Posts
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May 19, 2006
Vague Grant for "How I Got Lost" Announced
NYU recently posted this announcement for the Vague award. I am so grateful to have been chosen, and excited about the future of "How I Got Lost."
May 16, 2006
YouTube.com is the end of the world.
It's a good thing. Honestly, I think this is the sort of site that Blatantly Subtle was made for.
This is the trailer for ACTORS, hopefully soon starting a festival run. It was fun to make.
This is the trailer for ACTORS, hopefully soon starting a festival run. It was fun to make.
A day spent not thinking about winning The Vague Award
It was my second year being a finalist, so I knew not to think about anything ahead of time. I kept down any lifting feeling, kept my gut tight. I was staying midtown at the Hotel Chandler, thanks to a producer and good friend of mine, and I took my time that morning shaving. I drank water from a huge bottle. I had everything I needed in my small bag: my pitch, my production book, and nothing else. I woke up early, around 5AM, knowing it was a big day. It was so early that the kitchen in the hotel wasn't open, so I had the bellhop hold my bags and left to find a diner or something.
I walked through early New York. I had been in town four days and most of the time I just wandered around quietly. This morning was special, and I took in everything I could. As I walked over past Penn Station an old woman in a walker surprised me asking for money. "I don't have any change," I said. "But a dollar --" she said knowingly. I pulled a dollar out and gave it to her, and as I stepped away someone anonymously said "You just got taken." It made me smile to be back in New York like an 18 year old from St Louis, again.
At Penn Station they were selling newspapers. Calling out for The Post and the Times and The Daily News as I descended to the A train. I had remembered where I wanted to go: La Bonboniere. My favorite diner for some reason, over on 7th Ave in the West Village. Inside the waiter remembered me and asked about Lily before getting me coffee and blueberry pancakes. I didn't even have to order and that was fine with me.
After my first cup of coffee it began to rain. I had a nice vantage point and felt comfortable inside, looking out as the umbrellas were unfolded and blown around by the wind. After I finished the paper it was pouring, and it was time to go. I walked along the buildings, getting sprinkled by windblown raindrops till I made it to a deli and bought an umbrella. The rest of the way I was fine -- protected from the downpour. I walked through Washington Square. Everything I did that morning I did with purpose, and without thought or concern for anything except showing up and talking for five minutes to five people in a room on the tenth floor.
I saw Nicholas Georgiou in the lobby. I had last seen him at Sundance, and he still seemed to be carrying that energy, of thin air and travel. He came over to say hello -- it was a relief to talk to somebody after all of that quiet. And I felt comfortable, like maybe I was ready.
Still, I hid in the hallways and stairwells of the giant building until it was five minutes before my pitch. When I showed up I waited five minutes, sitting next to someone who recognized me -- an old RA of mine named Rafael Del Toro, who was also pitching. My slot was at 10:45AM. I pitched them the story, what was going on with the project, and my plan. Pretty short and sweet, but I still was cut off at the 5 minute mark, just as I was about to say "thank you" one too many times. They asked me if I would be doing any rewrites ("yes") and if I could make the movie with the grant ("yes,but"). Then I left.
Three hours roughly till the announcement. Nick and I went to the Corner Bistro, had a burger and two beers (I did anyway). "It's one of us two," we told each other. His project sounded great -- a documentary about Cyprus, and he was planning to go to claim land taken from his father by Turkey. Still an hour and a half left. Wandered aimlessly, bought another cup of coffee. Ended up back in Washington Square and sat down to play chess with an old African-American guy. He killed me the first two times but told me what I was doing wrong, and the third time I nearly won in the first ten moves. He was nervous it would rain again, so I paid him for playing with me (technically he won it, $2/game) and went to the announcement.
Unbelievably, once I got there and once everyone was sitting down -- and after they called us up one by one and said a few words about what a difficult decision it was, they announced that I'D WON THE GRANT. Words fail. For the rest of the day I was Muhammad Ali.
It wouldn't have happened without Matt and Danny, Mark Arywitz, Bryan, Jill, Jared, Zach, Drew and everyone else who suffered through phone-call pitches. And I wouldn't have made it this far without Lily and my mom and dad.
We'll be shooting "How I Got Lost" the feature film in April 2007!
I walked through early New York. I had been in town four days and most of the time I just wandered around quietly. This morning was special, and I took in everything I could. As I walked over past Penn Station an old woman in a walker surprised me asking for money. "I don't have any change," I said. "But a dollar --" she said knowingly. I pulled a dollar out and gave it to her, and as I stepped away someone anonymously said "You just got taken." It made me smile to be back in New York like an 18 year old from St Louis, again.
At Penn Station they were selling newspapers. Calling out for The Post and the Times and The Daily News as I descended to the A train. I had remembered where I wanted to go: La Bonboniere. My favorite diner for some reason, over on 7th Ave in the West Village. Inside the waiter remembered me and asked about Lily before getting me coffee and blueberry pancakes. I didn't even have to order and that was fine with me.
After my first cup of coffee it began to rain. I had a nice vantage point and felt comfortable inside, looking out as the umbrellas were unfolded and blown around by the wind. After I finished the paper it was pouring, and it was time to go. I walked along the buildings, getting sprinkled by windblown raindrops till I made it to a deli and bought an umbrella. The rest of the way I was fine -- protected from the downpour. I walked through Washington Square. Everything I did that morning I did with purpose, and without thought or concern for anything except showing up and talking for five minutes to five people in a room on the tenth floor.
I saw Nicholas Georgiou in the lobby. I had last seen him at Sundance, and he still seemed to be carrying that energy, of thin air and travel. He came over to say hello -- it was a relief to talk to somebody after all of that quiet. And I felt comfortable, like maybe I was ready.
Still, I hid in the hallways and stairwells of the giant building until it was five minutes before my pitch. When I showed up I waited five minutes, sitting next to someone who recognized me -- an old RA of mine named Rafael Del Toro, who was also pitching. My slot was at 10:45AM. I pitched them the story, what was going on with the project, and my plan. Pretty short and sweet, but I still was cut off at the 5 minute mark, just as I was about to say "thank you" one too many times. They asked me if I would be doing any rewrites ("yes") and if I could make the movie with the grant ("yes,but"). Then I left.
Three hours roughly till the announcement. Nick and I went to the Corner Bistro, had a burger and two beers (I did anyway). "It's one of us two," we told each other. His project sounded great -- a documentary about Cyprus, and he was planning to go to claim land taken from his father by Turkey. Still an hour and a half left. Wandered aimlessly, bought another cup of coffee. Ended up back in Washington Square and sat down to play chess with an old African-American guy. He killed me the first two times but told me what I was doing wrong, and the third time I nearly won in the first ten moves. He was nervous it would rain again, so I paid him for playing with me (technically he won it, $2/game) and went to the announcement.
Unbelievably, once I got there and once everyone was sitting down -- and after they called us up one by one and said a few words about what a difficult decision it was, they announced that I'D WON THE GRANT. Words fail. For the rest of the day I was Muhammad Ali.
It wouldn't have happened without Matt and Danny, Mark Arywitz, Bryan, Jill, Jared, Zach, Drew and everyone else who suffered through phone-call pitches. And I wouldn't have made it this far without Lily and my mom and dad.
We'll be shooting "How I Got Lost" the feature film in April 2007!
January 27, 2006
The Silverlake Diet
Started a writing group in LA with Jared, Lily, Jace, Gabe and Josh. We will meet every week this month at our place. It is a funny thing to start in a way. Writing is sitting alone in a room. A writing group is really commiserating. Plus everyone has a different process and style, and their own vision of what they are writing in their head. It is just difficult enough sounding to seem like a great way to spend every Wednesday this year.
A new year. This year everything positive, building ahead. Less drinking. Or at least, rules for drinking. Only drinking this year with friends, and as little as possible. No benders. Except when warranted by visitors. These rules are made to broken, so nevermind. Less drinking in general, more writing. A good resolution.
Working on finishing up "Actors." It's been incredible working with Gabe, who I can only describe as a "real editor" because he is just a pro, and because we've been finding this project together. It's a better project than I could have hoped for, but most importantly it has been interesting every step of the way. Currently have a cut that is too long, but after a week of looking at it happily -- my director's cut -- I was happy Gabe started cutting it down. Got some music for the movie from Russell Holbrook, a guy I met at Sundance last year -- we were both volunteers. His cues are terrific. and I speak to him on the phone about them and he sends them to me on CD. It is an over-the-phone collaboration, and works just fine because we are both somehow on the same page.
I saw Kaki last week. It was incredible to see her. She played for an hour at a jazz club in West LA. She sang some, and played things that were new, and made a few things up. Afterwards I got to catch up with her. It's incredible how some people can affect you, and remind you who you were and who you are all at once.
I ran out of money this month. Too much movie spending, no income for a few months. But it's a new year. I took a job at a phone bank raising money for the DNC to supplement my random post-production pay. I am one of those people who calls and asks for money. Everyone should have to do this. It is actually tough work inconveniencing people, asking them for money. But you learn things about yourself and about the things you take for granted and make assumptions about when you're on the other end. Our call center is a beautiful thing, too. Not only because I am building character and learning about myself. I have never encountered a place that was richer in terms of material. Everyone there -- everyone -- is a character.
It's perfect because I getting into a new SIlverlake rhythm, and this year I'm writing more and drinking less.
A new year. This year everything positive, building ahead. Less drinking. Or at least, rules for drinking. Only drinking this year with friends, and as little as possible. No benders. Except when warranted by visitors. These rules are made to broken, so nevermind. Less drinking in general, more writing. A good resolution.
Working on finishing up "Actors." It's been incredible working with Gabe, who I can only describe as a "real editor" because he is just a pro, and because we've been finding this project together. It's a better project than I could have hoped for, but most importantly it has been interesting every step of the way. Currently have a cut that is too long, but after a week of looking at it happily -- my director's cut -- I was happy Gabe started cutting it down. Got some music for the movie from Russell Holbrook, a guy I met at Sundance last year -- we were both volunteers. His cues are terrific. and I speak to him on the phone about them and he sends them to me on CD. It is an over-the-phone collaboration, and works just fine because we are both somehow on the same page.
I saw Kaki last week. It was incredible to see her. She played for an hour at a jazz club in West LA. She sang some, and played things that were new, and made a few things up. Afterwards I got to catch up with her. It's incredible how some people can affect you, and remind you who you were and who you are all at once.
I ran out of money this month. Too much movie spending, no income for a few months. But it's a new year. I took a job at a phone bank raising money for the DNC to supplement my random post-production pay. I am one of those people who calls and asks for money. Everyone should have to do this. It is actually tough work inconveniencing people, asking them for money. But you learn things about yourself and about the things you take for granted and make assumptions about when you're on the other end. Our call center is a beautiful thing, too. Not only because I am building character and learning about myself. I have never encountered a place that was richer in terms of material. Everyone there -- everyone -- is a character.
It's perfect because I getting into a new SIlverlake rhythm, and this year I'm writing more and drinking less.
January 23, 2006
November 27, 2005
"Actors" short film shot in LA
It started in August, going to LA's Chinatown with Zach Evans, buying sugar cane juice. The two of us had worked together on a short teaser for a horror project he is producing, and now we were talking about what project we wanted to do with all of our free time in the fall. So we wandered around Chinatown, a strange and addictive place. I had just gotten back from New York where I had worked as an assistant to my buddy Matt Tauber, who was directing his first feature film from his own script for a company called HDNet, a successor to OpenCity backed by Mark Cuban and making unique $1.5 million movies on HD back-to-back with a shooting schedule of about 20 days each. It was an intense and terrifying experience, and afterwards I was glad to be back home in LA (as strange as that sounds). I was reeling, trying to figure out where the hell I was as usual. I needed to find a house to live in, for one thing, and I needed to remember why the hell I got started on all of this to begin with.
Chinatown with Zach was a start. My girlfriend Lily saved me with the rest. First of all, she put up with me. I scribbled the script for this new movie on her kitchen table long hand, and stayed in her apartment for almost a month as I looked for a place of my own in Silverlake. She was doing incredible work on a new play and with the Groundlings, and because of that I accidentally met a few of the actors who would work in the movie. First, Jean Paul Rodriguez, from her acting class, and second, Royce Binion, a friend of a terrific actor named Simon Sorrells, a great guy and coincidentally one of Lily's best friends out here. Once I had these guys in mind, I started working on their stories.
But let me back up, because it's always a funny thing where a project comes from and what it's about. In some ways it's a total mystery. This one I called "Actors" because everyone in LA is an actor. It's a strange kind of movie, in three parts, about people who are out of their element and finding a way to move forward. And it's meant to be the exact opposite of the idea you get about LA from watching movies and television. These people define their environment, not the other way around. Jean Paul defined Hollywood, playing the game his own way. Royce was going to literally be cool in any situation, whether it was south LA by Watts where he lived, or Chinatown, where we shot his story. After living here for almost two years, I had a few stories I wanted to work on. Zach, Lily, Jean Paul, and Royce got me started.
This gave me an excuse to start talking to all the people out here who I was looking for a chance to work with. Gabe Reed, an incredible editor who went to the same highschool as I did in St. Louis. A DP named Chris Chambers that I'd heard about from Jared, my roommate from AFI. A composer in Atlanta named Russell Holbrook who I met at Sundance last year, whose stuff I thought would be perfect. Things started to fall into place.
Zach and Drew started looking for the actors I had written without anyone particular in mind, all of them hard types to pin down. The process began. We set up auditions and started scouting locations. Chris Chambers and I started hanging out at least once a week -- mainly over coffee, usually with a great deal of fruitful miscommunication. Actually, the first time we hung out it was to play tennis, and I let him win. We brought in a Production designer named Matt Hausman, who could do everything with practically nothing, and a sound guy named Zach Wrobel who was interested in working with some new equipment. And Josh Weiner, who had directed Lily in a fucking funny short called "Hy-phen," signed on as my AD. It was an incredible team.
Then we headed into the unknown. We shot for a week, hard to even remember it. We made it through. And I got this feeling in the middle, a hard sensation to forget:
Doing almost anything else, I have no idea what to do. But working on a project like this is a little like freefall, and it's like I've been wearing a parachute around to cocktail parties and laundromats. But once I was out of the plane, I knew just what to do.
October 23, 2005
October 21, 2005
Lily in "CRUMBLE (Lay Me Down Justin Timberlake)"
Congratulations! Lily has gotten her first glowing review in the LA Times for her role in "CRUMBLE" as a psychotic 11 year-old who builds a bomb. If you are in LA, definitely check this one out. It was just extended through most of November.
September 26, 2005
"How I Got Lost" announcement from Scott Macaulay's IFP Director's Lab
Check out the link above for a recent IFP announcement regarding "How I Got Lost" and the director's lab. It was amazing to get to participate in this program, and I am making plans to shoot the feature version of the film in Fall 2007.
August 10, 2005
Back in LA
It's a helluva thing to move to LA and then go back to New York on a job for two months. It was a great experience, and an unbelievable treat to see my friends. It was also completely disorienting, but maybe I just drank too much. It's great to be back in LA and back in the swing of things. It's a sunny, hot August day and I'm working on a behind-the-scenes piece for Andrew Volpe's band LUDO. I'm also looking for a new place to live out here.
July 05, 2005
"How I Got Lost" screened in St. Louis
I would just like to thank everyone who came to the Tivoli to check out "How I Got Lost" and the other terrific shorts that were shown. It always so much fun for me to come home and especially to screen movies, so I was upset that I could not make it this time. I was in New York working for Matt Tauber and HDNet films on a movie called "All Fall Down," and the screening happened in the middle of our crazy production schedule.
In any case I'm looking forward to spending more time in St. Louis this fall.
In any case I'm looking forward to spending more time in St. Louis this fall.
June 03, 2005
Outlier: Here I am ... wait, where am I?
So I find myself here, in the desert somewhere outside Joshua tree, telling an actor "I'm sorry, but you have to do it again," shooting a movie called "Outlier." His shirt is already drenched in red corn syrup. So then he puts enough fake blood in his mouth to make him gag and I say "cmon goddamnit let's roll now, now!" And then it's action and he's stumbling along, falls to his knees, and then artistically spits up a mouthful of blood onto an already existing puddle from the previous takes. This time though, he really goes for it, even falls over the side from his knees, coughing and dying. It's all fairly realistic. Then it's cut, everything is done, I have fake blood on my hands and I don't remember how, and it's time to get back to the real world.
So now I'm in my apartment in Burbank with Kevin and Ivette, who sublet it to me for almost a year. We're all moving out now and the place is bare. All day the furniture sat in the front yard, like someone got confused where the walls were, where outside ended and inside began. And I'm in the empty living room and Kevin's friend is trying hard to outdrink him. The next day they're gone and I'm moving a couch and a bed into storage myself with a giant Uhaul. I go home to empty rooms and piles of paper and find a bottle of wine and get ready to find my goodbye, as Holden taught me. After awhile I find it.
So then I'm at Lily's apartment, packing for the plane. It's even later now and I'm wrapping her secret birthday presents and setting up my computer for her. She is sleeping peacefully, totally out, and I already miss her, know it's going to take a lot to get by without her, even if I'm working on a feature film in NY fulltime for the next two months.
Here I am in New York, strange to be back, great to be back. I feel like I'm in Europe for some reason, travelling light, working hard. Decided to join a gym, started using a bigger wallet... these things show that I am becoming more mature. Every day wake up with a mission, working with great people, people who make movies for a living. Ended up on a terrace with Ted Hope, the guy who made New York film happen from 1990 on. Here I am: learning everything there is to learn being in a production office three weeks away from principal photography.
Found out that I got into the IFP directing lab for emerging directors, a workshop set up for people about to make their first feature. Right place, right time. Lab starts on Tuesday.
So now I'm in my apartment in Burbank with Kevin and Ivette, who sublet it to me for almost a year. We're all moving out now and the place is bare. All day the furniture sat in the front yard, like someone got confused where the walls were, where outside ended and inside began. And I'm in the empty living room and Kevin's friend is trying hard to outdrink him. The next day they're gone and I'm moving a couch and a bed into storage myself with a giant Uhaul. I go home to empty rooms and piles of paper and find a bottle of wine and get ready to find my goodbye, as Holden taught me. After awhile I find it.
So then I'm at Lily's apartment, packing for the plane. It's even later now and I'm wrapping her secret birthday presents and setting up my computer for her. She is sleeping peacefully, totally out, and I already miss her, know it's going to take a lot to get by without her, even if I'm working on a feature film in NY fulltime for the next two months.
Here I am in New York, strange to be back, great to be back. I feel like I'm in Europe for some reason, travelling light, working hard. Decided to join a gym, started using a bigger wallet... these things show that I am becoming more mature. Every day wake up with a mission, working with great people, people who make movies for a living. Ended up on a terrace with Ted Hope, the guy who made New York film happen from 1990 on. Here I am: learning everything there is to learn being in a production office three weeks away from principal photography.
Found out that I got into the IFP directing lab for emerging directors, a workshop set up for people about to make their first feature. Right place, right time. Lab starts on Tuesday.
April 18, 2005
Trenton, Richard Vague, AFI: news so subtle it's blatant
Cat, Dom, Sam, my mom and dad and I screened "How I Got Lost" at the Trenton Film Festival on Saturday, April 30. There was a Q&A and Cat and I did our best to be serious and not talk ourselves seriously at the same time. Graham Hamilton and Cat Yezbak were nominated for a festival award for their work, and I received a "directing award for screenwriting in a narrative short." Which is really pretty fun.
Also, the "How I Got Lost" full screenplay was a finalist for the Richard Vague award for a first feature film by an NYU alumni!
And in other Great News: Blatantly Subtle director of photography Justina Mintz got into AFI!
I've been in New York for the past week, basically wandering around... about four years ago when I made my NYU student film "Bulletin Board," I was in love with the idea of meeting the perfect girl. This last week was the perfect week, a new idea that I am in love with.
Also, the "How I Got Lost" full screenplay was a finalist for the Richard Vague award for a first feature film by an NYU alumni!
And in other Great News: Blatantly Subtle director of photography Justina Mintz got into AFI!
I've been in New York for the past week, basically wandering around... about four years ago when I made my NYU student film "Bulletin Board," I was in love with the idea of meeting the perfect girl. This last week was the perfect week, a new idea that I am in love with.
April 07, 2005
Great New Wonderful - the first great 9/11 movie?
Check out the article at the link above.
So tired I can only tell that it's been a few days because I need to shave (again). Tired like falling asleep with shoes on. Looking forward to doing laundry busy. That's what it's been like the last few weeks as Post-Production wraps up on "The Great New Wonderful," which will be screening at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22.
Many wonderful things! I'm coming to New York. I'll be there for almost three weeks as I escape the bright sleepless sun and the difficult left turn lanes for the place that used to be my home. Good old New York in the Springtime. I'm determined to make the most of it.
The first thing I'm doing is going to see "The Great New Wonderful," which I helped get through post (I was the Post-Production Coordinator, or Supervisor, one of those, anyway I worked hard on it...) I can't wait to see how it plays on the big screen. Premiere is April 22, with three other screenings. Let me know if you wanna come so I can get you a ticket.
Next on the agenda, a screening of "How I Got Lost" at the Trenton Film Festival on Saturday, April 30th at 5:30pm. Less prestigious, yes, maybe a little obscure -- sure. Regardless, this is going to be a very good thing. There will be a bus for Blatantly Subtle to attend leaving from Manhattan. Festival number one. After a meeting last week with a filmmaker advisor at IFP I'm considering chopping it down a bit for the rest of it's festival life, see if it gets a second wind.
Finally, "How I Got Lost" (the feature screenplay) is a finalist for the Richard Vague Production Fund, a $100,000 grant for NYU alumni making a first feature. So I will be pitching it to the selection committee the same week.
All of this makes me very excited to get back to New York.
So tired I can only tell that it's been a few days because I need to shave (again). Tired like falling asleep with shoes on. Looking forward to doing laundry busy. That's what it's been like the last few weeks as Post-Production wraps up on "The Great New Wonderful," which will be screening at the Tribeca Film Festival on April 22.
Many wonderful things! I'm coming to New York. I'll be there for almost three weeks as I escape the bright sleepless sun and the difficult left turn lanes for the place that used to be my home. Good old New York in the Springtime. I'm determined to make the most of it.
The first thing I'm doing is going to see "The Great New Wonderful," which I helped get through post (I was the Post-Production Coordinator, or Supervisor, one of those, anyway I worked hard on it...) I can't wait to see how it plays on the big screen. Premiere is April 22, with three other screenings. Let me know if you wanna come so I can get you a ticket.
Next on the agenda, a screening of "How I Got Lost" at the Trenton Film Festival on Saturday, April 30th at 5:30pm. Less prestigious, yes, maybe a little obscure -- sure. Regardless, this is going to be a very good thing. There will be a bus for Blatantly Subtle to attend leaving from Manhattan. Festival number one. After a meeting last week with a filmmaker advisor at IFP I'm considering chopping it down a bit for the rest of it's festival life, see if it gets a second wind.
Finally, "How I Got Lost" (the feature screenplay) is a finalist for the Richard Vague Production Fund, a $100,000 grant for NYU alumni making a first feature. So I will be pitching it to the selection committee the same week.
All of this makes me very excited to get back to New York.
March 01, 2005
There are no end products.
The screening went well. I was surprised who came, to tell you the truth. The Temple Bar is really kind of a music venue/bar. Not exactly the sort of place you expect to see short films. But the place was full, and as I walked in (late) I saw four or five people to wave to. All of the people that I thought "wouldn't it be great if they came."
Visually the movies didn't look great through the video projector (it looked good enough but Justina wouldn't have been happy) but the sound blasted through the music venue speakers, and it was a wonderful thing hearing all the work that Dom and I did. All of the dog barks and subtleties. And I was really surprised. My movie showed second and after the first minute people got quiet and watched. And they laughed at Andrew and understood Jake. More or less it worked, and I felt pretty good about it. Afterwards I hung around with Lily and it was like a dream where all of the people you have met show up. That's what happened. So many of the people I have met out here in the last year went out of their way to come by to say hi and talk about the movie. Even the director of "Harold and Kumar" was there... and he liked the way it was directed and edited, said it was pretty good. Not bad.
There are no end products. Nothing that can happen at a screening or anywhere else can really live up to all of the work that goes into making a movie and all of the high hopes you experience. The work is where all of the good stuff happens, I think. That's what I was thinking the whole day before the screening, and I had a great time. I was really happy throughout the whole night. The movie screened with four other shorts at the IFP LA Cinema Lounge programmed by Julianna Brannum, who has herself gone out of the way to help me out. Things like this are very important when you're making movies and you aren't sure what to do next...
What'd you guys think of the Oscars? I didn't have too many thoughts, really. I enjoyed the show kind of mindlessly. Thought Chris Rock had some valid points and that Sean Penn looked like Bob Hope or someone standing up for Jude Law... Watched the whole show all the way through. Earlier in the week I had seen them setting it up down on Hollywood Blvd. Screwed up traffic all week... I thought that Eternal Sunshine and Sideways won for good reason -- and I always like the screenplay category. I saw Million Dollar Baby two weeks ago and it blew my fucking socks off. There are some good theatres out here for seeing movies, I must say.
And speaking of awards ceremonies, I have tell you all that my dad, who has taken up coaching hockey since my brother and I left our highschool hockey careers behind, coached his way to his first State Championship last night!!! It was my highschool's first since my brother and I were on the team. The Burroughs Bombers played at the Blues arena (they weren't using it anyway) and beat St. Charles West 4 to 1. Not bad for my dad's first year coaching highschool hockey!
It made me think, do I know anyone else who would learn how to skate and teach hockey, out of the blue? It's a good question. Would I? I gotta try to be more like that. I watched my dad talk to his little guys (he started out coaching 10-12 year olds) before a game and I saw how he did it more than once. He was pretty good at it: he would come into the lockerroom and tell them to shut up and quit calling each other gay and saying bad words to be cool and all that. And once he had their attention he gave what he called the "they hurt your dog" speech. Basically what he did was, he convinced them the other team was responsible for hurting their dog! The little kids would get psyched up and mad and run out onto the ice in their skates, ready to play. He saved it for the big game of the year... Anyway, how cool is that.
We all need a good "they hurt your dog" pep talk once in awhile, I've decided. (Maybe even one every day?)
Visually the movies didn't look great through the video projector (it looked good enough but Justina wouldn't have been happy) but the sound blasted through the music venue speakers, and it was a wonderful thing hearing all the work that Dom and I did. All of the dog barks and subtleties. And I was really surprised. My movie showed second and after the first minute people got quiet and watched. And they laughed at Andrew and understood Jake. More or less it worked, and I felt pretty good about it. Afterwards I hung around with Lily and it was like a dream where all of the people you have met show up. That's what happened. So many of the people I have met out here in the last year went out of their way to come by to say hi and talk about the movie. Even the director of "Harold and Kumar" was there... and he liked the way it was directed and edited, said it was pretty good. Not bad.
There are no end products. Nothing that can happen at a screening or anywhere else can really live up to all of the work that goes into making a movie and all of the high hopes you experience. The work is where all of the good stuff happens, I think. That's what I was thinking the whole day before the screening, and I had a great time. I was really happy throughout the whole night. The movie screened with four other shorts at the IFP LA Cinema Lounge programmed by Julianna Brannum, who has herself gone out of the way to help me out. Things like this are very important when you're making movies and you aren't sure what to do next...
What'd you guys think of the Oscars? I didn't have too many thoughts, really. I enjoyed the show kind of mindlessly. Thought Chris Rock had some valid points and that Sean Penn looked like Bob Hope or someone standing up for Jude Law... Watched the whole show all the way through. Earlier in the week I had seen them setting it up down on Hollywood Blvd. Screwed up traffic all week... I thought that Eternal Sunshine and Sideways won for good reason -- and I always like the screenplay category. I saw Million Dollar Baby two weeks ago and it blew my fucking socks off. There are some good theatres out here for seeing movies, I must say.
And speaking of awards ceremonies, I have tell you all that my dad, who has taken up coaching hockey since my brother and I left our highschool hockey careers behind, coached his way to his first State Championship last night!!! It was my highschool's first since my brother and I were on the team. The Burroughs Bombers played at the Blues arena (they weren't using it anyway) and beat St. Charles West 4 to 1. Not bad for my dad's first year coaching highschool hockey!
It made me think, do I know anyone else who would learn how to skate and teach hockey, out of the blue? It's a good question. Would I? I gotta try to be more like that. I watched my dad talk to his little guys (he started out coaching 10-12 year olds) before a game and I saw how he did it more than once. He was pretty good at it: he would come into the lockerroom and tell them to shut up and quit calling each other gay and saying bad words to be cool and all that. And once he had their attention he gave what he called the "they hurt your dog" speech. Basically what he did was, he convinced them the other team was responsible for hurting their dog! The little kids would get psyched up and mad and run out onto the ice in their skates, ready to play. He saved it for the big game of the year... Anyway, how cool is that.
We all need a good "they hurt your dog" pep talk once in awhile, I've decided. (Maybe even one every day?)
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