Just Around the Riverbend

I'm back in the good ol' Newnan for the weekend, and I could not be happier to get away from that stupid rodent for a few days. Seriously this is a much needed vacation.

Last night after watching the terrific Frances Ha (If you haven't checked it out yet, do it now. It's streaming on Netflix!) for the thousandth time, I had a great heart-to-heart with mi familia about what lies in store for me up the road. As most of you know, I am an avid film buff. If you did not know that please head right over here to find out.

Are we finished? Ahem... let's move ahead!

The film industry is something I have always wanted to be a part of. Maybe not always but at least since I was... 11? Okay yeah always. Shortly after I officially moved down to Disney in 2008 is when the film boom exploded in Georgia. Mom sent me newspaper clippings about both Zombieland and Get Low (a cute fable-style movie starring Robert Duvall and Bill Murray) being filmed here. My sister, Emily, spent a day as an extra in the Footloose remake. Also in the past year both "The Walking Dead" and the upcoming Mockingjay have shot scenes in my very hometown. That's right folks. Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Jennifer Lawrence, and Liam Hemsworth have lived and allegedly hung out in bars in Newnan, GA. Needless to say all this awesomeness was missed by one jealous green monster.

This picture is from "The Walking Dead" episode that aired a couple of weeks ago. Filmed last October. That building across the street with the ramp in front? That's our community theatre. My mother was working inside... while they were filming!! Ugh.

I've said for years it's time to stop being so complacent with my job at Disney and actually get back to the one thing I've always loved. Don't get me wrong. I love performing, and I could not be happier with the time I've spent and the family I've made down at the House of Mouse. I regret none of that. It's just past time to move on, and with Mickey's Jammin' Jungle Parade closing this summer (more on that subject in an upcoming post), I could not think of a better time to do just that.

Do not fret, Whorlandians. I won't be moving away anytime soon. I'm not the kind to just toss aside my current job of 7 years to move back home without another job waiting for me. I am going to start networking though. My dad happens to know the head of a production company that's building up over in Fayette County (where I used to dance btw). He said he'd put in a good word for me so we'll see where that goes. I've also been chatting with my awesome buddy Nick. I know him from JTA (Jedi Training Academy, for the unaware), and he cuts my hair.

Excuse me while I have a Cataldo moment. "Hairdresser, hairdresser... oh whoa oh"

Anyway Nick's brother Tony is our stage director over at JTA. He also happens to be a screenwriter himself. He and one of his good friends have made a couple of movies over the years. Nick had copies of both and let me borrow them. One was a zombie movie shot back in 2008, and the other was a ghost story shot a couple of years ago. Both are fairly low-budget, but it's pretty cool that I know the screenwriter, and they shot both in the Orlando area! According to Nick, Tony and his friend have already written a new script and are starting pre-production stuff. I think it would be AWESOME to hang out and be a part of the making of an actual movie even if it was just for a day.

So that's what's been going on in my world lately. Lots of exciting things might be coming round the bend here pretty soon. I say BRING IT ON!

Oh and if you didn't understand the Cataldo reference, CHECK OUT THIS AWESOMENESS. You're welcome. Farewell!

A Writer's Life For Me

Have I ever mentioned that one of my hobbies is writing screenplays? No? Well now I'm mentioning it.

As long as I can remember I've wanted to become a writer of some kind. I've been writing stories ever since I was a pre-teen. I started out with a completely awful Harry Potter ripoff series cleverly entitled "The Wizards and Witches of Newnan, Georgia". It dealt with three siblings who find out they have magic powers. Then they go on to have many, many misadventures. I'm giggling to myself as I remember the asinine plots I came up with back then. There's even one where the children and their friends attend... wait for it... a school of witchcraft and wizardry. The stories just become worse and worse as the series goes on and on, like a horror franchise that doesn't know when to stop. Those folders are hidden somewhere in the depths of my bedroom back home. I pull them out every once in a while if I want a good laugh. Then I tuck them away immediately because they really are that God-awful. You can't blame me though. I was 11 years old! Everybody has to start somewhere.

*clears throat* Okay, let's skip ahead!

The year 2002, the year Sam Raimi's Spider-Man was released, was when I realized maybe I was more of a screenwriter than an actual author. I don't want to keep bringing up my terrible works of fiction, but after Spidey came out, I did write a particularly ridiculous script that has my teenage self rescuing actress Kirsten Dunst from the hands of her evil agent. Then my family and I have to go into the witness protection program after we witness said evil agent kill... somebody? I don't remember. It was really convoluted. Man, now I gotta search for THAT gem. Maybe it's on my external hard drive! *memories memories*

EDIT: It's not on my external hard drive ...damn!

Around that same time frame was when I realized I was a huge horror buff. I have three horror-related drafts collecting dust on my obsolete laptop. One is a Body Snatchers-type story, set on a farm in the middle of nowhere as a family reunion takes a turn for the worst. I wrote that one after the last visit to my grandmother's farm over 10 years ago. The second is one I wrote around the time The Ring came out. It's about this notebook that brings to life whatever is drawn in it. The protagonist, a horror-crazed, picked-upon loner, draws a typical horror-movie villain inside, and the jocks who pick on him slowly start dying. Whooo is killing them?? Sheesh, that one is staying put. The third is a typical home-invasion thriller. It's meant to be an homage to Halloween and the original Black Christmas. I wrote it when I was a junior in high school. The first 20 pages or so up through the invaders breaking into the house and the baby-sitter/kids hiding from them are actually really suspenseful. Or they are in my head. It might make a great short film. What happens afterward still needs work. I've never gotten the tone quite right.

My favorite project is one I've been writing ever since the spring of 2005. It's partially auto-biographical with a few changes to spice things up. It's a coming-of-age story about an introverted guy who attends a small Christian school, and the girl who he likes helps break him out of his shell. At least that was the plot in the first ever draft I wrote many moons ago. Several things have changed since then. These days it's not so much a romantic coming-of-age story. I want the story to mainly focus on the protagonist and his realization that he isn't happy in his humdrum life: taking his sister to school then to dance while he works all night to help his single mother with the bills. Let me explain. The protagonist, Peter, used to dance with his sister, but after the sudden death of his father he feels the need to help out his mother. So he gets a job, and he isn't happy with where his life is going. It takes the help of a free spirit who goes to the same school AND dance studio for him to realize what he's been missing all this time.

It definitely needs work and a lot of focus, but I guess you could say it's my passion project. I've set the time in 2004, around the same time I was also an introverted guy attending a small Christian school. I already know the soundtrack is going to be AWESOME, with some great 80s new wave (Peter's favorite genre, duh) sprinkled with hits/alternative songs from the time period. So basically you've got some Echo & the Bunnymen, Tears for Fears, and Duran Duran when on the flip side there's The Killers, Cake, The White Stripes, and a bunch of really random but really rockin' alternative shtuff. I listen to the music every time I sit down to write, but I usually end up distracted and hold a solo dance party in my room instead.

I've always been a firm believer in "write what you know". Two themes that are common in pretty much all of my writing are a strong family unit and witty teenage girls.

First off there's usually a bond between the protagonist and his family. In the horror scripts, as minor as the family subplot may be, toward the beginning of the story, it's clear there is a strong bond among the family unit. So when shit hits the fan (not literally, ew) it's heartbreaking to see that unit be torn apart. Especially in my forever-hidden "notebook" idea, as the protagonist slowly starts to unravel, he drifts further and further away from both his family and his close friends. That drifting apart has always been a very terrifying idea to me, mostly because I cannot begin to fathom life without my family.

My favorite parts of my "passion project" are the scenes between Peter, his sister, Liz, and all their friends at the ballet studio. These parts of the story are very auto-biographical. I was always extremely close to my sister, Emily, and all our ballet friends growing up. We had the best of times whether it be dancing in class, staying up late watching terrific movies (such as Bring It On, Moulin Rouge!, and Donnie Darko), or rocking out to tunes such as the great "Bouncing Off the Ceiling" by the A*Teens. Emily and her friends were also extremely quick on their toes, and that's something I feel I've really brought to life with Liz and her ballet friends in my script. Hmm... maybe I should just write a pilot for the Disney Channel... NAH!

I hope this update has given you an insight into the secret live of Joe Moore. Writing has always been and will always be one of my favorite pastimes. I've had a lot of fun reminiscing as I've shared both my embarrassing first projects and my screenplay ideas. I kinda want to get on my computer from 1994 (it might as well be), and write the evening away, but seeing as it's 2:30am, I guess I've already done that. I have to be up and ready for work in less than five hours. I ain't no spring chicken anymore, so this upcoming morning is gonna be rough. But you know what? It was totally worth it to jot down this stroll through memory lane! Good night, and have a pleasant tomorrow.

Happy Holiday Weekend??

I hope everybody had a fun Valentine's/Presidents' Day! I know I did... NOT!

I'll preface by saying that I get a really bad cough deep in my chest every year around the same time. It's probably a pollen allergy. I'm not sure. I do know that it's happened every year since 2007. So when the bad cough occurred toward the end of January, I stocked up on orange juice and Sudafed and waited for it to pass. Big mistake.

This past Wednesday I noticed a bizarre pain in the left side of my chest. I wrote it off as a 24-hour stomach bug, but when the pain hadn't subsided by Friday I knew it was time to visit the doctor. Yes, kiddos, I spent Valentine's Day at the ER!!

My paranoid self was already thinking it was something serious like appendicitis, and if I coughed strongly enough it was going to burst. The nurse certainly didn't help when she casually mentioned it could be a urinary tract disorder. Gee, thanks woman, I'm not already legitimately concerned!!

To my relief though, when the doctor finally entered the room, she said that all my organs were completely fine. The muscles around my ribs were simply inflamed from all the hacking I had been doing.

Yes, you read that correctly. I have flaming ribs. *insert gay joke here* The doctor prescribed me Robitussin for the cough and an anti-inflammatory before briskly leaving the room. I was still kinda stunned at what had come out of her mouth, but I picked up my medication and spent the rest of my evening drinking with the roommates. Ya know, because I had to get one last hoorah in before starting my medication the next day.

By Sunday evening I felt a lot worse. The anti-inflammatory set off my acid reflux. Stupid reflux! First you can't do spicy foods then caffinated products, but now you're gonna take my medication away from me too?? Rude. Anyway, on top of the pain from the inflammation, now I was feeling lightheaded and had a severe case of heartburn. I stopped taking the meds immediately.

Now we're on Monday, Presidents' Day. I worked as long as I could, but I had to leave mid-afternoon because I couldn't take the pain anymore (and I wasn't even doing anything at work). I headed back up to the ER and explained my situation. I think I left the doctor dumbfounded. She had this look of, "Fool! You can't take NSAIDs without it coming back up? Who are you??" That said, she was extremely helpful. Wayyy more helpful than the doctor I had seen *VERY* briefly on Friday.

She browsed through all the different anti-inflammatories there are to see if any of them did not have heartburn as a side effect. Of course they all did. So she prescribed me some Tylenol regular strength to deal with the pain while I continue taking the Robitussin. Hopefully once the cough goes away the inflammation will finally die down as well. She also gave me a doctor's note to get out of work for a couple of days because the only way to heal muscle inflammation is... well to not do anything. At all. Okay maybe breathe but that's pushing it.

So all in all I've had a spectacular holiday weekend! Hopefully by Thursday all this pain will finally go away, and I may continue my life as normal. Until then, I'm gonna do what I do best: sit on my lazy butt. MOVIE TIME!!!

What Olympics?

I've been working all day, and during that time I was like "I realllly need to write on my blog. It has literally been forever." And by forever I mean a month, but that's a long time okay?! So I've been debating in my head what to write about, and of course now that I'm home sitting in front of the computer, I still have absolutely no idea. Here are some random thoughts.

My bike is sitting behind me. That poor baby hasn't been ridden (hehe) since sometime last summer. I need to get back out and ride it soon. Maybe if Florida weather would get its shittake mushroom together, I could actually do that. Any days off I have all I wanna do is sit on my lazy butt. I gotta stop doing that. I gotta stop using the excuse that I work six days a week. I need to exercise more period. Whether it's riding my bike or running... wait who am I kidding? I ain't gonna start running any time soon. Sooo at least walking around the complex or the lake outside our complex. I live right in the middle of downtown with dozens of lakes and parks all around. I should definitely walk or bike around one or two of those. Or after work I should go to our complex gym and start working out. Just the little things. Start a workout regimen and actually keep it going. Ugh, I'm such a lazy guy haha!

Umm... what else? I'm still living in 2013. Every year for me never really starts until after the Oscar ceremony either at the end of February/beginning of March. Becaaause there are still so many 2013 films I still have to check out before the ceremony. So for the first couple of months every year all I'm doing is watching the previous year's flicks. I am pretty much all caught up. The only Best Picture nominees I have yet to see are 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, and Nebraska. Sooo yeah. I'm pretty good.

Oh! Also... there's this video everybody has to watch at least once. My former DAKian friend ABE (shoutout to ABE, somebody that I used to know) spent one evening tweeting all these ridiculous viral/homemade music videos. I was working at Magic Kingdom, and it was raining that night sooo really I was just sitting on my butt (surprise, surprise). So I'm sitting there all night trying not to burst into a fit of laughter around all these strangers I barely know. But anyway, here's the link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1c2KzJbcGA

WATCH. THIS. NOW!!! You will thank be later. Or hate me.

Annnd yeah that's pretty much all I have to say at the moment. Please note there is no mention of the Opening Ceremonies on this blog. Because I could really care less about sports. Though I did watch the Super Bowl, and that game sucked. SUCKED!!! 

Okay I'm done now.

Top 10 of 2013

Oh herro, 2014. Where on earth did you come from? I didn't even get a chance to watch all my 2013 flicks yet. RUDE!

Yes, folks, it's time for Joe Moore's Top 10 picks of 2013 flicks. Please keep in mind that there are several movies I was not able to check out but desperately wanted to (such as The Spectacular Now, In a World, Her, Inside Llewyn Davis, and Nebraska). So this list isn't perfect, but it's what I got.

10. Mud, The Kings of Summer, and The Way, Way Back

I'm cheating a little bit here, but there were four teenage coming-of-age flicks released in 2013 (The Spectacular Now being #4), and each of them were fantastic in their own way. It's a coming-of-age trifecta! 

Mud had a Southern tall-tale/fable feel while still staying grounded in reality. I also dug the love lesson the lead kid learns by the end. 

The Kings of Summer was definitely the most bizarre out of the three, but it also had enough humor and heart to resonate with me.

The Way, Way Back was utterly predictable, but it went through the motions amiably enough. It also has a standout performance from Sam Rockwell, a career best if you ask me!

9. You're Next

I really hate Lionsgate for dropping the ball with this awesome home invasion flick. Let's keep it on the shelf for two years then release it in... August. Great idea, ya mooks. So this great flick bombed. If you're horror-inclined at all, seek it out. Such a fun ride! 

8. Saving Mr. Banks

Such a jolly delight! The flashback scenes are a bit much, but the performances from Tom Hanks and especially Emma Thompson save this story from becoming too sugary. I'm also a sucker for Mary Poppins so the "making of" was fun to watch.

7. Pacific Rim

After so many disappointing summer tentpole films, it was nice for one to actually exceed my expectations. Guillermo del Toro created an action-packed, visually striking extravaganza. The fight scenes between the Jaegers (robots) and Kaiju (monsters) are hands down the best visual effects of the year (excluding Smaug from Smaug). Sure, the character development wasn't quite up to par, but at least they tried, giving me three leads I cared about. Idris Elba really knocked it out of the park as the stern but loving captain. Great show, my man!

6. The Conjuring

Hands down, the best horror movie of the year. What a fantastic spookfest this was! James Wan really nailed it on the head with this one. It also featured two terrific leading lady performances from Vera Farmiga and Lily Taylor.

5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

I gotta say, I did not expect this to be very good at al. The first Hunger Games flick was alright, but there was no heart in it at all. Never fear, Catching Fire made up for that! Easily one of the best book-to-film adaptations I have ever seen. Yes, the first half and its social commentary is far more interesting than once the Games finally begin, but the film never loses sight of the real enemy. Ugggh, sooo good!

4. American Hustle

I'm not even sure what to say about this gem that hasn't already been said. Everything about it is spectacular. The direction, writing, cinematography, style, the rockin' soundtrack, and THAT CAST!! This nifty heist flick features an ensemble cast for the ages. It's clear everyone is having an absolute blast. Go see it. Like yesterday.

3. Frances Ha

Maybe I'm a little biased with this one, but this tale of a late-20s girl (yes, I know I'm a dude) who just wants to live her dream really struck a chord within me. Director/writer Noah Baumbach and co-writer/star Greta Gerwig have made a coming-of-age flicks for the... well for the ages. It's also very classic Woody Allen meets French avant-garde. Love it!

2. The World's End

Duh! My most-viewed in 2013 had to be somewhere on this list. While Shaun of the Dead will always hold a special place in my heart, this third collaboration between Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost is easily their best film to date. It's hilarious, action-packed, and heartfelt. I teared up a couple of times. Cheers, fellas. Now let's boo boo to #1!

1. Gravity

I've always been a fan of director Alfonso Cuaron's work. His Azkaban is my favorite in the Harry Potter series, and Children of Men is his most dazzling film in scope and story...  or so I thought. Gravity is nothing short of a cinematic masterpiece. I was on edge the entire time. I could not breathe. Every time Sandra Bullock's timer went off, I was terrified to see what obstacles she'd have to fight off next. Speaking of Bullock, THIS is her best performance to date. Forget that stupid football flick. This movie would be nothing if I didn't care for rookie astronaut Ryan Stone, and let me tell ya, Bullock delivers and then some. Kudos to everyone involved in this white-knuckle chiller. I can't breathe just thinking about it. Time for a Pepcid!

So there you have it. My favorite flicks of 2013. And hey, what countdown would be complete without some cinematic crap!

Biggest disappoitment: Oz: The Great and Powerful

It pains me to say this is one of my least favorite movies of the year. Maybe I shouldn't have had such high expectations. I love Sam Raimi's work, but this had studio written all over it. Where was Raimi's style? Certainly not here. I'll give the flick this. It was visually striking. I dug the China Doll, the flying monkey, and Michelle Willaims as Glinda. Oh, and to quote Peter Griffin, "Shut up, Meg."

Most powerful turd: Mama

This del Toro-produced disaster is just as bad as Don't Be Afraid of the Dark was a few years ago. It had style, and Jessica Chastian and the kids were good, but I never warmed up to the characters. Then in the end I was supposed to care whether they lived or died? Nope. Not at all. Bye, Mama. At least you gave me a few giggles. *whispers* mama...