A WALK IN THE MARITIME ALPS

For about ten years, Charlie has regaled me with stories about his father’s “epic hikes” through the mountains near his home in Monaco and, for about ten years, I’ve dreamed of one day participating in such a hike. 

Now, I wouldn’t say that I’m a big hiker, per se, but I hiked a fair amount back when I was in the Boy Scouts during my teens and have enjoyed hikes in such varied places as Ma...Read more

MONACO GRAND PRIX: "Day 1."

The roar of Formula One engines awoke me this morning.  It was about 7 am, I went to bed with an upset stomach the night before, and I’m still kicking the shit out of myself for saying something stupid to someone I care about a couple of nights ago.  Anyway, I followed my ears to the window, stepped out onto the balcony, and could see a long line of Formula One cars stretching down ...Read more

CANNES: "A Long, Hard Day at the Office."

So, the film market side of the festival is officially winding down now.  Some have left or are in the process of leaving.  Others are scrambling to take their final meetings.  We were among the latter. 

Yesterday, we caught an early train to Cannes, checked in with Cineville at the Carlton, and spent the next several hours meeting with various companies, including Hyde Park, Universal (again), 2929 Entertainment, Paramount Vantage (again), ContentFilm International, and a couple of others whose na...Read more

HOWL

Following my convo with Lydia, I've been thinking about "Howl" quite a bit.  I was first exposed to Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" in a poetry writing class back in college, thanks to Leslie Richardson, my professor and an inspiring author in her own right. 

The poem struck a chord in me, which still resonates to this day. 

I managed to find a Youtube clip, featuring the poem as read by Ginsberg himself, and have re-posted it below. 

Still, although Ginsberg's reading is fodder for my inner Ginsbergphi...Read more

CANNES: "Day 4."

So, being the genius that I am, I did not set the alarm clock when I decided to take a quick nap yesterday afternoon and, as a result, slept for nearly three hours.  Needless to say, I was up quite late – again – and woke up rather early this morning – again – and I’ve been tired and cranky all day.  I’m so tempted to lie down and close my eyes for a few minutes, but I wanted to record the day’s events first, so as not to forget them.  It’s been a very busy day.  

I woke up around 6:30 am, sent some e-mails, ate some homema...Read more

CANNES: "Day 3."

My body still has no idea what time it is.  I fell asleep after 3 am last night and woke up around 7 am.  I’m not sure if I felt rested, per se.  However, my mind was racing and I figured it would be better to get up and get some work done rather than continue to lie in bed and think. 

When I raised the mistral shutters, I discovered that an overcast day awaited me.  A light rain was falling and rolling banks of fog enshrouded the mountaintops.  Some would have called it “dreary.”  I, on the other hand, love such overcast ...Read more

CANNES: "Greetings from Monte Carlo..."

I can’t remember what time I went to sleep last night.  My watch wasn’t set, my cell phone was out of juice, my body clock is completely out of whack, and I was too lazy to scour the apartment in search of a clock.  So, I just crashed.  Fortunately, Charlie showed me how to lower the hurricane shutters beforehand.  (Actually, they don’t have hurricanes here.  They have “mistrals,” which, if I’m not mistaken, are the Mediterranean equivalent of hurricanes.)  Anyway, I lowered the shutters, which plunged my bed...Read more

CANNES: "Greetings from 33,000 feet..."

Well, we are officially on our way.  We took off from LAX less than an hour ago and, according to the digital map on the monitor before me, it is officially 7:33 pm (PST).  We’re in the air over Phoenix, heading east towards the snow-capped peaks of Flagstaff and Winslow, with the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest National Park waiting beyond, at a speed of roughly 500 mph.  Through the window to my left, I can see that the sun has already set, leaving a band of pink behind to bisect the blue horizon.  ...Read more

CANNES

Hey, guys.  As some of you know, Shanghai Street Films, the production company formed by Jason, Charlie, and myself, is currently “in talks” to co-produce “Jasmine” with Cineville (“Swimming With Sharks,” “Hurlyburly,” “Gas Food Lodging,” etc.).  Not only does Cineville have a reputation for producing some of the best independent films of the last fifteen years, it is also a regular presence at the Cannes Film Fe...Read more

DAVID LYNCH ON iPHONE

My friend, Leo, showed me this today and I thought it was hysterical... My sentiments exactly...

-Dax

Video: http://www.youtube.com/v/wKiIroiCvZ0&hl=en