Why Watch? Because all you need to make a movie is a camera and an imagination. Admittedly, there’s an amateurish aspect to this short, but that’s also part of its charm. The other part of its charm comes from a simple concept being given a serious, dedicated execution. There’s something Rubber-like about seeing a bouncing blue ball roll down the road all on its own while getting into trouble, but the music makes it something truly epic (that was clearly shot in and around the filmmaker’s neighborhood). Huge adventure. In your backyard. A great combination. The camera is wobbly, which can be distracting, but the potential is there. Someone buy Zac Grigg a nice camera rig, will you? What Will It Cost? Just 8 minutes of your time. Check out The Big Blue Ball’s Fabulous Adventure for yourself:

For those of you who are new to the column, I’m revisiting formative events that have contributed to what I am now: A Special Make Up Effects Artist seeking relevance in the 21st Century. So, I’ve learned about liquid latex, got my camera, am hyped up on Star Wars, and ready to move up to the next level. I am sixteen – When the box appeared at my house, I was surprised at how heavy it was for its relative size. The shipping label was yellow and red, and in the upper left hand corner it confirmed that my order had arrived. “R&D Latex Corporation, Commerce, CA” it read. Finally, after a decade I held in my hands a box that contained the mystical material, the magical substance that turned actors into apes, had aged Dustin Hoffman to over 100 years old, and was the stuff of Ray Harryhausen Stop Motion Models! As you may remember, I read about R&D Latex Corporation in an article about building Stop Motion Models in “Super 8 Filmmaker” magazine, and I had sent in my fifty dollars (forty-five dollars for the one gallon kit plus five dollars shipping). By today’s standards that seems fairly reasonable, but in those days, when you worked at a grocery store and took home about $100 or less, $50 was quite the investment.

A very cool science fiction indie is being shot right now in the Bay Area that deals with how the future will be shaped by Bush-era politics, a mythologized history, and the beauty of virtual reality.

We risk losing our doctored press badges and sneak behind enemy lines to get an early look at a film playing at SXSW – Alexander the Last.