Part 2 of the ReThink HCG Diet with Megan Maulorico.
Justin, of ReThink talks, to Megan about what Kangen Water is and how it’s used.

Part One of the ReThink HCG mini series as part of “Doing What We Know” by Unknown Films. Watch Megan’s first day on the ReThink Weight Loss Program as she goes through the Consultation and see what HCG is all about.

I am HUNGRY! Not starving, which you would think I might be on only 500 calories a day, but hungry, nonetheless. Monday was the worst, being the first day. And being around me it was easy to tell because of my mood. Tuesday was a little better. Then Tuesday night came and we needed to run errands. One of the places we went was Lowe’s. I do not know my way around Lowe’s, nor do I enjoy the store, but because of the office remodel it was a necessity. Put me hungry in a store where I can’t find anything, and feel overwhelmed, and I get bitchy/whiny/moody. It’s not a matter of just one of these emotions, but a combination of all three, where at different times each is more prevalent. Poor Nathan!

It isn’t all bad, though. As of Tuesday morning I was down 8 pounds, and Wednesday morning down one more. This is definitely motivation for me. I understand much of this is water weight and if I were to stop now I would most likely gain it all back. Depending on my mood this makes me feel better staying on it, and on the other hand depresses me when I just want to eat.

Each morning is getting better and not really causing me any problems, but come nighttime it’s still difficult. This has eased each day, also, just not to the same degree. Part of the problem is this is the time when I work on school work, and most of my computer work for the day. I am used to snacking during this time, and I really need to fight the mental game of dieting. I know that much of this is breaking bad habits, and also re-teaching my body what it needs.

I think I also need to drink more water, so that it can help me feel full longer. Also, since I am eating less, I need to make up for the water lost from food. I drink the Kangen water that ReThink supplies, but I’m not supposed to drink this 30 minutes before food or medication, or 45 minutes after. And throughout the day I am supposed to aim for a gallon of water. This leads to my dilemma of fitting in all this water. Maybe I should just keep a water bottle in my mouth all day? Then I feel as if I might never leave the bathroom. I already like drinking water, and it’s all I normally drink anyway, so that isn’t the problem. I think so far I am averaging 60-70 ounces a day. This is about half of what I need!! Please, if you have any suggestions for adding more water in, I would LOVE to know.

My last drama on this diet is my sister’s birthday this Friday. I am in charge of making her chocolate cheesecake (per her request). This is just plain cruel, but I love to bake and agreed to do it before knowing I was doing this diet. I went to the store Wednesday night and it was like I was a zombie. I wasn’t really hungry, which did help, but it didn’t stop me from thinking how good everything looked. Yet, again I know this is the mental part of the diet. I know these foods aren’t good for me, and I still want to eat them. I really hope that this diet helps me reprogram my mind and body, because I want to start craving the food that is good for me.

My goal is to lose 10 pounds by Friday…..and keep it off by Sunday. Wish me luck at the birthday party.

I am writing this as I sit next to Nathan editing the first part of the ReThink series, where I go through the weight loss program. Tonight marks the end of my phase I, which consisted of eating whatever I want. I have to admit that I enjoyed this weekend and the lack of concern with what to eat and what not to eat. On the other hand I keep looking up at the screen with the video and cringing and can’t help but be grateful that I’m doing something to get healthy and in shape. I hate watching myself on camera or looking at pictures of me. It probably seems odd, considering I’m doing this series, but I have to get over it sometime, right?

I am very excited about starting phase II and cannot wait to see the results from this program. After church this morning we went to Mamma Jean’s Natural Market and stocked up on products recommended for optimal results on the program. Fortunately for me I needed to replace many of the products anyway so I just replaced them with organic/all natural ones for this. It is suggested to use products that don’t have animal fat and don’t get absorbed into the skin. I have new shampoo/conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, and lip balm. I felt a little lost at Mamma Jean’s buying products I haven’t before. It was sort of overwhelming, but I really liked the options that are available in each product. Are there any products you have tried that you would recommend? Either, food or hygiene products.

It probably sounds weird, but I have to admit that even if I didn’t lose weight with this program the idea of using organic products, cleaning out my system, and changing over to an all organic diet are even stronger selling points to me. Nathan has been on a kick lately watching the food documentaries that really show us what is going on with our food, and the opportunity came at the perfect time for us to adjust our lifestyles. Thank you, by the way, to Mary Koch (@mellenk on Twitter) for the suggestion that we watch it.

I’ve had questions, even for the short time I’ve been on it, but the people at ReThink tell you in advance that you can contact them any time and they will help. There is a lot to remember with the different pills, but I think once I’m in a routine it’ll be fine. As I find products or food that I like or dislike I’ll share them so you have an idea of what is working for us. And hopefully will be posting pictures very shortly that I am much happier to share!

Okay, starting today I am on a new diet. The odd thing is that as of now I am allowed to eat whatever I want. Not only whatever I want, but I was strongly encouraged to “gorge” myself and fill up on all my meals. I can’t help but think all weekend that it’s like my last meal before execution. So while I, for a limited time, am supposed to eat whatever I want, I now have doubts. Do I just sit back and relax and enjoy this freedom? No, I do not! All I keep thinking is, “What if I eat too much?” or “What if I eat the wrong things?” or my favorite thought, “I don’t want to eat all I want. I’m finally ready to do this, and don’t want to accidentally put on weight, now that I’m started.”

Yes, that’s right, I am actually excited about doing this program. Before Nathan and mine’s wedding, for 18 months I had a personal trainer and took different measures to get my diet healthy so I could lose weight. Then, after the honeymoon it was like something clicked off in my head and I just stopped trying. Some say this is the comfort of being in a relationship, or stress from our new life, or even that since there wasn’t a wedding anymore to work towards that I wasn’t motivated.

I think that I was tired of working towards being healthy. I have a problem with the idea that to be healthy it should be a struggle. I love the idea of being healthy and eating organic, but I think it should be the natural way, not the exception. And I was tired of finding what I needed to do, and then hoping on top of that, I could lose weight. I’m not very worried about what the scale says, or what size I wear, but I do think BMI is important, and that how a person feels is very important.

I haven’t taken the past two and a half years off completely, but it’s all been at only half of the motivation that it was. Then, along comes this ReThink program. It allows a person to clean their system, gain a healthy diet, and lose weight, all under medical supervision. I feel that accomplishing their program will allow me to then start off on a better foot, with a completely clean slate. It won’t be such a struggle this time, and I can then go back to my exercise and diet normalcy with the feeling I’ve been looking for.

Unknown Films always tries to come up with ways to think outside of the box, and this year we wanted to do something specifically for weddings and brides. I am going to document my whole process through the ReThink program, with Twitter, Facebook, our blog, and also video webisodes. We will also give away parts of the program, as I try them out, so you can see if you like it. The free giveaways are for everyone, too. And the great thing is that ReThink will do the program anywhere (even internationally) so there is something for everyone! Maybe you are a bride, or know someone that’s going to be in a wedding that wants to feel his/her best also. Tell them about me doing it and they can watch and see what works for me, or just laugh at my attempts. And best of all if you have any questions about what I’m doing then you can find me on any of the above sites and ask.

The official trailer and new poster art for my next film

‘This…is the Orange Line”

This was actually a short assignment for advertising class. I thought you might be interested…

Favorite: Google.com

Google had my favorite commercial this year on the Super Bowl because it showed more about what the company is and does than I see a lot of other ads do. Google sells its product by actually using it on screen rather than finding a gimmick and plugging the product in the end. The product was being used %100 of the air time. The commercial told a story too, which is important so that the audience has a story to tell when they repeat what they saw on TV. Most Super Bowl commercials attempt to have a comedy theme so Google’s approach of “feel good” contrasts enough to stand out among the other commercials. I liked that it was silent while showing all its features. Too often silence is not appreciated in advertising and this was a good use of it.

Least Favorite: Emerald Nuts and Pop Secret

This commercial was my least favorite because it didn’t showcase anything about the product. It actually made me desire popcorn less because of it’s use with pool water. Who want’s to go swimming and make popcorn? I was not impressed with the special effects of human-like dolphins since it was already been done a few times over with other commercials in the past. I found nothing relatable with any characters and nothing that gave me the impression their products were better than anyone else’s. The announcer/trainer was a little creepy too and not someone who I would trust the judgement of. All in all I would be more likely to visit Sea World than buy Emerald Nuts or Pop Secret.

What was your favorite and least favorite?

Hi Everyone in Springfield, MO!

I have decided to engage us all in a social media experiment in trust. I’m calling it @SGFtraffic. What is it? @SGFtraffic is a group Twitter account for all the people of Springfield, MO to tweet about ongoing and real time traffic alerts in all of 417land. How is this possible? Simple, we all have the password. That’s right, everyone and anyone who DM’s me (@UnknownFilms) and has a profile that shows they live in Springfield, MO will get the password. How is this going to work? Trust, and lots of it! How much and how long can the people of Springfield trust each other with the password? Will someone give it away to someone who doesn’t DM me or doesn’t live in Springfield? Will someone change the password and block the account from everyone else? Many things good and bad can result. Let’s have fun and see what happens. Add @SGFtraffic to your phones and computers and tweet away about Traffic alerts, accidents, issues, or anything traffic related. If the account becomes a success in our group trust it may become an asset to everyone in the area. I can’t wait to see what happens, so GO, DM me and ask for the password to @SGFtraffic!

NOTE: I will be logging into the account at least once a day to check that the password has not changed. I will notify everyone via my Twitter account and this blog post if and when it ever happens.

PLEASE: Be considerate and have respect for everyone in town. There are many ideals, creeds, and thoughts that make Springfield, MO what it is. Let’s not ruin that by tweeting things you know you shouldn’t on @SGFtraffic. Keep your personal tweets on your own account.

THANK YOU!

Nathan Maulorico

Here is the list of the top 11 films that have changed my life…so far. I say so far because there are so many movies I have yet to see and probably just as many I’ve fogotten about. This list could change at any moment really, in fact when I started writing this post it was a top 10 list. For the most part though I’ve been consistant about over half of them for a very long time. I chose these eleven based on a few things, like their influence on my film making, the way they made me feel, and the point in my life at which I watched them. A few of these films I’ve seen so many times I couldn’t tell you the number, and a couple I’ve only seen once but they had a huge impact on me. When I made the list I was surprised I had so many foreign films included. If you know me though and have seen any of my films that probably makes a lot of sense.

I have always thought you can tell a lot about a person based on their favorite movie.
What’s your favorite movie? Have you seen any of these films? What did you think of them?

IN NO ORDER:
La Rivière du Hibou (1962) DIR: Robert Enrico
An old surrealist film that I watched in high school. It was one of the biggest motivators that made me want to make films myself. The 30 second segment where he is about to meet his wife I could watch for hours. This is a must watch for any and all filmmakers, period!

Jeux d’enfants (2003) DIR: Yann Sammuell
This is one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen. It’s French, of course, has an amazing color quality, and gives inspiration on what a real relationship can and even should be. I could go on a long time about this one…

Russkiy Kovcheg (2002) DIR: Aleksandr Sokurov
A Russian film that used true raw ability to make a film rather than that other stuff.  The films tag line says it all “2000 cast members, 3 orchestras, 33 rooms, 300 years, ALL IN ONE TAKE”  That’s right ONE TAKE! No cutting ever for a 99 minute film! The flow, wonderfull 19th century set design, and cinematography are enough to watch this film alone.

Requiem for a Dream (2000) DIR: Darren Aronofsky
I’ve always thought this film didn’t get the credit and exposure it should have. It was brilliantly made in every aspect I can think of. It made me comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time. I relyed on it’s repetitiveness, but it made me second guess if what I was doing had a purpose and led me to seriously change how I felt about film making in long terms.

Fight Club (1999) DIR:  David Fincher
The influence Fight Club had on me still lasts today. I was about 18 years old when I saw it. I watched it in theaters twice, which I never really do. I did get some out of this film in terms of film making but mostly what I took away from it was life lessons in an odd way. I related to some of the ideas it made me aware of and in some ways I wanted to be just like Tyler Durden.

Psycho (1960) DIR:  Alfred Hitchcock
The reason this movie had such an impact on me may be because it used to be the one and only movie I owned. It was on VHS and I had no TV stations to watch so I played the tape over and over and over. I rented a room from someone I didn’t really know at the time and If I was home Psycho was on. Of course you might say, “well it’s Hitchcock too”, but truthfully I don’t tend to like other Hitchcock movies very much. I know, shoot me. I think it’s all that British influence he has, No offence to you Brits, I loved the ‘I.T. Crowd’…”0118 999 881 999 119 725….. 3″ (watch it and you’ll get it)

Goodfellas (1990) DIR:  Martin Scorsese
How could I be a real Italian-American and not include a Scorsese film in my top list!? My Papa (Grandfather) talks about him like he’s a small god. This movie is what I hope life will be like, the first half anyway. The community, the ability to make money within it, and all that good Italianness :) Maybe all that stuff’s just engrained in my blood.

The Fountain (2006) DIR:  Darren Aronofsky
How this film finally came to be is important to me as a filmmaker. Darrens long determination and patience in having to wait to get The Fountain made is inspiring. It speaks volumes about having faith in your ideas and accomplishing them. The film itself puts me in awe when watching all those flashback images and listening to the Kronos Quartet. The musical score is mesmerizing and I really dislike other films using it recently. Production for this film went on for ever, everything from make up to special underwater effects took Darren a long time to complete. It all paid off in my opinion, yet still another underrated film.

El ángel exterminador (1962) DIR: Luis Buñuel
Although I’ve only watched this movie recently in 2009, I can already tell how it is influencing the way I think about story telling, repetitive shots, and character building. As my skills grow I predict that people like Buñuel and Salvador Dali will heavily form my creative ideas and how I shoot them. I already have something in the works in fact,  inspired by this film. This is a must watch for anyone who likes surrealism, but in a more normal way. Interesting facts about this film are that has 27 instances of repetition. It was even banned in Russia, Luis was used to getting his films banned though.

The Big Lebowski (1998) DIR: The Coen Brothers
I like almost every Coen brothers movie and this one is my favorite. I can guarantee I’ve seen it more times than any other movie, even Psycho. (just ask @hmarie99 , my old roomate) My favorites are not usually comedies so it strange I liked this one so much. It made me laugh the entire way through. It has all those one-liners you remember later and laugh again about. ‘The Dude’ taught me how to make White Russians even, which I still drink almost every time I go out.

Ladri di biciclette (1948) DIR: Vittorio De Sica
 Bicycles Thieves in considered part of a film movement called Italian Neorealism. Italian Neorealism is extremely important to film as a whole and teaches us that life stories don’t always end well or end at all, and you may just end up where you started. Although it’s kind of depressing to think like that, it makes a lot of sense in historical context. It doesn’t have to be negative though. The theories brought forth in this film and others in its category changed how I feel about life and what it means to accomplish even a daily task.

Gravestoned (NOV 2009)
Painted Pictures Productions
Director Michael McWillie

I had a change last week, while shooting in Chicagoland, to take the time and watch Gravestoned. I was pleasantly surprised. Many times lower budget comedy flix just don’t make the cake, but Gravestoned pulled it off. So many times people forget how important writing is, especially in comedy. The bad movies are loaded with jokes that don’t end up being funny unless you’re part of some inside group that the filmmakers are in. With a title like Gravestoned, I’ll be honest I wasn’t expecting much, but I found myself laughing at the charatcers banter and chuckling throughout the film. I noticed attention was paid to camera angles and shot composition, which is not the norm for this genre or dare I call it a “movement” rather than a genre.
The director Michael McWillie must have chose his cast with talent in mind rather than just availability of when a person could be on set. For example Eryn Brooke who obviously had some previous talent under her belt. She stands out from the crowd of this cast. I feel like even location scouting and wardrobe had some actual thought involved.

Gravstoned follows a large cast of all sorts of characters. Some funny, some strange, and well, some that just get high. As a movie mogul from what seems like Australia is looking for new special effects talent to provide him with the best of the best in gore, he ends up with the real thing. Ya, a real arm, sawed off of some poor sap in the basement. That’s only the beginning. Let’s not forget that while everyone in the film is running around trying to get a movie produced on location, in a cemetery, that there’s a killer on the loose luring less than innocent actors into his private torture crypt just off set. Will the crazy killer guy with the suffocating bag over his head kill every actor? It probably doesn’t matter because no one left alive is going to remember the next day after they dig up their burritos.
It’s sounds like I’m high just writing this. The storyline for Gravestoned is good, its contains enough interesting ideas to support the many times the characters talk to each other without any blocking involved. I believe that isn’t an easy thing to do and still keep an audience’s attention. The story actually plays out and make good use of what could have been limitations. Although I would have liked a few more of the characters to have been better introduced, things like the hilarious stereotypical “token black guys” and the “white girls can’t dance” scene totally made up for it. Sorry if that wasn’t suppose to be funny girls, but it was!

I had the opportunity to get some quick interview questions in with the director Michael McWillie and actress Eryn Brooke . I tried to ask them some questions that maybe don’t get asked too often…

MICHAEL MCWILLIE:
NATHAN: Thank you for giving me the time to ask you a few questions about Gravestoned. I thought the film was very witty!

NATHAN Q:Did you encounter any obstacles filming mainly at night in a cemetery? How willing was the location to work with you on shooting the film there considering the hours of production.
MICHAEL A:The main problem was finding a cinematographer who wasn’t intimidated having to light such a large space and actors moving around in those conditions. I lost one guy after shooting some tests because he just couldn’t handle it. I thought the weather might be a problem, but we got lucky and it wasn’t. The caretaker of the cemetery was great. He is actually in the film (he’s the guy on the tractor who picks up the box with the arm from the gazebo), we did hire one of his buddies to handle security so he didn’t need to stay up all night with us. The graveyard was in a rough area so gun play was an issue.

Q:Was the inside of the killers crypt part of the real crypt or a different set all together.
A:The actual crypt was only about 5 feet by 7 feet and it was empty (the previous tenant was relocated to Chicago) except for some tools and lawn mowing equipment and spiders. By the way one of those spiders later killed the guard dog of the cemetery. We used a warehouse basement with a vault in it for the inside of the crypt. It is located in a building owned by the fellow I use to frame my paintings in the fine art world. By building an extension at the top of the stairs it was made to look pretty seamless.

Q:Did you encounter any problems with any of the actors and actresses being uncomfortable during the shooting of the sexually oriented scenes? If so what methods did you have to use to make them more comfortable?
A:Actually no I didn’t have any problems. Summer and Max (from the sex scene in the crypt) actually dated in college. But I did take some precautions. I did have Hope Latimer help me coach the actress in the scene to help make things more comfortable. Especially for me. I made certain a number of females were there during the shooting of the scene. The actress was also totally covered from her front side so nobody actually saw her with her clothes off on or off camera. We just shot it from angles so it appeared she was unclothed.

Q:Do you have any future plans for your next film? Will it be another in this same genre?
A:I have a coupe of films in the works. A romantic comedy and an action/ thriller, but I have to say I like this one so much that I may just do another one in this genre!

Thanks for the opportunity for the interview and for your kind words about the film.
Michael McWillie
Director of Gravestoned

ERYN BROOKE:
NATHAN: Thank you for your time. I thought you did very well in Gravestoned and look forward to watching other films you are working on now or have just completed.
ERYN: WELL IM FLATTERED THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

NATHAN Q: Can you tell me about your experience working on Gravestoned compared to other films you have been in? Were there any new challenges or something you had to do that you have not had to in the past? Did you learn anything new?
ERYN A:I had a great time it was a lot of fun shooting. As far as being different I think everytime you work with a new director you are learning how their mind works and working with a painter in particular its is truly interesting to see how his mind was working. As far as challenges, I have to say the cemetery was a bit scary and it was really cold- so we would be all bundled till right before action and then trying to keep our breath from showing- was a challenge but also a great experience! Oh and working with animals :) I am a huge animal lover, but Michael’s is quite the handful. Ask Michael about the shirt that was made for him!

Q: Can you tell my readers about any new films you are working on or will be staring in?
A: Absolutely, These are a few films you will be able to see here in the very near future!
Imago (2010) (post-production) I was also AD on this film.
Red White & Blue (2010) (post-production) ….with Noah Taylor and Amanda Fuller! A Simon Rumly film
Walking Distance (2009) (post-production) …. I was also AD on this film as well, and worked with Katie Featherston from Paranormal Activity
Hermosa Silencio directed by Jorge Jimenez- this film is in post – production I played Anna I am very excited about this film and there will be more to come on it very soon!
Thank you!
Eryn