Film #108: Grindhouse

The following is an interview conducted by the magnificent Dark City Dame of Noirish City about one of my favorite films of the 2000s:DarkCityDame: Let me start off by asking you this question: why did you select the film Grindhouse to be added to your list of 30 films from 2000 to the present?Dean: Grindhouse stands as one of the most unusual moviegoing experiences I've had in recent years. As a

MASTER LIST #4: The 101 Greatest Documentaries

Based on quality and influence, the results are: 1) Salesman (Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 1968) 2) Best Boy (Ira Wohl, 1979)3) The “Up” series (Michael Apted, 63-2005) 4) Sherman’s March (Ross McElwee, 86) 5) Gimme Shelter (Albert and David Maysles and Charlotte Zwerin, 70) 6) Monterey Pop (D.A. Pennebaker, 68) 7) Titicutt Follies (Frederick Wiseman, 67) 8) Man With A Movie

Ringling Art Show

I'll be selling prints and some handicrafts at the Ringling Art Show this weekend.
January 31st from 10am - 3pm at the Ringling College Exhibition Hall :)

If you're at Sarasota, you should drop by and see us!

Historical Of Titanic - Images

MASTER LIST #3: The 101 Greatest Westerns

There are two types of westerns: the traditional (High Noon and such) and the revisionist (like Brokeback Mountain and Dances WIth Wolves). They are quite different from one another, making this genre a wide-ranging one. I would say there's a greater education about the western in store for me; there must be scores of great 30s, 40s, and 50s-era oaters I must see. Unfortunately, they are

ImagineFX #40 FXpose!

Be sure to get a copy of ImagineFX #40, I am featured as the FXPose for that issue! Weee!
There's a great interview with Adam Hughes (who I also interviewed in October, 08) along with workshops about creature design, anatomy and realism painting.
ImagineFX #40 should already be out in the UK, and will be out in the US and everywhere else starting February 4, 09.

MASTER LIST #2: The 101 Greatest Science-Fiction Movies

Films are ranked in order, based on (1) quality, (2) relevance to genre, (3) influence. Here are the results: 1) 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 68)2) Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 82)3) The Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner, 80) 4) The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 99) 5) Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 27)6) Invasion of the Body Snatchers (Don Siegel, 56)7) Close Encounters of the Third Kind

MASTER LIST #1: The 101 Greatest Horror Movies

Films are ranked in order, based on (1) quality, (2) scares, (3) influence. Here are the results: 1) The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 73) 2) The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Tobe Hooper, 74) 3) Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 60) 4) Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 68) 5) Halloween (John Carpenter, 78)6) Frankenstein (James Whale, 31) 7) The Shining (Stanley Kubrick, 80)8) Eraserhead (David

2009 Oscar Nominations: The Final Tally

Okay, so the 2009 Academy Award nominations were announced, this morning at 8:30 ET/5:30 PT as per usual, and here's how they line up: BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE Josh Brolin, MilkRobert Downey Jr., Tropic ThunderPhilip Seymour Hoffman, DoubtHeath Ledger, The Dark Knight Michael Shannon, Revolutionary RoadGOT WRONG: Eddie Marsan, Happy-Go-Lucky (instead of Michael Shannon) (

My mug

Self portrait, January 2009

Saul Bass

Saul Bass (1920-1996) is best known as the graphic designer who pioneered not only the look of both movie posters and their opening credits sequences, but also the sleek appearance of the corporate logos that have become such a part of our lives (and, yes, you can groan if you want). In the 50s and 60s, it became a film critic cliche to state that his credits sequences alone were worth the price

Film #107: Feed The Kitty

Of course, as a cat lover first and a dog lover second, I have to adore Chuck Jones' 1952 Warner Brothers cartoon Feed the Kitty. With only three characters, minimal dialogue, and the barest of plots--bulldog Marc Anthony absurdly tries to hide the teeny kitten he's adopted from the lady of the house--Jones' film is absolute animation mastery. The director once described himself as "an actor

These are my fetish boots

It's nice to be back in sunny Florida, back to school :) The first week is always a little empty, so I've just been finishing this pic up. I've got two more to do though.

Those crazy boots boggle my mind!

Film #106: The Honeymoon Killers

It was supposed to be Martin Scorsese's movie, but he was fired after the first day's shooting for taking too long on the set-ups. So the writer of the script for The Honeymoon Killers, Leonard Kastle, took over the directorial duties. A novice filmmaker, Kastle was barely known upon the movie's 1970 release as the composer and librettist of numerous obscure operas. He used the music of his

"Love Conquers All Things"

Well, its back to school. I can't wait to get started! I have plenty of projects and ideas to start with. I think this blog will be full of new work soon :) Yay!

Film #105: Heaven Help Us

In the spring of 1985, it was John Hughes' The Breakfast Club that captivated all the kids. Steeped in undying high school archetypes seen through a garish 80s lens, and alternating between malcontent trans-clique discourse and annoying over-statement (did Hughes really have to include a stoned Emilio Estevez yelling so loud he shatters glass?), The Breakfast Club sucked up millions at the box

Film #104: JCVD

I've never sat all the way through even one Jean Claude Van Damme movie. Not one. Bloodsport, Universal Soldier, Kickboxer, Street Fighter, even John Woo's Hard Target? Sorry. Missed 'em. I despise the conversion of video games to movies, so should I why waste my time hoping each one is gonna be good? So I went into JCVD with low expectations, even though I've been told by some very

Just something I am currently working on.

This year I am going to:

Eat healthier (no, not a repeat from 2008, 2007, 2006, etc)
Experiment with more styles
Work more play less
Read more

Gosh.. it's 2009 already. Time flies!

The 20 Favorite Actors Meme begins...

Seeing as how the 20 Favorite Actresses meme has taken hold of my film-blogging cohorts so completely, I see no reason to delay in starting a 20 Favorite Actors meme, too. It was tough picking my crew (and remember: they're my faves, not the best), but without delay, here are my choices, with twenty runners-up close behind: Clint Eastwood (key films: Dirty Harry, The Good The Bad and the Ugly,

My FINAL, FINAL 2009 Academy Award Predictions

I suppose that, after the WGA, DGA, and ACG noms have been announced, one would have to be a fool to contend that The Dark Knight isn't going to slip into the top spot, making it film history's first sequel to win a Best Picture nod without its predecessor being nominated. Sorry, Wall-E--no Best Pic nom for you. So here are my revised, and very final, Academy Award predictions:BEST PICTUREThe

Film #103: And I Will Not Leave You Until I Die

Working as a film festival programmer from 2002 to 2004 was one of the most rewarding and taxing experiences of my life. As the Programming Director of the Dahlonega International Film Festival (nicknamed the DIFF and now relocated in Rome, Georgia), I worked closely with Executive Director Barry Norman, a mass of dedicated volunteers and filmmakers, and the good people living in the North

Film #102: Kramer Vs. Kramer

After a low-key credits sequence radiantly scored with Vivaldi's "Concerto in C Major for Mandolin & Strings," Kramer Vs. Kramer begins with an exquisite, madonna-like image of Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) as she's wishing her nearly-sleeping son Billy (Justin Henry) a good night. Trying to prolong the moment, she says "Don't let the bedbugs bite," and as she strokes his blond hair, he

Film #101: Twelve Angry Men

Studio One was an original series of stand-alone dramas that appeared on CBS for a full decade--1948 to 1958. In that time, the show gave the airwaves over to artists that would forever change the movie industry, while leaving TV and Broadway in the dust, standing lonely as mere training grounds for the movies (thus setting each up to be moviedom's bitch, a stance which is now finally fading).

TCM says goodbye in a most classy way...

Turner Classic Movies--for my money, the only reason to have cable or satellite--has put together a masterful obituary piece that salutes those moviemakers who passed from this mortal coil in 2008. Even the Oscars' obit won't highlight some of those familiar people you see here--it's really a beautifully researched bit of TV. Having worked at Turner before, I know positively that the camera

Brushes with Greatness: My Ten Thrilling Celebrity Sightings of 2008

Living in New York City has a few minuses, to be sure. But the pluses far outweigh them, especially if you're an attentive and active movie lover such as myself. One of those benefits is being able to see and even talk to your favorite film and media stars. They're milling about all over the place up here--appearing at film festivals, special screenings, and even just going about their daily

Little goldfish

Happy New Year 2009 everyone!

This is just a little sketch I made recently, using pen, ink and watercolor.

Best of the Movies: 2008

For me, this past year was all about:The Fall (Tarsem Singh)Synecdoche, NY (Charlie Kaufman)Wendy and Lucy (Kelly Reichardt)The Wrestler (Darrin Aronofsky)Paranoid Park (Gus Van Sant)Wall-E (Andrew Stanton)Let the Right One In (Tomas Alfredson)In Bruges (Martin McDonagh) Smiley Face (Gregg Araki)The Promotion (Steve Conrad)Doubt (John Patrick Shanley)Tropic Thunder (Ben Stiller)JCVD (Mabrouk El

Film #100, and The Best Movie of 2008: The Fall (and Its Most Overrated Movie: The Dark Knight)

In the spring of 2008, I was wandering around New York City when I saw a stunning poster plastered all over a city wall.Always on the lookout for new movie posters (which trump trailers as my preferred way of being notified about new films), I saw this masterful work of art glued to these battered bits of particle board and exclaimed inside "WHAT IS THIS??" I read the fine print. At the top, it