September 27, 2021

It was a busy weekend! Saw St. Vincent and James Blake at the Hollywood Bowl (two different nights). Then went to the zoo yesterday to take movies of the animals. It's Monday, and I'm back at work. Going to see Wicked Woman (an aerialist show set to Princess Bride) tonight.  

Something I'm wrestling with is empathy. During the last few years, people have been using empathy as a blanket prescription for all of society's ills. Here's the definition: "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another." Actually, as an ability it's totally great. Framing it like that suggests that whoever has empathy can deploy it at will. When it's appropriate, useful, etc. 

My problem with it is that it places the importance on reception instead of communication. On feeling instead of action. Reception and feeling are definitely important. But it's clearly a mistake to think empathy is going to fix everything. The primacy of empathy negates taking responsibility for our own feelings and responses. Saying empathy is the be-all-end-all means we're not on the hook for problem solving and practical action. To some extent, we've made feeling bad an accomplishment, as long as you're feeling bad on behalf of other people. That's silly. It's a tool, but it's only one tool. 

Under the definition of empathy are these further search terms: 

Somehow, I feel like that strengthens my point. 

MLog Time! 

**SPOILERS**

THE INVITATION

2015

Directed by: Karyn Kusama

Written by: Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi

Watched: 9/24/21

Will and his girlfriend Kira drive up to the Hollywood Hills for a dinner party at the house of Will’s ex-wife, Eden. Eden and her new husband, David, have been MIA for the past two years. Will and Eden split up after the sudden death of their son. We see in flashbacks that Will stopped Eden from slitting her wrists, as a result. The two are still in intense grief. Eden met and connected with David because David was also grieving. He had lost his wife in a traumatic way. Eden has gathered all their old friends for this dinner party. Will is on edge. He’s creeped out by things like how the house has bars on all the windows now, and how David has locked the doors and removed the key. Will feels unsafe. It turns out that Eden and David have joined a grief cult. They show a video from the founder of the cult, it contains footage of a young healthy-looking person peacefully dying. It’s creepy, but some of the friends try not to be judgmental. They want to support Eden and David in whatever’s working for them. Will is suspicious that one of their friends hasn’t shown up. He got a voicemail that the man, Choi, arrived early. Will thinks that Choi has been harmed. He accuses David and Eden, but then Choi does show up. He had been called back into work, hence his delayed arrival. Oh! Also, there’s two other creepy cult people in the house. Will sees David hang a red lantern in the backyard and finds barbiturates in Eden’s bedside table. They all eat an elaborate dinner. Afterwards they make a toast, Will hits the glasses of wine out of people’s hands. One of the cult guests attacks him, and in their struggle, she hits her head. The group tries to administer to her wounds, when they realize that Gina, who drank the wine, is dead. 

David and the cult members try to kill everyone. They believe that they’ll all be together in the afterlife. Eden is overwhelmed. She wanted them to all die together peacefully. She shoots herself in the stomach. Will, Kira, and one other friend end up fighting the cult members off – although all of their other friends have died. They realize that dogs are barking and police sirens are sounding. A ton of red lanterns are hanging throughout the Hollywood Hills. 

I feel like you can tell I liked this movie based on my lengthy plot summary. It was a slow burn. Definitely creepy. Beautifully lit. And so so Los Angeles. The makeup of the friend group, their clothes, their looks, their reactions, and their concerns fit LA to a T. They want to be open minded and supportive. They feel it’s imperative to be polite. They see pain as a thing to be irradiated. (I went to the Hollywood Bowl after seeing the movie and felt like I was surrounded by possible Invitation casts.) I felt this whole movie worked really well – and it was shot for a budget of $1 million. Crazy. Directed by the same person who did Jennifer’s Body. Someone to watch for sure. 

Rating: ★★★★

September 24, 2021

I sent my screenplay to the director yesterday and immediately slept for three hours. I had semi-waking dreams about RHLSTP and lyra. 

Going to take the day off from script writing and instead catch up on my Mlog/Blog. 

Blog time! 

**SPOILERS**

Scalzi, John – OLD MAN’S WAR

Published: 2005

Read: 9/2021

Americans on Earth are kept mostly in the dark about the universe, its numerous aliens, and the technology developed (read: stolen) by the Colonial Defense Forces. The only way to see the universe is to join up on your 75th birthday and spend two to ten years defending the colonies. Due to quarantining issues, people who have joined can never return to Earth. These old people join the military because the CDF can make them young again. They transfer your consciousness into a modified young clone of yourself. The battles are brutal and imperial. The main character, John Perry, finds himself naturally capable at being a soldier. He survives a particularly bad ambush, meets the Ghost Brigade, including his dead wife, and is promoted to Captain. 

I keep reading Scalzi because his concepts are interesting and his work is fast and accessible. I like it but I definitely don’t love it. After the recruits get their young new bodies, there’s a detailed sex scene that made me gag. Like Rocky Flintstone-level bad. There’s also a jocular humor throughout that I don’t connect with. The tone is a little too pleased with itself. No harm in reading Scalzi’s stuff, but I should remind myself that, although it takes limited investment, it also offers me limited reward. 

Rating: ★★★

Before I go on to the Mlog part. My neighbor who talks a lot came over the other day. He was saying how the definition of being clutch, in sports, is basically the ability to work as you always work under pressure. To be yourself, to bring your game, no matter the circumstances. I think there's a way to be like that in writing too. And I think I accomplished it with my screenplay. I don't know if it's ultimately going to be good enough to sell and be made into a movie, but I was able to bring to it all of my abilities. I was clutch in that sense. It also reminds me that my neighbor can have some insights some of the time. An infinite number of chimps typing on typewriters and all. :) 

MLog Time! 

**SPOILERS**

NASHVILLE

1975

Directed by: Robert Altman

Written by: Joan Tewkesbury 

Watched: 9/23/21

This film is largely about people making it, or trying to make it, in the music business in Nashville. There are a bunch of different characters and storylines. A man’s wife is in the hospital. His niece from California is staying with them, but she can’t be bothered to visit her aunt. (We also learn later that this couple lost a son in WWII.) On the same floor as them is a country music star who’s had mental breakdowns. Her manager/husband deals with her somewhat roughly and pushes her to get back out on stage. We learn that she’s been singing professionally since she was ten years old. There’s a rock trio made up of a husband and wife and another man. The wife is sleeping with the other man and is in love with him. That other man is sleeping with a lot more women including the soloist in a black Baptist choir, who’s married and has two deaf sons. He seems to love her. A woman who works at a diner wants to be a professional singer but she can’t carry a beat and is tone deaf. She’s very sexy though, so she manages to get gigs. A woman from the BBC is running around trying to interview people and make a documentary. A soldier is trying to see the sick singer as much as he can because his mother loved her music. A woman is running away from her husband, trying to make it as a singing star. A populist political candidate is running for election on a replacement ticket. His van drives around broadcasting recorded speeches via megaphone throughout the whole movie. The movie culminates with a rally for the political candidate. The sick singer gets shot onstage. The soldier who’s there to watch her steps in. As she’s carried off, one of the other famous singers (who’s been shot in the arm) insists that everybody keep singing. “This isn’t Dallas. This is Nashville.” The woman who’s been running from her husband takes the mic, and she’s actually really good. The black gospel choir backs her up and the crowd all sings along.  

The movie is long and all over the place. I was a bit fatigued after the first hour or so, but somewhere in the second half I was able to settle into it. A lot of the musical performances are actually very good, and I think that helped. It reminded me of seeing shows in Branson, Missouri on family vacations growing up. My dad especially has always loved lived country western music. The shooting came out of nowhere – except earlier one of the characters goes on and on about how much she loved JFK, and she describes her reaction to the assassination in detail – but the response to the shooting was perfectly set up. A lot of it reminded me of being in Hollywood. People are desperate to make it. Talent. No talent. Delusion. Exploitation. Adulation. Transcendence. 

Rating: ★★★1/2 

September 23, 2021

It's been almost 20 days since I posted last. I rewrote my screenplay for that director in the meantime. I hope it's good enough. I can't tell if it is. The characterization to me still feels weak. But I did the best I could on it. I wrote 96 pages in 16 days. I've written 19 of the past 23 days. If diligence can make a good screenplay, I will eventually have a good screenplay. 

I wonder if a step away for a little bit would help. I don't want to lose any momentum, though. 

It's smokey outside today. Wildfires in Northern and Central California. It makes it cooler here, though. Helps block out the sun. 

I signed up for another SMC course. This one is Film 31: Intro to Digital Filmmaking. I took the first class of it years ago... 2016? With the same professor. I dropped the class. Oddly, considering that, it's been hitting the spot this time around. I feel like I'm picking up what the professor is laying down. 

Here's an example: we were learning how to set up the tripod for the cameras. The tripod is probably the simplest piece of equipment, right? Not very exciting. My professor interrupted the equipment guy at one point. He put one of the groups on blast, saying they were barely touching the tripod they were setting up, keeping it at arm's distance. He showed them how he wanted them to interact with the tripod, said that he wanted to see some desire. He's Italian, I'm not sure "desire" is the word a native English speaker might have used, but I felt it was the right one. 

It reminded me of playing basketball in high school under Coach O'Connor. She stressed that your integrity was in the way you approached the small things, the details. Take every part of the game seriously. Bring your best no matter if it's a drill or a championship game. I agree. I agree. What other way is there? 

For one of our Film 31 assignments, we had to tell one story in nine pictures. I wanted to use my idea about the messages left on the sidewalk. 

My husband was my subject and my neighbor volunteered to be my assistant. (He held the bounce.) I was pleased with how it turned out, but I think some changes could have made it better. Finding a spot not next to that Range Rover, for example. Shooting more closeups. Getting my neighbor to angle the light more directly on the subject's face. 

I probably should have re-shot it, given those considerations. But I didn't want to use any more of my husband or neighbor's time. The assignment got a good grade, and it was a hit when I put it on Instagram. But I think if I want to be great at this stuff, I probably need to be fastidious. Do as well as I possibly can, now, so that if I ever get the chance to do something more, I'm able to nail it. 

September 4, 2021

 I've been struggling on this rewrite for my script. The weaknesses of the original seem to be characterization. I want the people in the story to feel more real and to be the ones really driving the story forward. There's also the difference between writing a good script -- one that might do well in contests or get noticed on the black list -- and writing a script that will turn into a movie. Like a real actual movie with all the additional people that requires. I had an epiphany about it after watching Free Guy. I asked myself, what about a character attracts and actor? What makes an actor want to play a particular character? I answered myself: the character is interesting. 

Okay, that's it. The character doesn't need a whole life's story. They don't need a broad sweeping trait plus a flaw plus a want. I think in order to be interesting, the character needs to be 1) relatable/connectable -- real enough that the audience can understand or identify with some part of that character. The actor needs a way in. And 2) you know, just interesting. This could mean a very flawed character, an extreme character in some way (ambition, talent, laziness, love, violence), a conflicted character (opposing layers or desires), a complex character that shows the real depths of humanity (like one Meryl Streep might play). The character could even just be a regular person put in unusual, historic, or extreme circumstances. Not all characters are going to be interesting to all actors, either. And that's okay. 

Thinking along these lines helped me get more generative on my rewrite. I think I might be getting out of the woods. 

MLog Time! 

**SPOILERS**

FREE GUY

2021

Directed by: Shawn Levy

Written by: Matt Lieberman and Zak Penn

Watched: 9/2/2021

Guy (Ryan Reynolds) lives in Free City. He has the same daily routine – gets the same coffee, works the same job, gets his face stepped on the same way…. Everything is great except that he’s lovelorn. He’s waiting for that one special woman to come into his life and change everything. There are regular people like him and then there are the people with the sunglasses. They have powers and guns and commit all sorts of violent acts. It’s basically Grand Theft Auto. Guy is a background character in a video game. But one day he sees the player Molotov Girl (Jodie Comer), and he breaks out of his routine. He tries to talk to her by stealing someone else’s sunglasses. And then he sees what the players see. As he advances, the game developers try to boot him, thinking that he’s a hacker who stole a NPC’s skin. He levels up to help Molotov Girl, who’s a game developer trying to prove that the Free City company stole her and her partner’s IP. They realize that Guy is an AI, who’s grown out of Molotov Girl/Millie’s original code. While the world watches, they set out to prove it, and to save the growing AI’s from destruction with the launch of a completely overhauled Free City 2. 

This movie was really fun. It made me laugh and feel good. I related to the NPCs. It feels like I live in a world where the rich/powerful/famous can do whatever they want, and I have to just go to work on a loop with life never changing or expanding. There’s also a nice little self aware bit about sequels (in reference to Free City 2). It’s nice to watch a movie that’s an original property. Also! Genuinely exciting action sequences. The one I’m thinking of in particular is when Guy is driving a motorcycle and Millie sits in front of him, facing him. She grabs to glocks (?) from his pockets and shoots radially while the motorcycle donuts. It’s exciting and sexy and I liked it. 

I saw this movie at 1:30pm at the Bruin theater in Westwood. I was one of like four people in the entire theater. I snuck in my starbucks drip coffee and ate my small bag of popcorn. The darkness of the theater felt like it physically descended on me. The theater was air conditioned in the heat of the day. The sound was perfect. I felt totally transported. Totally in the movie. The good feeling it gave me lasted for days. 

I’d go ahead and give the movie four stars except that the end of the movie felt bloated – which happens in a lot of recent action movies. Half way to 60% of the way through it was a definite four stars. 

Rating: ★★★1/2

 

September 2, 2021

BLog Time! 

**SPOILERS**

Hanff Korelitz, Jean – THE PLOT

Published: 2021

Read: 8/2021

Jacob Finch Bonner is a dedicated writer and novelist. He has early success with his first novel, winning various awards, but selling relatively few copies. His subsequent books, however, fall flat. He loses ground, doesn’t get picked up by the same publishers, and ends up teaching at a low-residency MFA program. During this time he meets an arrogant asshole (Evan Parker) who boasts that he has a blockbuster plot. A plot so good that even a bad author couldn’t mess it up. To Bonner’s dismay, the student is a competent one, and when the student finally tells him the plot, Bonner has to hand it to him – it’s a plot that’s bound to succeed. Several years later, Bonner has fallen even farther from grace. He then turns to The Plot. It turns out that Parker died only months after his MFA program ended. Bonner, having only ever seen the first 12 pages of Parker’s manuscript, writes a book using Parker’s plot. Hey presto – the novel is a massive success. Book tours. Money. Interest in his next work. A new girlfriend he meets at a radio interview. Then, somebody starts emailing Bonner, calling him a thief. Bonner starts to crumble, and he eventually investigates. He finds out about Evan Parker. He finds out that Evan Parker’s story is based on what happened in his family. He finds out that Parker’s sister got pregnant, was forced to drop out and raise the baby, that she kills her daughter when the girl is off to leave for college, and then takes her place. This same sister seems to be a serial killer, there being suspicious circumstances around her parents’ and brother’s death. It turns out this woman is Bonner’s new girlfriend – now wife – and she kills him too, taking over his estate. 

I enjoyed the look into the literary world, in this book. I liked the arrogant Evan Parker. I liked the idea of a plot that’s so good it will automatically rocket a book to the tops of the charts. I don’t think an idea in itself is ever good enough to do that – I think it always is dependent on particular execution – but it’s a fun idea to entertain. It’s like The Entertainment in Infinite Jest or that Monty Python sketch about the joke that kills people because once they hear it they can never stop laughing. I saw the twist in the end coming, as I noticed that Bonner has a photo of the girl who dies but not of the mother. Why not have any idea what the mother looks like? Oh, because that would give away the fact that it’s the same person as his girlfriend. 

Good enough! Is what I think of this book. 

Rating: ★★★

September 1, 2021

Yesterday, I started another class at SMC. It was in person, and the regulations around COVID were baroque. For example, there was yellow and black striped tape on the ground around the area the teacher was allowed to stand. No one was to cross over into that square and he was not to leave it. 

It's the same class with the same teacher that I went to five years ago. Last time, I dropped it after the first class because it felt pointless. This time, I got a lot out of it even though I'm pretty sure it was the same lecture. I was devastatingly insightful. It may have helped that I'd seen the material before, albeit a kind of staggeringly long time ago. 

I was a newb in that I forgot to bring a sweatshirt. I was in pants and a t-shirt, and I rode my bike there. So when I arrived I was hot and sweaty, but of course that turns into cold clamminess as the night wears on. (It's a four-hour class.) To keep warm, I'd buy coffee out of a vending machine. My dinner was black vending machine coffee and a stale bag of Funions. Not totally unlike the kind of meal one might eat in a hospital emergency room. But I have to say, it helped a lot. It got me through that first class: improved my focus, warmed my hands. Best dinner in a minute.