2010: A Year in Review

Man, what a year. I can't even describe how great it has been, how fast it has gone, and how much better it was than last year :P

....but I'll try. But first, as you know me, before I start reminiscing about the good times I've had over the course of the year, I have to define the year in movies and music, with my top ten lists (I had to get it out of my system right away!).

Top Ten Movies of the Year (UPDATED):

1. Inception

2. The Social Network

3. Blue Valentine

4. Black Swan

5. Kick Ass

6. Winter's Bone

7. Toy Story 3

8. 127 Hours

9. The Ghost Writer

10. Never Let Me Go

HM: The Fighter, Due Date

(Btw all of these films are now on DVD, except for Black Swan, Blue Valentine, 127 Hours - all in theaters)

When just thinking back over the best films of 2010 and 2009, 2010 clearly seems like a better year for movies, although I had more trouble coming up with a top ten for 2010. I could come up with nine easily, but ultimately had to include A Prophet - which I technically count as a 2009 film since it came out in France in 2009 and was submitted for the 2009 Oscars for Best Foreign Film, but didn't come out in the U.S. until early 2010. This will likely be solved once I see a dozen or so more films - some that I just missed and will have to catch on DVD, but the better of those films that would probably fill up my top ten and allow me to have honorable mentions/take A Prophet off are the ones that are in limited release now (i.e. Somewhere, Blue Valentine) that won't come to Tucson until some time next year. Once I see those, I'll update my list.

Overall I think 2009 had more films that I liked in general, but a lot of them were often unmemorable - very good films, but not great ones. 2010, on the other hand, while lacking in quantity vastly made up in quality. Don't get me wrong, there were some films from last year that are favorites of mine ((500) Days of Summer, Inglourious Basterds, A Serious Man), but this year I really loved almost my entire top ten, which had more masterpieces, while 2009 had simply more enjoyable films in general, but also more flawed.

Now:

Top Ten Albums of the Year (UPDATED):

1. The Suburbs - Arcade Fire

2. This is Happening - LCD Soundsystem

3. Teen Dream - Beach House

4. Treats - Sleigh Bells

5. Shame, Shame - Dr. Dog

6. Sigh No More - Mumford & Sons

7. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West

8. Write about Love - Belle & Sebastian

9. Plastic Beach - Gorillaz

10. Contra - Vampire Weekend

HM: Volume Two - She & Him; Crystal Castles (2010) - Crystal Castles

However, it was an undeniably great year in music, though not as good as 2009, which was one of the best years in music ever, with such a vast collection of music and so many great, new, rising artists coming out with their first CDs.

Book of the Year: Freedom by Jonathan Frazen

Now, the year in my life. It's amazing to think of everything that took place over the last year (and what could take place over 2011!). One year ago, Abdul, Ricardo, Nathan and I weren't good friends. We were friendly and acquaintances, but not the best of friends that we are now (awhhhh). In fact it was at the very beginning of the year that we first started spending time together. The first media project we made during 2nd semester (Intense Breast Cancer - the first of our collaborations) was the true beginning of our friendship. We spent time together working on that and as soon as you knew it, the four of us were hanging out often, and by sophomore year, practically every weekend. I got to know these four gentlemen very well, and I'm glad I did. I couldn't imagine my life without them. It would be a lot less interesting. And fun. And -- Ah, fuck it, I love those guys. There's nothing more to say.

Speaking of media projects though, I can't help but be astonished by all my work that took place over one year (and this past one!). Now this may not mean anything to you, but as I go through every project I've worked on it really illustrates how much time has passed over only 365 days. It doesn't seem like a long time in theory, and I remember it like it was yesterday, but it just seems like so much has changed since a year ago, and yet I don't feel that I've changed that much. Anyways, here's every film I made in 2010:

-(Jon Vogel's Bar Mitzvah - technically I started this in Dec. of 09 but I worked on it during '10 too)

-Intense Breast Cancer

-Crying Lightning

-Laura Video

-Life of Pi English project

(worked on "I'm in AQ" - not a work of my own (Douglas's), didn't edit it, but helped in filming and acting of it)

-Adopt a Pet PSA

-Imaginary Me

-The Intense Cabin

-Intense JTED Courses

-Highlights from Europe 1-3 (just edited; footage from 09)

-The Three Films I Made at Camp (Long Gone, A Super Story, Daydreams)

-The Intense Loft Cinema

-The Intense Cabin 2

-Salcido & Tamimi: Intensely At the Movies

-The Wojcik/Pence Wedding (which I'm still not finished with)

Even though most of those movies are less than 5 minutes, that still seems like a lot (20) for one year.

This summer was also amazing; One of those summers you always remember; The summers people write books about; The summer where you truly grew up. I can't even describe it. One half was Bonnaroo, which was such an amazing, incredible experience that was just so much fun. But also there was this moment after the weekend was over and we had seen all the shows and it was the last night and we were staying in the RV and everyone was just about to fall asleep and I sat there, just thinking. I can't even describe it, but it was like nothing else I had ever felt. I think it was because we were so busy that whole weekend that we never really got any time to reflect on how amazing or how much fun it all was, until that moment. It was just this grand feeling that literally swept over me and I just couldn't believe how happy I was and I wished that I could be this happy all the time.

And then there was camp. Of course there was the fact that the camp itself was great and gave me experiences and opportunities that I'd never had before, and the fact that I was able to live pretty much on my own for a month, letting me know that by the time college comes I will be ready (and I can't deny it certainly had an effect on me - I've been way more independent ever since), but let's face it. The best part of the camp, like the best part of life, was seeing Inception for the first time. But the second best part was the people there, and it's the people in your life that you meet and love that make life worth living and the people I met there were like no other people I've met - they were just like me. They lived, thought, and breathed film, and it was just nice to meet people like that, but the truth is they were also just a lot of fun and I got along with them really well and they were really great people that I'll never forget. I had so much fun at camp. The last night was the peak (after a long steady rise), but then the next morning I was so heartbroken to let it all go. For the next couple weeks, I couldn't stop talking about how great it was and everyone I knew thought I was really annoying. I loved camp more than I loved my life back home and I didn't know how my social life would live up to it. Yet somehow it did, and as I think about it, maybe it was just me all along. Maybe I had just learned to let go and be truly happy. Nahh, maybe somewhat, but I think I also just lucked out on my friends.

Other things I did this year:

-got my permit

-got straight A's both semesters (not that that's special)

-got my first paycheck

-travelled all by myself! (to NY! - got to visit my camp friends)

......um I guess that's it for measurable accomplishments. Wow.

But that's not to say it hasn't been a great year, full of growth, fantastic experiences, amazing friendships, and very memorable memories. In fact, I think this has to be one of my favorite years just in terms of growing up and living and experiencing and enjoying life, and what could be better than that. There is no greater accomplishment.

I mean a year ago I didn't even know who Ramtin or Haitham were. And now look at how close Ramtin and I are now. And I just got off the phone with Haitham at the Houston airport, who told me how much I meant to him as a friend and I told him how glad I am that he was a part of my life.

And Alison, assuming you're reading this (you'd be the only one ;) ), if you remember it was really a year ago when I posted a blog entry like this one, except reminiscing about the decade, instead of the year, that we started to become friends again. We were friends in 8th grade and from Mr. B.'s class and I had even known who you were since my brief time at Manzanita Elementary, but then once we got to high school and we didn't have any classes together, I didn't see you at all. But that was just the first semester. Sometime during the beginning of second semester I remember walking to Global Issues one day with Lucas, and hence you (and probably Douglas too though I don't remember exactly), and you had said to me that you had read my blog entry (about the end of the decade). I was astonished. I didn't write it expecting anyone to read it, especially considering I thought no one checked these blogs anymore anyways (except really just you and I, now). I had wrote it for myself, because I needed it, although one of my "New Year's Resolutions" was to write on my blog more - because I wanted to write more and I needed it. And really knowing one person out there was reading it probably helped me do so, as I might've stopped if I thought no one was reading what I wrote and then what was the point? But you kept me going, and though recently I've stopped a little (mostly because now I just talk to you in other ways and have facebook) I don't feel like I need it as much. I needed to write, but I didn't need this blog. Although through this blog, and thanks to Mr. B. who set these up with us in the first place! (thanks Mr. B. ;) ), I got to know you a lot better and we started to talk and our friendship blossomed. Looking at how close we are now, it doesn't seem like we were that close at all, but at the time I remember really looking forward to your posts and comments and discussing life with you. I found that you were someone else who saw the world as I did.

And that was just the first half of the year. After summer, when school started again, we became much, much closer and got to know each other extremely well, becoming the best of friends. Now, we practically talk to each other every day. Of course, I don't need to tell you this. But isn't it amazing to think that it all happened within one year, this past one. I remember exactly one year ago, on New Year's Eve, right at the end of the decade, my mom, sister, and I went to the Downtown Tucson thing they were doing to keep people safe and saw Ryanhood play and watched a couple of short movies at the Screening Room. We got home early (before midnight) and of course I stayed up till midnight, consciously awaiting the turn of the decade (the first one that I'd be aware of), and feeling very alone. I mean, it was New Year's Eve and not only that but we were entering a new decade and I had spent the night with my mom and my sister, and was now in my room all alone. That's where I was in my life. All alone. And now I can't believe how much that has changed. I feel so blessed at the number of great people I've gotten so close to and gotten to know and meet and love. I'm just happy to be here and lived through it all. Maybe it was fitting that I spent the last night of the '00s, bookending the time from when I was 5 to 14, with my family, and that by the last night of the '10s I'll probably be spending it with friends, bookending the time from when I was 15 to 24. The two different groups of people who were most important to me during those periods. I remember when the clock struck 12 and it felt like it should be such a momentous, grand, epic moment. It was a new decade, a new start. And yet the change didn't feel immediate. It was just another minute. But looking back on it now I can see the change and that night seems too good to be true, as if it belongs in a novel of my life. It means so much to me. I remember right before the year began I listened to Ryanhood's "The World Awaits You," which I'm listening to again now, and all I can say is "Man, I couldn't even imagine how much that's true."

Alison, I've figured you out...

:O

"Woody Guthrie's American Song" Review

Review of ATC’s Production of Woody Guthrie’s American Song

by Marc Hansen

If you’re the kind of person who loves traditional folk/country music, then I’m sure you would LOVE ATC’s production of Woody Guthrie’s American Song, as most of the production consists of pretty much just that. As someone who loves modern folk music, but isn’t particularly a fan of this style, I admire the play for its strengths, but overall it just isn’t the play for me.

Woody Guthrie’s American Song brings to mind last season’s Ain’t Misbehavin’, which coincidentally had the time slot as Woody Guthrie’s American Song this year. Like Ain’t Misbehavin’, Woody Guthrie takes a famous, defining musical artist in a given genre (Woody Guthrie of Depression-era folk, like Fats Waller of 1920s jazz) and performs a wide collection of their songs over the course of the play. The productions consists of mostly just that, though you also get a great atmosphere for the time period they’re trying to project.

The main difference with Woody Guthrie however, is that Ain’t Misbehavin’ was just Fats Waller songs, while Woody Guthrie actually tries to provide a plot within the play. That’s not exactly a bad thing, in theory; I was expecting the production to be a story about Woody Guthrie’s life, but as the play goes on, you become increasingly aware that it’s more about the music, with an underdeveloped story thrown in occasionally between songs. In addition, the story that’s there, maybe because it is so underdeveloped, isn’t captivating in the slightest. It’s dull and just plain confusing. I think you could certainly make at least a semi-interesting story about Woody Guthrie’s life, but this isn’t it. It’s especially brought down by the fact that the five actors in the cast constantly switch characters, which isn’t unusual for secondary characters, but even the main character of Woody Guthrie was juggled between the three male stars, all at various points in the play. This convoluted approach, I’m assuming trying to be unique or creative, just made me bewildered as to who was who and what was happening.

On the positive side, as I said earlier, the play really is more concerned with the music than the plot, and the music is great. Even for someone like me, whose particular taste doesn’t lean towards this style of music (I actually prefer the 1920s jazz of Ain’t Misbehavin’), I can’t deny that the music is great and is the production’s greatest strength. There is a reason Woody Guthrie was a defining artist of this genre, and by the time his magnum opus “This Land Is Your Land” closed the show, everyone in the audience was singing along. The three band members (Mark Baczynski, David P. Jackson, and David Miles Keenan) are all excellent multi-instrumentalists and I loved the opening number “Hard Travelin’” in which every cast member overlaps a monologue about their characters’ backstory.

The set was also fantastic, extravagantly large and vast, just like the Old West, (heightened by our balcony seating) and perfectly setting the tone and mood for the music that accompanies it. You truly have a sense of the time and place of Depression-era America. When it comes down to it, even with its pros and cons, how much you like Woody Guthrie’s American Song will be directly related to how much you like his music. If you despise it, you may not be able to appreciate the set’s beauty or the instrumentalists’ skill. And if you’re head over heels in love with old time country/folk music, you may be able to look past that horrendous attempt at a story. As for me, I found myself somewhere in the middle.

Overall Grade: B-

"Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" Review

Once again, super behind on posting this but heregoes:

Review of ATC’s Production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

by Marc Hansen

In his career, prestigious playwright and legend August Wilson wrote, in addition to others, a series of ten plays, each detailing the African-American experience of one of the decades in the 20th century. These were called his “Century Cycle” or his “Pittsburgh Cycle,” as all ten of these plays were set in Pittsburgh’s Hill District, with the exception of one: Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, which takes place in Chicago and has now come to Tucson, Arizona at the ATC. This time the ATC keeps it light on the elaborate sets (though the one set they do have is still well done), and mostly relies on Wilson’s fabulous script and a superb cast to make for another enjoyable experience.

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom takes place over the course of one day in 1927, in a recording studio in Chicago, Illinois. The four struggling band members, the stubborn old record producer (Michael Tezla), and Ma Rainey’s peace keeping manager (Phil Kilbourne) are waiting for legendary singer Ma Rainey to arrive and record her new jazz record. After coming an hour late, major pop diva Ma Rainey (Jevetta Steele) refuses to sing until she has her Coca Cola and demands that her stuttering nephew (Ahanti Young) speak a line in the title song (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”). Meanwhile, back in the rehearsal room, feuds between the cocky, young trumpet player Levee (James T. Alfred) and the other three goofball musicians arise, ultimately leading to dire consequences and expressing the hardships of black Americans in the 1920s.

The best thing about the play was Wilson’s extraordinary and well-thought out dialogue, which had a poetic rhythm to it and reveled in the possibilities of the English language. It’s one of those screenplays that I would love to read on its own and get the full nuances of the arrangements of the words. I loved the banter back and forth between the back up band members, which is only heightened by all four actor’s extremely natural, yet completely convincing, performances (Abdul Salaam Razzac as Toledo is the most lovable of the three misfits, though all three are equally hilarious). Although, at some points, Ma Rainey does get a little too talky for its own good. Consisting of almost all dialogue, it’s easy to get lost and lose focus, and overall the play could use some more action to balance out the important themes the actors do express in their lines.

The play definitely picks up in the second half, after Ma Rainey has entered the picture and we get to watch a performance or two of some of the songs. (Warning to some members of the audience: Though this is a play very much about music and musicians, it’s not a musical; Don’t go in expecting Dreamgirls or lots of bluesy songs, as many members seemed to be disappointed by a lack of this - it is instead an intense and powerful portrait of African-Americans in the ‘20s). Jevetta Steele, in particular, is stellar and has a very commanding stage presence. She nails the arrogant, pop diva act and when she’s on stage, you can’t take your eyes off her. The MVP of the cast though is by far James T. Alfred as Levee, which is truly saying something as I actually admired every performance. However Alfred won me over when at the end of the first act, after having his character play the role of the arrogant and ambitious up-and-comer, Alfred reveals Levee’s true self when erupting into a towering monologue, truly showing how troubled, damaged and hot-tempered Levee really is.

Once again, the production isn’t perfect, as it does get a little slow and too long at various points, but all in all through Wilson’s mostly tight script, and the even better realized performances from this production of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, ATC certainly creates an emotional experience in which you empathize and understand the actions of these fascinating characters.

Overall Grade: B+

"Backwards in High Heels" Review - Way Late, Sorry

Review of ATC’s Production of Backwards in High Heels

by Marc Hansen

Just like the career of the famous 30’s Hollywood starlet Ginger Rogers, ATC’s production of season opener Backwards In High Heels, detailing the life of said actress/tap dancer, has its ups and downs. Certain aspects, such as the dancing and tap dancing, are beyond excellent, though the musical lacks purpose as a whole. Still, Backwards In High Heels should appeal to the older crowd, who were alive to experience the trajectory of Ginger Roger’s fifteen minutes of fame.

As previously stated, Backwards in High Heels is the life story of famous actress and tap dancer Ginger Rogers (Anna Aimee White), from a hopeful teenager in suburban Texas to a serious, accomplished professional on the Oscar-winning stage. The play hits all the major events in her life, including her famous legacy and union with fellow master tap dancer/actor Fred Astaire (Matthew LaBanca) and her five failed marriages (hilariously sped through in the song “Fine Romance”).

As always, the production values were excellent and I loved the set of the film set (but I’m a sucker for those kinds of things, being a film aficionado myself). There were also some really neat tricks being done with only two spotlights for lighting during “Baby Face“. And while there were no standouts in the cast, White’s voice was surprisingly powerful in “But... When?” after not having shown as much potential earlier. The music was hit-or-miss, like the play; sometimes it was standard and mundane, but there were some really catchy, standout numbers and productions, including the ridiculously fun “We’re in the Money.”

The main problem with Backwards in High Heels though is that it’s more just a series of events than a story. There seems to be no purpose or theme to the writing; at least I have no idea what it could possibly be trying to say, and suspect that its creation was purely on the basis of making a biopic (in stage format) of Ginger Rogers. And on that front, it’s the same old stuff you’ve seen before - typical ambitious young adult with big dreams in the 1920’s making it in the business, beyond all the odds and doubt. We already know the story, so when Jack Culpepper (James Patterson) tells Ginger Rogers she needs a plan B in case she doesn’t make it, we know she doesn’t, because we already know she does. And when Ginger’s mother (Heather Lee) tells her she’s making a huge mistake marrying Jack and that she’ll be back, we know she will. You could make this argument about any true story/biopic, but the problem in Backwards in High Heels is we don’t get inside Roger’s head or understand her better. We simply watch her life play out, making the play less interesting when we already know all the beats.

The play is mostly lightweight, as it has to be, because there’s no central dramatic theme, except for an overplayed subplot between Ginger and her mother, apparently thrown in to make up for a lack of conflict. In fact, the musical (which is also about half an hour too long) is at its best when it’s just lightweight and reveling in fun. Thank goodness, though, that Backwards In High Heels is on stage (and not film). If it weren’t, we would miss the musical’s ultimate high point in person - the opening number and tap filled “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” In this fabulous opener, White and fellow cast members LaBanca, Patterson, and Benjie Randall indulge in an amazing array of tap dance shoe harmonies, truly proving where their talents lie and how underrated this art form can be, as I’m sure Rogers would agree.

Overall Grade: C+

Here they are:

So, here are my finished projects from camp (Happy?):

Not doing a write up on camp (it was soooooooooooo awesome though), but here's the three movies I wrote/directed/edited there:

Ya, well that's it for now. Not sure if I'm still gonna do that huge Bonnaroo post now. A lot of time has passed. I'll see how I feel. I did write the beginnings of it, but not enough. If I decide not to post that then I'll at least post the 25 videos I filmed there, here. Anyways, see ya'll soon!

No Hay Un Banda....

Alright, well, I'm back. I probably should be packing (as I haven't done that yet... and we leave early tomorrow morning) and Morgan (my friend who's coming with us) should be here any minute (he's sleeping over), but I just felt like I needed to describe Mulholland Drive.

Haha, I wrote that late the night before we left for Bonnaroo and then Morgan arrived, right after I wrote that. But I feel like writing now, the night before I leave for camp, and don't feel in the mood to write about Bonnaroo (or the time - that's gonna be much longer). So, I thought I'd talk about the film Mulholland Drive.....

Two nights before we left for Bonnaroo, at about 11:00 p.m. I decided to watch Mulholland Drive, as I wasn't tired yet and I figured I'd finish it in the morning. Plus, I had been anticipating it and wanting to see it for quite some time now, so I was eager to watch it. I put it in and from that point on, I was put in a trance. It was one of the weirdest, if not the weirdest, experience I've ever had watching a movie, but to call Mulholland Drive just a movie would be to undermine it's affect: Mulholland Drive is an experience, and it transcends movies. Now, I'm not saying that Mulholland Drive is the best movie ever made, or my favorite, but it is like no other movie I've ever seen. It was my first David Lynch film (and from what I've read afterwards, supposedly Lost Highway and Inland Empire are even weirder), so that may play into it. I knew about David Lynch; namely that he was just another director, but that his films were really, really weird - but that doesn't even begin to describe it. We all have our own connotations for the word 'weird' and you have to set those aside when you're calling a David Lynch film 'weird' because though there's no other word to describe it, and it certainly is weird, it's not weird like anything else is weird.

Okay, I know I'm talking in really broad terms here, and making pretty grand statements, but I don't want to spoil the experience, because going into Mulholland Drive, you have to know nothing about it. I had seen the trailer for it, but it didn't seem to make any sense to me (even though watching it now, it seems like it has way more of a straight forward plot than it actually does), and all I really knew was that it was highly praised. So I put it in, having no idea what I was getting myself into, and suddenly two and a half hours passed. I hadn't moved an inch the entire time, stuck in position, entranced by this movie - I wasn't able to stop watching, take my eyes off, or go to bed. Now it was 1:30 in the morning and I sat there staring at the TV screen and whispered to myself: "What the fuck did I just watch?"

See, Mulholland Drive, well, made no fucking sense. In the film, random things just happen and are never explained. Characters pop up in beginning scenes and then never appear again, and many scenes play out, later seeming to have no relevance to anything whatsoever. The film is a mystery. Okay, well, that's the beginning of the film, but for some reason you can't stop watching - it's not bad, as in 'This doesn't even make sense! This is so stupid! I'm turning this off!' - and it's not laughable how it doesn't make sense, it just is. In reality, it's actually quite good, and the way David Lynch directs it you're drawn in, even though you don't understand it. And the direction is really, really good - that's something you can certainly admire. As the film goes on, though, it seems to start making more sense; there's more of a central plot that you're following and think you understand - weird stuff still happens, but you get the feeling that by the end, it'll all start making sense and trying itself up again. However, the opposite ends up being true, and if anything, David Lynch starts to put the ribbon on the box before letting it loose again causing the box to fall, open, and spill all over the place. In the last half hour, things get really weird and really don't start making sense and you don't get what's going on, but you're still left with the feeling that this wasn't poorly made; in fact, it was amazing and revolutionary. I know what you're thinking, it's revolutionary only because it doesn't follow the rules of storytelling, when in actuality anyone could make a film that doesn't make any sense and things happen for no reason. And although anyone could make that story, only David Lynch can make it work. Even though it didn't make the traditional sort of 'sense,' I actually did feel as if I understood it in a way, my own way I guess. It made a strange sort of sense, without giving all, or any, of the answers. And it's almost as if David Lynch is saying "Why do films have to have a plot?" This seemed to be all about tone and mood, and even though you weren't sure what it all meant, you certainly got a feeling, and that feeling is what it means. You can't deny, even if you like your films to be more cohesive, that it gave a strange feeling like nothing else. And as I imagine David Lynch would say "Why do films have to be cohesive? Can't films be left up to the viewer's interpretation of things and events?" He merely provides the outline; we determine how the story unfolds. And after reading other's interpretations of the film, as well as trying to develop my own, I have a pretty good idea of what I think happened, or what it means to me. I found it baffling when I read one post on IMDb, acting as if two widely agreed interpretations were set-in-stone fact, when those are just two interpretations like any others, though they may be shared by more people. And there are parts of some theories that I agree with and others that I don't, and I still haven't made sense of what it all means and every detail/scene in the film, but I don't think I'm meant to know. David Lynch has kept all the answers to himself.

To me, Mulholland Drive is kind of like Taoism. Once you've made sense of all of Mulholland Drive, like finding the Tao, you keep it to yourself and don't share it with others, because what it means, or finding the Tao, is all relative and depends on the person and.... oh my God, I think I just discovered the Tao myself. I guess that means I have to delete my post, because I'm not supposed to share it with others. Oh, fuck it, I'm not a Taoist. But I've read people who claim they finally understand what it all means, but don't post it, because it's about the journey finding the answers, not what the answers are themselves. One guy watched it like 300 times in a row consecutively, without any outside help from the internet or other people, and developed his own theory (which happens to not agree with the widely believed theory) about what it means.

The movie's also pretty creepy. Really creepy tone and some scary moments and I was watching it at 11 - 1:30 at night, all alone, with all the lights off, and suffice to say, I got kinda freaked/creeped out. I showed about the first hour to Morgan (who analyzes everything) and he didn't think it made sense, though he got tired and fell asleep. When we got back from Bonnaroo, I showed it to Nathan, who really enjoyed it, but didn't understand it either, but just loved how weird and random it was. Oh and there's a really hot lesbian sex scene. I mean, I always understood why guys like lesbian sex scenes (I mean, it's two girls), but I never really understood it until I saw this. Anyways, you should watch it. Seriously.

'Bad Line Readings' 2: Mortal Kombat: Annihilation

I also just wanted to say that I've been back from Bonnaroo for a couple days now and have been planning on doing a huge blog post on it, but it's taking me a little while which is why I haven't posted anything immediately. Hopefully I can get it up by tomorrow.

'Highlights from Europe Trip 2 + 3'

Well, I've got the next two videos in my 'Highlights from Europe Trip' series. In this case we have one video (#2) that's focused on an entire place, and edited and stuff, and then another video (#3, in this case), which isn't really edited, but just one clip of something funny, unusual, or just something... that happened on the trip. And that's how most of the videos will be presented on my blog from now on. I don't like the England one, as much as I like the Italy one (which I thought was pretty good), but there are some parts I did well there and some parts that just drag. So, here's that:

And here's the third one, a trailer for 'Cold Blooded,' a fake horror/sci-fi/creature movie that we made as part of this game at the Movieum in London (you had to perform an act, the camera filmed you doing this, and then it incorporated it into this trailer). Yepp..... fun stuff.

Finally, I had a memorable experience late last night, when I was watching Mulholland Drive for the first time. I think I want to blog about it, but I may do it later today, because I don't feel like doing it right now and I'm gonna go swim. I'm also leaving for Bonnaroo tomorrow, so I won't be blogging again until next week, but when I come back, I'll blog about my experiences and the concerts at Bonnaroo, continue with posts/videos in my three new series (I'll have new ones for each) and then after 12 days I'm off again! But I'll try and post as much as I can within that time period. (Though you haven't been commenting lately, Alison - where've you been?! We need to plan that Dark Knight party when I get back (but before I leave again). And you need to tell me when to go see Fame. Also, I hung out with Lucas yesterday and I have a funny story, next time I see you.) Also, Toy Story 3 comes out when I get back! Anyways, I'm gonna go swim.

'Highlights from Europe Trip 1: Italy'

Well, I got the YouTube thing working, and alas, we have come to our final series in the trio of new series (so, this is really just the beginning). First of all, do you remember this?

That trailer for the movie on our Europe trip that I never made. And remember how I talked about doing some individual videos on just the highlights from that trip, since there was so much footage to look through. And you're probably thinking now that you should've seen this coming (actually you're probably thinking 'No I wasn't thinking that at all - why would you think I think about what you're next blog series is going to be, Marc, you narcissistic twit).

Well my new series, titled 'Highlights from Europe Trip,' is kind of a combination of those first two things: It's a video series including memorable moments from our trip, but I've also edited a lot of the footage that I didn't think I could edit into an entertaining snapshot of our travels. So, there you have it, and here's the first video in the series, corresponding with the first country we went to on our trip (the first European country we set foot in): Italy. Hope you enjoy it.

The next video(s) in the series will be posted fairly soon and the rest randomly posted throughout the summer (with about a total of 10 videos in all, as I've planned thus far). I mean, when I'm not here I'm obviously not gonna be writing on this blog, but when I am here (as in Tucson), I'll probably be doing more so.

'Bad Line Readings' 1: Tough Guys Don't Dance

So, this is my other new series/segment: 'Bad Line Readings.' It's pretty self-explanatory. This is one of my three new series (the 'Remember This!' one being one of them too). I was actually planning on posting the last series today, but YouTube's being weird and is having problems uploading.... :( (and yes, it's video-related). So, hopefully I'll get that worked out in the next couple of days. Meanwhile, here's the first video for our new series 'Bad Line Readings' spoken by Ryan O'Neal in Tough Guys Don't Dance:

Oh man, oh God! Some top notch performances right there; I can't believe that guy was in Barry Lyndon. Anyways, this is actually the easiest of my three series because all I have to do is watch some bad acting and post it to my blog, but it's also fun, so :D.

'Remember This!' 1: Isaac McKillin'

So, for the past two days I've been cleaning my room. It's usually what I do in the summer, since I have nothing else to do and my room's a mess, even though by the next summer it usually ends up looking pretty identical to the way it was before I cleaned it, but hey, just imagine how bad it would be if I didn't clean it every summer. Yeah, so I call it 'Summer Cleaning' (as opposed to 'Spring Cleaning;' I know, it took me a really long time to come up with that).

Anyways, so I've been looking through old stuff (I don't remember all of us looking so young when we were 5th graders!), including my old English binder from Mr. B.'s class and I actually liked most of what I wrote in that class. So, I thought it would be fun to start posting some of my old pieces (as long as I'm not writing anything new anyways and I need something to keep this blog going, besides part of the point of my blog is to post my writing) in my new series cleverly titled, 'Remember This!' So, I'll be taking old pieces I've written, posting them on here, writing what Mr. B. had to say about the piece (if I wrote it for his class), and then what I have to say about it, one year later (because some of them have parts that just don't work at all, and I'll be the first to admit it, but have something I like in there - that's usually the case with my writing, as opposed to my movies, because even if there's something I didn't do quite well, there's also something that I can find I liked, or why else would I have wrote it, and captures some idea I'm interested in, which you'll find is what most of these pieces are. God dammit it, I hate how discursive these blogs are. I don't mind talking like this, but I hate writing like it). Also, most of these pieces will be within the last two years (because yeah, I'm not posting the stuff I used to write in 4th grade - wow).

Phew - got that all out of the way. Anyways, posted below is the first piece I'll be starting the series with. I thought I'd start the series off on a high note and this is one of my more acclaimed pieces from last year and it spawned one of my trademark characters, so yeah. You may remember it as the story we had to write which took place within 6 seconds. I actually just realized that I don't have a title for this one. Should I call it my 6 second piece, or I guess 'Isaac McKillin'' would be a more appropriate title, so I'll use that. And here it is:

'Isaac McKillin''

by

Marc Hansen

Only five more seconds, I think to myself.

Only five more seconds until he takes off my blindfold and I can see where he has taken me. Him. Isaac McKillin’.

“One...” He whispers.

I wonder where he’s taken me. I can’t see anything with this blindfold on. For some reason I have a feeling I’m in an alley. I don’t know why he would take me to an alley, if he’s planning on torturing me, but it just feels like something I would see in the movies. I don’t know. Maybe he’s not going to torture me. Oh, come on! Of course he’s going to torture me. He kidnapped me, blindfolded me, drove me in his car somewhere, probably in the middle of nowhere, and now I’m down on my knees. Besides, it’s Isaac McKillin’. No one messes with Isaac McKillin’. Could it get any worse?

“Two...” He counts down.

How did this happen to me? How in earth did I get into this god awful trouble? I think about how I had gotten here. So that’s how. I guess it’s reasonable. I deserve whatever’s coming to me, which I would feel a lot better about if I wasn’t me right now. This is gonna be bad. It is Isaac McKillin’. The infamous Isaac McKillin’.

“Three...”

I wish I was a baby. I wish I could start all over. Try it again. Redo. I wish I was just a baby again. I wish that my father and my mother could create me all over again, on some other afternoon, one where they hadn’t been so angry at each other. Maybe then I wouldn’t have been such a screw-up. I wish that I could once again be growing from a fetus into an actual human being, inside my mother’s womb, with eight more months to go. Maybe I wouldn’t have been such a screw-up if she hadn’t been drinking. I wish, that for one more time, my mother could have her water break, take the bus to the hospital, push, scream, cry, have contractions, tell my father to stop watching the game in the waiting room, get overemotional, and finally push my tiny, slimy, wonderful baby body out of her body. I think that’s the way it went. Too bad I don’t remember what actually happened that day. I was so young, naive, innocent, childish. I didn’t know what I had coming in for me. Maybe if I was born differently I wouldn’t be here now. But I am here.

“Four...” One more second. Almost there. Why does it feel like these five seconds are taking forever? How much can really even happen in five seconds? A lifetime. Maybe our whole lives just take place in five seconds? Over before you know it. How do we not know that our complete lives just go by like that in a flash? Five seconds. Time is only relative, you know. It doesn’t even mean a thing. Just a way of keeping track. Just numbers. One, two, three, four, five. Five seconds could be forever. Seconds, hours, lifetimes just depend on your scale. Time is relative. Maybe I wouldn’t be such a screw-up if my life was longer.

“Five...” The words come out as I suddenly feel the cold, black, hard, metal end of a gun touch the tiny shaved hairs on the back of my head.

“Oh god,” I cry, like a baby. I guess he’s not going to torture me after all. Now I know why they call him Isaac McKillin’.

In the sixth second he takes off my blindfold and before I know it, it’s all over too soon. Like that. In a flash. 1 second. I never even get to see where he’s taken me. He just takes off the blindfold and pulls the trigger. Isaac McKillin’. The bullet enters my brain. I wish I could just give it another go-around. I promise I wouldn’t make the same mistakes. Really, I do. But it’s too late. It’s over. It’s all over. I see a flash and blue butterflies fill any last sight I have. I don’t even live long enough to write about a seventh second. All thanks to Isaac McKillin’. As if one more second was all I needed. One second could last a lifetime, you know. I’m repeating myself. That’s what dying people do. Repeat themselves. That’s me. If it wasn’t for Isaac McKillin’ I could have had one more second. One more lifetime. But I don’t. The bullet enters my brain. All noise stops. All smell dies. All sight is gone. No more feeling. Where did the taste go? Wait, how am I still narrating? I’m dead!

Play dead, Brian, play dead.

What Mr. B. said: 'Nicely done - weird + dark, but also it somehow makes a lot of sense + works well.' He also said 'great ending' and really liked the blue butterflies imagery, as well as the entire baby paragraph.

What I have to say: Well, I actually don't really have anything bad to say about this piece. I really like it and am pretty proud of it. Reading it again is kind of a 'Wow, I can't believe I did that. That was good.' experience and I don't have any regrets. Every detail works towards the benefit of the story. I like how I exclude how he actually gets there, the fact that I did a play on Isaac's name (that was pretty creative - and another reason why some of these pieces only make sense for our class, I mean this does regardless, but it's a nice, added touch), the style in which I wrote the piece, the narrator's thoughts, and the ending as well. I also really like the last three 'big' paragraphs a lot. I can't believe I wrote that, because I like it more than I should. It's weird, because I don't think I really knew what I was doing the entire time, but it ended up working out for the best. Anyways, next time, I'll choose a piece where I can be more critical and I haven't decided if this is gonna be like a weekly segment or if I'll just post them whenever I feel like it.

Your thoughts?

Bonnaroo Schedule

Alright, so my sister graduates from high school today (can you believe it?!), and I thought I'd share her graduation present (which I also get to enjoy and participate in) with you. I originally neglected to bring this up because I thought it made me sound spoiled or rich, and I really hate that, but the truth is you travel a lot, tickets are only a couple hundred dollars, it's a passion of mine, and a lot of people would hate doing this (but those who would love, would really love it). So, where is this magical gift to - a sex sauna? No, but you would think that, Alison. Actually, it's to a music festival in Manchester, Tennessee called Bonnaroo. I don't know if you've heard of it, but it's like a modern day Woodstock (that happens every year...), but it's on a farm and it's the largest music festival in North America. So, yeah, I'm pretty excited, and not that I would want to gloat, but to not spread my enthusiasm would diminish it of its value. So, that's pretty much what I've been focused on for the past week and the schedule came out last weekend, so since then I've been working on coming up with a schedule that can fit everyone's desires (my mom and our friend Morgan is going too). So I wanted to share the schedule I've been working on. Here it is:

THURSDAY: (we don't do much this day, because it's the first day, so it takes a long time to get into the festival and the concerts don't start until four. So, besides the three concerts we see that day, we'll pretty much be cruising around, looking around the place, and maybe listening to some bands we haven't heard of).

7:30 p.m. - 8:15 - Miike Snow (This Tent)

10:00 p.m. - 11:00 - The Temper Trap (That Tent)

11:30 p.m. - 12:45 - The xx (That Tent - yes those are the names of the tents)

FRIDAY: (this day is PACKED, though - it's gonna be pretty awesome)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 - Trombone Shorty (Which Stage)

1:00 p.m. - 2:00 - Tokyo Police Club (The Other Tent)

2:30 p.m. - 3:30 - Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros (The Other Tent)

4:00 p.m. - 5:15 - Dr. Dog (The Other Tent)

5:00 p.m. - 6:15 - She & Him (This Tent - I haven't decided which I love more enough to miss 15 minutes of the other)

6:15 p.m. - 6:45 - OK Go (The Other Tent)

6:45 p.m. - 7:45 - Tenacious D (What Stage)

7:45 p.m. - 8:15 - Tori Amos (This Tent)

8:15 p.m. - 8:30 - Steve Martin (That Tent)

8:30 p.m. - 9:30 - Michael Franti & Spearhead (Which Stage)

9:30 p.m. - 11:30 - Kings of Leon (What Stage) (And I'm assuming we'll miss some of either Michael Franti or Kings of Leon to find time to have dinner)

12:00 a.m. - 1:30 - Daryl Hall & Chromeo (The Other Tent)

12:00 a.m. - 1:30 - The Black Keys (That Tent)

12:00 a.m. - 2:00 - The Flaming Lips (Which Stage - not sure how we're gonna divide the three of these up yet, either)

2:00 a.m. - 2:30 - Galactic (The Other Tent)

2:30 a.m. - 4:00 - LCD Soundsystem (This Tent)

SATURDAY:

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 - Conan O'Brien (Comedy Theater)

2:00 p.m. - 2:45 - Brandi Carlile (That Tent - just my mom and sis for this one, Morgan and I are gonna stay in Conan O'Brien)

2:45 p.m. - 4:00 - Norah Jones (Which Stage)

4:00 p.m. - 5:00 - either Beatles Rock Band Experience or Jeffrey Ross Roasts Bonnaroo (Lunar Stage and Comedy Theater, respectively - we've got an hour to kill, so we'll check in on each and decide which we like better)

5:00 p.m. - 6:15 - Mumford & Sons (That Tent)

6:15 p.m. - 7:00 - The Dead Weather (What Stage)

7:00 p.m. - 8:30 - Weezer (Which Stage)

8:30 p.m. - 10:30 - Stevie Wonder (What Stage - he plays till 10:30, but I doubt we'll stay for the whole thing)

SUNDAY:

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 - Ingrid Michaelson (The Other Tent)

1:15 p.m. - 2:15 - Calexico (Which Stage)

3:00 p.m. - 4:15 - Regina Spektor (Which Stage)

4:15 p.m. - 4:30 - Against Me! (This Tent)

5:00 p.m. - 6:15 - Dropkick Murphys (This Tent)

6:30 p.m - 7:00 - Blues Traveler (Sonic Stage)

And we end the night with:

7:15 p.m. - 8:45 - Phoenix (Which Stage)

MONDAY:

Depart.

Phew. It's gonna be a long weekend, with not much showering or cleanliness, and consisting mostly of watching concerts literally all day (one day up until 4 in the morning!) - like I said, a lot of people wouldn't like this trip - but it's going to be well worth it and an incredible experience. I love my life.

'Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta'

Here comes "The Intense Cabin!" (and more!)

Well, I've got two brand new videos for all (one) of you today. I'll start with "Imaginary Me." This one's. . . okay. It's not bad. It's not great, but Ricardo is amazing in it. He's genius, by far the best part of the video, and really the only reason it's worth watching. No other introduction really, except maybe this tagline: "Have you ever wanted to be someone else?" Oh and you get to see me shirtless, so that's always nice (right? No? Come on.)

The next video is "The Intense Cabin!" I love this one, and though sometimes I don't like it as much as I do other times (it differs on the day/time I watch it), at worst I really like it and think not only did we do a really good job on it, but it's pretty well done. At best, like when Abdul and I were doing final editing at my house, it's absolutely amazing, and we couldn't control ourselves from not jacking off to it. So, yeah, I'm pretty proud of this one and like it a lot (though the First Friday Shorts crowd certainly didn't feel the same....). I hope that didn't set your expectations too high, but I think it's really good *cowers*. So, here's that:

And finally, I just wanted to post this because it looks fucking amazing and makes my mind feel like it's about to explode (in a OHMYGODDDDDTHISISSOCOOL way).

Oh my God, July 16th can't come soon enough. Movie of the summer? (Sorry Toy Story 3).

So now your turn, which video of mine did you like better? What'd you think of the Inception trailer? Which do you think will be better: Toy Story 3 or Inception? Discuss. Also, feel free to talk about anything else/expand on those thoughts.

'Literature Reformed' Essay

This is an essay I wrote for class. I thought my blog followers might appreciate this. Enjoy.

“Literature Reformed”

by Marc Hansen

As we embark on the beginning of the second decade of the century, it’s becoming abundantly clear that this really is the digital age. We are engrossed in our technology. There’s not a household without a tv and a computer, or a person without a cell phone or music player. World’s going down the toilet? Well, give me a second, I’m waiting in line for the new iPad. Still don’t have a job? Well, no need to worry, as long as you can still buy the newest, latest, greatest toy with another bank loan. These days you can’t even survive without all of your gadgets, but the truth is I hadn’t really minded until now, when it’s hit me where it hurts most: books. I suppose it’s only the natural progression that soon even books would be relegated to a digital file, but if I can help it, I’ll try and do everything in my power to make sure that society continues buying real, physical books, instead of the Kindle. That’s right: he whose name cannot be spoken. I guess, I’m not really giving the Kindle (and the iPad, for that matter, now) enough credit, but it’s time to really compare regular, old-fashioned books and the Kindle, once and for all. While physical books are for happy, faithful book-lovers, the Kindle is for aggressive, ominous killers, who want to destroy the medium, strip away everything that makes it what it is, and ultimately, gain world control. Or something.

I’ll admit that the Kindle does have some useful qualities, as it would have to have, or there would be no other way its evil creators could plant the idea that this destructive bomb is a good idea into consumer’s brains. But seriously, it does allow the reader to enlarge the print size, which is pretty helpful for the elderly, as well as anyone whose farsighted, and if you’re traveling, it’s much easier to pack a small Kindle with all of your books on it, then all of your physical books, which would take up a significant amount of space. Another positive I’ve heard is that it’s more convenient to buy books on your digital Kindle, have it directly downloaded to the machine, and be able to own the book immediately and that’s where I draw the line. (on physical paper I actually drew a line there - see reading on paper is better than reading on a computer, even though that's what you're doing right now). I love going to the bookstore. It’s like the difference of watching a movie at home or actually going to the theater to experience the film. When I get in the car to drive to the bookstore, it feels more eventful and special. I’m physically getting out of the house, instead of just staying inside, and have that anticipation on the drive over there of finally being able to get a copy of that book I’ve wanted to read. When I picture the Kindle, I think of a bunch of mole-y, shadow people, enclosed in their homes, living off of a computer, and never seeing the sun or going outside.

Not to mention that the Kindle just loses that lovable, human quality that physical books seem to possess. Reading should be intimate. Most of the joy comes from the actual story, but your surroundings affect the experience. Isn’t it always better when you’re curled up in your cozy, warm bed reading, than reading in public, when you’re surrounded by lots of people and distractions? Like I said, reading is meant to be an intimate experience, where you get so involved you can’t stop turning the real pages and even bring the book with you to the bathroom so you don’t have to put it down. One of my favorite things to do is read for hours in the jacuzzi and have the warm, miniscule, water molecules jump onto the grainy pages of my paperback. If I took a Kindle with me in the jacuzzi, I’d just get electrocuted. I like getting my books stained and looking beaten down - that’s proof that they’ve been used, whereas, on the Kindle, I could just delete the file of my book once I’m done with it. Some would say that they’d prefer not having physical books take up all that space, but I love having a stack of books I’ve yet to read, and all the books I have read on my shelf. That’s my life on those shelves.

Finally, books have a history to them that Kindles can’t obtain. You could ask me why I don’t mind that all the music I own is digital and on my iPod, but I love my iPod and I couldn’t live without my computer. The real difference is that the change from CDs to mp3 files on iPods didn’t seem all that drastic, because the way we’ve listened to music has constantly been changing. It just seemed like the next step in the process of evolution. First, we had records, then we had 8-tracks, then we had cassettes, then we had CDs, and now we have mp3 files. Every decade or so, we’d have a new way of listening to music, so an iPod just seemed like the newest way to essentially do the same thing. Books, on the other hand, have always been books. For hundreds of years, they’ve stayed in the same format, on paper, banded together. To change that would be to change what books are all about. Reading has always been a form of recreation, and I take pride in knowing that when I’m writing with pencil and paper, I’m writing the same way our greatest authors, from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to FitzGerald, wrote. I’ve held books in my hands that were published over 150 years ago, and it’s a magical feeling knowing that what you have in your hands is not only that old, but was once new. You can see the history and it’s nice to think that authors today are still publishing their works in the exact same form. Those books can survive for eternity, while with the press of a button, the books on the Kindle could be gone forever.

While some supporters of the Kindle would say that it’s the actual content of the books that count, and I agree that that is the most important thing, I still ask them this question: Was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, for example (or insert your book of choice), meant to be read on a lit-up screen? When Mark Twain was writing the words down, was he picturing his readers reading his book in this form? No, Mark Twain had never heard of a computer. That’s not how Mark Twain envisioned his book while writing it, and that’s not how it’s meant to be read. Yet that’s essentially all a Kindle is: a lifeless computer. Our species have always written on actual pieces of paper, and we always will.

Some of the jokes (like the print size) really did work better on paper, further proof of my point.

"Life of Pi" Movie!

And yet another video.

No, this isn't a post on the supposed Life of Pi 3-D movie that's coming out next year (God, what a terrible idea. . . . I hope it doesn't go through), but my own "Life of Pi" movie. This is a video that we made for our English class (that just aired today - I neglected to put it on YouTube until it had its premiere). It's not really an adaptation or filmed version of the book, but just a movie relating to the book. There are lines and scenes from the book, but not in chronological order, and a lot of it is my own writing, based on the themes of the book (the images also directly relate to passages, metaphors, themes of the book). So, don't watch thinking this is a "Life of Pi" movie based on the book, but a semi-original, reimagined, movie about, relating to, and summarizing the "Life of Pi."

Also, ignore the background of my house (and the crummy B-roll footage I got from YouTube). Clearly, we didn't really film in the ocean and I'm not good enough to matte it out convincingly, so just focus on the story (and really focus, cuz I'm proud of this one and think it's one of my better ones).

Hope you enjoy. Here's the movie:

2 New Videos - Please Watch

Okay, so I finally figured out why I couldn't upload new videos onto my YouTube account (which is why all the videos I had been posting had been old ones), but I fixed that, which means there's gonna be a whole slew of new videos coming in. Today I have two new ones.

The first is that video I did on Laura. I thought I might as well post it up here. I don't particularly think it's anything great (and after watching it so much, I hardly think it's funny), but I know a lot of the kids liked it, so I thought I'd post it up here, so they could see without having a DVD. Also, since none of the kids in our grade read my blog, and hence they wouldn't know it's on here, I was wondering if you, Alison, if you're reading this, could embed it onto your facebook, please. Thank You. I don't know if you embedded the other one yet (cuz I don't have a facebook), but I'd really appreciate it if you did. Thank you, and sorry I'm making you do all this (if you're doing it, I don't know). Also, Mr. B., or anyone else, if you're reading this: Basically people wanted me to go around filming Laura for a week and then editing a video with all the stupid stuff she says. So here's that:

The other video is much more important and more reflective of my work and capabilities. This is a video that Douglas and I made for the AWASA (Animal Welfare Alliance of Southern Arizona) high school media contest. The competition is for any high school students in Southern Arizona to make a PSA video on either the Spay & Neuter, Pet Adoption or Trap, Neuter and Return of pets. We chose Pet Adoption. The grand prize is $500 and they would air our PSA on local television, as well as on the internet, organizations, and anything they choose to (they would have full rights to do anything with it if we win). Here's the little intro or tagline into it: Adopting a pet from a humane society, animal shelter, or rescue group saves a live. Adopt a pet... save a life... make a difference! So here's that video:

That was a really fun shoot. We actually used water from a watering can for the rain and my camera actually got wet. Doug was pouring water from the stairs and I was handling the camera, making it look like the dog's POV. The whole thing was really exciting, because it felt like a real production with a lot of choreographing. We had to really plan things out and get it perfect. I would yell "LIGHTS, CAMERA, RAIN, ACTION!" and then walk in the same direction and then Lillian and Danielle had to walk across and then I had to hand the camera to Doug and go around the corner and come back around. So, it was pretty exhausting, but well worth it. In reality, it was only 2 shots (though we took a ton of takes for both of them), that we cut back and forth between. By the end, my hands were literally frozen, from getting my hands so cold. But all in all, I think it turned out really well, I really like the concept and I think we stand a good chance at winning. Anyways, please rate that one, and Alison, I'll probably get Doug to paste this one onto facebook for me ;). THANKS!

I Have A Very Special Video For All of You Today

And for a Limited Time Only!

Kind of in response to the one from yesterday. I neglected putting it on YouTube at first, because I figured that it only made sense to our previous English class (Mr. B!), but after some requests to see it again, and figuring it's been a year, I thought you guys might like to see it again (except for Alison, who won't appreciate it, because she still thinks her presentation is better - I don't know why; girl's delusional). Also, since I don't have a facebook and only 2 (1?) people read this blog, I'd appreciate it if Alison somehow posted it on her facebook or something for the other English students (however you do that). Let's just hope that no one else watches it.

Also I'm only leaving this up for three weeks and then taking it down, so don't miss it and watch it as much as you can [put that in with your facebook thing ;)]!

I can't believe I never posted this

I made that over the summer, so it's weird looking back on it, because I've gotten so much better. So, don't chastise me if you don't like it. I could do it a lot better now, but I must say, I still think I did a pretty good job.

It just surprises me that I never posted it here, because of all people, you two would get the reference (along with the rest of the class, but the three of us are the only ones who blog).