10 Days In The Life...

In the past 10 days, I have attended:

21 and ½ short films

8 documentaries

7 narrative features

1 super kawaii Japanese animated feature

1 panel with effects guru Dennis Murin

and

1 robot laden Michael Bay explode-a-ganza.

3 of these films were followed by free parties.

In addition, I squeezed in:

2 live shows by The Police

2 shows at The Hollywood Bowl (one of which featured a movie!)

I also:

Took hundreds of photos, some of which I may upload someday.

Keep in mind that I was working full-time all along as well. I will start crying if I list all of the things I needed to get done, but either didn’t or have not even started. I'll think about that after The Hollywood Bowl tonight.

Kabluey

Kabluey

*Update 06/26/07: I saw the film Kabluey last night. It was wonderful.

De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da

Unfortunately, I'm too beat right now to write about how much I enjoyed the first Police show and the Don Cheadle movie Talk To Me that opened the L.A. Film Fest. I'm only awake because I'm doing a quick load of laundry.

Full Plate

I'm going to attempt to throw together a few coherent thoughts here, which may not work as I'm getting by on little sleep (and a little caffeine). I think it will be more of a glimpse at some of the things that have been going on and are upcoming in Jodiland.

Last week we attended a Scion event. I have yet to post any photos I took of the modded* cars, which were pretty cool. Eric did a presentation on "Why I Love My Scion." Sadly, I'd left mine at home. Oh well, it's not like I've done anything to mine and it's pretty dirty right now. We raced out to get to a free screening of a film called Mojave Phone Booth. I think it's going to air on Showtime later this year. Check it out. I dare you to not be impressed that it was made for $40,000. It's a great example of quality, low-budget indie filmmaking.

You may have already read about the tote bag. Why I chose to devote an entire entry to that is a little beyond me, but hey. Often, I just have to be a dork. There were far more interesting things that happened that day, such as our quest to eat at El Compadre. E had eaten at the one in Echo Park recently and liked the food, so he suggested it for the Mexican food craving I was having. We decided to go to the one in Hollywood, since it's a little closer to home. After pushing our way through the very crowded bar, we learned there was an hour-and-twenty-minute wait. Um, no. So, we drove east on Sunset Boulevard to the other location. After driving around a bit to find parking, we were seated immediately. It became a really interesting "Tale of Two Los Angeleses" experiences. While the Hollywood location was chock full of hipsters and "beautiful people" in their party clothes sipping margaritas and martinis, the Echo Branch turned into a raucous post-Dodgers game party, complete with beer-swilling fans singing along to the live Mariachi music. I can't say I "fit in" with either crowd, but it was fun. Oh, and the chicken in molé sauce was really good.

Saturday was a work day for me. Bleh. We did make it out for Thai food with friends later that night. It was a good time that devolved into giggling and arguing over what is cooler...light sabers or tote bags. Yep, dorky again. It happens just about every day, folks.

I got up very early on Sunday for the Special Olympics in Long Beach. My dog, Rusty, and I volunteered at a booth our Therapy Dog group had there. It was a fun time, but pretty exhausting. I took a much needed nap afterwards. We had errands to run after that and it was impressive how long Sunday turned out to be. I'm feeling it today. Somewhere in the weekend, I also did some writing, but not enough and not very good.

Tonight we're seeing Emo Philips with some friends from Indiana who are in L.A. for the summer. The week will continue to be crazy with TWO Police shows(!!!), and the start of the L.A. Film Festival. So, my updates here, comments on your blogs, and photo uploads may be limited. I'm sure I'll resort to a lot of mobile blogging. There's always Twitter that will have the best chance of being the most current over the next 10 days or so. That is if you care. And if you don't, I'm too tired to care about that.

*I was gonna say "tricked out," but then you'd know how uncool I truly am.

**I am working full-time and doing a few other things during all of this too. That may partially explain why the dishes, laundry, dog hair, and hamster poo are piling up! And if you saw E's schedule...it's pretty jam-packed too.

The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

I've been intending to do some sort of week-in-review post for oh, a week or so now. It's been a busy one and an overall good one. I'll just touch on some of the highlights, thus far.

Last Saturday, after our lovely walk among the coyotes, we decided to take in dinner and a movie. E still had a couple of tokens for the Holly Trolley, which is to help people bar-hop and avoid the parking hassles in Hollywood on Thursday through Saturday nights.

• The Good: We parked at Hollywood & Highland and sat at the counter at California Pizza Kitchen. We were served and ate in near record time. Also, we really enjoyed Hot Fuzz. In spite of nearly being late, I was able to get some popcorn too.
  

• The Bad: After dinner we missed the Holly Trolley. So, we walked quite quickly to try to catch it at the next stop. We ended up walking to the Arclight, which isn't that big of a deal, but we had full bellies and had already gone on a good walk. As we were cutting it close on time, we had to walk really fast. I hate getting sweaty when I'm not intending to, so I was kind of annoyed. After the movie, we had trouble catching the trolley to go back, as it did not follow the route that is listed online. We walked back about halfway and caught it, but they would not take the tokens. The Holly Trolley sucks.

• The Ugly: Drunk people in Hollywood on a Saturday night are awful. Especially the ones that scream right in your ear as you are innocently descending to the depths of the parking garage.
  

Having gone to a late movie on Saturday night, we overslept on Sunday.

• The Good: We ended up having an early dinner at Birds and catching the free Asssscat show at the UCB Theater. Mo Collins was the guest monologist and she was pretty funny. She's also really, really skinny. I wanted to buy her a sandwich.
  

• The Bad: We missed out on the L.A. Times Festival of Books. Maybe next year. I say that every year. I've never been to it.
  

• The Ugly: We did go to the once-a-month L.A. Comic Con, which is pretty lame. The ugliest part of this is that I'm only now finding out that an artist I really like (David Petersen) had been there.

I'll group various things from last week here:

• The Good: Awesome episode of Heroes this past Monday! I'm sort of bummed that the season is winding down.
  
  On Tuesday, I saw Tim Finn play at Largo. I'd never seen him perform and it was a treat. He was mesmerizing and I could have listened to him for hours. It never hurts to see someone good in such an intimate setting where they are only 20 feet away.
  
  Thursday night was opening night of the Silver Lake Film Festival. I chatted with some nice guys about The Office while waiting for the theater to open and I met a really cute dog.
  
  We got to see Circle Jerks perform for free.They sounded great.
  
  On Friday night, we saw a block of short films that, in general, did not suck. That was followed by some pumpkin pie.
  
  I had a bit of a day of beauty on Saturday, starting with getting my hair trimmed, getting my annual pedicure, and updating my highlights. I also managed to stop in a couple of comic shops for Free Comic Book Day and picked up several issues. We saw a great documentary called King of Kong. It's an excellent companion piece to a film we saw at Sundance called Chasing Ghosts, which features many of the same people.

• The Bad: Overall, the film festival organization has left much to be desired. The opening night screening started really late. On top of that, I didn't even enjoy the film Fay Grim. There was a lot of confusion, delays, and general clusterfuckery the following night for the shorts program as well. I'm glad my pass is free.
  

• The Ugly: Shopping for a baby shower gift at Babies 'R Us. Now I know why people hate that place. I felt so tired Thursday night that I left the Circle Jerks show after a few songs. My house remains a disaster. Little Guy is limping again. My feet before the pedicure.
  

Today, I'm helping some friends with their table at the Santa Fe Art Colony Open Studios, possibly having coffee with a friend (too overextended), and volunteering at the Kids In The Hall show at the Steve Allen Theater. I'm confident that those will all be good things.

Feeling Random (And Tired)

Read about George, a Jack Russell Terrier from New Zealand. He's truly a hero. SPOILER ALERT: Things don't end well for George.

You must read the Evil Hamsters poem if you missed it. While I disagree with the sentiment, I admire the author's talent.

I finally got a photo of one of the two R2-D2 mailboxes that I've seen in Burbank, which are both near studios. This is the one by Warner Brothers, in front of the Taco Bell on Olive. In the background, you can see the WB water tower, where the Animaniacs live.

The Silver Lake Film Festival opens tonight. It will be consuming a lot of my time over the next ten days. One of E's short films is in the fest, so I have a free pass. It looks like it's going to be a great festival this year, with a lot of film and music events. I guess I'll be seeing the Circle Jerks later. Cool. I'm already behind on updating here. I've uploaded photos that have yet to be labeled, etc. Someday. Someday.

Focus On Film

It was the slogan seen on large buttons worn by volunteers, Sundance Film Festival staffers, and a good majority of event attendees all over Park City. Focus On Film. It's the reason Eric and I have been going for the past several years. We head up to the cold, snowy mountains to see films, hang out with other independent filmmakers, and watch their films, many of which are great even if they aren't in the big fest. I have more celebrity sightings in Los Angeles and frankly don't care to go to the parties I wouldn't be let into anyway. So, for me, I didn't need the reminder.

As promised, here's a little blurb on the movies I watched:

• If I Had Known I Was A Genius: Markus Redmond wrote and stars in this charming, clever, and funny film that is an exaggerated auto-biography. It was a little long and slow in parts, but I tend to say that about nearly every movie I see.
  

• Wonders Are Many: I was fascinated by and learned many things in this documentary that chronicled the creation of Doctor Atomic, an opera about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the 48 hours leading up to the first atomic bomb test. I wasn't sure going in if this would be a film for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

• Fido: I'm usually not a big fan of zombie movies in general, but this is one I'll put in the category of those I do like such as Shaun of the Dead and 28 Days Later. Eric describes it as "a cross between Romero's Night of the Living Dead and a 1950's episode of Lassie." Billy Connolly was nearly unrecognizable, and wonderfully subdued, as the title character.

• Everything's Cool: This documentary is a good companion piece to last year's global warming flick An Inconvenient Truth. I think kids may enjoy this one, although it did tend to drag in some parts.
  

• Four Sheets To The Wind: Admittedly, we went to this feature because we know the editor. In all honesty, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, which is sort of a Native American Garden State. The story was moving and the cast was incredible. Tamara Podemski won a well-deserved special jury prize for acting “for a fully realized physical and emotional turn.”
  

• White Light/Black Rain: It seemed appropriate to see this documentary after seeing Wonders Are Many. This film, which interviewed survivors of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic blasts, was tough to watch at times and incredibly emotional. While the subject matter is difficult, it is one of those important films that I hope a lot of people get to see. According to the director, it will be airing on HBO and in schools later this year.
  

• For The Bible Tells Me So: An engaging documentary that focuses on Bible literalists and the oppression of homosexuals. The film profiles of several Christians coming to terms with gay family members. This was one of the movies we really wanted to see, and it took a couple of attempts to get in. It was worth the effort.
  

• Chasing Ghosts: A fun documentary about a group of old school video game champions, then and now. Unfortunately, Eric and I didn't get to sit together (we barely got in to this screening) because I would have loved to have seen some of his reactions. I know he could relate to some of the guys in the film, who were all fascinating characters.

• Rocket Science: Winner of The Directing Award (Dramatic). If I have to pick a favorite movie that I saw at Sundance, this is it. This movie had a great story about a boy trying to find his voice and it told through great performances. Rocket Science is funny and heart-wrenching at times. It just felt real and did not go for the cliched ending, like it could have. Go see this one when you get a chance. It was also just the right length.
  

• Grace Is Gone: Winner of The Audience Award (Dramatic) and The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. Okay, this one is a doozy. John Cusack broke my heart as a father who doesn't know how to tell his daughters that their Mom has been killed in Iraq. I think I cried throughout nearly the whole film. Don't let that scare you off though.
  

• Hear and Now: Winner of The Audience Award (Documentary). A couple who have been deaf for their entire lives decide to get cochlear implants. Their daughter is a filmmaker and documented the process and how it changed, and didn't change, their world. At the heart of the film is a wonderful love story, told through wonderful archival footage and photos.

We saw two blocks of short films. Shorts can be real hit or miss and the programs we attended were generally weak. There were a couple of films I wish I could have seen like Joe Strummer and Waitress. Considering we don't go for the entire festival and we don't buy any kind of pass, I think we do an okay job of seeing a good variety of movies.

Oh, and for anyone who is curious...the one celebrity I did see was Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, who was Mr. Eko on Lost. I've been a fan of his since hi played Adebisi on Oz. It was a good one.

Numbers Dance

• Miles we drove to and from Park City, Utah: 1, 399

• Mountain goats seen on the side of the road in Utah: 3

• Cowboys spotted herding cattle: 1

• New tires we bought in Beaver, Utah: 4
  

• Total number of people staying in our condo: 11
  

• Condomates who became very ill: 4

• Feature films that E and I watched: 11*

• Shorts programs we attended: 2

• Number of short films in each program that were good: 3

• Celebrity sightings: 1

• Free tickets that E and I got for screenings: 5

• Number of times I was called a 'stupid whore': 1

• Inches of snowfall in Park City during our stay: 0

*I'm short on time right now, but I will post info on the films we saw soon.

Short Screams And A Mountain Getaway

This past weekend was very busy. Friday night was the 3rd Annual Short Screams Film Festival that E puts on at CIA. We had a decent turnout, some great horror shorts, and fun performances from a puppeteer and a magician. One of our filmmaker friends from Indiana was in town for another festival, so she was able to attend and see her movie in a pretty cool venue. We were up so late that night, we didn't even watch the Battlestar Galactica premiere that night.

On Saturday, we took a friend up on his generous offer to come stay with him in his cabin at Big Bear Lake. He even invited us to bring the three dogs, which we did. I'd missed the mountains since we haven't made our annual Mammoth trip the past couple of summers. It's so nice to breathe in the clean, fresh air. It was pretty cold at night (36 F), but we had heat and a fire, so it was cozy. Our host cooked a wonderful dinner for us Saturday night. We spent much of Sunday walking around the Big Bear Discovery Center, the Big Bear Village, and then later down to the lake with the dogs. It was a wonderful, albeit brief, getaway.

Rusty looking adorable (and really small!) in Big Bear.

Upon returning to L.A. Sunday night, we settled in for Battlestar Galactica. It was a pretty intense two hours and I can't wait to see what happens next!

Due to illness and the general feeling-like-I-am-dying vibe I have going, I'll make this a briefer post than originally intended. In fact, I think I'll do it as a list. *cough, cough* As soon as I can breathe.

• I finally got to see some films during closing weekend of the L.A. Film Fest. Stand outs included Brothers of the Head and of course, Little Miss Sunshine. Go see it! Free screenings are coming up in various cities. Or wait and pay for it. It will be worth it. It was also a nice surprise to see an acquaintance in movie.
  
• I got to have lunch on Sunday with a couple of good friends, and some of their other friends, who I haven't seen in a long time. Times like that are good for the soul.
  
• The closing night party for the LAFF was lots of fun. Too much fun, perhaps. Too much free vodka, definitely.
• We held a back yard screening of Superman and Superman II, along with a barbecue, this past Monday. Highlights include awesome peanut butter cupcakes by Ren, surprising a friend with a birthday cake, and thinking tree rodents were peeing on us. (They weren't, it was just carob pods dripping...I swear!)
• I laid low a bit on the 4th, as I was starting to feel the wrath of the funk that is raging in me now. We did manage to make it out of the house though and watch the Marina del Rey fireworks show from a cul de sac in Westchester.
  
• After the fireworks, we headed over to the The Bridge, as we had tickets for the 10 o'clock showing of Superman Returns in Imax 3D. I really enjoyed the movie and recommend seeing it and in that format. I won't be doing a full review, but I must say I disagree with most of the criticism I've read or heard.
  
• On Wednesday night, E did his Hollywood MOBile MOVie thing and put on a successful drive-in screening of The Puffy Chair. Check out the photos I took.
  
• I was just so sick today that I knew I couldn't go to the Hollywood Bowl for Belle & Sebastian. So disappointing. Luckily, I was able to sell my tickets to someone. I hope they had fun.
  
• My youngest brother turned 20 today. Damn, I'm old.
  
• I hear a bottle of Nyquil calling my name, so nighty-night.

Finally...!

Okay, now I finally feel like my vacation has started. Well, it did about 12 hours ago when I left work around 3pm. I headed over to Westwood to catch a couple of screenings at the L.A. Film Fest. Eric met me there and we saw Right At Your Door and Quinceanera, which are both movies that are set in Echo Park. The first film was absolutely terrifying and absolutely gave Rory Cochrane a reason to say "What's with today today?"

I now understand why Quinceanera was one of the darlings of this year's Sundance. I really enjoyed it. It made me laugh and cry. I guess E's assessment of it being a "chick flick" may be somewhat accurate, but besides it getting to me for some personal reasons, it was really well written and executed. I liked it so much better than the other chick flick we saw.

E was able to snag a pass for me to get into the "Red Room," a place for film fest pass holders to hang out, socialize, have some snacks, and drink liquor for free. I had one drink, which was more than enough considering I hadn't eaten much and was going to be driving later. To combat the effects of the alcohol, we got some food at East West Sandwich. Quite tasty with the added bonus of Boba World being located within the restaurant. A banana smoothie with boba hit the spot perfectly.

We'll spend much of this weekend in Westwood to wrap up the festival. At some point we will need to get our house and yard prepped for a barbecue and back yard screening we're doing on Monday of Superman and Superman II. Plans are to catch Superman Returns on Tuesday. E is hosting a drive-in screening of The Puffy Chair on Wednesday. If you're local, come on out! It should be a lot of fun. Later in the week, we'll be going to the Hollywood Bowl a couple of times, once for Belle & Sebastian (with The Shins!) and possibly definitely catching Hedwig at The Roxy.

There are a few more things on my plate, including some project deadline. Um, can I get a few more hours added on to each day? It would really help.

Global Warming In Westwood

I mentioned the L.A. Film Festival a few days ago. It's in full swing right now and in spite of not getting myself a pass, like I did last year, I have been to Westwood a couple of times for the event. With E's pass, he got tickets to the opening night film, The Devil Wears Prada, and the party that followed. The movie was nothing special. The general story has been done so many times and it just seemed a bit odd to have a big, Hollywood chick flick open a festival which supposedly champions independent film. But, hey, what do I know? A lot of my girlie-girl co-workers will probably enjoy it, so I will recommend it to them.

The after party was okay, but not overly impressive either. The food was so-so, aside from some scrumptious bite-size fruit tarts they served. There was a lot of free booze flowing, but unfortunately, I'd come directly from work and was going to have to drive home. I decided to get one drink, but it was so strong, I threw it away after two sips. So, sorry Ren, no drunk dialing yet, but maybe I'll get you next week!

Today I got up bright and early and headed to Westwood in an attempt to get a ticket for the documentary who killed the electric car? It was sold out, so I had some time to kill before getting in the wait list line and proceeded to Starbucks for some air conditioning, caffeine, and reading time. Instead of one hour prior to the screening, as the box office had suggested, I went over to the wait list line two hours in advance. There were already 10 people in line, so that was a good call. Unfortunatley, it was 90 degrees already. The line was right in the sun with few prospects for shade anywhere nearby. At first I thought it was better than the frigid Park City weather we endure during the Sundance Film Festival, but then I remembered the shelter (heated tents) they provide for the people waiting in line. Not only that, but they are a far more organized fest with knowledgeable volunteers and a system for wait listing that works well.

So, after suffering the effects of global warming by excreting quarts of sweat and getting a sunburn on my face and arms, I did get in to see the movie. I think only about three people behind me got in, so I'm glad I lined up when I did. E got in with his pass and saved me a seat. The documentary was great and the kind of film I enjoy seeing. It's sad, maddening, and eye-opening. It is opening in NY and L.A. next week and hopefully wider after that. It's a great summer companion piece to An Inconvenient Truth. Oh, and a friend of mine is in it (I had no idea). Eddie "Crabman" Steeples is apparently a friend of hers too as E saw him hugging her before the show. I hope he enjoyed the movie too.

Following the movie, there was a "Green Day" festival next door. No, not the band (which I would not have minded at all!), but various vendors promoting a green lifestyle. There was a lot of information, as well as freebies, so I enjoyed it. I would like to be able to say that I live more of a green lifestyle than I do, but I can't. I have been trying to make small changes, the ones I can afford to do, but there is always more I could do to impact the planet.

The Los Angeles Film Festival opens tonight. Ten days of movie goodness. And free drinks. Well, not so much for me this year as I decided to forgo getting a pass. The event is primarily being held in Westwood this year, which is fairly inconvenient for me. It was wonderful in previous years when it took place at 8000 Sunset complex, with screenings held primarily at the Laemmle Sunset 5 and the DGA Theatre Complex. Parking was not too expensive and the location was so easy for me to get to from work or home.

So, I'm a little bummed that I won't be going to as much of the festival this year, but I will definitely be taking in some screenings. E has a pass that includes some tickets for certain films and events, including tonight's opening movie The Devil Wears Prada, followed by a party. Of course a lot of the films I want to see overlap with other interesting-sounding ones. There are a couple of things I missed at Sundance that I hope to catch.

Maybe I'll see you in Westwood.

Aftermath

I'm experiencing the Monday exhaustion that comes after a very, very busy and fun weekend. Since it was a good, I don't mind so much, especially since I'm not working tomorrow. The day off is a comp day for having to work this upcoming weekend, but I need it. I was barely home, except to sleept, the past few days and lots of household things were left undone.

The Perspectives Film Festival and Forum, which I was somewhat involved with, is done. As is typical for a lot of film festivals (unless it's huge and very well sponsored like Sundance, L.A. Film Fest, etc), attendance was so-so. I saw some good films and enjoyed the media forum, which featured Peter Farrelly, as well as the director, writer, and an actor from The Ringer. After both the opening night film on Friday and the forum, there were receptions at the Friars Club in Beverly Hills. The Kids of Widney High, who were in The Ringer, performed last night and were a blast. I worked as a P.A. on their music video for "Pretty Girls" that a friend of mine directed. My job ended up consisting of hanging out with a few of the 'kids' quite a bit during the on-set downtime and driving several of them to and from the location. It was fun to see them perform and talk to a few of the members at the party.

I didn't get to go to any of the festival on Saturday because of a wedding. It was a very nice, very (very) long Catholic wedding of a co-worker/friend of mine. Unfortunately, Eric had a last minute thing he had to do in Vegas and couldn't go with me. The reception was at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and had gorgeous views of the rest of the L.A. Music Center and City Hall (yes, that very building that posed as the Daily Planet in the 1950's). I had a great time hanging out with other current and former work friends. It was just a bummer that I didn't have a designated driver. Well, maybe that was for the best.

Eric (aka 'Donkey Boy') and I ended the weekend by getting midnight hot dogs at Pink's. Luckily, the line was fairly short as it was a bit chilly. Actually, if you go by L.A. standards, it was cold, but I was fine with my sweater over a long sleeved shirt.

So, I just need to make it through the rest of today. I'm sensing a nap in my future. Or at least hoping.

Now Playing: Golden Star Shorts Fest

The Golden Star Shorts Fest has opened! It's the inaugural year of this event showcasing short films from around the world. If anyone is local and looking for something to do this weekend, it's taking place at the historic Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.

This festival is important because four of my husband Eric's short films, The American Infant, The Ends of the Alphabet, The Switch, and the super-short Serial Killer Cereal, are screening there. We were pretty astounded that they decided to program everything he submitted.

If anyone makes it to any of the programs, be sure to say 'hi.'

Home Where My Music's Playing

We arrived home last night to three very excited dogs! You'd think we'd been gone for a year, or that Ren had abused them while we were away. Eric and I snuggled with those canines a lot and caught up with our Tivo. We still have quite a few shows to watch. It was so nice to sleep, for the second night in a row, in a real bed! My back was just on the brink of getting really sore, but is feeling so much better now.

Our trip to Park City, Utah for the Sundance Film Festival (followed by a one-night stop over in Las Vegas) was awesome! Good, good times. Three of our condomates were the same as last year. Added to that mix were two new ones and a few (two friends of ours plus one) who only stayed for part of the time. Everyone seemed to get along and we made do with some cramped quarters. I'm looking forward to hopefully renting a bigger place next year and getting a full bedroom.

My time consisted of little sleep, watching a lot of movies, and drinking a fair amount of alcohol. I initially forgot that we were in the mountains and couldn't figure out why I got so drunk so fast at the Filmmakers Alliance party. Oh yeah, the altitude. Duh. I finally felt like I was living up to my New Years' motto of "Eat less, drink more!" Well, the drink more part anyway. I did eat quite a bit too.

Here's a list of the Sundance films I saw:

• TV Junkie
• So Much So Fast
• Wristcutters: A Love Story
• The Darwin Awards
• Forgiving the Franklins
• small town gay bar
• American Hardcore
• Destricted

It feels like I saw more than that, but I guess that's it. I'm glad I saw all of the ones I did. I was somewhat disappointed by both The Darwin Awards and American Hardcore, but I don't regret seeing them. Both films were quite flawed, but had positive attributes as well. My favorite was definitely Forgiving the Franklins, which I only hope gets some kind of distribution. I'm not much of a writer or film reviewer, so check out my friend Matthew's review if you are interested. He sums it up quite nicely.

I did get shut out of two movies I wanted to see. The World According to Sesame Street, which Eric saw and enjoyed, and An Inconvient Truth, a documentary about global warming that was narrated by Al Gore.

I shouldn't forget to mention CondoDance, a private party/screening we hosted at our condo. I did watch several short films there, including a hilarious one about two serial killers trying to off each other. I can not remember the title though.

All in all, the trip was well worth it. We had smooth driving both to and from Utah, aside from some high winds leaving L.A. last week. Luckily Eric, who was feeling quite ill a few days prior to and the day we left, feels better and is now only plagued with the lingering cough that all of us who have been sick this winter seem to have. I did lose my Jack Skellington skull cap somewhere in Park City and had to buy a new hat at Albertson's. It was much, much colder this year and snowed quite a bit more. I didn't mind it though, as I knew that I'd be returning to the warmth and sunshine of Los Angeles!

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted

Well, so far my "vacation" has been unremarkable. I'm normally off on Fridays and yesterday was nothing to write about here. Eric and I are both getting sick, it seems, and I was feeling tired and generally blah. I am very happy to not be going back to work until February 6th though.

This past Tuesday, a friend hired me to work at a private screening of the film Live Freaky! Die Freaky! It's going to be shown soon on a few screens around the country and then come out on DVD at the end of the month. John Doe, a couple of the guys from Rancid, and several other musicians were involved with the movie. That's how I got to see John Doe and Rancid perform and acoustic show (and get paid for it!)

I can't say a lot about the film itself as I only saw bits and pieces of it. It is pretty rauchy and gory, so I know several people who will love it! It was a fun evening, but I was disappointed that no one from Green Day or Blink-182 came to the event.

I have tons to do before leaving for The Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah on Monday. Laundry, cleaning, etc, etc. I'd hoped to get a new camera before the trip, but it seems I just missed a bunch of sales and rebates and the prices are back up. So, I'm going to wait for a bit and see if I can get a better deal.