you're the only thing that I love

And Here We Go

Wed, 14 May 2008 06:51:35 GMT

I can't believe it's been January since I've posted on LJ. Craziness. I've been insanely busy with school and have had internet problems, which has recently been reslolved. Very good thing.

Other than that things are well. I can't wait until this quarter's over. I HATE my classes. Ugh. They're horrible. I'll be going during the Summer, but the classes will be much more tolerable. I have papers due, homework, and reading every week, which I haven't had since I start school in September. Ugh.

I've also had like zero desire to post because my fangirl moments have been few and far between. I do love the ChuckBlair but it looks like they'll screw them over in the finale next week. Hopefully not. They need to be together... like now, LOL. Best couple ever. Can someone comment and tell me what's been going on on the Lost front? I'm so behind.

Oh, and anyone who hasn't seen Iron Man should. Really awesome. Should tide me over until The Strangers and Dark Knight finally come out.

And She's Still Alive.

Tue, 08 Jan 2008 02:07:43 GMT

Happy New Year everyone :) God, it's been so long since I've updated. Almost 3 months. *sad face* I'm just coming out of my Christmas Break coma and I start back to school tomorrow so I figured it was time. Not really a lot going on in my life either. Just school, basically. I helped a friend of mine move from one side of the dorms to the other today. It was a lot of work but I survived. The things I do for friends. I still cannot believe that the "assholes in charge" made him move for no good reason. Well, there was a reason, but it's not even worth mentioning.

I have Production Sound, Visual Design, Screenwriting 1, and Script Analysis this quarter. Not so happy about the first two. Very happy about the last two since I am leaning towards screenwriting/editing. Hopefully there are some cool new people in the classes and not the same pricks from last quarter. I couldn't stand most of them. A few I liked, but unfortunately they have different classes than me. Blah.

Saw Sweeney Todd on Saturday. Loved it. Juno is still the best thing I've seen though. I have such a crush on Ellen Page. And not in a sexual way, tehe. I just think she's adorable and fantastic. I'm really hoping this time she'll start getting good roles since for some odd reason no one but me remembers how amazing she was in Hard Candy back in 2005. It's like Amber Tamblyn all over again. Sheesh.

If anyone has MySpace and wants to add me as a friend, please do. I'm baleblanchett. I know, original eh? I'm still trying to figure out all of the customization stuff but I'm getting there... slowly. Nothing else to say, really. Will put some new videos I've made ...

Robbie/Cecilia (Atonement)

Chuck/Blair (Gossip Girl)

Random Question: Anyone catch the new trailer for The Dark Knight? Damn. I wish it were July.

Bad Day.

Tue, 30 Oct 2007 01:24:50 GMT

Blah. I am so sick of school. I hear my roommate talking about how she never has to study and never has homework in any of her classes (FYI she has the exact same classes as I do, just different teachers). I've spent all weekend reading this idiotic book for Production class that I'm going to be quizzed on yet again and I have no clue what the hell any of these technical terms means. All the teacher does is give us these chapters to read and expects up to understand it. She doesn't even teach anything. Whatever.

At least we're being assigned to film crews tomorrow in class so I don't have to direct my own short film again. LOL. Did not go well. At least the second part didn't because of the asshole actors that didn't even want to be there because they weren't getting paid. Going to stop bitching about this now. The only silver lining is that the class is only until December 12th. Thank God.

Other than that things are okay. TV shows are dropping from my watch list like flies. Nothing interests me anymore. Gossip Girl, Ugly Betty, The Office, and FNL are the only shows that I even attempt to watch. Everything else just sucks. Even Grey's has gone down the crapper.

It's Over

Thu, 18 Oct 2007 06:03:32 GMT

Yeah. I'm not a scary fan like most McGosling, but I'm sad to hear this.

...

Gosling and McAdams have officially split. Read at the link below:

http://www.laineygossip.com/Ryan_Gosling_tells_GQ_Magazine_his_relationship_with_Rachel_McAdams_is_over.aspx

:( Another non-annoying Hollywood couple down the drain.

You Know You Love Me

Tue, 16 Oct 2007 04:10:05 GMT

Much to much to talk about. Some rants... raves. Blah.

001. ...
Spent my first weekend in L.A. after two weeks of filming my first short film, which turned out to be a disaster because of my idiot teacher. Shall be explained later. *eye roll* But anyway... I needed a break from everything school related so I escaped to the condo. Upon arrival, like literally on the sidewalk outside of the apartment building, this guy was passing out all of these free passes for that afternoon to see Slueth with Jude Law, Darjeeling Limited with Adrien Brody *swoon* and Michael Clayton. Since I know my Mom loves the Clooney, out of consideration for her and the fact that all she does is work and listen to my sisters bitch, I decided to go to the first two without her. She was working anyway.

Slueth was fucking great. Seriously. I think I just like talky, one location, overly honest movies *aka plays that have been made into movies* too much. Such dirty language. LOL. Anyway, I loved it... possibly a bit too much. I was losing faith in Jude, but damn... I forget how great of an actor he really is. Michael Caine was quite good too.

The Darjeeling Limited was also really good. I liked it alot more than any of Wes Anderson's other movies. I don't normally like his stuff. He tries too hard to be wierd and different. But I LOVED this for some reason. Brody is funny. He needs to do more comedy. I love him more and more everytime I see him in something. My obsession with him has been for only a short-while you see... I love his pink shorts and big sunglasses, tehe. Very sexy. Too bad he's like Phoenix and only dates models. grrrr....

So, I saw those and on my way out of the theatre while I was looking for a cab, I thought I saw Christian Bale and I lost my shit for a second... then I realized that it was just some dude who looked like him. :x I'm an idiot. So many actors pop up at that theatre though. It's so wierd.

After I got back to the condo one of my sisters was in process of moving in for a month. She finally left her boyfriend for good. Or so she says. We shall see. I helped her carry in some boxes and then headed over to pick up my Mom at the screenwriter guys house. He wanted to talk to me about some event he went to last night. He's a really cool guy. Had fun talking to him. He goes back to the Righteous Kill set (w/ Pacino and DeNiro) tomorrow. The asshole's as still trying to change his script. Exactly why I don't think I'll ever be a screenwriter. Poor
guy.

We went to dinner and saw Michael Clayton. Okay movie. The acting was better than the movie was. I think the story was a bit over my head. Not like Syriana but still really complicated with too many characters that pop in and pop out at a seconds notice. The last 30 minutes made the whole thing worth it though. Great ending. The last scene with Clooney/Swinton was fucking I-N-T-E-N-S-E. Damn. She got powned. HA. Wish someone would post the scene on YouTube or something. I'd like to see it again. Sorry if that's spoilerish for anyone who wants to see it.

Saw the trailers for No Country For Old Men, Things We Lost In The Fire, and Reservation Road *hollah*. Best book ever. Really want to see them.

Ended up going back to the condo at like 1 a.m. My sisters kept me up until 3 a.m. picking out clothes for a photoshoot the next morning. *eye roll*.

002. ...

Okay, so I'm a bit annoyed with Gossip Girl. Love the show. Really, I do. But I find myself *yet again, The O.C. anyone?* hating the main character and loving the other main character. Meaning, I love Blair, hate Serena. Or I only like her when she's with Dan. Any other time she just irritates me. And am I the only one who wants to see a Blair/Chuck hookup? Jesus Christ. I'd put money on that ship in a big way. They're so perfect together. It's like Sebastian/Kathryn without the stepsiblings things, LOL. It's just too perfect. Nate's a tool. He and Serena deserve each other. Blair's too awesome for him. Chuck is the only one on her level. I love Rufus too. Hottest. Dad. Ever.

Private Practice I'm have a difficult time with. The only characters I really like are Violet and Cooper. How great are Amy and Paul together? Especially Paul. He steals every scene he's in. Love him.

Nothing really to say about any other shows. Most of them I need to catch up on. Weeds is almost over. :( Blah.

003. ...
I'm really liking the school, but not so much the classes. Especially my Production class, which I thought would be my favorite. But since I have a complete incompetent for a teacher *she's new and very, very young* I'm not having fun so much. She completely ruined my first short film with her disorganization. I'm not the only one who thinks this. I have to screen it tomorrow for the class and I'm terrified and really embarassed. I mean, yeah, I had a blast making it. The first part at least, because my roommate starred in it and she's awesome and has really great comedic timing. But the movie just feels rushed. I don't even want to direct but the teacher forces us too, which I don't think is beneficial at all.

I say this because in the other Production class *the one that my roommate is in* they choose two scripts and make those two short films together. You get to crew however you want to. It's competitive for people who want to be directors because there can only be two. Competition is basically what the entertainment business in. Anyway... thank God I only have to make one more film and I only have this class until the second week in December.

I am finding myself loving editing more and more. We're almost done learning Final Cut Pro and it's only the fourth week which is a big deal. I think we move onto Avid the seventh or eighth week. That's how I know who the good teachers are. When I'm actually learning something and am still interested. I am thinking this is where my Emphasis will be after I graduate.

Producing just seems so sleazy. I don't know why.

Seeing We Own The Night tomorrow night after class with my roommate and some other students. Will blog on it after. The reviews are awful. Blah. What do they know?

How Does It Feel To Be On Your Own, A Complete Unknown...

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 23:41:58 GMT

Spent the weekend with my Mom and sister for my sister's birthday. It was pretty okay to my surprise. We went out to dinner at her favorite restaurant. Our other sister didn't show up. There's a shocker. She just broke up with her boyfriend who was moving out this past weekend so she's all depressed. She could have at least shown up. Blah. I won't go there.

...
I have a latest random celebrity sighting story. Short but very random and wierd. So, I'm in line to see Into The Wild at Arclight and I hear this very familiar voice right behind my left ear. I didn't want to turn around and just stare but the voice was bugging the shit out of me. Keep in mind, I was in line for like 10 minutes so the voice was going non-stop.

I turn around pretending to fish for something in my purse and there behind me with two friends (not actors I don't think) was Dominic Monaghan. He had on a coat with fur on the collar. Don't ask me why. He looked strange. Very small man, LOL. Anyway... I didn't stare at all. I just glanced at him. He was talking so much he didn't notice. Thankfully. That would have been embarassing. Anyway... yeah... I'm guessing he was seeing Eastern Promises since Viggo is in it and he was in the Rings movies with him. IDK. Not really a fan so.. meh.

Into The Wild was amazing. Emile fans must see. He's terrific as always and of course my girl Keener wasn't in it enough but she was also fantastic.

...
Saw the Friday Night Lights season 2 premiere on Yahoo and OMFG... that's all I have to say. I don't want to give anything away but wow. I know this season will be better than the last. Great stuff.

I am not liking Julie so much. She seems very bitchy... which is okay. But unneccesarily bitchy to Matt, Eric, Tammi, and everyone else kinda sucks.

Very hot Tim/Lyla moment in the ep too for Tyla fans. It's short, but very hot.

I want to see Across The Universe so bad. Hopefully I'll get a chance on Thursday when I have an off day of classes, which officially start tomorrow. I still can't believe I have to be in two classes in one day. They go from 2-11 on Wednesday. Blah. Must put in for a schedule change.

Still Feels Like The First Night Together..

Sat, 15 Sep 2007 05:27:56 GMT

listage.

001. So I like the dorms. Don't love them, but like them. My roommate is unbelievably kick ass, which rocks. Besides her Xena obsession we have lots in common. I am still waiting on my Dad's check for the first semester and my glasses. Hopefully both come before my classes start on the 24th *fingers crossed*. The frat house, which is on the side of the parking lot, had a party last night. Kept me up until 2am *eye roll*.

002. After alot of debating I've decided to hand over my Leonardo DiCaprio fansite to my two co-webs. It's just too much for me. I've had it for almost two years and it's just SO much work. I've decided also to take on an Aaron Eckhart fansite with a co-web for F-S.org which I'm super excited about. Hopefully will be up by next weekend.

003. Saw The Brave One today because I was bored (nothing to do until the 24th). Sad to say that it sucked. I wanted to like it too because Terrence and Jodie were great, but the story was just dumb. I didn't get why people in the theatre were cheering at the most disgusting, gruesome things either. Am I crazy, or is that just sick? Maybe I'm becoming more of a sappy liberal than I thought, but I don't find someone shooting someone in the head four times funny, LOL. Even if Jodie's the one who's doing it. Wierd. Naveen's accent is sexy. Too bad I never get to hear it on Lost :(

Nothing more to say other than the fact that I have no clue what I'm going to do until my cable/internet is hooked up next Thursday. Right now I'm leeching off of someone else's connection. Blah. Dorms suck.

Dorms, Driving, Ect..

Mon, 10 Sep 2007 03:45:29 GMT

So, this is my first night in the dorms and I can't even believe I have internet access, tehe. The cable guy won't be out for the next few days to hook my roommate Diedra and I up. Other than that, things are good. I got lost going from Hollywood to Tarzana. Surprise surprise. I knew I would but luckily I got back on track. Wasn't as difficult as I thought.

Testing is on Tuesday and Wednesday :x So nervous. I already know I'm going to have to take the Math classes. I don't even know why I have to take the damn thing. I've always been horrible at Math. But after Wednesday, I'll have nothing to do until the 24th when classes start. *scratches head*. Nothing much to do out here and I just saw 3:10 To Yuma (which kicked ass... everyone must see) so there isn't really anything to see. Probably will just go across the street and walk the CSU campus. It's SO huge. Makes me nervous.

And why are there so many ads for Dirty Sexy Money? I mean, yeah, I loved the Pilot, but I swear to God in L.A. there are posters/billboards/ect. of it on EVERY corner. Literally. I haven't seen one for Grey's or Betty. Strange.

Yes, I'm Alive

Wed, 05 Sep 2007 15:07:16 GMT

I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything on my LJ :x Alot's been going on with me but yeah.. I leave for California tonight and check into my dorm room on Friday. Bahh... so nerve wracking. My roommate is some girl from Iowa so hopefully she's cool and doesn't know L.A. like me. We shall see.

I don't even start classes until the 24th. What I'm going to do until then I have no clue. I sure as hell won't be in West Hollywood with my Mom and sister, that's for damn sure, LOL. Let's just say that didn't go too well when I stayed there for a month.

Small shout out too for anyone who is looking for good new shows to watch. I just watched pre airs for Gossip Girl and Dirty Sexy Money and they kick ass. You must watch.

Will blog after I check into the dorms on Friday. Hopefully my posting will be regular from now on.

holy crap

Sat, 28 Jul 2007 08:43:14 GMT

Wow. I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I've had SO much going on. Will update more tomorrow. I can't right now because I just saw this and am all consumed...

...

Okay.... how fucking scary does Ledger look? Jesus, LOL. I almost pissed my pants when I saw this photo of him and Maggie. I'm impressed. Hopefully he won't ruin the movie for me.

He sounds the part too ;)

Yada Yada

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 07:24:12 GMT

I just realized that I haven't blogged in so long. I'm writing this while I wait for C-K.org caps to upload. I'm doing a list because too much is going on right now to actually put it into readable paragraphs, tehe.

001. So the last day of my assistant job is Friday since I'm now going back to Georgia on Saturday for three weeks to a month. I have to arrange for my car to be shipped out to CA and go through a Pod full of shit from my old house. I have put ads in the newspaper, Craigslist, ect. for some stuff that my Mom wants sold. She can't come out and do it because she has to work and so do my sisters since they both now have modeling contracts and can basically be
called out to a job anytime. So that leaves me. Surprise, surprise. *sigh* I can't wait until I start school in September so I don't have to deal with family shit. I'll have an excuse then, LOL. Hopefully I get a better seat on the plane this time. Probably not but yeah.. I'm also oh so thrilled about moving back in with my insane Aunt and Uncle (who are from what I hear having maritial problems yet again) for the whole month. I'll also more than likely be guilted into taking my seven-year old cousin to baseball practice since he starts back next week. *eye roll*

002. I got a ticket to see Interview at the L.A. Film Festival on Friday at 2. So exciting. Sienna Miller is love.

003. Rescue Me and Big Love = Love to freakin' death. I'm too lazy to comment on both premieres but they were equally awesome.

004. I was bored like.. errm... a month or so ago and I made ...

Read the following the understand the subject.. (you have to be a McGosling, Red Eye, and Fracture fan..)

Willy Beachum and Lisa Reisert meet after the events after Fracture and Red Eye. Lisa has accepted a new job in L.A. and Willy has come back from meeting with a witness for a case out of state. Waiting for a delayed flight, Lisa and Willy see eachother in the terminal from across the room. There is an instant attraction, but they both can't shake the feeling they've met before in a different time and place. They began remembering times they've shared together. But how can you remember someone you've just met?

They strike up a conversation on the plane and exchange numbers after Willy offers to show Lisa around the city. After a few weeks, their connection grows stronger, but because of their strong personalities, different morals, past betrayals, and other persuing love interests, neither thinks a romance is possible.

But there's still those memories that can't be explained.. is fate trying to pull them together?

Yeah.. like I said.. I was bored ;)

005. Nothing else to say. Will probably blog after seeing the Interview screening on Friday. Meh.. maybe not. We shall see.

L.A.. Life.. Whatever

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 17:32:41 GMT

Not much news to report on my end. Some stuff is going on with me.. nothing really interesting but yeah.. may as well do a list.

001. Looks like I'll be extending my time in L.A. I don't know for how long, but I'll definately only be going back to Georgia to arrange having my car towed here and shipping my stuff for 2-3 weeks max. So it looks like I'll be moving to L.A. sooner than I thought. A part of me is happy about it because L.A. isn't as bad as I originally thought. I've gotten used to it and I actually like walking everywhere and not driving (I have vowed NEVER to drive in this crazy city until September when I start school and I'll be forced to, LOL) The driver's out here in West Hollywood/Beverly Hills are fucking crazy moronic idiots. I'm convinced none of them deserve to have a license to be behind the wheel. My job is awful. I hate my boss. She's an uptight, controlling bitch and probably has OCD. She's a nut job. Blah.. I hate the way she treats my Mom too (she also works for her). My Mom is interviewing for a nanny position with a family who moved here from Brazil. The father wrote the script for Inside Man and is here for one year writing/researching the script for Righteous Kill, the new Robert DeNiro/Al Pacino movie that's coming out next year which is fucking amazing. I loved Inside Man. I am hoping that if my Mom gets the job (which will be full time), I can possibly get an assistant job or something.. it's a long shot but I'll need another job after my Mom quits our current horrible one. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

002. Went to the open house for the college I'll be attending on Saturday. It's safe to say that I can't wait to go. Really amazing school and I'll be learning basically everything in the four years I'll be going. I'm still trying to choose between making Producing or Editing my major (aka Emphasis as they call it). I definately don't want to act or direct. Hopefully I figure it out. Only thing that sucks is that the dorms aren't at the school. I have to drive four miles to get there from the dorms at another college that we share with them.

003. ...
Lars and the Real girl was SO AMAZING. Anyone who loves Ryan Gosling needs to see this movie. I can't even describe it. I can't imagine what they could cut out (the version I saw was a rough cut) because this was literally a perfect movie. Every scene was perfectly acted.. written.. directed. Ryan is truly the actor of our generation and I suspect another Oscar nomination. His preformance is so touching, funny, human.. and mostly complete. He gained at least 25-30 pounds and this character is unlike anything he's ever done. His timing for subtle comedy and then switching to intense drama at a seconds notice was really impressing. Emily Mortimer, Patricia Clarkson, Paul Schneider, and especially Kelli Garner who was absolutely adorable with Ryan and all of their scenes together really touched me. Lots of chemistry. PLEASE see this when it comes out. I know the premise is weird (he orders a sex doll off of the internet and pretends she's real. He talks to her like she is a living, breathing person and truly believes it) but this is one of the sweetest, most honest, amazing, well-acted, heartfelt movie I have seen in a long time. Definatley worth checking out when it comes to theatres in November.

004. For Friday Night Lights fans.. at the house I go to work to everyday the husband recieved a For Your Consideration dvd box set for the Emmy's an FNL made the cover! Yay! I was so excited. So just so you all know, it's being seriously considered for Emmys this year. Keep your fingers crossed ;)

I must order HBO and Showtime. All of my stuff starts soon. SQUEE.

L.A... Lost.. Blah

Sun, 27 May 2007 18:28:32 GMT

001. So despite a horrible flight down here and barely sleeping because of the time difference, L.A. is actually not that bad. I haven't even been here a week yet so we shall see, LOL. So far the job is good. I'm making money so that's the important thing. Going to visit the college I'll be attending in September next weekend at the open house.

002. Saw Waitress last night and it was fantastic. Keri Russell is amazing. I forget how great of an actress she is. I'm glad she's finally getting some attention. I now know what the fuss is about Nathan Fillion ;) He's extremely adorable. Tehe.. after the movie my Mom and I went out to eat and some drunk guy in a Pirates costume walked in from Hollywood Blvd. He was working at some theater. So funny. He didn't even take the pirate hat off. Too bad I didn't have my cell phone with me. Brat Pitt, George Clooney, and Matt Damon will be at the premiere of Ocean's Thirteen on Tuesday. Blah.. I'm working or I'd so go.

003. I also got a free ticket to see a screening of Lars and the Real Girl on Wednesday night. *screams* Gosling. Swoon. I cannot wait until Wednesday. Even if he does looked fucked up with a goatee.

004. Going to the zoo on Monday with the lady my Mom and I work for's kids. Even if it is a holiday I get $15 per hour. Hopefully it's worth it. Doubtful though. I haven't been to the zoo in so long.

005. ...
I just NOW saw the Lost finale since I left the day before the finale on the plane to come to L.A. and I was all jet lagged and didn't feel like doing anything, lol. So yeah... it was INSANE. I am still reeling. Because of this I'll make a random list.

-Wow. How extraordinary was Matthew Fox's acting? Jesus. Seriously.. wow. Great acting in the flashbacks (or should I say the future). Very fake beard, but I'll put that aside. Every scene I was more and more impressed. Yes. I love fucked up, alcholic, suicidal, pill popping Jack. I loved how they went to the future and that Kate doesn't end up with him. I'm hoping that the 'him' she referred to when she said 'he'll wonder where I am' means Sawyer. But God knows who it will be by the end of this crazy ass show. She may be shacked up with Desmond by then, LOL. Who the hell knows.

-Locke lived. Knew he would. No shocker there. What was with older Walt? That was messed up. He's like six feet tall now, tehe.

-I feel bad saying this because I think this episode the last one are some of the only episodes I've actually connected with Charlie's character, but I like the show more. So I hope he dies and Desmond lives. Blah.. the drowning scene in the end was really sad. I feel bad for Claire too.

-Jack's an idiot. Really, he is. I hate Ben, probably more than I hate Jack, but I really do think he just fucked the whole island over with that damn phone. I mean if he doesn't want to listen to Ben fine, he has no reason to trust him, but listen to Locke. Yeah, he blew up the submarine but there was a reason for that. They needed Sayid there. He's the only objective one and actually thinks about things.

-I am so confused about the Skate relationship as of now. Sawyer is obviously messed up because of him killing the guy who conned his mother, but I hated how he left things with Kate, though I loved how he went back to rescue the others. I don't even get why Jack told Kate I love you. It made no sense and was SO contrived. They just make no sense together to me. And she's so fucked up she doesn't know what she wants. She infuriates me sometimes.

-What is with all of the Las Vegas people on this show? I was waiting for Caan to show up, tehe. Which actually would have been cool but yeah.. wierd.

More 'We Own The Night' Stuff

Mon, 21 May 2007 16:43:55 GMT

...
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-et-goldstein18may18,1,4265980.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

Not so long ago, it looked like James Gray's career as a film director might be over. His 2000 movie, "The Yards," a drama with a cast of budding young talent — Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg and Charlize Theron — had just bombed at the box office, making less than $900,000 in its U.S. release. To make matters worse, Gray had been so upset about the way Miramax had handled its release that he got into a very public spitting match with the studio's then chief, Harvey Weinstein — generally not considered an advisable path for a young filmmaker.

What a difference seven years makes. Gray has finally emerged with a new film that could earn both critical plaudits and win the 38-year-old director a larger audience. Called "We Own the Night," the movie is a gripping drama set in the 1980s at the height of a bloody war between New York police and Russian mobsters who have targeted the officers and their families. The film stars Phoenix and Wahlberg as brothers in conflict.

Financed by 2929 Productions, the Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner-owned company that bankrolled "Good Night, and Good Luck," "We Own the Night" premieres at the Cannes Film Festival next week. But the real excitement will unfold today when the film has its first screening for studio acquisition executives. With more buyers in the market than ever before, it could inspire a hotly contested bidding war between established players — notably Lionsgate, Fox Searchlight and Paramount Vantage — and deep-pocketed newcomers such as Overture, run by former MGM chief Chris McGurk, and Summit, now run by Patrick Wachsberger and former Paramount executive Rob Friedman.

Having had an early peek at the movie, I can see what all the excitement is about. Gray's earlier films, including his 1995 debut, "Little Odessa," were intense dramas, reminiscent of '50s films by Nicholas Ray and Elia Kazan. (Variety dismissed "The Yards" as an " 'On the Waterfront' wannabe.") Despite stellar performances from such actors as Tim Roth and Phoenix, the pictures were too dark and claustrophobic to connect with mainstream audiences.

"We Own the Night" is a big breakthrough. It's a searing family drama as well as a cops-versus-criminals thriller with the same sticky web of loyalty and rivalry seen in Martin Scorsese's best work. Phoenix is the family black sheep, running a mob-owned nightclub, while Wahlberg has become a cop like their father, played by Robert Duvall.

Although Gray still goes for quiet, underplayed emotion, he also ratchets up the suspense, providing many of the elements of a commercial thriller, most notably a bravura car-chase shootout filmed in the midst of a driving rainstorm.

The idea for the film came from a newspaper photo of policemen crying at a funeral for a fellow officer. "Here were all these grown men weeping and hugging," Gray said earlier this week. "It really got to me. It had a level of emotion that went way beyond the feeling you get seeing a police procedural picture."

Obsessive about researching his subject, Gray spent months in early 2001 going on ride-alongs with New York Police Department officers. "It was an amazing experience, especially in the Bronx, which is not exactly post-Giuliani New York. We went on these 'verticals,' searching for killers and drug dealers in the housing complexes. You go to the top floor and work your way down in stairwells filled with crack vials, urine and graffiti."

The drama was in all the small moments. "The cops would talk on the radio about someone's gun having jammed in a shootout and then someone would say, 'Morty, ya gotta go to the same place where we got those good steak sandwiches.' "

Gray started reading Shakespeare when he was working on the script, who turned out to be a bigger influence than even Scorsese. "The basic outlines of the movie are very archetypal, like so many things in Shakespeare. There's a father — or a king — who has two sons, one who was good and one who was bad. But by the end, the bad one becomes his father's son."

Gray originally wrote the script for Warner Bros., encouraged by then-production chief Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who saw in Gray's script many of the compelling qualities of "Training Day," which was a big critical hit for the studio. But after Bonaventura was pushed out of the studio in 2002, Gray said the project began to lose momentum. When 2929 offered to finance the film, Warners let the project go.

Warners wasn't the only studio to let the movie slip out of its hands. When Gray was shooting the film in the spring of 2006, Universal Pictures acquired U.S. distribution rights. Much of Universal's enthusiasm for the film came from Jon Gordon, who had worked with Gray at Miramax before becoming a production chief at Universal. But months after Universal acquired the film, Gordon was fired. The studio eventually dropped the film, leaving it open for a bidding war at Cannes.

It is no longer astonishing to see studios walk away from strong dramatic material. In fact, Gray's experience on "We Own the Night" leaves the inescapable conclusion that most studios today have an unofficial quota of serious films they're willing to finance. Gray supporters say that Warners wanted to spend more time developing the script largely because the studio had too many dramas on its schedule. At Universal, the studio seemed to lose interest, in part because its slate was already full of dramas, including "Children of Men," "Breach" and "The Good Shepherd" — all of which were critically lauded and commercial disappointments.

"The studios seem to line up their slates for a particular year, and sometimes they're just booked up with the dramas they want to make," says Nick Wechsler, who has produced all three of Gray's films. "James makes dramas that focus on detail and character development. But most movies made at studios don't allow you to linger. They keep cutting and cutting to get to the beats — the payoff — they know is necessary to keep an audience in their seats."

2929 production chief Marc Butan says he jumped at a chance to make the film, which has a budget of close to $25 million. "For us, having a movie that had a level of depth and sophistication but could still reach a meat-and-potatoes audience was perfect. James is exactly the kind of guy we want to be in business with."

Even after the failure of "The Yards," when many filmmakers would've jumped at the chance to do a commercial project to make them bankable again, Gray resisted. He patiently waited until Phoenix emerged from "Walk the Line" as a big-enough star to generate funding for "We Own the Night."

"He's just wired that way," Gordon says of Gray. "People approached him with all sorts of other projects, but this was the movie he had in his blood. On 'The Yards,' when he wanted an extra scene that we couldn't afford, he took his cinematographer, put Wahlberg on a real subway train and shot the scene on the weekend. When we didn't have the money in the budget for his cinematographer, James paid for the rest of his salary. He has to live and breathe a movie to get it right."

Gray admits to being something of a madcap perfectionist. "I'm a crazy person," he says. "I called Wahlberg every day for five months till he agreed to do this picture. I once made Joaquin do 71 takes for a scene in 'The Yards.' On my set, it's usually the actors who say, 'James, it's really time to move on.' "

Not surprising then that a man of such obvious talent has made only three films in 13 years.

"I'm very slow, finicky and obsessive," Gray says. "I thought Joaquin was the only guy who radiated the kind of tortured, messed-up vulnerability this film needed, so I waited for him to be in a hit movie. It's just hard to make this kind of writer-director film at a studio where they already have a pipeline of properties with recognizable, brand-able elements. It's asking the system to do something it isn't equipped to do."

He sighed. "I'm just not willing to give up on myself. If I'm going to fail, then I want to fail to the limits of my talent."

"The Big Picture" runs every week in Calendar. If you have questions or criticism, e-mail them to patrick.goldstein@latimes.com.

In other news, it looks like I'm going to be flying out to West Hollywood for three weeks (either tomorrow, Thursday, or Friday) to work with my Mom to make some money. Will be making $1000 a week minimum, so I can pay for my car to be transported in August when I go out for school. I don't want to go, but whatever.

Hard To Breathe

Sun, 20 May 2007 05:21:54 GMT

...

http://www.lanuitnousappartient.com/video.html

His accent.. the clothes.. the Eva/Joaquin hotness.. Robert Duvall.. and James freakin' Grey?

Holy mary mother of God. It's The Yards all over again, LOLz. I have to wait to see this AND Reservation Road? *sigh* It's just not fair.

Joaquin = Love. There are no words.

That is all. The excitement has masked my attention span to discuss anything else remotely interesting, LOL.

It Was Pretty Shocking..

Fri, 18 May 2007 08:08:49 GMT

...
Loved this week's ep but not as much as last week's. Not enough Andy or Stanely :(

Stanely didn't want a Shrute buck. :x BA HA! He just kept doing his crossword puzzle. Such a bad ass.

Ryan tricked Creed with his blog. Poor Creed. No one is seeing that thing but him. Ryan's sparing the world of Creed's innermost thoughts and feelings, LOL. I for one would read the blog daily. 'I've read some of it. It's pretty shocking.'

I really love Michael/Jan now. I didn't before but over the past few weeks they've grown on me. Michael looked kind of scared in the car when she started crying and said they should move in together. He looked like he wanted to jump from the car.

Pam/Dwight friendship = Love.

Michael sold his condo on Ebay for 80% of what he paid for it. LOL.

"We're through" *shakes head* Ryan is awful! ROTFLMAO. I couldn't stop laughing when he got the call about getting the job and Kelly's like 'what?!' I hope he doesn't leave and Karen gets the job instead. Wouldn't be the same without Ryan.

Dwight/Andy with the black wall. WTF?

The ending with Pam/Jim wasn't what I was expecting but hey, I'll take whatever we get of them. Hopefully their relationship will progress by the time the show comes back.

I Remember The Smell Of Your Skin, I Remember Everything

Thu, 17 May 2007 23:59:11 GMT

001. Some new developments are happening. Apparently, my sister Spencer who is 18, got kicked out of the apartment by our Mom and will be moving out in the next two weeks. Won't get into why she got the boot, but yeah.. she's gone. Now other sister and mom want me to move out to Cali early (like in July). I don't want to but I will probably end up doing it. Only downside is that they barely have an internet connection, if any :x Yikes.

002. ... *tries to contain excitement*
Robert De Niro and Al Pacino will co-star in the indie film Righteous Kill from Nu Image's Millennium Films and Emmett Furla Films, Daily Variety reported from the Cannes Film Festival today (Thursday). The trade publication quoted Nu Image chief Avi Lerner as saying, "This is an event in world history." Lerner pointed out that De Niro and Pacino had appeared together only once before in a film. "They were in two scenes in Heat. In this movie, they are in the whole thing together," he said.

I'm speechless. That scene in Heat (yes, the Diner scene) is probably one of the best scenes in a movie ever. Gah. I can't wait.

003. The fall schedules for the networks seem all good. I have a few new night issues (Grey's and The Office on at the same time/same night, WTF??) and I actually have a few new shows on my list. I'm also wondering what's up with One Tree Hill being on the coming soon list on CWTv.com. Wierd. If they do come back, I defintely want them to jump four years ahead after college. That seems like a really neat idea. Anyway, onto my ...

Monday
Nada. Nothing is on that interests me.

Tuesday
Reaper - CW 9pm - Tyler Labine and Nikki Reed. YAY. The premise sounds interesting too and I love the fact that it's campy and not serious. Should be good.
Cane - CBS 10pm - Besides Dirty Sexy Money probably the show I'm most excited about. The preview looked amazing and I love Eddie Matos and Alana Tal. Totally my genre too.

Wednesday
Private Practice 9pm - ABC - Hopefully it's not exactly like Grey's. I haven't seen the 2 hour thing yet so we shall see. I'll watch for Kate of course and the Kellerman guy from PB (rawrrrr).
Gossip Girl 9pm - CW - I'm still iffy about this show but I do like Blake and the preview scenes were good.
Dirty Sexy Money - ABC 10pm - What a cast this show has.. which worries me. Smith anyone? Very expensive actors. Hopefully it lasts. Love the premise and happy to see Samaire on tv again.
Rescue Me 10pm June 13th - Only a summer show but I'm psyched.

Thursday
Ugly Betty - ABC 8pm
Grey's Anatomy - ABC 9pm
The Office - NBC 9pm
Friday Night Lights - NBC 10pm - AHHH!! It got renewed. We wore the NBC bastards down didn't we? MUA HA HA HA HA.

Friday
Women's Murder Club - ABC 9pm - Iffy about this show too, but the premise seemed cool.

WTMFH?!!??

Sun, 13 May 2007 01:33:56 GMT

I've had a really bad day and I'm now in a bad situation because I lost my temper. It's too long of an explanation, but if anyone has any advice (or if you've been in a similar job situation) I'd love some advice about what to do.

...

Okay, as I said in recent posts, I started a job at Kroger (grocery store) as a cashier. Through the two interviews and orientation that I had with the manager, I thought things would go very well. She seemed nice enough, which she is. I had told her right off the bat that a.) I was leaving in late-August to go to school out of state and b.) I would only take the job if I would eventually be trained and be on third shift (10pm-6am), and that I wanted third shift because I am horrid at doing things at a fast pace when 10-20 people are coming at you every ten minutes at the register. Some people can do it. I am not one of those people. Anyways, she said that wouldn't be a problem, but that I would be working in the daytime the first two weeks until she straightened scheduling out with her current third shifts.

So, everything was fine as of then. The first day of training/orientation was okay. I didn't like most of the teenagers, since during those daytime hours is when they work, but I just tried to ignore them (like more than half the people in my life, lol). I realized the first hour that I could not keep up with this daytime cashier thing. It's just too fast for me. And then baggers always wander off (keep in mind these are kids probably from 15-17) which means I have to bag as well as ring up when there are 5-10 people waiting in line. I don't know how to bag so that makes it even worse.

The second day of training was even worse. I mean pure hell. I may sound like a baby, but seriously.. it was just awful. I think my ADD is back (I had it as a kid) because by the second hour of working I was about to have a panic attack. That was also the day that I met the floor manager Tracy, who was the one that the manager who hired me told me was very sweet and wouldn't get an attitude or get upset if I asked questions (like the millions of codes they have for different vegetables and fruits that I don't know the difference between). Yeah... that was wrong. Not only did she give me attitude, but in the beggining of the third or fourth hour she actually told me that I needed to stop calling her over the register asking for codes and look them up on the scroll board and not to worry if I'm taking too long with the customers. Easy for her to say when I have a tired mother in front of me with her four kids hanging off of her and she has ten different kinds of vegetables that I'm having to look up. I don't know what have of them are.

So today (the third day) I met David. David is a bagger, is 15, and only works on Saturdays and Sundays. And guess who they put him with? *sigh* Not only did he continue to walk away on the busiest day of the week and I had to bag everything, not only did Tracy give me even more attitude and was just plain rude, but they didn't even put me with anyone to train with. They left me on the register alone with David, which they said they wouldn't do until the third week. This is only my third day. I still don't have a clue about what's going on. After the first two hours, the manager who hired me also told me that I would not be able to be on third shift until the end of the summer. That pushed me over the edge because it's not what she said originally when I took the job. She made it seem like it was no big deal.

So on my break, I went to the bathroom and I swear to God I just snapped. I've never flaked out on anything in my life. EVER. I left the stall, walked out of the store without telling anyone (this was on my fifteen minute break), and didn't come back. I've gotten two calls from them that I haven't answered and two messages I've deleted.

Am I a complete bitch for doing this? I don't even know. I still can't believe I just left, LOL. I just couldn't take it. I don't even want to go back and I don't think they can do anything about it but call me over and over. I read over some of the manual from orientation and it says that if you don't come in or call for three days they take that as a volentary quit. Apart of me wants to go an explain to manager that hired me a just officially quit and the other part of me just wants to ignore them and find another job, which is really what I want to do.

Anyone willing to shed some light?

What If I Wanted To Break

Fri, 04 May 2007 18:04:30 GMT

I am so not in the mood to post but I'm doing it anyway for some reason. Just going to do a list.

001. Biggest news. I got into both of the colleges that I applied to. Yay! I'm going to the one in California but I still didn't think I had a chance in hell getting into the one in New York. I may even do their graduate program after I finish in California. Who knows. My mom still has to send in tax forms and then I'll be set. Semester starts in September. I can't wait. Even if I will be like 15 mins. from my mom and younger sisters.. the thought of them dropping by my dorm terrifies me. Seriously. One of them is going to acting/dance classes and the other one is filming this thing for MTV. By the time I get down there I'm convinced she will have slept with everyone in Hollywood. I know she's my sister, but I still remember the crap she pulled not long before they moved out there from Georgia, LOL. She already went out on a date with the Andrew kid from Desperate Housewives and the Shawn guy from Days of our Lives. *shakes head* Where it stops no one knows.

002. Blah. I waited for months for One Tree Hill to come back and we got THAT half ass episode? Ugh. I'm not a Brooke fan, I guess that's why. It always comes back to being about her. Why did she have to save Peyton? LOL. The writers keep trying to redeem her, which can never happen in my eyes since I've loathed her since minute one, but yeah.. I don't get it. It should have been Lucas, maybe her Dad.. hell, even Nathan and Haley. But not Brooke. I don't know why I'm so pissed about this. Just not how I wanted it to go down. And what is with this random chick seeing Dan shoot Keith? Are they really bringing in some other insignificant character that we just don't care about? Blah.

003. Lost was amazing on Wednesday. Great acting by Josh. Gah, I love Sawyer. I just hope he doesn't crack up. They need all the still sane people *cough since Jack has gone ape shit* they can get. Sawyer/Kate sleeping in the tent together at the beginning? Are they trying to spoil me? tehe. They're almost like a real couple. So cute.

004. I've decided not to see Spiderman 3 until much later. People were like camped out at the theatre when I drove by. Freaks. LOL. WTF? I want to see it, but not that badly. I'd camp out for Pirates 3 though ;)

005. I am so behind on Black Donnellys it's not even funny. The NBC players keeps screwing up on me and I only see bits and pieces. I heard a small Jimmy spoiler from the last episode by accident so now I'm pissed because it's ruined it for me. Hopefully these stupid people over at TorrentSpy seed for once.

006. I added tons of new icons over at my icons community. Full list ...

1 Christian Bale
3 Edward Norton
9 Joaquin Phoenix
8 Mark Ruffalo
15 Ryan Gosling
5 Shia Labeouf
8 Jennifer Connelly
2 Ryan Gosling/Rachel McAdams
5 Blood Diamond
9 Disturbia
14 Fracture
3 The Godfather
3 Inventing the Abbotts
7 The Notebook
5 Running With Scissors
3 A Star Is Born
7 Stay
8 Walk The Line
6 We Own The Night
27 The Yards

i was always certain love would grow

Yikes.

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 03:51:24 GMT

001. *gulp* I looked at my bank statement today and I only have a little over $250 in my account. I still don't officially have a job yet. I could smack myself right now. I feel like complete shit. When I moved back here I have over $1,000. Grrr.. I seriously feel like kicking my own ass.

Oh, and have I mentioned I haven't told my Mom yet? *eye roll* I don't plan on telling her either. Bah, I don't even want to think about it. I'm going to rave about Fracture now.

...
Okay, so if anyone is looking for a entertaining, smart, solid movie GO SEE FRACTURE. Seriously, go now. I LOVED the movie so much. And after todays events and my mild panic attack because of said events, it took my mind off of everything for a few hours.

Ryan was fucking amazing as always, but moreso than usual. Gah. I can't get over how good he is. He just gets better and better and better. He was so convincing as a lawyer and what I loved about his character were the layers. The movie isn't about good and bad guys. He and Hopkins' characters are not good. They're not heroes. Gosling is pretty much trying to redeem himself halfway through the movie when he realizes that this guy really is evil and he has to stop him. Not for himself, but for the other people involved. For once in his life, he's not thinking about himself, which is new for him. He's a very selfish character, and he knows it, and he embraces it. He's cocky and knows how good at his job he is. But he starts to doubt all of that when Hopkins actually starts to break his life apart.

It's really fascinating. Great music too. It sort of felt like one of those really entertaining, 80's crime/suspense/lawyer movies that rarely get made anymore.

This Song's For Your Warden.

Thu, 19 Apr 2007 03:59:30 GMT

001. I've had a BAD day. I didn't even feel like posting but meh.. figured I would. I was driving down the road to go and return something and I ran over a broken beer bottle that some idiot, red neck probably threw out of their window *eye roll*. Long story short, my tire was punctured and I forgot my cell phone so I had to walk the two miles home on the side of the road. Yeah. My Uncle put the spare so it's all good, just not a very fun day.

002. *sigh* Joaquin is love. Watching Walk The Line now on HBO.

003. ...

GREAT episode. Probably my favorite, other than the Claire-centric, this season.

-I LOVE Desmond and tonight reminded me why. He is one the most interesting characters on the show for me. I love his struggle with seeing the future and how he has to battle his notions of faith and the fact that he has to eventually let Charlie die (which I don't know if I agree with because I'm on the fence about my Charle-love). I love his relationship with Penny too. I am sort of confused of who the woman was who fell from the helicoptor or plane or whatever and how she knew his name. Wierd.

-Kate is an idiot. Seriously, what is wrong with her? I can't believe she's treating Sawyer how she is. He's done nothing this season but look out for her and be honest about his feelings for her. The least she could do is be decent to the man and not treat him like some kind of a concelation prize while she obsesses over Jack and Juliet's.. whatever it is. I don't get why she's so hung up on him anyway but yeah... IDK. I don't think she's being fair to Sawyer at all. And hell, he's even trying to make an effort to be decent to Jack, which he doesn't deserve, IMO. Bah. I don't like Kate right now.

-I love Desmond/Charlie/Hurley/Jin as friends, tehe. So adorable.

Nothing else really happend, so I have nothing else to say.

004. Such a great review from a critic about Gosling in Fracture. Probably one of the best complements an actor can get. I'm even more excited for this weekend now. ...

It's Gosling, though, who continues to astonish, and if Beachum seems an even bigger revelation than his Oscar-nominated Half Nelson turn, it's because the role as written gives him so much less to work with. Gosling owns the part, his eyes afire with the hunger of those who have spent a lifetime angling for a room at the top, or even in the building. On-screen, Gosling is so focused, yet so loose and at ease, that his every movement and gesture flows as naturally as the words from his mouth. He's the kind of actor who makes other actors look lazy. He is Brando at the time of Streetcar, or Nicholson in Five Easy Pieces, and altogether one of the more remarkable happenings at the movies today.

Full Review.

I miss Friday Night Lights :( Random, I know but I do.

I Guess I Should Have Done That?

Tue, 17 Apr 2007 09:21:25 GMT

001. ...

Lots and Lots of drugged out/alcoholic Jimmy. If you know me and you're reading this, you know I always love that. The crazier the better I say *cough* however wrong that may be, tehe. Anyway, onto the commentary.. again very scattered. I blame it on the OCD.

-*laughing just thinking about this* "THAT'S how you get rid of a cell phone, Kevin"
"I guess I should have done that?"
Byfar the BEST Kevin/Jimmy scene ever. Gah, I was on the floor. *shakes head* Kevin, Kevin. You're dumb, but I love you.
-Jimmy telling the bartender girl at Nicki's that he'll chop her thumbs off? What happend to biting? :( I can't believe he stole the money. LOL, and Whitey with the 'I can't talk to him either'. I really do like them as friends. Too bad we know what happens with that. I also just realized, in watching the Earl/Dokie scene, that Whitey is SUPPOSED to look like a drug addict, lol. I really had no idea he was a druggie. I thought he just did them. No wonder he always looks so sleepy. I thought it was just the way Kevin C. was playing him. I obviously am the last to know this.
-Sean's car is really crappy looking. I didn't get a good look at it last week. That's the best thing Joey could steal? Small observation.
-I loved the snarkiness between Nicki/Jimmy over the phone, tehe. Nicki's such an asshole.
-I'm going to kick myself later for this, I know it, but after tonight I think I will start shipping Jenny/Kevin HARD. They are so adorable together. Maybe I just think they're like 'friends' cute, I don't know, but I think it'd be interesting to see where that goes. We've never seen them together or anything so I thought it was interesting. I loved how he stayed with her at the Diner in the end. So sweet. Still don't like her.. but okay. :x
-Joey told Earl about Whitey. What a moron. Someone needs to hit him over the head.
-The old guys were assholes to Kevin and mocked him like four year olds. WTF? LOL. 'This is the most asexual kid I know. Three to one, she's not his'. Yet another clue that Kevin needs a girlfriend. Hell, have Sean get him one. All he has to do is walk to a street corner and the woman flock.
-The scene outside the Diner with Jimmy and Sean was really great. I love their relationship. Jimmy's so different with him than he is with anyone else. Kind of sad though that he doesn't think Sean thinks that much of him. Not saying I want him to change, but maybe he'll stop with the drugs. Even if I do like drugged up Jimmy :x LOL.

Nothing else interesting to say. Really REALLY good episode.

002. I finished season 2 of The Office and watched the first 14 eps of season 3. Gah, I love this show. Stanely is my fave. He doesn't get enough love. All he has to do is look at someone or be writing in his crossword puzzle book while he's in one of the many dumb meetings and I start cracking up. I can't help it. "You sounded like my neice, and she's six months old!" Tehe.

Boring Weekend

Sun, 15 Apr 2007 22:57:32 GMT

001. Clips from Fracture. Yummy. I love Gosling. This looks so good.

002. Fanfiction.net's uploading tool is STILL not working, going on three days now. Makes no sense whatsoever. I have like 3 or 4 chapters of new stories I have to add. Blah.

003. Nothing else interesting to say. It's been raining here for two days straight so I haven't really done much of anything but play video games with my cousin and drool over Joaquin Phoenix in The Yards. *sigh*

What Do You Call Cheese That's Not Yours?

Sat, 14 Apr 2007 00:09:49 GMT

Skate = Love. Was anyone else but me waiting for that great reunion moment? Gah. The look on his face when she came around the corner was incredible.

Juliet is a lying piece of dog dung. Who knew? *eye roll* Jack's a moron. I hope he falls out of a tree. That is all.

...

this machine is keeping me down. now, what is that? what keeps up from being free?

*sigh* I don't know why I posted this. I just found it and felt like it, lol.

Good Friday.

Fri, 13 Apr 2007 23:50:21 GMT

001. I was bored so I went to see Disturbia. Whoa. Kick ass movie. Wasn't expecting much but I LOVED it. I find Shia LaBeouf attractive for some reason. His voice is sexy, tehe. Really good actor too. Anyway, I'd reccommend it. Go see it.

002. The second interview for the job went really well yesterday. They said they'd call me but I think I got it. At least I hope I did. I'd be working night shift again, which I like, so that's good.

003. I am now hooked on The Office. Rented season one and two and I LOVE it. Funniest show ever. LOL 'No cookie.' 'But what if I'm hungry' *shakes head* I love Dwight.

004. Gosling in Fracture next week *screams*. Oh la la.