Annie Hall

MAKING MOVIES

Way before I started film school, I bought and read a copy of Sidney Lumet's "Making Movies". At the time, I hadn't even watched any of Lumet's films, not even the famous ones like "Dog Day Afternoon" or "Network"...I think I just heard somewhere that he had written a good book to read for an aspiring filmmaker.

I still remember sitting on the couch in my parent's living room with my copy of the book, reading it and thinking afterward that maybe making a movie wasn't such a daunting thing...at least the way this guy described it.

Then I watched his films...holy shit.

THE MEET CUTE

From Wikipedia:

A meet-cute is a convention of romantic comedies in which two potential romantic partners meet in a contrived way in unusual or comic circumstances. A staple of the romantic genre, the technique creates an artificial situation contrived by the filmmakers in order to bring together characters in an entertaining manner. Frequently the "meet cute" leads to a humorous clash of personalities or beliefs, embarrassing situations, or comical misunderstandings that further drive the plot.

Windsor Light Condensed

TOKYO SONATA

I love the bittersweet (slightly ambiguous) ending. One of the best ones I've seen in a while...



Also, what's up with Japanese films and Debussy?

GOLDEN HORSE SHORT

Sadly enough, I haven't shot a film in almost 2 years (not including the occasional commercial).

I'm now in pre-production on a short film for an omnibus project, sponsored by the Golden Horse Film Festival. It's a collection of 20 shorts (5 minutes each), all by Taiwanese directors, established and not-so-established. The actual feature-length omnibus will be the 2011 opening film for the festival.

My short is about a washing machine.

FOUR LIONS

Funniest movie I've seen in a while. Also some of the best slapstick in recent memory. It's about a group of bumbling Pakistani suicide bombers in Sheffield...