The biography of Quentin Crisp.

This quote is exactly my thoughts to being told the same thing by so many potential clients:

Producers always say “Come on, do this movie! It’ll be fun — you’ll have a great time!” … It’s not fun. It’s passionate. It’s serious. It’s infuriating when you find your own limitations, knocking your head against the wall — which I did a lot on this one. I mean, “Inception” wasn’t easy. There was nothing casual about it.

via A dream job: Hans Zimmer and the music of ‘Inception’ | Seattle Times Newspaper.

listen

AKA Meryl Streep, Barnard Commencement Speach 2010. So rare – so refreshing. So perfect – is she ever not? HOW? I’d aspire to be like her but I’ve already failed at that like 100000000 times over, and that was just yesterday. (Via Alexis Arquette’s facebook.)

my good friend GJ directed this. if u r a fan of sploshing…

Stuff to Live For from G.J. Echternkamp on Vimeo.

g.j. echternkamp + giant drag: stuff to live for. « shape+colour.

La Maîtresse de la Tour Eiffel | 2009 from Michel de Broin on Vimeo.

Michel de Broin – Nuit Blanche.

Pen Ward, the creator, was at Calarts I think the last year I was. I saw this really simple short he did with the same lead characters an i begged him to send it to me or put it online. It still isn’t – but instead he has his own show now. It’s so genius and sincere.

If I made a movie it would be this one. It’s possibly my favorite film ever. U can see the whole thing starting here – or see the segment below that has a multitude of moments I adore: a shopping spree, a makeover, a fancy dinner alone in a fancy hotel (SO ME!), drinking alone at a fancy bar (also so me) – and the LA part! The orange trees in the airport!, Meg Ryan as Angelica Graynamore, and THAT SIGN!, Angelica Graynamore and THAT ACCENT! The “LA” restaurant with the shards of light reflected on their faces! Her painting, the transition, her poem! I’ve imitated her accent so often in private – and it’s still a default i slip into when nervous.

Like so many films that totally bomb, it’s actually genius. (Hello Donnie Darko.) And it’s prolly gay to take a life message from a film but i sort of live by this film – especially the line about doing the thing you’re afraid of doing.

Every detail is flawless yet casual. Every set dressing so considered I see something new every time. The fakeness of studio sets is embraced, and a shot of a car pulling up to his apartment is obviously a model. The kitschy lamp in the beginning of the film contains every detail of the end of the film. Excellent music choices and score. And the use of rough storyboards with the end credits – in LOVE. I love when a work acknowledges that it’s a fabrication and doesn’t get hung up on being perfectly artificially polished. I guess the most amazing thing about the story is it’s an only positive film – there’s really no villains or violence – or sex. And it amazingly handles both entertaining artificiality and deep realness in the characters performances and delivery. I hope u love it as much as i do. John Patrick Shanley (the writer/director) thank you thank you!

Egypt Extended Cut

Waaaaayyy back in October 2007, my friend asked me if I’d be his one man art dept. for a music video shoot for a reality/game show on VH1 called “Shoot to Kill.” The show was two teams competeing by remaking their version of a classic 80’s music video. We were allowed limited crew, two days to shoot, and $500. That’s it. I spent a couple weeks building and painting in my friend’s backyard and we only spent $130 of our own money. When the video was screened for the judges (the original band members were bart of the panel) they were silent, then one asked “When you were making this, did you know it was going to look that good?” And we were like “Uh duh. Isn’t that the point?”

This was one of my set sketches. The concept was she’s dead (which is why the movers have to literally move her), and she’s being prepped for the afterlife. As the movers go through her memories, anything that was alive (birds, fish, etc. are now dead and mummified. Everything else is gilded and getting wrapped also. One of the Bangles read it as a metaphor of being a pop star and how she recalled being constantly manipulated by others almost as literally as we’d shown.

For whatever reason the show will never air despite the whole season being shot. If u see Drew Barrymore ask her about it – she was one of the 11 executive producers.

Move over TRON lightcycle – I’ve got a new ride in mind.