RUTZ Poem: The Challenge

The Challenge

Pressure induced pleasure

Digging through the core to land on the other side 

The view is astounding 

Overwhelming

Take deep breaths before going underwater

Learn to appreciate fresh air

The unforeseen disasters have left a foul stench

Train your vision to see past the smog

Money and the decisions that keep you

From making that a secondary problem

THINK

Where is your passion?

Where did your love go?

Forget who did what to your heart

Renewal is the only solution

I will keep looking in the places that will hurt me the most

But affect my life the best

With no easy way out 

I have fallen in love with the challenge 

RUTZ Song: "Like Before"

I remember I wrote "Like Before" in my first little apartment. Going through love pains, money pains, "Who I'm I?" pains, young and dumb but yearning for true love for some reason beyond me. Now this song is the only thing that remains from that time. It's very interesting to me on how we can get lost because of love and lost in love, almost at the same time. I want thank you for giving my work a chance and a big thank you to the many people who continue to support my work. I can't thank you enough! I hope you enjoy "Like Before"....

Like Before by RUTZ

Like Before 

Lyrics

I can tell by the look on your face

That you don't think things have changed

What would you like?

What would you like....

I'm no longer acting strange

So why won't you come here babe

What would you like?

What would you like....

When I said I'm here to stay

I wasn't playing games

What would you like?

What would you like....

And I know things haven't changed

But I'm through

Giving you pain

I'm not the right one anymore

I want to be the right one

Like before

Like Before..

Like Before...

RUTZ Classic Movies: "Sleepy Hollow"

Directed by Tim Burton    

Line that stays with me: “Taken. Taken by the Headless Horseman. Taken back to hell. ”

 
“Sleepy Hollow” is Tim Burton’s comeback movie. It might be hard to understand that unless you were following his career closely in the 90’s like I was. He was definitely more productive in the 2000’s, even though sometimes with the wrong projects like “Plant of the Apes”. Before “Sleepy Hollow” he made “Mars Attack”,  a good and fun film that bombed at the box office. Before that film he made “Ed Wood”, a great special film, that bombed at the box office and he also producer slapped his name on tepid films like “Cabin Boy” and “James and the Giant Peach”. Plus he almost made the disaster to be “Superman Lives” with Nicholas Cage as Superman. By 1999 I was dying for a real Tim Burton movie. Love him or hate him he has defined an amazing style with great collaborators like Danny Elfman. He has a style that thrives on classic horror themes, ghosts, shadows, fog, and digging for the unknown. So much of his style derives from the horror genre, and yet “Sleepy Hollow” is the only horror film Tim Burton has made. I truly feel that after all those misfires Tim Burton wanted to do something that he knew he could kill. “Sleepy Hollow” is the Tim Burton upgrade movie and it was rated R, which meant no mercy. Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow” has the intensity of an artist saying “No one could do this better than me”. (and more than a decade later, when it comes to dark, spooky, fantastical mainstream entertainment, no one has.)


One of the only drawbacks of watching “Sleepy Hollow” is that you end up asking yourself why aren’t more blockbusters this good? Why don’t more blockbuster films have this much character and innovative cinematic fun? I don’t call anything perfect but “Sleepy Hollow” if rated on it’s intentions is damn near close. This is a film product that cost 100 million dollars to make. That means a lot of hands in the pot but somehow Tim Burton has managed to deliver the goods anyway, not an easy feat to pull off. I remember when I went to watch “Sleepy Hollow” for the first time I was expecting the film to be visually perfect and it was but what surprised me upon first viewing was how funny the movie is. I guess I shouldn’t have been too surprised since Tim Burton did direct “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” (one of my favorite comedies) and “Beetlejuice”. “Sleepy Hollow” has great dark comedy moments and Johnny Depp’s hilarious performance (which was inspired by Angela Lansbury’s performance from “Death of the Nile” of all things) anchors the film. The original Tim Burton -  Johnny Depp Trilogy: “Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood, and Sleepy Hollow” is an astounding collection of two artists who needed each other. “Sleepy Hollow” was the winner’s circle, the celebration of the two prior projects and Johnny Depp just looks so focused in this film. Whether he’s making us laugh by cowardly using Young Masbath as a human shield or acting all loony after his first encounter with the headless horsemen, it is so much fun to watch a great actor lost in the moment. It helps the audience get lost too.

 
As a filmmaker after I watch a great film I usually end up in a frenzy trying to figure out its formula. I find out who wrote it, who produced it, how did this great film come to be? A search done with pure admiration with hopes of learning something that can help me in my journey. “Sleepy Hollow” was written by Andrew Kevin Walker who also wrote “Seven”. There were some rewrites by another writer and Tim Burton but the credit goes to Andrew Kevin Walker. At the end of the day I believe a screenplay is either the beginning of greatness or instructions on how to make something that wasn’t that good to begin with. It is classic film math, a mediocre director with a great script can make a good movie. (think Ben Affleck, Paul Haggis, and Kathryn Bigelow) A great director with a bad script is going to make a mediocre film if we’re lucky. (unfortunate samples: Prometheus, Jack, Jurassic Park: The Lost World) “Sleepy Hollow” is the best case scenario. Right from the beginning the film hooks us with mystery and intrigue, as we watch Martin Landau get his head chopped off. As a writer I love when a movie begins with a strong catalyst that allows interesting questions. Thus “Sleepy Hollow” begins with this question: “What did Martin Landau do to get his head chopped off?” A great question that leads the audience to the introduction of Ichabod Crane, who will by the end of the film answer that question for us. That is thought out writing and a true skill. The writer also created various interesting characters, and townspeople with their own history who were played by classic Tim Burton character actors like Jeffrey Jones and Michael Gough. Michael Gambon as Baltus Van Tassel is such a sweet pleasure to watch due to the great dialog. On my last viewing that’s what truly impressed like never before the rich dialog that is pitch perfect and still makes me laugh. Michael Gambon saying “Where brave men will not venture” or Richard Griffiths grabbing his talisman in fear saying “It’s the devil’s fire” cracks me up but the words themselves are creating the perfect tone for the film. Great writing in movies is a complex thing, it comes in layers and usually we don’t even notice it. Plus, Christopher Walken as the Headless Horseman with a crazy set of teeth goes a long way..           


Tim Burton’s vision is so strong that when you hear a Danny Elfman score in another film, you instantly think of a Tim Burton film or think he directed it. “Sleepy Hollow” is one of the best looking films in the last 20 years. The cinematography by Emmanuel Lubezki is proudly majestic with all it’s creepiness, like some beautiful painting of the Grim Reaper. The framing is exceptional and never erratic, camera movements smooth as can be, and lighting techniques that I will always study. When the action gets intense you can always see everything clearly. Emmanuel Lubezki’s work married with Rick Heinrichs and Peter Young’s art direction is truly something worth reviewing to open your mind to the possibilities of what the movies offer artists. They had to create an atmosphere, a village from scratch and design it in a way that will accentuate Tim Burton’s vision. There are so many great sets on this film, the Tree of the Dead set instantly comes to mind, it’s such a beauty that I wish I could peek behind the curtain. Watching the results of all that teamwork inspires and excites me because I know the pleasure of working with a team to create something from nothing. It is a true testament of what makes human beings special, if we put our minds together we can achieve some extraordinary things. Watching “Sleepy Hollow” you can’t help but enjoy the fruits of their labors in every frame because together they achieved excellence. Sometimes I feel I am over praising these fine people but when I watch a movie that was made by lazy people I stand corrected. You know what kind of movies I’m talking about , movies that the sets don’t impress and you get disconnected from the movie because you’re too busy questioning why the film’s look doesn’t match its story. “Sleepy Hollow” taught me that a film’s look must speak to us before the story. “Sleepy Hollow” even begins with a terrific montage with no real dialog uttered. 

 

A film can make you admire so many things and transport you to another world with it’s story. “Sleepy Hollow” is that kind of movie. It is surely a horror film but one done with prestige and intricate care. The horror sequences are not slow in tempo but fierce and intense. You feel every death in this film. The music roars, lightning strikes and sheep run for cover as they hear the deafening gallop of the Headless Horseman's black steed. It feels like Tim Burton said “Alright, no more Mr. Nice Guy”. Casper Van Dien is ripped half “Mortal Kombat” fatality style. A mother is killed in a terrible manner and we get to watch her baby boy look into her dead eyes. I am sure like me upon first viewing you thought the kid was going to get away but he got the axe too, which is fantastic. Whenever a kid gets killed in a horror movie I instantly think “Anybody can die in this movie now” which increases the suspense for we fear the hero could get axed too. In one of most exhilarating scenes in the film a witch decapitates a bird, not even animals are spared in this film. We see the Tree of the Dead filled with decapitated human heads swimming in blood. Tim Burton must have read this script and licked his chops thirsty to present all that carnage in stunning fashion that he knew he was capable of but never had the chance. I hope he makes another R rated horror film soon. His over-standing of the material and gift to create the sort of atmosphere that comes natural to him makes me watch “Sleepy Hollow” like a wide-eyed wonder right down to the bloody end.

ABOUT RCM: RUTZ Classic Movies is dedicated on writing film essays for films that in Rutz's opinion, have not gotten the credit they deserve. Next Essay:" Steven Soderbergh's The Limey"

    

RUTZ Song: "2024"

It's been awhile, had to stop for a minute and get many things together. Thanks to you I am very excited about next year! I want to thank so many people (and I will personally) who have been so supportive of my work this year. It has kept me going in the right track and getting to know you very cool people has been the most pleasant surprise in my life in a long time. I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving my work a chance and for taking time out of your day to share my music. I want to end the year looking forward, so my new song "2024" is kind of perfect for the moment. I hope we all march forward this year with no fear and with grand hopes to change the things that are holding us back from our true potential. I just want to say that what ever your dreams are, go hardcore this year, go all out. Don't pay attention to the news and the fear games. Don't believe it can not be done because of the ECONOMY. Just work smart to make sure you are living the life you WANT to live.

2024 by RUTZ

2024

Lyrics

Verse 1

I saw you cry 

For a pack of lies

No matter why

You keep it inside

I have to hide 

Until you let it die

But you think it is real

It's not REAL 

We're just HERE

Come on fight the fear

It's not real, we're just here 

Oh, I hope you're prepared 

Cuz they don't care 

They're not HERE

Verse 2  

Don't waste your time

Don't lose your mind

Keep your head up

Don't let them catch up

It's up to you

Don't be their fool

RUTZ Song: "I Hope we're still here"

I Hope we're still here 


Lyrics 


The ground keeps mountain

and we will be forgotten

Time will tell

If we led us to hell

The terrible spills

and innocent killed

If we didn't make it

Don't think we're all tainted

HEY

I hope we're still here

We used to watch TV

To escape reality

We love to say sorry

And repeat the same story

The brave tried to face it

and got dragged through the pavement

HEY

I hope we're still here 

RUTZ Classic Movies: "The Thin Red Line"

Directed by Terrence Malick    

Line that stays with me: “How did we lose the good that was given us? Let it slip away—scattered, careless?”

Essay Warning: There are no spoilers or story details. I want to offer the emotion that a film can access within us. Plus I think the best way to watch a film is by not knowing anything about it. Just Go In…So if you haven’t watched this film yet please don’t read this essay. Read it afterwards so we can enjoy the “feeling” together.

I remember when Terrence Malick’s “The Thin Red Line” was released. His film was constantly compared to Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan”. Both films were released in 1998. They were the new war films on the block. Before these two films were released not many war films were being made. The fact that both films were financially successful changed that and brought forth an excitement in Hollywood to create more war films. Now there’s a new war film every year. But back in 1998 what a pleasure it was to witness two of cinema’s biggest directors bring the war genre back to life and in completely different ways. The summer of 1998 belonged to Steven Spielberg. Cinematically speaking it is impossible not to appreciate “Saving Private Ryan’s” grand opening sequence presenting the true hell war can be. I will never forget how that sequence floored me. I was amazed by the skill of the filmmakers, and was left petrified by the images I saw. Yet, gradually with the passing of time that sequence got drained of its magic as I started to hear “film-nerds” say how “cool” that scene is, even though those were real soldiers who died on that battlefield. So almost 15 years later “Saving Private Ryan” can only be categorized as amazing propaganda. A great lead in to games like “Call of Duty” that also just basically profit from war. I don’t mean to sound like an uptight prick but I can’t help but feel odd now at the fact that we want to make games from experiences that haunt people and destroyed families. What do we value? “The Thin Red Line” doesn’t want to impress us with violence. It wants to reach your soul, remind you that you are human, fragile, afraid, and hungry to enjoy life. We are all like that one way or another but in today’s “I got to be HARD” generation, the soul is forgotten and left yearning. 

Watching “Saving Private Ryan” the first time definitely left me with that fan boy rush of “Wow that’s the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen”. Now that that luster is gone I believe it’s a well done film with a lame duck story. It is a film that holds up thanks to the good actors and great production values. “The Thin Red Line” has aged much better and as you get older I believe you will continue to find greatness in the film. Of course this all depends on what kind of entertainment experience you desire. In the sense of longevity that’s where I think “Saving Private Ryan” falls short and “The Thin Red Line” excels. I mean if you want to watch soldiers getting shot and blown up plus a decent story you might as well play a “Call of Duty” game instead of watching “Saving Private Ryan”. But what videogame can tug your heart and mind the way “The Thin Red Line” does.  “The Thin Red Line” is classic Terrence Malick and you either love his style by now or you don’t. I love it! He is one of the few directors’ that has dedicated his career to better understand our hearts and souls. Every film he has made is so human yet without censoring the dark side of human nature. Terrence Malick might go down as the best “One Trick Pony” director of all time. Almost every film of his has the same approach. Beautiful yet intricate shots followed by sweeping music and voiceovers. I fall for it every time. This simple approach is perfect for creating the most amazing thing films can do which is putting you in someone else’s shoes. Those 2 or 3 hours of separation from our minds into another can enlighten people like very few mediums can. I believe this part of cinema is very important. It leads to understanding each other, adds patience to your heart instead of just giving us the standard thrill of watching a stunt man do a full flip because he got hit by a grenade. Even a scene like that in the “The Thin Red Line” becomes a completely different experience as we watch Woody Harrelson’s character die without warning.

 

For years I’ve thought of what “The Thin Red Line” means and how it makes me feel. The opening is very powerful as Terrence Malick never neglects nature but makes nature an integral part of his films. The opening shot as we watch a crocodile sink beneath the surface says so much about our duality with nature. How we stand apart from nature at times and how it can engulf us. Dust to dust we all return to sand so it is a wonderful connection to try and discover; Are wars plainly evil brought upon greed and social misunderstandings? Or is our thirst for war part of our natural human state of mind? Maybe we haven’t evolved to the point where we find wars to be a complete waste of human life and energy. Unfortunately, we don’t get to decide what kind of world we are born into. Throughout the film we see shots of animals being born into a crazy world that’s in a middle of a war. No matter how big the internet balloons people’s heads (in this country at least) we are no different than those hatchlings. We all walk out of our homes everyday just as fragile, Hurricane Sandy proved this to many people. “The Thin Red Line” elaborates on the odd battle of right and wrong many human beings face since WW2. What is right and wrong when a nation of people can look the other way when an atom bomb is dropped? The ideology set by that generation is alive and is one of the reasons current moral standards are questioned. The scene with Nick Nolte telling John Cusack how he has been waiting forever for this war is a perfect example of this. John Cusack’s character remains silent in disbelief, wondering why any man would have such lust to be part of any war. Near the end of his speech Nick Nolte slowly realizes that he is in the wrong, but manmade glory can so easily makes us forget how precious someone’s life truly is. 

The film concerns itself with Private Witt due to the fact that he seems to have a deeper understanding of life than his comrade’s. Early in the film we watch him live in harmony with some friendly natives. Love those scenes, hypotonic with lush beautiful images that resonant with our hearts. That sequence reminds us that we don’t need much to live a peaceful, enjoyable life. Soon after that sequence a battleship arrives from a much more technologically advanced society, dragging Private Witt back to war.  That pretty much sums up one of the main themes of the film. Sean Penn’s character makes this clearer through dialog when he says “And there ain’t no world but this one”.  We are all forced to maintain moral balance in a world that never draws the line. This leads us to create our own personal thin red lines. The fear and the effects of crossing that line is the film’s focus. Everyone’s line is different and once you cross it you have to deal with it for the rest of your life. In the film you see a worried solider disturbed by the fact that he killed someone. He just crossed his line, that line of clear right and wrong. Now, unless a higher being comes down and tells him what he did was just, he is going to be haunted by that moment for the rest of his life. War is the perfect setting to bring further understanding on this issue. During wartime human beings feel forced to do unimaginable things to survive. The real war takes place within us every day. Every day you should congratulate yourself for not crossing that line, because in all honesty it doesn’t take much to find yourself in such a situation.

  

One of the astonishing achievements of the “The Thin Red Line” is how it emulates LIFE itself through its structure. Just like most lives the film starts off peaceful. Half way through the film gets intense (mid-life crisis) and near the end we begin to fear death. That’s because our hero Private Witt is about to meet his end. I can honestly say that I have not watched a better scene that conveys death with more absolute truth than the death scene of our hero Private Witt. He continues to run for his life just like we live through our days knowing we will one day run out of time. It is a perfect visual metaphor that has yet to be topped. When our hero stops and we see the enemy soldiers surround him, we can only think of one thing, INESCAPABLE. The fact that Private Witt’s THIN RED LINE is death itself makes the scene transcend sadness and lets the undying curiosity of the human spirit shine for a brief a moment before our hero is sent to the unknown. I love that moment when Private Witt takes in a full final view. That moment to me is scarier than any horror film can be. We are watching a man that knows he has reached the end of the line. When you watch that scene you can’t stop yourself from thinking that one day that moment will happen to you. The power of that scene is not tragic, it is a revelation that only your soul can understand.

ABOUT RCM: RUTZ Classic Movies is dedicated on writing film essays for films that in Rutz's opinion, have not gotten the credit they deserve. Next Essay: Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow"

RUTZ Poem: "These Tears"

 

These Tears

Name calling a dead horse 

For laughs that don't last 

Catch a breath

Before it gets worst 

I know we can look the other way

Pretending to be adults

For adults that can barely stand themselves

We wait in the dark

With a candle that only shines when we embrace reality

I was a character actor once 

And the role of a winner was always the hardest to play

Intense, dedicated, confident, ambitious, relentless

It is a hard act to keep up

Acting like a loser was much easier

Lazy, no responsibilities, no drive, comfortable

Easy but dull, uninteresting, and endless

I would scream in a locked bathroom

Glad it wasn't my real life

My drive 

Is in the sweat that separates me from myself 

Dividing my desires, wants, and conveniences

Replacing lost causes with new hope 

Before this understanding 

I use to hate every tear that rolled down my face  

These new tears

Tears of Joy

Can't be faked, can't be forced out

They don't answer to our lies 

They only arrive when we earn it 

When your soul has pleased your body

Then finally as the tears roll down

You can feel your smile