Joseph Mallozzi's Blog, page 176

December 17, 2020: Remembering Steve DiMarco

Saddened to hear of the sudden passing of director Steve DiMarco who I worked with over two seasons of Dark Matter.  A unique individual with a sense of style all his own, Steve was one of this industry’s quickest and most efficient shooters, never failing to make his days, often wrapping early (to the delight of the crew).  He was also a thoughtful and kind-hearted individual who would, over lunch and between set-ups, swing on by my office for a casual chat.

I honestly didn’t know quite what to make of him on first meeting, this rebel punk in combat boots (and, if I remember correctly on that first day, a kilt), but we ended up forming an unlikely connection over a shared appreciation for The Prodigy, Ministry and, of course, good storytelling.

Steve’s first episode of Dark Matter was Season 2, Episode 3 “I’ve Seen the Other Side of You” that kicks off with one of the show’s most suspenseful openings: FIVE on the run from some unknown pursuers who, in the Tease’s closing seconds, are revealed to be her fellow crew members.  I remember watching the director’s cut of the that scene – the CLOSE SHOTS, the QUICK CUTS, the unbearable escalating tension as she evades capture, seemingly escapes, only to be snagged at the very last moment.  It’s a terrific scene, one that puts Steve’s skills on full display – and simply blew me away in the editing suite.

He came back to direct two episodes in the show’s third season, Episode 3 “Welcome to the Revolution”, and Episode 11 “The Dwarf Star Conspiracy”.  The latter included a shot he pitched during prep week that I was, admittedly, dubious could be pulled off – a shot of an expanding blood pool whose widening compass captures the reflection of  our main baddie (played by actress Kate Drummond).  I was skeptical it would work, but Steve proved me wrong.  Proved me wrong AND wrapped before lunch.

Sure, he was fast.  But he was also very good.

We kept in touch via email after Dark Matter ended, meeting up for a sushi lunch back in January over which we discussed the state of the industry.  He was finding it increasingly difficult to land steady work despite his great body of work.  The pandemic only exacerbated the situation, but Steve remained upbeat in his messages, always checking in to see how I was doing.  The last time I heard from Steve was back in November when we exchanged emails and he told me about some writing he was doing.  It’s a shame he never got the opportunity to realize that work.

Steve DiMarco was one-of-a-kind.  And he will be missed.

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December 16, 2020: Amazing Comic Book Covers!

Just a few that caught my eye…

Mars Attacks/Red Sonja #4 – cover art by Arthur Suydam

Vengeance of Vampirella #12 – cover art by Ben Oliver

Vengeance of Vampirella #12 – cover art by Lucio Parrillo

Captain America #26 – cover art by Alex Ross

Deadpool #9 – cover art by Chris Bachalo

Star Wars: Darth Vader #8 – cover art by Aaron Kuder

The Immortal Hulk #41 – cover art by Alex Ross

Aquaman #66 – cover art by Dima Ivanov

Batman #104 – cover art by Francesco Mattina

Dark Nights: Death Metal #6 – cover art by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau

Nightwing #77 – cover art by Alan Quah

Rorschach #3 – cover art by Jock

Superman #28 – cover art by Gabrielle Dell’Otto

So, which were YOUR favorites?

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December 15, 2020: In case you missed it…

Here’s last night’s Orville Nation Dark Matter Episode 11 discussion with director Martin Wood.  Some tidbits and BTS stories here for Stargate fans as well.

One of the things we discussed was the possibility of doing a Stargate rewatch once we wrap up Dark Matter.  Anyone interested?

Whew.  I spent three hours zooming today.  First up was a conversation with the author of the the terrific fantasy series I’ll be adapting for the small screen.  A terrific guy.  Very much looking forward to working with him when the time comes.  Then, it was a two hour spin session with two other writers that covered everything from warp drives and wormhole travel to zero point modules and generation ships.

How about this holiday Yes/No?

Eggnog Bread Pudding! Is it even the holidays if you didn't have eggnog? pic.twitter.com/tqpZcQqfXo

— Chefclub Network (@ChefclubNetwork) December 4, 2020

A definite YES for me.  I mean, I’d definitely eat it…after someone else made it.

Informative if you are planning a long interstellar trip:

Making sense of the incredible speed of Light.

Acknowledgement: James O'Donoghue @physicsJ /NASA imagery pic.twitter.com/kkZEylJTHk

— Tech Burrito (@TechAmazing) December 15, 2020

 

Making sense of the incredible speed of Light.

Acknowledgement: James O'Donoghue @physicsJ /NASA imagery pic.twitter.com/kkZEylJTHk

— Tech Burrito (@TechAmazing) December 15, 2020

Fire in the hole!

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December 14, 2020: Orville Nation with special guest star Martin Wood! News of note! SGU!

Later today, Dark Mater and Stargate fans!  Orville Nation reconvenes for a discussion of Dark Matter Episode 10 with special guest star – Director Martin Wood!

DARK MATTER MONDAY

December 13, 2020: Suji Sunday!

 

You shall not pass!

Guilty!

Santa’s little helper.

A rare shot of Suji and her new friend, Roscoe – taken about a minute before she tried to attack him.

Sack o’ potatoes.

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December 12, 2020: Mecha Oishikatta!

Today, Akemi and I received an early Christmas gift from one of our good friends (code name: Black Jack!) in the form of this beautiful custom bento box via Shoushin, home of Toronto’s best sushi!

The bentos were bamboo.

Bento #1: (clockwise from top left) Ankimo, torotaku makimono and tamago, tako with spinach, and shirk.

Bento #2: Anago with sudachi.  Akemi’s favorite!

Bento #3: Chriashi.  Gorgeous, no?

Thank you, Black Jack!

Had a zoom call yesterday to discuss the outline for Project F.  No notes!  It’s both amazing and strange to be working with an exec who not only gets sci-fi, but is probably an even bigger fan of the genre than I am.  I’m on to script!

A week off for my Snow Monkeys as they earned a first round bye with their first place finish.  This week, we root for the Super Spreaders to upset L’s Legit Team, and for the Running Dead to conquer Darren’s Team!

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My Top 10 Favorite Mushrooms!

I’ve never been a fan of your common grocery store mushrooms (button, cremini) but have always loved the wild varieties.  Back when I used to frequent restaurants (Remember indoor dining?), October was always a month to look forward to because it was mushroom season and one could look forward to dedicated menus featuring everything from chanterelles to porcini, enoki to matsutake.  I miss those days.  And I miss some of the harder-to-find varieties that are near impossible to order fresh.  For the time being at least.

You’d thing it would be near impossible to come up with ten different types of mushrooms, but I’m going to surprise you.  Here are my Top 10 Favorites…

#10.  Lion’s Mane

Yes, they look like something that might populate an alien world, but they’re delicious cut (to resemble CT brain slices), and pan-fried with a little garlic, oil, salt, and black pepper.

 #9. Shiitake

This Japanese variety is an Akemi favorite and a common ingredient in her soups and stir-fries.

#8. Oyster

These are a great introductory mushroom for the uninitiated, lovely roasted with olive, salt, and a little garlic powder.

#7. Chanterelles

A mainstay of many a high-end French restaurant in the fall, they’re a highlight side dish, sautéed with butter and garlic.  A great accompaniment to a robust steak.

#6. Enoki

Another terrific Japanese variety, they offer a nice textural crunch that is atypical of most mushrooms.  Akemi loves them in soups but claims it’s hard to find quality product here in Canada.

#5. Matsutake

The grand-daddy of high-end Japanese mushrooms is this coveted variety whose subtle flavor is wonderful in soups or simply grilled with a touch of salt.

#4. Porcini

These incredibly flavorful mushrooms are perfect with pasta.

#3. Morels

They’re pricey, and a little labor intensive, but I think they’re worth the cost and effort.  I love them stuffed and/or roasted with a little olive and thyme.

#2. Maitake

Oven-roasted to crispy perfection with a little salt and garlic powder.

#1. Shaggy Manes

These are extremely elusive.  You can’t order them because of their extremely short shelf lives and, unless you can differentiate between them and other similar-looking toxic varieties, picking them in the wild can be a little dicey.  I haven’t had them since I was a kid.  My father used to forage for them, often a handful at a time, bringing them home where my mother would pan fry them with butter and garlic.

And you?

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December 10, 2020: Snow Monkeys! Projects! Misaki Han!

Well, well, well.  Isn’t this exciting?  My Snow Monkeys wrapped up a first place finish (and first round bye) in  League of Our Own fantasy football action.  That means that, this week, we can sit back and watch our rivals go at it in quarterfinal action as we look ahead to week 15.

I haven’t been this excited since, well, the last time my Snow Monkeys made the playoffs.

Reading recommendation:

ROGUE PLANET
A chilling tale of cosmic terror that elicited the same feelings of dread and delight I experienced the first time I watched Alien. Sci-fi-horror at its finest.
Written by @cullenbunn
Art by @andymacdeez
Colors by @nickfil
Published by @OniPress pic.twitter.com/7yKZukfI68

— Joseph Mallozzi (@BaronDestructo) December 9, 2020

All five issues are out and the complete trade paperback will be released early next year.

Zoom chat tomorrow about the pilot outline for Project F.  I’m assuming I’ll be getting the go-ahead to go to script.  Meanwhile, the deal has officially closed with the author of that marvelous fantasy book series I’ll be developing for television.  We just exchanged introductory emails and will look to set up a chat for some time next week.  “So what’s the book series?”you may ask.  Well, I’ll defer to the official announcement, whenever they choose to make it – however, I will tell you that it’s a big I have read and recommended on this blog in the last five years.  So start your search engines!

From the Dark Matter vault: the amazing Misaki Han (played by the equally amazing Ellen Wong)…

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December 9, 2020: Amazing Comic Book Covers!

Here are a few that caught my eye…

Guardians of the Galaxy #9 – cover art by Rafael Albuquerque

Spider-Man #5 – cover art by Javier Rodriquez

The Rise of Ultraman #4 – cover art by Jorge Molina

Batman: Black & White #1 – cover art by Greg Capullo

Detective Comics #1032 – cover art by Lee Bermejo

Detective Comics #1032 – over art by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau

Superman: Endless Winter #1 – cover art by Rafael Grassetti

The Flash #767 – cover art by Nicola Scott

Wonder Woman #768 – cover art by Adam Hughes

Wonder Woman #768 – cover art by Joshua Middleton

Home Sick Pilots #1 – cover art by Caspar Wijngaard

Piecemal – cover art by Szymon Kudranski

The Lords of Misery – cover art by Eric Powell

So, which were your favorites?

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December 8, 2020: Aliens among us! Santa eggs! And SGU BTS pics!

Actress Torri Higginson!  Director John Stead!  The gang at Orville Nation!  And yours truly!  In case you missed it…

Looking ahead to the holidays, sis sent me an idea for the perfect Christmas gift for Akemi…

She’d never wear it, but it would be worth it just for her reaction.

Aliens among us?  Apparently so according to this article:

Aliens Among Us!

My favorite part: “There’s an agreement between the US government and the aliens. They signed a contract with us to do experiments here.”

The SIGNED A CONTRACT?  Is it legally binding outside of this solar system? Did their intergalactic lawyers vet the agreement?  How many quatloos are they charging for their services?

A festive Yes/No –

So…are white food video people okay? Genuine question, because this seems like a cry for help. pic.twitter.com/9UgABrwuS0

— Mikki Kendall (@Karnythia) December 7, 2020

A little somethings from the SGU vault…

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