In Which I Go To The Arizona Student Film Festival

Hello folks!

So today I went to the Arizona Student Film Festival with a friend and his friend. He (Caleb) had submitted I believe, 6 films. While only 4 were accepted, 3 won. Which is pretty sweet. The categories were “Water PSA’s”, “Micro Short Films” and “Short Films”. He won 3rd and 2nd in the Water PSA’s and 3rd in the Micro Short Film category for the “Film School Rap”. Sadly, I was not alerted to the whole “submitting” part. So I never got to submit a film. Or two. Or three. But I throughly enjoyed it. Some films were bad, some were good. Lord I haven’t anything real to post. that has been all that’s really happened to me lately. I’ve been busy with school and work, so I apologize for not getting to any reviews lately. This week though, you should get a review of the films “Rebel Without a Cause” and “Attack of The Giant Leeches”.

See you then.

-james

P.S.

If you want to see some of Caleb’s (and Jordan’s and several other people but I credit him because of a conversation at the festival) films, here are his Youtube chanels-

New (his newer movies)

Older (some old stuff of his)

2010
01/17
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In Which Several Things Are Written About

Happy Late Year, Readers!

Sorry I haven’t gotten around to reviewing any horror movies yet. I promise I’ll have one this week.  So first off and mainly in this post, I would like to mention the birthdays of singer/songwriter David Bowie, (my favorite person of all time). Second, The great Elvis Presley (you know who he is) and third, Guitarist Jimmy Page. You know him as the main guitarist for Led Zeppelin (one of my all time favorite bands).  Back on the subject of David Bowie, he is my favorite singer and person of all time if you didn’t quite understand me the first time. When I first heard his music it just struck me and that’s all I can say. I first saw him in the film Labyrinth with Jennifer Connelly and Jim Henson and all.  Since then I have been listening to everything I can find of his. Just recently I purchased the newest biography, Bowie written by Marc Spitz. I have yet to watch Duncan Jones (Bowie’s son) film, Moon starring Sam Rockwell and Kevin Spacey but I’m very interested in it. My favorite Bowie album has to be Hunky Dory which came out just before he stepped into the Glam-Rock phase.  With that out, I’ll tell you my twelve minute film Spook has officially been finished. The current release date is February 3rd (tell your friends!) on Youtube and my website and here (I’ll have to compress it because neither here, Youtube, or Treasureboxfilms.com will upload it at 2.57 gigs). Wish me luck. My mother has just came home so I think i’ll be getting ready for dinner.

Goodnight!

2010
01/10
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Movie Reviewz: Sherlock Holmes

Tonights review, the 2009 American film, Sherlock Holmes directed by Guy Ritchie written by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckman, and Simon Kinberg.

Detective Sherlock Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis whose plot is a threat to all of England. – IMDB

*First, I must admit, I have never read a Sherlock Holmes book. I’m not a proficient reader. I’ve heard parts of The Hound Of The Baskervilles but that’s it. With that over let’s do this.

This, was a perfect example of a film that was great, yet horrible. Contradictory as it my seem, Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law were amazing. The chemistry between them was great.  The effects were good although there were not any real “effects”. I guess when I say effects, I mean the whole look of the film itself. The colors and the buildings and the sets and the costumes. But, the one problem – Rachel McAdams. In general, I like her. She’s a okay actor. But what she was given to work with wasn’t that good. Why did she run up to the bridge if she new it wasn’t finished? Why wasn’t she screaming when she was tied to a meat hook headed for a fire?  It bugged me.

Back to Downey and Law, as I said before, the chemistry was great. I don’t even think they have acted together before. Downey’s performance as the eccentric-border-lining -insane was pulled off in a great way. I loved the way Jude Law was almost able to predict everything Holmes was about to do, but was shown down at the end.

In closing, I liked it and almost loved it.

A
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, some startling images and a scene of suggestive material.

Sources:

IMDB

Wikipedia

Rotten Tomatoes

2009
12/31
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In Which Someone Says Merry Christmas

Left to right: James Willis, Cary Willis, Santa Bob, Catherine Willis, Thomas Willis

2009
12/24
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Movie Reviewz: Avatar

Tonight review, Avatar, the 2009 american film Written and Directed By James Cameron, Starring Sam Worthington and Zöe Saldana

Avatar focuses on an epic conflict on Pandora, an inhabited Earth-sized moon of Polyphemus, one of three fictional gas giants orbiting Alpha Centauri A. On Pandora, human colonists and the sentient humanoid indigenous inhabitants of Pandora, the Na’vi, engage in a war over the planet’s resources and the latter’s continued existence -Wikipedia

The movie that everyone is raving about. Let’s start at story. It was bad. The plot was, really. Not the story. It was pretty much James Cameron Showing everyone that he can do whatever he wants. Make a 4 hour movie about a boat that sinks, or a 2-hour movie about horror in space (I’m not mentioning the first one here. Aliens is the sequel to the first films, Alien directed by Ridley Scott).

It was absolutely stunning when it comes to effects. The human eye could barely register see things that are there because of Cameron’s attention to detail. It was so real. The aliens were fantastic and looked great. The planet itself was beautifully done and how everything worked done to the foliage was perfection. Back to plot, don’t go see it looking for a great story. I could tell who was going to kick it twenty minutes in.

As for the acting and writing, Mr. Cameron should have gone for a better writer. The acting was good. Sam Worthington did what he could with the material given as did the other actors.

In closing, I thought the movie was confusing. I can understand the most trippy time-travel plot, but I cannot for the life of me, figure out who was on whose side. I believe it was because the movie was 3 – hours long. The whole thing kind of meshed together in my brain.

A-

Avatar is rated PG-13

Sources

Wikipedia

IMDB

2009
12/19
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Movie Reviewz: Dial M for Murder

Tonights review is Dial M for Murder, the 1954 American thriller film Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, written by Fredrick Knott.

Dial M for Murder stars Ray Milland as ex-tennis pro Tony Wendice, who, when learning of his wifes (Grace Kelly) infidelity, he hatches a plan to murder her, but when the scheme goes south, he improvises a brilliant plan B.

1954 was a good year for Grace Kelly. She won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Leading Role for The Country Girl and played in Hitchcocks Rear Window along Jimmy Stewart and Dial M for Murder.  I loved Rear Window, but this movie not so much. It takes place and is shot in only one room (I.E. stage) and wasn’t as dramatic or tense at all. The acting was good, but not memorable. It didn’t live up to the Hitchcock legacy, but is still a good movie. The plot is very twisty and very well played out and the end you could almost see coming. In short, It was a mediocre film, done by a more then talented man. I didn’t love it, but I didn’t hate it.

B-

Dial M for Murder is Rated PG

Sources

Wikipedia

IMDB

2009
12/13
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The Album

Whoo.

I’m back.

I’ve been somewhat busy and somewhat lazy. I’ve been meaning to make a post for awhile but the lazy part took over. What’s going on is I’m making a experimental album with a few friends this winter. I’m hoping to have it done by summer ’10. I’ve written about three songs and there are many more (roughly 20) to go on. I’m going to have a lot of fun doing it. So far the three songs are,

Next Day Radio

The Silicone Man

That Kid Looks Like A Terrorist

We have a couple unwritten songs that have a name but are not written. The instrument lineup is quite interesting. I’m trying to see if I can rent a  Trombone and a Saxophone. We’ll have guitars, drums, pots and pans, a viola, and several others. The band name will be “Dropkick The Punkz” while the album will be “Chocolate Future”. Wish me luck!

-james

2009
12/08
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Cow Days

Ah. What a day.

I went to work and dressed up as a cow for the children. I danced, and hugged, and high-fived everyone, ever. It felt like it at least. It was tiring and sweaty. That about sums up the work. After work though, I met a man outside the building. He told me his life story pretty much. He’s sixty five and has been retired since nineteen seventy-three and had made medical instruments so I guessed that he had invented something to have retired at twenty-nine. He told me that he spent his days just living life. He was reading a small book called “Living Your Life Today” and he said that today he had decided to treat himself to lunch and eat out. All I can say is he was one of the coolest people I have ever met.

That’s it for today. See you tommorow.

-james

2009
12/03
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