This is the website for the film WORMWOOD. The film has been three years in the making. It is basically done and now we hope to find distribution for it. Look for it in a theater (or video store) near you, some day soon, with luck.

During the long process of making the film, I have changed my mind about a lot of things. The film has been both therapy and catharsis.

I have always wanted to make movies, but, like most people, I couldn't dream of doing so unless I played Hollywood's game. I would have to write a script and hope someone would like it, or I would go to Hollywood and get a job in a studio and work my way up to director.

Well, I tried the latter and know many people who attempted the former. Both ways suck. Basically you have to play Hollywood's game and play by their rules if you ever want to make movies. You have to conform and kiss ass and look up to assholes who possess as much talent as a pile of manure.

I had never given up my dream, but I put it aside for many years. I am 46 years old. For 8 years I taught film at the University of Arizona in their Media Arts Department. I helped countless students learn the basics of film production. Most of them wanted to be just like Steven Spielberg. I told them to go to Hollywood. That was the only way to get into film. Hollywood was the place to be.

I would tell them some horror stories about Hollywood. I would warn them about what will be expected of them. But, all in all, I urged them to go. They would never make a movie in Tucson, Arizona (that's where the University of Arizona is!).

Then came Digital.

I was a film purist. I've never liked video as much as film. Then, like many others, I saw THE CELEBRATION, shot on digital video. I was very pleased with what I saw. I had already begun to write my screenplay, with 16mm in mind, but, suddenly, everything changed. I could save thousands of $$$ if I shot digital.

So, digital it was. Everything just fell into place. There were troubles along the way, but, goddammit, I was making a movie. It was my movie. Whether it succeeded or not, it was my vision and no one else's.

Now I would urge young people everywhere DON'T go to Hollywood. Stay where you are and make your own movies. Buy some books and magazines, watch a lot of older movies, buy a cheap digital camera, and then make your own goddammed movies!! I would also have to say, don't go to film school. It is a complete waste of time and money. Make your own goddammed movies. If you're gonna throw money away, it might as well be on your own movie, not a movie that some asshole film instructor tells you to make. The argument I made just a few years ago was that film school was good because of the access to equipment. Now, with digital video, I would say that argument is moot.

This website, hopefully, will serve a few purposes. I want to tell the true story of Wormwood Studios and show the hell that is Hollywood. People who are ignorant of what goes on in Hollywood will, hopefully, be enlightened by what is depicted in the film and by what they will read here.

Whenever I go to Hollywood, all I see is death. The city (meaning L.A. in general) is a city of the 'driving' dead. The people there are like zombies. Whenever I go there, I can't wait to get out of there. Once you leave L.A., life begins anew. Alright, enough of that for now. Now back to the website.

The teacher in me also wants to discuss the methods I used in making WORMWOOD. I would like to help some future filmmakers out there. I mentioned above that you should watch a lot of old movies. Buy a few reference books (like Maltin's movies on TV book) and start watching any movie made before 1976. Watch black & white movies and watch foreign films. Believe me, you can educate yourself very easily. As a little nudge to get my students to watch 'classics,' I would hand out a film greats list. The list was something I grabbed from several film history books. I include the list HERE for you to take a look at. I personally dislike many of the films on the list, but even if you dislike the films, it is important to see them. Remember, knowledge is power (unless you are in Hollywood).

Both goals (to tell the truth about Hollywood and to help future filmmakers) reach a similar conclusion: We don't need Hollywood. Everyone would be better off if Hollywood ceased to exist. Everytime I read that a Hollywood film has done badly at the box office, I cheer loudly. Everytime I hear that theaters are filing bancruptcy, I also cheer. Am I a negative son of a bitch or what??

Filmmakers no longer need to run to Hollywood and become a pod person, a zombie among the living dead. A revolution is bubbling up. It only remains to be seen if that revolution goes the way of most revolutions. Hollywood always finds a way to crush anything that threatons the status quo. Now, with the advent of Digital Technology, anyone can make a movie. ANYONE, and Hollywood hates that.

Let me put it this way, ANYONE can do as well or better than what is being vomited out of Hollywood everyday of the week.

If you don't care about how WORMWOOD was made, then go back to the right side of the HOME page and read about the dark side of Hollywood and the truth behind the film.

A DECLARATION OF SOMETHING OR OTHER

Originally, when I was going to put this website together, I wanted to put a 'declaration of principles' in the introduction section. I wanted to make a broad statement of purpose. Let it suffice to say that I hate the way things are. I hate censorship of any kind. I hate Blockbuster Video and Disney and I hate the ratings board and Jack Valenti. It is true that Mr. Valenti is the only thing that stands between films and fucking politicians who would blame films for every evil known to man. But his 'protection' of film is like the neighborhood Mafioso's protection of the corner store. We lose a lot with such protection. All we do is keep the dogs at bay. Censorship is still here, but in a kinder, gentler form.

It will come as no surprise that I hate everything about Hollywood and its films. I hate with every fiber of my being films like TITANIC, TWISTER, SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, BRAVEHEART, JURASSIC PARK, and anything produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. I often hate the masses for falling for all the shit that Hollywood shovels onto them. I hate conformists and conservatives (and liberals for that matter). Some people are very worried about me when I tell them I 'hate' a lot of things. They say that 'you shouldn't hate,' as though saying the word 'hate' is the worst thing you can do. Well, I HATE a lot of things, and, goddammit, I feel good about it.

Lou, an old friend of mine, read this website and emailed this quote to me, which I hope he doesn't mind my printing (but I LOVE it):

Nietzsche: "We, the great haters, are in truth,the great lovers...we launch arrows, trying to reach the other shore."

Sometimes it really annoys people when I tell them that I love film more than they ever could. I have never met anyone who loves film as much as I do. Never. Would I KILL for film. Hmmmm. Why don't you check out this FILM LOVER'S FANTASY.

All my life I played it safe and stayed quiet about most things. I smiled a lot and said very little. When I began teaching in 1989, I had never stood in front of a group of people before, much less talked to them. After 8 years of teaching, no one can shut me up now. I continue to smile all the time, but I smile with the glee of someone who has made a movie with total freedom and said exactly what I wanted to say. It is so difficult to describe the euforia one feels when one doesn't have to kiss anyone's ass to create something of your own.

People in Hollywood will hate me, not so much because I made an anti-Hollywood film, but because I made it with total freedom. No one in Hollywood is free and they absolutely HATE anyone who is. That is why Orson Welles was destroyed. The typical Hollywood bullshit legend is that William Randolph Hearst brought Welles down. No, no, no, that is a lie. Hollywood simply hated this little motherfucker who walked into Hollywood and made what many consider to be the greatest film of all time. How dare he! He didn't EARN it. He didn't kiss ass for 20 years and work his way up the ladder. He had to be made an example of. Future troublemakers must see what happens to upstarts, to those who don't follow 'tradition.'

I hate the so-called 'independent' filmmaker who makes his or her first film, then runs to Hollywood like all the other hacks and chickenshits. There are almost no true independent filmmakers anymore. Everyone has to conform and join clubs. Hey, you are an independent filmmmaker, so join the independent filmmaker society! It is insane. Every time a maverick filmmaker has been lured to Hollywood, he or she has been beaten down with a big stick. Hollywood is 'the man with no eyes' from Cool Hand Luke, and it is Hollywood's job to break you. If you do not kiss Hollywood's smelly feet, you will be destroyed. I was so excited when I heard that the guy who made PI was following that with another 'Independent' film, REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. Then I was depressed to hear that his next movie was a new BATMAN movie. God, how depressing. Another independent spirit is seduced by and brought down by the system.

All right, enough ranting already.

On the Home page, and most other pages of this website, there is a link to CONTACT US. We would like to hear from folks out there and get some feedback about my rants and raves. I hope to hear from people who have horror stories from Hollywood; from the trenches, as it were. In the near future, perhaps, I will add a 'Hollywood Horror Stories' page and include people's email stories. Or, if you think I am a total asshole for denegrating Hollywood's good name, go ahead and send me a line. I won't mind. I can stand a good laugh.

Many of those who visit this site may be wondering if they will soon see WORMWOOD at a theater near them. We are in the process of trying to enter the film into several film festivals. We are also sending VHS copies of the film off to prospective investors. You see, we need $45,000 to transfer the DV to 35mm film. This may take several months. If, in the end, we cannot secure money for the transfer, then our next step is to mass produce the film onto DVD and video and sell it ourselves.

A footnote:

This is a website in progress. I hope to soon include a trailer of WORMWOOD here. I will also add more data and information as time goes on. I hope you come back once in a while to check it out.