Dark Times

It's hard to stay positive in these really difficult times, when basic things are a huge question mark. I mean, the fact that we can no longer completely trust the banks is a very scary thing. I went ahead and broke up the accounts for the Raspberry Magic, just to be safe. The whole economy and everything has got me feeling very restless and very uneasy about everything. While on a day to day basis everything is generally fine on my end, these are certainly very tough times to be an indie filmmaker. Money is tight and people who might ordinarily write a check without hesitation are now understandably nervous. On top of that, there have been incredibly bleak forecasts for selling indie films, as well. All of this has me feeling heavy, very heavy. But what do we do in times like these? Stop? Give up? forget about our aspirations? Seems like maybe that's the answer, and trust me, I have felt that way in many fleeting moments over the past couple of months. As corny as it sounds, though, these are truly the times when we have to simply do what we always do, and move forward. Especially as artists, now is a time when people need beauty, they need something that gives them hope and joy. For me, art has always played this role, and I feel more resolve than ever to keep going. In terms of making my film, we are basically there, all we need is $70K more to really be okay. Maybe it's not all of the money we originally wanted, and maybe there are compromises that will have to be made. But isn't this the nature of indie filmmaking? Shit, isn't this the nature of existing? And yes, there are many naysayers about indie film right now, but in reality, I think that once things settle down, the market for indie film is going to be much, much better than it ever was before, I think this could happen over the next few months, too. The current business model for indie filmmaking basically sucks. You make a movie, and then you basically stand on a street corner and beg someone to pay you for it. Megha and I have always been very clear that our strategy to bring RM to market will be much more comprehensive than just getting picked up at a festival. In our business plan, it is outlined much like the way Peter Broderick recently described on indie wire, in his new model for selling movies. His approach is what we have taken all along, to break up the distribution among many entities so that we have control. And, we've been exploring some very new and exciting places that are dying for content like ours, a family film. On some level, even though things are tough right now, it feels like the right/perfect time to make Raspberry Magic. I mean, it's a story about a family falling apart due to debt and the father's job loss, and a girl trying to figure out how to handle it. I personally went through this a few times when I was growing up, I mean, my dad losing his job and being nervous/confused about it, so I can relate to all of you out there dealing with tough times. That's really the essence of RM, and that's why I have to get it out there.

F*****ing Keynote!

So, Megha and I are doing an audio pitch of our presentation to a group of people up in the Bay which is great, it really is, but the problem is, we've had so many issues in Keynote, I'm about to go nuts. Basically, we have a beautiful presentation we do for people, usually in person. This time, we wanted to add narration over then export it. No big deal, right??? Especially since the latest version of Keynote promises this feature. As if it isn't already hard to enough to record the talk in one, long take, the other issue is that we had to cut it way, way down. Finally, after getting it just right, we learned that there is a major, major glitch in the audio output of Keynote. Basically, the sound either does not make it out at all, or when it does come out, it's totally and completely choppy. I thought I could bring it all into Final Cut Pro and fix it up pretty easily, but no, of course not. After many long hours of tinkering and outputting then re-outputting, I came up with the following solution: I imported the audio into iMovie, then exported it as a .aiff. Then, I basically timed all of the slides in Keynote, then recorded them to that time using a damn stopwatch, yes, a stopwatch. This is because there is no timeline function in Keynote that really makes this work. Then, like some people on the boards mentioned, I outputted using the Apple Codec--this is the key to getting rid of that choppy ass audio. I believe that Keynote outputs audio to QT in some strange way which causes all the issues. Finally, I joined the two tracks right in Quicktime. The Apple discussion board was so, so helpful, a savior, really. Next time around, I would just record the audio in GarageBand, then put it under Keynote... Now, I've just got to burn/label the DVDs and I'll be good to go...........

Hectic but moving...

It's been super hectic lately with my semester of teaching starting and the movie ramping up. I also made it through the first round of the Sundance labs, so I finally turned in my script last week, which was good, but a crazy taxi driver hit me on the way over, go figure (long story). Anyway, since we made the decision to shoot Dec. 1, things have been moving forward at full speed. We've been going back and forth in terms of what camera to shoot on, but we finally decided--The Red. Megha and I were undecided before, only because we've heard about some difficulties in post. But we met with a good colorist and generally technical guy last week who went through the process with us and assured us that it would be fine. My DP is on the wait list for the camera, so I hope he gets it soon, else we'll have to rent it. But I'm excited about shooting on it, only because the depth and color range is pretty wide, and once we put some 35mm lens on it, the images will look stunning, especially the forest. We are also going to be working with a really good casting director, which will make things a lot easier in terms of finding the right kids. We have some great leads on the adults, but the kids are a little harder. Now comes the fun part for me, as well, finally, after all of this raising money (which still isn't over), I will be directing. Yes, what I set out to do in the first place, direct a movie. So, I'm already thinking a bit about different elements (have been forever), but now, I will start thinking about setups, in terms of each scene. Before I do that, I plan to go through the screenplay and look at each scene for subtext, motivation and deeper visual undertones. I know it seems weird to do this, especially since I'm the one who wrote it, but I now want to put my director hat on and start thinking about the movie visually. It's pretty exciting, but I'll feel a little better about it all once we get more team members on board and some of the logistical elements come together!

Time to step up...

Watching the political debates this time around has been fascinating. Palin coming out of wood work, the first black president, etc. Even though I was pretty put off by Palin's background (just imagine if Obama had a pregnant teen-aged daughter, he would have been out of there a long, long time ago!!), I have to say that she carried herself very well in her speech. She came off as being, well, an ordinary American poised to do extraordinary things (I'm sure a presidential bid is in her future). But I couldn't help but feel disgusted the entire time, especially with all of the fierce and harsh attacks against Obama and the same fear-based rhetoric about terrorism. The Republicans have done a damn good job of painting Obama as a candidate with little substance and thin experience. Now, the Dems really, really need to step up their game. It's time to really push the facts: the economy has been miserable under the Republicans, the Republicans have very little or new ideas for a greener future. (Drill, baby, drill? What the??) For the past few days, we've been inundated with Palin. Now it's time for the Dems to come back and hit hard. Obama shouldn't hold back. He has got to respond to Giuliani's mean spirited attacks, and really play into his strengths. He has got to nail it to McCain voters--McCain's time has come and gone. He is nothing short of washed up and really and truly has no new policy agenda except the same, old crap.

Raspberry Magic Update

Okay, so my producing partner and I have spent the past two years working really hard to raise money for our indie feature. Between the two us of, we have a pretty great roster of contacts. We've pitched to some angel investors, a number of high net worth individuals, and even a few production companies. It's a tough, tough game, especially for a first time director/producer team. What I hate most the anticipation of talking to someone, then all of the waiting. And then of course, the rejection is always a bit tough, too. Despite all of the "no's", we've gotten quite a few "yes's," and while we still have a few more checks to go, we have done what we needed to do a long time ago: set a steadfast date.

We are shooting this movie Dec. 1, and that's just it. It sounds crazy, but with a clear date, so many things have come together, I can't even explain fully how much lighter I'm feeling. We are shooting the film in the Bay area, specifically, in the Montclair region on Oakland. There's an awesome forest, school and even a few great homes there. We also have a lot of help in terms of crew up there. Now, we are working on putting the deals together. Our budget is small, so every single dollar counts. But this is what filmmaking is all about, and it feels really good to be moving forward... Stay tuned.

Introduction to Film Production

I have been teaching "Intro to Film Production" at LMU for a few years now, and I've mostly done it for undergrads. This semester, it's grads, which should be really fun. The goal of the class is to make three films while learning filmmaking basics such as editing, shooting, lighting, etc. We watch a lot of shorts and discuss story structure, etc. My emphasis in the class is really for students to push the envelope conceptually--come up with visuals and ideas that are fresh, which is no easy task, but of course, if you want to be a filmmaker, that's sort of the point. In lieu of this, I have a rule in my class--no "alarm clock" / "being late to class" films, only because the first two semesters I taught this class, there were too many of these types of films. Different iterations, of course, like, girl spends too much time putting on makeup, and is late for class, guy jumps out of bed and gets to class, and no one is there, girl runs and runs and can't find class... You get the idea. My students are always a little surprised by my rule, but what I tell them is that making films in the beginning isn't about technical things, etc, it's really about one thing and one thing only--imagination and ideas. You can shoot your film on the most jank camera, but if you've got an idea/concept that's interesting, you will somehow touch people. There is evidence of this everywhere, I love it when small movies that were shot for nothing do really well, beating out large scale Hollywood films. Or, even when some little Net video goes viral, and catches on. In order to avoid first-time filmmaker cliches, I have them read this great website: http://www.filmmaker.com/dumps

Seeing Light

It's been a really hectic and overwhelming summer, I've been working my ass off, and while at times I feel like it's not enough, it was good to take a few days off this weekend and get some much needed perspective on things. I've been hustling on Raspberry Magic, trying to get a few more investors on board, which is certainly never an easy process. We're almost there, but we really do need a few more people to make things work or basically just do them right. It's a lot of waiting, but we're pretty damn determined. Aside from that, I have a couple of other scripts I am working on, one of which was accepted through to the first round of the Sundance competition. It's a piece I'm super excited about, and would love to make after Raspberry. I also got hired to make a short film by a foundation, which is sort of an exciting gig while waiting on the feature.

But as of September 1, my producing partner and I have decided that it's time to make Raspberry Magic happen. We're basically going to plan the shoot to start on Dec 1, and finish casting, pull together location specifics, and just generally make everything happen. It all sounds slightly insane, but everyone we've talked to has said to just proceed, make it real and it will become real. And Megha and I have usually found that when we do this, things happen. For example, we went on a locations scouting trip up to the Bay, and just made shit happen. As a result, a newspaper did a story on us, and we really did figure out exactly where to shoot. This the mentality we're using to make the film and truly move ahead. So, stayed tuned this fall as I put away the writing for a few months and get into production mode and actually make something. It's a little daunting, but exciting, too!!

Seven Things About Me

In the spirit of Writer Dad, Screenwriting Manifesto and UNK, a few of my favorite writer blogs at present, I'm doing the whole, "Six/Seven Things About Me" Exercise, so here it goes:

1. I am a compulsive walker. After a long day of writing, I like nothing more than taking a long, long walk. Sometimes, on a Saturday morning, I’ll put on my tennis shoes and walk for three to four hours. I can walk anywhere—in the city, in the country, by the beach, by the desert. I love city hikes and just getting lost in a neighborhood I’ve never been to, or I love stumbling upon a beautiful beach cove I didn’t know about. I find walking to be more meditative than yoga, more relaxing than a massage and more adventurous than sky diving (okay, maybe not).

2. I look really young. I am in my early 30’s, but people often mistake me for being 20. I even got carded for buying a red bull once!! The lady at the check out stand was like, you’re way too young to be buying that, I need to see some ID! Geez. It used to bother me a lot, because people would ask me with such contempt, like, “how old are you, anyway?” I mean, this happens in professional settings at times, especially as a professor. Sometimes, students will look at me and ask, “you’re the professor?” But then, once I start talking, they know the answer to that one!

3. My friends call me 90 pounds of fury. When I have an opinion about something, I sort of let it out. I never realized this about myself, until a friend of mine was like, “you’re such an intense person.” I think it’s not only that I’m pretty expressive, it’s also that I tend to be pretty hard core about the things I take on. Like when I say I’m making Raspberry Magic, I really mean it!! It’s hard for me to in between, like do something and not care about it. I’ve also been known to get pretty rowdy and wild after a drink or two, and have gotten kicked out of my share of bars!

4. I hated Indian food when I was growing up. Seriously, my mother made Indian food everyday when I was growing up—roti, daal, a different vegetable. I don’t think I ever ate daal once when I was growing up, but now I could eat it everyday. I especially love any kind of beans like black lentils, etc. I’m not the best and most proficient cook on the planet, but this summer has been all about experimenting with the pressure cooker and learning how to make all those great beans I love so much. The whole Indian woman being able to cook well is such a cliché, and I feel totally insecure that I can’t rock it. But, I’ll get there...

5. I never dated in high school and I didn’t go to the prom. I was socially awkward in high school, for sure, and dating only seemed like something all the blond cheerleader girls did. My senior year, I made out a little, and I went to one dance, but that was it. But of course, I met my husband my freshman year of college, and we dated for almost ten years before we got married!

6. For all of my fury, I can be pretty introverted. Socializing feels overwhelming to me. My husband used to be a total social butterfly when we lived in SF, and I always found myself freaking out. He finds it really odd that I can work alone in our house for hours and hours, without talking to anyone, but I like it. It would be hard for me to work any other way.

7. I won a writing contest at the age of sixteen that changed my life. Growing up, I was compulsive reader, to the point where I often didn’t do my work or even listen to my teachers in school. Instead, I would read. Not War and Peace all the time either, but a lot of trashy romance novels and my share of VC Andrews novels. Anyway, I was a good student, but never a stellar one like my sister (now a doctor) and all of the other Indian kids I knew. Anyway, I believe all of that reading eventually helped me, because a high school teacher of mine asked to be on the newspaper staff my sophomore year. Until then, I was all about drama club, but writing, hell yeah! I had been writing all my life, like journals, poems, short stories and more, but being the on the newspaper staff helped me see my work in print. This same teacher encouraged me to enter an essay contest sponsored by Parade Magazine, which I ended up winning. The topic was something patriotic about the real America and JFK's dream. For the first time in my life, I realized that I could be good at something. Until this point, my sister was the super star of the family with her straight A's and gymnastics. It took me many years after this to dedicate and really decide that I wanted to go down the path of a pro writer, but this contest opened up the door for me to write for my college papers, then later freelance for news publications and much more. Writing was something I always did and will do, but I believe this contest helped push me forward in a new way. It was a defining moment!

I tag--anyone who reads this and hasn't done it already. It's kinda fun!!

Why Create?

Someone once asked me, what's the purpose of being a filmmaker, a writer or a creative person if it's so damn hard? Why not just get a normal job like everyone else? Or, this same person, when I mentioned how tough this process was, said something to the effect of, well, you chose this path. This may sound absurd to some people, but that's not really true. As a creative person, I truly believe that the desire for the need to create chose me. In other words, it came from something deeper within. Every single one of us has this instinct inside of us when we are young, but as we grow older, society tells us to put that desire, that need away. Some people listen, some people don't. For those of us who choose this creative path, it is more than simply a career choice, it is a deeper calling, one that beckons us to finds a means of expression. My theory in life that there people are driven two things: money or the need to be heard. Not that the two things are mutually exclusive, but some of us just want our ideas and thoughts to be heard more than anything else. It's what drives us, it's what makes us get up in the morning. For me, I have so many story ideas that I could sit here and write for fifty hours straight, and still I would not be able to get enough done. It's like, the stories, the ideas and the need to put them on paper are a compulsion, almost like need for food. Someone once asked me, how do you have the time to write? Well, to me that question is sort of like, how do you have time to breath? I don't know, it's just something I do. Even if I wasn't so worried these days about where everything is going and how it's all going to turn out, I am sure I would still keep writing no matter what. Sometimes, all of the rejection, stress and no's from people in the world put me in a total funk. But at the end of the day, when I sit down to create something, that's really the best feeling of all...

New Web Site

I've been pondering it for some time, but a mentor of mine put the fire under my ass to re-design my personal site. I've got some exciting meetings coming up, and she as well as several people suggested that I put together more of a portfolio site outlining my work. Not as design/graphics oriented as the old site, but lots of information. Check it out: http://www.leenapendharkar.com

Going In Circles

For the past eight months or so, I've been working on a new script. The piece started as one thing, and I literally went in big, huge circles writing and rewriting it. My thought process on what it was going to be/how it would read was totally jumbled, and a couple of people who read it were like, what the hell is this? After my last draft in May, I was truly ready to kill myself with this piece. For me, when I've been writing something for so long, I get attached, and I hate, hate, hate burying it and just saying this isn't working. It makes me feel like the world is ending. Literally. After all, I went in circles on Raspberry Magic for over four years. Anyway, my husband read the draft of my new work back in May and was like, you really need to put this thing away. But I refused. We had a Saturday afternoon where I was pretty depressed, and basically felt like I was the biggest idiot/worst writer on the planet. Anyway, out of all that misery came a huge light bulb moment in terms of the film's overall concept. My husband talked it out with me, and really helped me clarify my thought process. Suddenly, I realized why I was going in circles. I was writing the story from the wrong character's point of view. It was impossible to tale tell the tale this way. Over the past eight weeks or so, I've been re-writing this piece with the new (and clarified) concept. This eight week process has been kind of grueling because there are several plot points which have been very tough to hash out. One thing in particular, was driving me crazy. But finally, finally after a few really long and hard weeks, the ideas are all on the page, and it makes sense. The script is no where close to being done, but damn, the ideas are finally on the page... Now come the long, hard hours of revisions, polishes and more rewriting... Damn, I love this shit!

Simple Pleasures

I've been feeling slightly blah about the film because while we have raised a chunk of financing, we still have more to go. We have lots of leads, but it's slow in terms of things biting. I know the tide will turn, but sometimes, you truly feel like you are hitting your head against the wall, which sucks, of course. Today, I was having one of those "life sucks" moments, basically because I was feeling like nothing would ever move forward... And then, a very small moment brightened my day... Daal. Yes, seems a little silly, but I've made daal several different ways over the years and it never seems to taste, quite right. But this summer, I've discovered a nifty tool called a pressure cooker. My mom's been telling me to use it for years, but I never did until this past summer when my friend's mother showed me how to use it. And guess what? I made daal with it today and it came out to be heavenly. The perfect texture and taste, truly making me feel like anything is possible. Small moments, indeed...

On a completely different note, The East Bay Express did a story about Indian films being made in the East Bay, and there's a small bit about us in it. Here's the story:
Namastey East Bay

From Script to Screen

Last week, Megha and I spent four very long and intense days scouting locations in Marin, Oakland and then Humboldt County. Raspberry Magic takes place in Oregon, but on our low budget, it would be tough to actually shoot it in Oregon. So, we've been pondering corners of the Bay area which would work well for the story, and have decided on several places that we really like. Having spent years (and years) writing this screenplay and developing the sense of place in it, it's so interesting to take something that's in your head, like a magical forest, then make it real. For example, we checked out several Redwood forests, and then when we went up to Humboldt, there was also an amazing Sequoia forest. The challenge in all of this is finding locations that I pictured, but also keeping it practical so the shoot is as tight as possible. In that vein, I truly like the magic of the Humboldt County forest/trees, but then if we're just staging a small corridor to feel magical, do we really need to move the entire cast/crew up to Humboldt? We're lucky on this film because there really aren't many locations, so if we can find them all in one small area (which I believe we did), then we'll save lots of money, and can really concentrate/focus on getting excellent performances, which is most important to me, along with the overall visual look/feel. We feel pretty lucky because there is an amazing spirit around indie film in the Bay area that will really and truly help us as we hire cast and crew, and just generally make the film happen!

Fortuna, CA

What the hell is an "Oriental Buffet," and what are these 120 items they speak of???

What I've Been Up To

I can't believe it's already mid-summer, time seems to be going so fast these days. Usually in the summer, I teach a class or two and have various projects I've working on in terms of freelance work, whether it's writing or in the video/multimedia realm. But this summer, I decided to take a break from those things and instead focus on writing and making this film happen. Time seems to be going so fast, but here is what I've been up to:

Writing: I'm always writing new material and have like the next five scripts I want to put together in mind. But currently, I've got a political piece I've been obsessed with. I think it's a great concept with a lot of potential, but I'm stuck on certain things, and have been spending long hours on re-writing certain sections. Ughh, if only my mental process would align and the fog of questions would clear. I think it will after this nice little 4th of July holiday I've just had.

Filmmaking: I have a singular, all-consuming goal right now, which is to make Raspberry Magic before the year is out. Here is where we are at:

Financing: We have raised a pretty nice chunk of our financing, but we have a little more to go. We have been meeting with people and hustling pretty hard to make it all come together, but raising money is no easy process. We're getting there, slowly but surely.

Locations: Next week, we're going on a locations scouting trip all week. We're checking out the Bay area and Humbolt and doing a cost-benefit analysis on where it's going to be better to shoot. I'm especially excited about Marin, the scout up there really seems to know what she is doing.

Casting: We have some interesting attachments set up for the adult cast, but the kids are the tricky part. We've been reading some fantastic young girls lately, and are hoping to pin the right one down before the summer is out. Casting kids is a very interesting process, but I'll talk more about that soon enough. We've def. been meeting some very, cute kids, though!

The Raspberries are Growing!

As some of you may/may not know, I planted a couple of raspberry bushes in my backyard last summer, as sort of an experiment. As a writer, I often find it extremely helpful to put myself in the same scenarios as my characters, and as some of you might know, the protagonist in Raspberry Magic is attempting to grow raspberry bushes by nurturing them. Anyway, the dry, hot climate of Southern California isn't exactly ideal for raspberries, but I thought I would try it out, anyway. To be honest, I didn't do much to take care of them. I mean, I watered them here and there, and trimmed them a couple of times, but not much else. A couple of months ago, some of the leaves on the bushes were looking pretty sad and worn out, so I had basically given up on the bushes. But with spring I noticed one stem looking a bit better, more alive. Then lo and behold, a couple of weeks ago, I was hanging out in my backyard, and I noticed--

Raspberries!

Yes, they were ripe, red and shiny in the summer sunlight. I truly couldn't believe it. It's a sign... Time to make the movie!!

Casting Call for Young South Asian Girls

So... The wheels are certainly turning on our movie, which as always, is nerve racking and exciting. We are going up to NorCal to do a scout trip in a couple of weeks, and we've also been looking at some young South Asian girls to play the roles of Monica and Gina. Monica is 11, and somewhat of a shy, reserved young girl. She's wise beyond her years, and expresses herself through her actions and emotions most of the time, rather than her words. This is a tough role for a child actor, but there is plenty of talent out there, I know. The other main character, Gina, is 8. She's sort of spunky and funky, a little more wild and outgoing than Monica. We've been reading some young girls, but if you know of anyone we should look at, let me know or send me a head shot! Auditioning kids isn't easy, but we do a combo of some imaginary/improv. scenes, then a bit of actual scene reading. I'm not necc. looking for show biz kids (but parents who are okay with the show biz thing are a must), though we've read a couple. Most important are kids with a wild imagination and who make interesting choices in the given scenarios. That's really the crux of acting, isn't it?

Inspiring Evening

Through the process of making this movie, my producer Megha and I have had the opportunity to meet and see so many interesting, inspiring and sometimes even unusual people. Last night, we were invited to a dinner where heavy weight producer Ashok Amitraj spoke. He's quite an accomplished producer, made many films that have done well. It was really inspiring to hear him talk about his start in the film business, because he basically said that even though he was a well-known tennis player, he knocked on doors for five years until he had a few development deals with the studios. But even with the deals, he worked super hard to get scripts written and put ideas in front of the studios and still nothing after so many years. Finally, after doing this, he basically said fuck it, and raised $500K through private equity investors and made a freaking movie. That movie, even though it was small, opened doors for more movies. He talked so much about knocking down doors, getting them slammed in your face and keeping on. This is exactly what Megha and I have been doing over the past few years to get Raspberry Magic made. We've talked to so many people about investing, basically leaving no stone unturned on every, single level. It is hard, grueling work, not for those who give up easily or who are easily discouraged. I've def. had many moments of being down, wondering how in the world can we do this. But my belief in this movie, partnership with Megha and the support of so many people really keeps me going. It was nice to hear Mr. Amitraj say that he's been down the same road.

Locations, Planning the Shoot

So, we've been slowly but surely moving along with the movie. It's been nice, because we've had a few investors sign on this month, and a few more are coming. We're still not there yet, but getting closer and still on track to shoot this fall. Some advice another filmmaker friend of mine gave me is to set the date, then just proceed as if it's happening. I think there is a lot of truth to that, because when you just say you're doing it, things really do come together. So, Megha and I have been moving forward, and one of our very big tasks right now is to figure out where exactly we are shooting this film. We've been really big on Humboldt, and we are planning a scout trip up there in July. But, sometimes we also think the Bay area might work well. This is because we have a lot of help in the Bay, meaning lots of friends and family who can come on the set with whatever we need, plus I know a lot of crew people up there who would help out. In Humboldt, we have some great potential for locations, a hotel that we can use for very low cost, but the tricky part is bringing crew and gear up there without burning through our money. So, we're basically going to just head up there and figure this all out. I'm excited because now we're getting into really doing the nitty gritty stuff, but the uncertainty of raising all of the money is always looming. I feel like shooting the movie will be a great challenge, something I'm really looking forward to. It's a very different kind of challenge than raising money.

Summer Movies

I've seen a good number of films this summer (so far), and here are some thoughts about them:

The Visitor: Incredible follow up from Thomas McCarthy to his debut film, The Station Agent. The Visitor is truly a beautiful film, sort of the crux of what I consider to be a good story told in a visual medium. And it's just a great work of art, really makes you think. I won't give too much away, but brilliant performances from all of the actors, great overall themes about lost and lonely souls finding connection with one another. Also, really poignant and complex insights about the immigration debacle. Loved it, hope it opens up in theaters everywhere.

Son of Rambo: Written and directed by Garth Jenkins who did Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Really hilarious film, great special effects, and surprisingly, a real tear jerker, ending. Also, I love the sweet 80's sound track, def. reminds me of growing up. Great job in exploring the complex lives of kids in a universal way.

Iron Man: I enjoyed this film, it was a great look at how Iron Man becomes who he does, and I thought that Robert Downey's performance was excellent. It was also nice to see Gwyneth Paltrow back on the big screen. I felt like some of the action sequences dragged, but overall very good. One of my favorite super hero films of all time is Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins. This one didn't quite live up to that, but still very enjoyable.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: I couldn't resist seeing this one, after all, I grew up like any other American kid of 80's, watching all of these films. I found the plot in this movie to be lacking the complexity and intrigue from the past versions, and I also felt that much of the action dragged and wasn't motivated by larger/deeper goals and questions. I thought Cate B. (always a stunner) stole the show, but overall, felt a little bored by this movie. Come on David Koepp, for all the millions you got paid to write this thing, you couldn't have given us a couple more plot twists?

Sex in the City: Yes, I was on a girl's weekend far away in the woods of Russian River, and we couldn't resist checking this movie out. I loved the show back in the day, mostly because the humor was great! But this movie was pure cheese. Implausible plots, scant character development and way too much shameless promotion for designers that most women could care less about. They were even missing the witty, biting humor of the TV show. As my friend said afterwards, we all felt pretty gross from even watching it. But hey, at least it was with friends!!