THIS JUST IN
WHAT'S NEW FOR EZRA
(Background photo of Ezra Buzzington taken by Jonathan Harris)
Theatrical Agent
Rogers - Orion
13273 Ventura Blvd., #104
Los Angeles, CA 91604
818-789-7064
******************************************
Commercial Agent
Bobby Ball Agency
(818) 506-8188
******************************************
Personal Appearances
Bill Philputt
11113 Moorpark, #217
North Hollywood, CA 91602
818-683-4314
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Check out my MySpace Page Here
May 2008
April 2008
Hi again. Two years. MySpace
has almost killed my own webpage.
I'm back now. Myspace/Buzzington
is kept up to date every day, because
it is easy, but I'm going to try to keep this site more alive as well.
Also, check
my new music page
Myspace/Buzzingtonmusic. I was a singer/songwriter
even before I became an actor. Thanks for
checking in!
I have a new commercial agent and I am
pleased and excited. I have
signed with Bobby Ball Agency
April, 2006
I am booked into several more fan conventions. Next is the Chiller Theatre Convention (click here) in New Jersey. It runs June 2-4 in Secaucus. Come say hi!
Spent a few days in Palm Springs to recharge my batteries. It was great to get away from the cool, gray gloom of Los Angeles. When is global warming coming to my city?
I am flying to Utah on Monday to shoot another independent movie. Not huge, but a couple of days out of town. Always happy to be flown away to do a movie.
I will be attending the Cinevegas Film Festival in June. Hopefully they will accept my movie Outta Sync, but if not I will still be there rubbing shoulders with film makers.
There is more stuff on my myspace site (link above).
March 28th, 2006
Today, I worked on a film being directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Hugh Jackman, Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Andy Serkis, David Bowie and Scarlett Johansson to drop a few names.
I had a wonderful time in England last weekend. Many thanks to all the wonderful people who came to the convention to see and speak with me. More on this later.... when the jet lag has gone away.
On March 22nd I captured this image of the IMDB Pro Star Meter.
This is the highest ranking I've achieved on IMDB. I guess opening credits in The Hills Have Eyes has had some effect.
I will be in Birmingham, UK at the Memorabilia convention March 25th and 26th. Come say hello.
March 10th, 2006
HILLS HAVE EYES PREMIERE!
Last night I had just about the most fun I've ever had. I've walked red carpets before, but never with a film that had such a crowd waiting to see it.
Karen and I arrived about 30 minutes before the movie started and that turned out to be a really good thing. The event was huge.
It was at the Arclight in Hollywood. The red carpet ran from the parking garage to the front door. I was assigned a sweet Fox rep named Rebecca and she was of immeasurable help. She guided Karen and me through the several interviews with ease.
First I was interviewed by KROQ which had, apparently, been running some kind of contest where they doled out tickets to the premiere. I dig giving interviews. I'm very grateful for the years of improvisation. Makes for fabulous sound bites.
Then I was ushered to the main photo op stage. This is where Getty Images,Wire Image, etc all stand and SHOUT your name for you to look their way. It truly is blinding and incredibly loud.
Next was a run of on camera interviews with various media outlets and magazines : People, INStyle, CNN, various radio stations and a few foreign outlets. France was interested mostly in what it was to work with Alexandre Aja and Gregory Levasseur.
All in all it was a thrill ride I look very forward to taking again.
Click here for some premiere pics : HILLS PREMIERE
Click here for another surprise guest : PLUTO
And here, my friends, is your first shot of Goggle : GOGGLE
I have a Myspace presence now:
Check it out, join and become a friend.
March, 2006
HILLS HAVE EYES about to open!
Ezra shoots ZODIAC with FINCHER!
Screening of OUTTA SYNC huge success!
Vegas! Vegas! Vegas!
Went to the "One More Night In Morocco" party last night that was thrown by WES CRAVEN for THE HILLS HAVE EYES cast and crew. It was great to hook up again with ROBERT JOY, BILLY DRAGO, TED LEVINE, MICHAEL BAILEY SMITH and other assorted mutants. ALEXANDRE AJA and GREGORY LEVASSEUR are always a joy to see and... let's see... who else was there? Oh yeah...WES CRAVEN.
Click here for a pic of me and WES and ROBERT JOY.
Unfortunately, my camera gave out right about then so I have no shots of anybody else. Sucks.
The movie is getting some tremendous buzz. All the reviews I've read online have been effusive in their praise of both the film and the cast. I'm, like, the luckiest dude in the freaking world to have been attached to this project. Which is basically what I wrote to both ALEX and GREGORY when I signed their posters of the film.
After the incredible meal, BILLY DRAGO, Karen and I went next door to the "Ye Coach and Horses" pub and slammed down some Vodka. Billy's a hero of mine. As is Karen. Again... luckiest dude in the world.
I've been asked for several interviews over the last week. Check out my new related site : www.goggleseyes.com . There you'll find a lot of links to online interviews and reviews. There'll be more later, after the film opens and I start working horror conventions. I'm really looking forward to meeting true horror fans. My buddy CAMDEN TOY has been working them for awhile now and I'm looking forward to it. Assuming there'll be time. Maybe I'll see you there!
DAVID FINCHER is a god.
There. I said it. And I'm not taking it back.
And neither, if I don't miss my guess, will anyone argue with me.
Being on set with David was like coming home for Thanksgiving.
I was called early in the day to the downtown location. I found my trailer and kicked back. I'd brought with me 3 books, 5 magazines, the OUTTA SYNC rough cut and the entire first season DVD of "Drawn Together" because I knew I'd be sitting around awhile. It's Fincher.
He's the most precise director I've ever met. He knows exactly what he wants and he doesn't stop until he gets it.
So. Eleven hours later I'm called to set.
Not kidding.
They have me in these 1970's style shoes that have a slight "wedgie" kind of thing going on. I'm wandering around a bit waiting for the 2nd 2nd AD to take me to set and don't see the pothole directly in front of me. Bam! I'm on the ground clutching my ankle. Which probably shouldn't really look like that, I'm thinking.
On set medic, 2nd 2nd, wardrobe (it was their shoes, after all) suddenly surround me. "Are you ok?", "Should we bandage it?", "Want a drink?", etc. Very hurried, worried and busy.
All I cared about was getting to set. I'd be damned if I let anything get in the way of my working with David again. And that night.
So, I hobble to set and they plunk me down in my on set chair. When I'm called for my scene, David sees the limp.
"Hurt yourself there, Ezra?" He shouts.
"Nah, David." I tell him. "It's just a cry for attention!"
He laughs and we get into the scene. MARK RUFFALO is interviewing people who think they have clues to help find the Zodiac serial killer. My guy is very nervous and jumpy. (David called him the "Chihuahua guy".) He's convinced he knows who the killer is and believes that the Zodiac is out to get him. David let us play with text. And, man, am I glad. The best stuff often comes from riffing. My line : "Get your cock outta my Chrysler, you son of a bitch!" to JIM CARREY in ME, MYSELF AND IRENE was a total adlib. The best directors know that if you have a good improv artist to work with, the script will only be improved. You can't have "improved" without "improv", I like to say. Or, at least, I'll start saying it since I just made it up. See, I write too.
ZODIAC looks to be terrifying.
Gee. No shit. FINCHER meets the ZODIAC.
A perfect marriage. Made in hell.
OUTTA SYNC has a picture lock!
(That means the producer, editor and director have arrived at the place where all the cuts are in place, the structure and rhythm of the film are done being tweaked with and we can all heave a sigh of relief and go on with our lives. Until we start color correction, sound mixing and scoring next week.)
It looks freaking great and I couldn't be more proud.
Once this film hits I won't be able to get these actors anymore. They'll all be too big for me.
We had a screening of it (pre-picture lock) in Beverly Hills for an invited audience of about fifty. We had them fill out forms so we could see what was working for them and what wasn't. I was thrilled to see that we had a 95% approval rating with a 98% positive referral response. (Meaning they'd recommend the film to their friends.) That so kills!
We were all thrilled to see the positive response and hear the unbiased laughter flowing freely. Nobody there was attached to the film in any way other than knowing either the producers, the editor or me.
After pouring over their notes, we chose to trim a little fat in two scenes and now our film runs at a very crisp and funny 93 minutes and 20 seconds. Including credits.
We're shooting for the September film festivals in Toronto, Edinburgh and Telluride. Wish us luck! And, if you live in the area, come see it when plays. (He said, thinking positively.)
You know how I said earlier that DAVID FINCHER is a god? Well, if he's a god, then Las Vegas is Heaven. Went there with Peter and Karen for a charity event and to hook up with GARRETT TIEDEMAN (Co-director on "Irascible") who we'd not seen for some time. He has a project he wants to do with CAMDEN TOY and me next year. The premise sounds great. And really, really creepy. And I wanted to talk with him about turning my screenplay "HOLLYWOOD SUCKS" (a comedy about Vampires in the film industry) into a splatter pic. We had a great meeting and got loopy at one of the bars at The Bellagio at 1 in the afternoon. We'll be working together again on both projects which I'm just thrilled about. Watch this space.
We were housed at The Plaza downtown. I LOVE the Plaza. Not a lot of frills so don't look for them. But the roulette table pays off well and the drinks are not skimpy. It's filled with such cheese and old Vegas tacky that Karen and I couldn't keep a straight face. After roulette and a little Texas Hold 'em we moved over to the LOUDEST "Wheel of Fortune" slot machine in all of Vegas. It was so incredibly loud that people around us would shoot us dirty looks and we'd plug up our ears and giggle everytime it paid off. Which was surprisingly often.
But the best thing about The Plaza is that the Greyhound bus terminal is right next door! We are vowing to hop the Greyhound to Vegas very soon just for the experience of riding the grey dog into and out of the sleaze and sublime decadence of downtown Las Vegas. Maybe we'll shoot a porn film. Karen?
February, 2006
Ezra shoots GOT MILK commercial!
SUNDANCE 2006 report!
OUTTA SYNC in the can!
So there we were, all planned and ready to drive up to Park City, Utah in Karen's car when, bam. I get booked on a GOT MILK commercial. Sweet! I had to arrange to fly up and meet Peter, Donna and Karen up there. These, indeed, are the problems I want. So they headed up without me and stayed all night in Vegas on their way up. They stayed at an incredibly cool, off-strip joint called THE ARTISAN. www.theartisanhotel.com
Totally check it out. It's incredible. It's all hip and dark and boho. Reproductions of famous paintings are everywhere : on the ceiling, on the walls, in the John. Each room is dedicated to an individual artist's work. Peter stayed in a room that featured paintings of clowns and skulls. He can't remember the artist's name but it was cool, he said. Karen and Donna were booked into the Monet room. I flew up to Park City on Saturday to join them just as Peter was returning to L.A.
The milk commercial went great. It featured my neighbor and new friend JACK PLOTNICK. You'd know Jack from the short-lived (unfortunately) but brilliant show "Action" from a few seasons back. He was also featured in a great comedy we saw last year at Sundance called "Girls Will Be Girls". Right now he's known best for voicing the character of XANDER on the hilariously funny "Drawn Together" (Wednesday nights at 1030p on the Comedy Channel.) He's a lot of fun to work with and a joy to be around.
The series of spots takes place on the planet "Brittalicta" where all the inhabitants are cursed with creaky, fragile bones. They hear about this magic nectar that is provided on planet Earth to the "two-legged worker beings" by this creature named "Da Iry". Two alien scientists are dispatched to Earth to bring back this miracle elixer. Jack plays one of the scientists and is in every spot. I play the first guy to bring news of the magic potion to my superior. I'll appear in the first of the series and, with any luck, the sixth one as well.
We worked with a cow.
Yeah, yeah, I know. I've worked with plenty. But this one actually craps all over you and sprays you with her "miracle elixer" right in the middle of a take. It proved problematic if deliciously funny. The other actors and I decided that this cow, Daisy, was a bit of a diva.
She got the job from a cattle call and she milked every scene.
OUTTA SYNC is finally completely shot! Jesus that took a long time. Various miscommunications between production entities made it somewhat tricky to finally get these shots in the can. But it's freaking done. All hail MR. NIKOLAS ROSSI for stepping up to the plate to finish the DP duties. Magdalena Gorka (our original DP) was suddenly unavailable. Nik's shots are great and I'm thrilled with everything he's given us. Many, many thanks to FRANK CRIM for wrangling the shoot together and also to DONNA MATHEWSON for stepping up and knocking it out of the park. She's gone far beyond the editorial duties for which she signed up. Way beyond. Click here to see just how far she went...
The concert footage we shot of LICK THE POLE's opening number for the concert are absolutely killer. And, as usual, my actors gave it all they had and then some. Can't wait for our first screening. Then we'll probably shoot for the Toronto Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival. Both late summer.
Click here to see a few pics of LICK THE POLE in concert.
Now. Sundance. It was... er... different this year.
Since I was with a film, I got access to many more places and parties than I have in previous years. Which was great. But something we all noticed was that for some reason this year, the whole event smelled of a "Wild On..." special on the E! network. A "Girls Gone Wild at Sundance" kind of vibe. This was a shame, really. I mean, it's fine to party and all, but if I'd had to work my way around one more mouth-breathing, cell-phone-dialing, fake fur-wearing, non-fat latte-sipping, SUV-driving, clueless wannabe snow bunny, I would have climbed the nearest snow-capped mountain with a shotgun and started a bloody avalanche. It was just too Fort Lauderdale at Spring Break for my nerves.
You can check out some wire images of me at parties and walking the various red carpets at Sundance on www.wireimage.com and/or www.gettyimages.com . (At Getty you need to click on "editorial" then on "entertainment" then search for my name.)
The shirt I wore to promote my part in "Art School Confidential" caused a bit of a stir at the JOHN WATERS Brunch on the festival's first Sunday. I don't see what all the fuss was about really. I stenciled "YOU SAW MY COCK IN 'ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL' " on the front of a T-shirt and, apparently, everybody thought it was something they could buy through the studio. A reporter from the New York Post contacted the press person for the film and asked her about it. Needless to say she knew nothing and contacted SONY to see if there was some kind of merchandising tie-in. They knew nothing about it either, of course. So now, I'm the proud owner of a true collector's item. A number of people took a picture of me in the shirt so, if you see one, send it on to me, would you?
The screening at the Eccles Theatre went incredibly well. MAX MINGHELLA carries the film beautifully and my... ahem... entrance is certainly memorable. I'm thrilled to be associated with anything the TERRY ZWIGOFF and DAN CLOWES have to do with and "Art School Confidential" is a feather in my cap that I'm particularly proud of.
January, 2006
Ezra to work with DAVID FINCHER again!
CHRIS NOLAN books Ezra in next film!
Vegas was a blast this year for Xmas and New Year's. We went old school and stayed at the Golden Nugget downtown. Much more colorful than the mall-like quality of the strip. To each his own and all that. But I'd really much rather smell the old stogie of Binion's Horseshoe than the pretentious 200 dollar hand-rolled stink of corporate casino poseurs.
But that's just me.
They'll all take your money.
Great news! I've been booked on David Fincher's next classic :
ZODIAC.
It chronicles an author's search for San Francisco's notorious Zodiac killer. It also stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Robert Downey Jr., Mark Ruffalo and Chloe Sevigney. Sweet! I play a guy who thinks his mailman is the killer. I'm thrilled beyond words to be working with David again. FIGHT CLUB is still one of my favorite all time films and I'm beyond proud to be associated with it.
Ten minutes after booking ZODIAC my manager Laura Pallas called to tell me that Chris Nolan (Memento) also wanted me for his next picture
THE PRESTIGE.
This one stars Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, David Bowie and my dear, sweet Scarlett Johannson whom I've not seen since the Paramount Oscar party. (Not to sound too pretentious, but hey, it's the truth.) I'll forever think of Scarlett as awkward, little Rebecca in GHOST WORLD. I mean, it's clear she's come a long way since those days. But that's how I met her when I played Weird Al and that's how I'll always think of her.
In THE PRESTIGE, I'm playing a Ticket Hawker who convinces Christian Bale to come see a show that's sure to change his life.
Off to Sundance next week to be bludgeoned to death by films.
Ah, must be January.
December, 2005
ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL premiers at SUNDANCE!
THE HILLS HAVE EYES looks absolutely terrifying!
DOUBTING THOMAS shoots with Roger Bart, D.L. Hughley, Brian Posehn, Suzy Nakamura, Lea Thompson and Rider Strong.
STANLEY TOOLS commercial to begin airing nationally in January.
LUKE PERRY says Ezra could play his father!
Quelle disaster!
I guess we've been having a helluva time trying to hook up with the server for this site. As a result, we're a bit behind in updates. Sorry boot dat.
First of all, I'm thrilled to announce that I'll be making my 6th film appearance at Sundance in 2006 with ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL. It's playing in the Premiers Section and will surely kill. It's national release date is in April. Look for it.
Karen and I are going this year with Donna Mathewson (Editor for OUTTA SYNC) and several of her friends. We'll be taking over an entire house and plan on lots of parties and hot tubs. It's Sundance, baby.
In other news, THE HILLS HAVE EYES looks absolutely pants-shitting scary. They flew me back from shooting a feature to do a day of ADR (additional dialogue recording) for my role of "Goggle" (whom everybody, including Alexandre Aja - the director - keeps calling "Google". It's "Goggle", damn it. Cause he's the lookout, okay? Jeez, people.)
It was great to see both Alexandre and Gregory again. Such wonderful guys (considering that madness that comes out of them). Really looking forward to the day when I can work with them again. Preferably Paris next time, ok, boys? Thanks. Or should that be "merci"? Whatever. Just book me.
Look for the trailers next month. Apparently I'm gonna be featured. Yeah, baby. Also, check out the "unofficial" website here www.eyesonthehills.com
A closeup of my eyes is featured on the banner at the top. I'm on the right side and looking scarier than hell. Tell a friend.
THE HILLS HAVE EYES opens March 10, 2006.
Just got back from Albuquerque, New Mexico. I was there for about a month shooting DOUBTING THOMAS. It's a great, little family film based loosely on The Boy Who Cried Wolf. Little Thomas Miller has a habit of lying about everything. So, one day, when he uncovers a plot to kidnap the President's daughter who's visiting the school for its prom, he discovers that no one believes him and he has to foil the villians himself. It's a fun script with some incredibly wonderful people attached. I got to know Roger Bart (Desperate Housewives, The Producers), Rider Strong (Boys Meets World, Cabin Fever), D.L. Hughley (The Hughleys, On The D.L.), Brian Posehn (Just Shoot Me, The Comedians of Comedy), Lea Thompson (Caroline In The City, Back To The Future) and AnnaSophia Robb (Charlie and The Chocolate Factory).
The entire crew was a joy to work with (And I swear, I'm not just saying that. If I didn't think so, I just wouldn't say anything.) It was Director Mark Blutman's first feature as a director and he rallied us all really well and kept the set pleasant and fun.
My character was Coach Bailey. He's a by-the-book kind of nazi gym teacher with a prosthetic right hand. WHAT A BLAST! It was challenging to keep coming up with "hand bits" for the character. And working with Roger Bart was a blessing. As he played the Principal, a number of our scenes were together. To see a few pics go here : BAILEY .
Got a lesson in the differences between film celebrity and television celebrity. When you've been on a popular TV show, people seem to think that since you've been in their living rooms dozens or hundreds of times, then you must know them. Or, at the very least, must recognize them as your owner.
Going to the movies or sitting at a bar with Rider, Roger, D.L., or Brian could be problematic. One night at the hotel bar, Rider and I were talking and an entire Mariachi band came over and asked for photographs. Going to the movies with Brian was like running a gauntlet of looky-loos. Just odd is what it is. Here's the thing, film celebrities have the blessed cushion (thin as it is) of being "larger than life" and, therefore, are approached with a modicum of decorum and distance. TV actors, however, are pretty much the property (or, often, the very best friend) of the viewer. They all dealt with their public in a kind and giving way, but, boy, I can see how it could be a real problem. How lucky for me that I'm a complete cameleon in all of my roles. I'm hardly ever recognized. Wait. Maybe I'm just not famous...?
Nah. That's not it.
About to be more famous just as soon as the STANLEY TOOLS commercial starts airing in January. It's a cute 30-second spot featuring a bald guy named "Lothar" (Jed Rowan) being escorted into a workplace and incomprehensively gurgling various instructions that are then translated by his assistant. Right. That would be me.
Tough shoot this one. I had to memorize various configurations of numbers that kept changing as the shoot progressed. And this is why they hire pros. Man. It was really tough. Going from "Lothar says the square footage is 320 square feet by 452 square feet. Total square footage being 6,304 square feet..." to "Lothar says the square footage is 178.5 square feet by 274 square feet. Total square footage being 4,790.8 square feet." Then back again to a different set of numbers. And doing it with 30 people watching and being told to do it faster and faster and faster because there was too much dialogue to fit into a 30-second spot to begin with.
Oh well. Sure beats working.
Oh, something else. I shot an episode of WINDFALL starring Luke Perry. I was a creepy guy who wanted to touch his kids' head for "luck". Whatever the hell that meant. As we were shooting, and Luke came toward me to stop me from touching his kids, just before the director shouted "cut" I turned to Luke and said: "Luke, I am your father." He actually told me I could pass for his dad. Damn. Wish I'd known years ago I was that good looking. Jeesh.
Unfortunately, I've read in Variety that WINDFALL was cancelled by ABC after it had been picked up from the UPN's cancellation of it.
Oh well. As I said. Sure beats working.
September, 2005
You know what sucks? Coming back from CINEVEGAS early to
shoot that episode of STRONG MEDICINE and then getting cut out of the episode. Totally stinks. Good thing I didn't go whole hog and announce to the world that they should all tune in and see me, huh? Oh, well, the check still cashed. And according to my manager now they'll be able to book me again. So that's good, I guess.
I shot a film called BONDAGE this month as well. It's about a troubled kid (MICHAEL ANGARANO from WILL AND GRACE) who fakes mental illness so as to get out of serving time in a juvenile detention center. Pretty dark stuff. But funny as well. It also features GRIFFIN DUNNE and ILLEANA DOUGLAS. That's the second film Illeana and I have done together. GHOST WORLD being the other. ANDY DICK also makes an appearance in it. I play a male nurse in the psyche ward of the hospital. It was a tough shoot. The hours were incredibly long and the space we shot in (an old Vet Hospital in the valley) was not air-conditioned. I was called one day and spent six hours in my trailer watching TV. They never did get to the scene. It turns out one of the kid actors (not Michael) was five hours late because he'd overslept. Whatever. Guess work comes easy for you when you're young and, clearly, very foolish. Must be nice. Really enjoyed working with the director ERIC ALLEN. The main cry around the set from him was "Has anybody seen my shoes?" He kept taking them off and wandering away. Gotta love the movies.
Attended my manager's birthday bash at a local watering hole where I got to meet DEE WALLACE STONE. I'd actually met her before very briefly many moons ago when her husband Skip cut one of my first reels. Now we have the same manager. I told her that I'd just shot THE HILLS HAVE EYES in Morocco and she and I talked about the two productions. (She was in the original.) Very charming lady. She's about to appear on the small screen again in a mid-season replacement show called SONS AND DAUGHTERS. For more info check out her website at www.deewallacestone.com
OVER BREAKFAST played to a packed house on September 7 at the Arclight theatres in Hollywood as part of the 9th Annual LA Shorts Film Fest. This is the same festival that housed IRASCIBLE last year. I'd always been concerned that OVER BREAKFAST played too slow. Boy. Was I wrong. The silences in the dialogue played like the years of familial oppression I'd been trying to capture. It never really worked on the small screen because there's a larger than life subletly at play and it needs a larger than life medium to make it read. So, as it turns out, I actually got it right! I don't plan to send it off to any other festivals, though. No need. I learned what I needed to learn from it so now we move on.
Off to Palm Springs next for the screening of THE BIG EASY for the Palm Springs Short Film Festival. It's always fun to go down there but now I actually have a write-off. Sweet. My Publicist Richard Morales has arranged for one TV and two radio interviews for me to pitch both THE BIG EMPTY and OUTTA SYNC and whatever other projects I've got going on. Speaking of projects, ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL has been pushed back to the spring. Apparently MGM was bought out by SONY and they figured, for reasons not explained to me, that spring was a better opening date. So now, HILLS HAVE EYES will open (February?) and then be followed right away by ART SCHOOL. My Publicist thinks it's a good thing.
Most of this month has been spent with DONNA MATHEWSON working on a rough cut of OUTTA SYNC. (Now listed on www.imdb.com)
It's coming along beautifully and hilariously. I'm so incredibly proud of the film that's it's difficult at times to cut things out. One editor friend of mine calls it "killing your babies". Rather graphic but apt. We're almost through cutting all the footage we got. Now we have to go back for some pick-up shots. What's great about that is we'll now be able to plug any holes that were inadvertently left open as we were shooting. Honestly, I can't wait to start my next project. I think I want it to be simpler, though. And definitely scripted. Probably a drama. So, if you're reading this and you have a good drama and you think it'd be a good movie, contact my manager at the number above. We'll hook up.
Donna cut a DVD for the wrap party that featured the band's bonding poker game where they write the song "2bX2u", the Vision Quest (a parody of late 60's acid trip movies), a few assorted interview moments and the band's full on video of the song.
It totally killed.
It played on a loop continuously during the party and there was one point when I noticed that some guests I didn't even know had been there for over an hour and were now waiting for their "favorite parts" to come back around. I take that as a good sign. I think that the cast members were a little surprised about how good it looked and how funny it was. Ah. Ye of little faith.
Told ya.
August, 2005
Ok, ok, ok.
Morocco.
Wow.
Morocco freeking Mo-roc's.
I arrived at about midnight and was taken straight to the Berber Palace Hotel. An incredibly charming, Kasbah styled 4 star hotel. The grounds were massive. They covered several blocks and the rooms were bungalow style. There was a lovely fruit basket, bottle of wine and several plates of fresh, salty almonds awaiting me. Once I figured out how much to tip (Thank you Azidene - my driver) I felt right at home. Click here to see a few pictures.
Creating Goggle was a bit magical. I'd known, intellectually that he was the "watchdog" of the hill people. But it really didn't connect with me until I was in full make-up just exactly how much of a watchdog he was. Literally. In the opening scene I'm discovered devouring a German Shepherd. As we were shooting it, I suddenly started howling and barking at any intruders. It all fell into place and Goggle was truly born.
I'd love to post some pictures of me in full makeup but Fox Searchlight would have my ass on a plate, so you'll have to do with just the beginning of the process. Click here to see the beginnings of Goggle.
The shoot was unbelievably hot and dusty. But the skies were clear and the sharpest blue I've ever seen. Click here.
According to the A.D. there were 14 different languages being spoken at any one time on set. Which explains why it would take so long to get something done. For example, a British department head would have to translate to a French assistant who would have to translate to the Arabic worker who would have to translate to a French Moroccan who would have to translate to an Arabic Moroccan who would have to translate to a Berber Moroccan who would then move the light in the wrong direction.
And the whole process would repeat itself in reverse.
But judging by what I saw being shot, this is going to be one hella scary flick. Like Alex and Gregory's HIGH TENSION, this should prove freeking relentless.
I have a new hero in Billy Drago. Check him out at www.imdb.com
He has some incredible stories to tell and I highly recommend, should you ever have the opportunity to meet him, to buy him a beer or two and get him going. He's traveled all over the world making films and he's a new hero of mine.
Kathleen Quinlan (Ethel Carter) was as sweet as you'd think she'd be. It was a strange dichotomy though to be speaking cordially with her on set while she was completely covered in fake blood and prosthetic gore, her face all whited out and veiny for her big death scene. (No secrets given away here. It's in the original. But what I won't tell you is exactly how she gets it. But boy, does she get it. )
As do I.
Dinner with Robert Joy (Lizard) and Michael Bailey Smith (Pluto) at the hotel one night proved fascinating and fun. Long about 630p or 7p, just as the Moroccan sun is setting and all of the buildings are turning a luminescent terra cotta, the birds twitter away and are replaced by hundreds of bats. They swoop and swirl as they make a quick meal out of the various evening bugs who unwisely ventured out to enjoy the balmy evening. As Robert, Michael and I were joined by Ted Levine (Big Bob Carter) the conversation turned to horror films we'd either made or admired. Robert looks up at one point and says: "How great is it to be talking about spooky movies with all these bats flying inches above our heads?"
I love the movies.
I'm not sure when "The Hills Have Eyes" is to be released. But watch for it. And don't miss it. It looks to be a pretty frightening ride. And I'm thrilled to be a part of it.
Right after returning from Morocco I stepped onto the set of TRIPPING FORWARD (formerly ACTOR).
I got to play a bitchy and cynical commercial casting director. Where the hell ever I got any kind of information on which to base this character is beyond me, but it just seemed to flow out of me like poisonous body fluids.
Joe is the character's name and when I was given the chance to improvise by the director MARCUS NASH, I heard the voices of several past experiences in my head. The fact that I have no filter at all proved serendipitous as I launched into a vitriolic tirade about the business. Great set but also incredibly hot. ED BEGLEY JR. is in the picture as well, but we didn't have any scenes together.
Click here for pics from TRIPPING FORWARD.
Next up: BOXBOARDERS!
Now here's a role worth sinking your teeth into.
Click here for a picture of ZOLTAR: SPACE VAMPIRE.
I loved playing Zoltar. Rarely does a role come along that just ends up speaking for himself. As soon as I was in Zoltar drag, the voice deepened and softened, the body stood erect and, once again being allowed the freedom to improvise, he spoke in hilarious sound bites that, one hopes, will make the final cut. ROB KENDALL the director seemed pretty happy with him. As was I.
Click here for pics of cast and crew from BOXBOARDERS!
I have a new publicist. He is Richard Morales of Blueprint Brands www.blueprintbrands.com
OUTTA SYNC is being edited by a wonderful woman named DONNA MATHEWSON. Donna's new to town and has a great eye. She's clearly brilliant because she loves the footage we shot and gets all the jokes. We totally laugh at the same things so, clearly, she's a genius. The film is coming together quickly now.
July, 2005
Check out my new project www.DearAlien.com
I leave for Morocco to film The Hills Have Eyes soon. I hear the temperature is 114 degrees. Did I mention I'll be wearing a rubber mask? In the Sahara?
I attended Cinevegas last
month, the Las Vegas film festival but had to rush home in the middle to shoot an episode
of Strong Medicine
May,
2005
Another busy month. I have new management.
I am now with Laura Pallas of Pallas Management and look forward to a long and
productive relationship.
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I have been cast in the remake of THE HILLS HAVE EYES and will be filming in Morocco later this summer. It's being directed by Alexandre Aja. While you may not know that name yet, that'll change come this June when his brilliant and relentless film SWITCHBLADE ROMANCE (USA title) is released in the states.
I was lucky enought to have caught this film at the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL in 2004 under it's original title HAUTE TENSION. (High Tension). I wrote here in January, 2004 how much I liked it. So, I'm thrilled to be working with the man who created such a chilling piece of work.
I'll be playing the role of Goggle. He's sort of the watchdog of the hill people. I go in for prosthetic work next week and then off to Warzazat, Morocco in July to shoot.
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I am working on a cell phone movie deal which is very creative and a lot of fun. We're looking to build 10 one-minute films featuring my performance art character called simply "The Alien". (see shot below) He's had sightings over the years on the stage and on television. Now it looks like he'll be invading your cell phone with his bits of wit and witticisms. We shoot these starting next week.
Photo by P.Gref
My producer is the Divine Carolyn Hennesy. Queen Of All.
My director will be the brilliant Marc Rosenbush. Writer/Director of ZEN NOIR. And speaking of ZEN NOIR, it just played the market at the
CANNES FILM FESTIVAL.
Apparently we're gonna be huge in Finland.
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I am working on the next stage of the movie we shot this spring, OUTTA SYNC.
I'm working on the paper cut and interviewing editors.
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It looks like THE MUSIC WITHIN has been put off indefinitely. So you'll just have to wait to witness my abusive drunk in a bar. Oh, just deal with it. I have to. Haven't a clue what the story is there. But production has informed me that I'll be the "first to know" if they get a greenlight elsewhere. We'll see. But, for now the music will have to stay without.
April, 2005
Wow. Been a while, I guess. It's been incredibly busy as you're about to find out.
In October I shot a delightful short film starring Selma Blair (HELLBOY). It's called THE BIG EMPTY and is a high concept film about a beautiful, young woman (Blair) who discovers that within her she houses a vast, frozen tundra where her womb should be. I play a cartographer (map-maker) who volunteers to dive (literally) into her womb to chart this new territory. It also stars Richard Kind (MAD ABOUT YOU), and is currently playing the festival circuit.
DO GEESE SEE GOD? had a great run on the AmazonTheatre.com site. And David's cut was slick and sleek. I was told that the Amazon people made David cut my creepy bum bit back because it was "too scary". Yuk, yuk. See what happens when you're too good at what you do? Really have to try and lose this edge, I guess. Then again, screw it.
Think I'll keep it.
In late November, my Producers and I burned our first film on the movie we're making. We shot each band member (Frank Crim, Dan Wingard, Bill Robens, Doug Clayton, Bob Toombs), bandleader Phaedra Lee (Carolyn Hennessy) and Esther Ruth Hazelton (Sarah Underwood) giving "interviews" to the documentarians about how it felt to be starting a "boy band" that's made up of middle aged men. We shot these interviews specifically to cut teaser trailers to take with us to the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL in January. They'll be up on the site before too long.
They totally kill.
Took a break from LA in December and went to Vegas for Xmas (V4X!) and then on to Palm Springs for New Year's. Not a bad way to bring in 2005.
January brought us to the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL again. It's become a kind of ritual for Karen and me to attend the whole festival. We kind of view it as our Iditerod. This year was no less of a challenge. Some really good films mixed with some real clunkers. But that's always the way. David's film HARD CANDY was, without a doubt, the most dangerous and edgy film we saw at the festival. My hat is really off to Lion's Gate Films for picking it up for distribution. It will not be an easy sell. But the film does what all films should do. It challenges, horrifies, charms and uncomfortably satisfies the viewer. Run, don't walk. But be warned : it's pretty tough to take. David, you rule my freaking world.
Mostly this year we worked the parties. Handing out our DVD teaser trailers for the film and just generally schmoozing. Frank Crim joined us for a bit as did Bob Toombs. Got to catch The Scissor Sisters live. That totally rocked. Lots of really good parties but incredibly crowded and, frankly, pretty crappy gift bags. (I live for swag. Who doesn't?)
Returned to LA and hit the ground running with pre-production crappola for the film. Also attended about 1000 screenings so as to vote for the Independent Spirit Awards. Come the 2nd week in February I decided I never wanted to see another film. I realized then, of course, that that was a total lie. I live for the movies.
Ok. So, I can't really talk about shooting the film due to some production details that are unresolved. But I can tell you who's in it:
Miss Phaedra Lee - CAROLYN HENNESY
Adam Blahner (The Cute One) - BILL ROBENS
Renny-Kris (The Dark One) - DOUGLAS R. CLAYTON
Brian "Brick" Lode (The Husky One) - FRANK CRIM
Peter Luke Hazelton (The Sensitive One) - DAN WINGARD
Sergei - BOB TOOMBS
Esther Ruth Hazelton - SARAH UNDERWOOD
myoPia (Lick The Pole) - KAREN SMITH
Dogsbody (Lick The Pole) - CAMDEN TOY
Edward Bunte (Fashionista) - BENNETT SCHNEIDER
Beverly (Just Beverly) - TIM SHERIDAN
Talking Wind - BILL SALYERS
Gavin Davidson - ANDY HIRSCH
Warren DeHougne - SIMON WHITE
Vivika - McKERRIN KELLY
B.J. - MARTY MOAKLER
Rachel Mae Klutenhopffer - CELIA ANNE BROWN
Auntie Gloddis - ARVILLA RIDDICK
Hank Williams (no relation) - DEAN LEMONT
Pauline Nooner - KATE CONNER
Beaumont X (Videographer) - KIFF SCHOLL
Lonni Hazelton - ELLEN GROVES
Bunte's Nasty Boss - LYNN ODELL
Recording Engineer - ROPER
Billy Cooper (Cancer Boy) - PATRICK DORN
Dr. Patterson - MILLIE CHOW
Latina Fan - SOFIE CALDERON
Lady of the Canyon Fan - LISA CLIFTON
NPR Listening Fan - CECELIA SPRECHT
Uptight Executive Fan - ELIZABETH LIANG
ValGal Fan - CLAUDIA CHOI
Busy CEO Fan - JULIE FISHER
Country Fan - ALINA PHELAN
Young Esther Ruth (Reed Wind Sands) - LEIGH FISHER
Summer Sands - MELODIE CARR
Fake Renny-Kris - PHILLIP C. CURRY
Fake Brian Lode - JUSTIN BRINSFIELD
Fake Adam Blahner/Record Executive - SCOTT McKINLEY
Record Executive - LISA HAMIL
So.There you have it. Just a few folks making a little movie. More details (including pics and such) as soon as possible.
ZEN NOIR was at two more festivals since I last wrote. It was at the DC INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL where it took "Best Feature". It also screened at the ASHLAND FILM FESTIVAL where it won the award for "Best Cinematography".
I shot a film called STORIES FOR SALE for the Polish film director Pawel Gula. I play a guy in a bar on New Year's Eve who won't let anything get him down. Even the laboriously depressing "actress" sitting next to him only motivates him to put on a brighter smile and tell a few more jokes to help cheer her up. Pawel was great to work with. Very appreciative of our improvisational skills and guided with a gentle hand. Look for STORIES FOR SALE at a film fest near you soon.
I've also been booked to appear in THE MUSIC WITHIN. It's a feature film directed by Steven Sawalich. It shoots at the end of April. I'm an abusive drunk in a bar (what is this, a trend?) who makes fun of the handicapped and gets thrown out as a result. Should be fun.
That pretty much brings us up to date. Watch this space for more info on the film I'm directing and other projects that will appear on the horizon.
October, 2004
IRASCIBLE took "Best Comedy" at the STARVING ARTIST SHORT FILM FESTIVAL!
BEST COMEDY
Now I'm an "Award-winning" film director!
Go figure.
September, 2004
Run, do not walk, to www.OuttaSyncTheBand.com
I'm going to be shooting a feature film! A "mockumentary" that will chronicle the improbable rise and predictable fall of a "boy band" made up of middle-aged men. We're in pre-production now and we'll start shooting in February. (We hope) Watch this space for updates. But check out the site and sign the guestbook.
The screening of IRASCIBLE was exciting but frustrating. They hadn't worked out all of the exhibition bugs and our entire program was screened in the incorrect format. This means that fully 1/4th of the image was eliminated from the screen. My producers were whispering to me: "Say nothing, do nothing." And they were right. Everybody else's films were screwed up too. What can you do? We fared far better than the poor schlubbs who had all their credits listed at the bottom of their frame. All you saw in the opening credits was: "Directed by...", "Written by...", "Produced by...", etc. Heartbreaking. But all in all I'd call it successful.
August, 2004
Started the month off right by working. Had the great opportunity to shoot an AMAZON.COM commercial with Blair Underwood. The director was David Slade whose film HARD CANDY will be released in the spring. The piece was called DO GEESE SEE GOD? Which, as you can see, is a palindrome. (Read the same backward as forward.) It's a very slick and cool piece featuring Blair running through an uncaring city looking for something. (Can't say what.) My character was a crazed street person who kept shouting out palindromic sentences. We shot in downtown Los Angeles and it was incredibly cool to hear my voice echoing off the cavernous, empty streets as I screamed and growled and shrieked out at the top of my lungs. You should be able to see the final product eventually on amazon.com. Don't know when.
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Currently, I'm shooting ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL with John Malkovitch. What a great crew! Anybody who works in the industry will tell you that a good crew makes or breaks a shoot. This one is incredibly considerate and that says a lot of good things about John's production company Mr. Mudd and both of his partners - Lianne Halfon and Russ Smith. It's also been great getting to know Max Minghella. He plays the lead role. It's his first major role, I mean, he's carrying the friggin' film! and, clearly he's a natural. But I think my favorite experience (other than getting to work with Terry Zwigoff and Dan Clowes again was meeting and working with Dick Bakalyn. Dickie, for those of you who don't know played Detective Loach in CHINATOWN. It was his character who fired that famous shot that killed Faye Dunaway's character. The stories this guy has are incredible. Lunch at the commissary with Edward G. Robinson, meeting Marlene Dietrich. The whole bit. This is why I love Hollywood. Rubbing elbows with the gods and goddesses of American Mythology. And I'm a part of it.
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Shot and wrapped THE GOLD BRACELET. The director, Kavi Raz was great to work with. It's funny, jumping back and forth between two films, one really gets a sense of how vast the differences are in variously budgeted films. Yet, without a doubt, money does NOT make movies better. Whatever it is that makes a good film - that collection of things that catches lightning in a bottle - never has to do with budget. That's why I don't mind doing smaller, independent films that pay next to nothing (read: scale). Some of the best films made were shot on absolutely nothing. I found the script to THE GOLD BRACELET to be daring and new. It follows a Sikh family living in LA just pior to and just after 9/11. The freedoms we all assume we have are questioned and, in some cases, completely taken away within a very short period of time. Kavi is really onto something with this script and I would have done anything to be involved with it. I also liked the role he offered me. A sort of mindless killing machine who only sees the red in the flag.
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ZEN NOIR is continuing to do well at the festivals. As is LAND OF MILK AND MONEY. My own short film IRASCIBLE has been accepted at the Los Angeles International Short Film Festival. (Learn more HERE) It will screen on September 9th at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. We've also been invited to screen at THE STARVING ARTIST SHORT FILM FESTIVAL in my home state of Indiana. We'll play there on September 25th if you're in the area.
June, 2004
Well. The good news is my IBM commercial is playing all over the place. People have called or written from all over the country telling me that they've seen my mug gracing their screen. Some say they even feel "invaded" it plays so much. Humpf. Like that's my problem. Anyway, it's the one with five or six people in an office and their having an "off" day. The "numbers are off, research was off, it's been an off month....", etc. That one. Good to be seen.
But the even better news is that I'm going to have the incredible pleasure of working with TERRY ZWIGOFF and DANIEL CLOWES again! JOHN MALKOVITCH'S production company - MR. MUDD - is producing Dan and Terry's ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL. I can't say much about the script right now. Don't want to spoil anything. Other than to say that it's incredibly cool and my part is, to say the least, memorable. So, all those out there who loved Weird Al in GHOST WORLD, just wait till you meet this new guy. He rocks.
I've also accepted a role in a new indie film called: THE GOLD BRACELET. It's being directed by the actor KAVI RAZ. I can't tell you who I'm playing because it'll give stuff away. But it's an intriguing script with lots of action.
ZEN NOIR www.zenmovie.com won the "Sandcastle Award" for best feature at the MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL! Check out www.moondancefilmfestival.com for more info.
It's also been accepted into the RHODE ISLAND FILM FESTIVAL.
Go to www.film-festival.org for more info on that.
I swear, ZEN NOIR is turning into the little film that could.
Bless MARC ROSENBUSH's heart for never giving up. That's what it's all about, man.
The LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL just finished up. Karen and I went again this year. Much better than last year. My favorite films were: UNKNOWN SOLDIER, THE LAST OF THE FIRST, CHISHOLM '72 - UNBOUGHT AND UNBOSSED, NEGROES WITH GUNS: ROB WILLIAMS AND BLACK POWER, COWARDS BEND THE KNEE, BAD MEAT, and A HARD STRAIGHT.
As far as the shorts go: THE CLIMACTIC DEATH OF DARK NINJA was hilarious, DEPARTURE was filled with longing and great humor, THREE WEEKS IN KOH SAMUI was an intriguing ride of metaphoric imagery, FRAGILE was delicate (if a little long), LAND OF THE BEARS was fascinating and elusive, SHOCK ACT was imaginative and incredibly disturbing, TWO CARS, ONE NIGHT was melancholic but heartwarming and TWINS was startling, enlightening and funny. The Festival itself was much better this year. Far more organized and pleasant.
Though, I swear, give some people a volunteer badge and they turn into Idi fucking Amin.
Ah, well. There are idiots everywhere. Always.
April, 2004
I shot an IBM spot with the infamous director JOE PYTKA this month. Wow. Mr. Pytka is kind of notorious in the business. He's very...up front about what he wants. Some people have found him to be incredibly intimidating because he truly doesn't pull any punches about how he feels. But he's like that with everybody. So, to internalize it is really a mistake. I found him to be irascible, funny, scary and very quick. But, boy, I was in quite a sweat considering all I'd heard about him up to that point. But, say what you like, every actor on that set knew his lines, hit his marks and gave Mr. Pytka exactly what he wanted. Or else they put up quite a hot sweat trying.
I also had two films premiere at the NEWPORT BEACH FILM FESTIVAL. "Zen Noir" and "In the Land of Milk and Money". Check them out at www.zenmovie.com and www.inthelandofmilkandmoney.com . "Zen Noir" has also been accepted at both the MOONDANCE FILM FESTIVAL in Boulder, Colorado www.moondancefilmfestival.com and THE ASIAN FILM FESTIVAL in Dallas, Texas. www.affd.org .
Look for me in Britney Spears' newest video - "EVERYTIME". http://www.mtv.com/news/polls/monthly_more/?_requestid=267983
If that link doesn't work then just catch it on MTV. It's showing non-stop and has been number 1 on TRL for a few weeks now. I'm the paparazzi guy who storms into the hotel lobby and gets into a fight with Stephen Dorff. And no, it's not my real nose. It's all prosthetics More below about the shoot.
March, 2004
I'm off SCREECH OF THE DECAPITATED.
Why ? My best guess is it had to do with the producers not wanting an African-American actress for one of the lead roles. (Not as big a target market share, I'd been told.) The actress had been my first choice and was someone I was fighting for. They kept asking me to resign and I kept refusing. So, I was replaced by...wait for it...the Line Producer. Hmmm. Guess everybody does want to direct. I've never been fired before. And it was a shock. In retrospect I should have seen it coming, I guess. I'm the second director that got the boot off this project. Some producers prefer to have pussy-footers and yes-men. I have never been able to play that game. So, I'm off what could have been an incredibly fun project. But, as a good buddy who's been in the industry for some time now says:
"You're nobody in this town till you get fired."
Hey. Look at me. I'm a somebody.
I'm sure it'll be a nice little movie.
Look for it in a "clearance" bin near you.
But, not being one to let grass grow under my feet around, I picked myself up, brushed myself off and shot two music videos back to back. The first was for Case (featuring Ghost Face) in the single from Cedric the Entertainer's film The Johnson Family Vacation.
I've not seen it yet but it looked plenty cool from where I was sitting. And that's pretty much all I did. Sit. Case and Ghost Face pull up at a gas station in the middle of nowhere in the gotohell pink Cadillac. I'm the sleeping station attendant and I snooze while they go inside the store, play cards, flirt with a beautiful hitch-hiker chick and split in a hurry.
Right after that I shot Britney Spears' newest video "Everytime". This is the one that caused so much controversy over the content of the story line. Britney's character, overwhelmed by fame and bad boyfriends (Stephen Dorff), decides that enough is enough and she's going to take a loooooong bath with some wine and barbiturates. Well, once that storyboard hit the internet, all of the 13 year old girls' mother's in America decided that that was something their widdle girls would never see and caused quite the ruckus. Britney's camp ended up changing the ending. This made for a rather long shoot.
David LaChapelle (the infamous fashion photographer and director of videos for Elton John, Moby, Mariah Carey and Christina Aquilera) was the director and I loved working with him. I played one of the marauding Paparazzi (with a prosthetic nose you would not believe). David was warm and funny and visceral about his sudden directorial choices. He was quick to decide and communicated very well with all the actors.
I'd like to write more about the shoot and put up some pictures, but I can't do that until the video airs. Check back in a couple of weeks. We all signed a non-disclosure statement and I take that very seriously. (Considering how much $ they get you for if you blab.) The second day of the shoot (at the Renaissance Hotel in Hollywood - passing for Vegas) I was down in the lobby in full prosthetics having a drink at the lobby bar, waiting to be called, and the 2nd AD came up to me and a few of the other actors and informed us that real Paparazzi were flooding the hotel lobby like locusts and to not talk about what we were shooting to anybody. Not even each other. He told us that pretty much all of the other people in the lobby who weren't with the shoot were from the press. And right when he said that, I noticed how all these people were sitting around looking at everything very closely. Including us. As if they didn't want to miss a thing. And I saw a "couple" sit behind the make-up girls and they were clearly listening intently to whatever the make-up girls talked about. (NOT about the video, mind you.) It was all very Hitchcockian and creepy. And a lot of fun.
The only thing that bugged me during the entire shoot was when I was standing like two inches behind Britney (which I had to do several times as this is how the shot we were working on started), I just couldn't get Christina Aguilera's "Dirty" out of my head.
And I kept humming it!
OUT LOUD!!!
I love that song.
Immediately after shooting the Britney Spears video we went into production on IRASCIBLE. This is an original short film I wrote (story by Me, Karen Smith and Camden Toy) that we shot with Garrett D. Tiedemann. Garrett is a friend I met at SUNDANCE. When I was still doing SCREECH I'd approached Garrett about coming out to work on the shoot as an assistant to me. My production partner Karen Smith made it possible to fly Garrett out here to work on it. Well, when I was canned from SCREECH (did I mention for no reason? Ok...) we still had Garrett's tickets so we decided to come up with a project that we could shoot while he was here. Thus was IRASCIBLE born. It's about a nasty-tempered guy (me) who's convalescing in a home of some kind. His recovery is interrupted by one of those endlessly cheery people who seem to always sit next to you on planes and such. He was played by Camden Toy of BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER fame. He's played several full prosthetic characters on that show: Gnarl, The Uber Vamp, The Prince of Lies and, my favorite, one of The Smiling Gentlemen from the groundbreaking episode "Hush".
IRASCIBLE deals with their relationship and how they effect each other's lives over the course of the day.
We shot the sucker on the Panasonic DVX100 24p camera in four days. And the footage looks incredible. Garrett ran the camera and we co-directed. We've started editing and we'll then begin the submission process to festivals and such. I'll post pics in a few weeks.
February, 2004
V4X was a blast again this year. (V4X, for those who don't know means "Vegas For Xmas!".) We stayed at the Flamingo this year. Had another great view of the strip and spent a helluva lot of time at their killer spa. They have a HOT hot tub, a MEDIUM hot tub and a COOOOOOLD hot tub. Totally indulgent. The rest of the time was spent losing money at poker and the slots. (Yeah. I'm that stupid.)
I've been asked and have agreed to direct the film SCREECH OF THE DECAPITATED for 3 Runes Productions. We started casting last week and look to start Principal photography on March 13th.
My episode of 10-8 aired on January, 25th. I hear it was good. I didn't get to catch it. I'd just gotten back from the SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL in Park City, Utah and was sleeping off some crappy films. My buddy Karen and I went together again this year and we were joined by my dear old buddy (and producer on my current project) Diana Kyle.
Favorite films at Sundance this year:
The Woodsman - You'll definitely want to check this out when it hits your art house. It stars KEVIN BACON as a recently released sex offender and follows his journey into re-establishing himself in the free world. An incredibly touchy and somewhat off-putting subject is handled sensitively and deftly by first time director NICOLE KASSELL.
DIG! - is a killer doc that follows the downfall of a brilliant songwriter and singer ANTON NEWCOMBE of the incredibly innovative band THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE. It parallels Newcombe's downfall with the rapid ascension of THE DANDY WARHOLS and how, over time, the relationship between COURTNEY TAYLOR (WARHOLS' front man) and Anton is completely destroyed, leaving us to watch Anton devolve into a kind of brilliant madness.
Saw - This is my second favorite film. It's an absolutely riveting thriller that explains nothing quickly or easily. It traps you from the first reveal and takes you on a thrill ride you won't soon forget. Primarily a serial killer yarn, it's also a psychological brain teaser the grips you by the throat and laughs at your suppositions. Again a first time director steals the show.
Haute Tension - From France comes a different sort of slasher film. It's tongue planted firmly in its cheek, Haute Tension follows two girls on a trip to the country to visit some relatives. Then arrives one of the better slasher villains in recent history. This guy just barrels and starts the killings. No sneaking up on you with this guy. He's just right there in your face and his utterly blatant behavior makes the chills more effective. Lots of gore. But lots of fun as well.
The Saddest Music in the World - was, by far, my favorite movie at Sundance this year. Canadian director GUY MADDIN has delivered one of the most subversive films I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing. He takes the genre and stands it on its head by utilizing the limited techniques of its history in telling this incredibly moving story of familial dysfunction, greed and the lost innocence of youth. And it's hilariously funny. Starring ISABELLA ROSSELLINI (on whom I have always had an unspeakable crush) and MARK MCKINNEY (Kids In The Hall), the pic glows with Depression era detail and Maddin uses that period's shooting styles wisely. And seeing a "legless" Isabella standing on two glass prosthetic legs filled with frothy beer is an image worth more than the price of admission.
BAADASSSSS! - is one of the most inspiring stories you'll ever see. Every "independent" filmmaker should make a point of checking this out so they can see what it's really like to be up against it. Made by MARIO VAN PEEBLES, Baadasssss! chronicles the trials and tribulations encountered by his father, MELVIN VAN PEEBLES while shooting "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song" in 1971. Hoping to shoot a film that represented the black community in a more empowering way - something that didn't feature blacks merely as maids, sexless foibles and/or criminals - Van Peebles, unsurprisingly, met nothing but resistance from an incredibly racist Hollywood film industry. Watching him overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, even to the point of putting his own health seriously at risk, is jaw-dropping in its inspiration.
I Like Killing Flies - is a flawed but interesting look into a New York City landmark restaurant's owner and his family as they have to face the forces of change. A fascinating look into the hidden world of irascible Kenny Showshin. Shot on a hand-held digital camera, I Like Killing Flies proves, again, how accessible movie-making has become if you have a great story to tell.
Tarnation - is quite a ride. You know nothing about dysfunctional families until you meet Jonathan Caouette's dysfunctional family. I won't even begin to describe the crap this kid had to put up with. And, luckily, I don't have to. Because he shot a good share of it with his video camera as he was growing up. He magically manages to not make the piece a study in self-indulgence by putting most of the emphasis on his mother's journey through a hellish life. His story is an adjunct to that. Quick cuts and cleverly used repetitive shots give jolts to the brain not completely unlike what his mother may have experienced in her forced shock treatments as a child. See it.
Overnight - When I first moved to LA, I remember reading about a bartender named Troy Duffy who pitched Harvey Weinstein a script called "The Boondock Saints" and actually had it optioned by Miramax. What I didn't know was what happened after. This is a study of one man's complete and total self-destruction. Here's this guy with an incredible deal with both a record label and a major indie studio and we watch him, over the course of a few years, piss it all away. It would be heartbreaking were it not so horrific. Like a train wreck you see in slow motion. Director and Producer Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana spent seven years of their lives chronicling this depressingly avoidable descent. I got to know Tony over drinks at the Marriott and I welcomed the chance to get answers to questions I had at the screening but didn't want to ask in a public forum.
Rasberry Reich - Easily the most subversive film at the festival. I caught the first screening at Midnite at the Egyptian. Queer film Director BRUCE LaBRUCE has managed to capture the revolutionary implications inherent all sexuality by combining what is, essentially, a reverse gender take on the Patty Hearst kidnapping with man on man sex. Not for the squeamish nor easily offended, Rasberry Reich pulls no punches. Since queer sex is, by definition, political, LaBruce fuses current political hot-button issues (Sadam Hussein, Osama Bin Laden, Bush, etc.) with the inciting and insightful thrusting of primarily male genitalia. And it works like a charm. You should have seen the people running for the door. My favorite kind of art. The kind that could kill if you let it.
What follows are the complete stinkers (Luckily, there are fewer of those. But that doesn't make it better.) :
TIPTOES - Gary Oldman, Kate Beckinsale, Peter Dinklage and Matthew McConaughey should all be humiliated and forced to turn in the SAG cards for one full year as a result of having appeared in this piece of complete and total crapolla. Supposedly a study on dwarfism and how it effects a family, it's actually a poorly executed after-school special masquerading as a feature film. How this got into Sundance is beyond me. Oh. Right...Gary Oldman, Kate Beckinsale, Peter Dinklage and Matthew McConaughey. (Apparently, after I ran out of the theatre in search of the nearest gutter water with which I hoped to freshen the stink thrust upon me by this garbage, the director took the stage for a question and answer period wherein he announced that the producers had wrestled the film away from him in the editing room and that's why the stars were not there to support the film. Yeah. Right. That's why.)
THE MISSING - Ok. All of Taiwan should be humiliated by this one. And so should the programmers at Sundance. The guide made the film sound interesting. People were disappearing. Without explaination. Just poof. Gone. Interesting, right? No. Not so much. After a few really cool shots the film devolved into an experiential hell in which we were all trapped with this whiney old Gramma who was trying to find her Grand child (who may or may not have ever existed, I guess) and some young kid who's Grandfather had Alzheimers. I think. Whatever. It was long, boring and what it was