BLOOD + KISSES

Update

2011-12-30T17:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry guys. Just approved a round of comments for publication. Didn't want to publish them without answering.

Still no official release date. We will be resurrecting the movie in the next few months and authoring the DVD. Then we will put a plan into motion regarding the marketing and release of the movie. Hopefully it will see the light of day sometime 2012.

Thanks for your patience and suggestions.

P.S.

2010-03-12T09:48:00.000-08:00

Just posted a bunch of comments from you all that had been waiting for approval. Didn't realize there was such a backlog. I will try to be more on top of things : )

We do read and appreciate every comment.

Gregg

B+K Update

2010-03-08T23:14:00.000-08:00

Sorry. No news regarding the BLOOD + KISSES release. Hopefully 2010 will be the year we send this out into the world. But I can't make any predictions.

There's no big mystery here. It's just a question of enough capital becoming available to do the self-release. In times like these, everyone's just doing what they can. My partners and I are still in a rebuilding phase and things are looking up, but the money required to do this right is still a good chunk of change and we're not in that place just yet.

I'll let you know as soon as anything new happens. Thanks for your patience.

Gregg

Blood on Ice

2009-08-20T22:45:00.000-07:00

To answer your recent questions... Yes, B+K is still going to be released. It will come out on DVD with the movie plus some interesting extras. There may also be other ways to see the movie such as streaming over the internet, but that's yet to be determined. And finally, no, we unfortunately do not have a release date yet.

We will definitely post the information here as soon as there is something to tell. This is actually the best place to check back for current info.

Thanks
Gregg

Coming... Soon?

2009-06-15T14:35:00.001-07:00

I'm at home now sitting waiting for a plumber who has been scheduled to come here three times in the last week and has consistently been a no-show. So I can appreciate how frustrating & even infuriating it is to wait, and wait, and wait...

Which brings us to Blood + Kisses. Here's what I can tell you:

The movie is complete, color-corrected, and sweetened. It's different than the movie that screened in Vegas and won best picture at that film festival. The trailer you see on the site and on YouTube only includes footage from the first shoot. The old version was pretty good. The new one's better. No one has seen it yet as it's not had an official screening.

We also have a new trailer that's finished, but there's no point getting people excited about it until we're really ready to release it. We also have a lot of special features for the DVD that are also complete.

So, there's no question the movie will be released. All the work is done. All the money to produce it has been spent. The decision was made to go independent all the way with this movie and as anyone who's made a movie without studio backing, or self-distributed their own film can tell you, it's a tough row to hoe.

We could trickle it out to the internet now and make a couple pennies before we watch it get pirated or we could wait until we have the resources to release it properly and recoup our investors' investment. We've chosen the latter course of action. I hope you'll understand and continue to be patient with us.

I do read everyone's comments and I post most of them without editing or commenting. To those who write pissed-off messages and draw big penises made out of x's and o's on their keyboard, well, I suspect you just have too much time on your hands, and although you get a B+ for creativity, you can appreciate why I choose not to post those.

I will post an update when we have some real news.

Thanks,
Gregg

RUMORS OF B+K DEATH PREMATURE

2008-09-10T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Sorry there's been no updates, but there's really been nothing new to say. It looks like this movie will not see a release in 2008. We're projecting a release for 2009, but, no specific dates yet.

Here's the deal: After meeting with a number of international distributors for our film, and evaluating their offers, we decided the best move would be for us to self distribute. To do this right, requires a significant amount of resources of time, energy and finances. So as soon as we can allocate all the necessary resources to get this movie out, we will do so. Hopefully sexy vampire movies with ass-kicking female bodybuilders will not be out of fashion by the time it comes out : )

I know it's frustrating, but we appreciate your patience. When we have real news to give, you'll be the first to know about it.

Thanks,
Gregg

Horror Never Dies

2008-03-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

I went to see "The Bank Job" last night (a terrific movie by the way) and saw no less than 3 trailers for horror movies, including one crazy flick based on a story by Clive Barker called "The Midnight Meat Train"!

It looks like sick fun. I hope it doesn't suck.

Speaking of which, I recently saw what I thought was the coolest vampire movie of the last decade, "30 Days of Night." It's done up with a lot of style and Josh Hartnett is kickass in it. It's kind of like "28 Days Later" meets "The Thing."

And while we're giving free movie plugs, I remain haunted by the sick and brilliant "Devil's Rejects." The cinematography, the editing, the use of music in the film, not to mention some acting which is first rate, add up to an amazing piece of cinema. It's not for the faint at heart. But, most art isn't. Or at least shouldn't be.

G

Blood + Kisses Coming... When Exactly?

2008-02-29T13:34:00.000-08:00

I read a comment on YouTube the other day about the Blood + Kisses trailer, where someone said they thought the whole movie was just a rumor, a myth, a bit of hype used to promote Denise's other projects. I had to laugh, having practically sweat blood to make this movie. Not to mention the fact that the movie's been screened at several film festivals, including winning Best Picture out in Vegas a couple years back.

But I understand and appreciate that person's frustration. I feel it too.

Some of you have taken me to task for being vague in my last post regarding the release date of the movie. Due to circumstances beyond our control (yeah, I know, blah blah blah), we are not able to commit to a date just yet. As soon as we know for certain, I will let you know.

Having said that, we expect to release the movie in late 2008.

Thanks for your continued patience and support : ) G

For a Cold Winter Day

2008-02-29T12:58:00.000-08:00

Nothing to do with the movie, per se. Just thought you might enjoy this hot shot of Denise to warm up your cold winter day.

Going Global... One Step At A Time

2007-12-09T11:07:00.001-08:00

Ok. It's 2008 and we're still COMING SOON : ) Can't say more than that for now. I wasn't going to even blog again until we release the movie. That's because I didn't want to stoke the fire until we knew just exactly when the release would be. But, last week I installed Google Analytics on the Blood + Kisses site and saw that people are still coming in, looking for any news, looking for updates. So I will continue to trickle out any tidbits I have.

If you're not familiar with Google Analytics, it's a software that lets you track things like number of visits and where the visitors are checking in from. Where are the B+K fans coming from? In this order...

1. US
2. Germany
3. UK
4. France
5. Italy
6. Spain
7. Canada
8. Japan
9. Netherlands
10. China

Denise. Poised to take over the world.

Release Date Pushed to 2008

2007-12-09T10:52:00.000-08:00

Sorry, I haven't blogged recently, but we haven't had much to report in recent months. Although the movie is complete, as are all the DVD extras, we are forced to delay the release of the movie yet again, due to logistical issues beyond our control. We plan to release the DVD sometime in 2008. I will try to be better about updates. Believe me I am as frustrated as you that the movie is not out yet and I wish I had more specific information for you. Thanks for your patience. Gregg

Behind the Scenes

2007-07-15T17:04:00.001-07:00

While waiting for the DVD release, here are a few pictures from the upcoming Behind the Scenes featurette, part of the 3 hours -- yeah that's right 3 hours! -- of DVD extras. We're doing our damnedest to make it worth the wait!In between takes, Denise -- still in character -- attacks the cameraman.

Lori (as Giselle) is surprisingly upbeat despite her death.

Cheyenne, as Raven. Not just another cold bitch : )

B+K DVD Releases Fall 2007

2007-06-25T23:51:00.000-07:00

People have been asking so here it is: The long-awaited release of "Blood + Kisses" will be this Fall. I don't want to be premature in announcing a date as we are still finalizing details, but it will absolutely be out before the end of the year. We will be announcing the date soon I promise. Thanks for your patience, Gregg

Celebrity Voiceovers

2007-06-25T23:40:00.000-07:00

I just finished a quick little gig shooting the voiceover talents recording their tracks for a new Disney movie called "South of the Border." It's a "Babe" like movie about chihuahuas where the little pups talk. Over the last week we filmed Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, Salma Hayek, Placido Domingo, Cheech Marin, Paul Rodriguez and George Lopez providing the animals voices. We filmed them to give the animators a visual reference so they could animate the animal's eyes and mouths, to be superimposed over live-action animals. For me the highlights were hearing Placido Domingo improvise a song right on the spot in the studio and listening to Cheech hang out and tell raunchy stories. Good times. G

Femme Muscle

2007-06-11T10:44:00.000-07:00

Here in a frame grab from the DVD Extra "Femme Muscle," the incomparable Denise Masino poses at the 2007 Ms. International competition.

Rock On!

2007-06-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

As we Rock On with our plans to release B+K this September, I'm sending nothing but hot blooded kisses for all your kick ass, patient support. xoxo D

Bonus!

2007-05-27T13:24:00.002-07:00

We just finished shooting the last of the interviews. I had Boz (who plays the Detective) over the other day to add his perspective to the whole adventure and bring his twisted Texas sense of humor to the proceedings.

Denise always brightens the room with her sexy charm.

Tie an Italian's hands behind his back and he wouldn't be able to talk. Robert at his most expressive.

Yours truly. A little on the dark side.

The subjects we take on include the inspirations for the movie:
Take one dangerously sexy woman; an abandoned hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania; a lifetime of watching cult, horror, and arthouse movies and mix it all together into one spicy jambalaya. We also tackle the challenges of shooting with a one-man crew. And among the many bonuses, we've created a sexy feature on Femme Muscle that may make you reconsider what you thought you liked or didn't like about women with muscle!

Not to tease you too much, but this DVD will be packing.

G

Woman in Flames

2007-05-05T16:44:00.000-07:00

Denise at the Coachella music festival last month. A preview of things to come. This image relates to our next project, but, we can't talk about it yet. More on this later. Gregg

Ms. International Pix

2007-04-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

Cassandra and Denise dressed (more or less) for the banquet.

Denise cocks her guns for the fans.

East African Music

2007-03-27T00:40:00.000-07:00

Rosa Tyabji, who gave depth, texture, and soul to the B+K sound design, along with her husband Michel, owns a record label. Limitless Sky Records specializes in the best in East African music. You can check out their music at www.limitlesssky.com

Their latest release by Ndala Kasheba is an enhanced CD with accompanying music video. "Refugees" was aired on US satellite TV by WORLD LINK (aka LINK TV) and featured on the National Geographic web site (2006)! www.cdbaby.com/cd/kasheba2

Limitless Sky's previous Ndala Kasheba album, "Yellow Card" was included in the "Best of 2003" roundup in the New York Times and well known critic Robert Cristgau of the Village Voice said "....this is what guitar heaven is made of..."! You can hear it at www.cdbaby.com/cd/kasheba

Zealot

2007-03-23T17:32:00.001-07:00

I'm cranking through the DVD extras with Chris Hickey and Scott McCune, a couple of hard driving, young turk editors. In digging through the footage, looking for lost gems in the 50+ hours we shot, I discovered footage and outtakes from our third shoot. I had almost forgotten that we went back to the (haunted) hotel a third time.

This is all footage that was shot after our film festival screenings in Vegas and Chicago. So, the final cut of the movie has two full length scenes (and many extra little bits of footage) that have never been seen before. Very twisted moments that reveal the depth of our vampire hunter's religious zealotry. Fun stuff.

G

"American Heiress" Debuts Tue, March 13

2007-03-11T22:51:00.000-07:00

The last of the TV shows I did a little producing and directing for Fox's MyNetworkTV, "American Heiress," debuts Tue, March 13, 8:00 pm. It's cheeky, action-packed, fun. But, don't take my word for it, check out the trailer at http://youtube.com/watch?v=9NVtuctivrM

To find your local station showing it, you can go to www.mynetworktv.com

G

Denise & Cassandra Vamp It Up!

2007-03-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

Extra Special Extras

2007-03-09T09:25:00.000-08:00

What's new? Well, we're continuing to work hard to make the DVD as special as possible. Here's what's in the works:

DOC FEATURETTES. There will be several documentary-style featurettes on different aspects of the filmmaking. 4-5 minute featurettes with titles like "Hunter & Prey" and "Femme Muscle." We're editing those as I'm writing this to you. They'll feature a mix of interviews with the filmmakers and stars, clips from the movie, plus never before seen footage such as outtakes, behind the scenes, and even some footage from an upcoming documentary.

BEHIND THE SCENES. Another featurette will be called "Fuck-ups, Fucking Off, & What the Fuck?" This is a loose collection of outtakes and behind the scenes. Just for fun.

GALLERIES. There will also be photo galleries of each of the hot and hard women from the film. Very slick, pinup type photography as well as stills from the movie. This one's going to be sweet.

COMMENTARY. A director's commentary track is in the works as well, from yours truly. I'll try not to fuck it up.

PLUS MORE. In addition, there are a couple of other surprises we're considering. I can't tell you about those just yet. Bottom line is that we are committed to making the extras as special as the movie itself.

WHEN'S IT COMING OUT? Look for a release later in the year. We're lining everything up for a self-distribution of the movie and it's going to take a little time to lay the groundwork for distribution channels and all the accompanying marketing. We've never done this before, so please be a little patient with us. We want to do it right. We'll announce dates for the release when it draws near. In the meantime, you can count on updates here -- at least several a month. We're riding this train to its final destination and there's no getting off.

G

Hot Wax

2007-02-23T01:54:00.000-08:00

As we are finalizing the mix, I just want to give a shout out to all the musicians who contributed. We've gotten killer tracks thanks to:

XIREN ("Everything") www.myspace.com/xiren
STATICA ("All of My Money") http://cdbaby.com/cd/statica
HARASSOR ("Torch the Village") www.myspace.com/harassor
MURANSKAS ("Ascension Breakdown")

And last but not least:

WILLIAM MARSHALL, aka OCTAVIUS www.octaviusnet.com

He created an amazing score that is haunting, dark, and sexy. It was a pleasure to collaborate with him and I am stunned every time I hear the music he created for the movie. I'm thinking we'll need to put out a CD to go along with the movie. Those of you who may have caught B+K at one of the film festivals it played at, have not heard most of this music. It will totally change your viewing experience. When will you be able to see it? Soon, I promise. A big release of the movie is in the works. More about that later. Gregg

New Improved B+ K Hits the Streets in 2007

2007-02-11T15:40:00.000-08:00

For everyone who's been waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for this movie to come out, I can guarantee you this. It will be released this year. We are working out the details but it will happen.

For those of you who saw the movie play at the horror fests in Vegas or Chicago, expect to have a whole different viewing experience. It's leaner, meaner, bigger, badder, tighter, sexier (much like Denise herself) than any version ever seen.

We're finalizing some DVD extras, getting our marketing in place, and preparing for the release. More details to follow. In the meantime, I will be more diligent in posting updates, behind the scenes stories, and pictures.

Gregg

"American Heiress" Wraps!

2007-02-11T15:18:00.000-08:00

We just wrapped "American Heiress," another upcoming TV series on MyNetworkTV. It's been a grueling but rewarding 9 months as we've now got 6 new TV series in the can.

My favorite so far is "Watch Over Me," which airs at 9pm on MyNetworkTV. Check here for local listings if you'd like to check it out http://www.mynetworktv.com/

It runs for another few weeks. Then "American Heires" debuts, which I expect will be as good as WOM or even better.

My involvement was as a unit producer and sometimes director. If you saw the scenes where the sexy Sasha kidnapped and tortured Dr. Rivera with a cattle prod, then you've seen some of my directing (that scene never fails to bring a smile to my face : )

The actors I've been fortunate enough to work with on these series include Casper Van Dien (Starship Troopers), Catherine Oxenberg, Dayanara Torres, Todd Cahoon (who is going to be a big star), Eric Etebari (Witchcraft), Morgan Fairchild, and Theresa Russell. Some of these actors were a dream to work with and I look forward to making more movies with them.

Now we're on hiatus and this chapter draws to a close. Next? We've got some big plans in the works, including of course the release of B+K. Stay tuned for further posts... Gregg

Denise's Favorite New Look

2007-02-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

In the weeks to come, I'll try to post you a picture of me as I train for the Ms. International. I'm getting pumped hard and ripped. In the meantime, here's a picture of my favorite new look, wearing hand-painted henna tattoos... and nothing else.

xoxo
Denise

Denise to Compete at Ms. International 2007

2007-02-03T23:10:00.000-08:00

The event is the Arnold's Classic, Ms. International and the Arnold's Fitness Weekend and Expo. The dates are Friday, March 2nd - Sunday, March 4th. The location is Columbus, Ohio. The reason is simple: It's the greatest health, sports and fitness competition and expo on earth!

Can't imagine? If you've never been, then you can't imagine. So let's do the numbers. In three days it draws an audience of over 136,000 fans from around the world. They will be entertained and moved by an international lineup of over 1,700 athletes from a list of sports and fitness events that is quickly becoming nearly as impressive as the Olympics. Now you tell me, how could I not feel privileged and pumped about being one of the 16 hand-selected, top-name women in my sport competing at the show?

Those are the words that echo in my consciousness while I work and sweat and train my way into Columbus this year. Meet me in Columbus and watch me and the other ladies on stage as we compete in the Ms. International on Friday, then visit me at the Bulk Nutrition Booth on Saturday and Sunday. In between, we can eat and dance the night away at the Athletes' Banquet on Saturday night! For more information go to www.arnoldclassic.com

Hope to see you there!
xoxo Denise

Chinese Democracy / Eating My Words

2006-12-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

It's been almost a year since it seems I dropped off the face of the planet. We've been working hard to finish the movie and make it as good as we possibly can.

In the meantime, I also got wrapped up in producing and directing for several new TV series on the brand new Fox network MyTVNetwork: "Desire" and "Fashion House" which have already aired, "Watch Over Me" currently on TV Mon-Sat at 9pm, and the upcoming "The Heiress" which debuts in March. www.mynetworktv.com

This has kept me very busy. Sounds like an excuse? Yes, but then that's why I'm here to eat my words.

At the same time though, we have proceeded to improve the movie, "Blood + Kisses." And no, it's no "Chinese Democracy" (the long rumored Guns 'n Roses album). This one will really come out. Look for it in the Spring of 2007. The movie itself is complete. The DVD extras are in the works as we speak. And I will be back to blog. It was hard to keep up the blogging when I felt I didn't have any significant updates. But things have been happening. I will try to catch you up the best I can in the coming weeks. And I will have some new pics to post.

I apologize for all the delays. We do want to make this the best movie it can be. Stay tuned for further updates. Happy Holidays All!

Gregg

No Excuses, No Apologies

2006-01-11T12:23:00.000-08:00

Shit. It's been forever since we've posted. It's not that there hasn't been any news. There is some interesting shit going on. I'll catch you up as quickly as I can in the next several posts. So why no new posts?

Work, deadlines, flu, holidays, blah blah blah. The usual shit. But we're kicking off 2006 with a new policy -- No Excuses, No Apologies.

Just deliver the goods and there's no need, is there?

Here's what you'll get in the coming weeks: 1) Updates on a new, original song for the movie 2) Word on some extra features we're preparing for the DVD that we're pretty excited about 3) Some guest posts on the blog from other members of the B+K family 4) News on distribution as soon as we're able to share it 5) Some other cool ideas we're kicking around. But what you really want is the movie. We are hard at work to get it to you as quickly as possible but without sacrificing quality. It will be worth the wait.

More to come.

G

iMix Musical Preview

2005-11-30T03:24:00.000-08:00

While you're all waiting for the movie's imminent release -- early in 2006 -- here's a little musical preview for you, an iTunes mix of songs that inspired the movie:

Blood + Kisses iMix

All of these are pretty kickass songs. Some of them we actually used to cut certain scenes to ie: the opening seduction/kill scene (Courtney Love - Hold on to Me) and the confrontation between the Countess and Raven (Tricky - Aftermath). Others were inspirational in a more thematic way (Joy Division - Love Will Tear Us Apart, Johnny Cash - Hurt) both of which in one way or another sum up the themes of love & loss, pain & pleasure, guilt & sin, sex & violence, that run through the film. Others were used as musical touchtones for creating the final score (the scores for Suspiria and The Good, the Bad & the Ugly).

Finally, there's the music of Octavius. When I heard this CD I thought "Here's the man who should be creating music for this movie." Then we went out and hired him. His music is amazing. But you'll hear that soon enough. In the meantime, check out these tracks on iTunes.

Enjoy. G

Simmering...

2005-11-26T15:55:00.000-08:00

Things have been quiet on the surface, but simmering underneath. Robert, Denise and I took a trip to the AFM, or American Film Market, in Santa Monica a few weeks ago. Armed with a handful of screeners, we met with a number of distributors. Offers are already starting to come in, but we are waiting to present the finished movie after the beginning of the new year when all the finishing touches are in place.

Standby for further details.

G

Colors and Shadows

2005-11-07T08:58:00.000-08:00

Our new colorist, Lyn Gaza, continues to do an amazing job with the movie, giving it a rich, deep look with a few unusual surprises. She's crushed the blacks so that the shadows in the movie are a crisp, impenetrable, cold, creepy darkness. One of the reasons we hired her was because of her own work as a photographer. It is truly gorgeous work. You can check it out here: GAZAPHOTO.COM . Her husband, Michael Manning, too, is an accomplished artist. Although I haven't met him, I have admired his sexy and lushly illustrated graphic novels. You can check out his work at THESPIDERGARDEN.NET . Be forewarned, it is very erotic and not for the faint of heart.

B+K FFFand IMDB

2005-11-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

In preparation for the AFM, the American Film Market, where we are meeting with distributors to negotiate the upcoming release of our movie, we are working furiously on two fronts...

1) FFF (a.k.a. Finishing the Fucking Film). What can I say. After 10 months of editing, we are still fine-tuning this beast. And it continues to get better. Those of you who saw the film at the festival in Vegas will be surprised by some of the changes, including three new scenes and a lot of new music by William Marshall, a.k.a. Octavius. In addition to putting the finishing touches on the music, we are doing the fine-tuning of the color, with the help of artist and colorist Lyn Gaza who is doing some amazing work. Thinking out of the box is the mode we're in and we've got a couple surprises in store here as well.

2) PROMOTION (a.k.a. The Hype Machine) At a seminar recently, Eli Roth (director of Cabin Fever) touted the importance of posting pictures and trivia on the IMDb as his single most important marketing tool. Since Eli seems to have done a thing or two right, we decided to follow his lead. We spent hours selecting just the right pics. Actually, if you count all the time we've spent selecting pictures and scrolling through the entire movie looking for frame grabs, the process has collectively taken more like... weeks of work. You can check out the IMDb listing for B+K and go to PHOTOS to see the pics. Many of them are already on the official website, but there are a couple of new ones as well. Here's the link: BLOOD + KISSES IMDB. In addition, Denise has posted a small gallery of some of her most gorgeous shots (photography courtesy of Robert) on her individual listing. But with thousands of images in her master collection we can promise more to come. Here's the link for that: DENISE MASINO IMDB. No photo gallery for the director, but here's my listing and some of my previous film credits in case you're curious G SIMPSON IMDB. Still working on the Trivia items but those should be posted soon...

More to come.

G

B+K Gets a Fistie

2005-10-30T03:03:00.000-08:00

Here we are, the night before Halloween, at a costume party accepting our award for Best Picture from the 2005 Festival of Science Fiction, Fantasy, Horror and the Supernatural. The award is a golden box of popcorn with a flying saucer hitting it from the side and a fist rising from the popcorn. Boz promptly nicknamed the award the "Fistie." It just seemed right, all things considered.

From left: Debbie (editor), Gregg (director), Unknown Catwoman who presented the award, Denise (producer-actress), Robert (producer-actor), Boz (acting coach-actor).

Denise's pet, Booger, doesn't know quite what to make of the Fistie...

Website Winded by Wilma!

2005-10-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

For the past week the BLOOD + KISSES official website has been down -- as has been half the state of Florida -- without power since being hit by Hurricane Wilma. But we're back in business now.

The Art of the Scare

2005-10-29T09:37:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in a while, but that doesn't mean nothing's happening. It's just been all about the unglamorous task of finishing the post production on this beast.

We've been fine-tuning the music and trying to make the scares as big as possible. You know, I've been a filmmaker for a while now, working on all sorts of productions, and I never realized or fully appreciated the art and science of scaring people. It is a science and I am becoming a student of it. My textbooks are other scary movies and in particular Bravo's TV special "100 Scariest Movie Moments," which is running again this Halloween week.

I now appreciate that every scare that works is carefully crafted and executed. It's not so easy. Personally, I'm not that good a test audience since I've never been scared that easily by movies. So I sit in the edit bay and experiment, cutting it different ways, testing different music, different sound effects until the day I can test it out on someone and make them jump.

Last night I screened a scene for Denise, one she's seen a hundred times. She jumped for the first time at a new sound effect I put in there. I never even imagined that it was that scary a scene.

Back to the edit bay. I'm inspired now to scare as many people as I can, as often as I can!

More later
Gregg

Runaway Train

2005-10-07T09:27:00.000-07:00

Things are really moving now. We're so close I can taste it.

William and Mia have been working so furiously on music and sound effects that they've actually buried me under them. I haven't been able to keep up with editing them and mixing them into the movie. Speaking of the music... It's going to be an amazing score. William continues to create so much new music every day I think he's going to have to stop soon or he'll have enough music for two movies. I'm sure some of these musical ideas will develop into songs on the next Octavius album. Speaking of albums, I'm determined to put together an album for this movie. The music is so good that it demands it.

Meanwhile, James created the first of the special effects where the Countess grows her fangs. It rocked -- but we couldn't help but laugh at the size of the fangs. She looked like a damn sabertooth tiger. I have a sneaking suspicion that James hasn't actually watched the whole movie yet or else he'd have known her fangs should be smaller. But the effect was realistic and flawless and cut in seamlessly into the scene. Can't wait to see it with smaller fangs.

A smaller triumph was finally getting "Blood + Kisses" listed on IMDb, the Internet Movie Database. I know from the last indie movie I produced, "Los Patriotas," that this can be a painstaking process, submitting details over and over again until they finally get it complete. It looks like this will be no different. No cast or crew yet listed, but I'll keep at it. I'm like a pit bull on things like this. I don't let go. And this movie is like the little engine that could. We're going to have to fight for everything we get.

But then, we're all fighters.

More later.

Gregg

Endings + Beginnings

2005-10-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

A light at the end of the tunnel...

Post Production draws to a close on Blood + Kisses. Over the next four weeks we will complete the music, sound design, color correction and special effects. Music is in good hands -- courtesy of William Marshall, AKA Octavius -- as are the special effects -- thanks to the amazing James Raitt, who will start on them this weekend. The sound design has been handled to this point by a group including myself, Mia, and William. And that's working for us. But I think it's time to bring in a specialist to bring this baby home. Same for color correction. So far, I've been handling that myself. But we want this to rock visually, so again we'll bring in a hired gun to put it over the top.

That's what the next month will be about.

This morning though, I sat on my balcony, fires blazing to the east (Topanga) and to the west (Burbank) and as the ashes swirled around me in the air, opened my laptop and began writing the script for the Blood + Kisses prequel. That's right. We're making a prequel. All I can tell you so far is it will tell the story of how Denise's character became a vampire. This morning I wrote the first scene. Then I wrote the last scene. Now all I have to do is fill the 100 pages in between.

As I watched the ashes floating in the rays of the early morning sun, I thought, how fucking appropriate. Another movie, rising from the ashes like the Phoenix. There was a time when this movie was written off for dead. Before the reshoots. Before the months of painstaking editing. Before the evocative original music score and layers and layers of sound effects.

We're making this bitch work by sheer force of will. If we stumble and fall, we'll get up, dust ourselves off, and do it again.

Is there any other way?

Gregg

Denise Best Actress Nominee in Chicago!

2005-09-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

Fuckin' A. Denise gets nominated for a Best Actress award at the Chicago Horror Film Festival! We are all so proud of her. Not bad for her first time out. Not bad at all. To see all the nominees go to http://chicagohorrorfest.com/

In other news, just back from FangoNY, I sat down with William who had a whole new batch of music. We hired him for his rich musical talents, but we were taking a bit of a chance with him as this was his first feature score. Some of the early music showed a lot of promise, but till now we were keeping our fingers crossed. Today he delivered. Big time.

He has created the beginnings of an amazing eclectic and evocative score. I can't wait to hear what he comes up with next.

Gregg

More Fango pics

2005-09-26T11:39:00.000-07:00

The unholy trio does an interview for Showtime.

Denise and her new friend.

Denise takes a snack break!

Fango NY - Day 2

2005-09-26T10:35:00.000-07:00

The rest of the show.... Mostly about networking and press. We were interviewed by the local news (Channel 9 UPN) and a couple of websites (Fangoria.com and DVDinMyPants.com) but the big deal was the interview we did for Showtime. They were doing a story on the show and also to promote the new Showtime series "Masters of Horror." What kind of press will we get out of all this? Who knows. I'll keep you posted as things develop.

Meanwhile, Denise fell in love with an ugly-ass stuffed cat that she wouldn't let go of and decided to hold him? her? it? during the Showtime interview. Hopefully they cropped Ugly Kitty out of frame.

Across the way from us was the Shockorama booth manned by Justin, Paige and Trinity. The Shockorama crew does an amazing job of getting their campy, erotic horror movies into all the big stores. We could learn a lot from these guys.

Also at a booth nearby was a young filmmaker named Zeb promoting a new series called "Dead" that he's producing for the new Horror Channel (not to be confused with the competing Fangoria TV horror channel). "Dead" is a TV series about zombies that from the trailer looks to be very cool. Other films that we saw promoted there that looked exciting were the feature "Nightmare" and the short "Gotham Cafe."

Fango pics

2005-09-25T20:20:00.000-07:00

Denise and Cassandra make a John Landis sandwich!

Gregg finally gets some payback for all the grief
Denise gave him on the set.

Robert's father uses the power of the crucifix
to ward off his evil daughter-in-law!

Fango NY - Day 1

2005-09-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

The first day of the Fangoria Weekend of Horrors. Things went reasonably smooth. All the one-sheets, postcards, and banners came in from the printers in time and they all turned out pretty fucking slick. But with all the shit going down, I'd forgotten to make a new DVD of the trailer. The single most important thing and I'd blown it. I FedExed Mia the keys to my place, she made a copy of the movie, rushed it over to have a DVD made, then FedExed it, along with my keys, to New Jersey.

New Jersey. That's another story. It's impossible to drive anywhere without getting lost. But don't get me started.

Attendance was low, and many of the vendors were unhappy -- they had no one to sell their merchandise to -- but we were there to create awareness of the movie and to promote Denise as a new figure on the horror movie scene. So we networked and talked to the press (UPN, Showtime, Fangoria) and Denise and Cassandra smiled a lot, posed for pictures with the fans and signed lots of autographs. For us, we thought it went quite well.

John Landis (American Werewolf in London) came by. He almost walked right past the booth but I stopped him, sent him into a U-turn back to our booth so he could watch the trailer and pose for some pics. He seemed to like both the trailer and the ladies. How could he not?

They charmed everyone they met. Though some of the men were a bit intimidated, ultimately their curiosity would get the best of them and they'd come over. I think we gathered some new fans.

Who else did we meet? Russ Streiner and John Russo (Night of the Living Dead) both very cool cats, John Gulager (Feast, Project Greenlight) who was a very sweet guy, as was his dad Clu Gulager (Return of the Living Dead) and Michael Rooker (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer) who was pretty damn cool as well. Not to mention porn star and record holder of the world's biggest gang bang, Jasmin St. Claire. Now that's hard to beat.

Fangoria Weekend of Horrors 9/24-9/25

2005-09-23T20:49:00.000-07:00

Sept 24-25. Fangoria Weekend of Horrors. Secaucus, NJ. Fangoria's show is a treat for all horror fans! Meet director G Simpson, producer Robert Masino and stars Denise Masino and Cassandra Floyd who will be posing for free photos so bring your camera!
For more info go to http://www.creationent.com/cal/fangony.htm

Chicago Horror Fest welcomes B+K!

2005-09-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

We're in Allentown, PA... Where most of the movie was shot. Shooting some publicity stills (including the one seen here) as well as shooting a few final pickups for the movie. We shot three new scenes. Now that's it. I swear. We've been back to this hotel three times now and I think that's enough reshooting. Even Woody Allen doesn't reshoot this much.

But the big news is that we just got word we've been accepted into the 2005 Chicago Horror Film Festival, Oct 28-Nov 3. For more information please go to
http://chicagohorrorfest.com/

"Blood + Kisses" wins Best Picture in Vegas!

2005-09-12T00:11:00.000-07:00

After the third and final screening of the movie today, we hung out, watched a number of films, ate steak and eggs for breakfast, and gambled. Boz, on a lucky streak after all his raffle winnings, came away from the slots with a whopping $2.50 in winnings.

In the afternoon, we went to the awards presentation, nervous and excited. This was, after all, the first public screening of the movie and, given the fact that it's pretty damn provocative, we knew it wasn't for all tastes. In fact, we wouldn't have it any other way.

So as they were giving away awards, Boz and I sat and watched other films walking away with all the prizes. Shit. How could we be shut out? We knew we had the coolest movie. Where else are you going to see such an amazing group of female bodies starring in such a funky, ballsy, guilty pleasure of a movie. Then they got to the final award, the Best Feature Film, and they called out "Blood and Kisses" and... what a rush... almost a year's worth of work and an entire week of non-stop work to prepare for this festival (Mia and I working day and night on the sound; Denise and Barbara putting the one-sheet together) and then this. The payoff. The first of many for all of us.

Next stop. Fangoria.

G

Vampires, Jagermeister and Lap Dances

2005-09-11T10:53:00.000-07:00

A big thanks to all of you who came out and supported the movie. We've screened the film twice, and due to popular demand, are screening one more time Sunday at noon (that's in about one hour!)

There was a raffle and Boz bought a slew of tickets and wound up winning four prizes including a $250 pair of sunglasses and believe it or not, a vampire killing kit - complete with stake, mallet, garlic, etc. We'll probably buy a few more tickets today, as I have my eye on a RoboRaptor dinosaur robot that I'd like to give my nephew.

The screenings were a lot of fun and it was really the first time that I sat back and watched the movie like it was meant to be seen. We still have some work to do to finish it, but I have to say that for the most part the film works. It's a fucking miracle.

But it wouldn't be Vegas without a trip to a strip club. Conveniently there was one a block away from the Plaza and right now I'm basking in the after effects of shots of Jagermeister (too many) and lap dances (not enough) No pictures from the strip club although when a stripper picked a fight with me for having a camera (I wasn't using it) our waitress had the stripper reprimanded and sent home. Then our waitress - who was a real sweetheart - bought us a round of drinks. Crazy.

Gotta run. Screening is now less than an hour away. More later.

G

Vegas Bound!

2005-09-09T03:16:00.000-07:00

Fuckin' A.

We've been working 24/7 to get this movie finished in time for the preview screening in Vegas. The color and audio will still need to be tweaked after this weekend, and not all of the music is complete yet, but it looks pretty damn good...

It's now 3:20AM. Just enough time to pack and catch a couple hours sleep before Boz (who plays the Detective) and I get on the road to beat the weekend traffic to Vegas.

More from the Vegas...

G

One-Sheet

2005-09-06T15:52:00.000-07:00

Denise worked her ass off (with help from Barbara and James) in creating this very cool 8x10 version of the poster, known as a "one-sheet." I think she was ready to choke me by the time I finished sharing my ideas though. Good thing for me she was on the other side of the continent.

We've been trying to strike just the right balance of MYSTERY, SENSUALITY and HORROR all while showcasing Denise's amazing physique as well as her beauty. I think this comes pretty damn close. Robert, who shot the very cool images of Denise that make up the central part of the design, will be shooting yet more marketing stills in Allentown, Pennsylvania later this month. I'm sure we would have gotten more than enough photos during production if Robert wasn't also producing and starring in the movie as well as running B-camera. He was wearing too many hats. We all were.

Anyway, the one-sheet is off to the printer hopefully in time to have them for the festival this weekend. The movie, that's another matter. Mia, Eric, William and I are working furiously to finish the audio sweetening, sound effects and music in time. It will be right down to the wire, no doubt. Okay then. Back to the edit bay. More later.

Gregg

Vegas showtimes announced

2005-09-05T01:45:00.000-07:00

We're excited to be able to preview BLOOD + KISSES in the premiere slot of Friday, Sept 9, 830pm. It will be followed by a Q&A session. That will be followed by a party.

It will also screen on Saturday, Sept 10, time to be determined but expected to be about 6ish pm.

I just got word on this today and am excited and just a bit stressed. We're still in the final stages of post-production -- finalizing sound design, sweetening the audio, color correcting the picture and composing the score. We are not going to be able to have the movie 100% polished for the screening as the music for one thing will not be complete, but the movie is still very much screenable and will have a very fine temp score in place.

But we will definitely be coming down to the wire on this, working day and night to get the movie in the best possible shape. It's hard to imagine that we've been working on this beast for 9 months and still can't call it complete. But Denise, Robert and I are not going to call it a day until we have the best movie possible.

Anyway, I hope you can make it to Vegas. Drop me a line if you think you are going to come.

Gregg

"Blood + Kisses" to Premiere at Vegas Film Fest Sept 9-11

2005-09-01T06:59:00.000-07:00

Okay. Here's the deal. I'll keep it short and sweet as things are happening quickly. I got word just yesterday that we were accepted into our first film festival. Here are the details

WHAT: 2005 Festival of SciFi, Fantasy, Horror & Supernatural.

WHERE: Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas (both screenings and accomodations)

WHEN: Sep 9-11 (exact screen times yet to be announced)

HOW: For tickets and information, please go to the link below

www.MovieNationFestivals.com

So far, I'm going. Denise and Robert will not be able to attend. We have also applied to a number of other horror festivals around the country but have not yet received word on any of them. We will keep you posted as we find out more information, but so far, this is the only sure thing. Sorry for the short notice, but as I said, we just found out ourselves.

This is this particular festivals first year so we don't know much about it. We did meet the organizer and they seem to have their shit together, but we'll soon know for sure. They are having parties every night and will be giving away lots of prizes. The screenings will take place in two screening rooms within the hotel, which also offers a special rate to festival goers.

Hope to see you in Vegas!

Gregg

Upcoming B+K Events!

2005-08-12T06:28:00.000-07:00

We expect to be able to confirm dates in the coming months for Preview Screenings of BLOOD + KISSES. In the meantime, we'd love to see you at the following upcoming events!

Sept 17. North East Open Bodybuilding Competition. Maplewood, NJ. Guest poser Denise Masino does a sexy and awe-inspiring performance routine that is not to be missed! For more info contact Stokely Palmer at 973-762-0828.

Sept 24-25. Fangoria Weekend of Horrors. Secaucus, NJ. Fangoria's show is a treat for all horror fans! Meet director G Simpson, producer Robert Masino and stars Denise Masino and Cassandra Floyd who will be posing for free photos so bring your camera!
For more info go to http://www.creationent.com/cal/fangony.htm

Sept 30-Oct 1. 2005 Charlotte Pro. Charlotte, NC. Come meet Denise at the Bulk Nutrition booth! www.charlottepro.com

Oct 14-16. Olympia Weekend. Las Vegas, NV. No Olympia event would be complete without the presence of world class bodybuilder Denise Masino, who placed 2nd at last year's Ms. Olympia.
Stop by the Bulk Nutrition booth and say hello to Denise and B+K star Cassandra Floyd! www.2005olympia.com

Hot Tracks Needed!

2005-08-11T14:32:00.000-07:00

We are looking for talented up and coming bands to be part of the soundtrack for BLOOD + KISSES!

It’s an eclectic mix needed for this funky and stylish movie. We’re looking for music in the vein of Tricky, Wu Tang Clan, Cee-Lo, Marilyn Manson, Hole, ZZ Top, Fantomas. So it runs the gamut from metal and alternative to hip hop. Other musical styles are also welcome to be considered. For the most part we’re looking for music that is dark and sexy, but in a couple of places we need a lighter touch as well.

We can offer free exposure to the bands in exchange for non-exclusive rights to the songs, as well as giving them prominent screen credits in a very cool, provocative, indie horror film. In addition, they will get a percentage of CD sales should a CD be released.

All interested parties should contact Gregg at llamapix@aol.com

Octavius to compose "Blood + Kisses" score!

2005-08-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hot up-and-coming trip hop artist William Marshall AKA Octavius has just joined the team to compose the score to BLOOD + KISSES! His dark, sexy soundscapes -- in the vein of Tricky and RZA -- are the perfect fit for this movie! For more on Octavius check out

http://www.dirtyloop.com/Octavius.html

Denise Masino guest posing in NJ, Sept 17

2005-08-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

Denise is guest posing on Sept 17 at the N.E. Bodybuilding & Fitness Championships in New Jersey. Contact Stokely Palmer for tickets and information at 973-762-0828.

"Blood + Kisses" goes online!

2005-08-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

The BLOOD + KISSES website is now online! Check it out for the provocative new movie trailer, hot gallery photos and free wallpaper downloads!

www.bloodandkisses.com

We will be continuing to add news and pictures as well as updates, so check back often. And don't forget to register!

As for our new blogsite, check back here for dates on personal appearances of the sexy stars of BLOOD + KISSES as well as production updates. This exciting new movie is set to premiere sometime in the Winter of 2005. Stay tuned for more.