Movie in the Cemetery....Only in Cali

Last summer, one of my friends introduced me to something super strange yet ridiculously amazing. She sent me a text asking if I wanted to go to a movie. I said yes, and I asked when. She responded with a date that was for three weeks later. Already, I was confused. Who plans to go to a movie three weeks out? So I asked what movie we were gonna see.  She said we'd watch The Exorcist. Remember when I was already confused? Watching a movie that had been out for 30 years.  And then, she said where we'd see it: in the cemetery.

Immediately I was intrigued.  A movie in the cemetery? What in the world was this going to be like. I'll tell you what it was going to be like: AMAZING!

As we pulled up to the cemetery, the amount of people walking there, carrying blankets and picnic stuff is insane. So many people! And the line to get in - forget about it. It wrapped worst than amusement park rides.  The line was incredibly long, and it just kept getting longer. We didn't have to wait in that line though, because we parked inside the cemetery.  We picked our spot on the grass and I just stood there in awe as the people continued to migrate in and set up camp.

We proceeded to unpack our picnic and enjoy our dinner while a DJ played music.  A movie in the cemetery is amongst one of the craziest phenomenons I've experienced.  While there, I vowed to share the experience with anyone who'd let me. Today was that day.

Three weeks ago I sent an email to my local friends and told them that Taxi Driver was playing tonight and asked if they wanted to go.  A few people expressed interest and bought their tickets.  I was nervous that they wouldn't have the same experience that I did and that they wouldn't be as impressed.  But I quickly learned that everyone has the same reaction the first time they go. No amount of description an prepare you for an amazing evening of bonding with 2,500 other people. Everyone is just outside having a great time. The mood is collectively chill, and once the movie starts - silence.  Everyone is so respectful, which makes for a great movie going experience.

They only play the movies during the summer, from May-September. So far this is the only time I've gone this year. I'm hoping to get to at least one more. If you're curious about it, you should check it out. www.cinespia.org

If you're asking yourself why I wasn't working, the answer is simple. I stayed up til 4:30am working. I finished the website for my next film, Collectible Items. You should check it out: www.CollectibleItemsTheMovie.com. And when I finished that, I thought it would be a good idea to work on my website: www.edrei.com. When I finished that, I finally went to bed.

After a week of interviews and two website designs, I figured I could take a break and relax with friends. In keeping in the spirit of James Franco, I'll get a lot of work done tomorrow. I've been saying that I need to edit my director's reel. That sounds like a job for tomorrow!

#WWJFD