1. The state of being away.
2. The time during which one is away.
3. Lack; want: an absence of leadership.
4. The state of being absent-minded; inattentiveness: absence of mind.
Its incredible it´s been 20 years...
1994....it was an ERA.
Not too long ago....In a time where the internet did exist, but mostly to do home work. One of the most important years in my life. I turned 16 and entered high school. My life was about to change.
In an over exposure of images and sounds going from pop culture to film making. I became hungry for music videos, magazines & comic books, movie TRIVIA and playing Metallica riffs on my guitar. Smoking cigarrettes and drinking dark coffee.
Everyday i wanted more. A change was in fruition.
As Jules Winnfield and Vincent Vega discuss foot massages in Pulp Fiction , the sound of Alice in Chains "No excuses " on the radio and Kurt Loder saying KURT COBAIN IS DEAD. Oliver Stone´s Natural Born Killers was called our GENERATION´S "A Clock Work Orange", Alex Proyas directed The Crow and Trent Reznor sang "I ...hurt... myself today. to see... if i still feel !!! "
It was the year when ... Superman died and Batman was broken. John Candy played James Harlow in his last movie Wagon´s East. while Cypress Hill´s B-REAL screams "they say we are generation X..,.well i say we are generation FUCK YOU!!!"
All of this during a commercial break. The visual language was evolving. And it began to influence me in a lot of ways. Morphing into the unknown. The way I saw & understand EVERYTHING HAD CHANGED. We became faster viewers, demanding attention and visual literacy in every entertainment offer.
These are 3 examples of movies that made 94 a year to remember.
Pop Quiz Hot Shot!
SPEED is Jan De Bont´s masterpiece. Because it is flawless. I didn´t liked it too much at first. But as i´ve watched it over the years i find myself DRAWN to it. Watching it several times and saying it´s PERFECT. The good guy who saves the nice girl from a bus where the bad guy put a bomb. That simple. Destroy everybody.
To me Tim Burton´s best movie is ED WOOD. Because it is not about a troubled fictional character, its about a trully disturbed movie director. A man who had a lot to say and express but a secret so dark, he couldn´t be himself everywhere. Brilliantly filmed in exquisit Black and white. Johnny Depp´s portrayal of Hollywood´s worst horror/sci fi director is a life time role for him.
As Ed Wood serches for Bela Lugosi ( Martin Landau) to bring credibility to his work films. It resembles the life of Tim Burton as he searched for Vincent Price to do a role in Edward Scissorhands.
Johnny Depp most complex role and multi-dimensional character. by far. With such a brilliant cast, i love it is so underrated. It was always for rent at the video store.
"The gift of PAIN"
In BLOWN AWAY Tommy Lee Jones plays an irish terrorist living in Boston. Planting explosives and morbidly finding inspiration by singing U2´s... "With or Without you".
Starring Jeff Bridges as a bomb squad leader. A villain with a slogan " to create a new country called Chaos and a new goverment called Anarchy"
1994 meant the beginning of my love for editing and the attention to detail in every aspect of television & movies. It was a musical revolution also. I always loved movies but i began to respect their makers. Realizing it was a team effort. Music videos introduced me to a lot of bands i wasn´t aware of or hadn´t listened yet. I realized both music and films could embrace. I had found my true calling in life. Whatever i was going to study ...It had to be something with sound and image. I had to love it. Not because i wanted a job. But because i needed to be happy.
Not only in films have i learned the visual language.
I also must recognize my favorite MTV teachers:
Anton Corbjin, Matt Mahurin, Wyne Isham, Samuel Bayer and Mark Pellington. Who directed some of my favorite music videos the backbone of my visual culture.
I proudly can say images & sounds remain to this day on my life, 20 years later.
My absence is gone.
love Ed Wood!
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