Shot of the Day 12.183: Spray Paint Prophecy...

Shot with iPhone & CameraBag, click to enlarge. 

...saw this on the way home from our first week of HOLLISTON rehearsals. True dat.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.182: Circles and Circles

Shot with iPhone & Camera Bag, click to enlarge. 

Walking through the Disney Lot, I was almost late to my meeting because there was so much to distract all around me. How do people work here?

Here's just one of my many distractions. Can you find the circles in Mickey?

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.181: Meat In The RIght Pocket

Shot from iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

2nd night of rehearsals, going well. In the middle of our evening, good 'ole "Bobby P" stopped by ArieScope to entice us with one of his renown "Cheeseburgers in the pocket".

Seriously, if you ever meet up with him, ask Rob for a cheeseburger. Just ask. Watch how fast he produces one-likely warm- from one of his cargo pant pockets. It's a trick he is very proud of.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.180: Stacks of Ha's

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

First official meeting for Holliston with the cast at the ArieScope office, where we presented the entire season, a huge stack of hilarity, horror and hell, a little heart too. Just having everyone in the same room together elicited a charge of excitement, especially after the crappy past few weeks we all seemed to have endured and survived. Everyone is psyched, ready to work. By night's end…we were all off-book and on-point with at least one episode. This is what it's all about. 

Welcome to Holliston, Season 2. It's gonna be "Deep". 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.179: The KLOWN Room

Shot with iPhone, click to enlarge. 

This is what you never want to see on a screening day for your film. 

Thankfully it's not my film (...don't ask); I was just applying my East Coast "Gotta be at the theater an hour early" mentality to a small screening of the film KLOWN today (which was f'n hilarious) at WME and getting there early really didn't give me any advantage, other than the fact that I got to enter as a blood drive was finishing up. Seeing people outside a screening room on laying down on gurneys with nurses all around, I thought..."Wow, this movie IS shocking! Holy shit!!" but it was just a blood drive. Closer to 5, the theater filled as it started. I always feel the filmmakers pain whenever a screening doesn't fill or go well, cause I've been there. This was not one of those times and you will be hearing more about KLOWN soon, this I vow. Wow. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.178: A Banksy-esque Birthday Wish

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Found this while picking up Bri's Babycakes birthday cupcakes on Western. 

I want a framed poster of this one. Happy Birthday Bri! 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.177: Strollin' Sans Stroller

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

...just playin' in Playa Del Ray. Y'know. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.176: Pixuh...

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Took the family to see BRAVE, the hotly anticipated new Pixar film. Other than the CARS films, a Pixar film is a brand welcome in the home and always reliable for great storytelling for every age and quadrant. We opted for 2-D but the only one that had seats was 3-D. Last film Rem endured in an dimension was LORAX and during that film we left due to the intensity of the 3-D, then re-entered (he didn't want to miss the end), so I wasn't keeping my hopes up that this would be an entire viewing of Pixar's latest. 

To be honest, and it pains me to say, but I kinda wish we did leave early. Not even the kid dug it. That's saying something. We wanted to be swept away, and in the end, the story could easily be swept under the rug. Hey, like Primus says..."They all can't be zingers". 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.175: God Bless Americano

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Sitting here at the Cafe 101 (home to many a cup of coffee and a conversation, seen in films like SWINGERS) waiting to meet a very important person in my life who I've been lucky enough to meet. Seriously, one of my heroes from 1986 up to and including now. Maybe even more after this meeting. One of the best conversations I've had in a while over an order of fries and a veggie plate. Very inspiring time. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.174: Future Dimensions

Shot with iPhone & Infinicam, click to enlarge. 

Is this the "wave of the future"? Hell, someday someone is gonna tell me that real life is gonna be 3-D next. Pffft. YEAH. Riiight. 

But I am intrigued....the wheels are spinning, and not post-converted. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.173: Dinner is Screwed

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Found outside Whole Foods. Someone in there is shopping blind. I feel terrible. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.172: Side street To Heaven

Shot with iPhone & CameraBag, click to enlarge. 

Driving up a steep incline. Something about that image and statement just seemed to fit today. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.171: Shaye's View

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Sitting in New Line's conference room waiting for a meeting to start. Thought for kicks I'd give New Line co-founder Bob Shaye's chair at the head of the conference table a spin and get a feel for what it's like to be in the perspective of a very influential man in the genre world. Well, at least he was to me. I'm strange. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.170: Pet Peeve

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Full Disclosure: I hate Flip Flops.

You will likely NEVER catch me wearing these flimsy fucking things on my feet. Also, I despise anyone who goes anywhere other than the beach with flip-flops on. I even kicked someone out of a production meeting once-a guy, natch-for wearing flip-flops to work. I DO NOT WANT TO SEE YOUR FUNKY FEET, DUDE. So, needless to say...I'm not a fan of this particular footwear.

But today, being that my back is fucked and I can barely bend down, it was the path to least resistance in taking out the garbage. So...I pulled out the old Spicoli-esque Vans-like THAT kind of movie connection was going to sway me otherwise. Hell, I even turned Japanese and kept the socks on. Waiting for the elevator, I looked down, caught quite the site, and there you go. A rare moment for you all to enjoy. Now excuse me while I burn these things in a funeral pyre.

Joe

Shot of the Day: 12.169 Lockdown On Wilshire Blvd.

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 


It IS a rough town...RIGHT, Pee-Wee...?

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.168: Killer Joe & Billy The Kid

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Been a week of screenings, rounding it out with a preview of WIlliam Friedkin's KILLER JOE, a movie I've been hotly anticipating being a Friedkin fan (and of any movie ballsy enough to wear it's NC-17 rating like a deep-fried badge of honor).

I worshiped Friedkin as a kid and into my film school days, read endless books, yet I'd never met him or seen him speak live. Unbeknownst to me, the guy is a regular cut-up on stage, keeping the audience of L.A. FIlm Festival goers in stitches with his many stories of previous films, all the while making M.C. Elvis Mitchell seem winded every time the moderator asked to sit down. "Why, do you need to?" the aging director joked before taking this power stance you see here. If anything, the conversation before the movie, which lasted an hour, was more entertaining than the film, one I did enjoy for all it's Texas-style pomposity. And mark my words...you'll never look at a chicken drumstick the same way again. Love or hate, you can't deny that Friedkin still has full command over his stories, and KILLER JOE is well worth the wait and the rating. Friedkin still loves shaking things up, and you can't help but not love the guy for it.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.167: The Aidikoff Room

Shot with iPhone & Camera Bag, click to enlarge. 

Back to one of my favorite screening rooms in town, the Charles A. Aidikoff for a private screening.

Who's that, you say?

Check out the room and the history here. It really makes watching a film both an intimate and an all-encompasing experience. It feels like a TRUE "Home Theater" and when you look into the history of the Aidikoff's and their hollywood lineage, you'll appreciate it all the more.

http://www.aidikoff.tv/

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.166: Communal Cultivation

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Here's Remy with our dear friends Aaron and his son Falken, watering the plants. In a world where TV and video gaming seems to be absorbing all of our future generations, it was nice to see the simplicity of gardening rule their attention. There's hope yet.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.165: Sad Scribbling

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

A very depressing day.

Oh, am I not allowed to say that? Oh right, this is MY blog.

Wish I could go into it more, but I'll save it for the book. It's gonna be juicy.

Moving on...

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.164: Eat My Light, Dad

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Out for the long-awaited family reunion walk, blown away by the cycling skills Plissken had gained since we last rounded the block together. Of course, being a huge TRON fan, he sees this as a simulation with his lightbike, leaving wavy streaks of illumination in his wake being chased by various evil programs with cool neon/black jumpsuits. Never once does he formulate any criticism of the movie like us older folks groused about when the last TRON came out. Was this kind of forgiveness what my generation displayed when the first TRON was released? So...will TRON 3 finally come out in 20 years after LEGACY finds some appreciation? I'm hoping so.

Long way from the stroller, me thinks. Longer way from The Grid*, eh, Sam Flynn?

Joe

*TRON:LEGACY joke. You'll get it in a few years.

Shot of the Day 12.163: Back to Midian

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 


Tonight was a long time coming.

Clive Barker's NIGHTBREED is well-known for having a troubled production past (boy, don't know how that feels) and the film released into theaters was far from Clive's vision of an oppressed, underground culture and the civility they yearn for (metaphor alert). I, for one, was terrified of the film when I saw it opening night-Feb 18th, 1990 at the Coram Multiplex to be exact-but being an avid reader of Fangoria, I was also aware of scenes, shots & creatures cut out of the film. But I wasn't aware that it was more than 45 minutes of footage cut out, which was thought to have been lost forever like the ancient caverns of Midian, the fictional town inhabited by Barker's creature creations. For years, fans discussed if we'd ever see this footage as the film bombed when it was first released and fell into cult obscurity, with little hope for any new remaster or release.

Thankfully, I was not the only one affected by NIGHTBREED, and a campaign called OCCUPY: MIDIAN was formed to try to collect the old footage and create a new version of the film that skewed closer to Barker's original cut of the film, and the hard work paid off; NIGHTBREED: THE CABAL CUT was screened tonight at the New Beverly and hell yes I was there. The film was cut together using the theatrical cut as a base/spine, inserting shots and even whole scenes (some finished, some less so) that were on 2 VHS screeners long-thought lost. It's not a polished product by any means, but fans of the film will get a much clearer picture of what Clive, coming off HELLRAISER and at the peak of his game & fame, was trying to achieve, which WAS vastly different than the studio cut. It's an experience for sure and a labor of love for all involved.

Here is Clive, who has been embroiled in his own share of drama this week alone, giving the rapt audience a bittersweet, funny introduction to the film, one you can tell was close to his heart and also broke it thanks to those who did not share in his vision for his own story. Again, I couldn't help but relate myself, in a way I never thought I would. Hey, if it only takes 22 years...

Best moment of the night was the standing ovation given to the artist as he thanked the crowd for supporting the film, and everyone in the room felt the emotion as he did. It was a small triumph for Midian. Hopefully fans will finally experience this cut as well, the way Clive wanted.

For more info on the new cut of NIGHTBREED, click here.

God bless you, Mr. Barker.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.162: Spine Askew

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

My back is WRECKED. This shot above was my attempt to shooting a straight picture frame in a doctor's office. Yeah, that bad.

I've had chronic spine "situations" since i injured it playing Lacrosse back in '92 (white people problems, I know) and its been a pain in my ass (and lower back) ever since. Thankfully our Chiropractor Dr. Ty works weekends & has some dark magic in his hands. Every time I'm on his table, however, I say a silent foxhole prayer, hoping the neck cracking he performs is not my last (or a thrust into a surreal Adrian Lynne fever-dream a la JACOB's LADDER.) Hopefully I'll be able to stand up without sounding like an old man soon.

Now get off my lawn.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.161: Slow and Steady...

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

...gets your shelled ass lost. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.160: Feedbackin' E3

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Another year, another E3 video game conference, the high holy roll out for the latest and greatest in the media that will likely usurp movies in a few years. This year, the G4 show I helped create a few years back for the website-FEEDBACK- produced a 2 hour live show from the floor of the Los Angeles Convention Center. Here's a glimpse behind the viewfinder of the successful shoot, featuring a blurred moment between the Supervising Producer Mike D, Tech director Frank Meyer & on-air co-host Nicole Z. Love being with these people, like being home with family.

For more on E3 from the G4 perspective, click here.  To see the 2 hour FEEDBACK, click there.

Long Live pixels,

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.159: Bi-Focal Metering

Shot with iPhone & Infinicam, click to enlarge. 

Usually something that grabs my eye and forces me to take a shot has to seem like it comes with a story, some kind of mythology behind the moment. Dare I even ask how this happened?

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.158: Zzzzzzzz

Shot with iPhone & CameraBag, click to enlarge. 

Heard this lady snoring in the library from the 2nd level. Quite the performance. No one will be shushing her, I promise you.

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.157: Kubrickian Arcade

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

Doesn't this look like it would be right at home in the Howard Johnson's on the space station in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY? Yeah, me too.

These tabletop games remind me of waiting 30-45 minutes to be seated at the Ground Round, the local kid-friendly dive chain on Long Island...where kids could eat their weight. Great. Guess who didn't enjoy when the bill came and cousins announced who paid the most?

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.156: Random Sunday Snap no. #38

Shot with iPhone & Camera+, click to enlarge. 

I dunno, something about the tripod, the chair and the basketball net just made me stop and capture the moment. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.155: Insert MARATHON MAN Quote Here...

Shot with iPhone, click to enlarge. 

Does ANYONE like to go to the dentist? I sure don't, especially when its been a while and I KNOW I'm going to get a lecture. At the very least our dentist is a nice guy, they always have XM radio tuned to the 80's and we leave with free toothbrushes and floss, which is nice. Surprising, the dentist said I was doing BETTER than last time. Nice surprise!

Still didn't mean I would have a gore-free cleaning….ew. 

Joe

Shot of the Day 12.154: Not to Bragg...

Shot with iPhone & CameraBag, click to enlarge. 

Ever since we announced Season 2 for Holliston, my "TV show" diet has kicked into full gear. Cutting out the carbs & sugar (or trying to), more exercise & such, anything to give me the confidence to stand in front of 3 cameras and an audience and not think "Do I look fat?".

Believe me, it REALLY frees you up to really dive in and act when you're not thinking about your gut hanging out or your "Lucas Waddle" (i.e. double chin). 

One trick I learned for better digestion is taking a daily shot of Apple Cider Vinegar, which I've done in the past to great success. Why did I stop and pick it up again now? 

Believe me, it's not a pleasurable morning experience, but damn if it doesn't wake you up! 

Joe