My Interview with Fellow Workaholic Rolfe Kanefsky
       Saturday, December 15th 2007

       “Why do something that’s been done a thousand times before?” said filmmaker Rolfe Kanefsky. Meanwhile I sat on his couch with his cats staring at me.
       I interviewed Kanefsky at his pad in North Hollywood amongst his ginormous movie collection and his two very friendly cats. I looked over in the middle of the interview to see one of his cats peering over my shoulder. I’ve never met such friendly cats. They amused me.
       Judging by his varied resume, Kanefsky doesn’t even like to do the same things over and over again, let alone remake other people’s films. From his film There’s Nothing out There, to teen comedies Pretty Cool and Pretty Cool 2, to the thriller, Tomorrow By Midnight, Kanefsky likes to keep things fresh all the time. He’s constantly writing and directing different kinds of films. His extensive resume is more than impressive.
       An only child who grew up in New York, Kanefsky never wanted any siblings. He wanted his house, his parents, and his life to himself to make it what he wanted. Born to a Broadway singer/dancer mother and a film editor father (fun fact: his dad worked on Bloodsucking Freaks and Just Before Dawn), performing was always part of his being. At the young age of 3 or 4, his dad introduced him to Abbott and Costello. At that point in his life, he wanted to be a clown. He also loved mysteries. So much that he wrote a 120-page Hardy Boys-esque book on a legal pad when he was a kid.
       When he was five or six years old he got a tape recorder and by the age of 13 he was making home movies. He made his first feature film when he was 16.
       Always the class clown, Kanefsky was born a performer. In 2nd or 3rd grade, teachers put him into a special PE class because he kept falling down. Of course, this was not because of some disability; it was because he was a fan of prat falls. This is probably one of the funniest things I’ve ever heard. I’m a fan of physical comedy and this is a comedic story about physical comedy. I love it.
       When it was time for college, he knew he wanted to study film. He ended up at Hampshire College, who has a film department.
       “They thought I was either insane or a genius. “ If you’re rich you’re eccentric; if you’re poor you’re crazy,” Kanefsky said.
       Because he knew he was just there to make films, he essentially “forced” his way into the film department where he really got no support from anyone at the school. His advisor said things like, “You know you’re not going to learn anything making this movie” and, “Well that shows you how easy it is to do a horror film.”
       Even though these seemingly monstrous teachers and advisors at Kanefsky’s school didn’t support him, his parents did. Kanefsky spent the majority of our time together talking about his film, There’s Nothing Out There. In 1987, his parents actually mortgaged their home and worked on the film with him.
       What he did that was so interesting in this movie was make an “audience” character. This character basically tells the rest of the characters what idiots they are when they don’t notice the “signs” that are apparent in every cheesy horror movie.
       Kanefsky talked a lot about the similarities between his film and the moneymaking machine known as Scream. So what would he have done with all that moolah made on the Scream franchise?
       “I would have probably started my own production company and started producing some of my own favorite scripts and then moved on to try to help some of my fellow filmmakers. I was always trying to break myself and as many people into the film business at the same time. Launch a bunch of careers. The biggest team of talent, successful friends around you, the better. I have always felt that what goes around, comes around and to be in that position would have been awesome. It would have also given me the freedom to make some of my other pet projects, many of which I am still trying to get off the ground.”
       But even without those millions, he still continues to create. I admire his work ethic and talent.
       In recent news, Kanefsky’s film Nightmare Man played in Horrorfest on the big screen in November. And he started a film company with friend (an actress in most of his flicks) Tiffany Shepis called Nightmare Works.
       Can’t wait to see more creativity pour out of him…

______________________________________________

       It’s been a while since I have posted something. Don’t be angry with me, I’ve been really busy. I haven’t forgotten about you and wanted to pop in to tell everyone Happy Holidays!

       Finally, Michael Hemmingson’s book (that is dedicated to yours truly )is out! It’s titled, How to Have an Affair and Other Instructions (uh, uh, uh, what? Dedicated to me? um….)… Check it out!

http://www.wildsidebooks.com//How-to-Have-an-Affair-and-Other-Instructions-by-Michael-Hemmingson-trade-pb_p_316-2134.html

       And don’t forget to check my website for some good holiday gift ideas for your family. My family likes erotica, doesn’t yours?

       Hope you are all having a great holiday season and I’ll be back with you in 2008!

       Keep it bloody!
       xoxo
              Princess J