I miss you, Coachella.
I miss the beautiful people.
I miss the endless amounts of great music.
I miss waking up to the heat.
I miss starting my days with whatever alcohol I fell asleep next to.
I miss the feeling I would get every time I entered the gates.
I miss smoking weed while…
This is a promotional message for a wonderful filmmaker friend who is embarking on the production of an ambitious short film project in the coming months.
Thomas Mentel is a fellow graduate of the Film Studies Department at UC Berkeley, Class of 2009. He was recently accepted into the graduate filmmaking program at USC, which he will begin in the fall. He is truly one of the most hard-working and gifted filmmakers that I have had the pleasure of befriending. His intuitive understanding and love of the medium will no doubt ensure him a long and prosperous career as a filmmaker.
Thomas’s most stylized and professional production to date is a short-form psychological thriller entitled “Overtime.” The film, which Thomas has written and will direct, follows a man over the course of an overnight shift at his factory job as he is tormented by nightmarish memories from his past. In style and premise, the film calls to mind such old and new horror classics as “The Shining,” “The Machinist,” and “Let The Right One In.” Furthermore, Thomas has had the great fortune of finding and casting a SAG actor in the film’s lead role.
I hope that through this message you can find it in your hearts - and hopefully a small portion of your wallets - to help Thomas realize his latest cinematic vision. I know most of us are not in a position to give much, but every bit of generosity will go towards the fostering and support of a great filmmaking talent who deserves every chance at success.
With sincerest thanks,
Bianca
If you are depressed you are living in the past.
If you are anxious you are living in the future.
If you are at peace you are living in the present.
Ryan Gosling “You Always Hurt The One You Love”
The post below is a very thoughtful articulation of why The Social Network is not entirely the zeitgeist movie it has largely been lauded for being. Why, you ask? Because it doesn’t survey both the pros and cons of technologically-mediated communication. The film’s primary flaw is that it does not once give credence to the potential (and proven) benefits of virtual formats of socializing in the actual realm of human interaction. What the film does succeed so well at capturing are the negative drives to capitalize on the phenomenon of social networking - in this case, the dynamic duo of insecurity and greed. Thus, The Social Network perpetuates the assumption - largely held by both those outside “the social network” and jaded insiders of it - that such methods of socializing are inherently and collectively unhealthy. While virtual terrain is evolving with increasing speed and is pervading many more aspects of our daily lives, as with any method of communication, it is only as positive or negative as the communities of individuals who use it and what they use it for. Technology is, after all, just a medium. Even communication in the age of technocracy can be utilized for creating and connecting with one another in genuine and fulfilling ways. Many of the current radical societal shifts happening around the world - most notably right now in Egypt - exemplify how the will of people to unite is a catalyst that can ultimately supercede any communicative medium. Technology is only a barrier when one becomes enslaved to it from without, rather than enabling it to channel one’s thoughts and feelings from within. While such truths may not necessarily make for compelling cinema like The Social Network, it is the reality for many whose choice it is to responsibly integrate such tools into their lives. This makes the possibilities of genuine connection and revolution all the more exciting.
Thank you, Mr. Gordon-Levitt, for this dialogue.
The Social Network & My Generation
an open letter to my friend Peter Travers
Peter,
Hey man! So, I finally watched The Social Network the other night, and today I read your review of it, curious about your claim that this film defines my generation. First let me say, I agree that…
A lot of people never use their initiative because no one told them to.
– Banksy (via sleepymushrooms)(Source: scribblesbyem)
Via Banksy Street Art
i don’t want to live on the moon - joseph gordon-levitt
(Source: flanneryculp-thearchive)
About me
love and inspiration, virtual-style.
