Well, here I am. Not updating my blog. It’s fun not doing it. But I feel it’s time to do it again.

I’ve worked on a few shoots since then and am starting the 3rd. With private projects in the pre-production stages. The lack of a camera and financial stability are a main issue amongst most of my private projects. But they’ll get made somehow.

Honestly, this an under a hundred word post. Just to show that I’m still alive. I do update twitter a lot more often. Which is @nemington.
I’ll get a post here that’s of literary value one day. But not today. (I’ll make this an even 110)

I wrote a review about Forgetting Sarah Marshall a couple months ago. Here it is.

For starters, there was a definite presence of the “TV actors on the big screen” theme here, but I am pleased to report that Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, and Mila Kunis take to movies like naturals. Like many Apatow productions, Segel penned the script and takes over as lead Peter Bretter, proving yet again that with this crew the writer is best suited for the leading role. Segel delivers a character we all know too well from our own personal experiences and never breaks role from the shocking beginning to appropriate ending. I even give Segel extra credit for not completely victimizing his character and pointing out apparent flaws on both ends of the ending relationship.

Kristen Bell plays Sarah Marshall, the iconic ex of the film, but her role sits on the back burner along with the truly hilarious Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to make way for a leading role in Mila Kunis. From the beginning it is clear that her not-too-smart and shallow role of “That 70s Show” didn’t follow her to “Forgetting”’s script. Kunis plays Racheal, a hospitality girl for the hotel that “Forgetting” takes place, and subsequently deals with Peter as he tries to get over Sarah Marshall. Her character is intelligent, charismatic, and appreciative of the good in people, a strong juxtaposition to the seemingly selfish starlet Sarah Marshall. Kunis owns the role with pride, even slipping in gestures and glances that didn’t seem to initially be in the script. Hopefully this will open her up for more serious roles than “American Psycho 2″ and the typecasting that often happens with TV actresses like her.

The star of the film, in my opinion, easily has to be Russell Brand, who plays the over-conscious over-sexed rock star Aldous Snow. Snow adds the necessary level of comedy that could have been missing from what is truly a tragic plot. About halfway in the film, I couldn’t help but snicker to myself just with the presence that Brand creates (complete with perfect costume choices). The only downfall to a character who is truly the Mercutio of this tragedy is that Brand clearly overshadows Bell’s performance as Sarah Marshall, who is ironically the most forgettable character of the film.

The writing flows with well-timed jokes, apathetic digs, and shocking vulgar humor. There is even a few moments where you feel Segel was digging on the cast with jokes involving crime dramas (Segel did time on “CSI”) and TV actresses in horrible horror movies (Kunis did the atrocious “American Psycho 2″); not sure if it was intentional, but I caught what I thought was a reference. Just as with most Apatow productions, leave the kids at home. Unlike the rest, however, the crude humor doesn’t overflow and turn off most audiences (like I noticed with “Superbad”). It also doesn’t get very heavy in the least (which is what I felt hurt “Knocked Up”). I think Apatow has found a great balance with this production and Segel’s script. I also want to give credit to Nicholas Stoller , who proved that he can be successful as a director after the hit he took from helping write “Fun with Dick and Jane”.

All in all, this comedy is just another example of a good time for adults. It keeps a consistently flowing script, unlike many recent comedies that seem to lose pace as they close the story. While crude, the jokes are just light enough to appease most adult audiences and the short 100 minute run time will ensure you won’t be glancing at your watch waiting for it to end, just laughing hysterically.

Well, it’s about that time. Time to update this thing since it never does it by itself.

Recently, I have been feeling homesick. I miss my friends in more accurate terms. I miss my brother from another mother, Senor Freddie. I miss my Cruise-Buddy Thomas. It’s pretty weird, but it’s true. I’m also in the process of editing Plumber’s Discretion. Which probably deserves a whole blog post to itself due to my pre-shoot post being completely wrong and it being one of the most stressful experiences of my life. Due to in-fighting and massive egos amongst other things, I believe it went horribly wrong and we didn’t get what we wanted out of it.

It’s roughly 4 am here in Florida and after a long in-depth conversation about many things in the world. I felt the need to post here.

First off, people. People in America. Yes, they’re not open to change at all. AT ALL. I’m different, I’ll be the first person to admit that. Why is there any need to address that multiple times? And proceed to make fun of it? It shows that the United States of America, is not, I will restate that, IS NOT, the greatest nation on Earth. You don’t accept other people, there’s in-fighting. Not to mention your heathcare or education. Are you even aware that there are other nations? And World Series? That just explains it all. It’s just you. Fucking Isolationism. It doesn’t work. No Child Left Behind? Yes, you left some behind, many of them, tons of ignorant assholes who do not know that people have it better off in other countries. I have seen more homeless during my months here than I have in my entire life. This is just a rant, yes. But I mean this.

Accept other people, accept their differences, accept that you have flaws (massive ones) in your country.
Then again, I can also admit I have flaws. So does every place on Earth. But at least address them.

Honestly, I just feel that way. I think I might update later today, but don’t count on it.

This is how I feel.

Anyway, I haven’t updated for a while really. I kind of zone out and forget to update when I don’t have class. We finished shooting and honestly, it was fun but it was also a clusterfuck. We all, well when I say we, I don’t mean I was included, just as a collective hive of minds in the group, we were disorganized. It was no doubt down to one person (sideways) but otherwise, it was an enjoyable experience and I presume I learned a lot from it, with no way of adequately grasping what I learnt within a set timeframe. 2 days, hardly any sleep, lost keys, dolly on the foot, explosive diarrhea, well let’s just say it was fun. For me at least.

I’m a good three days away from shooting my commercial with the group, which will no doubt be a clusterfuck once more. I’m enjoying the word clusterfuck. It’s a description of so many things in my life.

Anyhoo, I’ll try to remember the blog and come back to it when I have something of value to say.

It’s been a busy week for me and no doubt being a busier week ahead of me.

We’ve casted our talent for the flick, Plumber’s Discretion, which overall, I can’t complain over the quality or the professionism exhibited by our talent.
Despite some trouble with our original two female picks, we finally have our female. I haven’t seen her in action yet, but with the rest of the directorial team reassuring me that she’s the girl for the part.

Managing to create a short film in the little time we can afford with class and what not is a huge learning experience and already before we’ve started shooting I want to thank the crew despite looking unprofessional, we’re getting our shit down.

Coming up this week, I have two rehearsals, moving into new apartment, finals, pre-light and the two days we shoot our short film. After that, I’m going to be drained and want to relax.

Just for PoB and this blog, I’ll hopefully have behind the scenes footage and photos. If I can find a cable for my camera.

Right, so judging by my blog title. I’m sure you know this isn’t going to be a “I love Apple Pie, God bless America, George Washington” type of post.
I’d like to sum up some of the most pivotal moments in my recent life which to me, can clearly be used in a valid argument that the United States of America does not even deserve to call themselves the greatest nation on earth, not even on the top ten.

It starts with the wonderful person at the check-in, who after much debating and bureaucratic tomfoolery, told me that I would not need the Servis papers and that my Visa Issue number was one digit off. Taking this in stride, I thought immigration would be a breeze after, said check-in person who had called the Miami Immigration and they had cleared me without my Servis paper. Granted, Full Sail and the lady at Orlando Int’l said it’d be fine without them.

Well, lo and behold, I was held there. I was held there for 2 hours without the possibility to call Alexandra, who to her credit, persevered in the Baggage Claim without news of me and holding the possibility that the flight to Orlando will be missed. I spent two hours, in an un-air-conditioned room, with many illegals. In the most racially sensitive words I choose, I was the only honkey in a place of coloured. I apologize for it, but I used the terms of a Miami Immigration official. So yes, I was kept in the Immigration until my name was called up and a Immigration Official took me to his office and explained to me that I needed the paper to prove that I knew I paid the fee, which on it’s own right is ridiculous, but once I add these extra words, watch how I wish that the officer was just part of a dream but alas, he said “We can prove you paid the fee, but we still need the paper to prove that you knew you paid the fee.”

Now, seriously, YOU CAN’T LET ME IN BECAUSE YOU WANT ME TO PAY A FEE I WAS FULLY AWARE I NEEDED TO PAY, TO GET A PIECE OF PAPER TO PROVE I PAID SAID FEE, BUT I NEED TO BRING IT EVERYWHERE. AND YOU HAVE MY FINGERPRINTS, PHOTO, PASSPORT SCAN, AND ALL MY DOCUMENTS. AND I STILL JUST NEED TO PROVE I PAID YOU SOME FUCKING MONEY, YOU FUCKING CAPITALIST PIGS.

So, he managed, bless his heart, to give me 30 days to send me documents up to Washington DC and get it fixed. Though, this was after he threatened to oust me of the glorious country of false dreams. So, delighted with this, I took him up with the offer, giving me the chance to get some liquids in me. Yet, there was one obstacle, I needed to get on the plane at 21:30. Guess what time it was, 21:29. Fuming, I left the immigration in a rush, the officials knew I had a connecting flight, yet, they would rather be frightened over a 19 year old British Student than the hundreds of illegals who are crossing the border everyday. The flight was delayed and we managed to get on it. I don’t need to get into detail about any immigration in Orlando, it all went fine as it was a domestic flight.

There’s also more, I learned it takes police 1 hour and 3o minutes to get to the scene of the crime in Orlando. And although, they have somewhat nice manner, I might’ve been dead by the time they were there.

So, God Bless America. I hope that one day, you’ll be a first world country.

Right. I want this statement to get out of the way, Flight of the Conchords was amazing. Yes, I went. I had chills for most of the night. Twas a great night to finish off the Winter to Spring run of classes. Now I want that one week off, just to nap and relax. I need to clear my mind from all the two films I’m trying to get made. Here’s a picture, courtesy of Michael Castronova, since my camera cable has been chewed up by a certain cat.

Kristen Schaal was there too, you might know her as Mel from FotC on HBO. She actually had a great stand-up routine, particularly her so-called “plays.”
Even though I’m not writing anything of substance or even of interest to many. I feel last night deserves a blog post for it’s pure brilliance and padded seats.

I might not update during my one week off, so don’t think I’m dead…

“If Pinnochio said ‘This statement will make my nose grow’ what would happen?”

I figured it would sent a few brains a-spinning and leave me to writing a less than adequate blog. I actually, I just realized all my plans for a large blog post chronicling my last two years was forgotten since I just passed 100 posts. This would be the 110th post I believe. The 14th of October, 2009 then. That’s when it’s been two years and I feel a large post is in order then. For now, be satisfied with the mindfuck above and what presumably will be a mindfuck below.

My mind is honestly at a standstill, the cause is evident and looming right now. Actually it’s two, Flight of the Conchords and the Spring Break just one and three days away respectively. So, my mind is on it’s early vacation. Just sipping beers under a mental umbrella on a mental beach. It’s honestly frustrating when I do want to make some appealing post but yet, I am not able to.

I just read through Mr. Castronova’s Thoughts and his post on the disillusion of the Republican Party. It made me realize, not many people know my standing or they assume it to be liberal. Which honestly, I believe myself to be liberal, you’d think, if you were me, you would think this and I am me, so I’m in a perfect position to offer conclusive evidence on that…

Somehow, I cannot put into words how I feel about politics. Yet, I’m sure if I was forced into a debate, there’d be a way to adequately portray the words.

At this time, I think I’ll end this hopeless post of fumbling for words and pay attention in class.

Whenever I get my hands on a copy of the newspaper that Americans persist in calling the London Times, I almost invariably turn first of all to the obituary pages and the death notices. This is partly to satisfy myself that I’m still here, but I do so primarily to read about the lives and careers of the recently-deceased, and to find out the age at which they actually passed on.

As I get older, this becomes an increasingly significant (and discouraging) consideration, and I suspect I’m far from being alone in finding this to be so. My grandfather once remarked that when he read the obituary pages, he always averaged out the ages of those whose deaths were reported, and then he subtracted his own accumulated years from the figure he had calculated, so as to get a rough idea of how much time and how many years he himself had got left to go.

On to the blog, I wanted to write. Research was involved in this, and the above was something I decided to share after writing it last night on cold medication, you’d be surprised how you feel the need to embellish writing when you’re in that state. Enough of some jibberjabber onto the story.

We’re always being warned not to expect happy endings to the ecological, economic and political crises that are upon the world, and yet when times are grim, these upbeat conclusions are in the stories we seek out.

Two years ago, I heard about a group called the Happy Endings Foundation that for a brief moment came into the forefront of the news.

They were demanding that authors of children’s books come up with happier endings and even suggested that works with less sunny conclusions should be burnt on “bad book bonfires” held around the UK.

It was then found out it was a hoax, like the ones floating about yesterday. A clever marketing hoax I may say. But by the time it was realised national and local newspapers had already carried the story.

The point is that this kind of campaign doesn’t seem that ridiculous. In troubled times there are plenty of people who want happy endings – an matter perhaps recognised by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, last week, when he cautioned God will not intervene in climate change to supply a happy ending.

Have you ever noticed that the music you listen to changes your perspective on whatever you’re doing? Take for example my walk to class today, I was listening to the “Return of the King” soundtrack. It put a mysterious, epic feel to the walk. Then Billy Boyd started singing at the stop light. There was something about looking at the cars, all racing to get somewhere and his voice.

Boe le henio
E si car athad iyn
Ane ah a phen
I u athelitha.

You must understand.
He does the duty of two sons now.
For himself; and for the one
who will not return.

Home is behind
The world ahead.
And there are many paths to tread.
Through shadow,
To the edge of night
Until the stars are all alight

Mist and shadow
Cloud and shade
All shall fade
All shall…fade.

It just made sense for some surreal reason. It really did…