The production team had met up in the middle of september to go over script, cast, production, what needs writing. We got a lot done during that meeting. After that meeting, nothing got done. We didn't have a completed script, nor a cast list, nor a list of assets (videos, music, tech cues). We had nothing. We were all just spinning our wheels.

It didn't help that, instead of prepping for the show, we were doing five music classes, three acting classes and some other. I'm not saying that we didn't need some of those classes, but we didn't need so many of them.

Now flashforward to two weeks ago. The clock is ticking, and Mike (one of the guys in charge of the show, and parts of the club) hasn't handed us anything. He is the only one with the full script and none of us have it. I honestly can't fault Flynn onthis because he's contributed, handed us stuff (he gave us the half of the script he had, which is what we based many of our decisions on), listened to reason, gave input. Mike has given nothing. He's been too busy working the conventions and the Halloween parade and god knows what he does for his 9-5 job. When Brandon approached Mike trying to get something out of him, Mike gave him a thirty minute version of "oh, we'll get it done".

I have a limited experience in theater, I've done minor acting, some tech work (maintaing props and whatnot) and continuity checks. I don't have a degree in it, and to be honest I never wanted acting to be a career. But even I know you can't have that fucking attitude walking into a goddamned off-Broadway show! You make sure your shit is tight months before.

Two weeks later, nothing got done

That's when the villagers started getting restless, and I mean all of them who had a stake in the show, the masters mostly. None of them thought for an instant we could do a show like what we were planning with six weeks to do it in time alotted. We had just come up with a completed draft of the script this past monday, and that was only with the help of Tom and Brandon, who compiled notes from the previous show, plus the half a script Flynn gave them, to come up with a new script. So then the discussion went from how to do the show with what we had (nothing) to doing a smaller show, postponing the bigger one for a later date.

Mine was chosen. It's practical and simple, all that's really needed is a format fit for the group doing it, which I can bounce, and the rest can be scripted or improvised as much as possible. The meat of the show are the fights, and the stories being told in that. My stuff is just the framework.

Flynn and Mike had issues with that. To be fair, if it were my show being postponed, I'd be pissy too. At a meeting last night, however, they were forced to concede it was the only way to have their show done with any ounce of respect from the crew and audience.

Unfortunately, I wasn't at that meeting until the very end. I didn't even know that my show was greenlit until I actually got there. By the time I did, the show was practically written. And it's being directed by Mike, the same guy who did nothing for his own fucking show! Don't get me wrong, I don't want to direct it. I'm a writer, and I prefer it that way. I'd rather Brandon, or Roy or Tom to direct it. People who have enough practicality and who aren't running in five million directions. He has engendered zero faith, trust or compassion from the group over this show, especially the people working on it. He has shit on everyone's attempts to help with his usual condescending tone.

That, however, is my one and only concern. At this point, my level of influence is only as strong as I'm let. If I'm just retooling a format for the show, I'm fine with that. They want me to write dialogue, I'm fine with that. At this point I'm too mentally and emotionally exhausted from hearing everyone about the first show  and waiting to write the third that I'd be glad to either rest of do actual work. I don't care if I'm in the show, or that I get credit. I just don't want it to suck,  not if I can help it.

And in the end, I find myself becoming more and more apathetic. I'm finding going to Jedi classes to be like a chore, and that I'm losing patience with some of the members more quickly. It is losing that fun for me, which is sad because I have made a lot of great friends in that class, and I don't want to lose them. But I think after this is done I'm going to take a few months off. I have my own stories to write, my own novel to finish. I'd like to give that a go while I still have the drive. I'm grateful to Jedi for helping me get out into my city and teaching me things I'd never know, and some things I'd forgotten, but maybe if I take time away I'll be able to come back and appreciate it better, and who knows, maybe it'll be reciprocated.

But until I get to that part, I've got work to do
 

Going into the new film by Quentin Tarantino, I knew I was going to go into some amazing. Whether it was amazingly epic (a la Kill Bill) or amazingly wtf (Death Proof) was the question.

I am here to announce, that I got both. I got Amazingly WTF Epic

That is not a bad thing.

The whole premise of the movie is that it's a Spaghetti Western set in the backdrop of Nazi Occupied France. This becomes abundantly clear in the first five minutes when you hear the Ennio Marricone-esque music blaring on a peasant farmhouse, except instead of bandits or bounty hunters coming to break up the picturesque scenary, it's Nazi's led by Colonel Hans Landa (played by Christopher Waltz,).

Landa, with his keen intellect and his ironhand in the velvet glove questioning style, has referred to as The Jew Hunter. As Landa, Waltz is a constant threat on the screen. You know he's going to strike, it's just a matter of when, how. His very presence in a scene creates tension not just for the characters, but the audience as well.

Landa's American counterpart is Lt. Aldo Raine, played by Brad Pitt. Where Landa is suave, sophisticated and sharp. Aldo is as subtle as the baseballbat his second in command, Donnie Donowitz (director Eli Roth, in a very well played role) carries. Pitt's sole goal is to eat the scenery, chew with his mouth open, and then spit it into an overflowing spittoon. In the first few moments he's on the screen, Aldo Raine gives a speech  where he demands the death, mutilization and denegration of any Nazi soldier they find, including collecting their scalps. I could almost imagine Patton giving a similar speech. I could almost imagine Patton, in the grave, going "Why the hell didn't I think of this!?"

In regards to the theme of the holocaust, I have to say that Tarantino surprised me in how thoughtful he was in his approach. Col. Landa goes into a long diatribe on the philosophy and mindset as to why he's hunting the jews for the Nazi's. Also, as a movie buff, Tarantino manages to slip in a heavy dose of his apparent appreciation for European Cinema from that era, A Goebbels film features heavily into the plot for the last act and is the justification for the discussions.

One thing I can see as a problem for some is that some chapters (Tarantino loves the five chapter format) tend to drag a little. This was also a problem in Death Proof aka, "bitches talk, get stoned, talk again, get drunk, talk again, die, cue new bitches to talk". However, it actually works in this film. In some regards, each chapter is it's own short film, with a beginning, middle and climax, chained together.

Coming out of this film, I found myself entertained, and feeling as if I had come out of an intstant classic. Many people would say that "it's not Pulp Fiction, it's not Resevoir Dogs."   It doesn't have to be, and to compare it as such is unfair to him and all works in question.

This is a film that does not take itself seriously, but doesn't take itself lightly either. There are times when it points out to itself that it is a movie, and times where you are so engrossed you can't help to stare.

Take Care, and enjoy the movie

C

PS: Samuel L Jackson is still the Baddest Mothafucka on the Planet...end of story

C

As far as conventions go, this was my first. Seems to have been a midpoint between Vegas-esque New York Comic Con and the somewhat seedy, nerd equivalent to the black market of Big Apple Con (colloquially known as GhettoCon). It was in the Philadelphia Convention Center, which, while not as big and monolithic as the Javits center, did the job. The rows and aisles were wide enough to not cause traffic issues (though this might be because less people were there than NYCC. I have no baseline to judge).

We were located in the back of the last aisle, baically dominating one whole corner of the convention floor. We were right next to Ray Park, (Darth Maul in Star Wars, Toad in X-Men) Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca in Star Wars) Kristianna Lokken (Terminator in T-3, Painkiler Jane) Mirina Sirtis (Deanna Troi from Star Trek) Emma Caulfield (Anya from Buffy) Ted Raimi (from a slew of awesome things),
 
most importantly, the cast of Battlestar Galactica. This includes, Luciana Carro, (Cat), Nikki Clyne (Cally), aka The Future Mrs. Page. Christ she's cute. Michael Hogan (Saul Tigh), who despite playing the most hardass guy in the show, was the most laid back of them all, and Edward James Olmos (Admr. Adama), who was King Shit of Turd Mountain. Me and the Dresden gang (Priscilla, Rich, and Sue) and Fellow NY Jedi Mel managed to get front row seats to their Q&A. I enjoyed all of it, and found it interesting. EJO was leading the show, a little *too* much at times. It's apparant that he's put in much vested interest in the show, and has internalized alot of aspects and nuances of the mythology, plus he's directed some of the work, so it's very personal. Michael Hogan showed up late, and when he did, EJO announced that "the frakkin Cylon" had arrived.

In the end, I got to shake hands with Michael Hogan. I didn't man up to meet Nikki "Cute Tomboy" Clyne. But I figure she does alot of the cons, so it's not the end.

On the performance end. Both Jedi United Shows (as there were 5 Jedi groups from four states in attendance) went well. The first show was the "Youngling Academy" where the group taught kids the basic steps in fight choreo, with them doing the full sequence at the end. The kids enjoyed themselves, and took it seriously and better than many people would think kids could take running around with lightsabers. I know I sometimes have the urge to run around giggling hysterically while flinging a four foot glowstick in my hands (thank goodness for anti psychotics!). Everyone had a good time, and even I had learned a few things watching and taking pictures.

The second show was for the general audience. It featured several fights from members of Pennsylvania's New Jedi Order. Considering the group is only months old, they did an awesome job. Then several members performed soloforms, katas that they themselves developed. One featured Mel, who did her solo to the Bear McCreary version of All Along the Watchtower.  After the fights and solos, we did a version of the Academy with grown ups. One of the fights featured my friend Matt, who did wowed the crowd as well as flushing out all the Jim Butcher fans in Jedi by cosplaying as Harry Dresden.

The only dissappointment I felt was in that I didn't have a fight to do in the shows. I've now sorta made a silent vow to develop at least one or two fights before the next con, and potentially work on a soloform. Shii Cho, my preffered style, is very basic, and I need to spice it up a bit. Other than that, the shows were fantastic.

After the show, we met with Ray Park, who is a fan of the Jedi groups. He hung out with us, demonstrated some moves, and even helped one our members how to perfect his butterfly kick. Needless to say, we all had a collective nerdgasm.

I feel honored to have gone to Philly and to have hung out with and met such awesome people, guests, workers, and celebs alike. This is only my third con as a whole , and my second working one, so this was definitely a new and wonderful experience.

Now, when's the next one?

C


 

Prologue for the NY Jedi Story