10 Most Anticipated Films of 2009

I feel like it is safe for me to do this post now, even though we are almost into the 3rd month of 2009. That's basically because there has been nothing I have eagerly anticipated that has come out so far this year. Also, it is a safe time to do this because the first film on this list is coming out next week. The list is going in order of scheduled release (as of now), as opposed to how much I anticipate them by rank. I don't have the time or patience for that right now. Also, the movie has to have an announced release date to make the list. So, without further ado, here are my Most Anticipated Films of 2009:

1. WATCHMEN (3/6/09)
Directed by Zach Snyder, Starring Malin Ackerman, Billy Cudrup, Matthew Goode, Jackie Earle Haley
First of all, this is one of my favorite books I've ever read. I am rereading it now to get ready for the movie, and I am really picking up on so much more subtext, and just really grasping the world more. I don't know if the movie will be for everyone because the story is so dark, and it is somewhat hard to tell from the previews. It is considerably darker than THE DARK KNIGHT, earning its R rating from what I've heard, but I love the story, and am so pumped to see it on the big screen. Though, after writing that, I feel like I am just shouting the exact same thing everyone else who wants to see this movie is shouting.

2. ADVENTURELAND (3/27/09)
Directed by Greg Mottola, Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Kristen Stewart
The first comedy I really want to see this year. It's about a kid who has to get a job for the summer, and winds up working at an amusement park. His bosses are Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader. I love Bill Hader and think he is one of the funniest people around, so any movie where he is strongly featured in the previews immediately draws me to it. Kristen Wiig is also hysterical, and I feel like the two of them play off each other magically. Also, Kristen Stewart is quite attractive, so added bonus.

3. STAR TREK (5/8/09)
Directed by J.J. Abrams, Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, John Cho
Anything J.J. Abrams does is awesome these days, so that is definitely what drew me to this movie. I've never really been a fan of STAR TREK, which is mainly because I have never really committed the time to it. However, everything I have seen and heard about this movie makes me want to see it. I mean, the cast looks phenomenal, and the sci-fi action looks superb, so I am totally going to be there for this.

4. TERMINATOR SALVATION (5/21/09)
Directed by McG, Starring Christian Bale, Sam Worthington, Bryce Dallas Howard, Anton Yelchin
I like the first two TERMINATOR movies a lot, and the third one was alright, but this looks like something even better. It really only took Christian Bale's involvement for me to get interested in this, and I know I am not alone there. I don't even care about his recently leaked outburst on set, it just means he was that committed to the movie that he flipped out so much. I also love me some sweet sci-fi action, and this looks like it will definitely deliver.

5. TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (6/24/09)
Directed by Michael Bay, Starring Shia LaBeouf, Megan Fox, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro
I expect nothing of substance in any way here. Like with the first movie, I really am in it to see giant transforming robots blow shit up. And word on the street has it that it will be even more abundant with this movie, so I am ready for some adrenaline charged action. Plus more kick ass robots.

6. PUBLIC ENEMIES (7/1/09)
Directed by Michael Mann, Starring Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum
The only thing I need to know about this (and actually the only thing I do know) is that its a 30s gangster movie directed by Michael Mann and starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, so it will kick ass.

7. HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE (7/17/09)
Directed by David Yates, Starring Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon
This is my second favorite HARRY POTTER book for starters. I am, however, a bit worried about Michael Gambon's increased presence as Dumbledore because I have not warmed up to his portrayal of the part. He is alright, but I just haven't believed him in the part so far, so we will see. Also I am eager to see all the Voldemort flashbacks, and the horcrux storyline.

8. INGLORIOUS BASTERDS (8/21/09)
Directed by Quentin Tarantino, Starring Brad Pitt, Diane Kruger, B.J. Novack
Quentin Tarantino was my first favorite director, and this movie looks incredible. From what I have heard it will do for World War II movies what PULP FICTION did for crime drama. I don't know a lot, but the trailer looks sweet.

9. FANTASTIC MR. FOX (11/6/09)
Directed by Wes Anderson, Starring (voices of) George Clooney, Cate Blanchette, Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzmann
This is the first animated feature done by Wes Anderson, who is one of my favorite directors. I am very interested to see if his very unique visual feel for live action will translate well into animation. The book is by Roald Dahl, who also did CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY, so I am very eager to see this. I do wonder if Anderson will include his typical choice in music for this or do a straight score.


10. SHERLOCK HOLMES (12/25/09)
Directed by Guy Ritchie, Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong
Guy Ritchie is doing Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey, Jr. as the title sleuth. I am very interested to see if Ritchie's visual flair in his modern crime movies will translate into this period movie. Also, the cast looks to be pretty amazing, in my opinion. Or at least the 3 I am familiar with excite me. So, we will see how it turns out on Christmas.

So, there you are. Some honorable mentions for me are I LOVE YOU, MAN, the Paul Rudd comedy where he is trying to find a best guy friend to be his best man in the wedding because all of his friends are his wife's lady friends; and AVATAR, the new James Cameron sci-fi epic that will be done in 3D, and is having its details kept very secret. So, we'll see how I feel as these come out through the year, starting next week with WATCHMEN.



Here endeth the lesson.

The Year's End

So, I figured since the year is coming to a close, I would take this opportunity to do a few countdowns. I won't really leave any descriptions with why I selected each item on the list. Just figured it would be something fun for me to do, and for you to read. The only stipulations here being that it had to come out in 2008. Also, similar to my Top 25, these lists are just things I really enjoyed. I am not getting into the technical merits here. So, here. We. Go.

Film:
The Best
Top 10 Movies of 2008
10. Hellboy II: The Golden Army
9. Horton Hears a Who!
8. Burn after Reading
7. WALL-E
6. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
5. Tropic Thunder
4. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
3. Iron Man
2. Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog (Yeah, I'm counting it as a movie)
1. The Dark Knight

The Worst
Worst Movies I Saw in 2008 or Complete Shitstorm:
3. The X-Files: I Want to Believe
1. The Happening
1. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull


Music
5 Favorite Albums of 2008
5. Lights - Lights EP
4. Copeland - You Are My Sunshine
3. Katy Perry - One of the Boys
2. Fall Out Boy - Follie a Deux
1. Panic at the Disco - Pretty. Odd.

Television
The 20 Best Episodes of 2008
20. Meet Kevin Johnson - LOST
19. The Economist - LOST
18. Little Minnesota - How I Met Your Mother
17. Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
16. Guess What's Coming to Dinner - Battlestar Galactica
15. The Bracket - How I Met Your Mother
14. Who Pooped the Bed - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
13. Woooo! - How I Met Your Mother
12. Rebound Bro - How I Met Your Mother
11. The Nightman Cometh - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
10. He That Believeth in Me - Battlestar Galactica
9. Mac & Charlie Die - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
8. Intervention - How I Met Your Mother
7. The Shape of Things to Come - LOST
6. The Gang Solves the Gas Crisis - It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
5. Cabin Fever - LOST
4. Confirmed Dead - LOST
3. There's No Place Like Home (Parts 1, 2, 3) - LOST
2. Revelations - Battlestar Galactica
1. The Constant - LOST


So, there you have it. I didn't read any books released this year, really. None worth mentioning here, at least. If you disagree with something I said here, let me know. Get angry, and we can argue. So, have a safe and happy New Year's, and I will post more on the flip side.

Also, if you noticed, I changed the name of the blog here so that it will not be too confusing with my book, that I will also be posting on a blog (deliriumcity.blogspot.com) Hope you will check that out.


Here endeth the lesson.

The Architect is Coming

Greetings everyone!

I return from a long bout of not posting on here to make a big announcement. First, let me apologize for my absence. The semester is getting really busy, but things should be (blood) letting up soon. So, I will try to be more regular. And I will try to post here more often.

So, the announcement.

On January 26, 2009 at 6:00 PM Central Standard Time the first volume of the three part Delirium City Trilogy will be posted on the Internets for the whole world to see. It will be presented in an episodic manner. In a few weeks I will be posting the prelude to the story. Then, for the next year, I will be releasing chapters on a week-by-week basis. There will be 50 chapters, typically spanning about 10-12 pages long, but there will be some "super-sized" chapters along the way.

Delirium City: The Architect is the story of 6 citizens of Delirium City, and the force that is drawing them together. Jack Heart's mother was killed when he was a teenager, and now, at 21 years old, he has started a new job, insomnia, and is in therapy to help him deal with his problem. Frank Fallow runs The Necro District and is searching for something hidden within Delirium City. Audrey King is a student at Delirium City University studying computer programming who comes across a strange file on her friend's computer, shortly before he mysteriously disappears. Dr. Damon Goodwin has begun meeting with a prisoner in Serenity Valley Maximum Security Penitentiary to gain important information, but he is not what he seems. Clarence Henry makes a discovery at a murder investigation that slowly becomes an obsession with a mysterious man and his invention. Solomon Myers is locked away in the Delirium City Sanitarium, by his own choice, and is visited by a mysterious doctor with a hidden agenda.

So, there you are. You can find the story at http://deliriumcity.blogspot.com. The address will move when I have the time and capability to construct a more legit website for it, but for now, I need to get the pressure on myself to tell the story, and finish it.


Here endeth the lesson.

An Explosion of Comedy All Over Your Face (or Fall Follies 2008)

First I will throw in my obligatory apology that I have been scarcely updating this thing, sort of. That sentence is all you get really. I am not sure who has been keeping up with this much because when I have done my more recent posts, I have gotten little to no feedback whatsoever. So, I will make my promise to do my best to keep up with this thing. I have been busy of late (which many of you know, and the rest of you are about to hear about) with a very large project. I wanted to take some time and fill everyone in on it and all. So, this will be where I do that. My closing thoughts on Fall Follies 2008, and my involvement with it.

Everything started back in April (I think it was then) when I got an email informing me that this year Fall Follies - the SNL type variety show Belmont puts on every Fall - would be introducing an all new role for the show. The writer. In years past the show was written by the actors. This created a very mixed bag of a show, in my opinion. The problem with that formula is that when it came down to it, the actors basically started writing the show in August when school started, and had until mid-October to get everything ready to show. This year, however, with a separate writing staff, it would allow a team of 3 people (plus the director) to get together on a fairly regular basis (in theory) over the summer to begin putting together a cohesive body of work for the actors. So, I became excited over this. I really wanted an experience writing comedy and with a group of people, and this excited me very much. Also, I don't hold my acting skills in very high regard.

So, I applied. Going into the interview I was quite nervous, which is typical of me with interviews. I had met Stephanie, the director, in my interview to do TT. I didn't know her too well when I went into the interview for Follies, so I was nervous as she was the strongest tie I had to the organization. The interview went well enough I thought, and finished my weekend. The next day, the cast and writing staff went up, and lo and behold, I made it. I was so excited! I didn't really know many people in the cast or writing crew (though I had met Ben Smith who was the other person in my TT interview, and would be a fellow writer) so I was excited to learn that we would be having a gathering at Stephanie's apartment to meet everyone involved.

That meeting got me pumped up in a very good way. There were definitely some really awkward bits of not knowing anyone there, but the interactions between everyone were so great, I could tell from that night that it was going to be an awesome show. I feel like I underestimated it.

We started meeting as a writing crew (Stephanie, Ben, Matthew Ross and myself) in May, and we started throwing around ideas for sketches. Just really little things. I was so excited after our gathering at Steph's that I started work on a song parody for "Bohemian Rhapsody" about Belmont. Our little group, though I felt the least a part of, really clicked. We started coming up with some crazy awesome ideas. All of us have different comedic styles, yet we were able to feed off each other and really build up a good number of sketch ideas.

Then came summer staff.

I think I had written maybe 1 or 2 sketches in full before then, but nothing I was incredibly proud of. Summer staff was an incredible experience and through it I really learned how to be a part of a larger group. At the same time, my being around Belmont culture really got my brain going. I started thinking about sketches, and trying to remember my ideas. We couldn't really meet then because Ben, Steph, and myself (Ben and Steph more so) were incredibly busy with orientation stuff. So, when we met again in July, we felt like we were in a crunch.

We started throwing more ideas around, and getting a "theme" for the show. We didn't exactly stick to the theme over all, but it was something to work from. We had about 16 sketches ready to go when school started in late August, and we started meeting twice a week with the cast. The first two weeks or so were spent mainly getting the cast working together and being funny with improv games. Then came out sketches. I had all but 2 or 3 sketches completed to some extent by then, as was the case for almost everyone else who wrote, but that's not important. When we did table reads of the sketches, they got alot of laughs, and I was glad that our humor from the summer extended beyond our little group of writers.

In the end we had about 36 sketches overall to show to our school this past Saturday, 7 of which I wrote. There were 2 that really took a whole mess of work, and there were doubts that my humor would really translate. The others I wrote I was more comfortable with, but these two in particular I was really concerned with. I felt like from the time I wrote them that they were my best work. If you went to the show, they were "Real World: Wright Hall" and "That's What She Said." We all knew "Bohemian Rhapsody" would be a great closing number, and my others had worked well from practice, but RW and TWSS were both full of rapid fire dialogue that had to be worked into a good rhythm, which would be challenging for everyone.

Then, suddenly it was Saturday November 1, and our first show was approaching. It went well enough, though it was a crowd of mainly parents, and our show was made to appeal to students more than anyone. So, when 8 rolled around, and there were still a kink or two in the two sketches, I was somewhat nervous. It wasn't so much for the actors at this point. They had been getting better and better with each run. I was terrified that "That's What She Said" would be lost in translation to everyone, and kill the momentum leading to the end of the show. "Real World" went really well, and I was happy. Then, about 20 minutes later, came the moment of truth, as Chase and Allison took the stage. I stood in anticipation backstage as the first joke came out. And sure enough, people lost it. It was the dirtiest sketch in the show, and it was played up so well by Chase, Allison, Joseph, and Brendon, that it got what I felt were some of the biggest laughs of the night. Maybe I was just proud of it, and that gives me a bias. But I was so happy.

We finished the show, and ran outside to talk to everyone after it was over, and I had one of the top 5 moments of my life right then. All of my friends, and some acquaintances too, all were shaking my hand or hugging me telling me how much they loved it. I felt like my mouth was going to fall off my face, I was smiling so hard. It was incredible. And so many people were raving over "That's What She Said" which could only have made it with the incredible actors who played the parts so well.

But now it is over.

Here's what I have taken form the experience: Sophomore year of High School, I knew I wanted to make movies. Senior year of High School, I knew I wanted to write them. Freshman year of college, I knew I wanted to just write anything and everything I could. On the night of November 1, 2008 I learned that I am SUPPOSED to write. Everything just fell into place. Everyone gave me so much encouragement and support after such a long and demanding experience. I truly and deeply appreciate it. From the bottom of my heart. So, I am out for now. I will try to get back on here next week with another post. Life isn't going to be quite as busy for the moment. Have a great week until then eveyone.


Here endeth the lesson.

I'm Still Here! Promise!

So, it has been a little while, but here I am. I have been wanting to post for a little bit now, but I have just been kind of busy, and by the time I think about it, I am just very tired. But here I am.

So, here is a general update on everything. First, you know that top 25 I posted a couple months ago? Well, I have been thinking about it, and some of those movies don't belong on that list, and there are others I need to add to it. I may post a revised version sometime soon, but I am not sure.

Currently I am rewatching BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER and am nearly finished. I have just a little over one season left. In my second viewing of the entire series, I have gotten the idea that I want to do a few posts telling, from different perspectives, why I like that show so much, and why it is definitely worth checking out. I will probably try to post some video clips as well to help illustrate. That will be increasingly easy because of hulu, but somewhat difficult because they only have seasons 1 and 2 posted. So, we will see. I am going to embark on that once I finish the series though. So, it will be about a week.

In other news, Follies is getting closer and closer, and I am very excited for it. There are some very awesome sketches in there, if I do say so myself. Though I am somewhat biased.


I just made my DVD collection even larger. Maybe I will make a running tally of everything I have in that collection on here. Not sure.

Also, that reading list I was so excited about is just kind of sitting dormant. I mean I finished TWILIGHT but that's about it. School makes me feel busy, and I cannot focus on reading the things that I want. It sucks. Ass.

Also, I am very excited that people are finally coming around to watching DR. HORRIBLE, and that really makes me happy. Trust me, if you have not seen it yet, you are doing yourself a disservice. It's all for free on hulu, so why not check it out? You will laugh, cry, and not feel like you wasted 40ish minutes of your life. I promise.

So, yeah. There is that. I am gonna check out for now, but I will be back soon. Maybe tomorrow, but no promises. I don't want to break it if things do not run as smoothly as I would like. So, we will see.

Until next time.


So say we all. (Trying out some new sign offs. Let's see what sticks.)