tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89695134712758116442024-03-13T11:27:41.949-07:00The Movie StuffsHiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-28644187552731440752011-10-01T10:46:00.000-07:002011-10-01T10:47:11.311-07:00Moneyball (2011) - Movie Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hJNHPsA5qLk/TodR3ClYiaI/AAAAAAAAAEU/NzcYj5PcGuE/s1600/moneyball-poster2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hJNHPsA5qLk/TodR3ClYiaI/AAAAAAAAAEU/NzcYj5PcGuE/s320/moneyball-poster2.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The Red Sox are one of the teams in baseball that uses a strategy called moneyball as a large part of their team building philosophy. While they use a good portion of this tactic, they didn't invent it or make it popular. Bill James is mainly responsible for this philosophy of baseball and Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane help put it on the map. The movie "Moneyball" is about Beane and how he implemented this approach to his own team. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">After being eliminated by the New York Yankees in the 2001 playoffs, a trio of star players become free agents and leave the Oakland A's for greener pastures. Johnny Damon signed with the Red Sox, Jason Giambi went to the Yankees, and Jason Isringhausen joined the St. Louis Cardinals. Realizing that these moves could severely hurt his team, Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) asks the team's front office for more money and is rejected. After meeting Peter Brand (Jonah Hill), Beane decides to resort to an unorthodox way of building a team by utilizing what is called moneyball or sabermetrics.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"Moneyball" is a solid movie. It really takes an in-depth look at the career of Billy Beane. It also shows a little bit about his background in baseball as a former prospect. Despite it being a sports movie, it didn't always feel like it. The film lacked the energy of your usual sports film. I hesitate to even call it a sports movie because the core of "Moneyball" is more about the behind the scenes activity in baseball than the actual sport itself. Both Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill deliver what I would consider more laid back characters than what we would usually see from them. Although both were good and fit their roles well, Pitt seemed to stand out more. The chemistry between these two seemed believable, fluent, and without effort. They played off of one another really well. Then again, Pitt worked well with everyone on-screen. I also have to point out that this movie featured quality performances from others like Philip Seymour Hoffman in the smaller roles they portrayed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Despite his successes, Billy Beane and his Oakland Athletics have yet to win a world series. With that being said, Beane changed the way many front offices look at building teams. It can be said without discussion that Beane has earned the respect of baseball minds all over and is considered one of the best General Managers in the sport. This movie attempts to show that and puts a lot of emphasis on how things got to the way they are now in the world of baseball. It's something that baseball fans could probably enjoy and truly appreciate.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-36575942209190245312011-10-01T10:35:00.000-07:002011-10-01T10:35:37.328-07:00Tom Hanks' Journey and Film Schools<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hhcePN-VEyU/TodPB6rq9-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/edxN9U2I9_o/s1600/tom_hanks1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hhcePN-VEyU/TodPB6rq9-I/AAAAAAAAAEQ/edxN9U2I9_o/s320/tom_hanks1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Oakland, California has been the birthplace of many well-known people, among them is two time Oscar winner and four time Golden Globe winner, actor/director/producer, Tom Hanks. Born in 1956, Hanks toiled in any capacity he could as a youthful acting professional just in order to stay alive to be able to perform another day. He started out with tiny roles on TV simply because of his 'boy next door' identity, he worked in numerous family friendly comedies before finding fame and achievement in key dramatic roles such as Saving Private Ryan, Apollo 13, Forest Gump, Philadelphia and Cast Away.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">Through his mother, Nancy Hanks, Lincoln was a distant cousin. He was asked to dedicate a refurbished theater named with regard to his retired drama instructor, Rawley T. Farnsworth whom he thanked during his Oscar address for his portrayal of a character with AIDS in the movie Philadelphia. At the end of his dedication, he led the audience of over 1000 individuals in singing, "There's No Business Like Show Business."<br />
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Tom Hanks is not the only worthwhile name in this metropolis. Oakland film schools are known to be a number of of the best in the state. Providing Associates, Bachelor's and Master's degrees, there are a number of areas of this particular department that the student can specialize on whilst they minor in a associated field or something completely different. For those in Oakland that desire an different type of film school, there are Oakland film schools which offer their scholars a unique mentor-apprentice program. These specific schools strongly believe that useful knowledge is the greatest trainer and that a fully working studio or movie set is the ideal class, one that gives the actual student a superior opportunity to become acquainted with all the procedures of producing a movie firsthand.<br />
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One more massive advantage that is the tool of the mentor-apprentice partnership is that the scholar is introduced to many of his tutor's industry acquaintances. Networking within this industry is invaluable. The majority of graduated pupils from these kinds of school obtain work by way of their tutor or one of his /her acquaintances.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-36050832391128901652011-09-29T09:47:00.000-07:002011-10-01T10:25:35.079-07:00DSLR Video Vs Camcorder Video<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xaLP3mOvXqw/TodMnc5ENoI/AAAAAAAAAEM/dlBiix4qgIQ/s1600/DSLR+vs+Camcorder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xaLP3mOvXqw/TodMnc5ENoI/AAAAAAAAAEM/dlBiix4qgIQ/s400/DSLR+vs+Camcorder.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
<b>The Battle of "DSLR Video vs Camcorder"</b><br />
For about 3 years now, video amateurs and professionals all over the world have heard about the rising star in the video arena, "DSLR Video." This lightweight contender is a photography based camera that packs a punch in the ring against the older, heavier, and less popular "Camcorder." The Battle of "DSLR Video vs Camcorder," is officially underway. For almost 30 years, since Sony's BetaCam in 1982, tape-based camcorders have ruled the video industry with their compact build, light weight, and most of all, their ease of use. All you had to do was push a red button and point the lens at what you wanted to record. There was no longer a need for film canisters or projectors. Literally anyone could film anything they wanted and watch it instantly.<br />
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<b>High Definition?</b><br />
Over the past several years, many camcorder companies have tried to make it even easier by using digital devices to record video, such as memory cards and hard drives, which you just stick in any computer to watch instantly. With the shift to digital video came the shift to high definition (HD) video. More and more camera companies were coming out with so called HD recording, but most of them did not record full HD at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (1080p). Also, many camcorders recorded on a format that can't be edited as a raw file, such as AVCHD, which means that there is massive quality loss, diminishing the fact that the video was recorded in HD in the first place. In the Battle of "DSLR Video vs Camcorder," this would mean that "Camcorder" should just throw in the towel.<br />
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<b>The Birth of a Champion</b><br />
In September of 2008, Canon announced the release of its 5D Mark II, the first DSLR camera to spread the popularity of using DSLR for HD video. A year later, on September 1, 2009, Canon came out with the less expensive, but equally powerful, EOS 7D. Although the 7D is not full frame like the 5D, the 7D was made with video functionality in mind, making it more suitable for video shooters. It has a designated button to switch from still picture mode to video mode and it is made with a magnesium alloy case, which is more durable.<br />
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<b>"DSLR Video vs Camcorder" | DSLR Takes the Lead</b><br />
Since the release of the Canon EOS 7D in 2009, several video camera gear manufacturers have started making accessories specifically for shooting video with the 7D and 5D Mark II. With the ability to change lenses, frame rates, and have a manual shutter, it became obvious that with the proper accessories, these DSLR cameras would begin to dominate the video industry. You can now buy shoulder mount rigs and dolly set-ups along with matte-boxes and follow focus sets that are all specifically designed for video. For the quality of video that these cameras produce, camcorders pose no threat to the rising use of DSLR cameras for video.<br />
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I almost forgot to mention that a complete DSLR video set with lenses and necessary accessories can be bought for less than most HD video camcorders that are presently on the market. For under $3,500, you could own a camera set-up that is worthy of filming feature films or award winning documentaries.<br />
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<b>The Battle is Won!</b><br />
In the battle of "DSLR Video vs Camcorder," DSLR video has won and I don't expect to see a re-match.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-50139667122589096802011-09-23T09:39:00.000-07:002011-10-01T09:44:23.084-07:00Killer Elite (2011) - Movie Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7oXbFZumKyU/TodC8c-4OwI/AAAAAAAAAEI/UlNi4Dzu1UI/s1600/Killer+Elite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7oXbFZumKyU/TodC8c-4OwI/AAAAAAAAAEI/UlNi4Dzu1UI/s1600/Killer+Elite.jpg" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">More intricate than a typical Jason Statham actioner, Killer Elite successfully maintains a surprising degree of intrigue and intensity, not through an overly clever storyline, but with an air of unpredictability within its characters. It's obvious that nothing will turn out the way it seems, but with a cast comprised of so many vicious killers, keeping track of which ones are the real heroes becomes an entertaining quest. While the plot bogs itself down from time to time with an abundance of twists and a location change every five minutes, the seasoned actors will hold your interest - at least until the next adrenaline-filled action sequence can take over.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The past has a way of catching up with you. No one knows this better than Danny Bryce (Jason Statham), a former mercenary who's forced out of retirement to save his old mentor Hunter (Robert De Niro). When an exiled oil sheik kidnaps Hunter, Danny must carry out the tyrant's request - track down and kill the three British S.A.S. officers responsible for the murders of his sons. Gathering his old partners Davies (Dominic Purcell) and Meier (Aden Young), Bryce begins his lethal task while Spike (Clive Owen), the equally exacting enforcer of the secret watchdog society "The Feather Men", attempts to stop him (this movie is based on Ranulph Fiennes' novel The Feather Men, and not the 1975 Sam Peckinpah movie, The Killer Elite).</div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Like The Bank Job, Killer Elite is one of the least Jason Statham-like Jason Statham movies produced so far, thanks to a complex story, sinister political undercurrents, the slightest bit of a nonfiction basis (at least a few of the names are real), and strong supporting roles. An extremely protracted fistfight in a darkly lit hospital, where both lead characters take a tremendous beating (but manage to shake it off in the very next scene), impressive stunts (including the ever popular parkour), and destructive car chases ensure that the fundamental aspects viewers expect from Statham are still present. It's actually unfortunate that he can't quite rid himself of those inclusions, although his acting abilities probably couldn't singlehandedly support a serious drama.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">"I'm done with killing," nobly states Danny, bearing his true self as a mercenary with a conscience, a hitman with a heart of gold. Rather than observing the effects death and carnage have on trained assassins, like Munich (with a similar political tie-in), Ronin (also starring De Niro), or more recently, In Bruges, this espionage film prefers to have characters describe their feelings to the audience. It's blatant and unconvincing when Danny is scripted to explain that killing is simply his occupation and that it doesn't define his ethos or disposition. These tired themes weigh heavily on the fun of the adventure sequences, which already take a backseat to the slow but nonstop chase, hunt, and plotting of hit list targets; when De Niro is given a chance to off a few baddies, it's to the sound of applauding fans. It's obvious what sparks enthusiasm from target audiences. Killer Elite does boast hostage situations, secret British societies, spy games, government conspiracies, tricky assassinations, covert operations, a partially sympathetic antagonist, and trigger-happy operatives - all the ingredients for an entertaining thriller - but little of it is unexpected. </div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-33287227320245704962011-09-07T09:34:00.000-07:002011-10-01T09:44:59.093-07:00Limitless (2011) - Movie Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jIu401pmJj0/TodCADtAyLI/AAAAAAAAAEE/uZ2gG6XzLv0/s1600/limitless-poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jIu401pmJj0/TodCADtAyLI/AAAAAAAAAEE/uZ2gG6XzLv0/s320/limitless-poster.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><i>Limitless</i> is limited, but it proposes something interesting. Granted, its proposal is one we've heard dozens of times, a couple of which were to chilling effect (echoes of the 1968 film <i>Charly</i>, based on Daniel Keyes' short story, "Flowers for Algernon," are plenty), but that doesn't mean it isn't a fun story. The man with nothing suddenly becomes the man with everything. Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is given a wonder drug that allows him to use all of his brain, rather than just twenty percent.Side effects may include nausea, blackouts, migraines, and Robert De Niro's performance.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The drug is referred to as NZT. When Eddie runs into his ex-brother-in-law, Vernon Gant (Johnny Whitworth), who just happens to be a drug dealer, he's convinced that the drug is street legal and FDA approved. This is because Eddie is a moron, and a former drug addict with a concurrent drinking problem. Also, his girlfriend, Lindy (Abby Cornish), has just left him, and he's a novelist with a pending deadline who can't seem to get past the first word on the computer. After he takes the drug, he's able to open up his mind and pull out everything he's ever seen, read, or heard. He finishes his book in record time, wins at everything he plays, and manages to become a ladies' man just by showering. His narration (which, in terms of past/present/future tense, makes absolutely no sense) asks of us "What would you do?" Well, certainly not that.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Limitless becomes limited when it gives us a lead character we can't get behind. Cooper's Eddie isn't anyone to root for. He's an alienating wimp who becomes an egocentric junkie - not really the archetypal hero. At least in "Flowers for Algernon," Charly was likable. The film hops on and off its tracks when Eddie's problems get more and more intense. Murders start happening, the pill inevitably starts to run out, friends turn their backs on him, money is owed, jobs are on the line, etc. By taking a drug that lets you see every possible outcome of every possible situation, how can we expect tension to come from any sort of dramatic set piece the writers or director create? By making the supply of the drug limited? No. By making the character go through withdrawal and be a better person at the end? No. I won't go into any further detail, but I will say that the film finds ways around those outs. Cheaply, and lazily.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our supporting cast is comprised of actors who should know better. Abbie Cornish, brilliant in Jane Campion's Bright Star (2009), is reduced to "the blonde girlfriend," and Robert De Niro is - again - reduced to his own stereotype. He plays Carl Van Loon, a powerful businessman, with only one of the many notes in his arsenal. It's saddening to see the great actor collect his paycheck and sleepwalk through something that should have been interesting. I'd go so far as to say that he's the most depressing thing about a film whose message winds up being vile and uneducated: Take a drug addict and give him a drug that makes him into Superman. Now watch him squirm without the drug. Now watch his life become perfect. Remember kids - drugs are bad.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Of course, this is a moot point - we all know drugs are bad. And, of course, there aren't any drugs that do what this film's drug does. This is the good news. The bad news is that the film doesn't care. Films in general are supposed to be about escape. It's the emotion-delivery business. We all know that, too. So, when we go to see a film like Limitless, shouldn't we get something more than this? I will give the film that the drug's side effects are serious - people who have taken it are either dead, or wishing they were - but that's because their supply ran out. Eddie's immediate goal is to keep the supply from running out. Sure, he'll get off the drug eventually. Yes, the events around him are terrible, but Super-Eddie can do anything.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-16524590902772153562011-08-15T01:39:00.000-07:002011-10-01T09:46:13.683-07:00The Adjustment Bureau (2011) - Movie Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JZQY0HeWyAQ/TobScJX-hDI/AAAAAAAAAEA/sl2ZETw6fak/s1600/The-Adjustment-Bureau.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-JZQY0HeWyAQ/TobScJX-hDI/AAAAAAAAAEA/sl2ZETw6fak/s320/The-Adjustment-Bureau.jpg" width="216" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Science, philosophy or religion - none has ever been able to put a full stop over questions raised on fate and free will. This movie, The Adjustment Bureau, explores the ever interesting topic, our ability to decide our own fate. This fast paced brainy thriller is also probably the most romantic movie of recent times. In, the adjustment Bureau, Matt Damon plays a rising young politician David Norris. On the eve of US senate elections David Norris meets a beautiful ballet dancer Elise, Emily blunt, and they kiss. She inspires him to deliver a memorable speech. He feels fallen for her. He meets her in a bus, after some time, where her fascination to him translates into true love. But soon David finds that some mysterious men have conspired to keep them apart.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"></div><div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">David learns that those men are members of, the adjustment bureau. Those creatures have a job to make sure that things go as per written destiny. They adjust the happenings, if something starts to go out of plan. Meeting Elise was a big deviation by David from written plan. The men of bureau must make sure that the two are kept apart. David Norris is forced kept apart from Elise but true love is too strong to be stopped. A senior from bureau warns David of the consequences and gives some reasoning for the written fate. David keeps himself away from Elise for some time. Elise feels terrible and thinks as if she has been dumped and decides to marry another guy. But when David learns about Elise getting married, he wants to reach her at any cost. He is helped by one of the agents of the bureau. David and Elise risk everything they had to remain together. Their true love even changes the fate.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">This movie is based on Philip K. Dick short story, The Adjustment team. Director and Screenplay writer George Nolfi has done a masterful job of making a high class adaptation of the short story. The pace of movie keeps viewer interested all the times. The penultimate thirty minutes of the movie are just breathtaking. Both Matt Damon and Emily blunt are convincing in their roles and the chemistry between them is amazing. There are several scenes that leave their mark and are still fresh in my eyes. One example, the scene where David Norris leaves Elise alone in the hospital is truly wonderful. The look of Elise eyes in that scene is truly heart breaking. There is a list of such scenes. The score is wonderful too!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">One the flip side, predictably, reasoning given by men of the bureau is not convincing at all. I haven't read the short story but my understanding of the literature suggests that "the doors" must be metaphors for a bigger picture their but they are used in their literal meaning in this film. On the whole, it is nice watch, go for it!</div></div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-20357756091414333612011-08-06T00:06:00.000-07:002011-10-01T09:47:15.468-07:00Johnny English Reborn (2011) - A Review<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fD5gvHLmY2c/TobQHknGUaI/AAAAAAAAAD8/ReYOd8kh8Ow/s1600/johnny-english-reborn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fD5gvHLmY2c/TobQHknGUaI/AAAAAAAAAD8/ReYOd8kh8Ow/s320/johnny-english-reborn.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Okay, I can see that look and I know what's going through your mind because the very same thing went through my mind but believe me, Johnny English Reborn is actually not so bad. It's really pretty funny. In this well-placed and fairly neat parody of Rush Hour, Bond films and all the spy movies that were ever made, Rowan Atkinson again rides as the accidentally tremendous British secret service agent, who has become a little older but his wisdom or the lack thereof, has not really improved.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">It has been eight years from the time when English was first seen, and a lot of things have taken place since then. Fired and disgraced following a failed mission in Mozambique, he has been utilizing a monastery in Asia as a physical-training and spiritual retreat. He is given an opportunity to redeem himself when he is re-called by the government to unearth a top secret plot to snuff out the premiere of China while he is meeting with the British Prime Minister. The show features head of operation, Gillian Anderson, whose British accent leaves a lot to be desired, and a behavioral psychologist played by the wonderful Rosamund Pike, who inexplicably falls in love with English. The film also features Pik-Sen Lim, the British-Chinese actress who was a regular staple in the 1970s sitcom. She is debatably the breakout comedic star of the movie in her role as a cruel, vacuuming elderly assassin.</div><a name='more'></a><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: justify;">There are the typical visual gags involving people sitting on cats and individuals being hit in the head; along with the clichéd act of guys getting kicked where it really hurts. I am still trying to find out why that is considered funny. Anyway, there are a number of awesome plot twists and hilarious verbal jokes. Most importantly, Atkinson still excels at physical comedy and is in rare form in this film. Some of the jokes evoked from the film were muted but a number of them are laugh-out-loud funny. During the muted periods, the audience knows that it is only a matter of time before the punches are transformed into punch lines. Humor and action are all rolled into one as inspired buffoonery collides with the twists and turns of a spy story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">The film is most excellent when it owns the age of Atkinson and by extension English. The getting of wisdom, a concept riffed on thematically and comedically, permits our hero to intermittently downplay a few scenes. These work well, offering all too uncommon glimpses of the authentic comedic mastermind of Atkinson that unrequited lovers of Rowan Atkinson Live and Blackadder will crave while watching the film.</div></div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-45597738457390970862011-07-20T17:07:00.000-07:002011-09-30T17:28:37.680-07:00How to Find Winning Short Film Ideas<h1 style="text-align: justify;"></h1><div></div><div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE6WhZpN4AI/ToZd3Db_XTI/AAAAAAAAAD4/vI1obCh5W8c/s1600/Producing-Short-Films.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="95" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JE6WhZpN4AI/ToZd3Db_XTI/AAAAAAAAAD4/vI1obCh5W8c/s200/Producing-Short-Films.gif" width="200" /></a></div>How to find winning short film ideas? The idea that begets all other ideas. In academia they call it cheating. In the professional world, it's called collaboration. I'm referring specifically to the process of venturing beyond one's own resources and borrowing or buying ideas, assistance, and products from others in order to accomplish a goal. In school, you're punished for asking someone across the room for the answers when in the middle of a test. Pride and intelligence are measured by your ability to come up with the answer, solution, or creative result by yourself. Our idol based/pop star culture reinforces the lone ranger notion by presenting success stories as if they were primarily a matter of one person pulling himself up by his bootstraps.<br />
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In the professional world, at large, and in the filmmaking community, in particular, it is understood that teams are the entities that get things done; small armies of passionate individuals, each of whom contribute a specialized form of knowledge or skill, united by a common desire to move a project from concept to completion.<br />
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<b>Getting rid of an outdated and overused idea</b><br />
In finding short film ideas, one of the most commonly made mistakes is that of unnecessarily re-inventing the wheel because of a felt need to be independent. If you are not a writer or have never written a script before, why start now? Unless the primary goal of your short film is to work on your writing skills, and I submit that there are more efficient and less exhausting ways to do that, it's best to stick with what you already know and are good at. To put it bluntly, hire or collaborate with an existing writer who already has scripts written or who would be eager to write for someone that will actually get his script on lens. This will not only allow you to focus on coming up with new short film ideas, but it also ensures the integrity of your project. If your short film is going to have your name on it and be used to position your future career, now is a great time to show others that you know how to choose a good story.<br />
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<b>Creating through networking</b><br />
The sad news about the film industry is that there are far more workers than there is work. The upside to this for the independent filmmaker, however, is that this industry has an atypical amount of unemployed talent willing to work in a cost efficient manner. Why reinvent the wheel and fry your brain trying to come up with a script idea when you can invest that same time and energy into reaching out to the community of freelance writers? Professional networking can sometimes feel annoying, awkward, and labor intensive. This is precisely why it's easier to just sit alone in an editing room trying to write a script when that's not what you're good at. It's why many independent filmmakers just cast their non-actor friends in supporting roles instead of enduring the discomfort of things like visiting a local playhouse and getting to know the actors in the community.<br />
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Successful filmmakers understand that connections, not ideas or money, are the currency that move projects forward in the film community. No matter how much you lack in financial resources and creative ideas, you have the power to take control of your project's destiny by making use of the ever expanding gamut of social tools designed for this very purpose.<br />
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To be clear, I don't endorse plagiarism or copyright theft of any kind. This isn't an article about stealing. This is an article on getting things done and getting things done requires one to ruthlessly abandon the lone ranger mentality and the subpar results it yields. Successful filmmakers are the ones who not only know how to use a camera, but who also know how to make use of the resources around them. Sometimes genius is simply a matter of knowing which genius to ask. At least that's the kind of genius that get's it done.<br />
</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-91998811164763298712011-07-09T17:03:00.000-07:002011-09-30T17:07:22.333-07:00How To Direct A Movie<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zv1685BZnIE/ToZZbokpZrI/AAAAAAAAAD0/Ifkp9Kpdgy8/s1600/director.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zv1685BZnIE/ToZZbokpZrI/AAAAAAAAAD0/Ifkp9Kpdgy8/s200/director.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In this article I will go over what it takes to direct a movie. Directing a movie may seem easy being the boss calling all the shots but it can be very difficult and there is a lot of behind the scenes work that can be time consuming. Some directors prefer to write there own script, but that is more challenging as to searching for a script that has been written for you. Once you have your script you want to break it into sections, go over your script time after time. You want to be able to envision each scene as it would unfold in your film and write out how you want your characters roles and how you want them to express there emotions, share this with your actors. It can help to take some acting classes because you will be directing your actors and it will give you a better understanding as if you were in there shoes.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">There are many software programs you can use to help you with drawing out your storyboards which can be very efficient as to saving you valuable time. Make sure you write how you want each set to look and how you will shoot each scene, also any special effects you feel you will be using. Remember to share all these aspects with your film crew you want your entire team onboard with you. They need to know exactly how you want each shot and it's your job to fill them in with your vision of this film. Get your crew together and lay everything on the table, make sure everyone is on the same page.<br />
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Before you jump into filming grab your main actors and sit down with them and read the script out loud. This will give you the chance to explain how you want your film to play out, and you can get good feedback from your actors as they see it. As you get your sets together do some "on set rehearsal" this will allow you to show your actors what specific actions you expect from them. Respect your actors but call out there mistakes let them know what you envision for this film. As Director you need to set the bar for your crew, show up early on days you're shooting make sure everything is in its correct place.<br />
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Keep a schedule for each day this will help you to know which scenes will be shot and in the order there in. Observe your actors and take notes on how they can improve there roles. Go over each scene once before you shoot and refresh your actor's memories on how you want there characters emotions and actions to play out. Give notes to your actors on how they can improve there roles and how you want you expect from there character. Don't try to control every aspect of your film, keep in mind you hired professionals so sit back and let them do there job. Over all you want to be firm with your crew but you also want them to respect you and that will make a huge difference to creating a good movie.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-26303861102298879172011-06-30T16:47:00.000-07:002011-09-30T16:57:32.610-07:00Film Making Courses to Start a Career in Filmmaking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7M3Z5h5oTF8/ToZXQIKNIUI/AAAAAAAAADw/gGzDyYPu5nA/s1600/film-production-courses.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7M3Z5h5oTF8/ToZXQIKNIUI/AAAAAAAAADw/gGzDyYPu5nA/s320/film-production-courses.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Many people dream of a glamorous career in filmmaking and wonder what film making courses will best help them get started. Before you sign up for film school take time to get realistic about what you can expect to accomplish. Although the filmmaking industry employs thousands of people it can still be one of the hardest industries to break into. Besides acting, the two jobs most often pursued are being a film director or a screenplay writer. Because this is what most students request these are the jobs where they offer the most classes. This is where the problem starts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">The demand in Hollywood for new film directors and new screenplay writers is almost non-existent. The current working directors and writers spent many years apprenticing and working their way up through the ranks. The newly graduated student walking up to the hiring department of a film studio or production company will be lucky to be offered a job as receptionist or mail-room clerk. This is the sad reality of the education of future movie makers. Few beginning students are willing to believe that the odds are so strongly stacked against them. They sign up for film making courses which will consist of watching and discussing classic, old movies then making little short films using commonly available video equipment. Students most interested in screenplay writing spend their time writing short scenes and discussing them with fellow classmates.<br />
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A few decades ago the only way to see these old classic movies was to go to a film school that could afford original film prints. Also movie making equipment was very expensive and not available to the general public. The knowledge of how to structure and create scripts was known to only a few insiders. Two things you need to notice. First is that the things the students are learning only qualify them to work in the lowest paid and most competitive of jobs. Secondly is that today all those classic movies are commonly available for rent or purchase, high-quality video equipment is cheap and available as are hundreds of excellent books on the techniques of movie making and script writing.<br />
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With so many resources available today the only reasons one can imagine for taking film making courses are to have some live experience working with a team of filmmakers and to get some hand-holding from knowledgeable filmmakers. That sounds reasonable, but why pay a lot of money for that? Community colleges often offer film making courses that will inexpensively teach the basics. Even better is to find local film productions that want to hire production assistants. What better way to learn and make contacts than by actually working with professionals. You only need to know where to look.<br />
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The people who get hired in the movie industry are the energetic, determined self-starters who make things happen. If you have been thinking that a professor at an expensive school is your ticket to Hollywood you need to think again. The professor is probably one of last year's students from that same school who hasn't been able to get a real job doing anything better than teaching what he was just taught.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-70348988029747912682011-06-17T16:31:00.000-07:002011-09-30T16:47:16.341-07:00Matt Damon Movies And Biography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTQ5yeThXkQ/ToZTrWkWYlI/AAAAAAAAADo/wsCz86oF3JA/s1600/matt-damon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sTQ5yeThXkQ/ToZTrWkWYlI/AAAAAAAAADo/wsCz86oF3JA/s320/matt-damon.jpg" width="219" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Matt's first film role was a one-line part in Mystic Pizza (1988). However, it was enough for him to catch the acting bug. Then, while attending Harvard, he kept skipping classes to pursue acting projects, which included the TNT original film, Rising Sun (1993), and prep-school drama, School Ties (1992). Then when his film, Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), was expected to be a big success that he decided to drop out of university completely. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Matt would next get noticed for a role as a soldier who had problems with drug-addiction in the movie, Courage Under Fire (1996). The following year, he starred in Good Will Hunting (1997), a screenplay he had originally written for an English class at Harvard University. Good Will Hunting (1997) was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, one of which, Matt won for Best Original Screenplay along with long time close friend Ben Affleck. Due to the success of Good Will Hunting Matt Damon's autograph started being sought after by collectors and has continued to gain in value with each new movie he makes. Unfortunately, this also means that forgers are flooding the autograph market with their forgeries. Therefore collectors are being warned to only buy from established and trustworthy dealers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">In 1998, Matt demonstrated his acting abilities in Steven Spielberg's film, Saving Private Ryan (1998), working along side Tom Hanks and Tom Sizemore. That same year, he starred as an earnest law student and reformed poker player in Rounders (1998), starring opposite Edward Norton and John Malkovich. The following year, Matt rejoined his childhood friend, Ben Affleck and fellow comedian, Chris Rock, in the controversial comedy Dogma (1999). Towards the end of 1999, Matt starred alongside Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow in the movie, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999). Although the movie earned mixed reviews from critics, Matt earned praise for his performance.<br />
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Matt lent his voice to the animated movie, Titan A.E. (2000) in the year 2000, which also earned mixed reviews from the public. He also starred in two other movies, All the Pretty Horses (2000) and the golf comedy-drama, The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000), starring alongside Will Smith. His next two films were not as well received as his previous work. He starred in Gerry (2002), a film he co-wrote with his friends, Gus Van Sant and Casey Affleck and Stuck on You (2003).<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dBTioJhVItk/ToZUnBNm-dI/AAAAAAAAADs/rktl38EtAgo/s1600/bourne-trilogy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dBTioJhVItk/ToZUnBNm-dI/AAAAAAAAADs/rktl38EtAgo/s1600/bourne-trilogy.jpg" /></a></div><br />
One of Matt's most recognizable work to date is his role in the "Bourne" movie franchise. He plays an amnesiac assassin, "Jason Bourne", in The Bourne Identity (2002), The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). He also delivers a memorable performance in the "Ocean's" movie franchise. He had the opportunity to star opposite George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Don Cheadle in Ocean's Eleven (2001). The successful crime comedy-drama eventually had two other sequels, Ocean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Other highly acclaimed movies that Matt starred in was in Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm (2005), George Clooney's Syriana (2005), Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006) and Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd (2006).</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-53971404223556392712011-06-07T16:15:00.000-07:002011-09-30T16:29:59.758-07:00Jennifer Aniston Biography<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vFEf_8-hGMw/ToZQaW20axI/AAAAAAAAADg/SQY2xcXD8W8/s1600/jennifer_aniston.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vFEf_8-hGMw/ToZQaW20axI/AAAAAAAAADg/SQY2xcXD8W8/s320/jennifer_aniston.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">They were Hollywood's golden couple, Friends star Jennifer Aniston and hunky heartthrob Brad Pitt, who married in a private ceremony in Malibu two years after they met in 1998. The marriage was claimed as a rare Hollywood success, then he made the film "Mr and Mrs" and met co-star Angelina Jolie. Pitt and Aniston were divorce in 2005 and rumours were rife that her husband had cheated on her with Jolie. The divorce became headline news for months and T-shirts with "Team Aniston" and "Team Jolie" started to appear, with "Team Aniston" outselling "Team Jolie" 4-1. Aniston has always said Pitt was the love of her life and they'd had seven very intense years together, "a beautiful, complicated relationship."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;">In 2010 the couple resumed their friendship, which has annoyed his current partner Jolie. She dislikes him keeping in touch with Aniston's mother and has banned the star from seeing Aniston when he is with any of the six children they are raising together. After the divorce Aniston reunited with her estranged mother Nancy asking her for support. Mother and daughter fell out after Nancy talked about her daughter on a television show and they were estranged for ten years. Nancy also went on to write a book "From Mother and Daughter to Friends - A Memoir".<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9D08LPrx0sU/ToZQk8mtpHI/AAAAAAAAADk/hfaPVxX_7QQ/s1600/jennifer-aniston-and-brad-pitt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9D08LPrx0sU/ToZQk8mtpHI/AAAAAAAAADk/hfaPVxX_7QQ/s1600/jennifer-aniston-and-brad-pitt.jpg" /></a></div>Aniston was devastated by the death of her long time therapist whose work helped make her separation from Pitt easier. She became a household name all over the world with her performance as Rachel Green in "Friends" which won her an Emmy, a Golden Globe and a Screen Actor's Guild Award. She came from an acting background as her parents Nancy Dow and John Aniston were both actors and she is of Greek descent on her father's side and Scottish and Italian descent on her mother's side. Her godfather was the late Telly Savalas of "Kojak" fame, who was her father's best friend.<br />
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As a child the family lived in Greece for a year before the family relocated to New York City where she attended the Rudolf Steiner School and she graduated from Manhatten's Fiorello H La Guardia High School of Music and Art and Performing Arts. After graduation Aniston was determined to make her mark in the acting profession, so she took whatever job she could ranging from a telemarketer, waitress and bike messenger while she worked in off-Broadway productions. In 1989 she moved to Los Angeles and she was cast in her first TV role starring as a regular cast member in "Molloy" She also appeared in the RV movie "Camp Cucamonga"<br />
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She has starred in several big movies, but her biggest box office success was in 2003 when she played Jim Carey's live-in girlfriend in "Bruce Almighty" and she was named the 10th richest woman in the Entertainment industry in 2007. She works for a number of charities and is a supporter of the "Friends of El Faro" a grass roots non-profit organisation that helps raise money for the Casa Hogar Suon, an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. She has also appeared in many television commercials for St Jude's Childrens Research Hospital, which she also supports.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-6086757056588326542011-05-15T15:27:00.000-07:002011-09-30T15:36:59.437-07:00Brad Pitt Biography<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J7vPB-N3Pc8/ToZEU06ieCI/AAAAAAAAADc/S3c_xoA-Y7w/s1600/brad-pitt21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-J7vPB-N3Pc8/ToZEU06ieCI/AAAAAAAAADc/S3c_xoA-Y7w/s320/brad-pitt21.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>There aren't many men in the world who wouldn't love to be Brad Pitt. The actor has led somewhat of a charmed life since becoming a movie star. He was with Friends beauty Jennifer Aniston for years before getting together with Angelina Jolie. He's a perennial threat to win the Sexiest Man Alive award. To top all this off, Pitt's a selfless humanitarian who's planning on running for the Mayor of New Orleans - where he and Jolie moved their family to be closer to Katrina victims. Add to that the fact that he's paid in excess of 20 million dollars to shoot a film and you have the makings of a dream life. But Brad wasn't always Brad. Born William Bradley Pitt on December 18, 1963 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Brad and his family soon moved to Springfield, Missouri where the child was raised as a Southern Baptist. From a young age, Pitt displayed a flair for the spotlight.<br />
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During high school, he was always participating in musicals and debates, and after enrolling at the University of Missouri in 1992, Brad was a frequent actor in Sigma Chi stage shows. Two weeks before receiving his degree in journalism, Pitt headed to Los Angeles to take acting lessons. Like so many before him, the lure of fame was just too strong. Brad was the proverbial starving artist, working various jobs as a chauffeur, a delivery man, and even donning the El Pollo Loco chicken suit in order to pay for his acting classes. Eventually, Pitt landed two minor and uncredited roles in Less Than Zero and No Way Out, No Man's Land. In 1987 and 88, he made a guest spot on the hit ABC show Growing Pains and appeared in the primetime soap Dallas. He rounded out the year with a small guest spot on the Fox drama 21 Jump Street, starring a budding actor named Johnny Depp.<br />
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In 1989, Pitt was actually featured in a horrifically bad B-movie titled Cutting Class, and was given a supporting role in the comedy Happy Together. These various acting roles weren't doing anything for Pitt's career. Although he was no longer dressing up as a mascot, "extra" money doesn't pay LA bills. Pitt's legitimate shot wouldn't come until 1991's Thelma and Louise, starring Geena Davis. This is the role that first introduced Brad into the world as a sex symbol. For the next three years, Brad had mediocre roles in various pictures, but it was his critically acclaimed performance alongside Tom Cruise in Interview with A Vampire that really jumpstarted his career. Fans weren't overly keen on Brad's performance in the vampire flick, but producers took notice. That same year, 1994, Pitt starred with Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn in Legends of the Fall. Pitt finally started receiving some recognition.<br />
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However, it was his role with Morgan Freeman and Gwyneth Paltrow in Seven that made him a movie star. Since then, he has gone on to star in hit movies like Sleepers, The Devil's Own, Meet Joe Black, Fight Club, Snatch, and the Oceans franchise. Pitt has earned two Oscar nominations and has won a Golden Globe, but it's his sex appeal and not his acting chops that keep him on the big screen.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8969513471275811644.post-64984690506300444482011-05-10T15:19:00.000-07:002011-09-30T15:26:53.654-07:00A Short Biography of George Clooney<div id="article-content" style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuM5Wzw2F5E/ToZB3vySDdI/AAAAAAAAADY/Kdwa6vqSxz0/s1600/george_clooney_movie_star.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WuM5Wzw2F5E/ToZB3vySDdI/AAAAAAAAADY/Kdwa6vqSxz0/s320/george_clooney_movie_star.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>From playing an oddball handyman on the Facts of Life to turning up the heat in ER, George Clooney made an acting leap that most actors only dream of. He was a multi-millionaire, being paid to work a few hours a day on a mega-hit television show as a well-respected doctor. With the show airing until 2009, Clooney, if he would have stayed with the show, could have made in excess of 300 million dollars. Instead, he decided to aim for movies. Clooney is the proverbial self-criticizing actor. No matter what role he takes, he's always looking for something that requires more skill and depth to pull off. After 27 years of acting, he's had more than his fair share of opportunities.<br />
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George Timothy Clooney was born on May 6, 1961 in Lexington, Kentucky. Clooney did well in school and attended both Northern Kentucky University and the University of Cincinnati, but didn't graduate from either school. George had his mind set on being an actor, and in 1984, he was cast in the series E/R. Although strikingly similar, E/R shouldn't be confused with ER. The former was a medical drama produced by Embassy Television, but it only lasted a single season. The popular ER wouldn't arrive until a decade later. Clooney also had other minor television roles, playing the proverbial jerk boss on Roseanne and a construction worker in Baby Talk. Rounding out the 1980s for Clooney, he landed a role in the slapstick Return of the Killer Tomatoes.<br />
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In 1994, Clooney started playing the role of Dr. Doug Ross on the NBC medical drama ER. Unlike its CBS-aired predecessor that Clooney starred in, this show was an instant success. George spent five years on the show, and also appeared in a handful of movies while still playing a doctor on television. Clooney's first Hollywood movie was From Dusk till Dawn, in which he starred alongside Harvey Keitel. He then went on to shoot One Fine Day, The Peacemaker, and was even put in to replace Val Kilmer as Batman in Batman and Robin. This movie was the biggest box office success, with fans loving it, but critics thought Clooney to be a failure as the caped crusader. During the last season of ER, Clooney began shooting Three Kings with Mark Wahlberg and Ice Cube. He would leave the show in 1999 to pursue acting full time; however, he returned for the final season of ER for a few cameo appearances.<br />
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Clooney starred in the 2000 hit The Perfect Storm, and in 2001, ventured into southern territory to play an escaped convict on a mission in O Brother, Where Are Thou?. The latter was Clooney's biggest role to date, even topping Batman. O Brother was a worldwide success. However, Clooney would soon top himself with the release of a Rat Pack remake titled Ocean's Eleven. This film grossed over 400 million worldwide and has spawned two sequels. Clooney currently has 4 movies in production and around a dozen more in development. He's kept extremely busy since leaving ER and has become a movie star. He has attempted to take on serious roles, like Michael Clayton and Syriana, but he's better received when starring in more light-hearted productions like the Ocean's franchise.</div>Hiji G.http://www.blogger.com/profile/17176225410639503500noreply@blogger.com0