Israel Reflections

Jaffa Gate. I took this photo on one of my many walk through the area.

I sit here now on the F train at 5am. I just finished shooting for 4 days, the last of 9 days of principal photography for a film I played lead in. As is always when completing a large, intense project I feel exhilarated, exhausted and most of all reflective. Listening now to some of the music I listened to often in Israel, my thoughts turn to that time in my life.

Admittedly it was a time of intense change, thought and confusion, but most of all it was the birth place of a dream. A dream so vague, so wonderful, yet so unattainable. I remember going to visit my friend from Venezuela who at the time was learning in Chevron. We’d meet up at his dorm, go catch a movie where I’d learned that if a movie had Deniro or Al Pacino in it yes, we’d go see it. (We saw Righteous Kill.)

I’d watch as he flirted with the cute cashier, experiencing my first taste of freedom. Of something different. We’d go back and chill at his dorm, chain smoking and generally bullshitting the night away.

The walk back to the bus at 7am. I’d be listening to the music that I have on now and I’d realize I just wanted to be somebody. I wanted to express myself.

I had an urge, a desire for something better.

I had a will for life. To really live, for the first time.

It was the time of intense yearning for something I could not have. Or could I? Years later it makes for some pleasant memories. Surprisingly so. While I spent 6 months depressed over a girl chainwatching movies on my iPod touch and was overall highly emo, I became – well I became…me.
And for that, I am thankful.

On Earthquakes and God’s Bitches

This is what happens when the photo I'm trying to upload won't work. I get frustrated, need to go act, and put any random image up.

As luck would have it, I’m filming the final episode of Coversity today in Maryland. I’d landed in NY from Burbank via stopover in Phoenix after burying my grandpa, and hopped on a bus to DC this morning where I was picked up and driven to the set in Rockville, Maryland.

Now, I’d grown up with certain things being romanticized. Such as film, LA (thanks mom), and…earthquakes. I’d heard countless stories of earthquake drills my mom had in school, where they would climb under their desks. In Israel, children do this out of fear form terror attacks. Here it’s from earthquakes.

I’d never felt one tho. My mom would always try to simulate that

The Perfect Ritual

This is a short film I acted in and co-directed. Feedback much appreciated.

Which DVD Should We, Uh, Rent?

A new movie is coming to the theaters this weekend, perhaps it is the summer blockbuster, perhaps just a film you’ve been pining to go see ever since the ad caught your attention while driving down the highway. Or maybe its the TV show with the hot chick whose every on-screen appearance has had you glued to the screen.

Something came up, and u missed it.

The time came to be sitting in front of the glowing screen lights, devouring that bag of chips along with your beer, or if you’re a girl, cuddling up with your teddy bear and girlfriends all soft and cozy and comfy on that couch and—ANYWAY, you didn’t get up and drive to the local theater. You were too busy. So you have to wait weeks, even months sometimes before that DVD can come out. Then you can rent the movie from Blockbuster, or if your feeling stingy you can wait an extra day and borrow your friends copy.

Oh, wait you just stream on hulu? Damn, someone should tell the film studios, maybe they don’t know we don’t need the DVD.

Coversity Episode 10

Hey guys, I don’t post  a link to every episode of the show I’m on, because that’s just shameless self promoting…but this one is by far the best yet…so enjoy!

http://www.vbctv.com/index.php?option=com_zoo&task=item&item_id=1332&Itemid=1370

Wanna be a TV Producer?

We’re raising $ for the show I’m on , Coversity. Any help would be appreciated. http://www.indiegogo.com/Coversity-the-Series

OMG She Liked My Comment

I was recently thinking about how cell phones, texting and technology in general has cheapened our existence, lessened the importance of a gesture, ruined the meaning of romance. In contrast to the world of film, where every action must be properly blocked, every word understoood, listened to, and respected. Evey moment of silence valued, every second of utmost importance. Every element of your surrounding set up to make the most of that moment in time, preserving it forever on film.

The scene is set in rural America somewhere. The year is 1979. The set lit with a musty afternoon light. A young college student returns home for a bit of R&R after the death of his long time girlfriend Emily. He was a quarterback, she, a cheerleader. He walks into the room, drops his duffelbag on his bed. A poster of Farah Fawcett hangs on the wall. He turns to peer out the window, at the children playing innocently up the road, noticing the simplicity of their world, wishing things could be different, when he notices a picture on his dresser. Brushing off the dust, it’s a picture of him and Emily. It was right after they met, in senior year of high school. They’d had a fight, each said hurtful things, she finally storming out in tears. Realizing the stupidity of their argument he’d asked her roommate what her favorite flowers were, gone to her house, gotten past her Dad, and given her the flowers. She threw them on the floor chasing him out of the house. Before she slammed the door on him, he apologized, told her he loved her and if she can get past their differences, she should meet him a the Shane O’Leary Memorial Field behind their school the next evening at 7, otherwise she should never see him again.

She showed up.

Today, in 2011, that scene would’ve been interrupted with some annoying sorority friend of hers telling her what to do via text. Even worse, it couldn’t have happened, because nothing is certain. Everything would’ve been arranged through texting, and either party could’ve

On Top Down Under Short Film

I’m beginning to post short films which I find to be striking and well done, both from an actor’s standpoint, as well as cinematically.

This particular film I stumbled across on Shorts Bay, and while it can almost be mistaken as softcore porn,  it’s more of an amazing portrayal of love, without using any dialogue.

FILM CONTAINS NUDITY

Description on Shorts Bay:

“ON TOP – Iceland, a lighthouse, a cold winter evening. Her thoughts drift back to that summer … to bathing in the hot springs … to when they first met … and embraced.

DOWN UNDER – Australia, the desert, a blistering heat wave. His pickup stops at an icehouse … he lays the blocks neatly on the buckboard … and drives off haunted by a aching memory.

Without dialogue or comment, save for verses from a sonnet by John Keats, Fridrik Thor Fridriksson links the thoughts, the emotions, the sensual longing of young lovers at opposite ends of the world. A tone poem, a collage of sight and sound.”

Art and Jews

Wait...What??

Anonymity and blogging: We all love it. It allow us to write more freely, to express ourselves more clearly. Many of my friends know who I am, and certainly if you saw my Facebook feeds, you’d know, and that’s just the way it is. Which is perfectly fine. I like to call it semi-anonymous. Meaning if you know, keep it to yourself. That being said…I’ve been busy lately, which is why  haven’t blogged in close to a month.

Never mind that though. Art: What is it? Why do we love it? Why do some of us scorn it?

Jews have a love hate relationship with it. Some look down on it, some are actively involved in making it.

I recently finished filming a very intensive 6 day shoot of a 25 minute short film, directed by a young but very talented director. We worked endless hours each day, giving it our all until wrapped. We were exhausted, yes. But also exhilarated. Here we all were, doing what we liked. We all appreciated the fact that art was being created, minute by minute. It wasn’t just the idea of perfecting the character. It was also acknowledging that the talented gaffer (lighting guy), the sound mixer, who came recommended as “the best sound guy he knows” by the sound mixer on Godfather, and all the crew’s work, both pre and post production comes together to form this amazing thing we call a film. Bit by bit,