I'm not dead, I just have been very busy. I'll update this soon.
Dear Chicago,
I miss you terribly.
Love,
Rob
I have a knack for coming up with cool names to give to bands, unfortunately, I have no musical inclinition, so, heres some that I dont mind "giving away"
(and maybe some of them are already bands, I dont know, this is just off the top of my head)
1. Soft Brick Housing Project
2. The Contours
3. Nautical Mile
4. Angel Headed Hipsters
5. The Good Hands
6. The Bobcat Golthwait Turnpike Band
7. (deleted).,..cos I found out they were already a real band
SO...here are some more (some of which are M*A*S*H themed)
8. The Duke Forest Allstars.
9. The Black Capsules
10. Martini McBane
11. Jambalaya Johnson and the Shrimps
12. Devo Dessen for the Win
13. The Chairs (if this is someones band I'm sorry, I didnt know)
Theres a certain aspect of my personality, my style, thats always been just out of reach, just unattainable enough that it makes for some awkward looks and situations. It stems from both an observational mind with a tremendous long term memory for detail, and a timid uncertainty that can be chalked up to a shy personality. This, with an amalgamation of my long time love of art and writing from the beatific movement, to which I much give my good friend Jason Gillette due credit for, has inspired me to pursue a mental excavation. Hidden like the bones from the mesozoic era under deep packed rock and dust is a talent for art and expression that I have only seen the tip of. A colossal and vast untapped resource of ideas resides in my mind that will only manifest itself by force. So, I'm forcing myself to write and draw every day. My hopes are that, in doing so, I can hone my skill for creative thought, and creation itself. I don't aspire to some great power, I don't lust after some god-like, powerful dream. I only aspire to maximize my full potential, for the sake of the greater good of not only my generation, but perhaps our society as a whole.
Once I get a chance I'll upload pictures of my work so far.
I feel that this would be a good point for me to make a statement that isnt said enough, even though it puts me at risk for sounding a little bit like a corporate whore: the movie Cloverfield, if for no other reason than its marketing, its the epitome of the perfect movie. Its undeniable that the use of guerilla and viral marketing as its only selling point was executed beautifully and created such a massive cult following that I couldnt even see it opening night. (a fact that still disapoints me) Now that the initial dust has settled (no pun intended) and the fog has been lifted on many of the mysteries surrounding the movie, many of the dedicated and convicted fans are losing interest, feeling that they've experienced all that there is to offer, but I think this is a bit of a futile standpoint. With the ammount of subliminal advertising that was put out through tedious work with newscasts, related shows, viral ads, including numerous websites, blogs, and youtube videos, would the buck really stop with this one groups telling of a story that, if it were to happen in reality, would be the essence of the apocalypse? I hardly think so, and the fact that sites like www.1-18-08.com are still posting material further illustrate that we've only seen the tip of the iceberg that is this story, and more universally, this aproach to the movie industry.
I've seen a lot of buzz surrounding the idea of a sequel. I'm usually not a big fan of sequels, because I'm often disapointed by them, but the room to grow with cloverfield is immense and untapped, and I'm wholely hopeful that we'll see more from this franchise, and optimistic that we can expect the same level of anticipation that we did with the first. Here are some ideas that I liked/expanded upon, along with some unanswered ponderences.
WARNING
SPOILER ALERT
IF YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY ANY INTENTION EVER OF SEEING THE MOVIE "CLOVERFIELD", DO NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, READ ANY FURTHER THAN THIS LINE, YOU WILL REGRET IT.
Sequel buzz:
Theres a widely discussed idea of the "potential" sequal following the same general timeline of the first movie (i.e. "there had to be more than one person in new york recording with a video camera that night, right?") I think that this is the best general idea for a sequel, and gives a lot of room to play with. The shakey camera, handheld conveyence serves a purpose to connect the viewer with the charecters on a human to human level, even moreso than with traditional camerawork because of the ever expanding use of home movies, video blogs, etc, it just brings people to a more relatable, and realistic level to Hud. To stray from this would be all too obvious a pitfall, as (and I hate to use this as an example, because the two movies are WORLDS apart) happened in the blair witch project and its sequel. It would alienate the dedicated fans. Anyway, there are several angles that the sequel running on a different vantage point could run along. It could be a different set of charecters entirely, but here are some ideas more related to the charecters we've already been introduced to:
1. (first heard on the 1-18-08 facebook group) all the military personel seen in the movie have cameras on their helmets. Also, video blogging/messenging is an increasingly popular medium for soldiers to communicate with their family, friends, etc. This would be a great way to further explore the military angle of the monsters attack on New York, and possibly elsewhere. Which brings me to my next idea.
2. What is the impact of the monster outside of new york? Perhaps the initial reaction of an outside area, or area that the monster later attacks, provided it lived through the bombing, which I think is entirely probable. Where were the evacuees relocated to? Whats happening in reaction to this attack outside of what we saw in the first movie? What happened to Lily, the first movies only speculated survivor? Theres a vast, untapped resevoir containted in the initially laid groundwork of the original. I'm all but beggin that they dont waste it, and cant wait to see what else comes from this series.
That being said, this is what would happen. I would become acquainted to both Zooey Deschanel (left) and Charlotte Gainsbourg. (right) This would of course happen years from the time jess and I went our separate ways, because I would be devastated at her leaving and would have to move to Morocco to take on a new identity and rebuild myself. Anyway, after months of swooning them, I would not be able to choose either way, so, to determine who would ultimately win my heart, a battle would have to ensue. Not anything that would hurt anyone, of course, instead I feel an intense game of 5 card stud would be ultimately appropriate. Intense, I say, namely because I cant imagine what kind of poker faces either of them must have, it might be like looking into the sun. (I mean that in a good way)
Finally, I'm going to edit this post later, because it seems mostly like I'm bumbling around trying to excuse myself, but I spent half an hour on the damn picture, so its staying up.
Rob, come back to blogging! read more
on Dear everyone,