10.11.08

As they say just before "My Guitar Gently Weeps" on the BEATLES WHITE ALBUM,

"HEY ALL!"

Wow this 'blog' is rockin', I'm trying to get it down to about one entry a year... Anyway, a lot to report. First as you will see on our home page, I've been busy creating VIDEO ESSAYS. This springs from the brilliant mind of Kevin B. Lee over at his site SHOOTING PICTURES.  If you are any shade of cinephile then you probably already know of the amazing work he does over there. If you haven't then you are in for a treat. I want to thank Kevin (who I now count as a good mate) for the invite. If you peruse through all the notable and scholarly critics that have worked with Kevin, you'll understand why his invitation meant a lot to me. Thanks again, Kev.

Now the real BIG NEWS!

We are officially in PRE-PRODUCTION for the shooting of GOD'S LAND! The estimable JEREMIAH KIPP has come on-board as producer and already has us off to the races! We will commence our first shooting day at the end of the month. Again this will be quality cinema for little money, the shooting will stretch out from now til next year with an aim for completion in time for the summer festival deadlines. Once again the splendiferous ARSENIO ASSIN will be handling the lenses and GUISEPPE will grumble his way through the edit.

We will be shooting around the NYC/Long Island area so if you or anyone you know want to volunteer on a small film set in any department, let me know. There will be no pay but I can probably sling you some grub. This could be a good chance to learn from some pretty experienced film professionals without having donate your first born to a local well-to-do university. If interested, see the CONTACT page.

That about does it for now. We'll be back with updates of the shoots, some pictures, maybe a diary of some sort. In the meantime, go to NetFlix and put JONES on your queue here

All the best,

PM

03.16.08

"JONES is a find." -Amy Taubin
Mar/Apr FILM COMMENT

Greetings,
Hope life is going well for ya! Things are very merry down at the Tandoor. In the latest issue of FILM COMMENT, JONES is featured as the  'Self-Distribution Pick'  of the Mar./Apr edition! A short review of the DVD is given by the venerable AMY TAUBIN. This is one of the greatest moments in the life of JONES. Ms. Taubin has  been a leading film critic, with the Village Voice, Sight & Sound and other places for over three decades. 

I found her email address and with no expectations, asked if she would be interested in peeping out JONES and included the synopsis. Uncharacteristically for these kind of things (a one-in-a-million unknown filmmaker asking a top critic to spend valuable time to watch their no-budget film) she accepted. I sent it along and wished it good luck at the bottom of the inevitable pile of disks that must live in any critic's space. I didn't think much about it until I got a call a few weeks later on my cell phone from an unrecognized number; at work no less, in the middle of a meeting. (I work in a place that has absolutely nothing to do with cinema, art or self-expression of almost any kind.) I said, 'Hello, this is Preston Miller.' The voice quickly returned, "this is Amy Taubin" and then something to the effect of "I really liked your film." My first thought was 'who the fuck has the sack to pretend to be Amy Taubin?' I mumbled something like, "uh...thanks..." I then excused myself from my meeting. As she started talking, I thought less about brilliance of this wicked joke and more that, 'Holy Shit, its Amy Taubin...talking about JONES!!!' I recovered enough to actually participate in the conversation and from what I do remember we discussed long tracking shots, Haruki Murakami and the prospects of the DVD. I also seem to remember going overboard thanking her profusely for the kind words.

I know this is hardly becoming of me to behave like this, getting all gushy because a leading critic in the industry showed me some praise. I know I should be a little more  rational regarding this kind of thing. But when I think how long and how hard the journey has been just to get to this point, and how many hundreds of rejections we've endured. I say fuck it, I'm going to take our little nugget of vindication and polish it and talk to it and keep it warm and safe. The feeling it gives me is not of superiority over nay-sayers and haters, but of hope that this fever-dream we're trying to make a life of might come to pass, yet.

Please pick up a copy of FILM COMMENT at any large newsstand in America. If your local magazine shop is unsavory for any reason, you can order a copy by mail from Lincoln Center here.

In the NYC area, we are talking with independent DVD shops to get JONES on the shelves for purchase or rental. We'll have more details of the shops once  the locations are set. If you know of any other joints in other towns that might want to stock JONES, drop us a email. As always, you can purchase a copy here, or if you prefer AMAZON.

In addition, we do have a listing on Netflix! Please add us to your Saved Movies. Netflix will only request our film if they get enough of a demand. So next time you find yourself fixing your queue, remember to select JONES.

A number of you have visited us at Facebook and MySpace. If you haven't, click on the links and lets become friends, I'll accept!

Finally, a word on future projects: Thanks to the relative success of JONES, we are now talking to actors, producers, moneyed-folk, etc. to set up the 'next project.' When all that fizzles out; we'll just pick up the camera and mike (and the aforementioned nugget and knock it out ourselves. We WILL have a new film by the end of the year!

Please visit the DISHWASHING DETECTIVE! It's kinda hidden in the YouTube videos I have up there. I wanted to include it on the JONES DVD, but couldn't due to a few contractual things. You will see a few folks from the cast and crew of JONES and perhaps get a laugh.

Guess that's it, as always I'd love to hear your comments. As my dear cousin George says, "May the good Lord bless ya real good!"

best,
pm

01.09.08

Top o' the New Year to you!

I've already made good on my resolution of getting more sleep, hence the belated New Years greeting. Now if I can be as faithful to those other pesky resolutions...

2007 was a tremendous year for VPW. JONES made its big screen debut in NYC and the DVD was completed simultaneously. A new script was completed and will move into production in the New Year. Our man in Britain, cinematographer Arsenio Assin got married, artful musician Leify found a new roommate, cutting Giuseppe finally got a futon, purdy wife got a Wii, titular Trey has a good feeling about the post-season and nifty Nikhil's vocab has blossomed. Favorite words and phrases include 'it’s delicate', 'pay attention!' and the belly-tickler… 'butt-cream'! Gets a howl every time.

About JONES: We want to thank everyone who supported us by their physical and spiritual presence at the Pioneer. It meant very much to me, in particular, to have such an overwhelming reception. I can't really tell you how gratifying it is to finally feel some reaction after years of hard work. This isn't theater when you realize fairly quickly a response from an audience. Contrary to a few opinions, I do create films for an audience, not just me. There are many, many frustrating hours staring at a monitor, chiseling away wondering if its at all valid. Not everyone liked JONES and I'm glad about that. At least it made it out of my head and heart so people could determine for themselves. In addition, through the preparation and release of JONES we met a lot of great, new friends. That in itself made 2007 a great year. Didn't get to see it? The DVD is available with loads of extras here. The PAL version should be available for our Euro friends within a couple months, so stay tuned.

Now, I'm not big on lists; year-end, all-time, Oscars or otherwise. I find them entertaining to read (occasionally) but ultimately restricting and a waist of time. It’s cool to see what choices the people you respect make and why. But lists are a snap-shot of what the person liked at the point of time they created the list. It will be completely different in a few days. Now I'm no critic, (wife laughs) and perhaps its a requirement for their professions to generate these snap-shots, but I can't put a lot of value into them. That being said, for those of you who care, JONES received votes in two best-of lists this year: the indieWIRE and the Village Voice\LA Weekly (and I am actually quite proud that Trey and Amy got recognized) Check out the ranking and results by clicking on the category:

VILLAGE VOICE\LA WEEKLY

BEST FILM
JONES

BEST ACTOR
Trey Albright

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Chiang

BEST FIRST FILM
JONES

indieWIRE

BEST FILM
JONES

BEST PERFORMANCE
Trey Albright

BEST FIRST FILM
JONES 

As far as some of my favorites, not a list mind you, but a group of films that seriously moved me in one or many ways:

-The re-release of THE LANDLORD by Hal Ashby was my favorite film I saw at the theater this year. I have always been a fan of Ashby's 70s work but the intensity of this film put me on my heels. I don't usually respond to films that have equal parts, comedy, politics, morality message, drama and real character examination. A brilliantly prepared meal that should have too many dishes but to me comes off perfectly balanced. An absolute rarity. Can't wait for it to come out on DVD to give as B-day gifts. A very close second was KILLER OF SHEEP followed by MY BROTHER'S WEDDING. What a trip Charles Burnett has been on through his career. I got to briefly meet him an shake his hand earlier in the year and that was one of my personal highlights. I WANT TO SLEEP ALONE was another favorite. One of my favorite scenes had the protagonist and his woman trying to make love in a filthy dust storm complete with bags on their faces to make their breathing easier.

I also want to mention I'M NOT THERE for the sheer imagination and experimentation of it. We need more films like this that attempt to reach beyond the frame.

CONTROL and THERE WILL BE BLOOD also made deep impressions on me.

Also check out the solo disks of the immortal Ray Davies. His latest, WORKING MAN'S CAFE is sublime. Its available via import from Europe but is due to have a release in the States sometime in Feb/Mar. Few musicians of any age writes as 'cinematically' as Davies does. A real treat to listen to his songs and hear unique stories that have a very original character studies and POVs.

So that's about it, back to bed, uh... the daily grind. Looking forward to showing JONES in a few regional theaters and having a new film out by the end of the year. Keep checking back here every couple of weeks or so for updates.

Might as well have a great year! It beats the alternative.

pm

09.29.07

Hear ye! Hear ye, and ye and ye and ye! The autumn wind carries News from VPW!!!! (as well as the pleasing aroma of garlic naan!)

First of all, JONES is returning to NYC for an week long stay at the Two Boots Pioneer Theater East 3rd Street, between Avenues A and B (closer to A) * New York City * USA JONES will run from Dec 13th to the 19th. This will be your best chance yet to truly support a truly independent film! Special guests will be in attendance throughout the week, we'll drop a schedule on you closer to the dates. Please tell all your mates to come out, especially if you are in the NY area. We are also looking at additional venues; some close, some far. If you'd like JONES to roll into your burgh or college town, feel free to invite us or suggest a venue.

Also, we are finalizing the DVD to sell at the screenings and on our website. The JONES DVD will be a lovely package packed with extras. Among some we are working on:
- deleted scenes
- complete scores of Leify's music
- shorts by PM
- commentary by Nikhil Miller (he can talk now)
- trailers and more

JONES DVD will be available in early December. We are also re-upping our levels at the VPW store and will have lots of nifty items for sell around the time of the screening, just in time for gift giving during the holidays!...or just for warmth. Check back in a couple of months.

Also there have been quite a few updates on the site. They are not merely decorative, but also highly functional! Really!

In the GOD'S LAND section, check out the link to the REAL manifestos and materials from the CHEN TAO (aka: God Saves The Earth Flying Saucer Foundation). Our story takes place around 1998, by the dates on the material, its interesting to see how they've moved on since then.

Also we have hand-selected a handful of handy links to our favorite VINDALOO recipes on the web. No fork required, just a steaming slab of fresh naan from the tandoor!

Coming within the next couple of weeks we will post some older shorts from VPW. In a matter of days, we will unleash the coup de grace! Edits from TRYST OF BLUE: Sound featuring the immortal Soumitra Chatterjee will be available from that fabled 2001 shoot in India. (A lot closer to Darjeeling than Mr. Anderson ever got!) I know this to be true because as I sit at the computer to type this, I notice Giuseppe has left a warm seat, a bottle of pepto, his cell phone and a picture of the Blue Man in the editing panel. So before he returns and accuses me of "harshin' his rhythm," I bid you, adieu! (and yieu and yieu and yieu)

pm

09.25.07

Happy Birthday, Spurgon Scrompins!!! We are so happy that you look less and less like your Dad every year.

08.26.07

Thanks again to all who came to the premiere of JONES. It was a wonderful evening and a great success. We got a chance to see a lot of old friends and make a lot of new ones. If you were unable to make it last Wednesday (Giuseppe...), you were missed. We will do our best to keep you up to date on our next screenings and also when the DVD of JONES will be ready.

A big thanks to Barney, Bill and everyone at the NewFilmmakers Series and the Anthology Film Archive for ensuring a smooth screening. Please People, do your best to get down there and support this great series and this great institution.

Also we received a little bit of press from the venerable internet. Check it out from theREELER and  blogSPOUT.

In the meantime, one new script has been finished and awaiting a start date from the producer and another script is well underway. With the grace of the powers that be, SOMETHING will begin shooting in early 2008.

While you're here waiting for that next VPW project to bear fruit, refresh yourself by visiting the GOD'S LAND RADIO SHOW  for audio snippets of the audio screenplay. I'm sure you'll enjoy it and its free!!!!

As always, we love to hear from you; what you thought of the screening, what you saw at the cinema lately, whatever. We will do our best to respond quickly. Thanks again for stopping by and we'll speak soon.

pm

Bill Woods of the NewFilmmakers Series with Preston Miller

06.03.07

Howdy All!

I know its been a good long while since I sent an update and I hope this missive will more than make up for it. Good news has come in the shape of an acceptance email this past  weekend! It looks like JONES has a spot in this season's New Filmmakers Series at the Anthology Archive on August 15! Come on down and bring everyone you've ever met, its only 5 bucks! I'll be there as will as many of the cast and crew I can rustle up (or rastle down!) Please come out to show your support, and after maybe we can chat over a drink about what will certainly be one of the most unforgettable cinema outings you'll likely attend all year. The New Filmmakers link is here: www.NewFilmmakers.com
In conjunction with this auspicious moment in (our) cinema history, Giuseppe decided to hunker down and finish the JONES trailer. It should be up on this web-site and other places by the end of June, I'll let you know. If you're on the fence about attending the Aug. 15th show, hopefully this trailer will move you to get your JONES on, (so its on you, Giuseppe!)

There is even talk that a DVD version of JONES will be available at the screening. This entirely depends on how much time I can devote to it over the next couple of months. I will push hard but if its not available then it definitely will be from this site soon after.

For a quick update on UN-JONESED matters; a new screenplay has been completed by mine own hand titled HOW I CAME INTO THIS WORLD, based on an idea from another  person's own hand. Its a comedy that will hopefully go into production this fall. I hope to have more info soon such as producing partners, cast, crew and exciting volunteering opportunities.

Just reminding you to take advantage of our nifty audio links with portions of the GOD'S LAND RADIO SHOW available just for you.

Also, drop in and see how we've been dragged kicking and screaming back to the comfy life of a late adolescent never experienced, by taking advantage of our very own MySpace page. A big toothy grin to the first 5 people who can correctly identify Victor Erice! Check it out www.myspace.com/vindaloophilmwallah 

Finally, I don't care to use this forum for personal business, but I just want to mention that earlier this month my Granny passed. Of course this is personal but it also has a lot to do with me professionally. My Granny was a tremendous storyteller. She preferred humorous stories but could be moved by serious ones as well. She would agree that HOW the story was told was of equal importance to the story itself. She wrote occasionally but was unmatched as an oral storyteller. I knew I wanted to make films since early college in NC. Using angles, colors, light, sound, editing, and actors added dimensions to what was written on the page. It is all part of the telling of a story. Her love for storytelling certainly
influenced my career choice. I enjoy stories, too. That's how I got here. Fortunately, she got to read a few things that I wrote and enjoyed most of my early, less esoteric shorts. For those of you that knew her she had a huge personality. The matriarch character in the TASTE section of TRYST OF BLUE was written with her outsized presence in mind. The Granny in God's Land is also written for her. Even though this character is quiet and not like my Granny in that respect, there is one scene towards the end where we see young OLLIE getting beaten up by some bullies in the dirt playground. Granny somehow hears his anguished cries and comes running in a cloud of dust to shoo the boys away and dust off her grandbaby. That scene actually played out in my playground when I was a little boy. When GOD'S LAND is complete, it will be dedicated to her. I think she liked that story. Although I don't think she would like JONES very much, though, but what 95 year old would? I think when she passed she was proud of me that I try to tell stories for a living. That means a lot. Thanks for everything, Granny.

Now, on with the show! Hope everyone is in good health in cyberland, look forward to meeting you on the 15th of August.

 

08.10.06

Friends, Romans and Countrymen! Lend me your ears!!!

First of all Romans, Congrats on that World Cup thing! The Azzurri sure have a way with words. Well, I don't know if I can be as provocative, but I do have some 'flava' for your ear. Finally, after many, many (many) months, I'm proud to say THE GOD'S LAND RADIO SHOW has arrived! As you may or may not know, this is an audio production of an original screenplay I wrote.

So which is it? A radio show or an audio production? Well its not really a radio show as this was never really designed to be on the radio. All the voices, sound effects and music were recorded individually and spliced in. Only once did we have multiple actors in the room, and even then due to skimpy recourses we only had one small microphone so the other actors had to sit and wait (quietly) for their turn. Everyone here was exceptionally gracious to help us out on this. You will see their names listed, when you are done here flip over to www.imdb.com and look a few of them up to see what else they have done. An awfully talented group and I am very lucky to have caught them between various work in films, TV, Disney-related events, birthin' babies and trips to Asia! Special thanks to Raj & Sonia, my bro and sis-in-law for letting us use their very convenient and very air-conditioned Manhattan apartment to do a good deal of the recording. Also a big thanks goes to Pia, the wife, for looking after Nikhil, the unstoppable, in the evenings while Giuseppe* and I edited this together for what felt like and really was months.

What this really is, is an Audio Production with the intent to raise funds for the film. This is a nifty new way of 'gettin the message heard' as it were. Established producers, in which we are constantly seeking out 'the good ones' have stacks and stacks of visually unadorned screenplays sitting in all strange recesses never to see light of day due to the fact that there is not enough time to read them all. With our handy Audio Production, savvy moneyed-folk on-the-go can download our mp3s to their ipods or for the vintage set, pop the cds in their walkmans. Also, this audio thingy will be our first 'extra' when Criterion comes begging for the rights to manufacture the DVD of GOD'S LAND. (Good thinkin' Giuseppe!)*

As you've read elsewhere on the site, we want to shoot in 35mm in Texas and Taiwan. This, of course is not cheap. Well, we all know that what we want and what we get are usually two different things. Regardless of what we have, we are setting down a firm start date for principal photography in the Spring with some of the second unit material to even be shot before, as in this Oct./Nov. If you dig the excerpts here and want to listen to the entire show, let me know and I will somehow get it to you. Even though we are keeping production costs of these disks as low as possible, they do cost money to make. Nonetheless, the idea is to spread the awareness of the project as far and as wide as we can until it gets made. So any donations for the cause, great or small will be appreciated. Please note that if you feel that you would like to invest in GOD'S LAND, either with your time or your money, you will obviously receive priority (and even a cool little booklet created by yours truly.) So thanks for taking the time to have a listen and please, let me know what you think.

So click below for the big show!

 THE GOD'S LAND RADIO SHOW  

Finally, in the TRYST OF BLUE section I have a rare diary entry that I wrote as we shot in India back in September of 2001. In recognition of our upcoming tragic 5-year anniversary, I thought that posting this might be interesting. Everyone has their own "I was ____ when ____ happened." I was the only Caucasian in a tiny village in India trying with no money to shoot a piece about religious strife. I was married for exactly one month when 9/11 occurred and was frightened to the core. But, the thing I will remember most about my 9/11 experience is how lovingly I was taken care of by a group of multi-religious film professionals and more importantly, very kind souls.

Coming in recent months we will be making the JONES DVD available for purchase so check back for that.

So enjoy all the new content, take a read and have a listen. And please, if you don't like anything particularly passionately that was said here, keep your headbutts to yourself.

Best

pm

* Faguloso Giuseppe would hereby like it to be known that he wishes to simply be called 'Giuseppe', much to his companion's chagrin. (and his lovely Mother, too.)

10.17.05

Hell of a Blog this has turned out to be! Nonetheless, the devil's hands have not been idle. Quite a few things to report, none of which, sadly are the oft promised trailers for JONES and TRYST OF BLUE-Sound. They'll be comin' round the bend (hopefully) before you'll be carvin' yer turkey dinner. Now for the good stuff!!!

We've been accepted to the ETHICS OF ENTERTAINMENT CONFERENCE & FILM FESTIVAL. This is a non-competitive festival in its first year being held in and near Arizona State University in Tempe, AZ. The dates are from October 20-24 and Jones is scheduled to play Friday night (21st) and Saturday afternoon (22nd). I am going to try to make it on short notice so if you are wanderin' the desert this weekend, stop on by and say "Hi". I hear that former Justice Sandra Day O'Connor will be there and so we reckon that it was fortunate that she decided to step down BEFORE screening JONES. We understand that it gets pretty warm under those robes. Anyway, this will be the first invited public screening so you can imagine that we're pretty hopped-up and excited.

 In an unrelated item, we have received requests to screen JONES in the LA area so that will also be on the agenda in the near future.

All this time while I was telling everyone I was working on trailers, I was actually back in the kitchen working on a whole different dish! The GOD'S LAND Radio Show!  This is a very exciting project in which I've taken the script of GOD'S LAND and with the aid of some very talented actors, created an audio presentation complete with sound effects and music, (kinda like a radio show). It will become available in its full version (approx. 2hrs.) and a version with selected scenes. Also, I will post the extensive Credits List so everyone who worked hard can get their praise. The first scintillating audio files should be appearing on this site before you can empty yer Halloween bags on the floor and pawn off the Special Dark Chocolates on the young and the weak.

In addition, the new script tentatively called HEADING HOME is coming right along. Stylistically similar to the recent Gus van Sant films, this original screenplay is about a contractor who becomes a trucker in Iraq to relieve his debt back home only to be captured and decapitated. His journey then begins as he visits his past to see what led to this and his present as he negotiates with other decapitation victims in the purgatorial ether to get his head back. I should be dotting the last I and crossing the last T (on the keyboard, of course) by the time your last eye closes awaiting Santa's chimney descent.

Well, that's it for now. I believe we're all caught up. I will try in earnest to update at least once a month. Next time I will post some new photos, some new links and maybe even a tasty treat from the kitchen.

thanks for your support and well-wishes,

pm  

07.12.05

Howdy all, guess this is the makeshift blog for now. Last week at the conclusion of the annual Bengali convention, held this year at Madison Square Garden, I was able to meet and chat with one of the stars of the cultural programs. It was none other than our old friend and my favorite living actor SOUMITRA CHATTERJEE. Briefly, he was also one of Satyajit Ray's favorite actors casting him as the lead in a great number of his films. (He was the adult APU!!!) He is also the lead in our own TRYST OF BLUE - Sound. We chatted, had some chai and sweets thanks to our hosts, and caught up on old times. I don't think he minds me saying that he still is the premiere theater actor/director in Kolkata as well as constantly working in television and film. He's also a hell of nice chap and it was good to see him after a while. Once I have the trailer up in August you can see a small portion of his talent. Until then look at almost any Ray film to see one of the greatest actors of your time. Here he is on 07.05.05 with myself and my son Nikhil.

CLICK HERE TO SEE PICTURES OF SOUMITRA CHATTERJEE from 07.05.05!!!

Also be sure to look in the JONES Photo Gallery for a bunch of new stills!

See you soon,

pm

Greetings All,

Hope you like the site, like the FDR its constantly under construction so stop by often. Loads more content for JONES coming up like more screenings announcements, links to cast & crew bios, and coming soon the Almighty Trailer!! Looking forward to your feedback. In the GOD'S LAND section a "promotional video" will be appearing soon featuring real footage of the real members of the religious group. That, I tell you is a trip! Later in the summer there will be a Trailer for the Sound section of TRYST OF BLUE as well as diaries and photos from the shoot. (We were in India shooting during 9.11.01!) Also, news will be forthcoming on the new project tentatively called HEADING HOME. The script will be done in a month or so if all goes according to plan. Briefly, its the fictitious tale of a contractor in Iraq that gets captured and decapitated, the perpetual loser revisits the fractured days leading up to the gruesome event as a headless spectre. More "Sunset Blvd." than "Ghost", I assure you! Otherwise, please turn others on to this site so we can get some films made and sent out to your local theater!

best,

pm

See our snaps from the JONES wrap party.

 CLICK HERE!!!