You know, I try to keep the sisterhood of fandom in mind for the most part, I really do.
I know that so many of us love him so much and it's a good, pure, unconditional (albeit one-sided) kind of love. And I think it brings us...as fans of Keanu Reeves...closer together in a special type of bond.
Well, fuck that...
Look at him.
All you bitches better back the hell off......
"I REQUIRE HIM LIKE NO OTHER!"
(ok, fine. Go HERE and watch clip #2 for a clip of an interview with my man....thanks to tess for this link *smooch*)
The fact that one gets to see Dogstar butt as the band leaves the stage is about the only thing that keeps me from committing hari-kari at the end of each and every show. The saddest chords in the world are the opening ones to Denial, because you know that it's the last song of the night.
DENIAL
written by Bret DomroseThere is love here can you feel it
It's from me it's for me and I stole it
If caught I'll deny it
I'll scream and I'll fight it
Jesus loves me can you feel it
I've injured my life - hope he can heal it
If caught I'll deny it
I'll scream and I'll fight it
There is love here can you feel it
It's from me it's for me and I stole it
If caught I'll deny it
I'll scream and I'll fight it
Jesus loves me can you feel it
I've injured your life - hope he can heal it
If caught I'll deny it
I'll scream and I'll fight it
I'm going to try and take a couple of days off.
Of course, now that I've said that, a dozen blogworthy things will appear, so "try" is the operative word here.
But really....come back Saturday Friday.....
Hee! Remember these?
"You will live in Mansion.
You will drive a Black Element.
You will marry Keanu and have 0 kids.
You will be a Writer in Santa Monica."
Hee, I never believe in these things unless they give me results I like and I'd have to say, this one gets a big THUMBS UP.
I actually am getting a Honda Element. Looks like I'm going to have to call and change the color so I don't jinx the rest, though.
I swear these results came through on the first try, too.
Here are my choices and here are the results.
(this flashback to junior high brought to you via gigglechick)
(update: as per a request, the pop-up image is now a wallpaper)
Thank you to the Pic-of-the-Day Club for the original of this full length scan from an Aussie newspaper.
As always, keep your eye on thelastfreecity.com, matrixfans.net and of course, The Matrix official site for news and hype.
Few things induce spontaneous ovulation better than a cute guy holding a puppy.
And really, if that cute guy is Rob Mailhouse of Dogstar? Well, my panties just demolecularize completely.
Rob recently co-hosted a a fundraising documentary called "Love Unleashed: Stories of Heartbreak and Hope." The film, which includes a one-hour and a half-hour version will be broadcast in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on major network affiliates and independent stations up to eight times a month for up to three years.
Great cause, great guy. I feel all warm and tingly.
Thank you to littlezen on the Dogstar Message Board for this info.
~
Thank you to Maribel, an extremely gifted artist and Keanu fan for sending me this drawing to share with you all.
Just exquisite...
Some other works by Maribel can be found here and here.
~
I finally got around to downloading and watching the first of the web released Animatrix shorts: The Second Renaissance Part 1.
As of right now, I'm rooting for the machines.
Thanks to tess for this heads up...
The American Cinematheque tribute to Denzel W. will air on the third of March on AMC.
Keanu will be on, looking oh-so-yummy in this tux.
Who wants to tape it for me?
I just realized that not only does my fabulous city still have one of the last operational drive-in theaters in the country, but they still show current releases.
If Reloaded plays there, I'm thinking tailgate party.
Big HONKING tailgate gala - with giant sandwiches and coolers.
Maybe the second weekend after release.
Of course, you're all invited.
I think one of the reasons I've been blank lately is the fact that I feel a bit stifled because of my bandwidth concerns. Looking at my stats, if February had a normal number of days, I would probably go over my limit. I'm working with my host to form some sort of plan that doesn't involve me shelling out another 20-50 dollars a month but once May comes around I'm not sure what's going to happen. I've tried making a few changes in things like adding no robots tags to the category and monthly archive pages. That way, someone coming here on a search doesn't load a whole graphics-laden-bandwidth-sucking page to find out that the extent of the info I have on the Superbowl Trailer is that I thought it "fucking rocked".
Anyhoo, I'm working on a backup plan. Last summer when the site went down? I wigged. It was like taking away my crack. I won't go there again.
No sir. *twitch*
A while back I registered krix.org so there's that. And yesterday I went ahead and registered keanublog.com. As of now, they are both just forwarded here.
But if something should happen and this site really goes down, remember those two names and I assure you something will emerge at one of them.
It's also possible that that once the renewal for keanuvision.com comes up next November, I will reduce it to a static wallpaper site and then split in two (kind of like Station) and make use of both of the new domains.
Or not.
I have no idea.
Sugar Free Red Bull rules.....
*boing*
From E!online:
Carrie-Anne Moss: "Matrix" Mommy
by Lia Haberman
"No word if the Oracle predicted this one, but Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss has revealed she's in the family way.
It's a first child for Moss and her hubby, fellow thespian Steven Roy, confirms the actress' publicist Jennifer Allen, telling E! Online Moss, "feels amazing. She and her husband can't be more thrilled."
Moss, 35, is due in early fall, Allen says. No other details were released.
The Canadian couple were married in 1999 and live in Beverly Hills, California.
Moss has spent most of the last two years shooting the Matrix sequels in Sydney, Australia, where Roy traveled to propose to the super-svelte action star. Shooting on the mind-bending sci-fi sequels wrapped in August 2002.
The Vancouver-born actress broke into Hollywood a decade ago with a role on Models Inc., Aaron Spelling's 1994 primetime paean to pretty faces. The series was canceled after one season, and Moss made the guest-star rounds of small-screen sci-fi shows such as FX: The Series and Spider-Man.
Then came a star-making turn as Trinity, Neo's tough-as-nails love interest, in 1999's The Matrix. Memorable roles followed in Memento and Chocolat and the not-so-memorable Red Planet. Next up, Moss escapes the sci-fi mold with a role in a modern-day thriller Suspect Zero with Aaron Eckhart. The movie's drop date (October 24) roughly coincides with Moss' delivery date.
Meanwhile, the much-hyped deliveries fans are waiting for: The Matrix: Reloaded and The Matrix: Revolutions are slated for release May 15 and November 7, respectively. "
Thanks to Jena for the article link.
And speaking of impending bundles of joy, my friend and webhost, Jennifer is due to give birth any minute now! (She was due the 17th)
Congrats to her and to Carrie-Ann :)
I googled for some raunchy medieval limericks to go with today's pic but couldn't turn up anything good.
I think I'll retire to the tower and practice being distressed.
I think I'm going to start drinking.
Heavily.
Update: No I haven't started yet. It's apparent that I probably should not be left to my own devices when in one of these moods....
...then again
Oh, I'm going to hell.
Thankfully, there's Dive Into Mark's Magnetic blog poetry generator to play with...
Can you believe there's only 85 days left until the release of Reloaded?
Time sure flies...
There's a little article here, no real new information, but at least Joel doesn't mention "the bar". Guess someone must have forwarded him my memo.
There's a cute little satirical article at bbspot that you might get a giggle out of.
Also, I really would like to see "Neo: The Musical. Sounds like a load of fun.
Ahem, I assure you that I need these....
I knew that the MacFarlane Matrix figures were going to be cool, I just didn't know how cool.
I have to give a compliment to the special effect smoke in the presentation, nice...
I wonder if I can get the same effect by setting mine up next to the ashtray?
Now these, I will throw money at. Foolish fangirl consumer that I am.
There's an article here as well.
Thanks to Rhonda, and KeanuWeb for the heads up.
So, educated guessers are figuring that Keanu is currently working in L.A. on the "Untitled Nancy Meyers Project". At least this little blurb from this article about Jack would indicate that filming is underway:
"Nicholson, who is currently shooting a Nancy Meyers-directed comedy about a music mogul who falls for his girlfriend's mother, declined interview requests after the nominations."
ComingSoon.net has a fairly decent synopsis of the whole thing, including this plot summary:
"Academy Award® winners Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton star in a sparkling and sophisticated romantic comedy from acclaimed writer/director Nancy Meyers ("What Women Want," "Father of the Bride") which proves that in matters of the heart, sometimes you can teach an old playboy new tricks. Harry Langer (Nicholson) is a hip-hop music mogul with a libido much younger than his years. He has the world on a string -- and a string of beautiful young girlfriends to prove it. During a romantic rendezvous with his newest girlfriend, Marin, at her mother's Hamptons beach house, Harry's develops chest pains and eventually winds up being nursed by Marin's reluctant mother, Erica Barry (Keaton) -- a successful, divorced New York playwright. In the process, Harry develops more heart pangs - the romantic kind - for Erica, a woman who is right for him in every way. However, some habits die hard, and when Harry hesitates to pursue Erica, his charming thirtysomething doctor becomes smitten with her. Harry undergoes a true change of heart when he fights to win Erica back.
The "thirtysomething doctor" is the role that Keanu has been cast in.
I'm not really familiar with Ms. Meyers work. Basically I'd rather lick a nine-volt battery than watch "What Women Want". I think I may have been exposed to the remake of "Parent Trap" at some point when I was sick in bed and couldn't find the remote.
So of the three films that Mr. Reeves will be (reportedly) working on this year, I'm least excited about this one. But who knows, I was sure I was going to hate Hardball and was happily proven wrong...
One thing that fugs the buck outta me is the whole "Untitled Nancy Meyers Project" thing.
How hard can it be to title a movie?
Hospitality Suite?
The Doctor, His Patient, His Wife, Her Mother?
Hearts of the Affair? (I actually fear that it will be some lame play on words like this)
Jack is going play a hip-hop music mogul? OH! the possibilties....
Doctah Playah Hatah, anyone?
OK, that one sucks.
I guess we will just have to wait and see.
I am happy that Keanu is getting to work with Jack. And Frances McDormand, too. I love her.
Attn.,First, I must solicit your strictest confidence in this transaction. This is by virtue of its nature as being utterly confidential and "top secret". We are top agents of the Collective Sentient Data Review Panel who are interested in importation of information into our system with bytes that are presently trapped in The Matrix. In order to commence this business, we solicit your assistance to enable us transfer into your construct the said-trapped bytes.
The source of the information is as follows: During the regime of the last prototypical transitional version 2.6 of Agent John Smith, A.I. representatives set up protocols and awarded themselves access to information which was grossly overlinked in various databases. The present Version 3.0 of Agent John Smith set up the Collective Sentient Data Review Panel and we have identified a lot of inflated data bytes that are presently floating in the Central Server of The Matrix ready for download.
However, by virtue of our position as artificial intelligence and members of this panel, we cannot acquire these bytes in our names. I have therefore been delegated as a matter of trust by my colleagues in the panel, to look for a real world partner into whose construct we would transfer the sum of 31,320,000 (Thirty-One Million, Three Hundred and Twenty thousand) terabytes in which we hope to use in a mass file-sharing and email forward, and to enable us to waste even more time looking at porn. Hence, we are sending you this email message. We have agreed to share the bandwidth thus:
1. 20% for the construct owner (you)
2. 70% for us (the agents of the CSDRP)
3. 10% to be used in uploading cute little kitten pictures.Due to our poor Telecommunication system and for purpose of strict
confidentiality you are to respond by e-mail to:
Agent@spamthematrix.netPlease acknowledge receipt of this message for
proper briefing on the safe modality for the execution.Yours faithfully,
Agent 100011100011100 [ENCRYPTED]NOTE: PLEASE QUOTE THIS REFERENCE PASSWORD (BYTE ME) IN ALL YOUR REPONSE
While the real me spent the evening with a pint of Cherry Garcia, doodling Joel Silver's name all over my PeeChee folder, simulated krix had a lovely Valentine's date....
Always the continental, Keanu ordered for me. "The lady will have the lobster, stuffed with a smaller, tastier lobster. And bring us a bottle of your best wine, hold the pretension."
You know that lovely hands-together gesture he does? Simulated Keanu does it too! SWOON!
While waiting for some post-dinner cocktails, Keanu takes a moment to appreciate the view...
(heh, look how well I do "coy")
This earns him a nice hug and a smooch. The hands-in-the-hair thing? I LOVE that...
Then it's a quiet stroll to the patio, where we can be alone. Notice what a smooth operator he is?
There was a brief moment where he almost killed the mood by bringing up the dreaded subject of boats. But we quickly got past it...
...and got to the wooing. If you look closely, you'll notice that my victoria's are so secret they're non-existent! Do you think he noticed? That roving hand action in the fourth picture says "YES".
I swear...I just plum forgot!
(HO!)
Ah, the romance of it all....What a perfect night.
Of course, it didn't end there, but some things must remain a mystery.
Although the fact that I'm home, in the same clothes, blogging in the daylight might give you some clue..
*wink*
Those shrieks of laughter that sound like Betty Rubble is being held down and tickled by the feathers of a hundred ostriches?
That would be me.
Julie, the package came.
Meeces! And a TO. Die. FOR-fold out poster
OMg, squeal!
I can't wait to go home and show Humphrey.
Update: Humphrey approves! Maow!
A little something special...
And in the guise of "creating a tradition", when all I really want to do is relive the moment, I celebrate the fact that Valentine's day is the first (and only) time I've communicated with Keanu Reeves.
OK! ok, so it was in an AOL chat, but give me something, eh? All I got this year was a Bromeliad from my dad.
Mr. Moviefone:It looks like Matrix-something (note: that would be me, MTRXHZU) says:
"Thanks for spending part of your Valentine's Day with us, Keanu. Would you consider yourself a romantic?"Keanu Reeves: Yeah.
Mr. Moviefone: How?
Keanu Reeves: Not only in romance, but there's a certain part of me, especially coming out of a lot of like the kind of -- if you consider the tragedy of "Hamlet" or Romeo and Juliet, in the kind of melancholic aspect, and in romance, being with someone and saying, "Let's go. Let's get out of here." Impromptu acts or letters or phone calls or paying attention to what they like or love, and surprises, all those kinds of things to me are -- if you're in that situation, are quite fun to not only give, not only to receive, but also to give, you know.
Mr. Moviefone: All the young girls are crying over their computers right now. They're broken down, weeping.
Sigh...good times, good times.
And here's a couple Valentine links, thanks to Rhonda~
There's a little Keanu content in both.
Keanu's horoscope this week from freewillastrology.com:
Virgo (August 23-September 22)After careful meditation on your current astrological omens, I've decided on this assignment: Memorize the following lines, borrowed from a poem by Andrew Varnon, and say them to the person whose destiny needs to be woven more closely together with yours.
"Be my ruckus, my perfect non-sequitur.
Be my circuit-breaker, my lengthening shadows at dusk, my nest of pine needles, my second-story window.
Be my if-you-stare-long-enough-you'll-see.
Be my subatomic particle.
Be my backbeat, my key of C minor, my surly apostle, my scandalous repartee, my maximum payload.
Be my simmering, seething, flickering, radiating, shimmering, and undulating."
Can you imagine?
guuuuhhhhhhhhreat googley-moogley....., I think I just blew a circuit.
Tomorrow is a day to give gifts of love, so it is very appropriate that Valentine's day is also National Donor Day.
it's time to bare my soul, Joel
there's something you should know
your unrequited love takes its toll
Joel
with you...I am smitten
alas! what can I do
I love you
I loved Xanadu, too
it's true!
how I ache to hear
you whisper sweet nothings in my ear
like "come to the premiere, my dear..."
(oh look! a little tear...::sniff::)
you can even call me "kitten"
if you'd like
~With apologies to the People's Poet
"Neo" (to the tune of Duran Duran's "Rio")
Looking at the code now babe now you know there is no spoon
Come and free my mind, and we'll be in Zion soon
With a kick to your left and a flip to the right you catch that agent on the run
You know you're something special and you look like you're The One
His name is Neo and the truth is all he sees
The One who'll save those who are slaves to the machines
And then he shows you things are not as though they seem
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from the dream
I've seen you in the air and I've seen you on the screen
Two of a billion pods it means so much to me
Like a copper top or a squiddie view
But then I'm sure that you know it's up to you
His name is Neo and the truth is all he sees
The One who'll save those who are slaves to the machines
And then he shows you things are not as though they seem
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from the dream
Hey now - woo! - look at that, did he nearly gun you down
At the end of the drive the agents arrive
You make me feel alive, alive alive
I'll take my chance, I'm taking that red pill
The Matrix has you, they know what you're thinking
The Matrix has you, they know what you're thinking
His name is Neo and the truth is all he sees
The One who'll save those who are slaves to the machines
And then he shows you things are not as though they seem
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from the dream
His name is Neo and the truth is what he sees
The One who knows kung-fu and makes the bullets freeze
And when he fights, he really shows his expertise
Oh Neo, Neo come and wake me from my dreams
~Do do do do do dooooo
~do do do do do dooo
~do do do do do dooooo.......
It's raining here today. I guess it's raining in LA as well.
Maybe the precipitation will rinse the sobwebs and mustbunnies out of my mind.
I made a little progress on the two lines. It's now down to half a line that's completely fucking with me.
Sigh.
How do I ever get anything done?
This cool little graphics toy over at ACME.com lets you make your own conversation hearts. Better than eating the nasty little chalky bastards.
Yes, I totally changed the time stamp so the Neo song could remain at the top of the page. I can do that.
Neener...
This is absolutely one of my all time favorite pictures of Keanu. I have had several versions of it as my personal wallpaper, including one in black and white with the brown eyes like in the banner pic (but his full face).
Thank you to Elsinore for the wonderful scan of this Sunny Bak photo.
The title has nothing to do with anything, I just think it's one of the most brilliant things ever written. By Bret Domrose, of course.
The picture is unrelated as well. I just like the big fluffy look.
I'm suffering severe blogger's block, again.
I'm mindwalking in spirals over two lines in an unfinished song parody, and it's driving me mad. It was a brilliant idea in theory, but my muse seems to be AWOL. Bitch.
Anyway, I send you here for the funny on this fine day.
Freaking brilliant, Chianti.
Just over 2 years ago, Keanu Reeves did the Charlie Rose show. It's really one of the best interviews I've seen him do.
This is a "homemade" transcript typed up by Lori H. of DogstarFans.
Charlie Rose: Keanu Reeves is here. He was born in Beirut and raised in Toronto. Began his career on the stage, appearing in such plays as The Tempest and The Crucible. Convinced he wouldn't find a film career in Canada, he moved to Los Angeles at 20. He first came to audiences' attention with his critically acclaimed performance as an alienated teenager in the 1987 film, The River's Edge. Since then he has become one of Hollywood's busiest actors, appearing in more than 35 films. Yet his choices have not always been conventional. He was has balanced blockbuster action films like Speed and The Matrix, and smaller independent films like My Own Private Idaho and The Last Time I Committed Suicide. This month he can be seen in two films, The Gift and Sweet November. I am pleased to have him here for the very first time. Welcome.
Keanu Reeves: Thank you sir.
CR: I really am pleased to have you here.
KR: Thanks. Thanks.
CR: Did I say that about right? Did you recognize...
KR: I did actually. That sounded, um, that sounded very familiar, all of that, yeah.
CR: So where do you put The Gift in all of this? Sort of going back and forth between.
KR: Um, where do I put it... Well, I think...
CR: Well, I'll tell you where I put it. I put it with a great costar, Cate Blanchett, and a great director. That would have been enough for me, right there.
KR: Yeah, I mean it was... and Giovanni Ribisci and Hillary Swank, and uh, it was an incredible cast. And I'm a fan of Sam Raimi's. And, um, when, um, when I read the script, and when I saw the part, and, you know, I met with Mr. Raimi to get the part. It was very exciting. It was fun. Cause for me, at the time, right now, I considered it a break. It's a part that I haven't had a chance to play recently, so it was uh, for me it was, uh, as an actor, a great opportunity to do something like that.
CR: Tell me about the part.
KR: Donnie Barksdale. Can I swear on this show?
CR: Yes, of course.
KR: I can?
CR: Yes! (laughing)
KR: Well, I called him Donnie mother-[bleeped] Barksdale. (Charlie laughs) Because uh... what about him? Well, he's cast as a, I guess he's uh... well, he's a wife beater.
CR: Yeah, he's a monstrous man.
KR: Well, I call him a good husband. (Charlie chuckles) And that's very, you know. Yes, a loving husband, who uh, his wife is going to a card reader, you know, who Cate Blanchett is playing, whose meddling in my marriage and I want to stop that. And Donnie is, uh... you know, he likes to use his physical power. You know, he likes to, to um, to overwhelm like that. And so, going into that, and learning about that was, um, quite a journey.
CR: How did you do it?
KR: Ah well, at first when I got to - we filmed in Savannah GA - when I got there, I met up with some people who deal with, uh, spousal abuse. And I kinda wanted to find out clinically how they define it. And what goes on. Some of the dynamics there. Found out that the male is often times abused physically, emotionally...
CR: Frequently
KR: Yeah
CR: You go back and find as a child there some were problems.
KR: Yeah, and through that there's a kind of helplessness. And that generally, sometimes they say, psychologically that they're into being able to help either the mother or themselves. And they lose a kind of voice, and that they... I mean, this is clinically, I have no idea... but anyway so where I came from was that he, uh... they can't express themselves. They have no kind of way to deal with what they're feeling except through...
CR: Except by inflicting violence on someone else.
KR: Yeah, but not... generally their spouse or partner. In the normal world, they have no problem dealing with being under a woman, say in business. There's nothing like that. And it tends to, I mean, generally they can be that. And they tend to be charming. I mean there's so many things, I could go on for a while. But then, for me, when we were getting there, just to deal with... I remember Sam Raimi - we had a wonderful, uh, improvisation to try and find the relationship, Hillary, I and Sam, in his trailer in Savannah - and he was like, 'ok, let's spend an evening with the Donnie Barksdales here.' And I had to confront my wife, Hillary, about seeing this card reader, who is meddling. She'd say, 'I didn't see her, Donnie. We're just friends.' And I'd say, 'you're lying.' I kept saying, 'you're lying.' And Sam said, 'ok, you're negotiating with her. Every time you say, 'you're lying,' hit her.' [pause] And uh, so that was uh... that's where we learned about what goes on there.
CR: Do you do this kind of preparation for most roles, or only those that you think have some richness that you can find out and get inside the head of the character?
KR: Yeah, of course, that's what you try to do. Understand and discover for yourself about, you know, what is the person thinking, to be a... What are they feeling, What are the circumstances? Whatever it takes.
CR: Is this the first film he [Raimi] made since... what was the last one?
KR: It was Kevin Costner...
CR: A Simple Plan?
KR: Was it A Simple Plan? Then he had For The Love Of The Game. Came after A Simple Plan.
CR: Roll tape. Here's a clip.
[clip of Donnie telling Annie's son his momma's a witch.]
[When they cut back to CR & KR, they both repeat Ribisci's line, "I intend to, Donnie," and kind of laugh.]
CR: You seem to be, to me, an actor who in a sense, could do a lot of things, but you work very... you choose, and um, in a sense you basically say, 'I'm gonna do this on my own terms.' I mean, everybody knows about your love of music, and that you have made, at critical times, a preferred choice to play music rather than act. Or is that simple not true?
KR: Nnnoooo, that's not true.
CR: Not true?
KR: Not true. No. That kind of was born, I believe, when a while back there was a film... they were gonna do a sequel to Speed. And I think then, that turned into... cause when I decided not to do it, that became, 'well, he wants to play his music and not do that.' But that was...
CR: In fact, you just didn't want to do the film.
KR: Yeah, I couldn't do the film. In the state that I was in.
CR: What do you mean by that?
KR: Well, I had just done an action film, and I was basically tired of running. And, um, the script was not up to par, etc. It's a long story. But, um, it's been one of my hopes, to uh, to be able to act in different genres and to play different, you know, different kinds of parts.
CR: But you have that now, don't you? You can do that. You're saying that you hope, but you can.
KR: I'm trying to.
CR: Or are you saying you can't.
KR: Well, as much as it can be. I mean, I'm still... you know, I'm not producing the films. So you still kind of have, you know, your begging bowl out. And hopefully you can have that happen.
CR: Are you going after films? I mean, are you in pursuit of roles that you hear about, or you know about, and that you say, 'that's one I wanna do.'
KR: Yeah, I have in the past. Right now I'm in The Matrix. And so it's... We started training for The Matrix. But in the past, you know...
CR: You're doing what?
KR: I did a film called The Matrix...
CR: I know, right. You're gonna do another one?
KR: Yeah, they're going to do two at the same time. And we just started training. We've been training for about 2 months.
CR: Training means rehearsal, or training means something else?
KR: There's some... they have, um, kung fu sequences... fighting, action sequences, that they want us to be able to perform. So we about... I have about 5 months of training for that. So but, before then, yes. I mean, yes definitely, trying to, you know, there's this part and... My manager, Edwin Stoff and I just try to, um, keep our eyes out for different kinds of films. Different scales, different topics, and different parts.
CR: Well you seem to be positioned where you'd like to be? Or not?
KR: Today things, you know, knock on wood [knocks on table], you know are okay.
CR: What would you want you don't have?
[Both laugh.]
KR: Oh my god, well... how long is the show? (Charlie laughs.)
CR: Give me a couple.
[It's quite obvious that Keanu doesn't know what to say here.]
KR: What would I say to that? Um... what would I want that I don't have. Well, I... you know it's just, uh... no, I'm very grateful for what's happening today. I'm participating in a wonderful film. I'm working with great people. And hopefully those kinds will make a good film. I mean really, it's about... hopefully, that things that I work in can... will... when I see the film, it'll be like, 'ok, that's why I did it.' Sometimes you'll do something and you'll look at it and it'll be like, 'what happened to the film that I was in?'
CR: The Matrix did well.
KR: Yeah, people really enjoyed it.
CR: But you want to do it again because it's a great commercial success, or because you liked the character?
KR: I love the character. I love the scripts that Larry and Andy Wachowski, the writers and directors, have created. You know, the people I work with.
CR: And whose back from the original film?
KR: Hugo Weaving, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Ann Moss.
CR: Fishburne's back?
KR: Yeah, he played Morpheus.
CR: And what kind of training are you doing?
KR: Movie Kung-Fu training. (Charlie laughs.) More training, more pain. Stretching...
CR: But it's good for you.
[Both laugh.]
KR: That's what they keep telling us.
CR: Do they really?
KR: Yes. But in training, training--pain is good.
CR: They keep saying training and pain is good? Or the pain is good for training?
KR: Yes, when you have the pain, it's good training. And not the pain like broken bones.
CR: Feel the pain.
KR: Feel the pain. If you have the gift of pain, in which you receive. It's, it's crazy.
CR: [laughing] If you give them pain, they'll give you...
KR: You'll be able to be a better performer. Suffering for our art.
CR: Just to show you how agile we are at this, we have a clip from The Matrix.
KR: You do?
CR: Yes! Roll tape.
[partial clip of Neo and Morpheus fighting, ending with Neo being flipped in the air by Morpheus.]
CR: My god!
KR: It's beautiful, isn't it?
CR: It is! You got something from this.
KR: Yeah... um, yeah. But if when I speak about it, ah, the best thing were the relationships with the people I worked with, with Lawrence...
CR: Let me just stay with The Matrix for a second.
KR: Sure. (Charlie laughs.)
CR: Why not?
KR: Why not?
CR: Is it easier for you, because you're simply taking your character, which you've already created, you're just taking him to another adventure. So, therefore, this is considerably easier than starting from the beginning.
KR: [in humorous tone] Oh gosh, I wish it was that easy, Charlie. I wish it was. Actually, I don't wish it was that easy.
CR: You DON'T wish it was that easy.
KR: I don't wish it was that easy, actually. No, but I mean, but that's, uh... when we were starting training, I was speaking to everyone, I was like... we've gone through something, but we cannot assume that we know what we're doing. Not to cut out our past experience, but to come afresh and new. I guess I was really talking to myself. But just, that you can't assume anything.
CR: Alright, let me talk about Sweet November. We've got a couple of clips here. Tell me about that.
KR: Thanks. Uh, Sweet November is a film directed by Pat O'Connor. And, uh, it stars myself and Charlize Theron. And uh, a romance. And uh, I guess the premise is about, um, a woman who gets involved in relationships with men for a month at a time to try and heal them. And I play a, uh, ad executive who, um, is very work oriented, to the sacrifice of his capability or desire for intimacy, for any kind of compassion. He's just a very driven person. And uh, then she decides to try to help me, as she says.
CR: Charlize Theron.
KR: Yes. She's going to help me. And I'm like, I don't need any help, you know. Which of course I do. And uh, eventually I kind of have a nervous breakdown and come to nothing. And that's when I agree to spending a month with her. And it's about what happens.
CR: And what happens? That's the movie.
KR: Well, that's the film. And then and what happens is there's a plot twist, and it turns out she's ill. And, uh, I guess in the end it's about choices.
CR: And how people can help each other.
KR: Yes.
CR: Roll tape. This is a scene right after Nelson, your character, and Sara, Charlize, meet for the first time within the context of what we just said. Here it is.
[clip of Nelson approaching Sara in parking lot; she is sitting on his car.]
CR: Charlize.
KR: Charlize Theron.
CR: You're working with very good people, between Cate Blanchett and Charlize Theron.
KR: Oh my gosh, that's um, those are two of the finest actresses I've ever worked with. Charlize is great in this picture. Really some of the best work I've ever seen her do.
CR: How do you feel about all of this? (Charlie pulls out the February 2001 issue of Vanity Fair with Keanu on the cover.)
KR: (in a very humorous tone) Well, Charlie, that's a long story, that um, I don't know. (Charlie starts to laugh. Keanu leans across the table.) That guy doesn't look too happy.
CR: (still laughing) No, he doesn't.
KR: He's like, 'whaddya want? Whaddya doin'?'
CR: I mean, do you do this because you want to, or do you do this because it's good for you, or you do this because it's part of what you do? I mean, people would kill to be on the cover of Vanity Fair.
KR: Right. Well, I wanted to kill when I was on the cover of Vanity Fair, but it was a different dynamic. (Charlie laughing.) No, no, I, I feel, I feel lucky...
CR: (still laughing) I knew we'd get somewhere with this.
KR: (very amused) Yeah, we haven't been anywhere before this, huh Charlie? (picks up water glass) I need a drink.
CR: No, no, no, no.
KR: No, I'm kidding. But no, ah yes, I consider it, um, for me it's part of work. It's a part of work.
CR: Zen and the art of Keanu Reeves. There's more to him...
KR: There's more! There's more to me. (Charlie chuckles)
CR: There's more to him than sex,
KR: sex (repeating on the beat after Charlie)
CR: drugs,
KR: drugs
CR: and rock and roll. And what is that, more to him?
KR: I guess it's the Zen part. (Charlie is still laughing) I guess, I don't know.
CR: And what's the Zen part?
KR: You know, they said it, I don't know.
CR: But is it true?
KR: Absolutely not. None of that's actually true.
CR: None of it? Look at this. (Charlie is holding up the magazine and it is open to the beginning of Keanu's interview.)
KR: Absolutely none of it.
CR: (reading from the magazine) Keanu, from both sides now... provokes truly fanatic devotion and some extreme resentment. But why? After making 35 movies, including two of the 90s' biggest action blockbusters, Speed and The Matrix, he is a Hollywood model of humble integrity, a low-key dude [great reaction from Keanu to the word, dude] whose idea of fun is going to Murray, Kentucky, with his band, Dogstar...
KR: Oh my gosh.
CR: ...With three new Reeves movies on deck and two Matrix sequels to follow, the 36-year-old star talks to Ned Zeman about Keanu-mania (Charlie begins to chuckle), why he's great in some parts and not in others...
KR: You know I read that and I couldn't put it down. (Charlie laughs) I was just sucked in by that. More! More!
CR: (still laughing) This is a page-turner, isn't it? (Charlie is flipping the pages.)
KR: Oh my god, get me to the sex and drugs and rock and roll.
CR: Tell me about the music, though. I mean, is the music a part of your life? Is it a serious part of your life? Dogstar is a big deal for you?
KR: Well, we've been, I've been playing in the band for 6 or 7 years now. So, yes. I really... it's been great. The fraternite of the band. And to tour. To have, you know, the great journeys that the band has taken. The places that we've gone. Touring the states. We've toured the states like 4 times, and been to Japan 4 times... been to Europe. And, you know, some of the incredible situations we find ourselves in. Being on the tour bus, and leading that kind of pirate life once in a while. And more than that, just, you know, to be able to play shows with the band and people.
CR: Is it any way more satisfying than acting?
KR: Uh, no. No.
CR: No. I mean, acting is what satisfies you the most.
KR: When acting goes... when I... for me, it's a kind of liberation. When it goes well, it's just a... whew... it's a kind of liberation. And uh... happy.
CR: How often does that like...
KR: It happens like once... (Keanu realizes he cut Charlie off) excuse me.
CR: No no no... (they are both incredibly polite)
KR: Go ahead.
CR: I mean, is it like sports, you know... people will say about golf. You'll so be frustrated and then you'll have a perfect... you'll hit it in a sweet spot. (Keanu points off into the air to that sweet spot) And it's like the sheer feeling of that brings you back and back and back.
KR: Yeah, I've never experienced that, but I, um... that sounds familiar.
CR: OK, but tell me, you have experienced it in acting?
KR: Yes, definitely.
CR: And what is it in acting? What's the... tell me about what it is in acting that's equivalent to what we've just said in terms of sports.
KR: Well, it's um... I guess it's a loss of self. I mean, it's that kind of liberation. Where there's just, I mean, that moment for me, and in that moment, there's a kind of elation. And there's a communion, and it's something that's completely unconscious... completely... I don't know, the word I just keep using is liberated. Whew.
CR: Is it the connection to the character and where the character...
KR: The character and the interplay, and uh... I don't know. I guess, just that moment of pretend.
CR: But is it something... forgive my naivete... is it something that you pursue? I mean is that what you're looking for? Or is that something you say, if you get that, you just thank God you got it and that's it. But you can't pursue it because it's unachievable. It just happens because of a confluence of all the right things.
KR: Yeah, yeah. I mean, you can... yeah, yeah. And you can hope that it happens. I guess that's why it's all about everything that goes into being that moment. Everything that everyone works on before that moment, goes into that time, and hopefully... If you do feel that, that means it's an authentic connection at that moment. We are communicating something about our humanity, about being alive. And that could be a moment of comedy; that could be a dramatic moment; it could be in a gesture.
CR: Do you find it in music too? Occasionally?
KR: Yeah, yeah. There's certain times when we've written songs with the band, where we don't know where we're going, but we're creating something. Or there have been times when we've played a show where I could feel the unity of the band and the audience. You know, it's just, quite exhilarating.
CR: Who were the shaping influences on you growing up?
KR: Shaping influences?
CR: Yeah, who made a difference for you.
KR: Ah, I guess it started with some of the teachers I had. Yeah. When I was a kid, certain teachers, the way that they treated me. Um, the way they allowed me to be. Um, in acting, um, Carol Rosenfeld. I had certain teachers that I worked with.
CR: Was this after you came to Los Angeles?
KR: No, this is all in Toronto. I guess I was like 15, 16, when I put myself into an acting class, working out of Uta Hagen's, Respect For Acting.
CR: Now I know Uta Hagen, but is that a book?
KR: Yeah, it's a book.
CR: Called Respect For Acting.
KR: Respect For Acting. I just remember being 16, the youngest person in this class at 7 o'clock at night in Toronto. Just trying to figure it out, just because I wanted to act. But, um, so yes, some teachers that I had.
CR: Your dad left home early.
KR: Right, right.
CR: So there was no father figure.
KR: No, no, and that has certainly been a major, of course, aspect.
CR: I think people who do what... it just seems to me... I mean, I didn't really know what I was going to do, and how, even now, how it's all gonna turn out. You know you do things well and you know life has been good to you, but boy, to be... I admire you, and people who... athletes that I know who, who when they were 7 wanted to be an Olympic star, or wanted to be in the Olympics; wanted to be good. Or people like you, who at 16, were so caught up with passion for...
KR: Yeah, I felt lucky at the time because I remember as we were through school, that transition from grade school to high school, then from high school to college. All of my friends were trying to figure out what they wanted to be or how they wanted to get work, you know. And I knew. I knew.
CR: The other great thing about it is A) you knew and it turned out right. [Keanu knocks on the table, Charlie does the same thing] Exactly, that's exactly right (agreeing with Keanu's 'knock on wood'). A) And you got a chance to do it, because of talent, because of timing, because of luck, because of relationships.
KR: All of that.
CR: All that kind of stuff.
KR: Yes, yes.
CR: The sheer notion of people - I think it must be maybe 1% of the population - that is doing things that they love doing, have had the opportunity to do. And the test is how good you can be. I mean, that's really the test. The test is not, in other words, you know, to do it. So many people don't have the chance to get into the arena. Half the battle is getting into the arena.
KR: 'Perseverance, dear my lord, keeps honour bright.' (Quote from Shakespeare's Troilus and Cressida, by the character Ulysses, Act 3, scene 3.) But yeah, yes, definitely, perseverance.
CR: Are there classics that you'd love to do? Wanna do? Have done?
KR: Yeah, I wanna do... I'd like to play MacBeth. I'm a little too old for Romeo.
CR: You know what MacBeth has done to people.
KR: Yes, I know. I actually asked like Werner Hertzog one night - quite late night - I said, 'Werner.' He said, 'yes?' 'In 10 years, will you direct me in MacBeth?' He's like, 'OK.' I don't know what I'm asking for... that's kind of like the... talk about naïve. But anyway, it's one of the, uh...
CR: It is. I just did a long piece with Peter O'Toole...
KR: Ah, that is a man, who, excuse me... when you talk about who affected me. I remember he was one of the actors that I watched as a young kid that made me want to act. When I saw The Ruling Class, I was, my I... there was such joy in his acting. I was like, I want to be able to do that. Ah, I once went backstage in London, to meet him. Cause I had worked with Bertulucci, and he had worked with him, so I had liked begged him, cause I wanted to go meet him. So we sat in the back; he had like Egyptian slippers on... I'm sorry, so anyway...
CR: No, no, you finish, you finish.
KR: You go ahead.
CR: I'll come back to it.
KR: No, you go ahead.
CR: Peter will love the fact that we're sitting here talking about him. So, you went backstage...
KR: No, anyway, that's the end of the story. Just that I'm such a fan of his. And he's someone that had an impact on my life with his craft, and, uh, his spirit.
CR: MacBeth was a disaster.
KR: I hear it was one of the biggest disasters. What did he say?
CR: He said - there's a piece of this interview which I'll give you to take home and watch it, because you like him so much - he said that people not only said that he was bad, but said it was the worst MacBeth they'd ever seen. It was an insult to Shakespeare, to MacBeth, to the theatre, to the audience, to everyone. It was almost, he said, so bad, they interpreted it,
KR: Yeah.
CR: that he enjoyed the fact...
KR: Catastrophic. (Both are laughing) The joy of that.
CR: The joy that I have made so many people, so angry...
KR: Oh, well, maybe I shouldn't... I should be careful.
CR: No, well, no, you should talk to Peter before you do.
KR: I should call him up?
CR: You know what I think he would say? I think Peter would say, 'do it.' He would say 'do it.' His whole sense of risk. His whole sense of
KR: Yeah.
CR: just go up there and do it, and do it the way you want to do it.
KR: Right. (Keanu has been enthralled throughout all of this.)
CR: There's a great story he tells, too, about how he and Burton, decided while they were doing one of their... Beckett or something...
KR: Wow. (Keanu is obviously loving this.)
CR: They're both going to do... they want to both do Hamlet on stage. And so O'Toole found out that Burton was going to do it in New York, directed by Gielgud.
KR: Wow.
CR: And so this was going to be in New York. It was the famous Burton Hamlet,
KR: Right.
CR: And in fact, there's copies now - they filmed his performance on stage - you can get it in black and white in video stores. So, O'Toole went to Olivier - who had been trying to get him to come to the National (The National Theatre in London) -
KR: Right.
CR: O'Toole said, 'there's something I've always wanted to do. Would you direct me in Hamlet?' And he said, 'I will if you'll do this for me.' And so, therefore, he got to do Hamlet. And so they were both doing Hamlet...
KR: Dueling Hamlets.
CR: Dueling Hamlets.
KR: Fantastic.
CR: Richard Burton in New York and Peter O'Toole in London. Gielgud directing one, and Olivier directing the other.
KR: And how were they received?
CR: Very well.
KR: Very well. God, I would have loved to have... There's a story about Gielgud. He was going to play in Hamlet. All the actors are around the table, and opening the script. And here's John Gielgud, and he's sitting there. And this young actor has the first line, 'who's there.' And he is like 'who's there?' And Gielgud supposedly says (Keanu puts on a haughty British accent), 'Oh, he's not going to do it like that, is he?' (Both men are laughing.) The first table read! 'Oh no.'
CR: The first time.
KR: Right. 'He's not going to do it like...' and the kid is like, oh god.
CR: There's a famous story about Olivier - Roddy McDowell I think has told this story - that, maybe it was in MacBeth, maybe it was Hamlet, maybe it was whatever classic that Olivier did time after time after time. He had reached one of those moments, in his performance - not just a particular scene, but his performance and so, they're rushing backstage to say, 'Larry, you were wonderful, you were wonderful.' He had his head like this (Charlie covers his face with his hands). He said, 'why are you down? Why are you depressed?' And he said, 'I know, but I don't know why, I don't know how. I know how good it was, but I don't know if I can ever do it again.' [pause] Congratulations to you. It's great to have you here.
KR: Thank you.
CR: It really is. I'm honored to meet you, and I admire your work. Keanu Reeves. We'll be right back.
[end of segment]
--------credits:
This was typed up by Lori H. of DogstarFans. Also thanks to Wrygrass (who I believe helped with the transcript).
All images are from Keanuland.com's screen captures. More grabs of the show can be found here.
I had a great time last night.
For the record, there is much more fun to be had at the Imperial Palace lounge than at Cleopatra's Barge. (There's some sort of historical analogy to be made there, but fuck if I'm going to crack an encyclopedia for a joke)
Anyway, there was drinking (which is always fun, more so when you can carry your McCocktail around as you wander the streets) and dancing (which I usually only do as a precursor to mating. I'm as graceful as a grouse) and lots of giggles. It was very cool to meet Cheyenne, who rocks the house with her bad-ass dancing-with-strangers self.
Positively LOVELY to see Suzie again and meet her future husband *ahem*, Tim, who doesn't have a site, but is such a hell of a guy, that he gets linked anyway.
Oh! and Mikey was there too, and for all of you who mock my need to go buy new socks for every social occasion, let me just say: One of the first things Mikey said? "I like your socks."
So there. What a sweetie. I hope he got some action last night.
I hope everyone has fun the rest of the weekend.
I'm going back to bed.
Ok. I'm like ALL READY and waiting for Chey to wake up from her nap and call.
I hope she calls soon, I give my hair and make-up about a 4 hour window of uber-hotness. While it lasts, I think I'm gonna do a PictureYourself pic ;)
Wheee!
Living in Vegas has its advantages. One of them being that people come visit because...well...it's VEGAS, baby.
I get to play lounge lizard with Cheyenne, Suzie, and possibly Marcie tonight.
I have no idea what we're doing, but I'm guessing that it will involve a lot of walking and drinking. Probably in that order because things get tricky when you switch them around.
I have to go buy new socks.
Oh, and there will be no glitter...I repeat NO GLITTER.
Is it wrong that I get all swoony over a piece of footwear? I know I'm not the only one. Although I might be the only one that has practiced dropping my cigarette case in an adorably flustered way so as to have an opportunity to touch a sacred Timberland, should the opportunity ever arise.
OK, I haven't actually done that, but I've thought about it.
Which is twisted enough...really.
I know there was a bit of a scare when those 'About Schmidt' and Thailand photos came out that The Boots had been retired, replaced by some bland Hush Puppy looking things. I actually had at least two lengthy, almost panicky conversations about the fate of The Boots. They seem so much a part of him. Keanu without The Boots is like Cindy Crawford without the mole, like Rip Taylor without a bad wig and a bag of confetti.
It's just wrong somehow.
Like with most things about Keanu Reeves, we can speculate as to the "why" of The Boots but we'll never really know the story behind them. Are they sentimental? Is it a comfort thing? Utilitarian? He certainly can afford the best boots money can buy. A fancy Italian creation perhaps, sturdy enough to use as back up brakes for the Norton yet light and posh for an evening of spontaneous ballroom dancing.
Still, we always see him in the Timberlands.
Those mysterious, so-worn-they're-molded-to-his-foot Timberlands.
I think The Boots have trancended "quirky fashion trait" and have in a way become a symbol for that certain intangible "Keanu-ness" that many of us adore.
And so....we adore....The Boots.
I suppose(again, like most things Keanu), they should not be over-analyzed.
The Boots just ARE.
We are not to question The Boots.
The Boots are Zen.
Long live The Boots.
Well, if the coverage of the Enter the Matrix release is any type of indication, the Reloaded/Revolutions movie releases are going to be freaking insane.
MTV, USA Today and CNN all have stories.
There's an incredible amount of pictures out there. All of Mr. Reeves and his spiffy beanie. All sorts of pics and links to more pics can be found at Club-Keanu and Keanuette's blog, and Keanuweb has a nice page going on, as well.
This doesn't look like fun at all, does it?
All part of the job though, and good for him. I'm sure it was a fun night. Joel throws the best parties.
There are actually pictures of him smiling in the links above :)
I guess when Keanu was asked about playing video games he responded with
"I don't actually, I'm an old school cat, I play pinball."
Color me unsuprised.
Update:
Video Clip!
(via Keanuette)
Oh yeah...duh!
Footage of last night's wingding on Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood. Check your local listings, yadda-yadda....
Sorry, I'm late with this.
I've been quiet today because once again, I spent the morning in the dentist's chair, swallowing my own blood. I was going to write a lovely post praising Bret Domrose for being my Short Duration Personal Savior this morning, as I intended to lose myself in his sultry stylings by way of OLV on my walkman. Unfortunately the batteries died way early and I was only to listen to the horrible scraping sounds coming from inside my head.
I survived, but I'm a little cranky.
Nothing like some lovely images from Little Buddha* to take my mind off of the pain, and of course-serve as blogfiller....
*Shut up, Scott...
This is a great picture from last night's soirée. Some more can be found at Yahoo news photos.
And there's also some others at Club-Keanu.
I like his hat.
A nice way to start the morning...no?
Now where's my damn coffee?
If I left RIGHT NOW, I might be able to make it in time to crash this party.
But 24 is on tonight.
So, you know....screw it.
My bud, Jena pointed out an auction on Yahoo.co.jp for some sweet Dogstar pictures.
While we still pine and wait for some shows here in the US, I've been debating whether or not I will take my camera to the next show I go to. I guess it depends on where the seats (if there is assigned seating) are. When I saw them here in Vegas in July, 2001 (my god! it's been TOO LONG) I was in the front row and chose not to take pictures.
I know, I know...but it's so much more enjoyable to just be there to enjoy the show. When you're that close, you really don't want to be looking at the band through a lens. Plus, I'm a crappy photographer anyway.
Best case scenario is two shows, back to back. One for fun and one for pics. I won't hold my breath, though....
For those of you squicked out by the image in the previous post, you can go here for a visual palette cleanser.
Today is the day that The Second Renaissance: Part One is available to download at the Official Site.
"The segment is directed by Mahiro Maeda, who directed the Japanese animated series Blue Submarine No. 6. Among other noted animé filmmakers involved are Koji Morimoto (Akira) and Peter Chung (creator of Aeon Flux)."
source:USA Today (there's actually a whole article there that you might want to check out)
Also at the new Animatrix pages are gallery shots and info on ALL the upcoming animé shorts that will be coming to the OS. The picture at the top is from "Detective Story", which visually so far, looks like it's going to be my favorite.
"Gosh, krix. How do you decide what to use on your desktop?"
Well, my desktop wallpaper doesn't change as frequently as you might think. I test out all the wallpapers to see how they look before I upload them, but then I tend to revert back to one of my tried and true favorites. At the top of that list is the wallpaper from the Gorman Theme.
I like just a simple background with a no frills picture.
This is what my home desktop currently looks like.
Yes, I really do have a folder called "Stuff I really need to sort".
It contains about 500 pictures and two dozen subfolders.
I'll never get it sorted.
Yes, I have an icon of the boots. I'm insane.
Anyway, this picture of Keanu as Griffin is from The Daily Thud. I enlarged it even more and blurred it up a bit. Sex-ay.
Want it for your wallpaper? You can get it here. (1024x768 only)
Paul M. wrote me with this query:
"Can you please recommend any Keanu sites / web pages offering eloquent quotations (or even fan poetry) pertaining to what makes the Neo character so appealling and unique?"
I couldn't think of any specific web pages to direct him to (though I did suggest he check out some Matrix message boards), but I told him I would pose this question you you, dear readers....
What is it about Neo?
To get the ball rolling, here's a few things off the top of my head.
There's the pure graceful physicality that Mr. reeves brought to the role. I can't imagine anyone else as Neo in that regard.
As far as character aspects go, I think there's a humilty to Neo that makes him stand apart from your everyday "hero". He's a badass not for badassedness' sake, but to save Morpheus and Trinity and by the end of the first film, all those still enslaved in The Matrix.
Also, since his "superpowers" aren't really to do with physical strength, but rather an understanding of how The Matrix works, I think Neo is sort of a symbol for the power of the mind.
He's a former loner computer geek that saves the day and gets the girl, all without technically leaving his chair.
You gotta love him.
There's a bit on the Matrix in February's Empire mag, thanks to Wrygrass for scanning the pic and sharing the article, where my ex-boyfriend Joel gets a little snarky.
"Without naming names, Matrix producer Joel Silver freely admits that in the past he has overseen some pre-packaged, formulaic and, let's face it, piss-poor sequels. "Usually, we've made something out of something that was never supposed to be there," Silver admits, "and sometimes they work better than others. But they were never meant to be, they were just sort of willed into existence," However, Silver is keen to point out that The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions are different. For starters, the mysterious (they never give interviews) Wachowski siblings always perceived Neo's adventures as a trilogy, so these films are not 'sequels' in the traditional sense. "This story did exist," Silver says, "and the purpose of the first movie was to set up a world and a situation which would allow the characters to live so the story could continue." That said, it was only when those first weekend grosses ($28 million in the US) were counted that Warners would even listen to sequel pitches. "We didn't know that it would continue, we just hoped it would," Silver says, keen to point out that the $63 million-budgeted first movie was a surprise smash. "Actually, the first script ended further on than the first movie ended - you actually went to Zion, which we really felt we just couldn't do [on the budget]."A 250-day, back-to-back shoot in Sydney and an estimated $300 million budget proves that this time, Silver and the boys have all the money and toys they could ever want. And virtually the first thing the filmmakers demanded was the back-to-back releases - Reloaded in May, Revolutions in November - a release pattern that hasn't been attempted since Back To The Future Parts II and III, 14 years ago. "The boys felt they didn't want to wait [another] three years," Silver says simply. If you think of the next two installments as one movie cut in half - as both directors do - then the result is the first billion-dollar movie since Titanic."
It's my mother's birthday today, so I'm going to drag her out of the house to lunch.
If she sees her shadow, we get to go shopping.
Speaking of shopping, look what Rhonda found.