At Christmas I received some clothes, gift certificates, a watch, and other little things that I love.  My favorite gifts that I received were the books I was hoping to get ;P

The Dark Tower series by Stephen King...as you can see up there.  

I was so excited when I opened the box that contained these books.  I can thank my sister from Texas for that.  I never really knew much about this series until recently.  I kept hearing references to the story and I got curious what they were referring to.  

Finally, on some random forums for comic books, sci fi stories, and even just films, I found people talking about Stephen King's "The Dark Tower".  Eventually, I found out that it was more than one book, but a whole series that King has been writing since the 1970's.  King refers to it as his "magnum opus"

Since the 70's, this story continues on 8 books.  I think a 9th is on the way.  I've finished the first book recently and have started the 2nd book.  It's very immersive and I easily get lost in the world that Stephen King has created.

It's got cowboys, magic, and different dimensions (from what I can gather so far).  It's so good.

I plan on finishing all the books this year before the film premieres.  You read that right.

I finally get to be a book snob.

​- JP

I've recently decided to try my hand at photography.  I should be alright in it since I've been doing video for nearly 15 years.  I figured it would help me out in improving composition.  

Grateful to have Kat help guide me in my new hobby.  

A week ago, I was lucky enough to tag along with Kat and our good friend Elvin to explore the city for some photography adventures.  I didn't snap that many photos and the majority of them were of Kat or Elvin.  Right now I'm super picky with what I want to shoot.  

Eventually I'll learn photoshop/light room.  I'm very excited :)

​

Happy New years everyone!!!

I hope everyone had a great holiday season and got everything they wanted for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa etc...etc...

Now that that's out of the way I can talk about an old film that I saw a few days ago titled "Anchors Aweigh" 

Starring a well known Gene Kelly, a young up and comer Frank Sinatra, and the beautifully button nosed Kathryn Grayson.

Kat just had it on randomly one day and I was intrigued when I saw that it was Gene Kelly and a young Frank Sinatra.  I already love old films so I thought why not sit down and and see what it's all about.  

The story is simple.  Two sailors go on leave for 4 days in Hollywood.  They meet a beautiful woman and Sinatra instantly falls for her.   

Kelly tries to be a good wing man for him, but fails as he starts to fall for her as well.  Hilarity ensues when a lie causes a bunch of misunderstandings and the woman chooses Kelly.  Which is actually okay because Sinatra ends up meeting a random woman who happens to be from the same town as Sinatra.  The ending is happy and literally ends with them singing "Anchors Aweigh".  :)

Yea the story is corny and the script is cheesy, but I thoroughly enjoyed the song and dance numbers.  Gene Kelly (if you didn't already know) is a freaking master.  There are scenes of him dancing for over 5 minutes straight without any cuts through large sets.  Sinatra, who looks like a skinny little guy here, has such a full voice that it's almost startling to hear that from him.  Then you have Kathryn Grayson (who I honestly never heard of) has a unique operatic voice which also is a surprise when you hear it coming from her.  A lot of talent in this film.

And what a surprise when Jerry (from Tom and Jerry) appeared and had a dance number with Gene Kelly!  Well actually, I had already seen it before, but I didn't know that it came from this film! (yes, Stewie Griffin did too)

I really enjoyed finding that out :)

But my absolute favorite part of the film was this scene.  (warning: Piano playing scene that is about 5 minutes long)

I sure hope you watched that whole thing because it is amazing.  Seriously, watch it.  Not only was I impressed by the pianist (Jose Iturbi) but I remembered hearing the same song in Tom and Jerry and Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

Brought me back to my childhood :)

This film is gold.  It stars 2 legends and a gorgeous love interest.  Epic dance numbers and some surprisingly experimental cinematography.  It was visually, musically, and emotionally fantastic!

I need to pick this up on blu-ray.

So I finally saw "John Wick" last night.  I actually went into it expecting a lot because my girlfriend had seen it at her friend's house when she was visiting in San Fransisco.  I had heard good things about it in the past few months already, so hearing if from her was the final push for me to see it. 

I wanted to rent it some time but I never got the chance so luckily, she got it for me for Christmas.  I guess she was really confident that I would really like the movie.  

First of all, I've always like Keanu Reeves.  I know he isn't an amazing actor, but he still has something likeable about him.  Maybe it's because I grew up loving the Bill and Ted movies and I thought he was great in "Speed".  So I was looking forward to an action movie that has received positive reviews starring Keanu Reeves.  

So I popped in the dvd and prepared myself for 101 min. of badassery.  I was NOT disappointed.  

I thought Keanu Reeves was perfectly cast as a focused killing machine.  He just has an aura of coolness and naturally looks like someone who would have the discipline to be trained to be a master killer.  

**SPOILER ALERT**
The story is simple.  He is a retired assassin/hit man who has been out of the game for 5 years (plus change) and married the woman that made him be human again.  She dies...and he is devastated until, just days after she is buried, he receives a last gift from her, a beagle puppy named Daisy.  

So this puppy, a gift from his dead wife, becomes a symbol of hope for him.  He embraces this dog as his last chance for a companion that is linked to the woman he loved.  

But yea...THEY KILL THE DOG.

who the hell does that??? 

Without revealing more of the plot, John Wick is thrust back into the world of violence and bloodshed as he becomes vengeance personified.  

The best part about this movie is that the action isn't over the top.  He isn't jumping from building to building beating up bad guys while staying unscathed.  You can tell that he has had a lot of training and has been doing this for years, but he isn't untouchable.  The action is personal just like his motivation for revenge.  

Another intriguing part of the movie was a hotel called "The Continental".  It is a safe haven for assassins that has it's own set of rules and honor system with an economy within its walls.  It's also where you meet a lot of interesting characters. 

The movie itself has a few cliches, but there are also parts that destroy cliches.  This is why I believe this simple story of vengeance is held in high regard.  Of course, it's still not for everyone, but it gets a high recommendation from me.

JOHN WICK = absolute badass.   

Welcome back to the blog!  Been busy, but here I am.  The return...

So a few things have happened since my last post.  I'll blog about them separately so for now I'll start off with...

The Star Wars trailer...
     A few weeks ago they released the final American trailer for the new Star Wars films coming out this December 18th. If you haven't seen it yet you have failed at life.  Just kidding.  But seriously, how have you not seen it?  here it is:

You like that?  yea so did millions of people on this planet.  There was one Saturday where I spent the entire morning watching the trailer for about 30 minutes and then watching other versions of the trailer.  The Japanese version, a Korean fan made version.  Even updated trailers (using the music from The Force Awakens trailer) of the original trilogy and the prequels.  

I got chills the first time I saw this trailer.  Harrison Ford's delivery of "It's true...All of it" is just perfect.  A confirmation of the legendary epic that came before this new generation.  The Knights of Ren standing in the rain surrounding Kylo Ren as he holds his self made light saber with the cross guards.  An image that captures my attention.  A new group of faceless villains showing loyalty to their leader.    

Honestly,  I was not a Star Wars geek or even an avid fan.  I have seen the original trilogy, but not the prequel trilogy (reading about them on the internet and word of mouth makes me want to skip them).  But growing up in the US alone, the Star Wars lore was always present.  As a child, before I even saw a Star Wars movie in full, I already knew that Darth Vader was Luke's father because it's referenced in so many things.

This new film is introducing the story to a new generation and to people who weren't really big fans.  I'm very excited and I will gladly share the excitement with the world.  Love it or hate it, Star Wars is here!!!

Oh god I hope the movie is as good as the trailer... (I'm looking at you Man of Steel)

What are you excited for in this new Star Wars film?

Fall is my favorite season.  I love how the colors of the leaves change as the weather begins to cool.  I love the layers of clothing we have to start putting on and how cozy it feels.  I love having a cup of hot chocolate to warm up.  

Not only that, but it's the season that Halloween dwells.  How fitting it is for the sun to go down earlier so that the creatures of the night can come out.  Halloween, the one day of the year that people can act like monsters and be praised for it.  Children go mad for sugar and are allowed to indulge.  

My favorite thing about Halloween are the scary movies.  As a child, scary movies were always fun to watch.  I was scared as hell growing up watching the Nightmare on Elm st. films.  Freddy Krueger was one of THE scariest monsters ever created.  A monster that get you in your dreams?  I sure as hell didn't want to sleep alone when I was a kid after seeing those movies.  Then there's Jason from the Friday the 13th films.  Unstoppable, unrelenting, hiding behind that scary ass hockey mask.  He was a killing machine that you could not reason with.   I couldn' resist.  Being scared is fun.  It's still fun today.

Ever since Kat (my girlfriend) moved to Chicago in 2011, we started somewhat of a tradition.  The week leading to October 31st, we watch a scary movie every night.  Here are 5 movies that I can remember from the past few years:

Halloween is in about a week and a half.  I'll be looking for new scary movies to watch.  Any suggestions?  

What are your favorite horror films?

Leave some comments!!!  Happy Halloween!!!

Since the invention of film/movies, there have been many innovations that keep the experience of watching moving pictures fresh.  From linear editing, to sound, color films, computer animation and now 3-D, movies keep evolving to keep the viewers entertained.  

Of course, just great writing is enough to keep the viewer entertained, but people are always finding ways to make the experience more incredible.  

The newest addition to the list of innovations is 360 degree videos.  If you haven't yet seen a 360 degree video, please check these out on youtube.

NOTE:  The experience is actually enhanced when watching on your cell phone or tablet using the youtube app. 

Are you watching on your phone or tablet?  seriously, watch it on your phone or tablet (using the youtube app) and start moving it around in different directions.  

Now try this video:

Isn't it amazing?

These are shot with 360 cameras.  A camera with multiple lenses that captures the world in 360 degrees.  This new way of recording footage is pretty revolutionary in my opinion.  The fact that you can move around (using your phone or tablet) and see what is going on behind, in front, left, right, top and bottom of the camera is just insane.  Oh yea, if you are watching it on your computer there should be a little directional pad in the top left corner that you can click on to move your view.  

Cool shit right?

Imagine the possibilities...

Taking 360 degree tours of places  that are difficult to access.  People will be able to virtually look around places that they will probably never go to.  Like maybe the inside of a submarine, caves, shipwrecks and more.  I'm probably just thinking of short term/obvious uses for this.  There is someone out there that will truly use this style of recording to change the game forever.  

What are your thoughts?  Leave me some comments!

Screen grabs from Casey Neistat's 360 degree video of his travel and a Discovery Channel video of a sunken ship. 

So some of you guys have probably looked through this website.  Maybe wandered into my movies section and stumbled upon the vlogs section.  

What is a vlog?  

A vlog is a video diary of a person's day.  It can be a daily vlog or a vlog that highlights a particularly special day in that persons life.  It's not a vlog if it's shot by someone else.  It has to be shot by the subject and the subject must engage their audience while explaining to them what is going on or what is about to happen.  

There are thousands of vloggers on youtube.  Some more popular than others.  Some of my favorites:

These guys are some of the most popular/famous vloggers on youtube.  They have influenced thousands of fans to start their own vlogs.  Some, hoping to gain fame the way Casey, Ben, and Louis have done.  Some, just want to make movies everyday on their own time, their own way.  

These guys inspired me.  It's pretty farfetched to say that I will reach their level of fame/popularity.  And that's okay.  

There are many reasons a person vlogs.  

1. To market themselves or product.
2. To share their experience/travels.
3. To share their opinions on current events or special interests.
4. All of the above.

No matter what it is, they are sharing something with the world at pretty much no cost. 

The purpose of my vlog is for me to have something to look back at and laugh, cry, reminisce.  This summer was one of the best summers I have had and I thank vlogging for it.  Vlogging kind of forced me to go explore.  Try news things.  Even just keep me in practice in both shooting and editing.  

Another great thing that vlogging has helped me gain is some new friends from different parts of the world.  I've become an admin for a Facebook group VLOGGER REVOLUTION.  Through this group, I've become friends with some cool people  who are also vloggers.

Check out their youtube channels.  Very passionate guys with very different perspectives of the world.  Oh, James doesn't vlog (yet) but he probably watches the most vloggers out of us 4 lol.  

Vlogging isn't for everyone.  Yes, there are hundreds and thousands of people out there who watch vlogs, but it's definitely not a main stream thing.  Maybe it will be some day.  

Come watch me try new things, explore new places, share my thoughts, meet new people.  Come watch my vlogs. 

- JP

#vloggerrevolution #chicagovlogger #vlogger #youtuber #indvisualfilms #vlogs

So today we announced the creation of this website.  We are very excited about it cause now people will get to know about us more and hopefully want to work with us :)

Kat and I already have another blog where I do majority of the writing.  It's a food blog.  

Check it out here

But yea...welcome to our film and photography site!  

This blog won't really be about this either.. it's more for me to share interesting things I've found that is related to film and photography.  like this:

What do you guys think of the trailer?  any trailers you want to share?  leave some in the comments!

- JP

Everyday, people have to deal with their problems.  Whether it's a problem at home, at work, or at school.  Maybe it's just an internal battle that no one else knows about.  It gets tough sometimes and everyone has their way of escaping.  We need an escape from these problems or else it will drive us insane.  Just a short break from reality that takes us somewhere far away from these problems.  

At work, it can get quite hectic.  However, in the middle of all the chaos, I am able to sit at my desk and get lost in an article I found online.  It's a really short escape in what seems like the middle of a battlefield.  It helps.  

Everyone has their favorite ways to escape.  Some get lost on the internet, some love to read books, some get lost in music, some literally get lost and take a quiet walk in the woods.  Vacations are something that everyones needs for an escape.  My favorite is watching movies.  

Did you see that coming?  :-P

It's different now though.  It's not just movies, but TV shows and even just videos you find on youtube.  Yes I do enjoy the short funny videos on vine etc.  but really, I love the videos that others create.  Thank you internet for giving me access to an infinite source of escape.  

I know to limit myself, don't worry. 

My first post on this blog :)

Hope you stick around.