Going Postal: Day 4

DAY 4: The Battle of Yonkers

In Max Brooks’ brilliant book World War Z, an “oral history” of mankind’s desperate struggle to survive a zombie apocalypse, he writes of the legendary Battle of Yonkers. This brutal confrontation takes place just outside New York City, where military forces gather for the first all-out confrontation with a massive, shambling horde of the walking dead. The military is quickly over-taken by the zombies, sustaining unbelievable casualties as the seemingly never-ending forces of animated corpses stream into Yonkers. Last night, during my second night of being “in action” for the USPS, I kept thinking about the Battle of Yonkers.

Going Postal: Day 3

DAY 3: Adventures in Sweeping

Just finished my third day on the job, and my first full day in action. Holy Crap!!! What the fuck have I gotten myself in to? I feel terrible. And I didn’t even work the full shit—some of us got sent home 90 minutes early, meaning we only put in a 10 ½-hour shift instead of twelve. Ninety minutes doesn’t seem like much in the broad scheme of things, but to me it felt like the difference between spending fifty years in prison, as opposed to life without parole.

Going Postal: Day 2

DAY 2: Sex & Anthrax

Today was my second day on the job at the post office. Actually, it was my second day of orientation and training. Tomorrow is when I actually start working as a mailhandler. Today was just more of what we got yesterday, which was 8 hours of protocol and procedure. I don’t recall much of yesterday, other than we spent more than an hour going over the ins and outs of sexual harassment.

Going Postal: Day 1

DAY 1: There’s Always Work at the Post Office

From March of 2000 until August 2006 I was the screen editor for Willamette Week, the number one alt-weekly in city of Portland, and the second biggest paper in the state of Oregon. During that time I viewed and reviewed thousands of movies, edited hundreds of reviews by other writers, and in 2002 I started the Longbaugh Film Festival, an event put on by the paper. For the first four years of Longbaugh I did it as a second, nearly full-time job, for which I received no pay. When I stepped down from my position of screen editor, the paper’s owners created a paid position for me running Longbaugh, which is where I was employed until April 2007. Following this year’s festival, my bosses decided to pull the plug on Longbaugh, and after seven years of working for the same company, primarily as a writer and editor, as well as the creative director for one of the largest film festivals in the city, I was let go. Now I work at the post office.

Darius Goes West…know about it!!!

The documentary film Darius Goes West is one of the best films I’ve seen in years. It was just featured on the Ellen DeGeneres Show (you can watch a clip under Video of the Day for Monday). DGW is being self-distributed by the filmmakers, and all the proceeds go to finding a cure/treatment for Duchene Muuscular Dystropy, the number one genetic killer of children in the world. If I had the money, I would buy a copy of this movie for every single one of my friends and family. Order your copy today. Know about it.

T-Shirt of the Week: WEEK 24

Some people believe you can tell a lot about a person by the shoes they wear. I believe you can tell more about a person by the t-shirts they have worn. This is the story of my life, as told by the t-shirts I have worn.

So Much So Fast

Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan’s documentary So Much So Fast is more than an incredible film, it is an exercise in gaining perspective. Existing in a strange limbo of being both life-affirming and depressing at the same time, So Much So Fast is an emotionally riveting portrait of the fight to stay alive in the face of certain death. It is the sort of film that leaves you counting your blessings, while at the same time taking inventory of your own personal strengths and weaknesses. At the same time, it is an intimate glimpse at the life of Stephen Heywood, a man battling fate and racing against time.

Now on DVD — Black Santa's Revenge!!!

My short film, Black Santa’s Revenge, starring Ken Foree, has finally arrived on DVD. Orders are now being taken at the official Black Santa website. Discs will start shipping late next week. Order your copy today!!!

BSR was independently produced and financed, and it is being independently distributed as well. The future of indie cinema is going to be dependent upon filmmakers distributing their movies themselves, and audiences supporting such projects. The current distribution model is such that independent filmmakers must raise money themselves, only to hand their film over to distributors that often times do not give up-front money. Many filmmakers struggle to make back any money in these scenarios, even on low-budget films that cost under $20,000. Rather than bust my ass and spend my own money to make a film, only to have someone else make money off of it, I have decided to get it out there myself. All the money earned from sales of Black Santa’s Revenge will go to pay off the production cost of the film. After those expenses are taken care of, the remainder of the money will go to developing a feature-length version of BSR. Thanks for your support.

Katt Williams: American Hustle

If you’re not familiar with comedian Katt Williams, it’s a bit hard to describe him—as evidenced by the pull quotes used on the packaging for his latest DVD, American Hustle. Jet magazine says that Williams is “…one of today’s most popular comedians.” I would agree with that. Meanwhile, someone over at Rolling Stone calls Williams “the next Richard Pryor.” Now this statement I have problems with, because while Williams is funny, there will never—and I mean never ever—be a next or another or any other Richard Pryor. But both of these quotes are prime examples of how difficult it is to describe Williams in a way that is easily palatable to the mainstream public, without being offensive. But I’m not worried about that, so I’ll describe the comedian in a way that sums it up perfectly: Katt Williams is a funny-ass motherfucker.Es kann ihnen viel Spass bringen und Sie konnen poker spielen viele Stunden spielen.

The Mist

WARNING: This review does NOT contain spoilers in the traditional sense, in that it does not reveal specific plot elements, but it does discuss some aspects of the film that some people may consider spoilers. Read at your own discretion.
It takes approximately fifteen minutes for writer-director Frank Darabont’s adaptation of Stephen King’s The Mist to set everything up, introduce most of the characters, and really get going. After that, it takes about another ten minutes or so for things to really kick into high gear. And then, as Darabont unleashes a steady pace of unrelenting tension, The Mist weaves a spell of grim futility that creates an overwhelming sense of hopelessness. By the time the film is over, chances are you will be emotionally devastated, feeling not unlike you’ve been kicked in the stomach so many times you are about puke up your guts as well as your soul. And that’s not really a bad thing.