Tonight, Friday the 30th, is the grand opening of the 826LA Mar Vista Time Travel Mart! 826LA, as you may know, is the Los Angeles branch of 826 National, a nonprofit tutoring center for kids (focusing on writing).
Their newest tutoring center is right in my neighborhood, in Mar Vista on the west side of LA. I’m pleased to announce that the Time Travel Mart will be stocking Wondermark books and posters, the proceeds of which will benefit 826LA. I’m doing some volunteer tutoring and design work for them as well — it’s a great organization and I’m pleased to be a part of it.
Join us from 7-10 PM tonight for the grand opening party! Or visit 826la.org to learn about becoming a volunteer (or 826national.org to find a branch near you).
Tonight (Monday the 19th) I’ll be performing with my improv team “Battlesocks” at M.i.’s Westside Comedy Theater in Santa Monica! It’s a FREE show that starts at 8pm.
If you can’t make it tonight, I’ll be performing again December 3rd and December 17th. Come see the show!
Here’s a teaser trailer (posted above; here’s the longer theatrical trailer) for the new movieSave the Date. (I’ve mentioned it before.) My friend Michael Mohan directed and co-wrote the movie, which is based on the graphic novels of Jeffrey Brown (author of the recent bestseller Darth Vader and Son.) It stars Lizzy Caplan and Alison Brie, and it’s very good!
The movie has just premiered on Amazon and iTunes for instant streaming! It’ll be in select theaters in December, as well. More info on the movie’s Facebook page.
Mike talks about the making of the movie on the screenwriter John August’s blog:
…A blessing in disguise: that August I was laid off (apparently people download music illegally off the internet?), so I grabbed my team and made a short film. Yes, I had already made a feature film that had played festivals, but I really wanted to take this new process and apply it to narrative. We shot it for next to nothing, and worked in the spirit of the music videos: quickly and intuitively. We filmed it over the course of a weekend, by that Friday it was done. It was the most creatively fulfilling experience of my life.
I still had the feature script to finish, but no job to clock in to. I had earned a free flight, so I went to my parents’ house in rural Massachusetts. They don’t have wi-fi, and therefore it was one of the most productive periods of my entire life. Finally I was able to focus, energized from the experience of making the short. Jeffrey and Egan were on speed dial, should I need them. And the instant I had a decent enough draft of Save the Date, I booked my return ticket back to Los Angeles…
I just want to sell the movie for what it is, you know? The thing that’s kind of tricky about the film is that it’s not like these crazy things happen. It’s not the most extreme relationship movie, it’s not the Community/Party Down laugh-a-thon riot. I think that the risks that the film takes are by having these characters just be real. They aren’t extreme. For me, I just want to make sure that when people see the film, they know, “This is a film that I made for you. This is a film about you. This is about real people.” We’re avoiding the stereotypes, but we’re not like “Screw Hollywood!” It’s just a real film…
And here’s a review from a random guy who just turned it on to check it out:
…Based solely off the cast, I had expected a typical romantic-comedy with actors I enjoyed and something that would leave me with a smile at the end. And, though I did not get that, I got something else — something better — out of it. I felt the disparity, the heartbreak, the joy, and the fear that every character felt. I was watching a movie with actors acting a role, yes. But, at the same time, I felt as if I had begun to take an honest look at every experience I might have ever had, acted out by famous people. I saw the heartbreak in Kevin, the stress in Beth, the fear in Sarah; and I realized that “Save the Date” was something a little more…[it’s] a smart, blunt, adorable, and tender movie that reminds us all of the realities we have to deal with. Rent it for $10 dollars or see it in a month from now. I fell in love with it. Maybe you will too.
I graduated from film school with Mike in 2002. Ten years later, he has a feature film coming to theaters nationwide. I couldn’t be more proud of this guy. I hope you enjoy his movie!
BONUS LINK: The soundtrack to the movie is by Hrishikesh Hirway, AKA The One AM Radio. If you haven’t heard The One AM Radio, I totally recommend checking him out; I love his music.
My former assistant Zachary Sigelko (who made today’s guest comic) recently moved to Chicago, and right now he’s in a play at the Signal Ensemble Theater called Funeral Wedding: The Alvin Play. (Zach’s the one with the accordion.)
I don’t know much about it, except that it seems creepy and cool and Gorey-esque — in other words, perfect for Halloween! Tickets are here; the show runs through Nov. 17 with a special Halloween show next Wednesday.
I’ve asked Zach if he wants me to try and get him a new job in Chicago and he has always responded politely and noncommittally. BUT I PROCLAIM, if you need a smart, friendly, funny employee in the Chicagoland area, you could do a lot worse than to hire Zach. Email me and I’ll put you in touch with him.
EDITED TO ADD: If you’re in Los Angeles this Friday (October 26), check out my friends performing in the Tin Pan Radio Theater, a fully improvised, live-on-stage 1930’s radio show! I saw this show last time it ran and it’s great.
This is the first time I’ve seen them try to assemble a coherent narrative (of sorts) out of their re-dubs. Usually it’s silly non sequitur stuff like this hilarious Mitt Romney piece:
“I bought two zebras and tamed a parrot named Mr. Future.” I could watch this stuff all day.
