a blog following the life and travels of jacob ryan hamilton.

TOP 10 Films I Saw In 2011
Warrior - no question my favorite of the year. Not marketed well, but packed with incredible performances.Midnight in Paris - Whimsical, original story I never saw coming!Hugo - The trailer didn’t even scratch the surface for the magical journey this film takes you on. Attack the Block - Hands down most entertaining movie I saw this year. Loads of fun! Believe.Tree of Life – Only way I can begin to describe this film is, you haven’t seen anything like it.Moneyball50/5013 AssassinsHannaRise of the Planet of the Apes - The dark horse that caught me off guard. Totally didn’t see this film coming anywhere close to my top 10. Andy Serkis’s Caesar performance was impressive.           
I feel strongly about my top 5, then I slightly become less passionate about my choices from there, but here are a couple more films that made an impression on me this year:
BeginnersDriveWin WinGirl with a Dragon TattooThe HelpBridesmaids

TOP 10 Films I Saw In 2011

Warrior no question my favorite of the year. Not marketed well, but packed with incredible performances.
Midnight in Paris - Whimsical, original story I never saw coming!
Hugo - The trailer didn’t even scratch the surface for the magical journey this film takes you on. 
Attack the Block - Hands down most entertaining movie I saw this year. Loads of fun! Believe.
Tree of Life – Only way I can begin to describe this film is, you haven’t seen anything like it.
Moneyball
50/50
13 Assassins
Hanna
Rise of the Planet of the Apes - The dark horse that caught me off guard. Totally didn’t see this film coming anywhere close to my top 10. Andy Serkis’s Caesar performance was impressive.           

I feel strongly about my top 5, then I slightly become less passionate about my choices from there, but here are a couple more films that made an impression on me this year:

Beginners
Drive
Win Win
Girl with a Dragon Tattoo
The Help
Bridesmaids

And let the epic journey begin… Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” Trailer #1 hit today! Excited to return to Middle Earth for some new adventures with some old friends.

I was hanging out on the North Shore with my family watching a surfing competition and decided to go off on my own, explore the beaches, and stumbled across this big guy. There were several! 

I got a lot of video with my 7D with my new mini Manfrotto 190XPROB Tripod … the perfect tripod for traveling. Definitely a must buy for a lighter pair of sticks!

It was kind of an amazing experience to chill with my new friend on the beach… I feel like there’s so much wisdom in that little noggin’!

Recently I had the privilege to help out Invisible Children, an organization who uses film, creativity and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony’s rebel war and restore LRA-affected communities in central Africa to peace and prosperity.

One way IC has been spreading the word is through the Musician Coalition, a dedicated group of musicians united with their fans to raise money and awareness to end Africa’s longest running war.

Saves The Day is one of a few bands that have performed secret ‘Thank You shows,’ benefitting their Musician Coalition fundraising team. 

Check out this ‘Thank You Show’ with band member Chris Conley I shot in Austin, TX. It’s nothing special, but it’s for a cool cause, and it was fun to do something little different.

           I’m very excited to inform everyone of my latest project. As most of my friends know I’ve been spending most my time a freelance cinematographer; hopping on one project after another, helping other filmmakers and directors achieve the stories they wanted to tell. It’s been amazing ride taking me to 5 out of the 7 continents, interacting with people of all ethnic backgrounds, and telling powerful stories that are literally changing people lives. However, It wasn’t until recently that I begun to wonder what kind of story it would take for me to hop into the directors’ chair, to tell a story that I wanted to tell and pursue wholeheartedly.
Well, after several months of careful research, phone calls, and prayers, I’m excited to share with you the story/subject of my first film! It’s a short documentary about Kenny Sailors, the man who invented and perfected the jump shot in basketball. Although, there are others who are credited to jumping and shooting with a ball around the same era as Kenny, there’s no question his shot is the shot that’s being used in the game we know and love today. Not only do I intend to explain the origin of his historic shot, but also explore the things he’s determined to have true meaning in life throughout his 90 years on this earth. We wrapped up production in Wyoming this past week and will begin the post production shortly. Can’t wait to share more as the weeks go by!

           I’m very excited to inform everyone of my latest project. As most of my friends know I’ve been spending most my time a freelance cinematographer; hopping on one project after another, helping other filmmakers and directors achieve the stories they wanted to tell. It’s been amazing ride taking me to 5 out of the 7 continents, interacting with people of all ethnic backgrounds, and telling powerful stories that are literally changing people lives. However, It wasn’t until recently that I begun to wonder what kind of story it would take for me to hop into the directors’ chair, to tell a story that I wanted to tell and pursue wholeheartedly.

Well, after several months of careful research, phone calls, and prayers, I’m excited to share with you the story/subject of my first film! It’s a short documentary about Kenny Sailors, the man who invented and perfected the jump shot in basketball. Although, there are others who are credited to jumping and shooting with a ball around the same era as Kenny, there’s no question his shot is the shot that’s being used in the game we know and love today. Not only do I intend to explain the origin of his historic shot, but also explore the things he’s determined to have true meaning in life throughout his 90 years on this earth. We wrapped up production in Wyoming this past week and will begin the post production shortly. Can’t wait to share more as the weeks go by!

Search
Navigate
Archive

Text, photographs, quotes, links, conversations, audio and visual material preserved for future reference.

Likes

A handpicked medley of inspirations, musings, obsessions and things of general interest.