Looking Back at Big Babies

Recently decided to capture and upload the full version of Big Babies that was cobbled together in 2004, and I found it holds up better than I had expected and better than I had heard. The opening prologue discussion has an energy to it, although I did get a tweet from The Projection Booth asking, "does anything every happen in this?" which is a trade-off of front-loading some character development. The main body of the short may not allow the characters to be as accessible. I will eventually continue my plan to record a commentary track which I'm sure will set the world on fire. Funny how remarkably few views a new video an get. I have heard of algorithm working against a video, but I may have to explore that - a subject of zero interest, except that it would be nice to disprove the theory that someone has hacked my account and is reducing exposure to it. As for the subject matter of Big Babies, I don't carry it around so much. What I like is the glibness and whimsy of it, whether or not I would approach the same taboo type of topic again.

Big Babies from William La Rochelle on Vimeo.

Various Shorts from the recent past

Some new, some as old as 15 or 20 years.

Spin City and movie making

I found these notes in my files and I don't recall posting them in a blog so here goes. There is one surviving link to a segment from the Spin City episode where Christopher Lloyd guest starred. The rest of the links are an interesting look behind the scenes of the Glenn Close/Mel Gibson Hamlet. Not much of a connection, but there it is. Spin City: Back to the Future IV http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWzlHmJQUXQ&feature=related Mel Gibson’s Video Diary http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFWlwCrl5aw http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQplwVJW6qQ&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGVAuy-fVHU&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT52mmn1rIY

Spaghetti short

A short video about leftovers as breakfast.

Red Letter Media's review of Attack of the Clones

Harry S. Plinkett's bang-on observations use clips as proof, whether or not he is as insane as his home movie clips demonstrate from time to time throughout the visual essay on Attack of the Clones.

Wonder Woman back on TV ?

The question is going around - who should fill Lynda Carter's boots, let alone replace her booty?

What this part needs if it is going to be a David E. Kelley show is deft comedy skill. And a decent set of boobies.

David E. Kelley is a promising name for this material though. It will be social commentary in the right hands. On TV he'll get away with more of that then they would in a feature.

The origin feature has been done as an animated DVD with Nathan Fillion voicing Steve. Good choice, and nice nod to Joss Whedon who likely would have cast him.
If they shoot another live action origin story they should use the animated one as an
animatic. I'd like to see a report on the process and why DC's animated division is so killer and their live action projects (without Nolan) bog down at the script level.

Also, Meryl Streep has a Commencement address on youtube where she notes that it is
not easy for heterosexual males to identify with a female protagonist. Even though Wonder Woman is a character we fall for and respect I think we are basically Steve Trevor and want to have her do all the work but still be in an artificially superior status. I'm not sure that's bankable for an all-eggs-in-one-basket $200 million feature. With a series they can play with that dynamic.

Castle, created by the screenwriter of Air Force One, has been pretty successful with something non-threatening to the male ego - Fillion is the mystery author who shadows a pretty homicide detective and models his newest character on her. She has the authority and status, but he is the civillian who proves each week that his intuition beats her hard-bitten proceedure.

I suspect that they may discover the next Lynda Carter, who will have some chops but be the "straight man" and the Steve will be someone funny who is the breakout star.
Wonder Woman running down modern streets would be interesting, though I hope they use the old uniform and stay away from the less patriotic look in the rebooted comic. One is an icon, the other is a reaction. I think now that we are in the Omaba era it is okay for people to be a bit patriotic. And I'm sure it will pass without much comment when Paradise Island sports more diverse-looking "sisters" for Diana. But even that aspect of the show needs a smart writer or it will be soft porn.

How long before they delete this video?

There was a great, funny comparison between Forrest Gump and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button online just long enough that thousands of people got to see it before the studio clamped down and had it removed.

Here's one that is so politically incorrect and insensitive that I find it refreshing and genuinely funny. But it will anger some people. It was linked
by imdb.com. I rated it as funny, but the arrow doesn't seem to be pointing so unanimously in that direction:

"I Am Sam Milk" Movie Trailer - watch more funny videos