Things have been incredibly busy of late, but instead of making flimsy excuses I’ll just rattle off a highlight reel of movie themed news.

5. A couple of weeks ago I worked a day on a friend’s film set for his cycle project called The Stunt (with luck, one day you all might see it when he’s become an incredibly famous director and they throw the short film in the special features section of a DVD). For the most part, I just sat back and watched. But for a hot second I was actually on-screen as a body double. That’s right people, the back of my head is in a movie for two seconds…maybe…we’ll have to see when it’s all finished. In any event, I had a blast  and got to see movie making from the other side.

4. I got a job reviewing independent films for CinemaBeach. Go forth and explore the website–they’ve got a lot of great reviews from people who just love to watch movies. And don’t be intimidated by the idea of “indie films”, I promise they’re not that scary (except for the one I’m reviewing this week, which is, in fact, a horror movie).

3. My first review for CinemaBeach is here for a movie called Jack and Diane. Enjoy. I’m working on a second one for the film In Their Skin, which promises to give me nightmares for many a  night to come. Hurrah for horror.

2. Go see Argo. Seriously, I think it’s Ben Affleck’s best film to date; he’s growing as a director, his acting is solid, and the film as a whole displays an attention to detail that is flat-out commendable. If this film doesn’t get nominated for an Oscar, I will be in a supreme state of shock.

1. I’m taking a class at Chapman that will allow my happy little self to got to the Sundance Film Festival. I turned in my paperwork yesterday and put down a deposit, so it is definitely happening.

Bam! Yeah, I know that last one is kind of big deal, at least for me it is. I promise to take lots of pictures (where permitted…and where not permitted when I can get away with it) and to drag my laptop along with me so I can share the experience.

OK, that’s all for now, but I’m working on a book related post, so stay tuned!