On Facebook, a friend of mine asked how often I listen to commentary tracks. Instead of clogging up her other post discussion (which involved the music of How To Train Your Dragon by john Powell, which I LLOVE), I decided to write a post.
In general, I would say that I listen to about half of the commentary tracks that I have on disc. Yes, I watch a lot of movies and have a lot of discs, but I still find time to have them going in the background quite a bit.
There are several different types of commentary tracks and each one can have its merits. But, here is how I gauge what I llisten to:
Who is on the track? If there is someone of whom I am a huge fan of their work, I will listen to the track, no matter what, with one exception. I love the work of Tim Burton, but he cannot do commentary tracks alone. If he has someone with him, he is better, but alone, he gives amazing nuggets like this actual quote from the Sleepy Hollow Commentary track: "In this scene, I decided to have Johnny wear black." WoW!
I have listened to tracks by sound designers like Ben Burtt who explains that he made this sound by dropping strawberry Jello through fishnet stockings into kitty litter while he was standing exactly 7 1/2 feet up. I love geeks no matter what department they are in!
Danny Elfman on the Pee Wees Big Adventure track states that one particular piece that he had written for a harmonica was tested by many different professionals and told that it was too fast, too many notes and could not be done. Then, a guy came in and did it in one take. Great stuff! Elfman is usually good for the first hour of his tracks, but he usually runs out of things to say near the end.
Ben Affleck- say what you will about the guy, but he is hysterical! His commentary tracks on Pearl harbor, Armageddon, and Mallrats are some of the funniest things that I have ever heard and proves that he does not take himself too seriously.
Kevin Smith- the Mallrats comentary is one of the best around since it is a party atmosphere and is very funny all the way through. In fact, one of the jokes on the track makes it into the Jay and Silent bob Strike Back feature film. Kevin usually has a bunch of different commetaries on his films- one is usually more technical where he is very honest about filmmaking, and the other is like a fun party track.
Weird Al Yankovic does a great track on UHF where he gives actual addresses of the locations used and tells a lot of funny stories as well as how difficult is was to get the film made.
John carpenter and Kurt Russell- these guys have no delusions as to what it is they do for a living. Their Big trouble in Little China commentary is a lot like watching it with your best buds who in the middle of the film take a 3 or 4 minute detour into talking about their kids playing hockey.
Joel Schumacher, on the track for Batman & Robin, actually apologizes for the film he made explaining that the script was written around toys that had already been made to sell that Christmas.
If I know that there is a lot of behind the scenes trouble in making the film, I will listen and see how much is brought up of the troubles. Sometimes, the speakers stay far away from discussing it and other times it will devolve into mudslinging. You ever wonder why those disclaimers are there before the movie begins/ This is the example of why it is there.
Writers tracks- If the main actors or director are not on the track, many times I will just "sample it" and see if the speakers are interesting. If they are, I will listen to it from the beginning. but, if the writer is on there, I will usually listen and try to gain as much as I can when they discuss how they make their decisions on where the plot and characters go. This can be especially intriguin if its an adaptation and they discuss why they left in what they did and took out what they did.
It has happened where I have lost a llot of respect for certain people, or at least been made to remember that they are just human as well and not to be held up as a paragon of intelligence. Jennifer Connelly is pretty to look at but quite a ditz when it comes to discussing films, her craft, and even just random storytelling. Vanessa Hudgens, on the Bandslam commentary, reminded me that she was only 19 or so when she made the film. It was a lot of giggling and "he's so cute" type comments. While I can't say I have ever been a fan of Michael Bay as a person, his tracks are fascinating, but just go to prove that he is a pretentious dick. On Armageddon, he starts out by saying, "Making a movie is like a war." and continues to discuss how important his job is and how no one can do what he can do. I listen to Michael Bay's tracks and just giggle all the way through with the ridiculous things he says.
Sometimes I watch the commentary ttracks of films that are complete misfires or just dont quite add up and you hear the makers discuss what they wanted to make and what they thought thy made and give their good intentions and they can make you almost want to like the film just for the good intentions involved.
But, if the film touched me on any level and especially if it is one of my top films of the year, I will listen to it just for the magical quality that creative people have in discussing how they brought their work to the screen.
On the weekend that How to Train Your Dragon came out on BluRay, I bought it that morning and watched it all weekend. My wife did not see it in the theaters, so I forced her to sit down and watch it with me (forced because she doesn't really like animation). She loved it and was crying at the end. I then watched it 3 more times (just the film) and did all of the extras that were included on the disc- the featurettes, the commentaries, the whole thing. I made it a How to Train Your Dragon weekend. On the commentary track, the directors talk about how the "learning to trust each other" scene grew from a planned one minute scene to almost 5 because they knew that the whole film hinged on that scene and if it didnt work, the whole film would not work. They also discussed that, originally, Hiccup was alone in his room when he woke up at the end and discovered he lost a leg. It was Steven Spielberg, who saw the first cut at Dreamworks SKG, who told them that Toothless needed to be there and to help his friend out. Of course, Spielberg turned out to be right.
How to Train Your Dragon was a special film to me.
It was the last film that I saw with my dad in the theaters. We saw it as I was driving him back home from San Antonio to Hurricane Utah when he was diagnosed with cancer. He died 11 weeks later.
Commentary tracks can be like film school in a box, a drunken good time while you are still sober, a memory of what makes a film so special to you, an apology, an affirmation, or just a peek behind the curtain at the magic that can come out of creative people.
Best TV Show That I Just Watched
Parks & Recreation
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
List of things about me
On facebook right now, there is a 'game' where you list facts about yourself. I decided to blog mine.
1- I was born 9 weeks premature in 1972.
2- I taught myself how to read when I was 2 because my parents would not read the TV and movie listings to me everyday. I was also very annoyed when my grandma could not read the cards while playing games with me.
3- I have, as of this writing, seen Raiders of the Lost Ark 626 times.
4- I have been to all 50 states as well as Canada, mexico, England, France, Netherlands, belgium, Spain, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Monaco.
5- When I was 15, my team won the Trivial Pursuit Championship for the Utah Department of Public safety.
6- I worked at Blockbuster for a total of 13 years altogether.
7- I have always been a'nightowl'. I prefeer to drive long distances at night and I rarely go to bed before Midnight, more often than not, it's more like 1 or 130 in the morning.
8-I would take a lot of books to school in my backpack so that I could loan them to friends if they didn't have any reading material. This continued as I grew up and I loaned a lot of movies to people from the neighborhood and am still a go-to friend for movie borrowing.
9-Before I left on my mission, I saw every single film that came out in theaters from April 1, 1991 until October 5, 1991. This led to me seeing The Commitments- a film that has since become one of my all-time favorites.
10- I co-host a podcast called The Geek Agenda (www.thegeekagenda.com ) in which we discuss films, and the ultra fan inside all of us.
11- I came to love films because my parents realized that, when I was a very sick kid and very fussy, I would quiet down when in a theater, but not necessarily in a car.
12- I became a human IMDB before there was an IMDB. I once won a Blockbuster contest by linking 320 people together. My next closest competition only had 87.
13- I met a friend in college (the head of The geek Agenda) and it was only about6 months later that we discovered we were actually second cousins!
14- I went to the State Drama competition 3 years in a row with pieces that I wrote myself based on favorite films of the time (Good Morning Vietnam, Rain man, Talk Radio).
15- I went on a mission to Paris France. I was originally called to the Port-au-Prince Haiti mission, but the missionaries were pulled out due ti a civil war while we were in the MTC so my call was changed.
16- To help learn the language, I read, in their original French versions, Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre Dame, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days, Three Musketeers, man in the Iron mask, and the whole series of Asterix comics. I also read, in French translations, Bright Lights Big City, Fletch, Silence of the Lambs, Dark Half, and Carrie.
17- I was companions with one of Mitt Romney's sons, matt.
18- I helped write the Utah State Core Curiculum for Social Studies in 2001.
19- My favorite jobs at Blockbuster was making room on the New release Wall for all of the week's new films, and receiving so that I could be the first one to handle the new films as well.
20- In Vegas, I have been lucky enough to see 2 Cirque de Soleil shows, O and Mystere, and I have also seen David Copperfield, Huey Lewis & the News, Drew Carrey, NiCole robinson, Wayne Brady, Penn & teller, Charles Fleischer,and had front row seats for George Carlin, my stand up comedy idol.
21- I donated a kidney to my mom in 2003. It was a very tough year, but we both came out well and my mom is still doing extremely well!
22- I got to watch my cousin argue a case in front of the US Supreme Court. Wow! That was absolutely amazing!
23- Both carole Mikita and Attorney general of Utah at the time, jan Graham, pulled the "Do you know who I am?" card to try to get a very popular movie on a very busy weekend at Blockbuster and to get late fees taken off of their account.
24- I was the first person hired for the retention Department when it began at Pinnacle Security.
25- While working at Blockbuster, I had 2 cars drive into the building.
26- I got to meet Bill Conti (composer for Rocky), larry Linville (Frank Burns of M*A*S*H) and Rob Paulsen and Jess harnell (Animaniacs) and Paulson did a live version of the Nations of the World song.
27- Did the motel room scene from 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles' with Eric Taylor as my final project in drama in high school.
28- Kate Beckinsale and Gemma Arterton are my female celebrity crushes. I will watch anything they are in.
29- My favorite actors are Harrison Ford and Michael J Fox.
and, finally
30- I finished a novel consisting of 119,000 words in October of 2012 and am currently looking for an agent to sell it to get it published.
1- I was born 9 weeks premature in 1972.
2- I taught myself how to read when I was 2 because my parents would not read the TV and movie listings to me everyday. I was also very annoyed when my grandma could not read the cards while playing games with me.
3- I have, as of this writing, seen Raiders of the Lost Ark 626 times.
4- I have been to all 50 states as well as Canada, mexico, England, France, Netherlands, belgium, Spain, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Monaco.
5- When I was 15, my team won the Trivial Pursuit Championship for the Utah Department of Public safety.
6- I worked at Blockbuster for a total of 13 years altogether.
7- I have always been a'nightowl'. I prefeer to drive long distances at night and I rarely go to bed before Midnight, more often than not, it's more like 1 or 130 in the morning.
8-I would take a lot of books to school in my backpack so that I could loan them to friends if they didn't have any reading material. This continued as I grew up and I loaned a lot of movies to people from the neighborhood and am still a go-to friend for movie borrowing.
9-Before I left on my mission, I saw every single film that came out in theaters from April 1, 1991 until October 5, 1991. This led to me seeing The Commitments- a film that has since become one of my all-time favorites.
10- I co-host a podcast called The Geek Agenda (www.thegeekagenda.com ) in which we discuss films, and the ultra fan inside all of us.
11- I came to love films because my parents realized that, when I was a very sick kid and very fussy, I would quiet down when in a theater, but not necessarily in a car.
12- I became a human IMDB before there was an IMDB. I once won a Blockbuster contest by linking 320 people together. My next closest competition only had 87.
13- I met a friend in college (the head of The geek Agenda) and it was only about6 months later that we discovered we were actually second cousins!
14- I went to the State Drama competition 3 years in a row with pieces that I wrote myself based on favorite films of the time (Good Morning Vietnam, Rain man, Talk Radio).
15- I went on a mission to Paris France. I was originally called to the Port-au-Prince Haiti mission, but the missionaries were pulled out due ti a civil war while we were in the MTC so my call was changed.
16- To help learn the language, I read, in their original French versions, Les Miserables, Hunchback of Notre Dame, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in 80 Days, Three Musketeers, man in the Iron mask, and the whole series of Asterix comics. I also read, in French translations, Bright Lights Big City, Fletch, Silence of the Lambs, Dark Half, and Carrie.
17- I was companions with one of Mitt Romney's sons, matt.
18- I helped write the Utah State Core Curiculum for Social Studies in 2001.
19- My favorite jobs at Blockbuster was making room on the New release Wall for all of the week's new films, and receiving so that I could be the first one to handle the new films as well.
20- In Vegas, I have been lucky enough to see 2 Cirque de Soleil shows, O and Mystere, and I have also seen David Copperfield, Huey Lewis & the News, Drew Carrey, NiCole robinson, Wayne Brady, Penn & teller, Charles Fleischer,and had front row seats for George Carlin, my stand up comedy idol.
21- I donated a kidney to my mom in 2003. It was a very tough year, but we both came out well and my mom is still doing extremely well!
22- I got to watch my cousin argue a case in front of the US Supreme Court. Wow! That was absolutely amazing!
23- Both carole Mikita and Attorney general of Utah at the time, jan Graham, pulled the "Do you know who I am?" card to try to get a very popular movie on a very busy weekend at Blockbuster and to get late fees taken off of their account.
24- I was the first person hired for the retention Department when it began at Pinnacle Security.
25- While working at Blockbuster, I had 2 cars drive into the building.
26- I got to meet Bill Conti (composer for Rocky), larry Linville (Frank Burns of M*A*S*H) and Rob Paulsen and Jess harnell (Animaniacs) and Paulson did a live version of the Nations of the World song.
27- Did the motel room scene from 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles' with Eric Taylor as my final project in drama in high school.
28- Kate Beckinsale and Gemma Arterton are my female celebrity crushes. I will watch anything they are in.
29- My favorite actors are Harrison Ford and Michael J Fox.
and, finally
30- I finished a novel consisting of 119,000 words in October of 2012 and am currently looking for an agent to sell it to get it published.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Halloween Options Part 2
For this post, I am only goning to talk about 2 films, but they are both reviled as being "awful films" but my first experience with each of them are truly memorable.
Blair Witch Project- I dont remember the exact circumstances, but my friend Eric and I, who were both married, had a bachelor weekend. I think my wife was on a trip with her sisters and his wife was at a Girls Camp or something. Anyway, it was the weekend that The Blair Witch Project was going to come out. For the initial roll out, it was only playing at one theater in our area, The Tower. We decided to catch the first showing at Midnight, so we went early to get tickets.
It was sold out.
But, the ticket seller asked, would we like to get tickets for the 2 am showing they were going to have since it ws selling so well.
We thought , sure, so we bought the tickets.
I will be honest, I dont remember what we did that evening. I dont remember if we each went home and took a nap, knowing that we would be up very late, or if we hung out and ate and chatted and watched something else on video. I dont know.
I just know that when we showed up at the Tower at about 1 am, there was already a line for the 2am showing. Most of the audience was dressed in black and most of them were females. Redheaded females (or maroon as Eric remembers it. Probably, truth be told, mostly fake redheads which leads to the maroon color.) . I still to this day do not understand why all the black clad red headed female witches showed up to the showing that night, but there they were.
The Tower was undergoing some renovation and there were folding chairs along with the regular chairs. I think we got a folding chair, but I may be mistaken on that memory. All that I know is that when the lights went down, the audience was with the film. Maybe it was the sleep dep, maybe it was the weird feeling of the redhead witch vibe, all I know is that I was on the ride with the film and the last shot is still more bone chilling than anything in any of the Friday the 13th films.
We got out of the film about 3:45 am. Since neither of us could sleep, we both went straight to work. Since we were both pretty much the only ones there at that early hour in our own respective workplaces, we both jumped at every light flicker, slight sound or anything. On my end, it was a very bad day to be making room on the New Release Wall at Blockbuster at 4 am.
While the sequel was nowhere near as good, it is a very interesting time capsule. The star is Jeffrey Donovan, who would later go on to be the star of the TV show 'Burn Notice'.
Paranormal Activity- This came out in October 2009. I kept wanting to see it but never got around to it. I bought a used dvd copy and carried it with me a lot along with my computer so that, if I ever got to it, I could watch it. I started it 4 or 5 times, but seriously only got in 3 or so minutes each time because I kept getting interruped.
When my dad got sick in Spring 2010. It was one of the films that I had with me along with my computer. I had, maybe 10 films with me. My dad died June 12, 2010. After he died, I had insomnia and could not sleep. At all. I have always been a night owl and generally, if I dont have to be up early the next day, I stay up until at least 1 every morning, maybe 2.
So, I was in Southern Utah, Hurricane, to be with my mom after my dad died. My wife was with me for a lot of it, but bounced back and forth to take care of various things in Salt Lake and to give my mom and I some space to take care of the paperwork involving the death of a father and a husband.
Because of my night owl-ness, I would not realize that it was going to be an insomnia night until 3 or so in the morning. With my wife not there to gauge me on this particular night, I knew that there was no way I was going to sleep until at least 6 am or so. So, I went to my stack of movies to watch.
The only one I had not seen was Paranormal Activity.
There is a reason that the small town is called Hurricane. There is a very heavy wind that rips through the town most nights and it was roaring that night.
I plugged in my laptop, laid down in bed and placed the computer on my chest.I put headphones in, and settled in to watch the film.
Watching Paranormal Activity for the first time about a week after your father dies, with actual wind howling outside, at 3 am on a laptop computer screen inches from your face with headphones pumping the sounds directly into your brain is the best (worst? creepiest?) way to watch this film. It freaked me out and had me looking over my shoulder the next 24 hours.
Blair Witch Project- I dont remember the exact circumstances, but my friend Eric and I, who were both married, had a bachelor weekend. I think my wife was on a trip with her sisters and his wife was at a Girls Camp or something. Anyway, it was the weekend that The Blair Witch Project was going to come out. For the initial roll out, it was only playing at one theater in our area, The Tower. We decided to catch the first showing at Midnight, so we went early to get tickets.
It was sold out.
But, the ticket seller asked, would we like to get tickets for the 2 am showing they were going to have since it ws selling so well.
We thought , sure, so we bought the tickets.
I will be honest, I dont remember what we did that evening. I dont remember if we each went home and took a nap, knowing that we would be up very late, or if we hung out and ate and chatted and watched something else on video. I dont know.
I just know that when we showed up at the Tower at about 1 am, there was already a line for the 2am showing. Most of the audience was dressed in black and most of them were females. Redheaded females (or maroon as Eric remembers it. Probably, truth be told, mostly fake redheads which leads to the maroon color.) . I still to this day do not understand why all the black clad red headed female witches showed up to the showing that night, but there they were.
The Tower was undergoing some renovation and there were folding chairs along with the regular chairs. I think we got a folding chair, but I may be mistaken on that memory. All that I know is that when the lights went down, the audience was with the film. Maybe it was the sleep dep, maybe it was the weird feeling of the redhead witch vibe, all I know is that I was on the ride with the film and the last shot is still more bone chilling than anything in any of the Friday the 13th films.
We got out of the film about 3:45 am. Since neither of us could sleep, we both went straight to work. Since we were both pretty much the only ones there at that early hour in our own respective workplaces, we both jumped at every light flicker, slight sound or anything. On my end, it was a very bad day to be making room on the New Release Wall at Blockbuster at 4 am.
While the sequel was nowhere near as good, it is a very interesting time capsule. The star is Jeffrey Donovan, who would later go on to be the star of the TV show 'Burn Notice'.
Paranormal Activity- This came out in October 2009. I kept wanting to see it but never got around to it. I bought a used dvd copy and carried it with me a lot along with my computer so that, if I ever got to it, I could watch it. I started it 4 or 5 times, but seriously only got in 3 or so minutes each time because I kept getting interruped.
When my dad got sick in Spring 2010. It was one of the films that I had with me along with my computer. I had, maybe 10 films with me. My dad died June 12, 2010. After he died, I had insomnia and could not sleep. At all. I have always been a night owl and generally, if I dont have to be up early the next day, I stay up until at least 1 every morning, maybe 2.
So, I was in Southern Utah, Hurricane, to be with my mom after my dad died. My wife was with me for a lot of it, but bounced back and forth to take care of various things in Salt Lake and to give my mom and I some space to take care of the paperwork involving the death of a father and a husband.
Because of my night owl-ness, I would not realize that it was going to be an insomnia night until 3 or so in the morning. With my wife not there to gauge me on this particular night, I knew that there was no way I was going to sleep until at least 6 am or so. So, I went to my stack of movies to watch.
The only one I had not seen was Paranormal Activity.
There is a reason that the small town is called Hurricane. There is a very heavy wind that rips through the town most nights and it was roaring that night.
I plugged in my laptop, laid down in bed and placed the computer on my chest.I put headphones in, and settled in to watch the film.
Watching Paranormal Activity for the first time about a week after your father dies, with actual wind howling outside, at 3 am on a laptop computer screen inches from your face with headphones pumping the sounds directly into your brain is the best (worst? creepiest?) way to watch this film. It freaked me out and had me looking over my shoulder the next 24 hours.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Halloween Options Part 1
Over the next week and a half, I am going to list, in no particular order, a bunch of Halloween-type movies and a little blurb about each one and why I am listing it. Some of them are just memorable because of how I saw them, some are my all-time favorites, some are unforgettable ( to me) for a scene or two- there is going to be no rhyme or reason, just a list and anectdotes and hopefully those who read it will find something that interests them
The Conjuring- It came out this summer and is released on DVD and BluRay on october 22, 2013. The makers felt that the script was PG-13, they felt they filmed a PG-13 film, they edited it into a PG-13 film, but, when given over to the MPAA to rate it, it was rated R. As is normal, they went to the MPAA and asked what they could cut from it to make it PG-13 and the MPAA reportedly said, "Nothing. It is just too damn scary." The Conjuring is definitely intense and it does it solely through the creation of dread. The film is very well acted with 2 amazing female lead performances from Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor.
Insidious- While this is rated PG-13, it is made by the same team that made Conjuring. I saw this only because I went to the theater to see a movie and the one that I wanted to see was sold out. This was the only film that had not yet started, so I went. As the end credits rolled, the sold out crowd and I just sat there for a minute not sure of what we had just seen.
Slither- a very good horror comedy starring Nathan Fillion (Castle) and Elizabeth banks. An alien slug crash lands near a small town and starts taking over the population slowly leaving the Sherrif and just a few townspeople able to fight back. Also features Jenna Fischer (The Office) in a small role.
The Mist- As one of my friends put it, "the most "soul sucking" ending ever put on film. This is based on a Stephen King short story about creatures that come out of a strange mist to kill residents of a small town.
Last Exorcism- Ashley Bell was hired to play Nell, the girl who is possessed, and who is set to be the "last exorcism" of a priest who is filming how he does an exorcism to expose that it is all a scam, is the reason to see this film. Although Patrick Fabian is great as the priest, Bell does most of her own contortions which makes it escpecially freaky when she counts to 10. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.
What Lies beneath- Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer play a marriwed couple who start having strange things happen to them by a ghost who may or may not be an ex-student of Ford's. Twists and turns abound. I saw this with my wife and another couple in the theater. As it was over, our wives started saying how stupid it was and my friend and I mocked them because we had seen them scrunching further and further into their seats as the film progressed. Also- written by Clark Gregg!!!! (Agent Coulson from the Avengers)
The Conjuring- It came out this summer and is released on DVD and BluRay on october 22, 2013. The makers felt that the script was PG-13, they felt they filmed a PG-13 film, they edited it into a PG-13 film, but, when given over to the MPAA to rate it, it was rated R. As is normal, they went to the MPAA and asked what they could cut from it to make it PG-13 and the MPAA reportedly said, "Nothing. It is just too damn scary." The Conjuring is definitely intense and it does it solely through the creation of dread. The film is very well acted with 2 amazing female lead performances from Vera Farmiga and Lili Taylor.
Insidious- While this is rated PG-13, it is made by the same team that made Conjuring. I saw this only because I went to the theater to see a movie and the one that I wanted to see was sold out. This was the only film that had not yet started, so I went. As the end credits rolled, the sold out crowd and I just sat there for a minute not sure of what we had just seen.
Slither- a very good horror comedy starring Nathan Fillion (Castle) and Elizabeth banks. An alien slug crash lands near a small town and starts taking over the population slowly leaving the Sherrif and just a few townspeople able to fight back. Also features Jenna Fischer (The Office) in a small role.
The Mist- As one of my friends put it, "the most "soul sucking" ending ever put on film. This is based on a Stephen King short story about creatures that come out of a strange mist to kill residents of a small town.
Last Exorcism- Ashley Bell was hired to play Nell, the girl who is possessed, and who is set to be the "last exorcism" of a priest who is filming how he does an exorcism to expose that it is all a scam, is the reason to see this film. Although Patrick Fabian is great as the priest, Bell does most of her own contortions which makes it escpecially freaky when she counts to 10. If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.
What Lies beneath- Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer play a marriwed couple who start having strange things happen to them by a ghost who may or may not be an ex-student of Ford's. Twists and turns abound. I saw this with my wife and another couple in the theater. As it was over, our wives started saying how stupid it was and my friend and I mocked them because we had seen them scrunching further and further into their seats as the film progressed. Also- written by Clark Gregg!!!! (Agent Coulson from the Avengers)
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Current Coming Soon to Video List- 10/ 15
Here is the updated list for all the movies announced to be coming to video by the end of the year. A couple more may sneak into the lineup (there is a rumor going that Warner may sneak Gravity into the marketplace for sale before Christmas) but, for the most part, this is complete. At least it is as of the time I am popsting this.
COMING SOON
OCTOBER 22
AS COOL AS I AM
BEFORE MIDNIGHT
CONJURING
DEAD IN TOMBSTONE
HAPPY ENDINGS SSN 3
I GIVE IT A YEAR
INTERNSHIP
JUST LIKE A WOMAN
NIKITA SSN 3
ONLY GOD FORGIVES
WAITING ROOM
WAY, WAY BACK
OCTOBER 29
BYZANTIUM
DON’T TRUST THE BITCH IN APT 23 COMPLETE SERIES
FAMILY TREE SSN 1
GATCHAMAN COMPLETE SERIES
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
RIPD
NOVEMBER 5
AS I LAY DYING
ATTACK
BROKEN
CLEAR HISTORY
DEXTER SSN 8
FITZGERALD FAMILY CHRISTMAS
GIRL MOST LIKELY
GROWN UPS 2
HOBBIT EXTENDED EDITION
LAW & ORDER SSN 13
LOVELACE
MAD MEN SSN 6
MAGIC CITY SSN 2
PARKLAND
PASSION
RIGHT STUFF BLU
SCROOGED SE BLU
SYRUP
TWILIGHT COMPLETE SAGA
UNDER THE DOME SSN 1
WHITE HOUSE DOWN
NOVEMBER 12
AMBUSHED
AND WHILE WE WERE HERE
THE ATTACK
BLACKFISH
BURNING LOVE SSN 1
DEALIN WITH IDIOTS
FRANCES HA
I DECLARE WAR
IP MAN- FINAL FIGHT
MAN OF STEEL
PARADISE
PRINCE AVALANCHE
TURBO
NOVEMBER 19
2 GUNS
ACT OF KILLING
ALL IS BRIGHT
BREAKING THE GIRLS
C.O.G.
CRYSTAL FAIRY
DREW- THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER
EVE OF DESTRUCTION BLU
HANNAH ARENDT
PARANOIA
PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG BLU
PLANES
THERESE DESQUEYROUX
TO-DO LIST
TOUS LES MATINS DU MONDE BLU
TREME SSN 3
VIOLET AND DAISY
WE’RE THE MILLERS
THE WORLD’S END
NOVEMBER 26
BREAKING BAD SSN 7
CANYONS
GETAWAY
GRANDMASTER
JOBS
RED 2
DECEMBER 3
ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE
ANCHORMAN SE BLU
ARGO- EXTENDED EDITION
DRINKING BUDDIES
GOOD OL’ FREDA
HOT IN CLEVELAND SSN 4
MORTAL INSTRUMENTS- CITY OF BONES
NASHVILLE CRITERION SE
SIMPSONS SSN 16
SMURFS 2
WOLVERINE
DECEMBER 10
ADORE
BATTLE OF THE YEAR
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
BIG 25TH ANNIVERSARY BLU
DESPICABLE ME 2
FAST & THE FURIOUS 6
FUTURAMA VOL 8
HUNT
JAYNE MANSFIELD’S CAR
MUPPETS- GREAT MUPPET CAPER & TREASURE ISLAND BLU
SEASONING HOUSE
SIGHTSEERS
SOME GIRL
TOUCHY FEELY
ULTIMATE LIFE
ZOMBIE NIGHT
DECEMBER 17
AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS
BURN NOTICE SSN 7
CONTEST
DEVIL’S PASS
ELYSIUM
FORCE OF EXECUTION
KICK ASS 2
LONE RANGER
ONE DIRECTION- THIS IS US
PERCY JACKSON- SEA OF MONSTERS
PSYCH- THE MUSICAL
RIDDICK
SHAMELESS SSN 3
DECEMBER 24
MORE THAN HONEY
DECEMBER 31
ADORE
CALIFORNICATION SSN 6
CBGB
HELL BABY
HOUSE OF LIES SSN 2
INAPPROPRIATE COMEDY
SANITARIUM
SWEETWATER
JANUARY 7
FOLLOWING SSN 1
TEQUILA SUNRISE BLU
JANUARY 14
BLUE CAPRICE
IM IN LOVE WITH A CHURCH GIRL
OUR NIXON
SHORT TERM 12
SINGLE SHOT
JANUARY 21
BAD MILO
CAT PEOPLE- SE
JANUARY 28
AFTERNOON DELIGHT
FEBRUARY 4
MILLION DOLLAR BABY 10TH ANNIVERSARY
STOP LOSS BLU
FEBRUARY 11
ON THE JOB
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 25
BULLET
APRIL 14
SORCERER BLU
COMING SOON
OCTOBER 22
AS COOL AS I AM
BEFORE MIDNIGHT
CONJURING
DEAD IN TOMBSTONE
HAPPY ENDINGS SSN 3
I GIVE IT A YEAR
INTERNSHIP
JUST LIKE A WOMAN
NIKITA SSN 3
ONLY GOD FORGIVES
WAITING ROOM
WAY, WAY BACK
OCTOBER 29
BYZANTIUM
DON’T TRUST THE BITCH IN APT 23 COMPLETE SERIES
FAMILY TREE SSN 1
GATCHAMAN COMPLETE SERIES
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY
RIPD
NOVEMBER 5
AS I LAY DYING
ATTACK
BROKEN
CLEAR HISTORY
DEXTER SSN 8
FITZGERALD FAMILY CHRISTMAS
GIRL MOST LIKELY
GROWN UPS 2
HOBBIT EXTENDED EDITION
LAW & ORDER SSN 13
LOVELACE
MAD MEN SSN 6
MAGIC CITY SSN 2
PARKLAND
PASSION
RIGHT STUFF BLU
SCROOGED SE BLU
SYRUP
TWILIGHT COMPLETE SAGA
UNDER THE DOME SSN 1
WHITE HOUSE DOWN
NOVEMBER 12
AMBUSHED
AND WHILE WE WERE HERE
THE ATTACK
BLACKFISH
BURNING LOVE SSN 1
DEALIN WITH IDIOTS
FRANCES HA
I DECLARE WAR
IP MAN- FINAL FIGHT
MAN OF STEEL
PARADISE
PRINCE AVALANCHE
TURBO
NOVEMBER 19
2 GUNS
ACT OF KILLING
ALL IS BRIGHT
BREAKING THE GIRLS
C.O.G.
CRYSTAL FAIRY
DREW- THE MAN BEHIND THE POSTER
EVE OF DESTRUCTION BLU
HANNAH ARENDT
PARANOIA
PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG BLU
PLANES
THERESE DESQUEYROUX
TO-DO LIST
TOUS LES MATINS DU MONDE BLU
TREME SSN 3
VIOLET AND DAISY
WE’RE THE MILLERS
THE WORLD’S END
NOVEMBER 26
BREAKING BAD SSN 7
CANYONS
GETAWAY
GRANDMASTER
JOBS
RED 2
DECEMBER 3
ALL THE BOYS LOVE MANDY LANE
ANCHORMAN SE BLU
ARGO- EXTENDED EDITION
DRINKING BUDDIES
GOOD OL’ FREDA
HOT IN CLEVELAND SSN 4
MORTAL INSTRUMENTS- CITY OF BONES
NASHVILLE CRITERION SE
SIMPSONS SSN 16
SMURFS 2
WOLVERINE
DECEMBER 10
ADORE
BATTLE OF THE YEAR
BERBERIAN SOUND STUDIO
BIG 25TH ANNIVERSARY BLU
DESPICABLE ME 2
FAST & THE FURIOUS 6
FUTURAMA VOL 8
HUNT
JAYNE MANSFIELD’S CAR
MUPPETS- GREAT MUPPET CAPER & TREASURE ISLAND BLU
SEASONING HOUSE
SIGHTSEERS
SOME GIRL
TOUCHY FEELY
ULTIMATE LIFE
ZOMBIE NIGHT
DECEMBER 17
AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS
BURN NOTICE SSN 7
CONTEST
DEVIL’S PASS
ELYSIUM
FORCE OF EXECUTION
KICK ASS 2
LONE RANGER
ONE DIRECTION- THIS IS US
PERCY JACKSON- SEA OF MONSTERS
PSYCH- THE MUSICAL
RIDDICK
SHAMELESS SSN 3
DECEMBER 24
MORE THAN HONEY
DECEMBER 31
ADORE
CALIFORNICATION SSN 6
CBGB
HELL BABY
HOUSE OF LIES SSN 2
INAPPROPRIATE COMEDY
SANITARIUM
SWEETWATER
JANUARY 7
FOLLOWING SSN 1
TEQUILA SUNRISE BLU
JANUARY 14
BLUE CAPRICE
IM IN LOVE WITH A CHURCH GIRL
OUR NIXON
SHORT TERM 12
SINGLE SHOT
JANUARY 21
BAD MILO
CAT PEOPLE- SE
JANUARY 28
AFTERNOON DELIGHT
FEBRUARY 4
MILLION DOLLAR BABY 10TH ANNIVERSARY
STOP LOSS BLU
FEBRUARY 11
ON THE JOB
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 25
BULLET
APRIL 14
SORCERER BLU
Update
It has been almost 3 months since I updated thios blog, so I figured it was time to give everyone an update. I am going to get back to regular updates but I knew that I had to just "word vomit" first so that I could clear my head for the next real post.
In theatrical films, I have seen 80 films that have been released to theaters in 2013. Of these, 87 have been in the theater.
I continue to record a semi-regular podcast (hopefully life will calm a tad so it can be much more regular) with my friend/ cousin Thom Bowers at the Geek Agenda where we dicuss mainly films when I am on the show (since that is obviously my forte) but also random facts and figures and other geekiness (such as the TV show Marvel's Agents of SHIELD on the last podcast recorded last night- episode 101 which should be up very soon). Go to www.thegeekagenda.com to listen to the archives.
I am writing an author bio, a book synopsis, and a career CV so that we can start looking for agents for my book.
My mom had emergency surgery at the end of September. She went to the hospital by ambulance 3 hours after I pulled out of her driveway after visiting her for the weekend. That was a weird phone call to receive. She did well but needed help when she first got out of the hospital so Aleisha and I took a 6 day break to head down and help out. I spoke with her 2 nights ago and she is continuing to get stronger and healthier, although she still has a way to go before she gets back into "fighting" shape.
Since I posted the box office for the first half of the summer, let's finish that nagging bit of info, huh?For the box office grosees for the summer of 2013- here is the final tally- from smallest to biggest. These are the numbers ending September 5th, 2013. In order to be counted in this list, it had to make at least 1 million dollars:
1. In a World- 1.31
2. Im So Excited- 1.31
3. Girl Most Likely- 1.38
4. Attack-1.58
5. Stories We Tell- 1.59
6. Love is All You Need- 1.61
7. Unfinished Song- 1.63
8. Fill the Void- 1.75
9. Blackfish- 1.85
10. Grandmasters- 3.38
11. Closed Circuit- 3.63
12. Spectacular Now- 3.82
13. Frances Ha- 4.05
14. Much Ado- 4.27
15. 20 Feet From Stardom- 4.41
16. Getaway- 5.61
17. Bling Ring- 5.83
18. Paranoia-7.09
19. Before Midnight- 8.02
20. Instructions Not Included- 10.38
21. You’re Next- 14.41
22. Jobs- 14.81
23. Fruitvale Station- 15.59
24. One Direction- This is Us- 18.47
25. World’s End- 18.32
26. Way Way Back- 19.81
27. Mud- 21.59
28. Blue Jasmine- 21.78
29. Mortal Instruments- 24.52
30. Kick Ass 2- 27.00
31. Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain- 32.24
32. RIPD- 33.08
33. Internship- 44.65
34. Red 2- 52.21
35. Percy Jackson- 56.73
36. After earth- 60.52
37. Purge- 64.45
38. Smurfs 2- 66.99
39. 2 Guns- 70.10
40. White House Down- 72.83
41. Planes- 73.97
42. Butler- 79.47
43. Turbo- 80.09
44. Elysium- 80.52
45. Lone Ranger- 88.56
46. This is the End- 96.92
47. Pacific Rim- 100.37
48. Epic- 107.45
49. Hangover 3- 112.20
50. We’re the Millers- 113.24
51. Now You See Me- 117.10
52. Wolverine- 128.32
53. Grown Ups 2- 130.19
54. Conjuring- 134.18
55. Great Gatsby- 144.83
56. Heat- 157.43
57. World War Z- 200.67
58. Star Trek- 228.50
59. Fast 6- 238.67
60. Monsters University- 264.29
61. Man of Steel 290.75
62. Despicable Me 2- 355.74
63. Iron Man 3- 408.88
In theatrical films, I have seen 80 films that have been released to theaters in 2013. Of these, 87 have been in the theater.
I continue to record a semi-regular podcast (hopefully life will calm a tad so it can be much more regular) with my friend/ cousin Thom Bowers at the Geek Agenda where we dicuss mainly films when I am on the show (since that is obviously my forte) but also random facts and figures and other geekiness (such as the TV show Marvel's Agents of SHIELD on the last podcast recorded last night- episode 101 which should be up very soon). Go to www.thegeekagenda.com to listen to the archives.
I am writing an author bio, a book synopsis, and a career CV so that we can start looking for agents for my book.
My mom had emergency surgery at the end of September. She went to the hospital by ambulance 3 hours after I pulled out of her driveway after visiting her for the weekend. That was a weird phone call to receive. She did well but needed help when she first got out of the hospital so Aleisha and I took a 6 day break to head down and help out. I spoke with her 2 nights ago and she is continuing to get stronger and healthier, although she still has a way to go before she gets back into "fighting" shape.
Since I posted the box office for the first half of the summer, let's finish that nagging bit of info, huh?For the box office grosees for the summer of 2013- here is the final tally- from smallest to biggest. These are the numbers ending September 5th, 2013. In order to be counted in this list, it had to make at least 1 million dollars:
1. In a World- 1.31
2. Im So Excited- 1.31
3. Girl Most Likely- 1.38
4. Attack-1.58
5. Stories We Tell- 1.59
6. Love is All You Need- 1.61
7. Unfinished Song- 1.63
8. Fill the Void- 1.75
9. Blackfish- 1.85
10. Grandmasters- 3.38
11. Closed Circuit- 3.63
12. Spectacular Now- 3.82
13. Frances Ha- 4.05
14. Much Ado- 4.27
15. 20 Feet From Stardom- 4.41
16. Getaway- 5.61
17. Bling Ring- 5.83
18. Paranoia-7.09
19. Before Midnight- 8.02
20. Instructions Not Included- 10.38
21. You’re Next- 14.41
22. Jobs- 14.81
23. Fruitvale Station- 15.59
24. One Direction- This is Us- 18.47
25. World’s End- 18.32
26. Way Way Back- 19.81
27. Mud- 21.59
28. Blue Jasmine- 21.78
29. Mortal Instruments- 24.52
30. Kick Ass 2- 27.00
31. Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain- 32.24
32. RIPD- 33.08
33. Internship- 44.65
34. Red 2- 52.21
35. Percy Jackson- 56.73
36. After earth- 60.52
37. Purge- 64.45
38. Smurfs 2- 66.99
39. 2 Guns- 70.10
40. White House Down- 72.83
41. Planes- 73.97
42. Butler- 79.47
43. Turbo- 80.09
44. Elysium- 80.52
45. Lone Ranger- 88.56
46. This is the End- 96.92
47. Pacific Rim- 100.37
48. Epic- 107.45
49. Hangover 3- 112.20
50. We’re the Millers- 113.24
51. Now You See Me- 117.10
52. Wolverine- 128.32
53. Grown Ups 2- 130.19
54. Conjuring- 134.18
55. Great Gatsby- 144.83
56. Heat- 157.43
57. World War Z- 200.67
58. Star Trek- 228.50
59. Fast 6- 238.67
60. Monsters University- 264.29
61. Man of Steel 290.75
62. Despicable Me 2- 355.74
63. Iron Man 3- 408.88
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Summer Box Office Grosses Pt 1
We are more than half-way through the summer movie season. Most of the huge, anticipated blockbusters have been released. While there are always a few films that come out after this time that sweep up major cash from the box office, nothing will likely touch the top film on this list.
This weekend, Turbo, RIPD, RED 2, Girl Most Likely, & the Conjuring all come out. We still have Smurfs 2, which will likely make a tidy sum, Wolverine (should get about 160) along with a few other action films and such which will more than likely make 70-100 million dollars before they get swept out of the theaters.
Remeber, that Grown Ups 2 & Pacific Rim just barely came out, so those will climb higher in the next few weeks, and Despicable Me 2 is still doing very well, but will be knocked down a bit by Turbo this week.
Here is how the Summer 2013 Box Office stands at the moment for the major releases of the summer, with Tuesday's grosses factored in (all in millions):
21- Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain- 27.15
20- Internship- 43.29
19- Pacific Rim- 45.76
18- Grown Ups 2- 51.54
17- After earth- 59. 47
16- Purge- 63.89
15- White House Down- 64.65
14- Lone Ranger- 74.53
13- This is the End- 92.55
12- Epic- 105.04
11- Hangover 3- 111.71
10- Now You See Me- 113.72
9- Heat- 116.31
8- Great gatsby- 143.28
7- World War Z- 179.62
6- Star Trek- 224.57
5- Fast 6- 236.68
4- Despicable Me 2- 240.87
3- Monsters University- 241.22
2- Man of Steel 282.19
1- Iron Man 3- 406.85
This weekend, Turbo, RIPD, RED 2, Girl Most Likely, & the Conjuring all come out. We still have Smurfs 2, which will likely make a tidy sum, Wolverine (should get about 160) along with a few other action films and such which will more than likely make 70-100 million dollars before they get swept out of the theaters.
Remeber, that Grown Ups 2 & Pacific Rim just barely came out, so those will climb higher in the next few weeks, and Despicable Me 2 is still doing very well, but will be knocked down a bit by Turbo this week.
Here is how the Summer 2013 Box Office stands at the moment for the major releases of the summer, with Tuesday's grosses factored in (all in millions):
21- Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain- 27.15
20- Internship- 43.29
19- Pacific Rim- 45.76
18- Grown Ups 2- 51.54
17- After earth- 59. 47
16- Purge- 63.89
15- White House Down- 64.65
14- Lone Ranger- 74.53
13- This is the End- 92.55
12- Epic- 105.04
11- Hangover 3- 111.71
10- Now You See Me- 113.72
9- Heat- 116.31
8- Great gatsby- 143.28
7- World War Z- 179.62
6- Star Trek- 224.57
5- Fast 6- 236.68
4- Despicable Me 2- 240.87
3- Monsters University- 241.22
2- Man of Steel 282.19
1- Iron Man 3- 406.85
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
