A few years back I plugged this collection of awesome art from Rafael Rivera (a.k.a. DARAF). Well now, Rafael's back with Jab, Jab, Whammo!!! The Art of Rafael Rivera A.K.A. DARAF Round 2 - and this book is even better than the first! Half the reason is because this time around, I have a full page foreword. It's a great read, but I'm a little biased.
I have a hard copy of this book and I mean it when I say: it's gorgeous. It's extremely well put together and as alwaysm the art inside is extraordinary. Recall that Rafael has been my go-to artist since the days of Purgatory Comics. Most notably, he illustrated and colored the entire Purgatory Comics comic book (still available, still free to download).
I was really honored to write the foreword for this one, and it really made me reflect on how far back Rafael and I go now (nearly a decade!). His art is only getting better, as you'll see in this collection. Check it out!
A couple of years ago, I made a post highlighting some tweets from the Warm Milk Productions Twitter account. Now, almost two years later, I figured why not do it again.
Oh sure, you all want me to follow you on twitter and follow you on Snapchat - but when I follow you home from work it's creepy.
Caleb, an old friend of mine from college, has recently launched a new podcast called Not My Generation. The brand new episode guest-stars yours truly! You can listen above, and see below for specific topics start times.
00:00 - Caleb's Knife Story
03:20 - Summer Food
05:50 - Ghostbusters/Angry Video Game Nerd Controversy
22:35 - Squatting in the Bathroom
25:50 - Celebrity Twitter Responses
Our own podcast 20 Minutes Gone will be returning with new episodes soon - including one with Caleb. The podcast crossover of the century!
The Burden of Choice, along with its official poster, is now listed on IMDB. While I was editing this page, I also took the time to update the poster on the Halina page.
Also last week I had a mini WM Production crossover event at Ripley-Grier Studios! I enlisted the voices of Hannah Jane McMurray (Halina), Patricia O'Neil (Halina) and Elisa Pupko (The Burden of Choice) to help me record some radio work for my job. It was an exciting reunion and it's ALWAYS a pleasure to direct these talents.
If this isn't a "meaty" enough crossover for you, pay close attention to the first scene in The Burden of Choice when you see it. There are references to both Halina AND Purgatory Comics...
The best script, directing, acting, and editing won't mean much without the right music backing the story. Music sets the vibe, creates the mood, and drives the momentum of a film.
Case in point: when Aaron Sorkin wrote the The Social Network, he had originally envisioned Paul Young's cover version of Love for the Common People to be the opening song. Instead, we got an amazing and haunting score from Trent Reznor that completely re-directed the film's tone.
With that said, here are some of my personal favorite movie scores from the last 15 years (2000-2015).
11. Star Wars, Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002) Across the Stars - John Williams
WAIT, HEAR ME OUT. Look I'm not a prequel defender; I downright loathe the Star Wars prequels (especially this one). But I have to admit: John Williams, once again, made a hell of a score. It's a score that's too good for this movie. Had this been put up against a love story with great writing (and acting), it might have become as classic as the instrumentals from the original films.
10. 28 Weeks Later (2007) Don Abandons Alice- John Murphy
It's repetitive, but each go-around adds a new layer, continuously adding to the overall intensity. And if you've seen the film, you already know that this score compliments the chaos and drama onscreen to absolute perfection.
9. Requiem for a Dream (2000) Lux Aeterna - Clint Mansell
You know a score is monumental when it's made for an indie film, and then reused in a trailer for a Lord of the Rings movie. Like Requiem for a Dream itself, every moment of this piece creates an uneasy sensation - yet you can't look away.
8. The Time Machine (2002) Going Forward - Klaus Badelt
Chances are you forgot about this movie or never cared for it, and you wouldn't be entirely wrong to. But despite its flaws, one particular sequence grabbed me and stayed in my head ever since: the time travel scene. It pays tremendous homage to the time travel in the original 1960 film, and it manages to capture so much action and wonder in just a few minutes - without a single word.That's why in this video embed, I'm giving you the music with the scene.
7. Under the Skin (2014) Death - Mica Levi
How mesmerizing is this piece? It manages to do so much with so little, and it creates a deep sense of discomfort that carries through the bulk of the story. I love how haunting this score is, and I really appreciate how it manages to evoke old school horror films while still adding a modern and highly disturbing twist.
6. Spider-Man (2002) Theme from Spider-Man - Danny Elfman
The current generation of films doesn't really have an iconic superhero theme reminiscent of the John Williams Superman score, but this might be the closest thing yet. It's epic, it's memorable, and it's a huge reason why I'll always prefer this series of Spider-Man films to the next one.
5. Comet (2014)
Under the Comets - Daniel Hart
Sam Esmail is the talk of the town right now because of his hit show Fight Club Mr. Robot, but before that, he made a film called Eternal Sunshine500 Days of SummerComet (now available on Netflix). It's packed with awful dialogue and pretentiousness...but god damn it there's something about it that works. Maybe it's the relatable story, or maybe it's Robert Downey Jr Justin Long carrying the film on his shoulders. Whatever it is, the powerful score from Daniel Hart is elevating it to a tragically dreamlike level that stayed with me longer than the film itself.
4. X-Men First Class (2011) Magneto - Henry Jackman
Years ago, the plan was to make X-Men Origins: Magneto. I, like many fans, hated the idea. That concept eventually evolved into X-Men: First Class, where I soon realized: maybe I wouldn't mind watching 2 hours of Michael Fassbender kicking ass . . . especially to this score. In fact as much as I love the sequel Days of Future Past, it's biggest crime is neglecting to rework this score back in. Why? WHY??
Also, there are two Marvel movies on this list, yet neither are actually from Marvel Studios. Disney/Marvel are doing everything right . . . except giving us truly iconic scores (Okay, Avengers came close).
3. Mr. Nobody (2009) Le Temps Immobile - Pierre Van Dormael
This sci-fi character study is all about the power of choice, and it's driven by a comforting mix of pieces by Pierre Van Dormael. It was hard to pick one to showcase here, but I went with this composition because it's both reassuring and heartbreaking at the same time (much like the film itself).
2. Star Trek (2009)
Enterprising Young Men - Michael Giacchino
I saw this movie in the theaters solely because a friend gave me free tickets. But after the tense first 10 minutes (when a version of this score kicked in), I knew I was going to love this film. As the above Spider-Man theme is close to this generation's Superman, this theme might be the closest we have to being this generation's Star Wars score.
1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) Peer Pressure - Jon Brion
Oh it had to be this movie. It's just the greatest film - and picking one track from Brion's perfect score was a challenge. I went with Peer Pressure because it seems to encompass the emotional range of the whole soundtrack: discovery of something beautiful, absolute bliss, addiction, attachment, and inevitable loss.
Honorable Mentions
Here are a few extra compositions I love that almost made the list...
Pirates of the Caribbean - This franchise might've overstayed its welcome, but you can't deny the piece He's a Pirate is adventurous, exciting, and so much fun.
Tron 2 - The Daft Punk score (especially Derezzed) came real close to making my list, but to me, it just needed to be a smidge less generic. Just a smidge.
Irreversible - This will seem like a random entry, especially since pieces like Rectum (yup, that's the name) are basically just drone music. But the piece does its job: it creates a dizzying and nauseating atmosphere and it's always stuck with me.
Avengers - Like I said above, so close. It's especially epic when the Avengers finally assemble in the first movie, and this piece kicks in. But...it just didn't have the extra punch to make the list for me.
What are some of your favorite scores from the last 15 years?
On June 26, 2015 - the same day the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriages be treated as equal under law - my actor friend Pooya Mohseni made the difficult decision to come out as trans. I found out about it via her facebook post, but I didn't get the full story until a month later when I read this amazing piece at Advocate.com.
When I saw Pooya's original post, my first thoughts were "That's so cool!" and also "Look at all the support she's getting!" and also - I won't lie - a little bit of "Woohoo I had a transgender person in my film! I'm a progressive filmmaker!"
I was so proud of Pooya for her brave announcement, but I didn't even know what bravery was until I read the article on her and found out her life story. There's nothing I can say to do it justice, and I'll never be able to fully understand the hardships (and true life and death situations) Pooya had to face.
So I'm linking her article here because I think it's a great read, and also because I want to help Pooya get this out to as many people as possible. If you have a few minutes, give her story a read. And check her out in my upcoming short The Burden of Choice, when I get off my ass and finish editing it.
Look: I never claimed to be a comedian. I'll save the funny stuff for my pal Shane and his blog.
Rather, I like to use my Twitter for the stupid random thoughts that pop up in my head. So for the sake of prosperity and a chance for me to laugh at my own dumbness (as I often do), here are my top 20 tweets from 2011 up until now (in no order).
I made my cat a mix tape. She listened to all 16 tracks but I don't think she gets the underlying message.
BINA48 is one of the most advanced forms of artificial intelligence today, and the story of her creation is so fascinating it reads like science fiction. Here's a brief summary on the robot that inspired the short film Halina.
It starts with Martine Rothblatt, a lawyer, entrepreneur and the highest paid female CEO in America (it bears mentioning that Martine was born "Martin," and her amazing accomplishments are less of a win for feminism and more of a win for transgender Americans).
Rothblatt has an impressive list of accomplishments to her name, but the creation of BINA48 was born from her specific and ambitious curiosity: can a human's consciousness be "uploaded" to a robot body? The method was to combine the most innovative artificial intelligence with the information and personality of a real person. To test this hypothesis, Rothblatt used her wife of 28 years, Bina Aspen Rothblatt, as the template.
In 2007, Rothblatt teamed up with David Hanson, the robotics designer behind some of the most innovative humanoid robots on Earth. Four years later, Hanson debuted BINA48: a robot bust made to resemble the real BINA. The replica was fully interactive, containing Bina's memories, stories, and feelings. Several journalists and talk show hosts have had the chance to interview BINA48 - often with mixed results.
I first read about BINA48 in the book Lost at Sea:The Jon Ronson Mysteries, a collection of stories from literary journalist Jon Ronson. In the chapter titled "Doesn't Everyone Have a Solar?" Ronson interviewed several of the world's most highly-developed AI robots, including Zeno, Aiko, and BINA48 (a warning about those links, you're about to enter the unsettling world of the uncanny valley).
Before Ronson's encounter with BINA48, as he recalls in his book, he was asked not to be profane in front of her as she's always learning. Ronson writes that Rothblatt and Bina visit BINA48 once every few months (according to the robot's caregiver). In a rare interview with Rothblatt herself, Ronson senses the intense love she has for the real Bina, and he alludes to the possible disappointment in how BINA48 turned out - perhaps because of its lack of sentience.
Whether this interpreted disappointment is true or not, the profound love between Rothblatt and Bina - as well as the idea of a highly evolved robot that becomes rejected by its creator - was the inspiration for the Halina script. In Halina, the robot is truly a carbon copy of the original woman (a woman who is now deceased). The robot, now without purpose or identity, simply sits alone in a room retaining her beautiful youthfulness while those around her age. It's a story that's heartbreaking to me, but also poetic - and I hope you all enjoy it when it's complete.
One more fun fact: the name "Halina" is a combination of "Bina" and "HAL" from 2001: A Space Odyssey.
PurgatoryComics.com has just relaunched with an all new web site. Version 5.0? 6.0? Look I don't know, I don't freakin' know.
This new design includes an entirely redone homepage, and some updates to the subpages (including links to see the film through various vendors which - by the way - why didn't I think of that like a year ago?).
A page for Purgatory Comics is now live at Wikipedia.com, and you can see it right here (warning: plot spoilers in the summary section!). We'll get poster art up shortly. Pretty cool!
Rafael Rivera (a.k.a. DARAF) provided some of the key art for Purgatory Comics - including all of the Ace Amoeba art used in the movie, early cartoon art of the characters, and the current web site banner. Now he has a brand new hardcover book available to purchase filled entirely with his original art work.
It's called Jab, Jab, Whammo!?! The Art of Rafael Rivera A.K.A. Daraf (cover above). In it you'll see his celebrity caricatures, sci-fi sketches, and much more. It's hard cover with a dust jacket and only $45. You can preview it and purchase it right here.
So here's a picture of a younger Bob "Peter Whales" Socci with John Travolta on the set of Saturday Night Fever. Bob signed a print for me as a film wrap gift. Classic Bob.
Spring cleaning unearths the greatest treasures . . .
Okay I don't usually post a lot of videos and notices on the actors in my film unless they're substantial - and it's not that I avoid doing it on purpose . . . it's just that there's a lot of stuff I miss. Anyway I'm breaking the rule today only 'cause I'm such a damn big fan of Atoki and I know he's going to make it far. Here's a short video of Atoki doing Denzel's character from the film Training Day.
This is from Atoki's production workshop and the other fella is Josh Adkins. Keep at it Atoki!!!
Hello there superfans, I bring you just a few little updates on this rainy Monday in New York.
I won't get into it now but I'm working closely with GoDigital on making this film perfect for their distribution plan. I only bring it up to state that the GoDigital team is an absolute pleasure to work with, and I can't say enough nice things about them.
And one more thing: I'm writing this to you on a PowerMac G5 with no Intel Processor and therefore an outdated operating system and loooooow RAM. This computer has been great to me over the years: she saw me through many many projects. And she actually still runs fine. But I've had a thirst for power that only an upgrade could quench. I guess this is a long winded way of me saying: I ordered a new computer.
Hey superfan, check out the new poster art for Purgatory Comics. You can click it to see it slightly larger. Like the new trailer, this is for the 2012 distribution efforts. A good handful of people made this one possible: Angela's image comes from Vanessa from this shoot, Jonathan and Tim come from Rob from this shoot, and Bree comes from her shooting day. Rob built the poster then passed it on to me for some final touch-ups. I'm really happy to have a poster that includes Tim and Jonathan. And it doesn't hurt to highlight Bree's special appearance either.
In other news, today I took another drive to Duplication Specialists in Baldwin New York to pick up my HD Cam copy of the flick. David turned it around for me in a day and at a great price, and he's definitely a guy that supports local indie talent.
In the coming weeks I'll put this new poster up in the online store, and as promised new art will trickle into the web site. For now what you should do if you haven't yet is Like us on Facebook, and tell your friends to like us too. That would be the bomb, yo.
Today we returned to Hidden Pixel Studios in Deer Park, New York for a photo session I've waited years for: Tim and Jonathan in-character publicity photos! Vanessa of Hidden Pixels and my graphic designer friend Rob handled all photography.
Tim Kelly and Jonathan Zungre were good enough to dig out their iconic on-screen shirts and trek out to Long Island one more time. We've got great shots that we can match up with older images Vanessa took from the Angela sessions that took place 2.5 years ago (or, if we're lucky, maybe one day we'll get new Angela pictures).
It's nice to have new publicity images to play around with, especially with the film's other two stars. The new designs are in preparation for possible distribution - with a little help from our west coast friends at Circus Roads.
Hey all, sorry it's been so quiet. Here are just a few updates.
Atoki Ileka, who we're all very proud of, tweeted a thank you to Warm Milk for a letter of recommendation that helped him get into the New York Film Academy. He promised he won't let us down. Also, Atoki really really likes tweeting.
I have a conference call tomorrow with Circus Road Films, and I've also made a really sweet E-press kit for Purgatory Comics. Also purgatorycomics.com now reflects how they represent exclusive distribution queries.
In early August we'll be doing a photoshoot at Hidden Pixels with Jonathan Zungre and Tim Kelly, both back in character. We're in the process of getting new photography for promotional material.
Also congrats to Jonathan, who's now engaged!
Has it been a year already? This week, the Long Island International Film Expo has been underway. The awards ceremony is tomorrow, so if you're on Long Island, grab some information from their web site.
Our pal Bree Olson is on the cover of Playboy (nsfw) for August 2011. She's interviewed about her time with Charlie. Here's the cover:
There you go, plenty of updates. There's a lot of waiting going on right now and I apologize for the lack of exciting news, but wheels are always in motion!
I had a great phone call this week with Glen Reynolds, founder of Circus Road Films. He's a big fan of Purgatory Comics and as of today his company is officially representing us for distribution dealings. This is exciting for a few reasons, one being that this is a renowned company with solid connections, another being because they only represent a small handful of films at a time. More details to come...
I've got a couple of projects in the works, but everything is so early-stage right now that I haven't really been publicizing much yet on this blog. So it's been pretty quiet here, and I am sorry about that. A lot of indie filmmakers are very cautious about "false start" projects, so they don't like to spill the beans until the project becomes a reality. Me included.
Right now, I'm extremely interested in collaborations, and I've got two in the works. One is a short film that I'm writing while sharing a "story by" credit, and the other is a feature with a few friends from "Purgatory Comics." I can't say much else yet but I have been writing/brainstorming over the past weeks, so my brain has been active.
I've also written a few scripts for myself: two finished shorts and one feature. I go back and forth on if I feel strongly about actually shooting them, but I think at least one of the shorts may find itself to production eventually.
I miss being involved with a production in a big, bad way. I'm going to keep writing and I really hope for a chance to feel the high that comes from filmmaking again very soon.
Sequel to Purgatory Comics? Come on. It's hard enough pushing the first movie on people. And all those actor-issues I stated are true. But I had a lot of fun with this prank, and it's the first one I pulled on the blog since 2008.
Ask any girl I've ever dated and they'll agree I tend to drag jokes far beyond their death. I restrained this time, but I'll tell you, I came damn close to actually writing a few pages of the fake script and then posting them. What stopped me? Knowing me, I'd wind up writing the whole film and then really wanting to make it.
One last thing I thought I'd share: a lovely message from Angela after reading the blog post:
If that's not an April fools joke, I'm getting on a plane right now and kicking the ever-loving shit out of you.
