On this day in movie history - Dead Poets Society (1989):

Dead Poets Society,

directed by Peter Weir,

written by Tom Schulman,

was released in the United States on June 2, 1989.
Music by Maurice Jarre.

“We don't read and write poetry because it's cute.

We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race.

And the human race is filled with passion.

And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life.

But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

To quote from Whitman:
‘O me! O life! of the questions of these recurring, of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer: That you are here - that life exists, and identity, that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.’
That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
What will your verse be?”

– Robin Williams, as John Keating.

I went to the woods because I wanted to live deliberately …

I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life!

To put to rout all that was not life …

And not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived …

– Hand-written quote in this still is modified from the book Walden by Henry David Thoreau.

Cast:
Robin Williams, Robert Sean Leonard, Ethan Hawke, Josh Charles, Gale Hansen, Norman Lloyd, Kurtwood Smith, Dylan Kussman, Allelon Ruggiero, James Waterston, Alexandra Powers, Leon Pownall, George Martin, Carla Belver, Jane Moore, Kevin Cooney, Colin Irving, Matt Carey, John Cunningham, Joe Aufiery, Melora Walters, Welker White, Steve Mathios, Alan Pottinger, Pamela Burrell, Allison Hedges, Christine D'Ercole, Debra Mooney, John Martin Bradley, Charles Lord, Kurt Leitner, Richard Stites, James J. Christy, Catherine Soles, Hoover Sutton, James Donnell Quinn, Simon Mein, Ashton W. Richards, Robert Gleason, Bill Rowe, Robert J. Zigler III, Keith Snyder, Nicholas K. Gilhool, Jonas Stiklorius, Craig Johnson, Chris Hull, Jason Woody, Sam Stegeman, Andrew Hill, Serena Ebhardt, Joel Fogel, Newton Gilchrist, Barry Godin, Kate Kearney-Patch, Jamie Kennedy, Nancy Kirk, Stephen Podolak, Jeffrey Santoro, James R. Stoddard.

On this day in movie history - Tolkien (2019):

Tolkien

directed by Dome Karukoski,

written by David Gleeson and Stephen Beresford,

was released in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2019.
Music by Thomas Newman.

Cast:

Nicholas Hoult, Lily Collins, Al Bollands, Kallum Tolkien, Craig Roberts, Harry Gilby, Colm Meaney, Laura Donnelly, Guillermo Bedward, Nia Gwynne, Pam Ferris, Adrian Schiller, Albie Marber, Ty Tennant, Adam Bregman, Tony Nash, Michael Bryceson, Andrew Bissell, Owen Teale, Mimi Keene, Sian Crisp, Patrick Gibson, Anthony Boyle, Tom Glynn-Carney, Antony Barlow, James MacCallum, David Puckridge, David Bromley, Lara Maguire, Holly Dempster, Jane Dixon-Rowland, Genevieve O'Reilly, David Birkbeck, Colin Burnie, Derek Jacobi, Andy Orchard, Frank Kerr, Rob Rhys Bond, Joel Phillimore, John Bradfield, Mia Woods, Sienna Woods, Paul Gurcel Escudero, Harry Webster, Jack Riley.

Happy Easter:

On this day in movie history - The Shadow on the Window (1957):

The Shadow on the Window,

directed by William Asher,

written by Leo Townsend and David P. Harmon,

was released in the United States on March 6, 1957.
Based on the story Missing Witness by John Hawkins and Ward Hawkins, published in Cosmopolitan (1954).
Music by George Duning.

Cast:
Philip Carey, Betty Garrett, John Drew Barrymore, Corey Allen, Gerald Sarracini, Jerry Mathers, Sam Gilman, Rusty Lane, Ainslie Pryor, Paul Picerni, William Leslie, Doreen Woodbury, Ellie Kent.

“Gaslighting” is Merriam-Webster's choice for Word of the Year 2022:

“Gaslighting” is Merriam-Webster's choice for Word of the Year 2022:
 
Read the article:
 

Gaslighting: How to Recognize it and What to Say When it Happens

 
By Dr. Gabriela Sadurní Rodríguez
 

Gaslighting: How to Recognize it and What to Say When it Happens (thepsychologygroup.com)

Making the Bad Blood & Mall Maze trailer videos:

During the making of the video trailers for Bad Blood and Mall Maze, I got to make fake blood again.
Something I always loved to do during many Halloweens past.
Great fun.

There are various recipes for making fake blood, using water, flour, corn syrup, chocolate syrup, etc …
Through trial and error … a lot of trial and error … I eventually settled on clear liquid hand soap and food dye.
It’s easier and faster.
The soap already has a thick consistency, with an effect that mimics the slow flow, ooze and drip of real blood.

To make the fake blood, I filled a jar with soap, added red food dye, then green food dye to darken it.
Apply the green dye one drop at a time as you continue to mix.
If you add too much green, the solution turns brown and you have to dump it out and start over.
It’s that simple.
 
Choose the recipe that works best for you.
If you’re going to use my method – remember that it's soap.

Be cautious how you use it.
One advantage is that soap and food dye doesn’t permanently stain clothes.
I patch-tested a white washcloth and it cleaned no problem.
The disadvantage is that it’s SOAP.
Patch-test to make sure it doesn’t irritate your skin.
Get any in your eyes – it’ll sting.
Swallow any – it’ll make you sick.
Be mindful and careful.

Remember the pros and cons.

Pros ... it's soap.

Cons ... it's SOAP!
 
For the Bad Blood trailer, in reference to one of the key chapters in that novel, I repurposed the machete from my collection of gardening tools and two precision craft knives from my art tools I use for miniature model making.
In the future, I will be making videos using miniature models.
 
To make the fake blood flow down the blade, I used an applicator bottle with the narrow funnel.

You can control the flow better, with less mess and waste.

I draped one of my plain black T-shirts over the front of the sink.

The black fabric absorbs light and prevents reflection when filming metal surfaces.

My wife exclaimed: “What the …?!” when she walked into the bathroom and saw I’d used the fake blood to make a bloody handprint and put some nice smears around the inside of the tub.

Another advantage of using soap … it rinses away no problem.

For part of the Mall Maze trailer, again in reference to part of that novel, I filled my left driving glove with fake blood and let it ooze out through the seams for the effect of a wounded hand.

Using the same method of preventing reflection, with black curtains around the camera lens, I made another short film of the jar I’ll be using in a future video.

I'll be using the same blanketing method when filming and photographing a glass tank, for mixing inks and paints in water.

Below are the trailers for Bad Blood and Mall Maze:

Finally, here’s my assistant, Bodhi, our crazy Ragdoll cat: