The Moore You Know: March 2009

I found this website this weekend. I am very thankful that I came across it because it has made a dream (that I have had since lunch) come true. With the help of this website, I was able to pen my first movie. Honestly, it’s nothing like what I thought my first movie would be. I imagined it involving car chases, espionage, double agents, massive explosions, and Vulcan death grips. It contains none of that.

For my writing-acting-directing debut, I decided to do something that gravitated around the characters rather than something you might find in some Hollywood summer blockbuster. I wanted to do something more intelligent, more compelling. This independent short explores the inter-workings of married life and brings it to the screen with hard hitting truths solely through dialogue and very powerful performances by the two leads (one being me.) I also have to give credit to my co-star who plays her part with raw, startlingly honest conviction, and without whom none of this would have even been possible.

I have sent a copy to the Sundance Film Festival and am awaiting feedback. Even so, if they do decide to show it, it won’t be until January 2010. I can’t wait that long, I feel the need to share my work with the world so right now, right here you will be among the first to view my film.

Just so you know, the film is cut into five segments, each picking up exactly where the last left off. I would like to say I did this for your convenience in case you were not able to view the film in its entirety in a single sitting, however in reality the website will only allow you to film a about a 1.5min at a time.

Without further ado, I present to you: The Moore You Know.

Ok, so it actually isn’t live because I typed all of the below this morning while waiting in a courtroom, but for some reason the Henry County Court Systems don’t have free Wi-fi. Go figure.

Today is not a routine day for me. However, it all started back in December. Back in the lull between Christmas and New Year, I witnessed a crime. I wish I could go into more detail, but because of the fear of being held in contempt, that is all I am going to say. Now, a little over two months after the happening, I am sitting in court waiting to give my testimony.

I’m a little nervous, I’ve never been a witness before. I was expecting secret service to show up this morning and escort me to the courthouse in a bulletproof caravan. I’ve seen movies, I’m not stupid. I know that the defendant’s ‘people’ want to off the key witnesses before the trial to keep the defendants name clear. I woke up, showered, put on my power suit ($99 Men’s Warehouse special that I got when I was still in college and was about to start interviewing for jobs) and waited. The trial was set to begin at 9, sometime between 8-830, I decided they weren’t sending Jack Bauer to oversee my drive so I got in the car and headed out. Before I pulled into the courthouse parking lot, I made sure I didn’t have a tail. I was clean, so I parked and went inside.

Right as you walk through the door you have to go through a metal detector. I felt safer after that. My tension had eased as I was waiting on the elevator. I noticed a huge bronze statue of Lady Justice to my right. The blindfold signifying that justice was blind, spoke to me. I felt empowered.

I was the first civilian in the courtroom. It appeared that I walked in on a double date at the senior center. There were four “security guards” sitting up front, two men, two women. All were at least 75yrs old, with solid white gray hair, and the men had their utility belt pulled up higher than their navels. What transpired next was probably one of the best conversations that I have ever heard. I was very sad that I came into the middle of it and wasn’t around for the beginning. What I was lucky enough to hear went like this:

Old Man 1 and Old Woman 1 were sitting at a table eating biscuits and a Hardee’s bag sitting on the table between them. Old Man 2 and Old Woman 2 approach…

OM2: Hardee’s, huh? They give discounts?

OM1: Yup, just for being old. Served my country 25yrs and what do I get? Nickel coffee every Wednesdays. Can’t beat that.

OW1: I think I want a Big Mac for lunch.

OM1: McDonalds?...I heard they use dog meat. Or was it cat?

Two ladies gasp in disgust.

OM2: You know, everybody used to eat dog meat. Only if it was an all black dog, though, nothing else?

Other 3: What?

OM2: Maybe that’s China. I think they still eat dog…and cats.
OW2: What was that alien a long time ago?...Alf! He used to eat cats.

OW1: I went to China once. I didn’t eat cat.

OM1: You don’t know that.

(All four laugh)

OM2: One of these days all this stuff we are getting from China….its going to kill us. It’s going to take over and kill us all. They are our enemy. They’re communists!

OW1: I’ll tell you what is going to kill you. Them cigarettes.

OM2: Yeah....if they come from China.

Old woman 2 begins coughing

OM1: Cough us up another one.

OW2: I’m on the patch.

OM1: Still got nicotine, what’s the point?

OW2: It aint got all that tar in it. And you use less the longer you use them.

Old man 2 begins singing some elaborate song about smoking cigarettes that I have never heard. It sounds like a 1950's commercial.

Old man 1 balls up his biscuit wrapper and throws it across the room towards the garbage can. He missed. He didn’t go pick it up.

All four join together singing the cigarette song. It has 3 verses and a chorus, too long to be a commercial jingle. When the song was over, all four leave the room.

Through out this whole conversation, other people have been trickling in. The awesome foursome doesn’t seem to mind. They kept singing as loud as ever. I can tell others are getting just as much of a kick out of the conversation as I am. If nothing else, they’ve gotten rid of my jitters. I guess I better wrap up. I don’t need want the shut down music chime going off when we are all rising for the Honorable Judge Chaffin.