Sunday, October 9, 2011

Internet Film Readings

After beginning the morning with cutting animation cels for the newest in Brent Green adventures I have taken to the internet to peruse the world of film! I think the mindless measuring and cutting and counting and measuring, cutting and counting made me need to put the film world into a little bit of perspective...to remind myself of the movie magic at the end of the painstaking production!

First off...what the heck is this? Apparently a lady saw a film and she thought the trailer was misleading and she thought some of the characters/themes were racist and she was expecting a film with more explosions or something so she is now suing the film distribution company?! This is terrifying. Seriously terrifying. Dear movie gods, please throw this case in the trash! I cannot imagine a world where going to the movies results in a courtroom battle from an unhappy audience...why not just throw popcorn at the screen to express dissatisfaction like in the good old days?

Speaking of popcorn...this article in Cabinet Magazine was a pretty interesting read! The author discusses the sensory experience of seeing films in foreign countries with different snacks, realizing that the cinematic experience is one of habit, expectation and sensory overload, filling in the senses of taste and smell with food! As someone who has watched movies in theaters all over the place I do have to say that the familiar smell of popcorn, the lights dimming, the chair slowly lowering as I angle up to the screen, the memories of soda sticky floors and tearing red seat cushions with chalky exposed foam are all overwhelming feelings that lull me into the complete dream world that movie going should be! No matter where in the world I see a movie there is a meditative familiarity that will always make me feel at home in a movie theater audience!

Lastly in film internet readings: an interview with Ruggero Deodato over at Electric Sheep Magazine! I have squirmed at Deodato's film Cannibal Holocaust before on the blog but, after reading this interview, I think my squirming has turned to (a squirming) admiration! Concerned that his film of fiction caused more outrage than actual political atrocities, that media is a sensational farce and that the anger over his portrayal of animal killings is hypocritical given that every meat-y meal comes from the same action leads me to think that Deodato was actually politically motivated in his grotesque, awful, horror film! Even if I don't think his messages were portrayed in the best way...I am actually a little comforted to hear his defense/reasoning! Schlock horror with a message! I had no idea!

Ok internet film world...I must leave you now! To go back to the realities of filmmaking! Measure, cut, count, measure, cut, count....o! And by the way: our IFC Center live show has been postponed to further in the Fall so there is still a chance to see Gravity after our upcoming Friday show in Boston! I don't know if there will be popcorn at this live performance since it is at a museum but I do know that we'll try to make it an awesome show- and not just to avoid lawsuits! Hope to see you there!