Gamer Review

Gamer is one of those movies that a lot of people misunderstand.  Some people think of the film as one that hates its audience, and I can understand why.  The main point of attack in the film is the question of violence: why do we enjoy watching fictional representations of violence, and should we feel sorry or apologetic for this behavior?

The film responds with a seemingly outstanding "yes, you should feel guilty for this behavior", which is the main point of argument with the film.

The film opens strong, with a collection of modified images from another film, Baraka.  Much of this strength is, by virtue of this, borrowed from this highly visual film, but the modifications coupled with the ever-eerie Marilyn Manson song, Sweet Dreams, create a nice atmosphere that, unfortunately, is little more than a montage hinting at story points.  The imagery of the opening sequence has little to do with the rest of the film, with the exception that the main antagonist  has his face plastered all across the global images of Ron Fricke's film.

The main premise of the film is the "what if?" scenario of controlling humans.  The world offers two alternative ways of controlling a human individual: one is what appears to be a perpetual rave called "Society" which feels like a bad drug trip, and seems to take its main themes from a combination of rave culture and internet chat culture, complete with avatars and Second Life-style modifications.  The filmmakers obviously feel that there is a specifically frightening aspect of this lifestyle, and the strongest display of their argument is a large, obviously internet-addicted hobbit that trolls the environment with a female "avatar".

The avatars in the film are seen as humans themselves.  It is unclear whether the film is arguing that we should take our expression with these avatars more seriously-- by removing the anonymity of internet culture-- or take them less seriously and actually move out into the real world, and live life on our own.

The second alternative lifestyle is an action game called Slayers.   This is the source of the majority of the action in the film, and is also the source of some of the most chaotic A.D.H.D.-raddled editing I have seen in a long time.  Sometimes the film's editing borders on musical, other times it is so chaotic it is difficult to tell what is going on.

One could argue that this editing style matches the chaos of the battlefield, but I feel that this argument is relatively weak.  I am reminded of an acting teacher who told me, "you can't play bored by being bored.  You will be too effective and bore your audience, and will just be a lump of motionless flesh on the screen.  You can only play bored by never keeping your attention on any one thing for very long, constantly moving your attention from place to place."  The lesson was that one must not simply make an artistic choice for realism, there must be an artistic decision behind each and every action.  Confusion and boredom are two very uncomfortable experiences, and as such, filmmakers should be very careful when trying to make the audience feel these emotions, and I feel the filmmakers of Gamer were just not cautious in this regards and sometimes confused for the sake of confusing.

That is the weak part of the film.  However, for the strengths of the film, I must point out: the display of how people treat their internet anonymity through the use of avatars, or how people live vicariously through digital characters in a video game, may not choose a moral stance, but are accurate to the point of being sometimes hilarious (such as the "tea-bagging" scene early in the film), and often creepy.

The film has a very distinct visual feel, which somehow feels very claustrophobic even when its in the open.  There is constantly the feeling that the characters are in enclosed spaces, and there is no feeling of freedom to be felt in any of the film's environment.  This gives a very clustered, very chaotic feel that is hard to explain in words and must be experienced to understand.

Another strength of the film is Gerard Butler's endearing performance.  He offers little new to the action protagonist in terms of what he is given in his script; he predictably strives to save his loved ones and, also predictably, is reluctant to help people with anything else.  However, Butler gives the film a lot of heart, and what little meat he is given to express, he expresses perfectly.

Ludacris has a performance that similarly is stilted by the script; his performance is not weak, per se, but does not feel deep.  He delivers what he has with heart and gusto, but there just does not feel like there is much depth to his little covert operation.  I do not feel like there are goals of the Humanz (the fictional counter-culture pirates in the film), with the possible exception of "screw up Ken Castle's business."  There does not feel like this organization has a history of previous victories and losses, and I feel this is less any flaws by the actors and more a lacklustre art direction.

And let's talk Michael C. Hall. He is one of my favorite new actors, and his performance is as strong as you would expect.  With the possible exception of a horrible redneck accent that is most obviously a reference to an infamous, power-hungry president whose name rhymes with Mush. Hall's performance in Gamer actually is quite a bright light in the film.  There is just something interesting and charismatic about him in everything he does, and it is easy to see why he was chosen for this film.  It is a bit disappointing, however, that he gets so little screen-time.  It would be interesting seeing him do more than languish in comfort, dance, reveal his (admittedly) diabolical scheme... and I will not spoil what happens, though the film is predictable enough so that you can probably take a guess and hit the nail on the head.

This is where Gamer suffers horribly.  It does not try to be brave and new in any way, and all characters feel shallow and empty even where the actors are doing their best to give the characters life.  A few very strong performances from the actors mentioned are certainly a highlight, and are so well done that I cannot avoid recommending them to be seen, but here I am definitely supporting the actors more than the script.

Simply put, the script is too predictable.  It goes into some interesting territory with its "what if?" premise, and the "what if" nature of it actually brings up some interesting plot points, but they are simply too little.  It is the same with the general art direction... there is nothing wrong with it per se, and in fact, the set pieces often are quite impressive, making the viewer wonder how they made such wide-reaching, destroyed landscapes.  But try to see beyond the fight, and you will find, to use a video game term, an invisible wall.  There is no past in this world... no forethought made into how the world became as it is.

And it shows.  It would be interesting, for example, to see hints at previous Humanz activity.  Even the backstory of how the female counter-culturalist manages to break into the protagonist's prison block would have been interesting.

I hesitate to not recommend Gamer, because what it does do, it does well.  However, I cannot help but point out that what it does not do, you can feel as a deep lacking.

A nice production value, wonderful performances, but just not enough depth to help you sink into this world.

I give Gamer a rating of C.  It does not fail, but it does not do well either.

Anger/Obscenity

There is a common thread amongst my thoughts in these past few moments, the past few days... part of it is the unspeakable appreciation I feel for all those who support me and who show me attention, love, and affection.

And then there is my never-ending shock at how there are those that commit acts that I just cannot condone. They can be little things, little annoyances that make me angry to a ridiculous level. Little ignorances and little spiteful spits that just make me want to bite my tongue until it bleeds...

... and then there are those who sincerely want my blood. To all those who I cannot please, to all those that would rather me dead than living, to all those who think me some controversial beast that does not deserve to live... I have the utmost anger and obscenities to spit at you.

To all those who have betrayed me blissfully, and who have made my heart a difficult thing to understand, for all its insecurities and instabilities...

To all those who glorify all my mistakes and remind me of them at my most vulnerable of moments..

To all those who know who you are...

... when I am King, there will be no land for you. I will run you out of my kingdom. I will post rewards for your torture and segregation, and laugh as you beg me to forgive you.

And then, insult upon injury, I WILL forgive you. If you ask me to, I will... even if you do not. I will let you into my kingdom, but there will be one thing that you will never have... one precious treasure that is not easy to come by, but is a gift to all those who have it...

you will never regain my trust. And in forgiving you, I will forget your existence, and cease to care even enough to hate you.

So, for all those who are responsible for the knives in my back...

there will be the bark of my anger, and my obscenity. And believe me when I say that my bark is not just worse than my bite, it bites itself, because if you ask me when angry what I think, you will receive the most vehement anger I can spit at you... but I will never hurt you like you hurt me...

... you have made me hard. Congratulations. It is because of you that I am a temple whose doors are not easy to enter. It is because of you that my kingdom requires so high a price to enter... it is because of you that I do not trust easily.

And even beyond that... I don't even care if you ever read this. Because I just... don't... care. And no one you betrayed will ever care about you.

So get out of my way for now. If you come back I will not care. If you die I will not care. If you ask me to trust you, I will have nothing to offer. If you ask me to help you, I will have nothing to offer except indifference.

The keys to my kingdom are easy to come by... because the kingdom will stretch over this entire earth. There will be no place without my mark. I will leave a mark, and long after I have forgotten about you, the world will remember me.

I congratulate you... it is because of you that I will never give up my goals or my ambitions. It is because of you that I will work myself to the grave to see my vision stretched upon the earth.

It is because of you that I look away at ugliness, and search for beauty... it is because of you that I am no longer shocked by hideous monsters or the worst words people could spit at me. It is because of me that there is literally nothing that can touch me anymore. Come at me, attack my life... I don't care. Because I know I have survived it before. Spit at me and hate me... I do not care. Because I have been hated before, and probably by better people than you. Betray me... I will not be surprised. Because I have been betrayed by the best of liars, whose lies still permeate in my mind.

So try to take me down... I dare you. I have no more vulnerabilities. I have risen from the grave, I have stepped out of my own wreck, and it was without even a new scar on a body tattoed with marks from lesser damages.

I not only will forgive you... I thank you. It is because of you hateful wretches that there is literally nothing you can do to me that shocks me anymore. There is no damage that I will not survive, so long as it keeps my heart beating, and even if you stop that heart, there will be those who know what vision I wanted to see the world watch... and will do everything to see it happen, and will only be more vehement because of my death.

I thank you... because there are two things that have made me an unstoppable force: the love of those close to me, who offer their unconditional support... and your hateful, vile ignorance.

I thank you... but you have no part in my vision. I thank you... but this is the last I will ever even let you into my consciousness.

Fuck you.

Support a new organization

With the help of a knowledgeable friend, I have become a co-founder to an organization called "Z.E.D.", which stands for the Zombie Education and Defense organization. The details of the organization are still being worked out, but essentially, the organization hopes to cease or at least slow the discrimination of Zombies.

We feel that zombies have been unfairly portrayed in the media and would like to cease this abomination against justice and fair-treatment.

If you feel the same, come to the blog, drop a comment or two, and we can get you more information on the subject.

I thank you in advance for all the support,

-- Shannon

Starting from scratch...

... on Tuesday, October 27th, at some time around midnight, I was driving some friends home. I had made some detours, mostly because I was unfamiliar with the area I was driving in, but eventually found my way back to more familiar territory.

It was at this point that my memory becomes less clear... I remember lights in my eyes... a few loud shouts... a sudden loud bang, and my muscles tensing up. After awhile I probably got out of the car, though I don't remember how or when... the car was running after I got out, and I quickly (and repeatedly... very repeatedly) asked everyone if they were ok, rushing over to see the other car...

when I turned back to the place where it happened, there was nothing but car guts everywhere. There was a guy who looked as out of it as me, although if there is one thing I remember, it was that I probably set a new standard for freaking out.

It has been a few days since the accident. My memory is still not great... this is actually my first attempt at piecing everything together in detail, because for awhile, every time I made any attempt, all I could hear was the sound of metal and fiberglass crumpling against each other, all I could see were headlights in my face...

My car was totaled and though I am waiting for insurance to get back to me, it will most likely never drive again. I saw the car after the fact, but not since I have snapped out of the shock have I seen it. I'm not looking forward to seeing how close I came to being killed.

This whole experience has left me somewhat broken... which is ironic because I wanted to be scared for halloween-- I definitely got my wish. I never thought I could be so scared and confused.

I said, to a friend, that every time I am near a car of any sort, it feels like I am in a tiger's cage... away from them, I gain my composure, but when I drive in the passenger side, or when I walk near them, it is all I can see but imagining them crashing together, or slamming into me.

I feel like this whole experience has brought me back somehow, like... knocked me back to a younger age, because I do not feel like an adult at all, I feel like a scared teenager, still figuring everything out... that might not make a whole lot of sense, but for the moment, it does to me.

Maybe that's the nerves talking.

At any rate, I have a lot of work ahead of me to come back to where I was before the crash. A LOT. Financially speaking, but also... mentally speaking. And, to a lesser degree, physically speaking. Nobody was hurt, and I was the only person at the hospital... thank god. But, my muscles have become very sore, and I will be on painkillers for the next few days. I would have just not taken them, but the doctor said if I don't relax the muscles, I run a chance of developing pneumonia. I'm not sure exactly why that is... but... suffice to say that I don't want pneumonia.

This post has been the closest thing to normal thought I've expressed in public. I'm still on my way to being normal... I'm sure my demeanor in public freaks out people a little bit, since I walk very carefully, and sometimes just completely flashback, which leaves me staring off into space for a moment.

So, for those looking for news on the Monster Intern, I had to let the site go for now while I do updates... we're also working on a new production that should be interesting, but I cannot say more... except that even the marketing for it is fun and exciting, which is a far-cry from the "tedious and annoying" view I usually have on marketing.

Everything of course will be stalled while I recover from my accident. (For those who thought this post was a fictional story, I wish it was, but it is completely non-fiction). I have a lot of stuff to figure out, a lot of work to just make sure everything is settled in terms of paperwork-- I don't blame anyone for the crash, it was just a momentary mistake on everybody's part, but hey, you know, the bureaucrats need to put "at fault" in a little box in order to distribute funds, so... whatever). My mind is ironically not racing around all these things, but still left somewhere in the crash... so I'm waiting for that to come back to where it is supposed to be too.

To all those who have shown love and support, god bless you all. I have no idea how I made it out of there with only a sore rib and a twisted mind, but if all I have to do is take a few painkillers to avoid pneumonia, this whole experience could have been a different one altogether, so I'm happy to be alive, and happy that everyone else is alive.

For now, I'm just going to try to relax, celebrate halloween as best I can (especially considering the painkillers I will be on), and just... try to spread as much love and goodness as I can, and be very careful whenever I say that I "want" to be scared (I like fear when it is not directly related to anyone's actual harm, fictional fear... the safe stuff... give me that, thank you, not the real, dangerous, traumatic kind)...

As per our gracious fans... I love you all... but seriously... we won't be around for awhile. I'm going to rest. I'll let you know when it is cool to hunt us down looking for autographs again.


-- Shannon Stever

Zombieland Movie Review

The opening of Zombieland sets the tone nicely for the events to follow: a world of chaos, destruction, and... surprisingly... rules. We are introduced to this world in a desolated gas-stop, with our trusty narrator, "Columbus" (played by a delightfully dry and neurotic Jesse Eisenberg). This world, it seems, has certain rules of survival, and these rules play an integral role in the plot.

We see these rules play out in a variety of different scenarios. The attempts at integrating a non-fiction element into a fictional world has become surprisingly common in popular culture, probably due in part to the rise of cinema verite as a style (Cloverfield, Quarantine, Diary of the Dead, et alia). It is no small thanks to Max Brooks for paving the way here-- his Zombie Survival Guide and World War Z books certainly helped plow the marketing fields. How does Zombieland fare on its own, after having impeccable timing helped it take advantage of the current marketing trends?

Well, to be frankly honest, the movie fairs well. Surprisingly well, given that the film attempts to blend a lot of different tones into one package. The film is part buddy film-- at least once Columbus meets the delightfully disturbed Tallahassee (played by a vibrant and energetic Woody Harrelson); it is part romantic comedy, as the romance develops between Columbus and Wichita. The character of Wichita is played by an uneven Emma Stone. It is not that Miss Stone does not fit the role. It is perhaps that she fits it too superficially. The character of Wichita is a deceptive woman who plays on her appearance more than her actuality. The actress feels too much like she is playing this literally, and it makes for a performance that just feels a little too... well... performed.

However, Miss Stone is not without her strong moments. The chemistry between her and the protagonist (Jesse Eisenberg) is very powerful, and believable to say the least. Eisenberg does a wonderful job reacting to her deception with a believable and innocent naiveté. When she is reacting against this, Miss Stone's demeanor breaks in a believable fashion-- she stops "performing" and actually delivers at these times, and it is to the director's credit that this actually nullifies the previous complaint about her acting. She shines where it counts, and it comes just as you are starting to doubt whether she really can deliver.

And then... there is the last act. Where the previous acts were all about the performance and a little about the show, the last act really grabs you and does not let go. I read somewhere (the source escapes me) that the filmmakers wanted to make a roller coaster ride feel, with all the adrenaline and excitement, and the final act really delivers.

Of course, one might fault the film for being a bit too slow-paced. But considering how interesting the characters are, it is hard to fault the film for letting us spend so much time with them before the grand finale.

Is it a perfect film? No. Until the character arch changes, Emma Stone's performance, while suitably "bad-ass", feels flat sometimes, at least until the more chemical moments between her and the protagonist. Also, I felt that the film's major philosophy of "never take yourself seriously" shot itself in the foot, for the film seems to avoid having any substance. There is a very touching moment with the character Tallahassee, which the writer and director felt they could absolutely not linger on, which was a shame because Harrelson's performance was just... perfect for the moment. But then, the moment is cut short by an admittedly funny one-liner. Still, it would be interesting to see what would have happened if the filmmakers allowed more of a harmony between the sillier moments and the more emotional or thought-provoking.

All in all, though, the film is an exciting adventure, with believable romance, interesting and energetic (if not neurotic) characters, an unrelenting sense of humor.

Highly recommended, even with its flaws in mind.

Upcoming Short

So, I've finished early drafts of my short film (tentatively titled: Scoop). We're working on grabbing a potential for a score, then I have to add a few small audio clips, and wrap up with a credit sequence. The wonderful Morgue Ann has sent me a nice little title logo to work with, and hopefully we will get the artist we want for the scoring-- if so, everything should be tight in a short while.

The story? Well, it is a tale of brains and betrayal, of murder and mayhem and me in the shower. Because really, what's a short film without a topless me? So, the film has a little bit of everything-- a little bit of sex, a little bit of violence, and some brains flopping around. I'm pretty happy with the first cut (wrapped the video, and have a cleaned-up version of the main audio track).

At any rate, should be fun-- will update soon.

In a world... with ten thousand guns... one man... makes one hell of a blockbuster movie

Ok, so the title of this post is best read with the "movie guy's" voice-- you know, the movie guy whose voice you hear all the time? I do a mean movie guy impression, but that is a digression I have to pull back on.

The title of this post is meant to invoke the formulaic tendency of the movie trailer. As a writer, I constantly wonder about form, and worry about formula. The spelling of the two are similar for a reason (maybe hotforwords should investigate?) because form is what happens when you are a disciplined writer using the tools of your trade and you succeed, formula is when your method is revealed too openly, too easy to see the "how" of your writing.

It is a tricky thing to have good form, and not just mere formula. It is a very fine-line that exists in between the two, but I think for the most part, what separates the two-- and warning for those thinking this will help you out on your next paper or blog or whatever, it will be far too vague to do so-- is sincerity. Writers and artists in general that work from the heart will always create more powerful works than those who write for money, or to a more forgiving place, power. I write for power in the respect that I write for the power of my story, to increase the power of my storytelling. I've done a lot over the years in order to ensure that my writing is as strong as possible-- including learning about filmmaking in order to ensure that my storytelling was as audiovisual as possible.

But I got lost in the "how" and it wasn't until I started to do the thing I do best-- writing instinctively-- that I started to feel like a writer again, instead of like someone filling out business forms or something (name of character:____ Character's occupation: _____ character's turning point in act two: _____ ).

I have been on somewhat of a hiatus while I get things sorted out in my life-- and for that I apologize. I'm a pretty scattered person in general, but I am getting focused in my old age. There are, hopefully, more works to come in the film vein, as I am hard at work writing a script for a new horror movie. Sadly, due to lack of production support and lack of time on my part-- it is difficult to juggle everything my life is offering right now, and I'm finding that I do need help in the production department moreso than I previously admitted) "Z" will have to be put on hold-- so those who wish to audition for zombie extras will have to wait just a little longer at least.

But it will come-- I haven't forgotten about "Z" I've just put it in the "to do" pile, lest my brain explode like in Scanners ; oh us Canucks do think up some pretty morbid stuff from time to time, and Scanners is deeply embedded into some pretty early childhood memories. Probably helped shape me for the disturbed individual I am today, and to quote a famous fast-food franchise, I'm loving it.

So yeah, stay tuned and I will try to balance things out-- one of the things I'm working hard is compressing my duties to free up time to my proper passions, which ironically I'm trying to do by getting a job IN my field so that I can have time to ... work more in my field in a different way. Two birds with one stone if you will. A bit hard to explain, but when I have more news to report, I'll fill you in-- I'm a bit too superstitious to spit it out now :p

At any rate, stay tuned, more to come, and as always, be nice to each other. Or else.

Become Zombified

In the spirit of all things competitive (and zombie), we at Monster Intern have started to discuss a potential contest. The details of the contest are still being worked on, but essentially, it will be a draw to be featured in the upcoming television series "Z", written by me and Mark Holmes.

The contest will start by taking applications. The application details are still being worked on, but they may include a "why I want to be a zombie" essay, and we may ask for an optional headshot-- with everyone who commits to a headshot receiving a free "zombified" mod of their headshot created in our offices from the original.

This is just the beginning, we should have more news on the contest soon.

Distracted by random distractions...

Ugh... I hate distractions. Seriously, if I could be a fully automated robot so that I coud achieve the productivity levels I so desperately desire/need... le sigh...

Anywho, I've managed to update the web page a tad. Working on developing a more nifty image scroller, but that won't be until I learn at least a tiny smidgeon of flash. Also, designed a few items in a store which can be found at http:/zazzle.com/monsterintern for those interested in awesome items. Other than that, been doing some research for a new script about a haunted asylum and BEFORE you say "I've seen that before," please take into account a few things I want to do differently with this project. The first thing is that it isn't an asylum haunted by insane ghosts, its a fully populated asylum with live patients that is haunted. Who will believe these poor souls? Well... no one. Which leads me to the second thing I want to do with this script, which is to hopefully expose the sometimes lonely world of the mentally ill, while also giving them life and respect. It isn't something I'm taking lightly, and I really want to make a project that doesn't just exploit mental illnesses, but shows the sometimes scary, sometimes lonely, sometimes unstable, and sometimes loving world these people exist in. We all have neuroses, and that is another thing I want to do with this script-- to really truly destroy the distinction between "normal" and "abnormal" not to belittle the illness, but to humanize its victim.

Also hard at work planning promotional material for "Z" (previously known as "Diary of the End"), the tv series which seems destined to be financed out of pocket... which... considering my pocket, is not going to be easy! But I have high hopes. The plan is to have almost all-- if not all-- the scripts for the first season ready for shooting so we don't have to take breaks in between filming episodes.

Whatever crew I develop will hate me for that. Or love me, I don't know, we'll see.

Also starting playing with twitter (my that sounds dirty). While on twitter, I managed to find this:

Which, needless to say, looks... awesome.

The still is from a movie called "Zombieland"... its a typical zomacolypse flick, but it looks like it has lots of character and energy, which are always good things when it comes to the walking maggot-bags.

In fact, the current uprising of the horror genre-- from Sam Raimi's triumphant return with Drag Me to Hell, to this, to Tim Burton's return to weirdsville with the awesome-looking Alice in Wonderland, has made me make plans on developing a podcast giving my thoughts on movies in general, probably with a bias toward the horror genre. Because really... who doesn't love the creepy crawlies and the splattered red stuff?

Ok, maybe I'm just a special case and somewhat of a cynic, but the horror genre is like a sibling to me. Granted, a festering, smelly sibling... and probably more prone to try to make me uncomfortable than my real life sibling...

ANYWHO I'm on rantsville now, so I will part by saying these things that need to be said: the things still on the agenda are more physical versions of marketing my goods-- need to hawk stuff in order to pay for production-- and to all beautiful and rich ladies, if you are looking for an adorible and awesome guy to encourage, love, and throw yourself and your money at... I am single.

There... I do believe I've pimped myself out about as much as I can for the time being. Until next time.

Here's another mockup.

Diary of the End Promo Material

Here is one of the first few mockups that I've been working on for the project.  The name may change, but the awesomeness shall not!

First Revisions of Diary of the End/World to Come

We've been working on the pilot script for a new television series for awhile now.  We are currently on our second revisions, and will be soon on the lookout for producers and financing-- thus begins the torturous and infamous pre-production hell!  

The script centers around Malcolm, a man who wakes up one day to find that the majority-- if not all-- the people he once knew are dead.  He is quite happy about this-- not because he's happy to see people dead, but because it means that he has the whole place to himself.

Of course, life isn't perfect for poor old Malcolm.  The dead eventually start getting up and trying to snack on him.  And they may not be the only threat-- but to find out more, you'll have to stay tuned. 

The revisions are going well-- we've had a few massive rewrites of the script, but for the most part, we're just integrating each of the scenes with better transitions, making sure the audience gets to see life through Malcolm's eyes, stuff like that.

As per the producer/financer hunt, at this point it is fairly early-- I essentially want the first script to be polished.  I have a handful of producers in mind.  Financing... well, that was never my strong point, so I hope to find a producer willing to help me on that front-- not out of pocket, of course, but one that is willing to back me on fundraising. 

In the meantime, I will be updating the websites, making sure promo material is as good as it can be, and I also plan on shooting some test footage.  A friend of mine-- the wondrously talented Morgan Oughton, special effects lady extraordinaire-- is visiting in the fall, and I hope to take use of her visit to shoot some tests.  

Outside of that... well... I'll keep you posted when news comes along!  Stay tuned!

Oh, and almost forgot-- keep an eye out on the monster intern website for more news!