R o t t e n S a n d w i c h B l o g g e d

VOTE FOR EBBE

2011-12-30T10:46:00.000-08:00

Hi there internet world and blog readers. I just want to drop a quick line about a short film I worked on two years ago that is being entered in a film festival in France. Ebbe the Hunter or Le miroir et l'enfant as it is called in French. It is slightly cut for the film festival, but it would be great if we can get the support from my readers and visitors. I'm very proud of this film, I was the cinematographer on it. I've worked with this cast and crew many times and I don't think we could've made the film without them. We shot the film in Toronto, Canada on one of the snowiest winters. It was a joy and pain to make the film, but it was all worth it. So please watch and vote! Vote everyday until January 15th!

WATCH FILM

Thanks,

Dan Lam

t r a i l e r s - h y p e

2011-12-22T07:48:00.000-08:00

Hollywood has a way with hype during the holidays or big events. Whether it's releasing teasers during the Super Bowl or bombarding and repeating trailers everywhere during the July 4th. It seems that this winter holidays we are treated to next year's 'must see' sequels, prequels & adaptation blockbusters. From 'Prometheus' to 'The Dark Knight Rises'.

It seems that these 'event-trailers' are tied to films that don't belong to the same studios. As in, 20th Century Fox's 'Prometheus' with Sony Pictures' 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' & Warner Bros.' The Dark Knight Rises (trailer 1) is the opening act to Paramount Pictures' Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. Even the 6-8 minute prologue is screened before the IMAX version of Mission: Impossible. Which is reasonable, seeing how 'Mission' is the only film to open in the IMAX format this month and The Dark Knight Rises has portions of the film shot in the same format.

Non-Spoiler-
The 6 to 8 minute prologue which gives us a taste of The Dark Knight Rises, includes a scene that I think belongs somewhere in the first 20 minutes of the film. Afterwards it just gives us brief glimpses of thrilling scenes from the film, some not in trailer no.1. Where the montage of clips failed for the prologue actually succeeded in the actual trailer. In trailer no. 1, the clips are voiced over with Ann Hathaway's Selina Kyle confronting Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) of what's to come to the 1% (there seems to be heavy references to Occupy Wall Street.)

This comes in the style of most Christopher Nolan films, where dialogue is placed over a dramatic montage. A device he uses at the end of 'The Dark Knight', 'The Prestige', 'Memento', etc. Unfortunately, trailer no. 1 falls into the traps of big Hollywood action/comic book movie trailers. Apparently, it's protocol for these genre trailers to include an epic CGI effects laden scene. Where footballer Hines Ward runs through the field not realizing his playmates tumble into a massive crater that is formed in a series of explosions.

The trailer for Peter Jackson's 'The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey' will open before his co-production with Steven Spielberg of 'The Adventures of TinTin'. The trailer seems to be a warm reminder of what 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy looked like and how the next two movies in the world of Tolkien's Hobbits will be. Returning are Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Andy Serkis, Ian Holm & Ian McKellen.

This trailer works because it is familiar with it's fan base and it doesn't exclude newcomers to the world of the One Ring mythology because this is the prequel to 'The Lord of the Rings' trilogy. The trailer starts with Ian Holm's Bilbo Baggins explaining to Frodo that he hasn't told him the full story of his adventures with Gandalf. Then the trailer proceeds to flashback to the young Bilbo Baggins this time played by Martin Freeman (The Office UK, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.) Gandalf introduces us to new characters that will join in their party, cut to a scene of the only human singing and the rest follows, then a montage of their journey (just like old times.)

Ridley Scott's highly anticipated return to science fiction since 'Blade Runner' with 'Prometheus' has been cleverly teased throughout this past week, with daily countdown teasers and twitter tweets of images from the film. Although the film has not debuted online yet (it is said to go online today), it has already screened in front of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' since December 20th. I'm planning to catch the film tonight, so I will be posting an update on my review of the trailer.

Courtesy of Coming Soon.net

Other trailers that have all the hype following them are 'Clash of the Titans' sequel 'Wrath of the Titans' , Adam Shankman's film adaptation of Broadway hit 'Rock of Ages', Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones' return in Men in Black 3 & Dwanye 'The Rock' Johnson's turn in 'G.I. Joe - Retaliation'. These trailers don't offer anything special, they feature your typical spectacle of action, movie stars and over the top music. One thing is clear from all of this, next year promises to be bigger than the one before it. Hopefully, we won't feel bloated from all the camp.

UPDATE: 'Prometheus' Teaser

So having seen the teaser to Ridley Scott's widely speculated Prequel/Not Prequel of 'Alien', 'Prometheus' seems to be one exciting science fiction film of 2012. There is many evidence in the teaser the points to it being at the very most related to the Alien films. The trailer starts with the eponymous string of lines that as the teaser progresses forms the film's title, there are also clips of familiar set pieces such as the crescent shaped space craft, a field of jars (?) that resemble the field of Alien eggs and a scene of one of the crew attacked through their helmet and possibly burning from acid (?) Even the unmistakable Jerry Goldsmith score with it's various plucking of strings comes from the first Alien film.

So maybe the film won't directly link itself to the Alien series, but it certainly comes from that world. The teaser does an excellent job in "teasing" the audience, each clip is shown for now more than three seconds each. Even the premise as revealed in the title cards are compelling, "They went looking for our beginning, What they found could be our end."Almost reminiscent of the 1970s kitschy marketing with 'Alien' with the tagline, "In space, no one can hear you scream."

It's been a while...

2011-12-21T08:28:00.000-08:00

Haven't been keeping up with the blog due to lack of interest and abundance of work. Wish I had a secretary... or another writer. Anyhow, I'm back and winter is here. Which means I'll have more time on my hands to devote to this blog here. I'll be bringing back my movie trailer reviews and more photographs from work! Here's a preview taste:

Taken in El Mirage Dry Lake Bed, CA for 'Reservoir'

When I was in CA

2011-09-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some more photos from my trip to Berkeley.

The one thing I love about California is that it is a big car culture over there.

You can find fixed up vintage cars parked in almost every corner.

Abandoned sneakers.

View from Grizzly Peak.

Daryn Deluco (Director of Photography)

While I was in Berkeley, I made myself a little playlist that included mostly Cali's own Best Coast. And one of there songs, I would like to post up here is my favorite.

"Gone Again" by Best Coast

Berkeley, CA Part 1

2011-09-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Earlier last month I spent some time in California working on a short film for a friend. I've had an amazing time out there and plan to go back to visit. During the shoot, I would take walks in the mornings before being picked up to go to the set and I would take my Nikomat with my 24mm lens with me and document what I saw. There's more to come.

Nature

2011-09-08T03:16:00.000-07:00

Photos I took during work in Upstate New York for a short film.

Best of Director John Woo

2011-08-11T10:01:00.000-07:00

Continuing my list of favorite Hong Kong directors and their best films, is famed "Gun-Fu" director John Woo (Face/Off, Mission: Impossible II)

John Woo is famous for his gun action films, his trademarks are double wielded guns, ballet-like choreography, slow motion, themes of brotherhood and justice, tragedy and of course doves. Just think of him as the thinking man's Michael Bay. Even though his action is described as "high-octane" and "roller coaster ride", Woo knows hows to inject irony into his films. Whether it be a 'killer' caring for a victim in The Killer or a huge shootout in a hospital in Hard Boiled, all of these conflicting images work in a bigger poetic narrative.

Woo is a master of timing. His action sequences are cut in a way where it flows smoothly, his protagonists know exactly when and where to shoot. Violence is glorified and yet at the same time it becomes a shock to the viewer. We get to see the blood in plain sight and it's not pretty, we can sense the fear and pain in Woo's victims. John Woo has stated that he doesn't encourage violence, this can be apparent in his films when an innocent bystander gets hit with a bullet or the fact that no good comes to any character firing a weapon.

Although John Woo has had a string of critical successes in the late 80s and early 90s, his career has been shaky in the 00s. After the success of Face/Off, Woo could not replicate that with his other American films such as Windtalkers and Paycheck, and several failed attempts at the television industry. Woo later returned to China to tackle a big budget historical war epic with Red Cliff. The film includes Woo's previous themes, in addition 'politics' is something he hasn't tackled before in his films.

Feist 'Metals' Album Cover debut. (My take)

2011-07-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

Leslie Feist's long awaited third album is to be released in October 6th in North America, she recently released a paint by numbers album cover on her facebook. This is my take on what the cover could look like. Hope you all like it!

You can also catch snippets of her new music at her official website @ www.listentofeist.com. There is a great piece about the new album which gives a more information on the songs that may be included in the album, you can find there here.

Plus, don't forget to catch the amazing documentary on Feist and her creative process called "Look at What the Light Did Now"

I don't know about you but something about listening to Feist's music makes me feel like I want to put on a nice wool sweater, drink some hot chocolate and feelin' chilly (gonzales). And since I'm on a Feist fix right now, here is my playlist of her music that I will be listening to all week:

Best of Director Tsui Hark

2011-07-25T11:07:00.000-07:00

So, I've been away from blogger world for a bit and now I've come back with some stuff to share.

I've recently made a short playlist of videos that culminates the best work of Hong Kong action film director Tsui Hark. Considered to be the Steven Spielberg of Hong Kong cinema, he brought action, comedy and dazzling visual effects to the films of the 1980s. He has produced and directed many staple Hong Kong films such as A Chinese Ghost Story, A Better Tomorrow, The Killer and Iron Monkey. He's produced for "Gun-Fu" Director John Woo (both of which famously had a falling out) and famed Action coordinator Yuen Woo-Ping.

His directing efforts has been few compared to other prolific Hong Kong filmmakers. He's best known for the Once Upon a Time in China series with Jet Li, based on an actual historical Chinese figure Wong Fei Hung (a physician/martial artist). They were made in a time where Hong Kong was still occupied by the British and national identity seemed to be at a crisis. Peking Opera Blues is a kind of Charlie's Angels set in early 20th century China, Twin Dragons was his first project with Jackie Chan and Seven Swords was Tsui Hark's 'Lord of the Rings' big adaptation.

The playlist was inspired by a recent Facebook posting by a friend who posted the trailer of Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, Tsui Hark's latest film starring Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs I, II & III), Tony Leung Kar-Fai (Election I & II) and Carina Lau (Days of Being Wild, 2046). I felt that Detective Dee was not Tsui Hark's strongest film, it had the well intention of being a period mystery thriller, but bad screenwriting, sloppy cinematography and underwhelming CGI made the film campy. The film will be released on September 2nd in select theaters around the nation.

So I put together a short list of films that I think best represents Tsui Hark's body of work.

Watch my playlist here:

Coming out at the end of the year is Tsui Hark's second attempt at the Dragon Inn story, working with Jet Li again but this time in 3D. Here is the teaser trailer of their latest effort.

Update (7/31):
Catch the chance to see one of Tsui Hark's early special effects heavy film, Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain on the big screen at BAM in Brooklyn, NY on August 8th. The film stars Bridgette Lin (Ashes of Time), Yuen Biao (Once Upon a Time in China) and Sammo Hung (Project A).

for more info click here.

While we take a break, here are some photos!

2011-07-14T05:34:00.000-07:00

There has been an unexpected hiatus of entries that I will have to write for another day. In the meantime, here are some photos I took on my little Nikon camera and beautified with the iPod Touch app, Instagram. Click on the photos to enlarge.

Dan Lam

When Fish Attacks the Taste Buds! (DK)

2011-06-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

North Bank Seafood Restaurant
The West Building in the TimBuck II Shopping Village
794-G Sunset Blvd.
Corolla, NC 27927

(252) 453-3344

One might not notice the North bank Seafood and Raw Bar when driving through North Carolina's Outer Banks. The restaurant is tucked inside a strip mall flanked by surf shops and ice cream parlors, and had the most unassuming front door. When entering the restaurant you might think it's kind of small but probably has an additional party room in the back. When you sit down in your seat, you'll realize that this place really is just kinda small. The blue wallpaper and fish replicas floating by the ceiling offer little decor but it's certainly a reminder of what I'm eating. Yum!

We were a party of 14 and were told to wait for about 30 minutes. The lobster beepers they handed us kept me entertained but we were soon whisked off to our seats and given our warm bread basket. We didn't wait long for our orders to arrive, with the raw clam appetizer coming first. The clams were definitely appetizer sized but were quite good despite being particularly fishy.

Their Panko Fried Shrimp had a very satisfying crunch to them but the seasoning on them was very plain. The tangy and sweet sauce that came with it was delicious and I spread that all over my other dishes.

Their version of the fried onion appetizer comes in the form of their Bird Nest; it's exactly what you'd expect if you had this sort of thing before like the Onion Bloom at Outback Steakhouse's. It's considerably thinner than the onion bloom and it's enjoyable if you're into this dish and comes in a shareable portion.

t r a i l e r s, p t. 7 [The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo: G r e e n B a n d V.S. R e d B a n d ]

2011-06-01T07:35:00.000-07:00

In the United States, Entertainment has been subject to careful censorship since the late 1920s. During the time of prohibition, rich conservative Christian groups banned alcohol because they thought it was the reason for society's depravity and crimes. People started looking at films and found that there were material cause enough to form a censorship group. The Motion Picture Commission, which oversaw all films before they were exhibited in theaters and cut out any material that didn't fit into Christian morality such as nudity, violent deaths, etc.

Today we have the Motion Picture Association of America. You might be familiar with their name from those green place cards in front of every trailer that is shown. They're simple notification for the audience to let them know that what they're about to see is deemed 'appropriate' by the MPAA for anyone who watches them. Those trailers are called green band trailers.

Read more »

t r a i l e r s, p t. 6

2011-05-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

The Muppets (2011)
With Jason Segel, Amy Adams and the Muppets crew.

Kermit, Miss Piggy and co. are finally back! This time with the help of Flight of the Conchords series co-creator James Bobin and writers Jason Segel and director of Forgetting Sarah Marshal, Nicholas Stoller.

Disney's marketing strategy (or more like Muppet Studio's) is to turn out faux trailers that mislead the audience into thinking that the film has nothing to do with the Muppets and turns out to be the Muppets. I like this approach and I think it is a smart one. This helps to gain new audience while enhancing the interest of the former audience.

The first teaser to come out of this is a faux Romantic Comedy film called Green With Envy, it stars Jason Segel and Amy Adams as school teachers who fall in love and move to Los Angeles. It also features the typical heavy voiced narrator, cheesy uplifting score and of course the boy-loses-girl plot.

The second trailer, which is a straight-forward parody of the recently released The Hangover 2, The Fuzzy Pack emulates the anti-promotion critics' quote.
Read more »

P E O P L E

2011-05-24T20:03:00.000-07:00

I want to share a collection of photos I've taken of family, friends and strangers. Hopefully, this will show 'people' how I view them.

(Best viewed in Fullscreen. Click on the lower right icon.)

Arcade Fire - Culture War by MergeRecords

To go with the gallery is the new track from Arcade Fire, "Culture War" from the upcoming Special Edition release of their Grammy Record of the Year winner The Suburbs. The CD and DVD package includes the Spike Jonze directed short film Scene from the Suburbs.

the end of the world/la fin du monde (mix)

2011-05-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

It's supposedly the beginning of the end and what better way than to spend it with the people you admire and love. To help get things going and groovin' why don't I share my newly created playlist that can make the fiery apocalypse a little fun and chilled. Check it out on my iTunes link:

End of the World mix

trailers, pt. 5

2011-05-17T11:19:00.000-07:00

The Artist

Starring Jean Dujardin, Missi Pyle, John Goodman and James Cromwell.

French filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius is a man of tribute. His previous films with star Jean Dujardin "OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies" and "OSS 117: Lost in Rio" are tributes to the James Bond films of the 60s and 70s. With every aspect of the films created as they would have been at the time from script to cinematography.

Here we have their new film "The Artist" which opened to great fare at the 64th edition of the Cannes Film Festival. This time paying tribute to the films of the early 1930s, where sound was being introduced and genres such as musicals, gangsters and adventure were thriving. The film seems to be a great companion for Gene Kelly's "Singin' in the Rain", where in that film it is also about a movie star who finds his true love in one of his fans.

Note: This film is produced by Warner Brothers, which also happens to produce most of those famous sound era musicals and gangster pics like "The Jazz Singer" (1927) and "Angels with Dirty Faces" (1938)

The Art of Getting By

Starring Freddie Highmore and Emma Roberts

Emma Roberts is quickly becoming one of my favorite young actresses. She is pretty and she has a face of a girl who can't be fooled easily. Her project selection as of late has been very smart, after her big introduction into Hollywood with failed franchise starter "Nancy Drew" she quickly saved herself with hip independent fares such as "Lymelife", "Twelve" and last years "It's Kind of a Funny Story". She also starred in this year's famous horror franchise "Scream 4" for Wes Craven. Although the film tanked, her role in the film shows that she has range to play different parts.

CUFF 2011 Wrap

2011-04-29T08:59:00.000-07:00

Well, last night wrapped up the screening of all the short films that were selected to show at the IFC Center for the Columbia University Film Festival. And last night's screening of films rounded up a strong year for the school with over 40 filmsshown at the festival. These amazing films can prove that filmmakers can tell you compelling stories in a limited amount of time. It is an art form that should not be overlooked.

CUFF '11 Week

2011-04-28T01:23:00.000-07:00

So the short films that I worked on for Columbia University thesis have premiered over the past three nights. I have to say, I'm proud of all the work and I'm glad that I got to be a part of this amazing group of talents. Thursday evening at IFC Center will be showing the last batch of shorts that were made in the past year. I will be there and I hope to see some readers there as well. Tickets are still available at the box office or online and if you get a ticket, there is an offer of Buy 1 Get 1 free drink when you present your ticket stub at 'the Dove Parlour' on Thompson Street between Bleecker and West 3rd Streets. Meet the filmmakers and enjoy excellent entertainment!

CUFF 2011 Official Trailer from CUFF 2011 on Vimeo.

Paul

2011-04-25T11:41:00.000-07:00

Meant to post this a while ago, it's a short comic written and drawn by my friend Raymond Salvador. He drew this in preparation for our screening of Paul that we attended. Check it out:

Vandaveer "The Nature of Our Kind"

2011-04-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

This is the first Vandaveer music video I worked on, the song is titled "The Nature of Our Kind". We shot this in all over Brooklyn and in Philadelphia.

RS is proud to announce...

2011-04-01T07:53:00.000-07:00

That the short films I worked on is going to be presented at the Columbia University Film Festival this April 25th to 28th at the IFC Film Center.

Last year I worked on a ton of Columbia shorts and some of them has made it to the fest. I am excited to go watch them projected on the big screen for the first time and to see the cast and crew I worked with. I've made a lot of good friends through these films and I'm proud to have been a part of them.

C - i - V - i - L - i - Z - a - T - i - O - n

2011-03-22T14:55:00.000-07:00

I'm excited and so should you readers. French electronic duo Justice or † as I like to call them, are going to release their first single for their second album on April 4th. The new song "Civilization" is featured in the Adidas ad campaign entitled "Adidas is All In", here is that video:

Also from their record label, Ed Banger Records, remix artist SebastiAn will release his first original album Total on the same date.

Watch Lykke Li play a gig on the moon! #woundedrhymes #lykkeli

2011-03-15T13:11:00.000-07:00

Watch Lykke Li play a gig on the moon! #woundedrhymes #lykkeli

Living in America is good.

2011-03-13T09:44:00.000-07:00

Last night was my friend's going away to LA party. It was a fun-filled night of drinking and riding mechanical bulls. We went to Mason Dixon, a bar down in the Lower East Side.

We were a party of ten and most of us got to get on the mechanical bull, I was second in line. It was a fun experience, especially if you've had a few drinks in you beforehand. I got to last for more than thirty seconds, maybe just under a minute. There were professionals that rode the bull that night as well, they knew how to move and when to counter the shake.

I probably wouldn't last two seconds on a 'real' bull.

Mason Dixon is an interesting bar, they have arcade games in the front, a photobooth (which we used) and extremely loud but good music. It gets crowded pretty quickly and uncomfortably. They really should rearrange where the speakers and seats should be.

After that we spent the rest of the night at Imperial Tavern on Ludlow St. It's a bar that keeps it pretty cool, the bartenders are nice and seats are usually free. Cocktails are pricey though. It's a good place to have a drink and hold a conversation with your friends.

Here is the song of the night: "Living in America" by DOM. It summarizes the return of Spring and the social night life.

Living in America by DOM

image of the bull is courtesy from www.masondixonnyc.com

Films to watch, pt. 2

2011-03-10T07:31:00.000-08:00

One film that I have the most anticipation for is Kelly Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff. Starring Michelle Williams, Paul Dano and Zoe Kazan. Reichardt's previous film Wendy & Lucy, also starred Ms. Williams and that was one of the best independent film I've seen in the past few years. Very meditative and natural in terms of performances, editing and camerawork. I cannot wait to see how the director and actors handle a period piece, and it seems interesting to me that the filmmakers decide to choose the 4-by-3 format to compose their frames. I want to see the reason behind that decision.

Upcoming documentary on fashion photographer Bill Cunningham, titled Bill Cunningham New York

I'm always interested in discovering famous photographers, I love Henri-Cartier Bresson, Robert Frank and William Eggleston, and I discover them through museum trips and trips to the photography section at the Strand Bookstore. Rarely would I chance upon a documentary about them and from what I've seen of the trailer, Mr. Cunningham looks like an exciting figure.

I have a love/hate relationship with Gus Van Sant's films. They're photographed beautifully and the acting and direction is minimal. My problem is that sometimes his films can be a little boring, they meditate too long on its characters or the thought doesn't come through clearly. Examples can be found of Elephant, Gerry and Paranoid Park. Don't get me wrong, I love those films, but they're just a tad bit too long for my tastes. Van Sant is an interesting director in that he studies characters and styles, and he gives off an obsessive quality to his work which makes me respect him.

Restless appears to be a small attempt by the director to make a quirky independent film, like that of Juno or Little Miss Sunshine. This film could've easily been picked up by Fox Searchlight, famous for turning aforementioned indie films into Award winners and Box Office champions. But Sony Pictures got to it first and hopefully they can turn out a smart marketing plan just as Searchlight would.

ARGH!

2011-03-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

Been in a slight creative hiatus at the moment. Haven't been doing much except for making taking a photograph here and there. A few days ago I spent the day taking pictures for my friend's line of pins he's made to sell on Etsy.com, they're interesting pins with pop culture icons. Some are from video games, TV cartoons and comic books.

You can check out his stuff here: Clever Trevor @ Etsy

I recently started listening to this French pop singer, Yelle. Her new album Safari Disco Club is coming out this month. The video to her two new songs are funky and really odd.

YELLE - Safari Disco Club / Que veux-tu (exclusive full length edit) from Yelle on Vimeo.

So far, I like her song "Que veux tu", here's a neat remix of that same song.

Yelle - Que Veux Tu (Madeon Remix) by Madeon

Yesterday was a good day

2011-03-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

And it truly was, for a while the weather was good. The sun came out and gave New York City a break. I spent the day watching Rango with my friend, Ying, which wasn't too bad. The visuals are super realistic and the filmmaker's take on the Western genre was brilliant. It was perhaps 20 minutes too long?

After the film we went to SoHo to have lunch at Cubana Café, one of my favorite spots in New York. It's a bit small, but the food is great and the value feels right. They treated us very well and even gave us dessert, a brownie, on the house for being patient (It was busy that day). We both had Hanger Steak sandwich, which we've never tried before and it was superb! It was cooked medium rare and the cheese melted with tomatoes, it was just a great combination of flavors.

Afterwards, Ying went to have her spa treatment and I dropped by Top Man to say hi to a friend.

the reawakening of Régine!

2011-03-02T21:19:00.000-08:00

I've ridden my bike today for the first time in months. The weather has been pretty good, the ice has melted away and the air is warmer. I rode for an hour to the 'rich' people's neighborhood in Queens, called 'Malba', like the one in Florida and California. I enjoy riding my bike, although it's in constant need of fixing and riding in Queens isn't perfectly safe in terms of traffic. I get a visceral feeling out of it, especially when I'm listening to my music. I listened to my Feist mix and a mix of Lykke Li music. They go pretty hand in hand with how I felt and the activity.

Mary Higgins Clark + Spring

2011-02-24T16:09:00.000-08:00

The other day I got to work on a book trailer for Mary Higgins Clark's new book. The crew and I interviewed her on where she grew up and how she started as a writer. It was interesting to meet her, she's a very driven woman and has a great sense of humor. I pictured her as a woman in her 50s, sort of campy, sort of like those women from 'Designing Women'. I hadn't realized that she would be older and actually quite cool. She talked about her distaste for The Situation and Snookie and how she had made her first million when she was still in college. Although I still don't like her writing, I think I've come to appreciate her as a person.

I miss warmer weather in New York. Found out that one of my friends is moving to L.A. I'm jealous that she'll be in nicer climates before it will come to me. Plus, it's going to be a little sad and boring here in the city without her. She's been fun to hang out with. I guess New York will just be a little colder longer.

Going home.

2011-02-21T20:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it has been an amazing two weeks. Despite it being difficult and freezing, working on this short film has been a learning experience and a great adventure with my friends. I appreciate any chance I get to travel and see things I would never get to see if I weren't in the film industry. I got to see bisons, lions, elks and tigers. I got to meet cool people, especially the canucks on set. I saw stars and the moon on the horizon. I saw myself growing as a person. I hope to share pictures of my trip with you guys soon. In the mean time, here's a new song from Lykke Li which kept me inspired throughout my trip.

Lykke Li - Love Out Of Lust by LykkeLi

Santigold - Your Voice

2011-02-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here in breezy freezy Toronto for the past few days. Enjoying the blistering winds and wet cold socks. Filming in the snow is just as every enjoyable as swimming in the middle of the ocean. While I'm here for a few more days, I'm going to chill out to the sounds of Santigold. I want to see her live again. Long live sANNEtigold.

Santigold - Your Voice

Toronto, Round 2.

2011-02-08T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, so I'll be leaving tomorrow evening for Toronto, Canada. I'm going there for the second time to work on a short film with a few Columbia University friends. I'm going to be Camera Assisting on the RED One. About eight days of shooting, four days outdoors and four in. I'm leaving this cold weather for even colder weather, I am looking forward to it... Last time I went, it was around the same time, so I know what to expect. I just hope that I don't lose a finger or two to frostbite. Plus, we're working with more equipment this time around.

I've been a little stressed about the shoot these past few days. I normally worry about a shoot the day before it starts, but this has been building up for a while. A lot of things factor into it. I've been procrastinating in packing up and doing the laundry. I spent the last few days just watching movies and hanging out with my family. I've got like five other DVDs at home to watch. Hopefully, once I get into it I'll forget my worries and will get the chance to concentrate on my work.

This is a photo I took last time I was in Toronto.

Films to watch in 2011, Pt. 1

2011-02-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

Just viewed a couple of trailers for 2011, some I'm super excited for and others not too hot about. Here's what I'm looking forward to so far:

Submarine (2010)
Just been purchased by The Weinstein Company for US distribution at Sundance 2011. Made by first time director Richard Ayoade, a music video director for Arctic Monkeys.

The music featured, "Quand On N’A Que L’Amour" by Jacques Brel, is very choice.

Sourced from "Twitchfilm.net"

Ceremony (2011)
Starring Uma Thurman and Michael Angarano. In this is romantic comedy about Sam Davis (Michael Angarano) attempting to get back with his ex, Zoe (Uma Thurman) who is about to get hitched to an absurd documentary filmmaker. The trailer looks promising, has your typical assuredness humor, things go wrong in a important event and wrong directions (from the characters, not the director). Complete with your trendiest bands to provide for the trailer's soundtrack.

It seems that this is the year of the Alien invasion. JJ Abrams' Super 8, Michael Bay's Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Jon Favreau's Cowboys & Aliens. All of which are produced by extraterrestrial advocate Steven Spielberg. The most promising of the three is Super 8, previously released information on plot and story were limited to an effective teaser of a freight train accident and possible monster unleashed.

The super bowl teaser provides a glimpse to a bigger and possibly emotional story behind all the sci-fi action. As with all the other bloggers of the net are claiming, this appears to be JJ Abrams' nod to the Spielberg films of the 80s that shares the awe and wonderment of aliens. I.E. Close Encounters of the Third Kind & E.T.

Beginners (2011)
Directed by Mike Mills, Installation artist/graphic designer/music video director, as his second feature after Thumbsucker. This film appears to be sentimental (but not as sentimental as Ewan McGregor's Big Fish, where Thumbsucker was more extracted in its view on the strangeness of its characters. This film is about a non-traditional father/son relationship, coupled with romance with a young woman and a dog that speaks in subtitles.

It May be Winter

2011-02-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

But we can still party! Last night hung out with my buddies and went to Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn for the first time. We saw this band 'Tayisha Busay', an electronic/dance trio and they totally rocked hard. They come across as a crazy mix of Amanda Blank, Uffie & Ke$ha, but more hardcore. The venue was small, but they played as if they were in an arena. Check out their EP Shock-Woo on iTunes, it's well worth your money. You can find the link here.

Snowed in...

2011-01-26T06:12:00.000-08:00

So it's snowing like a bitch out there, I'm just staring at the blizzard and I can't really see 10 yards all around. This is turning out to be one of the biggest snow storms in New York City history, at least from my perspective. I've been saying this a lot lately, when we're kids snow doesn't bother us to much. We love to have the day off and play in the cold all day long. When we grow older, we find winter to be bothersome and limiting. It hinders us from going to work or it stops us from attending social gatherings. At age twenty-five you really come to the realization that snow blows.

What what!

2011-01-18T08:14:00.000-08:00

So I rang in the new year with a slow start. No work for a few weeks, but this past weekend got to be on a music video shoot for Vandaveer. We shot it in different music venues, Southpaw in Brooklyn, NY and Johnny Brendas in Fishtown, PA. We also went around Red Hook in Brooklyn and did some cool traveling shots, can't wait for it to come out. I'll post up a link of the video here so you can see.

We're doing their next video this coming weekend and it's supposed to be crazy, as in being out in the cold weather for 10 hours a day crazy. On a side note, the band is great. It's a duo, a singer-guitarist and another singer. They are kind of folky and bluesy. They remind me of that couple in the film Once.

and lastly, check out this remix of Chromeo's eightiestastic song 'Hot Mess' from Duck Sauce. Recently I've been getting my music from the blog RCDLBL, they're fantastic for finding rare b-sides and remixes of hip bands. So give 'Hot Mess' a listen, it features Elly Jackson of La Roux.

Chromeo - Hot Mess (feat. Elly Jackson) (Duck Sauce Remix): "Chromeo - Hot Mess (feat. Elly Jackson) (Duck Sauce Remix)"

New Photos!

2010-12-24T01:46:00.000-08:00

These photos I took when I watched Pavement played their show in September in Central Park. It was an amazing experience and they played almost everything I wanted to hear. Stephen Malkmus and Bob N. took the show. Plus, I love that they used stringed light bulbs as part of the decor.

Stephen Malkmus

Bob Nastanovich

The Queensborough Plaza 7 train platform.

A couple of things...

2010-11-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

Here are some interesting things from my friends:

Duo Rock Rappers Shogo & Boris make up the group Danger Geeks (Music) They're from New York City and their songs are a mix of hip hop, hard rock and electronic. Their song 'The Forgotten' is a dark and beautiful contemplation of what the group's concerns.

A friend of mine, Dennis Natal of Electric Chariot entered a remix contest for Canadian rock band 'Metric' for their song 'Gold Guns Girls', you can check it out here.

Here's a photo of the Divine Lorraine, an old building in Philadelphia. I took this on the way home from a short film shoot. If you look carefully, you can see the moon just on top of the building. (Click on photo to view large)

2010-11-03T06:07:00.000-07:00

This was taken in the morning in a car I was riding, on a way to a short film shoot in Philadelphia. I took this on my half-frame camera Fujica. I love how the light is hitting the cars and it's still a little dark.

2010-11-01T20:38:00.003-07:00

This was taken on the 7 Train in Queens, New York.

Down the Trodden Path

2010-10-27T20:36:00.000-07:00

This was taken in Jersey City, New Jersey.

The Journey thus far... Part 1

2010-09-06T01:41:00.000-07:00

I'm in Rome, I've been here for the past three days, staying in my college friend's apartment. She's a filmmaker like I am, she works as a Camera Assistant and is trying to make her way to Director of Photography. Caterina is her name.

I'll be home in a few days. It will have been 37 days that I've been away and I'm not sure if I miss it. Of course, I miss my friends and family, the people I normally see everyday and hang out with. A part of me is still yearning for new faces, new experiences and new dialogues. With the people I know at home, we always end up with the familiar, events that connects us.

I've learned so much in this past month, I feel like I've been sitting on my life for the past three years. The world is both a big and a small place. Big, in that it has so much stuff in it that it would take a very long time to experience and catalog it in our minds. Small, in that technology brings everything closer together.

Nigeria

My trip started in Lagos, Nigeria. I agreed to be a part of this documentary about the music and film industry that is blooming in Lagos, I was acquainted with Sola Fasehun (the director) through a friend of a friend. Through her, I was educated on Nigerian culture, its languages, history in military rule and independence, and the inconveniences that the Nigerian people have to deal with on a daily basis.

Three things that the people recognize and always voice out are:

Power

Electricity is a luxury, it's been so for the past four decades. Everyday, the electricity goes out from two to ten hours. The most its been taken away has been three days. Its not just a block or neighborhood, but the entire city of Lagos. The only way to counter this problem is investing in a good generator. Which almost every household and business has.

If you ask several people, why they think the power goes out they'll give you a few different reasons. Some would say NEPPA, the electric company, are running on a very old electric grid and with the amount of people in Lagos that consume energy it is almost impossible to catch up with that demand everyday. Others would tell you that certain power figures in the government take some of that power to reallocate it for their own pleasures and entertainment.

Two things are known though, companies are making money off of selling batteries, generators and fuel. So, controlling the electricity is controlling the profits of these products. If electricity was provided all the time, who will they sell their products to?

(On a side note: the lack of electricity also affects the control over water as well, so no power means no water, which means no showers and cooking.)

Traffic

A simply way of describing to you what happens on the highways of Lagos everyday is to picture Los Angeles traffic, cars bumper to bumper moving inch by inch every few minutes. Imagine that there are no clear indication of lanes, what was originally three lanes can become five in some parts. Cars edging out others to merge to another lane, hundreds of "Okadas" (Motorcyclists) snaking through the traffic whenever they can, and people walking through the traffic with goods like bread, sodas, magazines, CDs and watches showing them off to the people waiting in the cars, to entice them to buy it while they wait in traffic.

Now imagine doing this everyday, getting to work and coming home. This happens everyday between the hours of 9am to 1pm and 5pm to 10pm. The condition of the roads are not any better either, from a combination of weather and lack of maintenance, there are potholes the size of goats plaguing Lagos.

Economy

Nigeria is dealing with the economic crisis just as any other countries do. The criticism falls upon the rich who keep the money outside of their country. It is a capitalist model that keeps its own country from becoming progressive. The lower and middle working class, which is 80 percent of the country, spend their money in the country whether if its locally made products or Western imports. (Nigeria's biggest export is its oil)

The upper class spend their money outside of the country, meaning they travel abroad and spend most of their time living outside not paying taxes owed to the government.

Although Nigeria seems to have these inconveniences, it is still a brand new country in terms of its government and policies. It would take time for it to progress and reach the standards of Western society and if only its citizens would aggressively pursue this, they would get there even quicker. It is a lesson to be had in all countries, no matter the national problem, as I have also observed in Italy and France.

More photography!

2010-06-26T08:58:00.001-07:00

Hey guys, just got some of my photos back from the lab. I finally get to use my recently bought vintage cameras, such as the Fujica Half frame camera and the Argus C3 rangefinder. Go check them out at Flickr,

The Dugout Comicbook Store

2010-06-03T12:16:00.000-07:00

So for the past two days I've been helping my buddy Ray fix up his comicbook store, The Dugout, in Brooklyn. Last week he found out from his boss that he's been promoted to Full-time manager and future co-owner to the store. It's a move made by the boss to try to save it from closing in a few months. Ray is given full privileges to shape the store up in any way he wants. The store's main product is its sports cards and memorabilia, but a lot of stuff have been put into back stock and a lot of it hasn't been sold. What Ray's going to do now is put up a big sale for most of the items in the store and try to increase the stock of comic books and graphic novels.

Here is the sale that is going on now:

The Dugout is one of two comic book stores in Cobble Hill, and the only one that's been there for over two decades. I've visited Ray while he was working there for over three years now and it's a great place to hang out. Like most comic book geeks, Ray knows a lot about comic books. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of everything from Ant-Man to Zoltar. Ray's also super friendly and funny, so if you get to speak to him, you can see his personality just shine through like a freaking rainbow.

From time to time, I'll be hanging out at the store with Ray and joke about. In the future, I'll be selling Issue 1 of Rotten Sandwich and hopefully Issue 2 (when it's finally printed) at the store. I'll also be selling some artwork there as well. So drop by if you would like to catch me or Ray.

Store Location:

453 Court Street

(Between 4th & Luquer Street.)

Phone: (718) 624-2527

Google Maps

Bug + Bike

2010-05-19T13:17:00.000-07:00

I recently got a bicycle from a rummage sale and I had it repaired last week. When I picked it up and rode it home, I busted my left arm after being propelled by a bump in the road and braking too late. I rode it around my neighborhood again today and feeling a little bit confident. I need to practice because I want to be able to ride it in the city more comfortably.

I've got a bell for it and everything. It's going to be an awesome summer.

I found a baby spider last night, I was in the middle of watching Lost and as I was laying on the couch, I saw it land on my stomach. It was cool for a while and then it sprung off onto the floor. Then this morning I found it in my bedroom on my computer desk. I caught it and decide to see what would happen if I dropped it off on one of my plants. Apparently, it's made itself a new home. It likes those tiny pesky white bugs that ruin your plants from the inside out. I'm happy that it's happy.

It's that tiny little thing on the upper right side of the pot. Can you tell me what kind of spider it is?

I've also been feeling a little sick this past two days. I don't know how or why, but I'm stuffy and runny with a fever and cough... I hope I get better before this weekend's shoot. *sigh*

What's going on?

2010-05-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

Hey blog world, here are some photos I took during my break from blogging.

This is by Citifield in Flushing, it's an empty lot that's being worked on right now. It's been vacant for years and now they're turning it into something... probably a mall or public housing. Who knows...

This is some kind of mineral refinery... Apparently it's open to the public to go and look through.

This was taken in April, it's one of those pillow fights arranged by some facebook group.

More photos to come! I'm working on a post for Monday. See you then and have a great weekend!

It's Tribeca Film Fest week!

2010-04-24T08:41:00.001-07:00

Catch the movies that I'm too broke to catch.

Blood and Rain

A Brand New Life

Dream Home

(Pang Ho-Cheung is one of the most interesting new directors in Hong Kong cinema.)

Gainsbourg, Je t'Aime... Moi Non Plus

(Come on, it's Gainsbourg and Bardot... this is going to be super sexy.)

Heartbreaker

(I'm a big Romain Duris fan.)

Ondine

(This is coming out in theaters anyway, but I think this might be a better "The Lady in the Water" take.)

William Vincent

(I think James Franco is interesting to watch.)

Well, I hope you guys enjoy this week of film, film and film! If you got an extra ticket then take me!

I haven't been busy and i won't apologize.

2010-04-04T22:37:00.000-07:00

Nope, not since my last post have I done anything of value. Well, that's not entirely true. I did some media related projects, but nothing worth noting. I've taken up my camera again and took some very nice photos, I'm waiting till I finish two more rolls until I get them all developed. I also have been working on some fake Criterion Collection DVD covers for the 'theauteur.com' forum. Check them out here.

I will return soon. Maybe...

Shame on Me

2010-02-22T08:21:00.000-08:00

Been too lazy and super busy to type in a new blog entry. But I'll let you know one thing. The new Martin Scorsese film, Shutter Island is fantastic and you should go out to watch it now.

I've been in a creative slump, which is why I haven't posted anything in a while. I haven't been drawing and writing, just reading and watching things as well as listening to some new music. I guess to inspire me. I'm starting a second twitter account, this time it will be mainly for me to express my ideas of what a better world could be. So be sure to check it out @SpreadTheIdea

I'll be trying to get something done by the end of the week. Let's hope it'll work!

Rainy Mondays Make For A Nice Day to Play

2010-01-25T14:12:00.000-08:00

Not really, I stayed home for a good part of the day. Watched Star Trek again for the tenth time and cleaned myself up from this odd depression I'm having due to lack of work. I'll be helping out on a short film this next two weekends as a Camera Production Assistant, although I'm not getting paid for it the experience is needed. I'll be loading 35mm film into the camera, and it'll be the first time I work with that camera too.

When the rain stopped I walked all the way to Main Street, which is a thirty minute walk from where I live. Listened to Spoon's new album "Transference" all the way through. When I got to the library, I borrowed a bunch of foreign films such as "Sunflower" (China), "Death of Mr. Lazarescu" (Romania) and A Christmas Tale (France). I've been in the mood to watch films with subtitles in them.

Time to get ready for my foreign film marathon!

Best Films of '09

2010-01-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Here's something I drafted up a few weeks ago.

10 & 9

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8 & 7

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6 & 5

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What Deh Hell Happened?

2010-01-19T15:45:00.000-08:00

I've drawn out a few things that has happened in my life this past two weeks. I figure it's faster than writing them out and easier to understand. Also, please excuse my mis-spelling of "happened", I've been mind weary and confused as of late due to the excessiveness of my social outings. Enjoy!

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Apologees!

2010-01-18T16:29:00.000-08:00

Man am I sorry for not posting an entry in the past two weeks like I promised.

My excuse: I've been shooting a short film in Toronto, Canada and been partying with my friends since I got back. But now's back to work and pushing for Issue 2 of Rotten Sandwich to get printed. Also, be on the look out, if you don't have Issue 1, we'll be selling a specially priced bundle. More on that within the week.

Review

2009-12-28T01:54:00.000-08:00

Midnight Fiction, a mini-comic review blog site has just gave us our first review! Read it HERE.

New entry will be up tomorrow.

Currently, I'm editing and rewriting "Somewhere Else", a project I'm working on with Raymond doing the art. More news on that as we work on it.

Dan

December 13th, 2009 + Christmas in New York City

2009-12-14T16:35:00.000-08:00

Large View

Today I spent the whole day in the city, I drew two of my favorite hangout spots. My hands got really cold at the end and I had to stop. At one point, when I was in the middle of drawing Astor Place, some high school kids tried to turn the big Cube sculpture that I was sitting under.

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Dec. 11th + Chinatown

2009-12-12T13:25:00.001-08:00

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I did this drawing while waiting for my sister in Tai Pan bakery in Chinatown.

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SparkPlug Comic Books Party

2009-12-05T12:28:00.000-08:00

Recently I attended the Spark Plug comic books' book release party for Nate Doyle and Austin English. It was a heck load of fun and here is how it went down. (You also might notice that on the first page it dates November which is incorrect, this actually took place this month December.)

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Today I had planned to go visit the Brooklyn Comics and Graphics Fest, which is going to include Adrian Tomine, Charles Burn & Julia Wertz a few of my favorite contemporary artists & writers. Unfortunately, a friend of mine asked me if I could help him on a film shoot and I agreed to go. So now I'm at Columbia University, shooting a short film. I wish I could be at two places at once.

Tourist

2009-12-01T12:46:00.000-08:00

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Birthday, Bad Day @ Work

2009-11-24T13:28:00.000-08:00

Here it is, a couple of days worth of journal entries. Enjoy!

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Good grief! + Nov. 17th, 2009

2009-11-23T11:04:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys, haven't been able to make any new posts til now. I've been working on a film shoot, celebrated my birthday last week and tons of events. I will do a huge update sometime tomorrow. For now, an entry I made in my journal last week.

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November 14th, 2009

2009-11-14T18:00:00.000-08:00

Spent the day with Shogo putting Ish 2 together, it's looking good, in addition to Eighteen, Doodle & Dan, Hot Dog & Dan and Eighteen B-Sides (Whew!) We're also including some new projects that I've been working on. I also got to work on the cover for this issue, so you'll expect something quite 'spectacular' like the first issue's cover.

Also, you might like to know that Forbidden Planet is selling Issue 1 for 35% off, which means you save a whopping 70 cents! Check it out on the link to the right. Hurry though, it may go out of stock soon.

Made an Ad + OTB + Found Skiis

2009-11-11T15:54:00.000-08:00

Today I spent some hours drawing up an Ad using 'Doodle & Dan', a kind of an Comic Book Store awareness. You guys get special sneak peek here:

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(Tell me if you like it or not, it would be nice to know. Also if you're interested, you can print a copy of this ad out and help us post it around your neighborhood, school & or comic book store. Just click on the View Large and "save as".)

The other day, on the way to the subway I saw a bunch of OTB tickets on the ground outside of a lingerie store:

Guess what I saw on the way home today? A pair of sweet ass skiis! An' guess what? I brought'em home!

Monday's the new Friday

2009-11-09T18:51:00.000-08:00

Lately on Mondays I've been hanging out and drinking with my good Rotten Sandwich buddies Shogo, Ray & Anthony. We've been friends for a long time and it's great to be able to hang out with them on a regular basis, for a while we haven't been able to see each other. It's funny how now, in our point in our lives, that I feel the more productive than ever. Putting the comic-zine together, working on the second ish and creating new projects. Just wanted to let you guys know.

He's a thief!

2009-11-09T11:47:00.001-08:00

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I hurt my neck last nite + my room part 2

2009-11-05T11:06:00.000-08:00

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Carmen + Waldo

2009-11-04T13:07:00.000-08:00

I was Waldo (Der...) for Halloween and I found Carmen, or should I say

we found each other, instead?

2009-11-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

The other day before I met up with the guys,

I found this disclaimer near Penn Station.

Degrassi Next Generation is shooting in New York City? Woo Hoot!

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November 3rd, 2009 + Feist Mix

2009-11-04T08:42:00.000-08:00

My first journal entries of the month...

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