April 2012

• 2011 vs 2012: Movie Showdown!

  Posted by gmadmin   |   April 23, 2012

  Last year was an amazing year in movies. Almost every movie I remember seeing in the theater last year was awesome. Just check out this list of great movies from 2011:
  1. Win Win
  2. Thor
  3. Bridesmaids
  4. The Tree of Life
  5. X-Men: First Class
  6. Super 8
  7. The Harry Potter finale
  8. Warrior
  9. Moneyball
  10. The Ides of March
  11. Into the Abyss
  12. Melancholia
  13. The Muppets
  14. Hugo
  15. The Descendants
  16. The Artist
  17. Young Adult
  18. A Separation
  Not a bad lineup of films! I’m probably forgetting some good ones, too, but just looking at those eighteen movies, you have two of the best superhero movies not named Batman; films by Alexander Payne, Werner Herzog, Terrence Malick, Lars von Trier, and Scorcese; scripts by Aaron Sorkin and Diablo Cody; the most fun kid adventure movie since the Goonies (Super 8); plus some other first rate dramas and comedies. 2011 may have been one of the best years for movies in recent memory.

  But can 2012 beat 2011? It’s certainly off to a good start. This list will have to be more speculative, but let’s see how it stacks up. So far we have had (that I’ve seen):
  1. The Grey
  2. Bullhead
  3. The Secret World of Arrietty
  4. The Hunger Games
  5. 21 Jump Street
  6. The Cabin in the Woods
  7. Chronicle
  So far so good! It’s not even summer yet and we’ve already had some amazing movies. Matching movie to movie, I would rank Hunger Games higher than the Harry Potter finale. I think The Cabin in the Woods stacks up nicely against Super 8, so I’d call that one a tie. 21 Jump Street was about as funny as Bridesmaids, imo. I think The Grey trumps Warrior.

  2011 didn’t really have any great animated films that I remember, while 2012 has already had a Studio Ghibli film and Pixar has a chance to score a win with Brave.

  2011 had two great superhero movies in Thor and X-men: First Class, but 2012 has the next Batman! The previews for The Avengers look kinda lame to me, but it’s written and directed by Joss Whedon so it’ll probably be awesome. Chronicle also somewhat qualifies as a superhero movie, and it was pretty fantastic, too.

  Most exciting of all, 2012 will have new movies from PT Anderson and Quentin Tarantino. Those two directors alone make 2012 an exciting year for film. So can 2012 beat 2011? I can’t wait to find out!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
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• Jury Duty

  Posted by gmadmin   |   April 21, 2012

  I was recently on the jury for a fascinating murder case. It really made me appreciate the judicial system we have in this country and highlighted the reason we shouldn’t try people in the media or in the court of public opinion. There were fourteen people selected to serve on that trial. Ultimately, only twelve jurors can deliberate. After the closing arguments, two names were drawn at random to serve as “alternate jurors” – that is, two of us had to sit out the deliberation process. When my number was called I was so disappointed because I had put so much time and attention into the trial, and I felt I had something to contribute in the end. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I did not want the weight of sending a kid to prison on my shoulders. When I got the call the other day from the court telling me the verdict, I knew I lucked out. The kid was found guilty on both charges – second degree murder and fleeing the scene of a crime. I believe it was the right verdict, but in the end I’m glad I didn’t have to participate in making it. Anyway, it was a life-changing experience and it gave me a whole new perspective on the justice system.
  Now that the trial is over and I can talk freely about it, I’ve been telling my friends the fascinating details of the case. Everyone says I will probably write a play or a musical about it. We’ll see. I think what made the case so interesting was that it was real, and we jurors had a heavy responsibility to bear. If I tried to write a courtroom drama, it would be just that: a courtroom drama. Sometimes there is no substitute for real life.
  In other news, I discovered tons of amazing bike trails in the Phoenix area that I want to ride! Too bad it’s starting to get so hot. I guess I’ll just have to plan some night rides!

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
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• City Government and Musicals

  Posted by gmadmin   |   April 13, 2012

  What does the City of Glendale’s Water and Sewer Commission have to do with writing musicals? Absolutely nothing. Which is why I joined.

  A couple of months ago I met up with a contact at City Hall and told him I wanted to learn how a city works. I told him I didn’t want to work on anyone’s campaign and I didn’t want to be on a commission for arts or bicycles or anything like that. I wanted to do something totally out of my comfort-zone. He suggested I apply to be on the Water and Sewer Commission.

  In thirteen years (and six days) I will be forty. By that time I don’t want to be writing musicals anymore. It’s not that I don’t like writing musicals – I love it. But life is about challenging yourself and discovering new things. I’ve learned two important lessons since college: 1. Most subjects and industries have the potential to be fascinating; and 2. Most subjects and industries are hungry for more creative thinkers. But almost anything we do requires a degree of practice and learning to develop the hard skills necessary to do the job well. That’s the catch, because practice and learning take time and experience. When I’m ready to branch out into a different career field, I want to have more experience to draw on than just writing musicals.

  So if there are any young aspiring artists out there reading this, my advice to you is this: venture out of your comfort zone. Don’t skimp on the hard classes in college. Explore other areas of interest. Because the whole world is desperate for your creativity, and you may decide you don’t want to be a professional artist forever.

  The reverse is true for young people pursuing careers outside of the arts: venture out of your comfort zone. Get on stage in front of people. Participate in something for the experience of creative fulfillment. Collaborate with someone who sees the world differently from you. Make something with your hands that you are proud of. Sing with people. Move your body to music.

  I think we would see a solution to our unemployment problem if artists were more technical, and if technical people were more artistic.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  
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