EXCITING NEWS, BIG CHANGES & MORE

It’s hard to believe The Athletic Nerd is nearly 3 years old now.  Year 3 has been by far the biggest and best year yet.  I’m quickly approaching post #1000 and my 1 millionth page hit.  Pretty big milestones for a little movie site run by one person.  Year 3 was also home to a complete redesign, a new logo/rebrand and enhanced features like The Post.  Still, there is a ton of room for improvement.

Since it’s inception, The Athletic Nerd has been about the movies that inspire the aspiring filmmaker.  Movies, screenwriting & independent film.  It’s about creativity, passion and doing what you love.  I love working on this website.

So today, I’d like to make a couple of big announcements on what’s in store for my blog.  But first, a few personal updates.

I’m getting married this summer!  Just after my fiance and I celebrate 3 incredible years together, we will be tying the knot and I couldn’t be happier.  She is an amazing person who supports the nerd I am and the nerd I hope to be someday.

For readers who are unaware, I’m actually a professional editor and I’ve been working in television for a major sports network for over 6 years.  This summer, we are gearing up for another Olympic games and I can’t wait to be a part of history once again.  I’m obsessed with sports and consider myself lucky to be a part of such a wonderful network.  It’s a dream job that I adore.

This year, I “retired” from directing for a wonderful reason.

It’s a strange statement to make considering I’ve only directed 2 short films but I wanted to focus on screenwriting again.  I don’t want to direct.  I want to write.  So my production company has been on a much needed break while we recharge and figure out our next project.  I’ve taken the time to return to screenwriting full time…  During my spare time.

I’ve spent the last 6 months developing a couple feature length screenplays I hope to complete by the end of the year.  I feel like it’s time to finally find out what I’m made of and put myself out there.

On a really personal note, I feel like the clouds have finally lifted on a situation that caused overwhelming amounts of stress in my life throughout the last two years.  It sounds like an obvious lesson to learn but life is just too short to be angry about things I can’t control.  And so I’ve tried to put it behind me and this summer is a big part of that moving forward.

So wedding, Olympics and screenplays… You can probably guess where I’m going with this.

As of June 1, I’ll be taking the summer off from blogging in order to get myself married, finish my latest screenplay and deal with a busy work schedule.  Not too mention taking some time to enjoy myself.

Note: I’ll be posting regularly until then.

September 15, 2012 will mark the start of Year 4 of my blog and I can’t think of a better time to relaunch better than ever.  It’s a lengthy break but it doesn’t mean I’ll be putting the site on the shelf completely.

Throughout the next few months, I’ll be updating and re-posting some of my favorite articles.  I’ll also continue writing new reviews for movies I catch in theaters.  Behind the scenes, I’ve been working on a plan to enhance the content of this blog while giving myself more time to focus on some projects I’ve put off for far too long.

Essentially, during my time away, I’ll be reassessing what works and what doesn’t on this blog.  I’ll be brainstorming new features and eliminating others.  I’ll also be working on some new graphics and creating content when time permits.  All in all, I’ll be creating a better site.

Needless to say, it’s going to be a busy summer!

Until then, keep checking back for new reviews and newly updated content from the past.  It saddens me to put the blog aside but there are so many exciting events on the way in my life!  My future wife and I have a wedding to plan, my career is as fun as ever and I’ve got a couple screenplays to finish.

… I’m probably going to write the odd post here and there.  I can’t quit cold turkey!  I love movies too much.

Thanks for reading!

Jason.

Have you watched a short film today?

DETOUR

A sweet and heartfelt short film written and Directed by Takashi Doscher.

DEPARTURE

Here is a well put together and stylish short directed by Daniel Fahre.  Great looking car accident!

Check out the film’s site here.

PLANKTOON’S REFLEXION

Visit Planktoon here.

BRAVE

Here is a short film by Jasmin Lai completely created with Photoshop.

Click here for more.

FAN OF POST PRODUCTION?

Art of the Guillotine is hosting a ‘Post Chat’ in Toronto on May 30, 2012.  Click here for all the details and be sure to check out the site.

THE MAURIZIO SHOW WEB SERIES

Winner of Outstanding Comedy and Outstanding Actress (Melanie Minichino) at LA Web Fest 2012.  Check out an episode below and be sure to stop by Melanie’s site here.

Do you have a project you’d like to see promoted on The Athletic Nerd?  Email me jason@17west.ca.

Click here to read THE POST archives.

IT’S OKAY…  GO BACK AND SEE IT AGAIN.

When I was growing up, seeing a movie in theaters twice was unheard of.  Before I had my driver’s license it was pretty much an impossible feat to accomplish.  I lived about 30 minutes outside of a reasonably large city and trips to the theater were few and far between.

But you aren’t a movie nerd if you’ve never seen a movie twice during it’s theatrical run.  I finally did it in 1999 when Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace was released.  A group of my friends cut school (sorry mom) and took a bus into the city to stand in line for a matinee.

In those days, we didn’t have giant Silver City complexes with 12+ screens and dozens of opportunities to catch new releases.  There were two theaters with maybe 10 total screens combined.  We wound up standing outside for hours waiting for the doors to open.

I remember the excitement like it was yesterday.  Not necessarily because it was Star Wars but because I was at a movie on my own.  Two days later, I made the trip into the city again and saw Episode 1 a second time.

XTRA | 10 Flicks: Movies I’ve Seen In Theaters More Than Once

A few years later, The Matrix Reloaded became my first triple viewing experience and the first movie I saw on back to back days.  My third trip to see the film was also the first time I saw a movie by myself.  Nobody wanted to come with me, so I went alone listening to a CD with containing the Burly Brawl track.

The flood gates opened.  I demolished a barrier and no longer felt self conscious sitting in a theater by myself.  From that day on I never missed a movie whether someone came with me or not.

The nerdiest experience I’ve ever had in theaters was an 18 hour stretch on July 18th, 2008.  Movie nerds can probably guess why.

THE DARK KNIGHT

I waited in line for 3 hours to see The Dark Knight at midnight on opening day with some friends.  3 hours wondering what the Joker would unleash on Gotham.  The show was absolutely packed and before the movie ended, I was already planning to catch a matinee alone the following morning.

At noon, I was standing in another line waiting to see it.  I couldn’t wait.  Just before THAT screening started, I got a call from a friend who was catching a show in the same theater at 3pm.  Why not?

And so I wound up seeing The Dark Knight 3 times on opening day.  A record I’m positive will never be broken.

XTRA | Movies That Changed Everything: A 12 Part Series

IT’S COOL TO SEE MOVIES BY YOURSELF

Movies mean so much to me.  They’ve defined the better part of my life.  For decades, I’ve surrounded myself with the movies I love.  I’ve spent countless hours pouring over screenplays and writing my own.  I’ve even made a few short films along the way.

For the last three years, I’ve been updating this blog all most everyday.  I love movies.  I’m a proud movie nerd.

That’s why no one was surprised when I saw The Avengers a third time this week.

SEASON 2 EPISODE 7
“A MAN WITHOUT HONOR”

And so we enter the second half of the unbelievable second season of Game of Thrones.  A Man Without Honor wasn’t as action packed as the last few chapters but it was still full of important moments.  Last week, I complained slightly about Daenerys storyline in Qarth.  It felt like the whole arc had stalled.

Thankfully, she seems to have finally hit rock bottom which, to me, means action is coming soon.  Daenery’s is now completely demoralized in her quest for the iron throne.  She has no army, no boats and most importantly, no dragons.  I was a little surprised that the Warlock flat out tells her where her dragons are.  Having said that, I loved that scene and so this week’s moment is dedicated to Xaro’s rise.

I pretty much assumed the warlock character was behind the dragon-napping but Xaro’s scheme to become King of Qarth was most definitely unexpected.  Is it just me or was that a lot of slit throats? And what’s with that Warlock guy?

Now Daenerys in THE worst position but I’m happy with that.  Next week it’s time to fight for her dragons and probably avoid marrying Xaro.

A Man Without Honor

The rest of the episode was full of character development.  We explored John Snow’s thoughts on his oath and dedication to the Night’s Watch.  We now know that Tywin isn’t completely oblivious to Arya’s act and ‘back story’.  We got a phenomenal scene between Tyrion and Cersei and the Queen also shared a womanly moment with Sansa.

But the most important moment (and runner up for the title this week) was Jaime Lannister’s antics while imprisoned.  Especially in the end when he is face to face with Cat.  Great scene.  The only reason it didn’t win the ‘Moment of the Week’ was because of the cliff hanger ending.  Otherwise, it was a shoe in.

I don’t really buy Theon’s ‘victory’ at the end.  I may not have read the books but I’m pretty sure the two stark boys are still alive and kicking.  (Well…  One of them at least.)  Time will tell.

All in all, it feels like we are in for one hell of an episode next week.  This one felt like a setup and with a handful of episodes left, it’s going to be a blast to see where the cards fall.

Catch up on past episodes below:

Episode 1 Moment
Episode 2 Moment
Episode 3 Moment
Episode 4 Moment
Episode 5 Moment
Episode 6 Moment

Everyone who starts a blog feels a great sense of pride when someone links to them or mentions their site in any way.  They are tiny victories and for me, they are the fuel that keeps me writing each and every week.

Today, The Athletic Nerd was mentioned in Total Film’s weekly newsletter as a cool film blog to visit.  I’m also a part of their extensive ‘600 Movie Blogs You Might Have Missed.’

If you haven’t seen Total Film’s website or the extremely popular magazine be sure to check them out here.

Thanks to Total Film for the mention and to @WatchALotMovies for the heads up.