Actor, Plant High grad Morgan Simpson brings back Clear Lake, WI to Tampa Pitcher Show

One of the better offerings at this year's Gasparilla International Film Festival was Clear Lake, WI, a psychological thriller starring Michael Madsen, written and produced by is co-star, Morgan Simpson, a Plant High School graduate now living in L.A.

Simpson will return to town Nov. 17, for a showing of Clear Lake, WI at Tampa Pitcher Show, 14416 N. Dale Mabry Hwy. He'll be joined at the screening by executive producer (and fellow Plant alumnus) Charlie Poe. Show time is 7:15 p.m., and tickets are $7.

The movie was picked up for distribution overseas only by Arsenal Pictures. Amazon.com doesn't list a DVD version available or coming soon.

Madsen, best known as sociopath Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs, plays a clergyman, which seems like miscasting until you realize his doing his Mr. Blonde thing again, albeit on a mission from God. I gave Clear Lake, WI a brief but positive review before its Gasparilla festival premiere:

"The Reverend, as he's known, went a little funny in the head 15 years ago, believing a toxic spill that caused several deaths was God's vengeance against sinners, especially horny teenagers. A few straight arrows agreed with him, setting off a Manson-style massacre of classmates. Needless to say, everyone cleared out of town after that.

Taking a cue from Stephen King's It, a group of survivors return to deserted Clear Lake to confront their dark memories, speaking exposition into a video camera a bit too much. Bodies start piling up, and it's obvious that the Reverend's work isn't done.

Clear Lake, WI is a solid flick, and Madsen is worth watching anytime (although his role is limited to flashbacks and a killer kiss-off)."

I also mentioned in that blog review that Clear Lake, IA is a decent calling card for Simpson as he furthers his film career. It probably helped him get his next project underway in August, a drama set in Memphis' blues music culture titled Bailey, directed by Mario Van Peebles and co-starring Michael Clarke Duncan. Simpson co-wrote the screenplay, produces and plays the title role.

Poe again serves as executive producer, and snagged a bit part as a musician named Boom Boom.

Land O'Lakes film buff (literally) will display more than 900 movie cameras this weekend at the new Beaux Arts in Clearwater

I have this recurring nightmare, usually after enduring a string of mediocre flicks, that I'm stuck in a room with 1,000 movie cameras aimed at me, like a massive cinematic firing squad. I'm not sure what a therapist would say about that dream, or Richard LaRiviere who's almost making it come true this weekend.

LaRiviere, 64, is literally a film buff, owning Riverboat Nudist Club in Land O'Lakes. His devotion to cinema led to collecting movie cameras by the hundreds since 1964. Now he's shooting for Guinness Book of World Records fame, displaying more than 900 movie cameras -- no duplicate models -- this weekend at the reborn Beaux Arts gallery, 709 S. Missouri Ave. in Clearwater.

The official camera count will be held Friday at 8 p.m., with results sent to Guinness for verification and possible inclusion in its next annual roundup of unique records. The current record holder (600) lives in Athens, Greece.

The camera exhibit -- along with props from such films as The Corpse Bride and Cleopatra -- is part of a weekend celebration of Beaux Arts re-opening. Doors open Friday and Saturday at 6 p.m.; Sunday at 12 noon to 6 p.m. Admission is $10 for a 3-day ticket, with proceeds going to the Museum of Motion Pictures and Television.

Beaux Arts used to be a St. Petersburg cultural institution where artists including Jim Morrison, Jack Kerouac and Marilyn Monroe hung out.

In a news release, new owners Jay “Hunter” Loiselle and Chris Skillman say the new Beaux Arts will “foster an inclusive art culture that incorporates a cross-pollination of art, music, film, writing, sound and performance.” For more information, contact Loiselle at (813) 251-6444 or Skillman at (727) 520-4102.

Tampa's Education Channel presents its 16th annual Independents' Film Festival, starting Nov. 5

How about dinner and a movie? The Education Channel (Bright House Ch. 614; Verizon FIOS Ch. 32) offers both for the modest price of $15 per person at its 16th annual Independents' Film Festival. You get food, drink, coffee, dessert and schmooze time with some of Tampa Bay's most ambitious filmmakers, and screenings of their latest works.

All events are held at the Education Channel's headquarters, 703 N. Willow Ave. in Tampa. Seating is limited, with tickets available only online at the festival's Web site.

Here's the schedule of events, as described by the festival:

November 5th – Gangsters and Groove: documentaries with a Florida focus. Back by popular demand, the award winning Ghosts of Ybor: Charlie Wall explores one of Ybor City’s most famous crime residents and Florida’s first crime boss. Screens with The Tempo of Tampa Bay, exploring Tampa’s rich tradition of jazz and blues.

November 6th – Emerging Directors: sponsored by the University of Tampa. Amazing short films and animations created by college and graduate students. Filmmakers on hand.

November 7th – Junior Showcase: films by students in grades K-12, most from high school students, including Blake High senior Garrett Brown, already a local filmmaking legend. Followed by a Young Producers Panel discussion with current college students. Find out how to make it in film in higher ed.

November 11th – Going to Xtremes: Award winning documentary FRAG, true story of professional video gaming and the young cyber-athletes who dream of stardom in gaming tournaments.

November 12th – Art of Film: An evening of beautiful, inspiring films revealing the artistic vision of the filmmaker, and celebrating IFF special guests Dorothy Fadiman and Todd Thompson, plus a selection of films from the festival.

November 13th – Florida Short Film Showcase: Wonderful films by some of Florida’s best filmmakers. Come early and stay late to meet the creative forces in the local film scene.

November 14th – Educational Seminars at 10 AM & 12 PM: Producing with Passion: Making Films That Change the World presented by Dorothy Fadiman, and Telling Stories with Heart presented by Todd Thompson.

November 14th – Best of the Fest: A selection of award winning films, followed by an awards ceremony and wrap party for all attending.

Extras, extras! Read all about the Guzzo brothers needing help making a movie

Tampa filmmakers Pete and Paul Guzzo (the Ghosts of Ybor series) are working on a movie titled Caged Dreams, a drama set in the rough-and-tumble world of mixed martial arts. They're looking for a few hundred extras to fill seats as fight spectators.

There isn't any pay -- hey, this is indie filmmaking, you know -- but food and entertainment are promised during breaks in action.

Extras are needed on Oct. 17, all day or partial day, depending on what the Guzzos need. First ones to get there have the best chance of sitting in the front row for maximum screen exposure.

You'll go to Heights of Tampa, 1978 Ola Avenue in Tampa. You'll be asked to sign releases prior to driving on the set. No one under the age of 18 will be permitted on set.

The schedule says 10 a.m. but the Guzzos urge everyone to arrive early. Filming won't start right away, but if you want to get a seat and have the chance to be on camera you must check in early

Wardrobe: is simple; anything you will be too hot or uncomfortable wearing

Contact the Guzzo brothers at xfc.cageddreams@gmail.com for complete details.

(Photo: Daniel Wallace of the Times)

Touching Home: Twin Miller brothers visit St. Pete to teach how a low-budget, big star movie can get made

The Sunscreen Film Festival's mission to enhance Tampa Bay's independent film culture continues Friday by showcasing a nightmare that became a dream that became a reality on screen.

Logan and Noah Miller are twin brothers, formerly aspiring baseball players and now co-filmmakers who grew up coping with an alcoholic, homeless father who died in jail. Three months later, the Millers cornered Academy Award nominee Ed Harris during a San Francisco festival tribute and practically begged him to read their screenplay based on the experience, and portray their father.

Nine days later, Harris called the Millers and said he wanted in. Fellow Oscar nominees Robert Forster (Jackie Brown) and Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) weren't far behind.

The result is Touching Home, a drama set for a March, 2010 release but Sunscreen is presenting it Friday at 7 p.m. at Muvico Baywalk 20 in St. Petersburg. The Millers will attend, conducting a Q&A after the movie on the movie and the book they're written about their first filmmaking experience, Either You're in... Or You're in the Way.

Tickets are $9.50 for the movie and discussion, with proceeds going to the festival's coffers. Beforehand, the Millers will present a Guerrilla Filmmaking Workshop at Baywalk at 5:15 p.m., free of charge, to exchange ideas with other filmmakers on how to get things done. Everyone is invited to the free after-show party at 9:30.

Like the old Patty Duke TV twins, the Millers look alike, they walk alike, at times they even talk alike. See for yourself in the interview posted above, in which the brothers and Harris recall the brash beginnings of Touching Home.

Burt Reynolds' drug rehab pushes back production of A Fonder Heart; new start date is up in the air

Production in Pinellas County on A Fonder Heart hit another road block when its star, Burt Reynolds, checked into a south Florida rehabilitation center last month and checked out after a 30-day stay. The rehab stint was reportedly due to Reynolds' addiction to painkillers and sleeping pills after recent back surgery.

A Fonder Heart writer-producer-director Jim Fitzpatrick said this morning that production was slated to begin on Sept. 21 but that date has been scrapped. Fitzpatrick said he'll have a better idea by the end of September of Reynolds' availability to work after physical therapy and rest.

The drama was originally set to start shooting in July before the first of several start-date delays due to glitches in the financing plan -- including, according to Fitzpatrick, the suicide of one investor.  Fitzpatrick said that money has been replaced by another silent partner, and the $5.4 million budget is secured.

Fitzpatrick -- a friend of Reynolds since the 1980's when he played for the star's Tampa Bay Bandits USFL football team -- has been media outlets ranging from the New York Times to TMZ, all inquiring about Reynolds' condition and the state of the movie.

"Quite honestly, people are making way too much of this," Fitzpatrick said. "I was just down there (in south Florida) with the tailor to finish up Burt's suits (for the movie) and he's fine.

"We actually knew he was going to be doing this. It's not a big deal. When you have lower back surgery, sometimes it's a complete success and other times you have pain. Sometimes when you take a painkiller it doesn't kill the pain, so you take an extra one. That's it."

Fitzpatrick added that reports of Reynolds' rehab including alcohol addiction treatment are "a lie and a rumor. He hasn't drank alcohol in years."

Fitpatrick said the cast of A Fonder Heart -- including Daryl Hannah, Stockard Channing, James Brolin and Lou Gossett Jr. -- is still intact despite production delays.

You wouldn't know it from visiting Fitzpatrick's Pac Atlantic Pictures Web site, that previously featured full-page poster art for A Fonder Heart, trumpeting the starry cast. The poster art -- minus the cast names -- is now found in a much smaller image under the heading: "current projects" (click on the sailboat at the Pac Atlantic homepage to find it).

Fitzpatrick said that's the work of page designers to whom he hasn't spoken in weeks while filling the budget gap left by the investor's suicide.

"It has been a radical year, man," he said. "A lot of people lost a lot of money and jobs. Over 2,500 films have been canceled in L.A.  That tells you something. A lot of friends have called me to ask if I happen to know any investors. I said I'd love to share them but not at this point."

Getting "Brainjacked" with the two Andys at Clearwater Cinema Cafe

Spent Friday night and a slice of Saturday morning at Clearwater Cinema Cafe where one of Tampa Bay's more prolific filmmaking gangs debuted their latest opus with a private, late-night wrap party.

"This was the closest thing to a grindhouse that we could find," filmmaker Andrew Allen said, knowing that some museum of fine arts wouldn't do Brainjacked justice.

Brainjacked is another horror flick from Film Ranch International, led by the two Andys: director/co-writer Allen and producer/co-writer Andy Lalino, two of the most normal guys you'll ever find making movies drenched in corn syrup blood and mutilated latex flesh. They made the award-winning (I'm not kidding; I was on one of the juries) Filthy, a flick as vile as it sounds but in a good way.

A funny thing happened on the way to Friday night: the two Andys got a bit respectable, at least compared to Filthy (which featured a crazy Manson-style family forcing a victim to go bobbing for scrota before killing her). Brainjacked actually has a plot, the gore is relatively mild and the production values are stepped up. With a pitcher of Sangria, the movie went down well.

You see the plot outline on the poster art; a mad scientist (Rod Grant, in full Jeffrey Combs mode) collects runaways under the pretense of helping them. Then he uses an electric drill subbing for a hand to poke into their brains, inserting chips allowing him to control their actions. The bad doctor has expanded the idea to include the police chief and several city officials.

There's a fair amount of supple female flesh on display (thanks again, Krista Grotte), not all of it mutilated, and decent performances by Chris Jackson and Somali Rose as brainjackees rebelling against the scheme. There's also a hilarious moment when a brainjacked toddler (Allen's son Creighton) tries his hardest to look menacing as he stalks toward the camera. A tongue shoved firmly in a cheek is one body part these guys never sever.

Props are also due to cinematographer Wes Pratt and editor Chris Woods, for keeping the eerie factor at a proper level without pushing to include every trick they're learned.

Lalino told me that Brainjacked will get shopped around a few horror festivals and wind up on DVD for gore aficionados. Just about that time, a woman appearing too refined for dismemberment movies approached and slipped her arm around Lalino's waist. "This is my Mom," he said.

I took Dolores Lalino's delicate hand in greeting and said with mock sarcasm: "Oh, you must be so proud."

She is, without hesitation. And the two Andys should be too, about Brainjacked.

FilmmakerMagazine.com interviews "Loren Cass" director Chris Fuller; St. Petersburg engagement(s) almost set

St. Petersburg independent auteur Chris Fuller continues to gain attention for his debut film, Loren Cass, that is currently playing in New York City, and soon spreading out to Los Angeles, Seattle and Cleveland. Fuller says a run in St. Pete -- likely Beach Theatre and possibly Baywalk 20 -- should be locked in within the next few days.

Fuller is also the subject of an interview with David Lowery of FilmmakerMagazine.com, shedding a litle light on his movie, process and attitude.

Lowery begins: "There’s something to be said about not being eager to please. Chris Fuller’s Loren Cass is an aggressively confrontational debut, all the more so because it is so resolutely restrained in its approach. So seemingly oblique is Fuller’s approach that one feasibly could make it through the entire film and not realize that its subject matter is the aftermath of the 1996 St. Petersburg riots; but on the other hand, that subject matter is so deeply ingrained in the film’s form that it doesn’t matter.

"Loren Cass doesn’t so much deal with its themes as it ingests them, and then - through the juxtaposition of gorgeously photographed tableaux, depicting the various intersections of wayward youths in a shellshocked city; and through the use of poetry and political speeches on the soundtrack; and through stock footage depicting myriad public woes – it recapitulates them."

Good reading, and perhaps necessary before tackling Loren Cass as a viewer. Check it out.

Two more positive reviews for "Loren Cass" in New York; box office numbers are tiny

Tucked away in Greenwich Village at the Cinema Village art house multiplex, Chris Fuller's Loren Cass is slowly getting notice online and in print. Two more reviews -- Kam Williams of NewsBlaze.com and Andrew Grant from Time Out New York -- went online and in print today. One is slightly more positive than another but both plus Nathan Lee's rave in the New York Times suggests Fuller has at least a minor critical hit on his hands.

Monday update: The critical love for Loren Cass apparently didn't pay off much at the box office. According to numbers posted on the Internet Movie Database, Fuller's movie sold only $1,519 in tickets at its lone location, Cinema Village in New York. That DVD release may come swifter than expected.

St. Pete filmmaker Chris Fuller finds big love in the Big Apple for "Loren Cass"

Two years of pounding the rock to get a distribution deal for Loren Cass is paying off in a big way for St. Petersburg uber-indie filmmaker Chris Fuller.

Kino International recently bought the rights to Fuller's searing, abstract drama, set in his hometown after the racial disturbances of 1996. One perk of that deal is an engagement at New York's Cinema Village, starting today.

New York Times critic Nathan Lee caught an advance screening of Loren Cass and published an absolutely raving review this morning. Lee writes: "this sharp, gutsy indie is one of the year's great discoveries." And that's just for starters. Lee goes on to compare Loren Cass with the early experimental films of Gus Van Sant, Harmony Korine's Gummo and the works of French minimalist Robert Bresson.

The review ends thusly: "Mr. Fuller lived through the 1996 St. Petersburg tensions as a teenager, and Loren Cass was, by his own admission, a means of processing the experience. Some people keep diaries to deal with trauma. Others make art. A select few start careers of singular, exquisite promise."

Fuller tells me that Kino is considering a Tampa Bay engagement for Loren Cass before its DVD debut later this year.