A Film School Reunion in Saskatchewan

This last week I was soaking up the nostalgia on a film school reunion tour around Saskatchewan with some of my closest friends. While we've all been back over the years, I don't think we've all been back at the same time since we were actually students.

With so many of us living out of province now, this Saskatchewan trip became the perfect excuse for us to all travel back to Saskatoon and Regina to hangout, reminisce, and go back to some of our old stomping grounds. I can't quite remember the last time I've consumed this much beer in a single week lol.

Amazingly everything always seems to fall back into place when revisiting old friends. The trip coincidentally lined up with move-in week at the University of Regina, which immediately triggered so many great memories of my years living in the dorms there.

If there was any more glaring reminder of just how much has changed since my days as a film student, my feature-length documentary was also playing at the 2024 Regina International Film Festival just days before I made it back. With the trip finalized long before I even knew the doc would pick up the 'official selection' here, it was another serendipitous bit of timing.

These moments always seem too few and far between, but what a great week. I'm glad we're still making memories all these years later.

I Funko'd Myself in Hollywood (Again)

My strict rules for purchasing any Funko Pops aside, I took the bait at the Hollywood Boulevard store in in Los Angeles, California and created myself in miniature vinyl form once more.

As was the issue last year, a blonde dude in a hoodie doesn't look personalized. Then I saw the popcorn and trophy accessories and it clicked. In keeping with this year's over-extended theme I made the Monarch Theatre premiere / film festival version of myself to compliment last year's mini-me Funko travel photographer. 

In short, this became another brilliantly kitschy souvenir from the latest Hollywood travel shoots ... and, let's be honest, one more opportunity to name-drop "Your Cinema Needs You" as the international festival tour rolls on through 2024. 

More Travel Shoots in La La Land

Admittedly, I wasn't exactly itching for more Los Angeles, California travel content considering the number of visits (and still unreleased shoots) over the last few years. That said, if there's one place that I could go again and again and not get bored, it would be Los Angeles.

The focus of these latest shoots was "the kitsch of Hollywood". Movie studios, theme parks, theatres, and memorabilia helped to round out the set dressing for an already extensive collection of locations. As always, there was a lot to see and do and I can't wait to share more from this series in the months ahead. See more on the @editingluke Instagram. 

 

Glamor Tram: Studio Tour 60th Anniversary

This year the Studio Tour at Universal Studios Hollywood in California celebrated its 60th anniversary. The limited-time event saw the return of the iconic Glamor Trams from 1964 along with nods to past attractions that once defined the studio theme park. 

I snagged myself one of the 60th Studio Tour Glamor Tram popcorn buckets, which in addition to being a great kitschy souvenir, was also the most cumbersome thing I could have found to carry around a theme park for a day. I do love a throwback though - so, worth it!

A Gold Medal Shot With the Eiffel Tower

I love the Olympics, and while I may not currently be at the games in Paris, France, I had just enough time to get the gold medal shot with the Eiffel Tower on my most recent visit.

The Final Days of the Mirage Las Vegas

After 34 years in operation, the Mirage Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada closed its doors this week. The former home of Siegfried and Roy, Beatles Love, and the iconic erupting volcano is now set to become another "remember when" on the Vegas Strip as Hard Rock completely transforms the property through 2027.

Over the last few years, following the sale and eventual closure announcement, I've made a point of coming back here a handful of times to explore. It really was a unique place. Even through the cigarette smoke, the Polynesian theme made the Mirage one of the best smelling casinos.

The construction of the Mirage in 1989 would forever change Las Vegas and inspire a lot of future construction through the 1990s. It was touted as the first mega-resort on the Strip and was the brainchild of Steve Wynn. It kicked off an era of spectacular free street shows - which themselves have been largely disappearing.

For me, the Mirage was cemented in my brain because of all the Vegas Vacation reruns on TBS back in the day. What a time to grow up! At least I've now got a lot of embarrassing pictures of myself here as an adult to remember it all. Farewell to the Mirage.

 

South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park

A few visuals from the South Rim of Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona. 

Desert View Watchtower in Grand Canyon National Park

A few visuals from a stop at the Desert View Watchtower (also known as the Indian Watchtower at Desert View) along the South Rim in Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.