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July 12, 2006 On the JR Narita Express travelling to Nartia Airport for the start of my trip to Fantasia and the premiere of my first film, THE iDOL. Today's not the best of days. It's one of those muggy, humid Tokyo moments that makes you wonder why there is no holiday devoted to the person (or persons) who invented the air conditioner. Not that I expect much difference in Montreal, but seeing as it is further from the equator it will hopefully be cooler. In either case, I�fm happy to say farewell to Tokyo's horrid summer temperature and unrelenting humidity. This will mark my second trip to Canada. The first was back in the early 80s when visiting two friends who were attending Brockport College. If memory serves, the campus was about 20 minutes from the border. We drove to Niagara Falls where we spent 2 hours looking at trillions of gallons of water rushing over the lip of the falls. I learned a valuable lesson that trip. While the falls technically reside in the US, there is no way to see them without journeying into Canada (although there is that ramp built on the US side to try and make some sort of view). It taught me that sometimes possessing something isn't always what�fs best. By being able to actually see the falls, Canada has the better end of the deal. Mandatory airport shot to give readers sense of departure... Not even my plane... Flying... What a chore. As a boy, I'd beg for a window seat and stare out assured that with diligence I'd spot a UFO hovering above a far off cloud. Now, it's a torturous span between point A and point B. And today�fs films... ICE AGE 2... Ugh! So, CG has become that latest venue for tired slapstick antics. I give that one 15 minutes before switching to SHE'S THE MAN, a modern twist on the TOOTSIE, VICTOR/VICTORIA theme, this one being the tale of a girl posing as her brother in order to play soccer... and all the convoluted, insipid formula driven misunderstandings that would be sure to appeal to the pencil pushers who sign off on the budgets for such tired fare. What an embarrassment. But don't think my criticism of films starts and stops with Hollywood tripe. I catch the somewhat better made, yet equally pointless Japanese film REFORM STARS (Kencho no Hoshi) starring Yuji �gyou�fll never catch me with a bad hair day�h Oda and Ko �gI should have fired my agent for bungling my chance to play Gogo Yubari�h Shibasaki. The movie seems to be trying to say something poignant about corporate reform in Japan, yet, in the end, the message turns out to be the tired and true: try though you will, you can't effect change in Japan. Just what we need, another Japanese film promoting the futility of bucking the system. While this may be true, there certainly is a need to bolster the sense that one can make a difference in Japanese society. It�fs sickening how so many films of this kind end with failure by the main characters, yet see them rewarded for their heart felt effort by offering them the true meaning of what it is to be Japanese. What we get are the rich getting away with whatever it is they�fve tried to get away with while the losers turn out to be the real winners because they turn out to be the better �gJapanese�h. To me, it is 2 hours of torturous social propaganda promoting complacency within the system. After these, the prospect of seeing some real films at Fantasia never seemed more appealing. After a transfer in Chicago, I'm on a plane to Montreal. And yes, I have to take my shoes off for inspection. Never let it be said that I don�ft do my part – one smelly shoe at a time – in the fight against terrorism! Less than 2 hours later I�fm landing in the Canadian city of Montreal. But, the ordeal isn't over! The line for immigration is a winding mess of a rat's maze. Over an hour later I make it through, my passport sporting a new ink stamp, to find Fantasia main guy Pierre Corbeil, his charming wife Isabelle, and their 3 year old daughter, who later wows me in the car with her ability to say, "you're welcome," in English. Myself, Mike, Marc, Scooter... the less said the better! It's been a number of years since seeing Pierre. The last time was during a trip he and several other Fantasia alumni took to Japan. I took them around Tokyo on a few occasions, including a memorable trip to Toho Studios with director Shusuke Kaneko and a dinner in Shibuya with filmmaker Tomoo Haraguchi (who plays Boss Goro in THE iDOL). Pierre is a gracious, cool-headed host. I�fm very happy to see him again. After checking into my hotel, I�fm ready to see the area. Pierre had driven me around to show off the lay of the land. Fortunately, some of my un-frazzled brain cells were awake enough to recall what Pierre had shown me, and I make it over to the theater where Fantasia is showing films just in time to catch the audience emerging from ILS, a French horror film. In an example of good timing, out walk my friends Marc Walkow from Criterion, Mike Gingold from Fangoria, director Scooter McCrae, producer Alex Kuciw writer Matt Kiernan and Fantasia programmer King Wei-Chu. Marc was just in Japan recently so seeing him is no big deal (don't really mean that Marc!). On the other hand, Mike I haven�ft seen since I was a guest at the Asian Fantasy Film Expo in New Jersey back in 2002. The same with Scooter and Matt. Everyone has a warm welcome ready for me, which is always nice to get in a town you've never set foot in before. Debauchery follows with my being led to a strip bar where my life goal of seeing Marc under a black light is achieved. Under such glare, every dancer in the place looks as if they�fve came from that planet in the original Battlestar Galactica series where Count Iblis is found amongst the wreckage of a crashed ship (in other words, everyone�fs skin is a strong tanned orange). While Montreal is well known for this kind of entertainment, it�fs not my thing. However, I am able to meet Mitch Davis here. I also get a valuable lesson in how to tip the Canadian way from the waitress. After an hour, I shoot back to the hotel where I manage to get an entire hour of sleep. Oh, there's nothing like excitement mixed with a severe time change to keep you staring at the ceiling! July 13, 2006 Morning view from hotel screams: draw the curtains! The somber shafts of dawn�fs light fill my room, reminding me how I should have shut the blinds before attempting sleep. Up at 5:30am, I scan the Fantasia program book, which came as part of a very nice complimentary package given to me last night by Pierre. Many interesting looking films on this year's line-up. I find two photos I took on the set of GOD'S LEFT HAND / DEVIL'S RIGHT HAND are being used for that film's listing. It's always gratifying to see one's work put to use. I also discover the entry for ZOMBIE SELF-DEFENCE FORCE, which is the latest from director Naoyuki "STACY" Tomomatsu. In ZOMBIE SD FORCE I play an English teacher out on a school trip with about a gazillion uniformed high school girls before we all get turned into zombies. A fun shoot but not my greatest cinematic moment... There's also an entry for AZUMI 2 with a nice shot of stars Aya Ueto, Yuma Ishigaki and Chiaki Kuriyama. I was standing beside the set still photographer when this shot was taken (not to brag, but I think the shot I got off is nicer!). It�fs good to be reminded of a fun day on the set of that film. To you, a run of the mill cafe; to me, escape from Japanese smoke dens. Finally, I reach the page for THE iDOL. Cool! My effort gets a full page. While I hoped for more than a single large photo, it's fun to see my actresses Hiroko Inagaki and Mayumi Yamamoto displayed so predominantly. After a bath (taken more to waste time than anything else) and the complimentary breakfast in the hotel, I�fm out and in the cool morning air of Montreal. Now, this is what I came for: I'm sitting at an outdoor cafe, the city bustling around and the weather is mild--totally unlike the dripping humidity that mars the Japanese summer. And the sounds of a western city, so different from Tokyo, fill the air. Oddly enough, although this is Canada and not my native New York City, it's reminiscent of the city I left behind fourteen years ago. I understand that this banner caused several dozen car wrecks... I usually experience some kind of culture shock when returning to the West. Luckily, this feeling is lessened as I was home just six months ago. Plus, this is a trip with a purpose: to screen my first film. I notice that I go through a pattern where the general untidiness of stores and the often near rudeness of clerks bugs me for a day or two until I adjust back to the way things are run in North America. Marc calls and soon I meet up with he, Scooter and Mike. We walk over to a bar on a side street where we find a beer event being waged by Molson, which translates to all bars on the block have forged an agreement to serve nothing but Molson and the brands they sell. Somehow Marc smooth talks our waitress into serving us Hoegaarten, which, being on the light side, is about the only beer I can handle. It comes served in a glass that rivals the size of my bathtub in Tokyo. In no time I'm feeling light headed. It�fs a fun lunch with enjoyable conversation as, like me, Scooter, Mike, Marc and I enjoy nothing else but talking about cinema, it�fs pluses and cons. At 2pm. Marc and I go to catch NECROMANCER a Thai horror film in the smaller Salle J.A. De Seve hall. The film starts out good, and is enhanced by some well-made effect imagery. Soon, it spirals into a convoluted, obvious mess. With over 50 minutes still to go, we give each other �gthe look�h and hike out of the theater. Hey! We're VIPs so all shows are covered by our passes. GOD'S LEFT HAND and STRANGE CIRCUS posters With a few hours until the night�fs activity, I head back to my hotel to try and get some sleep. Somehow, I manage 2 hours of slumber. Actually, I could sleep more but snoozing in the afternoon will only compound my jet lag. Feeling like little more than an empty shell, I stumbled over to the main hall for a screening of FROSTBITE, a Swedish vampire film that boasts a roughly 4 million dollar budget, which anywhere but Hollywood is quiet an impressive sum. Still, you could make 160 THE iDOLs for that figure! The audience eats up the film. Lots of sight gags and neat twists on the vampire legend. I enjoy the film, although I find it overly long and feel it had an opening that could have been better served if incorporated later on. Despite the howls of approval from the audience, I am surprised at how much of a beating the movie takes afterward. At least in my group. �gHmmm,�h I think. �gHow will my film fare with its next-to-nothing budget?�h I feel the first tinge of nervousness. Following this is the film STRANGE CIRCUS, directed by Sion Sono. As much as I feel sympathy for any filmmaker, knowing the battle one must go through to make a film, I was turned off by the movie. Not because of its "shocking sexual content" but for the reason that being daring in Japan often means producing work centering on sexual depravity. It's something Japanese artists have been doing for centuries. Despite what you might think, this kind of seemingly out of the box stuff is strictly in the box as IMHO: 1) it neither critiques nor advances society, and 2) is an indication of lack of real theme as sex is the easiest way to get a rise out of an audience. Besides, when compared to real shockers like Pasolini�fs SALO, this is a pale comparison. In the film's defense, it gets better as it goes along and some of the performances are good. However, I am pleased when Scooter stands up at film�fs end to announce it as the worst film he's ever seen. Marc is kinder and says he likes it. Also, director Sono is friendly enough. I spent some time with him earlier in the hotel chatting. Although, as would be expected from anyone who makes films such as STRANGE CIRCUS, he is a bit aloof. But, as they say, it takes all types to make cinema. Following the screening, there is a Q/A with director Sono. I stay for a bit before heading back to my hotel and another night of ceiling staring. July 14, 2006 Well, at least they got the first name right... Manage to sleep until 6:30, which means I�fve got an entire 4 hours of sleep under my belt. Getting there. I have to say that the continental breakfast at the hotel is wearing thin, fast. And the coffee is possibly the worst I've ever had. I�fm a milk and sugar guy, but this stuff I can drink black, it�fs that weak. (But this might be because Japanese tend to favor strong coffee and that�fs what I�fm used to.) Following my fill of assorted fruit, toast, cherry yogurt (yech) and cereal I head over to a real coffee house for a cup more to my liking. First up on the list of things to do is to check the Beta SP copy of THE iDOL I sent FedEx to the show. I pick it up at the Fantasia print office and take it over to the Hall Theater. In no time it�fs up on the screen and... Huh? The bottom of the picture is on the top of the screen and the top is on the bottom. Uh oh! Then, the picture begins to roll ever so slowly. The audio is over modulated and comes from the speakers sounding like they are being driven by a Radio Shack boom box. Simply put, I am put into a panic. Pierre comes over to try and correct the problem. Being the head of a video facility, we take the tape over to his office to have it checked. His facility is nice. Banks of cool looking decks and monitors fill several rooms. It�fs fascinating to watch as he and his techs inspect my tape while discussing my labor of love from a purely tech point-of-view, and in French. They find nothing wrong with it. Later on, Pierre assures me that the screening this Sunday will go without a hitch. Up on the bill today is Shusuke Kaneko's GOD�fS LEFT HAND, DEVIL�fS RIGHT HAND. I'll probably wind up skipping it as I saw it in the lab way back in November. As mentioned, the Fantasia program book features two shots I took on its set. One is of child actor Tsubasa Kobayashi holding his bloodied arms in the air; the other is of popular idol Reon Kadena. When in Rome...? That was a fun set to visit. Once finishing shooting THE iDOL last summer, I had time to check on the production of GOD'S LEFT HAND. On one particularly fun day, I drove out of Tokyo with Kakusei Fujiwara, who not only built the alien creatures in my film but was doing all the special makeup for GOD'S. After arriving on the set and poking around the location (a creepy old house in the middle of nowhere), I recognized one of the actresses, but couldn�ft place her name. I asked director Shusuke Kaneko. "Reon Kadena," he answered. Holy cow! So it was! I mean, Reon was (and still is) a goddess of the current gravure idols! Sliding over to the tantalizing Ms. Kadena, I managed the most innocuous of introductions I can muster: "Hi. The name's Norman. What's yours?" Reon turned out to be a very friendly and energetic girl. I can�ft say much for her acting, which really doesn�ft matter much in Japan (or anywhere else) when you�fre that cute. Besides, who watches slasher films for the acting? Overall, the whole set felt like what I imagined 1980s films of this type to be, and moreover, it was a terrific day of gory beheadings and other atrocities perpetrated on two cute actresses, who also had a time of it. The day ended with a mini van ride back to Tokyo and Reon cheerfully telling everyone about the time I put my foot in mouth during one of our talks, all the while Hajime Matsumoto, FXs supervisor on both GOD'S LEFT HAND and THE iDOL, caught up on his sleep. Bailing on GOD�fS, I go to a dinner held for the guests and organizers of Fantasia. It�fs being given in the open court of an attractive restaurant. Among those in attendance are Pierre and his wife, my friends Andrea and Eric, guest coordinator Stephanie Trepanier, the Rue Morgue people and director Sion Sono and his manager. I�fm surprised, yet happy, to find my Fangoria editor Tony Timpone. I was told he�fd be turning up tomorrow. I must say that of all the mags I�fve written for, Tony has to be the most pleasant editor to work for. He�fs friendly, passionate and utterly fair. He�fs also a New Yorker through and through, which I can fully relate to and find refreshing. As it�fs been four years since seeing him last, our meeting marks one of the high points of my trip to Fantasia. VIPS: Norman, Marc, Jen and little Scotter. Dinner is fantastic, and I have a nice conversation with Ruppert Bottenberg, Takeshi Yagi and Brad Warner of Tsuburaya Productions, Andre Dubois and Eric Lavoie. Both Andre and Eric championed to get my film shown at Fantasia. Like me, Andre is a huge fan of Japanese genre films. And unlike the annoying, self-important fans created in the wake of the Internet, Andre avoids all types of fan bickering, enjoying what I can only describe as a pure affection for the genre. He�fs articulate about his tastes and is respectful of the elements in the genre he doesn�ft care for. I watch with interest as Andre discusses the finer points of ULTRAMAN MAX with director Yagi. Seeing Eric, too, is terrific. Unfortunately, Eric is also involved with the Comedy Festival that is going on at the same time and informs me that he will have to miss my screening this Sunday. This comes as a great disappointment because Eric, like Andre, has embraced my film, warts and all. Eric and I spend the larger part of the evening talking film, a subject I just never seem to weary of. I stuff myself silly, thank my hosts, and then head back to the hotel for another night of little sleep. At around 5am I get the bright idea of watching Scooter�fs film, SIXTEEN TONGUES, having finally gotten a copy of it. I�fm not sure how to approach this subject. The film is claustrophobic, low budget and hyper-sexed. It�fs set in a sleaze ball hotel of the near future. One character has tongue flesh grafted all over his body and ejaculates wads of blood; another character has clitoris imbedded under the lids of her eyes. It�fs a hyperkinetic frenzy of drawn out dialogue that makes little sense in the wee hours of the morning. As would be expected after viewing such fare, I�fm feeling even more detached from reality. Somehow I manage an hour of sleep. July 15, 2006 Mitch Davis smirks while Jovanka does her best imitation of Mitch's t-shirt. One of the most anticipated moments of Fantasia is being able to meet up with director John Davis. On a PR tour for his upcoming movie, ANT BULLY, John and his wife, Kim, have arranged to stop over in Montreal to catch the premiere of THE iDOL. John has been a great supporter of mine since I first got the wacky idea that I can direct film. I accidentally discover a message from the night before on my hotel room phone (the stupid thing is busted and the red light isn�ft flashing) and after returning John�fs call arrange to meet for lunch at his hotel. I take off for his place only to be caught in the rain. I�fm dashing down streets, avoiding cars and homeless, and looking more and more like a drowned cat as I search for his hotel. I eventually find it and our greetings begin with me begging to use his hotel�fs blow dryer. The iDol's lobby cards compete for YOUR attention! John and Kim, two generous and selfless people, kindly take me to a Bistro. I order the type of steak I never get in Japan (Japan has its own style of beef preparation, which is great too). John is the kind of director I aspire to be. He has such enthusiasm for filmmaking and as he�fs built his company from nothing, is in no way arrogant about his position. In this business it�fs easy to lose your connection with reality and give into the hype. Man, could I tell you about a few directors and actors I know back in Japan who are a trial to be with for this very reason. John is a reminder that everyone is secondary to the movie, and the director is just one of many positions required to make a film. Other than an unusually large amount of flies, lunch with John and Kim is as agreeable as hoped. And I must say that I take it as a tremendous honor to have these two talented and successful people alter their busy schedule to fly in to see my film. Thanks John! Thanks Kim! 'One day all this will be yours...' Later in the day I'm told that it's Synapse Film's founder Don May's birthday and follow Marc to a dinner in his honor. I've been in communication with Don for almost ten years, but this is the first time to meet him. Dinner is a 10-minute walk from the Fantasia theater and is on the third floor of a bar / restaurant. With about 20 of us on hand, we start rearranging tables to the chagrin of the waiter. This is my first real chance to talk with Fantasia programmer Mitch Davis, who displays a deep zeal for film. He�fs a good guy and, as expected, the two of us find a common ground in our love of film. I'm also finally introduced to the Rue Morgue people. It's funny, although I don�ft think of myself as such, by writing for Fangoria for 9 years now I'm sort of considered a "Fango old timer." However, Rue Morgue is a terrific magazine with some excellent writing between its covers. It�fs a pleasure to put human faces behind the magazine. GOD'S LEFT HAND comes between Norman and John and Kim! Later on after dinner, I get Fantasia's handyman Danielle to set up my lobby cards in the theater. Lobby cards are a thing of the past, which is unfortunate. If you don�ft mind, I'd like to share with you "Norman's theory of the Lobby Card." This comes from how, as a boy, I would interact with lobby cards before and after a film. First, I'd get to the theater and quickly pour over the half-dozen photos hung outside, trying to make sense of the images. Excitement would brew as I'd remind myself that while not understanding them now, in a few scant hours I would look at them with new, in-the-know eyes. Sure enough, after the film I'd return to the shots and relive what I had just seen. In fact, lobby cards would help me retain a film better by forcing me to think about what I had just seen. Why studios have given up on them is a mystery. I have no idea what my future with cinema holds, but if I can do one thing, I want to bring back the lobby card! Due to space limitations I can only put up 4. (And they are beautiful pieces made by my good friend, Ed Godziszewski.) Last night after dinner, Andre stopped by my room and I let him choose the 4 of the 6 I had that he felt best summed up the film. After they are up and behind the glass of the bulletin board, I sit back to watch them do their magic. Sure enough, the people on line for the night�fs feature pour over them. However, I'm happy to report that mine garner the most attention. No offence to the other films represented, but most of them seem to be after thoughts, or just mini versions of posters. My shots were created with the intention of being used as lobby cards. On this night there is a lot going on, but I opt to skip the activities. Tomorrow is my big day and I feel that as the representative of my film I have a responsibility to my cast and crew to be in the best shape possible. I even take a sleeping pill around 10pm, which doesn�ft really hit until 1am. July 16, 2006 The big day. I wake around 7am. Groomed, I head down stairs for continental breakfast. More fruit, cereal and that god awful coffee. I speculate what the upcoming screening will be like. In my mind I come up with the perfect bad scenario. As I heard from Andre, 300 tickets have sold so far. So, I imagine a half full theater, quiet, non responsive, a lone cough breaks the dead air as another skit falls flat... Yes, I'd say I am sufficiently nervous. At around 9am THE iDOL actor Bobby Nakanishi calls to my room to let me know of his arrival. I rush down to the lobby. It's been a number of months since last meeting Bobby. He looks fine -- great, in fact -- although he has some horror stories about his bus ride over from New York. Bobby and I go to a local coffee shop where I treat him since -- get this -- the cash exchange place he went to upon arriving to Montreal didn't have any Canadian currency. Someone must have told them it was the line for ICE AGE 3! Soon, THE iDOL�fs director of photography, Hiroo Takaoka, joins us. Hiroo flew in on an early flight despite working a long job the night before. Now, that�fs dedication! It�fs great to be reunited with both Hiroo and Bobby. Over coffee, we reminisce about the shoot that now seems so long ago. Really, when in the throngs of THE iDOL�fs intense shoot, we were all seriously wondering how it would turn out in the end. But here we are just hours away from a screening at the prestigious Fantasia Film Festival! As John and Kim have to get back on their ANT BULLY promotional tour, I make plans to have lunch with them. Before this I stop by the theater to drop off the Beta SP tape and its DV backup. I test the tape again praying that the trouble from the other day was a fluke and... Voila! Everything is fine. Bobby waits in the lobby. He doesn�ft want to see a frame until the actual premiere. As creators of the film, Hiroo and I have given up that right. (In fact, it�fs safe to say I�fve watched the film more than 200 times.) As for the trouble the other day, I�fm told that the playback deck wasn�ft properly set. We do a test of the film and I pass on my comments concerning the film's brightness, audio levels, etc. I must come across as a bit manic for after listening to me go on and on (in perhaps the same way I do in this �eblog�f) the projectionist gives pause before coming out with: "You're pretty nervous, aren't you?" Hiroo gets a laugh out of this. Andre delivers his state of the union address We meet John and Kim in the lobby and then walk to the street where that blasted Molson event is waging. We take seats on the inside section of a porch and, though hardly hungry, I force myself to eat a "Darby burger." John and Kim are as positive and encouraging as ever about my show. I�fm glad to be around people such as them, and glad too that I can introduce two sets of friends. We exchange filmmaker war stories about THE iDOL and ANT BULLY. However, with the screening growing nearer, I have to get back to the theater and so bid a temporary farewell to John and Kim. Back at the theater Hiroo, Bobby and I are elated to find that a long line has formed around the building. Stepping inside, the first thing I do is pick out a stretch of seats for my posse and then work out with Andre how we will handle the film�fs introduction. Back in the lobby, Marc, Scooter, Jen, Matt and Mike have arrived. They wish me luck with the show. Jen has her dog (little) Scooter in her purse. It gives me a few licks. "Will the owner of the blue Toyota blocking the entrance please move your car" At last, the audience is let in. To my astonishment, the theater fills more and more, going well beyond the 300 ticket sales. Andre tells me that sales are at 500, and this doesn�ft include comp tickets or people with VIP passes. Of course my film is sharing the bill with two other, more high profile movies—but hell, I�fll take it! Finally, it�fs time. Andre has me sit in a seat at the side of the stage. He begins speaking in his native French before switching to English and introducing the screening's line-up. Then, it�fs time. Andre comes out with some flattering words about my film before calling me over. The hall breaks into heavy applause as I move up to the mike. While I've been on stage many times, I don't think I've experienced being target to a 500-plus crowd�fs clapping. Oddly, it relaxes me. And this being Fantasia, I know that the audience is one primed for quirky films like mine. Worrying about the after screening lynching I thank the people for coming and talk about the production of THE iDOL. To be honest, I tried to prepare a speech before hand but gave up, relying on Andre's pre-show advice that it would all just come on the spot. You know, he�fs exactly right. It is easier than I thought. However, one thing I did miss mentioning is that from day one my goal was to premiere at Fantasia. I am still amazed at moments like this when life actually works out in the way you planned. Under loud applause I take my seat. Well, I think, here goes nothing...as THE iDOL flashes up on the screen... To my joy, the audience responds right from the get-go. More than that, they seem to get it. Little touches I thought would be missed are picked up. And this being Fantasia, they don�ft hold back their reaction. As the story and film play out they stay with it in a way I would have thought possible only if I had paid everyone before hand. To put it simply, despite its minuscule budget trappings, the movie is working. John and Kim worry if they'll miss their plane Watching THE iDOL from my chair in the theater, I recall each backstage moment and the effort it took to commit everything to film. I�fm pleased with how my actors look on screen. I feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with so many talented people. I suppose it is the director�fs prerogative to attend screenings such as this, but I wish that others from the staff and cast could be here to see their work and see the terrific reaction it is causing. A quick hour later, THE iDOL finishes. Loud applause fills the theater. I�fm pretty happy, to say the least. No offence to the other films, but I don�ft want to stay for SUKEBAN BOY or NEGADON, as I am too pumped up. Instead, I go into the lobby with my brother and set up a stand to sell some of the CDs I made of Kow Otani's outstanding score for THE iDOL. �@ Happy to have survived the premiere of The iDol! �@ The New York crew, who are driving and have to get on the road, step out. I am inundated with congratulations. John and Kim have to get to the airport and I thank the two for taking the time from their busy schedule to be on hand for my film. Even normally ruthless critic Scooter gives me thumbs up and many positive remarks. However, I am most surprised by my editor Mike G�fs reaction. He seems to have genuinely enjoyed the movie. While I always plan to make movies that conform to my own sensibility and don�ft expect everyone to agree with what I do, it is nice to find confirmation from people I respect. Following a quick clean up in my hotel, I meet with the core group of Fantasia and head over to the night's dinner party. It is some Brazilian style restaurant where the waiters walk from table to table forking off various kinds of meat (ten kinds in all). I feel sorry for Brad, as he's a vegetarian. I don't think it could have been a more inappropriate choice for him. Will you stop pointing those blasted cameras in my face! I sit with Andre to my left and Bobby to my right. I stuff myself silly and chat with as many people as I can. I am happy to get a little one-on-one with Tony Timpone, who kindly mentions that he hates to lose me as a writer now that I clearly have a career in film lined up. Well, no one knows the future, but I plan to continue writing for Fangoria as it really is a good magazine and I believe it gives me invaluable access to sets, which keeps me in touch with the filmmaking process, thus increasing my ability as a director. I have to bear with Hiroo and Yagi-san who pass their time taking �gart�h photos of me with their digital cameras. From here we walk over to Brutopia for an evening of drinking and talking. I spend time talking with SYNESTHESIA director Toro Matsura and his lovely translator Serina. It turns out that Matsura used my friend Kenji Takama as his DP on SYNESTHESIA. I've known Takama-san since the set of PYROKINESIS back in 2000 and had in fact just spoken to him less than a week prior on the set of DEATH NOTE 2, which he is shooting for Shusuke Kaneko. Matsura turns out to be an extremely friendly, introspective man who is not shy to share his thoughts on cinema and life in Japan. With ultra-cool Ultraman director / producer Takashi Yagi Speaking with Matsura reminds me why my favorite people in Japan are ones in the film industry. Generally speaking, Japanese don�ft like to criticize anything, having been made to feel at some point in their upbringing that producing even the slightest negative feeling in another will cause them to perceived as a �ebad person.�f While this may sound admirable, it helps explain why corruption is rampant in Japan since it is met with near apathy by the public. However, it�fs my experience that Japanese filmmakers don�ft possess this touted �equality�f and are able to openly discuss life in an honest manner. Matsura is the type of guy who doesn�ft shy from asking life�fs tougher questions. Another guest of the show is Takeshi Yagi from Tsuburaya Productions. I first met Yagi-san years earlier when at Tsuburaya with my writer friend August Ragone. More recently, I spent time on the ULTRAMAN MAX set and was able to see him often. It is fun now to show him my filmmaking side, which he had no idea existed. Better yet, Yagi-san is enthusiastic in his praise for THE iDOL. Best of all, I am pleased when he says that had he not known the actual budget, as a producer, he would have pegged it as a quarter million dollar production. This is important because anyone can make a good-looking film given an endless supply of money. The real trick is to make a good-looking film for as little as possible. That's how one continues in this business. Yagi-san is a young-ish director with his own aspirations and finding our common ground, we spend a good portion of the night talking about film production and its many challenges. Can someone please get Bobby out of this shot! As the good times pass in the open air, I suddenly feel bad for guest coordinator Stephanie Trepanier as all of us are mostly speaking in Japanese. However, Yagi-san tries to use what English he can muster (which is much better than I expected), and of course, Serina is an excellent translator. Speaking of Serina, she turns out to be a cheerful addition to the evening and does a fabulous job of keeping people like Matsura-san within the conversation when it snaps back to English. I also think she has wonderful taste in clothing! Following this we travel over to a bar on the other side of town. By this time the long day is catching up with me, but I want to hook up with Mitch and am curious to see what he has in mind. Unfortunately, we get there just as things are winding down. Yet, I am happy when the DJ drops on �eSpanish Bombs�f by favorite band, The Clash. I have one interesting experience here. Having already had about 6 or 7 beers I am ready for a break from alcohol. With drink ticket in hand I approach the bar. Interrupting the tattooed barmaid, I place a drink order. iDOL DP Hiroo shows off how red really is his color "Orange what?" She comes back with. "Orange Juice, " I reiterate. What follows is a smirk that can only be read as, "You've GOT to be kidding." Even worse, she holds this disapproving look, suggesting with it that I am somehow a �eparty pooper�f for daring to order such a wimpy drink. I think to myself: Let's see... You serve liquid... I have ordered liquid... Lady, I'm failing to see the problem here! And they can break dance too! Holding my drink out, she makes sure to catch my eye once more to let me know that she considers my drink choice extremely uncool. For the sake of international peace, I leave an entire 75-cent tip. You know, this barely out of her teens bartender should really know better than to come across with such attitude, especially when she's talking with a guy who's hung out with Sex Pistol members back in the day and seen craziness the likes of which just may rival her experiences in wherever the hell dive bar it is we are! From here, Mitch wants to take us to a strip joint. More of that? Personally speaking, I�fm ready to head home. So, with Stephanie driving, she takes director Gary Sherman and me back to the hotel. I get to my room at 2:30am. One of the biggest days of my life is now a mere few hours past. I lie in bed and, possibly due to both the excitement and the jet lag, find myself unable to sleep. To my unabashed happiness, I discover a new spot on the ceiling... July 17, 2006 Norman, SYNESTHESIA director Toru Matsura and Yagi-san I spend the day taking it as easy as possible. My mom came out for the show and together with our friend Sandy, who I haven�ft seen in probably 25 years, we get breakfast. Sandy makes the mistake of saying good morning in French to the people in the restaurant and we wind up with French menus. Considering this point, I think one of the interesting aspects of Montreal is how both French and English cohabitate the city. Not that I�fm the most traveled man in the world, but I don�ft think I�fve been to a place where two languages thrive side by side. Certainly not in Japan, despite all the money they spend on English education, and certainly not in America where if they had their way all of �egod�fs creatures�f would speak English. I meet with Fantasia head guy Pierre in the afternoon for coffee and to discuss some business. I�fm glad for the time with him, especially during the show when I know he is at his busiest. Serina and I show why cool people dress alike That night I see SYNESTHESIA. Just before the show I introduce myself to Brenda Lieberman, who is with the Calgary Underground Film Festival. I�fd noticed Brenda at the Don May dinner the other night but wasn�ft properly introduced. Soon we catch up with Gary, who�fs film 39: A FILM BY CARROLL MCKANE is playing twice at the show. Gary�fs a semi-retired director with a dozen or so films under his belt. He�fs a lot of fun to talk with. I�fm most fascinated by an earlier remark of his in which he stated that the best way to view his new film is on an iPod. I have fun chiding him on this point. I've heard of the Northern Lights, but this is ridiculous! The three of us take seats in the theater. SYNESTHESIA turns out to be a decent film. It�fs a little long on talk, but as with many Japanese films, it approaches its subject in a visually lyrical way. It never ceases to amaze me how Japanese filmmakers can make low budget movies that look so much better than their budgetary counterparts around the world. It�fs one reason I only want to make films in Japan. After the film, director Matsura, aided by Serina working as translator, fields questions from the audience. Gary and I get a chuckle out of the clueless questions. Well, in the audience�fs defense, until you have actually made a film from start to finish it�fs difficult to truly understand the filmmaking process. Following the Q/A, I meet up with Matsura, Serina, Stephanie and a few others. I have a nice chat with a Fantasia volunteer who displays a strong love of Japan and things Japanese. But, as I have to leave tomorrow morning at 5am, there is no way I can stay out late (although it�fs already past midnight at this point). July 18, 2006 Wouldn�ft you know it, I have no trouble falling asleep. At 4:30am, I�fm pulled from sleep by my alarm and then go down to the lobby to check out and get driven to the airport. From the car window, I watch the sun fill the Montreal morning sky. I have a tiny pair of scissors confiscated by the diligent folk at airport security (which interestingly enough, is a US run station there to take care of this bit of nastiness before one enters the US). You know, it wouldn�ft be so bad about taking my stuff if they weren�ft such snots about it. Being a criminal and being treated as a criminal (or a potential one) are both inexcusable. The first leg of the trip is to Dallas. I sleep the whole way. At the Dallas airport I slog around feeling utterly wiped out. My luck final turns when I get an aisle seat on the return flight and no one in the seat beside me. I must sleep 10 of the 13 hours back to Japan, waking only when the smell of food brings me around. And having learnt my lesson on the flight over, I skip all the films on the plane. I�fm on the JR Narita express heading back to Shinjuku. It's drizzling out and the city is overcast with grey. The sound of the Japanese language returns as the background noise of life. My trip to Fantasia has exceeded my wildest dreams. I met many fantastic people, forged new friendships and was able to re-familiarize myself with friends not met in years. And then there is what I consider the triumphant screening of THE iDOL. It's an experience I will carry with me until the day I die.