The Force
Posted by Jeremiah on February 12th, 2008 @ 09:59 AM | Comments (2)

This will give you a little insight into the home-life of the Daws Brothers.

The other day I was talking to our mother about a cruise she and our dad were preparing to go on. She’d never been on a cruise before and was fretting over what to pack. Anyway, while in the midst of all that chaos, she turned to me and said, “Why do they say ‘May the force be with you’ when Obi-Wan clearly said ‘The Force will be with you, always?’”

I was just stunned - because a) I had never thought about that before, and b) I couldn’t believe my mom had just come up with the most amazing philosophical Star Wars comment I’ve ever heard. And she’s not a nerd or a geek. Well, I guess she is now.

That is what growing up Daws was like.

Quiz Show
Posted by Jeremiah on February 9th, 2008 @ 09:11 AM | Comments (0)

It’s Saturday morning. I woke up around 5:30am and just couldn’t go back to sleep. This is partly because I had fallen asleep last night while watching the USA show Psych. So I was out by 11pm last night. Pretty early for a Friday night.

I had recently borrowed the movie Quiz Show from my brother’s elaborate DVD collection. (I must admit, my collection is lacking in the way of dramas.) I figured I’d put Quiz Show on and fall back to sleep while watching it. I have seen Quiz Show several times over the last 14 years - it’s one of those movies I can watch every time it is on TV. There is something just gripping about it.

While watching the film this morning, I didn’t fall asleep. On the contrary, I was just amazed by the emotion I felt. The guilt and shame that Van Doren feels practically leaps off the screen. My favorite theme in the movie is the relationship he has with his father. This is no better realized than in a certain scene where the two Van Dorens eat chocolate cake together.

The scene starts at about an hour and 15 minutes into the movie. Charlie has been cheating on the show for several months and it is killing him. Though nothing is said at all about his guilt, you can read it on his face. He so wants to confess all to his dad but at the same time he doesn’t want to disappoint him. There is a certain camera move - a dolly forward into a close-up on Charlie - it’s the moment where he almost tells his father everything - but he doesn’t. It’s that perfect union of great acting, great writing (that understands that good writing doesn’t always mean the presence of dialogue), and great direction. The only word spoken is “Dad.”

And then at the end of the scene Charlie comments about his desire to go back to the simplicity of coming home from school and eating chocolate cake and how nothing else will make him that happy. He is lamenting the innocence he has lost. His father then tells him he won’t feel that happy until he has a son of his own. The subtext is incredible. They are talking about the issue at hand without talking about the issue at hand. Brilliant. And of course this comment by his father is played completely oblivious to what Charlie is going through. His father is just expressing his own love for Charlie. But this adds to the discomfort that Charlie feels.

Go back and watch Quiz Show again. It’s not flashy but it is a solid movie that makes me feel something. It makes me examine my own life and reminds me what the price of compromise can be. And because of that, Quiz Show has made me a better person.

That’s the power of filmmaking. And that’s why I’m a filmmaker.

Screening of Dangerous Calling
Posted by Jeremiah on February 6th, 2008 @ 11:04 AM | Comments (1)

We are having a special invite-only screening of Dangerous Calling for cast, crew, friends, and family. The date is Saturday, March 1st. If we have somehow missed any of you out there that feel you are in one of these four categories, please send us an email and we’ll make sure you get an invite.

us@dawsbrothers.com

Oscar Movies
Posted by Josh on February 1st, 2008 @ 12:16 PM | Comments (0)

I’m slacking this year. I’ve only seen two of the films up for the Best Picture Oscar - Juno and Michael Clayton.

Juno - absolutely loved it. It’s the kind of indie film I can get excited about. Positive outlook on life in the midst of an unfortunate situation. I can’t recommend this movie enough. It probably won’t win since there seems to be a bit of a Juno backlash brewing for some reason, but its got my vote for best picture.

Michael Clayton - I not only checked the time during this movie, I also checked my email. Yeah. I was that bored. I know all the critics are saying great character piece and all of that, but it just didn’t pull me in at all. I felt like it worked my mind, but not my emotions. If I’m giving you two hours of my time, I want to feel something. Joy, sadness, discomfort. Anything but boredom. It just didn’t work for me.

I’m hoping to catch There Will Be Blood and maybe No Country For Old Men before the Oscars, but mostly I’m looking forward to Turner Classic Movies’ 31 days of Oscar. It starts this Friday, February 1st. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t in the past. It’s a great way to see Oscar winners/nominees from years past. Click Here to look through their schedule of great films.