Niagara Falls

Another highlight of our trip to New York was a visit to Niagara Falls. It was spectacular!http://www.unclelouiethemovie.com/bnff2011/






We all met for lunch at The Red Coach Inn by the Falls and enjoyed one of Joe Izzo's better rants.

The Premier

The day of the premier was packed with events starting with an early morning interview at the TV station on AM Buffalo.

The afternoon was spend setting up for the film premier and the premier party at the famous Pearl Street Grill and Brewery. There was lots of good food and beer on tap. Dozens of Joe Izzo's family showed up in mass to celebrate. It was a long overdue reunion for producer Joe Izzo. Both his mother and father had been born and raised in Buffalo. He saw relatives that he hadn't seen since he was a child.

We had to compete with the Saber's play off game, but their interview from that morning on AM Buffalo was shown again on the evening news while we were in the bar complete with Chad on his ukulele.

The film was shown that night at an older theater in downtown Buffalo, complete with 2 life size Buffaloes in the lobby. Downtown Buffalo was very interesting mix of classic old brick architecture and the ultra modern as well as an eclectic mix of friendly folks.

It was truly awesome to finally see Uncle Lou on the big screen!

AFTERMATH

Our journey to Buffalo for the festival proved an experience I will never forget. Seeing Uncle Louie on the big screen thrilled me beyond words. On the big screen it opened up like a rose in bloom. It belongs on the big screen. The story and all of its twists and turns were less mysterious and more apparent. Our next step is to have a premiere here in San Jose. I hope to make it a benefit for the Bill Wilson Group Home.

Uncle Louie Hits Buffalo

The day before the premier, the cast and crew straggled into the downtown Buffalo Hyatt. It was a long day after the flight, but as soon as we were all checked in, we were off to find New York style pizza and Buffalo chicken wings. There's that Uncle Louie food theme again... And it wasn't hard to find lots of great pizza and wings in Buffalo just right around every corner.

Following a feast of thin crust pizza and red hot chicken wings, we hailed a cab to go back to the airport to pick up Monsignor Leiker who arrived fashionably late around midnight. It took a while to find him, but we finally connected and he honored us with a lively round of 'Enjoy Yourself' right in the middle of the baggage claim area.



Our cab driver, as it turned out, used to live in Joe Izzo's father's neighborhood on Swan Street. After we dropped Chad off at his hotel, he turned off his meter and gave us a tour of the Swan Street neighbor including the now defunct bar that Joe's father started back in the 30's. There was a strange charm about sighting in Buffalo at 2am.

Uncle Louie In Buffalo

It was really great to see "Uncle Louie", the movie, on the big screen! Sadly, your Uncle Louie (Nick D'Arpino) became ill on the trip, (must have been those friggen hot dogs at the airport!) , so I been held up in my hotel room most of the time, but I was at the premier, and was able to sign autographs at the premier party. It was a pleasure meeting everyone in Buffalo, and thank you for all your positive comments about the film.
Tomorrow (April 17) is the awards ceremony, so I have to be better for that- let's all keep a good thought that "Uncle Louie" picks up an award or two!

Going to BUFFALO NIAGARA FILM FESTIVALHh

It's happening. It's really happening. We're in flight and heading fast to Buffalo New York. I never thought this day would come. I never thought we'd be selected to a film festival. What a crazy gift. Making the film was crazy enough, but having it shown on the big screen in Buffalo is beyond comprehension. Life's a comic book reality. As the mysterious cowboy in The Big Lebowski said, sometimes you eat the bear, and sometimes the bear eats you.

A Message from Your Uncle

Hey stunod it's me ! That's right it's Uncle Louie here, so listen up! Put down the cannoli or whatever you're eating, 'cause what I'm about to say is important.

The movie is done and now it's gonna show in Buffalo. That's right Buffalo- my old stompin' grounds. The last time I came back from the beyond my friggen nephew Benny was livin' in California and it's a beautiful place, don't get me wrong, but I'm longing for my old home town. Yeah, I spent some time in Jersey too, but there's nothin' like the place you were born and raised. You know what? I can't wait. I get to eat a lot of great food, especially a real East Coast Pizza; not that West Coast pineapple and ham stuff. What was that? A friggen fruit salad? I can also visit some broads, and see my old pals. They're gonna crap a braciole when they see me back !

You know what though? I want you with me. Yeah you! Pay attention now, 'cause you're startin' to aggravate me! Yep, you gotta get to Buffalo. Take a plane, a train, or hitch a ride with my Cousin Vinny (not the guy in that movie you mortadella head!), but just get there. Tell your friends, your relatives, call anyone and bring 'em all! I'll be alive for at least five days this time, eating, smoking my cigars, and getting upset at who knows what, and who would want to miss it. Don't let me down. Actually don't let yourself down, because I gotta lot to say about what comes after you leave this life. You'll see what I mean when you get there, but a little heads up would be nice, wouldn't it? That's why you gotta see my movie.

This is your Uncle Louie, speaking from the beyond and waiting to come back on April 14th in Buffalo. I love you guys. I even liked that little piss-ant of a dog, Papa Doc or Castro, or whatever his stinkin' name was. It was the best time I ever had makin that little film. The best. See you soon.

THE MAKING OF UNCLE LOUIE: entry 37

We’ve been talking a lot about the weather conditions in Buffalo, New York. We’re leaving on Wednesday and wondering what to pack. The temperature has been fluctuating from a low 38 to a fluke high of 70. All I can say from memory is expect any type of weather in Buffalo. I was there during Easter week many years ago when it snowed heavy one night and laid a blanket of white all over the grounds of the city zoo clearly visible from my grandfather’s front window. I wondered about the animals and where they were being kept. The black iron picket fence surrounding the zoo with all the snow on the ground turned my eyeballs to ice. It was April in Buffalo and freezing outside.

Buffalo Spree - Buffalo Niagara Film Festival Article

Buffalo natives have many ties to BNFF 2011 - Talk about Arts - Annual 2011 - Buffalo, NY

...And interestingly, many of the films have ties to Western New York....Meanwhile, Joseph Izzo, one of the writers and producers of the feature film Uncle Louie, has extended family in Buffalo, and even made the title character from his film from Buffalo. “It could not have been made without Buffalo running through our blood,” Izzo says.

Buffalo News - Buffalo Kicks Off the Buffalo Niagara Film Festival

Buffalo News - Updated: April 8, 2011, 9:19 AM

The fifth annual Buffalo Niagara Film Festival kicks off today with the first of its 30 documentaries, 28 short films, 20 features and nine music videos.....

.... The main event, though, is the opportunity for emerging filmmakers to have their films — which run the gamut from dark comedies and musicals, to thrillers and human interest stories — projected onto a theater screen with a live audience.

The frosting on the cake for some will be having friends and family there to share the moment.

“I’m excited and I’m nervous,” said Joe Izzo, who cowrote and produced “Uncle Louie,” a feature about a gangster summoned back from the dead through a voodoo witch doctor to deal with a loan shark. “This is our first film festival, and it happens to be the birthplace of my mother and father. My family will all be there. I think it is extraordinary synchronicity.”

Uncle Louie | Joe Izzo | Buffalo Niagara Film Festival | Silicon Alleys | Metro Newspapers

Uncle Louie | Joe Izzo | Buffalo Niagara Film Festival | Silicon Alleys | Metro Newspapers

Uncle Louie World Premiere

In the train station in Buffalo, New York I remember a huge sculpture of a buffalo. I was just a little kid and I'd stare up at this magnificent creature. It lit my imagination. I saw herds of buffaloes roaming the plains and Indians chasing them on horseback. I still can't believe I'm returning to the very cradle of my bloodline...Buffalo, New York. Uncle Louie is our gift to you, Buffalo. We love you!

THE MAKING OF UNCLE LOUIE: entry 36

One of the greatest lessons we learned in making Uncle Louie is that you can’t count on anything. Life is rife with uncertainty and when making a movie expect uncertainty each and every day the sun rises. It’s just the way it is. Things never happen the way you want them to happen. The only way to prepare for this is to expect it. This way, you can always have contingency plans ready to go when something doesn’t work out. When uncertainly strikes, we also learned to let our anger and frustration roll over us rather than poison us. Hanging onto anger sours the production, impedes progress and wastes time. And money.

THE MAKING OF UNCLE LOUIE: entry 35

The way R. Allen Russell structured the beginning and closing of Uncle Louie hints to his vision of universal transformation as undergone by the heroes of fables, myths and legends. Uncle Louie begins with the opening of a table and ends with the closing of the same table, revealing that life is an eternal dance of beginnings and endings and beginnings again. The story of our hapless hero is the story of all hapless heroes. All people undergo initiation in life that changes how we think and behave. To grow we must face our challenges, walk down dangerous pathways obstructed by thorns and shadows and broken glass.

THE MAKING OF UNCLE LOUIE: entry 34

We were fortunate when filming Uncle Louie to have access to many of San Jose’s unique locations. The Municipal Rose Garden for example with it sprawling lawns and variety of roses in various stages of bloom deepened the emotional impact of the scenes we filmed there. The Rosicrucian with its Egyptian structures and hieroglyphic symbols seasoned the story with mystery and intrigue and brought the supernatural elements to life. The intersection of Bascom and San Carlos was a dream come true, full of character and grit. Filming there with the constant traffic and passing buses was difficult, but well worth it. You’ll see.

NEW ART FOR UNCLE LOUIE WEBSITE

I love the new artwork for the Uncle Louie site. Susan Senter put it together with great skill and stunning composition. It's edgy and beautiful and full of vibrant colors. The lens flare ties it all together like a diamond casting sunlight in beams across the cosmos. Senter's photography and her web page designs achieve an exacting symmetry between light and dark, shape and color. We were lucky getting her on our team. Check out the new page and see for yourself: http://www.unclelouiethemovie.com.