LOVE

OK, so after five years of waiting, I finally saw the Angels and Airwaves movie, LOVE, in the theater last night.

The movie was playing for one night only on about 500 screens across the country. In my haste to secure seats, the first theater announced even near me is where I bought tickets. I was so excited I didn't know if they would sell out or what, so I just bought them on impulse. I bought them for a theater in Westminster, about twenty minutes away from my house. Little did I know at the time I bought them that if I had waited a week or so I would have found out the movie was actually playing right down the street from me too. Oh well, no big deal, I thought. It's only twenty minutes away and it will be an adventure and it will be fun to bring a few friends and go check this thing out.

Well, I didn't factor in that the movie started at 6pm and, because I live in Boulder, rush hour traffic out of Boulder around 5pm is always a huge mess. I totally forgot about this. I wanted to try and get to the theater around 5:30pm because I knew they were going to show all the short films I've been blogging about the past few days on the big screen and I thought it would be cool to see those in the theater. So, with a mere twenty minute drive in front of us and some traffic ahead, with Monika at the wheel and my friend Jeff in the backseat, we decided to leave Boulder at 4:45 and take back roads to try and avoid the traffic and get there sooner.

We got so turned around and lost and stuck in traffic even on those back roads that when we finally got to the theater it was a minute or so before 6pm, right when the feature movie was starting. Five years of waiting for a movie and I was actually late getting to it.

We met our friends Brian and Ken outside and all rushed in. Brian, Ken, and I walked into the theater while Monika and Jeff went to get drinks. As the three of us walked into the theater the lights were already down and the movie had started. I'd missed the introduction by the film makers and I don't know how much of the movie itself. But, we found seats and I settled in.

Monika and Jeff got into the theater a few minutes later but had already missed the scene below. One of the most epic scenes in the movie and they had missed it. So, Jeff, watch it now...here is what you missed before you came in.

From an epic Civil War battle scene the movie shifted to a man alone in a space station high above Earth. As he goes about his daily routine things start to slowly fall apart. The transmissions he gets from Earth slowly go from constant to few and far between and then, finally, no word at all. Looking at the Earth from space we see the lights of our cities slowly go out and plunge the world into darkness. One man, in a space station high above the world, is the last man left alive.

And then it gets weird.

I don't want to give too much away but it isn't your basic popcorn summer action type of movie. It's mostly about being isolated and how love and human connection are things that we all need as human beings. I loved the music, the feel of the movie, and I absolutely loved the cinematography. As for the story, I'll have to see it again once it comes out on DVD and really get a second look at it to figure it out.

But, for a five year wait, I wasn't disappointed.

More than the movie what impressed me was the way it was made.

After the movie was done the band, Angels and Airwaves, who came up with the concept of the movie, funded it, and scored it, did a live three song set from Boston of some of their most popular songs in brand new, pared down, arrangements. From there the singer and leader of the band, Tom, sat down with the director of the movie, Will, and the film's star, Gunner, and did a little Q&A session about how the film was made.

And that is what impressed and inspired me the most. For a movie that the director made on a small budget of five hundred thousand dollars it contained Civil War battles scenes, space stations, and alien (maybe?) visitors and really looked amazing. He ended up building most of the sets in his parents backyard with maybe one or two friends at a time. All in all, for the majority of the film, the most people working on the it at one time was maybe three or four souls. Sometimes it was just the director and the start of the movie going it alone. And that just impressed the hell out of me. It made me feel like I needed to do more.

After the Q&A the band Angels and Airwaves debuted their new single from the Love 2 album (the first Love album was released a year and a half ago as a free download) that will accompany the film when it makes it's way to DVD later this year.

Overall I really enjoyed the night and enjoyed the hell out of the project. It made me want to do more and create more and do more cool things. And this is coming from a guy who, at any time, is not only working on client work but it also working on a new comic book, writing a book of his life to accompany a collected book of his work, and recording an album of music.

It inspired me. That's the best way to describe what effect the movie had on me.

And, in the end, that's usually what I am looking for. When I go into a book store, watch a movie, or talk to people about projects, usually what I am looking for is inspiration. Inspiration to fire up my creative soul, inspiration to create new projects, and inspiration to finish the projects I have already started.

This movie and project gave me that. So, I say thank you to the director, the cast, and the band who made this movie happen. Thank you.

Now I just have to wait a mere few months until the movie is on DVD and I can be inspired all over again. I can't wait.

Have a great day and enjoy this clip from the starting of the film.