Director | Writer | Editor
So recently I've had the opportunity to work with UFC's, Arianny Celeste on some projects. Mostly on her up coming music projects but more recently on some of the amazing charity work she does. Check out the video below of her helping UCLA's Sigma Pi fraternity and their charity event along with one of the music projects we did.
Anyone who knows me knows that I tend to go on these creative hibernations where no one sees nor hears from me for weeks, even months, at a time. Even normally, unless it's someone's birthday, or an old friend is in town, I tend to stay in to edit, write, read, watch movies, pretty much anything to get better and learn more about my craft. I figure that people who are better/way more successful than me are working just as hard if not harder, so how could I just hang out? I know, it's pretty lame and I'm working on bringing a little more balance to my life this year.
With that said, my most recent creative hibernation is coming to an end and I could begin telling you all about my latest film, a psychological thriller, Happy Birthday, Claire!
It's a project that I've been wanting to shoot for a while now and was finally given the opportunity to do so through this director's fellowship that I've been a part of for the past several months, Armed With A Camera, held by Visual Communications through the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival.
The film is about a broken couple and the horrific lengths they're willing to go in the name of family and tradition and it poses the question, "How far are you willing to go to look after your own?"
The teaser is below and it's premiering at the LA Asian Pacific Film Festival on April 24th at 8pm in the Aratani Theater in downtown Los Angeles.
So if you're in LA, come through and check it out ! My film will be programmed with the other amazingly talented filmmakers in the fellowship who will all be screening their amazing films as well.
Here's a link to purchase tickets: http://laapff.festpro.com/films/program/vc_digital_posse_ver_2016_2016
About a year ago, I read about how director, Steven Soderbergh made a list of everything he's seen, read, and listened to in 2014. It was crazy to see what someone with his creative talent consumes on a daily basis. Inspired by this, I decided to make a list of my own for everything that I watched in 2015. I'm planning on continuing my list through 2016. Keep in mind, this list doesn't include the countless amount of time spent watching news and sports programs.
All caps, bold - FILM
All caps - TV SHOW
All italics - Book
Quotation marks - “Play”
01/01 - KEY AND PEELE (1 Episode)
01/02 - MEAN STREETS
Kamehameha: The Rise of a King
01/03 - RESURRECTION (4 Episodes)
THE BABADOOK
01/04 - RESURRECTION (10 Episodes)
01/05 - FAMILY GUY (1 Episode)
BEING: MIKE TYSON (2 Episodes)
RESURRECTION (4 Episodes)
01/06 - PSYCHO (1960)
ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS
01/07 - WORLD WAR Z
BEING: MIKE TYSON (2 Episodes)
01/08 - BEING: MIKE TYSON (2 Episodes)
01/09 - TAXI DRIVER
THE DROP
BOTTLE ROCKET (Short)13 SINS
THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL
1/11 - METRO MANILA
1/13 - ENTOURAGE
TAKEN
1/14 - TAKEN 2
1/16 - ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS (2 EPISODES)
1/20 - THE INTERVIEW
1/22 - JOHN WICKE
1/23 - CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
RAGING BULL
1/26 - SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
1/27 - DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS
INSOMNIA
1/28 - RESURRECTION (1 EPISODE)
1/29 - JOHN WICKE
1/30 - 13 SINS
FRUITVALE STATION
LOCKE
1/31 - XMEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
AUSTIN POWERS
WOLF ON WALL STREET
ESCAPE PLAN
2/6 - KORENGAL
2/7 - KILL BILL 1
2/9 - UNDER THE BLOOD RED SUN
2/10 - A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE
2/11 - Ancient Hawai’i
2/12 - Ancient Hawai’i
2/14 - Ancient Hawai’i
A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
2/15 - Ancient Hawai’i
BIG HERO 6
LIMITLESS
2/16 - TROPICAL THUNDER
Ancient Hawai’i
2/17 - DEMOLITION MAN
KILL BILL 1
IN BRUGES
2/18 - Ancient Hawai’i
2/19 - KILL BILL 1
2/20 - Ancient Hawai’i
KILL BILL 1
2/21 - Hawai’i In Love
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY
2/22 - STARSHIP TROOPERS
2/23 - KILL BILL 2
2/24 - SOUTH PARK
2/25 - Ruling Chiefs of Hawai’i
THE MATRIX
NEW GIRL (2 Episodes)
2/26 - Obake Files
2/27 - SHAOLIN SOCCER
STAR WARS IV: A NEW HOPE
2/28 - STAR WARS V: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
“The Doll”
3/1 - STAR WARS VI: RETURN OF THE JEDI
FRESH OFF THE BOAT (2 Episodes)
3/2 - FRESH OFF THE BOAT (3 Episodes)
WHIPLASH (SHORT)
STAR WARS I: THE PHANTOM MENACE
3/3 - CHUNGKING EXPRESS
3/10 - SOUTH PARK
3/11 - FRESH OFF THE BOAT
3/12 - THE DAILY SHOW
3/13 - THE DAILY SHOW
INDIANA JONES: RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARC
3/14 - WAYNE'S WORLD
3/15 - SOUTH PARK
INTERSTELLAR
3/16 - 22 JUMP STREET
3/17 - TOSH.0
THE DAILY SHOW
BLOOD TIES
3/18 - AZIZ ANSARI LIVE AT MADISON SQUARE GARDEN
THE DAILY SHOW
3/19 - THE DAILY SHOW
3/20 - THE DAILY SHOW
FAMILY GUY
3/23 - LA BAMBA
RASHOMON
THE HOUSE AT THE END OF TIME
3/24 - ARCHER
3/25 - ARCHER
3/26 - SOUTH PARK
THE DAILY SHOW
3/27 - SOUTH PARK
THE DAILY SHOW
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
3/28 - THE TWILIGHT ZONE
3/29 - THE TWILIGHT ZONE
3/30 - SOUTH PARK
THE DAILY SHOW
OUTER LIMITS
3/31 - SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
4/1 - OUTER LIMITS
4/2 - SOUTH PARK
THE TWILIGHT ZONE
4/3 - MEGAMIND
4/4 - THE TWILIGHT ZONE
OUTER LIMITS
4/5 - OUTER LIMITS
SOUTH PARK
4/6 - TAKEN 3
OUTER LIMITS
4/10 - CAPTURE (SHORT)
IN THE MOOD (SHORT)
SOUL WINNER (SHORT)
UNBRIDLED (SHORT)
THE SIGNING (SHORT)
FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
MR. HAPPY (SHORT)
4/11 - ANNIE HALL
FUNNY PEOPLE
4/12 - THE KING OF COMEDY
CHEF
4/13 - THE DAILY SHOW
4/14 - TWILIGHT ZONE
4/16 - DAILY SHOW
TWILIGHT ZONE
THE CRAZIES
4/23 - DJANGO
4/24 - PLANET TERROR
4/25 - WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS
4/26 - DJANGO
ENTOURAGE
4/27 - ENTOURAGE
5/8 - ENTOURAGE
5/9 - ENTOURAGE
5/10 - ENTOURAGE
5/11 - THE JINX
5/12 - THE JINX
5/13 - ENTOURAGE
5/14 - FIST OF LEGEND
5/16 - UNBROKEN
5/18 - AMERICAN SNIPER
EX MACHINA
5/19 - GAME OF THRONES
5/20 - GAME OF THRONES
UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
5/21 - UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT
5/22 - He Leo Hou: A New Voice
22 JUMP STREET
5/23 - ENTOURAGE
He Leo Hou: A New Voice
5/24 - He Leo Hou: A New Voice
PHANTOM OF THE OPERA
5/25 - THE DAILY SHOW
5/27 - GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL
5/28 - CHARLIE CHAPLIN'S CITY LIGHTS
5/30 - FURIOUS 7
5/31 - FURIOUS 7
GAME OF THRONES
6/1 - THE WALKING DEAD
6/2 - MAGGIE
GET HARD
6/4 - THE WALKING DEAD
6/5 - THE WALKING DEAD
6/6 - ENTOURAGE
THE WALKING DEAD
FURY
6/7 - THE WALKING DEAD
6/8 - THE WALKING DEAD
ENTOURAGE
6/10 - ENTOURAGE
GAME OF THRONES
6/11 - ENTOURAGE
HOT GIRLS WANTED
6/14 - JURASSIC WORLD
GAME OF THRONES
6/16 - ENTOURAGE
6/17 - ENTOURAGE
6/20 - ENTOURAGE
6/25 - I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
6/28 - KICK ASS
7/9 - GOD OF LOVE
7/11 - MAD MAX: FURY ROAD
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE
7/18 - SPY
7/27 - JEFF ROSS ROASTS PRISON
7/28 - PRETTY LITTLE LIARS
FAST AND FURIOUS 7
8/1 - NIGHTCRAWLER
BIRDMAN (DNF)
UNFRIENDED
8/2 - SHORT TERM 12
BO JACKMAN
8/14 - STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
8/19 - BACK TO THE FUTURE II
How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/20 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/21 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/22 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/23 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/24 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/25 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/26 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/27 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/28 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/29 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/30 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
8/31 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/1 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/2 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/3 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
ENTOURAGE
9/4 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
ALOHA
9/5 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
ENTOURAGE
AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON
9/6 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
SAN ANDREAS
9/7 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/8 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/9 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
SAN ANDREAS
9/10 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/11 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/12 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/13 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/14 - How to Build a Great Screenplay
9/15 - Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance
9/16 - Aziz Ansari's Modern Romance
9/20 - THE DAILY SHOW
INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
9/21 - THE DAILY SHOW
KEY AND PEELE
INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
9/22 - KEY AND PEELE
INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
9/24 - THE DAILY SHOW
KEY AND PEELE
INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
9/26 - KEY AND PEELE
INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
9/27 - THE DAILY SHOW
ENTOURAGE
10/21 - THE DAILY SHOW
CASUAL
10/22 - THE DAILY SHOW
10/23 - SOUTH PARK
THE DAILY SHOW
10/24 - INSIDE AMY SCHUMER
10/26 - SOUTH PARK
10/27 - THE WALKING DEAD
DEMITRI MARTIN
10/28 - ANTHONY JESELNIK: THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS
BILL BURR: I’M SORRY YOU FEEL THAT WAY
AZIZ ANSARI: INTIMATE MOMENTS FOR A SENSUAL EVENING
ROBERT KELLY: LIVE AT THE VILLAGE UNDERGROUND
10/29 - THE DAILY SHOW
10/30 - SOUTH PARK
FAMILY GUY
THE SIMPSONS
11/3 - THE DAILY SHOW
ROOM 237
11/5 - THE DAILY SHOW
11/9 - THE WALKING DEAD
11/10 - THE DAILY SHOW
TWINSTERS
11/11 - THE DAILY SHOW
TOSH.O
11/12 - THE DAILY SHOW
11/16 - WALKING DEAD
ENTOURAGE
11/17 - ENTOURAGE
11/18 - THE DAILY SHOW
PARKS & REC
11/19 - THE DAILY SHOW
PARKS & REC
SNL
11/20 - THE DAILY SHOW
SNL
DRUNK HISTORY
11/25 - FAMILY GUY
MASTER OF NONE
11/27 - CREED
11/30 - THE WALKING DEAD
Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
12/1 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
THE DAILY SHOW
DRUNK HISTORY
12/2 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
THE DAILY SHOW
12/3 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
THE DAILY SHOW
12/4 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
THE DAILY SHOW
DRUNK HISTORY
KUNG FURY
12/5 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
WALT DISNEY SHORTS
12/7 - LOUIS C.K.: OH MY GOD
12/8 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
12/9 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
THE DAILY SHOW
12/10 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
THE DAILY SHOW
12/11 - Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television
THE DAILY SHOW
ARCHER
12/20 - STAR WARS IV: A NEW HOME
STAR WARS V: EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
12/21 - THE HATEFUL EIGHT
12/23 - SPECTRE
12/25 - SCROOGED
JURASSIC PARK
12/27 - SPECTRE
I'm sure you've seen someone put up the "shaka" or "hang loose" sign at one point or another, especially if you're from the West Coast and especially, especially if you're from Hawai'i. I recently sat down with my Great Grandmother and she had some interesting things to say about the origin of Hawai'i's famous hand sign. Enjoy!
I'm fortunate to have my grandparents on both sides of my family still alive. I'm even lucky enough to have my Great Grandmother on my father's side still alive. She actually just turned 92 last month! She's been tackling all her fears and has pretty much done everything from skydiving to traveling all over the world. She even went zip-lining on her birthday last month! Every time I talk to her, I learn something new, so I've been trying to film her stories as much as I can whenever I got back home. With the anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor right around the corner, I put this video together where she talks about the day of the attacks. She was a Senior in high school on that historic day.
Click here and give us 5 stars!!
"Anything Goes."
https://crashthesuperbowl.doritos.com/video/2776
I'm sure that many of you over the years have seen the Crash the Super Bowl competition held by Doritos. If you're one of the few that haven't, it's a competition that Doritos holds where they invite anyone in the world to create a 30 second commercial to where the winner gets their commercial played during the Super Bowl and one million dollars. Yeah. Crazy. Turns out this year is the last year that they're holding it so a good friend of mine, Jin Namkung (P-Hound to all you Arrested Development fans), hit me up and we got a bunch of people together and shot this little gem. So help us when a million dollars! All you have to do is click on the link and give the video "Anything Goes" five stars! Thanks all!!
This is one of those sketches that, while I was editing it, I kept laughing and repeating "This is SO stupid! We are so stupid!" Be warned: It's a little creepy and kinda, sorta, maybe NSFW. Enjoy!
Another one of the talented people that I worked with when I taught at the creative arts summer camp this past summer has a sketch comedy channel called Laughing Cat Pictures. We recently collaborated and I acted in his sketch about the recent phenomenon that is "Netflix and chill" which is kinda crazy to me because I used to say that phrase years ago before it became a thing. But I swear that when I used to use it, it was purely innocent..most of the time. I'm kinda bummed that the phrase has become mainstream and the "cat is out of the bag"! Get it?! Never mind....But yeah, here it is!
So I finally pulled myself to watch Cameron Crowe's film, Aloha Now when I say "pulled", I really mean that I pulled, fist over fist, like Sylvester Stallone hauling people up the mountain in Cliffhanger "PULLED".
I had seen the trailer to the film and I was already tripping out over Emma Stone's "This forest has a lot of mana" line and had no intention on seeing the full film until I told my comedy sketch partner, Rian, about my idea to write a sketch about the trailer of the film. He had watched it whole thing and insisted that I watch the film fully if I was planning on writing something on it. Initially I was hesitant until he said, "Watch it. It's SO much worst than you'd ever expect."
So I popped some popcorn, cozied up on my couch, and illegally downloaded the film. There was NO way I'd give my hard earned dollars to that abomination of a movie. At the end of the movie, I just sat there in silence. It was the most ignorant, blatantly condescending thing I've seen in a long time. My mind kept going back to the articles I read up unto that point about how this was Cameron Crowe's "love letter to Hawai'i" and how he did years and years of research with "actual Hawaiians" to get everything correct. Which, don't get me wrong, he did his research and the information was correct, but the way it was presented was so condescending that I couldn't believe how ignorant he must be if he truly meant this to be a respectful "love letter".
The Aloha film was about as respectful as having a crazy uncle who used to molest you as a child, suddenly come and visit you on your birthday, only to give you a Vegetales rap album because he remembers that you used to listen to hip hop when he'd try to suck your dick.
The Aloha film was was about as respectful to Hawai'i as this video is respectful to hip hop. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjXuFDteZ3Y)
NOTHING about Hawai'i was relevant to the main plot of the story. It was just an extremely poor excuse for Cameron Crowe to shoot in Hawai'i. NOTHING about Emma Stone's "Allison Ng" character was Hawaiian or even remotely ethnic other than the fact that in every scene she would actually have to SAY that she's a quarter Hawaiian or horribly pronounce a Hawaiian word to PROVE that she's Hawaiian (wasn't there someone on set to help her with that?!). That's like her playing a mixed black character and then speaking Swahili to prove it. And don't get me started with all the supernatural menehune/night marcher/lono scenes. I really couldn't believe how truly condescending it was.
But it wasn't the writing or Cameron Crowe's ignorance that upset me the most. What upset me the most was the involvement and adamant backing up of the film by Hawai'i's very own sovereign "leader", Bumpy Kanahele. I had a friend who had a small part later on in the film and I didn't have a problem with her part. She most likely didn't get a full script and being an actress from Hawai'i and having the opportunity to get flown back home for a Cameron Crowe film with that amazing cast, of course she'd take the job. I would have.
But Bumpy Kanahele was a consultant on the film. He no doubt had a full script. He no doubt saw how condescending that film was to Hawai'i and its people, but he still did it AND backed it up. And knowing how films are made, I'm sure he (and his buddies) got paid a lot of money for his part and for the use of his compound AND he most likely had to sign Non-disclosure agreements stating that he had to publicly defend the film during the marketing of it. So OF COURSE, he's going to say stupid shit like "This film is good for Hawai'i". Upon speaking with a lot of Hawaiians in the community, many didn't seem surprised on Bumpy Kanahele's apparent sell out. Funny thing, the scene immediately after Bumpy's scene, Bradley Cooper tells Emma Stone "this is how Hawai'i works. It's all about money". I guess so, huh.
In fact, only way I could believe that a person like Bumpy Kanahele truly believes that this movie is "good for Hawai'i" is if I think about how, at his age, it's possible that he may be thinking that we need to get Hawaiian issues in something, ANYTHING, despite how ignorant the overall product is. Which I get, but I don't get, because I'll never stop agree to that thinking and I'll never stop fighting to tell the right stories, the right way, about our people.
Maybe he lost his way and he really feels that the amount of publicity is worth the ignorant parts of the movie. Or maybe it has to do with the fact that he's running for office right now? Who knows?
In any case, I had to shoot this sketch after watching the film. And as hesitant as I was to put it up, I knew we had to call him out because really, hat kind of Hawaiians would I be if we don't?
So while I was at that summer camp I taught at, I met some amazing and talented people. Kelly McRae was one of these amazing and talented people and the music teacher for the program. I recently had the privilege to edit their music video. This is such a beautiful song so check it out!