I have a brand new portfolio:  CLICK HERE

It showcases all the work I’ve done since leaving college.

I’m currently looking for any full-time production assistant or associate producer positions in on-air promos/ integrated marketing. Please send tips my way!!!

I have this really amazing freelance gig. I get to spend time in edits tagging out spots. Very awesome!!!

Unfortunately, a typical day for me is 16 hours long. So I no longer have the time to fully commit to blogging.

Thanks for reading.

All the Best,

CG

So I actually had tickets on Friday night to go see a series of short science fiction films at BAM. I’m not sure what is was… the truck to Brooklyn, or the fact that after working 16 hour days for the past week, I was afraid I might fall asleep as soon as the theater lights went down- but I decided not to go. Instead I hung out with some of my old Sundance mates at Kennedy’s Castaways where Lady J was performing. It was great music and really great to hang out with people I genuinely like… for a change. The whole night was actually being filmed for this documentary called “The Roots of NY Rock Concert & Film.” So I’m glad that I also supported the DOC. Definitely not a regrettable night. If you missed the fun see some of the videos of Lady J here: LADY J

I never thought I’d be one of those girls who sees movies strictly for the man candy. But this weekend I found myself doing just that when I not only traveled 2 hours to see Mesrine: A Killer Instinct, but promptly ran downstairs to purchase tickets to part two- Mesrine: Public Enemy #1. Four hours of Vincent Cassel speaking french, hooking-up with women and shooting up Paris! (Roy Dupuis, as Cassel’s Canadian sidekick in part 1, was an added bonus.)

The cinematography was spectacular. But I’m pretty sure this was the same plot of Michael Mann’s Public Enemies from last summer. And if you know me, you know I find everything Michael Mann a yawn fest. He has an incredible ability to make the most boring action movies. It’s really quite a talent. But I’m not sure Richet did anything else with the story about the country’s most wanted bank robber. Although I did like the way he used women in this film. Unlike Mann, Richet didn’t feel the need to romanticize the main character’s relationships with the opposite sex. Women went in and out of his life like a new haircut. They were fads, victims of his misogynistic tendencies. Mesrine had no respect for his mother and beat his wife in front their children. There was one seen where he puts a gun in his wife’s mouth, threatening to kill her while his daughter peeks out through the stairs above. I whispered aloud in the theater “is this really happening?!”

Richet makes an obvious statement when choosing big french starlets like Cecile de France  and Ludivine Sagnier as leading ladies. Even the most adored women in the world weren’t enough for the haughty and ambitious conquests of Mesrine. Richet clearly made a effort to make this character as unlikeable and villainous as possible. But I guess my hormones got the better of me.

On a related note: AMC released the trailer today. Check it out below:

80′s- good! Pixels- good! Dan Aykroyd- very good!

The show opens this Friday at 7pm at Gallery 1988 on Melrose Ave. You can find more details at The Autumn Society website.

Still coming off my high of Exit Through the Gift Shop, I’m completely mesmorized by these haunting black & white photos of graffiti nightlife. Head over to Ruedione’s site, entitled “Blackflashes” and do not discount the audio embeded there. “Night of the Bomber” by Mirrorman sets the perfect mood when flipping through these beautiful images. (Click here for more photos)

This was the PERFECT time to release the Robert Rodriguez Machete trailer. Both for the social commentary, (cough cough- Arizona), and because it’s Cinco de Mayo!

So I’m watching TBS right now (a.k.a. the new UPN) and I just saw a promo for “Are We There Yet?” a new black sitcom from executive producer, Ice Cube. The V.O. proclaims this show is about one family’s dream to “get there!” I’m not really sure what that means exactly… but I’m pretty sure that’s the premise of every black show in American Television history. At some point, possibly during a chorus of Amazing Grace, we got stuck telling the same jokes in family sitcoms, and never venturing towards any other genres of TV.

No joke- - I’ve actually had friends come over to my house for dinner, only to mention later, that their experience there was nothing like the cosby show. “No, Mary… we’re not as funny as the cosbys. But then again, my Dad doesn’t have script writers on hand, crafting every witty word he utters.”

Frankly, I’d love to see a black version of 24. Can you imagine Taye Diggs, Richard T. Jones and Nia Long running around fighting terrorists for a black ops (no pun intended) division of the CIA? I’d watch that!

I’m looking at Essence Atkins’ imdb profile (the leading lady on “Are We There Yet?”) and I can’t help but notice a pattern. Please stop me when you get it: Family Matters, The Parent Hood, The Wayans Brothers, Smart Guy, Moesha, Half & Half., and The Preachers Kid. — now that last one I haven’t seen. But I’d put money on it, that it has a black ensemble, who are a family, and every episode ends with the group of them learning a life lesson and then going to church.

Anyways, In June, “Are We There Yet?” will join the TBS family, next to other black sitcoms such as “Meet the Browns” and “House of Payne” (hence the UPN jab). And although we have a black president, “Are We There Yet?” is really asking the question, are we more than the black family sitcom, or is this really all a black ensemble can ever hope to be?

I’m not one of those pretentious people who consider documentaries the purest form of cinema and therefore should be regarded as high art. In fact, I very rarely pay for DOCs. Only because they’re really hit or miss with me. I really need to be interested in the subject to stick with it all the way through. Exit Through the Gift Shop is one of those documentaries that really had me at hello. Although it’s a “BANKSY” film, the majority of the film focuses on Thierry Guetta (later known as “Mr. Brainwash”) and his rise to the top of the street art world. Although Banksy paints him as the antagonist, I love this character! I especially love his complusion to film everything that happens in his life. Which at times can actually be quite freightening- perhaps something he needs to be in therapy for.

The big question surrounding this documentary is whether or not it’s actually a documentary. In a letter to the public read at The Sundance Film Festival, Banksy wrote: “Everything you are about to see is true, especially the bit where we all lie.”  That statement, coupled with the fact that we’re talking about BANKSY here! Should clue you in to the validity of this film. As much as we would like to believe that this is all true, it’s probably just another thoughtfully constructed hoax aimed to teach the public about our consumption of media and pop culture.

I’m on the train coming back from my friend Alux’s art exhibit and I can’t help but feel sadden that since graduating high school I no longer have a creative outlet to express myself. I used to love mixed media. I used to spend hours in the photography lab, developing images I took on my manual camera. I used to have this art journal where I would just keep all my sketches I did throughout the day. But for the past couple of years it been- hitting the books and juggling coffee runs for my media internships. If I have any free time to myself I use it to watch some TV until passing out on my sofa. It’s really frustrating! I wanna do something special with my life! And I wanna find the time to do it!

Catch Alux’s show while you can. To reply to the facebook event click here! Or visit www.thepandanyc.com

This is probably fake, something ENTOURAGE related. But none the less entertaining.

Looks like Blockbuster is a goner. Apart of me really thought that they’d come up with a way to fight the Netflix and Redbox phenomenon; but I guess I was wrong. According to Yahoo News, Blockbuster plans to close one-fifth of their stores by the end of the year. But are closing over 1,000 stores really going to help make-up for the $600 million that Blockbuster lost in revenue last year? As seen from the picture above…doubtful.

I discovered Cindy Sherman last year in one of my art history classes. She’s this amazing artist who uses her own body as the subject of her photographs. She does this to challenge the artist/ viewer relationship. Her work also has a clear focus on gender and sexuality. Through the help of make-up and costume, Sherman is able to transform herself from photo to photo, leaving us with questions regarding appearance/ beauty and the role of women in our society. In her series of Untitled Film stills, some of which are shown above, she poses as popular 50′s & 60′s film stereotypes. Although Sherman is not re-enacting any movies in particular, these mysterious and grainy photographs could be stolen from any Hitchcock film. I love what Arthur Danto said about this series: “The still must tease with the promise of a story the viewer of it itches to be told.” It’s not just her clothes, make-up and posture. It’s something in her eyes and expression. She may have missed her calling as an actress, because she really knows how to evoke the emotion of that time period with one single glance.

I recently ordered Cindy Sherman: Photographic Works 1975-1995 from amazon. I can’t wait to see more work from such an insightful and expressive artist.

More details about the competition here.

Yesterday I was front row (kinda off center, as seen from the photos above) at The Times Talks presentation of Quentin Tarantino. I know I sound like a film student cliche but, I can’t believe we were breathing the same air. It was utterly AMAZING!

Tarantino has a repuation of being a little excentric, so I was surprised at how calm and eloquent he was. He mostly discussed the process of making Inglourious Basterds, but he also included some tidbits about his writing anxieties and movies from other directors this year, that he thought were pretty kick-ass. Apparently Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell was at the top of his list.

Help support strippers and their capitalist ventures. Go see Diablo Cody’s new flick JENNIFER’S BODY. (in theaters September 18th, 2009)

SOURCE:   The Onion-  July 30th, 2009-  ISSUE 45-31

It’s official! The new Nightmare on Elm Street is a go (sorry Mark Moreno). First Halloween, then Last House, now Elm Street? Why won’t they leave these precious horror classics alone? Hey, here’s an idea, why not redo films that don’t already have a cult following? Sleepaway Camp, Mother’s Day, Death Valley- these are all perfect B-80′s-horror that deserve a retouching. There you go New Line Cinema. There’s your list, hop to it!

When I heard Michael Bay was producing the new Nightmare, I expected the trailer to be jammed packed with exploding buildings and dramatic car chases. Luckily, both were absent.