San Diego Screening Hosted By Chris Gore

We are very fortunate that on top of screening our film at the upcoming San Diego Film Festival, the doc will be hosted by Chris Gore followed by a Q&A with producer Vanessa Philippe. And in case that wasn’t enough San Diego fans, pull out your SW costumes (we know you have some) as we’re having a contest! The festival takes place from September 29 – October 3, and the film will screen on October 1st @ 8pm, Gaslamp Theatre.

PvG ‘Unplugged’ – Part II: from Jake Lloyd to John Williams (via Kevin Smith)

The redeye flight to Chicago was brutal. We landed at 4:40am, and basically had to stay up the entire day. We kicked off the proceedings with a brief early morning interview with Big John and Amy on AM 560 WIND, and headed to the convention center for a lunch interview with Elliott Serrano and Jose Melendez of RedEyeGeek (how appropriate). We shook hands with Neil Marshall (THE DESCENT, CENTURION) and his wife Axelle Carolyn–who will be on the jury with me at the Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival later this month–and since we had plenty of time to kill before our screening, we proceeded to indulgently roam the convention floor. There were definitely tempting toys galore (I’ve lately become a serious kaiju addict), but I’m proud to say I restrained myself (although I will live to regret a rare 9″ Japanese 1992 Godzilla meltdown figure), and instead chose to simply revel in the atmosphere of Wizard Con, which, I was told, has become one of the strongest challengers to the San Diego Comic-Con in recent years.

My favorite sticker at Wizard Con this year.

My favorite sticker at Wizard Con this year.

Jake Lloyd was on the floor (imagine young Anakin with a stubble–no, I’m not joking). The poor kid looked so unhappy to be there–unlike Richard LeParmentier (a.k.a Admiral Motti), who’s clearly an old pro at this. If my memory serves me well, their booths faced each other, and they were flanked by a bunch of retired Playboy bunnies, porn stars, and pro wrestlers. Adam West and William Shatner were there. Even Rod Blagojevich made an impromptu appearance to sign autographs for $100 a pop. I must admit, comic conventions never cease to amaze me. They’re not really about comics–more like the proverbial box of chocolates: you never know who you’re going to see.

This guy must have a Mothra or two in his closet.

This guy must have a Mothra or two in his closet.

Introducing... the Maui Trooper.

Introducing... the Maui Trooper.

The screening itself was a blast. This was our first non-theatrical screening, and it was a refreshing experience. Convention ballrooms certainly aren’t as cool as, say, the Bloor Cinema in Toronto or The Paramount in Austin; but if you fill them up with hundreds of fanboys and fangirls, they somehow come to life in unexpected ways. The evening started with a George Lucas debate, moderated by Ain’t It Cool’s own Capone, and concluded with possibly our longest Q&A to date. Jason Seiler, the amazing creator of our official poster, came to see the film for the first time; and so did Michael Ramova, whose SW Grindhouse short (‘Don’t Go In The Endor Woods’) is featured in our film. We also had the pleasure of meeting Mike Stoklasa (a.k.a. Plinkett–creator of the wonderful SW Episode I-II reviews that were all the rage on YouTube a few months ago), who apparently drove a considerable distance just to see our film and say hi. Overall, the evening was ‘aces!’, as they say in England.

Recreating the poster with Jason Seiler and the actual model used for his 'angry fan'.

Recreating the PvG poster with artist Jason Seiler and the actual model used for his 'angry fan'.

The Wizard Con audience during the Q&A.

The Wizard Con audience during the Q&A.

Mike Stoklasa (RedLetterMedia), who drove all the way from Michigan to watch the film.

Mike Stoklasa (a.k.a. Plinkett), who drove all the way from Michigan to watch the film, came to say hi after the screening.

I caught another redeye flight to San Francisco the following day, and drove to Los Angeles in the middle of the night. Arrived at 10am absolutely destroyed, and slept most of the afternoon. After a few days in LA catching up with old friends and PvG participants, we capped our mini-tour with a killer screening at Kevin Smith’s own Smodcastle–easily the most awesome black box theater I’ve ever been to. It might be that I’m slightly biased, because Kevin Smith did show up to introduce and watch the film, and he was SUCH a gracious host! But let’s be honest here: do you know of another theater in LA where you’re welcome in your jammies on Saturday mornings to watch cartoons and eat cereal in the company of Kevin Smith?! I mean, seriously!

The site of the crime.

The site of the crime.

Darth Cohen, who made it all happen.

Darth Cohen, who made it all happen.

The Smith & Mosier Troopers.

The Smith & Mosier Troopers.

Several familiar faces showed up to the screening. Daryl Frazetti was there, and so were Hot Waffles. Without a shadow of a doubt, the highlight of the evening was their live acoustic performance of ‘George Lucas Raped Our Childhood’, with a little comedy number by Kevin. Our good friend Matt Walsh shot the performance for us (along with the three other songs they performed), and we fully intend to post that slice of improvisational stage magic on YouTube and on our website in the near future for everyone to enjoy.

George-Lucas-Raped-Our-Childhood/George-Lucas-Raped-Our-Childhood/George-Lucas-Raped-Our-Child--Hood--

All together now: George-Lucas-Raped-Our-Childhood/George-Lucas-Raped-Our-Childhood/George-Lucas-Raped-Our-Child--Hood..!

Bear hug. Way nicer than Lotso.

Bear hug. Way nicer than Lotso.

The following day, Matt Walsh (and his wife Kerri) treated us to John Williams’s annual performance at the Hollywood Bowl, and what a perfect day to end the trip! We could see the Ford Amphitheater (site of our Los Angeles Film Festival screening) in the distance, and I got the chills before the show even started. Matt kept telling me that every true Star Wars fan had to experience this at least once; and now that I’ve seen the show, I understand exactly what he meant.

Lightsabers in the night.

Lightsabers in the night.

The program, ranging from themes to Sunset Boulevard, Jaws and Psycho to Raiders and Superman, was capped off by several popular pieces from the Star Wars Saga. Hundreds of lightsabers suddenly lit up the darkened auditorium, and started moving to the rhythm of the music. The Imperial March encore, if you can imagine it, was nothing short of spectacular.

The Imperial March finale at the Hollywood Bowl.

The Imperial March finale at the Hollywood Bowl.

Not everyone came for Star Wars, of course; but, as Matt put it, people came armed with their lightsabers to watch a classical concert primarily featuring songs from other movies. There were no whips there, no Norman Bates costumes. It wasn’t about Star Wars, but the spirit of the saga (The Force, if you will) permeated the entire evening, and all 17,376 of us felt its energy. It was unmistakable and inescapable. And that, right there, is the amazing legacy of George Lucas and his once perfect team of collaborators, who graced us with a strip of celluloid that I’ll argue any day is far, far more than just a movie.

PvG ‘Unplugged’ (tales from a memorable mini-tour) – Part I: Pixar Animation Studios

Before our upcoming PvG World Tour, Part II (which will take us to Strasbourg, Barcelona, San Diego, Edmonton, Hawaii, San Francisco, Rome, Leeds, Copenhagen, Montreal, Taipei, and Stockholm)–and principal photography for our next documentary (to start next week in Germany, France, The Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, and the UK)–we just wrapped a very special mini-tour that we won’t soon forget. First stop: Emeryville, CA.

A giant Luxo stands vigil outside the main entrance at Pixar Animation Studios.

A giant Luxo stands vigil outside the main entrance at Pixar Animation Studios.

When Dave Mullins (Directing Animator, UP) emailed to let me know that the Pixar team had watched our trailers and wanted to see our film, that was pretty much all the convincing we needed to whip out a brand-new HDCAM master, hop in the car, and drive to the Bay Area. I had already had the privilege of touring Pixar Studios a few years ago on a Sunday; but seeing the place buzzing with the energy of their 1,200 employees (yes, we even saw John Lasseter) was quite a different experience.

Lifesize Lego recreations of Woody and Buzz Lightyear greeting visitors inside the main lobby.

Lifesize Lego recreations of Woody and Buzz Lightyear greeting visitors inside the main lobby.

PU stands for Pixar University, by the way.

PU stands for Pixar University, by the way.

What’s even cooler than hanging out at Pixar..? Seeing our poster plastered all over the place, that’s what! There was a definite feeling of anticipation, and I suppose they were looking forward to the screening as much as we were. The lovely Michelle Radcliffe (who’s in charge of programming the PU screenings) and Dave Mullins told us when we entered the building that they were in the midst of a big production emergency, and we feared for a little while that only a handful of Pixar employees would be off the hook and allowed to watch our film.

Shiny Happy People (the Hegel Brothers and I outside the entrance to the Pixar theater).

Shiny Happy People (the Hegel Brothers and I outside the entrance to the Pixar theater).

The tag says it all.

The tag says it all.

Emergency or not, approximately 150 people showed up (many of them had worked for Lucasfilm in the past), and they stuck around for an engaging Q&A (I think we may have asked as many questions as they did). The screening, by the way, was probably the best looking and sounding we’ve ever had–at least comparable to the AFI Silver Theater in Silver Spring, MD and Dreamworks Animation Studios, which were both technically flawless.

The Exhibit A action pack. Limited Edition. AFA graded U90.

The Exhibit A action pack. Limited Edition. AFA graded U90.

Thinking, thinking...

Thinking, thinking...

We had to leave around mid-afternoon to catch a red-eye flight to Chicago; but before we did, Michelle graciously gave each one of us a goodie bag (as if screening our film at Pixar wasn’t enough of a treat). Included in mine: a gorgeous book on 20 years of animation at Pixar, and a strawberry-scented stuffed Lotso Bear, which I secretly hug when no one’s watching.

AOP