Hi. My name is Justin and i'm from Cape Town, South Africa. I am 38 years young. I have loved films for as long as i can remember. My tastes have changed as time has gone by and these days i would not really waste my time watching a comedy or anything romantic unless there is loads of sex, nudity and extremely bad taste dick jokes.
I have become more interested in world cinema and also older films from 50's to 70's. I started subscribing to the UK magazine Sight and Sound to give me a better idea of what is available and am constantly surprised and delighted at the gems out there. Mostly South African television offers up mainstream USA films and i have become bored with what is on offer. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with a big blockbuster - i think Inception is fantastic , but on the whole most blockbuster films is just a rehash of the same worn out theme that now gets takes to idiotic heights with the constant use of cgi. I also love documentaries from the conspiracy type like Zeigeist and Loose Change to biographies like Grizzly Man to the more arty fare like Bansky. Documentaries are fantastic.
Besides films i enjoy comic books and graphic novels. Favorite writes include Garth Ennis, Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Grant Morrison, Jodorowsky, Brian Wood, Jason Aaron, Jacques Tardi and others. With the advent of cgi it looks like comic books will be the last great stories made into films unless the story gets butchered by the powers that be and the adaption ends up like a pile of fresh turd....
TV is another thing i enjoy. Favorite shows include The Wire, Sopranos, Breaking Bad, Deadwood and Oz. The quality of television has improved tremendously over the years and there is nothing quite like getting hold of a complete series and embarking on an allnighter of non stop viewing.
I currently work as a location manager in the local film industry. I specialise in tv commercials. My job includes getting permission to close off roads and to film in various locations. I am also the face of the production company when dealing with the public and need to handle any problems that may arise from filming in various sensitive areas. I also have to arrange parking space and catering and on site security and walkie talkie communications. The more well known directors i have worked with include Tarsem Singh, Tony Kaye and Craig Gillespie.
Some more recent commercials i have worked on include this Nissan Advert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E36_zr4brCA , BMW advert
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSJP3--KNCA , Euro Millions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKCUrVz6RlE , Renault
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbV98cnBbLgThe craziest thing i did on a film set was when we filmed a Mountain Dew advert with Tarsem Singh in Namibia and we were in a protected sand dune area. The post production specialist left his notes unattended and it blew up these 250 metre high sand dunes and me been the location dude i had to climb the dunes to fetch them. I bitched and moaned and got put into a helicopter, then ridden to the top of the dune and while the chopped hovered just above the dunes i jumped out and collected the papers while waling down the dune. Just after this shoot we then went to the Dead Vlei , also in Namibia, to film some scenes for Tarsem's film The Fall. On a sequence where a warrior on horseback travels down a dune i was actually hiding behind that dune and queuing the warrior as to when he should walk into frame. (did not even get a credit for that fuck sake)
So i am hear at Criticker to get some ideas of what is good that is out there and to chat with like minded people.
