We did the North American premiere of My Brother last nite, in our nation’s capitol, Washington D.C. with Special Olympics National and chapters from all around the world. It was a great experience, having a room full of people for whom this is such an important movie – not only those with intellectual disabilities but others in their lives who are inspired by what these athletes do, by their bravery. We got quite the round of applause from this admittedly stacked audience that even included Eunice Kennedy Shriver, founder of Special Olympics, and her husband Sargent Shriver. They offered to throw a part for the movie at their place in the next few weeks. Even if it doesn’t happen, it was nice to get the offer. I ended up hosting the Q&A with Tony (the director), Vanessa, and the rest of the cast, which was interesting to do in front of a pretty packed house. I still got it.
Whatever that is, I have no idea.
The past few days have been super stressful – number of things going on, including switching to a new publicity team for My Brother, for the final pitch (the team that did Dreamgirls). This was problematic because of the publicist with whom we’d been working for so long, and who has done a bunch for the movie without being paid – but it was jointly decided that we needed new blood for the final push to have Vanessa on talk shows before the movie opens. A lot of nasty language was back and forth after the announcement to our old team, and I took the high road on most of it. (I know, hard to believe).
Also been trying to move forward on Slaughter, and though we’ve had a few road bumps, I think we’re basically OK and headed in the right direction. Bobby and Nathan sent over a treatment with some great new improvements, and I am thrilled to see it coming along.
After the late nite in DC with the premiere, we had a seven fifteen flight direct to Phoenix from Baltimore, which turned about to be farther enough from where we were in DC so that we could just miss our direct flight. The airline accommodatingly booked us on another airline, not direct but without any extra charge. We landed in Denver a couple of hours ago, had a bit of lunch, I answered email and phone, and now we’re twenty minutes into the way to Phoenix. Once we hit Phoenix, we’ll be renting a car and driving to the desert, to Sedona, a small but very well sponsored film festival. I am excited to be going, relaxing, etc. They do room and board, so I don’t even have to split a room. And we have a print of the movie. What I mean by that is that we have the film as a movie on reels, not as a DVD or tape. Now admittedly, it’s a test print, and has a flew glitches, and the timing (color grades) are a bit off, with the whites being too bright, and the darks too dark, but it looks so much better than showing a DVD. If you’ve never seen one, the movie reels (six reels, at 20 minutes each, the last two reels of My Brother being short), the reels are heavy and carried around in these metal cans that protect the film from being damaged. And they weigh a shitload, but at least you can check them with the rest of the baggage- the cans are pretty sturdy.
And that’s where we are – up in the air, 30,000 feet up, its sixty degrees in Phoenix now, and we’ll have to get the movie up to the projectionist for the festival by about seven so it can be assembled for viewing. We have a screening today and another on Friday, and it will be cool to be at a festival with the print, a festival where everyone does their own thing while out there.
Its been really busy, and Im doing regular 14 hour days, so though there is a lot to talk about, I just haven’t had time to write much. Except on the plane trips, where I have a moment to reflect and complain.
Doing the redeye back to NYC on Saturday nite, and then have a friend coming to visit NYC for six days or so. She gets in Sunday afternoon, and I get in at 6AM. Either I am gonna be really tired, or the apt. is gonna be a mess. Either way, we’ll deal.
She actually set up a premiere for My Brother in Kansas City MO, with huge press coverage, that will take place while she in in NY. Sounds like its going to be great. It’s the second movie Fox4 (the television station promoting it) is doing in this series, the first was the Terence Howard movie, Pride, that opens in March as well. I think we’ll be booking Kansas City as a result of this screening, because Fox is doing 6o radio spots and 20 TV spots to cover it.
Well, I am about of current news, since I don’t blog on my sex life anymore. If I eat any peyote in the desert….Oh wait, forgot to mention, I am a seriously nervous flyer. A friend gave me two Xanax for the flight and wow-eee, do those work. I slept 75 percent of the way to Denver and I am still totally non-plussed by the bumpy ride. Pretty awesome stuff, and given the travel schedule,, back to NY, then Houston, back to NYC, then Houston, and then Florida (I think), it might make sense to get a hold of some of this stuff. I don’t even feel stressed out, even though I should be,.
Phoenix is 60 plus and sunny. Hope you’re keepin’ warm.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Multiple Award Winning Movie "My Brother" starring Vanessa Williams - Theatrical Release in 19 Cities, March 16th - Please read and forward
Please read and forward-
From the Producer of My Brother:
Friends,
I am writing this letter because I’ve had the good fortune to produce the multiple award winning movie, “My Brother,” which was conceived, written and directed by Academy award-nominee Anthony Lover, and stars Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), Nashawn Kearse (Desperate Housewives), Tatum O’Neal (Dancing With The Stars, Rescue Me), Rodney Henry (The Lion King) and Fredro Starr (Save the Last Dance). The actors I just mentioned are names that you know for their work in other shows. We chose them because we thought they were great in what they had done before in their careers. But producing this movie has been a life-changing experience, different from other films I've produced, because of the participation of two newcomers to the movie industry.
These are the two lead performers in the movie to whom at I want to introduce you, Chris Scott and Donovan Jennings. They each are now accomplished performers themselves, with Chris winning the Founder’s Award at the HBO American Black Film Festival (the film won Best Picture honors there as well) and Donovan winning the Youth Spirit Award at the International Family Film Festival.
Neither Chris nor Donovan had ever acted before My Brother. But they have more in common – Chris and Donovan both have Downs Syndrome. They are the first African Americans with a developmental disability ever to play lead roles in a feature motion picture. And with their awards (they have won awards and the movie has won 26 awards to date in film festivals and screenings across the country, making it the most celebrated film targeting African American audiences since The Color Purple), and the way that they have touched audiences around the country, they also have proved, together, that given the opportunity and support, people of all kinds can achieve things that are beyond what many of us can imagine. Never having worked before My Brother with people with developmental disabilities, I am just one person that gained this understanding from this movie.
Because of their truly stunning performances, we now are getting the word out about My Brother with different organizations all over the country, including the Special Olympics and the National Institute for People With Disabilities. We’ll be doing premieres for My Brother with the Special Olympics on February 27th in Washington, D.C., and thereafter in Houston, where Christopher lives and works as a teacher’s assistant, and New York. We're also marketing the movie with other partners - e.g., Reverend Jesse Jackson has called the movie "A must see for African Americans."
My Brother comes out in theaters in March 16th. Organizations around the country, whether in health care or education, like the NIPD and the Rize School, are organizing group parties for the movie and buying groups of tickets in blocks to see it in the nineteen cities in which it is being released (a list of theaters is attached). Because of the way that the movie business works, for the movie to get the fullest rollout possible, its important that people go see it on its opening weekend, and not to wait until even the second or third weekend.
Please take the time and have a look at our website, www.mybrotherthemovie.com, and our myspace page, www.myspace.com/mybrotherthemovie. Check out the trailer and behind the scenes documentary for the movie. And more importantly, spread the word and join the thousands of people that have been amazed and touched by Donovan and Chris. A list of the theaters where we open March 16th is attached.
Thanks for your time,
Gregory Segal
Producer – “My Brother”
SOUTHLAKE PAVILION 24 Atlanta
MAGIC JOHNSON CAP CNTR 12 Washington DC
EMPIRE 25 New York
SOUTHFIELD 20 Detroit
STONECREST MEGASTAR 16 Atlanta
HOFFMAN 22 Richmond
WHITE MARSH 16 Baltimore
OWINGS MILLS 17 Baltimore
JERSEY GARDEN 20 Elizabeth NJ
MAGIC JOHNSON 9 NY - Harlem
FAIRLANE 21 Detroit
COUNTRY CLUB HILLS 16 Chicago
AVENTURA MALL 24 Miami
WESTBANK 16 New Orleans
REGENCY 24 Jacksonville FL
HAMPTON TOWNE CENTRE 24 Richmond/Hampton VA
CHERRY HILL 24 Cherry Hill NJ
MAGIC JOHN. GREENBRIAR 12 Atlanta
MAGIC JOHNSON 15 Los Angeles
34TH STREET 14 New York
MESQUITE 30 Dallas
GULF POINTE 30 Houston
CRESTWOOD 18 Chicago
BAY STREET 16 Oakland
TALLAHASSEE MALL 20 Tallahassee FL
NORTH DEKALB 16 Atlanta
STUDIO 30 HOU. Houston
BAY PLAZA 13 NY / Bronx
CONCORD MILLS 24 Charlotte
600 NORTH MICHIGAN 9 Chicago
FORD CITY 14 Chicago
EASTON 30 Columbus OH
ORANGE PARK 24 Jacksonville
ONTARIO MILLS 30 Los Angeles
POTOMAC MILLS 18 richmond/Norfolk VA?
From the Producer of My Brother:
Friends,
I am writing this letter because I’ve had the good fortune to produce the multiple award winning movie, “My Brother,” which was conceived, written and directed by Academy award-nominee Anthony Lover, and stars Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), Nashawn Kearse (Desperate Housewives), Tatum O’Neal (Dancing With The Stars, Rescue Me), Rodney Henry (The Lion King) and Fredro Starr (Save the Last Dance). The actors I just mentioned are names that you know for their work in other shows. We chose them because we thought they were great in what they had done before in their careers. But producing this movie has been a life-changing experience, different from other films I've produced, because of the participation of two newcomers to the movie industry.
These are the two lead performers in the movie to whom at I want to introduce you, Chris Scott and Donovan Jennings. They each are now accomplished performers themselves, with Chris winning the Founder’s Award at the HBO American Black Film Festival (the film won Best Picture honors there as well) and Donovan winning the Youth Spirit Award at the International Family Film Festival.
Neither Chris nor Donovan had ever acted before My Brother. But they have more in common – Chris and Donovan both have Downs Syndrome. They are the first African Americans with a developmental disability ever to play lead roles in a feature motion picture. And with their awards (they have won awards and the movie has won 26 awards to date in film festivals and screenings across the country, making it the most celebrated film targeting African American audiences since The Color Purple), and the way that they have touched audiences around the country, they also have proved, together, that given the opportunity and support, people of all kinds can achieve things that are beyond what many of us can imagine. Never having worked before My Brother with people with developmental disabilities, I am just one person that gained this understanding from this movie.
Because of their truly stunning performances, we now are getting the word out about My Brother with different organizations all over the country, including the Special Olympics and the National Institute for People With Disabilities. We’ll be doing premieres for My Brother with the Special Olympics on February 27th in Washington, D.C., and thereafter in Houston, where Christopher lives and works as a teacher’s assistant, and New York. We're also marketing the movie with other partners - e.g., Reverend Jesse Jackson has called the movie "A must see for African Americans."
My Brother comes out in theaters in March 16th. Organizations around the country, whether in health care or education, like the NIPD and the Rize School, are organizing group parties for the movie and buying groups of tickets in blocks to see it in the nineteen cities in which it is being released (a list of theaters is attached). Because of the way that the movie business works, for the movie to get the fullest rollout possible, its important that people go see it on its opening weekend, and not to wait until even the second or third weekend.
Please take the time and have a look at our website, www.mybrotherthemovie.com, and our myspace page, www.myspace.com/mybrotherthemovie. Check out the trailer and behind the scenes documentary for the movie. And more importantly, spread the word and join the thousands of people that have been amazed and touched by Donovan and Chris. A list of the theaters where we open March 16th is attached.
Thanks for your time,
Gregory Segal
Producer – “My Brother”
SOUTHLAKE PAVILION 24 Atlanta
MAGIC JOHNSON CAP CNTR 12 Washington DC
EMPIRE 25 New York
SOUTHFIELD 20 Detroit
STONECREST MEGASTAR 16 Atlanta
HOFFMAN 22 Richmond
WHITE MARSH 16 Baltimore
OWINGS MILLS 17 Baltimore
JERSEY GARDEN 20 Elizabeth NJ
MAGIC JOHNSON 9 NY - Harlem
FAIRLANE 21 Detroit
COUNTRY CLUB HILLS 16 Chicago
AVENTURA MALL 24 Miami
WESTBANK 16 New Orleans
REGENCY 24 Jacksonville FL
HAMPTON TOWNE CENTRE 24 Richmond/Hampton VA
CHERRY HILL 24 Cherry Hill NJ
MAGIC JOHN. GREENBRIAR 12 Atlanta
MAGIC JOHNSON 15 Los Angeles
34TH STREET 14 New York
MESQUITE 30 Dallas
GULF POINTE 30 Houston
CRESTWOOD 18 Chicago
BAY STREET 16 Oakland
TALLAHASSEE MALL 20 Tallahassee FL
NORTH DEKALB 16 Atlanta
STUDIO 30 HOU. Houston
BAY PLAZA 13 NY / Bronx
CONCORD MILLS 24 Charlotte
600 NORTH MICHIGAN 9 Chicago
FORD CITY 14 Chicago
EASTON 30 Columbus OH
ORANGE PARK 24 Jacksonville
ONTARIO MILLS 30 Los Angeles
POTOMAC MILLS 18 richmond/Norfolk VA?
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Airplane Bloggin: Delayed in Phoenix Addition
After the mishaps of this past week (booking a car in the wrong airport), having only one way flight booked, and the early exodus (mixed bag there) of associate producer David, I ended up staying a few extras days because of the severe weather in NYC and my general flight malaise – I hate it, it makes me nervous, and I loathe the airport and waiting for flights. Besides, I still had some more work to do and it was only Monday. I took a few more meetings (fast growing sales agent and production company New Films among them) and booked for today, Thursday. Unfortunately, Jet Blue was sold out through Saturday and I didn’t have anywhere to stay beyond Thursday morning (I stayed with Jay, my former roommate, since vacating the Riot Hyatt (so its called because of Led Zeppelin fame) on Tuesday). The cheapest ticket I could get was US Air, but its through Phoenix, which means an extra hour or so and two takeoffs and two landings. Not my favorite. And now, I am delayed in Phoenix. At least the airport has wireless.
I actually have a free hotel room in Bev Hills all next week, courtesy of my publicist and her Oscar Party at the Beverly Wilshire (though the room is at the Luxe?? – same owners??) but since I have work to do in NYC and nowhere to stay over the weekend, and I’ve put myself on a strict budget, I am flying back.
Anyway, enough bitter-like detail. This is supposed to be interesting. Supposed-to-be. It hasn’t been, even Dawn doesn’t comment anymore. Who needs ambien? So I am talking to myself. Am I talking? Hello? Echo?
Moving on.
This week was momentous for one thing in particular. The My Brother trailer is live in 19 markets, in front of Tyler Perry’s movie, Daddy’s Little Girls, which opened yesterday across the country, and it expected to do minimum 30 million between Wednesday and Sunday. They are on 2200 screens or so, we’ll be on 35 to start (unless something magical happens). Still, though, the trailer placement in front of this very popular title in every theater in which we’ll be playing is huge, and despite our difficulties, our distribution team at Code Black deserves some kudos for making that happen with AMC (where we are exclusively playing our first phase release).
We are on a ridiculously tight budget marketing wise, and every cent is being allocated to driving the audience into the theaters for opening weekend. As a result, looks like no opening premieres in LA or in NYC. Rather, we have a big party with the Special Olympics in Washington DC on February 27th, and some kind of opening nite, non-red carpet reception for the movie in Houston, where co-star Christopher Scott and his family live. If you don’t know, Chris and Donovan Jennings, who portray the character James in the movie, at different ages, both have Downs Syndrome. They are the first African American actors with a developmental disability in history to portray leading roles in a feature motion picture. But they have more in common, now. They have both won acting awards at film festivals. Chris won the Founder’s Award for Acheivement in Independent Cinema at the HBO American Black Film Festival (where the movie took Best Picture honors) and Donovan won the Youth Spirit Award at the International Family Film Festival in Los Angeles. All in, the movie has won some 26 awards, making it perhaps the most awarded black film since The Color Purple. I think it has four best pictures, four best actors or actresses, and numerous other honors and recognitions. Vanessa Williams has been great, making efforts to attend as many festivals as possible. I think she is going to the Santa Barbara Black Film Series awards next week (schedule permitting) where My Brother is the Film of the Year and she has been awarded a humanitarian award for her work with individuals with a developmental disability. Go Wilhemina Slater.
Slaughter script notes came in from all sources, and we’re getting started on what I know will be a very productive rewrite. Bobby and Nathan have received the notes, and its spurred some ideas about ways to tighten up the story. I am excited about getting the next draft so we move that much closer to rolling the camera.
In other news, this damn cough is back. It disappeared in Park City, returned last week, and now its back with a vengeance. I thought maybe it was the cat at Liberty, but its been a problem in LA too. Im running out of ideas. Have any? I don’t smoke (nothing, for the most part) and I hack like a two packs of strikes a day man. Whats up with that. I don’t feel sick at least, but I sound like I have an incurable disease. Its quite the pick up line.
That’s all for now. Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonite. If you’re cute and in NYC, drop me a line. I spoon to the left.
Grumpy.
I actually have a free hotel room in Bev Hills all next week, courtesy of my publicist and her Oscar Party at the Beverly Wilshire (though the room is at the Luxe?? – same owners??) but since I have work to do in NYC and nowhere to stay over the weekend, and I’ve put myself on a strict budget, I am flying back.
Anyway, enough bitter-like detail. This is supposed to be interesting. Supposed-to-be. It hasn’t been, even Dawn doesn’t comment anymore. Who needs ambien? So I am talking to myself. Am I talking? Hello? Echo?
Moving on.
This week was momentous for one thing in particular. The My Brother trailer is live in 19 markets, in front of Tyler Perry’s movie, Daddy’s Little Girls, which opened yesterday across the country, and it expected to do minimum 30 million between Wednesday and Sunday. They are on 2200 screens or so, we’ll be on 35 to start (unless something magical happens). Still, though, the trailer placement in front of this very popular title in every theater in which we’ll be playing is huge, and despite our difficulties, our distribution team at Code Black deserves some kudos for making that happen with AMC (where we are exclusively playing our first phase release).
We are on a ridiculously tight budget marketing wise, and every cent is being allocated to driving the audience into the theaters for opening weekend. As a result, looks like no opening premieres in LA or in NYC. Rather, we have a big party with the Special Olympics in Washington DC on February 27th, and some kind of opening nite, non-red carpet reception for the movie in Houston, where co-star Christopher Scott and his family live. If you don’t know, Chris and Donovan Jennings, who portray the character James in the movie, at different ages, both have Downs Syndrome. They are the first African American actors with a developmental disability in history to portray leading roles in a feature motion picture. But they have more in common, now. They have both won acting awards at film festivals. Chris won the Founder’s Award for Acheivement in Independent Cinema at the HBO American Black Film Festival (where the movie took Best Picture honors) and Donovan won the Youth Spirit Award at the International Family Film Festival in Los Angeles. All in, the movie has won some 26 awards, making it perhaps the most awarded black film since The Color Purple. I think it has four best pictures, four best actors or actresses, and numerous other honors and recognitions. Vanessa Williams has been great, making efforts to attend as many festivals as possible. I think she is going to the Santa Barbara Black Film Series awards next week (schedule permitting) where My Brother is the Film of the Year and she has been awarded a humanitarian award for her work with individuals with a developmental disability. Go Wilhemina Slater.
Slaughter script notes came in from all sources, and we’re getting started on what I know will be a very productive rewrite. Bobby and Nathan have received the notes, and its spurred some ideas about ways to tighten up the story. I am excited about getting the next draft so we move that much closer to rolling the camera.
In other news, this damn cough is back. It disappeared in Park City, returned last week, and now its back with a vengeance. I thought maybe it was the cat at Liberty, but its been a problem in LA too. Im running out of ideas. Have any? I don’t smoke (nothing, for the most part) and I hack like a two packs of strikes a day man. Whats up with that. I don’t feel sick at least, but I sound like I have an incurable disease. Its quite the pick up line.
That’s all for now. Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonite. If you’re cute and in NYC, drop me a line. I spoon to the left.
Grumpy.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Airplane Bloggin’: The Day After
So I spent most of the flight to Long Beach working on the tax credit for My Brother. I went through 100 pages of ledger reports of accounting entries and pulled every name and every dollar amount to make a list of how much each employee got paid. Thousands of entries, the kind of thing the accountant is supposed to prepare before they leave. Just in – boring, grueling and why we pay accountants. Did I mention that this could have been done with the push of a button if this unnamed asshole of an accountant did his job.
Guess what. He didn’t.
I kept doing it until my computer died about four hours into the flight. Since we were facing a 100mph headwind, it took six hours of flying time to get there, so I also got to watch most of the French Connection on the last two hours of the flight. I mean, my computer was dead. What else was I gonna do? The girl next to me had a great body, but she was with her boyfriend, so I just watched the movie. Low cut top though, whew-eee.
Anyway.
So how dumb am I. Sometimes quite dumb. I booked my flight weeks ago. Jet Blue. Miles and that whole thing. I was going to stay with my friend Jay, but was waiting to see if my quite wealthy Assoc. Producer David wanted to come along, which would make it possible to split a hotel room (not evenly either). He did, and we finally booked his travel this past Sunday, two days before departure. On Monday, we booked the hotel. Hyatt West Hollywood. Great location, middle of Sunset Strip, next to the comedy store, but very little else to recommend it. Not even free internet, so I am posting based on service from the Best Western (free internet) across the street. Loud, mushy beds, pretty lame. But a great location. 23 dollars for valet? Why not?
So here is the dumb part. We booked the hotel separately from the flights. On Expedia. And when they asked if we wanted a car, it seemed frugal to book that together with the hotel, so I did. Heres the brainstorm. Jet Blue flies into Long Beach. Guess where Expedia rented the car from, given an LA hotel stay.
Right-oo. LAX.
How pissed was I last nite? At myself?
50 bucks and a taxi to advantage rent a car (totally ghetto) later, we got in some weird ass PT Cruiser clone later, and made our way to West Hollywood.
Anyway, I am out here for the Pan African Film Festival. We have screenings of the movie on Friday (tomorrow) and Sunday at Crenshaw Hills Plaza at 3650 MLK Blvd. 7PM both nites, if you are joining us.
Otherwise, I’ll be meeting about getting Slaughter up and running with Maverick and Slamdance, and I was supposed to have a meeting with SONY about 4Chosen, but I think its been postponed.
TTFN.
Grumpy.
Guess what. He didn’t.
I kept doing it until my computer died about four hours into the flight. Since we were facing a 100mph headwind, it took six hours of flying time to get there, so I also got to watch most of the French Connection on the last two hours of the flight. I mean, my computer was dead. What else was I gonna do? The girl next to me had a great body, but she was with her boyfriend, so I just watched the movie. Low cut top though, whew-eee.
Anyway.
So how dumb am I. Sometimes quite dumb. I booked my flight weeks ago. Jet Blue. Miles and that whole thing. I was going to stay with my friend Jay, but was waiting to see if my quite wealthy Assoc. Producer David wanted to come along, which would make it possible to split a hotel room (not evenly either). He did, and we finally booked his travel this past Sunday, two days before departure. On Monday, we booked the hotel. Hyatt West Hollywood. Great location, middle of Sunset Strip, next to the comedy store, but very little else to recommend it. Not even free internet, so I am posting based on service from the Best Western (free internet) across the street. Loud, mushy beds, pretty lame. But a great location. 23 dollars for valet? Why not?
So here is the dumb part. We booked the hotel separately from the flights. On Expedia. And when they asked if we wanted a car, it seemed frugal to book that together with the hotel, so I did. Heres the brainstorm. Jet Blue flies into Long Beach. Guess where Expedia rented the car from, given an LA hotel stay.
Right-oo. LAX.
How pissed was I last nite? At myself?
50 bucks and a taxi to advantage rent a car (totally ghetto) later, we got in some weird ass PT Cruiser clone later, and made our way to West Hollywood.
Anyway, I am out here for the Pan African Film Festival. We have screenings of the movie on Friday (tomorrow) and Sunday at Crenshaw Hills Plaza at 3650 MLK Blvd. 7PM both nites, if you are joining us.
Otherwise, I’ll be meeting about getting Slaughter up and running with Maverick and Slamdance, and I was supposed to have a meeting with SONY about 4Chosen, but I think its been postponed.
TTFN.
Grumpy.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Various Images of Sundance and Slamdance
Laura Boersma, Producer, Steele Films, Valerie Jennings, Jennings PR and Marcus Lansdell, Head of Development, City Lights Media Group and Co-Producer, THE TEN. 
Valerie Jennings and I, Main Street, Park City.
Slamdance Co-Founder Dan Mirvish and American Hardcore Director Paul Rachman at the Slamdance Sparky Awards.
Cheri Wozniak, Exec. VP Finance, Maverick Films, and jphn Stoddard, Director of the Slamdance Script Competition.
Dave Title, Head of Crossroads Films (Snow Angels) and I at Snow Angels Premiere Lounge Party
Main Street, Park City
Louie Lombardi (Sopranos, 24, and the Director of Dough Boys) at the Premiere Lounge Party for THE TEN
Valerie Jennings and I, fighting off potential colds
Cheri Wozniak and I at the Sparky Awards, with winning writers Nathan Brookes and Bobby Darby, who cowrote Slaughter
Some random images from Sundance And Slamdance...
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Airplane Bloggin’: Far From Home Edition
On the flight back to NYC from Salt Lake City, after a week in Park City for Sundance, Slamdance, Snow and Sex. We’re only gonna be discussing the first two, because I didn’t go skiing and I don’t kiss and tell (not without compensation at least). Hopefully film related matters can keep you entertained for the next few minutes.
All in all, I spent eight days in Park City, though not quite as close to the primary “Festivities” as I thought I would be. Had a really nice condo near Kimball Junction, which normally isn’t more than a ten minute taxi ride to Main Street, home base for both Sun and her wicked brother, Slam. But on days where the industry is departing for the airport, like Monday after opening weekend, you can’t get a cab. Like you call up, and they say, ninety minutes. Or they don’t answer. They just don’t answer. And you’re sitting there, on the other end of the phone, like “Hello?” And the phone rings and rings and rings. And then you try again. Nothing….Hello? What the Fu**!(*&$Y#$(
Anyway, you get the idea. I didn’t actually even make it into the Main Street area on Monday until the evening when the taxi parade had died down a bit.
But this blog isn’t about traffic patterns. It isn’t about logistics. This particular entry is about the movies and biz of Sun and Slam. So lets get to it, shall we.
The week kicked off with the realization that at Sun, tickets are a scarce and well-guarded commodity. Even tickets to movies where you’ve raised a sizeable portion of the equity of the movie. So on Friday nite, when the Ten premiered, I went to the party (also that nite to the Snow Angels party), but actually didn’t go to the movie. I was with a friend V, and the chance of getting two tickets to the movie was absolutely zero. So instead, I settled for Tuesday screening tickets, and headed back to the condo a bit on the early side.
Tickets across the board at Sun were tough, but it’s just a learning process. And in the gaps, I was getting great tickets for Slam, because of the production deal Angel Baby has with them now. I am a sponsor. Free coat. Free hat. T-shirt. And all the redbull you can drink (not just for sponsors).
The great people at Slam (John, Peter, Sarah, and Kate) wanted me to see every movie, it seemed, so I got to go to anything I wanted, even things that were sold out. They put aside tickets for me for screenings I hadn’t even asked about in case I wanted to see them. And I saw a bunch of great stuff up at the Treasure Mountain Inn, where Slam takes place, including the audience award winner, Murder Party, a hilarious send-up of Williamsburg hipsters killing as performance art, Cold Prey, a taut slasher flick from Norway with great acting and direction, and the Jury Prize winning Tijuana Makes Me Happy, with a half-narrative half-doco style feature that was definitely unique and interesting. In addition, both Murder and Tijuana had NY filmmakers. Go team.
Down the hill, at Sun, the ticket pickings were scarcer, and I thought based on what I was hearing and seeing, less consistent. Aside from the Ten, which I found to be hilarious in parts (so did Variety) and overall very amusing (and which Ain’t It Cool News described as the best movie at Sun, 9.5/10), I saw Houndog (not my favorite, despite the presence of Grumpy fave, David Morse), and very over-hyped because of the Dakota rape thing. Also saw Low and Behold, which was exec. produced by former Film Sales Co. exec Jared Moshe (now at Sidetrack), and is, perhaps, the best true independent movie I have seen in years. Aside: What I mean by true independent movie is a movie with no stars, no names. Just compelling storytellings, spot-on acting, and great comic moments mixed in with the tragedy. Its represented by William Morris Indy, so I hope it sees the light of theatrical day. Y’all should make a point of seeing it. Miss it, and you’ll be missing out.
Other than that, I saw a few shorts programs, including Slamdance Winner Cow Thief (a definite PictureStart Film Festival invitee), took some meetings, hung with the City Lights boys, the Dough Boys guys, and David T. a bit, met Adrian Grenier, whose excellent short, Across the Hall was in the last Picturestart, and generally chilled (especially when the temperature dropped below 0F). Thank god for long johns.
The parties were fun, and I ran into a bunch of people I expected to and a number more that I didn’t expect to. The Ten had two parties, a private, exclusive one where Harvey made the rounds, and a bigger one that saw near-riots outside when people couldn’t get into the Premiere lounge. Thankfully I was already inside, escorted by Exec. Producer Jack Fisher. We actually left that party early, to go see Cold Prey up at Slamdance, a decision well worth having been made.
Besides, Jessica Alba wasn’t there.
(Though I met actor/producer Paul Rudd, who told me he plays cards with Hot Baby star Brian Vincent every Tuesday, and the very gracious Ken Marino (writer and co-star of The Ten), who I ran into a number of times with Director David Wain, who I’d already met at the National Board of Review Gala a few weeks before). Winona was there, but I didn’t have an opportunity to say hello.
We also hit the Snow Angels party with David T. from Crossroads. Also at the Premiere lounge, different nite, a key sighting was Dustin Diamond (Kate Beckinsale wasn’t in the house, and I didn’t see Grumpster favorite Tom Noonan). Kept trying to get V. to take a pic with Screech, but she declined. I guess she didn’t want to end up on his next internet video.
Dough Boys, the Louis Lombardi directed movie, which was co-produced by Peter Orphanos (who developed the My Brother website, mybrotherthemovie.com), had a party as well, at Celsius. (Louis, best known for 24 and for being the FBI agent that flipped Big Pussy on the Sopranos, was very friendly and gracious all week. We went to dinner a few times, including at terrific and expensive steak house Prime, where Michael Apted and Antonio Banderas were dining at the same time) And NY Film Commission had a party up in the hills, but we were so wiped out the night of that party, we never made it there.
Of course, an absolute highlight of the week was meeting Nathan and Bobby, the young authors of the Slamdance Horror Screenplay competition, with their script Slaughter (FYI- not a romantic comedy). From the UK Midlands, these guys (one of whom works in a video store, just like Quentin Tarantino did), flew to Salt Lake on a day’s notice when they found out they won the Horror Competition. One of them (Nathan I think) had never been on a plane before the trip to LA from Heathrow. How amazing is that. And they are bright-eyed and ready to go, do a little script polishing and get on set. I think we really hit the jackpot with these guys winning the Contest. Not only did they write a great script, but as people, they are just a pleasure to be around and are themselves a great story to boot. Having Nathan and Bobby on is gonna make this experience even better. And it was already gonna be great. Cheri W. from Maverick and I got on stage to announce the winners at the Slamdance Awards Ceremony and give them the award, which they accepted with terrific grace and class. Little do they know that members of the Slamdance staff pee on the Sparky trophies before they are handed out.
Seriously. Wash your hands. It’s a Slamdance tradition, but its kinda gross.
Anyhoo, now I am back on the plane to NYC. Pretty good flight, except that they are showing the movie I paid to see on the way out here, Invincible.
That’s OK. I had a great week.
Talk to y’all soon.
Grumpster.
All in all, I spent eight days in Park City, though not quite as close to the primary “Festivities” as I thought I would be. Had a really nice condo near Kimball Junction, which normally isn’t more than a ten minute taxi ride to Main Street, home base for both Sun and her wicked brother, Slam. But on days where the industry is departing for the airport, like Monday after opening weekend, you can’t get a cab. Like you call up, and they say, ninety minutes. Or they don’t answer. They just don’t answer. And you’re sitting there, on the other end of the phone, like “Hello?” And the phone rings and rings and rings. And then you try again. Nothing….Hello? What the Fu**!(*&$Y#$(
Anyway, you get the idea. I didn’t actually even make it into the Main Street area on Monday until the evening when the taxi parade had died down a bit.
But this blog isn’t about traffic patterns. It isn’t about logistics. This particular entry is about the movies and biz of Sun and Slam. So lets get to it, shall we.
The week kicked off with the realization that at Sun, tickets are a scarce and well-guarded commodity. Even tickets to movies where you’ve raised a sizeable portion of the equity of the movie. So on Friday nite, when the Ten premiered, I went to the party (also that nite to the Snow Angels party), but actually didn’t go to the movie. I was with a friend V, and the chance of getting two tickets to the movie was absolutely zero. So instead, I settled for Tuesday screening tickets, and headed back to the condo a bit on the early side.
Tickets across the board at Sun were tough, but it’s just a learning process. And in the gaps, I was getting great tickets for Slam, because of the production deal Angel Baby has with them now. I am a sponsor. Free coat. Free hat. T-shirt. And all the redbull you can drink (not just for sponsors).
The great people at Slam (John, Peter, Sarah, and Kate) wanted me to see every movie, it seemed, so I got to go to anything I wanted, even things that were sold out. They put aside tickets for me for screenings I hadn’t even asked about in case I wanted to see them. And I saw a bunch of great stuff up at the Treasure Mountain Inn, where Slam takes place, including the audience award winner, Murder Party, a hilarious send-up of Williamsburg hipsters killing as performance art, Cold Prey, a taut slasher flick from Norway with great acting and direction, and the Jury Prize winning Tijuana Makes Me Happy, with a half-narrative half-doco style feature that was definitely unique and interesting. In addition, both Murder and Tijuana had NY filmmakers. Go team.
Down the hill, at Sun, the ticket pickings were scarcer, and I thought based on what I was hearing and seeing, less consistent. Aside from the Ten, which I found to be hilarious in parts (so did Variety) and overall very amusing (and which Ain’t It Cool News described as the best movie at Sun, 9.5/10), I saw Houndog (not my favorite, despite the presence of Grumpy fave, David Morse), and very over-hyped because of the Dakota rape thing. Also saw Low and Behold, which was exec. produced by former Film Sales Co. exec Jared Moshe (now at Sidetrack), and is, perhaps, the best true independent movie I have seen in years. Aside: What I mean by true independent movie is a movie with no stars, no names. Just compelling storytellings, spot-on acting, and great comic moments mixed in with the tragedy. Its represented by William Morris Indy, so I hope it sees the light of theatrical day. Y’all should make a point of seeing it. Miss it, and you’ll be missing out.
Other than that, I saw a few shorts programs, including Slamdance Winner Cow Thief (a definite PictureStart Film Festival invitee), took some meetings, hung with the City Lights boys, the Dough Boys guys, and David T. a bit, met Adrian Grenier, whose excellent short, Across the Hall was in the last Picturestart, and generally chilled (especially when the temperature dropped below 0F). Thank god for long johns.
The parties were fun, and I ran into a bunch of people I expected to and a number more that I didn’t expect to. The Ten had two parties, a private, exclusive one where Harvey made the rounds, and a bigger one that saw near-riots outside when people couldn’t get into the Premiere lounge. Thankfully I was already inside, escorted by Exec. Producer Jack Fisher. We actually left that party early, to go see Cold Prey up at Slamdance, a decision well worth having been made.
Besides, Jessica Alba wasn’t there.
(Though I met actor/producer Paul Rudd, who told me he plays cards with Hot Baby star Brian Vincent every Tuesday, and the very gracious Ken Marino (writer and co-star of The Ten), who I ran into a number of times with Director David Wain, who I’d already met at the National Board of Review Gala a few weeks before). Winona was there, but I didn’t have an opportunity to say hello.
We also hit the Snow Angels party with David T. from Crossroads. Also at the Premiere lounge, different nite, a key sighting was Dustin Diamond (Kate Beckinsale wasn’t in the house, and I didn’t see Grumpster favorite Tom Noonan). Kept trying to get V. to take a pic with Screech, but she declined. I guess she didn’t want to end up on his next internet video.
Dough Boys, the Louis Lombardi directed movie, which was co-produced by Peter Orphanos (who developed the My Brother website, mybrotherthemovie.com), had a party as well, at Celsius. (Louis, best known for 24 and for being the FBI agent that flipped Big Pussy on the Sopranos, was very friendly and gracious all week. We went to dinner a few times, including at terrific and expensive steak house Prime, where Michael Apted and Antonio Banderas were dining at the same time) And NY Film Commission had a party up in the hills, but we were so wiped out the night of that party, we never made it there.
Of course, an absolute highlight of the week was meeting Nathan and Bobby, the young authors of the Slamdance Horror Screenplay competition, with their script Slaughter (FYI- not a romantic comedy). From the UK Midlands, these guys (one of whom works in a video store, just like Quentin Tarantino did), flew to Salt Lake on a day’s notice when they found out they won the Horror Competition. One of them (Nathan I think) had never been on a plane before the trip to LA from Heathrow. How amazing is that. And they are bright-eyed and ready to go, do a little script polishing and get on set. I think we really hit the jackpot with these guys winning the Contest. Not only did they write a great script, but as people, they are just a pleasure to be around and are themselves a great story to boot. Having Nathan and Bobby on is gonna make this experience even better. And it was already gonna be great. Cheri W. from Maverick and I got on stage to announce the winners at the Slamdance Awards Ceremony and give them the award, which they accepted with terrific grace and class. Little do they know that members of the Slamdance staff pee on the Sparky trophies before they are handed out.
Seriously. Wash your hands. It’s a Slamdance tradition, but its kinda gross.
Anyhoo, now I am back on the plane to NYC. Pretty good flight, except that they are showing the movie I paid to see on the way out here, Invincible.
That’s OK. I had a great week.
Talk to y’all soon.
Grumpster.
Friday, January 19, 2007
Airplane Blogging: Park City Edition
Halfway through a flight to Salt Lake City. Salt Lake is the nearest major airport to Park City, where I will be spending the next eight days or so. Many of you will know why, some of my newer readers may be able to guess. Lemme spell it out for you.
I’m going dancing. Sundancing. Slamdancing. I’m in a “festive” mood (yeah, believe it). I’m here as a production executive on something called “The Ten,” which the Hollywood reporter would have you believe is one of the two biggest buzz movies of Sundance. Look it up. I am also here for the Slamdance Horror Script Competition, which I am sponsoring and from which, I will be producing a horror movie this year.
Where was I. Oh yeah.
Sundance and Slamdance, two of the largest film festivals in the world, both take place in Park City during the last weeks of January. The story goes that Robert Redford had bought property in the area and was looking for a mechanism to develop the property into something more valuable than beautiful mountainside. Sundance, indirectly, was born out of that need.
When Sundance started, it was a much smaller deal. Films were much more “independent” in nature, meaning that they didn’t have big name actors, producers, and certainly not the parade of agents, and producer’s reps and sales agents that films at the festival today do. There were no bidding wars over the most “commercial films” at the festival, because there really weren’t enough bidders, or the films of that nature to bid on.
Through the early nineties, as Sundance matured, and after Miramax (now the fellas at the Weinstein Co.) had done a great job making indies chic again, for the first time since the early seventies, audiences actively looking for something different informed the money guys the best way they know how. They went to see movies that were not made within the studio system. They went to see Pulp Fiction (which is, I guess, an example that jumps to mind, but it of course began well before 1994).
Anyway, with the studios, and hence agents, managers, sales reps, and various comglomerates now interested in the “indie,” the face of the indie film changed. This of course was assisted along the way by the studios increasing interest in producing (as opposed to acquiring) only formula movies and tent poles, and their waning interest in kudos-type films (except for a couple per year, not nearly enough to keep actors in the hills filled to the brim with accolade). A-listers began slumming on low-budget projects, things that they thought might be more likely to (1) reinvigorate a career or (2) get the coveted academy award nomination. With this increased attention, the trickle down began, movies, good and bad, with stars heretofore beyond the means of their budgets, began pounding on the gates of Park City, looking for the magic popcorn deals (called that because the sale takes place between the sales rep and the producer in the lobby of the movie theater while the audience is still on their feet, giving the director and cast a standing ovation – anyway, that’s how the dream goes).
So when the stars and their producers and the agents and their lackeys and corporate cronies started pounding on the doors, Sundance grew and grew.
And then, there was digital.
And it was good. Once in a while.
The digital cameras developed in the eighties and improved in the nineties made it possible for almost anyone with a little bit of money to make a movie (which is a long stretch from saying that they should have made a movie). In any event, with the cheap technology, and no need to buy or develop film stock, the numbers of indies being made in the nineties skyrocketed.
Needless to say (Many sucked).
I’ll go further. Most sucked. Of course, that’s not to say they are worse than the many of the studio movies, but they didn’t have the marketing pull of those movies, with few of these micro budget films having stars or story lines that were well suited…
I’m rambling. I’m sorry. Point is, that they were a lot more movies, both made with bigger budgets and stars, and most with either Steve Buscemi or that guy who played the drug dealer in Pulp Fiction. You know, the guy from Some Kind Of Wonderful. I can’t remember his name right now. But you know the guy.
Sundance was flooded with these A-listers and international productions, and the smaller indies mostly were squeezed out, particularly genre movies (horror) and comedies (well, to be clear, they were never really invited). In the ultra-serious Sundance, there was no room for them, most of the time.
Thus, the wicked stepbrother of Sundance, Slamdance, was born. Fouunder by Dan Mirvish and Peter Baxter, Slamdance began as an itty-bitty alternative festival up the street from Sundance, taking place simultaneously. Like a remora, but in a good way.
The remora grew until it became pretty darn big. Seventh largest film festival in the world. That’s a big fish.
Still, it provided a more “indie,” less Hollywood alternative to the events in Park City. And it still does. Slamdance has movies with names, but isn’t focused on stars. In a weird way, though, Slamdance, because of the interest of the programmers in the horror genre and in documentaries, has been successful to some degree in breeding a commercial outlet for the films it shows as well (Mad Hot Ballroom was a big sale at Slamdance in recent years). As some of you may know, Hollywood is a little bit interested in horror (like a new one every other weekend in wide theatrical release) but hasn’t necessarily had the best luck in coming up with new franchises (see, e.g. remakes of every seventies and eighties horror film currently in release or being remade). So its always looking to buy.
Anyhoo, as the horror craze continued, Sundance, which had focused on drama, saw that it was missing out on something (i.e. press from big popcorn deals), and started to program midnight screenings of horror films. Independently-made but highly commercial movies like Saw and Wolf Creek debuted at Sundance, where they were acquired (Lions Gate and Harvey, respectively) and released to good financial success (great, in the case of Saw). So Sundance had jumped in on the territory that Slamdance had monopolized in the Park City events of each January.
The commercialization of Sundance has been much written about in the trades and in popular media (and now here – never claimed to be the most original grumpster). In response to the increasing conclusion, fair or not, that the festival had lost its roots, the programmers of Sundance announced that they were rededicating the festival to showing what it was previously known for, the independent voice. Sundance was stepping away, starting in 2007, from commercial projects. And the press preceding the festival seems to indicate that they’ve done just that, at least to a degree. Now there is concern from Studio execs that there wont be a Little Miss Sunshine or Wolf Creek in this year’s crop.
We’ll see, I am still on the plane so I am going to reserve judgment (at least until I get to baggage claim). Besides, I am just here for the parties and the girls.
Not really. Well, sort of.
Yeah, it’s a business.
(To be continued)
I’m going dancing. Sundancing. Slamdancing. I’m in a “festive” mood (yeah, believe it). I’m here as a production executive on something called “The Ten,” which the Hollywood reporter would have you believe is one of the two biggest buzz movies of Sundance. Look it up. I am also here for the Slamdance Horror Script Competition, which I am sponsoring and from which, I will be producing a horror movie this year.
Where was I. Oh yeah.
Sundance and Slamdance, two of the largest film festivals in the world, both take place in Park City during the last weeks of January. The story goes that Robert Redford had bought property in the area and was looking for a mechanism to develop the property into something more valuable than beautiful mountainside. Sundance, indirectly, was born out of that need.
When Sundance started, it was a much smaller deal. Films were much more “independent” in nature, meaning that they didn’t have big name actors, producers, and certainly not the parade of agents, and producer’s reps and sales agents that films at the festival today do. There were no bidding wars over the most “commercial films” at the festival, because there really weren’t enough bidders, or the films of that nature to bid on.
Through the early nineties, as Sundance matured, and after Miramax (now the fellas at the Weinstein Co.) had done a great job making indies chic again, for the first time since the early seventies, audiences actively looking for something different informed the money guys the best way they know how. They went to see movies that were not made within the studio system. They went to see Pulp Fiction (which is, I guess, an example that jumps to mind, but it of course began well before 1994).
Anyway, with the studios, and hence agents, managers, sales reps, and various comglomerates now interested in the “indie,” the face of the indie film changed. This of course was assisted along the way by the studios increasing interest in producing (as opposed to acquiring) only formula movies and tent poles, and their waning interest in kudos-type films (except for a couple per year, not nearly enough to keep actors in the hills filled to the brim with accolade). A-listers began slumming on low-budget projects, things that they thought might be more likely to (1) reinvigorate a career or (2) get the coveted academy award nomination. With this increased attention, the trickle down began, movies, good and bad, with stars heretofore beyond the means of their budgets, began pounding on the gates of Park City, looking for the magic popcorn deals (called that because the sale takes place between the sales rep and the producer in the lobby of the movie theater while the audience is still on their feet, giving the director and cast a standing ovation – anyway, that’s how the dream goes).
So when the stars and their producers and the agents and their lackeys and corporate cronies started pounding on the doors, Sundance grew and grew.
And then, there was digital.
And it was good. Once in a while.
The digital cameras developed in the eighties and improved in the nineties made it possible for almost anyone with a little bit of money to make a movie (which is a long stretch from saying that they should have made a movie). In any event, with the cheap technology, and no need to buy or develop film stock, the numbers of indies being made in the nineties skyrocketed.
Needless to say (Many sucked).
I’ll go further. Most sucked. Of course, that’s not to say they are worse than the many of the studio movies, but they didn’t have the marketing pull of those movies, with few of these micro budget films having stars or story lines that were well suited…
I’m rambling. I’m sorry. Point is, that they were a lot more movies, both made with bigger budgets and stars, and most with either Steve Buscemi or that guy who played the drug dealer in Pulp Fiction. You know, the guy from Some Kind Of Wonderful. I can’t remember his name right now. But you know the guy.
Sundance was flooded with these A-listers and international productions, and the smaller indies mostly were squeezed out, particularly genre movies (horror) and comedies (well, to be clear, they were never really invited). In the ultra-serious Sundance, there was no room for them, most of the time.
Thus, the wicked stepbrother of Sundance, Slamdance, was born. Fouunder by Dan Mirvish and Peter Baxter, Slamdance began as an itty-bitty alternative festival up the street from Sundance, taking place simultaneously. Like a remora, but in a good way.
The remora grew until it became pretty darn big. Seventh largest film festival in the world. That’s a big fish.
Still, it provided a more “indie,” less Hollywood alternative to the events in Park City. And it still does. Slamdance has movies with names, but isn’t focused on stars. In a weird way, though, Slamdance, because of the interest of the programmers in the horror genre and in documentaries, has been successful to some degree in breeding a commercial outlet for the films it shows as well (Mad Hot Ballroom was a big sale at Slamdance in recent years). As some of you may know, Hollywood is a little bit interested in horror (like a new one every other weekend in wide theatrical release) but hasn’t necessarily had the best luck in coming up with new franchises (see, e.g. remakes of every seventies and eighties horror film currently in release or being remade). So its always looking to buy.
Anyhoo, as the horror craze continued, Sundance, which had focused on drama, saw that it was missing out on something (i.e. press from big popcorn deals), and started to program midnight screenings of horror films. Independently-made but highly commercial movies like Saw and Wolf Creek debuted at Sundance, where they were acquired (Lions Gate and Harvey, respectively) and released to good financial success (great, in the case of Saw). So Sundance had jumped in on the territory that Slamdance had monopolized in the Park City events of each January.
The commercialization of Sundance has been much written about in the trades and in popular media (and now here – never claimed to be the most original grumpster). In response to the increasing conclusion, fair or not, that the festival had lost its roots, the programmers of Sundance announced that they were rededicating the festival to showing what it was previously known for, the independent voice. Sundance was stepping away, starting in 2007, from commercial projects. And the press preceding the festival seems to indicate that they’ve done just that, at least to a degree. Now there is concern from Studio execs that there wont be a Little Miss Sunshine or Wolf Creek in this year’s crop.
We’ll see, I am still on the plane so I am going to reserve judgment (at least until I get to baggage claim). Besides, I am just here for the parties and the girls.
Not really. Well, sort of.
Yeah, it’s a business.
(To be continued)
Thursday, January 18, 2007
A Classic
On the day before I leave for Slamdance and Sundance (yes, in that order), I have another review of a movie. Not so much a review, perhaps, as a series of superlative accolades.
Many movies don’t stand the test of time. There are movies that are absolutely resoundingly well-thought of when they come out, but this approval doesn’t last. There are aspects of a movie that stale, like old milk, in some cases. This can be the case despite great performances, terrific scores, imaginative editing, or a great script. For whatever reason, a movie can fall off. Usually one of these items (often the screenplay) loses its timeliness, its edge. It can become trite. It can be antiquated. For whatever reason, its no longer what it is.
And then there are movies like Risky Business. Made in 1980 by Warner Brother with a young Tom Cruise as Joel Goodson, this movie, which was quite popular across age groups when it came out, isn’t necessarily mentioned as a great film when people talk about the best movies of the 80’s. That is a wrongful omission. This film, to me and my perhaps less than fully trained eye, is one of the very best films of its genre, and of the eighties. Its simply fantastic, and hasn’t lost the edge it had when it came out. Not a bit.
(Forgive me for sounding like a Peter Travers review, but its true).
The story of a teenager left home by his parents, getting into trouble, became a staple of Hollywood’s teen genre (see, e.g. Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Adventures in Babysitting, Weird Science and Sixteen Candles (at least the party) to name a few). But none of these movies did this nearly as well as Paul Brickman’s entry to the genre that became one of the princes of the box office and the source of doppelgangers to this day (See, the pleasant but somewhat punchless The Girl Next Door).
Why does the movie stand up so well? I think there are a few reasons. First, the writing, acting, music and editing are all top notch. Richard Chew, the editor, has quite the pedigree, working with Milos Forman on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and George Lucas on the original Star Wars (with Marcia Lucas editing as well). The Tangerine Dream score was ultra modern then, and still holds a minimalist sound that works terrifically in movies today. And the acting, well, bundle together some names of people that went on to substantial careers, even besides Cruise, like Curtis Armstrong, Joe Pantoliano, Bronson Pinchot, Richard Masur (as the Princeton Interviewer) and Rebecca De Morney at her very best, and you have a cast that, in a terrifically directed understated way, moves the story along with an urgency that puts you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride.
So go rent it, or buy it. Particularly if you haven’t seen it (I don’t know how popular the film was outside the US, so maybe some non-US readers haven’t seen it). Even if you aren’t a Tom Cruise fan, I don’t think you should be deterred. It is, frankly, too good to miss.
Go ahead, take a chance. Sometimes you just gotta say, "What the fuck, make your move."
Many movies don’t stand the test of time. There are movies that are absolutely resoundingly well-thought of when they come out, but this approval doesn’t last. There are aspects of a movie that stale, like old milk, in some cases. This can be the case despite great performances, terrific scores, imaginative editing, or a great script. For whatever reason, a movie can fall off. Usually one of these items (often the screenplay) loses its timeliness, its edge. It can become trite. It can be antiquated. For whatever reason, its no longer what it is.
And then there are movies like Risky Business. Made in 1980 by Warner Brother with a young Tom Cruise as Joel Goodson, this movie, which was quite popular across age groups when it came out, isn’t necessarily mentioned as a great film when people talk about the best movies of the 80’s. That is a wrongful omission. This film, to me and my perhaps less than fully trained eye, is one of the very best films of its genre, and of the eighties. Its simply fantastic, and hasn’t lost the edge it had when it came out. Not a bit.
(Forgive me for sounding like a Peter Travers review, but its true).
The story of a teenager left home by his parents, getting into trouble, became a staple of Hollywood’s teen genre (see, e.g. Don’t Tell Mom The Babysitter’s Dead, Adventures in Babysitting, Weird Science and Sixteen Candles (at least the party) to name a few). But none of these movies did this nearly as well as Paul Brickman’s entry to the genre that became one of the princes of the box office and the source of doppelgangers to this day (See, the pleasant but somewhat punchless The Girl Next Door).
Why does the movie stand up so well? I think there are a few reasons. First, the writing, acting, music and editing are all top notch. Richard Chew, the editor, has quite the pedigree, working with Milos Forman on One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and George Lucas on the original Star Wars (with Marcia Lucas editing as well). The Tangerine Dream score was ultra modern then, and still holds a minimalist sound that works terrifically in movies today. And the acting, well, bundle together some names of people that went on to substantial careers, even besides Cruise, like Curtis Armstrong, Joe Pantoliano, Bronson Pinchot, Richard Masur (as the Princeton Interviewer) and Rebecca De Morney at her very best, and you have a cast that, in a terrifically directed understated way, moves the story along with an urgency that puts you on the edge of your seat for the whole ride.
So go rent it, or buy it. Particularly if you haven’t seen it (I don’t know how popular the film was outside the US, so maybe some non-US readers haven’t seen it). Even if you aren’t a Tom Cruise fan, I don’t think you should be deterred. It is, frankly, too good to miss.
Go ahead, take a chance. Sometimes you just gotta say, "What the fuck, make your move."
Monday, January 15, 2007
From The Onion, C. 1999 - Hyde Predicted.
HOLLYWOOD, CA—In what entertainment-industry insiders are calling "an exciting new development," the vagina of aspiring actress Sierra Nicole Lennox, 20, was photographed Monday from a variety of alluring angles.
The photo session is widely regarded as the first step on the road to fame and fortune for the young actress, who film and TV executives throughout the greater Los Angeles area are calling a "striking, white-hot new talent" with a "really great-looking vagina."
"I'm extremely excited about this latest career move," a bathrobed Lennox told reporters shortly after completing principal photography. "I've already seen some of the initial demo photos and, if I do say so myself, my vagina looks fantastic. But I want everyone to understand that this is only the beginning. Once these pictures of my vagina start getting circulated and creating a 'buzz' around town, I'll be able to move on to what I'm really interested in doing: starring in and perhaps directing major motion pictures."
"I'm not just another pretty vagina," Lennox added.
According to semi-professional talent agent Murray Pisarcik, 49, who photographed the young woman's genitals in the basement studio of his Van Nuys home, Lennox's vagina "definitely has what it takes" to propel her to Hollywood superstardom.
"Sierra's vagina is really something special. In this town, aspiring starlets are a dime a dozen. But she's not like the other girls you see waiting to be discovered at the counter of the Denny's on Sunset Boulevard," Pisarcik said. "She's got the kind of vagina that just lights up a room."
Lennox, born Dolores Ellen Niehrud, was known as "the prettiest girl in town" in her hometown of Olathe, KS, where she was the star of her high-school drama club, starring in Oklahoma!, The Music Man and Pippin before moving on to study theater at Emporia (KS) Community College. Though her talent continued to blossom at ECC, she said she quickly realized her ambitions were bigger than Kansas could hold. Within six months, she was waitressing in L.A.
"Emporia was great, but I soon figured out that Hollywood was where the action was," Lennox said. "I had talent, but I knew I couldn't sit around forever. I had to go for it while the time was ripe. After all, my vagina wasn't getting any younger."
Explaining the decision to have her vagina photographed, Lennox said: "When you're just starting out like I am, you need to do something special to stand out from the crowd. You need to get yourself noticed and create a 'buzz,' and showing people your vagina is a great way to do that."
Though Pisarcik said he and Lennox are still weighing their options regarding the vaginal pics, the photographer said several "very attractive offers" are currently on the table. "I've got a possible sale already lined up to www.eagerbeaverz.com, and both Gent and Swank have expressed interest," Pisarcik said. "So the industry response is definitely there."
"Remember this vagina," Pisarcik added, holding up an 8x10 glossy of Lennox's pubis. "Take a good look now, because before long, everybody's who's anybody will recognize it. This vagina's on a one-way rocket-ship ride to the top, baby!"
Industry power players who have seen advance copies of the photos agreed that Lennox's vagina has real star power.
"This is the kind of vagina you see once, maybe twice in a lifetime," said Paramount Pictures executive Barry Wolk. "I predict Sierra Nicole Lennox will be the next Glenn Close. Photos don't lie: That's talent, baby. Sheer, unadulterated talent."
"Just look at this vagina," agreed Andrew Black of 20th Century Fox. "The camera loves it. With a knockout vagina like this, the girl can't miss."
For all her success, Lennox admitted she had her doubts at first.
"When I first moved to Hollywood, sure, I was scared. I thought, 'What if I'm not good enough? What if people don't like my vagina?'" she said. "You hear so many horror stories about how this town eats people alive. But I've found that's all a myth. Everyone I've met has been so supportive and friendly, especially when it comes to taking pictures of my pubic region."
"I just know I'm going to be a big star," Lennox added, smiling brightly. "All my hard work is finally paying off."
With success and fame just around the corner, Lennox and Pisarcik are planning a weekend getaway to the Tarzana, CA, Motel 6 to reflect on her big break and ponder the next move.
"We're on our way," said Pisarcik, packing hurriedly. "I told Sierra she could make the biggest debut splash since Meryl Streep appeared in Naked Nymphos back in 1976. But we're not letting success go to our heads. We're going to handle this well. Sierra's going to have a lot of decisions to make as far as what projects she wants to take on. As for me, once the money starts rolling in, I'm going to pay my back alimony and take care of my debts at the dogtrack."
"Sure, the initial rush of getting my big break is exhilarating," Lennox said, "but this is only the beginning. I bring a lot more to the table than just a great vagina. I'm bursting with energy and willing to do whatever it takes to make it. So get ready, Tinseltown: I'm gonna spread my wings and show the whole world just what Sierra Nicole Lennox is all about.
HOLLYWOOD, CA—In what entertainment-industry insiders are calling "an exciting new development," the vagina of aspiring actress Sierra Nicole Lennox, 20, was photographed Monday from a variety of alluring angles.The photo session is widely regarded as the first step on the road to fame and fortune for the young actress, who film and TV executives throughout the greater Los Angeles area are calling a "striking, white-hot new talent" with a "really great-looking vagina."
"I'm extremely excited about this latest career move," a bathrobed Lennox told reporters shortly after completing principal photography. "I've already seen some of the initial demo photos and, if I do say so myself, my vagina looks fantastic. But I want everyone to understand that this is only the beginning. Once these pictures of my vagina start getting circulated and creating a 'buzz' around town, I'll be able to move on to what I'm really interested in doing: starring in and perhaps directing major motion pictures."
"I'm not just another pretty vagina," Lennox added.
According to semi-professional talent agent Murray Pisarcik, 49, who photographed the young woman's genitals in the basement studio of his Van Nuys home, Lennox's vagina "definitely has what it takes" to propel her to Hollywood superstardom.
"Sierra's vagina is really something special. In this town, aspiring starlets are a dime a dozen. But she's not like the other girls you see waiting to be discovered at the counter of the Denny's on Sunset Boulevard," Pisarcik said. "She's got the kind of vagina that just lights up a room."
Lennox, born Dolores Ellen Niehrud, was known as "the prettiest girl in town" in her hometown of Olathe, KS, where she was the star of her high-school drama club, starring in Oklahoma!, The Music Man and Pippin before moving on to study theater at Emporia (KS) Community College. Though her talent continued to blossom at ECC, she said she quickly realized her ambitions were bigger than Kansas could hold. Within six months, she was waitressing in L.A.
"Emporia was great, but I soon figured out that Hollywood was where the action was," Lennox said. "I had talent, but I knew I couldn't sit around forever. I had to go for it while the time was ripe. After all, my vagina wasn't getting any younger."
Explaining the decision to have her vagina photographed, Lennox said: "When you're just starting out like I am, you need to do something special to stand out from the crowd. You need to get yourself noticed and create a 'buzz,' and showing people your vagina is a great way to do that."
Though Pisarcik said he and Lennox are still weighing their options regarding the vaginal pics, the photographer said several "very attractive offers" are currently on the table. "I've got a possible sale already lined up to www.eagerbeaverz.com, and both Gent and Swank have expressed interest," Pisarcik said. "So the industry response is definitely there."
"Remember this vagina," Pisarcik added, holding up an 8x10 glossy of Lennox's pubis. "Take a good look now, because before long, everybody's who's anybody will recognize it. This vagina's on a one-way rocket-ship ride to the top, baby!"
Industry power players who have seen advance copies of the photos agreed that Lennox's vagina has real star power.
"This is the kind of vagina you see once, maybe twice in a lifetime," said Paramount Pictures executive Barry Wolk. "I predict Sierra Nicole Lennox will be the next Glenn Close. Photos don't lie: That's talent, baby. Sheer, unadulterated talent."
"Just look at this vagina," agreed Andrew Black of 20th Century Fox. "The camera loves it. With a knockout vagina like this, the girl can't miss."
For all her success, Lennox admitted she had her doubts at first.
"When I first moved to Hollywood, sure, I was scared. I thought, 'What if I'm not good enough? What if people don't like my vagina?'" she said. "You hear so many horror stories about how this town eats people alive. But I've found that's all a myth. Everyone I've met has been so supportive and friendly, especially when it comes to taking pictures of my pubic region."
"I just know I'm going to be a big star," Lennox added, smiling brightly. "All my hard work is finally paying off."
With success and fame just around the corner, Lennox and Pisarcik are planning a weekend getaway to the Tarzana, CA, Motel 6 to reflect on her big break and ponder the next move.
"We're on our way," said Pisarcik, packing hurriedly. "I told Sierra she could make the biggest debut splash since Meryl Streep appeared in Naked Nymphos back in 1976. But we're not letting success go to our heads. We're going to handle this well. Sierra's going to have a lot of decisions to make as far as what projects she wants to take on. As for me, once the money starts rolling in, I'm going to pay my back alimony and take care of my debts at the dogtrack."
"Sure, the initial rush of getting my big break is exhilarating," Lennox said, "but this is only the beginning. I bring a lot more to the table than just a great vagina. I'm bursting with energy and willing to do whatever it takes to make it. So get ready, Tinseltown: I'm gonna spread my wings and show the whole world just what Sierra Nicole Lennox is all about.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Everything Is, Indeed, Illuminated
Just saw a great somewhat unknown movie (at least unknown in relation to how great it is). I don’t really do reviews for many of the reasons I’ve previously stated here. Like I don’t know who reads this blog and I don’t want to badmouth people that I work with, want to work with, might want to work with, my friends work with and I might meet. And in general, there isn’t a whole lot of need for me to negative about other people’s work. Its not like I expect everything I will ever do to be Academy Award worthy.
But that shouldn’t stop me from making reviews of things that are great. Right? Because if you don’t have anything bad to say, then why shouldn’t you feel happy to say it.
Everything Is Illuminated, which was directed by Liev Schreiber, and starring Elijah Wood. It’s a comedic, and subtly ethereal journey through the past of the Ukraine into a personal history of two families during the Holocaust. Its beautifully photographed, classic cinema based on character development and an intriguing story. Schreiber wrote the screenplay as well, which was based on the book by the same title by Jonathan Safren. While certain reviews have said that Liev greatly simplified the storyline from the book, I see a lot of depth in the way the movie brings across the tales that the characters want to portray. I haven’t read the book, but I don’t see this as a simple film at all. In any event, I hope you all will take the time to see it. Its worth your time.
Grumpy.
But that shouldn’t stop me from making reviews of things that are great. Right? Because if you don’t have anything bad to say, then why shouldn’t you feel happy to say it.
Everything Is Illuminated, which was directed by Liev Schreiber, and starring Elijah Wood. It’s a comedic, and subtly ethereal journey through the past of the Ukraine into a personal history of two families during the Holocaust. Its beautifully photographed, classic cinema based on character development and an intriguing story. Schreiber wrote the screenplay as well, which was based on the book by the same title by Jonathan Safren. While certain reviews have said that Liev greatly simplified the storyline from the book, I see a lot of depth in the way the movie brings across the tales that the characters want to portray. I haven’t read the book, but I don’t see this as a simple film at all. In any event, I hope you all will take the time to see it. Its worth your time.
Grumpy.
Saturday, January 06, 2007
Under the (Rather Temperate) Weather
I used to never get sick. Never. To the point where I was always able to say that I never get sick. I may miss work, but I never missed work because I was sick. I don’t have to miss work anymore because I don’t hate work anymore. I like work. Now I miss work because I am sick. And I am sick.
Now I can work from home, to some degree. It’s a little bit easier to meet with people when I am in the office, and not in pajamas. Though not impossible. I have great feet.
One of the things I’ve been doing from home this weekend is working as a co-producer of the National Board of Review Annual Gala, being held this year at Cipriani. The NBR is the oldest film critics organization in the country, and my biz partner in Angel Baby Entertainment, John Gallagher, has been involved with the NBR for years, having done everything from host screenings to write speeches and co-produce the Gala. Well, this year he’s producing the whole thing, for the first year at Cipriani, and I am lending a hand where I can.
The NBR announces their awards first in the award’s season, rather than announcing nominees.
Here are the 2006 Honorees for the NBR.
Best Film to Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg.
Marty Scorsese will be there to pick up Best Director
Best Actress to Helen Mirren.
Best Actor to Forest Whitaker.
Supporting Actor to Djimon Housnou.
Supporting Actress to Catherine O'Hara.
Foreign Film to Pedro Almodovar.
Tipper Gore, Lawrence Bender, Davis Guggenheim for Best Doc – Inconvenient Truth
John Lasseter for Animated Feature Cars
Ensemble Cast to The Departed (incl. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and Vera Formiga)
Breakthrough Actor to Ryan Gosling
Breakthrough Actress Jennifer Hudson
Breakthrough Actress to Rinko Kikuchi
Directorial Debut to Jason Reitman for Thank You For Smoking
Orig Screenplay to Zach Helm for Stranger Than Fiction
Adapted Screenplay to Ron Nyswaner for The Painted Veil
Freedom of Expression to Deepa Mehta for Water and Oliver Stone for World Trade Center
Everson Film History Award to Donald Krim of Kino.
Career Producing to Irwin Winkler
Billy Wilder Award to Jonathan Demme
Career Achievement to Eli Wallach
And Jesse Martin is the MC.
Anyway, it’s a great list of people coming, heads of WB, Universal and Fox, and Scott Rudin as well.
Im going to the doctor Monday, I hope I feel better by Tuesday nite. Gonna be great.
Now I can work from home, to some degree. It’s a little bit easier to meet with people when I am in the office, and not in pajamas. Though not impossible. I have great feet.
One of the things I’ve been doing from home this weekend is working as a co-producer of the National Board of Review Annual Gala, being held this year at Cipriani. The NBR is the oldest film critics organization in the country, and my biz partner in Angel Baby Entertainment, John Gallagher, has been involved with the NBR for years, having done everything from host screenings to write speeches and co-produce the Gala. Well, this year he’s producing the whole thing, for the first year at Cipriani, and I am lending a hand where I can.
The NBR announces their awards first in the award’s season, rather than announcing nominees.
Here are the 2006 Honorees for the NBR.
Best Film to Clint Eastwood and Steven Spielberg.
Marty Scorsese will be there to pick up Best Director
Best Actress to Helen Mirren.
Best Actor to Forest Whitaker.
Supporting Actor to Djimon Housnou.
Supporting Actress to Catherine O'Hara.
Foreign Film to Pedro Almodovar.
Tipper Gore, Lawrence Bender, Davis Guggenheim for Best Doc – Inconvenient Truth
John Lasseter for Animated Feature Cars
Ensemble Cast to The Departed (incl. Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Mark Wahlberg and Vera Formiga)
Breakthrough Actor to Ryan Gosling
Breakthrough Actress Jennifer Hudson
Breakthrough Actress to Rinko Kikuchi
Directorial Debut to Jason Reitman for Thank You For Smoking
Orig Screenplay to Zach Helm for Stranger Than Fiction
Adapted Screenplay to Ron Nyswaner for The Painted Veil
Freedom of Expression to Deepa Mehta for Water and Oliver Stone for World Trade Center
Everson Film History Award to Donald Krim of Kino.
Career Producing to Irwin Winkler
Billy Wilder Award to Jonathan Demme
Career Achievement to Eli Wallach
And Jesse Martin is the MC.
Anyway, it’s a great list of people coming, heads of WB, Universal and Fox, and Scott Rudin as well.
Im going to the doctor Monday, I hope I feel better by Tuesday nite. Gonna be great.
Friday, January 05, 2007
That Guy (Top 10) - Continued
Another long gap in time. Sue me. I've been busy and i think i friggin have walking pneumonia. Walkin friggin pneumonia. At least it didnt stop me from gettin busy in South Beach, aight. More on the South Beach trip, tomorrow. I dont expect to be moving around much this weekend. Want to shake this damn bug. Anyway, lets finish up this list.
***********
OK. So I don’t blog for a week. More than a week. Now I am home for Saturday night, writing, sitting around, reading old movie reviews at RogerEbert.com (which I very much recommend) and I thought of a good list post, so even though I just posted, I wanna start this one off. The list is one Happy will definitely appreciate – It’s the “That’s the Guy From” List, meaning a list of the character actors that we have seen a million times, but their names have never quite crossed into the public consciousness (based upon normal people’s knowledge, not yours, Happy).
So lets hit it. (Again).
MORE UPDATES (JAN. 6th)
1. The recently deparated John Spencer, known well for the West Wing (like Alison Janney), but great in Presumed Innocent, Copland and more.
2. Charles Napier and Tracy Walter. A couple of great Jonathan Demme company members.
3. Brion James - While best known as Kehoe in 48 Hours, he was, until his death, a stalwart of B actioners, and the occasional big Hollywood movie, including the Player, Striking Distance, Tango and Cash (gulp) and Red Heat (double gulp).
4. Vincent Schiavelli - With that unmistakeable mug, the face of a corpse (he actually died this year), appearing in movies from Cuckoo’s Nest to Batman Returns to Better Off Dead.
5. Wallace Shawn - Best known as The Sicilian from The Princess Bride. "Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line."
6. Henry Silva - Always the bad guy, in so many different cultures, too.
7. Alison Janney - A happy choice.
8. Tony Goldwyn - Shouldn't be on this list, too good an actor (and quite the acting coach as well, apparently.
9. Dan Hedaya - One of the top character actors over the past twenty five years. Made his mark first in Coen brothers movies and on Cheers, as Nick Tortelli.
10. Frank Whaley - Great in Swimming With Sharks, a personal fave. Also a good director, but number seven on the whose that guy list (no Its not a Madonna song).
***********
OK. So I don’t blog for a week. More than a week. Now I am home for Saturday night, writing, sitting around, reading old movie reviews at RogerEbert.com (which I very much recommend) and I thought of a good list post, so even though I just posted, I wanna start this one off. The list is one Happy will definitely appreciate – It’s the “That’s the Guy From” List, meaning a list of the character actors that we have seen a million times, but their names have never quite crossed into the public consciousness (based upon normal people’s knowledge, not yours, Happy).
So lets hit it. (Again).
MORE UPDATES (JAN. 6th)
1. The recently deparated John Spencer, known well for the West Wing (like Alison Janney), but great in Presumed Innocent, Copland and more.
2. Charles Napier and Tracy Walter. A couple of great Jonathan Demme company members.
3. Brion James - While best known as Kehoe in 48 Hours, he was, until his death, a stalwart of B actioners, and the occasional big Hollywood movie, including the Player, Striking Distance, Tango and Cash (gulp) and Red Heat (double gulp).
4. Vincent Schiavelli - With that unmistakeable mug, the face of a corpse (he actually died this year), appearing in movies from Cuckoo’s Nest to Batman Returns to Better Off Dead.
5. Wallace Shawn - Best known as The Sicilian from The Princess Bride. "Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line."
6. Henry Silva - Always the bad guy, in so many different cultures, too.
7. Alison Janney - A happy choice.
8. Tony Goldwyn - Shouldn't be on this list, too good an actor (and quite the acting coach as well, apparently.
9. Dan Hedaya - One of the top character actors over the past twenty five years. Made his mark first in Coen brothers movies and on Cheers, as Nick Tortelli.
10. Frank Whaley - Great in Swimming With Sharks, a personal fave. Also a good director, but number seven on the whose that guy list (no Its not a Madonna song).
Monday, December 18, 2006
Tricky Bitch
I am a somewhat tricky bitch, ya know. When I need to be.
I have this blog, but because its public, I cannot be totally candid about topics close to my industry. I work with people, they work with other people, yada yada and I can’t insult the wrong person. So while I would like to write things about what I do, I can’t always do that, and further, I cannot necessarily write reviews of movies. Tv shows, etc. Except if they are going to be positive. So, no dirt.
But even within those limitations, I wanted to point something out that I think is a huge discrepancy. Huge.
I always used to say that I don’t watch much television, and while that used to be accurate, its less and less so. There are a bunch of shows I tevo and watch.
They include, in less than random order, The Shield, The Wire, Rome, Deadwood, Studio 60, Ugly Betty (don’t laugh), Entourage, Nip Tuck, Dexter, Weeds, and maybe even a few more (I’ve only seem one season of Lost, which I liked a bunch, and in fairness, I have never seen CSI, or 24, Greys, Heroes, or that thing with the firemen).
Now, the Golden Globes, from the esteemed Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has come out with its nominations for this year.
Any two people can disagree on whats good and what is not. But some things cannot be refuted, I think. Even in entertainment, there are some verifiable absolutes.
So how the hell do The Shield and The Wire get totally shut out. These shows, with some of the best acting (not to mention incredible writing) don’t even get a mentioned from the HFPA. How can that be? I don’t get it.
So yeah, while I cant review a movie or television show (at least a contemporary one), I can at least complain about the omissions of the Golden Globes.
Based on the Golden Gregs here are the awards for the main television categories…of course only based upon the television shows I watch. I can’t do alot about the shows I don’t watch.
Best Show, Drama:
The Shield – Come on, if you have to ask why, you haven’t seen it.
The Wire – Same deal, some of the best acting and most authentic writing on television.
Rome – Great filmmaking in television show.
Studio 60 – I am literally angry when there isn’t a new episode.
Best Show, Comedy
Entourage – The number one guilty pleasure on television. The OC for adult males.
Ugly Betty – And I am straight.
Weeds – If my sister was a drug dealer, this would be her.
Huff- Based on last season, I need to catch up, and there aren’t that many good comedies.
Best Actor
Michael Chiklis, The Shield
Forest Whitaker – The Shield
Jeremy Piven – Entourage
Kevin McKidd – Rome
Matthew Perry – Studio 60
Best Actress
America Ferrara – Ugly Betty
Mary Louise Parker – Weeds
Polly Walker – Rome
Sarah Paulson – Studio 60
OK, lemme have it.
Grumpy.
I have this blog, but because its public, I cannot be totally candid about topics close to my industry. I work with people, they work with other people, yada yada and I can’t insult the wrong person. So while I would like to write things about what I do, I can’t always do that, and further, I cannot necessarily write reviews of movies. Tv shows, etc. Except if they are going to be positive. So, no dirt.
But even within those limitations, I wanted to point something out that I think is a huge discrepancy. Huge.
I always used to say that I don’t watch much television, and while that used to be accurate, its less and less so. There are a bunch of shows I tevo and watch.
They include, in less than random order, The Shield, The Wire, Rome, Deadwood, Studio 60, Ugly Betty (don’t laugh), Entourage, Nip Tuck, Dexter, Weeds, and maybe even a few more (I’ve only seem one season of Lost, which I liked a bunch, and in fairness, I have never seen CSI, or 24, Greys, Heroes, or that thing with the firemen).
Now, the Golden Globes, from the esteemed Hollywood Foreign Press Association, has come out with its nominations for this year.
Any two people can disagree on whats good and what is not. But some things cannot be refuted, I think. Even in entertainment, there are some verifiable absolutes.
So how the hell do The Shield and The Wire get totally shut out. These shows, with some of the best acting (not to mention incredible writing) don’t even get a mentioned from the HFPA. How can that be? I don’t get it.
So yeah, while I cant review a movie or television show (at least a contemporary one), I can at least complain about the omissions of the Golden Globes.
Based on the Golden Gregs here are the awards for the main television categories…of course only based upon the television shows I watch. I can’t do alot about the shows I don’t watch.
Best Show, Drama:
The Shield – Come on, if you have to ask why, you haven’t seen it.
The Wire – Same deal, some of the best acting and most authentic writing on television.
Rome – Great filmmaking in television show.
Studio 60 – I am literally angry when there isn’t a new episode.
Best Show, Comedy
Entourage – The number one guilty pleasure on television. The OC for adult males.
Ugly Betty – And I am straight.
Weeds – If my sister was a drug dealer, this would be her.
Huff- Based on last season, I need to catch up, and there aren’t that many good comedies.
Best Actor
Michael Chiklis, The Shield
Forest Whitaker – The Shield
Jeremy Piven – Entourage
Kevin McKidd – Rome
Matthew Perry – Studio 60
Best Actress
America Ferrara – Ugly Betty
Mary Louise Parker – Weeds
Polly Walker – Rome
Sarah Paulson – Studio 60
OK, lemme have it.
Grumpy.
Sunday, December 10, 2006
Sunday on the blog
Hey Y’all. Been very busy with work, and haven’t had much time for blogging.
I’m getting set for Sundance, and I booked my tickets this week. The Ten, the movie I production exec’ed for City Lights, got the Friday Midnight screening time at Sundance. It’s a great spot, the one that Blair Witch and Napoleon Dynamite both had. Hopefully that is the direction in which we’ll be heading for the Picture. Its obviously a lot to hope form, but why not.
The Slamdance (not to be confused with Sundance) deal is almost done, with financing to be provided primarily by a well-known Hollywood entity. The deal with these projects is as follows: Slamdance gets a whole lotta scripts in their script competition. A bunch fo them are horror film scripts. They are going to give me, out of these hundreds of scripts, the ones they consider to be the best ten. We’ll pick one of the ten, which we will make into a movie every year, to premiere the following year at Slamdance. I love this project, as its fun and high profile and involves giving young writers access to the Hollywood opportunites on the basis of merit. Enter your horror screenplay here if you dare.
In other news, I am sick of the cold weather. I hate the cold weather. I want to go somewhere warm. Maybe LA. Maybe Miami. Only current trip planned is to Park City for Slamdance and Sundance
That’s all for now. Gotta check fantasy football scores. Looks like a good year for my teams (the Low Key Elvises), as I took second place in baseball, and I’ve made the playoffs in football, and basketball is looking good, with D. Howard, Marion, Wade, and Paul making the rounds for the Elvises.
Grumpy
I’m getting set for Sundance, and I booked my tickets this week. The Ten, the movie I production exec’ed for City Lights, got the Friday Midnight screening time at Sundance. It’s a great spot, the one that Blair Witch and Napoleon Dynamite both had. Hopefully that is the direction in which we’ll be heading for the Picture. Its obviously a lot to hope form, but why not.
The Slamdance (not to be confused with Sundance) deal is almost done, with financing to be provided primarily by a well-known Hollywood entity. The deal with these projects is as follows: Slamdance gets a whole lotta scripts in their script competition. A bunch fo them are horror film scripts. They are going to give me, out of these hundreds of scripts, the ones they consider to be the best ten. We’ll pick one of the ten, which we will make into a movie every year, to premiere the following year at Slamdance. I love this project, as its fun and high profile and involves giving young writers access to the Hollywood opportunites on the basis of merit. Enter your horror screenplay here if you dare.
In other news, I am sick of the cold weather. I hate the cold weather. I want to go somewhere warm. Maybe LA. Maybe Miami. Only current trip planned is to Park City for Slamdance and Sundance
That’s all for now. Gotta check fantasy football scores. Looks like a good year for my teams (the Low Key Elvises), as I took second place in baseball, and I’ve made the playoffs in football, and basketball is looking good, with D. Howard, Marion, Wade, and Paul making the rounds for the Elvises.
Grumpy
Saturday, November 25, 2006
That Guy!!!! (Top 10)
OK. So I don’t blog for a week. More than a week. Now I am home for Saturday night, writing, sitting around, reading old movie reviews at RogerEbert.com (which I very much recommend) and I thought of a good list post, so even though I just posted, I wanna start this one off. The list is one Happy will definitely appreciate – It’s the “That’s the Guy From” List, meaning a list of the character actors that we have seen a million times, but their names have never quite crossed into the public consciousness (based upon normal people’s knowledge, not yours, Happy).
So lets hit it.
1. Vincent Schiavelli - With that unmistakeable mug, the face of a corpse (he actually died this year), appearing in movies from Cuckoo’s Nest to Batman Returns to Better Off Dead.
2. Wallace Shawn - Best known as The Sicilian from The Princess Bride. "Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line."
3. Henry Silva - Always the bad guy, in so many different cultures, too.
4. Alison Janney - A happy choice.
5. Tony Goldwyn - Shouldn't be on this list, too good an actor (and quite the acting coach as well, apparently.
6. Dan Hedaya - One of the top character actors over the past twenty five years. Made his mark first in Coen brothers movies and on Cheers, as Nick Tortelli.
7. Frank Whaley - Great in Swimming With Sharks, a personal fave. Also a good director, but number seven on the whose that guy list (no Its not a Madonna song).
So lets hit it.
1. Vincent Schiavelli - With that unmistakeable mug, the face of a corpse (he actually died this year), appearing in movies from Cuckoo’s Nest to Batman Returns to Better Off Dead.
2. Wallace Shawn - Best known as The Sicilian from The Princess Bride. "Never go up against a Sicilian when death is on the line."
3. Henry Silva - Always the bad guy, in so many different cultures, too.
4. Alison Janney - A happy choice.
5. Tony Goldwyn - Shouldn't be on this list, too good an actor (and quite the acting coach as well, apparently.
6. Dan Hedaya - One of the top character actors over the past twenty five years. Made his mark first in Coen brothers movies and on Cheers, as Nick Tortelli.
7. Frank Whaley - Great in Swimming With Sharks, a personal fave. Also a good director, but number seven on the whose that guy list (no Its not a Madonna song).
Feelin’ kinda lazy.
I went out last nite to Ultra. My friend and new biz associate Ryan was hangin’ there with a bunch of friends and invited us to come meet him.
Ultra is this chic newish lounge, with the velvet rope, the huge bouncers, and the models, the whole deal. So it’s the shit in NYC, for whatever that is worth to you. I’ve been going to clubs in NYC for the last twenty years, since I was 16 going to Tunnel on the west side on Manhattan, getting chosen in by door men who thought I was a 25 year old investment banker (thank god for Willy Wear suits and limited lighting). So while I do like going out to these new exclusive places (Why not?), I have seen basically everything (except for seeing a topless woman give a lapdance at Cain on Wednesday nite, a first for me to see that in a club).
So I am going out to this ultra hip lounge for drinks and chillin and dancing. Whats the best thing to do first?
Right.
Karaoke.
So I meet my brother Rich and my sister (in town for Thanksgiving this week) at Karaoke 17. Now I used to be a little bit of a karaoke whore, which is the term I use for people who get a little bit too into it. I used to go quite a bit, a few times a month, spend an entire evening belting it out. I even went to karaoke in Bulgaria one nite when I was there recording the score for “My Brother.” I know, ultra cool.
***********************FILM ASIDE*************************************
BTW, I am watching the remake of “When A Stranger Call” and while I think it’s a great premise and I think Camille Belle is sexy as hell and a good actress to boot, and the movie is very well made, I am not quite sure that it cuts the mustard. It just doesn’t pack the punch of the original – she just found out that the Caller is inside the house. And I am just not that spooked. Now I knew it was coming, because I am a fan of the genre and I saw the original last year, when I was prepping for a horror movie that I never ended up making (though it was made with other producers). I watch tons of horror films as a form of instruction when I make one, both to remind me what I think works, and as much, or more, what doesn’t.
It just seems to me that while there isn’t enough here to carry a story for 90 minutes, and I’ll be damned if its readily apparent to me why it worked OK the first time and now, its falling short. I think its just too focused on the one character being traumatized, without interruption, and her breasts just aren’t big enough when she is running around. Did I say that. Im not even a boob guy. Never mind.
It just turned into The Shining, with the dude trying to break down the door to get to her, Not scary. And hes walking after her and the kids are crying kinda goofily. OK, enough about this, I am moving on. But I still love Camille Belle. Total fox (and shes getting all wet in the pond now, hehe- OK, maybe the movie isn’t so bad after all).
*******************************************************************************************************************
So I am at Karaoke, but my voice is really no where near where it was, strength wise. I do a few tunes, Steve Miller Band’s Take the Money, Cheap Trick I Want You, and my standard, Journey Don’t Stop Believin’. Also a little Clapton, some G&R, and Brandy, What A Fine Girl from the Looking Glass.
Haveta say, I haven’t lost it. Kid has still got it.
Went over to Ultra to meet Ryan. He actually told the girl at the door, Mia (I think, you know, you’re typical supermodel with a clipboard who watches to make sure that regular folk cant enter without the grace of someone far cooler, which I may pretend to be, but that’s why they call it pretending) and she said hi when I mentioned his name and then rather than just comping us and letting us in, actually walked us inside and took us to Ryan’s table. I guess I am a big shot now.
The place was fun (places populated by 80 percent women, and a very good looking crowd at that, for some reason tend to be fun, not only for guys but for the women too, because women don’t seem to mind being in groups that are mostly female, as opposed to us guys who dread the sausage party). We drank, danced a bit. Bitter shook her thang and was having a great time with 24 year old boys hitting on her. While Richard had left, Newman had replaced him, meeting us just before we got there. A good time had by all, thanks to Ryan’s seemingly never ending supply of hospitality.
We left at three AM or so, and Ive barely left the bedroom today. I didn’t think I drank that much, but it musta added up. So I’ve been home. Briefly contemplating going out, but I think its one for them, one for me on this Saturday nite, though (I am told) the weather is gawgeous.
Hope you all had a great thanksgiving.
Grumpy
Ultra is this chic newish lounge, with the velvet rope, the huge bouncers, and the models, the whole deal. So it’s the shit in NYC, for whatever that is worth to you. I’ve been going to clubs in NYC for the last twenty years, since I was 16 going to Tunnel on the west side on Manhattan, getting chosen in by door men who thought I was a 25 year old investment banker (thank god for Willy Wear suits and limited lighting). So while I do like going out to these new exclusive places (Why not?), I have seen basically everything (except for seeing a topless woman give a lapdance at Cain on Wednesday nite, a first for me to see that in a club).
So I am going out to this ultra hip lounge for drinks and chillin and dancing. Whats the best thing to do first?
Right.
Karaoke.
So I meet my brother Rich and my sister (in town for Thanksgiving this week) at Karaoke 17. Now I used to be a little bit of a karaoke whore, which is the term I use for people who get a little bit too into it. I used to go quite a bit, a few times a month, spend an entire evening belting it out. I even went to karaoke in Bulgaria one nite when I was there recording the score for “My Brother.” I know, ultra cool.
***********************FILM ASIDE*************************************
BTW, I am watching the remake of “When A Stranger Call” and while I think it’s a great premise and I think Camille Belle is sexy as hell and a good actress to boot, and the movie is very well made, I am not quite sure that it cuts the mustard. It just doesn’t pack the punch of the original – she just found out that the Caller is inside the house. And I am just not that spooked. Now I knew it was coming, because I am a fan of the genre and I saw the original last year, when I was prepping for a horror movie that I never ended up making (though it was made with other producers). I watch tons of horror films as a form of instruction when I make one, both to remind me what I think works, and as much, or more, what doesn’t.
It just seems to me that while there isn’t enough here to carry a story for 90 minutes, and I’ll be damned if its readily apparent to me why it worked OK the first time and now, its falling short. I think its just too focused on the one character being traumatized, without interruption, and her breasts just aren’t big enough when she is running around. Did I say that. Im not even a boob guy. Never mind.
It just turned into The Shining, with the dude trying to break down the door to get to her, Not scary. And hes walking after her and the kids are crying kinda goofily. OK, enough about this, I am moving on. But I still love Camille Belle. Total fox (and shes getting all wet in the pond now, hehe- OK, maybe the movie isn’t so bad after all).
*******************************************************************************************************************
So I am at Karaoke, but my voice is really no where near where it was, strength wise. I do a few tunes, Steve Miller Band’s Take the Money, Cheap Trick I Want You, and my standard, Journey Don’t Stop Believin’. Also a little Clapton, some G&R, and Brandy, What A Fine Girl from the Looking Glass.
Haveta say, I haven’t lost it. Kid has still got it.
Went over to Ultra to meet Ryan. He actually told the girl at the door, Mia (I think, you know, you’re typical supermodel with a clipboard who watches to make sure that regular folk cant enter without the grace of someone far cooler, which I may pretend to be, but that’s why they call it pretending) and she said hi when I mentioned his name and then rather than just comping us and letting us in, actually walked us inside and took us to Ryan’s table. I guess I am a big shot now.
The place was fun (places populated by 80 percent women, and a very good looking crowd at that, for some reason tend to be fun, not only for guys but for the women too, because women don’t seem to mind being in groups that are mostly female, as opposed to us guys who dread the sausage party). We drank, danced a bit. Bitter shook her thang and was having a great time with 24 year old boys hitting on her. While Richard had left, Newman had replaced him, meeting us just before we got there. A good time had by all, thanks to Ryan’s seemingly never ending supply of hospitality.
We left at three AM or so, and Ive barely left the bedroom today. I didn’t think I drank that much, but it musta added up. So I’ve been home. Briefly contemplating going out, but I think its one for them, one for me on this Saturday nite, though (I am told) the weather is gawgeous.
Hope you all had a great thanksgiving.
Grumpy
Friday, November 17, 2006
Whats with all the quitters in the blogging world?
Seems like in the blogging world, every week, someone is quitting something. They might be quitting dating. They might be quitting blogging? They might be quitting blogging about dating, or dating bloggers.
But what it all really seems to amount to, more than anything else, is an announcement of something that is bound to change in like two days. Or three.
I don’t think its any terrific big deal, and I am writing about it probably because it popped into my head after reading two blogs in a rom that I frequent, one announcing that someone was going to stop dating (or looking to date) and the other (BITTER) an updated blog from someone that I am quite glad has decided to continue blogging, after saying that perhaps they wouldn’t be so bloggy for a bit (DAVE).
Now, I believe in changing your mind when it makes sense. Im not stuck with a decision forever, if it doesn’t work for me. But it just seems that people get pretty capricious with what they say and do on their blogs.
(Aside: I think there are a number of women I have met who have this behavior in real life, and so maybe its not so miraculous that I see women online with the same characteristics. Dave, however, well, we can write it off to an emotional moment, and rightfully so. You’re a little bit chick I guess.)
But what about commitment. Honesty. Don’t falsely lead me on to think A, when its gonna be B twenty four to seventy two hours later. I’m invested and then I have to rethink your whole psychological dilemna.
And is it something particular about blogging that makes people try to draw these lines in the sand, very demonstrably, about life changes that they are making. Changes they are making in the way they live, they love, they leave.
But really, you just cant believe everything you read.
And Dave, Bloggers do it while watching The Empire Strikes Back, which really stands up to todays crappy sci-fi wanna-be tentpole summer popcorners.
But what it all really seems to amount to, more than anything else, is an announcement of something that is bound to change in like two days. Or three.
I don’t think its any terrific big deal, and I am writing about it probably because it popped into my head after reading two blogs in a rom that I frequent, one announcing that someone was going to stop dating (or looking to date) and the other (BITTER) an updated blog from someone that I am quite glad has decided to continue blogging, after saying that perhaps they wouldn’t be so bloggy for a bit (DAVE).
Now, I believe in changing your mind when it makes sense. Im not stuck with a decision forever, if it doesn’t work for me. But it just seems that people get pretty capricious with what they say and do on their blogs.
(Aside: I think there are a number of women I have met who have this behavior in real life, and so maybe its not so miraculous that I see women online with the same characteristics. Dave, however, well, we can write it off to an emotional moment, and rightfully so. You’re a little bit chick I guess.)
But what about commitment. Honesty. Don’t falsely lead me on to think A, when its gonna be B twenty four to seventy two hours later. I’m invested and then I have to rethink your whole psychological dilemna.
And is it something particular about blogging that makes people try to draw these lines in the sand, very demonstrably, about life changes that they are making. Changes they are making in the way they live, they love, they leave.
But really, you just cant believe everything you read.
And Dave, Bloggers do it while watching The Empire Strikes Back, which really stands up to todays crappy sci-fi wanna-be tentpole summer popcorners.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Airplane Bloggin
Sorry I haven’t blogged since before I left. It was a crazy busy week on all fronts during the week I spent in California. Russ and I headed out there together to get some work done on individual projects and on a project we are working on together.
I got out there on Saturday nite and immediately headed to a house in the Hills for a party at a well-known producer’s house, off Laurel Canyon Rd. Now, I live in New York, I’ve spent a total of three weeks or so in LA during the past fifteen years (all this year) and needless to say, when I go to a party in the Hollywood Hills I don’t really expect to know anyone beyond the people with whom I showed up (and in Hollywood, even knowing the people with whom you’re traveling is an “IF”).
So wrong.
I walked in and I knew five or six people at the party from the forty people there. A producer with whom I worked on The Ten, a producer/line producer who worked with Johnnie G. (I think as a prop master), and the beautiful young actress Katherine Winnick. Also a well known NYC entertainment attorney, Steven Beer, from the same firm that my brother works for in Miami, and one or two more people. All of sudden, heya, I am on the scene. And I know people.
I guess all the networking is paying off.
The next few days were spent attending the AFM, which is the total meet market (pun intended) that its made out to be. As Johnnie said, a Fellini Film. Borat was there, but I musta missed him. Did see David Carradine, hung with a slightly egotistical Fred Williamson, met with bunches of biz people, and pitched a project to Focus, that seemed to be well-received.
Also, one nite we crashed the Google Party at the AFM. We basically talked our way in, and it was a good one. I guess those google guys are doing OK. Ran into Dan Mirvish, Slamdance cp-founder, and invited him to serve on the Jury of the next PictureStart Film Festival (aka the Home Film Festival). He accepted, so I guess we’ll be seeing him in NYC. I like the idea of having someone from Slamdance there, given my recent production deal with them.
At the Google party, I also ran in Oldenburg Alum Chris Stromopolous, who I met first in 2004 at Oldenburg. Chris did something very unique as a young man. With two of his friends, Chris, at the age of eight, began a scene by scene remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark, exactly the same as the real deal (or as close as they could get - a dog played the monkey and chris, I believe, played Indy), complete with rolling boulders, etc. It took Chris and his friends ten years or so. After they were finished they put aside their opus, and went on with their lives, until years later, someone got a copy of the film to Steven Spielberg. Her was very impressed and thought it was a great story, so he sent it to Scott Rudin. Voila, three years later they are close to a final script from the writer of Art School Confidential, Chris is producing, and the movie is supposed to be shot in Alabama in 2007. A great story.
Rest of the week was many meetings, get togethers and as common in LA, lots of driving around. Went to New Line, CAA, and made a bunch of other stops, including a lunch/pitch session with a legendary tv producer who produced both Star Search and Solid Gold, the type of guy who pitched directly to the decision makers at the networks. And he liked my idea.
“My Brother” screened to a crowd of 450 people of so at the Writers Guild Theater on Doheny on Friday nite, and that seemed to go very well.
But the big professional highlight of the week was the Slamdance release, which kicked off a bunch of press, with Angel Baby Entertainment appearing in Variety, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, Reuters and IMDB News all on one day, and in the LA times over the weekend as well. I met with the Slamdance people, and they are all very excited about going forward with the deal, as are people in the industry who are talking about various distribution alternatives with the movies made out of this production deal. Also, dropped off Hot Baby for the first time, and The Insurgents, which already had gotten good marks from its initial screening at Slamdance. Hopefully, one or both of the movies will be playing at Slamdance. Either way, I will be there, giving away a ten thousand dollar check to the writer of the winning Horror Script in the Competiton.
BTW, trying to figure out a name for the brand of movies coming out of the competition and production deal – the first idea I’ve had was “Screaming Voices” which pays some homage to the Writers who fuel the competition and also obviously makes sense for the Genre. Gonna keep thinking. If you have any suggestions, lemme know. Maybe I’ll get one I like better.
After the screening, I went to meet Heidi’s sister, Kristina, who attends USC and is, personality-wise, a spitting image of her older sister. She was definitely the coolest girl in the very hip and crowded place we met, Monroes, as her co-revellers seemed to make very clear. She’s an actress as well, and she has quite a presence, I think she’ll go far.
The irony of coming home is that perhaps two of the most important conversations I had in LA ended with my counterparty asking me when I am back in LA. Like, can I come back next week. Ugh. I like LA. I hate flying (especially when there is turbeulence, like there is right now). But for obvious reasons, looks like I am going to be a bi-coastal blogger for the time being.
I got out there on Saturday nite and immediately headed to a house in the Hills for a party at a well-known producer’s house, off Laurel Canyon Rd. Now, I live in New York, I’ve spent a total of three weeks or so in LA during the past fifteen years (all this year) and needless to say, when I go to a party in the Hollywood Hills I don’t really expect to know anyone beyond the people with whom I showed up (and in Hollywood, even knowing the people with whom you’re traveling is an “IF”).
So wrong.
I walked in and I knew five or six people at the party from the forty people there. A producer with whom I worked on The Ten, a producer/line producer who worked with Johnnie G. (I think as a prop master), and the beautiful young actress Katherine Winnick. Also a well known NYC entertainment attorney, Steven Beer, from the same firm that my brother works for in Miami, and one or two more people. All of sudden, heya, I am on the scene. And I know people.
I guess all the networking is paying off.
The next few days were spent attending the AFM, which is the total meet market (pun intended) that its made out to be. As Johnnie said, a Fellini Film. Borat was there, but I musta missed him. Did see David Carradine, hung with a slightly egotistical Fred Williamson, met with bunches of biz people, and pitched a project to Focus, that seemed to be well-received.
Also, one nite we crashed the Google Party at the AFM. We basically talked our way in, and it was a good one. I guess those google guys are doing OK. Ran into Dan Mirvish, Slamdance cp-founder, and invited him to serve on the Jury of the next PictureStart Film Festival (aka the Home Film Festival). He accepted, so I guess we’ll be seeing him in NYC. I like the idea of having someone from Slamdance there, given my recent production deal with them.
At the Google party, I also ran in Oldenburg Alum Chris Stromopolous, who I met first in 2004 at Oldenburg. Chris did something very unique as a young man. With two of his friends, Chris, at the age of eight, began a scene by scene remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark, exactly the same as the real deal (or as close as they could get - a dog played the monkey and chris, I believe, played Indy), complete with rolling boulders, etc. It took Chris and his friends ten years or so. After they were finished they put aside their opus, and went on with their lives, until years later, someone got a copy of the film to Steven Spielberg. Her was very impressed and thought it was a great story, so he sent it to Scott Rudin. Voila, three years later they are close to a final script from the writer of Art School Confidential, Chris is producing, and the movie is supposed to be shot in Alabama in 2007. A great story.
Rest of the week was many meetings, get togethers and as common in LA, lots of driving around. Went to New Line, CAA, and made a bunch of other stops, including a lunch/pitch session with a legendary tv producer who produced both Star Search and Solid Gold, the type of guy who pitched directly to the decision makers at the networks. And he liked my idea.
“My Brother” screened to a crowd of 450 people of so at the Writers Guild Theater on Doheny on Friday nite, and that seemed to go very well.
But the big professional highlight of the week was the Slamdance release, which kicked off a bunch of press, with Angel Baby Entertainment appearing in Variety, Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire, Reuters and IMDB News all on one day, and in the LA times over the weekend as well. I met with the Slamdance people, and they are all very excited about going forward with the deal, as are people in the industry who are talking about various distribution alternatives with the movies made out of this production deal. Also, dropped off Hot Baby for the first time, and The Insurgents, which already had gotten good marks from its initial screening at Slamdance. Hopefully, one or both of the movies will be playing at Slamdance. Either way, I will be there, giving away a ten thousand dollar check to the writer of the winning Horror Script in the Competiton.
BTW, trying to figure out a name for the brand of movies coming out of the competition and production deal – the first idea I’ve had was “Screaming Voices” which pays some homage to the Writers who fuel the competition and also obviously makes sense for the Genre. Gonna keep thinking. If you have any suggestions, lemme know. Maybe I’ll get one I like better.
After the screening, I went to meet Heidi’s sister, Kristina, who attends USC and is, personality-wise, a spitting image of her older sister. She was definitely the coolest girl in the very hip and crowded place we met, Monroes, as her co-revellers seemed to make very clear. She’s an actress as well, and she has quite a presence, I think she’ll go far.
The irony of coming home is that perhaps two of the most important conversations I had in LA ended with my counterparty asking me when I am back in LA. Like, can I come back next week. Ugh. I like LA. I hate flying (especially when there is turbeulence, like there is right now). But for obvious reasons, looks like I am going to be a bi-coastal blogger for the time being.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Slamdance Writing Competition - Production Deal
We’re live, and I am damn happy about it. The Angel Baby (Ahem, yes us) sponsorship of the Slamdance Horror Script Competition is up and running on their site, thanks to me and John Sawyer (who, as usual, does boatloads of work without taking any credit), and Peter and John from Slamdance.
I love this concept. Here it is….
Slamdance is the top genre film festival. The one that introduced to you horror classics like Zombie Honeymoon. It just is a great program, done by filmmakers whose dedication to the independent film world has been unwavering since their inception. And now, as one of the biggest and best festivals in the world, they sponsor script writing competitions for new talent. They are bringing it out, just like they’ve been doing for years and years.
And now, Angel Baby Entertainment is going to partner with Slamdance, to take the best of the best from the wildly popular script competition and make a movie from it every year. So the writer that wins will get his script bought (at a nice fair price, I might add) and made into a movie.
Y’all will never guess where this writer will get to see his movie premiere the next year.
OK, ya guessed it, at Slamdance in a special screening, in front of the genre fans and the industry and everyone else he needs to have see it.
Pretty cool, huh?
I love this concept. Here it is….
Slamdance is the top genre film festival. The one that introduced to you horror classics like Zombie Honeymoon. It just is a great program, done by filmmakers whose dedication to the independent film world has been unwavering since their inception. And now, as one of the biggest and best festivals in the world, they sponsor script writing competitions for new talent. They are bringing it out, just like they’ve been doing for years and years.
And now, Angel Baby Entertainment is going to partner with Slamdance, to take the best of the best from the wildly popular script competition and make a movie from it every year. So the writer that wins will get his script bought (at a nice fair price, I might add) and made into a movie.
Y’all will never guess where this writer will get to see his movie premiere the next year.
OK, ya guessed it, at Slamdance in a special screening, in front of the genre fans and the industry and everyone else he needs to have see it.
Pretty cool, huh?
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Dis-concert-ing?
I went on a date tonite. We hadn’t been out before, and I am of course going back to California on Friday nite, so there was limited time to get together before I leave for a week or so. Not or so. A week.
Anyway, I don’t think I am going to start blogging about my dating life again. We all have seen where that can lead. Interestingly enough, the person with whom I went out has also seen where it can lead – she used to have a blog about dating in NYC.
How many of these things are out there, anyway? Perhaps I’ll check after posting.
And for anyone who thinks that this isn’t a new person, but that this blogger is someone I have spoken about on here before, you’re wrong. Control your imagination (Dawn). All that is as over as writing about it is. As in, moveonmofo.org.
Thing is about this date, is because of the limited time before I was leaving for Cali, we decided to do something kind of untraditional on a first date (not water sports, Lozo). We went to a rock concert. A good old fashioned rock concert, with loud music.
Now I wondered about this a bit before accepting. A couple of reasons why include, spending 60 bucks on my ticket for a date I might not enjoy, plus food and drink and whatever else; the relative inability to have a conversation during a concert that was sure to be loud (it was); and maybe the most important, did I like this band enough to go to one of their concerts. I am not a huge concert fan, as I am not a huge fan of crowds. I love music, but the vibe of the concert has to be right. Otherwise sometimes I can’t wait for it to be over.
The band, you ask? What band? Alice in Chains, with a new lead singer.
I was overwhelmingly pleasantly surprised by the concert. It was really great, the band put on a great show. I even knew a bunch of songs I wouldn’t have been able to mention had someone asked me to name song by AIC. Some of course, I knew I knew. They were great, the vibe of the crowd was cool. Just nice all around. I think one think that helped the vibe of the place is that their fans are adults, mostly. They began, I am told (my date lived in Seattle for ten years, where she was a college DJ at a big school, so I’ll take her word for it), in the late eighties. As a result, many of their fans are my age or thereabouts (I am 36). So less annoying kid shit at the concert. Very few teens, from what I can see. Just an adult crowd loving a great show put on by a great rock band. It’s a little weird to me that the singer that replaced Len Staley (sp?), who died of a heroin overdose I think, sounds a lot like him. You’d think they guy would want to take a different approach. But, in any case, it worked and they sounded terrific and I highly recommend them, thought tomorrow nites show is sold out, SRO.
So far as the lack of conversation, it was a little bit of an issue, but since we got together before for a bite and there were intermissions etc. I guess not too much of an issue. Still, maybe not the best first date to get to know each other. “Course, if you have a good time on a date, that makes it a good date, no?
Grumps
Anyway, I don’t think I am going to start blogging about my dating life again. We all have seen where that can lead. Interestingly enough, the person with whom I went out has also seen where it can lead – she used to have a blog about dating in NYC.
How many of these things are out there, anyway? Perhaps I’ll check after posting.
And for anyone who thinks that this isn’t a new person, but that this blogger is someone I have spoken about on here before, you’re wrong. Control your imagination (Dawn). All that is as over as writing about it is. As in, moveonmofo.org.
Thing is about this date, is because of the limited time before I was leaving for Cali, we decided to do something kind of untraditional on a first date (not water sports, Lozo). We went to a rock concert. A good old fashioned rock concert, with loud music.
Now I wondered about this a bit before accepting. A couple of reasons why include, spending 60 bucks on my ticket for a date I might not enjoy, plus food and drink and whatever else; the relative inability to have a conversation during a concert that was sure to be loud (it was); and maybe the most important, did I like this band enough to go to one of their concerts. I am not a huge concert fan, as I am not a huge fan of crowds. I love music, but the vibe of the concert has to be right. Otherwise sometimes I can’t wait for it to be over.
The band, you ask? What band? Alice in Chains, with a new lead singer.
I was overwhelmingly pleasantly surprised by the concert. It was really great, the band put on a great show. I even knew a bunch of songs I wouldn’t have been able to mention had someone asked me to name song by AIC. Some of course, I knew I knew. They were great, the vibe of the crowd was cool. Just nice all around. I think one think that helped the vibe of the place is that their fans are adults, mostly. They began, I am told (my date lived in Seattle for ten years, where she was a college DJ at a big school, so I’ll take her word for it), in the late eighties. As a result, many of their fans are my age or thereabouts (I am 36). So less annoying kid shit at the concert. Very few teens, from what I can see. Just an adult crowd loving a great show put on by a great rock band. It’s a little weird to me that the singer that replaced Len Staley (sp?), who died of a heroin overdose I think, sounds a lot like him. You’d think they guy would want to take a different approach. But, in any case, it worked and they sounded terrific and I highly recommend them, thought tomorrow nites show is sold out, SRO.
So far as the lack of conversation, it was a little bit of an issue, but since we got together before for a bite and there were intermissions etc. I guess not too much of an issue. Still, maybe not the best first date to get to know each other. “Course, if you have a good time on a date, that makes it a good date, no?
Grumps
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