In all honesty, I have no idea what to write about. I've got some ideas here and there, but I really have no idea what I'm doing. In my wildest and most fantastic dreams, I envision a blog that thousands of people read every day, that movie studios try to bribe me to write good reviews about their films. But for now, I guess I have to enjoy it on a (extremely?) small-scale level.
Blogs are rapidly becoming (if not already) one of the most trusted sources of information and opinion. Which is interesting in and of itself since blogs are solely based on the personal and biased opinion of one person. People just can't trust paid-for advertisements anymore because they constantly bombard our awareness and attention spans. It is much easier and credible for people to trust word-of-mouth from friends or associates because they either enjoyed or hated something purely for its entertainment value. They weren't paid to do it. Take a look at Kanye West's blog. All he does is post stuff that he likes such as the new Coldplay song ("Viva La Vida") or The Dark Knight trailer (which will definitely be the best movie of the summer). And people trust this, because it's Kanye. He's not repping himself: he's promoting other things out of sheer love for them and a way to connect with his fans and introduce them to his interests. However, it's a give-and-take relationship. If we didn't have this constant bombardment of media advertisements, how would we know what's out there to enjoy?
For example, today, I was driving on the 405, and The Hulk stared me down from the side of some random building for about 2 miles before I finally passed him. He was about 15 feet tall and green as kush. But sweet geezus, I am sick and tired of CGI. A lot of times, CGI is just so obvious that it really makes you feel that the movie is not real. According to Cannes reports, CGI has ruined Indy 4, which is almost as disappointing as Spiderman 3 or Speed Racer. Obviously, it's not real, but the real fun in watching a movie is losing yourself in it. For some time, it becomes your reality. Sure, these billboards and posters reinforce, remind, and expose people to certain products and increase their awareness, but dammit, sometimes, I don't want to look at The Hulk. Sometimes, I would just like to enjoy the scenic, smog-filled side of the freeway. Although, if it weren't for this massive billboard, I may not have known (at least today, since I'm sure soon we'll be seeing TV spots plague the airwaves) that the film comes out June 13, 2008. Now, I have something to look forward to.
It's funny, though, that people constantly focus on the endpoint. These marketing campaigns for films can run for about a year or so and only increase in exposure as it gets closer to that opening date. The first weekend, instead of the film's total distribution length, defines a film as a success or failure in the eyes of the public. Marketers, studios, filmmakers, everyone involved in the movie is looking towards that end date. I sometimes wonder if they take the time to be aware of what their doing up to that date. Are they conscious / aware of what they are doing at that exact moment, or are they solely trying to complete these tasks to build toward something else?
When I saw the billboard, I immediately started thinking about June 13, a day that is really only significant because of The Hulk, a day that frankly is quite far in the future. Entranced by this thought, I didn't register anything else happening on the road. The next thing I knew, I was home. I had missed out on my entire 405 experience.
Writing this first post, I was nervous how it would come out, on what note I would end it on. Hell, I didn't even know what I was going to fuckin' write about. But I wrote. I just wrote, and here's what came out. In a way, a film's marketing campaign is its own movie. The trailers for Spiderman 3 made the film feel like it was going to be epic and kickass, but the actual movie broke my heart. Don't even get me started on Spiderman 3 right now. In my own selective attention, I choose to forget how bad the movie was and try to remember how sweet the trailer was. The trailer was part of the journey towards the final destination of seeing the movie--the means was more enjoyable than the ends. So, for a second, let's forget about the end and enjoy the means. Let's forget about the destination, for just a minute, and enjoy the journey. Sometimes, it may not be the most epic journey ever, but it's still part of life.
Journeys: From the Beginning to the End
1. Genesis by Justice
2. Bermuda Highway by My Morning Jacket
3. Have Love Will Travel by The Blue Van
4. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart) by Journey
5. Across The Sea by Weezer
6. Road Trippin' by The Red Hot Chili Peppers
7. Easy Rider by Iron Butterfly
8. Far Behind by Eddie Vedder
9. The Middle by Jimmy Eat World
10. Dead End Street by The Kinks
11. Crossroads by Cream
12. Destination Overdrive by Chromeo
13. Around The World by Daft Punk (or Wyclef Jean remix)
14. The Beginning of the End by Guster
15. The Distance by Cake
16. Forever Begins by Common
17. The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles
18. The End by The Doors
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