The 87th Annual Academy Awards

A tad bit late to be writing this blog, but I need to express my feelings, on the event that is. All in all, it was a good broadcast. Neil Patrick Harris was funny, but over-did-it at times. I suppose the entertainment industry has room to embellish a little.

The is blog is dedicated to one of my favorite actors, Michael Keaton. The movie, Birdman, did bery well. However, a void still lingers, and its directed at the Best Actor category. I feel that Michael Keaton should have won that category in particular, for his amazing acting ability in Birdman. Now, there are very talented artists out there who did win the Oscar for the right reasons. But, Keaton should have been one of them. His film won Best Picture, which makes it somewhat justified.

Congratulations to the winners.

Recently, I heard that Keaton is in talks with Tim Burton about making a Beetlejuice 2. If that's the case, then I would love for him to reprise his role as the Bio-Exorcist ghoul. Burton has a wild imagination, and along with a well cast, he can pull through with something magical, and extremely original. The first Beetlejuice was done in 1988, and now, the new one is not intended to be a remake, but a continued story.

Take care everyone, till next time.

Welcome New Year 2015!

Well, it's finally here. 2015 is off to a wonderful start. I turn 35 this year on January 11th, so that means all drinks are on me....HAHAHAHA! Making dreams come true this year. As I'm currenly pursuing different ventures, I find everything a little less stressful than usual. I wish everyone a Happy New Year filled w/ accomplished goals, good health, better outlook on life and to be as stress free as possible. It's kind of like what my horoscope said about finding time for goog health and fitness. There's a need for recreational activity, and I know my recreation is martial arts. A given! So many people have so many different dreams to aspire to, and I'm hoping my positive feedback can "spread the love". A figure of speech, I know, but it has the advantage of being righteous. Love, Career and Health should all be good for everyone this year. I;ve already taken the first step in creating new business cards, and networking smarter. If no one has a linkedin account yet, get one...the tool is valuable. And I say this because, I too, am following my dream of working as an Actor/Filmmaker. Strange, I still get lots of clients approaching me about fitness. So the Personal training hasn't disappeared either. Everything is in tact, as it should be. My business cards are custom made and emphasize the acting, film and persoanl training aspects all in one. Well, anyway, I wish you all a Happy and Healthy New Year. Take care and see you soon.

Certain Look for Cities

Skyscrapers. Now these buildings are viewed as being the symbol of what a modern city is supposed to look like. With me, I'm not to thrilled with these structures. Think of it, a very tall and narrow building. Sounds cool, but listen carefully. That's pretty scary stuff. In Asia, skyscrapers are becoming normal architecture for the cities of the far east. China, Japan, and Korea already have that head start. Now it's Malaysia followed by India. To a degree, modernism can be seen as nice to look at, but for some, it has become an eye sore. Is there really a need for such structures to exist? I disagree w/ skyscrapers being built in Europe. The European landscape is absolutely gorgeous w/ historical architecture that dates back before the Middle Ages. Architecture in the form of Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, Dutch Mannerist, Neo-Classical, Gothic Revival and English, French, Italian and Spanish ideas of each style. Polish Gothic Revival is wonderful as it is not only historical, but national identity. To add tall/narrow buildings seems to downplay the original beauty of Europa. It's alright for America to build modern structures due to the New World never having it's own original form of architecture. The same can go for Canada. Strange thing is, as similar as America and Canada can be, there's stilla world of difference between the two countries. Another reason for disliking skyscrapers is the danger. Think of the number of workers who have accidents while putting up these huge buildings. Or worst yet, the vulnerability of such structures. September 11, 2001 will never be forgotten. It was a terrible tragedy that America had to deal with. The World Trade Center Towers were targeted and destroyed by terrorists. Very Tall and Narrow should be re-thought. If anything, if you build tall, build wide. That way you don't ruin structural integrity. My personal dislike for skyscrapers is simple: I have a fear of heights. Certain phobias are bad to have, but this is mine. My fear of heights started somewhere around the age of fifteen. Try to imagine getting on a roof of a tall/narrow monster like the One World Trade Center(in NYC), and having to look down. Four things happen; First, your hands begin to sweat, then your heart begins pounding faster. Finally, you experience vertigo. There's one other symptom: imagining worst case scenerios. In closing I would like to say...skyscrapers are not for everyone.

The Film Tax Incentive for Pennsylvania

Today was a day that I will remember as informative, delightful, somewhat troublesome and curable. Upon my many road trips, I had several stops into the King of Prussia area...one of Montgomery County's fastest developing suburban towns.

My visit to Mike Lemon Casting took place earlier in the day. His office moved from Philadelphia(Center City) straight to K.O.P. I think the move is better because of the parking, the space and the peace and quiet, from congested big city life. I stopped over to the casting office to drop off my headshot w/ resume. Well, I found out that I can only download my material on their internet database myself. The system they use is for in-coming acting work. Unfortunately, work is not what's happening in our state. It seems that the local government has a cap on the tax incentive...namely the film related one. The topic strikes me as odd due to the fact that any film that has ever been made in PA(Philadelphia or Pittsburgh), has usually won awards. Tom Hanks for his film, appropriately entitled, PHILADELPHIA. This film gave Hanks and Denzel Washington, a much sought-after media exposure. 

This is just one reason why Pennsylvania cannot be overlooked. We have the finest in locations, especially when it comes to mysterious surroundings. It's perfect for horror films as well as deep dramatic elements. 

Anyway, the film tax incentive can truly benefit from our cities. Awards is one thing, but the state is still considered "uncharted" territory for many filmmakers. From what I understand, most of New England is uncapped. That in itself, gives them a green light for many new projects. New York City, alone, has roughly $420 Million set aside for their tax incentive. If that's true, then I wonder how the rest of New York state feels about that. It's a beautiful state. A road trip I took to Buffalo in 2001, confirms the picturesque environment. Truth is, my road trip was actually to Canada, but it's the principle of the situation I'm trying to resolve. Now, Pennsylvania only received $60 million as our incentive. However, due to Mike Lemon's research, Philadelphia area really gets $30 million. The other half is shared w/ Pittsburgh. Problems like this cannot be ignored. Why should we get less, when other states are getting ludicrous amounts? Not to make it sound terrible, but it is a lot of money. If the tax incentive does get uncapped, that means more work for actors, filmmakers, AND, gives out-of-state producers a chance to discover new talent...whether in front or behind the camera. People who love acting/filmmaking will fight for it. Obstacles arise all the time, but it's the voices that need to speak up. By doing so, we can all accomplish awesome goals. 

Fantastic achievements in film are already taking place, as they have in the past. We need to make a difference in terms of taking the initiative. This is why Mike is asking people to vote, and plea, for a more flexible resolution. The idea is to get our incentive uncapped. Total success is not just a one man show; Philadelphia Film Office is also joining the campaign. Something good will happen.

The Highlander Film Franchise

Adrian Paul starred as Duncan MacLeod, while Christopher Lambert starred as his kinsman, Conner MacLeod. Saying this does bring back memories of a pretty good story. At least its a story based on Immortals walking among us humans(mortals), for centuries. They never age once reborn, and they battle to the death. Supposedly, there can be only one. That's the grand prize, the last remaining Immortal will rule the world. 

Since guns can't kill them, neither can bombs or knife stabbing, the only way is to behead them. Yup, cutting their heads off w/ the stroke of a sword. Once the deed is done, an electrical surge of energy consumes/invades the winner. This is called the Quickening. The deceased Immortal's power and knowledge is absorbed by the Immortal, who won the battle. 

Even though the films and TV series differed, there were minor indications of crossover. The first episode of the TV series featured Adrian Paul, as Duncan MacLeod, waging war against Slan(Richard Moll). Out of nowhere, here comes Conner MacLeod trying to save the day. But, in the films, Christopher Lambert was the main hero w/o his counterpart being present. In 1986, the first Highlander movie was released, to mixed critical reaction. I thought it was good because of it's ties to traditional, Highlander storytelling fashion. Sean Connery co-starred as Ramirez, an Egyptian Immortal who took an oath to protect the Royals of Spain. He taught Conner MacLeod swordsmanship, and about the game Immortals play. Well, Connery's character dies in the first film, leaving Lambert character to avenge his mentor. Saying that, Highlander 2 was non-sense. Sean Connery returned as Ramirez, who was killed in the first film. No explanation for it. I remember Lambert speaking w/ a slight Scottish accent, about how Immortals were aliens from the planet Zeist. This killed the franchise. If they are born on Earth, in human form, being just like us, why would anyone introduce an alien theory. Talk about ruining a good thing. Zeist had nothing to do w/ other Highlander films. Not even the TV series had ever mentioned such a stupid idea. 

Highlander 3: The Final Dimension abandoned all Zeist-related anything. Smart move, but it was a bit late. The second film already made the announcement. So, Gregory Widen, creator of the whole Highlander universe, pretty much ignored the old story and re-wrote. Mario Van Peebles was the main villain, who used sorcery to try and subdue MacLeod. Conner wins the fight. 

Unfortunately, the last two Highlander films were not as good. Highlander: Endgame starred Christopher Lambert and Adrian Paul, who both reprized their roles. Much to the fanfare demands, Endgame turned out to be the final involvement of Lambert, as his character sacrificed his own head to kinsman Duncan. Here's what's great about this film, Bruce Payne. YES! He was awesome as the villain Jacob Kell. Duncan survived the battle w/ Kell, who was superior in sword-fighting, but was outdone by the hero's cleverness. Unlike Highlander: The Source which turned out to be sad. It was a terrible film. Nice attempt at trying to create a new adventure for the franchise, but commercially as well as critically, a failure. The Source was a bad movie to begin with. Immortals can't have children, and cannot ever die by regular mortal means. The TV series constantly pointed out the fact that Immortals are immortal no matter what. The game is based on fights-to-the-death, by way of decapitating your rival. The Source aimed at delivering a swerve to the plot. The film tells us that once the Immortals get closer to the source, of their immortality, they will grow weaker and become vulnerable like mortals. Meaning that they can be killed by simple, quick means. That's right. Gunshots, stabbings, and severe beatings are enough to stop them. Duncan loses yet another old friend...his watcher buddy Joe Dawson. The 5000 year old Methos manages to escape danger by leading enemies away, pitting Duncan to fight off other renegade mortals. Methos is never heard from again. Did he survive? Who knows. Duncan winds up fighting a powerful, ancient Immortal in the final fight. Of course, the Scotsman wins. But here's another catch to the film; Duncan made love to his estranged wife earlier in the film, making him a father. As it turns out, while Duncan was close to the Source, making him more of a mortal, he got his wife pregnant. 

Do you see where the confusion starts? This is rather messy for a continuous movie series. Endgame was better than the Source, but neither film was taken seriously. Critics were not impressed, fans were somewhat disappointed. And rightfully so, the storyline continuity is mismatched. Some parts continue the original story, however, there is a great deal of loss. Continuity is the gradual progression of a story. It all has to make sense. Now I've learned the 1986 Highlander movie is set for a remake. You all remember my last blog about remakes, this is just another example.