"Dogfather" Trailer

My dog Gabe's a star. Here's his newest flick:



And here is his very own interview:

"Cliff House" documentary gets a name...

Alright everybody, it's announcement time!

That's right, it's finally time for my long-awaited (and until now) untitled "Cliff House" documentary to get a name.

I've been toying around with ideas for some time. It seemed there were so many options, and yet nothing quite seemed to stick. I searched far and wide and all around for some witty restaurant terminology, some funny reference that would fit just nicely. But it never came.

It seemed the only option was to go the natural way, and let it come to me. And it did. After hours and hours of editing, a simple line spoken near the end seemed to capture the essence of what this little movie was all about. It was personal and intimate. The words spoken by former manager, Chris Volker while in his last few days in the industry, working the one job anyone who'd spent 35 years in the business wouldn't want to find themselves doing: washing dishes.

So, to quote from the great C.V., the title of my movie:

"While We Worked: A behind-the-scenes documentary on the lives of restaurant workers"

What'd ya think? A little obvious? I hope so.

P.S. Look out for a Facebook fan page, as well as official website to pop up soon with more info, photos, trailers, and release dates(!)

Top Films of 2009 (And the Decade)

My top films of 2009:

Another year has passed (as well as decade) and that means it’s time to reflect on the year in movies: films that had an impact and those that left you wanting your time and money back. I’ve decided to skip the number game this year. Some films are better than others, but it doesn’t really make sense to try and compare.

First off, let’s get it out of the way. You know what I’m talking about...Not because it’s the best picture of the year, but because it’s been the most talked about..

Avatar--

I’d been meaning to write about this film for awhile, but felt that everyone had pretty much covered everything there was to say. You’re pretty much on one side of the fence or the other on this one. Either it’s a cliched, unoriginal, recycled (ala Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas and Ferngully), fx heavy, over-blown hollywood action film, or: it’s brilliant; an amazing special effects spectacle, utilizing the most advanced and involving 3D process ever created and (while not wholly original), crafts a beautiful, moving story with believable characters. In other words, it’s the new “Titanic”. Go figure, it’s also by James Cameron.

Now, where do I stand? I’d have to say somewhere in the middle. I had mixed feelings coming out of this movie. Initially I wanted to proclaim my love for it. After all, the special effects created for it are quite amazing. I felt so integrated. Like I was “inside” the movie. It was extremely involving. If only the characters and story hadn’t come straight out of a disney film plot.

I agree with it’s message, but there is such a thing as subtly, and this movie knows nothing of it. The environmental message is jammed down your throat, and the characters are nothing more than thinly drawn cliches. I did not care about the romance, nor get involved in it. For such a film that proclaims to be such masterful storytelling, every element was extremely predictable. Each character (notably the antagonist: the evil general) is so completely unoriginal and stereotypical. Such one dimensional characters, in a world that is so three dimensional. There is such a thing as taking a basic story and telling it in a new way. And it’s true that Cameron has done that. Visually, this film is groundbreaking. But he’s taken a generic idea and not given it much weight. Star Wars, a film that took so many influences and borrowed from so many genres still added originality to it’s world and characters.

With that aside, this film will change the way movies are made. Other films will rush to follow in it’s path. But I assume it will be sometime before other films will catch up technically. After all, it took Cameron years to develop the process. It is not something that will be able to be duplicated so easily. It requires time and effort.

Now that that’s out of the way...

The Best of the Best:

Inglourious Basterds

Pure cinematic bliss. That’s all I have to say. I loved the “Kill Bill” films in all their infinite glory, but overall this is probably Tarantino’s best since “Pulp Fiction”. It’s quite ingenious. The opening sequence alone is one of my favorite openers, not only of the year, but probably of all time.

A Serious Man

2007’s “No Country For Old Men” was one of the Coen’s best efforts along with “Fargo”. “A Serious Man” deserves to be in that same camp. Talking about films that defy convention..I have never seen a film quite like this one. Not even previous Coen entries. Brilliantly written, masterfully shot, haunting at times, nerve-racking. Great performances from plenty of unknowns. I talked earlier about great opening sequences..well this film’s first ten minutes will immediately draw you in. Brilliant, that’s all I have to say. I want to go back and watch it again and again, dissecting the messages and themes hidden throughout.

Up in the Air

If you know anything about my film taste, it’s that I love anything that defies convention. And this film does just that. Not to mention it’s beautifully shot, features one of the best George Clooney roles I’ve ever seen (yes, that’s right!), and crafts one of the best screenplays of the year. I think Jason Reitman is emerging as one of my favorite new filmmakers.

Turned off by the trailers? Don’t be. Jason Reitman and crew have crafted such a trailer, only to appeal to the “general audience” crowd. The film is not quite what the trailer might imply.

UP

Talk about well drawn characters. Literally. The first ten minutes of this film almost had me in tears. Such a great set up for the film. Some of the best recent characters in an animated film. I actually cared for them. I can not praise Pixar enough. This is probably one of my favorite entries, up there with “Toy Story”, “Wall-E”, and “The Incredibles”. Is there any question about the best animated film of the year? I don’t think so.

The Hurt Locker

Alright, it’s not the best film of the year, but it’s still really good. I was a bit skeptical of the hype initially. This is probably one of the best Iraq war films made yet. These filmmakers know real suspense. You know, back before the digital era when films knew how to pin you to your seat simply by creating tension with silence and camera movement?

The characters are so detailed and well written, and the camera in it’s placement is so specific and intentional, we know what is happening even in chaotic moments, and because we know the characters so well and how they will react, it only adds to the suspense. This film unravels so naturally, (with the exception of one sequence that seemed a bit far fetched) is shot so realistically, as if it were a documentary (a technique often used since the great “Saving Private Ryan”), and it only keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Honorable Mention:

Precious--Hate on it all you will. Unlike the undeserved attention for the “Blindside”, this film doesn’t force it’s emotion on you. It can only sweep you in. It’s a grim film that only feels really because of it’s strong performances.

500 Days of Summer--for those sick of romance cliches, here’s a film about real-life “romances”.

Adventureland-- I love Jesse Eisenberg, perhaps because he reminds me partly of my high school self. And he’s got great comedic timing. Between “The Squid and the Whale”, this year’s “Zombieland”, and this, he is emerging as one of my favorite new talents. This movie is actually really moving and well written. Much better than I had expected.

Public Enemies--Surprised that critics seemed to forget this movie by the end of the year. Michael Mann pulls it off in classic fashion with some good performances by Depp and Bale.

Antichrist-Disturbing and controversial. Love it or hate it, it is not to be missed. (Not for the squeamish though!)

Funny People--Tied with “Punch-Drunk Love” for the best Adam Sandler film to date, as well as this year’s “Adventureland” for best dark comedy. Love that Sandler practically self-parodies his early career here, and the ridiculousness that unfolds over the course of the movie.

Moon--Atmospheric and haunting. Wonderful intimate, intelligent sci-fi movie with a great performance by Rockwell and a thrilling soundtrack.

(Wish I saw more foreign films...)

The rest of the Good:

Bruno-Did it take it too far? Yeah. But I couldn’t resist.

Capitalism: A Love Story- Actually one of Moore’s best, up there with “Columbine”. He sure knows how to cut a movie to make you laugh, cry, or outraged. Old tactics are still in play, although to a lesser extent, and Moore attacks both sides of the aisle this time, while offering some interesting thoughts, as well as some far-fetched ones. It does feel, I must say, as though Moore is losing his platform. Perhaps his time has passed along with the Bush era.

District 9-Over-rated but still significant. Props to the director and team for pulling this off on such a small budget. It’s inspiring to see as a filmmaker, not to mention a sign to big Hollywood that stories still matter too.

Drag Me to Hell-My ideal horror film. Doesn’t take itself seriously, and pulls, classic, good old fashioned horror tricks from up it’s sleeve while making you laugh at the same time. Gotta love Raimi bringing it back “Evil Dead” style.

Fantastic Mr.Fox-Not Wes Anderson’s best film to date, but props for the animation style and voice acting.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince-The past three Harry Potters (this included) have felt a bit shallow and empty with not a lot of substance. The first three were full of wonderment and somehow that has since been lost in adaptation. That aside, Harry Potter still continues to be just entertaining enough, and the end sequence in the cave alone makes up for other weak spots.

The Men Who Stare at Goats-This movie tickled my funny phone. Ewan McGregor, George Clooney, and Jeff “The Dude” Bridges were all in their prime. Oh, and did I mention it’s based on a true story?

Observe and Report-I loved how utterly over the top violent this movie was. Some feel like Rogen’s overdone it. Somehow he gets me every time.

Ponyo-Miyazaki is the God of animation. Still feel your inner-child? This movie is pure animated bliss.

Princess and the Frog--Excellent, old school, hand-drawn animation, if only the story and songs could have held up as well.

Star Trek-Not just an excellent re-boot, probably one of the best “Trek” films made. Can’t wait to see where Abrams takes the series.

Where the Wild Things Are-Initial feelings aside, this is not a film to be missed. I’m quite Interested to see what a second viewing holds in store. Jonze deserves major credit for all stylistic choices involved.

Zombieland- One of the most entertaining movies of the year. It’s funny and exciting with surprisingly well written characters. I might even go as far as to say I wouldn’t mind a sequel..which is a pretty big compliment.

The Letdowns/bad/other:

2012- Let’s be clear. I can’t stand Roland Emmerich movies. I hate his characters and attempts to add depth and meaning to pointless destruction and disaster movies. I went into this movie expecting ridiculous, over the top, popcorn eye candy..and it wasn’t even that. Nor is it very entertaining. In fact, I was bored. This movie is way more full of a “plot” than the filmmakers would lead you to believe.This movie attempts to be profound and moving and fails miserably at both. The special effects aren’t even all that good, and what there is of any eye candy consists of the heroes fleeing from absolute (ridiculous) destruction. It’s so over-the-top it had me laughing out loud. This film tries to be many things and fails at them all. I’m sure there were worse films this year, but this was the worst one I managed to catch.

Land of the Lost-Had me at moments, but as a whole, what were they thinking?

Terminator Salvation-Somehow they continue to turn out Terminator movies that add nothing more but reason to continue a series that should have ended in the 90’s.

Watchmen-Not altogether a disappointment, entertaining as it is, but I felt emotionally detached, and meaning stripped away from an originally brilliant story.

X-Men Origins-Nothing more than a money grab, and a way for the writers to say “hey look! this is how Wolverine got the jacket he wears!”

Year One- You know, this movie was better than some proclaimed. But it also had far greater potential, and ultimately doesn’t add up to much.

And...

Top of the Decade (since everyone else is doing it):

TOP 50-2000-2009--

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

City of God

No Country For Old Men

There Will Be Blood

Munich

Lost in Translation

Kill Bill 1&2

Spirited Away

Brokeback Mountain

Inglourious Basterds

Adaptation

The Dark Knight

Memento

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Requiem for a Dream

Almost Famous

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Milk

The Wrestler

Capote

UP

Moulin Rouge

Sideways

In the Bedroom

Synecdoche New York

Doubt

Wall-E

The Departed

Downfall

Hotel Rwanda

Slumdog Millionaire

American Splendor

Punch-Drunk Love

The Squid and the Whale

Match Point

Good Night, and Good Luck

Atonement

Syriana

Mystic River

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

Pan’s Labyrinth

Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan

Million Dollar Baby

The Passion of the Christ

Kinsey

The Incredibles

Monster

Mulholland Drive

Waking Life

Inland Empire

There were a few others I could have included, that maybe just missed the list, but I figured that 50 was a pretty good number.

I’m sure I messed up somewhere and forgot something along the line. Anything that comes to mind? Anything you totally disagree with? I’m sure there is, and I’m sure I can defend it just as easily.

Best Documentaries: (Sadly I don’t see enough...)

Bowling for Columbine

Capturing the Friedmans

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

The Fog of War

Grizzly Man

Jesus Camp

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Lake of Fire

Man on Wire

No End in Sight

Art=life: Projects, projects, projects...

(Re-post from myspace with updates)

Hey everybody,

with the new decade now in full bloom, I wanted to give an update on my life and some upcoming projects I've been working on. As some of you may know, I've decided to leave my day jobs temporarily to strictly focus on my artistic endeavors, and finally complete a few of the projects I've had in the works for awhile now:

--First off, the "Cliff House documentary". It's a serious, yet humorous look at the inner-workings of the restaurant industry. More or less a character study on the types of people who cook your food. It's like a real-life version of "Waiting" mixed with a little "Clerks". Forget that "Hell's Kitchen" bullshit. This is the real deal.

My documentary has been in the works for over two years now, what with all the shooting and sorting through hours and hours of footage. It's now in it's final editing stages and I've got a title I've been toying around with that I quite like. It's got a ways to go still: Many more edits (as well as some massive sound mixing) and a private screening at the Cliff House restaurant for employees before it's ready for public viewing. Soon though, we'll have a website up and a FB page with a teaser. Keep watching!

--"Fantastic Stan Goes To Hell": Our current short film, about a traveling salesman who rides a flying vacuum cleaner; when his parents are kidnapped by the devil himself, he must go to Hell to save them. We've been in production on it now for almost a year. I've had the concept for this film since I was thirteen years old, so it's been pretty cool to finally see it realized. It's very FX-heavy, so it's been a lot of green screen work, which has been challenging and definitely a learning experience. We're close to wrapping principle filming, and then it's on to plenty of post FX work to do.

So far I've been really pleased with the dailies, and pretty impressed by how the green screen material has turned out. Can't wait to have this baby in the can, and ready for you all to check out. (Soon I'll post a blog about some of the amusing behind-the-scenes stories from shooting, as well as updates on our official website: www.knappbrosentertainment.com.. as well as a "Fantastic Stan" website soon to be announced!)

I think I'll feel quite a bit more relieved after these projects are out of my head, out of my hands, and available for others to see. My mind is already set to move on to my back catalog of future ideas, as I'm quite honestly ready to be done with the current ones...

--If that wasn't enough to occupy my time, I've shot a music video for local musician, Jenni Potts. We're working on "Stay" off of her album "Take This and Go" from 2008. (It's darker in tone than her first music video, "Another Way". I reckon the feeling of it to a coming storm). It's a great album, produced by the boys at Clickpop, and if you haven't heard it yet, I strongly suggest checking it out.

--A Knapp Brothers' "Shorts" Compilation DVD is also in the works, with a majority of our past shorts, trailers, and extra features, which will hopefully be available for sale or direct download via Amazon.com. Followed not long after by the "Complete Edward Gibbs: Volume 1".

--I'm in the middle of acquiring the rights to music by "The Appleseed Cast" and "Mogwai" for my experimental short, "11-11".

--And in the middle of getting our old short "Rat Juice" on IMDB.

--In other news, my band "Lost Horizons", (who you most likely have never heard of...mostly due to the fact that we never play any shows anywhere) is pulling itself back together again with regular practices, prepping for shows(!), and are just wrapping up final mixing on our demo/EP we recorded over at Bayside studio. We had some road blocks along the way, but we've got a new set of tires, and an unwavering, headstrong spirit. In short, we ain't giving up. Some pretty cool things are in store for 2010...

If I have any extra time, I'll be working on the book I've been writing since I was 13, "The Adventures of Johnny Marvel". I hope you're not as afraid of germs as I am...

UPDATE: (3/9/10)

*"Cliff House doc" is seeing real progress, and an end in sight. Name announcement coming very soon...

*"Fantastic Stan" is close to wrapping principle photography, and then on to months of special effects work. Almost a year in the making...

*Jenni Potts music video is in the can, awaiting editing.

*Band demo is almost complete. Just needs mastering and a final mix-down.

Conclusion: Projects are coming close to completion and just need lots of detail work and fine tuning. Time for promotion is near, and I could use your help!

Oscar Time

I've been watching the Oscar telecast for the past ten years now, since "Gladiator" undeservedly took home the big win. And in that amount of time, there has been some truly great films nominated, as well as some best pictures that really didn't deserve to come away with the top prize. As you'll see in the past, the said winner will have aged incredibly (no longer significant) while other older nominees will have aged incredibly and are far more significant now than ever before.

Such is the case with say "The English Patient" winning over "Fargo" in '97, or "Shakespeare in Love" over "Saving Private Ryan" in '99.

Given, there are also some years, when the most deserving film never even saw a nomination. Example in recent memory: "Fight Club", one of the greatest films of the decade.

And so here we find ourselves in '10, and we're back in the same scenario. That's of course, assuming I am correct in my prediction, that "The Hurt Locker" will take home the Best Picture award. Now, "Avatar" could obviously still take it, or there could be a surprise upset with a dark horse film like "Up in the Air", "Precious", or "Inglorious Basterds", but that most likely won't happen.

My real question though is...why nominate 10 films? Simply to draw in viewership by nominating more "popular" or well known films such as "The Blindside"? I hear it's a decent movie, but since when did they start nominating cheesy family, inspirational sports movies? Pointless if you ask me, especially since it's clear which top five should have been nominated. In my opinion, they'll drop the gimmick next year. Hopefully..

Here's the problem. The most deserving films are typically darker, grittier movies that mass audiences typically shy away from. Although I was very glad to see "No Country For Old Men" take home the prize in 2008. This year the award truly deserves to go to Tarantino for "Inglorious Basterds", my favorite film of the year. Or secondly, the Coen's brilliant "A Serious Man". However, judging the film's by their content, they will never win.

But look: Scorsese's finally got his oscar, and the Coen's have gotten theirs, so let's not pull a Hitchcock on the situation, and let's give Tarantino the oscar. Not just because he's deserved it in the past. "Pulp Fiction" anybody? But because "Basterds" truly deserves to win.

Don't get me wrong. "The Hurt Locker" is a very good movie. I was a bit uncertain going into it with all the hype, but it surprised me as a highly engaging film. There have been a great deal of films made on the Iraq war, but "Hurt Locker" isn't just a good war film, it's just a damn good film. The characters are well drawn and the film finds it's strength in it's long, suspenseful setups. It's a very well crafted movie, and stands alone among other war films in that it has no agenda politically, one way or the other. It sticks you in the middle of the action and let's you feel for it's character's as opposed to trying to make a point.

But is it really the BEST movie of the year? Well, it's always hard to really say, but I don't believe so.

And neither is "Avatar". Perhaps the most overrated picture of the year, could also very well come away with the gold tonight. And it rightfully has it's place in history. It will change the way (special effects) films are made, much like "Star Wars" did in it's era. Maybe not quite to the same extent, but in it's own way. I myself, was blown away by the new 3-D process, and the way that it made you feel so integrated into the movie.

But come on...I know it's been discussed to death on the internet, but special effects aside, "Avatar" is nothing more than a cliche rehash of older anti-imperialistic stories, that feels like it could be the plot of a disney movie. (Oh wait...) My eyes were dazzled, but my brain was left wanting more. Had I cared about it's characters, instead of the thinly drawn, cardboard cut-outs that they were, and it's situation, this movie could have truly moved me, made me care about it's world. Instead, it was a wonderment to take in, but nothing more than a fascinating roller coaster ride. Which isn't meant to downplay it's spectacle. "Avatar" was realistically one of the best thematic experiences I've had in the theater. If only the story could have carried more weight, than I would be cheering it along to it's victory.

My New Blog Home

Hey all,

it's a brand new decade, and that means a fresh start.

I figured my first order of business had to be starting up an official blog page here, since my myspace page had been my blog home for so long, until it's recent decline in popularity. Facebook and Twitter have since taken over the cyberspace, while Myspace is slowly going the way of the dinosaur.

And frankly, it was time for a real blog. And so that's what I've done.

So here it is, for you to enjoy: The "Official Micah Knapp" blogspot.

What am I going to blog about, you might ask?

Well, I'm not limiting to one thing only. A blog is a place to give yourself a voice. A soapbox. And I'm going to take full advantage of that. Not that I'm going to abuse it, like a great percentage of internet bloggers. No my friends, this isn't a place for angry discourse, nor is it a place where I am going to jam opinions down your throat.

This is a place where I am going to discuss and review film, document my life and experiences, and keep you up to date on the movies that I'm currently working on.

For those that don't know me, I am an Independent filmmaker, based in Bellingham Washington. What are my films about?

Well, we'll be talking about that very soon...