With April being an insane month (most weekends booked and the possibility of a move), I initially decided it might be better to wait for next year to attempt this challenge.  However, when it was announced that I could get a copy of the uber-awesome writing program Scrivener for half off if I completed, my unemployed / frugal side decided to give it a try.

Only one problem…I have never written a script before and have no idea what I’m doing.

So here I am on April 1 thinking this is some kind of joke (it’s not), but giving it a go nonetheless. I know I’ll find tons of inspiration while at the Wisconsin Film Festival later this month.  After writing a 200-page novel, this seems like it should be easy.

I came up with a great idea for my script in the shower the other day (all my best ideas come to me while in the bathroom).  A writer from the east coast decides to spend a summer in Madison, WI to try and finish his latest novel.  Hilarity ensues.  I have a lot more ideas than that, but will save them for the actual screenplay.

If I complete the Frenzy, I would love to eventually try and shoot the film this summer, although that is a whole other area I do not know much about.  Who knows, maybe I will give that a try as well.

And now, for no real reason, techno chicken.

It’s easy if you want to join the fun.  If you have a way to stream Netflix, simply add these movies to your cue.  At the selected time, start them up and watch them with the rest of us. I’ll be on Twitter (@The_Dean) adding commentary and seeing what you have to say (use #DUFF to join the conversation). Join for some or all of the films.

Here is the list of films and their start times:
**UPDATE** Pushing the Friday films back a half hour so more people can attend.
Friday:
5:00 5:30pm -  Like Killing Flies
6:30 7:00pm -  Cashback
8:15 8:45ish –  **Choose your own adventure here, I have plans**
10:30 11pm – Buy a Ticket, Take the Ride

Saturday:
Noon – In the Realms of the Unreal
2:00pm – Alice
6:30pm – Primer
8:15pm – Duck Season
10:00pm – Beer Wars
11:40pm – Lo

Update: Times changed to accommodate the US Hockey gold medal game.
Sunday:
Noon - Into the Great Silence King of Corn
3:30pm – King Corn
6:00pm – The Puffy Chair
7:45pm – Big Fan

Those were my thoughts last night when I noticed a film I wanted to see – Beer Wars – was available on Netflix streaming service.  While chatting with a friend who is attending the True/False film festival this weekend, I decided that since I was unemployed I would have my own film festival from the comfort of my couch.  I could get a two-week free membership from Netflix and stream some films I wanted to see. Thus the Dean Underground Film Festival was born.

It wasn’t until today I recognized I didn’t need to be the only participant.

While asking for suggestions, I realized I know a bunch of people who can stream Netflix movies who might enjoy what I’m watching.  While not all of them might want to come hang out, I’m sure some wouldn’t mind watching simultaneously from their couch.  We could discuss the films in real-time online on twitter or another medium (depending how many people plan to participate). This could be fun.

So if you are free this weekend, join me for the 1st annual DUFF (I do promise if there is a 2nd annual I will consider a less self-promoting name).  Listed below are a couple movies I’ve chosen so far.  Let me know any you would like to watch and when works best for you.  I plan to start Thursday night and go through the weekend – watching about 4-5 during the weekend.  I’ll draw up a soft schedule once I see who is interested in what (should be available here Friday morning).  I plan to livetweet the movies (The_Dean) with the hash tag #DUFF.

If you don’t have Netflix, you can acquire a free two-week membership from their site and attend DUFF at no cost on your computer or gaming system.  Details about how to watch movies on your Playstation 3 or Xbox 360 are on the Netflix website.  So join me if you like.

If not, well at least I still get to watch a lot of cool movies.

“In” movies

Big Fan
Beer Wars
Lo
Primer

Possible flicks (most likely in):

Duck Season
Into Great Silence
Rashomon
The Girlfriend Experience
In Realms of Unreal
I Like Killing Flies
King of Corn
The puffy chair
Alice

It seems fitting that “Gonzo,” a documentary about journalist Hunter S. Thompson opens on Independence Day.  Thompson was a true rebel, reinforcing “new journalism,” and adding his own spin.  Gonzo journalism involves first-person accounts of stories, and mixes in drugs, vulgarity and fictional elements to make standard stories more appealing and interesting.

Like many writers over the past two decades, Thompson is the reason I became interested in journalism and chose to pursue it as a career.   A synopsis of the film provided by Apple Trailers:

From Oscar-wining director Alex Gibney and producer Graydon Carter comes a probing look into the uncanny life of national treasure and gonzo journalism inventor Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. A fast moving, wildly entertaining documentary with an iconic soundtrack, the film addresses the major touchstones in Thompson’s life-his intense and ill fated relationship with the Hell’s Angels, his near-successful bid for the office of sheriff in Aspen in 1970, the notorious story behind the landmark Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, his deep involvement in Senator George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign, and much more. Narrated by Johnny Depp.

Watch the trailer:

3.5 out of 5 stars

Write your own haiku review in the comments.

“I quit/got fired from my job” – Reality Bites. When you feel a bit bummed about leaving a job (by choice or otherwise), the thought of Winona Rider losing her job, and Ethan Hawke being fired from 14 makes a person feel a bit better for some reason.

“Women make no sense” – High Fidelity. Yes, women are confusing as hell. What better way to celebrate this than by watching a movie where the man is actually the one with a few screws loose (or is completely sane depending on the day)?

“I need to code a ton of C++/PHP/etc” – Antitrust. There is just something about this movie that makes me want to code like a madman. Maybe because it’s a crappy movie, and if I look up, I’ll be annoyed.

“I’m heading to the small town where I grew up” – Beautiful Girls. A movie about a guy that goes home to his family and friends in his hometown. I watch it every time before heading to my parents place. Old friends, women and beer – is there any reason this movie does not fit here?

“Damn, I’m old” – Logan’s Run. A movie where you are killed when you turn 30. Yea, that’s right.

“Ok, so I’m old. What am I doing with my life?” – Free Enterprise. Two 30-year old geeks try and determine what is important, and how to proceed with life.

“I need creative motivation” – Moulin Rouge. There is just something about this movie that can get me to my keyboard and get me typing nonstop. A great movie to inspire and motivate.

“Date movie 1” – Evil Dead 2. If she stays thought the end, you win.

“Date movie 2” – Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If she stays through the end and doesn’t try to hurt you, you win.

“Oops, I tried to date a lesbian” – Chasing Amy. This film has played way-too-significant a role in my life.

“My friend are idiots and know less than me about women (if that’s possible)” – Swingers. As bad as your friends get, they can’t be as dense as John Favreau’s character – unless they’re trying to act out Night at the Roxburry.

“I just need a cool-ass movie to make me laugh my ass off” – The 40 Year Old Virgin. Seriously, this movie could cheer me up when my dog dies – if I still had a dog. Funny and wonderful.

List your movies in the comment section.

When done right, advertisement is an art. Some of the best art from overseas was on display last night at the British Television Advertising Awards at the Monona Terrace.

The products ranged from noodles to Gunnies; cell phones to drunken drivers. Some provided haunting images. A commercial for an anorexia foundation showed a half-naked woman. Her visible rib cage and vertebra would have me reaching for the remote if I were watching at home. Instead, I just shut my eyes.

While some commercials were serious, most were humorous. Even some somber topics used humor to make a point. An anti drunk-driving commercial shows the back seat of a cab hauling drunks home from a night of drinking. One passenger is eating a sandwich that crumbles across his shirt, while a woman throws up in her hands. These are the ones smart enough not to drive drunk the tagline proclaims.

The crowd reaction varied for each commercial. The advertisement that received the most applause was a cleaver Greenpeace ad that asked, “What does your car say about you.”

My personal favorites:

The real-life Simpsons.

The “Make yourself at home” alien.

“Summer in Britain,” which is eerily similar to summer in Wisconsin.

For those of you that attended, what were your favorite commercials? For those that did not go, the British Television Advertising Awards play again Sunday at 8:30 p.m. at the Monona Terrace. Check them out and let us know your favorites.

Joseph Kosinski got his start by making television commercials for Nike, Apple, and Nintendo before moving to Hollywood to starting his directing career.  His first movie will be a remake of “Logan’s Run.”  Many have never seen this forgotten classic (unless I’ve forced them to watch it) about a society where at the age of 30, you are eliminated.

The second classic was announced by Disney, and is a sequel to the nerdcore classic “Tron.”  For anyone that is unfamiliar with this story, Wikipedia provides a great synopsis.  While the new Tron will not be out until 2010, geeks around the world will keep their fingers crossed, hoping Kosinski’s version is as good (or better) then the original.