I made a short film

Every year I participate in a competition with my friends to see who can make the best short film. We are given about 10 minutes to tell a story and generally they end up making fun of LDS and BYU culture. This year my group was rather inspired by the awkward style humor of 'The Office' and 'Flight of the Conchords.' So here is our film -- 'Stuck in the Game' -- our attempt to make a short, goofy and awkward comedy musical. Enjoy.

Exciting news on the Hobbit front

Now this is definitely a film that is way in the future. In fact it's still kind of up in the air on whether it will get made at all. But here's hoping!


This Entertainment Weekly article tells the story better than I could so give it a read.


I am cautiously optimistic that Jackson and Shaye will resolve their differences for the sake of this film. Jackson will do it for the story, Shaye will do it for the money. How can you just let another potential billion slip by you?

As for the movie itself, if Jackson is involved in any way it will pretty much kick butt. WETA's design team will keep the film true to the already established style, New Zealand will return in the starring role of Middle-earth and many of the actors will return including Ian McKellen and Ian Holm.

As soon as this movie is confirmed to be made it will rise to the top of my "geek out" list. So let's keep our eyes peeled for any new information that comes down the pipe.

Get back to blogging

It's been a while since my last post, but now I'm back and ready to go.

This is a brief summary of all the movies that came out over the summer that I was able to see. There are still a couple that I would like to catch, but I won't include them here. After this I think I'd like to go back to focusing on upcoming movies only. This is the "future" film forum after all.

So, here's my summer movie roundup (rated on a scale of 10) with some comments:

Spiderman 3 - (7 stars) - I found this movie entertaining and well made overall. However, there were some flaws of course. There was too much crammed in this movie, and as much as I like the Venom character, he was just too much. He belonged in a different movie. Not that I think they should make another Spiderman movie. These three are enough. I felt like there was closure and that the story had come to its end. Any more movies in this franchise will be overkill. It will only be for money and won't serve the story in any way.

Shrek the Third - (4 stars) - This movie was already overkill. I was never much of a fan of these movies in the first place. They have their funny moments and are worth a watch, but I couldn't go back to them over and over. This new one wasn't even all that funny. Please, please, please do not make any more of these films!!

Pirates of the Carrabean: At World's End - (6 stars) - I'm very sad that these movies got so bogged down in the story. They got very confusing and a little too full of themselves. The first one was brilliant, the last two were fun but disappointing. While watching the third film I remember thinking it was very slow at times. When we got to the finale, I was hoping for an epic showdown between the pirates and the British, but it never really happened. What a bummer.

Ocean's 13 - (9 stars) - This film redeemed the franchise from the less than spectacular second film. The best decision they made was to bring it back to Las Vegas. The city itself is a character in the movie and belongs there. This film brought back the smart, the funny and the surprising. Bravo!

Ratatouille - (9 stars) - When you mix Pixar and director Brad Bird what do you get? You get genius, that's what you get. This is not as good as The Incredibles, but is brilliant in its own right. Go see it, go buy it, watch it over and over!

Transformers - (5 stars) - What a completely shallow and vapid movie. Shia Lebouf's character annoyed me, the girl could have been played by a cardboard cut out, the story was predictable and lacked any semblance of a heart or soul. I wish we would have been able to get to know the robots better too, but that would have taken up the time given to the explosions and make out scenes. The only thing that gives it 5 stars is that I didn't have my expectations very high. It was a Micheal Bay film for crying out loud. It makes sense then that the movie only excels in explosions, special effects and sex obsessed teens.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - (9 stars) - It is amazing that these films keep getting better with age. As the kids grow up, their acting skills are honed. The film did feel a little rushed and there was no closure at the end, but that is not the fault of the film or its director. This story, after all, is really just a prelude to the final events of the 6th and 7th book.




Live Free or Die Hard - (7 stars) - This was an absolutely ridiculous action movie. You really have to suspend your disbelief. But it also accomplishes what it sets out to do. It is a rock'em sock'em roller coaster ride that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It was definitely worth it.

The Bourne Ultamatum - (7 stars) - This was a good solid action movie. I like the Bourne movies, but I'm not as fanatical as some. I don't think I could go back and watch this movie again and again like I can with really incredible movies. But I'm glad to see the story come full circle and get wrapped up nicely. But please, don't ruin three good movies by trying to make another one when there is no need.



The Simpsons - (8 stars) - This was everything that a Simpsons movie should be. It was consistently funny and very satisfying. Did it feel like an overly long episode? Well, yes, but if its a good episode is it really all that bad a thing?


Come back soon for some projections on films that will come out in the not too distant future.

New Technology and Media Covergence

Apart from our discussion of film we will touch now and again on issues involving the ever changing world of new media of which movies are very much a part. Only a couple of years ago the idea that you could hold an entire movie library and watch them in the palm of your hand hadn't even crossed people's minds. This technology is not only upon us right now, but it is only the beginning.




A brave new world

More than 50 years ago the television revolutionized the way people consume their media. It caused a stir in the industry as well, as marketers had to figure out how to use the new media tool and programmers had to develop new content and learn new skills


Media Convergence

According to a Wikipedia article, "Media convergence is a theory in communications where every mass medium eventually merges to the point where they become one medium due to the advent of new communication technologies." This is an idea that has been thrown around for years, but not until recently have we seen any products that can bring media together. At first there had been small advancements here and there. Some gaming consoles made their new systems have computer-like capabilities, TiVo brought the capabilities of a hard drive to television watching making many advertisers have to change their game plans, and now many new cell phones let you hold a few songs on their memory cards.

Then, there was iPhone...

This new device, more than any other, has been an example of what media convergence means and the potential of that technology.

A simple demonstration of the iPhone is enough to get you excited about the future.



















The future of Convergence

• Banking
• PDA
• Presentations
• College convergence
  

Finding the funny in Media Convergence:


Hey Steve Jobs, is the man getting you down?

Convergence killed the video star?

Conan O'Brian- The real future of convergence?

"Pan's Labyrinth" and "Children of Men"

These first two films have been getting crazy buzz coverage for the past month. Being the most talked about new movies, its interesting to note that they are both directed by relatively new directors who are both from Mexico. Guillermo del'Toro and Alfonso Cuaron are showing incredible skill and dexterity in their work and these newest films are only increasing their range.

Del'Toro is probably best known for his film "Hellboy" which was release several years ago and was based on a comic book series. Cuaron's best known picture was "Harry Potter 3 and the Prisoner of Azkaban" which completely redefined the Potter series and in my opinion made it more than just a rehashed children's story. He brought the world of wizarding into our real world and made it not only fun, but beautifully artistic.

Moving beyond comic books and wizards, they are now tackling very serious issues in their latest films, while still keeping a firm grip on the fantastic. One is a serious look at our current and potential political atmosphere in a world without children. The other is a study of fascism through the eyes of a child and her fantasy world.

Children of Men, Alfonso Cuaron

After a very long wait, I finally got to see this movie. I must say that as a piece of artwork, it excels in every way. It was a beautiful film. However, I wasn't completely taken with the politics of the film. This was only partially noticable during the film itself. Afterwards I watched one of the extras on the DVD which went deeper into the politics and basically I found most of the commentators to be completely wrong about the nature of humanity and of our world.

Ultimately I would say it's worth a watch but not worth owning. Still, I have high hopes for Cuaron's future projects.




Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del'Toro

This film totally lived up to del'Toro's skill and brilliance. It is a haugnting and beautiful tribute to the gift of innocence and imagination that has the power to make sense of a dark world of war and pain. It is also a beautifully tragic story. The music is simple and atmospheric and complements the fantastic set design. I would highly recommend this film to anyone. But do remember, though it is technically a fantasy film, it is not for children. This film deals with very mature subject matters and therefore requires a certain level of maturity from its viewer.

Mission Statement

Welcome to the best place to talk about
upcoming movies on the web.

We will discuss:

• Our favorite directors or actors and their upcoming projects.
• Films that have been anounced and who we think should be in them.
• What films we think should be made and by who.
• Recently release films and whether or not they met our expectations.
• The impact that new digital technology and the web will have on film and the media in general.