Thu, Jul. 30 2009
My buddies went to see a screening of "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" at Jacob Burns last night and all I got was this t-shirt (that's Steve talking).
Me and Jim caught the special engagement of this rockumentary which was followed by a Q&A session with the two stars of the film, front man Steve "Lips" Kudlow and drummer Rob Reiner ("the original") of 80's metal blink-and-you-missed-them sensation–Anvil.
It's a great film.
I've seen it referred to as "the ultimate metal bromance" and the "real life Spinal Tap" - both are accurate. Anvil! is also a "Rocky" movie - the tale of two friends who met at fifteen and refuse to give up their dream of making it big as Anvil–despite the fact that they're now fifty. These shaggy lovable Canadian underdogs are up against incredible odds and you just can't help rooting for them.
As the guys themselves said last night, there aren't too many bands that stick together over 30 years - there's The Rolling Stones, The Who, and...Anvil.
The Anvil story is remarkable enough but the story of the film is also pretty incredible.
The Director, Sacha Gervasi, was a roadie for the band when he was only fifteen years old himself. After a few tours, they split but Steve and Sacha reunited twenty years later. It just so happens that Sacha has gone on to become a successful screenwriter (among other things) since they last saw each other, and Steve has just been offered an opportunity for a European Anvil tour that looks slightly shady from the start to say the least. Sacha knows there's a movie in this and he drops everything to make it.
I'm happy to report:The film is getting rave reviews.Anvil is playing with AC/DC at Giants Stadium tomorrow night.Things are looking up.
Just see it when you get the chance.
Anvil! The Story of Anvil
Sat, Jul. 25 2009
Lis sent me this video by Miles Fisher last night and it really made my day. Miles nails the "American Psycho" movie and gets Christian Bale, who is fast becoming one of my favorite working actors, smirk perfect.
Fisher is so good and talented (it's his music too)–it's scary.
For the first seven or eight seconds I thought it was Bale and someone had cut scenes from the movie into the video.
Then, I saw a close-up & I thought "that's not Bale", it didn't look like him–more like Tom Cruise.
Fisher also does a drop dead Tom Cruise.
Getting back to "American Psycho"...
Have you read the book by Bret Easton Ellis?
When "Psycho" hit shelves in 1991, critics recoiled in horror.
There was controversy before the book even saw daylight– Simon & Schuster had dropped it due to graphic content before Vintage picked it up.
It was pretty much banned in Germany.
In Australia, it's only sold shrink-wrapped and selling the book to anyone under 18 is a criminal offense.
It's not an easy read for a lot of reasons including extreme violence and mind-numbing detail - but that's the point.
The 80's were mind-numbing and violent.
At least it was for me.
And I think that's why I liked the book so much.
I read it for a college literature term project.
There was an older retired woman in my little book group, who was taking the class for fun.
She dropped out after a few weeks because she was so appalled by my project.
I didn't love the movie when it came out nearly 10 years later but it's probably because I was too loyal to the book.
But watching this video makes me want to see it again - now.
I also happen to know the writer of the sequel - "American Psycho 2: all American Girl."
We met in a Gotham Writers Workshop screenplay writing class - her specialty was horror and mine was crime so there was some natural overlap.
She already had some buzz going in LA.
She sold one of her screenplays and rewrote it–banging it into the American Psycho sequel.
They basically just slapped the name on it.
It didn't seem to matter that it had nothing to do with the original.
She ended up moving to LA and I started Artgig.
Karen, wherever you are, I hope you're doing well.
It was good writing with you.
Wed, Jul. 22 2009
Just finished a new game, "Gotcha!," for our friends at Weekly Reader. The game is designed as a payoff to a lesson and quiz on Mark Twain's short story, "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calvares County."
Based on our standard shooter engine, "Gotcha!" is essentially a better looking "Bug Assassin." We created a custom skin to match the swampy theme and made the shooter a frog (who happens to be a Mark Twain lookalike) who's after any bug fool enough to fly into range of his quick-draw tongue.
You can tell by the look in their eyes, these bugs know this frog ain't playing games.
But that shouldn't stop you:
Play Gotcha!
