Steampunk Granny's Interview with Manny Serrano of Mass Grave Pictures

                                                                   

Thanks to the Patron Saint of Independent Films, Joe Parascand, I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Manny Serrano a NYC based horror film director. Manny along with his wife Lindsay created Mass Grave Pictures in 2011. Check it out here: www.massgravepictures.com  Manny is also the cohost of the Mario Likes Movies Podcast which you can check out here: www.mariolikesmovies.com   Manny sent me a few of his movies to review which I’ll do at the end of this interview, but first, let me introduce Manny Serrano.

Marie Gilbert: “Will hello and nice meeting you, Manny. I’m getting to meet a lot of talented people through Joe and I’m beginning to recognize a lot of names.”

Manny Serrano: “Joe is very good at that. He should be a publicist.”

                                                                   

Marie Gilbert: “Maybe he should. I’ve watched the films you sent me and they were very good, but before we talk about them, tell me about a little bit about you and how you got involved with cinematography and directing?”

Manny Serrano: “Yep, I do a little bit of everything. I guess I was always working towards doing films in one way or another. When I was young, I was really into art and music. Playing in a Goth-rock band, I pretty much spent a lot of time in high school because our high school had a Broadcasting Studio and Television Production Studio that wasn’t part of any program. They never did anything with it, but one of the teachers ended up teaching English class in that area and worked the studio into his curriculum. The school didn’t have that much of a problem with him doing this because of the large amount of money spent. I spent most of the four years in high school just sitting in that room and learning how to use all the cameras, the editing equipment and the soundboard; everything. I learned how to run the whole production studio in high school, just by chance.”

Marie Gilbert: “That is awesome.”

Manny Serrano: “Yeah and our band ended up writing more scripts because my friends and I had all these cool ideas for music videos for our songs. I even started writing up short stories and turning them into scripts. A few years later, I started making movies. It was just a progression; one thing after another. I wrote and directed about 10 short films between 2006 and 2011, mostly for short film and YouTube competitions.

                                                                    

                                                          

Marie Gilbert: “Do you still have the band?”

Manny Serrano: “No, I stopped playing music around eight years ago, but one of my bandmates who I’ve been writing and playing music with on and off since we were fifteen, Ramon Inoa, knows all about music, so he’s my composer. He worked in a few bands here and there over the years. He has himself a nice non-music career now, so at least we still get to work together in that capacity for the films.”

Marie Gilbert: “I watched the films you’ve sent me, and they are very good, but the one called M for Mastectomy, was very hard for me to watch as a woman. Where did you get the idea for that film?”

Manny Serrano: “There are two sides to that story actually. There was the ABC’s of Death competition and film makers had to make their own short film entries using the letter M. The winning entry would be part of the final film. We were a little production company and hadn’t done anything really notable yet. I wanted to do something that really made an impact, so we started to come up with different words that began with the letter M. I wanted to do something that would be extremely shocking, something most people wouldn’t have the guts to touch.

                                                             

My brain kept going back to the element of suicide, and that’s a very touchy subject. My wife and I kept going back and forth on it and one day when she came home from work, I said, “I have the word, Mastectomy.” She said, “Okay?” It was tough for her, and took some time for her to understand what I was trying to do. Once she was comfortable with this idea, we came up with a story of a woman and the aftermath of her surgery. My wife had a few family members and people close to her that went through breast cancer and she wanted to do it in a way that was shocking but not offensive. She said, “If we’re going to do this, we have to bring several elements of meaning to it and we can’t exploit”. I said, “Okay that’s fine.” I understood and added the needed dimensions instead of doing gore for the sake of gore and shock for the sake of shock.

We started going back and forth with this. What room would this woman be in? What would she look like? How would she be shot, undressed or dressed? Kathryn Lill is an actress that I worked on in another project that was unfortunately never completed. She is an incredible actress and I knew that she had the capacity for this. When I approached her, she was excited to do this. I told her I wanted to give her freedom to do this film and the character without using words, just her. We wanted simple so I came up with using a dark room, one light, one actress and the mirror. It was all about her and her internal struggle with her soul as well. She really did an amazing job with it.

It was a twelve hour day and the cameras were rolling for about six hours on her. She took the role to a whole different level as well with her preparations. She went to the hospital and visited the cancer ward speaking with women who had gone through this. She spoke to doctors and nurses. She researched the entire process that a woman in this situation would go through from the very beginning: how they found out, to what type of procedure they had, to how the doctors and nurses handled it. She really brought the whole thing to life. If it had been anyone else but Kathryn, it wouldn’t be as powerful as it was. She also brought the story to life using some of her own personal experiences from when she was young.

It was a big collaboration between all of us: my wife wanting to use the message, me trying to push the envelope, and Kate wanting to bring it to life. When we brought this to Cat Martin, our makeup artist, I told her we wanted the scars to look as realistic as possible. I was picturing this woman going all out and tearing skin from her chest and having nothing but the muscle cavity left, but through development, we realized that maybe that went too far and it would ruin the message of what these women really go through. This is true horror, a real life horror that women go through from the GYN exam to them telling you that you could have cancer and you could die. This is something that is constantly instilled in women from the moment they become adults and have to worry about their whole life. We wanted to bring that kind of pain and emotion to the screen and, I think we’ve done it. We got a lot of positive responses especially from cancer survivors that thank us for our bravery into bringing this to life; showing people what they’re dealing with.”

Trailer for M for Mastectomy:

M is for Mastectomy (ABCs of Death cut) from Mass Grave Pictures on Vimeo.

Marie Gilbert: “When you think back to the time before they were doing reconstructive surgery, there were few options. The actress that you have, by the way, was perfect for this film. You felt her horror. Like I said earlier, this film is very hard to watch, but I have to give you credit for making it. Did you show this film to any cancer societies? Did you get any feedback from doctors?”

Manny Serrano: “We personally haven’t but, we do have people who have connected with it very strongly and we have a friend who launched her own cancer survivor foundation to help patients.”

Marie Gilbert: “That is amazing.”

Manny Serrano: “It’s a very fine line to tread because a lot of the foundations, although they might find it empowering, it’s not something that’s publically acceptable. They’d rather focus on the survivor aspect of it than showing something like this and I’m perfectly fine with that. This is a true art piece and everybody takes something away from it. This woman could be anyone. There is no personality put on the actress. This is what most women feel when they get to that point. They are now defined by this. Once a woman goes through something like that, you can’t think of anything else. I think the Cancer Society would frown on using this publically. It’s an extreme film.”

Marie Gilbert: “It was done well. It was hard to watch, but I knew where you were going and I’ll do a review of the film at the end of the interview.”

Manny Serrano: “I have the short version on line and I’ll send it to you.

Marie Gilbert: “Good, I can share this along with the review of the film. You and your wife are co-creators of Mass Grave Pictures Company. What does your wife, Lindsey do and how do you two work together?”

                                                                      

Manny Serrano: “We do everything together and behind the scenes we kind of split up our duties. My wife Lindsay (a writer/director in her own right as well) is my constant A.D., Producer and head of SFX. She does a lot of the administrative work and handles the budget and the schedules in pre-production. She is my right hand on set. There were a couple of times when the two of us worked separately because she started doing makeup. That’s how she brought herself into movie making. So sometimes on set, she’ll have to work with the FX team. She could be in one room and I’m in another, and sometimes, things fall apart if the two of us aren’t together. So, she really is my right hand. I couldn’t do it without her there.

Marie Gilbert: “That is so great when a husband and wife can work together and not kill each other.”

Manny Serrano: “It’s caused more fights between us with our creative aspects; her going in one direction and me in another, but it also brings out the best in each other. Like with this film. If it was all me, it would have gone more extreme, but she really reeled me in.”

Marie Gilbert: “You and Lindsay counterbalance each other.”

Manny Serrano: “Yes, yes and she felt that if she would have directed it, the film would have been much tamer, because she has personal feelings about cancer. She didn’t know if she would have been able to push as hard as we did. It may not have had the impact that it did. Yes we do have good balance between each other.”

Marie Gilbert: “Because I know Joe Parascand, and like I said, he’s the patron saint of Independent Film, I know a lot of people and, you know Lee Hoffman from Steampunk Works.”

Manny Serrano: “Right!”

Marie Gilbert: “She’s my friend, too. She lives close to me. Because of Joe, I see films like Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead and interview people and now I see that you’re part of that. I think you directed a few episodes.”

Manny Serrano: “In 2009 we met Patrick Devaney and his crew who were working on Zombie Hunters: City of the Dead. We joined their crew a few months later, when they were in the middle of production for Episode 7. I directed a few segments, so technically I was a co-director. Pat Devaney directs all of it, but there were a couple of segments here and there that I shot separately on a team with Mike Scardillo, but my main capacity on the show right now is cameraman with Louie Cortes and Mark Boutros. Pat’s character left the show a few episodes ago and he’s going to be making a return soon. Pat wants to focus on his character and bringing it to life and not have to worry about the directing aspect as much, so on the next two episodes when his character returns, I’ll be directing the scenes that he is in.”

Marie Gilbert: “I remember Pat Devaney talking to me about his character returning when I interviewed him.”

Manny Serrano: “We’re going to be doing episode eleven, now and I think his character comes back at the end of this episode and then we go into episode twelve. So, when you see that he’s on camera, I’ll be directing those scenes; not entire episodes.”

Marie Gilbert: “I understand. You’re filling in for him. There was another film that I saw your name featured, Aemorraghe, right?”

Manny Serrano: “Yes, that’s Pat Devaney’s film.”

Marie Gilbert: “I loved it. It was amazing. What was your part? Was it director of photography?”

Manny Serrano: “Yes, director of photography and cameraman.”

Marie Gilbert: “It was a great film and I was saying, “Oh my God that is exactly how you would feel going to work every day. We’re like zombies going to work and not enjoying the job.”

Manny Serrano: “That’s what he wanted to bring to the short. That feeling of monotony and I’m glad that I was part of it.”

Marie Gilbert: “Except for M for Mastectomy, it seems that in some of your shorts, like Grub Vom Krampus and the Personal Injury Lawyer skit there is that touch of humor, a tongue in cheek touch to your horror films. Do you purposely do this?”

 

Manny Serrano: “On those two shorts, definitely but I don’t generally. The lawyer one was for a competition for a YouTube public action group that was trying to cure the legal system of frivolous lawsuits. We won that competition.”

Marie Gilbert: “You did? It sure was funny. I loved it. I watched all your films and I also liked A Waltz for A Night. It had a twist ending that I wasn’t expecting and the same with Guinea Pig. I didn’t expect that ending, either. But, what I want to talk about now is the three trailers you had made for Blood Slaughter Massacre that has now become a film. Tell me more about this.”

Manny Serrano: “A few years ago when we first got our cameras around 2006, we started a short film with Louis Cortes that never got done, but I’m the type that hates letting things go to waste so I took some of the footage that was dark, choppy, and had bad audio and I fixed it. We were just starting out and I created a trailer for a movie that didn’t even exist. We wanted to show people what we were doing, that we were doing stuff. A few years later, we said, “Let’s make a part two.” Then later, we made a part three. We ended up writing scripts for seven trailers; we only shot four.

                                                                 

We combined parts one, two and three of what I sent to you and entered it into a short film competition at the “Saturday Nightmares Convention.” The competition was being run by Michael Hein who had created the New York Horror Film Festival. We didn’t win, but we did get a great audience reaction to it. Afterwards, Michael Hein came up to us and said that he enjoyed it a lot and added, “It was really great, but I urge you to do a narrative and bring this thing to life because you guys really have a lot of talent.” This was a huge compliment coming from Michael. He’s the authority on horror films! This was in August of 2011 and by December, Louie and I hammered out a feature length script based on the stories of trailers one, two and three. We tried to get in as many of those shots into the film and went into production in February or March. We had all our friends who had helped us with the trailers come back as the teenagers of the movie. It was great and a lot of the people from the trailers are in the film. WE shot throughout 2012 and it’s coming out for release by Wild Eye in April 21, this year.”

A

Blood Slaughter Massacre Theatrical Trailer from Mass Grave Pictures on Vimeo.

Marie Gilbert: “This is so exciting. I am so excited to share this trailer with my readers. You have another film that you’re working on called The Shadow of the Imp and it sounded so interesting. Is it out yet?”
 

Manny Serrano: “That is our next feature, but it’s not out yet and we just started shooting this film about a month ago. Hopefully, we will be announcing that release next year. It will be a departure from what we’ve normally done, more on the side of psychological horror; less blood, more creepiness, along the lines of a Jacobs Ladder or Altered States. We have Thomas Ryan and Kathryn Lill in the film, along with horror genre veterans Erin Brown aka Misty Mundae and Deana Demko.”

Marie Gilbert: “Great, let me know and I’ll promote it. What are your goals for your production company? What can we expect in the future?”

Manny Serrano: “We want to make more horror movies. It’s our platform and, we love making movies with our friends.”

Marie Gilbert: “I did very much enjoy one of your shorts, Grub Vom Krampus, which won the 48-hour Film Race at the Macabre Faire Film Festival in January of 2014 and I wondered if you would ever make a comedy horror film because that short was too funny with the creature seeking revenge on the people who didn’t show up to his party.”

Manny Serrano: “We did do a film called The Attack of the Brain People, which I didn’t direct but my wife did with Louie Cortes and it’s kinda like if “Night of The Living Dead” were directed by Ed Wood. We released it as a web series originally and we wanted it to look like a 1950’s serial sci-fi creature feature. We did eight episodes and we put them out on DVD. We got a great response for this and Joe Parascand was in it for a brief moment and a lot of our friends did cameos in this series like Ryan Weber, Missy Heather and Deana Demko. This film was shot over three Saturdays in a row.

                                                                      

Comedy is not something that I feel I have an ability to write well, so we write our scripts and then coach the actors through and we leave it to them to bring in the comedy. In the Brain People, when you read the script, it’s very straight forward 1950’s sci-fi, but the difference with filmmaking then and now is that after World War Two, the Korean War, and the Vietnam war people didn’t want serious, they wanted something to take their mind off the grim reality of the world. They wanted movies that addressed the threat of nuclear weapons, aliens, the cold war and the total destruction of the world, without actually addressing it, you know? Some of the most classic films that were ever written come from that era.”

Marie Gilbert: “The Attack of the Brain People plays off that era’s fears?”

                                                                

Manny Serrano: “Yes, we shot it in black and white. We had brains on strings flying through the sky. The film is about a couple (Bradley Creanzo & Bridgette Miller) who are out on a picnic and they hear a crash in the woods. The girl is attacked by some creature and the guy, running for help, gets kidnapped by these men dressed in black suits (Patrick Devaney, Mike Roche, Stephen Steinberg and Chris Corsi). The creatures are here for world domination and they have to be stopped by sundown. Typical 1950 sci-fi with a teenager who has to save the world but no one believes him about these creatures.”

Marie Gilbert: “I can’t wait to see this. Manny, I would love to thank you for this interview. It was a pleasure chatting with you.

Now for my review of three of Mass Grave Pictures’ films starting with:

 M is for Mastectomy. Warning, not for the faint of heart or children

This short was created by Manny and Lindsay Serrano, directed by Manny Serrano, cinematography done by Manny Serrano and Louie Cortes, Special Effects done by Lindsay Serrano and Cat Martin, Music by Ramon Inoa, Grip Ralph Merced. The film is hard to watch, but Kathryn Lill does such an amazing job of displaying the range of emotional shock and horror at the results of the surgical procedure done to her. Although this is a horror film, its message is clear and certain to convince women to begin self-examinations for any unusual bumps and to schedule a yearly mammogram. Maybe we should have Congress watch this so that more money will be earmarked into fighting this disease. My review is **** stars. Kudos to all involved

Grub Vom Krampus         Funny and for all ages

This short was created for the 48 Hour Film Race and featured at the Macabre Fair Film Festival. It was the winner and I absolutely loved it. Director-Editor- Camera done by Manny Serrano, Writer-Makeup-Best Boy done by Lindsay Serrano, Music by Ramon Inoa and Manny Serrano, Krampus played by Patrick Devaney.

The rules for this short film listed five items and the film had to be completed in forty-eight hours. Items were a shovel, a red balloon, a trophy and the words, “Powerpuff Girls,” had to be spoken out loud. I loved the short which shows a horned creature shoveling his pathway for his big Christmas party. His attempt to blow up red balloons is foiled by his sharp claws. When the creature checks his Facebook page to see who is attending, he is shocked to learn that no one, not even the Powerpuff girls are coming. You don’t want to piss off a monster or be on his naughty list. My review is a ****star rating.

 

A Waltz for A Night                Not for children

This film was written by Lindsay and Manny Serrano, Directed by Lindsay Serrano, Editor and DP by Manny Serrano, lights done by Marcus Henderson, actress Yumii R, actor Omar Hernandez.

A beautiful song about a waltz is heard in the background as a young girl prepares for a date with a very handsome young man. She’s heard a few rumors about the young man, but warnings are dispelled with his bringing flowers and behaving like Prince Charming during dinner and a movie, but the song hints that things will soon change. What appears at first as consensual lovemaking is in reality, rape. How does this young lady handle this horror? Revenge is best served with a good tune and a sharp object. I really loved how we were lulled into thinking this was a routine girl meets boy story. It isn’t. This short film also rated **** stars. It was done well.

Check out Mass Grave Pictures and Manny and Lindsay Serrano. I think we will be seeing more of them and their work in the upcoming year.

Steampunk Granny & the Killer Expo 9 Event

                                                                 

 

Hello my little zombie snacks. Mark your calendars for a big event coming out in March. This is a three day event packed with Martial Arts, Comic Books, Movie Stars, Authors, Vendors, Cosplay, everything under the sun including Zombies! There is plenty to see and do for the whole family including the wee ones. Your favorite little Granny will be there selling her apocalyptic book, Roof Oasis. It's like Romeo & Juliet meet the Walking Dead written by Jules Verne story. Order  your tickets now!

 

Expo 9 !
Back by Popular Demand , the one Killer expo that combines them all.

 

                                                            

Stop by and say hello to Steampunk Granny! You don't want to miss this event.

 

Expo 9 Martial Arts Comic Convention with Zombies.
This Is the Original Event that combines many different pop culture pieces and then breaks it all apart to form its own event.
This is a Truly Don't Miss Event !
3 days of events
Contest & Panels
100s of Demo's & Seminars
Tons for the kids.
Authentic Martial Arts Masters
Famous Authors ...
Comic Book Artist
Cosplay Showing Skills
Awesome Movie Stars
Public & Private Events.
2015 Masters of Martial Arts Awards Dinner
We got Zombies!
Club Groups
GPG PRO MMA FIGHT NIGHT *
VIP Party With Film Screening
Lots of Vendors with hard to find items.
Health & Fitness
Legends in Comic & Martial Arts
Knights, Orcs, Pirates, Ninja's, Samuria, GIJOE, Ghostbusters, Storm Troopers, Kung Fu & Karate Masters, Comic Hero's & Villains ,Yoga and much much much more !

Buy Your Tickets Right Now :
( On Sale Until Dec 31st ) Masters / Celeb Ticket https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H2FGPLYZFUXBN

( On Sale Until Dec 31st )
VIP Dinner & Party Ticket $100.00
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=ZJ9WW8HUMKGUQ

( On Sale Until Dec 31st ) Expo 9 Ticket
all 3 days march 27-29th general entrance pass - does not include any private events.
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=AVW6GJZ8G9XUW

Expo 9 Martial Arts Comic Convention with Zombies
https://www.facebook.com/events/619012244843634/
Expo 9 Comic Convention Masters
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Comic-Con-Masters/268106640003830
Please send these two links out to your Facebook friends thanks.
Expo 9 Location Cherry Hill NJ
March 27, 2015 - March 29, 2015
1444 Route 73 N. Pennsauken, NJ 08110
5 min to Philly 30 from Atlantic City
From CNN NEWS on our last Expo 8
Traditional Martial Arts Meets Pop Culture at the Jersey Shore
http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-1116553
Contact Sifu Cliff
609-665-3889
https://www.facebook.com/sifu.cliff
www.ackungfu.com

We will be holding the Expo 9 & Masters of Martial Arts Awards Ceremony at the GPG Championships March 27th - 28th - 29th - Friday Night Fights with the GPG Pro MMA Championships a excellent addition to our ever growing show. Saturday Night with be Masters of Martial Arts Awards - Expo 8 will be day time Friday - Sunday * Thank you everyone for the Support https://www.facebook.com/events/619012244843634/

Another great Addition to the Expo 9 is a Huge Comic Book Convention. We have Loads of great Comic Book Artist, Illustrators, Inkers, Color, Painters, Authors, Cos Play, Same Great Fan Clubs with us to.
We have some Great Comic BooK Legends with us to. Like Rusty Gilligan (Heavy Metal) , Howard Bender (Star Wars) Bob Petrecca (iron man) Joe del Beato ( GIJOE ) Neil D Vokes ( Dr Strange ) The Expo 9 Comic Book Convention is the Fastest Growing Show we Ever Had!


Location Cherry Hill
Feature:
Chinese Kung Fu & Karate Expo
Global Proving Ground & Warrior Island
Zombies vs Martial Arts
Largest Martial Arts Demo
Hollywood Actors, Directors, Stuntmen, Casting Calls
Kung Fu Film Show
Authentic Martial Arts Masters
Expo 9 Comic Convention
Sleeping Samurai Anime
NJ Ren Faire
Mystical Realms
Artist Show

Early Bird Pricing is active until December 31st 2015 .
Expo 9 all three days of the show 8-4pm Price is only at 25.00 !
VIP Dinner & Expo 9 ticket with Celeb VIP Party only 100.00 comes with + Bonus Ticket for Pro MMA Fight Night
Celeb Masters Ticket Dinner & Award , 160.00 right now under early bird time with + Bonus GPG MMA Pro fight Night Ticket Celeb VIP Party , Media Frenzy at Film Show.

Tickets Explained: For those of you you don't know what kind of event we offer we have some guidelines. Tickets sold right here www.ackungfu.com

Starting with the Masters Ticket : We have a Private event running on March 28th 2015 Called the Masters Of Martial Arts Awards Ceremony aka Masters of Martial Arts Hall of Fame. for all Nominee we ask for them to join our massive Martial Arts Demonstration. We ask at the award all nominee to receive there award on stage with a very short speech, also have a Red Carpet exp for the Award Masters with a media frenzy.
We don't have just Martial Arts Awards but for martial artist Min rank is BB.
Other awards may be Martial Arts supporting role awards like a MMA team owner, Movie star , or even a Legendary Comic. Our Deputy in the Naming Committee is Soke David with Rotating & Growing Panel used for advice and fact finding on Nominees.

VIP: Dinner @ the Awards with 3 full days of expo, Private VIP Party, Film Show and currently for Masters & VIP Ticket we have GPG PRO MMA Fight Night Free General Pass, this VIP Ticket is a really beefy way into our event and well worth the 100.00 Current Price.

Expo 9 : Our Current Ticket normal price is 35.00 on sale right now at 25.00 covering 3 days at the expo 9 Martial Arts Comic Convention. March 27-28-29th 2015

Two new Tickets are
Be A Zombie ! : Join the Forces of Evil Zombies learn skill in acting from a great skilled acting troop. Ever want to be a Zombie? Must bring you own Clothing, let the pros do the make up. www.ackungfu.com

Cosplay Ticket:
This is another New Ticket at our Expo 9 Event with A Cosplay Contest with prizes . What's Cosplay? Some talented Costume makers creating there own works and showing it off in the public, seems like a sub culture group that is defiantly on the rise in the comic convention , we are proud to have them joining us in q feature role this year Join the Contest @ www.ackungfu.com

Cosplay & Zombie tickets do not combine they are separated tickets. Such as buying a Masters ticket or VIP ticket, you have to also buy the Cosplay contest ticket additional.

Please Remember we do not offer money back on cancelation fee return on any type for any tickets sold. Reason is we take all funds and use them to create the event , from Venue, Food, Tables, Celebs

Steampunk Granny reviews Take Shelter

                                                             

 

There are three things people learn right away about me. I have nine grandchildren who I love dearly. I’m a ghost investigator. I belong to the Zombie Squad and I’m prepared for any emergency be it “The Storm of the Century” or a zombie apocalypse. I love watching movies and television shows about surviving said apocalypse, but a few nights ago, I was surprised to find this little gem as I flipped through the cable guide looking for something good to watch.

                                                                      

Take Shelter is a 2011 film written and directed my Jeff Nichols and stars Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. It begins with a young father having a series of strange dreams that foretell something horrible just over the horizon. I was hooked right away and decided to give this film a view, because I’ve also had warning dreams, and lately, they’ve been getting worse; more on that later.

Plot

Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) and his family live in Lagrange Ohio. He has a good job, but that doesn’t mean shit because the bills always seem more than the money coming in. His wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) makes extra money by selling home crafted items at a flea market. Their daughter, Hannah (Tova Stewart) is deaf. Every penny they make is put aside to get Hannah her implants in order for her to hear. Curtis has a mom who was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. She’s been institutionalized for a while now, but Curtis is afraid that he may be exhibiting traits of schizophrenia.

                                                                  

Curtis is having dreams; bad dreams that have to do with a nasty storm that is coming his way. The rain that is coming will make people and animals violent. He begins having visions while awake which isn’t helping him with the job he so desperately needs to keep, but there might be a solution. Curtis has an old storm shelter in the back yard.

                                                                      

Curtis risks his marriage, job and friends by obsessing over this storm shelter. Even with the help of a counselor at the free clinic and medication, the visions keep coming. Curtis has stocked his storm shelter with enough supplies to last a few weeks. His storm shelter is now Zombie Ready. But due to some bad choices, Curtis loses his job and the financial support needed for his daughter’s surgery. His friend Dewart (Shea Whigham) finally gives up on Curtis after Curtis betrays him.

Conclusion

There is a storm, but it’s not the one that Curtis dreams of. That will come later. When Curtis is afraid to leave the storm shelter after the all clear message is sent out after a bad hurricane, Samantha gets him to see a psychiatrist. The doctor tells the couple that they should take a vacation and get away from the bomb shelter and, Curtis will also have to be admitted to a mental facility for a bit. Curtis goes on this vacation to save what’s left of his marriage. While at Myrtle Beach, Samantha realizes that maybe they should have stayed in that shelter. Please see the film. The acting, scenery and writing are excellent. This thriller was nominated for four Saturn Awards including Best Horror or Thriller Film and Best Actress for Chastain and Best Actor for Shannon and Best Writing for Nichols.

                                                               

This film struck a nerve with me. My friends and I, who are also clairvoyant, have been talking about what we’ve been sensing. There is something big coming, and no, it’s not the end of the world. I feel that people are finally waking up and realizing that for a very long time we’ve been fed a load of dog doo by organized religion and by our political leaders. The rich are getting richer and the poor are left to suffer this unbridled greed.

 My father was in his early nineties when he died. He was a smart man. He read all the newspapers even foreign ones. A few days before he died, he said, “I’ve been having these dreams. There is a bad storm coming. There is going to be a war between the rich and the poor in this country." I tried to change the subject, thinking it was the medications Fred was on for hospice, but in reality, he was clear minded on everything else; why not this.

This movie was great. Watch it. I’ll be busy checking out my storm shelter.

                                                               

Marti's Angels On the Go

                                                           

Last night a group of friends, who I’ve nicknamed Marti’s Angels, and I headed over to The Playhouse in Burlington County to see the Footlighters perform in the musical “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. The 1961 show which was based on the musical by Frank Loesser and book by Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willie Gilbert, was based on Shepherd Mead's 1952 book of the same name. The story concerns young, ambitious J. Pierrepont Finch, uses the book How to rise from window washer to chairman of the board of the World Wide Wicket Company.

                                                   

Going to a show was just the ideal way to shake off the winter doldrums. The Playhouse is a charming little theatre. Founded in 1938, and originally known as the “Footlighter Players of Palmyra & Riverton.” In May of 2000, Footlighters officially bought this historic building.

 

                                                            

                                                              

Although, I was going to be with friends, I was still a bit curious as to how good the show would be. I usually head over to Philly and the Walnut Street Theatre for plays, but I am a promoter of Independent Art and I had heard such great reviews about the Footlighters. I was not disappointed. The show was fabulous and the members of the cast put on one hell of a professional show. I had never seen this particular musical and had no idea what to expect. The music was foot tapping great.  Here is a list of the cast:

Matt Becker as J. Pierrepont Finch-Angela Longo as Rosemary- Kevin Esmond as J.B. Biggley-Scott C. Angehr as Budd Frump-Alexandra Haas as Smitty-Rick Williams as Bratt-Gabrielle Affleck as Miss Jones- Kaitlyn Delengowski as Hedy LaRue-Al Krier played Twimble and Wally Womper- Adam Pascal as the book voice.

Ensemble: Steven Ciceron, Elizabeth Deal, Cara Dickinson, Carla Ezell, Fred Ezell, Casey Grouser, Erin Gupta, Neil Gupta, D.J. Hedgepath, Jocelyn Mitchell-Williams, Paul Sollimo.

Production Team:

Brenda Kelly Bacon-Director/Choreographer---Cameron Stringham-Music Director---Lori Howard-Associate Choreographer/Tap Consultant

“How to Succeed” will be playing at the Playhouse until February 7^th, so get your little booty over there and watch the show. You can call for tickets at 856-829-7144. The Playhouse is located at 808 Pomona Road, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077

Conclusion

During intermission we were offered refreshments and after the show we were able to chat with the cast and even take pictures with Scott C. Angehr who played Bud Frump. Did Marti’s Angels like the show? Hell yeah! You will too.

                                                                

below is Marti Haines "our fearless leader" of the Angels with Jodie Marie Pilla and Janet Lima.

                                                           

Here is the site: http://bcfootlighters.com/category/shows/  Check out the upcoming shows.

Sometimes It's Not Ghost

                                                       

 

This is not a new episode of Life with Fred & Lucy, but maybe it should be. My father was the king of practical jokes and I’ve mentioned on the "Life with Fred & Lucy" page the many tricks my father had played on the entire family over the years. That old saying, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, is so true and I’ll go one step further, the gene for practical jokes runs amok in the Maratea family.

I’m guilty of carrying that particular gene and it has also been passed down to my daughter’s three boys better known as the desperadoes, but this post is about a practical joke that I had forgotten all about.

                                                                     

Several weeks ago, my daughter and her husband purchased a new bedroom set. I had stopped over to see the set and to check out the remodeled master bathroom. My daughter was in the kitchen putting on coffee for us and I was about to head down to the kitchen to tell her how much I loved what she and Jim did with the master bedroom.

                                                                 

                                                             

Something stopped me before I left the room. Was it the spirit of Fred, my deceased father? I’d been thinking about him and my mom over the holidays, so maybe it was he who placed the devilish thought into my head. I began to move the little knick-knacks that my daughter keeps around her room to different places. I was on a roll. The St. Joseph statue went from her husband’s side of the bed to hers. Her photos of the kids were moved all over the place and finally after moving her make-up and hair products to different shelves, I placed a teddy bear that belonged to my father when he was sick, in her bathroom with a bathing cap on its head. Done with my mischief, I headed down to the kitchen for coffee.

                                                                      

I had expected my daughter to call me by that night to say she saw what I had done, but she didn’t and over the next two weeks, I forgot all about the prank. Then, I went over her house yesterday to visit with her and the boys before the big snow storm. While there she asked me to take a ride with her and Nathan to Ross and Game Stop. “Sure,” I said.

As we were driving, my daughter was having a problem with the electrical system in her car, and she had remarked, “I don’t know what’s going on anymore, mom. Strange things have been going on at the house and now this car is acting up.”

“What strange things,” I ask.

“I think the house is either haunted, and if it is, you and your friends will have to come and investigate. But, maybe, it’s someone coming into my house when I’m not home.”

This was the first I was hearing about these events, so I said, “Well, you know Fred and Lucy like to visit you and Aunt Lucy when they’re not hanging out in my attic. Maybe it’s their spirits.”

                                                                         

My daughter shook her head. “No, when they visit, they don’t move things around. I’ve been asking the boys if they’re playing jokes on me, but they said no.”

Nathan chimes in from the back seat. “You ask us every day and Josh and I keep telling you that we don’t go in your room.”

                                                                        

“What about Uncle John?” I asked, because my daughter and her husband had been taking care of Uncle John ever since Jim’s mother passed away.

“No, he doesn’t go into my room. I’ve taken to locking my bedroom door when I’m not home, because it’s every day that I find things moved.” My daughter was very upset and I, as of yet, hadn’t put two and two together.

Nathan pipes in again, “Grandmom, she’s been yelling at us because she thinks we’re doing this to her.”

“What things are moved?” I asked.

“Grandpop Fred’s bear, pictures, my make-up....”

BINGO!

“Uh, Re did you say Fred’s bear?” My daughter nods and I glance back at Nathan with this ‘deer in a headlight’ expression on my face. “That was me.”

“What?” my daughter asks as she pulls into the parking spot in front of Game Stop.

“I moved a lot of stuff around in your bedroom a few weeks ago as a prank, but you never said anything and I had forgotten all about it.”

Nathan is laughing his head off and my daughter is staring at me. “Tell me what you moved?” she demands.

I rattle off the items I had moved, then she and Nathan begin laughing. “Mom, because I didn’t notice everything that you had moved all at once, I’m thinking that it was something new each day.”

“Well, at least you know it’s not ghosts,” I say between belly laughs.

Just then her car began to make all kinds of strange noises. We couldn’t turn it off. Not for a while at least. We didn’t know what was going on with the car, but her husband checked it out.  He could find nothing wrong. If it wasn't the electrical system, then maybe it was my father saying, “Good one!” I'd like to think it was.