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JUL. 2 '01
Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me has been requested by another Hollywood outfit. The company (in "sunny Burbank") is owned by a well-known director who has done a lot of TV and Broadway as well as a couple of features. We'll see what happens.
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JUN. 19 '01
Well, it has been a while hasn't it? It's amazing how much time editing devours. I can honestly say it's my favourite stage of filmmaking and is probably the only activity (other than sleeping) where I don't know how many hours have passed until I check a clock. I've finally finished post on There's a Place in Hell for Me and My Friends. Working on the project was really my school for learning Final Cut Pro, which is just a fantastic piece of software. It's helped me realize a dream of editing in the comfort of my own home. For anybody who has never cut a film the old-fashioned way (winding by hand, splicers, mag film, squawk boxes, moviolas, steenbecks etc.) -- it's hard to express how amazing a thing NLE (Non-Linear Editing) is. I would never trade in that "old-school" experience though. If you have time, check out the QuickTime video clips I've posted.
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APR. 27 '01
 When people complain about movie prices in North America I don't pay much attention. A regular movie ticket in Japan usually costs 1800 yen, or about CDN$22. Plus, most theatres aren't equipped with the digital sound systems you find in NA houses. To top it off, if a show is sold out they will continue to sell tickets for those who'd like to stand (for the same price of course). Needless to say, I don't go to see many films unless I can get a discount.
However, I did make a point to see Fukusaku Kinji's Battle Royale (Special Version). The concept of Battle Royale is brutally simple: once a year, a single Junior High School class in Japan is selected at random to play BR. They are loaded onto a bus, gassed, and whisked to a remote island where they are immediately given instructions (by Kitano 'Beat' Takeshi) on how to "play". Each student gets a rucksack containing supplies and a weapon. Over the next three days, they must use their brains and brawn to kill each other off until there is only one survivor -- the so called "winner".
 Veteran director Fukusaku (of such well-known films as Black Lizard, Battles Without Honor, and the U.S. co-prod The Green Slime) has created a brilliant, visceral and emotional portrait of disenchanted Japanese teens. Superficially an action film with bucket-loads of gore and plenty of pyrotechnics, BR is a gripping snapshot of youth gone wild. The two main characters are played by teen heart-throb Fujiwara Tatsuya and his gf Maeda Aki. Their adolescent love and the lucidity with which they perceive the "game" is their salvation. The others aren't so lucky. The hysterical teens (the ones who don't end up killing themselves) wipe each other out with crossbows, knives, pistols, machine guns, scythes, poison, bombs, samurai swords and axes. If anyone tries to escape the island or ends up in a designated danger zone, the electronic dog collar around their neck detonates. Over the course of the three days, a microcosm of society forms: a small hosptial is set up in a lighthouse; the computer techies try to hack their way off the island; girls still do their makeup in the morning and some students try to act as peacekeepers. Interwoven in the film are flashbacks to some of the main character's lives. These often quick vignettes really ground the melodrama of the battle and inform the character's behaviour under pressure. I loved the editing of this movie! At the end of the film are three "requiems" which show what was extra in this version. I can't imagine it without. My favourite student was the super-deadly Mitsuko (played by Shibasaki Kou) who's furious dispensing of some of the more lecherous male students recalled the classic pinkueiga of the 60s.
Toei was very shrewd in releasing the special version of the film in March -- just in time for the graduating junior high school kids to be allowed to see it (BR was slapped with the little-used "R15"). Apparently, Miramax has picked up the NA rights to this gem. It remains to be seen how they'll recut it -- common protocol for their foreign language releases. home
APR. 04 '01
It's funny how things work out. Months back I was gushing about Dancer In The Dark (see my Oct. 24 entry) -- and what ends up being my first paying gig in Japan? Repairing the English transcriptions & translations of a series of press conferences from last October's Tokyo Film Festival, including an in-depth talk with Lars von Trier's producer on Dancer (Vibeke Windelov) and post-production supervisor Soren Kloch (video-to-film transfer guru). Look for the text to this and the other conferences on the TIFF website in June.
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MAR. 24 '01
I could only carry one screenplay to Japan so I brought Gangs of New York (1993, 3rd Draft by Martin Scorsese & Jay Cocks). Wow. Judging by how good this draft was (before the excellent writer Steve Zaillian was brought on board) and the production photos, this will be one of the best films in recent memory and possibly the best revenge-themed films of all time. I think it will recall the work of Sergio Leone most, especially being shot at Cinecitta. If nothing else, it won't look like any other film ever made, as I don't believe there's ever been one that depicted New York City at this time in history (mid 1800's rather than the usual turn-of-the-century period). Casting Daniel Day-Lewis as Bill "The Butcher" Poole is certainly against type. The Butcher is a brutal, powerful nemesis to Leonardo DiCaprio's revenge-fueled Amsterdam Vallon. Check out these two images of how almost unrecognizable both actors look.
 
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MAR. 04 '01
Did I mention I was moving to Japan for a couple of years? I'll arrive in Tokyo in about 3 hours. First two orders of business: finish post on on There's A Place.... Next, finish the first draft of Baka...more updates soon.
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FEB. 08 '01
I'm finally in post-production on There's A Place In Hell For Me And My Friends. There should be a couple versions of the trailer up soon.
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JAN. 18 '01
Some recent, decent coverage for my screenplay "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me". The reader harps on the fact that it's more of an indy project than a Hollywood one (no shit, see my Oct. 27 entry). In retrospect it was probably the wrong place to send it, but it gave me a bit of an ego boost I suppose, which during the already-depressing winter isn't a bad thing.
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DEC. 28 '00
    
Now that the film year is over, here's a loose list of my favourites of 2000:
Traffic
Dancer In The Dark (see my Oct. 24 entry) Before Night Falls (see my Sept. 15 entry) Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (see my Nov. 30 entry) Brother (see my Sept. 15 entry) American Psycho Croupier Unbreakable Gladiator Ninth Gate
A couple of the worst: Get Carter, Hollow Man
It's official; Steven Soderbergh is the most talented filmmaker working in Hollywood today. Traffic is a phenomenal exposé of the current drug situation in America. With a very documentary-like feel, Soderbergh (and screenwriter Stephen Gaghan) follow the chemical trail all the way from the Mexican drug lords to the teenaged end-users in the States.
With a large cast, headed by Michael Douglas and Benicio Del Toro, Traffic weaves together three main stories connected by a major dope shipment from Mexico. Douglas plays a newly appointed drug czar who wants to take the "war on drugs" to a whole new level. Unfortnately he's too blind to see what's going on at home with his daughter until it's almost too late. Don Cheadle and Luis Guzman play career-loving DEA agents who collar a Stateside importer (Miguel Ferrer). The shipment was the property of surface-legit millionaire Carlos Ayala (Steven Bauer) who's taken into custody leaving his pregnant wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones) to fend for herself. Like a vulnerable lioness she'll protect her cubs at all costs. At the source of the dope - Mexico - honest state cop Javier Rodriguez (Del Toro) is caught between doing his job and self- preservation in a system so wholly corrupt, even a top military general (70s Italo-superstar Tomas Milian) tries to knock off the competition for his drug baron partner. The rest of the cast is populated by well known Hollywood film and TV faces, as well as actual lawyers, senators (check the politico party scene) and other cogs in the anti-drug system doomed to failure.
Each of the three main plots has its own cinematic style: Mexico is raw, sepia- toned and high shuttered, lending it a deadly urgency. Douglas' world is one of icy blue detachment. All the glass, leather and concrete so far away from the real problem. The almost happy-go-lucky world of the DEA agents and the luxurious lifestyle of Zeta-Jones is colourful, saturated (think Scarface). And who shot the film you ask? Soderbergh himself...of course.
Traffic is brimming with great performances, powerful writing ("Hi, daddy."), cinematic flourishes and a fantastic score. I predict the film will inspire heated debate and put drugs back in the media spotlight. Can't wait to see this film again, and then a few more times. home
DEC. 2 '00 Just a few things. Check out Colin Geddes new website for listings of his kungfu screenings. Next, check out 2-pop.com (which refers to the beep on 2 during an SMPTE countdown), a brilliant resource for digital filmmakers. There's an excellent feature on cinematographer Robbie Müller and his work on Dancer In The Dark (see my Oct. 24 entry). home
NOV. 30 '00  Hard to believe it's been a month since my last entry...didn't have much to say until now. I was lucky enough to score a pass for today's sneak of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon at The Paramount. As a great fan of martial art films of many years (see my Oct. 6 entry) this was like a "greatest hits" package. It perfectly balances action, drama, character, eroticism, mysticism and tragedy. Once again, Ang Lee proves himself to be one of the most versatile directors in the world and obviously a great fan of wuxia films himself (specifically those of King Hu). Speaking of King Hu, it was amazing to see veteran Hong Kong film star Cheng Pei-pei playing the scheming Jade Fox. As per most Ang Lee films, the female characters are some of the strongest. Crouching Tiger features three generations of powerful yet vulnerable women - 60's and 70's icon Cheng Pei- pei as Jade Fox; 80's and 90's action star Michelle Yeoh (who, like Cheng, was semi-retired for some years); and the youngest, Zhang Zi-yi, who was a revelation as the young, beautiful, ambitious and deadly Jen. Chang Chen (who I didn't realize was in Wong Kar-wai's excellent Happy Together) was also an eye-opener as the outlaw bandit (and Jen's lover) Lo. Kudos to non- martial artist Chow Yun-fat who is completely convincing as the stoic, repressed warrior Li Mu-bai.
The poster above is a repro of one of the oversized French posters you often see in memorabilia shops. It's much nicer and more in tune with the film's style than the US one-sheet. We're gearing up for the newspaper campaign at work and the print material is closer to the French poster with its predominantly darker, more mysterious feel. Once again, check out the elegant official site for this film. There are trailers, behind-the-scenes clips etc.
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OCT. 30 '00 As a follow-up to my entry on Dancer In The Dark is this review on Salon (also on my links page). The review is extremely negative and the reviewer obviously frustrated and troubled with Von Trier's "manipulation" of the audience. How excellent it must be to make films that divide people so violently! Although I disagree with almost everything in the review, I loved it. Almost all great art/artists in history have been dismissed by a good number of critics. home
OCT. 27 '00 My screenplay Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me was turned down by Hollywood prodco Zide/Perry. Why bring attention to rejection you ask? I say better to start living with it now than be crushed by it later. What doesn't kill me makes me...tired..no, stronger. home
OCT. 24 '00  What can I say other than I absolutely loved Dancer In The Dark? Having said that, it's definitely not a film for everyone. It's easy to see why audiences and critics are so strongly divided over it. I separate the two camps into those who give themselves over to it and those who don't. Dancer In The Dark is a hyper-melodramatic musical of the highest order, but one which you have never seen before. The mob at Cannes were booing, hissing, crying and gasping all in the same breath. My girlfriend Eiko and I went to the 50th Cannes Film Festival in '97 and they are definitely a fickle crowd. When they don't like something, they walk out in droves (Nil By Mouth and The Brave come to mind...both superb films). Thankfully, Dancer took the Palme D'Or and best actress prize for Björk's performance.
Dancer completes Lars Von Trier's trilogy which began with the equally shattering Breaking The Waves, and then The Idiots (which I saw uncut at the Hong Kong cinemathéque). The setting is Washington state, 1964. Like Breaking The Waves' Bess (Emily Watson), Björk's Czech immigrant character Selma makes the ultimate sacrifice. Her son Gene, like Selma, is genetically pre-destined to go blind without a special operation. Selma works double shifts at an aluminum factory plus assembles thousands of hairpin cards; saving every dollar dilligently. She daydreams of and watches big Hollywood musicals, the one indulgence in her dour life. She even spends evenings at a local theatre, rehearsing a part in a musical for which she is woefully unfit. Catherine Deneuve plays her 'guardian angel' at the factory. Her outwardly macho cop neighbour/landlord Bill (David Morse) is slowly being crushed under the financial burden of his wife's excessive spending and he feels suicide is the only option...until he sees the stash Selma has. In an ugly turn of events, Selma ends up on death row for the murder of Bill, martyring herself for her son. The intense emotional drama is broken up with musical "numbers" of a kind you've never seen before. Instead of the usual tracking, dollying and craning, Trier set up 100 static video cameras to capture the action from all different angles. Björk composed all the music that accompanies Trier's lyrics and the results are phenomenal and each interlude completely different. The entire film was shot on digital video.
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Robbie Müller (one of the top cinematographers in the world) insists that none of the shots were going for beauty but for the most direct route possible to serve the story...liar. There are shots in this film that devastated me with their honesty and beauty. I was especially reminded of one of my favourite films of all time, The Deer Hunter, with its poetic and industrial steel-town setting. Every performance in the film is astounding. Look for Joel Grey as the fictional Czech musical star Oldrich Novi.
To quote George Lucas, "Emotionally involving the audience is easy. Anybody can do it blindfolded, get a little kitten and have some guy wring its neck." In Dancer, Björk is the kitten. She's doomed from the outset, which is my guess as to why half the audience feels so manipulated. This is one film for which I can truly say "you have to see it for yourself." Please check out the official site for more info on the film. I prefer the Dancer site hyperlinked above because it features plenty of video and audio interview/Cannes footage of Trier and Björk. home
OCT. 6 '00  Tonight was the first installment in Colin Geddes' fall lineup of Hong Kong movies at The Royal. Legendary Strike (1978) is pure old skool kungfu (a passion of mine I didn't mention in my bio). The cast of stars includes Angela Mao, Carter Wong and Chu Kong. The plot is basically one long pursuit of a priceless pearl (cue harp music) by several greedy parties. Not as good as the best Shaw Brothers stuff, but some solid fighting, interesting sets/locations and a grandiose score by Joseph Koo made for an enjoyable screening (even without subtitles). Colin's next screening is of Wong Jing's Return of the Demon (1987) on October 20th. Check out this website for the skinny on all the Asian film screenings in the city. Here are some of my favourite kungfu links:
Mantis Fist G's kung fu movie website
Beijing Video (it's a sale site, but has very useful "familiar face" databases)
Shaw Studios
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SEPT. 26 '00 Apparently the early bird does get the worm...prick. While my screenplay submission wasn't late, it was read well after ten had been chosen for intensive rewrite sessions. However, the organizer of the program made the gesture of placing it in the rewrite workshop because she felt it was strong. This could prove useful as plenty of notes are given specific to each participant's screenplay. News on how it went in a few weeks. home
SEPT. 22 '00 Was informed today that my screenplay "Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me" wasn't selected for the third and final session of the Screenwriter's Mentorship Programme. The message left on my service seemed genuine...the nice lady said nice things like "unfortunately we can't work with your screenplay but I really wanted to", "I thought it was very well written", and "you're going do very well." She even asked me to call her next week. Shall I? home
SEPT. 17 '00  The 25th Toronto International Film Festival is over. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ended up being the most popular film, winning the People's Choice award. Being a huge fan of old skool kung fu films (esp. Shaw Brothers' stuff), my heart was warmed to see a martial arts epic take the top honours.
Tetsuro Takeuchi, director of Wild Zero (see September 15th) stayed in Toronto for an extra night. Midnight Madness programmer Colin Geddes and myself took him out to a few Toronto spots, ending the night at The Bovine Sex Club. Sunday nights are karaoke night, and after a lot of coaxing, Tetsuro got up on the tiny stage with Colin for a rendition of The Ramone's "Rock 'N' Roll High School" and later "I Wanna Be Sedated". I did my pipes in doing "Suffragette City". I said goodbye to Tetsuro at the end of the night and goodbye to another great year of the Toronto Fest.
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SEPT. 16 '00 The last day of the Festival. After seeing what would become my favourite film of the 10 days, and perhaps the year (see yesterday), I geared up for the closing gala which I saw with me mum. How To Kill Your Neighbour's Dog was actually quite funny, and smart, if not entirely memorable. Actor Jared Harris is somebody to watch.
Got a ticket to the closing party at the SkyDome. Could they have chosen a worse venue? No canopies or concern for layout -- just a big round cement floor with tables set up for the herds to feed and drink at. A computer convention would've had more atmosphere. My girlfriend Eiko and I bailed out of there and hit the final Midnight Madness screening, Wild Zero (see yesterday). After that success we embarked on the always unsuccessful mission of finding a place to go for a good time after you've already had what was the good time.
We piled into cabs and hit The Matador. This Country & Western themed bar has supposedly become some sort of hot spot for after hours drinking. After 2am you buy cups of soft drinks, which you then bring to another part of the bar to administer a shot of liquor. Big fucking deal. We then went to Bistro 990. Outside they had the whole velvet-rope shtick going. I love this concept -- people on the outside ready to give their firstborn to get inside -- where nothing of any importance is really going on. Inside it was packed to the gills with people who obviously wanted to been seen and heard (and smelled) in all their vulgar glory. Some of the women were... think Sharon Stone in Casino without a brain (yes, you read that right). Uberbimbos! home
SEPT. 15 '00 Today is the second last day of the Toronto International Film Festival. As each year goes by I find I enjoy the festival more if I'm more selective about what I see instead of taking the shotgun approach. I'd rather see eight quality films out of ten than twelve out of thirty. See too many and they turn to mush...one blends into the next. My top three picks for this year were (two of these I actually saw on the final day):
- Julian Schnabel's Before Night Falls. I actually put this on the list before I even saw the film - based on my love for Basquiat (one of the best films ever made about art). I saw a clip on TV and I knew it would be brilliant...and it was. An epic recounting of the life of Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas. Beautifully shot, edited and acted - no scene or moment is wasted. Javier Bardem is astounding as the sensitive yet resilient Arenas, who has to weather the systemic homophobia of Cuba, betrayals from his friends and lovers, brutal incarceration, the struggle to get his work published (only one of his novels was ever published in his home country) and finally AIDS. See Variety's spot-on review for this film.
- Takeshi Kitano's Brother. An excellent fusion of the Japanese yakuza film and the L.A. drug war epic, making for something altogether different. Prod Jeremy Thomas (Crash, The Last Emperor) has enabled Kitano to make a Kitano film in America. The same can't be said of the other hot Asian directors who have come to Hollywood to ply their trade (save Ang Lee, but he's a chameleon). In a strange way the film is unsuccessful as a crime film, but what keeps it from being so makes it more interesting.
 Tetsuro Takeuchi's Wild Zero. What makes a great midnight screening? Audience participation! This crazed rock 'n' roll zombie gorefest had hundreds of people wolf-howling in the Uptown Theatre and one guy doling out cash for Tetsuro's next film! Japanese psycho-rockers Guitar Wolf help their biggest fan Ace survive a night of fighting Dawn-esque undead. Meanwhile a "love knows no boundaries" romance blossoms between Ace and the androgynous Tobio. Up there with Peter Jackson's Braindead as a classic in the long line of Midnight Madness screenings.
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