Controlled Chaos

Dude I can totally act. I can't even tell you how many people think I'm a nice guy.

I vote for myself as a right in canidate.

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jan 25, 2008 -> 03:14 PM) Actually, that brewpub is gone. Now it's just a regular grill...booooo...but I do like the Monte Carlo...stayed there my first trip back in 98'... I've stayed there many times...It's still one of the nicer hotels...without hitting the outrageous prices. Plus, it's right in the middle of everything.

QUOTE(RockRaines @ Jan 25, 2008 -> 09:35 AM) Lynch's report has been called overly negative and not realistic by several other sources. Also the chicago market, like LA, SF and NY do not neccessarily follow the rules. As someone who has been house hunting...I can tell you midsized homes in the burbs have not dropped their prices much and as for new construction they haven't even budged for most builders.

QUOTE(SoxFan1 @ Jan 25, 2008 -> 02:29 AM) Batman Begins, The Machinist, Equilibrium (though not a great movie, the weight gain for this, followed by the incredible weight loss for The Machinist, it just goes to show his incredible talent and dedication to fulfilling a role), The Prestige, Rescue Dawn, 3:10 to Yuma...hell, you can already add The Dark Knight to that list. He's the best Batman of all by far. First, the movie with Timberlake is Alpha Dog, and second, he was excellent in Hostage. I recommend that if you haven't seen it yet...Bruce Willis movie. Here's a great interview with Bale about the Machinist and how he approached the role. He is one of the best actors of are time. CHRISTIAN BALE Contributed by Michael J. Lee, Executive Editor for Radio Free Entertainment October 4, 2004 In the surreal thriller The Machinist, actor Christian Bale (American Psycho, Batman Begins) completely dedicates himself to his craft by losing over sixty pounds to portray Trevor Reznik, a blue collar worker whose one year bout with insomnia belies a haunted past. Methodically wasting away, Reznik lives in a distorted world where reality overlaps onto unreliable memory. Filmed in Barcelona, Spain, The Machinist is written by Scott Kosar and directed by Brad Anderson, whose 2001 film Session 9 has been praised by fans and critics alike as a brilliant piece of psychological horror. Christian Bale heads up a cast that includes Jennifer Jason Leigh, Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, John Sharian, and Michael Ironside. In this interview, we joined the rest of the media to field questions to Christian Bale, who discusses the grueling demands of the shoot and the physical transformation he underwent for his role. The Interview MEDIA: Did you feel it was important to actually lose a third of your body weight just to play your character in this film? CHRISTIAN: Well, I didn't really see how else to do it, you know? There are parts where it really doesn't matter, your appearance. And there are some where it's a very essential part of the character. And with Trevor, he's in this ridiculously crazy downward spiral emotionally, physically, mentally. He read to me as though he should look as though he was on the brink of death. And I didn't set out to actually go as skinny as I did. I just found that I was being somewhat more successful at it than I had imagined. And I actually ended up being able to get to the weight that was specified in the script, which I never really thought was going to be possible at all. Did you ever consider using special effects instead of losing such an extreme amount of weight? You know, a number of people said to me, "Well why didn't you just leave it to CGI or whatever?" I don't know, I don't have enough faith in CGI really for doing that. And I enjoyed the challenge and the slightly self-destructive urges involved in losing that amount of weight. It ended up being a very nice place mentally to be when you get that skinny. Man, you're calm, you know? Because you just can't waste any energy whatsoever. So you just do what's necessary. I was incredibly happy. Other people probably couldn't have told that because I didn't really have the energy to smile too much for them. But inside, I was genuinely probably more content for a longer period of time than I've ever been in my entire life. What did you eat during this ordeal? My daily thing was generally like a bit of a coffee and an apple if I felt like it. Well, I had to eat the pie in the scene, and then there was a scene eating chicken as well. But I tried not to swallow. Because it's amazing how you can literally just have a couple of bites of something and your face will expand again if you're really at that low point. To keep that really sunken look, you've got to be eating practically nothing. Were you constantly being monitored by a doctor during all of this? I was not. It was something that a number of people had kept on saying to me. "Listen, we really think you should be under a doctor's care." But I felt fine. And I had taken advice from a nutritionist about the vitamins that I would probably come to be lacking, and so I was taking pills for that. But I just decided that as long as I was feeling fine, that probably going to a doctor was going to make me more nervous about what was going on. I don't know, it's just maybe a certain stupidity of feeling invincible. But I felt like I could do it, and I could come back from it, and I would feel fine, and there wouldn't be any problems. I would very seriously consider ever doing anything like that again. I think a second time, certainly you're asking for trouble. Did you have to at least be examined by a doctor before shooting began? The physical examination in Spain was a very funny one, because by the time I did the physical examination, I was probably about 135 pounds, and so very noticeably not healthy to look at. But the doctor, first of all, was just smoking constantly--he was chainsmoking. And he just really wanted to know about special effects and how we stabbed people in movies and made it look effective, so I was telling him about retractable blades and blood gushing from things. And he was fascinated with that and never even commented on my weight and just said, "Oh, great, off you go, have a good time." [laughs] Your character Trevor is unaware of the mystery behind his own identity for most of the story, but you, as an actor, know who he really is. Was the key to that mystery something that was always on your mind? I purposely put it out of my mind because he had gone into complete denial and had genuinely been able to just shut off that part of his memory. So no, I wasn't thinking about it because what was needed really was this guy's sense of paranoia and having no idea what it was caused by--inducing more fear and anxiety precisely because of that. Obviously with Trevor, we're taking it to absolutely extreme lengths, his insomnia lasting for an entire year. But we have the fact that we are hearing this from him and his point of view, so how much can we really rely upon? And I do think it's a wonderful revelation. I don't think that the whole movie just hinges on that. I find that it has a great deal of substance and intricate kind of gymnastics in play throughout. But I do think it is a wonderful revelation towards the end, where he finally gets his answer that he's been seeking. Were you always in the same mindset as your character, even when the cameras weren't rolling, or was it easy to switch between your persona and Trevor's? Well, it was difficult because I was so quiet and happy being quiet, and just kind of there, but not really there. I met up with a few of the crew members after a few months and they kind of said to me, "Wow, it's kind of nice to meet you after all this time working with you, because you were like not there before while we were making it." And it was only an eight week shoot, so I pretty much just remained in that state constantly. But it was also very much an awareness on my part that there are some parts which it's appropriate to disconnect yourself, other parts which it's not appropriate at all, in which you really should be as social as possible and it can actually help. But with this one, it really was necessary because I honestly did find that if I started chatting and being too pally with everybody around on the set, I was exhausted after that, and I just couldn't do the scenes. So my mantra was literally try not to speak unless it's on film, unless I'm doing that scene. So I barely uttered a word to a number of the other actors and actresses. When you're in that state of being, does everyone else seem more manic or less manic? I was able to deal with even if people were screaming or seeming manic. I was in my own little bubble. It was kind of like, "Yeah, they can do whatever they want to do there, it's not penetrating this little bubble here." It's a nice place to be. I find it impossible to remain there much as I would like to. It almost sounds like a very Buddhist kind of philosophy, but it's not enjoying life. It's not really being engaged in life in the way that I like. It was more memorable. It was a phase that was really intriguing and very satisfying to experience, but I literally could have had somebody standing there screaming in my face and I could have just been smiling at them and going like, "Hey, man, chill out. It's fine, whatever. It's okay." Nothing got through at all. As an actor, do you have a particular attraction to darker, damaged characters? I think there's something attractive about those kind of characters to anybody, really. I've personally always found them very fascinating, and the characters return again and again in literature. But I don't consciously look out for that. I won't be pursuing that in future roles. I will actively look for something different. In fact, I used to be asked, "You always seem to play very good guys all the time?" That changed considerably after I did American Psycho, and suddenly people started seeing me as being capable of playing other kinds of roles. But I don't like to be formatted into just doing one kind of role or one kind of movie. However, there are certain movies that just are obviously more memorable than others. I think probably American Psycho, this one, are more memorable in most people's minds in terms of the strength of the character than perhaps the Reign of Fire character that I played, which is in a completely different kind of movie--a big fantasy movie primarily aimed at kids. But no, I think it would be folly if I was to pigeonhole myself into just always playing those kinds of characters. But they're undeniably interesting though. You've had to undergo physical transformations, albeit of a different nature, in films like American Psycho and Batman Begins. Is all of that effort ultimately worth it? I do ask myself that sometimes. [laughs] You do have to look at it because sometimes, if you're looking at the actual amount of time onscreen compared to the preparation time needed, the result and the reward is absolutely minuscule compared to the work that you put in. But I enjoy those mental challenges of, "Can I do it?" I've certainly seen sometimes that I've overdone it and it wasn't necessary. But I certainly don't feel that with, for instance, American Psycho or with The Machinist. I felt like those ones had to go somewhat to excess, and that doing the physical training and preparation for it helped me greatly with actually understanding the character better and being able to play it in a more interesting fashion. Hopefully, I'll learn more as I go on, not out of laziness but just out of what is a better understanding of what is absolutely necessary to do, and what becomes just kind of an extravagance beyond that. Did you have the energy to eagerly move on to other projects after The Machinist? I had a lot of different things going on personally, which did actually mean that no, I was not looking forward to going into things so quickly. But I had made the decision and said that I would, so I wanted to definitely honor that. I would have liked a bit more time off and to be honest, I'd appreciate it right now as well. Because I just finished Batman just over two weeks ago, and we started rehearsals in mid-January, so it's been a long haul. And a week ago, I started doing a new movie. But I feel that these are exceptional things--it's the opportunity work with Terrence Malick, and I think the script he has written is a really wonderful one. And then I'm doing another movie right after which is going to be a million dollar budget movie, with a first time director with a script that I really love. And I kind of also feel a need, after having spent so much time doing Batman and that style of acting and that style of filmmaking, to really go back and do something very different--kind of level it out again for myself. How do you plan a "next movie" when you're working with Terrence Malick? What, in terms of how do you know when it's ever going to end? Yes. [laughs] Well, you just keep your fingers crossed and hope for the best, but warn the other filmmakers. Why is he held in such high esteem by the actors who have worked with him? He just has a very different approach. He is an incredibly generous man, but very different from when you meet him outside of the movie set. Extremely focused. His priorities are getting everything on the film, and you don't necessarily know what that is he's going to want to do that day. He made sure that everything is correct for the period at all times so that everything can be filmed. And suddenly I realize I'm being filmed without there being anything scripted, and suddenly Terry's asking me to do different things. So it's very, very spontaneous. And it's very much something that I've always thought that I would love to experience, because so much of more conventional filmmaking revolves much more around the lighting than it does with the actual acting. And I think that he creates a place that's really unusual, but brilliant for actors. Does Malick's tendency to shoot things spontaneously keep you on your toes? [laughs] Yeah, and it's continuous. You don't leave the set. You don't have, "Okay, we've finished this scene. Now all the actors head back to their trailers and then they get called back out for the next scene." If you sit around on the set, you might just find yourself in a new scene that you never even knew you were in. He's very spontaneous, and he very much likes to work things out as we're actually filming. So just a very different approach. I'm just enjoying his company as well. He's a great man. Going back to The Machinist, what was your impression of director Brad Anderson and his work, which has spanned all sorts of different genres? Yeah, you look at the difference of Happy Accidents and Next Stop Wonderland and then Session 9, which I just thought was a phenomenal movie and made me feel the way that I had felt in watching scary movies as a kid--walking up the corridor in my house afterwards with hair standing up on the back of my neck and trying to stop yourself from looking over your shoulder. I loved the fact that he had been able to give me that feeling as an adult now. He's an interesting character and I like Brad a great deal. He's one of the most laid back directors that I've ever come across. And you have to kind of tune in to seeing what he's visualizing in his head somewhat more than actually what he may be saying to you, which may sound a bit odd. [laughs] But it was a very easy thing to do because he is so clear about how he sees a piece being done. But he also enjoys very much the performances of the actors. So "laid back" is a good way to describe him? Well, he literally was laid back a number of times because he was on a gurney because he kept on injuring himself throughout the movie. One time he went running and he fell in a ditch and almost drowned in a canal in Barcelona, and broke his foot, so he was hobbling around on crutches. And then he put his back out, so he was actually lying flat on his back having to direct a number of scenes as well. Did you and Brad see eye-to-eye on how The Machinist should play out? We had some rehearsals beforehand, and he had never seen me perform as Trevor. We had just spoken on the telephone and agreed that we both saw the movie in a similar way and just loved it. I liked the fact that he couldn't stop smiling. We both see quite a sense of humor in The Machinist as well. Not a necessarily real laugh out loud humor, but there is a kind of ridiculous extremism going on throughout I can't help but laugh at. [laughs] And I think just through our conversations beforehand, we had been able to reach a point where yeah, I was doing it how he had seen it exactly. What was your experience with the rest of the cast? It's really one of the best experiences of making any movie I've ever had, because everybody was doing things that fitted perfectly with what I had really hoped would be possible in a movie. I was just in bliss throughout making this movie. I was returning back to my hotel each night just going, "Yeah, I just did it again." It really worked. I never went through a scene and thought, "No, we just didn't get that one." There was a real great harmony between everybody working together. Brad creates that. It's very much the director who has to create that feeling. And what was your experience with the crew in Spain? Many of them, they were very young, it was maybe their first or second movie, so there was that real passion and excitement about what was being made. There wasn't anybody just scratching their ass and looking at their watch and thinking, "When do we get off of this thing?" And I think that really benefits throughout. When I have worked on movies where people are just banging it out and it's a job, you can't help but see it on the screen. But there was a real love and a real interest in what everybody was making over in Barcelona. And who would have known that we would end up making this movie that was originally set in San Pedro in Barcelona? But I think it really works because of Trevor's state of mind and the surreal nature of it. Everything looking slightly askew and off, and not quite identifiable about where exactly in America this place is. What's your interpretation of The Machinist's title? I get that it is a man literally a machinist, but also that he has become somebody just going through the motions of life--that his own internal paranoia has consumed him to such a degree that he's unable to really engage in normal life in any way other than in a mindnumbing fashion, which kind of is the only way that he calms himself. And that was, I think, very much what Scott saw it as--that he wanted him to be having a job where we can see that this is a man who is not educated, but is interested in educating himself. There's scenes where he's reading The Idiot, etc. He's a reader. He's somebody who likes to explore his mind, but at the same time is choosing this job which is quite possibly the most monotonous job you could ever come across in life. That paradox. Thanks, Christian.

I think this show can cause some definite marital problems. I would advise not watching it with your wife/girlfriend?

QUOTE(bigruss22 @ Jan 23, 2008 -> 09:08 PM) Some of his comments are absolutely disgusting. I dont mind his idea of thinking that there was possibly something mentally wrong with Ledger as he was seriously thinking about death at such a young age( but whats wrong with a little philosophy on morality, isnt a good thing that people still have the ability to think?), but the way he said it was just completely wrong and degrading towards someone hes probably never met and definitely didnt know who he was personally. This guy, from the minute I listened to, is just a complete jackass and should be fired for his comments, and if not for that, just his overall rancid show/performance. Give me a break....he should be fired?? He has a right to his opinion and if he wants to call Heath Ledger a 'weirdo' for being 28 and thinking about death at such a young age, then he can. If he makes the same comment last week, nobody gives a s***, but because he died you can't do it anymore??

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Jan 23, 2008 -> 08:03 AM) I have nothing against "guys being guys", I just don't like seeing them on TV. It's like the cotton dockers episode of SEINFELD for me. These guys are just a bit too chummy. But like you said, to each his own. Don't take it personal, it's a matter of taste. I, personally, would never be able to do a "guys vacation" type of thing. I can't think of anybody I would actually want to be with for a week, aside from my family. If I went away with the guys I normally hang out with for a week, somebody would be coming home dead. Yeah our trips are usually limited to 3 or 4 days. We went on a 5 day once and I almost turned into that dude in your avatar and started slashing peeps!!

I hope the one question mark we don't have is who is the opening day starter. Mark Buehrle should be back on the bump. Contreras totally f***ed up my opening day experience in the first inning last year. Even though we open on the road I hope it's Buehrle. If by chance Ozzie gives it to Vazquez, Buehrle would be the starter for the home opener.

QUOTE(Brian @ Jan 21, 2008 -> 09:33 PM) Yeah, but Venom is better. Not in my book. How bout Crush stepping on that chicks head last night...hahaha

QUOTE(Kid Gleason @ Jan 22, 2008 -> 09:00 AM) Ah, I love that one! It's all the reaction of the applying roomate that makes that one funny. His facial reactions are great! Any of the "Dude" commercials. I hate the word "dude", so a minute spot of "guys being guys" and using only that word drives me up a friggin' wall. Speaking of that, any commercial that shows "guys being guys". The commercials for medical crap where you have the 5 guys going rafting, and grilling out and chumming it up with each other. Ugh. I hate that whole "this is what men are, this is what men like, this is what men do" crap. HaHa, I have the "Dude" in my favorite commercials list...so to each his own I guess. But what the heck do ya have against guys being guys anyway? I go on a "guys" vacation every year...We usually golf, grill, drink, and I imagine if we ever went some place with rafting...we would do that too.... For the record though...I have no idea what commercial you're talking about...

QUOTE(CanOfCorn @ Jan 21, 2008 -> 03:33 PM) We are moving back to Chicago in the next two months, as well. And are going thru the same problems. Not sure what to do, but we own right now and I'm not looking forward to the possibility of moving twice in a year if we decide to rent for a year. While I understand that the market is going to go down a little bit, but rent vs. buy is probalby going to depend on how long you are going to be there. If you do stay there for a year or two, then maybe now isn't the best time. But, if, like ss2k5 says, you get a 30 year fixed and decide to stay a long time (probably 5+ years), buying is probably the way to go. But, I'm no financial analyst, so...there you go. Ahem...I have a townhouse for sale!!! PM if interested

I forget who gave me this info, but it was someone from this site...so thanks again to whoever that was...here ya go.... www.visittucson.org and www.dotucson.com are good places for info. It gets dark down there about 6 to 6:30 so you should fit in 9 holes after the games. Seeing the players ... Maloney's on 4th Avenue (4th Ave. is where you'll want to hang out), Bob Dobb's Sports Bar on E. 6th Ave. and some of the restaurants out on E. Tanque Verde Dr. which they call Restaurant Row. Also near campus there's Gentle Ben's (brewpub) and across the street is Frog and Firken. The latter two are not far from 4th Ave. All the games are at 1:05 pm. It is a big complex with several fields, most of the "B" games take place late morning, around 10:30 or so and you can just walk up and watch. _____________________________ When I was there a couple years ago. We went out to eat on a Tuesday and asked some of the waitstaff where to go and they said Cactus Moon would be fun that night because they had a 80's rock band there. Well it was a pretty kick ass time...and was the highlight of our trip. It was jacked up, so if that's not your thing skip it....but everyone was having a great time..I'd definitely recommend it for a night of getting stoopid. http://www.metalheadrocks.com/

QUOTE(The Critic @ Jan 21, 2008 -> 12:00 PM) Tonight The Stars Speak Speak of the Devil

QUOTE(Brian @ Jan 20, 2008 -> 09:29 PM) Dude. Duuuude!!!

QUOTE(RME JICO @ Jan 18, 2008 -> 01:01 PM) GRNDR05 or 08 WTF KW OZ4PREZ SOXOFF PODSOUT GOODGYS SWISHER or SWISH30 OCABLUV PUNCHAJ THOME25 STN2STN 1BADPEN SOXKYOU DEEPSOX NOROOKS Some good ones there. nice job!! Sox U Up is availale

QUOTE(Steve9347 @ Jan 18, 2008 -> 12:39 PM)

QUOTE(YASNY @ Jan 18, 2008 -> 11:16 AM) I'll tell you something my friend, and I mean this merely as a statement of reality and not any disrespect to you or your views, but there is a vast majority of people north of South Texas that feel very very strongly about the border/immigration issue and they don't agree with you. That issue is also a deal breaker for most voters. Having said that, there are so many problems with the GOP candidates not named McCain that I think he'll win the nomination unless there is an open convention. If that happens, think Gingrich. Edit to add: I hadn't read your remark in the other thread about KY kids when I typed this post. It would have had a different tone, I believe. McCain is right in line with all the democrats on immigration and on one of my most important issues, chain migration, he is horrible.

Saw Juno last night....I really enjoyed it. I share some other's opinions on the dialogue...Gilmore Girls is a perfect reference. I only saw that show a couple times, but Juno's lingo has the same vibe. What's different is she also ads in some perfect teenage dialogue and teenage reactions/antics to make it all work together. One thing though

I bought my wife a charm bracelet last xmas. It makes holidays like this a breeze. I'm buying a charm for her bracelet. For those married guys here, it's the way to go. If your wife isn't the charm bracelet type...convert here!!! You'll always have a gift to buy...even if you wait till the last minute...not that I do that or anything.

NSFW

QUOTE(CWSGuy406 @ Jan 16, 2008 -> 10:54 AM) Yes yes! They're unfunny and completely uncreative. The scary thing is, I've been at 'bar' type places where those commercials run on Sundays, and they usually draw several laughs from the audience. They're trying to completely ruin the Green and Mora tirades. The thing that really bugs me about these commercials is I think they could be funny if a little more thought was put into it.

QUOTE(fathom @ Jan 15, 2008 -> 09:56 AM) So I read elsewhere that the lady who lost last night, Belinda Gavin, is actually a softcore adult actress. Yep. http://theithacan.org/blogs/bigspoon/2008/...ican-gladiator/ Also if you do a image search withher name...that pretty much confirms it. The Soccer mom rocked her s*** anyway!!

QUOTE(iamshack @ Jan 14, 2008 -> 02:36 PM) Something to be said for Hilary's experience in the White House though, whether she was just First Lady or not. She has real-world experience regarding the pressures, the heat of the spotlight, etc. She has more experience than any of the other candidates, in some light. Couldn't pass up posting this here. Clinton/Favre analogy In a news conference Deanna Favre announced she will be the starting QB for the Packers this coming Sunday. Deanna asserts that she is qualified to be starting QB because she has spent the past 16 years married to Brett while he played QB for the Packers. During this period of time she became familiar with the definition of a corner blitz, and is now completely comfortable with other terminology of the Packers offense. A survey of Packers fans shows that 50% of those polled supported the move. Does this sounds idiotic and unbelievable to you? Well, Hillary Clinton makes the same claims as to why she is qualified to be President and 50% of democrats polled agreed. She has never run a City, County, or State. When told Hillary Clinton has experience because she has 8 years in the white house, Dick Morris stated "so has the pastry chef."

QUOTE(NorthSideSox72 @ Jan 11, 2008 -> 12:34 PM) And one other thing. Saddam was not the reason for the war - never was. He was an excuse, as were WMD and a myriad of other reasons given when WMD showed to be false. The Iraq war was an attempt at a neo-con revolution in the Middle East. They saw the ongoing clash with Islamic Fundamentalists, and decided the best approach to wipiing them out was to set up an anchorhead in the region. This base of operations could be used, not just militarily, but even more so politically, to spread democracy and capitalism, leading to an eventual demise of extremism by way of immersion into an American political schema. Right or wrong, that was clearly their motivation. And Iraq was the perfect target - oil, educated population, bordering many of the key countries in the region, sea port access, lots of open space if needed, a weakened leader (because the UN sanctions and no-fly zones were WORKING), a military in tatters, and some nearby countries willing to help. WMD, Saddam's dicatorship, AQ linkage... those were simply marketing efforts. Alrighty then...Glad you have it all figured out. I think you should continue your comments in the "For Dems only" thread...If I'm interested, I'll come for a looksie....