DePaul, Lincoln Park, Chicago, November 2009

DePaul, Lincoln Park, Chicago, November 2009, originally uploaded by Brandon Wetherbee.

Hyde Park, Chicago, November 2009

Hyde Park, Chicago, November 2009, originally uploaded by Brandon Wetherbee.

Kind of back up

Thanks to Doug, I have a semi-working computer. I'm in the process of cleaning it up. It'll take a while before regular episodes of YMTE are back up. The YMTE Chicago Music Podcast should be back on a regular schedule this week.

The film, the one without a good working title, has not been worked on since shooting wrapped due to the stolen computer(s). I will be cataloguing and will begin cutting soon after Thanksgiving.

Kelsey is going to Washington DC for ten weeks this spring. While she's gone I will begin and hopefully be done shooting, work on a documentary short. I've been pushing this project back and back in order to learn some basic film making techniques. I think I have learned a few things.

Thanks to everyone that volunteered time and computers.

Stop telling me to move, that doesn't help, West Town, Chicago, October 30 2009

Stop telling me to move, that doesn't help, West Town, Chicago, October 30 2009, originally uploaded by Brandon Wetherbee.

Waiting for the train at 1am on a Monday evening, Belmont Blue Line, Chicago, October 2009

Waiting for the train at 1am on a Monday evening, Belmont Blue Line, Chicago, October 2009, originally uploaded by Brandon Wetherbee.

Scene 1, new film, Five Star, West Town, Chicago, October 2009

Scene 1, new film, Five Star, West Town, Chicago, October 2009, originally uploaded by Brandon Wetherbee.

Next

The next short film has been shot. Editing has not begun. Editing will make or break this thing.

My girlfriend, Kelsey, is in journalism school. She's doing a project based around the film, at least I think that's what it's about. Anyway, she's made a video/slideshow/? about the start of the film. I will post it here in due time. First, I need a title, or at least working title, for the project. The lead candidate is "I Make Enemies".

Please visit the Hungry Brain on a Monday of your choosing.

Crush, kill, destroy

69. "Antichrist"
I did not like this film. I enjoyed aspects of it. The cinematography at certain points was awe inspiring. Similar techniques used later in the film made me despise what I was watching. Cinematography alone can not make a good film.

An alternate title could be "109 Minutes of Proof That Lars von Trier Hates Women." I can not explain this without giving away key elements to the just released film. If you would like to know why, just ask me in person.

I've had two conversations about this film since seeing it. One was about the story. I said the story was weak. My friend said the story didn't matter, it was an excuse to make a dream film. I somewhat agree. As a dream film, a piece of art that uses story as an excuse to showcase interesting visuals, it was decent. I've seen better. I don't think it's just a dream film. Von Trier made a film about good and evil in nature. Sure, the dialogue probably only takes up 30 pages (most scripts are one page per minute), but the is a message and it's clear.

The other conversation I had about the film was about the violence. It was realistic to a point. When characters are brutally attacked, the actors do a fine job portraying pain. Nonetheless, it would be impossible for them to survive let alone walk after certain attacks. (I'm not going to give away what happens. I will say that the violence is why this film is garnering much of its press.) The violence, while important to the film, did not form my opinion on the film. What this says about me is up to you.

"Antichrist" is not a good film because it's a trip into indulgence. The film seems like an art school project in the first act, a commercial for new, state of the art DV cameras in the second act, an actors workshop in the third and an attempt to make a 'real' horror film in the fourth. By the time the credits appeared I had lost interest in both characters and could care less about the statement von Trier was trying to make. It's incredibly easy to shock and awe an audience. It's not so easy to make them care and cry, which is why I wanted to see this film. Von Trier's "Dancer in the Dark" is still one of my favorite films. It would be nice if the director went back to making films with a story instead of tricks.

There's a reason you know it

68. "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly"
The first thirty minutes of this film are perfect. The title sequence is brilliant. The score is in the top 5 of all time. I love this trilogy. Surprisingly, this is not my favorite of the three.

The pacing of these films is excellent. The three editors for this work knew just how long to stay on a close up, a wide shot, a pan, etc. Not one second is wasted. Each drop of sweat, clump of sand, gristly hair and squinted eye means something. Leone knew what he was doing. Focusing on the details may have been lost if the entire cast spoke one language.

The film is not perfect. It does go on slightly too long. Bringing in the Civil War lengthened the film and may not have been in the most positive way. (I shouldn't complain about this. Some critics say "The Dark Knight" would be a better, tighter film without the story of Batman bringing back the Asian businessman, but it is necessary in the film and I defend it when it is brought up in conversation.) Even so, I would like to see the version that includes the 18 minutes originally cut out of the US release.

I should review this film after reading some books about it. It deserves to be studied in the same way as "Citizen Kane".

Maybe I like it as much as I do because Eastwood reminds me of my grandfather. Maybe it's because The Man with No Name is the most bad-ass character in all of film. Either way, I'm glad I finally have seen the trilogy. I will end up buying these films and watching the commentaries and making of documentaries when I feel like nothing good can still be made.

Watch the trailer. It's interesting to see how much is given away. It's also neat to see the blatant error. The films name in Italian switched the bad and the ugly and this trailer does not fix the problem. It'll make sense if you've seen the film.

Laurel resting

67. "Year One"
Yes, I had low expectations from the film and nothing about the trailer made me want to see it, but I did anyways. I'm a sucker for big budget Hollywood comedies. They're like Halloween candy.

It is bad. There aren't any laugh out loud moments. The story is dumb (which is usually fine in comedies). I was questioning if Jack Black ever was funny. The talent of the actors was wasted. I didn't even smile when I noticed the "Arrested Development" reunion of Michael Cera and David Cross. Wasn't that a great show?

I wanted to like this film. I want to like everything Harold Ramis does. I can not. I don't know why I expect I'll like his work. I haven't since "Groundhog Day" in 1993. Wasn't that a great film?

Grrrl power

66. "Monsters Vs. Aliens"
A nice rental. One of the few animated films where the celebrity voices didn't get in the way. Each character has at least one amusing line and like most animated films currently being made, there's an average of one adult joke every five minutes. If I had a daughter I would own this DVD. Not a bad way to spend 90 minutes.