Sunday, December 31, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at Regal Cinemas...
Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! Gettin' ready to watch the new Michael Mann film Ferrari today...
Saturday, December 30, 2023
Sunday, December 24, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch Wonka today... Happy Christmas Eve, everyone!
Friday, December 22, 2023
Saturday, December 16, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes today!
Thursday, December 14, 2023
On This Day in 2003: It's the Last Day of Filming for ENVIOUS (Till Early 2004)...
It was 20 years ago today that filming continued on Day 3 for my senior thesis film Envious.
Due to rainy weather, this shoot day was cut short...with me having a discussion with my cast and crew afterwards to resume production in late January of the following year (when the Spring 2004 semester began at Cal State Long Beach). Click here for more details.
Wednesday, December 13, 2023
On This Day in 2003: Production Continues on ENVIOUS...
It was 20 years ago today that Day 2 of filming was held for Envious at Cal State Long Beach!
Tuesday, December 12, 2023
On This Day in 2003: Production Begins on ENVIOUS...
It was 20 years ago today that filming began on my senior thesis film Envious at my college alma mater, Cal State Long Beach!
To get a (pretty-lengthy) summary on what took place during this shoot—which was originally supposed to last three days—click here.
Saturday, December 9, 2023
Saturday, December 2, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch the John Woo action flick Silent Night today!
Saturday, November 25, 2023
Monday, November 20, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch Next Goal Wins and Steven Spielberg's classic 1998 war epic Saving Private Ryan today!
Saturday, November 11, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Happy Veterans Day to my fellow Yanks! Gettin' ready to watch The Marvels today...
Thursday, November 9, 2023
The SAG-AFTRA Strike Is Finally Over!
Tentative Agreement Reached (News Release - November 8)
Dear SAG-AFTRA Members,
We are thrilled and proud to tell you that today your TV/Theatrical Negotiating Committee voted unanimously to approve a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. As of 12:01am on November 9, our strike is officially suspended and all picket locations are closed.
We will be in touch in the coming days with information about celebration gatherings around the country.
In a contract valued at over one billion dollars in new wages and benefit plan funding, we have achieved a deal of extraordinary scope that includes "above-pattern" minimum compensation increases, unprecedented provisions for consent and compensation that will protect members from the threat of AI, and for the first time establishes a streaming participation bonus. Our Pension & Health caps have been substantially raised, which will bring much needed value to our plans.
In addition, the deal includes numerous improvements for multiple categories including outsize compensation increases for background performers, and critical contract provisions protecting diverse communities.
We have arrived at a contract that will enable SAG-AFTRA members from every category to build sustainable careers. Many thousands of performers now and into the future will benefit from this work.
Full details of the agreement will not be provided until the tentative agreement is reviewed by the SAG-AFTRA National Board.
We also thank our union siblings -- the workers that power this industry -- for the sacrifices they have made while supporting our strike and that of the Writers Guild of America. We stand together in solidarity and will be there for you when you need us.
Thank you all for your dedication, your commitment and your solidarity throughout this strike. It is because of YOU that these improvements became possible.
In solidarity and gratitude,
Your TV/TH Negotiating Committee
Source: SAG-AFTRA
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at the California Science Center...
Gettin' ready to watch Deep Sky (in IMAX) today!
Saturday, November 4, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch the 30-year-old Tim Burton classic The Nightmare Before Christmas (for the very first time) today!
Saturday, October 28, 2023
Saturday, October 21, 2023
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at the California Science Center...
Gettin' ready to watch 1995's Mystery of the Maya (in IMAX) today!
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Saturday, September 30, 2023
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
One Strike Officially Down, One (Or Will It be Two?) More to Go!
2023 MBA Tentative Agreement (News Release)
The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on a new three-year Minimum Basic Agreement (MBA). On September 26th, the Negotiating Committee, the WGAW Board and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement.
The MBA will now go to both guilds’ memberships for a ratification vote. Eligible voters will be able to vote from October 2nd through October 9th, and will receive ballot and ratification materials when the vote opens.
The WGAW Board and WGAE Council also voted to lift the restraining order and end the strike as of 12:01 am PT/3:01 am ET on Wednesday, September 27th. This allows writers to return to work during the ratification process, but does not affect the membership’s right to make a final determination on contract approval.
Now that we have finalized the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), we can share details of this exceptional deal, with gains and protections for members in every sector of the business:
MBA 2023 Contract Materials
- Members can read the complete tentative agreement, which is codified in this Memorandum of Agreement (MOA)
- We are also providing a short Summary of the MOA
- Here is an update of the 2-pager (now a 7-pager) that compares the status of negotiations on May 1st and what we achieved on September 24 after 146 days on strike
- Strike Termination Agreement
Source: WGAContract2023.org
****
Once again, #SagAftraMembers have come together in support of their peers, voting overwhelmingly — with 98.32% in favor — to approve a strike authorization on the Interactive Media Agreement ahead of a return to negotiations. https://t.co/x5e2Fj6yen
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) September 26, 2023
Sunday, September 24, 2023
One Strike (Unofficially) Down, One More to Go...
Congrats to the Writers Guild of America (WGA) for striking a tentative agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) earlier today!
With the 146-day-long labor dispute by the WGA set to conclude soon, all eyes will be focused on ending the impasse between the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and AMPTP next... Stay tuned.
The SAG-AFTRA Negotiating Committee congratulates the WGA Negotiating Committee.
— SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) September 25, 2023
A thread...
To our fellow union siblings who serve on the WGA Negotiating Committee, we extend our heartfelt congratulations on securing a tentative agreement with the AMPTP.
1/4 pic.twitter.com/ZfeGOrmQ4C
Friday, September 22, 2023
Saturday, September 16, 2023
A Consecutive Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Happy Batman Day! Gettin' ready to once again watch The Dark Knight (which celebrated the 15-year anniversary of its theatrical release two months ago) on the big screen today!
The ticket is only $5 at AMC Theatres through next Wednesday, September 20.
The ticket is only $5 at AMC Theatres through next Wednesday, September 20.
Friday, September 15, 2023
Saturday, September 9, 2023
Sunday, September 3, 2023
Sunday, August 27, 2023
A Consecutive Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Happy National Cinema Day! Gettin' ready to watch Gran Turismo (for $4) soon!
Saturday, August 26, 2023
Saturday, August 19, 2023
Thursday, August 17, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at the California Science Center...
Gettin' ready to watch Blue Whales: Return of the Giants (in IMAX 3D) today!
Sunday, August 13, 2023
A Consecutive Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem today!
Saturday, August 12, 2023
Saturday, August 5, 2023
Monday, July 31, 2023
Saturday, July 22, 2023
Saturday, July 15, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One today!
Monday, July 10, 2023
An Update on DEADPOOL 3...
So cool to finally see Hugh Jackman don the classic yellow suit of Wolverine in the second sequel to Deadpool! It's too bad that principal photography for Deadpool 3 will most likely be put on hold by the impending strike by the Screen Actors Guild, along with the continuing strike by the Writer Guild of America...
Carry on.
Saturday, July 1, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny today!
Saturday, June 24, 2023
Friday, June 16, 2023
Saturday, June 10, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch Transformers: Rise of the Beasts today!
Saturday, June 3, 2023
A Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...
Gettin' ready to watch Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse today!
Saturday, May 27, 2023
Friday, May 19, 2023
Saturday, May 13, 2023
Quick Review: HYPNOTIC...
So I watched the Robert Rodriguez-directed action thriller Hypnotic—starring Ben Affleck, Alice Braga and William Fichtner—at AMC theaters earlier today, and I thought it was as entertaining as it was derivative.
Hypnotic had some interesting twists and turns, but it was basically Inception meets The Matrix meets Star Wars (if Jedi Mind Tricks existed in the real world) meets every other film where a kid needs to be hidden from the government because of their special powers...like the 2016 sci-fi mystery flick Midnight Special, starring Adam Driver, Joel Edgerton, Kirsten Dunst and Michael Shannon. Oh, and 2022's Firestarter—co-written by Stephen King and starring Zac Efron as the father of a girl who can psychically make anyone and anything go up in flames.
Back to Hypnotic, Robert Rodriguez set the movie up for a sequel if you stay for the end credits. Of course I'll watch the sequel...though it's one of those films where I'd probably have to go on IMDb years later to see when this flick came out, and who exactly was in the cast.
Just like what I did with Midnight Special and Firestarter above! Carry on.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)