Movies Til Dawn

Apparently while we were shooting in Queens in late May of last year, an enterprising videographer--the snappily named Bobby Flash--shot a little off-the-books EPK (electronic press kit) of our cast and crew. I found it in a few segments posted on Youtube. Although not as dynamically shot and edited as the crap you're used to seeing on tabloid magazine shows (do they even exist anymore?), it has a nice, cinema verite, is-he-a-fan-or-is-he-a-stalker? kind of quality to it. He even scored it. And Mr. Flash's narration is helpful, dutiful, low-key and kind of...sweet I guess is the word. He seems very well mannered and I hope he likes the film when it opens on (PLUG) MARCH 21st IN A THEATER NEAR YOU.   Subscribe in a reader

The trailer of "Rob The Mob" is currently featured on the Rotten Tomatoes homepage under the "What's Hot on RT" section. Dig below screenshot or go here to be in the thick of the Rotten Tomatoes of it all.   Subscribe in a reader

The below ran three weeks after Thomas Uva and Rosie De Toma (pictured above) were assassinated on Christmas Eve, 1992, in retaliation for having held up and robbed a series of Mafia run "social clubs" in Queens, New York. This vintage "Gang Land" column tells the story of "Rob The Mob" with admirable clarity. If this is you're first visit to this site, be aware that the movie version of the below events--"Rob The Mob"--will be released in theaters on 3/21/14. Dig: The New York Daily News Jan. 12, 1993 Gang Land Column By Jerry Capeci Stickup Couple Has A Short Run Thomas and Rosemarie Uva should have known better. Both were ex-cons. Both had seen Goodfellas. And to make matters worse, they lived in an apartment in Ozone Park, Queens, where John Gotti and his brothers became infamous as operators of the Bergin Hunt and Fish Club and the Our Friends Social Club. From last summer to Christmas Eve, however, the Uvas behaved lik...

Many thanks to my old friend Alan Nahigian for hipping me to the fascinating clip posted below. It's the Three Stooges in a semi-home movie shot in Atlantic City in 1938--and in color! The film appears to be a 'cut-in-the-camera' home movie made by George Mann, one half of a dance act that was part of the tour that the Stooges were then making of East Coast theaters. (It was not uncommon for comedians to appear live in movie theaters that were playing their movies--kind of like being their own opening act). In any event, seeing Curley in color is certainly worth two minutes of your time, no? And if you're wondering what the hell this has to do with "Rob The Mob" the answer is: absolutely nothing. Dig:   Subscribe in a reader

Welcome to the new, daily, unpredictably discursive, wildly prolix and entertaining blog-a-thon about my soon to be released movie, "ROB THE MOB". I will be blogging madly--pretty much every day if not multiple times a day--leading up to the theatrical release of the movie, slated for March 21st of this brand new year. Consider this my attempt to emulate Jerry Lewis, in the prime of the telethon. Jerry would sweat, smoke, pop pills and do anything (includng excruciatingly rude imitations of the poor hicks from the hinterlands who came bearing donations to the MDA) to keep the interest from flagging. As I don't smoke, pop pills or do imitations (not strictly true--I have to really know and trust you though ), I will post instead. Jesus, will I post. In addition to posting past photos and videos of the on-set experience of the making of the film, I'll be venturing into historical stuff--New York in the early 1990's (which is when the film takes place), Ma...

Ladies and Gentleman, I present to you for the first time anywhere on the internet my 1990 debut short film "Bronx Cheers" which I wrote and directed and which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action short in 1991. The film has been out of circulation for many years due to music clearance issues--or so the American Film Institute, the owners of the film, claim. "Bronx Cheers " runs half an hour and is a precocious and largely successful attempt to tell a Runyonesque New York fairy-tale set in the 1940's. I watched this for the first time in many years a few months ago and was quite amazed at the excellent period detail we were able to achieve on our very limited budget. The script works, the performances range from good to mediocre and the only major problem I have with the film is the direction, which is somewhat ham-handed and unimaginative. So sue me. I was twenty-five years old and still learning my craft. Ironically, this is the onl...

What do Clark Gable, Carol Lombard, Alfred Hitchcock and Edward Dmytryk have in common? Well, quite a few things if you really want to parse this out. Hitchcock and Dmytryk were both directors. Dmytryk worked with Gable. Hitch worked with Lombard.  Both worked with the stars in equally forgettable movies--Hitch made "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" in 1941, Dmytryk made "Soldier Of Fortune" in 1955. But they all shared something else and attentive readers of this weblog--both of you--will have probably already figured out what that something was: that's right, a house.  Or perhaps the fact that I used an address in the title of the post helped give things away. In any event, welcome to 609 St. Cloud Road (left), in expensive and lovingly maintained Bel Air, California. Located west of Beverly Hills and north of Sunset Blvd., Bel Air has always had an extra-shiny patina about it. The properties are large, secluded, gated. The neighborhood resides behind pearly but od...