it looked great and now it's live. Only 4 days after the actual event. Pretty good eh? Now if only Outside Lands worked that way...

All Play and No Work

2009-09-08T02:10:00.000-07:00

Labor Day Weekend was a great chance for me to relax and not worry about editing. I watched two movies, hung out with family a lot, friends, kicked back with my favorite video games.. yea yea I know I just went on vacation but 3-day weekends are irresistable, even if I am unemployed.

My new computer is working great, I cut render times (of a 2 minute video) from 30 minutes to 2.5 minutes. Just amazing stuff. It's also allowed me to edit HD video in realtime, which is a huge improvement. It was pretty tough editing HD content on my Core2Duo, it was just so choppy unless I pre-rendered it - which again takes a looong time on that computer. But no longer! The great thing about my ~$900 investment was the ability to take the old computer and make a PC/Mac Hybrid successfully! I haven't installed Final Cut on it yet but the Mac OS Leopard works flawlessly on it now. It really helped to have that old computer cleaned out completely and reformatted from scratch. Part of the problem that hindered me from getting Mac to work on it originally, I think was not having a clean system to begin with.. those previous installations I think were preventing my graphics card from working to its full potential - the key to getting Final Cut to work.

Two new reviews in my movie section, Inglourious Basterds and Extract, which I both highly recommend if you haven't seen them yet. Extract looks like it'll be another cult hit, like Office Space before it, I hear it didn't do so well box office. If you plan on watching these two, or any two movies for that matter, please don't walk into one in the middle of the damn movie. I used to movie hop quite often, but not so often these days, and I would definitely not do it when a movie is already in its 1 1/2 hour mark! This group of 8 or 9 people came into the theatre halfway during Inglourious, and I swear I couldn't focus on the film because they kept shuffling about, whispering, and walking up and down the aisle trying to find a seat. The theatre was already completely full! I don't know what these idiots were doing or thinking, but it almost ruined the movie for me. They came at one of the most intense, key scenes in the film, and I was sitting right next to the aisle so it was hard for me to ignore. Show some courtesty jeez! I was pretty close to standing up and yelling at them to leave the theater. But I didn't want to because all I wanted to do was see the movie I paid full price for.

Extract

2009-09-08T01:56:00.001-07:00

Extract
Speaking of good pacing, this film does a really good job with pacing as well, which is essential in comedies. The timing and placement of the humor is really well done. I don't think this film was meant to make you laugh out of your seat every minute, so if you're expecting that.. well maybe you should go see The Hangover. It's a very entertaining film nonetheless, and there's some really good performances here too, especially by the main character. Gotta love the neighbor - really funny stuff there. I know a lot of people will probably compare this to Office Space, because it's Mike Judge, but they're pretty different, though they share a few similarities. I prefer not to compare them, and just rate Extract on its own. It's definitely a refreshing comedy, since comedies these days revolve around the Will Ferrell crew or the Seth Rogen crew.
9 out of 10

Inglorious Basterds

2009-09-08T01:56:00.000-07:00

INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
I didn't quite know what to expect coming into the film.. I was actually half expecting not to like it. But I found myself really enjoying it, and I hope to see it again when it comes out on Blu-Ray. I thought the story was really well executed, and the pacing was, dare I say it, perfect. The opening sequence is a great example of the pacing, I guess from an editor's perspective. I also thought there were a lot of strong performances, especially from the German Colonel Landa (Christoph Waltz? is the actor's name?). That guy was creepy, charming, and pure evil all rolled into one. I was impressed with Brad Pitt's performance too, based on the trailers I wasn't expecting him to be so entertaining. I also like the subtle (and not-so-subtle) humor, I think they were well placed and were great comic relief. All-in-all, I think the shots and the editing were so well-done, combined with good acting and good story... this has already become my favorite Tarantino film, though I still haven't seen Reservoir Dogs or Grindhouse so I should reserve that judgment til I do. People thought this movie was a little long? I don't know what I would cut out though... the length of certain scenes is just necessary to create all that tension and suspense.
10 out of 10

September?!

2009-09-01T14:13:00.001-07:00

Now that I'm back from relaxing beautiful Hawaii, I thought I'd set some solid goals I hope to accomplish by the end of the month. I can't believe how fast July and August flew by!

1. Top of the list! Create a much better demo reel, and really work on those motion graphics this time, instead of half-ass them from an AfterFX Tutorial website.
2. Getting a new computer this week, so the goal is to get the old Dell to run Mac OS and Final Cut Pro this time.. I've got Leopard 10.5.6 on it, just need to get FCP to work!
3. Design a brand-new spanking website, since this is more of a personal blog than something I would like to share to potential clients.
4. Lose some weight haha. My Wii Fit is collecting dust, time to break it out, and try accompanying it with running or swimming every week. Pretty much everyday this summer has been in front of the computer, so I really need to get my blood pumpin' more often.
5. Design stuff for Odori before UCLA kids go back to school. I'm not the greatest with Photoshop, so we'll see on this one.

Aloha!

2009-08-31T17:51:00.000-07:00

Back from Hawaii, first time there we stayed in Honolulu. 5 1/2 days, felt like a blur. The scenery is amazing, perfect blue skies and lots of greenery. We checked out the Polynesian Cultural Center, North Shore for snorkeling (best part of trip!), Aquarium, glass-bottom boat... yeah, lots of fun activities, would definitely like to go again, possibly to Maui, where I hear the snorkeling is better.

Got back Sunday morning at 5am, woke up at 11 to head out to Outside Lands for SFStation. It's pretty cool to go to a music festival and get all the media/press perks! We interviewed some vendors and managed to get free stuff, like t-shirts, food, and booze. The Sunday lineup wasn't anything spectacular in my opinion, but I did manage to catch M.I.A. which was pretty cool. She did a cool cover of Beastie Boys, since they were supposed to come on after her but cancelled. But yeah, even with all the perks and stuff, Outside Lands isn't really the greatest festival. I'm not sure I would actually go, even if a band I wanted to see was playing. These days if I want to go to a show, I much prefer just going to the band's concert, rather than at a festival. Crowds are a lot better, and you don't have to sit through crap to see them (well actually, sometimes you do, if the opening band sucks).

I'll post pictures of Hawaii on Facebook later.. and maybe post some videos I took of MIA. For now though, back to work already! Lots of footage from the whole Outside Lands ready to be edited.. hooray. Also some site updates: District 9 review, SFStation stuff in the "My Work" section.

District 9

2009-08-31T17:47:00.000-07:00

Next to Up, this is definitely the best movie I've seen all year. It was just plain awesome all throughout, the visual effects were totally on-point, felt natural and organic. By the way, I can't believe that with such a low budget, the CGI can look this good, while other movies spend tons of money on CGI and it looks like shit (aka Star Wars prequels). Very strong performance by, man I don't even know what the actor's name is, but he was very very good.

10 out of 10

Somebody pay me...

2009-08-23T10:46:00.000-07:00

There's actually been a lot of work this past week for SFStation. I took on a Producer role, getting in contact with every artist at the Outside Lands Music Festival to see if we could get access to interview and shoot their performance. It was hectic but also kind of fun. It was nice to be in super-organized mode and super-email mode, it reminded me of the days of being a co-head in NSU. I think I really do enjoy being busy and having stuff to do, and being super-ontop-of-things.

On top of all that, over the weekend we had a shoot on Thursday, three on Friday (I went to one) and one yesterday. I edited two out of the three I'm supposed to, and I really wish I could post them. I think it's definitely a lot more interesting work than what I did with the fashion show/clubbing scene. They are still waiting on approval from the directors and stuff though, so, yeah. Hopefully I can share it soon. I was kind of rushing these out too, because I'm going to Hawaii tomorrow for almost a whole week, and I don't want these hanging and collecting dust with no editors while I'm away. But even though they are "rushed," I would say they are some of my better editing jobs, I really got into the groove with these, found a rhythm. So much so that last night I started at like 12ish, and just kept going til 4:30 because once I started I couldn't stop. It was really interesting, I kind of surprised myself with that. I was totally in the zone and was not distracted at all, just completely focused. Kind of scary actually, I hardly even noticed my brothers coming home at 2.

I hate Apple

2009-08-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

"Oh Andrew, why are you such a mac-hater?"

My issue with Apple and Macs primarily used to revolve around the price to performance thing... For the same price you can get a PC with basically twice the power and specs as you would buying a Mac at that price. It's still largely this reason I feel PCs are superior to Mac, because I can get a much better performing computer and spend a lot less.

But no, what really truly bothers me about Macs are the people who are all smug and pricks about it. The Mac vs. PC ads is a perfect example. I'm so sick of people who think Macs are so great, and Macs are so hip and cool and whatever. Macs and PCs can do the exact same thing. Underneath, they're both just a bunch of microchips. It pisses me off when dumb people who don't know what they're talking about scoff at PC-users. "Ugh. Windows?! Yeah, they get all those viruses and stuff. Macs all the way!!!11!1!" Macs can get viruses too, it's just that hackers don't waste their time developing viruses for Macs, because a good majority of the world uses PC's in their offices. Why would a hacker want to target some regular Joe with a Mac to send a virus to? No, they're going to spend the energy to try and mess with computers that many large businesses operate on, so they can cause more damage and spread it with their crazy viruses and ad-ware.

Anyways, bottom-line, the reason I'm so pissed. Yesterday I was pretty sure I had just locked down a job. They liked my work, I was perfectly qualified. I got a call later after the interview, where the guy explained some more about the project at hand. He was talking about the video files, asking me what would work best, stuff like that. I mentioned I don't own a Mac, that Final Cut Pro (the software they're using) is not what I primarily work with, but I immediately followed with, but I've had plenty of experience using Final Cut and would be perfectly fine working on one.

At the end of the phone call, he says he'll get back to me on when I can start working. This morning, I get a very abrupt email saying: "Due to the fact that you primarily do not work with Final Cut, I don't think this is a good fit." This makes no sense to me. It's like saying, "Well, you're a pretty good driver, but you own a Prius. You do not primarily drive a Lexus, so this is not a good fit." If I can drive well with a Prius, why the hell can't I drive well with a Lexus? If I edit well with a PC, how does that mean I'm not qualified to edit with a Mac? I've worked with Final Cut plenty of times, the program is essentially the same as Premiere, only different buttons and shortcuts.

My guess is, they've hired someone who owns a Mac and can bring their Final Cut system to work on-site. But what I'm also guessing is, this guy they've hired doesn't even know what they're doing. Just because you own a computer that can edit videos, doesn't make you a video editor. I've seen so much crap all over TV, internet, even movies. People don't know how to edit. But it's these pricks, especially who think they're so high and mighty because they think Macs rule the computer universe-- it's these assholes who get the job, even if I can do the same job just as good or better.

Where does the time go??

2009-08-16T01:35:00.000-07:00

Has it really already been 2 weeks since I updated this thing? And am I really off to Hawaii in less than a week? Craazy. Well I've managed to keep myself occupied, though the jobhunt still continues. May have something going, I have a meeting on Tuesday, this could be big for me. I also met with a filmmaker last week about a project, yet to hear back but sounds promising, as I've never worked on a film-film before. I realized I've never really been paid to edit before, I've made small money as a camera operator, or as a DVD-productionist (which I guess includes editing), but nothing strictly editing. I have my fingers crossed that things go well on Tuesday, and that I get a call back from the documentary filmmaker.

From all my tireless efforts replying to craigslist ads, something's finally picking up again.. The last solid reply I've gotten from craigslist was late June, when I shot the World's Ugliest Dog thing. It's a cruel world, all these companies; I wish they would at least have the time to send an e-mail telling you you didn't get the gig. But I'm guessing their inboxes are either flooded with applicants or they are just super busy.

I saw District 9 today and it was awesome. Up is still the best movie all year, but this one comes pretty close. Highly recommend it.

Funny People

2009-08-03T00:33:00.000-07:00

I wasn't sure what to expect going in. Actually to be honest, I wasn't that interested in seeing it in theatres, I would probably see it on DVD or something, unless I heard good reviews about it. I saw reviews after and was kind of surprised, it's a real mixed bag, but I really liked it a lot. It's pretty dramatic compared to what you see in the trailer, but I was kind of expecting that it wouldn't be the typical comedy. But yeah, I thought it was really great, good comedy mixed into the story, and the story itself felt pretty real. I got pretty sucked into the story and the characters, which recently in films with Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, or Jonah Hill, hard for me to do. There were a lot of complaints about the length, but I didn't notice it too much, to be honest. I can't really think of what could've been left out, other than maybe Ira and that chick... didn't like her, but she adds to the story somewhat. Anyways, not saying you should go run out and see it in theatre, cos I'm sure it'll be out on DVD soon enough, but it's a pretty solid movie.

9 out of 10