Casual observation

I didn't grow in a household that embraced film much, and as a kid I wasn't allowed to watch TV at all, and since I didn't even know I wanted to make movies until I was an adult, there are some major gaps in my film education. When I did see a film I had the typical teenage mentality: if it's old, it sucks. I think The Longest Day was the only black and white movie I saw outside the classroom in all my years in school, which is strange because I LOVED The Longest Day. You'd think I'd have learned a lesson from that.

Anyway, I've tried to make up for lost time by watching as many movies as possible. I do a lot of it during vacation, when I try to watch at least one movie a day. I don't do this to be lazy and slobby on my couch, although that is an excellent side benefit. I do it so that when I go into pitch meetings or end up at industry parties and everybody starts going on about this film or that, I'm not left out of the conversation because the only film I can talk about with a critical eye is The Terminator.

I have lots of stuff in my queue that I want to see, but one thing I like to do is go through TCM and AMC and IFC, which are conveniently grouped together, and record all the movies I have heard of and not seen. Then I put them on while I do other things like post blog entries or study for a class I'm taking. If the movie is really good, I'll drop what I'm doing to watch it. But even if it's not the greatest movie, watching it casually allows me to become familiar with the film enough to fake it in conversation.

This plan works poorly with subtitled films, but I've tried it, although after attempting it with M I finally had to stop and pay attention, and that's when I discovered how incredible a film that is. I also tried it with Metropolis. I don't recommend this method for silent films.

But it's funny, because sometimes while I watch a film out of the corner of my eye I'll hear a famous line and go "Oooooooooooooooh! That's where that comes from!" Like today's film, The Bridge on the River Kwai, right in the beginning when the soldiers started whistling that famous tune I only knew from The Breakfast Club, I smiled when I realized that must be the source of that tune. So now when I'm at a party and somebody whistles or whatever I won't be all "Oh blahdeblah The Breakfast Club" and sound like a fucking jackass because everybody and their mom knows that was from The Bridge on the River Kwai.

Thanks Bobby Wang, or how I learned to love the martial arts film

As step one in researching my new martial arts script, I have to watch a shitload of martial arts films. I mean it's really tough work, you guys. It takes concentration and shit because I have to read subtitles.

I started with Hard Boiled. I've seen Hard Boiled before, but it was a lifetime ago during high school when Bobby Wang made us all sit in his house when his parents were out of town and watch Hard Boiled and Half a Loaf of Kung Fu. At the time I had no idea why either film was so special, and then I got distracted when Jason Peterson passed out in the bathtub next to a pool of his own vomit. That was probably around the time when Bobby kept rewinding the scene where that dude rides in on his motorcycle and unleashes hell in the warehouse. I remember that scene really well, mostly because we watched it like eight times that night.

So now I'm watching Hard Boiled again with a greater appreciation for not only martial arts films, but films in general. At my house we didn't watch movies that much, and when we did they tended to be musicals or popular Hollywood pics. I didn't know Hong Kong action existed until I met Bobby Wang, and even then I didn't really get the hype.

I also didn't appreciate how hot Chow Yun Fat was in this movie. Hell he's still hot and I'd still nail him. But you know until a few years ago, I only knew him from Crouching Tiger and The Replacement Killers. I had no idea he had this career before he came to America.

I had the same experience with Jet Li. I thought he was awesome in Lethal Weapon 4, but when Ex Fiance showed me that first Once Upon a Time in China film, I was in love. It took me a while, but eventually Bobby Wang's effort to spread his love for the modern martial arts film caught up to me.

Next up in my queue I have The Curse of the Golden Flower, A Touch of Zen, Infernal Affairs, Wasabi, The Chinese Connection and The Emperor and the Assassin. I think later on I have some Kurosawa films coming up too.

I can't wait until I'm a full time screenwriter and I can take this shit off on my taxes.