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!