Movies Til Dawn

Enjoy the first of many behind the scenes production stills I'll be posting in the weeks leading up to the release of "City Island" (3/19/10). Click to enlarge. Re: the trailer. I think we'll be ready to put it up on our various sites (movie website, facebook and of course this blog) in two weeks. In answer to a readers queary, no--the director doesn't have final control of the trailer. A company that specializes in creating trailers puts a few different versions together and the releasing company--in concert with the filmmakers--looks at them all and gives notes. Ultimately the end product belongs to those who are releasing the film--in this case, however, we are all on board with the trailer and delighted with how it turned out. Now for the mantra. Remember that spreading the word about our movie is the key thing to getting it seen and in the hands of the audiences. So please forward this blog entry to as many of your friends (and enemies) as you can. Anyone int...

I blogged all last week, but my dog at my posts. I posted. Only I didn't hit "publish". I hit delete by accident? It depends on what your definition of "is" is. Seriously sorry for the disappearing act. I've been following the shoot on "The Good Wife" and more often than not there simply isn't internet access on location. And by the time I get home I'm too wiped from having spent a day on set not doing anything productive. And the last two days of the shoot are upon me as I speak. So enjoy a clip and stay tuned for a lot of semi-exciting updates (for instance, the movie has a kick ass trailer which I will unveil in a few weeks, as well as a mega-online promotion plan which you will all certainly be made aware of/a part of). And now, Andy Garcia serenades you on the piano, during one of our lunch breaks.   Subscribe in a reader

Location work on "The Good Wife" (which I'm observing the production of) negates the possibility of regular blogging, so forgive my spotty comings and goings. Okay, you got a better excuse? Still, I'm encouraged by all the enthusiastic comments coming in and continue to promise more clips, more production stills and more...excuses. Below, dig a video that was made of our "City Island" evening this past Wednesday at Tribeca--the party was given for SAP, the software giants, and you'll see video of the panel on which I appeared with Ezra Miller and Emily Mortimer. It was moderated by the very generous Neil Rosen and you'll notice him wondering when the hell I'm going to stop blathering on and on in my attempt to answer a question about how Andy Garcia got involved with the movie in the first place. Ezra and Emily also look stupefied with boredom as their director friend rambles on discursively, saying in ten thousand words what certainly could have...

Tonight we're showing "City Island" at a special invitation only screening hosted by the Tribeca Film Festival for SAP, the major business software company. I understand that I'll be joined by Emily Mortimer and Ezra Miller, as well as by my producer Lauren Versel. Do you know Ezra MIler? If you don't yet, you will soon. An amazingly fresh, funny, smart young actor who plays Andy Garcia's younger son in "City Island". Below I've posted two clips--one of some raw footage (dailies) of Ezra from the movie, and the other an "interview" with me on the set (actually I'm being interviewed by my assistant for the purposes of this blog) discussing why I think Ezra's going to be the next big thing. I'll spare you the mantra today, but will ask the plaintive question: have you shared this blog (and the news of the impending release of the movie on 3/19/10) with your best friend and worst enemy today? More later...   Subscribe in a rea...

My week (or the week according to this blog) now begins on Tuesdays. It's an Obama thing. Don't ask what that means. I don't know. Still "shadowing" on "The Good Wife", though the shoot doesn't begin until Thursday. Much driving around strange byways of Queens and Long Island searching for locations. As always, a good attitude prevails on these trips--crews out scratching together movies or episodes of shows are truly engaged in a strange pursuit, almost Gypsy-like in its private codes, practices, meanings etc. Ever wonder why elaborate movie crews are frequently found shooting in the oddest little places--like filling stations, pizza parlors or eyeglass stores? "Why would they bother to shlep out here for this little shop?" is the usual question. Like everything in movies, there's a real reason--though one that doesn't make much sense in a normal world not viewed through a looking glass. Generally its because these smaller location...

Thanks to all for the many comments and for the enthusiastic initial response to the blogathonging. The daily entries, though shorter then my previous verbose digressions, will continue apace. Although I'm tempted to take the weekend off. How much blather can one person truly be expected to produce? Perhaps some of you may recall me mentioning over this past year that I've been shooting footage for a documentary about the history of cabaret. My partner in this venture, James Gavin, wrote a terrific book on the subject called "Intimate Nights" and we are, in essence, making a filmed record of his book. Thus far we've had amazing luck in getting some remarkable people to sit down and be interviewed--among them Lily Tomlin, Orson Bean, Dick Cavett, Dixie Carter, Joan Rivers, Shelley Berman, Kaye Ballard. Well, just a week ago we had the honor of meeting and interviewing the woman who truly started it all for female comics, the great Phyllis Diller. Ms. Diller is nin...

Good morning. Yesterday, we had a terrific meeting with the Anchor Bay people--the folks releasing our movie--on everything to do with their marketing plan. Poster, trailer, timeline for private screenings, long lead press, online presence etc. These guys are as enthusiastic and behind this movie as it's possible to be and are hoping it becomes Anchor Bay's "tentpole" move--i.e., the breakout hit that defines the company and around which they can build further business. Our release date is set for 3/19/10 and I'll be delivering info on the above particulars (cities, appearences etc.) as the time grows nearer. All of that said: the movie is still very much in the publics hands. Your hands. So a few gentle reminders to those of you participating in what I hope will be a web-based, fan-based, grass roots (what does that term derive from anyway?) effort to put our movie over the top. Forgive the repetition but lets call it our mantra: Reminder: "City Island...

Reminder: "City Island" is your movie. Help us get the word out. Forward the posts to your friends and enemies alike. Comment on our Facebook page (I'll check in on that every day as well). And don't forget the ever-delightful, still confounding Twitter stream. Dig the heavitude of the circle of life-a-tude: I'm currently in New York "shadowing" on an episode of Julianna Margulies hit show "The Good Wife". This means that I'm observing the production in hopes of getting an episode of my own to direct. Yesterday was the first day of prep so I went out to Greenpoint, Brooklyn and met the very nice folks who work on the show. (The director--Nelson McCormick--is especially gracious and welcoming). The first days work consisted of a location scout for a prison. So guess where I wound up visiting one year and five months after I'd previously been there? The Nassau County Correctional Facility, where we shot the prison scenes for "Cit...

Tired of my stale postings staying up for a week or more at a time? Exhausted by my carping and complaining about glammy festivals that didn't treat me like royalty? Wondering if this whole damn blog is simply an excercise in meta-fiction, with me being the ultimate unreliable narrator? Is there really a movie called "City Island" and is the person writing really named Raymond De Felitta...and if he's not, why would he bother impersonating this guy ? Well, folks, today's your lucky one. Today, Tuesday November 3, marks the beginning of a new life for you and me in the blogosphere. For today we are OFFICIALLY TWENTY WEEKS AWAY FROM THE US RELEASE OF OUR MOVIE. And I will be relentlessly blogging, tweeting, posting clips and still photos and whatnot for the next twenty weeks in order to build the necessary word of mouth that it takes to open an independent film and not have it disappear instantly into the vapors. Yes, this marks the beginning of the official "...