I must get this out of the way as it is
part of my yearly rant during the Month of Fun. I am fully enjoying
each day as it comes. I always do. However, the fun is much funner in
the south of France and, of course, Paris. There is just something
magical about sitting outside a bistro on an ancient, stone covered
street on a hill overlooking a sparkling bay filled with million
dollar yachts while drinking champagne. And best of all, the
champagne was a happy hour special! We were lucky enough to spend two
separate Months of Fun in Paris and Cannes. We didn't spend a lot of
money each day, but each day was amazing. It's been far too many
years since my last trip. At least, I'm not angry about not annoyed
about not being there. It's a wistful feeling – and a determined
one. It's time to make something to take to the next film market!
Luckily, I have a few ideas on how to get that done. Cue evil
laughter!
Month of Fun – The Birthday Week
I had a lot of deadlines to meet this
past week. That meant that I wasn't gallivanting as much as I
planned. I almost didn't make it out for the Farmer's Market on
Tuesday, because we were doing last minute adjustments on the latest
manga, Wild Boyfriend. Up until this gig, I never had Skype nor
wanted it. Now, I spend hour and hours on it with the letterer in our
localizing group. Funny thing though, neither of us use the camera
function. I'm usually a mess and I don't like how I look under the
lighting in the living room. I have lived with a director for a long
time! The few times I have used my webcam, you should see the
lighting I have set up in the room. No one could easily walk around
it! Anyway, I spent a lot of time this week on Skype with Henae
finishing the manga then making corrections that Digital Manga
required. I was also finishing an essay on public transit for Marie
Lecrivain's Alternate Lanes, a literary zine about how to get around
LA on anything but a car. And then, there were a series of 'can you
do this ASAP' things that happen sometimes. And finally, there is a
pilot script that I need to get out ASAP. I had to put off the
exploring I wanted to do until next week. But when I think about it,
I've always wanted to work as a writer. This week was sure filled
with writing. I can't say it wasn't fun.
I'm lucky that my birthday falls near
Mother's Day. That means that things like champagne and lobster are
deeply discounted. I'm happy to have a nice glass of bubbly on the
day itself and indulge in my favorite things. I do love to cook, but
I didn't want to exhaust myself making lobster rolls, and I really
didn't feel like baking my own cake. I always enjoyed the cakes the
various jobs I've had out here would get from Vons/Pavillions for
birthdays and departures. Since that was where the bubbly and the
lobster were, it was easy to get a beautifully decorated, fudgy and
decadent cake. I know it's a disappointment to those who thought I
had a hedonistic day filled with oil covered, muscular attending my
every whim. Fear not, I still have about 18 days! And there have been
some prospects.
Dark Shadows and Why You Are Wrong
The big treat this week, or at least I
hoped it would be, was going to the first movie since Tangled was
released two years ago! Now, there's been a lot of angry buzzing
about Dark Shadows on the interwebs before the film was released.
'Dark Shadows was not a comedy' was the gist of the arguments against
Tim Burton's take on the film. I would argue that it wasn't a
deliberate comedy, but it was frequently pretty danmed funny. I was
the series as a kid as did Depp and Burton. I hold very fond memories
of it in my heart. But let's face it, people. Dark Shadows was a soap
opera with vampires, ghosts and werewolves. Mainstream soap operas
can't help but drift into the weird and dopey. Anyone remember the
Cassadines and their Weather Machine and the plot to freeze the
world in General Hospital? Or have you forgotten the Lost City of Eterna on One Life to Live. When you have 1200 shows to write, plots are bound to drift toward
the silly. I think it was brilliant for Burton and Depp to embrace
the wonky things about the series and spin them to the advantage of
the film.
Warning! Mild spoilers to follow.
For the record, Dark Shadows is not a
comedy. The film has a very strong and twisted sense of humor. The
humor was the easiest thing to focus on in the trailers. And it's the
most logical thing to showcase as a few generations have cropped up
since it was a series, and movie mogul types like to have as broad an
audience as possible for a film that expensive to make. Dark Shadows
is scary and gruesome at times. The tension at the climatic scene was
intense. I was terrified for the Collins, because I had grown
attached to that highly dysfunctional family and there was a real
possibility that none of them would survive. I was particularly
impressed with Michelle Pfieffer's performance. She managed to hold
her own as a straight man against Johnny Depp. Her character rang
true in a group a bigger than life characters. Elizabeth Collins was
the main reason I thought the whole family had earned the right to
survive. That said, Johnny Depp has redeemed vampires in my eyes. He
is romantic, articulate and engaging but never sparkles. The
soundtrack was awesome! It made me want to jump out of my seat! So,
forget preconceived notions and go enjoy the romp!
Updates
I'm having lunch with some really cool
people this week. I will also be having meetings about the upcoming
projects! Great food and fun and excitement await!
Stay tuned!
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