Producer Paul's Ramblings

Every now and then you read a book that blows your socks off. Not because of any profound themes or life-changing words of wisdom, but simply because of its sheer badassery. DOUBLE DEAD is just such a book. From the first page, where vampire Coburn wakes up from a coma to find the world has gone to the zombies, to the last page, where (sorry, you’ll have to read it to find out), this novel never lets up. Coburn is not your friendly, sparkle-infused vampire that’s all the rage. Let’s put it this way. Colin Farrell tried to play a badass vampire as Jerry Dandridge in the remake of Fright Night. Coburn would rip Jerry’s neck off and shit down his neck, laughing the whole time he did it. Coburn is one seriously mean dude.

But the meanness breeds arrogance and overconfidence, which leads Coburn into a bit of trouble. He almost loses his (un)life to a pack of zombies. He escapes, but not before one of them bites him. His blood does something to the creature and she becomes, well, something new. Something aware. Which makes her really dangerous.

Then Coburn stumbles onto a group of survivors. After a tense standoff, he decides to make them his “cattle.” After all, with the majority of the population zombies, a vampire has to have something to chow on. So he agrees to take them west if they agree to feed him. From there, it becomes a bizarre road trip through hell in back. Half the fun of the book is reading author Chuck Wendig’s mapcap set pieces, full of blood, guts, cannibalism, gunfire, and explosions. And that’s just in the first act. From there, things get increasingly surreal and insane.

Wendig has populated his world with great characters. These aren’t your typical survivors you see in every zombie story. In many ways, it’s a miracle these people survived as long as they did before Coburn came along. But you believe they could survive, despite their differences and inabilities. They’re human, not zombie killing machine, and all of them are instantly relateable, and a few of them almost instantly unlikable. If you’ve ever read any of the author’s blog posts at Terrible Minds, you know that his prose is funny, profane, and engaging. The same can be said for this book, which is not for the prudish or faint of heart. It occasionally drifts into author intrusion sometimes, and you find yourself going, “what a clever turn of phrase Chuck has used there” so the writing is perhaps not as transparent as it could be. But you know what, when it’s this entertaining, who gives a damn?

If you like zombies, vampires, visceral horror, dark comedy, or all of the above, you need to pick up this book and give it a read. You’ll find yourself engrossed in one of the most original, enjoyable post-apocalyptic urban horror stories to come down the trail in a long time. I can’t wait to see the movie. Hell, I want to be the one to make the movie. RATING: 9.5/10

VEGAS KNIGHTS is the story of Jackson and Bill, two college age guys who also happen to be magicians. So, like any smart kids with mystical powers, they decide to head to Vegas and use the Art to cheat at Blackjack and win lots of money. This all goes really well…for one night. Then things begin to go horribly wrong. The boys learn that they aren’t the only magicians in Vegas. In fact, the town is practically overrun with them. All actual stage magicians are real magicians, and their leader is…well, that would be spoiling the trick.

But this magician isn’t happy with the status quo. He has in mind to break down the barrier between the living and the dead. He’s enlisted the help of Jackson’s father, and would dearly love to have Jackson, one of the most powerful magicians he’s seen, on his side. Jackson doesn’t want to cooperate, and things get ugly.

There’s much more to this engaging tale, but I can’t say too much else without giving things away, so hopefully what I’ve written above is enough to intrigue you. Because VEGAS KNIGHTS is an intriguing tale. It’s a wonderful idea well told by writer Matt Forbeck, full of cool characters, both living and dead, and an action packed plot that makes great use of the Sin City setting.

The character of Jackson is well-drawn. The story is told in first person from his POV, and he is an engaging character that you like. He’s not perfect, and has been badly wounded by a family betrayal, which gives him nice motivation and makes his actions at the end both believable and touching. The action is tight and the book is well-paced.

Now Matt is a Twitter acquaintance and a really nice guy, so that makes criticism tough, but I hope he’ll take it in the spirit in which it’s intended. The problems I had with the book were minor, but they did detract from the enjoyment.

First was the character of Bill. He’s one of those guys that you know is going to be annoying, and he was. He’s a smart ass, which is fine, but he was a smart ass in situations where he should have known better. The boys get into some really dangerous (as in potentially fatal) situations, and Bill makes with the pithy remarks. This can work in a movie, but in a book it makes me wonder why the bad guys just didn’t shoot him (or at least punch him in the mouth). This cavalier attitude occasionally rubbed off on Jackson, but was nowhere near as annoying or prevalent.

This was my biggest issue. The other two are more personal and may not bother you as much. The first was the main bad guy. He’s a figure and one of the book’s best ideas. I wanted to know more about him, about his past, what happened when he left where history left him (that will make sense if you read the book) and how he came into the position of power he did. Perhaps Matt will write a prequel that gives us some of that.

The other thing was the ending. I give Matt credit for going with an unconventional ending (and one that leaves things open for a second book) but it left me feeling a bit let down. If anything called for the ending you expect, it was this story.

But make no mistake, this is a good book that will keep you engaged and is well worth your time. I really would love to see it made into a movie, because it would be a good one. Pick it up and give it a read. Score: 7/10

Be sure to pick up a copy of my novel, GODCHILD. Available on Kindle. Thanks

Just finished reading Confessions of A Freelance Penmonkey, by prolific author Chuck Wendig (@chuckwendig). A book of writing advice, it is easily one of the best I have read on the subject in a long time. A compilation his blog posts available at Terrible Minds, the book covers manyfacet of writing, from getting started to writing query letters, and even the pros and cons of why you want to be a writer.

The book is written in an informal style in a completely NSFW way. This isn’t a book you want to read out loud in the office, but you will be laughing out loud several times. Chuck presents all this valuable information with tons of profanity, madcap observations, and a strange penchant for telling us he’s not wearing pants. I’m also a little concerned about his masturbatory habits and his apparent drinking problem. Seriously Chuck, lay off the booze-soaked wanking marathons and you’ll get a lot more done.

Seriously though, this book is a must have for anyone writing or thinking about writing. Especially if you’re thinking about writing and haven’t taken the plunge. Chuck lays it bare, both the good and the bad. He strips away the whole “mystical writer” myth and explains that writing is, in fact, hard work and downright discouraging at times (a fact I can easily corroborate). If you can read this whole book and still want to be a writer, then you probably have what it takes to be one.

Much of the advice in here is not relevatory. It’s things you’ve heard before. But it’s always good to be reminded of the basics and refreshed on things you may have forgotten. And Chuck does it in such a way that it all seems fresh again. I mean really, how many books, let alone writing books, are you ever going to read where you see a phrase like “rage fuck a pumpkin?”

My only complaint with the book (and it’s a minor one) is that some of the advice is repeated in several different columns. This is the danger of pulling the posts from the blog I guess, but I only need to be reminded so many times that the manuscript needs to be as error free as possible. Of course, I had that one stapled to my head by a third grade teacher, so maybe that’s my own cross to bear.

Anyway, get this book, read it, absorb its knowledge, make sure you recycle the bourbon bottles you drain while learning from Chuck, and then get to writing. Or not. Chuck may have scared you off. If he did, great. The last thing we need is more wanna be writers who don’t have the guts to actually do it.

Rating: 8/10

PS. Please pick up a copy of my book, GODCHILD, avaialable on Kindle.

As I sat there the other day eating my Chick-Fil-A sandwich and fries, I got to thinking about some gaming friends of mine who have boycotted the company because of its anti-gay stance. They asked me why I didn’t do the same. I made a cute quip about how I would sacrifice gay marriage for a Chick-Fil-A banana pudding shake. But then I saw something the other day about the amount of money the restaurant donates to anti-gay organizations, so I did a bit more soul searching and think I’ve come up with a reason why I still eat there, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.

First off, they do have damn good food. They’re probably my favorite fast food restaurant. Their secret process (which, if you didn’t know, is simply that they soak the chicken breasts in pickle juice overnight) makes for a fine-tasting sandwich. So there’s the tyranny of the stomach to consider.

But that in and of itself really isn’t a good reason. The main reason is that, and I doubt they realize this, but they are wasting their money.

That’s right. All the money they are donating to these organizations fighting against gay rights is a waste. They would be as well served to use it as toilet paper or kindling. Progress can’t be stopped, it can only be slowed down for a while. These anti-gay groups are fighting a losing battle, they’re just too stupid to see it. Gay marriage is legal in 9 states now (including a couple I would have never expected) and that number will continue to grow. I feel reasonably confident we will a federally mandated gay marriage law on the books in my lifetime.

I believe this because I believe people are inherently good and reasonable. Once you push the religious nonsense aside, there is no real sound basis for denying gay marriage or equal gay rights. People are starting to realized that, and as the old guard dies away and young people grow up and see that the world didn’t screech to an abrupt halt when their uncle married another guy, the whole idea that gay people can’t marry, or visit each other in the hospital, or claim joint tax returns, will just be silly.

Now bigotry will never die. It and ignorance are two things that hang on to their misguided lives with all their worth. You can’t totally stomp out stupid anymore than you can kill every cockroach. But you can certainly marginalize it, and make it ineffective, and put such narrow-minded people in the minority. It happened with civil rights, it happened with sufferage, and it will have with gay rights.

So Chick-Fil-A is just pissing away millions of dollars. I know they work with charities too, so it seems that money would be better served going to causes that help people, not try to oppress them. After all, I thought helping others was a cornerstone of the Christian way. Eventually they may realize that they’re throwing their money away. Until then, I’ll continue to eat their tasty sandwiches and laugh how asinine they’re being.

And the chocolate peppermint shakes are back, so it’s time to go guzzle down one of those puppies.

I didn’t realize when I started to read CURSED that I was going to be reading a fairy tale, albeit a fractured fairy. But there it was. There are good guys, bad guys, curses (obviously) and a lot of magic that goes unexplained and you have to take on faith.

That lack of explanation threw me off initially. You are immediately thrown into the middle of the story of Nicholas and Cicely, two people who have been cursed by some unknown force. Nicholas is doomed to be slapped by someone every day. Cicely has a tennis ball and she’s convinced that if she drops it, the world will end. This information is doled out over several chapters as we slowly learn the nature of the curses and meet some of the other people in Nicholas’s life and how they are affected by both his current situation and past behavior.

Another thing that initially bothered me was Nick’s habit of lists. He might

1. Tell you what he was thinking.

2. Tell you what he wanted to do.

3. Tell you what he thought the outcome of that action might be.

At first it seemed like a gimmick, some cute way of being different, but as I read further, I realized it was Nick’s way of trying to make sense of the chaos his life has become. Nick (I’ve been through enough with him that I feel I can call him that) was a wreck before the curse showed up, and things have only gotten worse.

Eventually Nick and Cicely decide to see if they can find others who are cursed, and that’s when the book really picks up. Their hunt eventually leads them to the source of the curse and he/she/it is not happy about being discovered. Or is he/she/it?

That’s the thing about this book. It constantly keeps you guessing. Anything can happen. Not in the uber-powered wizard way, but in the fairy tale magical realism way, where you just accept things as they’re told. And you find yourself soon invested in the lives of these characters, hoping for a good outcome for them. Even the ones that turn out not to be what you expect.

My favorite character turned out to be Cicely. She’s one of those free-wheeling eccentric types (she calls water “snowman sweat”, among other things) who in the hands of a lesser writer could become annoying. But in Jeremy Shipp’s capable abilities, she comes off charming, defiant, and the glue that holds Nicholas, and much of the story, together.

I have a few nitpicks. I wish that had been more sensory details. Much of the characters’ surroundings are left for us to fill in, but Nick’s spare writing style (the story is told in first person) doesn’t really allow for such things. It works in the context of the style, so it’s more about my personal taste that any flaw in the writing. I also wish there had been a tad more explanation about a few things. I’m certainly not the type who needs to be spoon fed everything, but I do like some things told to me. A better sense of exactly how the “magic” (and I use that word loosely) came about would have been nice.

But these things do not detract at all from the story. I certainly look forward to more of Mr. Shipp’s odd, outrageous take on the world. For now, I suggest you

1. Buy CURSED

2. Read it

3. Come back and let me know what you think about it.

Rating: 7/10

An interesting thing happened the other day. I got a comment on my review of Fat Kid’s Wolfy Revenge. I was surprised by this for three reasons. 1) No one ever comments on my blog. 2) If there is a comment, it’s spam. 3) This comment was actually from the author of the book I reviewed.

You can read the comment below if you want, but the general gist was “thanks for reading the book, sorry you didn’t like it, I will take your comments to mind for my future endeavors.”

Now, considering the harshness of my review (and re-reading it, I see it was harsh) there could have been any number of reactions. The easiest and most obvious would be “fuck you, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” Instead the author took the high road. It was quite refreshing and unexpected and I feel this is the way we need to go as writers and filmmakers to really engage our audience, by interacting with them in a positive way and considering their thoughts as valid and possibly a way to improve ourselves as artists.

This can be difficult at times. I know when I read bad reviews of COLD STORAGE on Netflix (and believe me, there are several) my first reaction is “fuck you, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” But then when I look at it from an objective viewpoint, I can often see the validity of the person’s opinion. (The exception is the obvious trolling comments, such as “this is the worst movie ever made the whole thing sucked.” COLD STORAGE isn’t Shakespeare, but the worst movie ever? Not by a long shot.)

But if we can take the true criticisms to heart, dissect them, and see if this is indeed a flaw in our work, we can do our best to mitigate it in future endeavors. Now I’m not saying we should take every comment, see it as a weakness, and try and change it. It’s a long-known fact that you can’t please everybody, but if we can take the essence of comments and distill something useful out of them, then that’s the way to go.  And like this author, we should take time to thank our readers. Now we don’t have to email every person who makes a comment or posts a review. That would be way too time consuming. But a general thank you occasionally in a blog is nice. And if a review or comment hits you in a particular way, good or bad, reach out to that person and talk to them (assuming they haven’t hidden behind the anonymity of the internet).

Engage and interact. You might gain a new friend. At the least, you might keep a reader. I don’t know if I would have read anymore of Krisitan Hanson’s future novels before the other day, but because he reached out to me, was friendly and respectful (probably more than I had a right to expect) and assured me he was improving as a writer, I will take a chance on more of his work. And perhaps my review of his next book will be better, gaining him some readers. That’s the whole beauty of the social network.

I just finished reading this book. The full title is The Fat Kid’s Wolfy Revenge: Not for the Weak Hearted or Mature Minded. The premise of this book was great. There is a werewolf running around and our protagonist, seventeen-year-old Joe, spots him one day killing someone. But instead of running to the cops, he decides to blog about it and live vicariously through the werewolf, since his own life is kind of boring. Great idea. If only the execution had been as good as the concept.

I really wanted to like this book. It started out well enough, with Joe being established as a fairly typical teenager living in a small town in Arizona which is just the dullest place on earth. So when he catches the werewolf killing a girl from school, one of the stuck-up princesses who wouldn’t give people like Joe the time of day, he rejoices and instantly writes about it on his blog. It is a pretty funny (if somewhat sick) scene involving the wolf and silicone breast implants.

And that’s when the book starts to go off the rails. See, the werewolf is sort of a teenage lycanthrope version of Dexter, killing only the people who “deserve” it, except in this case the people who deserve it are the jocks and rich kids who make fun of the geeks. That would be all well and good, except that as the story goes along, Joe becomes just as reprehensible as the people who so enjoys seeing the werewolf kill. And once we meet the werewolf, he turns out to be just as bad. You generally need someone to root for in a book, and none of the characters in this thing were likable. Joe is a movie-quote spouting, pop-culture loving teen, but he’s also mysogonistic, homophobic, and racist. The writer tries to do the “I’m hip and I’m not really this way it’s all just good fun” routine, but it doesn’t work. The gay jokes and women are sluts rants and aren’t aren’t illegal aliens a pain tirades soon grow tiresome.

Which leads to another big problem. The story is told from Joe’s blog, so you expect a consistent voice. That’s fine, but Joe brings in a couple of other voices. One is a girl who has witnessed the werewolf killing, and the other is the werewolf (once Joe learns who it is) who happily and in great detail talks about three of his kills. So, a perfect chance to have some different voices in the story. But no, these other characters sound and write exactly like Joe. And everyone of them relishes in watching people getting killed in incredibly gruesome ways (you expect that from the werewolf, but the girl found it no big deal either watching someone get decapitated). When the werewolf describes the kills, they are amazingly gruesome, to the point of just being dull becuase the shock value has long disappeared. By this point, you’ve gotten beyond caring.

Now it’s possible the author was trying to say something about how our teenagers have become so desensitized that horriffic violence is no big deal, or that all teenagers at heart are just complete jerks. Maybe there’s some deeper meaning I’m missing (but considering the title, I doubt it). Unfortunately, it just comes off as a thin, repetitive joke about bad teens getting ripped apart by someone who’s just as shallow and unlikable as they are. Rating: 3/10

THOR - Saw this movie on opening weekend. Really enjoyed it. Director Kenneth Branagh did a great job of balancing the tone of the film, making it serious, but not taking itself seriously. A lot more humor than I expected. Chris Hemsworth did a nice job of playing Thor’s brashness and he has a great deal of charm. Anthony Hopkins does his usual outstanding work as Odin, the father of the gods. But the real stand out was Tom Hiddleston, who does a bang up job of playing Loki, the conflicted, ultimately devious brother to Thor. This is one of those summer films that manages to (mostly) balance the effects with the emotion, and has a story that, while told before, still feels fresh. My one complaint would be with some of the production design. Parts of Asgard (Thor’s home) were a bit too steampunk for my liking, but it really didn’t detract too much. The only other thing I would say is that the 3D, while acceptable, really added nothing to the process and actually distracted a few times. If I see this again (which I may) it will be in 2D.  Rating: 7/10

OFFICIAL REJECTION – I watched this last night. This is a documentary by filmmaker Paul Osbourne (he’s on Twitter as @PaulMakesMovies) about the trials and tribulations of getting his film Ten Til’ Noon accepted into film festivals. It soon becomes a story of film festivals in general, the politics involved, the quirks of different festivals, and many independent filmmakers’ attitudes about them. This is all intertwined with Paul’s story of the different festivals they do (and don’t) get into, along with the humiliation of poorly attended screenings, the nightmare of badly run festivals, and the triumph when you connect with an audience and people love you. As a filmmaker myself, I could completely relate to this film and have experienced firsthand many of the same things Paul went through. There were parts that had me reliving my own experiences, but I have to confess I never had anything happen as bad as what happens to poor Blayne Weaver (@BlayneWeaver) at Chicago Indiefest. I was litereally squirming in my seat as I watched his nightmare of a delayed screening and his attmepts to get someone, anyone, to tell him what was going on. One festival I will certainly never enter (assuming it even still exists.)

But you don’t have to be a filmmaker to appreaciate this well-crafted and funny documentary. If you’ve ever even been the least bit curious about independent film and the hard work filmmakers go through to make their dreams happen, this movie will appeal to you. I was particularly amazed at the caliber of people Paul was able to get access to (sure, he lives in LA, but still). I’m talking about people like Brian Singer, Andy Dick, and Chris Gore. He also talks to several filmmakers I’ve never heard of, but he’s certainly got me curious to look up their work now. This is a film I’m definitely glad I saw, and I’ll certainly be checking out Ten Til Noon. Rating: 8/10

GRIFTOPIA - This isn’t something I saw, but a book I read by Rolling Stones writer Matt Taibbi. In this book, Matt talks about the recent economic collapse and the causes of same. This is one of those books that just makes you angry when you realized how we were duped and taken for a ride by the big players on Wall Street, with the seemingly full cooperation of our government. Although Matt lays much of the blame on Republicans (he does work for Rolling Stone) he is fair enough to call names on the Democrats who had their hand in the pie too. He reserves the majority of scorn and blame for Fed chairman Alan Greenspan (the chapter about him is called “The Biggest Asshole in the Universe”)  Taibbi does a great job of taking complicated investment schemes and breaking them down to make them understandable to the layman. His prose is crisp and funny and even when things are most dire, he keeps an upbeat attitude about. But I felt my ire rise many times reading this book, and I learned a lot of things I didn’t know. The amazing thing, of course, is that I don’t know if we really learned anything, and Matt makes that same assertion. A book well worth reading. Just make sure you have your blood pressure medicine handy. Rating: 8/10

That’s about it for now. Catch you next time.

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been nine months since I put anything on this blog. Amazing how it slips away if you don’t stay on it. Well, it’s time to try and maintain it again, for the few of you who enjoy it.

It’s been a busy time. Since my last post I’ve Assistant Directed one movie, REDNECK ROOTS, worked as Art Department Coordinator on another TRINITY GOODHEART, and I’m editing a third, a low-budget project that I can’t reveal yet, because the producers had me sign an NDA. I also produced a Bank of America Diversity and Inclusion video for Emulsion Arts, which took me to Miami and London. The new experience I got out of that was learning how to drive in London. I can tell you, I’m not scared of roundabouts or Picadilly Circus anymore. There’s the possibility of some other cool projects coming up, but I don’t want to talk about them until things are positive.

In that time, we’ve also lost one cat (Ashe, who left us October 10) and gained a new one (Trixie, who joined us about 6 weeks ago). I’m still writing, still watching movies, playing games, and enjoying time on the couch in front of the TV. I’m back to working on getting in shape for this year’s Dragon Con (although my five day visit to my sister in Denver sort of put a minor halt to that. Just have to work that much harder now.)

I’m enjoying the world of Twitter and have 465 followers. I’ve met some really great people on there, some of which I’m working with now to try and maket things happen, others I hope to work with eventually. All in all, there’s not much to complain about. Wish I was richer and prettier, but hey, one thing at a time.

I promise to do my best to start keeping up on this thing better. I may not be an everyday kind of guy, but I will certainly shoot for three times a week, and I will get the movie reviews going again. Talk soon.

The trip started out fine, if a little late. I wasn’t late. Thanks to Tony, I was at the airport in plenty of time, but the flight was delayed about an hour. That shouldn’t be much of a surprise anymore, I suppose. I went to the checkout to check my one piece of luggage and the helpful clerk at the counter told me at my luggage would go all the way to Porto Alegre. I asked if she was sure, because I had to recheck myself in when I got to Brazil. She said “yes,” so I believed her. Silly me. 

Got on the plane that would take me to Miami. A tiny plane. One of those puddle jumpers that has two seats on one side of the aisle and one on the other. Tiny. But at least it had jets and not propellers. I got to my seat to find a man sitting in the seat beside mine and a young boy in the single seat. The man said the boy was his son and if I wanted the single seat the boy could take mine. Score! Of course I agreed, so I got the two- hour Miami flight in relative comfort. Time to do some writing and read a book. I’m reading “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins. Excellent book.

So we land in Miami. Easy, smooth flight. The plane to Rio is an hour behind schedule, so at least I don’t have to rush to get to the plane.  I grab some overpriced pasta from the little Pizza Hut and just as I sit down to eat it, they announce a gate change. So I truck down to the new gate, pasta and carry-in in tow. Turns out there really wasn’t any reason to rush. We sat at that gate for another 45 minutes, so the flight actually ends up 90 minutes late.

But we finally get on the plane for Rio just before 10 pm. Hooray. This is a big plane, a nice 767, so it’s going to be fairly comfortable. But then things get better. I’m in the center row, with three seats, and no one else shows up to sit in the row. I have it all to myself. Another score. So after dinner (chicken and rice, which was decent for airline food) I stretch out in the row and actually get some sleep, something very unusual for me on an airplane.

We get to Rio at around 8am and this is where the words of the agent in Charlotte return to bite me, although I don’t know it. I should have been more alert. The signs were there, but I had just finished an overnight flight and so wasn’t at the top of my game. Plus the flight delay left me with less than an hour to get my flight to Porto Alegre (or so I thought). Went to passport control which took about 30 agonizing minutes to get through, so now I’m having to book it to get to my next flight. I go through customs, which is a breeze, but I should have noticed other people taking luggage. No, I’m in too much of a hurry. I get to the checkout counter, where there is a line, but an agent asks for people going to Porto Alegre and takes us to the front. I check in, and the woman seems surprised I had no luggage. Second clue, and it was here I began to get a little suspicious, but I seemed to remember seeing a tag on the bag that said Porto Alegre, so I hope. Silly me again.

Once more, on the flight to Porto Alegre, I had a row all to myself. I certainly can’t complain about ever being crowded on the trip. We arrive at the airport and I go to baggage claim. As you know by now, that was a silly waste of time. I speak to the baggage agent and he explains that I should have claimed my luggage in Rio and rechecked it. As I’ve sort of worked this out for myself, that is not very helpful. But he takes my information and says they will deliver the bag either that evening or in the morning. As  I write this, it’s 10:30 the next morning and still no bags.

But, that aside, things have been pleasant . My hosts, Joao, Nicolas, and Filipe, are all very gracious and accommodating. I have had some wonderful food so far, and the screening went well. My hotel is nice and spacious. People seemed to enjoy the movie and asked a lot of good questions. They taped the session, which is something that hasn’t happened before, so I’m hoping I can get a copy.

So now it’s the next morning and I’m waiting for my hosts to arrive. We are supposed to go to the public market today and then Joao is having a barbecue for us tonight (there are other producers and directors here, but so far the only one I’ve met is Italian horror director Luigi Cozzi, a very nice man.) It is raining though, so I’m not sure how much that is going to change our plans. But so far it’s been an enjoyable trip. I do wish my luggage would show up though. I’m wearing a Fantaspoa shirt that was a gift, and two day old socks and underwear. It’s not pleasant.

More later.