Cinequest - Day 6 - Games hotels play.

Monday. A day of rest for us. We slept in, missing continental breakfast at the Clarion Hotel. In life, there is a can-do attitude in the service industry which we all know brings smiles to the faces of children and adults alike. On the other side is the can-don't attitude, which is the Clarion Hotel incarnate. It's like a hotel in a horror movie with a pleasant facade but a seething evil permeating its walls, employees, and amenities. If you ever come to Silicon Valley, do not stay here. Alex said he'd rather stay in a whorehouse. Having never stayed in one of those, I'm not sure I'd want to, but I'd certainly consider it if it was like the whorehouse on the pier in the Marquez book Love in the Time of Cholera where Florentino Ariza loses his virginity. Not that it sounds particularly cozy, but it is romanticized.

Downtown, we discovered the glory that is the Cinequest Hospitality Suite. Furnished with free Red Bull, snacks, hot coffee, and a bank of laptops with high speed internet, it became our HQ for the day. We saw a really interesting film called Slumming which featured a portrayal of drunkard homelessness unlike anything I've ever seen. I was a little worn out watching it so I think I missed a little of its power, but it was nonetheless a fascinating and stimulating piece of work.

We didn't completely shirk our promoting duties. We put a poster in the window of this Vegan Cafe. The owner said he's heard of our film and is going to try to make our 'Final Engagement' on Saturday. He was cool, and by cool I mean he cursed enthusiastically. It definitely seemed like a place Archie would frequent. San Jose is actually an Archie kind of town. Lots of casual bike riders.

We had a interview with one of the editors(or THE editor) of the Metro here in San Jose. He saw our WP on Friday and loved the film. As we were waiting for him in the Paragon bar, a server informed us that some people wanted to buy Katie, Alex, and I a drink. Pinney and Tony were also there, but the server made a point of saying it was just the three of us that were to be treated. The journalist arrived right then and we had to go somewhere quieter to conduct the interview so we didn't really have a chance to take advantage of those drinks, which I feel bad about. I hope those folks don't think we were rude. Back in the Cinequest Hospitality Suite, we sat around for about an hour talking about the film. He has a weekly column in which he writes about whatever he wants, usually a cult movie topic. It felt very comfortable and friendly, like he was a fan of the movie first and a journalist second. I usually feel like I choke during press events, but I think I'm improving based on my experience with this one. I look forward to reading his piece. I learn things about Archie just talking about scenes in the film and talking about the character more and more. I love relating stories of the production to the press. I feel like Blood Car is a fairy tale story in the middle of its writing.



Regretfully, I have to tell you that Alex and Katie seem to do nothing but fight these days. Just the other day on the light rail platform, I snapped these incriminating photos. Alex's temper is boiling over and he's destroying everything in sight from the ground up. I think Adam is next and then maybe me. Look at him smiling. He thinks it's all fun and games and he should be proud of violence. He's a basket case. (JOKE)

A little game for you blog readers below. We reenacted some famous paintings. You can make your guesses in the comments section. Difficulty level: 2.