Their new project is called An Inconvenient Tax. I am really excited to see this film. It is examining the problems with the Tax system in America. The plan is to interview several influential politicians and economists to figure out the best solution. The premise is based on a Patrick Henry quote:

?The oppression arising from taxation, is not from the amount but, from the mode? The whole wisdom of the science of Government, with respect to taxation, consists in selecting the mode of collection which will best accommodate to the convenience of the people.”
-Patrick Henry

The film asks these questions -

How does congress go about deciding what changes should be made?

What?s the solution and who will decide it?

They start production next week. You can find out more by going to
www.AnInconvenientTax.com.

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Make plans to watch The Longest Day, Saving Private Ryan, or the first couple episodes of Band of Brothers tonight.

Remember what they did.

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Still with me? Ok. Here we go.

First problem. The beginning. The first three movies start with the end of some other adventure Indy was on. It didn’t have anything to do with the movie we were about to see. The idol in Raiders, Nurhache and the diamond in Temple, and the Cross of Coronado in Last Crusade. This latest movie, starts right into the story. (I use this term loosely as there really is very little story.) Now, some may say I’m just being nostalgic here, that there really is no reason to stick to the established form of the previous movies, but I would disagree. The openings of the previous movies helped to establish our hero as part of a larger world. They added mystery to the character. We never really knew all that much about Indy. The new movie, missed an opportunity to show us what Indy’s life is like 20 years later. Sure we’re told he was in the OSS, but why not start it off by showing us that.

Next thing that really bugged me was the complete and utter implausibility of it. I know all the critics are saying that the old movies were just as silly and unbelievable, but that just isn’t so. The original movies would go just up to the edge of believability and then take one step over the line. In Raiders and Last Crusade, nothing supernatural happens until the end. In Temple, the heart scene and Indy under mind control happen in the middle, but are the only examples of anything mystical. These movies presented our world as a great big mysterious world where magical things just might really happen. The new movie went so far over the line of believability that I was fully aware that I was watching a movie. It never sucked me in and made me believe in magic like the original movies.

Then there was Indy himself. In the original movies, Indy was human. That is what made him so great. His plans never worked. He was always a step behind. He frequently got caught, but always managed to make it out just in the nick of time. He always seemed to be in danger. In the new movie, at the very beginning, he survives a nuclear blast! Let me say that again. HE SURVIVES A NUCLEAR BLAST! It was at that point in the movie that I lost all interest. Where is the danger? If an atom bomb can’t kill him, why on earth should I be fearful that the Russians might kill him

Then there was the confusing story. There were setups without payoffs. Pointless plot points. A confusing macguffin. Does anyone know what the skull was supposed to do and why we didn’t want the Russians to have it? I haven’t a clue. Why not let them take it to the space ship and get destroyed, which is what happens anyway?

I could go on and on about how much I hated this movie, but I’ll leave it at that. I’m going to forget it ever came out and pretend I live in a world with three Indiana Jones films instead of four.

What did you think of the movie?

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Josh and I just got back from Los Angeles, California. Or for those in the know - L.A. And we both LOVE it out there. But sadly, we aren’t moving out there just yet. We had an awesome meeting with our composers. They have been working very hard on the music for Dangerous Calling. We got to hear about a third of the music and we really like it. They have done an outstanding job.

It was so exciting to see our film with brand new music over it. So far, we’ve only seen it with James Newton Howard music from Signs and The Village. The new stuff really adds a lot to the film. We are so excited to hear the final music. We are going back to L.A. in a few months for the recording sessions with live musicians!!! I can’t wait.

Our composers have all three won Emmys for their work on Batman The Animated Series. Here is a picture.

Michael McCuistion, Lolita Ritmanis, and Kristopher Carter. (By the way, we asked them to hold the Emmy. They are really very nice and down to earth.)

We also took some time to go to Disneyland while we were out there.

The pretty and pregnant lady in the middle is Josh’s wife, Becca.

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Our composers are working on the score and we are flying out to LA next week to meet with them and hopefully hear a little bit. (We’re also going to Disneyland for a day!)

In more exciting news, Dance of the Dead has been picked up by Lionsgate and Ghost House Pictures. Check it out.

Congrats to Gregg Bishop and his team. It is a really fun movie and they have all put in a lot of hard work. Kudos.

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I had to pass this along. One of the blogs I subscribe to posted a link to a speech that the great filmmaker Cecil B. Demille gave in 1927 at Harvard University. (He directed The Ten Commandments among other things.) He said something very interesting -

Take a scene where a man comes in, sits down, and picks up the telephone. The first-class director has the man come in, sit down, and pick up the telephone. Your highest class director says, “How on earth can I make that interesting, so it will hold an audience for just a second, so that it is not just a man. coming in, sitting down and picking up a telephone? What twist can I give that to make a little smile come to the audience? If merely the cord of the telephone catches in the drawer that little incident means a lot because the audience thought they were going to be bored and then they say, Oh! That little exclamation, Oh! has a great psychological effect.” That is the way every scene should be worked out in the mind of the director.

That’s what I want to strive for in every scene we direct: That little exclamation. Oh!

You can read the rest of this speech here. It’s really good. And still relevant.

You can find out more about Mr. Demille here.

The blog that posted this is called Film Directing Tips and Resources. It is the personal blog of a working Directing and Assistant Director, Peter D. Marshall. I have found his blog extremely useful. It’s nice to read the insights of a man who has been doing what I want to be doing. Check it out.

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We’ve been keeping a tally going on how many movies we’ve both watched since the beginning of the year and I think we’ve both cracked the 100 mark. These can be either movies we’ve never seen before or movies that we have seen.

And yes, that does mean we’ve watched on average one movie a day since January 1st. (Though some days we watch none and some we watch 3. I guess that’s what the word average means.)

We used to feel guilty about this but then we heard a quote from Stephen King. He said something like, “Writers are constantly reading.” So we feel that filmmakers should constantly be watching movies. So take that, guilt. Stephen King says its OK!

Since the beginning of May, I have watched 9 movies. I’ll list them and then give you reasons why I watched them and my take.

1- The Golden Compass - I watched this movie because I have never seen it and I wanted to see what all the controversy was all about. I have to say it does seem to be a bit anti-Catholic church but aside from that, I don’t think it was a very good movie. Josh has some really good notes on the film explaining why he didn’t like it. Maybe he’ll post those.

2 - The Machinist - I had never seen this movie but I’m a huge fan of Christian Bale. Sadly, he lost all that weight for nothing. Completely dull and unoriginal. And NOT at all family friendly. Lots of pointless nudity. Skip it.

3 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - I just finished reading the 5th book so I wanted to re-watch the film. When I first saw the movie, I enjoyed it but all the die-hard fans didn’t. Now I know why. The book is PHENOMENAL. The movie just didn’t get it. (Though to be fair, the book was 870 pages.) The film should have been longer. But I still enjoy the movie.

4 - Iron Man - HOLY CRAP!!!!! This is the best Superhero movie ever made. Go see it. I can’t wait to see it again. I can-t wait for the DVD. I can’t wait for Iron Man 2!!!

5 - The Buddy Holly Story - This is the film that really made Gary Busey a well-known actor. He did all right. But the film is slow and unlike Johnny Cash in Walk the Line, Buddy Holly didn’t really battle personal demons. (Which is what we like to see in this type of movie, right?) Skip it unless you are bored and don’t mind being bored for a little while longer.

6 - Star Wars: Return of the Jedi - Obviously I have seen this movie… A LOT. I started re-watching the SAGA about 3 months ago, slowly working my way from Episode One through Six. I have to say I don’t mind the Ewoks. I actually like them. But I was only 3 when this movie came out so that probably explains it. You can’t beat the last scene with Darth Vader… “Tell your sister, you were right about me.” And then when Luke burns his body… wow.

7 - Dick Tracy - I’ve loved this movie ever since it came out in theaters in the 80s and they had the cross promotion at McDonalds. I got so many free burgers and fries. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. So stylized and the music is great. Danny Elfman. Check it out. You won’t regret it. And so many huge stars playing quirky and somewhat bit parts.

8 - Singin’ in the Rain - Love this movie. I’ve seen it many times. It is a classic but I must say aside from the acting and musical numbers, the movie isn’t perfect. The story completely falls apart in the last 30 minutes… but the musical numbers are so great, I don’t care. I decided to watch this movie because I’m heading to Disney World in September with the family and it always gets me in the mood for The Great Movie Ride.

9 - G Men - I had never seen this particular James Cagney movie. It was made in 1935 and Cagney played a good guy. It has great action and lots of violence. And some really great performances. It’s not as good as Angels with Dirty Faces or Public Enemy but still a really good movie. I recommend it. This is one time those recommendations on Netflix.com really paid off.

There you have it. Please leave a comment and recommend some movies of your own.

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Follow Michael on twitter at twitter.com/michaelhyatt. Follow me and jeremiah at twitter.com/joshdaws and twitter.com/jeremiahdaws respectively. Head over to twitter.com to sign up.

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What is this project? Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Baby Bear…

At least, that’s what we’re calling him/her until we find out the sex. Yup. That’s right. I’m going to be a Dad! Skip ahead to 1:51 or so. That’s when it gets really good. As a director, I have to say, Baby Bear is really good in front of a camera.

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Leave us a comment and let us know what you think. What’s your favorite Daws Brothers film and why? Also be sure to check out our younger brother and sister’s films in the Other Stuff section.

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According to Entertainment weekly, ?Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed is a controversial 2008 film which claims that American educators and scientists are being persecuted for their belief that there might be evidence of intelligent design in nature. Hosted by Ben Stein, the film claims that what it calls “Big Science” suppresses dissent from the scientific theory of evolution, and portrays the theory as having contributed to the rise of the Nazi Holocaust, communism, atheism and Planned Parenthood. The film was released on April 18, 2008.?

I was curious about the film for two reasons. 1) I was wondering if the Republicans now had their own Michael Moore. 2) I believe in Intelligent Design and wanted to see what arguments the film made.

I can say that Ben Stein is not Michael Moore. I disagree politically with Michael Moore BUT I have to say, he makes really good documentaries. I enjoy them for their entertainment value. To be honest, Expelled was very slow. And hearing the ?Bueller? voice for an hour and a half could really put you to sleep. (Though to be fair, Ben Stein did not direct the film, only co-wrote it and starred in it.)

The Discovery Institute defines intelligent design as the assertion that “certain features of the universe and of living things are best explained by an intelligent cause, not an undirected process such as natural selection”.

The film revealed some extremely shocking facts about scientists and their regard for the Intelligent Design theory. Mr. Stein interviewed several scientists and professors who were fired or reprimanded for merely mentioning the Intelligent Design theory in classes or papers. The first scientist interviewed was at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, D.C. He was fired from the Smithsonian for simply printing a paper written by an Intelligent Design theorist.

Whatever your views on the issue, I think everyone can agree that there should be freedom to discuss theories without interference from ?Big Science.? The documentary makes some interesting comparisons to Germany during the Nazi regime and the Cold War. Pretty scary stuff.

I could say more on this subject but this is a filmmaking blog. I urge you all to take a look at this documentary. I feel like it gives a pretty fair look at the issue. It does take a side but has a good and generally well thought out argument. Check it out when it comes out on DVD.

***We won’t be approving comments on this post. Sorry folks.

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Here’s the story: zombies show up and ruin the prom. How cool is that? We were one of the lucky few to see an early rough cut of the film and were blown away by how much better it was than the version we saw. It’s a fast paced zombie comedy with some terrific action scenes and lots of laughs. Find out more on the official website: http://www.danceofthedeadmovie.com

If you missed last night’s screening, there are two more next Saturday, April 19 at 2:45pm and 5:00pm. Click here to get tickets. If you are a fan of zombie movies, I highly encourage you to try and make one of those screenings. You’ll be glad you did.

Side note: The composer for DotD, Kristopher Carter, is the same guy who is composing the music for Dangerous Calling. He’s brilliant. The music last night was fantastic. The DC composing process kicks into high gear starting tomorrow. We’ll blog about that as we have more to report.

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In 1995, the Mel Gibson film Braveheart was released. I don’t remember if my family went to see it in theaters. Possibly. But I know that we rented it and eventually bought it. At the time, we watched Braveheart several times and over the next few years, we’d watch it once a month. The Daws Family LOVED Braveheart.

And we killed it. I’ve probably seen Braveheart once since 1997. There are some movies that you enjoy so much that you want it to be played round the clock. And then one day, you wake up and someone suggests watching it and your reaction is, “Ick. I’ve seen it too much.” That’s what we did at the time - we’d watch films so much that we’d suck the very life out of them. It was the only way we knew how to view films. Over and over. (It really is the best way to appreciate a film and learn from it.)

Strangely enough, Dumb and Dumber was the other one we were killing around the same time. So whenever I think of Braveheart, I can’t help but think of Dumb and Dumber. Weird.

This week, Braveheart has been raised from the dead for me. I’ve been wanting to see it for a few months now and decided to borrow it from Josh. (I’m telling you, it was dead - I didn’t even buy it when it was released on DVD.)

I watched the film today and it was new again. What a fantastic film. It has so many great quotes. “I’m going to pick a fight.” “You may take our lands but you will never take our freedom.” And this time, I’m watching it as a serious filmmaker rather than a 15-year-old kid who likes to make stop motion films with his Star Wars action figures. And you know what? As soon as it finished, I wanted to start it again. Hurray!!!

So the cycle of life goes on even in the world of my DVD collection. I have killed and seen brought back to life such movies as The Abyss, Field of Dreams, The Truman Show, and many more.

You can see this phenomenon most when it comes to Christmas movies. My family and I have about 20 Christmas movies we watch during the months of November and December. By December 25th, I hate those movies. But by the following November, we can’t wait to pull them out again.

There are a few movies that I am killing or have killed recently. A few of them are:

The Aviator
Mission Impossible 3
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy (its not dead but its dying)
The Last Samurai
Pirates of the Carribean
Walk the Line

So Braveheart gives me hope that even though I kill a film, its not really dead. It will come back and I’ll watch it again. And when the film does come back to life for me, I’ll appreciate it in a whole new light.

I just bought There Will Be Blood on DVD. That’ll be the next one I kill.

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There Will Be Blood - Best movie I’ve seen in years.? I saw this in the theaters just before the Oscars.? I can’t believe it didn’t win.? Years to come, film scholars will look back on this film as a classic.? If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favor and add it to your Netflix queue… or better yet your DVD collection.? One complaint: The single disc dvd case is just a cheap cardboard sleeve.? What’s up with that?

No Country For Old Men - What started as an engrossing crime drama turned into a “look at me.? I’m important” Oscar grab from the Coen Brothers.? Kudos to them.? It worked.? Just wasn’t my cup of tea.

The Red Shoes (1948) - A ballet movie based on a Hans Christian Anderson story.? I saw a preview for this on TCM and thought it looked interesting.? It was.? One of the most visually interesting movies I’ve ever seen.? Especially for the time.? It was a major inspiration for An American In Paris, but I thought it was much better.? Compelling story with stunning visuals.? I highly recommend.

Battlestar Gallactica - I’m late to the game on this one.? I just recently got into it.? I’m starting the third season.? Great show.? Second season dragged in the middle, but that last couple of episodes really shook things up.? I initially watched the mini-series when it first came on, but wasn’t impressed.? All the critical acclaim convinced me to give it another chance.? I’m glad I did.

30 Rock - What a wonderful show.? With the writer’s strike leaving prime time television a barren wasteland, I decided to go back and check out some shows that I had never gotten into.? 30 Rock is the best of the bunch.? Tina Fey’s self deprecating humor works wonderfully with Alec Baldwin’s ego.? Throw in crazy Tracy Morgan and it’s a recipe for laughs.? If you don’t like this one, then you need to go see Dr. Spaceman.

Sweeney Todd - Oh my gosh.? How have I lived this long without knowing this musical.? It took Tim Burton and Johnny Depp to pull me into the Stephen Sondheim masterpiece.? I love musicals, but Sondheim has always been a bit of a mystery to me.? Someone once told me he was an acquired taste.? I think I’ve acquired it.? Thank you, Mr. Burton.? As for the film, it was Burton’s best in years.

I Am Legend - Great first half, but the last half ruined it.? So disappointing.? I love Will Smith though.

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Josh is JoshDaws
Jeremiah is JeremiahDaws

You really should give it a try. It’s kinda fun and all the cool kids are doing it.

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It was an awesome feeling to have so many people appreciate the hard work we’ve put in over the last year. I leaned over to Josh during the credits as the crowd cheered and clapped and I said, “I want to do this for the rest of my life!” We are so blessed to have been able to make a film and doubly blessed that it is GOOD!

Before we screened the film, we showed a 3 minute highlight reel of some of our favorite films that we have made over the last 20 years. Click here to view that video.

Here are some pictures of the event. Click on them to see them larger.

(The two Daws Brothers and Josh’s wife, Becca. Becca helped plan the event and was instrumental in making it a success. The two on the right belong together.)

(This is a wide shot of the lower level of the Dozier Center for the Performing Arts where we held the screening. This picture does NOT do this venue justice. Simply breathtaking!)

(Our Co-Producer, Heather Duffie, was due on Saturday with her third child but decided to have the baby a week early so she could make the screening! That is dedication. This was little Julian Duffie’s first movie screening.)

(This is the Daws Brothers with the host, Lanny Donoho. Some of you may recognize him from our podcasts.)

(This was taken during the Q & A with the four leads.)

(Chris Campbell - DP, Josh, Vinny Vittorio - Producer, Jeremiah, and Nathan McGill - Producer)

Thanks to all who attended and helped to make the night so special. Now that the film is finished, the next step is to sell it. It was a miracle that the film got completed. I’m hoping for another one!

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The other day I was talking to our mother about a cruise she and our dad were preparing to go on. She’d never been on a cruise before and was fretting over what to pack. Anyway, while in the midst of all that chaos, she turned to me and said, “Why do they say ‘May the force be with you’ when Obi-Wan clearly said ‘The Force will be with you, always?’”

I was just stunned - because a) I had never thought about that before, and b) I couldn’t believe my mom had just come up with the most amazing philosophical Star Wars comment I’ve ever heard. And she’s not a nerd or a geek. Well, I guess she is now.

That is what growing up Daws was like.

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I had recently borrowed the movie Quiz Show from my brother’s elaborate DVD collection. (I must admit, my collection is lacking in the way of dramas.) I figured I’d put Quiz Show on and fall back to sleep while watching it. I have seen Quiz Show several times over the last 14 years - it’s one of those movies I can watch every time it is on TV. There is something just gripping about it.

While watching the film this morning, I didn’t fall asleep. On the contrary, I was just amazed by the emotion I felt. The guilt and shame that Van Doren feels practically leaps off the screen. My favorite theme in the movie is the relationship he has with his father. This is no better realized than in a certain scene where the two Van Dorens eat chocolate cake together.

The scene starts at about an hour and 15 minutes into the movie. Charlie has been cheating on the show for several months and it is killing him. Though nothing is said at all about his guilt, you can read it on his face. He so wants to confess all to his dad but at the same time he doesn’t want to disappoint him. There is a certain camera move - a dolly forward into a close-up on Charlie - it’s the moment where he almost tells his father everything - but he doesn’t. It’s that perfect union of great acting, great writing (that understands that good writing doesn’t always mean the presence of dialogue), and great direction. The only word spoken is “Dad.”

And then at the end of the scene Charlie comments about his desire to go back to the simplicity of coming home from school and eating chocolate cake and how nothing else will make him that happy. He is lamenting the innocence he has lost. His father then tells him he won’t feel that happy until he has a son of his own. The subtext is incredible. They are talking about the issue at hand without talking about the issue at hand. Brilliant. And of course this comment by his father is played completely oblivious to what Charlie is going through. His father is just expressing his own love for Charlie. But this adds to the discomfort that Charlie feels.

Go back and watch Quiz Show again. It’s not flashy but it is a solid movie that makes me feel something. It makes me examine my own life and reminds me what the price of compromise can be. And because of that, Quiz Show has made me a better person.

That’s the power of filmmaking. And that’s why I’m a filmmaker.

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us@dawsbrothers.com

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Juno - absolutely loved it. It’s the kind of indie film I can get excited about. Positive outlook on life in the midst of an unfortunate situation. I can’t recommend this movie enough. It probably won’t win since there seems to be a bit of a Juno backlash brewing for some reason, but its got my vote for best picture.

Michael Clayton - I not only checked the time during this movie, I also checked my email. Yeah. I was that bored. I know all the critics are saying great character piece and all of that, but it just didn’t pull me in at all. I felt like it worked my mind, but not my emotions. If I’m giving you two hours of my time, I want to feel something. Joy, sadness, discomfort. Anything but boredom. It just didn’t work for me.

I’m hoping to catch There Will Be Blood and maybe No Country For Old Men before the Oscars, but mostly I’m looking forward to Turner Classic Movies’ 31 days of Oscar. It starts this Friday, February 1st. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t in the past. It’s a great way to see Oscar winners/nominees from years past. Click Here to look through their schedule of great films.

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I was watching Rambo 2 a few days ago and was amazed at how many great quotes it has.

Rambo: To win war, you gotta become war.

Rambo: Sir, do we get to win this time?
Trautman: This time, it’s up to you.

Trautman: The war, the whole conflict may have been wrong but damn it don’t hate your country for it.
Rambo: Hate? I’d die for it.
Trautman: Then what is it you want?
Rambo: I want, what they want, and every other guy who came over here and spilled his guts and gave everything he had, wants! For our country to love us as much as we love it! That’s what I want!

Trautman: How will you live, John?
Rambo: Day by day.

Hot Asian Chick: Rambo, you not expendable.

These are classic lines from a film I’ve watched dozens of times. My brothers and I got the Rambo 2 toy gun set for Christmas one year. I still have it out in my garage. We took strips of red cloth, tied them around our foreheads, and played Rambo for hours. Good times.

When I saw Rocky Balboa, I must admit, it was nice to have Rocky back. I blogged about that a few weeks ago.

As for this newest Rambo, I did enjoy seeing Rambo again, but the film itself was way too violent. I don’t mind all the realism in a film like Saving Private Ryan because I know it happened. But Rambo is fiction. Sure the conflict is really going on over there but I’m not sure where it is and I’m not sure why they are fighting. All I do know is that they are despicable people who rape any woman (and small boy) in sight - and they hate missionaries. So yes, they deserve to have their throats ripped out of their necks. But I’d rather not see it. Hear it, okay. No problem. Let me hear the crunch.

This film sort of felt like it wanted to gross you out. There were times when it was difficult to watch. One thing I can say for it, it seemed to up the impact of the weaponry. I have fired an AK-47, the kind of guns that the Viet Cong were firing at Rambo in the 2nd film, and those things would make you pee your pants if fired at you. In that movie, they seem to be shooting pellets. In this film, every gun seems to be able to blow your head off. And people were scared of getting hit. Well, not so much Rambo, but everyone else. So I give them props for that element. Also, I wouldn’t mind Rambo’s violence so much, I mean heck, isn’t that what we paid $8 to see, but the despicable Asian men were just so… despicable. Lots of gun shots to little kids and women. I could stomach a few but they laid it on pretty heavy.

I’d say this is the worst of the four films, but when I say worst, I mean it lovingly. Even though Sly is pumped up on steroids, I still have to give it to him. He can make a decent film. And it was a visually stunning film. When criticizing him, just remember - would you rather see films starring Sly, or films starring Vin Diesel. Enough said.

One word to the wise: don’t take your kids to this film. It’s definitely a teen movie and up. Hundreds of people die and every time someone does, we are reminded just how much blood the human body contains. Also there is brief nudity when the despicable but still throat-wearing Asian men are raping every Asian woman on screen. And this goes on for several minutes.

Overall, I’d give this film two stars - but since it is a Rambo movie, I have to bump it to three. The music was great - again, Jerry Goldsmith’s theme was there. And the final 2 minutes of the film were beautiful. I would have liked it better if they had toned down the violence and explained a little more about the conflict going on but I did enjoy myself.

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This was a fun but tedious experience. We basically had the actors come in one at a time and re-record clean versions of their dialogue. I’d say 30% of the film needs ADR. There are a couple of ways to do it but we chose to loop the dialogue. The actor hears one line of dialogue play over and over again and they try and match it as best they can.

In some cases we tweaked the performance a little. Recording ADR was a fun little exercise in directing. You really see how the vocal inflections are determined by the actor’s emotion and how this can be changed by direction. They say actors hate to be given a line reading by the director. We did our best not to do this. And it was amazing how we could get our actors to give the right inflection by giving them a playable emotion or feeling to evoke. That was the fun part.

The tedious part was sitting in a cramped room for 10 hours a day hearing the same dialogue over and over again. Three days in a row. Our actors were really gracious to give us so much time. I think they are all anxious for the film to be complete.
We still have another couple of light days to do for the smaller parts. We’ll get to that next week.

____

On a side note, I just watched four films that I’ve never seen before.

1) The Outsiders: Coppala’s film starring every teen actor in the 80’s. I liked the film for the most part. It was a little slow and it meandered. I wonder if I would like it more if I had seen it earlier in my life. I thought the Karate Kid did a good job. But was it just me, or was Rob Lowe’s character waaay to “loving” to Pony Boy? That was creepy. I give it 2 stars (just because of Soda Pop’s love affair with Pony Boy.)

2) The Warriors: “Warriors, come out to play-ay.” A fun but very cheesy movie. Reminded me a little of Swartzenneger’s Running Man. I give it 3 stars.

3) Star Trek: The Motion Picture: I’m so glad the filmmakers of the sequels abandoned the 2001: A Space Oddyssey feel. Man, what a slow movie. And nothing really ever happens. The ending was interesting. Finding the ___ at the heart of V’ger. I won’t spoil it if you haven’t seen it. The only thing I really enjoyed about this movie was the score. Jerry Goldsmith, why did you have to die? Two stars. Would have been one but Jerry kept me going.

4) Sling Blade: I never got around to seeing this when it came out and have avoided it for years. I thought it would be like Of Mice and Men which almost caused me to commit suicide after I saw it. But, I finally watched it this past week and although the ending isn’t super happy, it isn’t as bad as Of Mice and Men. I went around doing Sling Blade impressions all week. I’m really behind on that trend. “I guess I give that thar film 4 stars, Mmm hmm.”

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I got bored trying to figure out what to do about the ADR of the film and decided to write a top ten list. So here it is.

This is my top ten movies that I saw in the theater in 2007. I saw 30 films last year (but I shouldn’t count Live Free of Die Hard because I fell asleep in it.) Here is my top ten… and this doesn’t necessarily mean I think they are the best movies I saw this year, just the most enjoyable movie going experience.

10. Pirates of the Carribean: At World’s End - I didn’t think it was a great movie or even coherent, but I did enjoy it and the world is a fun one to visit for several hours.

9. Meet the Robinsons - I saw this in Disney 3D and I liked it a lot. The soundtrack is great and the storyline is fun (though a little predictable.) Tom Selleck’s cameo is awesome.

8. National Treasure: Book of Secrets - My father and I loved the first one so we had to see the second. And even though it is basically the first one told again with a different bad guy, I liked it a lot. It’s not Raiders of the Lost Ark but I certainly had fun.

7. Enchanted - Good movie. Good songs. It’s a loving spoof sort of like Galaxy Quest.

6. 3:10 to Yuma - A western starring Christian Bale. Did they make this movie with me in mind? Because Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors working today and I love westerns. They got my $8 at the theater and tomorrow, they’ll get my $19.95 for the DVD. I don’t necessarily think it deserves a lot of Oscar buzz. It’s good but it’s no The Searchers.

5. Rocky Balboa - It’s like getting a visit from your favorite dead uncle or grandfather. You thought he was dead, you missed him, and now that he’s back, you don’t mind that he’s a little gross and decomposed. You’re just glad he’s back. (Is that twisted?) I can’t wait for him to return again in January. Rambo - January 25th. I’ll be there opening night. Though I don’t expect it to be great.

4. Children of Men - Good movie. Amazingly similar to a screenplay we were writing.

3. The Mist - I loved watching this movie. The ending was great. I don’t usually like endings like that but this time, it really worked. And it was soo cool to see Tiffany Morgan and Brandon O’Dell on the big screen. They both have parts in our film as well.

2. Blood Diamond - I posted about this after I saw it. I was watching it today on my iPhone while sitting on the… er… couch. I like it a lot. It’s another film I can’t really explain why I like - like Bridge on the River Kwai.

and finally…

1. Hot Fuzz - Probably the most fun I’ve had at the movie theater in a long time. The writing is brilliant and the actors are soo funny. They make movies they want to see. And they do it with excellence.

Some honorable mentions are TMNT and Alvin and the Chipmunks. I had fun. They weren’t great but as a kid of the 80’s, you gotta love the Turtles and the Chipmunks. Disturbia was also very enjoyable.

Here are a few of the WORST of 2007 in no particular order.

Alien Vs Predater 2 - quite possibly the worst expensive movie ever made

The Last Mimzy - most definitely the worst kids movie ever made (Dwight Schrute, what were you thinking?)

Ghost Rider - Haha. I like Nicolas Cage but this was awful.

Spiderman 3 - Upon a second look, it isn’t as bad as I thought but when I first saw it, I was so dissappointed.

I would also mention a certain big budget film with these large robots that transform, but if I did, I’m sure I’d get hate mail. So I won’t. I just hope Stephen Sommers takes G.I. Joe more seriously. Wait, he made Van Helsing. So… Hehe.

So that is my top 10 movies I saw at the theater in 2007.

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For those of you that do, those of you that were right there with us through the making of Dangerous Calling, I want to say a heartfelt thank you from the Daws Brothers.? We couldn’t have done it without you.? Whether you invested in the film, worked on the film, or were one of the few that understand the major accomplishment that is directing a feature film (and were nice enough to give us major props), we really appreciate all that you’ve done to make Dangerous Calling a reality.? We’ve been incredibly blessed to have you in our lives in 2007.

As for 2008, we have a few goals.? I don’t say resolutions, because if I could just resolve to get them accomplished, they would have been accomplished in 2007.? These are goals that we’re going to be working our tails off to achieve (all the while recognizing that we’re going to need God to be opening some major doors.)? Here they are:

• Sell the film - This is the big one.? I don’t mean sell the film and make our money back.? I mean sell the film and make a profit.? A nice sized profit.? Preferably early in the year.
• Get an agent/manager - You’d think having written and directed a feature film would help with this.? I’m sure selling it and making a profit would help even more.
• Write a couple scripts - One low budget one to direct as our second feature and one spec script to sell to Hollywood.
• Secure money for our next feature - At least half a million (preferably a million.)? I don’t see us directing another one this year, but who knows.? The year is young.

So there you have it.? First things first.? We’ve got to get DC finished.? Almost there!

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[qt:/dc/trailer.mov 480 286]

(If the trailer won’t play on your computer, try this link.)

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Click here to vote.

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And just let me say, they are even more amazing than I thought!

I’m posting this from my iphone. Still trying to figure iut how to post pictures. But even so, the Daws Brothers have gone mobile!

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Popcorn films are just as important as every Crash, Magnolia, or whatever other “serious” film is popular with the cultural elite.? Don’t get me wrong, I like a well made “serious” film.? Crash was a beautiful film that made me cry.? My intent here is not to dog art films or issue films.? (Although, some can be very pretentious.)? No, my intent is to point out that a well made blockbuster is just as important to society.

What would the world be like without Star Wars, Jaws, Indiana Jones, ET, Back to the Future, Lord of the Rings, The Princess Bride, etc?? These are the movies that fuel our imagination and take us out of this world.? Who hasn’t ended a hard week at the office with a trip to a movie theater to live someone else’s life for two hours?? A life of adventure where good guys win and the impossible is possible.? These movies make us believe in magic, and the best of them teach us things without us even knowing it.

Think about it.? The oldest stories we have are not “important” stories about serious cultural problems, they are epic stories about love and war and magical journeys full of peril and adventure.? I guarantee you that Homer wasn’t trying to initiate huge cultural change and prompt society to think about serious issues by telling them an allegorical tale about a man’s spiritual journey home.? No, he was trying to give his audience a thrill by telling them a story of a man battling cyclopes and encountering various other dangers while trying to get home to the woman he loved.? Thousands of years later, Homer’s Odyssey is considered important because it is a thrilling story that has captured people’s imagination again and again throughout history.

It’s stories like these that help us dream.? We see stories of people accomplishing the impossible and we know that we can accomplish the impossible too.

This is why we make the types of movies we make.? We don’t pretend to have made anything life changing, but we are darn proud to have made a movie that will allow people to escape the real world for 90 minutes and experience some thrills.? We think that is important, and we can’t wait for you to see it.? It’s a fun ride.

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His name is Emmet Gibney and his website is

www.filmschoolstudent.com

Emmet informed me last night that the interview is up on his site. Go check it out if you want to hear our voices. He asked us questions about how we got started and about my experience in film school. I think he did a great job conducting the interview and his site is really cool.

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