Saturday, December 17

A snippet

I need to revise my credo, here's a taste:

I believe that what it means to be Chicano today, as was once said, lies metaphorically in the hyphen between Mexican-American. It’s an ambiguous, at best, notion of identity. I live in two worlds, a white one and a “brown” one; where sometimes you are not “American” enough for the Americans or Mexican enough for the Mexicans. It’s a difficult path to navigate sometimes, knowing that I am of one of the smallest percentages of “my people” reaching an educational level this high. I represent “us” without ever having been asked, but such is the role of minorities in America.

But I often wonder if Chicano is a term that represents me. The term is taken a group of people who split from the Aztec nation, who fancied themselves the sons and daughters of Huitzilpochtli (god of fire, war and the sun). They called themselves the Mexica (Mechica), hence the derived Chicano. Some find it offensive, associating it with a militant ideal, others not so much. Myself, I really don’t know. Maybe I’m Spanglish, what writer Ed Morales, claims is a “metaphor for what a mixed race culture means – a hybrid language, an informal code…Spanglish is what we speak, but it is also who we Latinos are, and how we act, and how we perceive the world… it is an immediate declaration that translation is definition, that movement is status quo.” Or maybe I am just the son of a couple of Mexicans from Texas, from a family who has had roots there long before Mexico or the U.S.

Monday, December 12

Tengo un mil solo para usted

Beyond the Mat draft 9 has been completed. I finished it up late last night and did a read through earlier this morning and then sent it off to Van for his notes, thoughts. Seems like financing will go through early in Januaruy and the production is pushing along as planned. If things keep progressing as they are, my first feature film will go into production in late Feb., early March - right around the corner.

Blood Bond is in the director's hands now and I'm now playing the waiting game yet again to see if the project is given the greenlight.

Still no further word about Californio and the big three Nick and I sent it out to. We're still waiting to hear back from Sal Lopez, Julio Mechoso and others.We al recieved our first "non-connection" request to read the script from an agent named Suzanne Camejo, who produced a version of the Joaquin Murrieta story over 20 years ago for PBS.

Todo esta bien en mi mundo. Hasta.

Sunday, December 11

Walking Contradictions

Life has a funny way of throwing you curve balls during the writing process. I suppose it's all really a matter of how you deal with them that matters. If you can take that apparent hindrance, regardless of what form it takes, and make something positive out of it, that's what makes the difference. In screenwriting it's called a test of character.

There's plenty of reasons to turn tail and give up in this town, especially in this profession. I have the fortunate nature of personality that includes an overhwelmingly optimistic outlook on everything (it can often be a curse). But if it wasn't for this and the love and support of family and friends, I would have turned tail by now. Then there's that whole "talent" thing - but honestly who really cares about that.

Wednesday, December 7

My year in movies

The following is a list of movies I’ve seen since Dec. 6th 2004- Dec.6th, 2005. Many were intentional, some were mistakes, some were for reviews, all took time out of my life. And this doesn't even depict the countless hours watching full seasons of Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls and Lost, among others. I know its fascinating...

Dec. 2004
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring, I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead, Blade: Trinity, The Day After Tomorrow, New Police Story, Elf, Walking Tall (The Rock), Ocean’s Twelve, The Bourne Supremacy, Shrek 2, I, Robot, Spiderman 2, Collateral, Dodge ball, Lord of the Rings: Return of the King: Extended Edition, The Manchurian Candidate (Denzel), Maria Full of Grace, King Arthur, Garden State, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou

Jan. 2005
Carnal Knowledge, The Aviator, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle, Blue Crush, Hotel Rwanda, Kaena: The Prophecy, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Escape From New York, In Good Company,
Phantom of the Opera, Closer, Twilight Samurai, Assault on Precinct 13, Friday Night Lights, Coach Carter, Million Dollar Baby, Farscape: Peace Keeper Wars, A Very Long Engagement, The Devil’s Playground, The Big Red One (Reconstruction), Rosemary’s Baby

Feb. 2005
Irma Vep, Superman, The Incredibles, Beauty and The Beast (Cocteau), Un Chien Andalou,
King of Comedy (Chow), Land without Bread, Trip to the Moon (Short), Everything in this country must (Short), Constantine, The Bronze Screen, Heat, Viva Zapata, The Mark of Zorro,
Devil in a Blue Dress, Kung Fu Hustle (2), Get Shorty

March 2005
Bachelor Party, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Be Cool, Rocky II, Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid, Rocky, Red River, Selena, The Bad and the Beautiful, Die Hard with a Vengeance, Redemption, Zatoichi: The Blind Swordsman (2004)

April 2005

Sin City (2), The Last of the Mohicans, Tom Jones, Pistol Opera, House of Fury, Witness, Fireman’s ball, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence, Silverado, Sahara, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Appleseed (2004), The Interpreter, Cellular, Time and Tide

May 2005
Chop Socky, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Looking for Mr. Perfect, Ju Dou, Kontroll, Ocean’s Twelve, Monster’s Inc., The Fugitive, 2046, Apollo 13, The Notebook, Sideways, Easy, Wet Hot American Summer, Unleashed, Son of the Mask, Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2), Vision Quest, The Rookie, Flight of the Phoenix, Crash

June 2005
Say Anything…, E.T., Love Battlefield, Take down, Miracle, Friday Night Lights, Reversal, Before Sunrise, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Young Guns, Young Guns 2, National Treasure, Batman Begins,
Anchorman, DEBS, Batman Begins, Spanglish, Napoleon Dynamite, Finding Neverland, The Incredibles, The Driver, Land of the Dead,Champion (Korea), X Men 2, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Dirty Mary Crazy Larry, House of Wax (2005), The Jerk, War of the Worlds

July 2005
The Last Shot, In Good Company, The Nest (France), Coach Carter, The Pacifier, Almost Famous, Freaked, The Island, Prozac Nation, Hostage, Kung Fu Hustle, Man of the House,
Unleashed, The Jerk, Beyond the Sea

August 2005
Arahan, The Upside of Anger, Million Dollar Baby, Gattaca, The Girl Next Door, Star Trek IV, Broken Flowers, Lightning Bug, Kinsey, Danny the Dog, Four Brothers, XXX: State of the Union, Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Nausicaa

September 2005
Unforgiven, Steamboy, Transporter 2, Eros, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Jersey Girl, Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, A History of Violence

October 2005
Serenity, Longest Yard, The Interpreter, Soldier’s Girl, A Lot Like Love, Motorcycle Diaries, 11:14, In the Mood for Love, Born into Brothels, Undead, High Fidelity, High Tension, Dracula (1931), Capote, Evil Dead 2, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, The Matrix Revolutions, Dracula: Pages from a Virgin’s Diary

Nov. 2005
Transmerica, Batman Begins, Happy Together, Freak, The Constant Gardner, Imaginary Heroes, Say Anything…, Safety Last!, The Freshman,Bad Education, Man on Fire, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Dec. 2005
Murderball, Mi Familia/My Family

Monday, December 5

Murder She Wrote

Via an email from our actress/producer:

"Mark Boone Junior basically said we should get the script to Gael Garcia Bernal and attach him. He also said we should attach a director in order to legitimize the project. But, he said we're doing everything correctly by sending out letters to Hispanic-content prod. companies. Once we have talent (actor, producer, director) attached, we can solicit investors.

...He said he would take the project under his wings, but that he's trying to get a script off the ground himself. So, basically, I'd say we're at ground zero. However, the good thing is that CALIFORNIO is in his head and if anyone is looking for a Western he'll let us know. "

Still no word from Sal Lopez, I imagine we'll hear something this week.

No word on Blood Bond as Kirk is in Hong Kong at the moment.

I'm off for now as I get to work on the 8th draft of Beyond the Mat (which may start securing investors, very soon - crossing fingers).