It’s cliché, but where in the H does time go? We’re nearly in the smack dab middle of 2010 and I feel as though I just cracked the New Year’s cork a few weeks ago. C’est la vie. But the mid-year point got us to discussing, why shouldn’t we blog about five things that have very little to do with Gorilla film production? No reason not to!

1.) A small rant here but where have all the good movies gone this year? Disappointing films (e.g. Iron Man 2, Alice in Wonderland) and flat-out flops (e.g. MacGruber, Cop Out) have reigned supreme. Box-office receipts seem okay, considering, but that’s only because they’re gouging our wallets with sharpened spears, turning everything into 3-D and expecting us to pay for it. We’re forced to digest remakes (e.g. The Crazies, Clash of the Titans) and this weekend is giving us two 80’s remakes: The Karate Kid and The A-Team – do we really think these are going to be any good? The one shining moment in the first half of ’10 has to be How to Train Your Dragon. A delightful romp and guaranteed to be near the top of this guy’s best movies of the year list. Especially the way things are going. Come on, Hollywood. If you won’t make OUR movies, make something we want to watch, eh?

2.) The Waterfront Film Festival starts tonight in Saugatuck, Michigan. It celebrates some of the best filmmakers in this here state and beyond. Two such filmmakers being Alexander Caleb Slain and Jared Rummel, whose relentless efforts alongside us scrappers at Gorilla, brought to life “The Lost & Found Shop” – showing this weekend at the festival. Since this is about the 83rd time we’ve blogged about this movie, you’ll know we’re mighty proud of this little film that could and the collaboration that happened to make it so stinkin’ neat. (I realize that this has more than “very little” to do with Gorilla film production but I promise from here on out…nothing but nonsense.)

3.) Speaking of short films, the guys at Gorilla Pictures were recently exposed to this YOUTUBE TRAILER for a movie called (simply) “Movie Title”. It’s a trailer that celebrates all movie previews clichés … and I wish I had made it. Kudos to the minds behind this. Funny stuff.

4.) Coincidence? Fate? For all the dreamers out there, check this STORY out. Guy meets girl. They fall in love; they get engaged. Then, looking through photos for the wedding day, they realize that they had been in the same place, at the same time … 15 years before. Even the filmmakers at Gorilla have a soft spot for this balderdash.

5.) And last but not least, World Cup Soccer begins tomorrow!! Get your red, white and blue on (or whatever colors you bleed), grab a noisemaker, and turn it to ESPN because this once in a four-year event only happens every … well, four years. Eric Johnson and Eric Machiela have a soft spot for the World Cup and the immense popularity of it. Four years ago, just before the 2006 World Cup, they worked with Athletes in Action in seven (7) different countries, capturing the stories of several international soccer players. If you care – and you should, go back to the home page, click on the Project Map and navigate your mouse to Cote D’Ivoire (West Africa for the geographically illiterate), Germany, South Korea, Spain, or the U.K. and catch an excerpt. This is the world’s greatest sporting event, as evidenced by THIS PHOTO. No but seriously…it’s sweet.

That’s all for now. Enjoy the rest of 2010!

Hey reader – hope you enjoyed your transition into Daylight Savings Time as much as we did! A few bits of info regarding Gorilla Pictures and its band of merry men:

1.) Gorilla Pictures’ film production “The Lost and Found Shop” has made the top 20 films at the online film festival, The Doorpost. Congratulations to writer/director Caleb Slain and producers Jared Rummel and Aaron Smith for their tireless efforts. But before you start high fiving your neighbor, understand that it is just the first step of the competition, which is a multi-tiered operation. The next step is for all 20 filmmakers who passed the first round to draft a brand new screenplay on a specific topic (i.e. Truth, Hope, Sacrifice, etc.), of which only 5 will be chosen to be produced with a $40,000 budget. Fingers crossed (and under the creative endeavors of Caleb Slain & Co.), Gorilla will be informing you of great news within the next month or two.

2.) Gorilla also recently wrapped up post-production on a job for Crowe Horwath, LLP. The collaboration and partnership with them went great, as they entrusted us to tell their recent success story. We will be posting the work on our website shortly. Special thanks to Crowe’s client, Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department, for letting us take over their offices for a few days over the first week of March. And for all the patience and understanding they had while being so new to the oddity of film production.

3.) In case you don’t yet know, Gorilla Pictures now has its very own App! You can get it at the iTunes store. Just search: “Gorilla Production Reel”. We had someone download it from Taiwan earlier today. I guess this means we can finally put “internationally renowned” on our business cards.

4.) And lastly, we are happy to announce that we were recognized as one of the top production companies in film and television in the Grand Rapids Business Journal. Thanks to everyone who has partnered with us and trusted us to tell their story. More great things in 2010, we’re sure…

Adventures and mayhem loom on the horizon but we’ll get to them as they approach. Enjoy the opening rounds of March Madness! (And yet, because I’m aware that no one in film, video, or television production ever watches sports, I’m assuming that that phrase meant nothing to you.)

Last week, Gorilla filmmakers had good reason to rejoice. Our most recent project, produced for Grand Rapids’ own Crowe Horwath, took place at the Miami-Dade Juvenile Assessment Center in Miami, Florida. Although far from a vacation, it turns out that just working in a climate opposite to freezing Michigan is reason to celebrate.

The film will document Crowe’s successful implementation of “Quest,” a powerful software program designed to bring data organization and advanced analytics capabilities to Miami-Dade’s internationally recognized Juvenile System. The tale we’ve captured is somewhat surprising, as it is not a story of data analytics but rather of an organization empowered to influence the lives of the children struggling in their community.

It’s an interesting story to tell, and it reflects our desire to the discover the humanity in all of the projects we undertake – Commercial, Corporate, and Entertainment alike.

An especially big thanks to Derek Street, Tyler Garret and Ryan P. Photography for joining Gorilla on the project and working far beyond expectations.