My Boring Ass Life - Why Kevin Smith Rules My World

I honestly have to say I think Kevin Smith is one of the best filmmakers of all time. I got his book "My Boring Ass Life - The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith" for Christmas and it has been a great read. It is about 500 pages long and is a daily account of his life. It has great anecdotes and thoughts from him and as an aspiring writer it is really great to see the process he goes through to get a film made and even just what he does in his off time. Away from the book, I really enjoy Smith's movies. I especially like the universe he has created linking characters throughout all of his movies. His films are funny and sincere, just the sort of story's I want to tell. His movies are always extremely well written and have such great raw emotion in them that it has me really interested in the whole universe he has created. Anyone who hasn't heard of him should really check out Clerks and go from there! One of the great things about Smith is that he uses the internet as a resource to connect with his fans. On his message boards he posts regularly and keeps in contact with his fans. Anyone have a favorite Kevin Smith flick?

Greatest Badass of All Time

MTV is running an interesting poll to try and find out the greatest badass character of all time. Names such as Batman, Dirty Harry, and Wolverine are mentioned in their kick off blog to the contest. I've gotta say Harrison Ford is the most badass actor of all time so maybe someone like Han Solo or Indiana Jones should be on that list. Anyone have any favorite badasses?

New Bonnie and Clyde Film Coming

No, this is not a re-make of the classic Bonnie and Clyde but it is a twist of the famous story of the gangster duo. The Cinematical Blog reported that Hillary Duff (!!????) and Kevin Zegers have signed on to play the infamous duo. Tonya S Holly, the director of this film became intrigued with the story when she found out the actual Bonnie and Clyde spent some time hiding out in an abandoned house that used to belong to her family. But seriously, Hillary Duff?? She is cute for kids movies maybe, but in such a serious and great role like this couldn't they have gotten someone better? Apparently this isn't re-make, it's just a telling of stories that weren't told in the original film. I really don't like the sound of this!!!

Oscar Party Invitations

Here are some great oscar party invitations I found. Click on them to see the bigger version!

Oscar Nominations Snub

So big day today for movie fans. Oscar nominations! Like always, there is a lot of talk about who didn't make the list as opposed to who did. A lot of talk out there for a snub to Leonardo DiCaprio's acting in Revolutionary Road and Clint Eastwood's acting and directing in Gran Torino. I haven't seen either film yet but I usually make it a point to see all of the films that have a lot of nominations so I can make an educated opinion on it all. I haven't seen most of the movies nominated yet, but between now and Oscar night (Feb 22) I will make it a point to see most of them!

Hollywood Out To See Obama's Inauguration

Really interesting to see all of the celebrities out during yesterday's festivities at the inauguration of Barrack Obama. It is especially to see the amazing influence these celebrities have on every day people when it came to voting. Many of them voiced their political opinion and a lot of people did follow what they say. Why would someone take advice on who to vote for by such celebrities. We don't know them as people. We only know them from the roles they play in the movies. Just because Coach Boone (Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans) was a good guy, does that neccesairly mean Denzel himself is a smart guy? I'm not saying he's not, but how do we really know. Now no one will say outright "I'm voting for _____ because ______ hollywood celebrity is, but the idea is that there is a little bit of infleunce when they voice opinions. We all need to take a step back and critically analyze everything we see and hear because at the end of the day, these people are actors - not people we should be looking to for advice on who to vote for.

OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism

Outfoxed is a documentary on the Fox News channel and how they go about reporting the news. The majority of documentary is spent focusing on how the producers of the show present “facts” and encourage their reporters to heavily lean their views to favor the Republican Party. I always knew that the Fox News Channel was extremely right wing but until I saw this I never thought something like a news channel could be so deceitful. Not only does this news show have round about ways to telling the truth, they often tell downright lies. The section of this documentary that especially caught my attention was Bill O’Reilly’s interview with Jeremy Glick. Just because Glick had different views to that of O’Reilly and the Fox News Channel, O’Reilly yelled at him on air, called for his mic to be cut, and waved the security guards over. Then, after Glick was no longer on the show, O’Reilly lied to the audience saying that Glick became unreasonable and began to spit on the floor of the studio. It is so obvious that O’Reilly is lying that it makes him even worse than when he told Glick he was a disgrace to his family (a family who O’Reilly hasn’t even met). This sort of reporting is absolutely appalling and hopefully because of this documentary, viewers will watch this show, and other news reports alike and be able to critically analyze what they are seeing.

Link to the Full Video

Violence in Film:Opening of "Notorious"

Link to story

The new film, "Notorious", which is the story of rapper Notorious B.I.G., opened this past weekend and two acts of violence has caused theaters to re-think when and where they screen certain movies. So called "urban films" have caused much controversy (see "8 Mile" or "Boyz in the Hood") and this new film has studios and theaters discussing the possibility of reshaping the practices associated with premieres of these films. This is really interesting that this piece of media can have such an effect on an audience watching. Even though the events portrayed in the film happened well over 10 years ago, the release of this movie caused heated arguments, one leading to an eventual death. Violence in the media has always been a hot topic and I don't think that a happy medium will ever be achieved. The studios had the idea of opening "urban films" on Wednesdays instead of the usual Fridays but this really won't have much of an effect. This topic is too deep to have such a simple solution and until people can realize that what they see is just a movie, people will still be heavily influenced by images they see on the big screen.

Top Ten Films - Part 2

Sorry it took so long to update this badboy but here is the second installment to my top 10 favorite films. First a quick recap:

10. Annie Hall (1977, Woody Allen)
9. Jurassic Park (1993, Steven Spielberg)
8. Do The Right Thing (1989, Spike Lee)
7. Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)
6. Clerks (1994, Kevin Smith)

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5. Pulp Fiction (1994, Quintin Tarantino)


Stars: John Travolta, Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, Uma Thurman, Harvey Keitel

Memorable Quote: "You know what they call a Quarter Pounder with cheese in France? "

Why I Love This Film: Pulp Fiction is one of the best examples of "smart cinema". I really enjoy the witty dialogue and raw action of this movie. The most enjoyable aspect of this movie is how everything comes together in the end. It has gained great acclaim and achieved "cult" classic status and will remain one of the top viewed films among most movie fans. The all star cast and top notch directing from Tarantino really makes this an amazing film.





4. The Godfather - Part II (1974, Francis Ford Coppola)

Stars: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duval, Diane Keaton

Memorable Quote: "There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"

Why I Love This Film: It is really hard to not consider The Godfather (1972) and The Godfather Part II (1974) as my top two favorite films, but I wanted to give some props to the other movies coming up so that's why this one is at #4. I like this movie so much because of how much of an impact it made as a sequel. Most sequels never come close to being as good as the original and in some people's books, this film is even better than the first one. The acting is nothing short of brilliant and every time I see this movie I am glued to it and nothing can distract me for it. The powerful acting with an equally powerful story has helped this movie franchise stand the test of time.

3. Almost Famous (2000, Cameron Crowe)


Stars: Billy Crudup, Frances McDormand, Kate Hudson, Jason Lee, Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Memorable Quote: "The only true currency in this bankrupt world... is what you share with someone else when you're uncool"

Why I Love This Film: Not the most predictable movie to be on a top 10 list, let alone this high but this movie does so many great things. As you may have noticed, this list favors films with great screenplays and this is the best feature of this movie. What also makes this movie for me, and most people, is the great soundtrack accompianed with it. A great mix of rock songs from the time period in the film works so well with the story and helps in bringing it together in the end. A must watch for anyone a fan of writing, music, or movies in general.




2. Back to the Future (1985, Robert Zemeckis)

Stars: Michael J Fox, Christopher Lloyd

Memorable Quote: "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a time machine into a car, why not do it with some style?"

Why I Love This Film: Again, not a movie you see at #2 on most people's favorite movies but this movie franchise has been close to my heart since a very young age. My parents tell me the story of how they took me to see Back to the Future Part III when it came out in theaters (when I was a mere age of 3) and I could not keep my eyes away from what I was seeing. Since then, I have seen this movie multiple times and every time the sheer awesomeness of it gets me. I love the little themes and stories that run their way throughout this movie - and the trilogy - and the originality of it. A movie about this subject has rarely been done with such a great response. Comedy, Action, Drama, this film has it all and will continue to stay with me as one of my favorites of all time.

1. The Godfather (1972, Francis Ford Coppola)

Stars: Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Al Pacino, James Cann


Memorable Quote: "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse"


Why I Love This Film: Maybe it was typical or easy to pick this as my favorite film of all time but the truth is these top 3 move around every day for me and it just so happens I wrote this on a day that caught the Godfather at #1. There have been many things said about this movie and I could go on for hours listing the things that make it so great. The power portrayed through the acting, directing, and editing bring together this amazing piece of work. The character development is fantastic and the barriers this film broke paved the way for so many great movies to come. Without this movie, the film industry would be a very different place and for that I am thankful.




So there you have it. My favorite 10 movies!!

Kicking Things Off

Throughout the course of this blog I will be putting lists of my favorite things about film including actors, directors, soundtracks, ect... To kick it off I figured I would put my top ten favorite films and why I love them. It is a good chance for people to get a sense of my style and what I look for in films. For tonight 10-6 will be shown and will leave everyone in suspense to see 5-1 tomorrow. Feel free to post why you agree/disagree with my choices!!

10.Annie Hall (1977, Woody Allen)

Stars: Woody Allen, Diane Keaton

Memorable Quote: "The... the other important joke, for me, is one that's usually attributed to Groucho Marx; but, I think it appears originally in Freud's "Wit and Its Relation to the Unconscious," and it goes like this - I'm paraphrasing - um, "I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member." That's the key joke of my adult life, in terms of my relationships with women"

Why I Love This Film: One of the best written films of all time, Keaton and Allen's chemistry is excellent and keeps you interested in their lives throughout the entire film. Amazing character development and witty dialouge is the most impressive aspect of this film for me. I really enjoy watching how their lives unfold and the unforgetable impact they have on eachother. An interesting spin on your typical Hollywood love story and it's fresh writing is what is helping this film continue to stand the test of time.

9. Jurassic Park (1993, Steven Spielberg)

Stars: Sam Neil, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum

Memorable Quote: "The lack of humility before nature that's being displayed here, uh... staggers me"

Why I Love This Film: Steven Spielberg at the top of his game in this film. A simply breathtaking use of special effects truly brought the dinosaurs to life. The theme of science vs man runs prevelent throughout the story and in the end creates a great message to juxtapose the great action sequences and cinematography. The always brilliant John Williams scores the film and created one of the most memorable theme songs in film history. Special effects and the humanizing qualities given to the scientists make this film special and memorable.

8. Do The Right Thing (1989, Spike Lee)

Stars: Spike Lee, Danny Aiello

Memorable Quote: "My people, my people, what can I say, say what I can. I saw it but didn't believe it, I didn't believe what I saw. Are we gonna live together, together are we gonna live?"

Why I Love This Film: Simply one of the best social and political films of the last 20 years. A great look at the daily life of residents of the Brooklyn neighbour hood Bed Stuy on a hot summer day. Racial tensions reach an all time high for this community and Lee's visual style brilliantly displays the power strugle happening in the community. A great use of camera work and visual techniques sets new standards for filmmaking and Lee's message does not go unheard. An extreemly underrated and unnoticed film, Spike Lee's Do The Right Thing is a must see for people interested in seeing a story told from all sides.

7. Goodfellas (1990, Martin Scorsese)

Stars: Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci

Memorable Quote: "As far as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a gangster"

Why I Love This Film: A fantastic display of acting, storytelling, and editing makes this one of the most completley well done films I have ever seen. I believe that this is Martin Scorsese's best work and his filmmaking skills set the standard for anyone to follow. Goodfellas follows the mob film blueprint showcasing the rise and fall of the mobster but what sets this one apart from others is the amazing human quality Scorsese adds to his characters. Coupled with a fantastic dialouge and an outstanding supporting cast, Goodfellas stands out as a fantastic film not just for fans of mafia movies.

6. Clerks (1994, Kevin Smith)

Stars: Jeff Anderson, Brian O'Halloran, Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith

Memorable Quote: "People say crazy shit during sex. One time I called this girl "Mom."

Why I Love This Film: This will not be the last time Kevin Smith or any of his genius films will be mentioned in this blog. Quite possibly the single greatest screenplay every written, Kevin Smith brings out the raw feelings of two every day clerks at a convience store. The story of the production of this film is a true inspiration for any aspiring fiilmmakers. Vulgar, yet endeering, Kevin Smith begins his cult classic status with this witty, truthful, and heart warming story of Randal Graves and Dante Hicks and the first appearance of Jay and Silent Bob. This film wouldn't appear on most film students top 10 list but it really is their loss because this film or filmmaker do not get the credit it deserves for achieving this great cult status. Clerks along with the rest of the films associated with Smith's "View Askewniverse" are classics and must sees for anyone interested in the true human condition.

There are the bottom five films in my top 10. Check back tomrorow for the top five movies!!

Hello World!

This is my blog for my course on blogging. Updates to come soon. Hope you enjoy it!