The Best Movie You're Not Watching!

There is something so exciting about seeing a really good movie. And it hasn't happened that much lately, I mean barring the stuff I saw in Toronto. But you really go into that expecting to see something good. I downloaded this Hindi movie Johnny Gaddaar (Johnny Rebel, if you want the literal translation) and it's basically one of those crime capers that's heavily stylized. If you watch any older crime films from the 60's and 70's that came out of India, you get really great music, good thrills, sexy ladies, and stylish heroes. All of that was thrown into this film, coupled with just a really kick ass storyline and a tight script. The only thing is, the songs are used in the background. Oh yeah, and the songs are awesome.

This is one of those rare films that gets it right; the acting is pitch perfect for the most part, which is interesting considering there is only one really huge name involved, and that's Dharmendra. He's not even present for a good chunk of the film. The other actors are either unheard ofs or are brand new, like for example, Neil Mukesh who played Johnny. He's got the right look and feel of the character, but he's slightly wooden in parts. Eh, that's ok, it's a tricky role to carry for your first film and he really runs with it. The director is only one film old, and he was responsible for another highly underrated movie Ek Hasina Thi. That's a really great revenge drama that takes place in the heart of the city, and is also extremely polished and songless. Both of these films are really gems, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Back to the film, I've quite frankly never seen a Hindi film that so intelligently takes every little detail and throws it back in your face. I'm talking little details too. And its interesting how Johnny himself is somewhat of a coward in the first half, and then bizarrely transforms in the second half, even though you have no clue who you're rooting for. People who were villains at one point becomes the ones you want to solve the mystery, and then it totally flips. Every loose end is tied up for the most part. The cinematography is top notch, and the use of music is just great. It's got that touch of the Oceans Eleven jazz but it definitely has its own unique style. And it clocks in at 2 hours and 10 minutes. Any review that bitches about how long this one feels is really just full of crap; it's seamless.

I'm going to stop raving now but everyone should check this movie out. Now if only I wasn't the only person that reads this...

The effects of boost season

Wow, I did a fantastic job of keeping up with this thing during the festival! Well, in my defense, by the time I got home I was in no position to be thinking clearly. I have the whole experience written down, and maybe at some point I'll filter out all the BS and transfer some if it onto here.

In the meantime, it's Emmy night tonight. The awards season always falls perfectly in line with my loss of morale, which tends to happen around the fall. I use these awards as a sort of booster, because they make me want to keep pushing to break into the industry. (I shall call this: boost season.) It's not a matter of wanting fame and all that junk, but I've always liked when a room full of people get together and get excited about movies and TV. That's what the entire film fest was, so to a certain extent, I got an extra boost this year.

I've decided to not go after advertising, because I've made peace with the fact that I won't be financially stable for the early part of my life. Instead, I'm going to do freelance film jobs and auditions. It's really the only way. I had to figure out what would make me the happiest, and when the response was acting, as it always is, I figured that it was time to stop ignoring it. Now I know, I always say these things and never follow through. So hey, maybe this won't work out for me. But I plan on beating the idea to death and doing everything I can to make it work out. If it doesn't work out, no regrets. At least I tried and all.

I signed up with backstage.com to keep tabs on any auditions in the area. I signed up on a Friday, and people tend not to post things over the weekends, so hopefully there will be lots of auditions posted starting Monday. Once I complete this freelance job I think I have, I'll be able to get down to Philly and get my headshots done. Right now, my one headshot is rather week.

Oh, and also, the fest helped spawn a Keira Knightley obsession. And I'm talking obsession! After seeing her in person, a switch flipped for me. I think she's great, and I'm trying to get a hold of her movies that I haven't seen yet. I went back and watched PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and realized that Joe Wright is a complete genius, and we have the same outlook on method acting; we think it's crap. His movies are so interestingly choreographed and directed, and during the making the cast was saying how they played sardines (hide and seek) in the house they were filming in to get acquainted with it. What a cool idea. I think I may steal that. Trouble is, being in Atonement, P&P, and general Joe Wright mode, I'm back in the mindset to work on the period piece script. Bummer, because I wanted to finish Armaan. I guess that's what bothered me most about writing under pressure in school... it's impossible! Better get used to it, I say.

Boost season always makes me do unexpected things. Last time, it made me audition for David Mamet's acting class in NYC. That actually worked out. So that's where I stand: freelance film work, constant writing, and auditions. That sounds exciting to me, even if it means I better start getting comfortable living downstairs.

Toronto, Day 2

So last night was the big party from Time Magazine. Once we got there, we walked past that huge sign with all the company logos where celebs pose. The photographers realized we weren't celebs and didn't take our pictures. Sad times. Across the street were people just camped out watching the celebs walk by, so it was cool to be able to walk right into the building.

The party itself was pretty swanky... there were little Swarovsky crystals scattered everywhere and there were two bars made of ice. Open bar, of course, which was bad news. Well, not really. The final celeb list, for those of you I didn't harrass with texts, was Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Clive Owen, George Clooney, Don Cheadle, Shekhar Kapoor, Tilda Swinton, and a really really hot Indian actress, Sameera Reddy. They made a run for the VIP section behind the bar, but they had to walk by us first. If you go to the bar to get a drink you could just stand there and gawk. That's what we did, and we saw Reese dancing to MC Hammer. It was cool at first but then we just stopped caring that they were there. Eventually we got into that VIP section where Don Cheadle was the only one left. He was sort of frantically realizing that no celebs were left so he peaced out. After that we made some friends, exchanged cards, drank more wine, and peaced out. It was really a lot fun though because people were really great, and the music was pretty kickass too.

So, today we're seeing a b&w documentary on this crazy Italian opera singer, and then we're seeing this Spanish movie called King of the Hill, which I picked based solely on its title. I mean there are only a handful of well-known movies here with big stars, and the rest you just sort of pick and choose. And tomorrow is Elizabeth and The Last Lear!

That's all for now...

Night 1

Here in Toronto. Weird city... like an American one but more chilled out. The people look the same but little things are different. Tomorrow night is the George Clooney party! And hopefully we can catch a couple of movies beforehand. The train ride was 12 hours, not 11. felt like 122. so far, so good.

Pre-Fest Planning

So I finally decided to take on the mammoth task of figuring out how the fest is laid out, and where it is in relation to my aunt's apartment. I discovered this stalker-ish but amazing feature that google has, where you can look at maps via satellite. I know I know, you knew it existed ages ago. But every time something like Google or Facebook comes out with a new feature, I always resist getting into it for a while. I don't know why that is...

So it seems that my aunt is pretty conveniently located in relation to the rest of the festival. I think everyday, my plan should be to get to the box office as early in the day as I can, and I'm talking like 8 in the morning. I'm sure there are random coffee shops in the city that I can hang out at while I wait for the box office to open. Then when it does, I can pounce like the desperate moviegoer that I am.

I've added 'Sleuth' to the list of movies I have to see. The others are Atonement, Elizabeth, Lust, Caution, and Michael Clayton... and Across the Universe... and a few others I can't remember. It's always been my theory that the longer my list of must-sees is, the more chance I have of actually getting to see one. I also plan on sitting in a coffee shop reading the GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK script I recently bought, so that should George Clooney stroll in, we can discuss the script. Because I'm sure he has time for that.

I guess most of the anxiety at this point stems from uncertainty. If I don't know exactly how every detail of a certain event is going to play out, I get really nervous. I want to know exactly how the train ride will go, when I'll get out of the train, if I'll be able to get to my aunt's place without a hitch, etc. So many little details I can't coordinate from here! On top of that, I am technically going to a different country. Little things that you expect from an American city may be totally missing or switched around somehow. Nerves, nerves, nerves!

Two days, and a large chunk of the mystery surrounding my trip will be clarified!

A Slow One

Today was another uneventful day. I went out and picked something to wear to one of the parties in Toronto, because my party clothes are getting raggedy. I found a posting for an assistant stage manager position for a play in NYC on Kinsey. It seemed interesting so I sent my stuff over, but apparently they filled the position minutes after they posted the job. I have to say I'm glad I started using craigslist again... I had basically written off as a hodge-podge of useless postings, which it still is to some extent, but every now and then there's a gem.

Tomorrow it's off to Jersey to visit the friends, then a Yankees game on Saturday. I just want to get to Toronto!

Inauguration, Sans Fanfare

Inaugural post! I think putting this thing together is one of the smarter things I've done in a while. Some people have asked me what my process is when I write, and I don't really have one, I just write everything I'm thinking out, and then try to piece things together. I thought it would be kind of cool to do this whole process out loud for everyone to see. I do a lot of handwritten stuff as well, so I can probably scan some of that stuff in. I'm trying to sort of create a mini-network of my projects, which are so far just 'Arranging Armaan' and 'Let's Misbehave.' Both are very much in progress, with the former actually having a shot at getting completed sometime soon. I get the feeling that 'Misbehave' will be one of those projects I visit a lot throughout the next few years. It's complex and darker, and I think I need more life/writing experience to pull it off.

Next week is the Toronto Film Festival! I ship out on Thursday, where I board a train in NY and don't get up for the next eleven hours or so. It's going to be either excrutiating or really cool... the fest itself is going to be crazy and amazing. I'm going up with my sister who also writes scripts and fiction, and we've only gotten tickets to one gala showing of 'The Last Lear.' No complaints on my end, because it stars some Indian actors whose work I'm really familiar with. There are a bunch of other films I'm really going to push to see, specifically 'Atonement' and 'Lust, Caution.' I'll really take whatever I can get, though. Just to be in that atmosphere will be pretty surreal.

More later...