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December 31, 2004

Luther - More than just another Catholic Slamfest

Luther starts out much like a lot of films with an agenda against the Catholic Church. It paints Rome as the seat of an overbearing, hypocritical, evil, den of money-hungry control freaks. (Oh wait, that's what they are!) Despite being funded by a German, Lutheran company; NFP Teleart and a US, Lutheran company; Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, the film is not too heavily slanted. Sure, it contains some inaccuracies - but most historical films do.

Joseph Fiennes does a fine job as Martin Luther and Peter Ustinov does Frederick the Wise proud. It is a white-washed version of the controversial figure to be sure, but not in an attempt to rewrite history, only in failing to include some of the more questionable and provocative portions of Luther's life and teachings. As a Protestantism 101 course it is fine viewing - for more advanced studies, it cannot be relied upon.

As cinema however, it is compelling viewing... add to that the painless inclusion of history and you have a fine film.

RATING 8 out of 10

...and one more nag that is not just related to this film. Why are the makers of DVDs unable to put sound down on a disc that doesn't require you to turn it up to hear the dialogue and turn it down during action scenes because it suddenly becomes deafening? I get to where I just mute all action scenes in movies so that I can leave the volume loud enough to hear quiet conversations.

Posted by CDogg at 06:12 PM | Comments (0)

December 28, 2004

The Audition

We took advantage of a day off and started filming on our upcoming short - The Audition. The film is about a couple of wannabe hoods who get an opportunity to 'audition' for a local crime boss. The problem is that things go a little wrong.

It is a short film starring the neighbor kids and some friends. We have been wanting to do one for a couple years since completing our first neighborhood film - American Ninja. For Christmas, we released a collector's edition of the American Ninja DVD - complete with extra features and a limited edition run. Those involved sold the DVD to relatives and/or bought them for Christmas gifts with the idea that the funds collected would be used as a budget for the next one.

We didn't have much of a budget for this one, but since we already own most of the equipment needed, all we really needed money for was lunches and an occasional prop.

Here we (Dave, EJ, Brett & I) are onsite, setting up a shot...

Manny allowed us to use his vehicle as the getaway car... I don't think he realized what he was getting into until Brett asked, "Okay, okay, I can drive... but one question. Do I use one foot or two?"

Our two heroes.... Martin and Brett

Shooting at Carlos and Tatiana's house... thanks again for the use of the location.

We have a few shots left to film but should be able to finish things this weekend. After that, the film will be at the mercy of my schedule and motivation as it will likely take about 20-30 hours of editing to put it together. We will most likely hold a premiere presentation somewhere and then follow it up with a DVD release sometime in the summer.

Posted by CDogg at 10:06 AM | Comments (0)

December 25, 2004

The Blizzard of '04

As most good adventure stories do... it started off innocently enough...

Tiny flakes of snow (actually, they were more like tiny hailstones) dropped on my truck as I readied myself to head to Victoria for our annual Christmas Eve celebration. We do our Christmas on the eve so that everyone can then go home and have Christmas morning with their respective families.

On the drive down to Victoria, I took about forty pictures out the window of the truck to record the "amazing" amount of snow in the Houston area. (It wasn't that amazing, but in places it would actually stay on the ground long enough to photograph.) Suffice it to say that none of those pictures will be posted here because in retrospect, they are pretty darn boring when compared to the ones that will follow.

As I reached Victoria County, the snow started to pick up a bit. It still wasn't real snow and it still wasn't real heavy, but it was impressive. When I reached Tim's house, I was greeted by Brian and Scoot's snowman (well, snow triangle, really)... tangible snow (sleet) that stuck around long enough to shape into something.

Kaitlyn posed with it to give some sort of reference to its size....

As we headed down to Mom's house, I snapped what I thought would be a rare chance at a winter wonderland shot - the snow was picking up a bit...

With thoughts of snow behind, we made it into the house all gussied up for Christmas...

In no time at all, everyone settled in for typical holiday hi-jinx...

Scoot was there...

Brittney was there...

Bubba was there...

Reagan and Kaitlyn were the life of the party...

Brad and Randy did their part to liven things up...

Brian was on hand to make sure the Corona didn't go to waste...

Blake and Sissy watched as the presents flowed...

Tim and I took this "2/3 of the Doelle Boys" shot...

After the presents were all handed out and the wrapping paper all ripped to shreds, we noticed that it was snowing REAL SNOW outside. Not only that, it was picking up...

Brittney and Scoot posed amidst the flakes...

Not to be outposed... Kaitlyn and I recorded the moment...

Then it was time for a group photo...

Brittney and I...

Scooter volunteered to make the first snow angel and did a damn fine job...

Just when we figured we had seen everything Ma Nature could throw our way - the snow started to pick up...

It was then that it started to dawn on everyone that if we were going to get home it would be wise to get started. A little slow on the uptake there - but hey, who was thinking about driving? We were all about fun in the snow. I got back to Tim's house and saw that my truck was covered...

Tim's house certainly didn't look like South Texas...

I beat a hasty retreat amid numerous pleas that I stay the night. Okay, it wasn't hasty - it was about 10 miles an hour. I reached Inez in about 20 minutes (a five minute drive normally.) Although the snow completely covered everything, it didn't appear to be too deep and I figured that by the time I reached Wharton, it would lighten up anyway...

In retrospect, it was a very DUMB thing to do, but I drove on. Forgive the lack of pictures from this point, but when you are clutching the steering wheel in a death grip with a very high pucker factor working, you are not really in the mood to take snapshots.

I was able to get up to 20mph on long straight shots but on the curves it was all about avoiding the slide. You don't realize just how much of an embankment is on those curves until you start sliding sideways while taking one at 10mph. You know that "no brake - turn into the skid" thing really works. There were three points during the drive when the back end of my truck started to catch up with the front without warning. When you take one of those banked curves the tendency is for the truck to slide down to the inside of the curve. With all the weight on the front wheels, the ass-end would start sliding down the hill - I would let off the gas, turn down the curve and it would catch enough to get around the curve.

I later discovered that if you get up to the top lip of the curve and put one set of wheels into the fresh snow (which was now a foot and a half deep where noone had driven) you could maintain traction all the way around. You can use those ridges cut into the road to judge how far off the road you were going. (You know those ones that howl when you drive over them to keep sleepy drivers from running off the road.)

It took me three and a half hours to reach Wharton (the half-way point.) The entire trip is normally only one and a half hours. Along the way there were a total of 59 vehicles in the ditches... I am sure there were many more, but I couldn't see the other side of the highway through the driving snow and could barely see ten or fifteen feet around myself. Here is the only shot I got while driving...

Once I reached Wharton, things started to lighten up and by the time I reached Rosenberg I saw a stripe on the road for the first time. The only hazards from that point on were icy bridges... and BOY were these bridges icy. Each time I approached one, I slowed well before, totally let off the gas, pointed it straight across and gave it no opportunity to get me sliding. It took me another two hours after I left Wharton, making the total trip 5 1/2 hours of hell.

I told my mom before I left that I figured I am in the top 2% in intelligence and I would drive until I saw 98 people in the ditch - that would be my sign that I am pushing my luck. What I failed to calculate was the couple hundred people that probably thought better of making the trip at all - by that calculation, I pushed my luck waaaaaaay too far.

Am I glad I did it? You bet... anytime you can do something harrowing without injury it is a rush. Not only that, it is one heck of a story.

Would I do it again? No way! I saw too many better equipped vehicles in the ditch and felt more than my share of slides that started without any warning and seemingly unrelated to anything I did.

Posted by CDogg at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

December 23, 2004

Wayback - January 26,1988

Today I went to all of my classes and had a pretty good time. I went running for about a half mile and then ran up nine flights of stairs. I got a 2.78 GPA last semester and I enjoyed it overall, being my first semester away from home. After this semester is over it will be five years since I've graduated from high school. Our intramural football team finished 6-2 overall and in basketball we finished 4-6. This semester we will play flickerball and double volleyball.

I apparently took a four month break in my journal entries that included the Christmas break. The post about my first semester away from home and five years since graduating high school is a bit misleading. I was attending Victoria College and The University of Houston: Victoria Campus part time while working at my parent's stained glass studio right out of high school. It was after four years of this that I decided I needed to attend fulltime and headed off to Stephen F. Austin.

Posted by CDogg at 07:52 AM | Comments (0)

December 21, 2004

While we wait for Iron Man...

I have been giving a fair bit of pub to my desire for an Iron Man movie, but while we wait... here is the next big thing from Marvel Comics - The Fantastic Four. That's Michael Chiklis as Ben Grimm!

And all we have to do is wait until July 1, 2005 - check out Comicbookmovie.com for more information on all the comics being made into films! Fun stuff!

Posted by CDogg at 11:09 PM | Comments (0)

Napoleon Fizzle

I have been looking forward to Napoleon Dynamite since it came out in limited release and I was unable to catch it at the theater. I was actually a bit disappointed in it. I think this whole "indie" thing may just have become an excuse to do a lame film. If it is "indie" then a good film is regarded as brilliant and an average film qualifies as good. Had this been a Hollywood release, it would have been a bad film... because it was an "indie," it was a decent little flick.

Napoleon is really a one-trick pony... the one trick is quirkiness. Jon Heder as ND, is a funny skit and even a funny short... but it ends up a bit tiring after an hour and a half. The movie salvages its ramble to nowhere with a good ending... (in Hollywood terms, that would be an "average" ending.)

It was fun, but I only chuckled out loud once or twice and there was absolutely nothing worth howling about. A far cry from "You'll laugh till it hurts" - Peter Travers (Rollingstone Magazine)

At first blush, it appears to be a film about the triumph of the little man, but in the end it is a film that makes fun of non-conforming, non-cookie-cutter people in the saddest "let's laugh at the nerds and dweebs" way possible. All of the humor is at the expense of those characters which do not fit the "made for TV" mold.

RATING 5 out of 10

Posted by CDogg at 02:29 PM | Comments (0)

Mr. Fixit Returns

It was one of those evenings... a chance to do some of those niggling* little repairs that stack up over time. First, I completed the satellite wiring to the bedroom. I never finished it when DirecTV sent out a second receiver and TiVo.

I then moved on to my icemaker - it just stopped making ice a couple days ago. I picked up a new water feed relay since it was what appeared to be the problem. I am not convinced that fixed it although it does feed water now. I seems that the freezer isn't cooling as well as it was earlier... it could just be my imagination or the fact that I stick my head in every thirty minutes to see if I have ice yet. I will check in the morning to see if there is indeed another problem.

I also repaired the water hose in the back yard. The hose end cracked and wouldn't seal so I cut the end off, put on a new hose end and presto-chango, I have a working water hose once again.

Then as it the Gods were angry with my progress, the door sweep on the back door just fell off. I installed that one about six months ago using Liquid Nails because I didn't have anyway to attach it to the metal door... I guess the expansion and contraction from the weather changes did a number on the Liquid Nails. I will fix that tomorrow - again, I will probably just do it the same way because six months is not that bad for a 15 second fix.

*[no that isn't a racist term - look it up]
Definition: [adj] (informal terms) small and of little importance

Posted by CDogg at 10:25 AM | Comments (0)

December 20, 2004

A look behind the veneer...

The entry about the watch a week or so ago which compared a person to the watch he wears got me to thinking. Sure, you can tell a lot about me by the tone and content of my posts here - but often these clues are hidden among movie reviews and corny attempts at humor. I thought I would take a second to add a more serious look at my personality.

Being a lifelong fan of psychology, (an area of huge interest of mine as well as my minor in college) I have often enjoyed all those psychological profile tests and studied them as to their validity. In doing so, I have found one test in particular that seems to do the best job of nailing down personality types. The test is called the Myers-Briggs Psychological Profile or Type Indicator. The best remaining website for taking the test is called the Keirsey Temperament Sorter. (The test and results used to be available online for free, but now you must register with the site and then you only get a broad result unless you pay for the $15 full report.)

I have taken the test no less than a half dozen times in the last 15+ years and the result is always - ENTJ.

A couple online descriptions of ENTJ.
The Fieldmarshal Personality
ENTJ Profile

There you go... probably a lot more info than you cared to know.

PS. While researching sites for this post, I found another one of those silly profile tests... What Classic Movie Are You? I am...

Posted by CDogg at 11:14 PM | Comments (0)

December 19, 2004

Houston Children's Chorus

We did a three-camera shoot for the Houston Children's Chorus on Saturday night. The concert was held in Stude Hall at Rice University and featured some great holiday music. It was one of the more entertaining video shoots because it wasn't someone rambling on about real estate. They have nothing else scheduled this year, but if you get a chance to listen to them, I recommend it.

Posted by CDogg at 02:33 PM | Comments (1)

December 17, 2004

Cruisin' for dead guys.

Collateral was a film that I avoided when it hit the theaters. One, because I try not to see too many films first-run... it is often just a huge waste of money. Two, because there was nothing in the previews that did much to spark any interest. Third, no reason... I just wanted to carry out the numbering theme. :)

Overall, I would have to say that I was pleasantly surprised by the film. I thought Tom Cruise did a pretty good job and Jamie Foxx was decent as well. There is nothing really earth-shattering about the film.... but it is completely watchable. The story is typical Hollywood fare, but something about Michael Mann's direction makes it play better than expected.

I however, am still waiting for Tom Cruise in Iron Man... it has potential to be one of the best Marvel Comics adaptaptions ever.

RATING 7 out of 10

Posted by CDogg at 11:11 PM | Comments (0)

December 16, 2004

Meredith Baxter Spent the Night in My Bed!

Okay, okay, so it was just my truck bed... but hey, about three in the morning, we got some very tiny flakes of snow and I figured, with Meredith Baxter in my bed - hell must be about to freeze over.

You may remember her as Meredith Baxter Birney, mother of Alex P. Keaton (Michael J. Fox) in the 80's sitcom Family Ties. Well, as some of you know, I have been doing some work as an extra on the film "On the Rocks." Part of my being an extra includes the use of my truck for a key scene in the movie. At the end of the movie, the lead Timothy Bottoms climbs into the bed of my truck where Meredith Baxter is sitting and they do the big hollywood screen kiss.

Oh yeah, and I did some rather stunning work portraying a movie-goer walking to the concession stand. You know what that means? Between this production and my work as a crowd member in Friday Night Lights... I can official be included in a game of Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. In fact, the first person who posts the links between Kevin Bacon and I will win a special prize!

Posted by CDogg at 02:27 PM | Comments (0)

December 14, 2004

On the Rocks shoot

Tomorrow night I will be spending all night long working as an extra on the production of "On the Rocks." I and my truck will be in a drive-in scene. It should be interesting, but cold as all get out. I am hoping I get to sit in my truck most of the night... I will bring a blanket since I doubt they will let me run the heater.

Posted by CDogg at 07:53 PM | Comments (0)

Why, Robot?

Okay, I didn't think I, Robot was that bad... it was just the only play on words I could come up with. First off, if you are a fan of Isaac Asimov and robot fiction in general, you will be put off right at the start by the total non-adherance to the book. Secondly, if you are a fan of futuristic films that seem futuristic, you will be insulted by the various inclusions (albeit with lame excuses) such as Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars shoes, a gas powered motorcycle that appears to be just off the showroom in 2004, and the ghetto cap and leather jacket outfit worn by Will Smith.

Smith's lines are very stereotypical Will Smith lines - quippy and smart-alecky. His acting is nothing special, the script is an abberation of the source, the sci-fi is low in sci and not very good fi. Despite all this, the movie tends to catch you up in the thing and in the end, you want to see how it turns out.

RATING 7 out of 10

Posted by CDogg at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)

December 10, 2004

The aptly titled Terminal.

Never was a movie more appropriately titled. The Terminal is just that - terminal... as in DOA... as in dead to me... as in "Boy, does this movie suck!"

The premise is ridiculous. The acting is subpar. The writing is pedestrian. The direction is average. The camerawork is lame. The comedy is juvenile. Each of these on their own would not be bad... but all of them in one movie is... well, terminal!

Okay, Tom Hanks did an okay job... well, except for that bad accent. Stanley Tucci did a good job as usual... he just had nothing to work with...

...there, that is all I can find good about the film.

Okay, I can say one last good thing about the film - it is a warm, cute story at times... maybe it isn't completely dead - but it is at least on life support.
RATING 5 out of 10

Posted by CDogg at 10:10 PM | Comments (0)

December 08, 2004

Fish and Fast Times - Nic Flicks

I finally saw Rumble Fish. I had never seen it, but always figured I would someday. Being a huge fan of Francis Ford Coppola, I felt it was time to get this one off the list. First off, let me say that visually it is amazing. Nearly every freakin' scene in the film looks like a photograph. It is by far his most artsy film. I thought the clock motif was a bit overdone, but for the most part, I got into the offbeat hipness of it. The dialogue is a bit weird at times, but I am told that it is nearly word for word from the novel by S. E. Hinton.

There is a wealth of (then) young talent as Chris Penn, Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Dennis Hopper and Diane Lane played secondary roles to Matt Dillon and Mickey Rourke. The performances were pretty darn good all around although Diane Lane in particular stands out as always.

As a story, it is a bit of a downer for my tastes, but as a study in visual filmmaking, it is worth repeated viewings.
RATING 6 out of 10



My effort to take in a lot of the early works of Nicolas Cage brought me back to Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Sure, I had seen it before - who hasn't? The film is an American institution. What surprised me was the amazing number of the cast that became stars. Of course, everyone remembers Sean Penn, Phoebe Cates(I know for a fact that the guys remember her), and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Most remember Judge Reinhold. But what about Eric Stoltz, Forest Whitaker, and Anthony Edwards - all unknowns when they did Fast Times!

The real amazing thing about this film is the story itself - what seemed at the time to be just a fun story was amazingly complex and hard-hitting drama. I mean look at the issues it deals with - teenage promiscuity, loyalty, drugs, abortion, and on and on... Cameron Crowe put together one heck of a story.

RATING 8 out of 10

Posted by CDogg at 05:25 PM | Comments (0)

December 07, 2004

A Wonderful body of work...

Jimmy Stewart is the greatest actor of all time... don't bother to debate me... it will fall on deaf ears. Whether slaying the audience alongside his lovable invisible rabbit as Elwood P. Dowd, standing up for the little man as Jefferson Smith, shooting outlaws and varmints in the wild west, spinning a tale of mystery and suspense with Alfred Hitchcock, or discovering the true meaning of Christmas reruns (and why bells ring for that matter,) Jimmy Stewart never failed to deliver a great performance and his career spanning over 150 film and television appearances contains some of the greatest films of all time.

Turner Classic Movies has named Jimmy Stewart as their Star of the Month and in honor of him are showing 34 of Jimmy's movies on Mondays throughout the month - what a great time to have TiVo! I recorded four of his films last night as it is set to record anytime it finds one of his movies.

The films slated to be shown this month: (* ones I have seen)

You Can't Take It With You
Destry Rides Again *
After the Thin Man *
Small Town Girl (1936)
It's a Wonderful World
The Murder Man
Of Human Hearts
The Gorgeous Hussy *
Ice Follies of 1939
The Shop Around The Corner
Bell, Book and Candle *
The Philadelphia Story *
No Time For Comedy
Wife Vs. Secretary *
Come Live With Me
Ziegfeld Girl *
Born to Dance
Rose Marie (1936)
The Shootist *
The Rare Breed *
The Naked Spur *
How the West Was Won *
The Stratton Story *
Navy Blue And Gold
Speed (1936)
Vertigo *
Rope *
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) *
Rear Window *
The Mortal Storm
The Shopworn Angel *
The Last Gangster
Carbine Williams
Malaya

Posted by CDogg at 09:30 AM | Comments (1)

December 03, 2004

Gettin' the "Big Head!"

Is Houston not the coolest? Where else can you drive through a run-down section of town, glance over, and see a 20ft bust of President Ronald Reagan staring down at you? ...well, other than President's Park in the Black Hills of South Dakota?

(The Manster and me hanging with Ron)

Apparently, David Adickes, a Houston sculptor created the heads for the park. (Actually, there is a long history of the busts moving all over the country as people did everything from fight to keep them in their towns to despise them enough to want them gone.) There also appears to be a President's Park in Williamsburg, VA. with duplicates by the same artist. I don't know if the ones here in town are duplicates, rejects or simply copies kept around for marketing. Who knows - who cares... we got 'em and I for one - dig 'em.

Want to find them?

(first posted to Houston MetroBlog - sorry for the duplication, I have some readers that only read this one.)

Posted by CDogg at 11:13 PM | Comments (0)

Wanna see a cool site?

Check out the RCGroups.com Aerial Photography discussion group. They mount digital cameras on radio controlled airplanes and snap away. Talk about some great shots. There are a ton of cool ones like this...

For information on how it is done, there are some other excellent threads that show the planes and camera mounts... cool stuff.

Posted by CDogg at 08:22 PM | Comments (0)

December 01, 2004

A touch of hypochondria...

I have always been one to ignore aches and pains... that is until the herniated disc in my back caused me to rethink that "I'm going to live forever" thing. I have tuned in a bit more to things that go ouch.

Recently, the outside of my left heel has been hurting when I walk on it. With Pennie's foot issues, I was starting to wonder if I had bone spurs or something similarly icky. I mentioned it to Dave today and in a case of turnabout, he said, "you might have just bruised it or something." Well, that got me to thinking - as late night work sessions have a habit of making me do - and I just figured it out.

Right after we checked in to the hotel last Friday night, I was setting my computer up on the table. As I backed away from the table, the outside of my left heel struck the leg of the chair with some serious force - after the obligitory rubbing the pain away, I had pretty much forgot about it. Upon palpitation of the area, it is pretty clear that there is a bump from hitting it and it is indeed bruised. Thanks Dave, for the memory jog.

...maybe I will live forever afterall. :)

Posted by CDogg at 09:14 AM | Comments (0)

Tired of paying for the news?

bugmenot.com

Posted by CDogg at 08:05 AM | Comments (0)