Filed under: historical
i used to go to school in austin, studying to be a Bigtime Filmmaker. and at night, to pay for said education, i used to work in a hotel there.
one slow night, while standing around the front desk clerks, i saw a girl walk up and check in. i recognized her (vaguely) as the star of a small indie movie i hadn’t even seen called party girl. and as she started to walk away, i mustered up all my nerve, and i said, “excuse me, are you parker posey?” and she said, “yes.”
i told her how much i had liked party girl, and asked her what she was doing here. she told me she was here to do a movie called suburbia that richard linklater was directing. this news excited me, but i played it cool and wished her a good night.
later on, she called down to check messages. i said, “hey, this is the guy you were talking to earlier at the front desk.” she was cordial and friendly, and we chatted for a while. we talked about movies, and she complained that there just weren’t that many good roles for women that weren’t stereotypical or degrading, pointing out that elizabeth shue was up for an oscar for playing a hooker.
it was a good talk, and i felt like we had connected. before i went home that night, i slipped a note under her door, saying i had enjoyed the talk and would love to help with the movie. it was against policy, and a little stalker-y, but i thought, “why not?”
i did end up working on that movie, and more and more in the film business. but without any help from her. she stayed in that hotel for over a month, and she never spoke to me again.
flash forward four years. i had moved to new york city and was working as a camera assistant on a little indie flick. at the wrap party for this movie, hanging out at a bar, one of the actors’ friends happened to be none other than–parker posey.
it had been a long time, and she had never spoken to me again, but i still felt that i had to tell her this story. so as i sat there beside her, i worked up my nerve (again), and i said, “i have a parker posey story, actually. do you remember me?” she did not. so i told her.
she laughed at all the right times, and never indicated that my behavior had been creepy or offputting. in fact, she didn’t remember one bit of that story. she shrugged, and smiled, and told me, “the kind of lifestyle i live does not afford me the luxury of remembering everything all the time.”
i loved that answer. to me, that was just plain blurting out to a stranger, “i do a lot of drugs, and so i can’t remember anything that happens to me. this is the movie business, surely you can understand.”
looking back (and probably remembering her exact words a little differently each time i retell the story), i can imagine that she was just talking about being a jetsetter–flying back and forth, meeting a million new people on each movie and then moving on to the next one.
and now, another six years later, i see that she is playing the wisecracking best friend of lois lane in superman forever. at least, i ASSUME that’s what she’s playing. (i actually don’t have any idea. they’re keeping everything very hush hush. but i know she’s in it. and what other role does she ever play in big budget tmovies?)
anyway, i wish her well.
Filed under: reviews
i love free things. and though i pay a lot of money in union dues, i always consider the free screenings my union offers as little treats; opportunities to see movies i would otherwise wouldn’t.
the other night, they were showing the notorious betty page. now, i don’t know much about betty page. can’t even say i have seen her stuff, really, though i am very familiar with her look. (we call it “silverlake alterna-chic”). so, with little to no knowledge about this movie or the woman it was about, off we went.
the theater is great (they show them at the DGA Screening Room), and there are no commercials or trailers (or popcorn, or drinks…), but we were still in time to see the beginning. (though i must admit, i do miss the trailers–it’s the only time you can talk during the movies, and what’s more fun than judging a 90 minute movie based on two minutes? and after you decide you don’t want to see it, you can make fun of it, and imagine what the idiots who made it were thinking when tthey did it. so that’s always fun.)
the movie kicked right in with authentic 1920’s (read: black and white) footage that doesn’t cut too well with the black and white gretchen molk footage. but i got the idea: all this happened a long time ago.
the movie glossed over her entire life (her first thirty years happen in about ten minutes), and then we watched her fall into modelling naughty stuff for the rest of the time.
the theme of the movie seemed to be that betty was not some idiot that was exploited, or some manipulative bitch selling her body to make money, but a sweet, innocent girl that just plain didn’t see anything wrong with giving some people pleasure just because other people thought it was weird or perverted. and that point they made really clearly. they just didn’t do much else.
i do admire gretchen mol for getting fully nude to play a girl that got fully nude. i am sure there’s ways to get around all that, but she didn’t. and let me just say: nice cans. she deserves that. (who would have thought, you know? she’s so skinny!)
overall, both b. and i enjoyed it well enough.
though maybe that was just because it was free.
Filed under: random
i am a klutz. anyone who knows me can back this up.
i defined the word. seriously. i can barely walk vertically. (i never fall over, i just always almost do. i trip a lot. but i am very good at recovering.) whenever i have a knife in my hand, b. starts to get scared. all my friends see scenarios unfolding and say to themselves, “this is not good.” many of them don’t stop me, as they find it amusing, while some actually try to convince me that i am doing something dumb, which i can rarely see. until it’s too late.
i have scars. i have bumps. but mostly i have amusing stories.
here is one that just happened.
i was on the phone.
i had my little cell phone cradled in my ear, talking to my sister. it was a long talk, and when i am on the phone, i can’t sit still. i have to be doing something, or else i will just pace back and forth. so i do dishes, or clean. on this particualr occasion, i was hungry, so i had put a frozen pizza into the oven, and it was ready.
i leaned down, opened the oven door, and reached in to slide out the pizza. it was at this exact moment that i tilted my head at just the wrong angle and released the phone.
gravity took over from there, letting the phone fall into the oven (INTO. THE. OVEN!) and landing on the wire shelf upon which the pizza sat. i realized that the oven was very hot and would probably damage my phone, so i reached in and started tapping my phone, trying to get it out without getting burned (the whole time shouting “hold on! hold on! i dropped the phone!”)
well, i imagine even if you DON’T know me, you can see things are not headed in a good direction.
so tapping at the phone maniacally, imagining the melting plastic buttons and everything, was not the best thing to do. the phone fell through the wires and down to the bottom of the oven–where the burners are.
so now it was in an even hotter place, where i was even more likely to be burned, but it was also going to melt faster, so i had more reason to panic. i kept tapping the phone until it fell out of the oven and onto the floor. it had folded up and the call was lost.
i couldn’t summon up the courage to call my sister back and tell her what had happened for a few minutes. but when i finally did, the first words out of my mouth were:
“I. AM. AWESOME!”
cause you see, it’s all about spin.
and, i am proud to tell you, because of my quick response time, the phone was fine. either that, or samsung makes a pretty darn tough phone.
(sure, i know the title kills the punchline to the story, but when will i ever get to use that headlline again? it’s worth it.)
i am a busy lad. i do lots of things.
one of the things i do is, i consume many kinds of commercial products; most of them aimed at entertaining me in exchange for money. and after i pay for that service, i often have thoughts about if it was worth it, and if other people should spend the same amount of currency for the same service.
what to think of things is something i rarely tell people. well, time for that to change.
and so, herewith, reviews.
WHAT I THINK ABOUT:
brick. this movie is cool in a way you wish you were. dashiell hammett or raymond chandler writing novels while imagining humphrey bogart, and then setting it in a california high school. it could have been cheesy and lame. it isn’t. it works on all the right levels. it’s not dumbed down, it’s not tongue in cheek, and it’s not i’m-smarter-than-you-cute. it’s what david mamet used to do. two thumbs up, way up.
the new flaming lips album. if you’re like me, you never really “got” the flaming lips until yoshimi battles the pink robots. and you finally thought, “there’s more to thesse guys than just noise.” and you got excited when you heard they were putting out a new one. and you hoped it was more melodic and haunting and all the things that made you love the last album. and you hoped it wasn’t all just noise.
well, it’s both. there’s a few songs that make you feel happy that they’re back, and then there’s songs that make you think “i will sit through this until i get it.” after all, it took you (if you’re like me) a while to “get” radiohead and wilco. but you’re glad you did.
i think the at war with the mystics might be like this. but with three or four songs that are good from the get-go. so a tentative thumbs up. and if you’re on the warner brother’s lot and you can buy it at a discount, then it’s even more worth it.
working late on fridays. not my favorite thing in the world, but not altogether bad, especially if you’re working with cool people. not wonderful to kill your friday night (and part of your saturday morning), but on the other hand getting paid is good and i don’t do it very often. so i will give it a shrug and a thumbs up.
sleeping late. this i like. sometimes hard, especially if your girlfriend didn’t work late like you did, but always nice waking up without an alarm. even if it’s not that late. thumbs definitely up.
the elected. here’s a good rule of thumb–if a band is coming to town, and you think you like them, and you’re going to buy tickets, take this test: would you buy the cd, or would you just download some songs form the internet? if you wouldn’t buy their cd for fifteen dollars, don’t spend twice that for tickets to their show. because even if you like them ok, you’ll probably still resent them for their ticketmaster surcharges and the fact that they don’t actually do anything interesting while playing their songs. i have to give them a resentful thumbs down.
the silversun pickups. on a related note, if the opening band is good (well, not the first opening band, which was one guy with a guitar playing songs that i didn’t know like he didn’t know them either. he announced his guitar solos, and barely made it through them. it was like hanging out on the porch at a party with the guy who brought his guitar, except you can’t tell him to play “no woman no cry,” then roll your eyes and walk out when he does), well then you got a little bit more of your money’s worth, didn’t you? and the silversun pickups (initials: s.p. same as smashing pumpkins. hmmmmm….) surely deliver. rock’n'roll the way it used to be. a little bit grunge, a little bit garage-y, a whole lot of melody and heart. they made me happy. i sang along. and i didn’t even know the words. a cd definitely worth picking up at the merch table on the way out. enthusiastic thumbs up.
my damn fat fingers. hate these. they make it really hard to type without going back and correcting thousands of mistakes and losing my train of thought.
thief. i have not watched heist, mostly because i don’t have room or time (well, i do, but i’m trying to have a more constructive life) but also because i don’t like the black dude from the practice. i don’t know why, i just don’t like him. but this seems like it might be similar. it’s on fx, which makes good tv (rescue me, anyone? over there? i mean, come on!), but this show about a professional con man (played by andre braugher [who only commies don't like--commies who hate good acting]) who loses his (white) wife in a car wreck and is left with his resentful and rebellious stepdaughter right before a big score. and this is only one of the things that has gone wrong all of a sudden. well-written, well-acted, and just as real as i can imagine the con life could be. the thumb points up on this one, too.
the price of gas. seriously, what the fuck? how did it break three bucks and no one says anything? i remember when it was two something, and i got all these emails about “this sunday, we are all not buying gas from mobil or exxon, letting them know we won’t pay this…” and on and on, and now it’s almost double that, and it seems like no one’s batting an eye.
the dallas mavericks. i don’t like sports in general, but i tell you, i love professional basketball, and i love my dallas mavericks. this is their year to go all the way, and i will be there alternately wringing my hands in worry and shaking my fist in victory. yep, gonna be a rollercoaster ride this next few weeks, and i can’t wait.
Filed under: Uncategorized
i often think of clever, insightful, informative, entertaining things to write here.
and i always think to myself, “you should write that down.”
then, invariably, i think to myself, “nah. come on, that’s a good one. you’ll remember that one.”
yeah.
i wish i didn’t think that.
by the way, this guy rules.
so new year’s 2005, in the township of tamarindo, costa rica, my ipod was stolen from my hotel room by another gringo. as was b’s. we were ipod-less for quite a while. she got a new one a few months later.
i got one this past christmas.
i was excited when i got it. i had loved my ipod before, and knew i would love this one even more. after all, it plays videos too.
it is april, and i have just finally started to appreciate it in the manner that i remember. and that is basically because: i am only just now starting to use it with any regularity.
seriously. at home i have itunes, which does the whole random-songs-you-know-you-like-because-it’s-basically-a-jukebox-full-of-your-favorite-cd’s-from-your-own-cd-collection. and the bronco is not ipod compatible, so i still listen to cd’s in there. so basically the ipod has served as the new discman. great for riding my bicycle (which i rarely do), or walking the dog (which i do regularly, but not for long enough periods of time to get full enjoyment).
so it has sat on my desk, and i have updated it diligently, and its main purpose has been for receiving podcasts. (ricky gervais, anyone? coverville, anyone? jack black, from the set of nacho libre?anyone?)
but lately i have been working. more specifically, i have been loading. which means putting film into magazines. which has to be done in the dark.
every show (or at least, every real show) has a darkroom, a small, outhouse-sized room with a little workspace and shelves for all the film. this room is specifically designed for being completely dark. you go in that room, you shut the door, you turn off the light, and it is PITCH black. you cannot see your hand in front of your face. and it is in this room that you spend quite a bit of your time.
on one of my most recent jobs, the regular loader, for whom i have been substituting, has set up her ipod and speakers in the darkroom. and for a few days i listened to hers, but it didn’t take me long to realzie that as cool as it is to have a george carlin routine followed b y abba followed by german death metal, i actually dont’ really enjoy the music itself very much. so i brought in my own.
and now that random is acting just the way i would hope. song after song that i either can’t help but sing along to, or haven’t thought of or heard in so long, i can’t remember the words, but i get so excited up on hearing it i can’t keep from laughing in pure joy.
on top of that, my good buddy raf has left town for a little while and i am in charge of the Beamer. (i am not off topic. keep reading.) I am not a Beamer kind of guy, per se, but i do like one attribute. plug the ipod into the glove box, and bam, you’ve got your ipod on the speakers, playing your music. just for you.
all the artists i have read about and then bought their music but never really listened to are finally getting airtime. all the great songs i never get tired of hearing, all the songs that transport me back to different times, all the songs i love the tune bur never bothered to listen to the words…everything on that ipod is gold, jerry, pure gold.
and it makes me happy.
thanks, steve jobs. thanks family. thanks for my ipod renaissance.
Filed under: random
whenever i ground the coffee beans (i feel like it lets the coffee people down, like i’m not a REAL coffee guy, if i let them grind it for me. i want them to know that i am an afficionado, and that i appreciate my coffee beans FRESHLY ground), there’s this thick film of coffee all over the counter.
and as i sponged it all into the sink and watched it mix with the hot running water in the sink basin, i thought to myself, “if i really loved coffee, i would drink that water.”
Filed under: random
i’ve been changing my clothes every day.
Filed under: l.a.
hey there. how’s your day?
mine? oh, you know. can’t complain. slept late. a good, leisurely walk with the dogs. you know, nothing special. just…relaxing.
now, yesterday–
yesterday i was working. i mean, relatively speaking. i was on the beach. loading, which basically involves putting the film in the magazines and waiting around for them to shoot it.
so yeah, yesterday i sat on the beach all day on the most beautiful day of the year (so far). i watched the actors ride horses in the surf, the other camera guys ride around on a hummer with a crane attached, the PAs asking beachgoers to move out of our shot. i talked to other people standing around (excuse me,
“working”).
for lunch, they brought us box lunches, which we ate in the sand. i took off my shoes and waded into the water (which was still freezing). even took a little nap, while listening to my ipod. there were lots of people at the beach. like they just had nothing better to do on a wednesday afternoon. they had a coffee truck (free machiattos, etc.), and later a taco truck (free carnitas).
the actress had to catch a plane, so we couldn’t work too late. we wrapped up about sunset, and they bussed us back to our cars in the valley. while we were still on the clock.
yeah, i could go for more days like that.
