Last night, I went to this movie Manic with Amy and Scott. It was a fictional movie that took place in the juvenile section of a mental institution. One interesting thing was that it was shot on Digital-Video. Formally, that was fine with me. The one thing I didn't like about it formally was its hand-held, fragmented style. I don't know. The characters and scenarios were interesting enough for me that I don't need to be smothered in style. It cooled off half-way through, but it was still frustrating.

This is nothing new for me. When I go to movies, I don't usually get interested in the so-called "groundbreaking" ones that mess around with form and style. I tend to get excited by characters and plot. How a movie looks is rarely my main interest. I realize that this totally makes me sound conventional and old-fashioned. Perhaps even ignorant. For instance, I'm rarely blown away by David Lynch's work. It's not that I don't "get him." I do. I "get" David Lynch. It just doesn't do much for me. In the end, however, I bet I just seem dumb. Um, but "Eraserhead" was awesome. I liked that a lot. So there.

I mean, of course, I like style. For sakey's sake, I love Martin Scorsese and PT Anderson and those guys got "style by the miles." But they also offer something in the way of characters. I can recognize the people and scenarios they present - even if I don't live in Little Italy or the San Fernando Valley.

I'm getting off track.

I just feel bad that people like Alexander Payne and Billy Wilder and Hal Ashby who I think are amazing directors get overlooked because they're not so goddamn flashy. I don't know. Maybe it's a "cinema major" thing. Most of my fellow students don't... y'know, "recognize." And they betta' recognize.

One more thing... Manic starred Scott's friend Joseph Gordon-Levitt (i.e. the kid from "Third Rock from the Sun"). As I've mentioned before, Scott used to be a child actor.

Damn. He was in an educational video with Wesley from "Mr. Belvedere." You can't top that - no matter who you are.

Including YOU, Mr. President!

(Impeach Bush)