As always, I haven't updated in a while.
I doubt anyone has heard of Jon M. Chu, and even though most would care as much, I'm going to shower you with pertinent information anyway. I first heard of him last year when I read his name in the news; it caught my attention because this *young (23)* *Asian* *USC Film graduate* was signed on to direct "Bye Bye Birdie" for Sony.
Reaction: Whoa! I want to be like that!
1. to have such a costly movie right from graduation and 2. for such a big company is what every aspiring filmmaker obviously dreams of. And to have an Asian (presumably Chinese) guy take it after USC! After IMDBing his name, I learned he was from Palo Alto! Whoa!
I literally burst out in laughter after reading that his parents own the Chef Chu's Restaurant in Palo Alto. I don't know if any of you have been there, but my cousins live across the street from it so I've always seen it whenever I go. Small world.
Since I first read about him, however, they seemed to have pulled him off the director's seat for Bye Bye Birdie due to projected escalating costs (from an original $25 million budget to a now over-$65 million budget). He's still going to be a big name in a few years. His claim to fame is his student film made at USC called "When the Kids are Away," apparently a 17-minute musical featuring a cast of 175 members (wtf). He began to become this demi-role model that I could emulate and remember that success is in fact obtainable.
And then I found under his IMDB entry (I wish I have an IMDB entry someday...) that he directed this one movie called "Silent Beats". WTF. That was the movie the film school showed me at Orientation that "demonstrated student movies well", and I remember thinking of how crappy it was. Then again, I can't say anything until I make my own, but still. What a small and funny world.
On a different but similar note: I've been trying to see more movies this summer. I'm not going to write much about any of them (if you want any sort of real opinion, just ask), but I must say that Batman Begins is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time, Chinese cinema is sinking to new levels, and Bad Education by Pedro Almodovar (I commend you if you've heard of it before) is...so freaking weird.
Reaction: Whoa! I want to be like that!
1. to have such a costly movie right from graduation and 2. for such a big company is what every aspiring filmmaker obviously dreams of. And to have an Asian (presumably Chinese) guy take it after USC! After IMDBing his name, I learned he was from Palo Alto! Whoa!
I literally burst out in laughter after reading that his parents own the Chef Chu's Restaurant in Palo Alto. I don't know if any of you have been there, but my cousins live across the street from it so I've always seen it whenever I go. Small world.
Since I first read about him, however, they seemed to have pulled him off the director's seat for Bye Bye Birdie due to projected escalating costs (from an original $25 million budget to a now over-$65 million budget). He's still going to be a big name in a few years. His claim to fame is his student film made at USC called "When the Kids are Away," apparently a 17-minute musical featuring a cast of 175 members (wtf). He began to become this demi-role model that I could emulate and remember that success is in fact obtainable.
And then I found under his IMDB entry (I wish I have an IMDB entry someday...) that he directed this one movie called "Silent Beats". WTF. That was the movie the film school showed me at Orientation that "demonstrated student movies well", and I remember thinking of how crappy it was. Then again, I can't say anything until I make my own, but still. What a small and funny world.
On a different but similar note: I've been trying to see more movies this summer. I'm not going to write much about any of them (if you want any sort of real opinion, just ask), but I must say that Batman Begins is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time, Chinese cinema is sinking to new levels, and Bad Education by Pedro Almodovar (I commend you if you've heard of it before) is...so freaking weird.