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Di Passaggio

This summer, one group of college students is embarking on an international adventure, leaving behind the comforts of their lives in the United States to spend five weeks as foreigners studying abroad throughout Italy. While some are seasoned travelers, others have never stepped out of their state lines, yet alone the country.

There’s Leslie, an undeclared sophomore, who has never traveled alone or abroad and has no idea what to do with her life. While Leslie may be starting up her college career, Ansley is winding it down, completing her final two courses here before starting work in the fall. Matt, a first time world traveler and agnostic, is leaving home and his girlfriend behind, while John, a devout Catholic who struggles with a modern romance, is reconciling his place in a world at odds with his religious beliefs.

Together, they will learn to fit into a culture far different from their own, with a strange language, diet, and travel pattern that all of them have barely imagined. As Pat Conroy said, “Once you have traveled, the voyage never ends, but is played out over and over again in the quietest chambers. The mind can never break off from the journey.” These four young adults, mired between the age of innocent youth and adult responsibility, are discovering a destination that Henry Miller described as “…never a place, but a new way of seeing things."

R.I.P. Charlton Heston

Mr. Heston and Dub worked together in the film Major Dundee.

13 Years

Today marks the 13th anniversary of Dub's death, which really, marks a celebration of his life. My father will have passed away six years ago in February, and I understand that kind of loss -- it's hard. But these kind of dates, while sad, give us a moment to reflect on the lives that they did have, the legacy they left behind.

That's really what this project is about, it's a celebration of life, a celebration of the small moments that are oft forgotten, but remembered by those who were there, who respected them, and were participants in that memory. The legacy lives on in the lives that they impact, their friends, families, and admirers. You can see Dub's final work, Maverick, on TNT this Saturday at 1:30 P.M.

Take today as a reminder of the kind of life you want to live, and look to Dub's example -- do everything as much as you can, when you can, while you can.

James

Roger Ebert Calls Dub Taylor "Great"

In his review of "3:10 to Yuma," Roger Ebert briefly mentions Dub Taylor and the importance of character actors:

Westerns used to be the showcases of great character actors, of whom I was lucky enough to meet Dub Taylor, Jack Elam, Chill Wills, Ben Johnson and, when she wasn't doing a million other things, Shelley Winters. "3:10 to Yuma" has two roles that need a special character flavor and fills them perfectly. Peter Fonda plays McElroy, a professional bounty hunter who would rather claim the price on Ben Wade's head than let the government execute him for free. And Ben Foster plays Charlie Prince, the second-in-command of Wade's gang, who seems half in love with Wade, or maybe Charlie's half-aware that's he's all in love. Wade would know which, and wouldn't care, except as material for his study of human nature.

To see the full review, click here.

3:10 to Yuma in Theaters Friday, The Mist Trailer Online

Be sure to check out James Mangold's Western, 3:10 to Yuma, in theaters this Friday. Matt Taylor, grandson of Dub Taylor, did stunts for the film. And, not to mention, we're thrilled to see a big old fashioned Western back in theaters.

Additionally, you can see the trailer for Buck Taylor's The Mist, directed by Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile"), in theaters this November on Yahoo! Movies. Buck is the son of Dub Taylor and father of Matt Taylor.

Congratulations to them both!

- James

Long Time, No Talk

Hey guys -

I know it's been a while since I updated this, so here's a brief update:

1) The first screening in Augusta, GA was a huge success, we were overcapacity! They had to bring chairs into the lobby to accomadate the crowd. In fact, the folks at the Morris Museum told us that this was the largest showing for an event that they could remember. Thanks for your support!

2) We're still shooting. There are people who still want to do interviews and people we still want to join us. Why wouldn't we? The more the merrier, right? This week, we're off to Indiana to go interview rocker John "Cougar" Mellencamp...that's right...THE John Mellencamp. He directed and acted with Dub in the 1992 Columbia Pictures' film "Falling from Grace." In the upcoming weeks, we're hoping to line up a few more people that are in the works. Naturally, I'll post them here as they are confirmed, I wouldn't want to get anyone's hopes up. My emotions are toyed with enough, no need to get you guys involved...

3) We don't have a distributor yet, because frankly, we're not at the point where we're ready to present the project yet. The Taylor Family has seen the rough cut and we're encouraged by their response. When everything is worked out and everything is ready, trust me, the blog will be the first place you'll hear about it.

I certainly hope by this time next year, the world will be reminded of the fantastic career of Dub Taylor, a true story of inspiration for anyone from a small town who wanted to make it in the world.

Project Update

Hey guys, thanks for your continued support! We do read your emails and try to respond to each of them. For the meantime, we've got a few things in the pipeline, but one of our biggest pieces of news?

Next Friday, the 15th, we're interviewing John Mellencamp, who worked with Dub on the film "Falling from Grace," one of his last works. We'll be going to his studio in Indiana for the interview, and we can't be more thrilled. Everyone over at Hoffman Entertainment has been more than gracious and helpful to get this integral interview.

Additionally, we're looking at our distribution options now that we've had a little time to step away from the grind and observe the picture we have made. We're sending out letters, emails, and doing everything we can to help the project out.

If you work for a magazine, media outlet, or are in a position where you can help us get this project distributed, please message us! We'll be glad to do interviews, talk to your people, etc. to make this thing happen. It's been a true labor of love for us, and we really want to make sure the public gets the chance to be reminded of the career of Dub Taylor.

Fortunately, there is interest in the project, it's just a matter of grabbing the buzz.