Find what you're looking for...

Alright, so last week I gave you a little behind the scenes sneak peak at my upcoming movie, but this time I wanted to show off just a little bit more of a finished product. So here's a few character posters for you to admire. I'll just let them speak for themselves...







See you next week!

Getting Made Up

So, strangely enough, the release of my teaser trailer only made people even more curious as to what I was actually up to with this whole movie thing. So I've decided to compile a select few behind the scenes photos to maybe give you a little more of an idea as to what went into the making of this movie, and what you can expect from it.


Here we see our awesome makeup artist, Rachel, hard at work making Caroline look like a star.


See, now isn't she prettiful?


Oh, and who's this handsome cat getting worked on now?


Looks like this shy guy isn't quite ready to show his face on camera just yet.


And hey, JP got made up, too! You can sort of see the inspiration behind his look on the computer screen in the background.

Well okay then, so I think that just about wraps up this little preview for the movie. Except... oh, fine, if you insist, one more picture:


Oh yes, and for those who missed it, check out my aforementioned teaser trailer, now available on youtube. If you haven't been able to figure out what it's all about by now, this should answer any of your remaining questions:




Or not.

I'd go gay for...

So I was inspired to tackle this topic after melting in my seat every time Tom Hiddleston appeared on screen throughout a second viewing of The Avengers. Pretty self explanatory, I'm going to countdown the Top 5 guys who I'd go gay for, complete with pics that should speak for themselves. Simple enough, and it feels relevant enough, so let's do this.

#5

Michael Fassbender




(That one hurt a little.)

#4

Robert Pattinson




The best part is, Robert Pattinson likely agrees with that assessment.

#3

Gerard Way


That's right, I'd go gay for Gerard Way.



#2

Ewan McGregor


Well, Loki?



#1

Tom Hiddleston


As if this wasn't obvious enough by this point. And as you can see from the picture above, like his brother Thor, he, too, demanded a horse.



So yeah, pretty gay post, right? Well how about we fix that a little and straighten things up a bit to send us off. So then, on that note, I'll now present my personal picks for the Top 5 hottest ladies in pop culture today.

#5

Hayden Panettiere

#4

Olivia Wilde

#3

Kate Beckinsale

#2

Emma Watson

#1

Tom Hiddleston

... Wait, what?! But-



Well played, Loki. Well played...

The Avengers

So we actually got The Avengers. And no matter how good or bad this movie is, just the fact that it exists is awesome in and of itself. Nothing quite like this has ever been done before in film, and to see it happening now is really just a pretty cool deal. The fact that it's actually mostly good overall just makes it all the more awesome.

The last hour is especially a tremendous achievement. Last year, everyone wanted to talk about the last hour of Transformers: Dark of the Moon, clamoring about how it was the best action sequence they had seen in a movie. I whole heartedly disagreed with that assessment, though I would gladly apply that notion to this movie's last hour. The action is just so picture perfect and clear, and the camera sweeps with the motions in flawless fashion. Everybody gets their time to shine, and everybody looks great in action. But none moreso than The Hulk.

This is, by far, the best theatrical interpretation of The Hulk yet. They just had so much fun with him, and most of the movie's biggest laughs and cheers came as a result of his smashing antics. Mark Ruffalo did an awesome job playing The Hulk, and I really hope that this time the actor gets to actually stick around for the next flick.

But as much as fans have been applauding The Hulk's performance in this movie, I personally felt that the standout MVP was Loki. Seriously, it's ridiculous how gorgeous of a man Tom Hiddleston is in this movie. He was by far the best villain in the prior movies, but he outdoes himself here, adding on new layers of crazy that I just couldn't get enough of. His outing here may well make him one of my all time favorite movie villains. He is just so magnificently maniacal, so deliciously devilish, and I just wanted to eat him up anytime he was on screen.


*Drools*

But yeah, great as the movie was at times, it wasn't without its flaws, though granted, most of them are pretty minor. For instance, Thor's entrance in the movie pretty much went entirely against the big sacrificial ending to his own movie. How he managed to arrive on Earth was sort of just waved away with the most meager of explanations. Though, while this does devalue Thor's ending, I do have to wonder if his sudden appearance was perhaps an acknowledgement that the ending to Thor was complete and total BS.

I think my biggest problem with the movie came in the way it handled death. At the beginning of the movie, Loki uses a power to take control of several of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s agents. And later on, he turns those agents against S.H.I.E.L.D. and The Avengers, who all seemingly have no qualms whatsoever about killing their own men. Not just trying to take them out of commission, but take them out for good. The biggest offense that really bothered me was when Captain America just nonchalantly tossed some of the guys overboard, sending them plummeting to their terrible deaths. That was completely out of character for the Cap. These are their own people who they're killing in such brutal fashion! Yeah, they're under Loki's control at the time, but they can't help that! I don't know, but that just really bugged me during the movie.

And I won't give it away, though there was an actual named character who gets killed off during this sequence which I felt was entirely unnecessary. And despite the fact that they just got through killing so many of their own guys, since this particular one just happens to have a name, they actually take a time out to mourn for him and him alone. It just didn't sit quite right with me. It didn't add the emotional punch that it was going for, and I thought it actually took away from the movie.

But anyways, like I said, most of those complaints are honestly fairly minor, and the rest of the movie is truly quite good. More than anything, though, this movie has a great sense of humor about itself. There are so many awesome gags throughout that come at you out of nowhere and will just leave you in stitches. And the comedic timing during the action scenes is especially unreal, and compliments the action so well. This definitely tops Thor as the funniest movie in The Avengers series. And gladly, unlike Thor, the comedy isn't the only thing this movie has going it.

I loved all of the interactions by all of these big name characters and actors. Robert Downey, Jr. was just having the time of his life in this movie, pretty much just poking fun at everything and lightening up the mood quite a bit. And I loved the way they played up his and Bruce Banner's intelligence when compared to the likes of Captain America, while never actually making Cap feel like a brawny doofus. One of the biggest worries I had for this film was that they'd be able to get us to believe in Chris Evans as the leader of this group of heroes, but they more than succeeded in that regard.

And like I mentioned before, this movie does a great job of letting everyone have their time to shine. Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow really impressed, particularly during her scenes with Loki. We really didn't get much of a vibe for her in Iron Man 2, but after this movie, I really feel like I know this character, and I definitely would like to see more of her. And Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye was just the walking, talking embodiment of cool. They shoehorned in so many blatant "bad ass" shots of him shooting arrows like it was nothing that it almost became borderline ludicrous, but really, it just worked so well for him.

So yeah, despite some of the movie's flaws, just the fact that they were able to really balance out an ensemble of this magnitude is quite an accomplishment, and one that writer and director Joss Whedon should be proud of. I'm really not sure that anyone else would have been able to pull this off as smoothly as he managed to handle it. I truly had a fun time with this, and the more I think about it, the more I really did quite like this movie. Definitely check this one out.

Updated May 12th:

So upon a second viewing, I found that there actually was a single line in the film that indicated that the agents who attacked S.H.I.E.L.D. were, in fact, not among those being controlled by Loki, but rather, were actual enemies of S.H.I.E.L.D. I somehow managed to miss that line the first time, but as I caught it this time, I will now retract my critiques against the film regarding that particular scenario.

Rest in Peace, Sean Futrell

So, as is typical for me to do, I decided to go over to Barnes and Noble and use their internet during my lunch break. But while online, I sadly made a very untypical discovery. Sean Futrell, one of my best friends since middle school, has passed away. And ever since that discovery, I've just felt numb all over. I don't even know what to think, really. He was just a few days younger than me, far too young to be taken away from us already. And I had just seen him only about two weeks ago. He seemed in decent enough health at the time, and I never would have imagined that that night would be the last time I'd ever see him. Had I known, I would have said to hell with sleep and stuck around longer. Makes me think of all the other times I dipped out early, or failed to return his calls for whatever reason. Over the past few years we hadn't seen that much of each other, though we always spoke of the need to spend more time together. Damn does this feel like a wake up call...

Like I said, I've been friends with Sean since middle school. We hung out with the same group of kids all throughout high school, and we always got together on weekends to either party or play Halo, or just hang out and do stupid shit. Hell, I was just on a date last week when the story of how we drove around with Sean in the trunk of my car got brought up. Basically, way back when, I was hanging out at the movie theater over by Best Buy with my buddies Sean, Sabby, and Fudd. Somehow we got the bright idea to put on a show for the people waiting in line to purchase their tickets. We pretended that we were kidnapping Sean, screaming obscenities at him as we tossed him into the trunk of my car. We then drove around with him in my trunk, giving him a good ol' ride as we did donuts and such around the parking lots at the movies and Best Buy. I guess we put on a convincing enough act, as it wasn't too long before the cops pulled us over. The funniest part about it was that not only was I, the driver, placed face first on the ground, but Sean, the "victim" in the crime, was also put face first on the ground right beside me. God, those were the days. We did so many stupid things, but at least we had fun doing it.

But Sean was a cool guy. He had his own ideals that weren't always necessarily popular ideals, but he lived his life by those ideals, which I was always able to respect about him. And he was one of those kinds of guys who, even though we weren't always into the same kinds of things, we could still just hang out for hours anyways like it was nothing. I'd let him go on his long talks on subjects that I just could not give two shits about, such as cars, or World of Warcraft, and then he'd turn it around and give me shit for being into something else that he's not into. But it was always cool.

I don't want to get into too many of the personal details, but I'll just say that he's had kind of a rough life. Yet at the same time, he was always able to carry a carefree attitude about himself, like no problem was ever too big to bring him down and keep him there. He was the kind of guy who thought realistically. And realistically speaking, despite all the hardships, I'd like to think that he had a good life, if entirely too short.

In the years after high school we did grow apart. Yet despite that, he was one of the few who, every once in a while, I always wanted to make that extra effort to catch back up with. We weren't the closest of friends, and I can only imagine what his closer friends and family are going through right now. But I keep thinking of all of the other kids I've known growing up who were taken from us at such a young age, and this one definitely hits the closest to home. He wasn't just a face I knew from the school hallways, or someone who was more of an acquaintance than an actual friend. No, Sean was my friend. And he was a damn good one at that. And I'll definitely miss him.

You left this world far too early, Sean. I know you don't believe in the afterlife and all of that, but I'd like to think that, wherever you are now, you're in a peaceful place. I love you, Sean Futrell. We didn't spend enough time together, but I will always cherish those memories from the time that we did have. Rest in peace, buddy.

I don't know...

So as some of you might know, I'm currently in the process of making my first movie. And throughout the movie making process, I've constantly been asked just what exactly my movie is actually about. So I've decided to put together a little trailer, and hopefully this will suffice to put your curiosity a little bit at ease...

... or not.

Movie Theater Memories

So while hanging out with some friends the other day, we were talking about some of our earliest memories, including what the first movie we saw in theaters was. Now, I'm not entirely sure that it is, indeed, the first movie I saw in theaters, though the first movie I remember seeing was The Little Mermaid. Specifically, I remember how much it terrified me. When Ursula grows into that giant monster at the end, I turned around in my seat in tears. I guess that was some pretty frightening imagery for a three year old. But it got me thinking a little about some of my other theater experiences. Not so much about the movies I saw, but about what actually transpired inside the movie theater. And so, with that, I'm just gonna go ahead and start talking about some of the more memorable theater moments that stick out to me.


With Friends

Even if the movie's bad, going to the movies with a group of friends is still almost always a guaranteed good time. One of the first times I went to the movies with a group of friends was when I invited my buds from elementary school to go see Independence Day for my birthday. We sat in the front row (because we were young, stupid idiots), and as the credits rolled, we ran around the theater proclaiming that we had just saved the world. And it was awesome.

Fast forward several years, where me and my high school friends all decided to go see Jackass: The Movie on Halloween night. We pretty much had the place to ourselves, and after the movie ended, we decided to do some of our own jackass stunts in the empty theater (because we were young, stupid idiots).

Still more years later, with my friends I've made through the writing group, we all decided to ditch our little post-National Novel Writing Month party early in order to go see Tangled, where some of my friends decided to sing along to all of the songs throughout the movie (because we were... drunk, stupid idiots!). Thankfully the other people in the theater appeared to have gotten a kick out of it, too!


With Family

While seeing movies with friends is always fun, some of my fondest memories actually come from seeing them with family. When I was younger, my Mom usually took us to movies. It was pretty rare for my Dad to take us to the movies, but the few times he did really stood out. I remember seeing The Beverly Hillbillies with my Dad. We went to this weird theater that was sort of like a mix between a bar or a restaurant and a movie theater. It's the only time I ever recall going to that theater, too.

But I also ended up seeing the second two Star Wars prequels, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith, with my Dad as well. And one of my Uncles happened to be in town when we saw Episode II, so he also tagged along, which was pretty cool. I remember how he had to explain to my Grandpa afterwards that these movies took place before there was Darth Vader.


Awesome Crowds

An awesome crowd can enhance even the worst of movies. Case in point, House of the Dead, hands down one of the worst movies I've ever seen. However, the crowd was well aware of this, and we spent the entirety of the movie tossing insults at the actors on screen and mocking the action taking place. We took a horrible movie and made it a legitimately entertaining experience.

Of course, while an awesome crowd can make a bad movie enjoyable, it can make a good movie that much better. Sitting in a theater with fellow fans cheering on at the action on screen really is something else. Some of the best crowds that I've had the pleasure to sit in include The Expendables, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, Grindhouse, Puss in Boots, and Team America: World Police. Also, watching Zombieland was especially fun in Tallahassee!


You really had to sit there?!

On the contrary, not all moviegoers are necessarily good company. My earliest "bad crowd" experience would probably be A Goofy Movie. The theater was mostly empty, it was just me and my family, and then several rows up, a couple of other guys. Yet those guys were so obnoxious. One of them had the most loud and annoying laugh, and they were laughing throughout the entire movie. Even when nothing funny was happening. I'm sure they had a wonderful time, yet their incessant laughter was so disruptive that it ruined the entire movie for us.

I don't think I've ever had near as bad an experience since then, though there's been a few that have left me truly wondering. For instance, and I have a friend who has brought up this point, but why is it that, as people enter into a mostly empty theater, they feel the need to sit close to the people already there, as opposed to spreading out?

Now, annoying as it may be, it's not necessarily something that kills the movie most times. For example, in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, in a mostly empty theater, somebody decided they just had to climb all the way to the back row, where I was currently the only person sitting, and sit in the seat right next to me, as if they were a friend who was joining me for the movie or something. This did bug me a bit, and I even asked him why he felt it necessary to sit there. But he calmly explained that it was the best view of the screen, and so I just shrugged my shoulders, said okay, and proceeded to watch the movie with this odd stranger sitting next to me. And honestly, it didn't really hinder my experience whatsoever.

That said, there's been a couple of times that have really left me unnerved. In 127 Hours, in a theater that didn't have stadium stacked seats, some inconsiderate big-haired bitch decided that she just had to sit in the seat directly in front of me, despite the fact that literally every single other seat in that row was free. I moved over a seat, but still, what the hell was going through that stupid bitch's mind to think that that was okay?! And then again, just a few months later during Moneyball, and again in a mostly empty theater mind you, some old couple decided to sit in the seat directly behind me. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, until they proceeded to spend the entire movie chatting with each other and shuffling around in their seats. Or, rather, I assume they continued for the whole movie, I ended up moving about halfway into it. But really, they could have sat anywhere, and knowing that they were going to be acting stupid and clearly be a disturbance, they just had to sit directly behind somebody else in the theater? What assholes!


My Friend's Misery

Sometimes I'm not the one having a bad time at the theater, though. At least two times stick out for me where one of my friends in particular really wasn't appreciative of the crowd in attendance. During The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, when Legolas takes down the elephant and lands in style, the crowd in attendance applauded their approval. My friend, however, didn't appreciate this applause, and in turning to complain to me about the crowd, he ended up missing the best part, "That still only counts as one!"

The other time he got really upset was during Sanctum, in which the people sitting to the side of him were apparently talking. I couldn't hear them, though, so I wasn't bothered by it. However, I would have my turn yet again just a few months later, as some dumb bimbo sitting next to me during X-Men: First Class nearly ruined the whole movie for me with her constant moving around. She seriously wouldn't sit still for a damn second, and it was a constant distraction, one that my friend poked fun at after his own recent experience.


But sometimes we're the assholes...

As much as I complain about other people in theaters, I gotta admit, sometimes either myself or the group I was with was to blame for diluting everyone else's good times. One of the first R rated movies I was allowed to go see was Scream 2. And about halfway into the movie, I really, really had to go to the bathroom. But I was stubborn, and I didn't want to miss any of the movie, and so I sat there fidgeting throughout the rest of the movie, which I'm sure was quite the distraction to those around me.

That wasn't the worst, though. I ended up seeing Snakes on a Plane with a friend and one of his friends. And at some point during the movie, his friend decided to kick the seat in front of him, shake it, and look down and verbally scold the person sitting there. To this day I don't have a clue what that guy did to warrant such treatment.

The most recent example of our assholery would come before Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, in which me and a friend sat there and essentially saved about half a row of seats as we waited for our other friends to file in one by one. Yeah, we were those people. The people around us were less than pleased, and I was certainly less than comfortable.


Other Memories

During Hercules, my friends who had already seen it were trolling us throughout the whole thing, taunting about how they knew what was gonna happen, and they weren't gonna tell us!

I was a little annoyed by the guy sitting next to me during The Punisher who, throughout the movie, felt the need to loudly call the villain of the movie a "fag". And he would always drag the word out, so it was more like "faaaag". However, in hindsight, I actually really got a kick out of that guy!

The first time I kissed a girl was after we saw the latest Mark Wahlberg movie, Four Brothers. I know, romantic, right?

Watching Doom at the movie theater on Paris Island was something else. An entire theater filled with Marines screaming at The Rock on the screen. No, Rock, they're not soldiers, they're Marines!

I went to see 300 twice with one of my friends. During the rape scene, he decided to spout out that "that's in the booty hole!" Both times. And both times the audience laughed.

And I don't usually condone sneaking into movies without paying, but when my buddy in the army came to town last winter, we spent an entire day in the theater. The fact that we didn't plan it at all is what tickled me so much about it. We just walked out of Tower Heist, glanced at what was playing in the theaters on our way out, and just nonchalantly walked into J. Edgar. We also saw Immortals before the day was done. God we're dicks!

Anyways, I could probably go on all day thinking up individual memories from my time spent in the movie theater. But I thought this was an interesting topic to tackle for a little bit of a change. And hopefully you all found at least some of this interesting, and might be reminded of some of your own memories, both good and bad, at the movies.