Inception: The App

So, I need to geek out about something.  So, everyone reading this with an iPhone or iTouch, get it now.  You'll thank me later.  This app is genius.

I'm a huge appreciator of Christopher Nolan's work, and the idea of Inception intrigued me: a sci-fi action heist film based on the concept of dreams-within-dreams and planting original ideas into someone else's subconscious.

In a world where 'shared dreaming' technology exists, Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, is an expert 'corporate extractor'; a man who can enter into your subconscious through your dreams and steal your secrets - for a price.  Wrongly accused of his wife's murder and separated from his children, his most recent target, a wealthy Japanese businessman, gives Cobb an opportunity to be reunited with them - for a price of his own: perform the act of 'inception' to convince the son of an ailing wealthy tycoon to break up his vast energy conglomerate at his inheritance.

It's not as easy as you think.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Arthur, Cobb's right-hand man, explaining the difficult concept to Ken Watanabe playing Mr. Saito, the Japanese business man proposing 'inception'.  He's got a great moment that clarifies the difficulty:



Betcha you'll be thinking about elephants for a while.

Extras On Set: Total Recall 2012

Wow, whadda couple of days.  We are both dead tired, but so ecstatic about it.  We couldn't have asked for a better experience.  The people from the studio were so professional, the other extras we met were amazing, and Colin Farrell was such a gentleman - even when I nearly broke his nose.  I'm not kidding.

Loads to tell you, and a few pictures - but we signed confidentiality agreements, so I have to keep mum on certain things.  And keep certain pictures from you.  It's not fair, I know, but I'd like to potentially work in this business.  I'd like to keep a trustworthy presence here, y'know? *wink* 

Our call time for the first day of shooting was 7:45 am.  My mum was kind enough to dogsit for us and drive us closer to the city to catch public transit to Pinewood Studios.  Arriving just in time, we didn't have to worry about the kufuffle happening in wardrobe, so we headed straight to hair and makeup.  There was about 250 of us all getting ready for the shoot!  My hair was blowdried, nothing fancy, my own makeup done with a neutral look.  Lynda, a wonderful hair stylist, grabbed me and asked me how I felt about beehives.  Well, let me tell you ...

Extra Work on Total Recall 2012

Everyone's career in film starts somewhere, right?  Looks like Nick and I are off to a potentially good start - with background acting work on the set of Total Recall starring Colin Farrell at Pinewood Studios in Toronto!

Nick and I had answered a Craigslist ad looking for "clubby/seedy/funky people" to fill a street scene in New Asia, where it's "always raining in this part of the world".  We were asked to bring our own clothes in rust and earth green tones - about two thirds of my own wardrobe - for the costume folks to take a look at and see if there's anything to use.  They liked just about everything I brought, which I'm told makes the process a whole lot easier on shoot day.  Here's what we got:

:: khaki green three-quarter length sleeve jacket, H&M (gift) :: Mandarin-collar olive green button-up shirt, Alfred Sung :: rust brown dress pants, Ricki's :: paisley pashmina scarf with gold thread detail, gift :: knee-high brown 'leather' wedge-heel boots, gift (not pictured) ::

Funny enough, this is stuff I wear on the regular, so I'm just gonna look like myself!

I've been reading up on the movie itself, being it a remake of one of my favourite Arnie movies.  The original concept of Total Recall came from the short story We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, written by Phillip K. Dick.  The story is a mesh of reality, false memory and real memory, all in the mind of Douglas Quail, a simple and ordinary man who would one day like to visit Mars, a plausible vacation destination of the future.  Since he is, however, a simple and ordinary man, he can't afford it, so he gets the next best thing - a mental vacation courtesy of Rekal Incorporated, offering "extra-factual memory" to fulfill his dream.  As the "Mars memory" implantation proceeds, the staff at Rekal reveal that Quail is an actual government agent with a brain full of dangerous secrets.  Frightened by what they may have stumbled across, the staff at Rekal hurry him out of the office, where Quail finds more physical evidence to support that his Mars 'memories' are actually real.  The government puts a bounty on his head, but he manages to make a deal: he returns to Rekal to have his memories of Mars suppressed and replaced with "heroic wish-fulfillment" false memories as compensation.  As the Rekal staff prepare to implant the memories, they uncover an older and different set of suppressed memories that reveal the unbelievable events they're about to implant to be actually true.  

In Mr. Dick's story, Quail doesn't go to Mars.  Arnie's "Quaid" does in the 1990 film.  I don't think Colin will be going, though.  From what I understand, this remake will be closer to the short story than a frame-for-frame remake of Arnie's sci-fi action adventure.  I've always been into this stuff, and I'm crazy excited to be a part of this.  Hopefully, I won't be on the cutting room floor when this is all said and done.  

But if we're going to remake this film again, maybe we can see something along the lines of this:




Source material from Wikipedia.org.  Those guys are the best, yeah?

Stephen Sondheim's "COMPANY" Starring Neil Patrick Harris - in (Movie) Theatres!

Who wants to see HIMYM's Barney in a musical? 

First, thank you my friend and "Broadway geek" Jenna (from such adventures as The Book of Mormon) who introduced me to this show by handing me the PBS Great Performances DVD of the 2006 production of Stephen Sondheim's Company at the Ethel Barrymore Theater on Broadway.  The production was directed and choreographed by John Doyle, who is most popular for his work on the recent stage revival of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, having the actors themselves play instruments and provide the orchestral arrangements.  Such was the case for this 2006 production, starring Raúl Esparza as Bobby, the central character, playing piano and percussion.  Such is not the case for this particular production starring Neil Patrick Harris in the same role, but the character itself and the relationships he forms are not too far off from the charms and charisma of Barney in How I Met Your Mother.  He's a great choice, and I can't wait to see this production taped live on Broadway for movie theatres!

Company is a "concept musical" composed of short skits focusing around Bobby, a bachelor celebrating his 35th birthday, a close circle of friends consisting of five married couples and his three, um, 'lady friends'.  Although there is no conscious plot in the musical, it marks one of the first to deal with adult problems of the time through its content.  Dealing with societal and personal issues that are very real to the audience, that make deeper connections than they would like to admit when walking out the theatre, can become powerful statements in art.  Bobby is doted on by his married friends to find him a girl and settle down, yet he is witness to intimate moments in his friends' lives that question the happiness of the institution of marriage, along with his own fear of commitment.  Bobby acts as a proxy of sorts in regards to the collective fears of the audience in their own personal lives, blatantly asking of his friends some piece of wisdom to find true companionship beyond the complication.  Each vignette magnifies something specific and familiar, but unique to Bobby and his circle of friends as they are confronted with questioned fidelity, fear of abandonment, sexual confusion and mid-life identity crises ... these are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this colourful 'company'.

Sondheim addresses how he turned the art of distraction around on the audience he portrays in his musical.

"Company does deal with upper middle-class people with upper middle-class problems. Broadway theater has been for many years supported by those people. They really want to escape, and here we're saying we'll bring it right back in their faces ... what they came to a musical to avoid, they suddenly find facing them on the stage."

I'm really excited to see NPH's portrayal of Bobby, a character that gets more complex throughout the show, and an excellent role to add to his repertoire.  Not to be outdone, he's featured with an all-star cast with the likes of Stephen Colbert, John Cryer, Christina Hendricks, Martha Plimpton, Patti LuPone and more outstanding talent that will make for fantastic theatre.  Sondheim's artistic mark in Company is a revolutionary step, using the Broadway musical format as a direct criticism and depiction of society.  It'll be one of your favourites, too, it's so scything yet sweet at times.  

My most anticipated moment for this show: Patti LuPone performing "Ladies Who Lunch" - in full character.  Patti will play Joanne, a cynical 'upper crust' society woman with contempt for happiness and rather happy to wash it away with a good cocktail.  "Ladies Who Lunch" is a torch song for Joanne as she criticizes the well-to-do women who have nothing better to do with their time than "lounging in their caftans and planning a brunch / on their own behalf", only to find at the end she just may be the worst of them all, judging while she has nothing better to show.  Check out Patti Lupone's performance on a television special celebrating Stephen Sondheim's 80th Birthday Celebration.  (Easter egg!  The woman to stage left - your right looking at the video - is Elaine Stritch, the woman who originated the role of Joanne in 1970 in its first Broadway production!)



Check out my Tonys 2011: Best Musical Moments for a performance by the entire cast - yes, Stephen Colbert, too!  Limited runs have started June 15th - check your local movie theatres!

"Can Theatre Reinvent an Economy?"

Sometimes, it pays to stay up waaay too late.  I won't even tell you what time I was up.

In such state of mild insomnia, I found myself watching The Agenda with Steve Paikin on TVO.  (TVO is a publicly-funded channel in Ontario full of cool documentaries, interview shows, old movies, educational stuff and kids shows in the morning for those not familiar.)  Hubby and I don't have cable - something we can really do without in the internet age, and puts an extra $50 or so in our pockets - the basic stuff is good enough for us, and I never really took such full advantage of its programming before.  After last nights'/this mornings' guest, I think I'll be paying more attention.

After a few guests talking about the dangerous situation of Japan's nuclear power plants and potential radiation fallout, I was surprised to see the above-mentioned topic on the graphic.  His guest was Antoni Cimolino, general director of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, discussing a wonderous volunteer effort reviving war-torn Suchitoto, El Salvador through the industrious and inspirational power of theatre, called Sharing A Dream.    The goal is to "replicate in Suchitoto the compelling success story that began in Stratford 55 years ago: the establishment of what is now North America’s leading classical theatre."

Shot in Brampton: F2: FORENSICS FACTOR

This post was originally published on my handmade jewelry blog, Design by Cassandra, on February 26, 2010.

Walking home from work the other night, we happened across a night television shoot for Discovery Channel's F2: Forensic Factor.  We're not entirely sure what the plot of this episode was, but we know the crew was trying to turn snow-dumped Eastern Avenue in Brampton, Ontario into summery Georgia, Atlanta.  Going as far as removing every trace of snow from hedges, trees, bushes, sidewalks and lawns and working in tight shots, it was a pretty cold night to work outdoors.  We watched as they shot a suspicious young man coming out of a car, looking around, and reaching back into his car for a gun, which he placed in the pocket of his large coat.  Nick had a chance to chat with the special effects supervisor, who told us to expect some gunfire to go off a little later, as they were applying bullet holes to the side of a car.  We didn't stick around for the gunfight, it was too cold, but we'll try to look out for the episode.

Shot in Brampton: FRINGE's Pilot Episode

This post was originally published on my handmade jewelry blog, Design by Cassandra, on February 26, 2010.

So here's something that was a little too close to home for hubby and I ...

We are both huge J.J. Abrams fans; we absolutely love his work.  More often than not you'll find a Lost rerun playing on the television when you walk into our apartment.  So, to immediately recognize the hospital FBI agent John Scott was kept for treatment after a chemical explosion in the pilot episode was a bit of a shock - to have it a block away from our apartment was another thing!

Agent John Scott, played by Mark Valley, is transported to a military medical unit for observation after his skin turns translucent after being in the middle of a chemical blast.  Agent Olivia Dunham rushes to the hospital to see his condition, only to be faced with challenges she would never expect to overcome.

Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

This post was originally published on my handmade jewelry blog, Design by Cassandra, on September 20, 2009.

"I dream that the word 'cure' will no longer be followed by the words 'it's impossible'. Together, we can make a world where cancer no longer means living with fear, without hope, or worse"

Speaking at the multi-network simulcast of Stand Up For Cancer in September 2008, appealing to the general public to make donations for the cause.

Patrick Swayze was a big part of my adolescence.  Not a day went by between the ages of 12 and 16 where my sister and I wouldn't put Dirty Dancing in the VCR and sing along to every song he and Jennifer Grey danced to.  To us, it was the epitome of the 'converted bad boy' that we dreamed to meet one day.  Dirty Dancing still remains to be one of my favourite movies.

So to hear that Patrick had passed away after suffering from pancreatic cancer since January 2008, I was happy to hear he wasn't suffering anymore, but still confused and sad that someone I consider so young to be taken away from us so soon.