Mike Giuffrida

Image source: wordpress.com I’ve always believed that there were two films in Hollywood history that defined and divided eras. The first was Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece, “The Godfather,” and the second was the Wachowskis’ pride and glory, “The Matrix.” While it’s easy to see why “The Godfather” has the impact it has on the film industry, “The Matrix” isn’t given enough credit. “The Matrix” is a pioneering film of sorts, and probably the most stylish action movie ever made. It is science fiction, philosophy, fantasy, action, adventure, suspense, and thriller all rolled into a film shot with such grace and brutality that almost every other action movie that came out in the decades that followed strove to copy an element or two from it. Image source: empireonline.com The cinematography and color palette of “The Matrix” was so thick that it was virtually impossible to stylize any other film with a green-ish theme without calling it a copycat. Joel Silver, the...

Image source: LosAngeles.CBSLocal.com    The words “actor” and “Los Angeles” have always been a great fit for each other, because where else is a whole entertainment industry built around but in this fabulous city? More than those overpriced clubs and bars where paparazzi and Hollywood A-listers can be found, here are some places in LA where aspiring actors might want to hang out in. First, networking. Acting classes and workshops abound in LA, and they’re a great venue to meet and work with other actors while improving one’s craft. Reputable institutions such as the New York Film Academy are worth exploring with its well-reputed teachers and course of study that will take one in the right direction. Different organizations also put on so many pre-scheduled networking events meant to connect industry professionals with those who want to penetrate the entertainment field. Apart from these, there are also local Facebook groups, alumni groups, and union webpages in...

Image source: clutchpoints.com The opening day of NBA player-signing and trading came with a huge bomb-drop as LeBron made his new decision to take his talents to Los Angeles and the storied Lakers franchise.   While this did not come as a surprise to many, it nonetheless shifted the league’s balance of power to the already-loaded Western Conference.   LeBron has proven in the last eight seasons that his mere presence is enough to carry a team to the championship.   At a time when team basketball and torrid, small-ball shooting is dominating the league, the King is still able to muscle his way through, so to speak.   As a result, not a few experts are predicting the Lakers to make it to the Finals as early as this coming season.   Of course, the West is a different creature altogether.   What has proven effective in past seasons for LeBron-led teams may not work in a stacked conference that features the reigning champs Golden State as well...

Hollywood had its roots as a thriving agricultural community, and when it was established in 1853, there was only a single adobe hut on land outside Los Angeles.   Today it’s the center of the movie industry in the United States, a part of LA in the western state of California. By the 1870s, an agricultural community was flourishing in the area, and crops ranged from grain to hay to subtropical bananas.   In 1887, a man named Harvey Wilcox decided to sell some farmland he owned, hoping builders would put up houses there.   His wife thought the name Hollywood would be great for the housing development, although it should be noted that no actual holly trees grew in the state and she merely liked the sound of the term. As there’s some disagreement around who first named the place Hollywood, another account states that the name was coined by H. J. Whitley, the Father of Hollywood, where he and his wife Gigi reportedly produced the name in 1886 while on their h...

  Vloggers have become one of the go-to sources of information and entertainment in the new millennium, as the internet is now more accessible globally and streaming has become the norm.   Social media is more powerful than ever, and people who’ve seen its potential early on are now reaping the rewards.   Topping the list of superstars basking in YouTube glory is the Swedish content creator Felix Kjellberg, better known to many as PewDiePie.   The 28-year-old vlogger is the most popular in the platform, having amassed over 64 million subscribers as of this writing.   His typical posts rake in millions of views, ads, and, in effect, have made PewDiePie a certified young billionaire. Of course, like many current YouTubers, Felix began uploading videos just for fun.   Now, he has made content creation a full-time career that has become the industry’s template for success.   It all began when the video platform opened the doors for paying its t...

  After a long layoff and some soul-searching in the relative seclusion of a Wyoming resort, rap star Kanye West is back with his eighth studio album “Ye.”   The sitcom-length release has polarized critics and fans everywhere, some claiming that it goes against the grain and is West’s most experimental yet, while others insist that it’s just a receptacle of over-the-top missives and carelessly constructed instrumentation . What’s sure is that the album gets everyone more focused on his music once more.   “Ye” is a much-needed breather from Kanye’s many ridiculous and even scandalous political claims and positioning in recent months.   Hearing the eccentric songs in the short album, makes us forget for a while his affinity with Trump, as well as of the other, politically incorrect remarks he has made on rappers, race, and society in general.   The tracks feel jagged and sound raw, banking on a slew of samplings and a cappella rapping, reminiscent of ...

The internet broke this July when a video popped up showcasing Firefly actor Nathan Fillion alongside other notable Hollywood stars playing as characters in the renowned Playstation 4 game Uncharted.   That Fillion actually agreed to doing a fan-made Uncharted short movie was something out of left field, yet one that just might change how the entertainment industry looks at video game adaptations.   After all, everyone into the game knows that its lead character Nathan Drake was, in every way, modeled after Fillion.   Also, a full-length movie adaptation of Uncharted is currently in the works which would star Tom Holland instead.   Fans everywhere are elated by the short film directed by Allan Ungar as, though short, it came across as authentic, complete with the signature moves, antics, and humor of the Nathan Drake we’ve grown to love in the console game series.   There’s even a sequence about three-quarters into the film that truly captures how Drak...