Joel Vetsch

Tonight, we finally got to see GODZILLA MINUS ONE with the limited release of the black & white version. Wow! This movie was so much better than the typical Hollywood monster movie schlock. Characters you actually care about through dynamic storytelling set at the end of WW2 in Japan. Perfect cinematography and score. Exceptional acting, and the iconic Godzilla in the most devastatingly spectacular way possible on the big screen! As you're thrust into the chaos of the moment beside these characters, it is terrifying to join them all as they're pitted against the creature that just won't die. This monster film experience easily surpasses movies with twenty times the budget. My wife summed it up with one word as the credits rolled - "Incredible". Happy to see this movie get nominated for Best Visual Effects at this year's Academy Awards. Staggering to know only 35 people worked on the effects for the film’s 610 shots. They better win an Oscar!!! We can't wait to watch this movie now in color.

"There is a danger these days that if things only exist in the streaming version, they do get taken down."

'Oppenheimer' Flying Off the Shelves Is Proof Movies Need Physical Releases Christopher Nolan's film reinforced the value of a dwindling medium.

Enjoyed THE HOLDOVERS a lot. Alexander Payne - director of Sideways (infinitely rewatchable), About Schmidt (hilarious dark comedy with Jack Nicholson), and Election (Matthew Broderick vs a young Reese Witherspoon) - brings us this unique period film set over Christmas break in 1970. I love these characters. At times likeable and unlikable (like all of us can be at times), these characters are interesting. Highly recommend.

I'm optimistic about this news I just heard.

Neon is making a sequel to IT FOLLOWS in 2024 (a decade after the original was released). The original lead Maika Monroe is returning, with director David Robert Mitchell and original producers at the helm. The next chapter is called THEY FOLLOW.

If you have not seen the original "modern classic" yet, you can see it on Netflix. It is one of my favorite recent horror films.

1998

Great life lesson on reframing your view of challenges.

How to turn a NO into a YES

Have a great Labor Day Weekend.

Yesterday, we erected a massive wall to shield us from the rising tide. Not only was our fortification successful throughout the afternoon as the encroaching waves crashed into it with hunger - the morning light revealed it was still standing firm.

My wife and I saw Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga perform at the 1969 Woodstock Festival site (Bethel Woods) on July 25, 2015. Hard to believe this was nearly 8 years ago to the day. It was an incredible opportunity to see the last of the "original" crooners in person perform classic jazz standards backed by a full orchestra (of course the solo and duet performances with Lady Gaga were a nice bonus). Great show. Good memory. Sad to hear of his passing, though I know he lived a very full life leaving us at 96 years old. We'll always have his music.

What a fantastic birthday gift my mom got me! I used to have this image on a poster when I was a kid. Great character which influenced me immensely.

We're entering strange uncharted territory. This is going to get interesting.

Can an AI program really write a good movie? Here’s a test The increasing sophistication of programs like ChatGPT has led to unease over the future of film-making. What happened when we gave it a chance?

I saw two great sci-fi movies this past week which you might have not seen yet. I highly recommend both.

Left: Timecrimes (2007)

A man accidentally gets into a time machine and travels back in time nearly an hour. Finding himself will be the first of a series of disasters of unforeseeable consequences.

Right: Possessor (2020)

An agent works for a secretive organization that uses brain-implant technology to inhabit other people's bodies - ultimately driving them to commit assassinations for high-paying clients.

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Inspiring excerpt from an interview with director Baltasar Kormákur.

Spraying my Bogart Stencil (2011)

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Truth.

Picked up the 4k steelbook release of 'It's a Wonderful Life'. Includes colorized version on bluray. This cover is similar to the cover of the Hal Roach Studios VHS release I grew up watching in the early 90s. Did you know Mary Hatch Bailey was Donna Reed's first starring role?! Such a great movie.

Growing up, my family used to watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' on VHS annually on Christmas eve. This movie is full of moving, hilarious, oftentimes dark moments - just like life.

I'm going to see this immortal classic for the umpteenth time on the big screen next weekend. Looking forward to sharing this special movie with a room full of strangers to celebrate and meditate on the magic of this time of the year. As director Frank Capra wrote, "we're all George Baileys in one form or another."

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/10/entertainment/its-a-wonderful-life-in-theaters-cec/index.html

Saw this documentary on the flight back east and wanted to shout it out. Really good. If you're a lover of music or history this will be right up your alley.

(Rumble is an iconic song by Link Wray. Listen here: https://youtu.be/KFCpUZVyXgg)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING !

This week Eminem got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well deserved.

What was really cool is he spent nearly all his speech time going through a long list of artists who influenced him. Legend.

Just heard this early track he made showcasing the lyrical superpowers he possessed from the very beginning.

First Eminem song ever first official song by Slim Shady

I've been listening to Henry Rollins' spoken word for many many years.
Finally getting to hear him up close in person telling stories for over three hours was an awesome experience!
The venue happened to be a historic theater where Mark Twain took the stage in 1869 on his first major speaking tour of the northeast. How perfect is that?
Getting to hang out with Henry after the show for a bit and meet him was surreal.
An intense and lovely night shared with an intellectual madman I respect immensely.

Take some time today to express appreciation to the veterans out there.

Happy Halloween! Taking advantage of some props on hand in a photo booth with my lovely future wife nine years ago. The princess and the pirate set sail on the high seas and never looked back!

Watch James Caan in THIEF, the best movie you never saw. Many years before Michael Mann made the iconic heist movie HEAT in the mid-90s, he sets the bar very high with this 1981 film. Highly recommended.

Note: I saw this masterpiece for the first time on the stunning bluray release from the
The Criterion Collection.

“The only way to be sure that you’ll have access to something forever is to actually own a physical copy of it.”

‘There’s something comforting about it’: the collectors who won’t let go of their DVDs and videos For some of Australia’s most hardcore film buffs, streaming will never match the tactile, finite and nostalgic lure of the hard copy

The Northman :
Just as authentic, savage, mythical, and grueling as I'd hoped.
Alexander Skarsgård was perfect in this role.
Highly recommended.

Watching THE THREE STOOGES in color on Amazon Prime is a trip.