Kyle Newman’s FANBOYS (trailer) was reportedly going wide to theaters in 2007, but due to some major political red tape with one of the story lines it was set to be shelved.  After over 300,000 fans sent letters to the Weinstein Co. asking for release of original content (success of the Stop Dark Weinstein Campaign), it is 2009 and has finally been given a very limited release.  Hopefully, this is a temporary placeholder for the film, and it’ll get decent turn out and hit more theaters soon.  It is only playing 8 cities, and if you want to fight for a release in a theater near you, please visit the Stop Dark Weinstein Campaign.  For more information about the long and grueling war with Weinstein Co. over the film, check out the A.V. Club and their article: Fanboy’s Kyle Newman.

The evolution of FANBOYS and its following proves that good independent stories can hold their own against powerful studio execs.

FANBOYS succeeds in telling a simple story, streamlined by Star Wars inside jokes of course, about a group of friends who set out to see a rough cut of Episode 1: The Phantom Menace at the Skywalker Ranch.  The “depressing” cancer sub plot fueled Weinstein’s decision to have the film re-cut, extracting the story line and playing up the campiness.  I was lucky enough to catch this film in theaters yesterday, and had that plot line been removed, I’m not sure that the story would have been worth watching at all.  This is a must see for any Star Wars guru, or for those who are fond of Judd Apatow-esque humor.  Don’t let the hype cloud your expectations- it’s not going to blow you out of the water, but you WILL have a good time.

Yes, I am one of these people.

Over the last few months, ever since I invested in an iPhone truthfully, I have found myself getting behind on some of the smaller daily to-dos I set for myself as a result of searching for better ways to document and keep record of my to-do items.  I like being productive, and more than liking the feeling of getting something done, I like finding new productivity tools to help manage workflow and increase organization.  For example, I have google shortcut key stickers on my macbook keyboard to heighten the speed at which I can respond to e-mail in gmail.

All you have to do is write in with a self-addressed envelope and provide postage to cover the cost of sending the pack back to you.

Send me some Gmail stickers already

P.O. Box 391420

Mountain View, CA 94039-1420

Virtually anything can make it to a to-do list, and there are a host of methods used to track these items.  Perhaps it’s the ability to cross something out that makes people feel so accomplished.  It can’t just be about not forgetting.  I know I’m not the only one guilty of jotting down to-do’s that I’m obviously not going to forget (1. take shower, 2. eat, etc.).  When researching for this post, I happened upon my favorite to-do list compiled by a Mom.  When I saw this, it reminded me of something my own Mom would do.  Compared to Gmail Tasks (my current to-do method), both probably work just fine, because it all depends on who is making the list.  These things are all personal preference.  What do you look for in a to-do list?

vs.

The Gmail Blog discusses the pros and cons for paper vs. iphone, coming to these conclusions:

• Paper has a number of popular features:
• Easy editing. Cross out with pen and write something new.
• Works offline. You can read paper even when your PC is not connected to the internet.
• Mobile. Fold paper and stick in pocket.
• Instant boot up. Just pull paper out of pocket — don’t have to wait for it to load.

However, paper does have some limitations:

• Limited availability. You don’t always have a pad of paper with you to write new things.
• Not ubiquitous. If you leave a piece of paper in one pair of jeans, you can’t access it from the other jeans you’re currently wearing.

Difficult to organize. Eventually turns into a giant mess on your desk.

I have been through Remember The Milk, Evernote, Jott, and wide variety of other productivity applications intended to stream line every list or to-do you could ever want to have.  While those are great applications and I highly recommend test-driving them, Google’s release of Google Tasks in gmail and on the iPhone seems to be the most simple and easy-to-manage way to track your to-dos.

I kept getting pre-occupied with syncing my list between desktop and phone in Jott, or organizing subcategories in Remember The Milk and Evernote… Instead of getting tangled in fancy bells and whistles, gTasks is basic and the closest you’ll get to paper.  Without voice notes, it is lagging behind its other competitors, but knowing Google, it won’t be long.

What to-do methods work best for you?  Feel free to share in the comments.

Visit Merlin Mann’s 43 FOLDERS blog for more tips on finding the time and attention to do your best creative work.

1. Good blogs have a voice. Who wrote this? What is their name? What can I figure out about who they are that they have never overtly told me? What’s their personality like and what do they have to contribute — even when it’s “just” curation. What tics and foibles fascinate make me about this blog and the person who makes it? Most importantly: what obsesses this person?
2. Good blogs reflect focused obsessions. People start real blogs because they think about something a lot. Maybe even five things. But, their brain so overflows with curiosity about a family of topics that they can’t stop reading and writing about it. They make and consume smart forebrain porn. So: where do this person’s obsessions take them?
3. Good blogs are the product of “Attention times Interest.” A blog shows me where someone’s attention tends to go. Then, on some level, they encourage me to follow the evolution of their interest through a day or a year. There’s a story here. Ethical “via” links make it easy for me to follow their specific trail of attention, then join them for a walk made out of words.
4. Good blog posts are made of paragraphs. Blog posts are written, not defecated. They show some level of craft, thinking, and continuity beyond the word count mandated by the Owner of Your Plantation. If a blog has fixed limits on post minimums and maximums? It’s not a blog: it’s a website that hires writers. Which is fine. But, it’s not really a blog.
5. Good “non-post” blogs have style and curation. Some of the best blogs use unusual formats, employ only photos and video, or utilize the list format to artistic effect. I regret there are not more blogs that see format as the container for creativity — rather than an excuse to write less or link without context more.
6. Good blogs are weird. Blogs make fart noises and occasionally vex readers with the degree to which the blogger’s obsession will inevitably diverge from the reader’s. If this isn’t happening every few weeks, the blogger is either bored, half-assing, or taking new medication.
7. Good blogs make you want to start your own blog. At some point, everyone wants to kill the Buddha and make their own obsessions the focus. This is good. It means you care.
8. Good blogs try. I’ve come to believe that creative life in the first-world comes down to those who try just a little bit harder. Then, there’s the other 98%. They’re still eating the free continental breakfast over at FriendFeed. A good blog is written by a blogger who thinks longer, works harder, and obsesses more. Ultimately, a good blogger tries. That’s why “good” is getting rare.
9. Good blogs know when to break their own rules. Duh. I made a list, didn’t I? Yes. I did. Big fan.

And, yeah, you should disagree with potentially all of this. It’s because I have an opinion, and so do you. It’s why you probably have a blog. See? The system works.

Butler Application (Mac OS):

[9/10] - Can’t live without it. This application is the ultimate tool needed to increase productivity and overall efficiency in navigating through your could be better organized Mac OS lifestyle. Whether you need a book mark manager, a file launcher, pasteboard extension (great for writing essays and researching), or a stream-lined aesthetically pleasing way to navigate through your file system in general, Butler does it all without slowing down your system. If I could tweak anything, it’d be the interface. Adding a few bells and whistles is personal preference though. A plus for some could be the bare-necessity of the program and its lack of flashy layout. A pinch more style, and this app would have my heart.

Directed by Michelle Lehman, last year’s Tropfest Australia winning film, MARRY ME, tells a little love story about “a little girl who likes a little boy and a little boy who likes his BMX bike”. The film was inspired by a true story when director, Michelle, at 5 years of age, would chase Jason Mahooney around the school in a pretend wedding dress (her mother’s nightie).

This short is beautiful.

Every girl drones on about how she wants to grow up and be independent: be a doctor or a lawyer or the president.  All girls really want is to get married.  And have huge diamond rings and gloriously long white dresses.  Oh, and did I mention kick-ass cake?

Tonight, I went to see BRIDE WARS with a few of my lit major friends.  I’m not sure why we decided to see this film, but it was kind of a girls night out and it seemed appropriate.  However, after watching it I sincerely regret that because of its PG rating that more children, girls specifically, will be exposed to the messages condoning iratic, “crazy” female behavior surrounding the marriage culture and social constructions of women.  Can you gather this from the trailer?

During the film, I felt myself cringing whenever the main characters Emma and Liv played into the normative social perception of girls and their feelings about marriage (that all girls are designed to dream about marriage since “forever”).  While Liv is a lawyer and can drop 20-30 grand on a wedding (10 grand on a Vera Wang dress, which “you alter to fit into, not alter to fit you”), Emma is a middle-school teacher.  Oh, but let’s not forget.  Apparently Emma has been saving up since she was 16.  Both want weddings.  The story dwells on the how even a strong bond like that of two girlhood best friends can be ruptured when the girls don’t get their way on wedding day (the “most important day in a girls life”).  The wedding planner tells the two brides-to-be that “their whole lives they have been dead,” and that it’s not until “they get married that the truly are awake and alive.”  Ironically enough, there is a married couple in the film that is portrayed as completely unhappy and dissatisfied with their relationship (the wife is constantly complaining), and we as an audience never see them having a good time or enjoying each other’s company.  Not to mention the attitude toward divorce is blasé and discussed like getting an ipod, something that’s just expected to happen to everyone.  Additionally, the single women in the film are pill-popping, and binge eating because they are so depressed that they haven’t found this “happiness,” and are thus seeking to fill the void in themselves, because OBVIOUSLY, not being married means you are not whole.  Um, yea.  Don’t think so.

Perhaps the movie was supposed to be funny and lighthearted, possibly even a satire of the American wedding industry.  Instead, (as this review also agrees) I felt that its’ plot revolved around the negative characteristics that society attributes to women, categorizing feelings like “angry, emotional, sad, and aggressive” as exaggerated, inherently feminine and expected of all women.  Two girls try to sabotage each other and embark on a bridal beat-down, demonstrating that they have no self-control.  Not once is it entertained that the two women would talk out the issue to resolve it.  Of course not.  They resort to “extreme” measures like destroying the other’s hair (swaps the hair dye from blonde to blue) or skin (alters the tan to be blood orange instead of hint of bronze).  One of the girls’ husbands confesses that he is frightened by her sudden outbursts of anger and “strong feelings,” because they are such a sharp juxtaposition to the dormant and passive, nice woman whom he had gotten accustomed to.  The fact that she wasn’t subordinate, or able to be “controlled” as he put it, was alarming to him and meant that he didn’t know her anymore.  Message?  Women aren’t supposed to do anything “too” anything, and they should stay middle of the road.  Example:  Too “easy” and you’re a slut, too “conservative” and you’re a prude.

Girls who are fed media like this are already getting the idea that if they are not dreaming about what kind of flowers they want or considering which “Save the Date” invitations are best for their wedding, that something is wrong with them. Lumping the goals and aspirations of all girls into a singular group enforces the misguided notion that all girls want the same thing- a man to marry them.  This excludes any girl (i.e. - the working woman, the divorcee, the lesbian) who differs from the “norm,” (and I use that term loosely, since it’s definition is so subjective) and isolates her- causing her to feel inadequate because she cannot identify.

This post is not to bash weddings or people who decide to get married.  All I am trying to point out is in a time as confusing as childhood and young adulthood, girls should be encouraged to be independent and value autonomy, not to sell themselves short and settle for what is “expected” of them if they don’t want to.  They shouldn’t feel pressured to be something they may not be.  BRIDE WARS portrays a very one-demensional, transparent girl/woman and I believe that all women should do what they love, and not feel like they have to fit some kind of pre-determined social, hetero-normative, homogenous mold.  Everything doesn’t have to be so cookie cutter.  And on that note, if it happens to be, that is entirely okay.  As long as it is what you are seeking as an individual to make you happy.  Bordering on offensive and derogatory, I don’t foresee this film going over well with women at all, on any level.

This past weekend, I PAed on a VH1 shoot that came to Orlando called “Bongos 3.”  This is your typical reality dating show with the difference being that this season, instead of staying in a house or mansion, they toured America.  Vying for the affection of the bachelor, the girls stopped in major and not so major cities- which should prove to be an interesting back drop for new challenges like truck stop olympics or dance contests on top of the St. Louis arch.

Aside from my car overheating and breaking down every day (I even got pulled over for it), the shoot was pretty exciting.  My first “dating” reality show and first time on a project that shot for 24 hours/day, was tiring but exhilarating none-the-less.  Working the 2PM - 2AM shift, I was lucky enough to catch on-set action in between doing transpo runs and completing odd jobs for the Production Office.  Having such a talented, seasoned group of PAs that really teamed together to make sure everyone had what they needed made everything run a lot smoother.   Shooting in City Walk and at the Hard Rock Hotel, our crew was pretty massive for crowd control and logging the reality as unfolded.  Much to my surprise, the reality (well, most of it) wasn’t scripted like I had anticipated it would be, based on what you hear about other reality shows.  Most of the craziness stemmed from the multiple crews they had running around making sure they had the necessary coverage.  

Best moments were transporting the crew from Hard Rock back to the Gaylord Palms Resort (where the out of town crew was put up), and getting to chat with everyone about their different experiences on set back in LA, New York and a few other places.  I know it’s crunchy, but after a long day, it was the smack talking, some times nostalgic and often humorous anecdotes from the crew that kept me alert and productive, and the overall morale high on and off set.   Fast-paced without a moment to rest, this shoot went by quickly.  Even though it was a nice break from school, I am more than ready to get back to not being nocturnal.  Excited for the next gig to come to town…

Overall Rating: 3/10

Last night, I saw Peter Sollett’s Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist.  This film reeked of Juno inspired witty catch phrases, trendy indie music references and awkward (not endearing) acting.  Unfortunately, I’ll have to admit that I wanted to see this film because of Michael Cera.  I wish there was a better reason, but I might as well be honest.  Ever since Arrested Development stopped airing, I have to settle on getting my Cera fix in other ways.  It’s not like I held high expectations for a film that so clearly seemed to depend on the recent success of Jason Reitman’s  Juno to draw audience.  However, I hoped that it would have been better.

Not a shade more or less dorky and hopeless than he was in Superbad, was Nick (Michael Cera): a pathetic guy who was dumped by his bitchy girlfriend Tris (Alexis Dzniena) who he couldn’t seem to get over.  In an attempt to win her back, he proceeds to embarrass himself by burning her mix CDs- a move that garnered an “unexpected” interest from Norah: cue likeable slightly obscure girl (Kat Dennings).

When Nick plays a gig with his bandmates at some club, both Norah and Tris happen to be there rockin’ out to his out there music.  In a move to one-up Tris, Norah talks to Nick and convinces him to play boyfriend/girlfriend with her.  And this basically sets up the film for expected, ritual and cliche events that are pawned off as “unusual and quirky” New York night time frenzy.  Amidst the gum motif that seems to travel every where from the toilet to a few different people’s mouths, and the superstar band “Fuzzy” hype, there exists a few romantically awkward and sweet moments that don’t seem so forced between Nick and Norah.  The seemingly disorganized plot points contribute to the films jumbled, on-the-fly feel, and ultimately provide a PG glimpse at life in New York on the indie music scene between two off-beat teens who grow to appreciate each other’s nuances during the evening the film takes place.

In this case, the novel was probably better.

This past Sunday, we wrapped on Jesse Chapman’s senior thesis film:

“The Exposition Report”

Being the first Capstone to shoot this semester, we were a little nervous about how things would pan out.  Albeit, it was one of the more simple shorts production-wise, but our crew had an entire summer to get rusty, so there’s was really no telling how the first day would go.

After a few (minor) set backs with working the TelePrompTer, the Projector, and lighting, we ended the day on a parody of a Mac commercial scene that raised our spirits and had us all laughing uncontrollably.  The acting was phenomenal and it’ll be difficult for Jesse to settle on just one 30 second cut for the film.  It took almost an hour to set proper lighting for the News Anchor scene (see David above, Writer/Script Supervisor/Stand-In) and the Mac scene (see Me, Producer/Stand-In), but once we got it, it was quick moving.

Thankfully, the schedule was relatively light and we were able to make our days (though we ran a little late 2 out of 3 of them).  More details and reflections to come about the shoot, but for now, check out the EXR Blog for updates and clips!

…wish it was though.

After closing my Macbook screen a little “too” hard, the lcd screen exploded, shattering the pixels and rippling the physical screen.  Sigh. Repairs will be costly, but not as costly as a new Mac.  Apple quoted me at $800, but luckily I was recommended to MicroReplay who will do it for $350 (not including shipping).

Lesson: If you get frustrated, throw a shoe or a stuffed animal, DO NOT slam your laptop screen down.  Bad. Idea.

In other news, my boyfriend thought it’d be better to give me my birthday present earlier to lighten the mood- A beautiful Nikon D40.  Score.