tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65554882024-03-17T23:03:48.180-04:00Thoughts on StuffPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.comBlogger1039125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-37790847656113431932017-01-04T13:45:00.003-05:002017-01-04T13:45:48.177-05:00Search Party
I just finished watching Search Party, a very impressive new spin on the slice of life millennial Girls style dramedy. This form has become so prevalent recently, and produced some fantastic shows, like You’re the Worst, but it definitely feels like we’ve seen enough of people dealing with ennui in Brooklyn or Silverlake.
The smart thing that this show does is fuse the story of a young woman Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-76770820106311195672016-12-31T19:44:00.001-05:002016-12-31T19:44:51.139-05:00Best of 2016
It wasn’t a great year for the world as a whole, but there was a lot of great pop culture to check out. Here’s some of my favorites.
Film:
1. 20th Century Women
2. La La Land
3. Moonlight
4. 10 Cloverfield Lane
5. The Neon Demon
6. The Love Witch
7. Star Wars: Rogue One
8. The Nice Guys
9. Pete’s Dragon
10. American Honey
TV
1. Game of Thrones
2. Silicon Valley
3. American CrimePatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-55003764779853613082015-12-19T13:12:00.003-05:002016-01-16T03:38:50.156-05:00Star Wars: The Force Awakens
More than any other work of fiction,
seeing Star Wars had an incredibly profound impact on me. I can't
remember a time before seeing Star Wars, and I can't remember a time
when I didn't want to make movies. So, I have a lot of affection for
the series, but I'm also able to roll with whatever ups and downs the
saga goes through. The original trilogy is always there, and the
quality of the Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-63920392167430366962015-05-18T21:20:00.001-04:002016-01-16T03:39:11.872-05:00Mad Men - "Person to Person" (7x14)For the past five years or so, Mad Men has been by far my favorite show on TV, and a real inspiration for the kind of work I want to create. I love the casual surrealism of the world and the winding, almost short story quality of many of its episodes. It really picked up where The Sopranos left off in terms of telling riveting stories about quest for meaning in everyday life. And, for all the joyPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-6346641363408922982013-01-14T21:20:00.000-05:002013-01-14T21:24:55.109-05:002013 UpdateIt's been almost two years since I've posted on this blog, but a rewatch of Evangelion had me looking back through the archive, and reminiscing on regular blogging. I'd love to blog more, but I've luckily been creating more of my own material than writing about others' work. What have I been up to? Here's a brief rundown.
My biggest project of the past few years was Grant Morrison: TalkingPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-39414929563586945552011-05-03T02:02:00.002-04:002011-05-03T02:05:49.409-04:00Warren Ellis: Captured GhostsIt's been a long time since a post, but I've been busy, busy with projects. Like a lot of bloggers, the blog led to other things that unfortunately took time away from blogging. One of those has been production of Warren Ellis: Captured Ghosts, my forthcoming film on comic book writer Warren Ellis. We're currently running a Kickstarter campaign to help finance the film, and I'd love your support!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-70746215143649429482011-01-03T20:08:00.002-05:002011-02-10T01:07:59.247-05:00Best of 2010: FilmI saw a lot of movies this year, thanks to my membership in the WGA and the flood of screeners that arrived at the end of the year. So, I caught almost all the big Oscar movies, and, ironically, few of them actually made it to the list. But, some did in what I'd consider over all a fantastic year for movies. 10. The FighterThere were a bunch of movies in contention for this tenth spot on the listPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-52460829639598547972011-01-02T18:38:00.002-05:002011-01-02T18:40:00.999-05:00Best of 2010: TV10. Breaking BadHere's a show that is beyond a lot of others on the list in terms of visual artistry and narrative intensity, it's a show I feel like I should absolutely love, but still hasn't one hundred percent clicked for me. I always enjoy it when I'm watching it, but, despite having had the episodes on DVR since they aired, I still haven't finished the third season. I'm getting there, and Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-65643678670630313202010-12-31T17:44:00.000-05:002010-12-31T17:45:41.238-05:00Best of 2010: Albums10. Chromeo – Business CasualThis album marks an embrace of the implicit 70s pop elements that had always been present in their sound. While previous albums were mostly 80s dance inspired, this one is a bit more Hall and Oates style, and it generally works really well. It's a bit less kitschy and ironic than previous albums, and the best songs here really showcase Chromeo's strength as song Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-27862325339176601582010-12-25T21:35:00.002-05:002010-12-26T11:42:27.747-05:00Best of 2010: Songs10. Rihanna – Only Girl in the WorldA huge radio hit for a reason, this song features a colossal beat and fantastic production, just like most of Rihanna's songs. What separates it from her previous work is the strength of the vocal, which is a lot more raw and forceful than on something like “Umbrella.” There were a lot of big synth pop songs this year, but none was as huge as this one. Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-77732988637927460382010-11-30T13:39:00.009-05:002010-11-30T13:45:16.781-05:00Grant Morrison: Talking With GodsIf you haven't already had a chance to check it out, my film Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods has been released and is now available for purchase all over. I've had a great time screening the film all around the country, and have been thrilled by the really positive response the film has been received. You can see some of the reviews here, and for a quick sampling, here's some pull quotes..."A Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-22933247633640493832010-11-17T14:54:00.003-05:002010-11-17T14:56:47.093-05:00Best Albums By YearI did one of these a while back, but I figured it was time for an update. 2009: Phoenix - Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix2008: Cut Copy- In Ghost Colours2007: Arcade Fire - Neon Bible2006: Belle and Sebastian - The Life Pursuit2005: Junior Senior - Hey Hey My My Yo Yo2004: Phoenix - Alphabetical2003: Belle and Sebastian - Dear Catastrophe Waitress2002: The Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-37191421328556753702010-10-29T20:35:00.001-04:002010-10-29T20:35:23.622-04:00Kanye West's 'Runaway' and Pop Avant Garde Music VideosI've been a big Kanye fan for a while, his concert at the Nokia Theater is one of the best I've been to, and I've always enjoyed his blend of pop, accessible songs with more avant garde art and high culture influences. 808s and Heartbreaks is one of my favorite recent albums, but I still was not prepared for what he'd bring as director of the Runaway short film.The thing about cinema is that so Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-9999693859527098032010-10-05T14:27:00.004-04:002010-10-05T14:40:30.327-04:00New York Comicon Schedule!It's been crazy times over here as I get ready for the theatrical release of Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods. The film will be screening nationwide in the next few weeks, here's a brief rundown of the schedule...New York - October 9th at Cinema Village with Director/Producer Q&A (Ticket Info Here) New York - October 10th at New York Comicon 20 Minute Film Preview and Director/Producer Q&A San Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-7992658058661029042010-09-09T15:10:00.001-04:002010-09-09T15:11:17.975-04:00Response to Alan Moore's InterviewI just read this new interview with Alan Moore. According to Moore, the medium was dying before he wrote Watchmen and he revived it, but everything since has been terrible, and now there's not even any "bottom-flight talent" in the industry. And even though the Watchmen film was a financial failure, DC is scheming to get the rights to make sequels and prequels across all media because the Batman Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-55414896420139347642010-09-04T14:54:00.002-04:002010-09-04T21:29:26.312-04:00An Update!Sorry for the slacking on blogging. I've been busy wrapping up editing on the Grant film, which you can pre-order from Amazon now. Here's a couple of very quick rundowns of some stuff I've been reading/watching lately...- Mad Men's current season is the best to date, and has me really excited to see where the show goes in the late 60s, when the culture becomes even more tumultuous. The series' Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-55069216244515331122010-08-04T01:37:00.005-04:002010-08-04T01:49:22.165-04:00Comicon Recap and News UpdateIt's been a while since I've had a chance to blog. I've seen a few things that piqued my interest, Inception, the most recent episode of Mad Men and reading the last volume of Scott Pilgrim, but it's been mostly business these past few weeks. The big event was my trip to San Diego Comicon, an amazing time for a variety of reasons. I was there for two main reasons, first was the panel for Grant Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-75118745443294578892010-07-23T05:35:00.000-04:002010-07-23T05:36:19.506-04:00Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods PanelI haven't posted in a while, mainly because I've been hard at work bringing the Grant Morrison documentary to a finish. We're having one of our biggest events yet today, a panel at San Diego Comicon! I'm out here already and had a great day today in Hall H and all around the con, then tomorrow it's down to business. Here's all the panel info, I hope to see you there.Get a first look at the Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-84897603974789654372010-05-31T22:56:00.001-04:002010-05-31T22:56:45.194-04:00Rebuild of Evangelion 2.22: You Can(not) AdvanceIt's interesting to write about Rebuild of Evangelion as an American viewer since, what I'd consider one of the biggest film events of the year happens in a weird sort of vacuum. There's no hype for the film coming out, it just shows up online and you roll from there. Normally with a big franchise film, you have that collective rush of anticipation, but not for this one! As longtime blog readers Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-55160552289437923542010-05-27T22:06:00.000-04:002010-05-27T22:07:51.222-04:00Music Artist RankingsIn the tradition of my recent film director rankings, here's a similar list, this time for bands! You'll notice it's tilted more towards older bands, that's because I only did bands with at least four or five albums in their catalogue. One day the best current bands will be part of a similar list, but not yet!Abba1.The Album2.Abba3.Super Trouper4.The Visitors5.Arrival6.Voulez-Vous7.WaterlooAimee Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-52631929292531712482010-05-24T12:28:00.001-04:002010-05-24T12:28:57.991-04:00Lost - 'The End' (6x17)Let me start off by saying that just because the series finale was somewhere between weak and a total debacle, that doesn't invalidate the greatness of many moments throughout the history of Lost. I wrote up my ten favorite episodes, and the troubles in the finale, and the final season in general, don't invalidate the amazing things about those episodes. But, it also doesn't redeem the many Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-66124912957569780282010-05-24T01:56:00.001-04:002010-05-24T01:58:06.744-04:00Lost - 'The End' (6x17) PlaceholderIt had a few moments, but on the whole, one of the weakest finales of a sometimes great show I've ever seen. Full review tomorrow!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-87744112863700948802010-05-18T22:58:00.001-04:002010-05-18T22:58:43.348-04:00Lost - 'What They Died For' (6x16)Tonight's Lost was definitely one of the better episodes of the season, and particularly during the opening sequences with Ben and Widmore, I was reminded of the show at its peak, with all kinds of machinations and scheming from two of the show's most exciting characters. After that, it was a mix of mythology payoffs and frustratingly slow moving alt-verse stuff that made for a great episode, butPatrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-56360386785841027942010-05-16T19:33:00.001-04:002010-05-16T19:33:17.258-04:00Lost: The Ten Best EpisodesSince I've been pretty harsh on Lost this year, I wanted to go back and write about my ten favorite episodes of the series, going into the end. Since I watched it in a pretty compressed time frame, it can sometimes be tough to remember what happened in specific episodes, but I did my best to break them out and find my ten favorites.10. Orientation (2x03) - This episode finally resolved the three Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6555488.post-47918927695421296502010-05-15T17:32:00.001-04:002010-05-15T17:32:44.838-04:00Lost - 'Across the Sea' (6x15)I'm a bit late on this one, been traveling this week, but I just saw the episode and while it's quite interesting on its own terms, I think it's also symptomatic of a lot of the problems of the show throughout its entire run. The discussion surrounding the show has often been consumed by questions and answers, the need for people to find out the answer to the various mysteries set up over the Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04702965396185870813noreply@blogger.com9