Do the Hustle

Oh the shore, how I love the calming ebb and flow of the sea's whispers and secrets from the deep that have come to the shimmering surface. Strange how my vacation from Facebook and my constant hustle for jobs and places to live while working a full time job and not sleeping has made other things become as clear as a new underwater natural spring bounding from the murky muddy brackish bottom. Yes my friends and foe alike I have decided to stick it out in this crazy crazy crazy mixed up city, after all I have given so much to this place that it owes me a lot sooner or later, hopefully sooner, and it is the longest running dysfunctional relationship I am still in so I miles well let it run its course so to speak. Listening to Hall & Oates and Bob Seger lately for some unknown reason. I will be successful at any rate hopefully the rate will pick up a bit. Worse case, I suppose I could get paid to dance to "Private Eyes" in front of elderly men.

Modus Operandi

Hey there folks, I am just recovering from a lethal cold sinus monstrosity so I apologize for the small lapse of time that has taken it's place among the time space portal of molecular reality. I recently attended a screening of the new but old exploitation style film "Modus Operandi" created by a new director on the scene with a name that fits his scrupulous raunch-esque vision of hallucinatory plot variation, lots of babelicious action, and gore that looks like a fun house sexual hilarious candyland ride through a violent techno rainbow; Mister Frankie Latina. I have to admit that I didn't expect a whole lot, being more of a fan of the original grindhouse films and only half enjoying the other remakes. Just looking for a good time late at night that was still safe and objectifying, and I was delighted to view the grand orgy of objectification up on the screen rather than in my own personal objective social reality. Kudos to Sasha Grey(who I have always loved anyway) for presenting the film so it can get more exposure.

Four years in the making and filmed on Super 8, the film is comical but the way it is shot and edited lives up to the filmmakers degree of attention to deal and overall coolness that seeps through every "scene" or vignette that displays the characters like a sadistic colorful lollipop that I want to lick over and over again until my tongue fills rough and my sweet pleasure is full-filled. Although this film exudes 70's era style, I feel that it is also experimental and original in the way that Frankie designs the places and dialog, as well as an entirely original soundtrack that is amazing and most of the songs sound as if they have been hits for the last few decades. All filmmakers mimic to a certain degree whether they think they do or not, but it is the way in which you put your own magical collage of stylistic energy into what you create that makes you stand out among the never ending ebb and flow that takes place behind the theatrical cinematic creation. I thought that the Super 8 portrayed this film perfectly, and I am ecstatic knowing that in an age of over stimulated fancy HD, and high tech equipment, there is still a very real need for film and Super 8 film at that. Some people ask me what experimental or Avant-garde film means and I have a very clear answer in the depths of my mind but some how I can never clearly convey it out loud. There are others who want to know if it is the way the film is created technically or as an object, or if it is the subjective aspects within the film. It can be both or one or the other, which is a very open ended answer, but I think that we are actually entering a very good era for experimental art house filmmakers because I believe that the high rate in which technology is advancing gives artists either more tools in which to magical penetrate the dense dreams inside their being than ever before and at the same time it is also a good reason to use the old tools such as Super 8, 16mm and VHS because it stands on it's own more now then it ever did before and there is one thing us experimental filmmakers are good at and it is standing on our own.

Goodbye Social Network- Hello World

For the few souls who read this blog, I have recently committed Facebook suicide. I have been known to do this before for only a day or so, this time it is for an extended period of time, I never say forever, or maybe I never say never, who knows. Might not be able to put into words why I must release Facebook from my life at this juncture, but it must be done. My life needs sorting and I also feel a strange weightless departure from the "grand" social network. You want to reach me, pick up a phone or send me an e-mail or even a carrier pigeon and if your really hard up, you can check this blog from time to time, which I will be using more often now to update my fantastical adventures in the city and my cinematic rantings.

Be back real soon, and if you have any paid film work, please pass it on, because I would like to be doing something like that considering I went to school for that, but for now I will make coffee and smiles...

FEEL AT HOME WITHOUT A HOUSE WITH YOU

Engine down, growing grass inside and beneath the east wind.
Down on the plain, into the depths of the sea.

There is a love that cannot be brought to it's knees.
A love that is unconditional, but always open like a wound in the cloudless part of a cloud filled sky.

Relinquish
Part
Release
Back
Pull

Touches that shiver in the dark
Fingertips inside your heart
Things are fading beneath a sky of black satin and silver dust...

Where do we go from here?
Back to the beginning beginning beginning beginning beginning

I do my job, take my breaks, feel the dark touch me in ways I never thought possible
Been abused, lied to, broken, fallen and taken apart.
Paved my way myself, created depth and won awards

Disguise your verses when you dive into something that moves you to the core or someone that you feel so connected to

Why do I have to feel so different around you
My heart beats faster and I feel so high above
Surface tension bleeds through the air

I breathe in deep deep deep

Wish things could be different , but I respect the way they are

Friends

Gettin' down wit Edgar and then some...

Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart): "I came to Casablanca for the waters."
Capt. Renault (Claude Rains): "But we’re in the middle of the desert."
Rick: "I was misinformed."


Welcome back to the perpetual ever changing seashore. Sorry for the lapse of time, I was out to sea for a wee bit, but it is high tide I get my bearings for y'all now. My compass is a bit confused but it all points to the North star anyhow right? Gather around folks for another story on the shore, and please enjoy the view (triptych of me at Anthology Film Archives), sooo brick, am I right? I recently attended a double screening of two Edgar G. Ulmer films by myself. It was nice though, and I chatted with an interesting man who wanted to be an architect but decided to wing it in NYC instead of going to College and enjoyed a coffee and donuts from a "coffee spot down the street". Back to the films though; I am a big fan of Mister Edgar although I have only seen a few of his films so far. The first film of the night entitled "The Naked Dawn" is technically considered his masterpiece. It was an astounding work of technicolor art and included Edgar's unique lyrical dialog preformed by an interesting melodic cast of characters that while realistic and witty, still contained a magic within that is missing from the 'real' world, and also a great song sung by a lovely lady (a trademark of Edgar). A great sub-textual humility that is learned and re-learned as the film approaches it's climax. I don't want to ruin it for those of you who haven't seen it, but it is a much cherished gem and it is worth a viewing as soon as you possibly can. As amazing as "The Naked Dawn" was and is technically, the next film "Detour" still holds a special place in my heart and it is not just my favorite Ulmer film, but also stands as one of my top ten favorite films of all time. This film has touched me in ways that I don't have words for. I own it and have seen it at least 6 times but never on the big screen so this was a treat indeed. It is one of those films that gets better every time you see it, it seems to glow more like a shadow that has seen the light so many times that it has turned into a bright enigmatic star lighting a dark road. The writing is phenomenal preformed by the perfect but unlikely duo Savage and Robinson. Errol Morris said that it was one of his favorite films, stating "It has an unparalleled quality of despair, totally unrelieved by hope."

This shot is one of my favorites in the film, the great creative power that comes with good low budget cinema, it is also the second flashback to the amazing song "I can't believe that you're in love with me". To me this film is a love letter to those of you who are talented but in poverty, keep sailing because fate always comes in waves. Or as Roberts says in the film, "That's life. Whichever way you turn, Fate sticks out a foot to trip you."

Other highlights from my recent meanderings include doing freelance for Bravo network which involved getting a free lunch at Peter Luger's Steakhouse, kind of overrated but it was still nice, (I much prefer small quaint places where the food is as good or better and cheaper with more character). Also received my first Birthday present, a comprehensive book on Film Noir, halfway through it and loving it, great timing too. Before I depart for a dip in the ocean; yes I did attend the Brian Jonestown Massacre concert and yes it was much more amazing then expected, however my good friend Sam Marine who is spending her days and maybe nights as well at the bottom of the ocean wrote a great entry about it, so I am off the hook so the fish would say, please check out this link and the pictures that moi took: http://sammarine.blogspot.com/

Trash Humpin', Reality TV and Video Art...Oh My

So hi y'all, it has been a purty eventful week I have to say. To re-cap, I filmed an Off-Broadway show by a wonderful man from London and went out dancing with him and his friends, and when he sent me my check, he also included a picture of me dancing that I didn't know he snapped, pretty great. Working on his DVD now. Then I took a top secret test (don't worry nothing shameful or bad), and after I was famished and craving a falafel which in turn brought me to Mamoun's for the first time, 2.50 falafel and a place to sit down, can't beat that with a stick. I wandered around the west village for a bit and then I decided to go see the infamous "Trash Humpers" alone nonetheless. I have always been fairly judgmental about Harmony's work and truth be told I don't really like it but I still enjoy watching it if that makes any sense. This movie didn't stray too far from how I usually view his work, however I did have a really good time and it was far more humorous than I expected. The combination of snapping self-portraits of myself on the downstairs bench with onlookers, my pineapple that I snuck in from Whole Foods and a packed theatre with an audience that seemed to all have a collective sense of humor for the film, the actuality of the externally superfluous experience during the film surpassed what the film itself lacked. It was obvious that Harmony must have had a blast making this film and that also made it worth while, but it also got me to thinking that once you get an "in" so to say with other films you have made, that in turn gives you some leeway to kind of make something just for the Hell of it and still get it into theatres. If you have a certain type of sense of humor and you are familiar with Harmony's work than I suggest you see it by some means, might be a good movie for a party atmosphere. One last note about the movie; it also reminded me of my friend Joey's work, but not as mature and sophisticated. Joey should definitely make a feature because it would fix a lot of the problems that this film had. It would be more creative technically, and it would be more disturbing with a subliminal humor that would shine through the cracks to create a aesthetically prosthetic balance between the elements coexisting in the film, looking forward to his feature.

In other news I worked on a reality TV pilot for VH1 thanks to my friend Sarah. It was an interesting group of people and best off all I got to drive a pimped out new Chevy Tahoe all day, while picking up a great camera man and blastin' Def Leppard on the LIE. Last but not at all least folks, I went to the Video Art. Net festival at Tribeca, it was interesting if anything and had a strange panel of speakers after. One of the speakers was an old professor who kept randomly talking about how he just got back from a writing commune where he wrote 12 hours a day, and said that he thought festivals were stupid, yet we were all at one, and later said that he just came from one at Anthology. I wonder how many Quaalude's this guy pops and I wonder if he wrote 12 hours straight a day or took breaks...hmmm.

To bring this ship into the dock I will end by saying I went to Lombardi's pizza for the first time and learned about the history of pizza which was very tasty interesting information, in addition to this highly enjoyable experience I was also told how to properly fold my pizza for consumption, something that I apparently did not know how to do because when told to do it, I begun to fold it the wrong way. Love to learn new things, keepem' comin'...this was your captain Shelly Sarah speakin', please enjoy the rest of your ride, it may be a bumpy one.

Untitled Drop Down - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ->>>>

Filing infected files
Trials, illusion, denial
compromising surmise
sultry demise
Dead Ends
Friends
Control
Stop
Drop
Roll
Soul
Into darkness out of Light
Differences are the same
Game
Fame to claim
Drain self
Proclaim wealth
Hide
Changing tide
Free talk
Lock together