Julie Checkoway – Waiting for Hockney (DVD)

“He lived in complete obscurity,” said filmmaker Julie Checkoway about Billy Pappas, the subject of her 2008 documentary “Waiting for Hockney,” “but in his own mind he lived in this incredibly grandiose universe.”

In “Hockney,” which was recently released on DVD, Checkoway tells the story of Pappas, a Baltimore man who worked on the same portrait of Marilyn Monroe for an entire decade before considering it finished.

Checkoway tells Pappas’ story of obsession and drive for perfection and follows him as he attempts to set up a meeting with the only man he feels will appreciate what he has accomplished, British artist David Hockney.

During an interview with me from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, Checkoway discussed how curiosity lured her into making the film, how she felt when she first saw the portrait, and what she learned about the art world from an outsider’s perspective.

What was it about Billy Pappas’ story that resonated with you?

The idea that a person can spend that much time on anything and have so much of his life on the line was incredibly suspenseful to me. I thought [the film] was either going to be like “Waiting for Godot” and nothing would happen at all or something amazing would happen. I knew it was something worth following.

How did you first learn about what Billy was doing?

As a writer, you get stories pitched to you all the time. Sometimes they’re good and sometimes they’re really good. It was really deeper than I thought. Everything Billy said lead to a new level of enrichment and curiosity for me. It was like a novel unfolding. It was like “David Copperfield.” It was too good to walk away from.

How did you present Billy with the idea for the film?

I really didn’t have anything in particular in mind. I said, “I’d like to meet you. I’m a writer, but I don’t know what I’m doing right now. I’m in between projects.” As a writer, I’m always looking for a project that has enough meat to it to keep me busy for a couple of years. I had lunch with him and told him I was there to explore and learn about him and maybe write something.

When did you first see the portrait and what was your reaction?

I didn’t want to see the portrait until I understood Billy and all the characters. I waited about a year until I let him show it to me. When I saw it, I was quite overwhelmed by it. We then had to decide if we would show the portrait [in the film]. There were philosophical, artistic and aesthetic issues. Was the footage flattening the portrait? What was going to happen when people saw it? Were they going to like it? That was a real moment of truth.

Did you learn anything about the art world in general from this experience?

I was always pretty intimidated by the art world. What I learned is that it’s really hard to get into the art world unless you’re part of a certain social class and you know the lingo and look a certain way. That might not have been Billy’s only problem. Having only one piece of work probably was a problem, too, but Billy was an outsider to the art world. What do you do with an artist that is not part of the academy? And who is to decide?

So much of the film hangs in the balance on whether or not this meeting between Billy and David Hockney will take place. In a sense, you were waiting for Hockney, too.

Let’s just put it this way: I am no longer waiting for Hockney. (Laughs) I’m done. Now that it has made it to DVD, it’s finally achieved its ultimate form. To me this is the end of waiting.

Was it always your intention to keep the portrait unseen until the latter part of the film?

The question was always, when do you do the big reveal or do you have a big reveal at all? First, I didn’t want to see the portrait until I understood Billy and all the characters. I waited about a year until I let him show it to me. When I saw it, I was quite overwhelmed by it. We then had to decide if we would show the portrait. There were philosophical, artistic and aesthetic issues. Was the footage flattening the portrait? What was going to happen when people saw it? Were they going to like it? That was a real moment of truth.

Are you still in touch will Billy? What did he think of the film? And where is this piece now?

He and I talk very intermittently. Billy moved back to Baltimore. I don’t know what he is doing now, but I wouldn’t hesitate to say that he’s probably still waiting tables. I always love the people that I write about for the period of time that I’m with them, but then I have to move on. He has the piece in New York and a dealer is trying to sell it for him, but he priced it really high.

What’s the price out of curiosity?

We cut it out of the film because it would’ve made people think he was truly crazy. It was $9.5 – $13 million. If we had left that in the film, you would’ve really pitied him for that delusion. I think over time he will realize it’s not a price he can really ask for. He measured worth in terms of labor hours and the unprecedented quality of this one work.

Cantinflas on DVD

On May 11, Sony Home Entertainment will proudly release 11 Classic titles from the classic comedy legend Cantinflas.

The DVD box set/collection will include seven films for the first time on DVD “A Volar Joven,” “El Circo,” “El Gendarme Desconocido,” “El Mago,” “El Señor Fotografo,” “Los Tres Mosqueteros,” “Si Yo Fuera Diputado” and four of his greatest hits “El Bolero De Raquel,” “El Analfabeto,” “El Padrecito” and “Su Excelencia.”

Mario Moreno (AKA “Cantinflas”), who Charlie Chaplin once named “The Funniest Man in the World,” created a simple yet universal character which has made young and old laugh throughout the years. A small man with big ears, a distinctive mustache, pants that never stayed up, and a jaunty little cap cocked upon his eternally mussed hair, comic actor “Cantinflas” is beloved throughout the Spanish-speaking world and considered the Mexican “Charlie Chaplin.”

Like Chaplin, Cantinflas’ frenetic brand of slapstick was as balletic as it was athletic, leading others to compare him to “Buster Keaton” His ability to combine humor with pathos was also decidedly Chaplin-esque, while his portrayal of the cocky, optimistic, but naïve little guy evoked “Harold Lloyd.”

But despite such comparisons, Cantinflas’ overall style was unique. Unlike the great silent funnymen to which he is compared, Cantinflas worked during the sound era. He usually played a smart-alecky peasant or average fellow and was famous for weaseling out of trouble with the authorities by overwhelming them with intimidating and pompous machine-gun speed monologues that, while sounding gloriously informed, signified absolutely nothing.

Gonzalo Menendez – 12 Rounds DVD & Dark Blue

Four months after hitting the big screen, the action film “12 Rounds” starring John Cena was just released on DVD and Blu Ray June 30. Fans of the WWE superstar can purchase a special copy of the rated and unrated movie on a special “Extreme Cut” version.

Along with Cena, who plays a detective on the trail of an ex-con who has kidnapped his girlfriend, actor Gonzalo Menendez, 37, stars as Agent Ray Santiago, another special agent on the case.

 “12 Rounds” on DVD and Blu Ray includes two alternate endings, a “crash course” on John Cena’s stunts, a never-before-seen gag reel, and audio commentaries with Cena, director Renny Harlin, and screenwriter Daniel Kunka.

I spoke to Menendez when the film first came out back in March. Now, I speak to him again as the movie goes to DVD and Blu Ray. Menendez can also be seen as a guest star on the second episode of the new TNT series “Dark Blue” on July 22.

Are you keeping up with all your WWE episodes?

I’m trying to keep up with it. I have a wife and two daughters so I’m alone in the house in terms of wanting to watch wrestling. Every now and then I catch a glimpse of it. I like to see when John [Cena] wrestles. I like when Triple H wrestles. I like when Randy Orton wrestles. I like to see the drama play out between those three guys.

Yeah, I guess little girls wouldn’t be interested in wrestling. So, what do you sit down and watch with them instead?

I’ve got Dora [the Explorer] playing right now on TV. That seems to be a big hit for the two year old, but not as much for the 7-year-old anymore. But it’s cartoon central over here. We have it on Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., the Disney Channel, you name it.

At least it’ll keep you young at heart, right?

It does, yes. But right now I want to watch the U.S. Open but they have a monopoly on the television.

Are you a golfer?

Yeah, I absolutely love it. It surprises a lot of people how difficult it can be. To stand completely stationary and swing a club at a little tiny white ball into a four inch hole four football fields away is tough. I try to get out at least once a week or so. If my wife’s with the girls or they’re hang out at grandma’s house I’ll go out with a few buddies or someone I’ve met on the TV shows I’ve worked on and we’ll play.

So, let’s talk about this DVD. It’s an “Extreme Cut” version. What does that mean?

You know, I haven’t seen it so I don’t know what “Extreme Cut” means. Maybe [director] Renny [Harlin] cut in some more action or a couple more explosions. I’m just as excited as anyone else to know what’s on this thing.

Do you know of anything specific that might have been cut from your part?

From my part nothing got cut. But I know they shot a lot of footage like car chases and stuff like that. You just never know how much of that made it into the final film.

Does your 7-year-old know what daddy does?

Absolutely. She walks around all the time saying, “My dad’s an actor.” A couple years back we went to go see “Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer” (Gonzalo plays a Lieutenant in the film) with some friends and one of my friend’s kids saw me in the movie and turned to my daughter and said, “That’s your dad in the movie!” She was like, “Yes it is.” It was pretty cool.

What’s next for you?

I got a show coming out in July. I did a guest spot for a friend of mine. [Director] Danny Cannon’s got a show out on TNT called “Dark Blue.” It’s a Jerry Bruckheimer show starring Dylan McDermott. Danny’s the one that first hired me as Clavo Cruz on “CSI: Miami” so he brought me on to do this second episode.