JASON EAKEN is a writer and director. He graduated with a BFA in Acting from the University of Central Missouri, where he learned that, if you're not acting hard, you're hardly acting. he's performed in nearly 30 plays and musicals, co-hosted the podcast EXPERTS AND INTERMEDIATES, and currently writes at: www.eakenation.wordpress.com. Next up, Jason is working on a helpful literature series about his craft, which includes the following titles: "There's Only One 'I' in 'Acting,' and it's Me," "Stand Back... ACTING!" and "Hand Me My Props, I'm About to Go Off!" He lives alone.
JASON'S BLOG ENTRIES:
On Set
The simplest thing to say is there’s nothing like being on a movie set. There’s nothing simple about being on-set itself either. It’s chaos: all busy and technical and clustered and there’s a lot of waiting involved sometimes. But it’s the most exciting kind of chaos: creative.
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Culture-of-Goal
I am a Christian not usually moved by Church. What I mean is this: I go to church, I can appreciate the ideas and truth content of a sermon, but rarely does the experience – the packaging, if you will – itself move me. Oftentimes, I leave slightly fussy and have to get over myself on the car ride back home. This is not a film. This is not a novel. This is not art. This is proclamation on a 7-day cycle. Pastors don’t have teams of writers like sitcoms and anytime I think, “Well, hell, maybe they should” I am immediately struck by the stupidity and un-enlightened-ness of the concept. It is just possible that the sermon was not crafted with me in mind – and that it shouldn’t have to be for me to be willing to see what it’s saying. This is a lesson continually learned. For myself and people like me, small group meetings are more fulfilling: discussing verses, digging into them more than usually happens in a sermon. This is where His words come alive for me.
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Termination Facilitation at 10,000 Feet
Jason Reitman is the real thing. Though comparisons to the family patriarch may never go away, he has managed to effortlessly establish himself as his own entity. At 32 years old, he is one of the best filmmakers working today. More impressive than his age, he's done it in just three films, all comedies. His latest, Up in the Air, is also his best.
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Nature is Satan's Church
It is a firmly held belief of mine that I would rather see a well-made movie I disagree with than a poorly made film that plays it safe. In some cosmic or telepathic way, Lars von Trier has become aware of this and has made a film that challenges anyone and everyone who holds a similar belief. It is Antichrist, and was made in the full spirit of its title.
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Everything That Was Written
Quotations are important to me. In my apartment, there are three large stacks of blank notecards and a black permanent marker, so that whenever a new one comes into my life, I can write it down. There are about 50 next to this keyboard right now – quotations from movies, books, songs, interviews, and many from The Bible.
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"Wild Thing, I Think I Love You"
Where the Wild Things Are is like a sneak attack on the idea of a Hollywood blockbuster. From behind enemy lines. It is unconventional, unique, messy and decidedly itself. Its director’s two previous film were strange, independent comedies and he hasn’t made a movie since 2002. It is based on a short children’s book by Maurice Sendak that is devoid of any thick mythology or epic battle sequences between good and evil. It’s about a 9-yr old beginning to figure himself out. That filmmaker Spike Jonze got the money to make the movie – and make it his way – is like a beacon of hope in the night for the ship of cinema, which many see as a bloated vessel lost in a sea of special effects.
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A Good Christian Movie?
Dan Merchant’s new documentary is a timely film, both in its use of popular documentary film techniques and its approach to Christians. In a time when the loudest voice usually wins the day, here is a film that is surprisingly pleasant. It follows Merchant across the country as he seeks to understand the widening gap between faith and culture. With both sides of the isle locked in fisticuffs, how do you determine progress? Has the winner changed anyone’s mind? Is the only reason they’re declared the winner because the other side simply stopped arguing and walked away?
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Apatow Enters Adulthood
I saw Funny People last night, and I just can’t stop thinking about it. It’s the new movie from writer/director Judd Apatow, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll probably have to wait for DVD, because unfortunately it’s kind of come and gone in theaters. Maybe it wasn’t the movie people expected when they heard Apatow, Seth Rogen, and Adam Sandler were making a movie together. Maybe they saw the trailer and were turned off (most of that material isn’t even in the movie, either. Bad marketing team…bad).
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Art, for God's Sake
I moved to Los Angeles to make movies, because I believe that is what God put me on this Earth to do. I am a Writer. Director. Actor. In that order.
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They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Label
As a Christian who grew up in a Christian household, I'm an accurate barometer for the matter at hand. When my parents bought me a CD player as a gift, they included the newest DC Talk album. When my parents realized I responded to the dry humor of the likes of David Letterman and the self-deprecation of Conan O'Brien, they asked the church counselor for help. To this day, when my mother sees a book of mine laying out, she will ask me if it has any "nasty language" in it. Every radio pre-set is Christian radio, my mother even cooks to Christian talk radio. When it comes to movies, my parents venture into the mire of secular films occasionally but with reluctance. If the movie is rated "R," its chances of being watched decrease by approximately 97%.
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