Max Cherry makes good.

Ordell Robbie: This you and me talking, is this like a lawyer-client thing, and you can't repeat nothing I tell you?
Max Cherry: You're not my client until you get busted and I bond you out.
Ordell Robbie: Well, if we ain't got no - what's that shit called? - confidentiality, why should I tell you a thing?
Max Cherry: Because you want me to know what a slick guy you are. You got stewardesses bringing you fifty grand.
Ordell Robbie: Now why would a stewardess be bringing me fifty grand?
Max Cherry: Now you want me to speculate on what you do. My guess is you're in the drug business, except the money's moving the wrong way. Whatever you're into, you seem to be getting away with it, so more power to you.

Those of you that follow this blog with any regularity know that I often talk about the deep amount of artistic talent that is in Rochester. It still never ceases to amaze that for a city of about 210,00 people, it has as much to do artistically in proportion to its size as NYC does. We have a saying here that if you're bored, it's your own fault.

In addition to the great artistic groups, especially the theatre groups, the individual talent is striking. Many have gone on to very successful careers as actors, or in the technical theatre arena. Some have even hit the big time, such as Philip Seymour Hoffman, Taye Diggs, and Kristin Wigg.

Enter Robert Forster. Does the name ring a bell? If you're a fan of Quentin Tarantino, in particular of "Jackie Brown," then you'll know that Forster played bail bondsman Max Cherry, who runs afoul of Samuel L. Jackson while trying to help out Pam Grier. The role got Forster nominated for an Academy Award, and while he didn't win it, it revitalized his career. You may have seen him recently on "Heroes," in a recurring role as one of the main character's father.

Forster is also a Rochester native, and was back in town last week to help celebrate the 80th anniversary of The Little Theatre. Known locally as simply "the Little," it is the art house movie theatre here in Rochester, and known for getting many independent films prior to their distribution to the bigger movie conglomerates. It is also a place where Forster spent a lot of his time as a youth, when he wasn't acting on stage around town.

His first film role was with Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor, and if that wasn't enough, he was directed by John Huston, "Reflections In A Golden Eye." More on that later.

Forster received an award from The Little Theatre board of directors for his contributions to film and his support of the Little over the years. The Little also had a special screening of Jackie Brown one evening that was preceded with a talk by Forster, interviewed by noted movie critic Jack Garner.

Forster still has many old friends in the area, many of whom I am friendly with, and one of whom directed me in a play last year. He had breakfast with Forster the day before the Jackie Brown screening, and he mentioned that Blackfriars had built a new theatre, and Forster seemed very interested, as he had attended plays at Blackfriars, though he never acted with us. I began to wonder if he would like a tour of the new theatre, if he had time in his schedule.

I'm friendly with the head of the Little, and asked him if he could arrange an introduction to Forster, after explaining why. He said "Sure, no problem, I think Robert would like that!" I came to the Jackie Brown screening, early enough to catch the interview, and was introduced to Forster. He was, as I had heard about, the nicest guy you could imagine. For all his fame, he has retained a down to earth quality that some lose after gaining a lot of recognition.

He remembered Blackfriars well, and was excited to learn about the new theatre. He peppered me with questions about where we moved from, and what the current seating capacity of the new theatre is. He was pleased to learn that it was smaller, at 126 seats. This seems to be the trend in NYC and LA, to go smaller, not bigger. I asked him about a tour, and while he really wanted to do it, he didn't think he would have the time on this trip. I was expecting as much, as I kind of figured he would be booked up, but he then asked for my contact information so that he could arrange a visit next time he's in town. He comes back fairly often, as two of his daughters still reside here in Rochester, as well as his grandkids.

When the time came for the interview, he gave a great talk, and did a dead on impression of John Huston, recounting the story of his audition. He had never done a movie at that point, and it was his straightforward honesty with Huston that got him the role.

I'm looking forward to the possibility of showing Forster the new Blackfriars when he's in town next. Until then, I'll just remember Max's best line:

I'm 56 years old. I can't blame anybody else for something I did.

Pulling back the curtain.

Phew! I can finally come up for air after spending the better part of the last month and a half being a construction worker, upholsterer, light rigging specialist, and media relations guru. All this as part of the effort to get our new theatre up and running. In the two weeks leading up to opening night, it got scary. Too many things still left to be done, and we had to delay the opening of the theatre by a week. When all was said and done however, it all came together, just like Stephen Sondheim says it does, bit by bit, putting it together.

At the end of the day, we needed to push off the opening day by one week. There were simply too many thigns that still needed to completed in order to get a COO - a Certificate Of Occupancy - which is required from the city of Rochester in order to open to the public. fortunately, those who bought tickets to the original opening night date understood, and we added on an extra weekend of performances to compensate.

The result has been nothing short of spectacular, with most shows so far, save one, being sold out. We had a gala opening on sept. 26th, with prominent film critic Jack Garner acting as master of ceremonies and official ribbon cutter. Garner, a critic for the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, was also the chief movie critic for the Ganett News Service, of which the D&C is a part of. I only learned a few years ago that he is a big theatre goer as well, and was duly impressed with what we have created at Blackfriars. You can see the pics here:

http://www.blackfriars.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=271&Itemid=38

But wait, there's more! (Construction, that is...)

Because of the time frame involved, the decision was made to forego completing construction on the second floor, which will house the dressing room and prop storage areas. it was not deemed vital to opening theatre, as there is a bacstage "quick change" dressing area that can serve as a dressing room temporarily while construction is completed. It also gives us some breathing room while we continue to campaign for more money to complete the project.

We've submitted prospectuses to several businesses in the area for naming rights to the actual performance area, to the tune of $700,000. This works out to $70,000 a year for 10 years - the duration of our lease - in order to not only complete construction but to initiate an endowment fund. This will help secure the theatre's financial future, but so far, we've had no takers.

Pretty disheartening for a theatre that is now it its 60th season. It seems as though the economy is still putting a damper on these things, but we keep prodding along.


Next entry: Max Cherry comes home, and I finally get to meet him. Stay tuned.

Mama took our Kodachrome away.

"Kodachrome/ They give us those nice bright colors/ They give us the greens of summers/ Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah/ I got a Nikon camera/ I love to take a photograph/ So mama don't take my Kodachrome away"

Paul Simon - "Kodachrome"

(photo from Democrat and Chronicle - Gannett News Service)

An American institution has bit the dust, a victim of technology and the laws of supply and demand.

When I first learned how to shoot 35mm in high school, Kodachrome was what I learned on, in addition to Kodak Tri-X black and white. It's hard to imagine that Kodachrome will be no more, but today's article in our local paper confirms it. While time marches on, it is also another reflection of the hard times Kodak faces. Modern Rochester was more or less built around Kodak, and it has been downsizing steadily over the past 15-20 years. Once the number one employer, it is now number three, behind the University of Rochester, and Wegman's.

I have not shot 35mm for a while, and my revered Olympus OM-10 has sat unused for sometime, but I am thinking that it might be time to resurrect it. I have thought about saving and getting a good digital 35, but there is something about loading a film roll into a camera, hearing the click of the shutter and mirror that is, well, nostalgic and magic at the same time.

I know there are several photographers that follow my blog, and I'd like you to chime in on this. There is this argument that, as far as I can tell, still persists amongst pro photographers:

Which is better - digital media or film?

Digital media has come a long way in the past 10 years, but I have met photographers that still insists that it doesn't have the color saturation or crispness of a Kodachrome, or other professional film.

Let the argument begin! No throwing of film canisters please.

Another coffee post.

Back in June, I posted this about my semi-obsession with a good cup o' joe. I have been meaning to post another one of my java hangouts, Starry Nites Cafe, in the city of Rochester at the University Ave/Atlantic Ave. split.

While I don't get there as often as some other places, I do enjoy the atmosphere here, and they have an excellent wireless connection, which makes for some good work when I do get here.



This is technically a coffee shop and wine bar, and they have an excellent selection of food and desserts as well. (The brownies are to DIE for.)

They are in the Neighborhood of the Arts, which you can find out more about here. It is also a favorite hangout for a lot of the RIT filmmakers, and after doing a staged reading of a fim script late last September, we all piled into cars and took over the place.

So, when you come to visit, I'll be more than happy to take you there, and feed you a brownie. Oh, and as the name suggests, it has a bit of a Van Gogh theme to it, but you don't have to give up an ear to enjoy the place.

Please pass the script and the couscous.

I was overjoyed when I received an e-mail from a student director that I have worked with in the past, telling me that he was back from Turkey to finish his Master's degree in film direction, and that he wanted me to be part of a script-in-hand reading of his thesis. In this program at the Rochester Institute of Technology, (RIT) the thesis is a full-length film that he will eventually shoot in his native Turkey, but he needs to have it read in front of his professors first as part of the process.

Ali Vatansever is an incredibly talented guy. I worked with him two years ago in a short film he made during his first year as a grad student, then did a voice-over character for one of his other films. He and his sister have their own film production company back in Turkey, and his story about how he got to RIT is really something.

Ali was originally slated to attend the University of New Orleans in 2005. Hurricane Katrina forced him to change his plans, and as he was studying on a Fulbright Scholarship, this was something that had to be done quickly. He chose to come to Rochester, and talking with him a little over a year ago, he told me that in many ways he was glad he wound up here instead of New Orleans.

Apparently, if he would have gone to N.O., the number of foreign students attending would have been significantly less. RIT has a large number of students from other countries in attendance, and Ali feels pretty good about that. Also, he is incredibly impressed with the acting talent here in Rochester, which is no surprise to anyone that has lived here for some time. As I have mentioned before, the theatre community here is quite extensive. He has been able to accomplish things that he might not have been able to do elsewhere.

He will be returning to Turkey, and his dreams are to make his home country the next Bollywood, without, as he puts it, "all the glitzy stuff," and make "serious films." I feel very privileged to be part of it, and hey, if he needs an American for one of his films, he's got my number and e-mail.

A Comedy About Bad Habits.

My friend Matt Ehlers' first feature film, "Smoking Laws," will have a series of screenings starting this Sunday here in Rochester. You can see the trailer here. So if you're around, come and catch it. I am helping him promote it, and...I am in the flick. You can also see me in the trailer, if you can guess who I am. ;-)

Matt's company, Eggwork Productions, can be reached here, where you can access his award winning short films that have been screened at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals.

Spot o' coffee

While I have my favorite coffee hangout, I do like to mix things up. There is another coffee shop in downtown Rochester, in the East End district, that I stopped hanging at for a time. Their internet access was spotty at best, but they seemed to have gotten things straightened out, and for the past week, I have been visiting them. The East End was the first part of downtown to undergo a rejuvenation back in the late 90's, and continues to this day. It is amazing what can do with an old car dealership, and give it new life:














They still retained the Chevrolet signs, but the real name of the place marks the "spot:"















The coffee is not bad, could be better, though the espresso drinks are far superior. They make great sandwiches, (the chicken foccacia is my favorite) and they have live music on weekends. It is a "coffee cathedral" of sorts, as it is a cavernous place:


If you're into people watching, this is the perfect place for it, especially with the large picture window/doors that are open on hot days, and the outside seating. I have many a meeting here in my duties as PR director for my theatre.

Come on down, join me for a spot o'coffee, and some good conversation...

Take a walk with me....

The Bronx will always be my hometown, but Rochester is my home. Throughout the 9 years I have been here, I have truly come to enjoy all this place has to offer. We made the decision to live in the suburbs, as I wanted some breathing space, amongst other reasons, but I drive into the city practically every day. Mind you, this takes about 10-15 minutes to get into downtown Rochester, a little longer to get to the neighborhood that I enjoy hanging out in, the Park Ave. area. It reminds me a lot of certain places in Brooklyn, and is an absolutely gorgeous area of the city. If I were to consider becoming a city dweller again, this is where I would want to move. My fav coffee shop is here, and it has some of the most gorgeous homes in the area.

So put your walking shoes on as we take a brief tour...


So here is where we start:


Park and Berkley, my main hangout.


















The houses and other buildings in this area are beautiful, and most have a hefty price tag. Renting an apartment in this neck in the woods can be pricey as well, but if you can afford it, it is worth it. Many of the homes go back to the first part of the 20th century.

















Like I said, it is one beautiful place to walk around in.












Of course, once your done walking, a nice place to eat and drink always helps:

Jine's is one of my favorite places. It is a Rochester institution.













Feeling Mediterranean? Sinbad's is your place...













Abbott's is another Rochester institution, and I have yet to find a better custard anywhere. They even have a shop in Tokyo, if I recall. (Hey Julia, dontcha miss this stuff down in the hinterlands of Jamestown? ;-) )






Still have a sweet tooth? Try stopping by Steever's...



























.....and if you feel the need to get a new body orifice, or become a walking piece of art, we can satisfy that urge as well.........


Well, there you are for now. More walking tours to follow.

Mine are better than Van Gogh's .......

Holly is a big fan of lilac's, and while I am not huge on flowers per se, I can appreciate certain ones. We have irises in our front and backyard's, and they are a bumper crop this year: (There are many more that have not bloomed yet.)





I don't know about Van Gogh, but I'll take mine any old time........

Who the hell took my spring????

Okay, so it is 49 degrees outside, the wind is whipping up a storm, and it is going to pour cats and dogs later.........This is spring?

If (man - made) global warming is indeed a reality, then Rochester must be an oasis.......