Category Archives: Film

TRUE TALES Opens Dallas VideoFest

A wonderfully entertaining and insightful documentary in which I had the pleasure of performing will open Dallas VideoFest next week.

Just two days after Lee Harvey Oswald’s assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a little-known Dallas strip club operator named Jack Ruby murders Oswald on live television.  Why did he do it?  Despite decades of theories and speculation, the question has never been satisfactorily answered.  Until now.

Shunning the press for nearly 50 years, Tammi True—a top-billed stripper in Jack Ruby’s Carousel Club—is finally ready to reveal the answers.  AMS Pictures presents True Tales, an original docudrama exploring the bizarre world of 1960s Dallas burlesque through the eyes of its preeminent entertainer.  Featuring dramatic re-creations shot on actual locations, True Tales immerses you into the events that led to one of the most infamous crimes of the 20th Century.

Slated to premier on the opening night of Dallas VideoFest 26, the film centers on Nancy Myers, aka “Tammi True,” with a preshow performance by Ruby R-E-V-U-E, Texas’ Premier Burlesque and Variety Show.  Tammi True will do a Q&A after the film.  True Tales delves into Myers’ life as a headlining act at Jack Ruby’s Carousel Club in the early 1960s.  To celebrate, the Video Association of Dallas invites patrons to come dressed in their best early 1960s/“Mad Men” attire.  Dallas VideoFest’s opening night documentary feature will now screen at the South Side Music Hall Gilley’s Dallas, 1135 S Lamar St, Dallas, TX 75215.

And if you go, watch closely!  You may catch me from time to time coaxing Tammi into the burlesque business.

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ONCE IS ENOUGH Trailer Unveiled

ONCE IS ENOUGH StillOver the past couple of months while I was sporting a beard as Baron Skanskorg in Undermain Theatre’s production of Strindberg’s The Ghost Sonata, I was privileged to work with independent filmmaker Paul Csige on his new film, Once is Enough, a comedy/fantasy about finding one’s way in modern America.  The production wrapped principle photography last week and Paul wasted no time in cutting together a trailer in time for the wrap party hosted yesterday.  Here is a peak at good things to come:

The film follows John Everman, recently divorced and reluctant to start over. On a beer run, John’s car suddenly breaks down in front of a warehouse run by Bob, an out-of-work Wizard.  John sees an opportunity to get his old life back by trying out new ones.  Bob gives John new lives and he’s swept away on adventures as other people but will they give him the life he truly wants?

In addition to the trailer, an extended clip featuring snippets of all the actors involved with the production was shown as well.  I was quite delighted to find so many actors I know and with whom I have worked involved in this film.

Once is Enough is scheduled to complete post by the end of summer 2013.

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Here’s a film I served on as associate producer, editor, and assistant director several years ago. It is now available to purchase at Amazon. Congratulations, David Jetre!

Jetrefilm Entertainment

Shroud

Jetrefilm Entertainment’s first feature length film is now available on DVD at Amazon.com.

Follow this link to Buy Shroud DVD on Amazon.

David Jetre
Writer | Producer | Director | Designer
twitter | www.sandmerrick.com | www.jetrefilm.com

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READY TEDDY to Bare Bones

Ready Teddy will slice through Muskogee, Oklahoma later this month when it screens at the Bare Bones International Film Festival.  Writer/director Jerod Costa announced recently that his bloody opus has been nominated in the Best Horror/Sci-Fi Micro category at the festival which champions small-budget filmmakers.  Ready Teddy is scheduled to run Saturday, April 30th at 2 PM.

Elvis is kidnapped by four Liverpudlian lunatics seeking to extract the secret of That-Which-All-Men-Desire. Caught in a trap and can’t walk out, will our hero get all shook up? That’ll be the day! Not for the squeamish, Ready Teddy is a tale of blood, guts and peanut-butter-banana cuisine.

Brad Stephens stars as a sinister Paul McCartney in the film.  Shot in the Dallas area, Ready Teddy made its début last year at the Trail Dance Film Festival, winning two awards including Best Dark Comedy.  It then went on to claim the Best Short Film award at Blood Bath 2: The Film Festival in November.

The Bare Bones International Film Festival was created for filmmakers, screenwriters and actors involved in independent motion picture projects anywhere in the world.  Movie Maker Magazine named the festival one of their “25 Festivals Worth The Entry Fee” in 2010.  The festival run April 25–May 1, 2011 in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

For more information, visit The Bare Bones International Film Festival website.

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READY TEDDY Bathes in Gory

Ready Teddy took home Best Short Film honors at Blood Bath 2: The Film Festival tonight.  In the film, Brad Stephens plays Paul McCartney in a story filled with action, dark humor and enough blood to bathe in.  Shot in the Dallas area, the film made its début earlier this year at the Trail Dance Film Festival, winning two awards including Best Dark Comedy. 

The six-minute short screened earlier today to a very eager crowd of horror enthusiasts.  In attendance were writer/director Jerod Costa and actors Mickey Finn (Elvis), Scott Barber (John) and Brad Stephens (Paul).  Awards were presented this evening at the Texas Theatre in Oak Cliff, Texas.

The King of Rock-N-Roll is kidnapped by four Liverpudlian lunatics seeking the secret of That-Which-All-Men-Desire. Caught in a trap and can’t walk out, will our hero get all shook up? That’ll be the day! Not for the squeamish, Ready Teddy is a tale of blood, guts and peanut-butter-banana cuisine. 

Blood Bath 2: The Film Festival is the 4th film festival organized and hosted by DOA Blood Bath Entertainment. This two-day event is a celebration of independent cinema in the horror and dark comedy genres. Details, trailers, posters, tickets, and much more can be found at http://www.doabloodbath.com.

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READY TEDDY at Blood Bath

Ready Teddy will hit the big screen in Dallas this weekend as DOA Blood Bath Entertainment will screen the Jerod Costa film at the Blood Bath 2 Film Festival in the Texas Theatre.  Brad Stephens channels the darker side of Paul McCartney in the award-winning six-minute short filled with action, dark humor and enough blood to bathe in. 

Elvis is kidnapped by four Liverpudlian lunatics seeking to extract the secret of That-Which-All-Men-Desire. Caught in a trap and can’t walk out, will our hero get all shook up? That’ll be the day! Not for the squeamish, Ready Teddy is a tale of blood, guts and peanut-butter-banana cuisine. 

Shot in the Dallas area, the film made its début earlier this year at the Trail Dance Film Festival, winning two awards including Best Dark Comedy.  Ready Teddy runs during the second day of this year’s Blood Bath Film Festival, November 14th at the Texas Theatre, 231 W. Jefferson Blvd. in Dallas.  It is currently scheduled to run shortly after 1 PM. 

Blood Bath 2: The Film Festival is the 4th film festival organized and hosted by DOA Blood Bath Entertainment. This two-day event is a celebration of independent cinema in the horror and dark comedy genres.  Details, trailers, posters, tickets, and much more can be found at http://www.doabloodbath.com.

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CONFESSION Now Online

Confession, a short subject shot in March, has recently been released online and is slated to be shown this Thursday at the 11th Annual North Lake Video Fest.  Written by Chris Fisher and directed by Tony Lam, Confession stars Joy Ingram and Greg Vestal.  Oh, and me, too. 

Here it is for your viewing pleasure.  Enjoy! 

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READY TEDDY Wins at Trail Dance

Ready Teddy took home two Golden Drovers last night at the awards presentation for the Trail Dance Film Festival, held over the weekend in Duncan, Oklahoma.  Writer, Producer, Director Jerod Costa’s bloody rock-n-roll opus took home a statue for Best Dark Comedy.  Kate Cassity won a trophy for her poster design for the film.

Ready Teddy screened Saturday night to the delight of festival attendees.  In attendance were a number of the cast and crew who took to the stage afterwards for a Q&A session.  When pressed about his treatment of the Fab Four, Costa responded by initiating a debate on who was better, Elvis or The Beatles.  The audience was clearly divided between the music icons but everyone appeared to enjoy the film.

In the film, I play a Liverpudlian lunatic named Paul whose crew — John, George and Ringo — has kidnapped the King of Rock-N-Roll seeking to extract the secret of That-Which-All-Men-Desire. Caught in a trap and can’t walk out, will our hero get all shook up? That’ll be the day! Not for the squeamish, Ready Teddy is a tale of blood, guts and peanut-butter-banana cuisine.

The Trail Dance Film Festival introduces up-and-coming filmmakers from around the globe to Oklahoma’s emergent film industry and provides a welcoming forum to showcase films amidst a beautiful Western landscape. The festival concludes with a grand awards gala and reception where custom sculpted Golden Drover Awards are presented to winning filmmakers and one lucky high school student will be awarded a $2000 scholarship to pursue a career in filmmaking. Trail Dance is an event organized by the Southwest Association of Film (SWAF).

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READY TEDDY Heads to Trail Dance

Ready Teddy, the latest film by local auteur Jerod Costa, will début as an official selection of the 2010 Trail Dance Film Festival.  Named one of MovieMaker Magazine’s Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in 2009, Trail Dance 2010 will be held January 22-24th in Duncan, Oklahoma.  Ready Teddy is scheduled to screen Saturday, January 23rd at 8:45 PM in the Simmons Center Theater

In the film, I play a Liverpudlian lunatic named Paul whose band — John, George and Ringo — has kidnapped the King of Rock-N-Roll seeking to extract the secret of That Which All Men Desire.  Caught in a trap and can’t walk out, will our hero get all shook up?  That’ll be the day!  Not for the squeamish, Ready Teddy is a tale of blood, guts and peanut-butter banana cuisine.

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A prolific filmmaker, Costa will also be presenting another short film at the festival, Three Dreams in Three Minutes, a visual representation and interpretation of three dreams that the filmmaker experienced.  In addition, Trail Dance will also present NINEtoFIVE, a short film from Ready Teddy director of photography Anthony Vasiliadis.

The Trail Dance Film Festival introduces up-and-coming filmmakers from around the globe to Oklahoma’s emergent film industry and provides a welcoming forum to showcase films amidst a beautiful Western landscape.  The festival concludes with a grand awards gala and reception where custom sculpted Golden Drover Awards are presented to winning filmmakers and one lucky high school student will be awarded a $2000 scholarship to pursue a career in filmmaking.  Trail Dance is an event organized by the Southwest Association of Film (SWAF).

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The Ballad of Paul and Elvis

Don't Mess with Paul McCartneyIt’s been awhile since we heard from our friend Jerod Costa.  Last January he shared a teaser for his short film, Ready Teddy, in which I play a rather sadistic Paul McCartney.  I’m pleased to report that the project is still moving forward and we may have a completed film to share soon!

Hello everyone, it’s been a while…

This is just a quick update to assure everyone that Ready Teddy hasn’t fallen into some deep, dank pit where it’s struggling to survive. This last year life has gotten in the way of my aspirations for the film. I had a tremendously busy graduating semester where I produced 14 short films. My computer crashed and I had to essentially start from scratch. I’ve also had some fairly horrendous money issues. But alas, enough bitching.

Last night I finished a rough cut of the film. It looks great cats! (And kittens!) I also have Anthony working on sprucing up some of the shots with muzzle blasts for the guns and a few other surprises. I’m working on getting this early cut to Daron, the composer, sometime this coming weekend. Next week I’ll smooth out the edges of the picture cut and get into the sound editing, yuck! I hate sound editing. Bottom line: My goal is to have it finished by October 1st. Then we hit the festival circuit. I’m still toying with a few ideas for a premiere for the cast/crew.

Needless to say it’s beena wild ride this year, but soon you all will be enjoying the pleasent sight of Mitch, legless and screaming. Thanks again for all the time and effort put into the project. A director is only as good as his cast and crew.

-Jerod

That’s great news, Jerod.  We’re all wishing you the best and looking forward to seeing Ready Teddy in all its gory … I mean, glory.

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