When I Feel Like I Could've Gone Longer...

Finals Getting You Down? This Might Cheer You Up A Bit...

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 16:51:42 GMT

That thing we did that one time called The Chalice of Alice is available for download now. Limited time only.

Fri, 02 Dec 2005 05:21:43 GMT

Lotsa stuff happened over the past several days. I got an unexpected phone call from a past acquaintance. I saw Caribou and The Supper Furry Animals in all their awesome, earsplitting live glory. I turned in my two weeks' notice at work. I bought a plane ticket back home (December 17th through January 2nd, kids!). I finally realized I'm terrifyingly close to turning 21.

Crazy times.

Sun, 27 Nov 2005 21:07:22 GMT

This is funny and I made it a long time ago.

Wed, 09 Nov 2005 17:02:06 GMT

Too busy with volunteering at the American Film Institute Festival and working on a bunch of papers for class to post much of anything... Fortunately, with just a little more than a month left of the semester now, the end is in sight and at the cost of virtually all forms of social interaction over the last several months, I think we're looking at a straight-A semester here.

Sigh...

Random Shit:
I saw Anthony Hopkins and Margaret Cho last night. The SPL premiere is tomorrow, and I'm at the point where I get little twinges of excitement just thinking about it. And just so you know, Why?'s Rubber Traits is the best song of the new millennium.

Also, just throwing this out there - My 21st birthday, which is on December 3rd, falls on the same Saturday that The Wrens and the Jim Yoshii Pile Up are playing at the Troubadour in West Hollywood. I'm going, for sure. I doubt anybody from out-of-state would have any real vested interest in this fact, but nevertheless I've released the information, and what you do with it is your own decision.

Cheerio.

The Vegoose Saga Continues...

Fri, 04 Nov 2005 08:41:57 GMT

As I mentioned earlier, my camera ran out of batteries before I could get any shots of The Flaming Lips actually playing and The Arcade Fire, period. Fortunately, the Vegoose website now has pictures of both shows here. Check them out if you like.

That picture blows me away, because I really had no idea, being right up front against the guardrail, that there were that many people behind us. But apparently there was. Pretty insane.

Thu, 03 Nov 2005 15:54:01 GMT

Near the end of their set, the Decemberists started playing each other's instruments. Hilarity ensued.

Wed, 02 Nov 2005 17:31:06 GMT

Nothing really beats the experience of seeing The Shins performing in a modest-sized club in Japan, much less being able to talk to them for a bit afterwards and getting them to sign some stuff. Nevertheless, the fact that the entire band wore nun costumes for Vegoose, complete with giant yardsticks, made for a very satisfactory set, thankyouverymuch. Plus, Martin, the keyboardist, had an on-again, off-again fake nun accent thing going that was just hillarious.

Martin: "Here's some more candy for you..." (throws candy into the audience) "There'd be more, but sister Hernandez ate all the fucking 'Krackels'."

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 17:39:48 GMT

Since I have soooo many good pictures from Vegoose, I'm just going to post one a day from now until I get bored. Some of you may've already seen these, some of you may've not.

I think the ol' "Beck is so hot... etc." adage is pretty self-evident here.

Beck's set was incredible. I've been a casual fan of the guy for a while now, but 2 hours of him and his band as the "Boy Scouts of America" may very well have pushed me over the edge into geeky obsession. Plus, I never realized this before, but E-Pro is a fucking EXCELLENT song.

It's Halloween and I'm Kind of Drunk on Pumpkin Flavored Beer

Tue, 01 Nov 2005 07:08:51 GMT

FLAMING LIPS IN VEGAS WITH KYLE OH MY GOD.

Tue, 25 Oct 2005 17:06:14 GMT

Civil Rights pioneer Rosa Parks has passed away at the age of 92. If you have any appreciation at all for the fact that this country has managed to undergo some very dramatic, positive changes in terms of racial equality over just a very brief period of time, I think you'd do best to take a moment and dwell on the thought of just how much the individual efforts of people like Parks have influenced those changes... Even if we do still have a long, long way to go.

Fri, 21 Oct 2005 16:38:16 GMT

A picture I did not take.
Saw the Hold Steady and The Constantines at The Knitting Factory last night. I don't think anybody who reads this knows who either of those bands are, so all I'll say is that it was a fucking awesome concert and you all shoulda' been there... If only to see the big fat bald idiot who jumped off the stage near the end of the Hold Steady and very nearly crushed a half-dozen or so whisper-thin indie fans.
...Also, the Hold Steady drinks a lot. And I mean the entire band when I say that. Yow.

I think I'm overdue for a link to a crazy-ass Asian flick, so today's submission comes to you from good ol' Thailand, where the value placed on human life - at least, the human life of movie stuntmen - appears to be virtually nil. The movie is called Tiger Blade, and from what I can tell it's a modestly-budgeted flick about cops versus criminals... WITH SUPER MAGICAL POWERS.

Yep, I shit you not. The bad guys can deflect bullets and stuff. Trailers here and here. The second trailer is the one truly worth feasting your eyes upon... All I can really say about it is, "Holy fucking go-carts".

Wed, 19 Oct 2005 08:01:51 GMT

As I wrote in a text message to Lani while I was waiting for the show to start, I am the king of free street parking and getting tickets at the door. Fuck you and your 7 dollar "service charge", Ticketmaster.

Calexico?
Friggin' good.

Sam Beam, ay kay ay Iron and Wine?
Friggin' awesome. He even did "The Trapeze Swinger" from the In Good Company soundtrack, which made me very happy.

Calexico AND Sam Beam/Iron and Wine?
Ehhhhh... Hit and Miss. Some damned fine stuff and some kinda-put-me-to-sleep, long drawn out stuff.

Calexico and Sam Beam/Iron and Wine backed by a full band performing a cover of the Velvet Underground's "All Tomorrow's Parties"?
Ohhhhhhhh my goodness. I fucking pray for internet bootlegs.

...And to cap the whole thing off, I happened across a charming Boba Tea place that was still open at 11 on my way back to the car. Mmm, Taro Root.
Also, the girl working the counter was damned good-looking. Have you ever gotten the urge to just up and tell somebody they're really good looking, simply because by your standards they really and truly are?

...Well, that was one of those moments. Anyway, I'm gonna watch an episode or two of "Curb" and then sleep. I gotta go cancel a Kickboxing Center membership tomorrow morning, and for that I need my rest.

Tue, 18 Oct 2005 17:33:02 GMT

Happiness is thinking you have a huge midterm paper due in one week and then discovering that it's not due for another three.

It's also a hot cup of Ovaltine. Mmmm, Ovaltine.

Iron and Wine and Calexico at the Wiltern tonight. All two of my sources indicate that the show is not sold out, so fingers crossed on getting a ticket at the door.

In the meantime, 30 minutes until work. Is that enough time to watch the lastest episode of "Curb Your Enthusiasm"? Should be...
...
Ah, crap, that's right. HBO. Damn you and your commercial-free programming for giving me my full half-hour of entertainment.

Of Pain, Rain and Clay

Mon, 17 Oct 2005 04:07:58 GMT

I'm almost 100% certain I'm going to have a massive bruise on my left thigh from an injury sustained during Ultimate Frisbee this afternoon. Just thought you all should know.

Saw Wallace and Gromit tonight, as planned, but had to pass on driving to Hollywood for the Architecture in Helsinki show on account of rain and spooky lightning, a rarity indeed 'round these parts. Kind of bummed, but oh well, just makes me more motivated to go to the Iron and Wine and The Hold Steady shows.

RE Wallace and Gromit: So good I had honest-to-goodness tears in my eyes at several points - the Rube Goldbergian opening and the airplane chase at the end, to name a couple.
Also, I don't know about you people, but I seriously don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy a computer animated movie again now. The ingenuity, dedication and hard work on display in W&G just makes all the CG flicks that're coming now seem so... soulless. There was a trailer for something called Over the Hedge before W&G, yet another rushed entry in a long line of "talking CG animals with celebrity voices" flicks, and just thinking about it now makes me cringe. Screw you, Hollywood.

I Am Lazy, Yet Busy

Sun, 16 Oct 2005 22:58:37 GMT

If anyone can think of a good base idea (setting, characters, key events) for a 12-page script about a person who's constantly getting practical jokes played on them, but then decides to turn the tables and get back at their tormentor(s)... Fire away.

Geek-Out Time

Sun, 16 Oct 2005 18:17:04 GMT

If anybody out there is interested in seeing a bit of what's new in the Asian cult action film scene, you might want to go here and check out the trailer to a movie called Death Trance, brought to you by Yuji Shimomura, the guy who did the action scenes in zombies-gangsters-and-immortals-in-a-forest flick Versus and directed the-name-speaks-for-itself Battlefield Baseball.

Now, Battlefield Baseball I found to be pretty consistantly entertaining, even if it doesn't really bring anything new to the table other than your typical nonsensical Japanese crazy comedy randomness that the internet-dwelling, anime-loving community eats up so's they can gush about how wacky it was with their like-minded buddies. Death Trance looks pretty crazy and random, to be sure, but it also appears to be an all-out action flick, and one so unabashedly gratuitous in that sense that I can't help but gleefully anticipate it. Just look at stuff like the breakdancing ninja, the Ong Bak-inspired flying knee move, and the fact that the final showdown appears to be against a 5 year-old kid.

Yes folks, I'm a sucker for the unabashedly gratuitous Asian action movie. The good ones, anyway. No surprise there.

Sun, 16 Oct 2005 07:12:59 GMT

Suddenly, silently, I'm posting to my LiveJournal again. And it's very likely that this will last for an extremely brief time, and then I'll either become too busy, stop caring, or a delightful combination of both.

Anyway, um... God, let's see. I know there's a reason I decided I wanted to resume writing in this thing. But now I can't really think of anything interesting or amusing to say. Guess it's time for randomness with images I stole off the internet, then:

Edwin Will Go to the U.S. Premiere of S.P.L.

S.P.L. is a modern-day gangster drama with kung fu from Hong Kong that I've been going increasingly apeshit with anticipation about over the past several months, because apparently not only is it a well-made film, the fight scenes are absolutely amazing. You can read some reviews from people who have seen the movie here. Anyway, it's finally getting its U.S. premiere at the AFI Film Festival in Hollywood on November 10th, and needless to say I bought a ticket and cannot fucking wait.
...I'm also probably gonna get a ticket to Sarah Silverman's Jesus is Magic, which just happens to be showing right afterwards, since why drive for 45 minutes to Hollywood for one movie when you could go for two?

Edwin Enjoys His Job to a Fair Degree

For those who didn't know, I work part-time at a restauraunt called "Rolling Rice". Rolling Rice is a semi-fast-food Japanese restaurant, the kind where you either order to go or get a number, sit down, and minutes later your food gets brought to your table. It's actually a pretty laid-back sort of job... Especially compared to working at the Bayview Center Subway of Port Angeles, which I'm more convinced then ever will end up being the worst job I've ever had. The cultural diversity of the place is off the hook, too, because the Rolling Rice staff is as follows:

Owners - Korean (husband and wife)
Sushi Chef - Korean (speaks virtually no english)
Kitchen Staff - Mexican (3 speak english, 1 doesn't)
Wait Staff - Two Americans, One Japanese

As you can see, there is actually one Japanese woman who works at the place, which technically puts Rolling Rice ahead of, like, 98% of the local Japanese restaurants 'round these parts in terms of ethnic authenticity. Anyway, it's a non-demanding 7-dollars-an-hour-plus-tips sort of job, and while I wish I got more than just a 50% discount on meals, I've got it worked out where "extra chicken" (1.99 + tax) and "extra rice" (no charge) comes out to 1.07 for a decent-sized meal.

I'm so thrifty.

Edwin Likes Going to Shows, Even if He's Almost Always Going Alone

Those fellows right there are the Dirty Three, a drums-guitar-violin post-rock group from the Land Down Under, and they kicked my goddamned ass at the Knitting Factory in Hollywood last Thursday. Even more than the National and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at the Troubadour the week before, or the New Pornographers and Destroyer at the Fonda the week before that.
Actually, no, I take that back. New Pornographers + Destroyer was better. But only because Dirty Three has the inherent flaw of being an instrumental group, and therefore not sing along-able. All the hardcore Aussie violin rock in the world can't top screaming the "Where've all sensations gone?" part of "Letter From an Occupant" with Neko Case.

Edwin Also Wants To...

A) See Wallace and Gromit tomorrow, finally.
B) Watch more David Cronenberg movies. eXistenZ was so good!... Although Naked Lunch left me confused and kind of depressed. I should really have read the book first.
C) Stress the fact that the new Why? album is really swell.
D) ...and so is the new Deerhoof.
E) Go to the Architecture in Helsinki, Iron and Wine + Calexico, and the Hold Steady + Constantine shows in Hollywood and L.A.... BUT THEY'RE ALL THIS WEEK. That's a lot of money, especially if I buy T-shirts. And I usually buy t-shirts. Thank god I'm a loser with no girlfriend and a very meager social life, thus allowing me to spend exorbant amounts of money on my own personal pleasure.
F) Read up for my Film Genre Studies class on monday, watch the second half of No Direction Home, and go to sleep.

SPECIAL DELIVERY VERSION 8.5

Fri, 24 Jun 2005 08:09:17 GMT

The first 8 and a half minutes of Special Delivery is now available for download as a 20-meg DiVX file here. There are a couple of things that need to be re-shot and added, but for the most part it's quite complete, and looking really, really good. Seriously... I'm really fucking happy with this. Now to see if everything else can actually be filmed or not before I leave for Malibu on Tuesday.

Fingers crossed.

P.S. Quality is lacking for the obvious reason of my having to reduce an 8.5 minute clip into a manageable size. So stop whining.

I Thought Batman Begins Was Exceedingly Swell. In other news...

Sun, 19 Jun 2005 05:02:16 GMT

Way too many things of far too massive a magnitude have happened in my life since I last posted, and most of you who know me already have some idea of what that stuff was, so I'm just going to use this time to post a picture from the Built to Spill concert Azumi, Kevin, Josh and I went to on Thursday + a picture from the Eels concert Azumi and I went to on Friday.

Both were pretty, pretty things.

A Little News Flash. JUST KIDDING, IT'S EVEN BIGGER THAN THE LAST ONE!

Wed, 08 Jun 2005 18:35:53 GMT

Early draft of a scene from Kalen Knowles' Special Delivery. Click on the pic to download.

And there was much rejoicing.

COLOSSAL NEWS FLASH!

Wed, 08 Jun 2005 07:47:30 GMT

WATCH THE FIRST 59 SECONDS OF SPECIAL DELIVERY RIGHT THE HECK HERE. DivX a must.

It's not complete, unfortunately... More credits will need to be added because at the moment it's just too darned short, but our intentions should be quite clear in terms of what we're going for in style. Expect to see a couple more scenes up in the next few days... Merely test shots, mind you, not to be used in the final product. But dammit, progress nevertheless!

Also, for those of you with super-fast connections, I highly recommend you get the big-ass version HERE.

Mon, 06 Jun 2005 18:41:47 GMT

OK, the first Believe That! Logo I posted a few days ago, the one that was unfinished, is done now... Not much of a difference from the original: I added a crosshair and a better sound effect at the beginning, and that's it. Get it here.

Principal shooting of Kalen Knowles's "Special Delivery" began this past Saturday, with a completion of the opening credits and some test footage for certain scenes successfully shot... Personally, I think this thing is showing darned fine potential already.

Kyle currently has my camera for a project of his own, but when I get it back I'll start editing what we have so far. Stay tuned.

BIGGER NEWS FLASH!

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 20:53:24 GMT

At Kalen's request, I have created a Robot-Themed Believe That! Productions Logo, and I'm pretty happy with it. For those of you who think these things are a bit plain, I personally like the use of simple text + animation w/ sound effects, rather adding in "look how skilled I am with a video editing system" special effects like "lens flare" (Oooo...) and all that crap.

Get it here.

In other news: I made a series of pictures entitled "What I Do In My Free Time" for a dear friend, and I like them so much I'm unleashing them on the whole damned world.

1. Lying On My Bed, Reading Comics

2. Video Editing On My Computer

3. Listening To Music

...

Oh man, I have no fucking life whatsoever.

NEWS FLASH

Fri, 03 Jun 2005 00:11:00 GMT

Click here for a sneak peek at the new animated logo for Believe That! Productions. It took me about 15 minutes.

Sasquatch - 5/28/2005

Mon, 30 May 2005 17:57:25 GMT

Humorous captions may come later, but for now here's 32 choice images from Sasquatch '05. Thanks to Katie for all pictures taken inside the festival, since I was too much of a wuss to try and sneak my camera past security.

Images are in chronological order, starting with the 5-hour drive there, progressing on to the concert itself, and concluding with waking up the next morning and driving back.