Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney star in this weeks pick. Boys Town is based on the life of Catholic priest, Father Flanagan who started an orphanage and believed there was no such thing as a bad boy. In the film, Spencer Tracy plays Father Flanagan and has that belief tested when Mickey Rooney shows up to live at Boys Town. It’s a wonderful feel-good film that you’re sure to enjoy. Tracy won the Best Actor Oscar for his performance.
Boys’ Town (1938) – Sunday, July 11 at 8:00am EST
True story of Father Flanagan’s fight to build a home for orphaned boys.
Cast: Spencer Tracy, Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull, Leslie Fenton Dir: Norman Taurog BW-93 mins, TV-G
In 1999 an unknown writer/director had a huge breakout success with his third film. The film was so big that it instantly catapulted him to A-list director status. The film was The Sixth Sense. The writer/director was M. Night Shyamalan.
After Sixth Sense, Shyamalan was heralded as the second coming of Spielberg. His next films never achieved Sixth Sense level of success, but were all great movies in their own right. Unbreakable, Signs, and even The Village were all fun movies. Then came Lady in the Water and The Happening. Yikes. They were both beyond bad. How had the once great director fallen so far?
I blamed the writing. He was still stubbornly holding on to the writing. Maybe it would be better if he let go of writing and just focus on directing – obviously his strength. When I heard that his next film would be based on the popular Nickelodeon cartoon Avatar: The Last Airbender, I couldn’t have been more excited. My brother and sister were both really into the show at the time. I had only watched a few episodes, but had seen enough to know that it could be an amazing series of films. This would finally be Shyamalan’s return to glory. Finally a chance for him to focus on directing a story that hadn’t originated with him. He couldn’t possibly screw this up. Right?
WRONG! The Last Airbender is horrible. I had a chance to see it at an advance screening in Hollywood last week. It didn’t work at all for me. It’s horribly written (by Shyamalan) and poorly paced. The main kid actors were far too modern for this movie. They looked like they belonged in Twilight. The film suffers from a truly dreadful voice over. It’s one of the main characters speaking in past tense, so you know it’s all going to work out in the end.
Rather than show us two characters falling in love, we’re told by the narrator that they do. This narration is used to cram in a season’s worth of exposition. It’s almost like a six year old telling you what happens in the show. “First this happens and then this happens and then this… Oh and I forgot to tell you this one part…”
For those of you with no knowledge of the show, The Last Airbender takes place in a world with four kingdoms – air, water, earth, and fire. Each of these kingdoms have some people with the ability to bend their kingdom’s element. Bending means they can control that element. Move it around and stuff. If you’ve seen the trailer, you get the idea.
The story starts when two kids from the water kingdom find this other kid frozen in an iceberg or something. He’s the lost avatar. Every generation has a new avatar that can control all of the elements. This kid avatar has been missing for 100 years. While he’s been missing, the fire nation has killed all the airbenders and is ruling over the other nations. Once the kids realize they’ve found the avatar, they set off on a mission to help him learn how to bend the other elements.
It could have been really cool, but Shyamalan botched it. Honestly, it doesn’t even feel like he directed it. It was fairly basic direction without any of the interesting shots and creative blocking we’ve come to expect from Shyamalan. However, it was the writing that was this movie’s downfall. Even with some fantastic source material to draw from, Shyamalan comes up short in the writing department. I have no clue what happened to his writing ability after Sixth Sense. Dialogue was on the nose and clunky. There is no drama in any of the scenes. It was mostly just people talking followed by scenes of bending followed by more talking.
I will admit that the bending is done really well. It’s a cool ability and fun to see on screen. Sadly, I suspect that for many audience members that will be enough and this will do big business this summer. We’ll see, but as far as I’m concerned I’d be irresponsible not to tell you to save your money. Avoid this stinker at all costs.
On Thursday of last week, Josh and I waited in line for almost 5 hours to be one of the first in America to own a brand new iPhone 4. I was excited about many of the new features including Face Time (video chatting) and Multi-tasking. But the most surprising new addition to this new iPhone is its ability to shoot and edit HD video.
Apple released iMovie for the iPhone the same day the new phone was released. At first I was a scoffer. For $4.99, how could this app be useful as a tool to cut video? It had to be a gimmick, right?
Wrong!
Over the weekend, my brother, sister-in-law, nephew, and I took an overnight trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks and I thought this would be a perfect chance to put the new iPhone through it’s paces. And boy did I. I was shooting pictures and video almost the entire time. (The battery life is surprisingly good.)
(Check out the photo quality. This one looks like a Bob Ross painting.)
Because we spent a fair amount of time in the car traveling to and from the parks plus travel between them, I was able to start editing the footage right away and I’d like to share my thoughts on the iPhone as an editing suite.
i
Movie for iPhone allows you to cut video determining the ins and outs with a fair amount of precision. You can add a cross dissolve between the clips and determine the length of the cross dissolve. You can also decide NOT to use a dissolve.
iMovie gives you a few different options for adding titles. You select a theme that determines the overall look of the titles and can then choose from a few different styles within that theme for different kinds of titles. Unfortunately, you can not easily create a full screen title. I got around this point by creating a blank note and then typing up what I wanted the title to say and then taking a screen grab.
iMovie allows you to insert video, photos, and music all from your iPhone. Any song from your iTunes can be inserted underneath the video track (with a few limitations.) Also, you can select on the video track whether you want the selected video clip’s audio track to be on or off. I love that you can determine that on a clip by clip basis rather than selecting all on or all off. One downside to the music track is that you can’t add more music if the song ends. And if you want to cross fade to another song, you can’t.
Overall, I’m VERY pleased with iMovie for iPhone and I’m excited to see what updates they release for the app.
Below you can see the videos that I cut for the trip. The downside to uploading from your iPhone 4 is that it doesn’t send HD video to Youtube. I hope they fix that. Check them out -
Part 1 of our trip video:
Part 2 of our trip video:
What are you waiting for? Go out and get the iPhone 4! And for you Blackberry users – what cool things can your phone do?
The film industry can be brutal. The odds against success can be really disheartening. Just about everyone you meet out here is an aspiring writer or director. If you were to dwell on the odds, it would be tempting to give up and go back home.
So how do you beat those odds? Some would say it’s all about constantly finishing scripts and getting them in front of people. Eventually your body of work will get you work and something will sell. That’s a fine strategy, but I think it’s far more important to focus on doing great work.
If you can churn out three great screenplays a year, you’re a genius. The rest of us all wish we were you. However, more than likely it’s going to take a lot more time to write something excellent. Don’t rush the process by trying to achieve quantity of scripts. Quality is the goal here.
Remember, it only takes one script to open the doors of Hollywood. M. Night Shyamalan’s whole career is based on the strength of his script for The Sixth Sense. I recently read an interview with Michael Arndt (Little Miss Sunshine, Toy Story 3.) He spent a year writing Little Miss Sunshine and then revised it for 4 years before he felt it was ready to hand out. Once it was ready, he gave it to one person. One. Arndt said that almost overnight all the big directors were reading it. Spielberg, Zemeckis, etc. Behold the power of a great script.
What are you working on? Are you going to settle for good? Or are you aiming for great? Remember it only takes one great script to launch your career.
This past Monday, Josh and I had the honor to interview Dave Smith, the founder and director of the Walt Disney Archives. We met with him in his office on the Walt Disney Studios lot in Burbank.
We were there to cover the 40th anniversary of the Archives for InsidetheMagic.net. We’ll be posting the majority of our coverage over there. But I wanted to share with you Dave’s answer to one very important question.
I asked Dave what he had gleaned over the last 40 years of studying Walt’s life that would indicate what made Walt Disney so successful. This is what he said:
“I think the basic quality about Walt is that he was a genius in knowing what the public wanted in entertainment. He didn’t listen to all of his critics that tried to talk him out of doing things he wanted to do because he knew what would interest the public. And that was proved true throughout his career.
He was always trying new things… things that other companies and individuals were afraid to do. He was always willing to put up his money to do things that other people didn’t want to do.
Of course, most people were afraid that these things wouldn’t be successful. He wasn’t afraid they weren’t going to be successful. He knew they were going to be successful. Now if only we all had that ability… but I think that was indeed where he was a genius and I think that was his most important quality.”
Some key points stuck out at me from what Dave said.
- Walt didn’t listen to the naysayers in his life
- Walt tried new things – always
- Walt was a risk-taker
- Walt believed completely in his projects
I’d like to share one more quote by Walt Disney himself which backs up what Dave Smith observed.
“Somehow I can’t believe that there are any heights that can’t be scaled by a man who knows the secret of making his dreams come true. This special secret, it seems to me, can be summarized in four C’s. They are curiosity, confidence, courage, and constancy, and the greatest of these is confidence. When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way.”
I believe that you and I can be just as big an impact on our world as Walt Disney. I’m prepared to try. Are you?
This week’s pick has the distinction of being the one and only film ever written by Theodore Geisel. “Who the heck is Theodore Geisel,” you may ask. Well, dear reader, Theodore Geisel is none other than the beloved author, Dr. Seuss.
Yes. Long before Ron Howard ever made How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss wrote The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. It’s a very strange film about a little boy who dreams that his piano teacher is kidnapping children and forcing them to play a huge piano. All of this takes place in a Seuss-like nightmare world. Did I mention that this movie is weird?
When it opened in 1953, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T was a huge failure. So much so, that Geisel doesn’t even mention the whole fiasco (as he later called it) in his autobiography. At the Hollywood premier, people started walking out after 15 minutes. Since then, it’s gained a bit of a cult following. It’s a trippy movie, well worth checking out. It kind of reminds me of The Peanut Butter Solution, another weird movie about kidnapping kids that scared the crap out of me when I was young.
5,000 Fingers Of Dr. T., The (1953)
A young boy dreams that his piano teacher is a super-villain out to rule the world.
Cast: Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, Hans Conried, Tommy Rettig Dir: Roy Rowland C-89 mins, TV-PG
Number 89 on the AFI Top 100 is M. Night Shyamalan’s masterpiece, The Sixth Sense.
Let’s have a show of hands of those who either a) Had the ending ruined for them or b) Ruined the ending for someone else. I fall in the B category. But in my defense, my mom said she’d NEVER see the film. 
8-year-old Cole Sear is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. A reluctant channel, Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. Confused by his paranormal powers, Cole is too young to understand his purpose and too afraid to tell anyone aout his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe. As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the ominous truth about Cole’s supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something harrowing–and unexplainable.
Recently, Josh and I hosted a movie night where we watched The Sixth Sense and we had a very nice evening. After the film, we had an hour long discussion about different aspects of the film. Here are some of the highlights:
- Even though the scares and jumps may not play as scary after several repeat viewings, it has become evident that the film isn’t really meant to be that. It’s more of a drama. And highly successful at that.
- The music doesn’t play like a scary movie but more like a drama backing up the first point.
- The theme of the film is communication and it is explored in the 3 main storylines – a) Dr. Crowe’s relationship to his wife, b) Cole’s relationship to his mother, and c) Cole’s experiences with the ghosts.
M. Night Shyamalan used to be one of my favorite directors. This film along with Unbreakable, Signs, and The Village are still some of my favorite films. But his recent work has been lacking. I hope The Last Airbender marks his return to greatness.
What is your favorite Shyamalan film? Do you have any faith in The Last Airbender?
This week’s pick is a film that I really hated to miss at the TCM Classic Film Fest. A Star Is Born (1954) was the opening night film and the only film that our media credentials didn’t give us access to.
This Judy Garland classic is a remake of a 1937 film staring Janet Gaynor and Frederick March. I actually prefer the original, but the Garland version is really good as well. In it, Garland plays a young actress who falls in love with a huge star (played by the always wonderful James Mason) just as she is discovered and his fame is beginning to subside. It’s a great behind the scenes look at Hollywood of the 1950s.
Judy Garland delivers the performance of her career in this film. She was nominated for Best Actress, but ultimately didn’t win. It’s a heartbreaking look at fame and all the negatives that come with it, especially when you consider Ms. Garland’s own struggles due to fame.
With some great musical numbers and a ton of fantastic Hollywood locations, I heartily recommend you checking out A Star Is Born (1954). If you can’t catch it on TCM, a newly restored version has just been released on DVD
Star Is Born, A (1954) – Saturday, June 19 at 8:00pm EST
A falling star marries the newcomer he’s helping reach the top.
Cast: Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, Charles Bickford Dir: George Cukor C-176 mins, TV-PG
I’ve been having some amazing adventures since I moved to Los Angeles over a year ago. Not all of them have been directly film related but they have been opportunities I wouldn’t have had in Atlanta.
Last week, I had the opportunity to cover a major media event at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim. They were unveiling their new night time water show, World of Color. I scored my invite through my work over at www.InsidetheMagic.net and because of the work we do here at DawsBrothers.com.
On top of the premiere of World of Color, the event consisted of a Red Carpet, a pre-show with a really impressive talking Mickey Mouse, and an after party.
The Red Carpet was actually blue – I’m assuming because World of Color is a water show. Click here to see pictures from the carpet. You’ll see stars like Vanessa Hudgens, Jason Segel, John Stamos, Geena Davis, and Terri Hatcher. Plus, there are some really neat puppets.
The talking Mickey Mouse at the pre-show was amazing. Disney had been testing this technology through private interactions with guests at Disneyland for a few months. This was the first public use of the technology. Check out this video:
After the pre-show, we saw World of Color and you can read my review of the show here.
The show finished and Ricky Brigante (from Inside The Magic) and I headed back to the Grand Californian Hotel to start capturing our footage. Then we headed over to an area of Disney California Adventure called Paradise Pier. That portion of the park had been completely emptied of guests and they threw a private party for all of us media and all of the celebrities.
And it was the best party I’ve ever been to. There was free catered food, free churos, free drinks, free games, and most of the attractions in that area were running (and with no wait.) There was a cover band doing mostly Black-eyed Peas and Fergie songs and the music wasn’t so loud that you couldn’t think. It was perfect. Even Mickey Mouse was there taking pictures with everyone.
At one point I found myself standing with The Bachelor on my left and John Stamos on my right. It was surreal. John Lassiter was also on hand with his family.
The party ended and I headed home glowing from such a magical evening.
The next morning I went back to Disneyland to see a press event called “What’s Next?” During the show, they unveiled new changes to the Disneyland Resort and the Disney Cruise Line. To check out those updates, click here.
The coolest part of the “What’s Next?” event was the fact that Jodi Benson, who was the voice of Ariel in The Little Mermaid, performed live on stage. You can see that video here:
Needless to say, I highly recommend blogging because it opens up some really cool doors.
I’m so thankful I decided to move to Los Angeles. These opportunities are some that I treasure. It’s all about finding joy in the journey.
What are some of life’s little blessings that you’ve gotten to experience along your journey?
As I said in yesterday’s post, last night I went to the World Premiere of Disney’s World of Color, the new water show at Disney’s California Adventure theme park. If you didn’t follow me on Twitter last night while I was at the press event, check out this site. Myself and my friend, Ricky Brigante from www.InsidetheMagic.net were there covering the event.
We covered the Red Carpet and the After Party where we saw stars like John Stamos, Wayne Brady, and Terri Hatcher. That will be it’s own blog post – it is definitely an interesting chapter in my Adventure out in California. Today, I’ll focus on the show itself.
Some might ask, what does a new water show at the Disneyland Resort have to do with this blog about film and filmmaking? Well, the answer is – World of Color is on the cutting edge of storytelling. Disney has re-imagined the way a film is shown and experienced. Combining music, fire effects, and video projected onto a HUGE screen of misting water, this show is truly in a class of its own.
World of Color at Disney’s California Adventure is 25 minutes long and I could have stood there for much longer than that. I was taking pictures during the show but about a third of the way through, the sounds and sights I was experiencing took my breath away and I just had to stop and take it all in. My mind was officially blown.
Everything in the show is top notch. I loved the selections from the various Disney films from Wall-e and Toy Story to The Little Mermaid and Aladdin. They even included scenes from classics like Fantasia. And I love the emotional journey it takes you on as you relive these great scenes. I can’t even explain how new and different this show is or how BIG the show is. The water screens fill your periphery and you become consumed by it.
The most jaw dropping sequence to me was the Toy Story 2 sequence: the laser Zurg was phenomenal. And because they use multiple layers of water screens, it feels like the images are 3D. Sometimes, I couldn’t even see the water so certain elements looked to be floating in thin air.
Only one thing about the whole experience made me raise my eyebrow. The viewing area for the show isn’t perpendicular to the show. It was at an angle so everyone had to look slightly right. I found that strange but it didn’t take away from the experience.
I would recommend getting there extremely early to get a good spot. I’m sure it will get full several hours in advance. Also, you will get wet, even if you are far away. Maybe it was just particularly windy but I was farther back from the water and still got sprayed. But, it’s only a mist. You’ll live. Once you see just how high and wide the water can spray, you’ll understand.
On a side note – I’m doing a terrible job describing this show! Just like the Matrix, one cannot be told what World of Color is – you must be experience it for yourself.
Check out the video that Ricky and I recorded. If you plan on seeing the show anytime in the near future, please don’t ruin it for yourself. But if you can’t resist – enjoy!
So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to Disney.com and book your trip to the Disneyland Resort RIGHT NOW! (And no, Disney isn’t paying me to say any of this.) World of Color really is one of those things you should make a special trip to see. I would. It is breathtaking.
Come back soon to read my account (and see pictures) of the Red Carpet and After Party at the World Premiere of World of Color.
