Archive 6
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Archive 1
June 18, 2003
I received several bits of feedback over the weekend about the script I'd like to have called 'Rocketman,' and all of it's been very good. One friend of mine suggested I call it 'The Hoffman Properties' (it makes sense if you've read it), which is the kind of title that would spell instant death at the box office. So of course I love it! I think this probably is, or at least has the potential to be, the strongest script I've written, and I'd definitely like to make it, and it definitely is small enough to be a viable possibility. But I think I might end up doing something a little less subtle first... but more on that later. Time will tell, I guess. At least I'll have a lot of options at hand when I'm really ready to make another movie.
Now I'm going to go finish reading 'A Confederacy Of Dunces,' so I'll be ready to tear into the new 'Harry Potter' book when I pick it up Thursday at midnight.
June 16, 2003
About a month ago, I mentioned something about the old films I made in high school. Here's
a delightful screen grab from our economics video, the one about the Microsoft Antitrust Trial. I play a witness being coerced into testifying
in Microsoft's favor (perhaps starring in this true-life drama led to my eventual favoring of Apple computers). Prior to the events depicted
in this image, I was hit in the head with a wrench by Daniel Kirksey, who more recently made an appearance in 'Still' as one of the movers.
Good times, good times.
I've had horror films on my mind a lot lately, for various reasons. For one thing, I've noticed that my negative opinion of 'House Of 1000 Corpses' is almost inversely related to my odd anticipation for the just announced sequel. I hope Rob Zombie can take all the things he got right the first time around and build on them and make a really great horror movie. I've also realized how hard it is to write a good old fashioned hardcore horror film that isn't a complete rip-off of actual old fashioned hardcore horror films. I'm trying to get the perfect mixture of humor, violence and terror, while also throwing in some of my own personal stylistic touches. One person who has apparently done right by the genre is Eli Roth, whose 'Cabin Fever' is on my list of highly anticipated upcoming movies. Here's a brilliant quote from the man himself: "You go to an R-rated horror movie because you know you're going to get the good stuff, and part of the good stuff is you're going to see the hot girl naked. You can't ignore that aspect."
You sure can't.
June 11, 2003
If you haven't gone and bought the new Radiohead album yet, then what gives? You should buy it out of princiapl, because Radiohead is boycotting Clear Channel. Plus, it's an amazing record that has wildly exceeded my expectations. Their best yet? Hard to say, but I've only given it five spins so far, and the individual songs haven't yet come into their own yet. So far I think istening to it clears your brain like a good bit of pain and gives you something good to think about, although you know not what. At least that's my impression so far.
I was on a brief Hemingway kick last month. In reading 'For Whom The Bell Tolls,' I came upon a passage that gave me a wave of recognitive joy: it was the line quoted at the end of 'Seven,' when Morgan Freeman says "Ernest Hemingway once wrote that the world is good, and worth fighting for. I agree with the second part." I agree with both parts. But so did Hemingway, I'll bet, and he shot himself.
June 9, 2003
I wrote ten pages of action and gore and apocalyptic dialogue today. I also started doing Pilates. It's far more enjoyable and more relaxing than any other exercise I've ever done; it doesn't hurt my back the way situps and crunches do, and it also tones your whole body, which is always good. I'm obsessed with flat stomachs. Mine is okay, but could definitely use a little work.
I finally watched 'Don't Look Now' the other night. Aside from being a masterfully told story, it also has some of the best editing I've ever seen. It mixes grief and dread perfectly -- it's very close to the feeling I had in mind when I was writing 'Post.' I also have been thinking a lot about Matthew Barney's 'Cremaster 3,' which I saw while I was in LA (I'll be seeing the rest of the series when it opens here Dallas in a few weeks). The notion of expressing your ideas without having to conform to the normal conventions of cinema is just so tantalizing; no script, no box office or distribution limitations -- what a perfect canvase to let your imagination loose on. I want to do something like that. I wonder if I could fanangle an exhibition of something at a local gallery. I guess I'd need something to exhibit first. Once again, 'Post' pops into my head. Every now and then, I remember that I'm waiting to hear from the Sundance Labs at the end of July. I really hope they bite.
A bit of advice: the brilliant film May is finally, slowly getting released around the country (it opens in Dallas on the 20th). Go see it as soon as you can; you won't be disappointed. If you need more proof, Roger Ebert recently gave it four stars.
June 7
The movie Ramzi is working on that I mentioned below has something to do with the Black Dhalia. I never knew too much about the case, so I looked it up today, and quickly discovered why it's so famous. I always thought for some reason that she'd been beheaded...but nope, it's a lot worse than that! I couldn't get myself to look at the autopsy photos. Images like that are never that bad once you've looked at them for a second; they lose their power once you take them for what they are. But actually looking at them in the first place...that's the tough part.
June 5, 2003
Argghh! I hate being sunburned.
I got back from the airport a few hours ago, and this time I'm glad to be back. I liked Los Angeles okay; not the way I love New York, which was a first-sight kinda thing, and which I didn't want to leave when I first went, or even dilute by writing about it here. It was still pretty all right, though. I walked everywhere. I really wish I could have rented a car, but I'm underage (it is nice to still be too young for something). I think I made my way around the city pretty efficiently; the only thing I regret not seeing is the beach -- I haven't seen the ocean up close in years.
Amoeba Records has the most stunning selection of DVDs I've ever seen, not to mention their assorment of music. I would have spent all my money there, but I'd already spent it all seeing movies at the Arclight theater next door (yes, I spend a great deal of my time on vacations watching movies -- I'm exactly that lame!). Marilyn Mason has a cool automobile. Gwynneth Paltrow is almost unrecognizable without makeup. I met up with Ramzi, who drove me by David Lynch's houses (should have left a copy of 'Still' on his doorstep in a manila envelope). He told me about the exciting development of his new feature, which is titled '?.' He also took me to this store called Necromance or something like that, which was full of all sorts of dead things. Precisely when I was thinking that the only thing missing was a baby in a jar, I noticed a baby in a jar; I left with an unsettled sense of satisfaction.
Well, it was only the skeleton of a baby, but still...
June 1, 2003
Currently listening to Sea Change. About to have one, sort of, at least for a few days.
James and Yen and I watched Danny Boyle's '28 Days Later' last night, on an import VHS. It's awesome, and at this point would make my top ten list at the end of the year. It's never to early to start thinking about that, so here's the movies that would qualify so far this year: 'Gerry,' 'Irreversible,' 'Raising Victor Vargas,' 'The Stone Reader,' 'Whale Rider,' and '28 Days Later.' Every time I see that 'Whale Rider' trailer in theaters, I get tears in my eyes, even though the trailer isn't all that great by itself. But that's probably only because I saw the movie first.
I need a faster printer; I hate having to wait for scripts to finish printing out. On the other hand, I love the smell of the night in the summer. And I love it when it rains in the summer too.
Anyway, since I've been catching up on zombie movies lately, I went to try to find a copy of 'Dawn Of The Dead' today, which I've never seen, but no one had it. I did (finally) pick up 'Mulholland Drive,' and have just now finished watching it. I haven't seen it since it was in theaters, and it turned out to be an eerily appropriate viewing choice, since it's about an optimistic young dreamer going to LA for the first time, only to be hopelessly crushed.
May 30, 2003
Sometimes there's a certain smell my mind will call up, and it's all in my head but I can smell it all the same. Flowers or something. Whatever purple would smell like if it had a smell. Or there will be a pressure somewhere, like someone touching me, on my hip or on my shoulder, all imagined but strong enough to be sensate. Like the imprint's still there, on you, like an indentation in a pillow or something. That's what it's like to miss someone, I guess.
Dates to look forward to: June 10 (Radiohead), June 24 (Punch Drunk Love), July 29 (Solaris), August 19 (Outkast), September 30 (Fiona Apple). And every day in between.
I put on 'Wild At Heart' while I was writing this evening. There is that one scene, where Sherilyn Fenn is looking for her comb while she's dying, that is just so profound...I stopped working and just watched it. It's the kind of moment that you never want to imitate in any way, because it's just too great to touch. That scene by itself might just be Lynch's finest moment. That, and the last installment of 'Hotel Room,' starring Crispin Glover and Alicia Witt, where they grieve for their dead child. That was one of the biggest inspirations for 'Still,' actually. I may have mentioned that before, but I don't feel like fact-checking.
May 27, 2003
James very thoughtfully put up a nice banner for 'Still' on his site. It has pink text, which is totally mod and awesome (and of course, certainly not gay).
So it sounds like Vincent Gallo's 'The Brown Bunny' is pretty bad. I bet it's not so much bad as just inconsequential. I don't expect it to be great, or even good, but I'm still dying to see it -- I hope it actually makes it to theaters. I think it'll be the kind of film that Criterion will release on DVD five to fifteen years from now, after its universally deriled status turns it into some sort of lost classic.
Speaking of lost classics, a few nights back, I partook in a strenuous wrestling match with Curtis, and then with Kara, who pulled a nice 'Blade Runner' style leg-lock on my neck. Wrestling with girls is fun. Then we all sat down to watch Alejandro Jodorowsky's cult film from the 70s, 'El Topo,' which James managed to procure a bootleg of. It was pretty good, especially the last act during the apocalypse when all the horses stampede through the streets. Very powerful imagery. I can see why Marilyn Manson loves it, and is planning to make a sequel with Jodorowsky. Now that I think about it, its influence (along with Fellini's) is completely obvious in that great video of his for 'Man That You Fear.' I used to be a big Manson fan, but his brand of egocentrism eventually started to really annoy me. 'Mechanical Animals' is a brilliant record, though.
I'm currently watching 'The Beyond' (for research purposes), and -- oh, there goes the nail through the eyeball! Excellent.
May 25, 2003
I watched Kieslowski's 'Red' this evening, hoping to reaffirm my belief in the direction I've been going in my storytelling style. It worked. I'm a goddamn genius.
May 20, 2003
'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' ended its run tonight, and with it likely goes any regularity in my turning on the television for something other than 'The Simpsons.' The show began when its characters and myself were in tenth grade, and so developed right along with me. It cut close, and it was cathartic, and I've got other bonds with it that I won't go into. So when it ended tonight, in a truly perfect way (with a smile), I wept as much as I could without making it obvious, because I'm one of those people who is afraid to show too much emotion when other people are around. I can't believe I'm so torn up over a TV show, I feel like I should feel so shallow! But no, I'll wear this on my sleeve: I think this show was something really special, and I've got to stop writing about it now because I'm seriously about to go have to bury my head in my pillow.
May 19, 2003
The last time my dad used his van and a length of rope to tow my car to the shop, it was at 4am in early 1998. I had been driving home after watching Woody Allen's 'Deconstructing Harry,' and my badass gray Caprice Classic just died on an overpass (that reminds me, if you want a good double feature, watch 'Deconstructing Harry' right after Bergman's 'Wild Strawberries'). There was something of a repeat performance last night, since some anomalic cog in my current automobile decided it would not work in any gear but reverse. I was gung ho over the idea of driving the car backwards to the mechanics, but legality and the same sturdy piece of rope we used last time ended up prevailing over my adventurous spirit.
On the subject of 1998: I recently watched a lot of the films I made for various high school classes, many of which involved copious amounts of blood. I can't believe I got away with some of that stuff, especially in a public school. There was the 'Druid Picnic,' which depicted a ritualistic human sacrifice to the swinging sounds of Lou Reed's cover of 'This Magic Moment.' And a 50s style b/w public service announcement advocating the use of marijuana; and a documentary on Van Gogh which centered primarily on him cutting off his ear; and 'Children's Science Hour,' where my friend Ben demonstrated the process of splitting atoms using a baseball bat, a hack saw and an axe. Oh, and a reimagining of the Microsoft Antitrust Trial that was basically an extended snuff film, ending in a dance number brilliantly choreographed to a song from then-newcomer Britney Spears. That video saved my grade in Honors Economics.
While Britney Spears is on my mind, I should mention a recent quote of hers: "Anyone can sit down and write some boring artistic song; pop music is the hardest shit to write." At first that really made me mad, but now. after some thought, I kind of sympathize with her. She may be a millionaire with questionable talent and taste, but she also seems really bitter, and really sad, and on those grounds I think I could get along with her.
And while speaking of pop music: I think 'Cry Me A River' is a truly brilliant song.
May 18, 2003
On my mind: cars breaking, delusions falling and illusions failing, telephones ringing or not, plane tickets, couches to crash on, things to spend money on, people to hold on to, things to let go of, keep on trying, never stop dying, don't let the sun catch you crying, shit like that. The heart of the matter is that I'm lost in space, and I was at ease with that yesterday but not so much today. A day where things don't work out does wonders for your outlook. So I'm looking forward to tomorrow cause everything will likely be right as rain.
May 17, 2003
Well, as of tonight, I've gone a year without a cigarette. Or a cigar, or a joint, or any imbibement of an inhalable nature. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go have a celebratory smoke.
I'm kidding, I'm kidding! I'm done for good. That's such a cliched joke, anyway. I can't believe I used it.
May 15, 2003
We didn't win the Video Race -- an expected loss, but one accompanied nonetheless by a bit of a sting. I think I am, secretly, a poor loser; this is why I don't like board games. I've been working on being less competitive, in all things including filmmaking, because I've kinda based my life around trying to be the best and while that may be an admirable pursuit, its also rather brash and single-minded. Anyway, the quality of entries in the race was much higher than last year. All narrative value aside, ours still looked way better than anyone else's. It was also almost the most original and inventive (Barak and Clay managed to beat us there), but alas, the judges seemed to favor films that actually made sense.
My new most anticipated movie this year -- or one of them, in any case -- is Vincent Gallo's 'Brown Bunny.' I'm listening to the 'Buffalo 66' soundtrack at the moment and anticipating, hoping for, another masterpiece from one of my favorite self-loathing auteurs.
I'm also wondering if I could find a good actress willing to get her labia pierced onscreen in an extreme close-up.
There's a scene in 'Punch Drunk Love' that isn't in the script, where Barry is trying to tell Lena a funny story about DJ Justice on the radio, but he's having trouble conveying what was funny about it, and he finishes by saying something along the lines of "I laugh a lot, even when I'm alone." It's one of my favorite moments in the movie. I was talking on the telephone last night and trying to relate a funny anecdote, and halfway through I forgot what was funny about it and totally fumbled it up and felt bad about it, and it reminded me of that scene.
But here's something I know for sure is funny. Paul Thomas Anderson has a new short film available here. It's wonderful -- a combination of Jacques Tati and Happy Gilmore. I almost fell out of my chair laughing. In fact, I'm going to go watch it again right now! Okay...it's playing as I write this. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!! Bless my lucky stars, that's rich!
May 13, 2003
I love seeing movies before anyone else -- there's something inherently braggable about that, at least for me. So anyway, I saw The Matrix Reloaded yesterday morning. I would have mentioned that here right away, but the site was down, due to server difficulties. In the lag time, I wrote my review of it. It's spoiler free, if that matters to you.
There was something very interesting that I noticed in the movie, something I initially thought was my imagination, but then Harry Knowles mentioned it in his review too. It's not really a spoiler, but I'll use inviso-text just in case:
In a scene towards the end, Neo is standing in front of a bank of monitors displaying human history. In the background, there's a quick flash of Hitler that disolves into George Bush. Wow! This from the same studio that altered the 'What A Girl Wants' posters.
I'm thinking of putting that scene I posted up here, with the dead dog, back into my script, albeit in a different form. I was talking to Nick about it while we were doing the video race, and he told me that I should just stick with my original instincts. I guess I'm not entirely opposed to it, as long as it doesn't seem like an act of fate in the script. I don't want the dog to be in the movie just so it can die. It has to be an important scene, but also a random occurence. I really worked hard to make nothing in this script feel like it 'happened for a reason.'
So I'm going to go work on that now.
May 12, 2003
Man, that was a good race.
Writing that anecdote in the last entry made me think about the purpose of this page. This isn't really a journal. It's not for self reflection, although I do use it for that sometimes, in retrospect...basically, it's for other people to read. Blogs are just veiled ego trips. I don't think about this page like that, but I usually put stuff here that I want people to know, perhaps indirectly, maybe without me even knowing it. But it's just little bits and pieces. I'll say I've done a few drugs, but I won't say why or what the circumstances were or what the experience was like. I'll talk and lament and expound about love or lack of love but I won't go into my actual experiences with it (I think I can use plural there). I won't disclose anything that cuts too close to me or anyone else, and I won't extend my reach too far. I cut out everything that is really interesting, and I barely touch on all the thoughts that spin through my head.
But I guess I write enough. Sometimes I think I should write less. I've been meaning to write about playing the piano. I've been working on Radiohead's 'Pyramid Song' and more David Bowie lately, but when you can close your eyes and glide your fingers across the keys and just run on instinct, improvising, letting your ears and hands work in tandem, your skill level or the amount you've been practicing all flies out the window... it's the most relaxing thing in the world. Especially when it sounds good. Notice how deftly I changed the subject there, before I let it get out of hand.
Back to the video race. I love running on empty for over 24 hours straight. It makes it feel like we accomplished so much more than a badass five minute short. Come to think of it, we did.
May 8, 2003
I suppose its actually May 9 now, but who's counting. I'm staying up late (2:58am right now), practicing for this year's 24 Hour Video Race. Unfortunately, the race starts tomorrow, which means these minutes ticking by right now are my last chance to sleep for the next forty eight hours or so. Our goal, of course, is to win this year, or at least to get the thing turned in on time. Time, time. I went to see 'The Good Thief' last night and as I was leaving I saw this gentlemen outside the theater who I vaguely remembered as being a friend of my younger brother's. It wasn't until I was in my car and driving home that I remembered that, not three years ago, I was hanging out at this guy's apartment and watching 'Dead Alive' on a scratched laserdisc. We then went and bought some pot somewhere, and then went to meet up with these two thirteen year old raver chicks he knew and who, he'd heard, were in possession of some X. They didn't have any, but we smoked the grass with them, and then I went home and didn't see this guy again until last night, at which point it didn't even occur to me to say hi. I should have; he was a pretty swell fellow. I wonder if he remembers any of that any more than I do. Oh man. I never did many drugs, but I miss those I did do sometimes. I need to get to bed. Got a race to win, and copies to make and several Mothers' Day presents to buy and/or make, all before the sun rises on s Sunday morning that is sure to be beautiful no matter what the circumstances, simply by virtue of its dedication.
May 6, 2003
The 'Still' Special Edition DVD will be available for purchase on Friday morning, I think. Although I technically had the final version done about a week and a half ago, I've been adding an extra dose of special features. I shot and edited the last easter egg this evening. Right now, the DVD file is multiplexing itself, and tomorrow morning I'll start mass producing it. I think this is going to be a great DVD; if I can sell about twenty, I'll be happy.
I rewrote the ending to my Rocketman script again, making it a little less abstract and adding a little bit more closure to certain areas. I'm very happy with it now, and it's also ten pages longer. Time to start looking for feedback. I'm debating whether or not I should just post the whole thing up here. It wouldn't hurt, but I just hate being that...available.
I haven't bought any new music in almost three months. Such amazing willpower stuns even myself.
May 4, 2003
I'm applying for the Sundance Labs again this year. I actually filled out and submitted the application form quite a while ago, thinking I'd get a head start, but of course I waited until the last minute to prepare and/or write the actual materials (proposal, script exerpt, etc.) they need. That last minute was yesterday morning. I got it all done, but I had to pay a lot for postage to make sure it got to LA on time. Hopefully it'll be worth it...I had semi-good luck last time.
Speaking of spending money, I had to buy a new keyboard today, after I spilled coffee on it. Apple keyboards are really damn expensive. So that was a sixty dollar cup of coffee -- pretty bad, but not as bad as the 1700 dollar bowl of cereal that ruined my laptop. I'm really really glad I didn't buy an iBook -- it would probably be totally fried by now.
May 2, 2003
I don't like the new domestic 'Hulk' trailer, but I still have faith in Ang Lee. In the meantime, I can't wait to see 'X2' for a second time tonight, this time with an audience.
May 1, 2003
'X2,' which is awesome, opens tomorrow, and with it comes the start of yet another summer movie season. I can't wait! Of all the blockbusters, the ones I'm looking forward to the most now are 'The Matrix Reloaded' (of course), 'The Hulk,' 'Finding Nemo,' and, oddly, 'Charlies Angels: Full Throttle' (have you actually seen that new trailer?). I love big movies; I even look forward to just seeing the trailers for them. I love small movies too, usually even more, but there's just something wonderful about going to see a huge piece of escapist entertainment that is well made and hopefully somewhat intelligent that gets me so excited. I usually get so excited that I write totally gushing reviews that I later regret later when I'm in a more objective state, but who cares? I just love movies! And I love saying that I love movies. I don't think I can utter a more sincere sentiment. At least not right now.
April 27, 2003
Happy birthday, Willie Nelson!
Here's the original climax of my new script, the one that takes place on a 'lonely stretch of highway.' Why did I get rid of it? Because killing a dog is just way too easy.
I wrote this script with a certain financing plan in mind. If it turns out, maybe I'll actually end up making this. We'll see. My directorial career is on temporary hold. My next trip behind the camera will most likely be 'Deadroom' later this year, and until then I'm just going to hold my horses.
To my chagrin, I'm feeling a desperate urge to jump the gun and get started on another screenplay. This idea, which for the most part just came to me this morning, involves tattoos, piercings and explicit nudity. I've got to hold off on it, though -- it's time to concentrate once again on non-creative writing. Grant season again.
April 26, 2003
This week's Entertainment Weekly cover is pretty awesome.
April 25, 2003
I love this picture! It's so sweet. If I wore baseball hats, I'd get one that says DVD on it. I had a dream the other night that I ran into PTA and Fiona Apple at some lecture in New York, and they invited me to dinner and then I found out that my brother, who was also in New York, had done some design work for them while he was in school, and hadn't told me. Which made me a bit frustrated. Sometimes I get uncomfortable dreaming about real people because I feel like I'm infringing on their rights.
Remember that movie, 'Deadroom,' that James and Nick and Yen and I have been working on? Well, it should hopefully be lensing by the end of the year, if all goes well monetarily. Also, I think we're all pretty set on shooting it on HD. So that's kind of exciting. Oj, and by mentioning this here, I'm officially expecting someone (possibly myself) to hold me to it.
I'm too tired to write anymore. Too tired to write all things I've been meaning to write. I'm off to bed.
April 21, 2003
I went to see 'Seven Samurai' with James on Saturday. I'd never seen it before, and figured I shouldn't pass up the chance to see it on the big screen. It was incredible, of course, for every last one of its 207 minutes, and I think it successfully dispelled my strange disinclination to see his movies. I'd seen a few and liked them, especially 'Rashomon,' but had always been more drawn to Bergman or Bunuel or Fellini when perusing foreign films. No more!
The best shot in the movie, I think, is the closeup of the girl's face when the young samurai confronts her for the first time in the woods; the camera focuses on her face while moving behind his head and crossing the 180 degree line. This makes no sense in words, and I scoured the web for a frame grab of this particular shot, to no avail. Trust me, it's a masterpiece within a masterpiece. I'm going to steal it.
And while on the subject of Asian filmmakers, that new Hulk trailer...wow.
I need to point out that this new screenplay I've written, which I initially wanted to call 'Rocketman,' bears no relation to that never completed script I usually refered to as 'The Untitled Rocketship Project.' I just like outer space titles.
I don't like names, however, which is why all my scripts are full of characters with monosyllabic nomenclature, and no surnames unless completely necessary. I'm not sure why. I remember taking a shine to Neil LaBute's original script for 'Your Friends And Neighbors,' in which all the characters were named Man #1, Woman # 2, etc. But it probably goes deeper than that, because I rarely call anyone by their names.
I'm wasting time here right now because I was waiting for the trailer mentioned above to download. That's right, there's no chronological order to what I write! Screws with your head, right? I know it. But not as much as Radiohead's 'Kid A' screws with mine. That album has a million metric tons of memories attached to it. Every one of them is good.
April 20, 2003
I spend a lot of time getting all dressed up for no reason at all.
This morning I was two-thirds asleep and I overheard my mother telling my older sister to be nicer to my younger sister, whom she had made cry with an offhand comment about a dress or something. I'm mentioning it here right now so that I remember it, because it was a beautiful conversation, and the type of thing I like to steal and say I wrote on my own.
I also realized about five minutes ago that I've been spelling 'recommend' incorrectly most of my life. The other word I've always messed up is 'tomorrow.' I feel so stupid! But not about that. Mostly about other things.
I went to the family Easter dinner thing this evening. A few members of my extended family thinks I'm immature, I think, for chasing this movie thing. It really hurt my feelings somehow last Thanksgiving. I guess I don't help my image by sitting at the little kids' table at dinner, but their conversations are just so much more interesting then whatever adults talk about.
April 15, 2003
I wish I hadn't missed the Bright Eye show; I completely forgot that it was tonight. I've been listening to his albums a lot lately. Thank goodness for sad songs (if you stop and think about it, thank goodness is really a beautiful sentiment).
However, I did finish my new screenplay, which features a character partially inspired by Mr. Oberst and his songs. This is the project I've been working on for the past few months. It's 103 pages at the moment. It took me a little longer to finish than I thought it would. It doesn't have a title yet; I originally thought about calling it 'Rocketman,' but then realized that the name was already taken by a stupid Disney movie.
I'll write some more later about what the movie is actually about and what I want to do with it; for now, I'd like to examine the history of the project on this page. On my journal entry on December 16, I wrote "Next time I'll try to write a real story, rather than an aimless grasp at something entirely ephemeral." I think this is a real story, with only one somewhat surreal moment. I need to focus the plot a bit more, though.
Then, on December 22, I wrote "I already know what my next screenplay will be. It's going to begin in outer space, and end on a distant stretch of highway." It does begin in outer space, and there are numerous scenes on distant stretches of highway, but I jettisoned my original ending. I think I'll post it up here soon.
Finally, on January 10, a few weeks before I actually began the thing, I wrote "my next script will have laughs aplenty." Well, I think I successfully made it pretty comedic! Here's an example.
INT. OLD HOUSE -- NIGHTJoe sits down on his old bed, and he breaks down and cries.