Movie Picks du Jour

Charlie Bartlett

Tropic Thunder

Super Troopers (So I understand more of my little sister’s jokes)

I actually spent most of today reading a great book called Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman.  So far it’s the most charming and accessible book I’ve read in some time, and it’s successfully distracted me from my goal of watching every movie ever.

My mother also called me today and informed me that my two year old niece took her nap in a “tent” in the living room today of the classic sheet and chair variety, and that my one year old niece/god-daughter may turn out to be a little flirt one day.  She just learned to bat her eyelashes.  At least she’s not still in her vicious biting stage.

Schartner Updates

Madison Weather Update: It is 4:23 PM, nearly pitch dark outside and freezing rain.  I haven’t seen pure daylight in nearly a week, without the usual dirty gray cloud filter.  I’d go play in the snow in my backyard, except that the thin layer of melty snow barely conceals the neighbor’s dog turds (just underneath last week’s snow angel).

Job search update: No word from anyone that I’ve applied to.  Will probably have to fill out 20 more applications.  Wasn’t the economy supposed to get better soon?  In the meantime, more movies.

Cooking update: Tonight I’m making a hearty beef stew to chase the freezing rain and my sense of jobless ennui away.

• 1 1/2 pounds stew beef (from Uncle Arnie’s cow, lovingly donated to the   Lynch/Schartner household by my mother.)  Browned lightly in a big stew pot
• 1 1/2 cups onion, chopped into large chunks, thrown into the browning beef
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery, also thrown into the browning beef
• 4 large carrots, beautifully julienned and thrown into the mix after a little while
• 2 cups water, because the damn stew needed it at that point
• 3 cups beef broth.  This stew is getting out of hand.
• Let it cook for a while while you blog or put on your copy of Bananas that you just got from Four Star or brush your hair because it probably needs it.
• 4 large potatoes, cut just right for eating with a spoon
• 1 rhutabega, cut like the potatoes… if you had the foresight to get a rhutebega beforehand, which I did.  In Wisconsin one has to anticipate the inevitability of stew weather.
• Cook it all and drink for a while.  I recommend Sake, which is also good in the stew.
• It’ll get done eventually and then you can eat it.  It’s not science.

I also threw together a loaf of whole wheat bread to go with the stew.  I more or less used this recipe:

http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_wheat_bread

Right now the bread is rising in a big bowl inside of my microwave because that’s where I put my bread to rise.

For me, the ultimate cooking goal is to make my entire apartment building smell like grandma’s house on Thanksgiving.  When my boyfriend comes home from a long day of painting, I want him to walk into the front door of our 10 unit converted mansion apartment building, and know that the delicious smells are coming from his home.   After all, life is a competition, and in the competition of best smelling cooking in our apartment building, I like to win.

Four Star Movie Picks du Jour

Bananas

The Great Dictator

In Bruges

Heaven is a Place on Earth

As far as the film industry is concerned, Wisconsin is more of a punchline than a location.  We had Mr. 3000, the bar scene from Love Actually, and Randy Quaid in Milwaukee, Minnesota.  Even then, Milwaukee gets all of the attention.   In the grand scheme, Madison would hardly be on the map if it weren’t for one bright shining beacon: Four Star Video Heaven.

The blue thing

the blue fucking tarp is in it
just like the blue fucking wall of Greenside
I should just throw a stupid fucking blue thing in every movie I do for the rest of my life just because they always put stupid fucking blue things in my movies goddammit

And Email to My Advisor

Hi Julie,
I was about to go into my second Senior year in the Art and Theater departments, when I got a really amazing internship as assistant makeup artist at ABC-7 News Chicago.  And then, while I was making arrangements with ABC, I got a deal to shoot a feature-length movie in Vancouver this September for an LA production company.  Then the one movie deal was extended to a two movie deal.  Long story short, it’s been a crazy eventful summer that seems to be spilling over into the fall and maybe even a slice of winter.  And as important as organized education at a university can be, since I’ve been offered the kind of opportunities that a 22-year old can’t pass up, I need to take at least one semester off.
Problem is, I have no idea how to do that.  I’ve spent my entire education trying to paint, sculpt, costume, wig, and make up as much as possible and in the process really lapsed in the advising department.  So, two major questions:

-How do I go about taking a semester off?  Do I just drop all of my classes and slip out in a clandestine fashion?
-Can I turn these opportunities into independent studies, thus alleviating the need for an all out academic break?

For the film (The Infected) I’ll be primarily the special effects makeup artist, but I’m also co-producing the zombie-thriller and acting as overall Artistic director.  How can this be an independent study without adding to my 16-hour per day workload?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.  Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Laura Schartner

What’s Happening in Greenside City

Brothers Divided (Eric Lim-top left, Mike Moh-bottom left)

After being involved with the project for nearly a year, filming for Greenside finally wrapped yesterday. The story follows the hip young renegade Jackson Simms (Played by producer Eric Lim, above in yellow) as he fights scores of ominously masked Zero Troopers in the name of his girlfriend Acacia (the lovely Angela Bolmes). Acacia is ill, and the only way that Jackson can save her is to plow through 40 or so Zero Troopers, break into the Utopian futuristic biodome that is Greenside, find his brother, Lachlan (the illustrious and handsome Mike Moh, above in brown jacket), who is also extremely adept at martial arts. Needless to say, the entire movie is peppered with excellent action sequences thanks to the scads of Zero Troopers deployed by General Samuels (Chicago-based actor/director/producer Marc Rita).

Marc Rita as the General. I hear he's one hellofa dart player

There’s still a lot to do in post production, but I’m truly looking forward to seeing the project completed. I’m so grateful to have had so many opportunities to work with the best of young Madison filmmakers. Director Niko Pueringo and visual effects lead Sam Gorski have put in countless hours developing the look, feel, sound, action, and rhythm of Greenside, and from what I’ve seen so far, their work is paying off.

Treasury Men in Action

How do you accurately depict a bruise caused by the speaker of a radio smacking into a person’s face? Just hit the person’s face with a radio and see how it looks. If the actor that you’re working with is opposed, which most probably are, just sponge some abrasion-colored red onto the radio and use it to make a print on the victim. Afterwards, go in and enhance the mark with a brush, and add edge marks to indicate swelling. This was supposed to be a very recent injury, so no bruising, just redness, scrapes, and swelling. Use the contours of the actors face to make it seem more realistic.

This was just one of many injuries my kit inflicted upon this actor while filming “Treasury Men in Action” this month in Shorewood Hills. First, he’s hit in the face with a hurling full beer can, then he falls out of a window, rolls down a set of stairs, and has a few kicks from a wingtip landed on his bald skull. Needless to say, I had a good time doing his makeup.

Sneak Peak into the Lair: Madison’s Newest Heartthrob

There’s been a lot of buzz around Capitol City relating to recent sightings of Johnny Depp and Company in our fare town. It’s not often that we see well established international celebrities in our bagel shops. Even rarer still, however, is seeing one of our native sons begin the path to potential superstardom.

My Miracle Acne Cure: Pine Tar Soap

I’ve had a total bastard case of acne since I was 8 years old. On the upside, growing up with persistent acne has forced me to learn the art of clever makeup and avoid overhead lights, and I believe that it has built character. At the age of 21 though, I decided I had moved on from my teen years enough to get rid of my affliction.

This winter I picked up some Everclean Pine Tar Shampoo to help with my dry scalp. Upon perusing the ingredient list, I realized that I had stumbled onto a goldmine. Salicylic acid, tea tree oil, aloe vera, nettle extract the list goes on.