Holly-weird is a state of mind.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Waiting for Gaga

Yesterday I was stuck in bed thanks to a migraine. It was one of those days when even the thought of getting and up and trying to get moving was accompanied by the onset of a panic attack/gastro-intestinal protest. But, I couldn't sleep either, mostly because of the helicopters incessantly beating their wings outside of my window for the ENTIRE DAY. I figured they were looking for a kidnapper or murderer, which is pretty much standard for Hollywood.

Finally, around 7 pm, I decided I was ready to face the world and dragged my roommate up the corner to Cantaloop for some frozen yogurt.

While I was self-serving myself a delicious mix of low-fat frozen yogurt flavors: birthday cake, pomegranate, watermelon, mint, and dutch chocolate, my roommate was standing quietly waiting when one of the workers asked us, "Did you see Lady Gaga?"

I laughed because it seemed random, but then I learned that she was playing a free concert at the Jimmy Kimmel Live studio. THAT'S what all the helicopters had been doing all day. Waiting for Gaga.

Roomie and I decided to take a little stroll down Hollywood Boulevard to see what we could see.

We were in for a treat. On the left side of the street at Graumann's Chinese Theatre, the premiere for the Rise of the Planet of the Apes had just gotten underway, so tourists were gathered in droves by the barricades, still hoping to catch a glimpse of straggling stars.

We walked by the Jimmy Kimmel studio doors, but they were closed, guarded by a sleepy Colonel Sanders in a black suit.

We watched the show from outside on a tv screen for a minute, but then kept walking.

To our right, there were lines of yellow tape blocking off an alley. And there was a crowd of people in the distance. And there were no security guards to be found.

My roommate can be shy, but when it comes to sneaking into industry events, she is fearless, so we side-stepped our way under the yellow tape and headed down into a little section that was partitioned off with metal barricades and slipped behind them.

As soon as we got behind there, a bunch of other people wandered down and were shooed away by cops or security. One lady tried to convince the guards that her car was in the parking lot, but when pressed for the make and color of her car, she was at a loss. By the time she came up with "black Prius" she didn't stand a chance.

There was an interesting mix of paparazzi, local teenagers, and foreigners in our little box. It was around 9 o'clock so I asked the group of Canadian boys next to us how long they had been waiting.

"Since 5 pm, they said, but most of these people have been here all day."

Ha. I don't wait that long for anything unless there is a ski lift or a roller-coaster at the end. Ok, the DMV doesn't count.

Allegedly, our little section was special because it was supposed to be Gaga's last stop before exiting to the parking lot to get into her car.

We chatted with our new Canadian friends about our cultural differences. We were interrupted by a huge cheer, because we all thought we had just seen Gaga, but then one of the Canadians said, "Wait, that's not Gaga." False alarm.

Finally, Jimmy Kimmel announced that it was time for Lady Gaga to perform, and the crowd went wild.

Of course we could only see the top half of the stage because of the giant fence blocking our view, but I was impressed by the resourcefulness of the paparazzi. One had a long pole that extended his camera about 10 feet in the air.

Roomie commented that they should make those for cellphones and I was like "Genius!" The Canadians said you can just make something out of cardboard. I argued that the whole basis of our economy is that people are stupid and will buy things they don't need and can make themselves. Silly Canadian.

Luckily, in the Middle of "the Edge of Glory," Gaga ran up to the top of the stage and we got to see her and her blonde wig on the edge of its glory. The cellphones and lighters were waving in front of us, teenagers were crying, small children were climbing on fences speaking Dutch.

Then, the emcee took the stage again to close the show, bringing boos from the audience, but Jimmy Kimmel, like a knight in shining armor, announced that there would be one more song. Huge cheers from the audience were then followed by another rousing performance of...

the same song.

Oh well, that's television for you. She repeated that performance, but it did seem stronger, and it hit me that the first one had been the dress rehearsal and this one was live.
And, afterwards, as a bonus, she did the song, "Free as my Hair," which seemed ironic to me because the wigs and extensions she wears on a daily basis probably cost the same as what it would cost to feed all of the paparazzi covering her show.

If we had waited, we probably could have shaken Gaga's hand, but it was time to move along. Our Canadian friends were getting ready to drive back to Vancouver and Roomie and I were tiring of playing tourist/fan and needed to get back to our normal lives.

As we walked back, the guests who had been watching the Planet of the Apes premiere were spilling out of the Chinese Theatre. People around us were screaming out to celebrities that I didn't recognize, who waved and sparkled back to their adoring fans. All I could think about was how I wished I could have seen the movie so I could talk about it objectively with other people who make movies for a living...and that I could be wearing a pretty dress on the red carpet. :)

Roomie said there was no shame on being on this side of the barricade right now. And I agreed, just like those kids in the old baseball movies that used to sneak into the stadiums to watch their heroes, and then grew up to play professional ball.

Right now, we're still kids.

Just waiting for Gaga.

Thursday, July 21, 2011

New Filmmakers LA!

Making movies is a collaborative art. Just look at the credits. Even for short films with $1000 budgets, dozens of names roll. Most people in Hollywood are here because they like to tell stories, and the cool thing is that each person has a unique approach to that. The director sees the big picture. Sound people add music and sounds to convey and enhance the mood. Cinematographers and lighting people specialize in manipulating the visual to achieve certain effects. Actors actually live out the story. When great people in all of these areas come together, it's like magic.

Personally, I would kill for a chance to work with Scorsese or the Coen Brothers, but I know that it's equally important to get to know talented directors and producers who are also just starting their journeys.

So, last night, I decided to attend the New Filmmakers LA red carpet event and screening. This two-night event is held several times a year on the the Sunset Gower lot, and features documentary and narrative shorts from up and coming filmmakers.

The bill for the evening included:

The Extraordinary Fight of Atticus Walker and the Monster in his Mind: , written by, directed by, and starring Michael Karman: A comedy about Atticus Walker, a talented writer who is perpetually tortured by a big green monster, which Atticus must overcome if he is to make anything of his life.

Marigolds, directed by Stephanie Zari: When her adult son calls announcing that he is coming for a visit and bringing his girlfriend, an English housewife must rouse herself from a depression caused by a loveless marriage and an unwillingness to accept that her son has grown up, and come to terms with change.

Cage Shift, directed by Philip Bache: A magician Houdini-like prowess is held hostage by a mobster who demands to know how the magician does his most astounding tricking in the hopes of using it to his own advantage.

Spectrum of the Sky, directed by Tami Tamar Sasson: An absolutely mesmerizing cello rock music video which paints the picture of a tragic love triangle between Little Red Riding Hood, the wolf, and a handsome but hateful prince.

Happy Birthday Michael Peck: As fourth-generation American auto-worker Michael Peck, who has lost his job with Chrysler and now his home, gives an interview to a reporter, we learn about the history of the auto industry and the devastating effects that its decline have had on its workers, who used to be proud members of a specialized industry, but who are now without purpose.

The Strange Thing About the Johnsons, directed by Ari Aster: This very black comedy--and I'm talking about the genre, not the all African American cast :) --tells the story of an aberrant relationship between a father and son. If I said anymore, I'd ruin it. Let's just say you'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll throw up in your mouth a little bit...or a lot.

The movies were all awesome, but almost cooler was listening to the filmmakers talk about making their films.

When asked what the hardest thing about making films in LA is, Phil Bache, founder of New Philms, and director of Cage Switch, said, "The hardest thing about making films in LA is LA. The huge studios are right here, you can touch them, but getting on the other side of the wall is a challenge." Phil also shared that this was his first short, which he did on a budget of $1000. He said that he didn't see the points of shorts because with the amount of time on preproduction and, sometimes, money that one spends, you could just as easily do a feature. Philip has produced two features and has others in the words, and has managed to stretch low budgets into high production value.

Michael Karman, who wrote and played Atticus Walker, when asked what are the challenges of writing AND directing AND acting in his film, he basically said, "Writing was ok because I knew the character really well and I knew the lines better because I wrote them, and the acting was fine because the character was kind of Schizo and paranoid, and this process made me that way, so that wasn't hard, but I wouldn't recommend doing them all. Acting is a 100% gig, and directing is a 100% gig." The film got a huge reception from the audience. The laughter was pretty much consistent throughout. Many of us who put ourselves out there as artists have our own giant green monsters to contend with, and this is a film that definitely hits home for a lot of us.

When asked how Tami Tamar Sasson was inspired with the idea and theme of her music video, first she admitted that she was prompted by an assignment for a pitch to get into a music video production class. But, once she made the decision to do the project, it took some imagination to get the wheels turning. She said, "I basically zoned out and listened to the song 1000 times and went back to my childhood and red-riding hood, and it grew from there."

James Breen, an AFI graduate, who wrote and directed Happy Birthday Michael Peck, is a native of Detroit and saw the effects of the changing auto industry had on the city and the workers, and just thought that it was a story that needed to be told. His goal was to entertain, but also educate people about the auto industry, unions, and protests.

Ari Aster,another AFI graduate and writer/director of The Strange Thing about the Johnsons, explained in his dry wit, that his film concept was sparked was sitting around with his college friends talking about what the worst, most taboo thing they could make a movie about would be, "and this was pretty much what we came up with." The relationship between Billy Mayo as Sidney Johnson and Brandon Greenhouse as Isaiah Johnson twists and warps the concept of what it means to be father and son.

The one thing that all of the filmmakers could agree on is that the best part about making films is working with good people. Ari and Brandon Greenhouse were students together at the University of Santa Fe, which is known for a studio used often by big budget Hollywood productions. Philip Bache and his producer Brian Manning were friends for a long time and this is their first project together. The process of creating a film is grueling and you want to make sure you like the people you're in the trenches with.

Tony Shaloub's line from Barton Fink about writers in Hollywood, applies to independent filmmakers too: "Jesus, throw a rock in here, you'll hit one. And do me a favor, Fink: throw it hard." But the six films from the New Filmmakers even last night have well earned their right to play on the big screen in tinseltown, and their makers are definitely players to keep your eye on.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

How's about a Double Feature at the New Beverly Cinema

I've recently been going through the Artist's Way workbook. The Artist's Way 12-week system is the brain child of Julia Cameron, an artist and screenwriter. Julia developed this process while trying to let flow her own creative juices, then helping her fellow frustrated artists do the same through consultation and workshops. (That sounds dirty...) Someone suggested she get it down on paper and thankfully for me, she heeded their advice.

I could talk forever about this book of baby-steps towards reconnecting with our inner-artist child, but today's topic is the Artist Date. This is actually a solo outing which is taken by completely giving over to what your inner artist wants. It could be to a craft store to get glue and glitter, or to Guitar Center to try out all of the $8,000 guitars with no intention of buying them, or to the LACMA for wine and cheese and a string quartet. The point is to indulge in whatever your senses crave.

So, on Wednesday night, my senses told me I needed a night at the movies. I had already seen everything worth seeing in the mainstream theaters, so I checked the bill at the New Beverly Cinema, a refurbished theater on Beverly Blvd., just off of La Brea Ave. The New Beverly has a colorful history. It was originally a vaudeville theatre in the 1920s and featured such legends of Showbiz as Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Jackie Gleason, and others. After 1950, it was converted into a movie theater and went through many phases in that capacity, including specializing in mainstream films, then foreign films, and then porn films, complete with live nude dancing acts.

Finally, in the 1970s, under the direction of Sherman Torgan, it seemed to find its identity, playing double features, beginning with A Streetcar Named Desire and Last Tango in Paris, both starring Marlon Brando. In 2010, Quentin Tarantino bought the theatre, but it is still operated by Michael Torgan, Sherman's son. Tarantino said, "As long as I'm alive, and as long as I'm rich, the New Beverly will be there, showing double features in 35mm."

The double bill that evening featured Barton Fink, a 1991 Coen Brothers picture, and Sunset Boulevard, a 1950 Billy Wilder film. The trailer looked cool, so I was like what the hell, and I went for it.

At a little after 6:30 pm, I arrived, as advised, about an hour before the 7:30 kick-off of the show, and parked a couple blocks north of Beverly. The neighborhood is predominantly Jewish, and as I walked south toward the theater, it seemed that everyone I passed was dressed in black and white and headed to Shul. But as I rounded the corner, going left on Beverly, I ran straight into a gaggle of hipsters in vintage t-shirts, skinny jeans, and flannel, and I knew I was in the right place.

As I waited for the box office to open, the line was well down the street by 7. I listened all around me to writers and film-makers discussing their projects, their day jobs, and obscure films as they leaned against the building or sat on the ground eating take-out.

At 7:15, the box office was open for business. Tickets are $6, cash only, or you can purchase them online. The inside foyer is tiny. You can't miss the concession stand and it's hard to deny yourself the pleasure of fresh popcorn.

The theater is sizeable and looks eerily like the movie theater from the last scene in Tarantino's 2009 film Inglorious Bastards. The seats filled quickly.

The great thing about the New Beverly is that there are constantly "surprise guests," famed writers and directors, and even Tarantino himself, on occasion. This evening was no different. Right after our emcee reminded us to turn off our cell-phones or she would, "punch you in the face," she introduced Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, actors, screenwriters, and co-authors of the book, "Writing Movies for Fun and Profit," with the word Fun crossed out. You know them best as the tight-shorts wearing cops on Reno:911, and writers of the Night at the Museum movies and Herbie: Fully-loaded.

They were asked to choose two of their movies to show as the double feature, but they declared their movies unwatchable, and chose Barton Fink and Sunset Boulevard for their accurate portrayal of what it's like to write movies in Hollywood.

Before the start of the movie, the two guys decided to give away five copies of their new book to the lucky audience members that could pick the Barton Fink quotes that they had included in their books.

Some of the winners included:

"I'll show you the life of the mind."

and

"We're only interested in one thing, Bart. Can you tell a story? Can you make us laugh? Can you make us cry? Can you make us want to break out in joyous song? Is that more than one thing? Okay! "

and

"He's taken a interest, he's taken A interest!"

and

"Jesus, throw a rock in here, you'll hit one. And do me a favor, Fink: throw it hard," in reference to finding a writer in Hollywood.

Of course, every non-included quote that was offered elicited a major grown of regret from Ben and Thomas, who seemed to wish they could have put the entire movie in their book. When they asked for a show of hands as to who had NOT seen Barton Fink, half the theater sheepishly raised up. Ben said, "Ah! I hate you and I love you. Whenever I meet someone who hasn't seen this movie, I'm so jealous. It's like you have some super power because you get to see it for the first time!"

With that, the previews flickered onto the screen: the original Terminator from 1984, complete with robot Arnold, and Linda Hamilton's hair, and Jason Eisener's upcoming 2011 release, "Hobo with a Shotgun."

Finally, the movie began. I won't say anything about it, except John Torturro's Barton Fink had a vague, but uncanny resemblance to the Coens, which supports the story that the brothers had been stuck on a major studio assignment for months, got frustrated, decided to take a break, and wrote this movie in 3 weeks.

Every creative soul should see this movie. You will be on the edge of your seat. You will relate to the anguish and the drinking problems. You will love seeing the likes of John Goodman, Steve Buschemi, Tony Shaloub, and Frasier's Dad in supporting characters.

After the credits rolled, I tried to hang for Sunset Boulevard and the Q and A with Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, but my artist child was past its bedtime. But, I didn't go to sleep without putting Sunset Boulevard at the top of my Netflix queue.