Subatomic Films

Talent Lab Homework Assignment

2011-08-21T00:31:00.000-04:00

The Talent Lab's assignment (due way before it actually begins) is to make a film self-portrait. I've been thinking a lot about this for weeks, but I need to start working on it. It's a tantalizing question similar to the always annoying "so, tell me about yourself!". But this is different - you get to control images along with it. What do you want to say about yourself? How do you want the world to see you? Should it be funny? Entertaining? I have no clue.

I have a few ideas that will require some props - I just hope the physics department can help me out...

Talent Lab

2011-08-18T13:59:00.000-04:00

I've been selected to take part in this year's Talent Lab at the Toronto International Film Festival. It's a program for emerging filmmakers.

Talent Lab is an intensive four-day artistic development programme that provides emerging talent with an unparalleled opportunity to learn from the world's best film artists.

Using the Festival's outstanding relationships with acclaimed filmmakers, Talent Lab leads participants in group discussions on a range of topics focused on the artistic side of filmmaking, sharpening the skills and confidence of a new generation of filmmakers.

Really excited to be taking part in this amazing opportunity.

Here's the official release:
http://www.tiff.net/industry/programmes/talentlab

TIFF Filmmaker's Bootcamp

2011-08-12T02:19:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was TIFF's Filmmaker's Bootcamp. It's meant for filmmaker's that are new to the festival. It's about navigating the festival and how to make the most of it all. They brought in publicists, film critics, distributers, programmers and others all in the hope of having us making the most of TIFF.

This 1 day event was amazing. I feel completely ready to tackle this festival. Well I'm not ready - but I know what I have to do to get ready. Can't wait to get started working on putting butts in seats, along with my fellow short-filmmakers.

As far as I know, TIFF is the only festival that has such a program. Clearly, this is an indication of the respect and value they have for us. They care about us, our careers and our films.

On top of all that, I got to hang out and meet lots of other amazing Canadian filmmakers - some shorts and some features. I really can't wait to see them!

The End of an Era

2011-07-24T15:42:00.002-04:00

I moved to New York 6 years ago, with "2 Suitcases and a Dream!" (that line usually makes my fiancee groan). I've accumulated more than 2 suitcases worth of stuff over these years, but one thing that has stood by me was my can of shaving cream. Well, it's finally done.

Granted, I've never shaved my entire face in over 6 years, I still think it's an enormous amount of time to have a single shaving cream can.

When I consider all of the "special occasions" and things that have happened during the past 6 years I can't help but get a little misty-eyed.

Thanks Rusted Can of Barbasol. You did good. Real good.

Check out the Trailer

2011-07-22T16:08:00.001-04:00

So after months and months - here's the trailer for my new film, which began with a kickstarter campaign. Check it out - would love to hear what you have to say.

Spreading the Word in Queens

2011-02-28T08:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday before the Oscars, we went to Queens where a large West Indian community exists. We put up some flyers and spoke with a few people about supporting the film.

If even one person gets interested, it will be worth it.

Pounding the pavement, this is grass roots filmmaking.

Living The Dream Tonight at the Oscars

2011-02-27T10:56:00.001-05:00

A while back, my friend Luke Matheny asked me to record the sound on his film called God of Love. Luke is a fantastic guy and the script was hilarious.

A lot of my friends are filmmakers and we work on each others films for reciprocity. Not money. We don't have any. However, you quickly realize that people's time is far more important than cold hard cash.

It was fun making the film, with no long days and no drama off camera. The great Bobby Webster was the DP and we shot on the RED Camera, which was a learning experience for me.

Luke and another friend, Levi Abrino spent a long time editing it. The film went on to win the Wassserman award at NYU's film festival. It made the rounds at festivals (winning a lot of prizes along the way) and eventually it won a Student Academy Award. Great news. That award qualified it for the "REAL" Oscars. Then it got shortlisted.

Then it got nominated! What the....?

No one makes a short film to win an Oscar. No one.

The meteoric rise of this film has given me so much encouragement and hope for my own work. It means that if you make a good film people will respond and recognize it.

So tune in tonight and see if God of Love wins for Best Live Action short.

This one's for all of the little guys

Help Me!

2011-02-26T23:06:00.003-05:00

I've launched the Kickstarter page for my most recent film, "Doubles with Slight Pepper". If you have some extra cash that you're not sure what to do, please feel free to drop some coin in my cup.

I am going to be posting a lot more about the process of making this film, so check back often.

One Of the Best Videos I've Ever Seen

2011-02-20T16:42:00.002-05:00

I've heard a lot about these Urban Explorers, the folks that go around various cities and check out the infrastructure - places that are usually off limits to the public. One day I'll really go on one of these.

Here's a video of a great visit to a lot of NYC sites:

UNDERCITY from Andrew Wonder on Vimeo.

Outlining...

2010-08-18T13:11:00.003-04:00

After a few weeks of work, I've finished my portion for the outline of Soucouyant. My writing partner is working on his portion.

This outline is meant to be a blueprint of how the story will be told. If you've read the book you'll know that there are several jumps in time over several time periods. I think our biggest challenge is to integrate all of the time periods into a cohesive story. What we've decided to do is to figure out the story for each time period, and then we'll figure out how to best mix them up.

From our previous experiences: the finished script does resemble the outline in terms of storyline. Each scene may not be exactly how we planned it, but the content/drama is more or less the same.

Once we agree on the outline, we'll move to the actual screenwriting, where the bulk of the work is done. The outlining process is useful as it forces you to understand the story you're trying to tell and how it will unfold.

So, I think I have a good grasp of what we're trying to do now and I'm excited and motivated to get going!

Rum & Coca Cola

2010-08-06T21:21:00.001-04:00

Ever since a cousin's wedding a few weeks ago, I've been listening to a lot of old Calypso, Soca and Chutney (the main music in Trinidad). It reminded of a part in Soucouyant where the Son is singing Lord Invader's Rum & Coca Cola. Growing up you rarely listen to lyrics and can barely make sense of them. This song is absolutely incredible.

Not sure exactly how, but I KNOW this song will feature prominently in the screenplay. It just sums up everything.

Official Confirmation

2010-07-21T11:57:00.000-04:00

From the Arsenal site:

Soucouyant film option sold (Jul. 2010)

The film option to David Chariandy's award-winning novel Soucouyant has been sold to New York-based filmmakers Ian Harnarine and Jon Malkiel. They most recently co-wrote the adaptation of physicist Ronald Mallett's memoir Time Traveler with Spike Lee, currently in development as a feature film.

Soucouyant, shortlisted for the Governor General's Award and longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, is now in its third printing.

Reboot: Soucouyant

2010-07-21T11:36:00.004-04:00

Last year some time I read Neil Bissoondath's "A Casual Brutality" and really enjoyed it. Looking up info on the author, I came across a list of West Indian-Canadian authors and read about David Chariandy's "Soucouyant". Ordered it from Amazon (since I couldn't find it at local NYC stores) and read it.

It immediately struck a chord with me as it really explored the 2nd Generation experience coupled with dealing with aging parents.

It was a quick read and couldn't stop thinking about it. I was wondering if it really was that good, or was it that I had such a personal connection to the material? I passed it on to my writing partner and was surprised that he loved it too.

If you haven't read it - you should. It's beautifully written with some extremely brutal moments that will kill you.

Anyways, we were looking for something to adapt and this story was it. We contacted the Publisher (The great folks over at Arsenal Pulp Press) and Mr. Chariandy. They were so gracious to trust us with this wonderful story.

Not sure how this blog will take form now, but I will try to update frequently as we begin the book to script to screen process. Might become a scrapbook, or random thoughts on what I'm dealing with at the time.

Overhead at the gym

2009-05-22T08:56:00.001-04:00

Old guy #1 on treadmill: I got something to tell you that you won't agree with.
Old guy #2 on elliptical: what's that?
Old guy #1: dean martin was better than frank sinatra.
Old guy #2: have you lost your frickin mind?

On the Go

2009-05-21T23:57:00.000-04:00

I just enabled the mobile blogging function. Hopefully this place will be more active now.

Damn Immigints!

2009-03-16T16:19:00.003-04:00

As the son of immigrants, I sometimes lose track of the amount of sacrifice and risks involved in moving to a completely different place. I'm unsure if I'd be able to replicate the movements of my parents, if I were in their same shoes.

A funny thing happens as you get older and the relationship between parent and child changes. It becomes one of mutual respect; You actually want to learn more about them!

Me vs. The Falls

2009-03-12T17:44:00.002-04:00

Niagara Falls
Originally uploaded by Elizabeth Wentling.

I've always found Niagara Falls to be one of the most majestic places in the world. Sure the commercialization and tourist traps are an eyesore, but once you get past all of that and right up to the falls, you can't help but feeling the power.

Due to the hydroelectric plants (which is probably powering my computer right now), the natural flow of the falls has been reduced to a fraction of what it should be. I can't fathom what Niagara Falls would look like if it were allowed to flow the way it had hundreds of years ago.

I'm clearly not alone in my fondness for The Falls, as it's always been a source of inspiration for daredevils, suicides and lovers.

There comes news of a man that has survived the plunge. Although it's unclear of his intentions (it seems he was attempting suicide), he remains only the 3rd person to survive a trip on The Falls.

Another survivor from an accidental jump in 1960 recounts his experience eloquently:

"It felt like I was floating – not going up and not going down – and when I hit the water there wasn't a big splat or anything."

I can't imagine anything coming close to the feeling of being 'in' The Falls, but I I'd like to experience it. I just don't have the guts.

A Landmark Event in Publishing

2008-12-03T23:19:00.002-05:00

One of my goals as a kid was to have a picture of mine in Life Magazine. Then it went under. It was my first magazine subscription and it had a profound effect on me.

So it's good news that the sorely missed Life Magazine has made their photo archives available via Google's image search.

A quick perusal through some of the images is awe-inspiring and a lot of fun. Some of the etchings date back to the 1750's to modern day digital stuff.

Google's done a good job of organizing them into categories, but you can just do a search for whatever you want and browse.

When you get a few minutes, you should seriously check it out. It is a big deal.

This is a Movie Theatre

2008-12-01T18:39:00.002-05:00

R-77th St, Bay Ridge
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

If you take the Q or B trains (or to a lesser degree the N or D) into Manhattan from Brooklyn, you may have noticed the weird animations and bright lights just before you pass over the Manhattan Bridge.

I thought originally it was part of some advertizing campaign, but it's just art... for art's sake!

The piece is called 'Masstransiscope' and was done by Bill Brand. It is constructed by the abandoned Myrtle Ave. station and was originally unveiled back in 1980. It's been recently cleaned and re-installed for all the straphangers to see.

Only showing on the subway, or here.

You're Late Because of the Train? Prove it.

2008-11-30T19:34:00.002-05:00

Never Leave Your Car
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

You can be late for anything in NYC and the most common excuse is 'The train was so late!', then everyone gives a knowing glance followed by an 'I know what you mean. The MTA totally sucks.'

Of course, there are legitimate delays, but most don't last a couple of minutes. Let's be honest, people know how long it takes to get from point 'A' to point 'B', and with hopstop giving excellent directions, there is no real excuse for being late in anywhere.

However, on the off-chance that a serious train delay screws up your life I never knew that you could request a 'train delay verification letter', from the MTA that will support your alibi. Apparently, they send out hundreds a week.

Starting next year the whole system will be online making it easier for you to prove your case. Or for bosses to call you out.

Audacity of Hope

2008-11-07T19:55:00.002-05:00

Back in July of 2004, I went to the opening of the new Millennium Park in Chicago. I remember seeing Barack Obama and his family literally playing on the fresh grass in front of me. He was running for Senate back then, and was well known in those parts. I was struck by the lack of cameras, handlers and genuine 'good times' going on.

About two weeks later, Obama delivered the keynote at the DNC which catapulted him to national recognition and I believe to be one of the greatest speeches of all time. I recently went back to those words and it's interesting if you replace the words 'John Kerry' with 'I'.

It was also the first time I heard 'The Audacity of Hope' line. It's been beaten into the ground and has become almost trite now, but it's still a profound statement on the status quo.

For your enjoyment (for video, click here):

Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, Dick Durbin. You make us all proud.

On behalf of the great state of Illinois, crossroads of a nation, Land of Lincoln, let me express my deepest gratitude for the privilege of addressing this convention.

Tonight is a particular honor for me because, let’s face it, my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student, born and raised in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, went to school in a tin-roof shack. His father -- my grandfather -- was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

But my grandfather had larger dreams for his son. Through hard work and perseverance my father got a scholarship to study in a magical place, America, that shone as a beacon of freedom and opportunity to so many who had come before.

While studying here, my father met my mother. She was born in a town on the other side of the world, in Kansas. Her father worked on oil rigs and farms through most of the Depression. The day after Pearl Harbor my grandfather signed up for duty; joined Patton’s army, marched across Europe. Back home, my grandmother raised a baby and went to work on a bomber assembly line. After the war, they studied on the G.I. Bill, bought a house through F.H.A., and later moved west all the way to Hawaii in search of opportunity.

And they, too, had big dreams for their daughter. A common dream, born of two continents.

My parents shared not only an improbable love, they shared an abiding faith in the possibilities of this nation. They would give me an African name, Barack, or ”blessed,” believing that in a tolerant America your name is no barrier to success. They imagined -- They imagined me going to the best schools in the land, even though they weren’t rich, because in a generous America you don’t have to be rich to achieve your potential.

They're both passed away now. And yet, I know that on this night they look down on me with great pride.

They stand here -- And I stand here today, grateful for the diversity of my heritage, aware that my parents’ dreams live on in my two precious daughters. I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our Nation -- not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That is the true genius of America, a faith -- a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted -- at least most of the time.

This year, in this election we are called to reaffirm our values and our commitments, to hold them against a hard reality and see how we're measuring up to the legacy of our forbearers and the promise of future generations.

And fellow Americans, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, I say to you tonight: We have more work to do -- more work to do for the workers I met in Galesburg, Illinois, who are losing their union jobs at the Maytag plant that’s moving to Mexico, and now are having to compete with their own children for jobs that pay seven bucks an hour; more to do for the father that I met who was losing his job and choking back the tears, wondering how he would pay 4500 dollars a month for the drugs his son needs without the health benefits that he counted on; more to do for the young woman in East St. Louis, and thousands more like her, who has the grades, has the drive, has the will, but doesn’t have the money to go to college.

Now, don’t get me wrong. The people I meet -- in small towns and big cities, in diners and office parks -- they don’t expect government to solve all their problems. They know they have to work hard to get ahead, and they want to. Go into the collar counties around Chicago, and people will tell you they don’t want their tax money wasted, by a welfare agency or by the Pentagon. Go in -- Go into any inner city neighborhood, and folks will tell you that government alone can’t teach our kids to learn; they know that parents have to teach, that children can’t achieve unless we raise their expectations and turn off the television sets and eradicate the slander that says a black youth with a book is acting white. They know those things.

People don’t expect -- People don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.

They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

In this election, we offer that choice. Our Party has chosen a man to lead us who embodies the best this country has to offer. And that man is John Kerry.

John Kerry understands the ideals of community, faith, and service because they’ve defined his life. From his heroic service to Vietnam, to his years as a prosecutor and lieutenant governor, through two decades in the United States Senate, he's devoted himself to this country. Again and again, we’ve seen him make tough choices when easier ones were available.

His values and his record affirm what is best in us. John Kerry believes in an America where hard work is rewarded; so instead of offering tax breaks to companies shipping jobs overseas, he offers them to companies creating jobs here at home.

John Kerry believes in an America where all Americans can afford the same health coverage our politicians in Washington have for themselves.

John Kerry believes in energy independence, so we aren’t held hostage to the profits of oil companies, or the sabotage of foreign oil fields.

John Kerry believes in the Constitutional freedoms that have made our country the envy of the world, and he will never sacrifice our basic liberties, nor use faith as a wedge to divide us.

And John Kerry believes that in a dangerous world war must be an option sometimes, but it should never be the first option.

You know, a while back -- awhile back I met a young man named Shamus in a V.F.W. Hall in East Moline, Illinois. He was a good-looking kid -- six two, six three, clear eyed, with an easy smile. He told me he’d joined the Marines and was heading to Iraq the following week. And as I listened to him explain why he’d enlisted, the absolute faith he had in our country and its leaders, his devotion to duty and service, I thought this young man was all that any of us might ever hope for in a child.

But then I asked myself, "Are we serving Shamus as well as he is serving us?"

I thought of the 900 men and women -- sons and daughters, husbands and wives, friends and neighbors, who won’t be returning to their own hometowns. I thought of the families I’ve met who were struggling to get by without a loved one’s full income, or whose loved ones had returned with a limb missing or nerves shattered, but still lacked long-term health benefits because they were Reservists.
When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Now -- Now let me be clear. Let me be clear. We have real enemies in the world. These enemies must be found. They must be pursued. And they must be defeated. John Kerry knows this. And just as Lieutenant Kerry did not hesitate to risk his life to protect the men who served with him in Vietnam, President Kerry will not hesitate one moment to use our military might to keep America safe and secure.

John Kerry believes in America. And he knows that it’s not enough for just some of us to prosper -- for alongside our famous individualism, there’s another ingredient in the American saga, a belief that we’re all connected as one people. If there is a child on the south side of Chicago who can’t read, that matters to me, even if it’s not my child. If there is a senior citizen somewhere who can’t pay for their prescription drugs, and having to choose between medicine and the rent, that makes my life poorer, even if it’s not my grandparent. If there’s an Arab American family being rounded up without benefit of an attorney or due process, that threatens my civil liberties.

It is that fundamental belief -- It is that fundamental belief: I am my brother’s keeper. I am my sister’s keeper that makes this country work. It’s what allows us to pursue our individual dreams and yet still come together as one American family.

E pluribus unum: "Out of many, one."

Now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us -- the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers who embrace the politics of "anything goes." Well, I say to them tonight, there is not a liberal America and a conservative America -- there is the United States of America. There is not a Black America and a White America and Latino America and Asian America -- there’s the United States of America.

The pundits, the pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them, too. We worship an "awesome God" in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we’ve got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and there are patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the end -- In the end -- In the end, that’s what this election is about. Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?

John Kerry calls on us to hope. John Edwards calls on us to hope.

I’m not talking about blind optimism here -- the almost willful ignorance that thinks unemployment will go away if we just don’t think about it, or the health care crisis will solve itself if we just ignore it. That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about something more substantial. It’s the hope of slaves sitting around a fire singing freedom songs; the hope of immigrants setting out for distant shores; the hope of a young naval lieutenant bravely patrolling the Mekong Delta; the hope of a millworker’s son who dares to defy the odds; the hope of a skinny kid with a funny name who believes that America has a place for him, too.

Hope -- Hope in the face of difficulty. Hope in the face of uncertainty. The audacity of hope!

In the end, that is God’s greatest gift to us, the bedrock of this nation. A belief in things not seen. A belief that there are better days ahead.

I believe that we can give our middle class relief and provide working families with a road to opportunity.

I believe we can provide jobs to the jobless, homes to the homeless, and reclaim young people in cities across America from violence and despair.

I believe that we have a righteous wind at our backs and that as we stand on the crossroads of history, we can make the right choices, and meet the challenges that face us.

America! Tonight, if you feel the same energy that I do, if you feel the same urgency that I do, if you feel the same passion that I do, if you feel the same hopefulness that I do -- if we do what we must do, then I have no doubt that all across the country, from Florida to Oregon, from Washington to Maine, the people will rise up in November, and John Kerry will be sworn in as President, and John Edwards will be sworn in as Vice President, and this country will reclaim its promise, and out of this long political darkness a brighter day will come.

Thank you very much everybody. God bless you. Thank you.

A Nerd for President!

2008-09-21T18:51:00.003-04:00

With the numerous debates going on between the two primary presidential candidates, it becomes quite clear what they support and their ideologies.

Science Debate grilled Obama and McCain on how science fits into their platforms, as well as their positions on important science topics.

Their answers are perhaps more illuminating and telling of how they would run the country than any 5 second sound-bite on CNN.

Sign that the Apocalypse is Nigh

2008-08-19T19:37:00.002-04:00

On my way to Summerstage in Central Park, I passed through Strawberry Fields. There was the usual throng of tourists, and I saw a man in his 40's with his teenage daughter admiring the makeshift shrine for John Lennon that's always there:

Dad: So all of this is for John Lennon.
Daughter: You mean John Legend.
Dad: No, John Lennon. He was in a band.
Daughter: I've never heard of him.

Our time is clearly coming to an end.

Picturing the Olympics

2008-08-17T21:24:00.004-04:00

There is endless media coverage of the Olympics. I've been impressed by the exhaustiveness of NBC's site. The site is far more interesting than their wretched broadcast.

With so many sports and athletes to report on, the sheer size of the media themselves become part of the Olympics. None of them are documenting themselves more interesting than the The Toronto Star's Photographer's Blog, giving great stories about the drama and people involved in getting the great pictures that define the Olympics.

Richard Lautens, Steve Russell and Lucas Oleniuk sometimes turn the camera on themselves and take behind the scenes photos that give insight and a perspective that most of us take for granted.

Wordless Disappointment

2008-08-17T15:38:00.001-04:00

View from under tarp
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

We've been an avid supporter of the Wordless Music Series , a mostly instrumental music series of concerts over the past couple of years. Usually, modern composers are billed with instrumental indie-rock or experimental acts.

Last Friday, the series moved to Lincoln Center for an outdoor concert, featuring vocal compositions by 13th Century composer Perotin, the first live performance of Manuel Gottsching's "E2-E4" from 1984. There was also scheduled to be the unveiling of Rhys Chatham's "A Crimson Grail, for 200 Electric Guitars (Outdoor Version)". 200 guitarists were going to line the sides of the audience and play this symphonic piece.

Unfortunately, it rained. A lot. The organizers shuffled the order of music and we heard E2-E4, which was absolutely amazing. The rains stopped during this performance, but everywhere was still wet and soggy.

Clearly, you can't have hundreds of people plugging into exposed amplifiers right after a torrential storm, so they canceled the performance.

It was a massive disappointment, as I think a lot of people came out to hear 200 guitars, but safety always comes first. Let's hope it gets rescheduled soon.

NBC & Scorpions on a Stick

2008-08-14T11:46:00.002-04:00

With no cable, I'm confined to NBC's coverage of the Olympics, which I've been watching every night.

Is anyone else tired of seeing Bob Costas and other reporters going on 'food tours' of China only to show Scorpions (or any other 'weird food')on a Stick?

In this day and age, I thought we were beyond making fun of the food people from different cultures eat. Anyone hear of scrapple? Now that's hilarious!

Creepy 80's Sitcoms

2008-08-12T21:41:00.003-04:00

I'm a big fan of the 80's sitcom. Life on TV was simpler back then, and it genuinely had bigger laughs. Occasionally, the writers would sneak in episodes that were challenging or pushed the envelope. Three's Company always pushed the homosexual front (in a round-a-bout way). The Cosby Show was also innovative on so many fronts: racism, sexism, dealing with dementia are all episodes I can think of. I also remember seeing a cast of many races in supportive roles.

Esquire had a list of some of the edgier moments from a few 80's sitcoms. I remember them all, including the uber-creepy Diff'rent Strokes episode.

A glaring omission is the Facts of Life episode dealing with drugs (anyone want to take a hit from a jellybean holder?).

Is Cuil Cool?

2008-07-28T12:15:00.002-04:00

I remember the pre-Google days of Yahoo! and AltaVista. I also remember how Google just destroyed them all.

Today, Cuil went live. It's a search engine developed by nerds that worked on Google, that claims to have better searching capabilities. It's logo is kinda flickr-ish, but maintains a very simple and clean interface. I like that their search results are displayed in a 'newspaper style' of columns.

I did a few trivial test searches: mostly stuff involving me. What a blow to my ego that my name coupled with imdb failed to turn anything up! What haters coded this thing anyways!?!?

Passing Strange: A work of Genius.

2008-07-20T13:47:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of seeing one of the last performances of the musical Passing Strange on Broadway. I truly regret not seeing this earlier, because by the time you read this, the the curtains will have come down forever.

I am by no means a patron of the theatre. In fact, I find most of it full of terrible acting, outdated songs, and hokey writing. I never got it. Also, high ticket prices are not encouraging.

So after settling into cramped seats, and watching four musicians take the stage that was dressed more like a rock concert than rickety flats and cheap furniture, the show began. There is too much to cover, but there is just so much joy, inherent truth, wisdom and genuine beauty that I couldn't help but smile until the end of the show.

Each cast member plays their roles brilliantly, and the story is told with such irreverance, humour and humanity. Never mind all of the clever stage devices and thought-provoking dialogue, it's the songs that kept us happy.

In an age when Rent is long past relevant, Passing Strange blows everything else out of the water. It was won a slew of awards, and in my mind, it should win a Pulitzer. More importantly, it has me believing that the theatre is still relevant to my life and that people can still create inspiring, original work. Unfortunately, the public still won't support it.

Netflix. Yay Netflix!

2008-06-30T17:28:00.002-04:00

The Subatomic office has been Netflix subscribers for years now. The office has scaled back on the cable-tv, but Netflix remains a necessity. We like to watch TV-shows, indie-dramas, obscure docs, foreign stuff, and even the latest hollywood blockbuster. Netflix has never let us down.

We were saddened when they announced that they were going to cancel their 'profiles' feature which allowed several people to have their own queue for one single account. The feature allowed everyone in the office to at least get one movie that they wanted to see. No more...or so we thought.

There was a huge online movement to have them continue the service, and we signed a few online petition. So imagine the delight at the email saying they would keep the 'profiles' after all.

In an age when many corporations are screwing customers left and right, and raising rates for fewer services, I'm glad to see that Netflix keeps it real.

Coldplay at MSG

2008-06-24T22:39:00.002-04:00

The Grand Finale
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

I was one of the lucky (actually, there were thousands others, so maybe not that lucky) folks that got tickets for the Coldplay show at Madison Square Gardens. Can't say that I'm a huge fan, I'm more of an armchair Coldplay admirer.

I really enjoyed their first album, Parachutes, but think their albums after it are nothing to be proud of. So, I went to the show with low expectations, and mostly because it was free.

The first two opening acts were abysmal (not even worthy of a mention)! So, I was getting more and more frustrated and decided that I'd give Coldplay a few songs, and if they sucked, I would exit early to Brooklyn.

However, they brought it! I think they are settling nicely into their billing as 'the new U2/Radiohead', arena-rock gods. The band sounded tight, and Chris Martin played the role of frontman quite well: inane banter between songs, dancing wildly, audience participation and charisma to burn.

They belted out a nice mixture of old and new songs and pulled some cool 'surprises', including a bizarre acoustic performance of monster hit Yellow at the back of the arena amongst the crowd.

The only downer was that there was no encore, which the crowd totally wanted. I guess, you get what you pay for.

Slow Summer (So Far...)

2008-06-18T22:36:00.001-04:00

I'm a media Whore
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

If you didn't know, Swedish furniture giant, IKEA, opened a store in Brooklyn. Red Hook to be exact.

They've pulled out all the stops in trying to get New Yorkers away from the New Jersey and Long Island stores: they've got shuttle buses running from nearby subway stations, water taxi's, and ample parking (which is a premium in NYC).

Anyhoo, the hardcores started lining up on Monday to get a free couch. I'm a busy guy, so I decided to show up at 730am (the store opened at 9am). The nice thing is that the store has commanding views of Manhattan and Lady Liberty. It's also employing about 500 folks, mostly from Brooklyn.

In hindsight, there really wasn't much holding me back from camping out on Monday for the couch. As you can see, it's been a slow summer for the Subatomic Films office.

Get a job, Class of 2008!

2008-06-15T22:45:00.002-04:00

IMG_7387.jpg
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

I remember when I graduated from YorkU back in 2002, the speaker at my commencement was astronaut Marc Garneau (whom apparently has made a bid for politics recently. Thankfully, he didn't win. Scientists that want to be politicians scare me). That was kind of cool. But let's be honest, most commencement speeches are incredibly boring especially when they venture into political territory. If it's not political, they can all be summed up by "good job, believe in yourself, you are awsome, etc..."

The Times put together a page of excerpts from commencement speeches this year, and surprise surprise, most of them suck. The only words that ring true to me were given by, of all people, Clarence Thomas: "As those of us who take responsibility for our lives, and don’t blame others, know only so well, life has a way of humbling, if not humiliating us."

He Shoots, He Scores!

2008-06-03T17:28:00.002-04:00

Since I don't have cable, my sports viewing is predominantly relegated to major championships.
So, I'm grateful that NBC airs the Stanley Cup Finals.

Hopefully you saw last night's game that continued for 3 over-time periods. It was easily the best game that I've seen in years. Good end to end, fast-moving and relatively clean playing.

Usually, I hate the announcers on NBC, but I found Mike Emrick, Pierre McGuire and Eddie-O (who I met at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto when I was like 8 years old!) to be rather engaging and thoughtful.

I haven't seen a game on CBC in a while. From this column, it looks like things are looking bleak for them.

Cruelty No More in Canada?

2008-06-01T23:04:00.003-04:00

I'm no stranger to KFC outlets worldwide, and my consuming probably wouldn't be affected, but it's nice to know that KFC Canada has bowed to the endless protests/boycotts of PETA and will buy chickens that been killed in a manner that is considered more humane.

This could be a watershed moment in fast-food, as I'm sure other companies in Canada will follow suit, and the pressure will then be states-side and eventually worldwide.

The suits at KFC Canada are also promising a vegan chicken alternative at restaurants. To be honest, a lot of the 'faux-chicken' products made by Morningstar Farms are pretty damn tasty... just stay away from Tofurkey.

Makin' me look bad

2008-05-22T09:20:00.003-04:00

Everyone knows that I'm a big supporter of Nuclear Energy and it's ability to provide huge amounts of power relatively cheaply.

Unfortunately, it's stories like this, that make me feel and look like and idiot.

Nuclear Energy rests on and demands that proper safety precautions are taken in all steps involved.

It's as if Lake Ontario's history of pollution wasn't enough.

Inside News from the Obama Camp

2008-04-21T12:51:00.004-04:00

One of my teachers (and dare I say, 'friend') got a job last year working on the Obama campaign as the director of field production. Basically, he's the one making the campaign ads and videos.

There's a very nice profile of him, his life on the road and the creative process which is high turnaround.

When I ran into him after the New York rally last year, he confided that he thought his gig would be over soon. Clearly, he was wrong.

Physicists Tell it to the Judge!

2008-04-20T13:37:00.003-04:00

I lub me some baby mama drama!

The woes for the LHC continues as a few quacks (Walter L. Wagner and Luis Sancho) are suing (yes, legal action!) CERN for potentially creating black holes that will swallow up the Earth.

Even better than that has been the discussion over at Peter Steinberg's blog (Full disclosure: Peter is a former colleague of mine). It gets better, as Wagner got around to posting a nasty response.

As it turns out, Wagner is a master of "the sky is falling" prophecies as he predicted black holes would surely result from RHIC over at BNL. From the year that I spent at BNL, I can truthfully say, I am still alive.

R.I.P.: Wheeler

2008-04-14T22:14:00.003-04:00

We were saddened to hear about the passing of the mighty physicist John Wheeler. This guy was the real deal and was perhaps the most influential physicist alive.

I first came to know Wheeler when I read a paper that he and Feynman (Feynman was Wheeler's student) wrote on the Retarded Potential. I was struck by the philosophical implications concerning the arrow of time. It was that brief paper that caused me to look more into Wheeler, and his massive contribution to knowledge.

I've never been star-struck by scientists (and movie stars are starting to lose their luster), but Wheeler was the only contemporary physicist that I really wanted to meet.

Back in the Office

2008-04-11T10:46:00.002-04:00

Toronto Skyline from the Ferry
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

It's been a while...I've been dealing with some serious family problems (looks like everything will be OK though) which took me to Toronto and away from the blogosphere for a bit.

However, you will be happy to know that I am back, and my typing fingers are itchy.

This One's For you, Mr. Cohen

2008-03-07T10:24:00.003-05:00

In this week's installment of Status Ain't Hood, Tom Breihan gives his regular roundup of American Idol. It's good that he's able to recognize the best performance of this year, which was Castro's version of "Hallelujah."

Everyone's talking about Jeff Buckley's version and tons of people are downloading it, which is great. However, it's Leonard Cohen's original that is the real masterpiece. I also really liked Rufus Wainwright's version too.

I've been listening to a lot of old Cohen stuff, and even though he's being inducted into the Hall of Fame, an imminent tour and there was a doc about him with celebrities galore, Old Man Lenny is still pretty much flying under the radar.

His Cousin is Descartes Nietzsche

2008-03-04T20:31:00.003-05:00

Last week a postdoc from Princeton did a talk in the Physics Department at NYU. Some folks are meant for their respective professions: Coco Crisp was meant to play basebell. Doug Gilmour easily a hockey player. Hulk Hogan, wrestler. Aristotle Socrates can be nothing other than a physicist.

MC Nerding it Up

2008-03-02T11:44:00.003-05:00

Scientists are a jovial bunch. Despite the common stereotype, most do enjoy a good party. Especially a good drink. At least in my experience, scientist + alcohol + dancefloor = good times (+ embarrassing pictures later).

Some nerds across the pond have taken it one step further, where at a recent party, they were urged to "Dance their PhD". That is, to create an interpretive dance based on their dissertation topic. It was organized by a molecular biology grad student that also moonlights as a club DJ.

You can see interesting video from the scene here. Honestly, most of it isn't that great aside from Simone Recchi's "Dynamical and chemical evolution of blue compact dwarf galaxies." In my mind, the post-doc astronomer from University of Trieste really got it when he performed to Daft Punk's "Around the World".

Robert Elswit

2008-02-21T11:13:00.002-05:00

Robert Elswit
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms
The master cinematographer came to the department last night to talk about his experiences. He was kind enough to arrange a screening of a 35mm print of There Will Be Blood, for which he is nominated for an Oscar.

To be honest, I didn't really know his work until I checked him out on imdb, and learned that he's shot some of favourite movies of the past few years: Michael Clayton, Good Night, and Good Luck and Magnolia. An impressive CV.

He mostly spoke about TWBB, working with Paul Thomas Anderson and his unorthodox approach to filmmaking.

He himself said that he's not (nor will Tony Gilroy) going to win on Sunday night, but he'll always be #1 in our hearts. Yeah I said that.

Leaks

2008-02-20T12:33:00.002-05:00

Our friends at the Pirate Bay are apparently behind the new wiki-style site wikileaks which allows the dissemination of classified documents pertaining to governments and corporations. It encourages whisteblowers to pass on information, promising anonymous, untraceable uploads.

It launched in late 2006 and gained big hits when it posted the SOP's for the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.

It is sites like this that are truly making the internet an absolutely essential alternative to mainstream media.

A quick perusal through some of the other docs is scary and infuriating.

James McBride & Spike Lee

2008-02-07T21:40:00.000-05:00

Spike Lee's class this semester is all about his next film, which just wrapped shooting 2 weeks ago. It's an adaptation of James McBride's book "Miracle at St. Anna", and the 92nd Division (mostly black soldiers in WWII) experiences through Italy.

Last week we were absolutely treated to see a teaser trailer that was assembled for Hollywood types. The stuff is truly beautiful.

This week, we were lucky to have the author James McBride (who also wrote the screenplay) come to class and talk to us about working with Spike on adapting his own work. It was really great to hear about his writing process, and what goes through his mind when writing for characters. It's interesting to note that Mr. McBride is also a notable jazz musician and journalist (he teaches journalism at NYU).

At the end of the class, Spike said that we were all getting copies of McBride's latest book Song Yet Unsung, which was released on Tuesday. We also got copies of the screenplay. It was like Oprah! I was a fanboy and got them both signed by the author, who was extremely gracious.

It was a great treat to have two master artists in one room, and to hear them talk about storytelling and craft.

Worst Headline Ever?!

2008-02-06T20:46:00.000-05:00

Either Toronto is having a snow storm, or just had a massive Taco Bell meal.

Abderrahmane Sissako

2008-01-29T10:40:00.001-05:00

Last week, Abderrahmane Sissako came to the department for a Q&A. As with many of the guests that we are lucky to get, Sissako was fantastic.

He has an interesting story: born in Mauritania, grew up in Mali, moved to Moscow for film school (VGIK). A short that he made went to Cannes, and garnered much attention to him. He was able to move to Paris and continue to make films on his own terms for French television (but still gets theatrical distribution). Most of his films are based in Africa and there was a screening of his earlier film Waiting for Happiness.

Through an interpreter, he was incredibly sincere, gentle, thoughtful and passionate about his experiences and his philosophies on filmmaking and working with actors.

He also screened a few scenes from his student films all the way up to his latest feature Bamako (in which the World Bank and the IMF are put on trial for screwing up Africa). In the scene he showed us, a villager comes to the podium and just starts singing in some native language that is not translated. However, everything the man is singing about is incredibly clear to the viewer. Perhaps one of the greatest moments on film that I've ever seen.

Mike Trent Hates Canadians (i.e Black People)

2008-01-26T14:24:00.000-05:00

I couldn't make this stuff up folks....

Assistant District Attorney in Harris County, Texas sent out an email referring to "Canadians" in the jury of a case he had just won. Problem is that obviously, there were no Canadians on the jury (and further, it wouldn't be possible for a Canadian to sit on a jury). However, there were a few black folks.

From the Urban Dictionary:

Canadian:

Expression for black people used by whites as "code" when they want to refer to blacks in a semi-derogatory manner without being detected in a group of people

"Jeezus, look at all the Canadians out tonight."

Of course, the guy in question is claiming no foul, and is quoted as saying: "Am I insanely stupid enough to send a racial slur to 250 LAWYERS? Litigious, complaint-ready lawyers, some of whom are African-American?? That is just absurd."

Well, I guess you are probably not insane...but definitely stupid. Not to mention ignorant.

Just a further illustration of the systemic racism that plagues the justice system everywhere.

Skull and Bones

2008-01-24T22:04:00.001-05:00

Washington Square Park - Under Construction
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

If you've taken a jaunt through Washington Square Park recently, you'd realize that you couldn't get pretty far. They are pretty much tearing it up and it has caused much uproar amongst community groups. The biggest change will be the alignment of the large fountain with the arch. Personally, I feel that this is a nice aesthetic move as I think beauty is inherent with balance.

Is it worth millions of dollars, well that's another story.

During the digging yesterday, crews came across several skeletons that no doubt are hundreds of years old stemming from the park's previous use as a burial ground.

Low Budget Science

2008-01-23T11:46:00.001-05:00

My current forte is low budget filmmaking. I enjoy the thinking and creativity involved in making decisions with minimal cash flow.

However, this thinking can't be extrapolated to my past forte of science.

The Fiscal Year 2008 budget, as tabled, sees huge cuts to science in the US, especially high energy physics. It's effects could be catastrophic, and are already being felt:

-work on the ILC has stopped completely.

-the BaBar experiment will be shut down 6 months early.

-runs with colliding beams at RHIC (my old stomping ground) are being shortened from 30 weeks to 13 weeks.

-10% of employees at Fermilab will lose their jobs.

The list goes on and on. Jobs, knowledge, innovation and training are all on the line. You really should write to the government to stop this.

Dock Ellis: Turn on, tune in, drop out

2008-01-16T10:28:00.000-05:00

I was over at snopes.com trying to verify a ridiculous email forward that I got sent (fyi: Walmart did sell flip flops that caused terrible skin infections), and randomly came across the story of Dock Ellis, a pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates back in the 70's.

If you are not part of the enlightened, here's a rundown of one of the most colourful ball players of all time:

-during pre-game warmups, he'd show up in curlers

-he intentionally hit three consecutive batters at the top of the 1st inning. The fourth batter was able to dodge the plunkers and drew a walk. He then drilled two pitches at Johnny Bench's head before being pulled.

-pitched a no-hitter while tripping on LSD!!

I just checked his career stats, and they are pretty good: 138-119 with an OK 3.46 ERA.

Respectable numbers, for someone that probably won't be remembered for them.

Cutting Room Floor

2008-01-13T14:41:00.001-05:00

My Editing Station
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms
Editing is another part of the directorial role that calls for tough and quick decision-making. There is so much agonizing done, about performances, the delivery of lines, gestures it can become quickly obsessive.

In extreme cases, entire characters are taken out if the performance is not working, or if it just convolutes the story. IFC has a list of actors that have ended up on the cutting room floor, some of them really interesting: Harrison Ford was in E.T?

My favourite is the case of Adrien Brody whining when his starring role in Malick's The Thin Red Line was whittled down to a supporting role. He's complained ever since, even though it was that film that he pretty much owes his career to.

B-List Celebrity Sighting: Peter Dinklage

2008-01-10T14:52:00.000-05:00

Accomplished actor who was in amongst other things The Station Agent. He also made an awesome cameo in The Baxter.

Spotted him on 11th St at Broadway, walking his dog with a companion.

My Entrance to High Society

2008-01-07T11:21:00.001-05:00

Staircase after the Show
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

Last week I went to see War and Peace at the Metropolitan Opera. My only other experience with operas was at the Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of 'Samson and Delila' a few years ago, which I really enjoyed.

I went to see it, because a friend of mine is a huge fan of Tolstoy's massive original tome (which still sits unread in the office bookshelf), so I thought that this would be a good substitute. Also The Times also gave it an incredible review a few weeks ago.

The production itself was enormous and long, full of hundreds of cast members all singing their hearts out. So on an epic level it was successful. The production is pretty much divided into two parts (the opening being 'the peace', and the second part 'the war'). I found the former to be a bit slow paced, whereas the latter was was extremely dynamic, passionate and full of great production tricks.

Unfortunately, Subatomic Films hasn't hit the big money yet, so all we could afford were the cheap seats, and sitting so far away, it's a bit hard for the voices to hit you as strongly as they should.

Snob Music Review: The Golden Upturned Nose Awards - Music Division

2007-12-29T01:27:00.000-05:00

I can't say that I listened to a lot of music this year, or at least not a lot of new music. Also, most of the new stuff has been of the indie-rock hipster variety. I'm going to try to change that next year.

I reckon this year has been more of a 'where's the beef?' kind of thing, as I found most big releases disappointing: Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Feist... all of them were duds in my books.

Anyways, here's a list of the albums that I listened to the most, and thus worthy of the coveted Golded Upturned Nose Award - Music Division:

LCD Soundsystem- "Sound of Silver"
The National - "Boxer"
Spoon - "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"
Panda Bear - "Person Pitch"
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - "Once Soundtrack"
The Most Serene Republic - "Populatiaon"
Do Make Say Think - "You, You're a History in Rust"

We thanks all of those that submitted their work for consideration.

It Takes Two To Make A Thing Go Right...

2007-12-24T00:57:00.001-05:00

True Subatomic Fans will know of my affinity for all that has to with units and constants.

Thus, we were happy to read this interesting article about the three natural constants that are all we need to define pretty much everything in the physical universe.

Of course, there's our good ole pal c, the velocity of light. Then there's h, the work-horse Planck's Constant. If you didn't know, Planck's Constant gives the ability to calculate the energy of a certain frequency of light. Then there's also G, the gravitational constant.

I never really thought about other constants, but when I do, I can totally see how all other constants can be understood in terms of these three (or two depending on how you look at it).

Perhaps there's no new physics involved here, but at least it's changed the way I think of these constants, what they mean, and how astonishingly simple (yet it isn't at all) the Universe is.

In Transit

2007-12-23T01:10:00.001-05:00

Midnight at IAD
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

My voyage back to Toronto turned into a big debacle, and involved me spending the night in Washington-Dulles airport. That sucked. A lot.

Now I am back at my parent's place in Toronto, and things are fine. I've been sleeping at least 9 hour days and just sorta hanging out. For the first time in a while, I feel that I can enjoy myself, free from stress.

So I will.

Climbing Mountains

2007-12-18T17:24:00.001-05:00

Today, a massive personal accomplishment happened. My writing partner and I finished the first draft of our feature screenplay!

I would say that we started at the end of the summer, and it's taken us this long. It's a relief, as I set it as a goal and it was achieved.

I'm also happy in terms of it being a first draft. I mean, there are tons more work to do with it, but as one of my writing teachers says about first drafts: don't get it right, get it written.

Now comes the arduous process of rewriting and then trying to get it made!

Snob Music Review: Radiohead: In Rainbows

2007-12-16T18:34:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, or does this album kinda suck?

Church of St Luke & St Matthew

2007-12-14T14:31:00.001-05:00

Church of St Luke & St Matthew
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

It's been a really busy couple of days. The semester is winding down, and with it comes deadlines and commitments.

I worked on a 2nd Year shoot for the past couple of days. Yesterday, we shot in the Church of St Luke & St Matthew in Brooklyn. It is absolutely beautiful, but sadly it's deteriorating. I bet about 50 years ago, it was as grand as any of the 'big' churches in this city.

This weekend is going to be absolutely crazy though, with the amount of work that has to be done. However, it should have moments of big fun.

Crazy Cat Problem #3

2007-12-06T16:58:00.001-05:00

Watching Snow Flakes
Originally uploaded by Ewwwww.

My crazy cat Theo told me that he had a dream last night that he (AKA ‘little baby’) was enormous, and I shrank extremely small to mass m. Theo turned me into a cat toy by attaching a spring (with some spring constant k) to my back and suspending the spring vertically from a door knob. He held me in his paw such that the spring was not stretched. He lets go, making me oscillate to a max distance of 20cm from the release point. If I oscillate at more than 1 Hz, I will lose my grip and fall into Theo’s giant claws. Are Theo’s dreams of play or homicide?

Baadasssss!

2007-12-05T23:25:00.001-05:00

Autographed!
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

The department hosted the legendary Melvin Van Peebles tonight. The man, I can truly say without any hyperbole, is one of the greatest individuals in the history of mankind. A true renaissance man.

His bio just can't even begin to touch on some of the fascinating tales (some of which he brought out tonight).

I mean, he self taught himself how to make movies, moved off to Mexico, moved back to San Francisco where he worked on the city's trolley's wrote a book with photos about his experience. That caused him to move to Holland and work on a PhD in Celestial Mechanics. While there, his shorts got some attention in France so he moved there. Wrote a few books, made a few films. Moved back to States and completely revolutionized the American film industry with 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'. Then moved to New York and became a trader on Wall Street, wrote some Tony award winning plays, wrote some more books, collaborate with some rappers... etc...
completely CRAZY.

But he is a complete original. No bullshit, no pretense just genuine curiosity and passion.

He treated us with an unfinished cut of his new film, literally straight from the editing room. As usual, it had some moments of complete genius.

I played lame fan and got my DVD signed.

Definitely a night to remember.

Most Anticipated Movie Of Next Year

2007-11-29T23:23:00.001-05:00

I've always thought that Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle to be one of the most underrated comedies of our time. Quite honestly, it was truly original and treated minorities with respect but a sense of humour.

Beneath the humour was a subversive tale of the American Dream and 1st generation immigrant issues.

I didn't even know that a sequal was in the works, but it looks like the dudes that wrote the original directed the second one. The title is brilliant: Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay.

Come on, check out the genius teaser poster with NPH on a unicorn!

Keep on Truckin'

2007-11-26T22:37:00.001-05:00

trailers.jpg
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

The Subatomic Films office visited our Pennsylvania Bureau for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time eating and playing board games and poker. Fun Fun.

Now back to reality, and the reality is that I have my Thesis Table reading on Wednesday afternoon. Faculty is trying to make it a big deal, and there's a lot of production money available so I kinda have to do a good job.

What happens at a table reading is that actors usually sit down around a table and literally read your script out loud. This is fundamentally flawed, especially in cinema where it's usually the visuals and not the dialogue that is important, but so be it.

So I reckon the whole thing is just an exercise in screenwriting, which is fine. So the last week or so, I've been trying to track down actors that are willing to do a table reading for a film that will probably shoot in a couple of years. That's been the toughest part.

But it's coming together and rehearsals start tomorrow. We'll see how it goes.

Crazy Cat Problems

2007-11-15T10:35:00.001-05:00

Resting
Originally uploaded by Ewwwww.

In the physics class that I'm teaching, I've been told to create a problem each week for the students to solve.

Here is last week's:
"My crazy cat, Theo (aka “little baby”), convinces me to go bungee jumping. He leads me to a bridge that is 60m above molten lava. Before going on this trip, I go on a diet and slim down to 75kg. The bungee cord is 15m long and has a spring constant of k= 50 N/m. Does Theo love me, or want to see the end of me?"

Here is this week's:
"My crazy cat, Theo (aka “little baby”), steals my girlfriend’s Saturn and picks up a few General Physics I Students for a joy-ride. They figure out that the braking distance from 60km/h is 20m.

They head up the BQE and spot me 150m away. Theo decides to steer right at me and speeds up to 120 km/h. When they are 100m away my girlfriend shows up. In that instant, a nameless A+ Gen Phys I Student convinces Theo to hit the brakes.

Assume that the maximum braking force is independent of speed. Use the Kinetic Energy-Work Theorem to figure out if I owe my life to the nameless A+ Gen Phys I Student."

Solve them, if you dare.

Know Your Enemies

2007-11-12T18:58:00.000-05:00

As most people know, I hate lobsters. I don't eat them, I don't like to look at them. I've never trusted them.

Now, I know I was right, and I hope people will pay attention to me when I urge them to leave lobsters in the sea.

Check out this.

Putting the Star back in 'Rock Star'

2007-11-09T23:30:00.000-05:00

Somehow we missed this one originally, but Brian May, the guitarist for Queen, wrote his PhD back in August in astronomy.

I was kinda surprised, and thought it was a PR stunt, but it's for real. Apparently, back in tha day he was writing his dissertation but left it alone to become a rock star. He finally got around to finishing it up, which is really cool. His thesis is called "A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud"

Once again, I thought it may still have been a stunt, so I did some more research.

The good news is that he's legitimately a nerd. On his site, he posts quite passionately about astronomy and posts pictures that he's taken of stellar objects. Definitely worth a visit.

Truly Indie

2007-11-08T17:43:00.001-05:00

Indie horror auteur Larry Fessenden came to our class today and spoke about his career.

It was really fascinating as here is someone that has mostly made all of his films outside of the studio system, with his own money. He's been able to eek out a lifestyle from his own films and the small production company that he started.

Lately, we get caught up with trying to sell a movie to some studio or get some big time producer to snatch it up, or get actors tied to a script. It's very refreshing and inspiring to see that it is possible to make feature films that people will watch with a couple thousand dollars and a seven person crew.

Obnoxious Cat Post #2: More proof for my thoughts

2007-11-07T00:37:00.001-05:00

Couch Potato
Originally uploaded by Ewwwww.

Every morning we wake up to our cat meowing at 7:15am. It's kind of interesting because he works like clockwork. Every day. He has no concept of weekends. He's gotten so bold that he'll jump into bed and munch on us until we wake up (i.e. and feed him).

Poor fella.

This weekend though, we put the clocks back, so poor Theo was waking us up at 6:15am. Smokestack has no concept of daylight savings time! It truly is an unnatural and ridiculous convention. One in which, the universe could do without. I also preach the elimination of all time zones.

My First (and Goal)

2007-11-04T23:02:00.000-05:00

Well I can finally strike off another one off of my "things to do before I die" list. I finally went to an NFL game!

We made the trek out to the Meadowlands to see the NY Jets lose to the Washington Redskins, in OT.

I went to a few CFL games growing up in Toronto, but let's be honest that game is not taken seriously in the city, despite the fact that the Argonauts do quite well.

But I digress.

It was a great time! It was everything i was hoping it would be: crazy tailgaters, crazy/rabid fans, cold weather (it wasn't too bad though) and lots of memories.

I've lived in the US for over about 5 years now, and football is something that I'm just now trying to get into. It's a really tough sport to follow, as there are levels that must be followed, whether it's High School, College or NFL. It seems that it's nearly impossible to follow all of them. What I do like about the fans is that most fans aren't just fans of a single team, but they are just as likely to watch a game featuring two teams that they have no interest in. It's more of an appreciation of the game on a whole than allegiance to a team.

I'm going to try to follow the sport more and more. Maybe not to the level where I just sit on the couch all Sunday, but at least keep up with scores and websites.

My Future is Poverty

2007-11-02T11:37:00.001-04:00

There are really interesting statistics coming out of Canada with respect to 2nd Generational young people (those with two immigrant parents) and their "integration" into the workplace vis-a-vis their income.

The study concludes that 2nd gen young women get paid MORE than their Canadian bred colleagues.

However, 2nd gen young men get paid considerably LESS than their Canadian bred colleagues.

The study seems legit taking into account geography and education.

Basically, Cakers still Run Tings.

The Science of Fall Folliage

2007-10-30T13:40:00.001-04:00

Western Maryland
Originally uploaded by Ewwwww.

It's old news that trees don't 'turn' colours in fall. The green (cholorophyl) just goes away, and the colours that we see (reds, yellows, oranges) were there all along. This much is true. However, beyond that is still not understood.

Current work is showing that the soil that the trees are rooted in makes all the difference. The less nutrients in the soil, the more red the leaves will turn, as the trees try to mine as much energy as it can from the leaves heading into the winter.

So it makes sense that trees of similar colour are usually grouped together, as they share the same type of soil, as illustrated in this wide photo.

Communing with Nature

2007-10-25T02:03:00.001-04:00

Western Maryland
Originally uploaded by Ewwwww.

Last weekend, the Subatomic Films office closed up shop and went over to Western Maryland for a wedding. Along the way, we stopped off in Pennsylvania and then drove through the mountains to reach our destination.

It was great to be in that part of the country during this time of year. So many wonderful trees at the peak of their colours. Fall Folliage!

We also found time to take in the Orionids Meteor Shower which was dazzling.

Thanks Mama Nature!

Hobnobbing with Stars/Teachers

2007-10-23T23:52:00.000-04:00

My usual 'Directing the Actor' prof is Austin Pendleton. He's off in Chicago working on a play, so as his replacement we've got Oscar winner Olympia Dukakis! She is absolutely a screen legend, and did incredible work in some of my favourite movies (including this year's Away from Her). The good news is that Olympia is a fantastic teacher. I feel that I've learned a lot from her, and we all benefit from the small class. She gives such great insight into working with actors, and how to get interesting performances every time. She'll be with us for another couple of weeks.

Today I also had lunch with Brett Morgen, who graduated from Grad Film at NYU back in the 90's. He's pretty much the example of how the program should work. His thesis film (On the Ropes) was made on a shoestring and utilized the equipment and crew of NYU, but it made a huge splash getting nominated for an Academy Award. From that he's been able to write/direct/produce so many projects, mostly documentaries that challenge the form, and also tons of commercials. Incredibly intelligent, he told so many stories about the industry, how he got to where he is and how he intends to stay there.

All in all, a pretty interesting couple of days.

Snob Movie Review: Persepolis

2007-10-14T00:16:00.000-04:00

Another early review, Persepolis opens Christmas Day under limited release.

Directed by Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrape, and based on her book which is more of an autobiographical comic book, Persepolis is the best animated film to come out in many years. It won the Jury Prize at this Cannes this year, and was nominated for the Palme D'Or.

Don't be confused, this is no kids movie. This is a well crafted adult story, bursting with creativity. Marjane is a young girl that grows up in Iran during the revolution, moves to Vienna for high school, eventually returns to Iran, only to leave again, for good.

The trials and tribulations of an intelligent young lady, makes the story completely universal, but somehow completely unique. Filled with genuine emotion, and genuine laughs, the storytelling is what shines here.

However, it's also drawn so beautifully. With stark black and white, and backgrounds that nods to Fritz Lang and the early German silent films, the animation is wonderfully creative.

In person, I found the author to be a tad annoying, but the wonderful Catherine Deneuve (the Belle du Jour!) is still beautiful, and there were some legitimate tear eyed folks, most of them crusty old critics themselves.

Physics for the Birds

2007-10-07T20:07:00.001-04:00

Pigeons
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

Flocks of pigeons is no surprise to any Brooklyn resident. Let's be honest, it doesn't matter where you live, there's always birds and most likely the travel in flocks.

I've always been amazed by the complexity of motion within the flock of birds. How do they know which way to turn and how do they all move so quickly in unison?

I've been reading up on various sources over the past years. Of course, know-it-all Cecil (my go to source for knowledge) has already tackled it.

Now, the physicists are getting in on it. Turns out, there's a lot of physics involved (don't be scared, the layperson can understand the article).

Dream Homes

2007-10-04T20:15:00.001-04:00

Some dudes would love to have a massive HD TV in their homes. Some would rather have a nice kitchen. Tennis courts? Pools?

I'd love to have an observatory!

There's a serious movement amongst amateur astronomers to build observatories on to their homes. I'm pledging now: if I ever have the opportunity/cash, I will do the same.

Into the Fire

2007-10-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

Today my thesis script was read for the first time in Michael Showalter's class. It's always awkward to hear your movie being read, but it's always informative.

The good news is that I feel that this draft is miles ahead of my first draft.

The bad news is that it still needs lots of work.
I think I'm just touching the surface of where I want to be with this thing.

This, however, is the beginning of a very long journey that will probably last a few years.

Prof. Steve Buscemi

2007-10-02T18:28:00.000-04:00

Today, perhaps the most important actor in the history of independent cinema, Steve Buscemi, came to my directing class. Apparently, he's chums with Alexandre Rockwell (accomplished in his own right), my prof.

He watched our exercises, answered questions, showed clips from two of his favourite movies and talked about them.

I was struck by his earnest, and sincere comments about our work, his work and others work. Very insightful strategies and experiences was what he told us.

It was just great to hear one of the true legends in a very small and intimate environment relate honestly to a bunch of lowly folks, such as ourselves.

It gives me great pleasure when people are just as cool and interesting as you think they would be.

Reaping What has been Sown

2007-10-01T17:49:00.000-04:00

So apparently, the US is the largest arms supplier in the world. Again. The message is clear, buy from us or we have problems.

This article just adds fuel to the debate about the US government's role in the world since 9/11. A great op-ed article also sheds light on the fear mongering that has dominated a lot of American politics in the past 6 years. Definitely a good read.

Sitting in the East Village

2007-09-27T23:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I had a great meeting with my directing prof (Alex Rockwell). I gotta admit, it was great just talking with him about my ideas and each other in general. It's always interesting to get to know teachers outside of the classroom. He gave me some really good feedback, like absolutely useable, defined notes.

Many years ago, when I was living in Toronto, I'd attend the Film Festival. I remember one year, the HOTTEST ticket was for a film called Four Rooms, equally directed by Tarantino, Rodriguez, Anders, and Alex Rockwell. The lineup was around the block, and I never got in. Who would have known that years from then, I'd be sitting in a cafe, a student of that guy.

Certified Genius

2007-09-25T13:11:00.000-04:00

These days, there seems to be such an influx of awards, that seem to celebrate mediocrity. The Emmys, Grammys, Golden Globes even the Oscars seem less and less relevant each year. There's probably an award being given out right now.

Don't get me wrong, genuine originality and achievement should be lauded. That's why the only award really worth getting is the MacArthur Foundation grants. Completely anonymous, the folks over there really have a pulse on talent and originality. Seemingly random and esoteric, discovering the grant winners and their work is a showcase for what's really going down in America these days.

One of the winners this year is the writer Stuart Dybek, whose book of short stories The Coast of Chicago is one of the best collection of short stories I've ever read. I've been singing his praise for years to anyone that would listen or that cared. I had the fortune of meeting Mr. Dybek a few years ago and he was warm and full of wisdom, just like his stories.

Lame Lame Lame

2007-09-24T18:35:00.000-04:00

Celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, posted weeks ago about the death of Fidel Castro. Of course, nothing was ever confirmed, but Perez kept on insisting that ole Fidel had died.

The rumors were so loud that Castro himself had to confirm that he was still very much alive.

Ooops!

Perez, dumbly defiant, just won't admit that he screwed up, and won't acknowledge that Castro is alive, saying that he'll only admit he was wrong if Castro "[is] accompanied by an independent news organization, like the Associated Press."
And if he produces three pieces of ID, stands on his head, drinks four cups of coca cola while eating a boiled egg.

I always knew he was bogus.

Academics TMZ

2007-09-18T23:53:00.000-04:00

I was on the train this afternoon, and I saw one of the Professors that I used to work for in the Physics Department. I can't say that I like this guy, he's a bit of a jerk.

Anyways, I kept my head down so that he wouldn't see me. I saw him walking towards me, but he kept walking past me. Then he proceeded TO WALK BETWEEN THE TRAIN CARS!

Only crazy people (or panhandlers/musicians) do that.

My suspicions are always right.

Rush, Rush.

2007-09-18T23:47:00.001-04:00

Not much time allowed in the day to get bloggin' done. The big deal is that I decided to finish my film get it packaged and send it off in time for the Sundance Film Festival. Wish me luck. It was very enlightening to go through the whole packaging process. A friend of mine did the artwork, and it looks great. Then getting it to a DVD production house, and that was cool. I picked it up today, and it looks awesome.

Because I've been so busy with that process, I've kind of neglected my coursework, so the rest of the week is me playing 'catch-up'.

Official

2007-09-14T10:45:00.001-04:00

Contact
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

The trailer for that film that I recorded sound on during the summer is up. I have to admit, it's pretty BADASS! For real, it's good.

In other news, I am now officially listed on imdb!

Weights and Measures

2007-09-14T09:52:00.001-04:00

When teaching physics, I always teach people that a quick way to remember a formula, or a good way to check your work, is to take a look at the units.

Units are a fundamental thing in physics, as it's related to the concept of quantity. Ultimately, the idea of units is totally bogus. In most cases, they are just completely arbitrary objects that have withstood the test of time.

So, it comes with no surprise that the kilogram (the one that all kilograms are based upon, held in a vault) is losing it's mass. The best part, is that the nerds can't figure out why.

So now, the race is on to quantify a kilogram to natural phenomena. For example, there was once a metre stick that defined what exactly a metre was. Say that friggin metre was stolen or warped or something, we'd all be screwed. So now, it's defined as the distance travelled by light in a vacuum in 1/299,792,458 of a second. Speed of light is a universal constant, so good job. Wait.

We've defined a unit in terms of another arbitrary unit, the second. Well, a second is now defined as the amount of time it takes for 9,192,631,770 transitions between two levels of the ground state of Cesium 133.

The kilogram, me thinks, will have to be defined by something on the atomic level, perhaps related to the number of atoms in some element. It really could decades for the nerds and politicians to agree on this.

But, when it's all said and done, most other units are just combinations of metres, seconds and kilograms so we need to get this right.

UPDATE: For rather fascinating insight into the whole units thing, read the wikipedia article on Fundamental Units

Not Tonight Dasha, I've got a Headache

2007-09-12T14:26:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's Times had an amusing article about the rising middle class in Russia, and their penchant for remaking the American Situation Comedy.

What better example than to remake Married...With Children. It's a funny article, only because of the clips also attached show an exact replica of the Chicago home of Al and Peg Bundy.

The US, is of course no stranger to stealing shows from another country. Three's Company, The Office, American Idol etc... have all been pilfered for American sensibilities.

Sucker!

2007-09-07T20:20:00.000-04:00

So, Apple reduced the price of their iPhone by $200. Awesome. Great news, except for the suckers that bought one a couple of months ago.

The snobs are PISSED! Which, quite frankly, I don't understand. The chumps have raised such a stink that Stevie Jobs is giving them all $100 to use on Apple stuff. What a mistake! Any high school kid can tell you that it's simple demand and supply economics.

If you just had to have the latest gadget, and you clearly have six bills laying around
not doing much, then you got to be cool for a couple of months.

Let's be honest, a $400 price tag is still out of reach of the average person, so the iPhone is still a status symbol.

So stop your cryin' you spendthrift elitist suckers.

Light-en Up New York!

2007-09-05T15:50:00.001-04:00

The City that Never Sleeps has been dozing while many cities have been staging all night culture fests. One night per year, several venues/locations open up all over a city for the entire night, where contemporary artists can do their thing.

Some will argue that you could do that in New York on any night. There is a difference though. It would be free, open to the public and it becomes and event. People get excited about events and are more likely to go out and support the arts. It also gives parents an option to take their kids to a family friendly late night party.

A few years ago, I did the L.A.T.E. Ride through Chicago (ride throughout the city late at night) and pushing your body through fatigue was one of the best times of my life.

Tha Real Gangstaz

2007-08-30T17:49:00.001-04:00

Although it's old news, the Times has an article today about the many towns in America that are trying to make saggy pants illegal. I've heard that story before, but it looks like it's reaching a head now.

My favourite quote: . “We used to wear long hair, but I don’t think our trends were ever as bad as sagging,”

....uh actually, it's the EXACT same thing. What did people think of the long hair hippies, and remember the Zoot Suit Riots? It's called a fashion trend. Albeit, not a good one. One that will go away, hopefully soon.

However, we all know that the bad men that steal millions of dollars from thousands of people and kill tons more people, and get away with it don't wear sagging pants. They wear suits and ties.

Japanese Monster Movie - For REAL!

2007-08-29T14:40:00.001-04:00

The ugly cicada is wreaking havoc in Japan. They love to munch on Fibre-Optic cables, thus cutting people's internet. They also emit that annoying noise. Couple thousands of them together, and they could make you deaf. For real.

Did you need another reason to hate them?

Google Earth, now with more Sky!

2007-08-27T18:11:00.000-04:00

I got so excited when Google Earth first came out. Who knew that so many people in my 'hood had swimming pools?

Well the nerds have compiled another huge dataset and have added the sky to Google Earth.

Not geared towards the nerds, or professional astronomers, Google Sky looks like it should be just fine for the lay person, and perhaps turn some of them into astronomers.

You can search for astronomical objects by their NGC number (nerdy), their Messier Catalogue Number (geeky), or their common name (why bother then?). You can also choose a piece of the sky and zoom in to Hubble Space Telescope grade images or zoom out.

Although not as useful as Starry Night (still the standard), I'm sure Google Sky is on it's way to putting them out of business.

They Call Me Mista Silva Fox

2007-08-24T22:45:00.001-04:00

I was brushing my teeth last night, and in the mirror, much to my horror, I saw one massively long grey hair.

Apparently, I have another one near my ear too.

It's all downhill from here, folks.

Two Middle Fingers

2007-08-23T23:21:00.001-04:00

Oh, Po-Po why are you getting so ridiculous?

At a seemingly peaceful protest in Montebello, QC three obviously different looking protesters started making a big deal. Most protesters were middle-aged middle class folks. These guys were dressed like stereo-typical anarchists.

The three outsiders turned out to be a bunch of cops acting as 'provocateurs'.

I couldn't make this stuff up. The video is something else.

Totally Trippy....

2007-08-23T22:14:00.000-04:00

A really interesting story about nerds being able to produce 'out-of-body' experiences for subjects.

I think it works something like this: They get a volunteer to put on virtual reality glasses. The image they see is of their self. Then they stimulate the person, like rubbing them with a stick. They see an image of themselves being rubbed with a stick.

Then, they stop rubbing the real person, but the volunteer sees their image still being rubbed. Then the nerds pretend to like smash the virtual volunteer. The real volunteer will wince in pain, as if they had really been struck. Freaky.

They say it could explain other out-of-body experiences.

Like, Whoa. Duuuuuude.

Vawoooosh!: An ode to Al Bundy

2007-08-20T15:22:00.000-04:00

Growing up, my parents were pretty liberal in the music, tv and movies that my sister and I could watch. However, Married With Children was where the line was drawn. When my parents weren't at home, I'd always sneak an episode in, and always enjoyed it's low brow jokes.

Somehow, I stumbled upon this page that celebrates Al Bundy and his trusty Ferguson toilet. The source of the page is The Poop Report. A site where a big ol' dump is celebrated. My kind of place.

Humor aside, the site is actually interesting with some good writing.

Breakfast for Dinner

2007-08-20T04:40:00.001-04:00

Who's Hungry
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

I've been working on a commercial/film for Johnnie Walker the last few nights. We've been shooting in a pretty cool space in the hipster wasteland of East Williamsburg called 3rd Ward.

It's been pretty straightforward, as I'm recording sound on it. However, there really isn't that much dialogue in the piece. However, it's still fun to be on set and learn from what's going on around me.

The one drawback, we are shooting nights, from 6pm to 6am. It's taking me a while to get used to the switched schedule, and so I've been exhausted the last couple of days.

Red Envelope, Never Blue

2007-08-16T14:40:00.001-04:00

We here at Subatomic Films have been Netflix subscribers for years. The overhead at the office is high, so we can't afford cable. But for $17/month we watch a lot of DVD's. TV Shows, indie movies, classics or even heavy metal shows, Netflix has never let us down. In fact, they've completely changed the way we watch movies.

On the other hand, we hate Blockbuster. They ripped off millions of customers for years, and are finally feeling it. Unfortunately, their home delivery service (a shameless ripoff of Netflix) is getting larger and larger.

Netflix though, always has the upper hand and are the true innovators. They've done away with email support completely, and offer proper US-based customer service 24/7.

Watch for Blockbuster to make similar moves next year.