Simpsonize Yourself

If you go to Simpsonizeme.com you can upload a 640 x 480 pixel picture of yourself and it will analyze it and create a Simpsonized version of yourself you can then further manipulate with hair changes, scars, glasses, clothes, etc.

Check it out. BTW - I pasted my Simpsonized version of myself on my old pic and filled in the missing pieces in the background to make it match.

Before and After

Forgiven First Draft Completed

The first draft of the edgy short Christian film called Forgiven has been completed. The 30 page (which equals 30 minutes) script was finally completed today. I didn't want the film to exceed 30 minutes, so I was happy to wrap it up in 30 pages.

I'll be honest, the writing of this short has been exceedingly challenging. The story went through numerous starts and stops, rewrites, re-imagining, re-creation, etc. But, the end result is very close to my original intent. I kept praying the entire time, hoping that my words were somehow fulfilling God's will. Only time will tell.

I'm hoping this film will not only set the tone for future Sonlight Pictures projects, but also could be used to fund our four feature films we have planned, two of which have been completely written and another two which are in development.

There will be a couple of small rewrites in this scripts future... all scripts are rewritten, tightened, made better. So, now I am going to start the process of formulating a production team, find a location and determine casting goals.

Hot Fuzz (2007)

Hot Fuzz is a hilarious movie. For anyone who grew up in the 80's watching action movies such as Lethal Weapon, Bad Boys or Point Break, you'll love this film. Hot Fuzz is directed by Edgar Wright and co-written by Wright and lead actor Simon Pegg, the same team that brought the humorous take on the zombie flick called Shaun of the Dead.

The story revolves around a London super cop, Nick Angel (Pegg), who's so good that he's making the rest of the department look bad. He's shipped off to the crime-free village of Sandford where he is partnered with simpleton, yet overeager police officer, Danny Butterman, played wonderfully by Nick Frost. As a series of grisly accidents rocks the village, Angel is convinced that Sandford is not what it seems.

What is amazing about this film is that it starts out as a complete parody of 80's action films and then ends up actually being an 80's action film. I haven't laughed this hard during a movie in a very long time. There is time after time that the film subtlety makes fun at ultra-macho action films, then a moment later pays homage to them at the same time. It takes shot at the cop buddy movies then becomes a cop buddy movie. It is a delicate, yet extremely satisfying combination.

When the simple Butterman finds out Angel's super career achievements he asks naive, yet very funny questions based on Butterman's only exposure to super cops... Hollywood action flicks. He asks "Have you ever shot a gun diving through the air?" "Have you ever shot two guns diving through the air?" "Have you ever shot your gun straight up in the air while screaming because you couldn't kill a criminal that ended up being someone you knew?" And Pegg's portrayal of Angel as a massively serious crime fighter only adds to the fun, layering in a fish-out-of-water element as Angel tries to fit into life in a small rural town.

The movie has some surprisingly violent acts, catapulting the film to an R rating, but the violence actually ends up heightening the emotion, thereby making the humor that much more effective. There's also enough adult language sprinkled in to validate the R rating, but it fits in line with the style of the film.

For the last half hour of this film my wife and I didn't stop laughing once. If you are a fan of any of the Lethal Weapon movies, or Bad Boys movies or Arnold S. action flicks, you will enjoy this film. I'm surprised this film didn't do better at the box office because it is one of the most original and funny movies released in years. Hot Fuzz is great fun.

Global Warming Skit

Okay, here's another one on global warming...

© 2007 Pete Bauer

***********

              INT. OFFICE - DAY

             THOMAS and ALISON, both young office workers,
             sit in their cubes working quietly.

             After a moment, Alison pulls at her collar.

                                 ALISON
                       Is it hot in here?

                                 THOMAS
                       I didn't notice.

                                 ALISON
                       You don't feel that?  It's
                       stifling!

                                 THOMAS
                       No... oh, the air conditioner just
                       went off.

                                 ALISON
                       I'm burning up!  This is a
                       catastrophe.

                                 THOMAS
                       The air will come back on.  It's
                       cyclical.  It gets a little cooler
                       then it gets a little warmer...
                       it's been happening since we've
                       been in this building.

                                 ALISON
                           (accusingly)
                       What did you do!

                                 THOMAS
                       What?

                                 ALISON
                       What did you do to cause this?

                                 THOMAS
                       Ah... nothing?

                                 ALISON
                       That's so like you, to act like you
                       don't have any effect on the rest
                       of us.

                                 THOMAS
                       I didn't say that.  The air went
                       off.  That's all.  It will come
                       back on.

                                 ALISON
                       How do you know that!?!  You don't
                       know that!  How could you possibly
                       know that!

                                 THOMAS
                       Well, I've worked here longer than
                       you have and-

                                 ALISON
                       I'm not asking for your opinion,
                       facts or conjectures.  This
                       discussion is closed!

                                 THOMAS
                       It is?

                                 ALISON
                       Yes!

                                 THOMAS
                       How can you say that when you don't
                       have all of the information?

                                 ALISON
                       Like what?

                                 THOMAS
                       Well, there's a lot of people in
                       this building.  And plants and even
                       some fish, I think.  Plus, the air
                       conditioner is a very complex
                       instrument.  There are a lot of
                       variables in play.  Just because
                       it's one degree hotter in here
                       doesn't mean it's not normal.

                                 ALISON
                       Then you agree, it is hotter in
                       here!  We're all doomed!  We have
                       to mobilize.  Get people to change
                       what they do to reduce the
                       temperature!

                                 THOMAS
                           (keeps working)
                       We're not really doing much of
                       anything, comparatively speaking.

                                 ALISON
                       Stop your typing!

                                 THOMAS
                       What?

                                 ALISON
                       Stop your typing!!!!

                                 THOMAS
                       I can't.  If I stop typing then my
                       project will fail.

                                 ALISON
                       Then slow it down.

                                 THOMAS
                       You want me to be less efficient?

                                 ALISON
                       For the sake of mankind!

                                 THOMAS
                       Look, last week there was a temp in
                       here that said we were all going to
                       die due to cubical cooling.  Some
                       other guy complained that his cube
                       wasn't big enough and we were over
                       crowded.  Now you're telling me the
                       office is going to self-destruct
                       because the air conditioner went
                       off?

                                 ALISON
                       What's your point?

                                 THOMAS
                       Well, I've worked here the entire
                       time and nothing's happened.

                                 ALISON
                       That's because you weren't paying
                       attention.

                                 THOMAS
                       Do you really think that the speed
                       of my typing is the critical
                       component as to why the temperature
                       rose by one degree?

                                 ALISON
                       Absolutely!  Everyone knows this.

             She pulls a JANITOR into the cube.

                                 ALISON (CONT'D)
                           (referring to Janitor)
                       The smartest people in this
                       building agree with me.

             She shoves the Janitor out.

                                 ALISON (CONT'D)
                           (to Thomas)
                       You're so callous.  So uncaring.
                       How could you just sit there and do
                       your job and ignore the impending
                       catastrophe?

                                 THOMAS
                           (stops, turns to her)
                       Prove to me the air conditioner
                       won't come back on and I'll believe
                       you.

             Alison sits there stumped.  Thomas returns to
             typing.  Alison looks to her cup of ice water.

                                 ALISON
                           (points to cup)
                       The ice in my cup is melting!

                                 THOMAS
                       So?

                                 ALISON
                           (frantic)
                       It's going to overflow and spill
                       onto my desk!  My work area will be
                       reduced by fifty percent!  My
                       efficiency in the office will be
                       reduced, I'll lose my job, I won't
                       be able to buy food and I'LL DIE!
                           (flailing)
                       WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!

             She collapses onto the floor.  Thomas' fingers
             continue to POUND the keyboard.
                               
             Alison peeks one eye open and looks up to the
             ceiling.

                                 ALISON
                       Do you see that?  The ceiling is
                       falling!

             Thomas looks up to the ceiling air vent.

                                 THOMAS
                       It's the air.  It turned back on.