18 months ago Dan Fogler broke the news to us about his new film DON PEYOTE. 6 months ago he gave us a little update. Last week I finally got to see it. Well, most of it. The film is currently unfinished with 10 shooting days left and a handful of special effects that need to be added. For obvious reasons, this should not be considered a review of the film.

DON PEYOTE tells the story Warren Allman (played by Fogler), an unemployed stoner who finally finds a purpose in life after an unpleasant encounter with a homeless man preaching the end is near. Fueled by vivid apocalyptic dreams, Warren becomes obsessed with 2012 doomsday theories and decides to make a documentary on the subject while his fianc� is busy planning their wedding.

The film expertly weaves together a narrative storyline, Warren’s increasingly bizarre dream sequences and documentary footage. Many of the documentary elements are real interviews with people like Daniel Pinchbeck with Fogler in character. There are also some staged interviews such as Warren interviewing his friend�s drug dealer, played perfectly by Jay Baruchel in a quick cameo. Speaking of cameos, Anne Hathaway & Wallace Shawn both pop in for funny but all too short roles.

The brilliance of the film is that no matter how ridiculous the theories are, every character plays it straight so it is up to the audience to either laugh at or embrace the ideas presented on screen. Personally, I laughed. So did most of the audience. There are some absolutely hysterical scenes starting off with the opening sequence. I cannot wait to see it with the special effects added in because it is a truly unique and hilarious way to kick off this film.

Fogler likes to call his directorial debut HYSTERICAL PYSCHO �rock n� roll Hitchcock on acid� which is a fairly accurate description. If he wants to continue the same motif for DON PEYOTE, I�d like to suggest �rock n� roll Woody Allen.� Hopefully things come together quickly for this film because it will be a juggernaut on the festival circuit when it is finally finished.

Until then, you can stay updated by liking the Facebook fan page HERE or following the man himself on Twitter at @MrDanFogler.

�Jerry Cavallaro � www.JerryCavallaro.com

On Saturday I had the pleasure of interviewing actor Brian O’Halloran. He is best known for playing the character of Dante in Kevin Smith’s CLERKS & CLERKS 2. He also recently appeared in BRUTAL MASSACRE and the upcoming CALENDAR GIRL. He was at the New York Comic Con this weekend signing autographs and agreed to an impromptu interview. We talked about the convention, theater, horror films and more. He even offered some great advice for indie filmmakers. After he interview, I ended up hanging around the booth another 15 minutes talking with him and some other fans who stopped by. Check out the full interview below!

Jerry Cavallaro – www.JerryCavallaro.com

BOY WONDER is a psychological thriller about a boy obsessed with finding his mom’s killer. This weekend some of the talent behind the film were at NYCC to promote its upcoming theatrical and DVD release. Below is an interview with writer, director and producer Michael Morrissey.

Here’s the official synopsis of the film:

A young Brooklyn boy witnesses the brutal murder of his mother and grows up obsessed with finding her killer. Thus begins his life as a quiet, straight-A student by day and a self-appointed hero at night. But what is a real hero? And who decides what is right or wrong? As the boundaries blur, Sean’s dual life wears on his psyche and his two worlds careen dangerously close to colliding. Like a graphic novel you can’t put down, Boy Wonder challenges morality, distorting perceptions of what is right and what is justified, as it races to its shocking conclusion.

BOY WONDER will be in limited theaters in NY starting October 21st & Chicago October 28th. BW will be on DVD & VOD November 8th!

Jerry Cavallaro – www.JerryCavallaro.com

TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT just came out on DVD & Blu-Ray today so it is the perfect time to share the rest of my hilarious interview with Mr. Dan Fogler.

(You can view part one HERE)

This may be one of my favorite interview videos that I�ve done with Dan. We talk about TMHT, promoting with Topher Grace & how much fun it was creating the awesomely eighties music video for Atomic Tom�s cover of Don�t You Want Me. Dan also challenges Topher Grace to a Marty McFly-off!

Check out the interview below!

And just in case you haven�t seen the music video yet, here it is�

So who do you think does the better Marty McFly?

Jerry Cavallaro � www.JerryCavallaro.com

Even our most casual readers seem to know that we are big fans of DAN FOGLER at WAMG. I love chatting with the man and our interviews always seem to go off topic in the best possible way. I recently got the chance to talk with him about a slew of projects he is working on.

HELLBENDERS

MAN UP

�

HYSTERICAL PSYCHO & MOON LAKE AT COMIC CON

�

DON PEYOTE

�

FATHERED!

@MRDANFOGLER talks Twitter

RANDOMNESS

As I already said, our interviews tend to go way off topic. Here are some random but strangely hilarious moments from our chat.

DAN FOGLER ON SCULPTURE

Dan talks about a new hobby he picked up.

We also talked a lot about TAKE ME HOME TONIGHT & the awesomely 80s Atomic Tom music video. I will post that footage when the film is released on DVD, Blu-Ray & VOD on July 19^th!

Jerry Cavallaro � www.JerryCavallaro.com

It has been one week since the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival came to a close and I wanted to share with you one last look at my festival experience. Here is the good, the bad & the ugly of Tribeca 2011.

HIGHLIGHTS

There were a lot of great films and moments at this year’s festival. Here are some of my favorites.

• RABIES � My favorite film of the festival. Smart, funny, inventive & surprising. A slasher that removes the killer from the start and toys with genre conventions.
• THE DUNGON MASTER � It won best online short, which was well deserved. My favorite short of the festival and one of the best I�ve seen in a long time. Bravo Rider & Shiloh Strong.
• JANIE JONES � This film is like most road trips in that you may know where it is gong but it is the journey that really counts. Sweet, heartwarming, well made and full of great performances.
• SAINT � This is an above average horror comedy that reaches levels of perfection at times but sadly those scenes are spread far apart.
• GRAVE ENCOUNTERS � There is nothing original about the characters or story in this flick but the fantastic execution by the Vicious Brothers makes this one of the best �found footage� films I�ve ever seen.
• THE TRIP � A very funny, mostly improvised English comedy starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon as themselves.
• Interviews � A big thank you to Abigail Breslin, Alessandro Nivola, Rider Strong & Shilog Strong for sitting down and talking with me during the festival. It was an honor speaking with each of them. I�d also like to thank Dick Maas for answering questions about SAINT via email.
• Parties � While most are drawn to them for the free alcohol, I actually look forward to the networking opportunities. Festival parties are a great way to meet people within the industry. Thanks to Tribeca, I got to spend some time with awesome people like Peter Gutierrez & Ben Umstead from Twitch.com and Alan LaFave from the Hell�s Half Mile Film + Music Festival. Also, at the JANIE JONES after party I got the chance to watch Abigail Breslin & Alessandro Nivola perform live.
• Tribeca (Online) Film Festival � A fantastic way for people nationwide to enjoy films from Tribeca & even vote for audience favorites. This is something all film festivals should be doing.
• Free Magnum Ice Cream And Kind Fruit & Nut Bars – Everyone loves free food, especially when it tastes good.

DISAPPOINTMENTS

When seeing films at a festival like this, there is often not much information available about them. Many of them don�t have a trailer or an official website and sometimes all you have to go by is the description in the program guide. The same goes for some of the events as well. Because of this, there is bound to be some big surprises but there will also be some disappointments. Here are a few of mine.

• DETACHMENT � I�m not sure what I was expecting but it certainly was not what I got. It almost feels like Ridley Scott made an art film about public education.
• HIGHER GROUND � A lot of times a festival darling like this one will leave people divided. I was on the other side of the line for Vera Farmiga�s debut as a director.
• RABIES � This is my favorite film of the festival. I�m just disappointed it did not win Best Online feature because it absolutely deserved it.
• Chambers Press Pass � It is the lowest level pass one can have at Tribeca and it severely limited the number of events I was able to attend.
• Online Press Screening Room � In addition to having a public screening section, there was another screening room site only open to press & industry. This is an absolutely brilliant idea that I wish more festivals would adopt. However, I was shocked to discover that this screening room was closed before the festival ended. Because I had the Chambers Pass (see above), there were no screenings I could attend on the last two days of the festival. I saved a bunch of shorts & features to watch online on those days only to find out that it was no longer available Saturday morning. Since this is meant for the press, it would be smart for it to be available when most of us have extra time due to limits on our passes. Ideally, this screening room would be available before and after the festival so that more films could be covered.
• The Filmmakers � I have said it before but I am extremely upset in how filmmakers promoted their films at the festival. It seems as if there was mostly an attitude of �my film is playing Tribeca so I don�t have to promote it� and that is just not true. There were a few exceptions, such as the Vicious Brothers and their intense online promotion of GRAVE ENCOUNTERS. They really went out of their way to spread the word about their film and it worked; people were talking about the film that did not even attend the festival. Unfortunately many of the filmmakers did absolutely nothing.

WHAT I MISSED

It is impossible to see every film and attend each panel at a festival like this. It is just too massive that you must make tough choices when creating a schedule. Talent availability, overlapping screenings and having the lowest level press pass made creating my schedule especially difficult this year. Here are some things I wish I were able to check out at this year�s festival.

• TURN ME ON, GODDAMNIT � With a title like this, your film is sure to get talked about but the buzz around this flick was insane. It left the festival with some awards / honorable mentions and nearly everyone there I spoke with could not stop raving about it.
• JESUS HENRY CHRIST � It was cute that they had the press screening on Easter but that unfortunately meant I could not see it. I�ll be honest, I heard nothing about the film from anyone at the festival but I still think it looks great.
• THE GUARD � My choice was to either cut the Rider & Shiloh Strong interview short or skip this dark comedy starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. I made the right choice but I hope to see this soon.
• GOD BLESS OZZY OSBOURNE � It�s Ozzy open and uncensored. What more do you need?
• NEWLYWEDS � I am a huge fan of Edward Burns and was upset that there were no press screenings for his latest offering.
• TROLLHUNTER � Whoever approved the press screenings for TROLLHUNTER & GRAVE ENCOUNTERS to be at the same time sucks. I have heard some amazing things even before the festival and look forward to eventually checking out this Magnolia release.
• A GOOD OLD FASHIONED ORGY � What the hell is a film like this doing in the Tribeca lineup? I�m not sure but I am mad as hell they did not have a press screening for it. I�m also very curious as to what the after party was like.
• CHEAT � I got an email asking me to check out this short film starring Bill Burr, Colin Quinn and Rich Vos. With comedic talent like that, I was really looking forward to checking it out but this short ended up as one of the casualties of the Online Screening Room problem I mentioned above.
• YEAR ZERO � A 24 minute short zombie epic made by a fellow New Yorker. Another unfortunate casualty of the online screening room.
• PREFERABLY BLUE � A short animation about a feud between the Easter Bunny & Santa Clause that claims to be based on a real story. Yet another online screening room missed opportunity.
• Meet the Filmmaker At Apple Store SoHo � One of the really cool things Apple does with Tribeca is invite some of the filmmakers and actors from the fest to do a Q & A at the nearby Apple Store. Luckily all these events are available to download as audio podcasts. Just search for MEET THE FILMMAKER on itunes.
• Opening Night � The festival kicked off with a free outdoor screening of THE UNION by Cameron Crowe followed by a concert from the film�s subject, Sir Elton John. This is all kinds of awesomeness that I unfortunately was unable to attend.

While there was a lot that I missed and some that I wish I missed, this was still a very cool festival experience. I�d like to thank everyone at the festival for putting on a great event and letting me attend. I�d also like to thank all of you for reading my coverage throughout the festival. There will be a few more reviews coming in as I have a chance to write them but this will be my final posting about the festival itself.

Jerry Cavallaro� – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

I unfortunately missed filmmaker Dick Maas while he was in town to promote SAINT at the Tribeca Film Festival but he was kind enough to answer some questions via email. Here�s what he had to say:

• Could you please introduce yourself and tell us a little about SAINT?

Hello MovieGeeks, my name is Dick Maas and I�ve been making movies for the past 30 years, mostly in Holland. I�ve made comedies, like the FLODDER series and KILLER BABES, action flicks like AMSTERDAMNED and horror/thrillers like THE LIFT, DO NOT DISTURB, DOWN and recently SAINT.

SAINT is a thriller/horror about the St. Nicholas legend. St. Nicholas is the biggest yearly celebration in Holland. It takes place on the 5th of December.� Children put their shoes in front of the chimneys and when they were not naughty in the past year, they find them filled with presents the next morning.

St. Nick himself is dressed like a bishop, red gown, and rides his horse over the rooftops, throwing present into chimneys, assisted by his helpers, the Black Petes.

• What was the inspiration behind this film?

I thought this iconic Dutch figure, more popular than the queen herself, would make a nice subject to turn into an evil childmurderer. He is always portrayed as the epitome of goodness, and it seemed fun to turn this around.

• You worked on the story for many years. How has it changed in that time?

I started working on the script about ten years ago. I went through several drafts.� I didn�t want to go the serial killer way, a guy dressed up as St. Nick slaughtering the usual bunch of teenagers. I wanted to give the movie an epic feel, the story should be rooted in history, somewhere in the past.� A legendary figure that turnes up in the present time.

So I made up this legend of St. Nicholas, a rogue bishop that was burned alive by villagers in the 15th century.� Every time it�s a full moon on the 5th of December he will return to take revenge. And that happens on an average of once in every 32 years.

• What was the production of the film like? Favorite moment? Least favorite moment?

It was a tough production. Mainly because we had a limited budget.� We needed a lot of visual effects in the movie, so we had to come up with inventive ways to achive them.

We did a lot of shooting at night on the rooftops of Amsterdam at freezing temperatures. That was really complicated and not really a fun way to spend the night.� Also shooting on the water, on the canals of Amsterdam, was sometimes a real drag. But I had experienced that on AMSTERDAMNED, in which we shot a long speedboat chase for weeks in the canals.

• Could you tell us about some of the controversy surrounding the film?

I expected some controversy, but not to this extent. I knew there would be parents that would be offended by this grim portrayal of this cult figure.

Even before we started filming, St. Nicholas societies (they really exist) in Holland and Belgium were opposing the movie.

When we made the poster, the protests really took off.� A fellow director of mine was organizing the protest and even took it to court. They wanted to ban the poster from the street and cinema’s in Holland.� The court ruled in our favor and judged there was nothing wrong with the poster and we didn’t cross the boundaries of good behavior.

Needles to say, that because of all the commotion, the awareness of the movie was very good, and that of course helped us at the box office.

• Which filmmakers influence your writing and your directing?

A lot of directors and movies have influenced me.� Among them Spielberg (Jaws), Hitchcock, Carpenter (Halloween), DePalma, Polanski (Repulsion, Cul de Sac), Tony and Ridley Scott, Kubrick (Clockwork Orange), Wes Craven, Fincher.

• Do you think about foreign audiences when making a film or do you just make your films for a Dutch audience and hope it translates well?

In the case of SAINT I didn�t forget about the foreign potential.� I knew it would be difficult for a foreign audience to grasp all the details surrounding the St. Nicholas celebration, but I knew the basic premisse was one with international appeal.

I also put in some information about the St. Nicholas celebration in some of the scenes, so people would have a better understanding.

• Do you have plans for a sequel or continuing the story of St. Niklas in some way?

We have some storylines for a sequel. But I let it all depend on how well the movie will play abroad. But the St. Nick definitely has the possibility to grow out into a slasher icon like Freddy Krueger or Jason.

• Why should audience go see SAINT and what do you hope people get out of watching the film?

People who go to SAINT expecting an all out gore fest will be disappointed. It�s more an action and suspense driven thriller with some gory moments and a few scares.

• What was it like playing at the Tribeca Film Festival?

It was fun to see that their was not much difference in the understanding of the movie between a Dutch and foreign audience. People were laughing at the same time and jumping out of their seats at the same moments.� Of course some stuff gets lost in the translation and not all the details of the celebration translate, but on the whole the Tribeca audience reaction was as expected, very enthusiastic.

• What are you working on next?

At the moment I�m working on a thriller called QUIZ.

QUIZ is a thriller about a famous game show host who has a dinner appointment with his wife and daughter in a restaurant. They don’t show up. After some time a strange man presents himself at his table and he claims to have kidnapped the wife and daughter.� He shows a photo on which we see his wife and daughter tied up.

The game show host has to answer ten questions correctly within one hour if he wants to see his family back alive. So the man turns the tables around and plays the part of the game show host and the game show host is becoming the contestant. That is the start of an evening full of surprises, twists and turns.

We are currently casting and are aiming to start shooting in july/august. The Dutch release is scheduled in the beginning of 2012.

• Do you have any websites you would like to plug?

I have many websites to plug:

www.dickmaas.com

www.parachutepictures.nl

www.quizdefilm.nl

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Quiz/151163131610463

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Saint-the-Film/114458121941450?ref=ts

http://www.saintthemovie.com/

!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!

I saved this question for last because it has a major spoiler. If you have not yet seen the film, please save this question until after you do.

From what I understand, the children St. Niklas captured are on his ship in the harbor, which Frank blows up. Did Frank kill all those kids by blowing up the boat?

He probably did. But it�s not entirely sure he blew up the boat although it was his intention.�If you had to choose between blowing up a boat full of children and thus preventing more child murders in the future, or not blowing up the boat and allowing the killing to continue, what would you do?

Jerry Cavallaro� – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

On Tuesday I had the pleasure of sitting down with Abigail Breslin and Alessandro Nivola to discuss their new film, JANIE JONES. The film had its US premiere on Friday night at the Tribeca Film Festival. I saw an early cut of the film last week and really enjoyed it. (Review HERE)

Sometimes arriving early to a press event has its rewards. Prior to the interview, I had the chance to watch Abigail Breslin perform a quick acoustic song for a few people. I never would have guessed that she is still learning to play. As I said in Tuesday�s daily recap, she is insanely talented in everything she does. Alessandro joked that she made a deal with the devil and that would honestly explain a lot.

Here is a video of our full interview. The only thing trimmed from it is when a bee decided to invade as we were about to begin. We talk about JANIE JONES, crying on cue, Jordan Creek Mall and even ZOMBIELAND 2. Enjoy!

Jerry Cavallaro� – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

Below is a video of our full interview, in which we talk about making the film, Dungeons & Dragons, social media, embarrassing childhood magic shows and more. Enjoy!

BONUS VIDEO

Before the interview, I talked with Rider & Shiloh about a short film I made a few years ago that was also D & D inspired. It shares a similar theme with DUNGEON MASTER but their film is far better in every possible way. It was filmed in one afternoon for a contest so please forgive the terrible acting and low production values. Enjoy!

Jerry Cavallaro� – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

If you have been following my coverage from the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, you already know that WAMG had a chance to sit down with Rider & Shiloh Strong to talk about their new film, THE DUNGEON MASTER. I absolutely loved this short and highly recommend you check it out.

To help promote the film, Rider & Shiloh have signed a few Tribeca Film Festival Official Guides for us to give away!

Want to win one plus a postcard for THE DUNGEON MASTER?

All you have to do is watch the film for free on the Tribeca Film Festival website and then come back here to let us know what you thought of it. Be sure to leave your comments on the TFF website as well.

Here�s a direct link to the DUNGEON MASTER screening room:

http://www.tribecafilm.com/tribecaonline/streaming-room/dungeon_master-film33955.html

The film is only available until the morning of May 1. We will choose a winner shortly after. Because the screening room is only available in the United States, this contest is only open to US residents. Sorry.

Keep checking back for the rest of our Tribeca 2011 coverage, including our interview with Rider & Shiloh Strong!

Jerry Cavallaro� – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

On Thursday, the St. Louis International Film Festival Opening Night Gala was the special screening of CASINO JACK. The tribute to St. Louisan & filmmaker George Hickenlooper�happened at the Tivoli prior to the screening of his film CASINO JACK.

George was a previous Cinema St. Louis Award winner. Several people from George’s professional and personal life spoke along with clips from his work being shown. CASINO JACK actor Spencer Garrett (Tom DeLay in the film) and George’s producing partner Michael Beugg (“Up in the Air,” “Little Miss Sunshine”) were two of the speakers at the Tribute. Others speaking included Sue Gummersbach (George’s aunt), who read statements from his mom and dad; Joe Schulte (SLUH teacher of George’s); Art Holliday (KSDK-TV news anchor whose documentary “Johnnie Be Good” was being Executive Produced by George); and Bill Boll (SLUH classmate and composer of score for several of George’s early films).

Cliff Froehlich: Executive Director of Cinema St. Louis and MC of the Evening

Sue Gummersbach: George Hickenlooper’s Aunt

Joe Schulte: George Hickenlooper’s Teacher At SLUH (Saint Louis University High)

Art Holliday

Bill Boll

Michael Beugg

Spencer Garrett

What could have been a somber evening was turned into a warm celebration of the life and work of George Hickenlooper thanks to some great stories from his family and friends and a wonderful surprise appearance by Kevin Spacey. The audience response to CASINO JACK was very enthusiastic to George’s final and, perhaps, best directorial work.

Kevin Spacey

After the film, Spacey and Garett conducted a Q & A with the audience.�Everyone was impressed on how lovingly�both actors�spoke about the film and Hickenlooper, how Spacey had to put all projects on the back-burner to promote the film for George, and how as professionals both of these actors�were able to�put aside personal opinions for the roles.

Kevin Spacey and Spencer Garrett Q & A

Both Spacey and Garrett joked on how fellow actor,�Jon Lovitz, stole every scene he was in. Every question from the audience was answered and it was so endearing to hear from Hickenlooper’s family & friends. It was a wonderful beginning to SLIFF 2010!

Kevin Spacey, Melissa From WAMG , Spencer Garrett

Have a look at more of our pictures from Thursday evening. Enjoy!

Our good friend, filmmaker and photographer Mike Pecci, delivers another exciting short film and photo set featuring Suicide Girl Rydell. This new work has now been given a release date and you can read all about it below…

Press Release:

The latest project from Director and photographer Mike Pecci is his first photo set for Suicide Girls on 4 years. It�s an epic story based shoot that focuses on a strong silent female lead, the kind that fans of Pecci�s work expect to see. Accompanying the photo set is a �Photo Film� that is pumped with suspense and Grindhouse action!

Pecci: I have been getting emails and messages from SG members and models for years now asking me to do another set. It took awhile for everything to be in place. I needed a model that was willing to be an intense female character, I needed a set idea that was bigger than the rest, and I needed the resources to pull it off cheap as hell.

One of the resources was shooting the set with the new Canon 7d DSLR. Mike has been using the rig with his music video work and he takes full advantage of its still images capabilities as well as its unbelievable looking video shooting Stray Bullet.

Enter Rydell Suicide from Canada. She is a sharp, fierce tongued, tenacious little fire cracker crammed into a small frame.

Pecci: She is a mature woman on the website, and with that come a special kind of sexy. She is confident in front of the lens, confident with her body, knows how to relax in a role, and knows how to handle some heavy goddamn weapons!

After hounding Mike to shoot, she flew to Boston for a week of weapons training and a grueling 12 hour shoot in a remote cabin. The cabin was set back in 160 archers of woods with no running water, and a dirt road that would tear the undercarriage off a car.

Pecci: We were out in the middle of nowhere when we realized that we left the blanks for the gun 4 hours away. Being that the property was used for hunting and target practice, we secured the area, accounted for the crew, and said lets use live rounds! Yea, Rydell is shooting bullets folks!

Stray Bullet is the third in Mike�s Grindhouse film trilogy, and marks his 4th high concept shoot for SG. Without giving anything away, the premise was an original idea written by both Pecci and Rydell, and has a gruesome ending that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

What�s next?

Pecci: It has been a big week for releases with us. I just finished a mini-doc on a comic illustrator that I released online, as well as my first CGI music video with co-director Ian McFarland for the band Vera Cruz. Dave Lynch ,the co-writer of Cold Hard Cash, and I are halfway through a feature script called Red Clover. It of course stars a strong female lead and will rework the home invasion genre. We are ready for long format films!

The film and photo set are being released on August 28th only at Suicidegirls.com. Become a member of the site but clicking this link: SuicideGirls.com

Check out Mike�s latest music video work at McFarlandand Pecci.com or follow his news releases on facebook.

Teaser Trailer for STRAY BULLET:

Very nice! Saint Louis’ own SHADOWLAND, directed by Wyatt Weed, has a wicked awesome new poster… just in time for the film’s appearance at this year’s Chicago Comic Con Wizard World Convention, which runs August 19-22 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center (Rosemont). SHADOWLAND will be playing on Saturday night at 8pm CST at the Convention Center. Director Wyatt Weed — as well as stars Caitlin McIntosh, Jason Contini, and Carlos Antonio Le�n — will be in attendance on Saturday.

Synopsis:

An old church in a modern North American city is undergoing a renovation. Construction equipment and piles of debris cover the grounds. A deep pit has been dug for new sewer pipes.

Night falls. A woman crawls from the pit. She is weak and covered with mud, her face beaten, her throat cut. She is unable to speak, remember who she is, or how she got there. This is Laura.

Hungry, thirsty, she ventures out into the city, stealing food and warm clothes to survive. As she wanders the streets, she begins to see things that jar her memory: a picture on a wall, a historical marker, a map. Slowly, she starts to put the pieces together – the Old River Front, a house and family, a lover and a jealous suitor. She embarks on a trek across the city, trying to blend in and adjust to a modern world she has never seen before.

Julian, a mysterious young man employed by the church, is sent out to find her. He seems to know more about her than she does, tracking her, quickly deducing that she is headed home, to the place where she used to live – more than a hundred years ago.

Is Laura reincarnated? Resurrected and risen from the grave? Or is she just the unfortunate victim of a horrible crime, buried in the mud and left for dead? Is Julian really trying to help her, as he claims, or is he part of a conspiracy, a plot to kill her? Soon Laura is in a race for her life, trying to reach her home and her memories before Julian, the police, and the church can find her.

SHADOWLAND is a thrilling throwback to the classic vampire lore, with an original story and incredible special effects. This independent phenom has been rocking the house across the world at film festivals, so don’t miss this opportunity to see the film and meet the cast and director in Chicago!

Recently, I posted an interview with Dan Fogler (Fanboys, Balls of Fury) about his Atom.com webseries M’LARKY. The first season just ended (Watch HERE) so I thought I’d post some of the other cool stuff Dan mentioned during our interview.

In the video below, Dan breaks the news about his new film DON PEYOTE. This is his second feature as a writer/director but unlike HYSTERICAL PSYCHO Dan also stars in this one. After the interview, I got to see some footage from the film and it is going to surprise you. This is a very different role for Dan and his comparison to Woody Allen is spot on. The film also has some rather surprising cameos by Jay Baruchel and Anne Hathaway. They are still deep in production on this but I have no doubt that this is going to be one very interesting flick.

Dan also gave us a quick update on the status of HYSTERICAL PSYCHO. I’ve seen the film a few times now and it really is a fantastic EVIL DEAD style horror comedy. The film will hopefully be coming out this October, along with a graphic novel based on the film’s main location. Here’s a quick video of what Dan had to say about the film and the MOON LAKE graphic novel.

And here are two pages of artwork from it: (Warning: The second image is VERY GRAPHIC)

BLACK BEAR BLUES

DESENSITIZED DEIRDRE

I think the artwork is incredible; how about you? Which of Dan’s upcoming projects are you most excited about?

Jerry Cavallaro – www.StuckLikeChuck.com

WAMG has what is some possible casting news on X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.

On Saturday night, during the “V.I.P. Meet and Greet” for the ‘Celebrate TWILIGHT Night: ECLIPSE’ here in St. Louis, Jack Houston “Royce King” of TWILIGHT: ECLIPSE told us,

“I�just recently returned from England from a screen test for X-MEN: FIRST CLASS.”

Prior to the evening’s event, Houston met with our own Melissa Howland during the press junket and enthusiastically spoke of his upcoming work on Al Pacino’s WILDE�SALOME and Scorsese “Boardwalk Empire” from HBO, but said nothing about an audition.�Unfortunately, before we could ask him for which role he specifically auditioned for, Huston’s security team whisked him away to the next event.

With producers Bryan Singer and Lauren Schuler Donner still�casting�the remaining roles for�X-MEN: FIRST CLASS, Huston could indeed find himself being part of another big franchise.�So X-MEN fans…which big character from the upcoming film is left to cast?

As Showbiz411.com reported, Michael Fassbender (Magneto) will join James McAvoy (Professor Xavier) and Benjamin Walker (Hank “Beast” McCoy)�in director Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming blockbuster about Marvel’s superhero team of�X-Men in their youth. According to Deadline�Hollywood, Alice Eve is now in negotiations to play Emma Frost. From 20th Century Fox, X-MEN: FIRST CLASS has a scheduled start date of August 2010 and is due to hit theaters on June 3, 2011.

Being billed as “super secret,” a first screening of Disney’s SECRETARIAT was held Tuesday evening at the Woodland Hills AMC in Southern California and we�had one of our LA based friends in the audience. Based on William Nack’s book, “Secretariat: The Making of a Champion,” Disney’s SECRETARIAT is the story of the famous horse that won the 1973 Triple Crown.

Here we go:

Doesn’t it seem weird that there hasn’t already been a movie made about 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat, arguably one of the greatest, or perhaps the greatest race horse of all time?

Well the folks at Disney finally decided the time was right, and put the story in the very capable hands of director Randall Wallace (Man in The Iron Mask; Braveheart scribe) and writer Mike Rich (who already has sports-movie street cred with Disney’s “The Rookie” starring Dennis Quaid).

The filmmakers have done a good job of keeping everything relatively historically accurate. The movie centers on Penny Chenery (Diane Lane), Secretariat’s owner, and how she broke into the “all boys club” of thoroughbred horseracing in 1969. The real Penny Chenery, now 88, even has a cameo in the film as a spectator at the Belmont Stakes race.

The highlights of the movie come with the three big races of the Triple Crown. The Kentucky Derby and the Belmont Stakes are both recreated magnificently with real race horses and jockeys. But what die-hard racing fans would hope for comes in the second race, the Preakness, in which we are treated to seeing the actual race from 1973, complete with the original call of the race (“and here comes Secretariat!”). That was the great part…there were 3 – THREE! big race scenes and even though we all know who wins, its very exciting! The audience went nuts and cheered after every one of them!!

The best thing about this movie is that they don’t add a lot of extraneous storylines for dramatic effect. The focus is solely on the story of where Secretariat came from and how he won the Triple Crown, a feat that had not been achieved in 25 years. The only real “disney-fication” of the film is that they sort of make it seem like Secretariat came from a broken down, old, failing horse farm. The reality is, the same owners had Riva Ridge, the winner of the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont the previous year, 1972. So they were no strangers to all of this. I’m guessing none of this was mentioned in the film to keep the focus on Secretariat.

With its October 8th�release, looks like Disney has smartly positioned�SECRETARIAT at Oscar’s starting gate. For those race fans who can’t wait till October, the Santa Anita Derby is in a matter of weeks. With 2 big derby contenders running, horse racing fans could be on the verge of a possible Triple Crown winner!

Producer Mark Ciardi, Director Randall Wallace, Secretariat’s exercise rider Jimmy Gaffney and actress Diane Lane in the Belmont paddock. Photo Courtesy: Secretariat.com.

We have gotten this exclusive clip from PETER AND VANDY which opens Friday. Here is the synopsis:

As anyone who’s ever been in love can tell you, it’s a slippery slope from “We’re head over heels in love!” to “We’re fine.” �PETER AND VANDY takes us through the relationship of a young New York couple – just not in chronological order. �Most movie romances end when the relationship is beginning. �Peter and Vandy’s love story goes much further than that. �The story shifts back and forth in time, whipping between their romantic beginnings and the inevitable struggles that follow. �With star-making performances by Jason Ritter and Jess Weixler, PETER AND VANDY is a unique take on the exhilaration and frustrations love can bring – a love story in disorder.

I saw this movie at Sundance and just watched it again today. I will tell you that this film is a heartwarming, thought provoking tale of love and relationships. You will be replaying scenes in your head from this little indie love story for quite a while after you watch it. Check out the clip below:

James Bond is finding a new home, and he’ll have Jedi and aliens to welcome him into the fold. �For the last few weeks, movie goers have been curious as to what is going to become of some of MGM’s more prominent franchises. �Over the last, couple of days, the company has entered into a forbearance agreement. �The agreement expires in the middle of December, and, for now, ‘The Hobbit’ is safe and sound where it is. �However, the company said nothing of the future of 007 adventures.

Well, fear not you shaken-not-stirred fanatics. �A source close to the dealings has let We Are Movie Geeks know that Bond is alive and well, and will be settling into his new domicile for marketing and distribution at 20th Century Fox. �That’s right, expect the official word to come out any day now, but it looks like ‘Bond 23′ is going to be running behind the Fox banner.

Sony, who acquired MGM in 2004, has run the last, two James Bond films, ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘Quantum of Solace’ through their own, Sony Pictures distribution and marketing company. �Up until these, two films, Fox handled all home video and international marketing for MGM, so the transition to Fox for domestic releases for the Bond franchise from here on out should not be that difficult a move.

There is no word in what state this leaves ‘Bond 23,’ though, with MGM/Sony still backing the production side, this bit of news shouldn’t cause much if any kind of delay. �The film is still tentatively scheduled for release in 2011.

DE REPENTE, LA PELICULA (roughly translated as “Suddenly, The Movie”) is a a dark-burlesque pharse, which just recently finished shooting in Caracas, Venezuela. The film stars Carlos Leon (SHADOWLAND) as John Loveland, a Venezuelan filmmaker who is hired by an American producer for movie being made in the Venezuelan jungle. The producer has an ulterior motive and uses the movie as a cover for his more criminal goals. John Loveland is oblivious to these darker intentions of the producer, taking on the adventure which leads to hilarious madness. The film also co-stars Enrique Dorantes and Luke Grande.

Venezuelan press calls DE REPENTE, LA PELICULA… “a fine mess!”

DE REPENTE, LA PELICULA is written and directed by the prominent South American filmmaker Luis Armando Roche. The movie is co-produced by Arsiete and Alfareria Cinematografica. The expected release date for DE REPENTE, LA PELICULA is sometime in 2010, with plans to hit cinemas and festivals around the world. The film is currently in post-production, so be on the lookout for a trailer soon!

Here’s a few exclusive set pics from DE REPENTE, LA PELICULA:

One of the best things about writing for this site is getting to meet some really awesome people. I first spoke with Dan Fogler back at Tribeca when he was promoting his insane horror-comedy ‘Hysterical Psycho’. I met up with him again in June to talk more about the film but we unfortunately had to cut the interview short. We finally met up late last week to finish it up. I filmed over 90 minutes and still have a ton of great stuff to edit but I wanted to post some stuff now.

In the first video, Dan has a special introduction for our site and then announces some big news regarding ‘Hysterical Psycho’. (Spoiler: It’s coming to theaters!) The second video kills the rumor that he plans to fill John Candy’s shoes in the supposed remake of ‘Uncle Buck’. The third video is all about some more films Dan is not involved with and the fourth focuses on some projects he will actually be in. The final bonus video entitled The Dan Fogler Show is a 21 minute video where Dan interviews me about my film ‘Stuck Like Chuck’. Enjoy!

Hysterical Psycho Announcement

Uncle Buck

Dan’s Not In It

Dan’s Upcoming Projects

The Dan Fogler Show

The Dan Fogler Show from Jerry Cavallaro on Vimeo.

Look for more Dan Fogler videos coming soon!

Jerry Cavallaro – www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com