The dead will rise again.

Breaking news... After being out of print for a few years now, Hide and Creep will return to DVD! And soon, maybe as soon as September. Chuck and I just signed a deal with a new distributor. More info as it is available...

Plus one, minus two.

Since I'm running low on ideas for the weekly "Things..." and "Other Worlds Than These" columns, I'm going to put them on hiatus and start migrating my old "This Movie Ain't Gonna Shoot Itself" pieces over to this blog, hopefully at a rate of one per week. Aside from having all my movie-related writing in one place, I'll update each of the "This Movie..." columns with some four-years-later notes.

I'll be posting "This Movie..." part one in a few minutes.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 030.

030: I Find Your Lack Of Faith Disturbing.

Screenwriter Josh Friedman's blog, I Find Your Lack Of Faith Disturbing, is low on the quantity (at the moment, his most recent post is from February 4), but the guy's been busy running that Terminator TV show, so cut him some slack. When he does get around to a new post, you can count on it being well-written and often laugh-out-loud funny. And the guy doesn't pull too many punches, so if you've ever wondered what it might be like to make a living as a "Hollywood" screenwriter, his stuff is worth a read.

I was going to list a few of my favorite quotes from Friedman's blog, but...

1. It's more fun if you read them in context.
   
2. My favorite Friedman quotes are profane, and I'm trying to keep this operation PG. Or at worst PG-13.
   

If you're looking for somewhere to start, try "The Koepp and I" part one and two, the epic tale of Friedman's campaign to get a (deserved) screenwriting credit on Spielberg's War of the Worlds.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 029.

029: Battlestar Galactica.

Battlestar Galactica begins its fourth season tomorrow night on the Sci Fi channel. If you're at all interested in genre entertainment, you should be watching this show. It's a master class in sci fi storytelling. I even love the high def cinematography. BSG is probably the only show on TV not shot on film I can say that about.

And Battlestar Galactica is the best science fiction television show to air since Star Trek in the 1960s. BSG might even be better than Trek. I can't believe I just wrote that.

You can read more about the show (and more praise for the show) at TV.com.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 028.

028: Entertainment Weekly magazine.

I might get flack for recommending Entertainment Weekly. The magazine devotes too many column inches to gossip and reality TV, and the EW music critics are not to be trusted. On top of all that, some argue that weekly publications are irrelevant, as they can't keep up with the 24/7 news cycle like the web.

But EW's "old media" status allows its writers more access than movie news sites and blogs, especially where big studio flicks are concerned. If you're looking for indie or genre film news, the web is a great source. If you're looking for an in-depth exclusive story with lots of glossy photos about... say this summer's Iron Man, EW is worth a look.

One more thing: EW subscriptions are crazy cheap--like 50 cents per issue.

Suggestions?

I'm at the doctor's office. I fear I may die before I complete the paperwork. Of old age, I mean.

Anyway. If any of you guys have suggestions for topics for either of the weekly columns, please send them my way. As we (hopefully) ramp up production again over the next few weeks, I'll need all the help I can get to keep the blog up-to-date.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 027.

027: More on aspect ratios.

Continuing the aspect ratio discussion, two more resources you might want to check out...

DVDActive.com's "Aspect Ratios Explained," Part One and Part Two.

"The Digital Bits Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen DVD."

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 026.

026: On Directing Film.

Renowned playwright and screenwriter David Mamet wrote a book on directing film, appropriately titled On Directing Film, after he made his first two features. As a director, Mamet is no Kubrick (hey, who is?), but he definitely has a style, and when it works (as in The Spanish Prisoner, State and Main, and Spartan), it works like gangbusters.

I don't agree with all the ideas Mamet puts forth in On Directing Film, but, at worst, they provide some good food for thought. And several of his suggestions, such as studying good animation for ideas on shot composition, are quite valuable.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 025.

025: What Just Happened?

I don't often agree with Sean Penn, but his blurb for the book What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line is right on the money: "[Author] Art Linson sings of Hollywood in a low, guttural, animal wail, alternately hysterical, biting, humiliating, and wise."

Okay, maybe that blurb is a little flowery.

But no matter. Linson knows of which he writes. His production credits include The Untouchables and Heat, but most of What Just Happened? concerns his less successful projects. The book is fascinating from cover to cover, but Linson's take on Fight Club is a high point. Short version: that first screening for the studio executives didn't go so well.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 024.

024: The Grip Guide.

Grips, as Wikipedia explains, are lighting and rigging technicians in the film and video industries. Whatever your job on a movie set, it is worth learning the whats, whys, and hows of grip work.

So it's handy that PixelCorps.tv is producing a new podcast called The Grip Guide, which promises to deliver "all the essential information you need for life on a film set." The Guide is off to a good start. I like to think I know something about gripping, but the first three episodes of the Guide have already schooled me on a few things.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 023.

023: "Start Dressing Like A Pro."

Today is "board day" at my day job, which means...

1. All the good parking spots are reserved for "visitors."


2. I have to wear a tie.

Here's some fashion advice for any other poor souls out there suffering the same fate as me, courtesy of AskMen.com.

"Start Dressing Like A Pro"

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 022.

022: The Jaws Log.

If you care about Jaws (and you should--it is one of the great genre films), there's a fine making-of documentary available on the Jaws 30th Anniversary DVD.

After watching the documentary, if you're hungry for even more film-crew-versus-shark action, check out The Jaws Log, Jaws screenwriter Carl Gottlieb's memoir about the movie.

It's no surprise that Gottlieb knows how to tell a story. But I was surprised to find out that Gottlieb's tale of the troubled production is a real page-turner, even reading it with the knowledge that Jaws would become the prototypical blockbuster.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 019.

019: Hulu.

Hulu is a web portal for viewing video content, including episodes of current and classic television shows from NBC, CBS, and FOX. Hulu is, also, both legal and free -- a combination often difficult to come by in the world of web video. I've heard people opine that the web will one day be the principal delivery method for video content. Is that day here? Is Hulu the new TV?

I doubt it. Hulu is still in "beta," and it's little buggy -- playback is sometimes choppy. And, maybe this is just me, but I don't think the cable company has anything to worry about until there's a simple and effecient way to play web video on a real TV (Hulu is strictly a through-your-web-browser deal).

Still, I'd recommend that any television junkies (or television creators) out there sign up for a Hulu beta account. The site is easy to navigate, and I like the variety of content, everything from classic cheese (like the original Battlestar Galactica) to modern classics (like the new Battlestar Galactica). I also like how they keep the service free -- old-school commercial breaks (which are much shorter than the breaks on network television).

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 018.

018: The Digital Bits.

If you're in the low-budget horror (or sci-fi or action) movie business, you're in the DVD business. Unless you have a time machine that can take you back to an era when low-budget flicks were a staple of drive-in and grindhouse theaters.

My favorite source for DVD info is TheDigitalBits.com. The site's writers do a good job of covering industry news and trends (their coverage of the current high def disc format war (HD DVD vs. Blu-Ray) is really heating up lately), plus they crank out plenty of disc reviews (and previews) for folks more interested in watching movies than making them.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 017.

017: DIY follow focus.

I haven't tried to build this yet, but I'm going to...

Very reasonable-looking plans for a $100 follow focus.

"Other Worlds Than These" episodes 015 and 016.

Two for one today, since I missed last week.

015: Sex In A Submarine.

Writer William Martel has many produced screenplays under his belt, mostly of the B-movie variety (my kind of guy!). His frequently-updated blog, "Sex In A Submarine," is filled with great anecdotes about both the art and (sometimes seedy) business of writing movies that are more likely to show up on Cinemax than at your local multiplex.

016: John August.

At the other end of the screenwriting blogosphere, you'll find John August, author of "Hollywood" screenplays like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, and Charlie's Angels. August is mostly writing about the Writer's Guild strike these days, but you can dig through his archives for lots of good advice for up-and-coming scribes.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 014.

014: Bazza's Bazaar.

Bazza's Bazaar is a great resource for buying and selling movie gear. From the Bazza's web site:

"Bazza's Bazaar brokers the sale of used professional audio, film, photographic, television and video equipment of all types."

That pretty much sums it up.

Lots of their equipment is in the U.K., so the prices might be a bit high for U.S. customers. I think the sheer number of items on the well-organized Bazza's list makes up for any pricing issues.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 012.

012: Cinematography.com

Cinematography.com is a great resource for all of your cinematography-related questions. The site's forum membership includes several industry professionals, and they're always willing to share their knowledge with the less-experienced. Whether your query is about film cameras or digital cameras, on-set lighting or post-production issues, it has probably already been answered at Cinematography.com. On the off-chance it hasn't, you can register with the forum and post the question yourself.

Darkness DVD.

Meant to mention this a while back...

Not long after I wrote about Hearts of Darkness, the Apocalypse Now documentary, Paramount announced (finally) a DVD release.

Said DVD is now available. Don't just sit there -- go get it.

"Other Worlds Than These" episode 011.

011: Grindhouse.

I was going to direct you to Grindhouse, a great example of filmmakers working to give their audience maximum bang for the buck. When it played in theaters, Grindhouse included two full-length feature films (Planet Terror and Death Proof), plus a few fake "preview of coming attraction" trailers.

I guess people thought Grindhouse was too good of a deal, because they mostly didn't go see it.

As a result, the powers that be (Dimension Films), didn't release a Grindhouse DVD. They released the two features separately. And you have to look around on the internet to find the trailers.

Like this one (particularly appropriate for today):

http://youtube.com/watch?v=UH3ihpscL8M

That link is not even safe for work, by the way.

If Dimension ever releases a real Grindhouse DVD, check it out.

And have a Happy Thanksgiving!