Blood on the Highway at AFI Dallas

Yeah, that's me (in the white t-shirt) being all undead and stuff.
Only two days into the the AFI Dallas Film Festival and I'm already worn out! The turnout for the pre-party was a huge success, with over two-hundred people, throughout the evening, all there to celebrate Blood on the Highway. But even better, the midnight screening was completely sold out and the crowd was amazing. Before the screening commenced, a heckler came from nowhere and launched soda all over some of the cast and crew. Unfortunately, I was talking to them and my jacket was one of the primary targets! Word has already spread all over the festival and it's anticipated that the next screening will be even more chaotic (you know, riots in the streets, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!).


Me and Tom Towles.
During Q&A, Tom Towles (who had a cameo in the film) talked about how much he really liked Blood on the Highway. His words were genuine and his praise sincere. And the entire house agreed. What a fantastic premiere screening it was!

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View of Victory Park from ghostbar.
Okay, so I'd never actually been to ghostbar before, but the Dallas Film Commission hosted a party there on Friday (just before our party) and it was top notch. The view of Dallas is really spectacular at thirty-three floors up, especially when walking out onto the see-through balcony.

So far, the festival's been a lot of fun. Other than Blood on the Highway, I've seen Flow: For Love of Water, a documentary about the vast need for water conservation, the state of the world's water today and the evil of bottled water (you will NOT want to drink bottled water ever again); The Guitar, Amy Redford's directorial debut; and a block of shorts, featuring Josh Brolin's X. I'll write more about these films later; but for now, enjoy a picture of me and "The Amazing Kumar"!


Me and Kumar Pallana.

Arthur C. Clarke Makes His Last Orbit Around the Sun

My Arthur C. Clarke collection.

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

Clarke's Third Law. Arthur C. Clarke, 1973.

Harken the words of Sir Arthur C. Clarke! What a fascinating man, indeed. The hard science fiction writer, futurist and inventor has been a giant in the scientific community for decades. A beacon of science and technology, Sir Clarke's influence on the scientific community, and humanity in general, is unparalleled. I was fortunate enough to run across Clarke's writings during college. I'd always known and loved 2001: A Space Odyssey because of the film by Stanley Kubrick. Most of all, I enjoyed his writings for their relevance and ofttimes prophetic nature. In 1962, Profiles of the Future was published in book-form. Here's what my Bantam paperback edition published in 1964 says on the back cover:

"'Contact with extra-terrestrials.'
'Artificial breeding of intelligent animals.'
'Machines which can duplicate everything including themselves.'
'Human imortality.'

No! This is not the world of science fiction! This is how we will actually live in the year 2100 A.D. when gravity will be controlled by man, when robots will probe the secrets of earth's interior, when machines will be more intelligent that the most intelligent human beings!

This is the wonder world of the future as seen by Arthur C. Clarke, the distinguished author and scientist. Here is a brilliant, fascinating prediction of the next one hundred fifty years of Man."

In the above mentioned work, Clarke refers to a "global library" to be available to all by 2005. Whether or not Google directly references Clarke in their Google Books Library Project, he's ostensibly in the background, providing inspiration for new paradigm shifts in thinking.

Most importantly, he inspires mankind to strive for something greater. There is nothing impossible! Whether his predictions were off-the-mark, or right-on is not as important as his vast influence on the scientific and literary communities, and humankind in general.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke died in his home in Sri Lanka of breathing complications on 19 March 2008; merely days after he'd reviewed the final manuscript of his latest work, The Last Theorem, co-written with Frederik Pohl.

St. Nick: That's [Sorta] A Wrap.

Today David and I met with the kids to give them a reel David cut together. It's been almost two weeks since we wrapped principle, so it was great to see the kiddos again. David's already cut over twenty minutes of footage (and that's just been the last few days since we got back from SXSW!) and apparently it's looking great. The reel was super-rad-cool so I'm anticipating a great film!

Here are a few more stills from the last few days of principle photography:


Tucker's bloody hand. Interestingly enough, apparently David has written this in many of his scripts.

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Mark Sharon sets up the log gag. In the film, the boy sets it up as a trap. Barlow Jacobs plays a contractor who's the first to find the trap... Will he get hit? Will it hurt? Will he die? Will he bleed? Oh, the suspense!

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A superhero ice cream truck.

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Jonathan "Rambo" Rudak sets up some candles.

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Filming across the street from the abandoned house.

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The impeccable Bosque Brown, along with Curtis Heath (of The Theater Fire). Thanks much to Curtis and Valerie for allowing us to ransack their home!

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A picture perfect family?

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This is what happens when an actress doesn't obey David "The Dictator" Lowery!

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Below are some photos from Annetta North. Thanks to James' grandmother for allowing us to shoot on her ranch and for the Town of Annetta North for allowing us to shoot at an abandoned church. Oh wait, we didn't have permission. Well, thanks anyway.


Yen with some ass!

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Poster, t-shirt or postcard shot!

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Welcome to Annetta United Methodist Church.

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Annetta North railroad tracks.

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Officer Donaghey sees something strange.

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Hot cop ass?

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Pick-up shots after Martin left. Thanks Barak for stepping in and helping!

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Convenience store location. Thanks to Lin for allowing us to shoot!

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That's a wrap... For now. I'll have all the pictures available on my MySpace within the next day or two. In the meantime, check out more stills from Jonathan Rudak and from James Watkins. Thanks guys!

There Will Be Vader

Via Matt Zoller Seitz.

From the very beginning of this clip YouTube user AAC8888 understands There Will Be Blood to a tee. Granted, he's got the amazing score from the film to work with, but when Vader/Plainview looks at Emperor Palpatine (Revenge of the Sith) and boldly, yet subtly, announces, "yes I do!" it sent chills down my spine.

The really fine-tuned part of the clip, however, is when Vader/Plainview confronts Luke Skywalker. It starts with Vader/Plainview screaming at Skywalker (The Empire Strikes Back): "I told you I would eat you up!" And then move towards the entire "bastard in a basket" sequence. Brilliant!

The clip ends with the always clever and fun "I drink your milkshake!" sequence and a rad lightsaber fight from Return of the Jedi.

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Speaking of milkshakes, Savanna (lead actress in St. Nick) was kind enough to buy me a really awesome There Will Be Blood "I Drink Your Milkshake" t-shirt at CafePress. Not only did she contribute to purchasing the shirt (in case you don't know: she's nine), but also had the foresight to have it printed on American Apparel's Sustainable Edition (an organic cotton tee, made in the U.S.A.).

Read my response of There Will Be Blood.

For kicks, read my riposte of an article written in The New Yorker just after the opening of Revenge of the Sith.

Salt Lake City: Moments

Other than talking to crazy anti-Mormons, me, David (Lowery) and Bill (Sebastian) enjoyed the Salt Lake City flavor. I actually thought these photos were lost, but forgot that I'd uploaded them to my external hard drive when my computer was getting a tune-up! Enjoy!


Bill Sebastian in front of the infamous Red Light Books in Salt Lake City.

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Good ole' Immigrant Italian Dining. Definitely not "Made in the U.S.A." here! What I love about this picture is all the signs. Other than the "Immigrant Italian Dining" sign, you've also got "AIR CONDITIONED," "Lunch Served Daily" and "COLOR TV." Other signs of note (that you can't see unless you're looking at the original size of the photo) are "Elegant Dining" and "COCKTAILS."

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Some pictures really don't need a caption. Like pictures where I'm mounting a smiling pig statue and slapping it on the rear.

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Another picture that doesn't need a caption: Bill giving the thumbs up to a pile of dog poo.

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SLC Pepper.

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The Gateway.

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The Olympic Legacy Plaza.

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RBAN OUTFITT RS.

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David Lowery. Under the PINK.

Can You Find Drunken Wadlo?

Speaking of bathrooms... Here's an awesome t-shirt from 1995 I found in a box somewhere. Unfortunately, I have to throw it away because I carelessly cut off the sleeves in my youth.

Bathrooms Across America

Yes, this is three pictures in one!
The South By Southwest Film and Music Festival can get really claustrophobic and raucous when the music-heads take over. Don't get me wrong, music is as important to the soul as film. And without it, creating a film of merit can be next to impossible. However, the large influx of people is what really destroys the spirit. I've always enjoyed an intimate experience over a crowd, in any event I partake in. Large venues and crowds of people have never been appealing to me.

In much the same spirit--or at least in my mind, anyway--I'll take this opportunity to introduce you to photographs that interest me a great deal. And that is, Bathrooms Across America. I've got a slew of bathrooms already archived on my hard drive and will display them slowly.

There's something truly intimate about displaying the private crevasses of a particular person or a particular venue. This is Epoch Coffee, Austin, TX.





I posted the first picture with my South By Southwest 2008 Wrap-Up. While I don't think purposeful graffiti is as intimate as a bathroom unkempt with mistakenly placed artifacts that show interesting tidbits of character, I enjoy the painted walls just the same for its sheer artistry.

Painting the bathroom walls of a coffeehouse, restaurant or bar have become increasingly popular. Permanent reading material is really quite interesting after a few drinks and a full bladder. And what reading material is found on the walls of Epoch Coffee indeed! My favorite is a quote from Davy Crockett: "You can go to Hell. I will go to Texas!"

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The inspiration behind Bathrooms Across America. Taken at Victoria's house in Fort Worth, TX.
What I really like about this bathroom is that it's intensely cluttered; yet, for some reason, the composition of the photograph is complete and not too busy. The reflection in the mirror borders the composition, but also alludes to a never ending mess of objects. The subtly muddied sink provides enough negative space, ensuring the eye is not overworked. And the cord that diagonally divides the composition seems almost placed. The other foreign objects, coupled with the toiletries provides for a complete composition, interesting and unique.

I'll be posting more photographs as I continue my travels. And I'll work the ones I've already shot in as well. I hope you enjoy viewing them as much as I enjoy shooting them.

TIMENATRIX

As soon as David and I were back in Dallas from SXSW, it was back to work on a new short film from writer/director, Clay Liford--who played one of the four leads in the short, as well. Shot entirely at Barak Epstein's abode, the film shows us one of the lamest excuses for adultery ever!

Based on the collected erotica of D.H. Lawrence, TIMENATRIX takes us where other films only dare to dream! We find ourselves in the past... the present... the future! TIMENATRIX will make you laugh... Cry... But in the end, it really just makes you want to toke up!


I'll bet you didn't know time travel was powered by the obvious--yet, never realized until just now--connection between a bong and an Atari joystick!


Chris Gardner (as "Chris") and Robin Gierhart (as "Robin") heat it up. David on B-Cam and guess who's on boom? I'll give you a hint: he's the moron with a broken collar bone that thought it'd be cool to do sound for the day!


Dual cameras! David Lowery afar on B-Cam and Barak Epstein on A-Cam.


Clay Liford (as "Clay") getting jiggy with Beth Featherstone (as "Beth"; and don't worry Sharon and Chris... This is for a moooovie!)

Also, thanks much to Ellen Weaver for procuring the fantastic "water pipe" and herbal smoke-stuff (yes, it was fake. I swear!). And for taking stills for me while I was on sound. Also involved and not mentioned: Yen Tan on P2 cards and in a general producerly capacity; and Sharon Wright on catering. Fun shoot, guys!

See additional photos on MySpace or Facebook.

SXSW.08: This Is What Filmmaking Is All About

Benny & Josh Safdie

Man, I really like the Safdie's. I remember seeing Josh's short, We're Going to the Zoo, at SXSW last year. I also just recently saw Benny's short at Slamdance in January. What's really great about these guys is their natural eye for beautiful shots. They shoot on film--16mm no less--which is refreshing and daunting at the same time. In The Pleasure of Being Robbed, I found myself falling for Josh and his friend Eleanor, as they steal a Volvo and take a long drive to Josh's apartment. Even though I should probably be upset with the moral character of these two, I can't help but find them innocent and lovely.

There's a beautiful scene where Eleanor frolics with a man in a polar bear suit in a river. It could have been silly, but the film literally dances along the screen, in rhythm with the river and the trees. Josh Safdie's eye for cinematography is calculated and capricious at the same time. It's this sort of filmmaking that inspires me to make films myself.

The beauty in The Pleasure of Being Robbed isn't in the story or the dialogue or the setting. The narrative or moral conundrum is really arbitrary, with perspective for the whole scheme of things. It's all of the visual matter that holds everything together--and if that isn't pleasurable, I don't know what is.

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Matthew Lessner

Matthew Lessner recently emailed me this marvelous picture of himself (he's the dude). Along with several others, he was chosen to judge the shorts competition this year at SXSW (his short By Modern Measure played last year).

One film in particular really blew me away. Glory At Sea is an amazing narrative which takes an entirely different look at tragedy. The film deals with flooding in New Orleans, but it's almost a Outopia ("no place"). The dramatic element of the film isn't specifically limited to those who have suffered losses due to natural catastrophes. Instead, it's very human and corporeal. It's almost as if you can reach out and grab it.

There were some intense under water shots that boasted a whole new, peaceful world. It was really surreal for me and difficult to comprehend how I was feeling after-the-fact, but the enticement of the film is still a sparkle in my eye. It's spiritual and noble and true and bold. Somehow, for me, it was both highly--and necessarily--ambitious, yet subtly quixotic at the same time. A quest of a film that mounts on the absurd in a romantic way that casts off any doubt that the events in the film are really happening. As utterly believable as Eleanor and her polar bear, I truly found myself in an under water graveyard, surrounded by hopeful and glorious individuals with Glory At Sea.

SXSW.08 Docs: Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie, Woodpecker, & Of All The Things

Not Your Typical Bigfoot Movie was totally miscategorized this year at SXSW. Thrown into the 'Round Midnight category (a category reserved for all things horrific and scary), NYTBM tells the tale of two Bigfoot believers, Dallas Gilbert and Wayne Burton. Throughout the film, we see all sorts of research techniques--rarely scientific.

This isn't a hybrid documentary, and you certainly never see the elusive mythical beast. Instead, you find yourself absorbed in the lives of two close friends who are following the American Dream--a prevailing theme in many decent documentaries--however screwed up and silly it all seems to be.

The film is not deep or meaningful; nor is it inspirational or really even all that informative. But for some reason, I was momentarily charmed and mildly interested by the subject matter. This story doesn't need to be told, but I'm certainly happy to have spent the hour or so listening to it.

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Okay, so Alex Karpovsky's Woodpecker isn't really a documentary. It's considered a hybrid documentary--in this case, perfectly defined by the film's synopsis: "From its documentary underpinnings to its narrative arc, all truth becomes subjective in this existential tragicomedy about hope, perception, and some very very strange birds."

The problem with most hybrid documenteries, mockumenteries, and other films of that ilk, is that, by and large, the film's narrative suffers, due to the fact that the documentary portion of the film is largely unbelievable, or simply badly written. Generally, I don't have a whole lot to say about these types of films. In Karpovsky's case, however, I was more than charmed or interested--I was sutured in and completely willing to go along for the ride.

The story takes place in the Arkansas bayou, where we follow fictional characters, Jonny and Wes, in search of the real Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, a bird thought to be extinct. The dynamic between Jonny, the outspoken goof ball, and his silent sidekick, Wes, is crack-up funny and really fun to watch. At one point we see Jonny tarred and feathered, in an effort to scare off a crazy environmentalist (who doesn't recycle).

Karpovsky takes us in and out of reality and I found myself not really knowing what was real and what wasn't. More importantly, I didn't quite care. The story stands on its own merit. A beautifully shot sequence where Wes travels alone to a local roller rink is just good filmmaking. And that's really what makes this film work.

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Of All The Things tells the story of singer/songwriter, Dennis Lambert, a man who doesn't have a Wikipedia article yet has managed to write some of the greatest pop songs of all time (e.g., "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Ain't No Woman (Like The One I've Got)," and "We Built This City"). And, apparently, he's frickin' huge in the Philippines. His one chart-bottoming album, Bags and Things--a complete failure in the United States--was a pinnacle success in the Philippines. Oddly enough, Lambert was only recently informed of this phenomena by a pop disc jockey in the country. This documentary takes us on Lambert's tour of the Philippines, even after giving up the music business altogether (Lambert is now living in Boca Raton and serving as a luxury real estate agent).

I don't like the titular song "Of All The Things" at all. In fact, I didn't really like any of the songs I heard Lambert sing throughout the film. But the story of this guy is amazing. That he's been a huge sensation in the Philippines for so many years now, coupled with the fact that he only recently found out about it, and in response, packed up and toured the country, is really a fantastic undertaking. The film inspires by telling an informative, heartfelt story of successful re-emergence and the positive vibe on a small family, and also a fairly large country.

SXSW.08: Wrap Up, "Burger Hut" Trailers, Yeast

Purposeful graffiti in the Epoch Coffeehouse, Austin, TX
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The city of Austin, TX has seen rapid growth and prosperity in the last few years. Part of that falls between March 7th and March 17th of each year. The South By Southwest Film, Interactive and Music Festival has seen the same exponential growth as the city itself. I remember last year's festival being amazingly jammed (especially when the film & interactive portions were fading into music). This year, however, has been a staunch increase. According to a local bartender, his restaurant has averaged one-thousand more dollars a day during the festival than last year.

Keeping that in mind, I've tried to stay off the beaten path these last few days. When the music guys come in--due to the extremely large influx of people--the whole vibe of the festival changes. The days seem to get hotter; the streets trashier; the venues louder.

In general, I did a lot less partying and gallivanting--and even movie going--in exchange for intimate discussions in relatively quiet atmospheres. I also spent a great deal of time walking. As many of you already know, I broke my collar bone while snowboarding in Keystone, so I couldn't drive to the festival. Instead, I flew one-way and have been experimenting with various forms of public transportation. All-in-all a positive for the environment, but not so much for convenience. Tomorrow, I'll be riding back to the Dallas-Fort Worth area with David, leaving this great city behind.

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Kent Osborne outside the Alamo Ritz

Mumblecore ruled SXSW this year; and it all started with the trailers. This year, SXSW brought back the Burger Hut trailers (originally from the 2002 festival), starring Kent Osborne. This year's mockery include: a "mumblecore" theme party (Kent confuses it with "Dumbledore" theme party), and spoofs of 300, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Glengarry Glen Ross.

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The art of filmmaking is convoluted and complex. The naked and unguarded rarely receive the accolades they deserve because mainstream cinema is far more concerned with feeling good. Call me masochistic, but I don't want to feel good after leaving a film. Sure, if it's a Sunday afternoon and I want a cheerful cry as I laze around the house in boxers, reminiscing my old high school days and eating ice-cream, I may want to pop in a feel good comedy. Alright, those feelings actually surface a great deal--I won't lie to you. But when I'm at a film festival, I want to view films that impact me, that send shivers down my spine. I want to cry because it hurts. I want to cringe and laugh and then cringe again. I want intensity and experimentation. I want to learn something. And I don't want everything to be happy-go-lucky.

Mary Bronstein's Yeast is an intense look at friendship human beings. At its core, Yeast tackles the juvenile nature within us all. You may not want to admit it, but there's often been times you've wanted to slug someone you care about because, at the moment, you feel nothing but loathsome disgust for them. When everything they say or do grates on your eyeballs.

Bronstein's character, an extremely selfish control freak is extremely unlikable and irritating to the core. Her "friends," Amy Judd, a stubborn, immature brat and Greta Gerwig, a gadfly obsessed with the need for attention, both show me new flavors of puke. Watching them should bring me to convulsions. But again, I'm strangely attracted...

Yeast is a claustrophobic rage of a film. Largely shot by filmmakers Sean Williams and (really nice guy) Michael Tully, the film stays close to its subjects--oftentimes too close for comfort. Bronstein totally trumps any film dealing with jealousy and obsession. It's real, it's nasty and it's uncomfortable. You won't necessarily enjoy the experience of watching the film, but you'll certainly appreciate it for its honesty.

But then again, you may prefer the sugar-coated blandness of Hollywood and you may care nothing for truth or genuineness. If that's the case, go watch "Friends" or something. And stop reading my blog.

Stay Off Railroad Tracks!

Officer Donaghey says a lot of things... The picture above was taken on an excursion to Annetta North to film the exterior shots of the abandoned church for St. Nick. I'll post a few more pictures from that location and more in the near future. But for now, Officer Donaghey has one more important bit of safety:

Don't snowboard like a pro... unless you are one. Or, you'll break your clavicle!

Foosball Near Keystone, CO

A Google search for "Foosball Near Keystone, CO" brought my MySpace in at number twelve. Quite an odd coincidence indeed.

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In other gaming news, a friend of mine, Barak Epstein, recently "rolled" a Galaga arcade game at Lee Harvey's in Dallas. Not only did he reach a million points, but he continued on until reaching another 722,380 points and a whopping 154 levels. Here's the final shot: