List #2

Note-Worthy Things I've Done In The Recent Past:

1. Discovered the wonder that is Lukas Moodysson. Lilya 4-Ever and Together are two of the best films I've seen in a long time. Hands down. If held at gunpoint and forced to make a list of Top 5 Favorite Films (an almost impossible feat, if I do say so), Lilya would be on it, zero hesitation. It is devastating, brutal, and unapologetically confrontational, but at the same time, beautiful, poetic, and fierce in its loveliness. It is completely exemplary of why I love cinema. Together, on the other hand, is just a joy to behold. Who knew you could turn the act of blowing bubbles, or swinging on a swing in Paris in a park outside Notre Dame, or grazing in the park during a summer's day into a piece of celluloid? Who knew such an organically happy film could be made? I cannot recommend both of these enough.

2. Curated my own Weekend of Film. This past weekend, my big plan was to watch something like ten films, but due to some unexpected emotional turbulence on Saturday, I only watched six. C'est la vie. At least I finally saw Michael Clayton, which was fantastic. I could watch both Tilda Swinton and Tom Wilkinson eat sandwiches, though, and I'd be happy. The final confrontation between Swinton and George Clooney's characters all on its own is worth spending your two hours glued to a TV screen (or a computer screen, in my case).

3. Helped scout locations for the film I'm co-producing. This resulted in my hanging out in a crypt for a bit, which, after gushing over the Catacombs in Paris, was excellent. We're going to be filming in a theatre space on the outskirts of Temple Bar. The space, incidentally enough, just so happens to be the oldest theatre settlement in Dublin (and perhaps in Western Europe?), which also means that it's quite haunted. So, after seeing the hollowed-out performance areas, complete with untouched, original brick walls (it's historical, so no tampering or rebuilding allowed), we were led down to the crypt, where a tomb lies and everything. Scary stuff, but perfect for a zombie film, no?

4. Began a list of all the feature-length films I'd ever seen. So far I'm at 1,218, though I'm certain there's a bunch I'm forgetting. They will come to me in my sleep.

5. Graced the cinema. My life, really, has become an excess of film. Are any of the numbers above about the books I'm reading? No. (Though if you really want to know the answer to that question, I'm currently still at the beginning of Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and The Rise of Independent Film.)

Speaking of film, I just learned the IFC Center in New York now has year-long student memberships, purchasable at only $35 a pop! This means I can now see a wealth of indie, foreign, and art house films for only $8.50, which is really the next best thing to paying nothing to go to the cinema in Manhattan. I can't really express my excitement here, except to say imagine someone jumping up and down on a bed...you'll get the picture.