Will I Ever Make a Motion Picture Again?

“I don't feel qualified to talk about my work.” -Buster Keaton

Will I ever make a motion picture again?

This is a loaded question, and if I have learned anything from my almost forty-three trips around the sun, it is that one NEVER says NEVERRR. Unless! it concerns entering a contest for a jar of M&Ms (if you read this Lisa Sickel - please know that I have not forgotten about this diamond of a moment in our lives)…

Not to go down a wacky dark hole into nothingness, but I simply can’t drop a letter of this exquisite caliber and dash. Plus! Aren’t the strange and unusual why you are here in the first place? I sincerely hope so. Picture it! The year is 2010 and we still don’t have flying Jetson cars. Benjamin and I return from a magical ten days in Hawaii. There is no other way to describe Hawaii other than pure MAGIC. I recall pouting on the jet plane as we made our return to the gray, smelly and dirt-filled Philadelphia.

At that point in my life I was working at a local grocery chain as a Human Resources Assistant and, upon my return to the drudgery, this thoughtful letter awaited. Prior to heading out on vacation, my coworker Lisa and I had brainstormed some Valentine’s Day activities for the store. One of these ideas was to guess the amount of M&Ms - clearly this customer did not approve of our fun. From this, a lesson was learned my friends: NEVER enter a contest for a jar of M&Ms.

Now back to the show… Will I ever make a motion picture again?

Of corpse… just not anytime soon. I have so many projects in the air at the moment. I am very much like a circus performer with many plates spinning in the air, praying that none of them hit the floor and shatter.

The idea of making another movie at this moment in my life nauseates me. Frankly, it also depresses me. Pizzaman - the short horror comedy that I made with my pal, Katie McBrown (and many others) took us close to ten years to see to completion. For those that have not watched it - shame on you! - Pizzaman is ten minutes in length. If one were to break it down… that is one year of our lives for every minute. I think about this way too often and it sends chills down my spine. Seeking money for a film terrifies me more so than finding money for the CINEMA CHURCH. I am not ready to devote my time/blood/sanity to another motion picture at this time. I yearn to create, and I feel that I was placed here on this planet to tell stories that are bizarre. Tales that the likes of Bela Lugosi or Boris Karloff would want to partake in. I truly believe this day will come, it is just not now. The future does, however, hold a mannequin movie set in Hawaii.

In the meantime… I don’t want to get rusty. One has to keep their skills honed and I don’t want to forget the importance of pointing (the real directors know how to point, just look at Mickey up there… POINTING with confidence).

More importantly, I have a gaggle of actors (seen here) awaiting their close-up. Something I have been working on over at MovieJawn is the art of asking for help. I have some ideas for miniature films that I want to create, and this coming week I have a meeting planned with a couple of my staffers that want to help. These will be little yarns that we can make on the fly. In fact, I have a series lined up that I think is truly needed, now more than ever: CINEMA ETIQUETTE. People need to be reminded that, when they enter a theater, they are entering a palace and one must RESPECT THE PICTURE. a Rosalie Kicks miniature movie coming soon to a screen near you…

I very much feel this is the calm before the storm. For the next couple weeks I plan to place much of my energy into getting my movie podcast, Cinematic Crypt back on track. It is time to descend into the crypt before hitting the road to partake in the slew of adventures that will take me into the sun. At the end of April I will be swooped up into a tornado that will carry me far and wide. Here’s what it is slated: Hitchcock Til’ You Drop at Mahoning Drive In, 35mm Film Festival at Ambler Theater, Salem Horror Festival, Columbus Moving Picture Show and Chattanooga Film Festival. Keep tabs on me at MovieJawn, where I will be sharing dispatches and updates.

As much I do feel rules are made to be broken, I also think there is value in adhering to boundaries and the creation of structure. Which is why I no longer want to be chasing my tail in terms of my podcast. I really need to start being more realistic about time and what I can do within my waking hours. This is why I am going to bank episodes. Additionally, going forward, if Sundae Matinee is not written by close of business Friday - well my friends, it is not happening until the following week.

Not sure if I shared this already… however, my plan is to invite my listeners back into the Crypt on Friday, June 13. I have many brainstorms cooking in my laboratory for the show, including a Patreon that I am hopeful to get going in the fall. There is no reason to be shy about this: I need your coins and really hope there are some kind folks out there in the world want to support my examinations of Hollywood’s bygone era beyond what I am doing on the regular program.

I will continue to offer the regular programming of Cinematic Crypt for free which will examine films that tie-in to the current MovieJawn zine theme. The Summer 2025 print issue of MovieJawn will feature Cinematic Cats & Canines. I am very excited about the film selections I have made with my fellow Classic Coroner, Dr. Ashley Jane Carruthers and we even have some guest appearances planned. More on this soon.

This week I am proud of… the forty-five staffers we are about to add to MovieJawn’s roster.

On an annual basis the quarterly print magazine and website that I serve as Editor in Chief of, MovieJawn puts a call out for new film writers to add to our staff. This year we received seventy applications. With the help of fellow MovieJawners, we reviewed each of the applicants and made selections. This was the toughest year, as the competition was stiff. Something that really amazed me as I went through the applications was the love that people have for what we are doing at MovieJawn. It was a wonderful reminder to not only keep going, but that what we are working on and towards is truly special. My heart grew many sizes after going through this exercise.

I am excited to bring these new folks onboard and feel the future is bright for MovieJawn. Not only do I think we are adding some amazing writers, but I anticipate that some of them will play a role in our growth and, ultimately, the creation of CINEMA CHURCH.

This week I recommend… watching Peter Ibbetson (1935)

The movie podcast YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS is one that continues to lead me to such perfectly splendid motion pictures. It was podcast host, Karina Longworth that acquainted me with the film: Peter Ibbetson

In reading the synopsis on IMDb, I would not fault one for thinking this would be a snooze: A Victorian-era architect commissioned by the Duke of Towers to design his stables falls in love with the Duchess.

I am here to tell you that this brief summary in no way, shape or form does this film justice. Not only is this one of the most beautifully shot movies (from the same cinematographer behind The Uninvited and The Ghost And Mrs. Muir) but the story itself is absolutely wild in the best way possible: it gets supernatural.

If you want to give your eyeballs a sweet treat this Sunday afternoon, Henry Hathaway's Peter Ibbetson is the perfect delicacy. It is available now on YouTube here (free). For physical media lovers... procure a Blu-ray copy of Peter Ibbetson from Kino Lorber here (it is on sale too).

Happy you are here.xx.goodbye.

Tell a friend.