Mattlog

Scary Movie 3

My review of Scary Movie 3 is on the Movie Site.

I almost snuck into another movie just to make up for the fact this movie sucked. But I didn't, partially cause there was nothing I HAD to see except for maybe Kill Bill again. But I would have had to hide for it to let out and be cleaned.

Anyway hit the link.

Oh and check Aj's blog. The link is to the left. He's cool. But I think my sarcastic comments are gonna have to stop. No one's left a comment in awhile.

And here's a Halloween moment of Zen. Is it a face? Is it an ass? Is it a face? Is it an ass? Is it a face? Is it an ass? I'm so confused!

Art

I never get arty. In fact I have a sort of have an aversion to people who get so in to their Art that the rest of the world just glides by and they miss it. No football, no politics, no video games. They just sit and think they become artists. But these arty people are viewing life, exactly, who's life are imitating except other atrists, I have no idea.

But I'll indulge for a second.

They say that when you play classical movies for babies it actually makes them smarter. I feel that way after watching DVD commentaries and documentaries. Not all of them, of course. Only the brilliant ones. Tonight I watched the 4th bonus disk of Indiana Jones. The sheer brilliance of these films and their inception is quite amazing.

On a quick departure let me also mention the interesting relationship that is Speilberg and Lucas. Spielberg is old school. He loves old movies and Geez does he know alot about lenses and crank speeds and lighting. Spiely knows how to tell a good story. He's old school. He'd rather shoot anything practically than stick it in a computer to film it. Like the bridge scene in Temple of Doom. All practical. They had moving puppets when they cut the bridge over the 150ft gorge.

Lucas, on the other hand, is the visionary. He creates the stories. But he is new school. Technology will save all. Instead of practically shooting everything. George would have done everything in front of a blue screen and fed it into a computer with all sorts of computer generated stuff flying around. My personal opinion is that George is the idea man. But he needs to someone to craft it for him. He did the story for Raiders but Kasdan and Spiely told the story. I can't imagine how good EP I would have been if he had had Frank Darabont (Shawshank, Green Mile) write it like Lucas originally intended. This is why Spielberg doesn't write. He knows his limitations. He's a fairly humble guy. But he knows how to shape a story.

But to get back to my point....

After watching those documentaries. I wrote. A good 10 pages on the script. It was inspiring, somehow. I mean my script has nothing to do with Arks or Grails or pulling hearts of people's bodies.... well not physically anyway.

Inspiration, you never know where it comes from.

Young versions of our favorite movie guys.

Something New

Trying it anyway. On my way home today I thought of the funniest and I thought it would be better heard than written, for once, so I'm posting my first Audio Blog. Take a listen. Click HERE.

Lost in Translation

I'm having trouble writing my screenplay. I don't know if I should follow the structure of the gods that all the books say THIS IS HOW YOU WRITE A SCREENPLAY or to just let the story tells itself.

Lost in Translation is one of those films that tells the story the way it wants to. And although it's full of great stuff.... you're just not sure if it works. I really liked this movie. I certainly enjoyed Bill Murray, and the "feeling" this movie left you with. The story is great.

But you're sort of watching it, waiting for something to happen. Watching htis movie is like readin between the lines. It never tells what's going you have to do the work yourself. Fill in the blanks. But not in a bad way.

I think I'm one of the rare people who can watch a movie for what it's worth. And all though I enjoyed the story and it's feeling I'm not sure it worked and see why it's getting mixed reviews from the general public.

It's also probably true that Sofia Coppala over thought this movie. Half the shots are gorgeous and the other half are not so. I imagine Sofia in the editing room saying. "This shot of someone in a car watching Toyoko cruise by means this...." That was a blank I couldn't fil cause it happens like four times in the movie.

But again I liked the storyand the characters and Sofia makes everyone look great. Bill Murray has really one of yhre most interesting faces in the world... not to mention his acting in this film is great and "newcomer" Scarlett Johansson is is good.

So I recommend this movie but some of you might have to "stick with it." But it's sort of the same style I'm writing my script so I don't whether to truly praise or prove what's wrong with mine.

But I think you should see it.

Oh and Logo Mow is not my favorite Bond.

And here's what the Sun Times said:

"[Lost in Translation] is sweet and sad at the same time it is sardonic and funny. Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson play two lost souls rattling around a Tokyo hotel in the middle of the night, who fall into conversation about their marriages, their happiness and the meaning of it all."

Matt

No Zen but a shot from the movie.

Popularity

I know. I sorta feel like Dennis Miller coming up with a topic and then ranting about it for a few paragraphs. But, to that I say, hey at least I'm writing.

I have an issue with popularity. Kim knows this and it sort of bugs her. I'm sorry. Right now, I'm working at a new store where you know, no one seems interested in hanging out with me. Save for the requisite 17 year old hostess who found I'm thirty and now things I'm WAAAYYYY too old for her. She'd be right, of course. It's just sad to learn that. Anyway... It's hard being the guy no one knows.

But I like being liked. In SGF I was the man. Every liked me. They wanted me at their parties. Now I feel like Patrick Dempsy in Can't Buy Me Love. (Which is was brought this topic up.) Now I go home and work away on my Tiger Woods 2004 character of my same name.

In Can't Buy Me love Patrick Dempsy is a lawnmower who bails the pretty girl out of the jam (buying her a $1000 suede jacket) to fake date her for one month. Course then the girl falls for him but he makes her mad so they break up and he becomes popular. Course he goes on to become an asshole.
BUT gets the girl in the end and learns something about himself.

In The World of the Serivce Industry is like the world of High School no matter how old people are. The cool people get away with everything at work now matter how poorly they work. They get the best schedules and all the holidays off.

Being Popular is like Celebrity. Everyone knows who you are. Your the man people want to know. If I combine Popularity and Celebrity ... I'll call it popularity. Wait that word exists. Let me try harder. Celebular.

So when it comes to being Celebular the question beomes what to do with your power. Despite what I did with my own Power, for myself, at the SGF Applebee's I also tried to make everyone's life better. I'd go to bat for Apllebuddy's as much as I could. Days off for people who really needed it or better shifts for people who actually did work. Because my opinion was listened to. And that's a power.

But I've noticed lately, the key in all of this finding your own Celebular. What popularity would do for me is feed my self-esteem. These people like me so I must like myself. But if I've discovered anything in the Fortress of Solitude.... when you spend this much time by yourself... you have to learn to live with yourself. A lot of crap constantly flys through your brain cause, well, you got nothing else to do. So you become your own Celebular. You find you. It's sort of sad sometimes.... but I'm working through it.

In other news.... I saw my first Christmas commericial tonight. Can we PLEASE get through All Hallows Eve FIRST! That's all I ask.

And as for the weather.... It's still 85 in Austin. =)

MATT

And NOW your moment of Zenishness. And I'm not so supposed to tell you if this stuff is real or not. That's why it's ZEN.

Sunday

it's Sunday and i'm trying really hard to pretend that the Baseball Season is over and actually.... it's been pretty easy.

First of all I haven't mentioned my Fantasy Football Team in a while and THAT IS ONE WAY that I'm forgetting about the end of the baseball season. Last week I was undone by Peerless Price. Agreed Atlanta has been sucking this season but all I needed was ONE frickin point! Twenty YARDS. He got seven I got Zilch and Tied, YES TIED, the week. So going into today I was 3-2-1.

Today I was up against the one of the fellows tied for 1st. He had a nice setup on his team I was worried. SO at the cruch hour I out of no where (watching fantasy shows on Fox) picked up Steve Smith from Carolina. He scored me 13 pts. Plus I had Duece McAlister who actually did something for me. Scored me 19. I have the highest score in the whole group over all the other players. I RULE!

Apart from football.... Jeff and I took out the Vette for a quick (90 minute) spin around Austin. And let me tell you going 90... *cough* I mean 70 in a Vette with the top down is quite the expierence. Specially when you got some rocking tunes on the radio. (and, you know, Sweet Child of Mine really has one of the best Guitar Riffs) Ate lunch (at 3:00) at a nice place over looking the lake in Austin. Beautiful.

Now I'm home and enjoying the rest of my night.

Oh and Matrix Reloaded makes so much more sens when you can go back and watch the scenes over again. Plus having not only watched the Animatrix and played the game "with scenes filmed with the actors you can only find in the game" the whole thing is brilliant. Specially if you you've scene the 21/2 minute trailer before Kill Bill.

Which is awesome too.

Matt

Next Topic: Wednesday- Popularity

And NOW... your moment of Zen. And this one's a little creepy.

I could Break It Down

The Cubs Lost. Which is the hard part to believe. I know. Believe me. they were 3games to 1. And they lost.

And they did it to themselves.

It wasn't the guy who "interfered" with the ball (well, sorta but more on that in a moment.) It wasn't The Goat.

They just started playing bad baseball. I don't know if they thought they had it wrapped up or what.... but I tink it may have been some or ALL of the following:

The Cubs Lost because A) They hit the Ball when they didn't need to. And didn't when they needed.

B) They got out pitched. Zambrono whether you want to believe it or not. Pitched a hell of a game on Sunday. He only gave up three runs. The Cubs however Hit none.

C) The Seed planted by the "interfered" ball was tremdous. Prior shouldn't have walked the first guy. It was too far into his pitch count. Gonzo who never makes an error makes one. Farnsworht walks a guy he shouldn't have walked.

And so we lost. It was sad. It was a poorly played last two games.

And I could have gone to the World Series. But now I can't.

And I'm sad.

=(

Matt

PS I'm sure this I could have put a little more expert analysis into this but I'm too sad to.

Moment of Zen.

A Scary thought

It's been raining here in Austin. It sucks.

Everyone says it's highly unusual. I blame myself. Everyone else blames the tropical storms we've been having.

At anyrate... creatures that don't belong inside are trying to get in. I saw a roach (it MAY have been a water bug, I don't know the difference and I dont' want to look close enough to find out) A roach in my bathroom. Size of my thumb. Huge.

I was thinking of that commercial where they say a roach can live 5 days without a head. These ARE the creatures that will survive a Nuclear holocaust or a comet blocking out the sun. Either way in a million years what will roaches look like. Will they be bipedal? They apparently, have a communication. I just creeps me out to be thinking of six feet tall roaches when I can't even stand the one's that are 3 inches.

So they like garbage, procreate like mad, but can they build a space ship? I mean In a million years before the sun supernovas and some species feel like they have to save the earth are they gonna get here to just millions of little roaches covering the earth? Are Roaches going to have intersteller space travel.

Probably not.

Damn bugs. Hate 'em. I can kill 'em yet they land on me and shriek like a girl.

Hate bugs.

GO Cubs.

And now, moment of Zen. I can't believe it either.

Matt

Chicago

I was there. They didn't clinch. But I was there.

As always Chicago was fulll of the nicest people. You stand there looking confused at an "L" Map and someone alwasy stops to go... "where you headed?"

Cubs fans everywhere. "Go Cubs." "We'll get 'em tommorow."

This was Aj's first visit to the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. He had an awesome time. We were 8th row behind the wall and one row over from the Foul Pole. I've got pics.

The games were both awesome. Aj got his finger on a ball that came our way but the guy above us go it.

It was interesting being in Chicago. I was suppossed to move there you know. The city, the vibe, the nice people. Aj and I went out Saturday night oafetr the loss. At a great (and expensive) steak dinner down at Harry Carey's. We visited and had some beers at the Hard Rock. And then visited a few other bars before becoming horribly trashed.

And if you go to Chicago you can take "L" everywhere. It's a dollar fifty from O'Hare to downtown. A cab ride is a good 40. From there Take it to the game. Take it a few blocks over.

We zipped around in a couple Taxi's saw the Chicago river and the Tribune building. Chicago is so pretty.

And I may be back in a few weeks. Why?

We got World Series tickets. I can't tell you how. Or why. But know if the Cubs reach the World Series I'm there.

And now your moment of Zen.

Chi-town

I'm going to Chicago. I'm going to watch the Cubs clinch. I'll be sitting in the 8th row by the left field foul pole.

I'm gussying up. I found my cubs scarf from the last post season game I went to. I dug out my old High School Letter Jacket and put the old Cubby Bear on it and I'm ready. Tommorow morning 7:30 AM I'm on a flight there. I'll be back on Sunday.

Nothing else special going on just getting geared up for that.

Revvvv revvvvv.

Matt

And now.... you moment of Zen.

Yeeee. From June.