On this day 10 years ago, the bank heist film The Town was unleashed in theaters nationwide (though it wasn't till a few days later that I watched it at the multiplex for the first time...on September 21). It was my favorite flick of 2010! Click here to read my review of the Ben Affleck-directed movie.
In honor of Chadwick Boseman, who tragically passed away today due to cancer at the age of 43, here's a drawing I made of Black Panther around the time the Oscar-nominated film played in theaters back in 2018. Rest In Peace, Chadwick... Along with portraying T'Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Mr. Boseman also played Jackie Robinson in 2013's 42 and James Brown in 2014's Get on Up. The last movie I saw him in (after Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame, of course) was 2019's 21 Bridges. Boseman kicked arse in that flick...
Just thought I'd share this collage I saw on Twitter this past weekend comparing shots from 1994's The Crow with those in The Dark Knight. While I figured that director Christopher Nolan was apparently inspired by the late Brandon Lee's antihero when the look of Heath Ledger's Joker was being created in preproduction, I had no idea that he based one of the most memorable scenes in the 2008 comic book epic to one from the '94 cult classic. (It's been a while since I watched The Crow on DVD.) Well done.
It's sad to realize that comic book fans and movie aficionados need to honor the works of Lee and Ledger posthumously. But I'm just glad that The Crow is recognized as the film that would pave the way for a whole generation of gritty comic book films...with The Dark Knight being the pinnacle of all that is right with this popular genre. Happy Monday.
"I'm vengeance." And I'm shook! Just thought I'd share this screenshot from the newest trailer for Matt Reeve's The Batman...which should resume filming next month after a long coronavirus-related hiatus, and get released in theaters sometime in 2021.
From the looks of this preview, Robert Pattinson is gonna do a heckuva job following in the footsteps of Ben Affleck (who along with Michael Keaton will reprise their roles as the Dark Knight in 2022's The Flash) and Christian Bale, respectively. Happy Saturday!
Happy Cinco de Mayo, everyone! Just thought I'd mention that my short film The Broken Table is now available to view on YouTube and Vimeo(whose version is embedded below), as today is its official online release date. If there's one silver lining to the quarantine caused by the coronavirus pandemic, it's that I had lots of time to put the finishing touches on my film...courtesy of Lightworks and not the Final Cut Pro editing program that I used during film school at California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) over 15 years ago.
So what's my next project, you ask? Finishing my short film Envious...which I shot at CSULB back in early 2004. To this day, the sound design is still incomplete—due to a myriad of reasons too numerous to explain here. To paraphrase Kylo Ren from The Force Awakens: "I will finish what I have started." Since we're talking about Star Wars now, Happy Revenge of the Fifth! Carry on.
Sorry for the long absence, everyone! I've been too busy prepping my short filmThe Broken Table over the past month or so (I begin filming this Saturday, October 26), so I haven't had time to post new entries to this blog. Anyways, check out the cool theatrical poster above and the final trailer below for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. I'm going to the 8:15 PM showing for the final installment in the Skywalker saga at a local AMC Theatre on December 19! Can't wait!
Two days ago, I launched a crowdfunding campaign for my short film The Broken Table...which is a psychological thriller about a man whose mundane act of fixing a damaged piece of furniture at home isn’t what it seems. This film has a crazy twist at the end...which I obviously won't reveal, except to say that my friends who read the script asked me, "What comes next?" For those of you reading this Blog entry, click on the link below and make a generous contribution to this project and find out! You can donate as little as $1, $5, $15 or $25—or as high as $1,000 if you wanna be credited as an Executive Producer plus get other perks! Guess with pledge level I actually want you to choose, heheh. (HINT: I don't mind putting another Producer credit at the end of the film!) Anyways, click on this link:
The Kickstarter campaign will go from August 13 to September 13, and end at 9 AM, PDT that Friday. Even though there are still 28 days left, donate now! My crew and I are planning to shoot The Broken Table less than two months later...on November 2 and 3. So donate now!
PS: My awesome pitch video (with its random Family Guy-ish cut scenes) on the Kickstarter page won't reflect the awesomely sinister nature of the actual film! Carry on.
ABOVE: An animated promo for The Broken Table...featuring a snippet of music that will be used in the actual film.
At Marvel Studios' Hall H panel at San Diego Comic-Con about two hours ago, it was revealed that Academy Award winner Mahershala Ali will succeed Wesley Snipes as the newest daywalker...a.k.a. Blade. A release date for this future vampire-hunting installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe hasn't been revealed yet—but all I can say is: I CALLED IT!
Earlier today, Tom Cruise made a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic-Con to present the teaser trailer for next year's Top Gun: Maverick. All I can say is...I am absolutely stoked for this film! I've been a huge fighter jet buff since grade school, and to watch a feature-length movie that will put a spotlight on F/A-18 Hornets in combat (Yes, I know— We saw the Hornets in glorious action during such flicks as Independence Day and 2001's Behind Enemy Lines) will get my adrenaline running and put me back in the danger zone again. This is just the teaser trailer, so it'll be a while before we find out if the F-35C Lightning II(the U.S. Navy's variant of the Joint Strike Fighter)—which was declared operational for combat in real life back in February—plays a role in this movie. Anyways, welcome back, Maverick!
Top Gun: Maverick arrives in theaters nationwide on June 26, 2020.
In honor of Independence Day, here's an amusing image that I found online showing a shot from the final air battle in Independence Day if the hit film was released in 2019, instead of 1996. While I can definitely picture President Whitmore (Bill Pullman) piloting an F-22 Raptor in combat, Russell Casse (Randy Quaid) should've flown the F-35B Lightning II, which he would've hovered up into that alien destroyer's laser cannon to take it out! Like the venerable Harrier jump jet, the F-35B also has vertical takeoff ability...as shown in the photo at the very bottom of this entry. Anyways, have fun cooking barbecue and illegally lighting fireworks in your backyards tonight, fellow Yanks!
