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So…I graduated college. That was fun. Pretty surprised I survived the last week of school between all the projects and nights of boozing, but I did. It was such a surreal week. I got a bunch of cards and money from people, a digital camera from my mom and step-dad, and a NEW CAR from my dad and step-mom (still gotta pick it out…). I’m so blessed to have such awesome family and friends.

The two short films I worked on this semester screened during finals week and then I had my graduation party and was all sorts of busy. And now it’s all over. Somehow I’ve still been incredibly busy. I started working on a friend’s short film as the continuity supervisor and I’ve also been stuck in the editing lab at school for the past two weeks designing the DVD for Aline’s Holiday – the short film I edited (by the way, it’s playing June 20 and 21 at the Moxie Cinema if you’re interested…). On top of all this I contracted a variety of illnesses last week that I’m still recovering from. I had a mixture of a stomach virus, allergies, sinus infection, and some sort of cold that caused a fever and cough. Seeing as how I don’t have health insurance, I have to count on over-the-counter drugs to fix me up.

So I’ve got a busy few months ahead. In a couple weeks I’m heading to Tennessee for Bonnaroo, a three-day music festival. It’s guaranteed to be one of the best weekends of my life. In late June or early July I plan to (hopefully) fly out to Los Angeles for a few days to look for a place to live. In July I will be locked up in a Bio-Kinetics study for a week (hey, it pays $1,500!). Then right after that I start working as Gaffer on a locally-made feature documentary that will pay $12/hr! Seeing how shooting days range from 10-14 hours per day, that’s gonna be a nice paycheck. It will also look awesome on my resume. I had to turn down a job at KOLR-10 in order to secure the Gaffer job, but I think I made the right decision. I will finish shooting the documentary at the end of July, then sometime in August I am packing up all my belongings (at least the stuff I don’t sell) and I am moving to Los Angeles. It seems like such a big obstacle to overcome. But I love it out there. And the two times I’ve been out there, it doesn’t feel overwhelming to be there. My main concern is being able to afford rent, but I am determined to find a place with semi-affordable rent. And of course the whole “getting a job” thing.

I’ve been thinking a LOT about this in the past week. Not just going there, but also leaving Springfield. All my family is here. All my friends (save a few who are LA-bound as well) are here. But at the same time I want out of here SO BADLY. It’s just a weird feeling. And this week I keep hearing songs that for some reason or another depress the hell outta me. Either they bring up some random memory or I somehow relate to a lyric in the song and it just reminds me that the memories I make this summer will be the last of this place. Sure I’ll come to visit, but then it will always be for a rushed week or weekend and it just wont ever be the same again. I think this is something that would happen whether I leave or not, but it’s still depressing to think about. But I’m not letting this get me down. I’m using every chance I get to spend time with my family and friends.

Sorry for the emo-post, just felt like writing this stuff out.

It looks to be another sequel-filled summer (tri-quel might be more fitting this year), and I’ve got the list for you if you’re looking for some fun movies that might actually be good too…

MAY 

Spider-Man 3 – I’ve seen this one already (I was part of that record-breaking box office opening) and I have to say – just wait to rent it. It’s cool to see some of the special effects (which are, for the most part, really good) on the big screen, but the ultimately lame plot and cheesy dialogue and subplots will make you want your money back. It’s nowhere NEAR as good as the first two.

28 Weeks Later – The sequel to the ultimate in zombie movies (28 Days Later) is just as intense as the first, and while more mainstream in its plot and story (and ending…), it’s still TOTALLY worth seeing on the big screen to really feel the chills. It’s a rollercoaster and a must-see for all horror movie lovers.

Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End – I’m really psyched for the third installment of this franchise. I loved the first one, really liked the second one, and I’m sure I’ll highly enjoy this one. Does it stand a chance to beat Spidey and steal the box office record? I doubt it, but we can all hope.

Shrek the Third - Yet ANOTHER “third” for this summer. No doubt to be the family film of the year, and my bets are on it for taking home an Oscar for Best Animated Feature next year. It looks hilarious.

Lucky You - probably one of the bigger romantic comedies opening this summer…I have no interest in seeing it. So there.

JUNE 

Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer – This movie looks as absurd as the first one, if not more so. If you like REALLY CRAPPY superhero movies, you might like this one, but my advice is to not waste your money. I guarantee you it will suck.

Live Free or Die Hard – This is the fourth installment in the Die Hard series. I’ll probably see it just because when I was younger I was a big fan of the original films, but this one just looks SO over-the-top. It looks like some supernatural force (be it aliens or superheroes) should be in this film to account for all the insane car wrecks, explosions, and high-flying feats in the trailer. And Bruce Willis just ain’t cool anymore…

Ratatouille – Pixar’s new animated film about rats. The animation looks beautiful, but in my opinion, Pixar has been in a slow downward spiral ever since they split with Disney, and their films aren’t as good. Cars sucked, and I have a feeling this one will too. My bet is still on Shrek for bringing home the bacon this summer.

Ocean’s Thirteen – Yes, another “third” of the summer. Let’s hope a baker’s dozen can account for the mess that was Ocean’s Twelve. But I’m still excited for this one…

Evan Almighty – This sequel to Bruce Almighty might be my most-anticipated comedy of the summer (followed closely by Knocked Up). I loved the first one, and this one has Steve Carrell in a Noah-esque plot. Bound to be even almightier than the first.

Hostel: Part II – Vomit-fest. Skip it.

Mr. Brooks – A dark crime drama in the middle of the summer? With Kevin Costner as a serial killer? You betcha. I’m there.

Knocked Up – The new comedy from the director of The 40-Year-Old Virgin. This time it’s Seth Rogen impregnating Grey’s Anatomy star Katherine Heigl. Critics are already raving about it. It’s an adult comedy with heart. You know, comedies like they used to make them before everything resorted to fart jokes and lame one-liners.

JULY 

Transformers – Apparently this was a huge phenomenon for boys back in the 1970s or 1980s or sometime. I’m not really sure. I never remember hearing about them when I was a kid. Which is probably why I have no desire to see this movie. First off, it’s a Michael Bay movie. Yes, the crappiest director working in Hollywood today. Secondly, it’s giant, morphing robots taking over the world. I dunno, if it gets decent reviews I might check it out, but otherwise don’t count on it.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – The fifth installment in the movie franchise looks really good. I have enjoyed most of the films so far, but the third was by far my favorite. This one seems to be reaching back to the darkness of the third film, so I bet I will like it a lot. I usually wait to rent these films though, but we’ll see. The seventh and final book of the series is also set to come out this summer.

The Simpsons Movie – I’m sure this will be a pretty big hit, but I’m not all that excited about it. I’ve never been much of a Simpsons fan. I like the show, but I was never allowed to watch it when I was a kid so I guess I never really got into it. I’ll probably rent this one.

Hairspray – Hairball. Ugh. Seriously, it looks like a bag of flaming poo.

Goya’s Ghosts – An Oscar-hopeful for next year, this new film from Milos Forman about the Spanish painter Goya stars Natalie Portman and Javier Bardem. I’m sure it will be decent, if not great.

1408 – This thriller about a haunted hotel room stars John Cusack. Seeing as how I laughed through the trailer, I doubt I’ll see it.

AUGUST

Rush Hour 3 – Yes that IS a 3 on the end of that title! I wasn’t crazy about the first two, and really don’t care to see this one. But I’m sure it will be a hit.

The Bourne Ultimatum – This is ANOTHER third installment in a film franchise. This is also my most-anticipated action movie of the summer. I loved the first two and can’t wait to see how things get wrapped up.

Halloween – It’s not a sequel. It’s a remake. A re-vision, if you will. Why? Because Rob Zombie directed it. And it will either misfire and totally suck, or it will be the Halloween we all wish John Carpenter made in the beginning (though his classic is a tough one to beat).

Stardust – Apparently this cheesy-sounding chick flick is a film adaptation of a graphic novel. It has Claire Danes in it and as far as I can tell an unknown male lead, so I don’t know if it will do that well in the box office.

The Invasion – While this sci-fi drama stars Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, it also stars a lot of negative press behind it. The film had massive reshoots, a title change, a new director, and other problems on set (including a car crash that injured Kidman). Anytime you have those kinds of problems – they always show up in the final product. I love a good sci-fi movie, but I have my doubts about this one.

Superbad – It’ll be the sleeper comedy of the summer. It’s got that kid from Arrested Development and the team who made the sleeper hit TV series, Undeclared. The trailer looks funny enough for its genre.

For graduation my mom and step-dad got me a new digital camera! Check it out:

Ain’t it purdy? It’s a really nice one too. It is 8.1 megapixels and has a 5x optical zoom, all kinds of features, a HUGE LCD screen, and the lens is so compact that it’s inside the body of the camera so it’s very unlikely to get damaged. There is a wide angle lens attachment for it too that I might buy later on. And it’s very small so easy to travel with. Can’t wait to finally be able to take good-looking photos. My last camera was a P.O.S. and didn’t have image stabilization so my pictures were blurry unless I had it on a tripod or was shooting in direct sunlight. And the flash broke on it, so it was pretty much useless. So I’m psyched to have this new one. It’s supposed to ship next week sometime!

All right – back to studying/finishing final projects. After Monday I will pretty much be done, so here’s to Monday…

I finished my last class of college today. And I auditioned for the first time today. Crazy! I am helping my friend Jessica out with her short film (I am script supervisor) and she wanted me to audition for one of the roles. Acting is definitely not my thing, but it was interesting to try it. Anyway, I’m so glad to be done with classes!!! I still have finals to get through. I have a take-home essay final to turn in on Monday, a two-part killer final on Monday, my short film to finish up by Tuesday, and my producing class final production notebook to turn in by Wednesday. Then I am DONE DONE DONE with college (except for that whole paying for it concept…).

More good news…I have an interview at KOLR 10 tomorrow for a production assistant job. It’s part-time, but there is also a full-time position that will be opening up soon. I really hope my interview goes well. I usually never have trouble with interviews, but I am a little nervous still, seeing as how I haven’t done it in a while. I’m confident though. My main concern is whether or not to shave. I am currently trying to grow a bit of a beard, and right now it’s at that in-between stage. But I think it looks good enough, so maybe I’ll just go with it. Agh! Guess I’ll decide in the morning when I’m grooming.

More good news…as I said I’m helping my friend Jessica out with her film, so that’s more experience to put on a resume, plus there is a chance I’ll be working on an independent film starting May 23. It’s currently shooting in Los Angeles but will be shooting in Joplin and the surrounding area starting May 23 for 10 days and I’m on the list of potential production assistants. Sweet action. I hope I can work it into my schedule if I get hired at KOLR 10…

Hope you all can make it to one or both of my film showcases next week, my graduation, or my party on Saturday at Phelps Grove park from 1:00pm to 5:00pm (or just come to all four events!).