"Growing Up and Other Lies" Directors' Blog @growingupandotherlies - Tumblr Blog

What does the fox say? I'm expecting a witty response.

Foxes can’t speak. They are animals that have yet to evolve a voice box. If a fox did say something, it would say something like, “hello. I am an evolved fox. You should be frightened by the power of my intellect. Your time at the top of the food chain is likely to have ended. Good day.”

Boxers or briefs?

Neither. :)

Walking Manhattan...

The 10 essential stops when you “road trip” on foot down Manhattan

If you’ve spent much time in NYC, you probably have a “that time I walked a hundred blocks” story.

There’s something about the city – its grid, its neighborhoods – that makes it perhaps the world’s greatest walking city.

Our new film, Growing Up and Other Lies, is about four friends who embark on the ultimate New York walk – they attempt to conquer Manhattan by trekking its entire length.

So in honor of the film coming out in theaters and VOD nationwide on March 20, we are issuing a challenge: we think this is the best way to walk Manhattan. Disagree? Let’s see your list…

1) Broadway Bridge, 225th Street & Broadway

If you’re going to actually do this, folks, you have to start at the tippy top, and that means 225th street. Yes, two hundred twenty-fifth street. For some of you, that’s a hundred blocks higher than you’ve ever been, but trust us, it’s worth it. You think you know Manhattan? Wait’ll you see Inwood, a neighborhood so distinct from the stereotypical image of “New York” that you’re gonna swear you’ve left the city.

2) Fort Tryon Park & The Cloisters, Inwood

Think of this as the “favorite sons” section of your walk. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. were among those responsible for this idyllic park that provides stunning views of the Hudson. The museum is assembled from actual cloistered abbeys that were brought from Europe and reassembled right here in New York City. This museum is one of NYC’s hidden gems.

3) United Palace Theatre, 176th St. & Broadway, Washington Heights

Washington Heights is one of our favorite neighborhoods, in part because of its mishmash of culture and hipster. If you can finagle your way inside the stunning United Palace Theatre, you will be awed by a venerable vaudeville and cinema palace that was built in the 1920s. The marquee outside reads “Come on in or smile as you pass.” We suggest you do both.

4) Dinosaur BBQ, Harlem.

You’ve walked 100 blocks. You’re hungry. Your feet are sore. Is it not time to gorge yourself on barbecued meat?

5) The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. 113th St. & Amsterdam.

One of the five largest church buildings in the world, St. John’s Cathedral is a sight to behold. Every time we’ve walked the island, we’ve been rendered speechless by this place.

6) Central Park, North Woods (enter at 110th St. & Central Park West).

We know, we know. You’ve been to Central Park. But have you been to the park’s northern half? Have you ever taken a moment to appreciate that the park is fifty blocks long? We recommend you walk the whole thing, only re-emerging into the city at 59th street. It will help you get your nature fix, and you’ll emerge refreshed and ready to conquer the rest of the city.

7) The High Line, 34th St. & 11th Ave.

Walk above Manhattan on this formerly abandoned elevated train track that has been restored and re-opened as a popular west side park.

8) Joe’s Pizza, 7 Carmine Street.

There are countless great spots to grab a bite along this walk, but we can’t make it down the island without stopping for a slice at our favorite pizza joint. Joe’s provides the perfect balance of cheese and sauce along with a flawless crust. Our mouths are watering just writing about it.

9) Trinity Church Cemetery, Broadway and Wall Street

Folks, Alexander Hamilton is buried here. The man was shot and killed by the sitting Vice-President, Aaron Burr, in 1804. That’s how old this cemetery is, and if that’s not a must stop for you in the middle of the financial district, we don’t know what to tell you.

10) Battery Park

To complete the entire 260 block journey, you must reach the tip of Battery Park. You’ll want to sit on the bench for a few minutes, because you’re gonna be a little bit tired.

Revisiting our first ever blog post

Back in the summer of 2012 we wrote the following post to commence this blog. We were en route to NYC to shoot our second feature, GROWING UP AND OTHER LIES. Today, as we are on the verge (T-minus one month and counting) from releasing that movie in theaters and on VOD (March 20!), we felt it was appropriate to re-blog...

It's Time To Make A Movie

Today, Danny and I boarded a plane to fly to NYC to make GROWING UP (AND OTHER LIES). This may sound moderately exciting to you. ‘Oh, cool, they get to get on a plane to go make their movie. Nice!’ But filmmaking is a long, painful, exhilarating lesson in delayed gratification. It’s more than moderately exciting. It’s more than exciting. Picture this… You have an idea for something you want to do, and then you start working on it. You work and work and work, then you work some more, and finally, after a few months, you start telling people about it. Nah, they say, it still needs more work. You knew this, so you work some more. And then some more. You show it to more people. Another month. Hey, they, say, that’s pretty cool. It still needs more work, of course. Of course, you say. It’s not nearly finished. But can you imagine how cool it’ll be when it is finished? Stunning. The best. Onwards, you go. Problem is, you can’t make this thing yourself. You need to convince others — people to give you their money, their time, their talent, people to love it as much as you do, people to do things you could never possibly do. And they all have to do what they do well, or else it just won’t work. So you send it to more people. A lot of them say nice things. ‘Oh, that’ll be great!‘ Yeah, you ask? You want to give XXX and be a part of it? Sometimes, they say no. But they’re often kind about it — they can’t wait to see it when it’s done! Sometimes, they aren’t so kind — ‘it’s just not for me,’ they say. Other times, they don’t say anything at all. They’re not sure if they want to be part of it. Not yet, anyway. Get back to them…when it’s further along. Then, when you get back to them, they often don’t even call you back. At all. Sometimes, rarely, every once in a blue moon, they say YES. Those are good days. This process can take a year, if you’re extremely fortunate. In many cases it takes five years. Sometimes, it takes longer than that. Yes. We’re talking about years. At this point, you might be thinking: “What could possibly be worth years?” I should add, by the way, that this thing is not just a passing fancy that you spend 20 minutes a day on; no, you’re spending a majority of your productive hours working on this thing. And again, it takes years. Now, picture this. You’ve been pushing this rock up a mountain for years, and one day, suddenly, someone tells you that you get to make this thing. Your years of work have paid off! Enough people have said yes in enough capacities that you get to make it! The joy. The years of frustration are unleashed. THAT is what it felt like getting on the plane today. THAT is what we’re dealing with now, as we take in our first night in New York, where we will shoot GROWING UP (AND OTHER LIES). We’ve flown here five, six times over the years for writing and research. We’ve had literally hundreds, if not thousands, of meetings that have been spent writing, thinking, pitching, pushing, you name it.

And now we’re here. Ready to shoot. So the real work of making the movie can begin.

The fellas are gettin' ready for March 20. Are you? #growingupandotherlies

I saw your film when you presented it to our class at Los Angeles Film School, and i just cannot stop thinking about it and wanting it to come out already! I fell in love, and just wanted to let you know this :)

Thanks for the kind words, foxx-claw. You're finally getting your wish. The film comes out March 20. Keep checking back here for updates, and please help us spread the word!

So you're done...what's next?

Believe it or not, we’re just now discovering that people can ask questions on tumblr (we are technological dumb-dumbs). No idea when you wrote this, but apologies for the delayed response. As for what’s next, most importantly the movie comes out on March 20, in theaters and on VOD! We'll be updating the blog with greater frequency leading up to the release.

This is our new release poster for the movie!

New York City was made for hoofing, as a group of four thirtysomething guys find out in the exclusive trailer for 'Growing Up and Other Lies.'

Adam Brody with a frightening plastic baby intent on eating us all. #GUAOLSet

Reviews (or how I learned to stop worrying and not read them)

Reviews have started to trickle in for GROWING UP AND OTHER LIES, via several of the film festivals that we've played. And so far, at least, all the reviews have been pretty positive. Still, we know that as we get closer to the release of the film in March, there's gonna be some pretty harsh things said about the picture. And whether they are right or wrong, those things will hurt. There's no way that they won't.

When our first film, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, was released, our relationship to reviews fundamentally changed. We were so excited to have an actual movie in actual theaters that we gobbled up every review that came out. It didn't matter if it was the New York Times or some dude in his underwear sitting in his parents' basement. If they uttered a word about the film, we read it.

If what we read was good, strong film criticism, I don't think it would have bothered us. And though some of the negative reviews were thoughtful and coherent, many were uninformed, poorly thought out and in many cases badly written. And we're not just talking about the basement bloggers here. We're talking about reputable newspapers and magazines.

It was disheartening to say the least and changed the way we consume movies. We used to read reviews all the time before going to see a film, confident that we were getting the opinion of someone who had spent at least a little effort trying to understand the picture in question. And when we realized that wasn't the case, we stopped reading reviews. For any movie. By anyone.

And when we did that, we unshackled ourselves from the cult of opinion. We were able to go into a movie free of the magnetic pull of peer pressure. We were able to delight in the maligned and find joy in the taste-maker concluded joyless.

Still, when it comes to our movies, it's hard to resist. We've spent years toiling away on a film and it's damn near impossible not to care about what people think about it. Woody Allen somehow manages to do it, but he's a nut job, so that's apparently the price of admission into the "divorced from public opinion club."

Maybe if there was an aggregator out there, somewhere, that told us generally what the reviews say, in total, perhaps using a simple symbol, like a ripe pear or something to give us a shorthand understanding of the film's response, we'd be better off. But alas, the world sucks.

The Film is FINALLY Coming

It's been a long road. But now, we can officially announce that we have sold Growing Up and Other Lies for domestic distribution within the United States. It'll be coming to theaters and Video on Demand on March 20th, 2015. Thanks to everyone who has followed the film. We'll need your help as we get closer to the distribution date. Independent films need passionate supporters to gain awareness. For now, we're excited and grateful that our long gestating project will finally have the opportunity to reach its audience.

A poignant moment in "Growing Up and Other Lies"

A set photo of the beautiful Amber Tamblyn! #Growingupandotherlies

A shot of Josh Lawson (left) and Wyatt Cenac (right) doing the second-to-last ADR work for "Growing Up and Other Lies" of all time. Epic.

Adam Brody & the fabulous Lauren Miller act in a white void in a pivotal scene from the film.

#Growing Up and Other Lies

An important scene in "Growing Up and Other Lies" takes place at an SAT Prep Center...

Pay no attention to the actual text of those helpful student flyers, for you do not want to glimpse behind the curtain of making movies.

IT...IS...ALL...A...LIE!!!

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