Friday, August 9, 2013

Art Holmes Top 10 movies: Year 1990

*ROUGH DRAFT CURRENTLY UNDER
CONSTRUCTION:

This will be an ongoing series here on the blog-o-sphere. I did this last night as a FB status update, but I liked how this turned out so much that I want to cover every year I've been alive and maybe some more, in no paricular order in the future:

The challenge is set! The new thing going around is Top 10 Movies by Year. Like this status to get assigned a year and then list your top 10 movies based on IMDB release dates.

Year assigned by Lon Harris: 1990

1. Dances With Wolves - Kevin Costner

I saw this in the theater with my pops who is now unfortunately defunked. I highly recommend the four hour cut that came out a couple of years later, but as far as movies and the memory attached to it this ranks as the best movie I saw that year.
   

2. Goodfellas - Martin Scorsese


I saw this on HBO one late night and was completely riveted by it from beginning to end. One of the great uses of voice over and multiple voice overs at that ever. The soundtrack was amazing and was also the first time I was exposed to Sid Viscous version of 'My Way'.
  


3. Total recall - Paul Verhoven



Another movie that was completely riveting, beginning to end, the special effects, the chick with the three breastezez. It would be understatement to say I was just a bit disappointed with the reboot last year

 




4. Pump up the volume – Allan Moyle




Saw this right before I started my freshman year in High School. A movie I related to extremely well and saw a lot of myself in that lead character. Loved the soundtrack, but was disappointed that the cassette I bought did not have some of the best songs from the movie on it. Also this was my first exposure to The Pixies.

 





 5. Joe versus the Volcano - John Patrick Shanley


   
A very influential movie for me. Especially that scene about how the whole world is basically asleep. It's a message I really held on to and have been fortunate enough to have broken through that asleep at the wheel cycle.

 

 6. Darkman - Sam Raimi




Saw this in the theater and I have a real soft spot for R rated super hero movies. And my first real exposure to Liam Neeson and I loved that the mentally challenged dude from L.A. Law played the baddie. This was Sam Raimi’s response to Universal for not letting him direct ‘The Shadow’ and said I’ll make my own super hero movie.

 




7. The Freshman - Andrew Bergman


 
This is another one I caught on Showtime and was completely into. I loved that it was about filmmaking and the part about where he's in his instructors office talking about smuggling Lizards into New Jersey and it sounding like the most ridiculous idea ever and that your actually watching a movie about smuggling lizards into New Jersey and it works incredibly well I thought was just genius.

 

8. Misery – Rob Reiner

Another one I caught on HBO and the drama of it with James Caan and Kathy Bates and the way the movie just builds and builds I thought was just phenomenal

9. The First Power - Robert Resnikoff

I saw this in the theater with mother and new stepfather. So I really have an emotional connection to this movie in a similar way that I have with Dances with Wolves. And I highly enjoyed the movie and that I had parents that were cool enough to let me as a 15 year old see an R rated flick and thought the lead actress was freakin' hot hot hot. I'm not sure if I ever saw that lead actress in another movie after that??? But damn she was hot. Plus Lou Diamond Phillips is at the height of his awesomeness in this.

10. Back to the Future III - Robert Zemeckis

I really enjoyed this movie and remember that when I saw it on the rental I probably watched it about five times over the course of two days. I was very entertained by it after I was just a tad disappointed with the second one. Although, I do think part II has aged really well and we'll all be in part deux in two years, so where are the hover boards and flying cars already??? Plus I did actually get to see Mary Steenburgen in person at a screening at my super fabulous school. Which I wrote about in my blog 'Musings from the Land with the Big Fancy Sign' and the night I almost killed Ted Danson with the Bathroom Door. I was also at a screening last December with Steenburgens ex Malcolm Mcdowell for Silent Night the remake of Silent Night, Deadly Night and was one of the funnest screenings I've ever been to in my entire existence.

Honorable mentions in no particular order

The Grifters
Edward Scissorhands
Wild at Heart
Jacobs ladder
Le Femme Nikita
Henry and June
Memphis Belle
House Party
Adventures of Ford Fairlane
I Love You to Death
Quick Change
Nightbreed
My Blue Heaven
Postcards from the Edge
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Reversal of Fortune
Def by temptation
Posted by at No comments:

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Australia the movie (a review by Art Holmes)

The following is taken verbatim from a Facebook note:

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

baz luhrmann can kiss my ass. what a shitty God awful movie. this is basically a test of patience of how long u can hang in there with the cliched plot that only people who thought kangaroo jack was brilliant could love. i was actually looking forward to seeing this movie. the previews for it looked like it was going to be a true story history lesson about the origins of australia and the people who lived there. i should know better. going back to when i saw the previews for 'traffic' and thought it looked like something michael bay would have done and thought it was going to be awful but came away from it thinking it should have won best picture but as we all know gladiator was triumphant while soderburgh? won best director. I've always thought that one should have been the other way around.

so back to the enigma of the director mr spazz. i wonder if some filmakers like the previous mentioned bay grew up in such privilege they have no idea how to make a movie about real people. i guess spazz grew up in australia and the cinematography is something else. i really wish i could have seen this on blu-ray DTS it would have been somewhat tolerable but instead watched it on a very nice widescreen panasonic with surround sound that was well hooked up by people that dont know the first thing about surround sound and need an upgrade to their dvd player which i think only has stereo outputs hooked up thru a very good receiver. Over the christmas holiday I was invited to a party where we watched 'mama mia' on blue ray and bose surround sound. another shitty movie of significance but their system was the best one i've ever seen and heard and it actually made for a very good viewing experience.

and whats with the use of 'over the rainbow'????? i did like a couple of musical cues in this. the scene with the cattle rushing the music is quite good but damn those close ups super imposed on blue screen background. WOW amazingly terrible. what person acts like that??? at least the annoying cheesy older guy died at the end of the scene but not before saying something that was vital to the plot by which time i was so lost that I had no idea what it meant cause it was his dying breath and as much as i would have liked this to have been a 'realistic' portrayal thankfully there was no mention of 'mama mia' as his last words.

theres a lot of drinking in this movie which i've always been fine with but boy i never knew australians had such a fixation on rum?

kidman and jackman hooking up, breaking up, jack thinking kiddo dying? (ala a reverse pearl harbor) was my thought. at no time during this did i actually have sympathy for the plight of the characters.the bad guys are terribly cliched with bad acting or did they just have an overdose of the spazz? this movie sais it takes place in 1939 but we are to assume that it goes to about 1942? we are never told this so i dont know if it was a true story or true bullshit (i'm thinking the latter) but if you dont know anything about history (like the really cool people who invited me to watch this movie and gave me the choice of this or road to adanthe? or whatever nicoholas spark's book that is that I've already seen and have no desire of seeing again ) i would have choosen to rewatch that.

whats with the kid in the movie and the native dude that reminded me of the indian in oliver stones movie the doors? or more accurately the parody of the indian from waynes world 2. i also had a hard time following the story line cause it does take place over a number of years but the whole cattle business of beef that wasnt about beef or something and thats my son no its not dont call me daugher thing was just very confusing.and whats with the kid? what kind of people r these doing this cattle drive. and then when their done with the cattle kidman coming into town like shes saved the day, hero music blaring, then going to the bar to drink more rum. but wait shes a women in 1940??? so she cant drink with the men but bushman jack or whatever type of bushman he was saves the day and the kidman drinks with the men and jack and nic have really lame sex for a pg13 movie.

the main thought i had during this is what would ang lee have done? he directed brokeback mountain, crouching tiger hidden dragon, and has an incredible talent for set design and capturing a certain time period. brokeback is a movie i feel is worth watching at least once but since im not gay (seriously im not) a repeat viewing i will not be having. i do understand that if you do happen to bat that way and have been doing so since the 1950's its probably one of your favorite movies and deservedly so. on the other hand i watched another ang lee movie the other week called 'the ice storm' and has the worst sex scene i've ever seen in a movie. but still is a really good movie and feels very real and authentic.

so australia the movie at nearly 3 hours is a massive piece of shit and it pains me that with the money waisted on this travesty the amount of people who could have actually been helped in the real world.
Posted by at No comments:

How to get someone to delete you from their Facebook in 8 minutes



 

So, this is one of those times when you've had facebook mileage with a person for oh about 3 years or so and over the course of that time they found the jesus and are lovin' the jesus. Their whole life is now all consumed by the jesus, and your realize that it is only a matter of time before they will most likely delete you from their facebook existence because it's what the jesus would do. 
You know the type. 

They most likely just had another baby cause their marriage was in the shitter and figured the baby will save the marriage. They are now going to church and every facebook status is now all about how they love the jesus.

So boring, and an amazing excuse to not deal with the core issues of what the problems are to begin with. Like magically all their problems will disappear now cause the jesus is at the wheel???

Really???

LIKE THE SWEET BABY JESUS ALL CUTE AND CUDLY IN HIS MANGER REALLY KNOWS HOW TO DRIVE A FUCKING CAR????


Anyways, this is one of those things that was bound to happen and a great example of how once you find the jesus, having an opinion about anything and a real ethical thought or substance is now as exinct as the dodo bird, or whatever that bird was?? I mean dude, just give me your honest feelings about what the verse means to you? Is that really so difficult?

But anywayz, this is in response to a girl (that I knew of but didn't really know all that well back in High School) and her husband's Facebook status. Which I think is a freakin' excellent verse in a Bruce Wayne overcoming his fear of bats sortah way and the path to love is to break through your fear and all that and I just wanted to get a confirmation from the husbandry that he was not in fact living in total fear of his maker but had broken through all of that and now see's the light and glory and all that amen ness and to really just give me his honest opinion and feelings and how he felt about this particular proverb and what it meant to him on a personal level?

And to know that he was not worshiping a deity that at it's core is not based on fear and ego or as Wayne Dyer would say about ego and that ego basically stands for:

Edging
God
Out

So in a bizarre way I was able to unite them in their defense of the fear making ego driven jesus and his pops and maybe made them just that much closer to each other while I was seen as the lost hope satan worshipper or something or other?

So success I guess? Who knows?

All I know is that at the time they were really struggling financially and just had baby number four and finding the jesus as their marriage was seemingly in the crapper.

So here it is, names have not been changed cause maybe you might be in agreement and when seeking out said ex peeps a republican jesus powwow can be accomplished. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

How to get DELETED in 8 minutes

October 9, 2012 at 3:22pm
Edward Brandon‎

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." Proverbs 9:10

Deserae Brandon and James Pruitt like this.  

art holmes 
What is Edward Brandon's interpretation of said proverb?

Edward Brandon 
I do not interpret God's word. I take it at face value....when God's word is interpreted, it just gets man's view...man's twist...devalued...becomes false doctrine.

art holmes 
so your status has no meaning to you personally?

Edward Brandon 
Yes..it means just what it says....all God's word has meaning to me

art holmes 
and what is that meaning?

Edward Brandon 
If you have no fear of the Lord, you aren't very wise. To understand requires acknowledgement of His existence, repenting of your sins, living life as the new man He makes us, devo...

See More 
(unfortunately he deleted me so i cant get access to the rest of that stuff that was apparently in english :'()

Deserae Brandon 
Amen Edward Brandon

art holmes 
so what your saying is that fear is more important than love because our creator made us that way. your god sounds like he has issues with ego

Edward Brandon 
As was said art holmes...you will never understand what you do not acknowledge even exists.

Deserae Brandon 
lol art has no clue. God's love is mighty. He is our Father. Just as your flesh father you feared but loved so shall you Fear God & know he loves you

Edward Brandon 
My God is a vengeful, gracious, loving, all mighty, and faithful and more...God is the Alpha and Omega, God is omnipresent and in control of all. I believe with all my heart and soul.

art holmes 
your gods a scary dude. life's too short to live with so much fear and judgement. i can't do it so kudos since it obiously works for you

  • The Fear of the Lord
    www.bryankimsey.com


    Deserae Brandon 
    I don't click nonsense links. I hope one day you are saved & you get it before its to late for you.

    Edward Brandon 
    I live in a world of love...fear comes from his Judgement of what we do in sin. My Lord says to distance from unbelievers. I am to take the word of God to them, share it, but I will not argue over my relationship nor continue to associate with them, I am to distance myself. So shortly my friend, you are going to be delete. I have no need for your sarcasm and unbelief in my walk with the Lord. Praying for you and your world of make believe you dwell within.

    art holmes 
    i'm deleting anywayz since i dont believe in a god thats based on judgement based on sin i committed before i was birthed. if i cant even share something that enforces your own point the only thing i can take from that is your own pure judgement on my lack of religious ferver hate racisim and fanatasizm and thats just going to bring me up to your own level of fear and darkness disguised as love wrapped in a delusion to keep your pastor to get you to vote against your own interests and all that bugaboo stuff that you need a religious theologist to interpret. i'm not into that kind of progression for the eternity of my soul patch thang

    • Unable to post comment. Try Again

Posted by at No comments:

The greatest protest song ever created

Taken verbatim from my notes section on the facebook and with updated visuals and pictures and a nice link and what nots, oh my :)

The following was an assignment I had when I was enrolled at The Los Angeles Recording School. In month four I had a class called Media and Society with thee Eliot, who may or may not be obsessed with penises' or penis' or whatever the plural is of the penis??? Penis-sye?? I don't know?? Too much penis in that class for me.

Or,

There may be some weird penis conspiracy in our advertisements??? I will leave that one up to you to decide.


But anywayz, here is a very short assignment and one that I am quite proud of:

protest song (media and society assignment #3)

November 1, 2011 at 5:04pm
Richard Holmes


I am Governor Jerry Brown
My aura smiles
And never frowns
Soon I will be president...

Carter power will soon go away
I will be Fuhrer one day
I will command all of you
Your kids will meditate in school

California Uber Alles
Uber Alles California

Zen fascists will control you
100% natural
You will jog for the master race
And always wear the happy face
Close your eyes, can't happen here
Big Bro' on white horse is near
The hippies won't come back you say
Mellow out or you will pay

California Uber Alles
Uber Alles California

Now it is 1984
Knock knock at your front door
It's the suede/denim secret police
They have come for your uncool neice

Come quietly to the camp
You'd look nice as a drawstring lamp
Don't you worry, it's only a shower
For your clothes here's a pretty flower...

DIE on organic poison gas
Serpent's egg's already hatched
You will croak, you little clown
When you mess with President Brown

California Uber Alles
Uber Alles California.

 For me this song represents what the whole punk rock movement in Los Angeles in the late seventies and early eighties was all about. Kids with no future and what they had to look forward to by the political establishment. Punk bands were spewing forth a barrage of unparalleled energy to shake people out of their comas while scaring the crap out of parents and destroying the foundations of the accepted status quo. Punk has always been at its core fucking with the corporate, political, and government establishments.

The Dead Kennedys were one of those bands that was able to break out of the underground of L.A. and into the bedrooms of disenfranchized youth all across America. While California Uber Alles sounds like an attack on Jerry Brown its much more than that. What this song represents and what the youth identified with, that still rings true to this day, is not to let the bastards in power tell you who you are and what to think by being a passive consumer. To get pissed off and take a stand against the bullshit.

True punk rock has never put up walls to stifle creativity. Punk didn't give a shit about radio play and social acceptance. Punk is about truth and in your face honesty. In the seventies when it was in its purest unconcentrated form it had potency and punch when combined with real talent. You could still be talentless and be punk rock but the ones who really shined were the ones who really understood how to get through to the kids and create a real movement. What the Dead Kennedy's managed to do was create compelling lyrics and catchy hooks to entice the youth of America validating the youth of society in their beliefs when everyone else was telling them to get with the program. I don't think I've ever met anyone who grew up loving punk rock that grew into being an ordinary passive adult? Punk rock at its best wakes people up and the Dead Kennedys woke people up.



Posted by at No comments:

Sunday, August 4, 2013

The GREATEST marketing campaign I've ever seen

Marketing campaigns at my school almost seem like an after thought. Many a times the only way to know what is going on is to be plugged in every day to the main web site and check out the calender of events. But even then the details of the event are so sketchy in their details that you have to send a message as to how does one RSVPee to it?

This can go on for weeks until and up to the day before the event, wondering how does one RSVPee to this? I'm not much of a fan of being an annoyance to the already incompetence that has been presented before me. Usually resulting in said person deleting me off their facebook and so it is.

Sometimes 'they' will have had a screening that didn't even go out in an email or was posted on the events calender but buried somewhere deep within the blog page and well after that lesson I learned to read the blog page a bit closer.

Also another trick with upcoming screening is to get on the Jeff Goldsmith invite list and sometimes you will know what is screening at the school before the school sends down their own invite. This happened yesterday with 'Austenland' ?? So I'll be getting an invite to that sometime this week and I'm pretty sure that one is not going to be sold out, even with the screenwriter of Napolean Dynamite doing the A and Que.

But for now, here is the greatest marketing campaign I've ever seen at my school, Mount Super Fabulous.


Alrighty, so what's the first thing you saw?

EXACTLY!!!

And that is the gretest marketing campaign I've ever seen.

Every time we have an event here I always ask if there will be punch and pie? And do we have punch and pie? Sometimes, but it's never advertised????

Now this poster actually went up in the B1 elevator. And I take this elevator to class almost every day so, like I was typing earlier, some events you really have to be on it and plugged in to know that they're even going down, but here posted in the B1 elevator is this poster staring me down, and completely unavoidable. And this is not even the best part.

After class, I'm riding back down with one of my classmates and he's like free punch and pie??? And I was like, yeah, but you can't go. And then he got mad at me and said 'why not?' Cause your not a Woman in Media, I tells him. And then he was all like , oh and sullen. It was the one of the greatest comebacks of my entire existance.

But the campaign doesn't end there, oh no, for on the day of the event they even posted directions to get to the event. Do you know the level of thought that goes into that??? Well, 'they' really thought of everything with this event and as I was walking past their punch and pie schindig the turn out was really impressive. Who knew? There were that many women here??? That day, the Male to Female ratio at Mount Super Fabulous went from 100 to 1 down to about 50 to 1.

So kudos and I salute you . . .

SALUTE !!!

to whomever came up with that poster, posted it, and then even had directions on the day to get there. For an event that I couldn't even go to, I totally knew about it, weeks in advance, and actually wanted to go.

Well done, whoever you are ????


Posted by at No comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)