KGB Productions

Another really neat web site is Film Noir of the week . It's created by Steve-O, and if you're a fan of film noir films then this is a good place to start. I'm always amazed at the depth and how Steve puts it all together. I'm a big fan of noir films, and I guess Deadly Obsessions is my little tribute to it. When people tell me about the dialogue in the film and just how much there is of it I just refer them to such film classics as " Detour ", Double Indemnity , and " DOA ". A lot of noirs were dialogue driven, so I didn't see a problem with it. I'm not comparing myself to any of these classics it's just my argument in using dialogue. I do notice especially among the young that their attention span is quite limited. I see this in the students where I work. Maybe it's an age thing I really don't know, but as the French say "c'est la vie".

Okay it's Father's Day and so I'm taking a small break and enjoying the day, but here are two great links I think you should check out if you already don't know them. One is Badazzmofo .com which is run by a cool dude by the name of David Walker . I actually bought a couple issues of Badazzmofo back in the day. I've rediscovered that he's on the web, and still kicking ass and taking names. Check it out if you have some time. His love for spaghetti Westerns is unparalleled. Then go on over to Sunset Gun , and take a look at Kim Morgan's web site. Her love of the cinema, and her knowledge leaves mine in the dust. Her credits are numerous, so head on over there and begin to be amazed. She's awesome! Still writing. As they say about writing it's all in the rewrite. ~sigh!

So how do I start my story. I've already based it on someone I know and that is my dad. He was a complex guy who said little, but still waters ran deep. The one event that transformed him into the person I know as daddy was the war. My dad was a soldier in World War II, and he was in the German army. He was a radio operator, and he had some stories, but they are few and he rarely talked about his experiences. Once in a while I caught a glimpse into the nightmare when he would talk about people he knew. He would go silent when too much of the memory came back, and the wall went back up. So it's hard to write about someone who didn't share. Even if I would known how important those memories were back then I still wouldn't have gotten much out of my dad. Here where I work we've been video taping World war 2 veterans and their experiences. We've also been chronicling other soldiers experience from the various wars American has fought in. I directed a series of these...

Okay so I have to comment about the last show of one of my favorite series on television. It seems that the creator of the series David Chase has pissed off a segment of our population, and it's making news. It goes to show you that in our media savvy culture hype is everything, and yet here it lead to disappointment or that's what their saying. I don't buy it. The Sopranos was a series about a mobster and his everyday life. All the characters in it were reprehensible goons who you would never associate with or friend for fear of being eaten. In real life the mob is worse. Being born & raised in Brooklyn & Queens NY I know. I've seen the real thing in real life. I've never seen someone get " whacked ", but I remember the stories and the people. For Chase to make these characters even worth our time watching is an amazing feat. It's like a car accident. We don't want to look, but we can't keep our eyes off the accident its...

I noticed that I haven't posted here in a while, and its not because I haven't anything to say it's because I have too much to say. To make a long story short I've been hashing around ideas and thoughts for a new project. I've also been keeping busy at work with various events needing my assistance. But the main thought is what to do as a next project. I want to do so much but before I go down that path I need to make sure that the story and the project is worth doing. Because I have a feeling I'll be living with this one for sometime. Short or feature? I really don't know. I've come to the conclusion what ever better fits the story I'll do, but first I need to write it. I can tell you that it has a lot of personal stuff in it. About mortality, the relationship between fathers and sons, and just plain generational stuff that makes us who we are. If that sounds vague its not on purpose it's just that I don't have a handle on it all yet. Like I...

Okay there's an article about this supposed movement called mumblecore in the Guardian . Can I say please STOP! I've actually seen " Mutual Appreciation , " Dance Party USA ", and even " Four Eyed Monster ". I enjoyed " Four Eyed Monster " and was impressed how the filmmakers collaborated with others to create a unique urban tale about love in our media infested culture. It also helped that the filmmakers knew their stuff. But to compare these films or genre of films to John Cassavetes films seems just wrong. I mean sure Cassavetes used his friends mainly in his films, but his friends were such artists as Peter Falk , and Gena Rowlands who were professional actors. These artists brought a quality to Cassavetes films that cannot be duplicated and actually made the films much more interesting. Filmmaking is filmmaking, and how you get it done is all that matters as long as you get it done, but please don't compare a great filmmaker like Ca...