Vivid Memories

I just had a memory.

It's of a time when I was sitting in my room, in my favourite town, in my favourite country. I was listening to my favourite film score; which was never released officially but the composer gave me a sneaky copy.  It's probably the thing I listen to more than anything.

I sat there listening to my favourite music in the world looking out on the greatest city in the world -- and I wrote. And wrote, and wrote. Sometimes the music gets right inside of you; it becomes a part of you, and you feel completely at one with the world. I got a phone call from a journalist who was doing a piece on me. Usually those things can make me nervous - what if I say something stupid? But it went perfectly, because I was just so so so in the right frame of everything.

I don't know how it happens. Maybe it's part of your DNA or maybe it's because of some TV show you saw when you were young -- but we all have a spiritual home. A place where we feel ourselves. A place where the writing flows and everything aligns perfectly.

I am excited by the fact that: I'll be going back there soon.

And even if I wasn't, I could close my eyes and listen to this beautiful track. I wish I could write a script that sounds like this music - I wish I could capture me as well as this music does. For now, all I can do, is dream of getting back to my home away from home.

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Bring The Enthusiasm!

I know it's frustrating. I know you're not getting paid much. I know you nearly had a big break until it fell apart at the last minute. I know that happened to you eight times and now you're extremely tired.

But don't let your enthusiasm disappear.

Because it's EVERYTHING!

Enthusiasm has been marginalised in the creative fields. Everyone is moaning about the horrible people and bitching about how things didn't work out.

And sure, we all need to vent.

But then you pick yourself up, you go again.

Enjoy it.

Enjoy this whole process -- the failings, the struggles, the tiny victories.

Enthusiasm will get you where you're going quicker. And people will gravitate towards you.

Those emails full of tension and meetings full of awkwardness, they're no good! All the self doubt that makes you delay the phone call, avoid the Skype call and disregard the opportunity - they're killing you!

You have an audition or an interview or a chance to show your work? Go for it! You've earned it! You are you, this is your work and it's where you're at right now. Don't be ashamed of it, be enthusiastic about it!

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KRISTEN STEWART & ROBERT PATTINSON

Important update: Kristen Stewart has moved in with Jodie Foster. Robert Pattinson has moved in with Reese Witherspoon. Reese Witherspoon has moved in with Johnny Cash and Jodie Foster has moved into the spare room.

Why does anyone care? People cheat on people all the time. Kristen Stewart is no worse that Shelly who lives down the road from me and cheated on her husband of fourteen years with a man called Bill. Is Kristen Stewart evil? No, she's just an actress. Does it matter that Pattinson moved in with Reese Witherspoon? Not at all. My neighbour Shelly moved in with Andrea Fleck, who works in the local Pizza Hut. What's the big deal?

Oh no, wait a minute -- will this ruin the promotion of the new Twilight movie? No, it won't. It's part of their job, to go out on the road and say 'Oh my God it was so great working with these wonderful people and the complexity of this movie made it something really special'. They'll be fine. Are you telling me you've never worked with someone long after they hated you because you're an asshole?

Will Robert Pattinson forgive her? I'm still pissed at the way Kristen treated Jesse Eisenberg in the movie 'Adventureland', but we have to move on. If he does forgive her, they'll get back together. If he doesn't, he'll date another hottie who will turn out to be the love of his life. That's how it goes.

They're just like all the people you know who cheated on all the other people you know. The only difference is they're rich, and one of them is a vampire. There are far more important things happening in the world, like the plight of Katie Holmes and the latest season of 'Keeping Up with the Kardashians'.

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The Password is Filmfrumbles

Most of the time my thoughts are fractured, little snippets. Like animals fighting for attention. Somewhere in my brain is the judge, the guy who says "not worthy", "not original," or very occasionally, "fantastic!" The problem is, this inner Judge assumes an unearned jurisdiction in my brain. It's like that annoying FBI dude who turns up at the crime scene and tells Denzel Washington to go home.

Here's an example: I think I have it within me to write an all-time-great romantic comedy, but my judge says two things, one is, "but your writing sucks!" and the other is "Rom-Com? Pathetic! Do something more worthwhile!"

Amazing how we become victims of the fictional characters inside our heads. I think growing up is all about blocking your best routes to creativity. Maturity is opening them back up again.

"I think growing up is all about blocking your best routes to creativity. Maturity is opening them back up again."

I like that sentence. Totally unscientific, just a random rambly thought from me. Could be totally without basis, but who cares? It feels good to me. Isn't that what blogging is about anyway? Spewing out your thoughts and whoever has the most authoritative voice wins.

Just like inside my own brain. The strongest voice wins. That's why it's so hard to write, because so many of the ideas trickle through and don't have the strength to stand up for themselves. How are we meant to know a good idea? So many people think they have GENIUS ideas, but then you read the script or watch the movie and wonder what they've been smoking.

So many great moments in art happen by accident, like a reflex. The way an actor's voice creaks, the way a wall blocks the light, the way a last minute script revision improves everything. So often that ISN'T inspiration. It isn't really anything, it just is.

I think sometimes our worst ideas are the best. If I said to you, "write the cheesiest and dumbest action movie of all time", it's entirely possible you could create a masterpiece. Because there's real strength behind the things we resist.

We build up tastes. Ideals. Concepts of what good art is. Then we sit around for years wondering why it isn't clicking. It's because you've got to turn the thing back around. The things you DESPISE in art, what can they teach you? What are you blocking out from your writing, your art, your life? I guarantee, if you switch off that resistance, you'll find a huge stream of energy.

When I started writing this blog post, I didn't know what it would be about, I just wanted to start writing. But that was actually extremely hard for me, because I feel like I should only write when I have a big idea, when I can write something that shows a strong knowledge of film or an abundance of creativity. But why? Who set those rules? My blog is my place to freely ramble as I please, yet so many things inside of me stop me from fully expressing myself.

Part of that is quality control. If I just copy and pasted the word "filmfrumbles" five hundred times and then posted it, you'd think it was pathetic and would be less likely to come back. But a post like this? Maybe you'll find it interesting. Or maybe not. But then why does it matter? If I only write blogs that I think are 'safe' and likely to make you think I am full of filmic knowledge, then I am blocking a huge amount of myself.

You have to know your audience. But you also have to write the word filmfrumbles when you want to. It's just a blog. Just a script. Just a paintbrush. We limit ourselves in countless ways. Look at what you resist, think about what you ridicule, be aware of that which you disassociate from. Inside all of these things is a hidden power.

Filmfrumbles filmfrumbles #filmfrumbles

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What Do You Think of DENZEL WASHINGTON's Career?

There are two versions of Denzel. 

There's Denzel Washington the cop. He knows the rules and he respects the rules, yet sometimes he takes matters into his own hands. He knows how to handle things. He's experienced. He's had a few professional indiscretions, in fact; he's being investigated right now, but it was probably a huge misunderstanding. 

Then there's the Denzel Washington who inspires black people to be amazing and white people to be less racist. He goes to a college and finds a bunch of black youngsters who are disrespecting each other. He teaches them a lesson or two about life. Then he finds some ignorant white folk and teaches them a thing or two about life. Then he takes his team/community into a competition and they win, or lose. Either way, they learn valuable life lessons.

Now, I LOVE his movies. I don't think anyone else is as watchable as he is. I think he absolutely nails it every time. But when I look at his career, I don't see that much range. I feel like, if he were to die today, we'd feel that he was capable of much more. He's worked with some good directors; but how many greats? Spike Lee loves him, and he's just worked with Zemeckis, but I bet that if you saw Denzel's bucket list of directors to work with, he wouldn't have ticked off that many of them. 

Does he not get offered the roles? Or does he play it safe and earn a pay cheque? Or is Hollywood so scared of messing with the magic Denzel-Box-Office formula that they refuse to greenlight anything different? Denzel is undoubtedly a movie star -- he's not the guy who does small independent movies because of a good script. He focuses on doing one movie a year, usually about a Police Detective who may or may not be a good guy, and he does it very well. 

The answer could be simple. He's a family man. He has a life outside of his art. He's been quoted in the past as saying he likes to do one film a year and then go travelling with his wife and kids. In fact, now his kids are grown up and have successful careers (one of them is a professional football player), he has lots of other things to focus on and be proud of. So maybe he just sees his art as work. Lifestyle maintenance. And who am I to judge? I respect that. He's certainly doing a better job at it, artistically, than people like Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler. 

There have been so many great roles. 'Philadelphia', wow! 'Man on Fire', hell yeah! 'He Got Game' & 'John Q' are personal favourites. Yet still I feel something is missing. Tom Hanks had 'Forrest Gump', Morgan Freeman had 'Shawshank Redemption', and Al Pacino had 'The Godfather'. Has Denzel Washington had his masterpiece yet?

His acting is a masterpiece every single time. But the material isn't. Will we ever see it? I ask this as a fan. He's been close, many times. He was fantastic in 'Training Day', riveting in 'Inside Man' and inspiring in 'The Great Debaters'. But regardless of how good he was; none of these films go down as classics. They're good, perhaps great; but they don't get the gold medal. Is Denzel Washington's best yet to come?

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