Post XVI - A Long Way Down to Redemption

A Long Way Down to Redemption tells the story of a man jumping off a skyscraper and dwelling into his past as his life flashes before his eyes, in hopes of reaching personal deliverance before he hits the ground.

The novel is written at the moment for the NaNoWriMo competition and will be divided into three main chapters. These are 'The Child', 'The Teenager' and 'The Adult'. The novel will also have a short Prologue and Epilogue. The story is told in first person as an autobiography of actual events.

It is important to mention all characters and events taking place are fictional, and what you will read if the novel is published much after the competition, has not occurred to myself. This is important to point out as there are parts of the story which are extremely violent and mentally disturbing.

If the novel is ever published, be aware, it's not for the faint-hearted.

Photo and Cover by Marietta Toutsi 

My NaNoWriMo Profile Page 

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Post XV [Announcement] - Taking part at NaNoWriMo 2012

National Novel Writing Month is upon us, and I will be celebrating this great event by, how else of course, taking part with the goal of writing a 50.000 words novel before the last day of November.

This is just an announcement post and very soon I will be back with more information, including my NaNoWriMo profile page, the cover of the novel and a short description of the novel's theme.

Post XIV - Wrong Impulse

Here's one of my first more serious approaches to short film making.

Wrong Impulse tells the story of a young man who's going through depression and a day that comes with a hard choice to make.

Shot on a Pentax K-X

Two(2) music tracks were used during the film:

Portishead - Sour Times

Orbital - The Box

Post XIII - Involving

What have I been up to I am sure a lot of you wonder................................ No one?

Okay. Here I am once again to tell you what is going on, on both my mind and my work. For this post I will go way back when I was a child at the age of nine. From that young age I was always day dreaming, as I still do, of characters, stories and situations. I suppose we all did that as a child, but I would always imagine something specific right after my spacing out reached a "climax". Everything would go black, and I would see my name coming up with big white letters.

I did not think of that detail much and I kept on going with my day dreaming. At some point and I do not remember specifically when, after I finished watching a film, I saw the ending titles like I had done numerous times before on so many other films, but it was on this one and at this specific moment in time that something hit me. The black screen, the white letters, Directed By..... THAT WAS IT! That's what I want to do, make movies!

If I started "day dreaming with a purpose' since I was 9 years old if not younger, it makes it 11 years now I want to do this. But sadly and finally it was just some days ago that I took it seriously. Of course I have written numerous stories and scripts, but now I will dedicate myself and life to this beautiful art-form.

I am working on a couple of scripts, stories and ideas. Right now I am shaping a concept I created more than half a year ago, which I also happened to mention on one of my early posts here on this blog.

The story initially ran by the title "A Wonderful Vista", but now it goes by the name...

 Colour Technique and Movie Titles done by Alexia Jade Canale

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Post XII - Vlog for Dredd

Vlog dedicated to the bad-assery of a film called "Dredd"

*In the video you will see my eyes twitching a lot. That is due to an eye-infection I had at the time. I am feeling much better now if you want to know, thanks.

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Post XI - Chappelle's Show

I haven't written in such a long while I forgot I had a voice. Busy life, busy living. University, work, and even more lessons on top of all that, I have really made my days full and a lot of times even 'overfilling'. This is not an excuse though I suppose, because if you have a voice, you must speak. If you have something to say you must not keep it for yourself, and this is my belief.

Wait a second! A man who has something to say? A man who must talk, this quote alone brings a person in mind. A person who had something to say, a person who filmed a show so great, so silly, so fun, and yet a show with so many things to say and touch upon, that it was cut-short. I speak for no other man, and for no other show, than Dave Chappelle and the Chappelle's Show.

Dave Chappelle is undoubtedly one of the finest talents in Stand up and Comedy in general. Capable, in my personal opinion, to compete with even the talent that is Richard Pryor. Of course the reason I made the choice to put Dave Chappelle next to Richard Pryor is because they did have a similar 'touching point' in their comedy, and that was the Black culture, the people, and the way they were treated by other races, mainly the white.

Both comedians had an excellent view of seeing the subject that can be considered controversial even to this day, as racism is a word that even alone can still forge arguments between individuals. What made Richard Pryor, and of course, Dave Chappelle so great, was the intelligence with which they would touch upon this point and subject, although today we are focusing mainly on Dave Chappelle's approach.

Why is that? Because Richard Pryor was a FANTASTIC talent, a brilliant comedian who made history on the genre, and he will always be one of my favorite talents on the field. Even so, Richard Pryor had a great way to approach the subject of racism against the Black community, but it is Dave Chappelle's vision of how he sees the issues of racism, and the intelligence he puts into touching those issues, that made me fall in love with both his style and show.

A lot of you will disagree with my decision of believing Dave Chappelle did a better job than Richard Pryor in this specific field, but this is my opinion, and I stand by it.

Now... Let's start the show.

"WHAT?"

Chappelle's Show ran for two seasons, and was concluded by a third season consisting of three episodes titled "The Lost Episodes" which although feature Dave Chappelle in the sketches, the episodes themselves are presented by Charlie Murphy(Eddie Murphy's brother and fellow comedian) and Donnell Rawlings.

The story goes that Dave Chappelle was unhappy with the way the media and producers, and people in the show business in general treated him, therefore he took his leave. If you watch the very last sketch of the show you will get a better idea of what I am speaking of. 

The show itself was simply stunning, with sketches that will make you laugh so hard you will get a hernia(at least that is what Charlie Sheen claims). With humor that at first you might consider silly and random, but the more you dwell into it, the more you realize how much thought has been put into their entire creation. The sketches were silly when they where meant to be, but with serious arguments and points throughout specifically written and shot in a way, that in the end, made the final work coordinated to near perfection.

Of course Dave Chappelle was aware of when the show was meant to be silly, and you can see this for yourselves in one of the shows many brilliant moments, when he replies to an actual newspapers article accusing him of having an immature sense of humor full of shit jokes, by getting a group of ballad singers and singing a song by the title "Diarrhea". What is the outcome? A crowd of people in the studio laughing their asses of and you at home laughing like a little child, while listening to a song about diarrhea. And this is true comedy, picking anything and making something out of it. 

"Oil, what is this oil shit bitch, you cooking?

Dave Chappelle in many of his sketches, touched the point of racism and how Black community in general is seen and treated in a humorous approach without offending anyone, but of course, some did get offended. 

Maybe because they are over-protective or absolute babies? Who knows, but a minority of people did disagree with his approach, and most bizarre must be the fact that Dave Chappelle got offended with himself! This is absolutely true, as it is known that Dave Chappelle himself said that he started feeling like he was more than anything boosting the racism and racist stereotypes he was against of. 

The show is hilarious, with sketches that will stick with you for a long while, if not forever. They are just that good, and I am saying this with no over-exaggeration whatsoever. Specifically about the sketches I must not forget to mention, as Doug Walker(most known for playing the Nostalgia Critic in That Guy with the Glasses) pointed, an amazing aspect of all those sketches is the editing work. Every single sketch cuts at the perfect moment, not a moment later or sooner, just there where it's meant to, making every single sketch all that funnier.

Dave Chappelle playing a white News Spokesman

In conclusion, the show that managed to define Dave Chappelle's enormous and unbeatable talent, and the show that as it seems, ended his career. Isn't that alone proof of the shows greatness? A show that was so good it ended up being controversial? They say good things never end well, might that quote be the proof of how good the Chappelle's show was?

Proof of how good the Chappelle sh.... What am I saying. There is no need for proof. 

A stunning work, a hilarious tour, and a sad but brilliant conclusion to a true talent's career.

THE END

Post X - Justice

Nicolas Cage has two different 'on-screen' persona's. One is the over-the-top highly entertaining Nicolas who we all love and enjoy watching, and the other is the proper Oscar-worthy(and let's not forget, Oscar-winning) actor who played in such movies as "Leaving Las Vegas, "Adaptation" and "Raising Arizona".

"Nic Cage looking good in a beard."

In Justice, Nicolas Cage starts by playing himself, but oddly enough, he makes a turn to a more serious approach. After the initial introduction and opening sequence, he is actually playing a character, and yes, you stop seeing Nicolas Cage in the screen but the character he is portraying. It has been a while to be honest, and it is a fun change I have to admit, plus you actually get to see Nicolas Cage's proper acting skills.

Anyhow, the film itself, is actually very good. Surprisingly good!

When I saw the DVD on Blockbuster I thought "Cage..." and like the zombie I am when it comes to taking my dose of Nicolas Cage, I decided to spend my precious(and few) pounds to rent the film. I got home, undressed and showed my beautifully sculptured body of a Greek God to the four walls of my room, put the DVD on my XBOX 360, lied on the bed to relax my hard-working legs, and pressed "Play" on the controller.

"Trivial Fact: In this scene the character is exercising, in the post they used this photo as if to show he was running from someone. Epic Photoshop is epic."

At first you see Nicolas Cage acting like Nicolas Cage, so all is good, exactly what I was expecting. Then the plot takes off and.... Nicolas Cage is gone. Where did he go? He was gone Ladies and Gentlemen, all that was left behind was the character struggling to escape from the bad people who are after him.

Who's the bad people? I will tell you!

You see Will Gerard(Nicolas Cage) goes through a lot when he finds his wife in the hospital after she was abused by some bastard, and in his wrong Judgment, he agrees to a group of vigilantes who are 'Seeking Justice', to take care of the guy who did this to her, but only if he agrees to do a favour for them sometime in the future. And he does. But then he welcomes a very nasty surprise when he realizes that this "Organization" now asks for him to become one of them, a vigilante and murderer.

And that is the plot.

The first act is great, same goes for the second act, and the third act is an alright conclusion, although it could have been done a bit better(There will be no spoilers do not worry my friends...Dumbledore dies).

As far as the acting goes, other than the very good job done by Nicolas Cage, the rest of the cast is able to stand face to face with 'The Cage' and deliver a more than decent job, and no one feels mis-casted. Also, Guy Pearce is a freakin nice villain in this film, and him against Nicolas Cage make a nice 'Nemesis Couple'.


Bottom line, Justice is a nice surprise, watch it.

Justice is a 7.5/10

Meme Rating

Official trailer of "Justice"

Post IX - The Raven

The Raven is a film based on the final days of Edgar Allan Poe. Of course since none of us have any idea why the great poet was found dead on a bench, Hollywood decided to give its own fictionalized tale as to what happened to him and how he met his end. The idea sounds great, the premise(a murderer becoming a copycat of fiction and killing his victims as described in murder stories written by the great author) sounds okay, nothing special, a bit redundant, but still a basis for a very good film.

In the end though, something went terribly wrong.

"You don't say?"

John Cusack plays Edgar Allan Poe himself, and he does a pretty decent job. His performance is enjoyable and he seems to have fun playing the role, and it is true, at times, he really tends to shine. So clearly, John Cusack was not the problem with this film, but I am afraid to say, he was the only good thing in it. 

Luke Evans plays Detective Emmet Fields, and he does an okay job, but at times he does end up overacting or just missing the mark when it comes on delivering his lines. At times he just seems to yell for no other reason but just to build up the tension in the scene, and not really because he has something to say. This reminds me specifically of a scene where Edgar Allan Poe(John Cusack) and Dec. Emmet Fields(Luke Evans) are having a tense conversation in a room, and at some point Allan Poe raises his voice which makes perfect sense considering the conversation going on, but Dec. Fields bursts as well and by the end of the scene you have two characters "barking" like dogs at each other and you are just sitting there in the theatre thinking "???????". 

Most of the rest of the cast did well though, like Kevin McNally, who's always a joy at the big screen wherever he plays, and Brendan Gleeson, but I must also admit before I move on from the Acting aspect of the film, that Emily(Played by Alice Eve), the other half of Edgar Allan Poe and romance vehicle for the film, was such a boring and uninteresting character. As if this character had no reason to be there, and this, brings me to the next failed aspect of the film.

 

"Any ideas?"

"Yes, I think she's dead."

 The story and plot of "The Raven". 

As I mentioned when I started this review, the concept of a copycat killer basing his murders on fiction work is a bit 'overdone' and just too generic for a film based on Edgar-Allan-Fucking-Poe!

Even so, I believed that the film would manage to make something out of this backbone of a story, but in the end it only managed to fail to a whole other level. The plot is badly written and given with unnecessary characters and situations all the way through until the very end credits. I know it sounds a bit harsh, but sadly for me and for all of us, it's true. The Raven is simply boring, uninteresting and with a very, very, very bad pace. I always say that even if a film has some negative aspects to it, if it has a good pace at least it goes on enjoyably until it's over. This one though, misses most marks as a movie and on top of that, is told in a very bad way, like a drunk missing his steps on his way home. Scene after scene with no rational connection, events just happening until the end credits roll.

The Raven was a disappointment, even more so because I was waiting for it to be released since I first saw the film being in pre-production. The problem is not that the film is not as good as it could have been, the real shame is that its just bad. 

The film was also directed by James McTeigue, the man who gave us 'V for Vendetta'. A film directed by the person responsible for one of the finest films of our generation, you "did" expect a much better work than what we got.

I could give it a 5/10 based on the efforts they put into it, and the good visual style and representation, which I did not mention earlier in the review. But if I have to rate this film based on how much I enjoyed watching it, I will have to go even lower than that.

The Raven is a 3/10

Meme Rating

Official trailer of "The Raven"

Post VIII - A London Tale

Yesterday and today I spent some time imagining a film I could make that would be both low budget but nevertheless deliver some decent action packed thrills. An indie film that wont need to boost itself as an "Arts Film" but be enjoyable, entertaining, and along the way become a piece of filming art, without the need of trying to show how artistic it is by slapping the viewer on the face yelling "SEE THIS, YOU UNDERSTAND SHIT OF WHAT'S GOING ON, SO IT IS ART!"

This is not Art. You don't convince the audience you are making a piece of art or a masterpiece, the viewers themselves must be the ones who decide this and declare it.

Low budget or high budget, blockbuster or art-house, every film must be entertaining, because no matter how artistic you are, if your film is fucking boring, your film is fucking boring and nothing in the world will change that. 

That's why I am thinking of making a film in London that will be both thrilling, exciting and for its small budget, deliver some decent action. 

I am thinking loudly at the moment, not making a post or boosting a concept. 

Even so, someone, out there, who's somewhat interested in this barely-existing concept, feel free to contact me and we chat about it. You might be an Indie Film Producer(I wish), but still, a boy can always dream, so let me dream. 

P.S. Even though the concept I am describing is only but an idea right now, I have thought of a scene taking place under the London Eye, which from what I am imagining, it would look pretty good on the big screen, or any screen for that matter. 

Post VII - Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance short and to the point Review

 Nicolas Cage, what can you say about him?

Sometimes is able to pull off Oscar-winning performances and other times he is so overacting that he becomes an entire different entity of sheer over-the-top awesomeness!

Oh yes, I love Nicolas Cage when he does his over-the-top performance, simply because when he does, he is so much fun.

And who else would be better of course, to play a character who's skull is on fire?

Nicolas Cage is Ghost Rider in 'Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance'!

The latest Ghost Rider film got a lot of negative reviews already, saying that the installment before it was much better, and to those people I have one question.... "WHAT?"

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance is simply so much fun, and what really makes the latest installment so, so, so much better are the people involved in it.

Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor love the character and the material, you can tell that on every scene of this film. You can tell the people who made it had so much fun doing so, and the film-makers just loved the cursed skull-burning character.

I don't care of what they say, I give Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance an 8.5/10

Nicolas Cage being Nicolas Cage turning into Ghost Rider, in a film that is 100% entertainment, nothing more but nothing less.

Meme Rating

Here's the scene from the film where Ghost Rider is introduced. All I could think of in the theatre when I was watching this bit was "... Oh my... Goosebumps." 

Post VI - Serious Thoughts

Warning: This Post is too serious, there is no much fun in it, only content of sheer thought and philosophical questions.

What is more important in someone's life, an achievement or being an overall good person?

It's a question that bugged me for a while, as I see all those people who achieved and achieve everyday, sometimes yes, I am one of them, but this is not about me, and not even about them, this is about the importance of choosing to be either a decent being, or an achieving one. 

I believe myself to be an achiever, slowly but steadily I achieve little things here and there, making choices and trying my best to move forward on all possible aspects of my life, but the main question will always remain. If you had to choose between the achievement and the decency, what would you choose?

I personally, would have to choose to be decent, to be a good human being in every way I can, than to manage to achieve something great. 

Why did I make that choice?

Because I prefer to live a life where not a lot of people know my name, but a life where I have the pride to look myself in the mirror. 

Post V - The concept of Jealousy

Jealousy is a very primal instinct, it boils and rises and creates itself when the feelings you have for someone give you the belief that this person is only for you, in a way, a form of "ownership". A feeling that as a person I never denied, and I believe it's vital to us as a specie.

Jealousy can lead to immature choices that can have a heavy impact and it is possible for that 'little green monster' as we call it, to create unnecessary confusion, but nevertheless, it is only there to show how much we love the other person.

Therefore, with my mind that is linked directly to films, I started wondering, are there any good films that talk "specifically" for the concept of jealousy?

And then I remembered the film that was literally based around that feeling, is also one of my favourite films ever made. A film that not everyone likes, but for some IS a definite masterpiece.

What can I say about this film?

For me, truly a work of genius.

A film that works on so many levels. Beautiful to look at, thrilling and exciting as soon as you get into it, makes you wonder of your own perception of reality, well acted and of course, masterfully directed.

I love it when you watch a film for the first time and it becomes an 'experience'. Before I knew it, maybe ten minutes after the film started, I was lost somewhere in the streets of New York, in Dr. William's fascinating, bizarre and frightening Christmas night.

The reason why a lot of people do not appreciate the film as much as I do is because when they finished watching the film and someone asked them, or they asked themselves, "What was the film about?", a lot of those people thought "Sex", which is the wrong answer.

Granted the film has a lot of sexual themes, but that is absolutely normal since the whole plot is based around the emotion of jealousy.

Stanley Kubrick, has been jealous in his life, no question about that. Why I say that? Because when he tries to show the viewer what's going on on William's head when he starts being jealous about his wife 'mind-affair', the man knows what he is talking about. The cinematography is perfectly executed, giving the needed vibe to the viewer to understand what the main character is going through.

Stanley Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut.

Rating: LOVE IT.

Post IV - Violence over Matter

Violence over matter?

Sometimes I wonder when watching movies like Saw and Hostel, is this all really?

An entire movie not based in good ideas, some degree of quality or a group of people who worked on it with fascination, but based in sheer violence?

I might be wrong and I am just not getting it, maybe there is something to watch in a senseless movie like the ones mentioned above and many, many others. The problem I have with them comes not from what they are, but for who I am.

What do I mean?

Well, my taste of course! Not everyone can share the same taste, and if we all did, oh My, what a boring world would we live in. The difference of opinions is what build our society, and it is what makes us advance as a race. Having your own opinion and sticking by it, forming it and shaping it, then sharing it with other people, when you receive *their* opinion, and that 'exchange' is what makes us involve.

Taking that entire idea to a smaller scale, a much much smaller one, in film-making the difference of opinion is what made the film-making industry involve. Not as an industry, but as an art-form. People who were good at something and tried to do it better, and because film-making is an art-form, people tried to be better than others in different ways. Which led people up to not only surpassing others, but spreading, changing, and growing. I am speaking of all the genres and all the different sub-genres.

Perhaps I was wrong. Movies like Saw that are a sub-genre of slasher horror, maybe they have something to give, a chain reaction that will trigger another sub-genre that will actually appeal to me.

To be fair, people who like these kind of movies are not wrong in any way, everyone has a different perception of entertainment and how he/she enjoys herself/himself.

All I want to say is *personally* for me, I prefer my violence explained. I want my violence to have a reason to be where it is and to advance the plot.

Now you may ask, John, what movie is both Horror and somewhat 'Slasher' but with violence that is there to also advance the story and character development?

Well, here's one of them:

Post III - Visuals and Soundtrack

Where do I get inspired from?

Hmmmmm.

The music and the visuals in a film are of real importance to me, so when I am inspired it's often by some music that triggers a reaction in my mind, a reaction that gives me hundreds of pictures, scenes, sets, characters and all kinds of events that at some point, after the initial explosion of random thoughts has happaned and past, I will start shaping the universe that I created, discard the unnecessary bits and develop the good ones until at the end I am left with a fully-fledged story that I can put on paper, and something that one day I will be able to put on the screen. A film.

I had many ideas in the past, some good ones, some great ones, and of couse, a lot of bad ones. I am almost twenty years old and so far I must have had about fifty(50) ideas? Now I am left with twelve(12) and I am sure in the coming years some of them will be put on an empty cell for the rest of eternity, and some others will be born, and take a rightful place up on the podium of my best work.

Also, you want to know a project I always wanted to do since I was a teenager at School back in Greece?

It will be a film based on a brilliant story we used to have as an entire class! Best fucking class I ever had. The experience of spending hour after hour on this story, getting deeper and deeper into the plot and under the skin of the characters, completely indulging yourself into the bizzare and yet familiar world of the ancient past. 

And that's when I decided I must make a film that will pay tribute to this astonishing piece of work, but of course, a film that will be able to stand on its own as well.

Here's the piece of work I am speaking of:

Post II - A Wonderful Vista

Woke up this morning with a bit of of a cold, and did my commuting to work. My head feels a bit funny and I find it difficult to walk because I feel so fucking tired. But anyway, enough about me and my day, let's dive into my fucked up brain and lazy, unachieving thoughts.

On my way to the train I wasn't thinking of much, which I find rather odd since I always think of screenplays and ideas and concepts and characters and, and, and, and.... But not this morning. Maybe it's because I am ill today, who knows.

At the moment I am daydreaming and brainstorming about two movie concepts. One that most likely I will never make as it doesn't feel strong nor good enough to be put on the screen, and the other that I will definitely do one day!