Coymoon Creations

March 17, 2010

As many of you know, Ken Burns has become one of the most influential documentary makers of all time. Back in the fall of 2009, PBS broadcast "The National Parks: America’s Best Idea". The six-part series, narrated by Peter, focused on the ideas and individuals that helped propel the parks into existence. Ken Burns will once again enlighten us with a three-part, six-hour documentary called "Prohibition". The film series, now in production, will again be narrated by Peter and is tentatively scheduled to be broadcast on PBS later this year. The story of Prohibition’s rise and fall is a compelling saga that goes far beyond the oft-told tales of gangsters, rum runners, flappers, and speakeasies, to reveal a complicated and divided nation in the throes of momentous transformation. According to Peter, "The parallels to today are frightening, especially in how Prohibition created 'organized' crime, and increased the value of liquor logarhythymically."

Earlier this month it was announced that Warner Bros. has acquired Spanish rights to Peter's latest film, DI DI HOLLYWOOD,  the showbiz-set drama by helmer Bigas Luna. Starring Spanish sex-symbol Elsa Pataki, the film follows an actress who travels to Hollywood pursuing her dream of success. "Di Di" is the second part of a trilogy focused on young women trying to escape their humble pasts. The film's producers include Spain's Malvarrosa Media, Canica Films and El Virgili Films. Spanish pubcasters TVE and TV3 and Gallic paybox Canal Plus have all nabbed TV rights. Warners Bros. will release the film in Spain in the fall.  Peter says he became fast friends with Elsa and co-star Paul Sculfour during production and is "looking forward to seeing the film with eagerness." If you click on the above photo, the link will take you to a short teaser trailer. The photo below is a candid one of Peter with his female pals from the film crew - Claudia, Alva, and Vanessa.

Coyote man will soon be headed to LA to tape another episode of "Flash Forward" reprising his role as President Dave Segovia. The sci-fi TV series premiered on ABC last September with Peter making a guest appearance in "Gimme Some Truth", the fifth episode. The second season will have a two-hour opener tomorrow evening and a two-hour finale on May 27th. I will try to give a heads up when I have any info on which episode he will be appearing in. Here are some photos from the episode that aired on October 22, 2009:

After spending two years of extensive reading and research, Peter, the writer, is hard at work on the  third draft of a new book called "Lies That Blind: The Education of an Angry Man." He describes it as a political book written in narrative form telling how he learned certain things as a child and how those lessons have affected how he sees the world as an adult. His memoir, "Sleeping Where I Fall" was published back in 1998 and a second edition was released last summer.

"Crimes of Opportunity", one of Peter's film scripts is getting a re-write these days with hopes that it will finally be seen on the big screen. What an exciting thought! The drama was originally co-written with Sylvia Peto, a Seattle-based author. It involves a character called Eddie Malick, modeled loosely on Jack Henry Abbott, the convicted murderer and would-be writer whose case was championed by Norman Mailer. Less than six weeks after Mr. Abbott's 1981 release from a Utah prison, while on a parole partly sponsored by Mr. Mailer, Mr. Abbott killed an actor and playwright working as a waiter at an East Village restaurant. "Crimes of Opportunity" links the convict and his literary aspirations to an equally ambitious local television personality, adding a love story to the mix.

February 5, 2010

Come April 20th, ADOPT A SAILOR will be available on DVD, courtesy of Echo Bridge Entertainment. The 81-minute drama, shot over two weeks in the spring of 2007, stars Bebe Neuwirth and Ethan Peck alongside Peter. Written and directed by Charles Evered, the film has been making the film festival circuit over the past year. Here's what Deborah Dearth of the Desert Post Weekly had to say about the film:

Sometimes it takes an unexpected jolt to awaken the realization that life is not merely floating by for everyone. In “Adopt a Sailor,” a young man hits New York City for a night during Fleet Week, spending the evening with a couple who has volunteered to host a sailor — only they have forgotten. His presence throws their schedules off kilter and changes their outlook on the world outside of their apartment. Charles Evered makes his directorial debut with “Adopt a Sailor,” based on the dichotomy of his experience as a sailor and writer. Palm Desert producer Kim Waltrip of WonderStar Productions worked for two years with Evered, a professor at UC Riverside, to bring the film to the screen. The interiors were shot in the Coachella Valley.

The film began as a short play to commemorate Sept. 11, 2001, at a special event. It certainly retains the close feel of a stage set with three characters bound by an evening of obligation. Though the topic expanded from a couple's reaction to the city's attacks to a night with a sailor about to return to war, soul searching remains the story's central focus.

Ethan Peck (“10 Things I Hate about You”) stars as the sailor and shares a natural poise and
handsome resemblance to grandfather Gregory Peck. His character holds a careful balance between aw-shucks mannerisms and a quiet thoughtfulness. Bebe Neuwirth (“Frasier”) shows off her acting chops as Patricia, perfectly cast for the bold role as an annoyed and nagging wife who manages to incite sympathy despite passive aggressive tendencies. Peter Coyote (“The 4400”) hams up his role as Richard, a dependent husband with no serious concerns who finds excessive emotional weight in every situation. Following one excessive diatribe, he labels himself as a “wanker dilettante idiot.” The shoe fits.

Peck's sailor becomes the hinge on which the unhappy couple evaluates their lives, whether they are loudly confronting each other in front of him or individually speaking with him as to how their lives have evolved from former contentment. Through the sailor's naïveté, the couple finds superiority and guilt. The more they justify their behavior, the more they become aware that there is a third person in the room and that their insecurities do not affect his world. It slowly becomes clear that the couple did not simply adopt a sailor but found a broader view of the world around them.

February 2, 2010

Adding to Peter's ever-growing list of narrations is a 30-minute film called "Gray Eagles" by Chris Woods. Using vibrant, thrilling hi-def aerial photography, "Gray Eagles" shows the reunion between humble WWII Mustang ace Jim Brooks and the historic plane February, that after 60 years, he never thought he would see again. Inspired by the flood of memories that were triggered by this unimaginable encounter, the 87-year old pilot finally breaks his silence, sharing his stories and experiences of war with the grandchildren who never thought they'd hear them. The survival of history depends on the passing along of first-hand accounts. Gray Eagles shows how a long lost friend in the guise of a plane inspired one man to share his. For more information, visit this link.

Whether it's between riders of off-highway vehicles and hikers, preservationists and oil drillers or ranchers and wolf lovers, the debate over how best to manage Utah's wilderness is always intense. Tomorrow night filmmaker John Howe's documentary, "Wilderness: The Great Debate" will premiere on Salt Lake City's KUED channel. Narrated by Peter, the film will introduce the wilderness debate to viewers who know little about the issue but also challenge the viewpoints of those at the forefront of the battle. Howe is best known for his national PBS films "The Last Cowboys" and "Arctic Wars."

January 31, 2010

Filming in Gammons Gulch, Arizona, has wrapped for THE GUNDOWN, starring Peter, William Shockley, Sheree J. Wilson and Veronica Diaz. The movie, described as a "shoot 'em up western", will have a limited theatrical release and then head to DVD.  Click here for a local TV video on the making of the film. The photo on the left was taken of some of the cast and the one on the right shows Peter speaking to members of the SE AZ Economic Development Group about the impact of movie-making. It was the biggest production ever filmed at the Arizona Old West Movie Set and Museum in Cochise County.

James Zito is a Colorado independent film and videomaker who continues to be interested in exploring Buddhist issues on film and in the electronic media. He has been involved in helping to create electronic archives of Buddhist materials as well as documenting the progress of Buddhism in America and the west. His latest film is called, " Inquiry Into the Great Matter: A History of Zen Buddhism", narrated by Peter. It tracks the evolution of Zen Buddhism from its beginnings in the China of the T’ang Dynasty to its transfer to Japan in the 11th century and up to the present day. In three parts the film examines the growth and development of Zen by profiling the lives of some of its greatest masters who embody and exemplify various important phases in Zen history. The DVD is available with additional material including instructions on zazen practice by Yasunaga Roshi. For more information, visit this link.

Blast from the Past - Summer of 1992 in Paris:

November 30, 2009

Attention all Alaska residents! The documentary, "For the Rights of All: Ending Jim Crow in Alaska", will have its statewide Public Television premiere tomorrow evening at 8 pm. The film, narrated by Peter, relates the struggle for full recognition by Alaska's Native people. It  centers upon the lives, during the time of World War II, of Nome resident Alberta Schenk Adams, and Juneau resident Elizabeth Peratrovich, two iconic figures in the ongoing struggles for civil rights in Alaska. It also contains much documentary material about other aspects of what was a very segregated society here in the 1940s and earlier. Produced by Jeff Silverman, directed by Phil Lucas and written by Diane Benson, the film is dedicated to Alberta Schenk Adams, who passed away midway through production.

November 25, 2009

Peter recently returned from Ciudad de la Luz movie studios in Alicante, Spain after wrapping up DI DI HOLLYWOOD, the second film by director Bigas Luna in his trilogy on the struggle of women to improve their lowly existence. Since the movie has a presence on Facebook, I've been able to capture several publicity photos taken during the shoot, which you can view on the film title link above.

After Thanksgiving, Peter will be off on a new project called THE GUNDOWN, a "western shoot'em up" movie that takes place in the Arizona desert in 1893. Peter will take on the role of Thomas Morgan with Sheree Wilson (Walker: Texas Ranger), as Sarah Morgan and William Shockley (Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman), as Travis McCain. Filming is slated to begin on November 30th and will take place at Gammons Gulch Movie Set & Museum located neaer Benson, Arizona.  Silver Bullet Films is producing in assocation with Freewill Films.

In his continued relationship with Bullfrog Films, known as the leading US publisher of independently- produced, environmental DVDs & videos, Peter has narrated another one of their films. "The New Metropolis" is a groundbreaking two-part documentary on the rise, fall and revitalization of America's first suburbs. Produced by award-winning filmmaker Andrea Torrice, this is the first public examination devoted to the issues facing many suburban towns. Peter narrated Part One called "A Crack in the Pavement", which follows the story of two Cincinnati area public officials and their efforts to keep their towns stable and healthy despite difficult times to repair and improve infrastructure and lure businesses. Part Two, narrated by actress Ruby Dee,  focuses on two ordinary people, one black and one white, who made racial integration the centerpiece of revitalizing Pennsauken, New Jersey.

CBC News Network in Canada will be featuring a one-hour documentary narrated by Peter as part of The Passionate Eye Series airing on Sunday. It's called, "Science of Forensics: Mystery of the Floating Feet". Produced, written and directed by Anna Fitch, the film tells the stories of mysterious deaths and reveals the CSI science behind how each case was solved.

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