Kickstarter Campaign for a Sequel to the Fantastic 2007 Film The Man from Earth

Back in 2007 Netflix recommended a movie to me that I had never heard of.  It was titled The Man from Earth (aka Jerome Bixby’s The Man from Earth).  As you can probably tell from the title and author it is a science fiction film. On thing I should be clear on: it is NOT “sci-fi”.  There are no space battles, ray guns, aliens, or any other clichés of the sci-fi genre.  Instead it presented a terrific story – the kind that keeps you thinking about it long after the film is over.  If you have not seen it you can find out about it by reading my spoiler-free, very positive review of the film here.  If you want to see the film, you can watch it streaming from both Netflix Instant and Hulu Plus.  Netflix also has it available on DVD.

I enjoyed the film immensely, even going so far as to watch it again just a couple hours after I finished watching it for the first time.  One thing I never really thought about was a sequel, though.  This is not because I wouldn’t want to see more of the main character, but simply because it didn’t occur to me.

Well today I found out that the original filmmakers have just initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund a second film.  They say that over the years they have been approached many times by people wanting the rights to make more movies, a TV show, or other properties from the idea.  They had resisted all of them because they felt they weren’t right – much like Jerome Bixby’s son Emerson fought for years to get The Man from Earth, his father’s final, and perhaps greatest, story made into a worthwhile movie.

Their goal is only $175,000 by October 10, 2013.  The first film was made on a shoestring, so this may be a comparable budget.  It ended up being pirated from a screener before it was even released, and they did not make back their money until they opened a Paypal account and asked for voluntary donations from those who had seen it for free.  (The director of the film, Richard Schenkman, wrote an article about how piracy actually helped spread the word on how good this film was.  You can read that here.)

As it turns out, millions of people saw it, loved it, and drove a ton of interest in it.  For over a year it was the most searched for science fiction film on IMDB.  It is those people who have also been driving interest in a sequel.  With the successful experience of gathering funds over the internet, this time the filmmakers have gone the Kickstarter route for funding, rather than going to studios.

I wanted to embed their video discussing this effort into this post, but I couldn’t find it on Youtube yet.  It is on the project’s Kickstarter page, as are a description of what they want to accomplish, and a list of the various perks and benefits you get for the various levels of donations.  If you’ve got the dough you can even get a walk on role in the film.

If you have never heard of Kickstarter, it was founded in 2009 to help fund creative projects.  There is no risk to contributors because if the project does not reach its funding goals in the time specified then the project is off and all funds are returned.  Either you get what you contributed to (in this case a movie), or no money leaves your wallet.

I’m putting my money where my mouth, well keyboard, is and I’ve made a contribution.  Even if the second film is only half as good as the first one it will still be well worth seeing.  You know what?  I’m going to go pop in my DVD of the first film and watch it again right after I finish this post.

Here is the Kickstarter page for this film if you want to find out more and/or make a donation.

The Definitive List of Additions, Re-additions, Removals, and Changes Made to the 1,001 Movies List By the 2013 Edition, Plus Where You Can Find Them

This would have been up hours ago, but I’ve been besieged by powerful thunderstorms all day.  Now and then my UPS/Surge Protector takes a hit and shuts things down to protect my computer.  After the third or fourth time it gets really annoying.  I’ve basically been typing between the lightning strikes.

Anyway.

I have now gone through the entire 2012 and 2013 Editions side by side and put together the list of all changes the latest edition made to the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list.  I will list those below, along with where you can see them, as well as some thoughts and analysis on what got added and removed.  Overall, 47 films got added, 3 got re-added, 50 got removed, and one entry got changed.  The latter resulted in two more films being added, but without adding extra entries.  I will explain below.  The total list now contains 1,152 entries.

The 2013 Edition of the 1,001 Movies You Must See Before You Die Is Now Available

This morning I received a comment on a post saying that Skyfall was mentioned on the Amazon U.K. site as one of the films to be added.  Out of curiosity I checked the U.S. Amazon site to see if it said the same and found something else: they are now shipping the 2013 hardcover edition of the book.  This is despite the fact that they still say it is not being published until October 1, 2013.  I put in an order for it and I should get it tomorrow.  At the bottom of this post I’ve included a direct link to this Amazon page for anyone else who is interested in getting it.  I don't know if bookstores would have it yet.

And by coincidence, later this morning I received an email from Colby Mann, a person working his way through the list.  He said he had received notice from Amazon that his order of the book was going to ship.  He was letting me know.  He also pointed out that parts of the Table of Contents were visible on Amazon. 

By comparing those parts to the 2012 edition’s Table of Contents I was able to put together a partial list of the movies being added and removed.

Here are those films:

Movie – Blue Crush (2002)

Why might you want to watch Blue Crush?  Well, it’s not for the freshness of the story, which has been done many times.  But how many movies can honestly claim they have original plots in them anyway?  It’s not for the Academy Awards, because it received none.  This is more an Mtv Awards kind of movie.  So why bother with it?  Because it has stunning cinematography and sound for the ocean, wave, and surfing scenes, of which there are plenty.  When I used to demonstrate my widescreen TV and surround sound system to people in the early 2000s (neither was common yet) I used to play the lobby and rooftop scene from The Matrix (1999) and the surfing practice scene from the middle of Blue Crush.  Many people would exclaim over the way the ocean really stood out.  In addition, since this is a movie about surfing there are plenty of great looking women and men that often appear in swimwear.

Movie – Young Frankenstein (1974)

How about the year Mel Brooks had in 1974?  He directed what are now known as two genre spoof comedy classics – Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein.  While the sendups of western clichés and the “meta-ness” of Blazing Saddles are fun, I prefer Young Frankenstein’s take on the monster movie genre in general and the Frankenstein’s monster movies in particular.  Brooks and the film’s star, Gene Wilder, co-wrote the film and you could tell they had a blast making it.  They received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, but lost to The Godfather Part II.  “Adapted” is a bit of a reach.  There’s not a lot of connection between this film and Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel, other than the concepts.  Young Frankenstein actually is closer to the Frankenstein movies that it is making fun of.  Regardless of what it is based on, it is a very funny movie.

Movie – The World Unseen (2007)

The World Unseen is a drama set in Cape Town, South Africa in the 1950s.  While the ban on interracial relationships certainly plays a part in this film, that’s not the primary focus.  Instead it is the story of two women, one an unconventional one who runs her own restaurant and another who is a traditional housewife with a husband and three kids.  Neither woman is white or black, though; both belong to the Indian minority that settled in Africa following the troubles in their home region before, during, and after WWII.  Writer/director Shamim Sharif based the film on her own 2001 novel of the same name.  Even though she was born in England, she is of Indian and South African heritage.  While I know little of what South Africa was like in the 1950s this movie felt very authentic to me.  South Africans must have agreed because this film won 11 of the 15 SAFTAs (South African Film and Television Awards) in 2008, including Best Director and Best Ensemble Cast.

August Movie Status

I saw 5 new movies in the month of August, plus 2 TV show seasons.  For those people who remember seeing me post a couple of months with 100+ new movies seen, that “5” is not a typo.  After completing the 1,001 Movies list in early July I’ve been taking a break from movies.  In fact, I’ve seen only 11 movies in the last eight weeks, and one was a re-watch.  The only Oscar Best Picture nominee I saw in August was watched mostly because it was expiring from Netflix Instant viewing.  I watched Late Spring on the last day of the month just so I had seen at least one film from a couple of other lists; in this case, it was the only film in the They Shoot Pictures Don’t They Top 100 that I had not seen.  It was also on the Sight and Sound 2012 Critics Top 250 list.

Here are the 5 new movies I saw in August.  Highlighted movies are ones to which I would give at least three stars out of five.  

Oscar Nominees (1): A Farewell to Arms (1932)

Other Movies (4): Run Silent, Run Deep (1958), Kick-Ass 2 (2013), Olympus Has Fallen (2013), Late Spring (1949)

Re-watches (0):

TV Series (2):  Castle: Season 5 (re-watch), Covert Affairs: Season 3

I had no four or five star movies in August.  Since I saw so few, I will comment on each.

A Farewell to Arms (1932) – This is based on the classic Hemingway novel.  Gary Cooper and Helen Hayes play the star-crossed lovers.  The film was surprisingly frank about sexual matters for its time, even with the fact that the Production Code was not yet being enforced.  I don’t know how faithful it is to the novel, but I did read that after some debate the studio kept the ending from the book.

Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) – Submarine drama with Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster.  You can read my review of it here.

Kick-Ass 2 (2013) – Sequel to the very entertaining Kick-Ass.  It’s a step down, but still has its moments.  You can read my review of it here.

Olympus Has Fallen (2013) - Decent action scenes, but like all action movies it has some really big plot holes that you have to ignore.  Unfortunately, I couldn't ignore the fact that the entire concept is based on the idea that the threat of killing the President would be enough to force the hand of the U.S. government.  The President is neither royal nor religiously divine.  He's not a King or a Pope.  He's just a man hired to do a job. There was one before him and there will be one after him.  If he's killed then in a very short time the next person in line will be sworn in.  It's the Presidency that is important, not the President.  And for a movie that consciously echoes Die Hard and Under Siege, there's a funny bit where a macho helicopter mission is launched.  Apparently none of the characters in the film has seen Die Hard.

Late Spring (1949) - This is basically the exact same story as Ozu's later film An Autumn Afternoon (1962), which I had already seen.  It even has the same actor playing the same role - the widower who is trying to get his daughter to marry.  I have no idea why the 1,001 Movies editors picked An Autumn Afternoon over the more celebrated Late Spring for inclusion in their book, especially if the former is a remake of the latter.

I like the films of Ozu's that I have seen, and I respect him as a filmmaker, but I don't love his films.  Perhaps its cultural, perhaps his style just doesn't mesh well with me.  If it's the latter, he wouldn't be the first acclaimed director I've had that reaction to.

  

In September I may be taking some time to do some hiking, so I don’t know if my total of movies seen will be higher or around the same as August.

Movie – Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

What praise can be given to Lawrence of Arabia that has not already been spoken many times over?  What words can be written about both a movie and a man whose histories are both inextricably linked and also clouded in questions of reality vs. fiction?  To be clear, the film Lawrence of Arabia is epic, and even that’s a bit of an understatement.  While I know of at least one person for whom “epic” is a four letter word, I am using it in the most positive way.  I could joke, “Look up ‘epic’ in the dictionary and they will have a picture of Peter O’Toole as Lawrence.”  Instead, I will be completely serious when I write the following sentences.  I have seen all 85 films that have won the Academy Award for Best Picture – from Wings (1927) to Casablanca (1943) to The Godfather (1972) to Schindler’s List (1993) to Argo (2012).  If I were ever to be put in the “gun to your head, gotta pick only one as the best of the best” situation, then my choice would be Lawrence of Arabia as the greatest of all 85 Best Picture Oscar winners.

Today is the 50th Anniversary of MLK’s I Have a Dream Speech

Most people have heard clips from the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have a Dream Speech that was delivered August 28, 1963 in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.  In fact, I’m willing to bet that these clips are the only things many people know about this event.  Have you ever heard the entire speech?  If not, I’ve included it in this post.  Are you aware that there was much more going on that day than this speech?  To be fair, it’s not surprising that Dr. King’s words overshadowed everything else about this march.  After all, it is, with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address, one of the two greatest speeches in American history.  There’s a lot more about this event that should not be forgotten, though.  And I’ve got two names for you: A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin.

Many people might be thinking “who?” and that is a little sad, but it is also a testament to the impact King’s speech had on the general public.  It’s sad because Randolph and Rustin were two early leaders in the Civil Rights movement who planned a march on Washington back in 1941 to protest the fact that blacks were being prevented from getting jobs in the defense industry.  President Franklin Roosevelt met with them before the march and agreed to issue an executive order declaring that all defense industry jobs be desegregated for the duration of WWII.  When the war ended Randolph was instrumental in getting President Harry Truman to desegregate the armed forces in 1948.

 

A. Philip Randolph

Randolph had been involved in politics and movements early on in his life.  He was the President of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters – the first black workers union.  His concerns were primarily job opportunities for blacks.  Rustin was a bit more “radical”.  In addition to wanting civil rights for blacks, he also fought for gay rights, something very close to his heart since he was gay himself.

By 1963 President John Kennedy had presented a Civil Rights bill to Congress for debate.  In support of that bill Randolph and Rustin organized another march on Washington and this time it was carried out.  The thing is, it was as much or more concerned with the economy as it was civil rights.  The official name of it was the March for Jobs and Freedom.  Dr. King was not the only speaker there that day; in fact, he was the tenth and final speaker.  A. Philip Randolph gave the opening speech and it was about the lack of job opportunities.  Other speakers such as Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers; Joachim Prinz, president of the American Jewish Congress; and Roy Wilkins, leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People followed.

Bayard Rustin

By the time Dr. King came to the podium the prior speakers had more than covered the topics about the economic concerns of the march, so Dr. King concentrated on the Freedom portion of it.  And it is probably a good thing that no one had to give a speech after him since his skills as an orator were among the best ever heard.  With a series of rising and falling pitches in his voice he leads the crowd to his powerful conclusion – the aforementioned clips that are all that many know of this entire event.

Here is the entire 17 minute speech of Dr. King’s that I promised.  While you listen to it just don’t forget that if it were not for the efforts of people like A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, this speech, as we know it today, would not exist.

Movie – Tuck Everlasting (2002)

Tuck Everlasting is based on the award winning 1975 Natalie Babbitt children’s novel of the same name.  (I’m not using the term “young adult” since that now conjures visions of sparkly vampires and shirtless werewolves.)  I’m a little hesitant to discuss the central premise of the story since it is kept a secret from the main character for about half the film, yet all the marketing for the movie, and heck, even the title, pretty much lay it out for the viewer.  And the opening of the movie also makes clear what is special about the Tuck family.  So, I will be discussing it in the paragraphs below so you can see if this family film is one you might want to watch.

Movie – Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is based on the Pulitzer Prize winning Tennessee Williams play of the same name.  It had first appeared as a Broadway play directed by Elia Kazan (On the Waterfront) and starring Ben Gazzara as Brick and Barbara Bel Geddes as Maggie the Cat.  When it came time to make the film, Kazan passed on it despite already having done two other Williams adaptations – A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) and Baby Doll (1956).  Instead, Richard Brooks adapted and directed it.  The two main roles were cast with Paul Newman as Brick and Elizabeth Taylor as Maggie the Cat.  The result was six Oscar nominations, including the “big five” of Picture, Director, Actor, Actress, and Screenplay.  It did not win a single Academy Award, though.  It was beaten out by Gigi in multiple categories, Newman lost to David Niven in Separate Tables, and Taylor lost to Susan Hayward in I Want to Live.  I’ve seen all five Best Picture nominees for that year (Auntie Mame, The Defiant Ones, and Separate Tables were the other three) and I feel that Cat on a Hot Tin Roof was definitely the best film of the five.

Great Eyes

“He has his father’s eyes.” – Roman Castevet, Rosemary’s Baby

Pretty much every actor or actress that is attractive (which is most of them) has nice eyes.  That’s just a given.  Some performers, though, stand out for their eyes even within this sea of attractiveness.  Some even became famous precisely because of their eyes.  This category is designed to select some films that I would recommend that have these performers in them.

Now “great” doesn’t always have to mean “beautiful”; it just means that they catch your attention and hold it.  I’ve included a couple of actors that were very well known for their unique eyes.  Don’t worry, though, ladies (and some gentlemen).  Even though I am a poor judge of what makes a man attractive, I think I’ve got some examples for you in this category that will satisfy.  In fact, here’s Paul Newman for you right now.

 

His eyes are at the top of the picture, folks.

I’ve decided to go with a set of very well known films alternated with some that are more obscure, but still worth your time.  I’ve placed close-ups of the performers’ eyes below.  You’ll probably recognize some of them.  And no, none are Yoda; I only used real people. 

As I review the films I will come back and tell you who they are, along with adding links to their movies that I reviewed.

Paul Newman (top) and Elizabeth Taylor

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Alexis Bledel

Tuck Everlasting (2002)

Peter O'Toole

Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

Sheetal Sheth (top) and Lisa Ray

The World Unseen (2007)

Marty Feldman

Young Frankenstein (1974)

Kate Bosworth

Blue Crush (2002)

Jack Elam

Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)

Charlotte Ayanna

The Insatiable (2007) – posted April 22, 2013

Ray Liotta

Something Wild (1986) – posted July 5, 2013

On to the reviews…

Can You Offer Me Advice Regarding Self-Publishing?

Do you have recent experience with self-publishing a book?  I published a genealogy in 1999, but I did it via a bricks and mortar publisher who contracted with a printer.  The landscape has changed greatly since then.  I am looking to publish a 15 year Supplement to it and I have been doing research into self-publishing.  My concern is that there seems to be a wide disparity in the services offered and the quality of the end product.

Have you recently (say, the last couple of years) self-published a book of any kind?  Can you offer me tips on who you used, what went well, what didn’t go well, and/or what you wish you had known before you started?

I’ve looked at CreateSpace.com, which is a subsidiary of Amazon.  The benefits are that they can literally print a single book on demand, which is perfect for the very small market there will be for this genealogy supplement.  People could also order direct from Amazon instead of from me, which also means I would not need to buy a bunch of copies I might never sell.  The downside is that I’ve seen a number of posts on CreateSpace’s boards from people saying that the print and binding quality of the books was sometimes substandard.  That’s not good for a genealogy reference book that is supposed to last long enough to be handed down to the next generation.

I’ve also looked at InstantPublisher.com.  They require a minimum print run of 25 copies (still far better than the 250 I had to buy in 1999).  They do offer more than just paperback bindings, though.  I like the idea of better bindings, but don’t relish being where I was in 1999 with having to buy the inventory up front and then hope to sell it.  Also, Instant Publisher has no message boards so I do not know if there have been any questions with the quality of their product.  They do have a bunch of glowing testimonials, of course, but these usually do not tell the whole story.

Have you tried either of these companies?  If not, have you had an experience that would make you either recommend I try someone else, or caution me to avoid someone else?

Thanks in advance for any tips you can offer.

Book and Movie – Kick-Ass 2 (2013)

First things first: Kick-Ass 2 is definitely a step down from the first film, but at the same time it is nowhere near being the crime against humanity that some film critics are trying to make it out to be.  Most of them hated the first one, too.  Roger Ebert, for instance, gave the original 1 out of 4 stars and referred to it as “reprehensible”.  He’s not around to review the sequel, of course, but I’m betting he’d dislike it just as much.  Personally, Kick-Ass was one of my Top 10 films of 2010. (You can read my review of it here.)  The thing to take from all of this is if you want to see Kick-Ass 2 then see it.  If you loved the first one like I did just don’t go into this one expecting it to have the same impact.

Movie – U-571 (2000)

U-571 is the final submarine movie I am going to recommend.  It is a WWII thriller about an attempt to steal the Germans’ Enigma coding machine off a disabled U-boat.  It is not a film you watch for historical accuracy, but for the tension and thrills as events unfold.  It has many of the things you might expect from a sub movie: sonar pings, cat and mouse games with surface ships, depth charges, leaks, having to do dives that are too deep, etc.  What makes this movie a little different is that there are additional challenges in that the submarine the characters are on is unfamiliar to them, and it is badly damaged.

Movie – Innerspace (1987)

In my last post I reviewed the 1966 adventure film Fantastic Voyage, which had a small submarine and crew being miniaturized and injected into the body of a man.  (You can read that review here.)  Now imagine the same concept, but played for comedy.  What if a miniaturized sub and gung ho test pilot were injected into a random hypochondriac who can’t get anyone to believe that he is feeling weird things and hearing voices?  What if that hypochondriac is played by the master of the nervous twitch Martin Short?  And what if he has to try to thwart a criminal organization intent on getting the miniaturization technology?  The result is the 1987 film Innerspace - a shut your brain off and just enjoy the zaniness kind of movie.

Book and Movie – Fantastic Voyage (1966)

How can you have a submarine movie when there is no body of water for the sub to travel in?  When the medium the sub navigates in is an actual body, of course.  Fantastic Voyage features the concept of miniaturizing a small submarine and injecting it into a man’s body so that the crew can perform a life-saving surgery.  You may be thinking, “Hold on, are you talking about that Martin Short comedy with Dennis Quaid?”  The answer is no, not yet.  That is the 1987 movie Innerspace, which was a comedic take on the idea.  You can read my review of that film here.  No, Fantastic Voyage is a serious adventure film, full of Cold War intrigue, thrills, death-defying adventures, and enough real biological knowledge that parts of it were used for years afterwards to demonstrate to students some concepts of human biology.

Movie – Run Silent, Run Deep (1958)

In my prior review of Crimson Tide (1995) – which you can read here – I wrote that it was closer to Run Silent, Run Deep than to other submarine movies it was trying to emulate.  Crimson Tide featured Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington as a Captain and XO of a submarine who clash with each other.  In Run Silent, Run Deep it is Clark Gable and Burt Lancaster – two people who certainly know how to command the screen.  Now imagine having both of them in the same movie, sometimes opposed to each other and you get an idea of why Run Silent, Run Deep is an entertaining movie.

Movie – Crimson Tide (1995)

Crimson Tide was the first major submarine movie to be released after the huge success of The Hunt for Red October (1990).  You can read my review of that film here.  It was obvious that Producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson were hoping to capitalize on the success of that earlier film.  The first clue is the title.  Yes, it ties in with the name of the submarine, the U.S.S. Alabama, since the University of Alabama’s sports teams are named the “crimson tide”, but the fact that the title was very similar to Red October’s was probably the biggest reason they went with it.  The second clue was the marketing.  Notice anything familiar about it?  

The thing is, Crimson Tide was far closer to submarine movie Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) than to The Hunt for Red October.  Where Run Silent, Run Deep had a clash between veteran Captain Clark Gable and Executive Officer Burt Lancaster, Crimson Tide casts Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington in those roles.  The result (for both films – see my next post for my review of Run Silent, Run Deep) is a movie whose best reason for watching is these two huge personalities battling each other for command.

Movie – Operation Petticoat (1959)

When most people hear “submarine movie” they probably think of intense war films, edge of your seat tension, battle scenes, etc.  Not all films in this genre have been ultra-serious, though.  Now and then people have decided to have a little fun with the situations that could arise on a submarine.  For instance, what would happen if some nurses had to seek safe passage onboard a submarine during WWII?  Imagine the funny issues that could arise.  Operation Petticoat tackled that story and as a reward it received an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay.  It was also the first big film of director Blake Edwards' career.