Through Thick & Thin

2:30 am on a Saturday. My first weekend back in Chicago. I was in the passenger seat of a brand new Mustang GT that was doing 92 mph down Lake Shore Drive.  The girl behind the wheel was drunk. I was drunk. And a famous NBA player was in his Hummer desperately trying to run us off of the road. Not even 48 hours earlier I’d been in Carbondale crying my eyes out over an ex-girlfriend and wishing for death.  Now I was digging my nails into the dashboard and praying my life wouldn’t end like this…

Geeky Cool

These are custom made action figures that re-imagine the Star Wars characters as if they were in an Akira Kurosawa movie. Some of my first toys were the original Star Wars figures my dad bought for himself me before I was old enough to even play with them. And "Seven Samurai" and "Rashomon" are among the most badass movies I've ever seen. So this is hands down one of the geekiest and coolest things I've come across in a long time.

On a side note, my dad was so fanatical about his my Star Wars toys that not only do I have almost every single one ever produced but it was incredibly important to him that the army of storm troopers was actually an army. So I don't have just a couple... I've got like thirty. Suck it, nerds... *hides in corner, re-examines life*

'Boondock Saints II' is a Terrible, Terrible Movie

Let me clarify something right off the bat - I am not hating on The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day just for the sake of hating on it. Over the years, the original film has become something of a cult classic with a pretty rabid fanbase that remains as defensive as they are passionate about the movie. Conversely, it's also become one of those films that hipster intellectuals have decided is cool to hate. Anyone who pretends to have discerning taste when it comes to cinema probably scoffs at the very mention of the title, whether they've actually seen the movie or not.

I have seen The Boondock Saints... and I don't particularly like it. BUT - I don't hate it either. In fact, I think the reason I dislike it so much is that it had a great deal of potential. It has a really great premise, a pretty solid cast, some very iconic imagery, and a cool title. Seriously. It looks good on a poster. It has all the ingredients for something seriously badass. Not revolutionary, just fun.

Unfortunately, it's all just completely wasted on a (then) first-time director who has no idea how to shoot action scenes, no understanding of pacing or three-act structure, and no clue what the definition of subtle is. But you know what? I get why some people dig it. Even though everything about it is stolen from better films and more talented filmmakers, it still has a really infectious style.

And then there's this God damn sequel...

Dinner for Toot

I know I wasn’t the only kid who had a crush on his babysitter. And I know I’m probably not the only kid who got my babysitter to innocently pretend we were on a date. But I’m fairly certain that no one else’s date ended the way mine did. No, this isn’t some scandalous tale of an older woman who torridly teaches me the ways of love and lust. That would have been nice.

This is me we’re talking about, though - so of course this story ends with embarrassment of the highest order.

Allow me to set the stage…

Podcat Bonus Clip

Here’s a bonus clip from the “Batman: Black & White – One Year Later” podcast. I thought it’d be cool to share some of the material that was cut out for time reasons.

Topics include…
My two favorite nights of filming, the last day of shooting, Kristen’s narcolepsy, why production is the most stressful phase, sound design, the controversy of using existing music, and the limitations of Batman’s cowl.

Happy New Year

Who is that masked man? I don't want to give away too much info but it's a piece of concept art for "Prologue", the upcoming Legion comic book. It's one of several projects 27th Letter is working on and that we're excited to share with you in the upcoming year. We've got several pretty cool updates that'll be popping up in the very near future so don't be a stranger.

$200 The Hard Way

As will often be the case, certain names in the following entry have been changed for reasons that should be incredibly obvious by the time you’re done reading.

You know it’s going to be a story about my former roommate Jen when it starts with this simple question: “Chris, can I ask you something?” Those six words were the catalyst for every shit brained, logic bending scenario we got ourselves so hopelessly tangled up in. This was the second time I waltzed right into this trap (the first is another story for another time). Jen’s adorable little smile was the hunk of cheese for your dumbass rat Narrator.