Capital City All-Star Motion Picture Team Up

Lansing, Michigan, USA

Three Lansing, Michigan area filmmakers join to produce "Ashes of Eden," a dramatic feature length film. Writer and director Shane Hagedorn, united two media powerhouse companies, that have been making their mark on the National/International stage. Ahptic Productions is a commercial giant in the Lansing area that boasts corporate clients like Audi, MTV, Wells Fargo and high profile clients such as Miley Cyrus and Nelly Furtado. (http://ahptic.com/) Collective Development Inc. is a Lansing based motion picture company whose films have been released with major studios like Lionsgate, E1 and networks like ABC, NBC, Comcast, and TBN with six feature films coming out this year alone. (www.cdiproductions.com)
Shane Hagedorn has produced and acted in other award winning films, shot in Michigan. This is his second feature film as writer, director, and producer. He will also act in "Ashes." The film is in pre-production with Ahptic co-owner and director of photography Dominic Cochran, bringing his company’s state of the art production gear and his camera skills. Collective Development Inc. president DJ Perry is bringing his producing skill set and front of the camera talent. His company has already brought interest from Fontana, a division of Universal Music in the soundtrack. Also Perry who has starred in nearly 50 films is pulling upon his international talent base to assist in casting and will set up the worldwide distribution. Shane Hagedorn has truly brought together the best of the best in Mid-Michigan and together Lansing will once again shine when “Ashes of Eden” rolls cameras this fall. (www.ashesofedenmovie.com)

 

COLLECTIVE DEVELOPMENT INC. NEW MOVIE ARRIVALS!

DJ Perry and Jeff Kennedy’s Michigan based film company Collective Development Inc. has always been associated with diverse artistic talent. The company boasts several in-house writers, directors, producers and tight circles of experienced film talent.  Together they have been steadily hammering away at the film industry by releasing film after film in various genres worldwide.  Recently the company has been associating with some new exciting artists/filmmakers. Below are some of the 2012 films moving into distribution.

This week at the Grand Rapid’s Celebration Cinema North (Knapp Corner) “7 Stones” a powerful action/drama will show on May 17^th, at 7 pm. This will serve as a preview before the film starts a campaign of theatrical and festival showings. The TV film was written and directed by Tom Norton and stars Melissa Anschutz and DJ Perry. The story takes place in a South American prison and has strong themes of reflection, redemption and relatable topics pulled from current headlines.   

Movie Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wC_1wrfjaIU&feature=player_embedded

CDI also associated with Yuma, AZ based filmmakers Charles Pisaeno and Robert Gwinn with the production of “Deadly Renovations”. The film is a tense thriller about greed and murder centered on the historic Hotel Del Sol.  The sales trailers can be seen www.deadlyrenovations.com.  The film is due out domestically on August 7^th, 2012 with Midnight Releasing after a limited theatrical.

To tell a story halfway around the world CDI associated themselves again with award-winning director Anthony Hornus (An Ordinary Killer) on his first documentary film entitled “Outside the Wire, Forgotten Children of Afghanistan”. This film has played several festivals and venues across the country aligning itself with major organizations like The Wounded Warrior Program.  

Another exciting international association came when CDI joined with Philippine based film company Gothic Pictures International. Noel Tan directs this “found footage” horror film entitled “Darkest Night”. Demonology and witchcraft plague a Christmas gathering that had 17 people mysteriously disappear.  The film is prepped for worldwide theatrical and will screen in Hollywood for distributors in June. A series of trailers can be seen our their website. www.darkestnightmovie.com

The horror/thriller vein is strong with CDI’s association with At Risk Entertainment with “Locked in a Room”. This psychological mind tease packs a powerful scare factor. It was directed by Larry Simmons and stars Robert Miano, Rae’Ven Larrymore Kelly, Carlucci Weyant and DJ Perry.  It has started playing in Limited theatrical with Rocky Mountain Pictures booking. 

Interview with Paul Alessi

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with Paul J. Alessi who has, among many, acted in movies like Knuckle Draggers and A Guy named Murphy. Paul tells me about his award winning performance in Knuckle Draggers and his work as a producer.

MRR- Hey Paul, you are a pretty multi-talented on and off camera these days. You have acted in movies like A Guy Named Murphy,Morphine, and Knuckle Draggers which you also produced. Recently, you played a mechanic in the film Born to Race can you tell us a little about the film and your role?

Paul- Born To Race is a teen street racing film and I play an evil pit crew mechanic that tries to help the bad guy win a drag race competition. If you're into cars, you should check this movie out. It was made by “car guys” for “car guys”, the filmmakers worked really hard to make it as authentic as possible.

MRR- In 2009 you played Kyle in Knuckle Draggers and won “Best Actor" at the ReelHeART International Film Festival. What was it about this role that garnered so much attention from the audience? Do you feel it was your best work?

Paul- Knuckle Draggers grabbed the audience’s attention because it is a movie based on truth. There’s no gimmick, no over the top comedy, just truth about relationships. My character Kyle comes off as the “chauvinistic, pig headed, macho type” but in actuality he is only putting on this “show” to cover up the pain from his divorce. Do I feel it was my best work? That’s a tough question, taking on a leading part and producing the film was a huge challenge. As actors we are always most critical of our own performances because we always want to do our best, I am proud to say that I feel I did a solid job with both acting and producing in KD.

MRR- You decided to start producing and in 2006 you did the filmsAlison and Ten ‘til Noon. What made you want to start producing and how has it affected your acting career?

Paul- After working on a few projects as an actor and helping out on set I found that I was doing what a producer would do and I enjoyed it. A few friends kept encouraging me to start producing so I figured why not, this way I could work with my friends and know that I was making good quality projects.

MRR- You list Mark Wahlberg, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Edward Norton and Vince Vaughn as your biggest inspirations. What is it about these guys and their performances that you find so influential?

Paul- I feel that these actors have been able to develop solid careers in a competitive and forever changing business and I admire that each in their own way have been able to grow and succeed on both sides of the camera.

MRR- I read that you have been working on a web series with Judd Nelson, Traci Lords and Alexis Arquette. What is that all about and where can people check that out at?

Paul- Here and Now is a comedy about a guy in a mid life crisis who yearns to be young again, you can check it out on itunes.

MRR- It looks like you have a big upcoming role in the film Chapowith Michael Rooker (The Walking Dead) and are working on Lost on Purpose with Jane Kaczmarek (Malcom in the Middle). Is it hard to switch from being in front of the camera to behind the camera on a daily basis and has it given you more appreciation for all the different jobs people have on the set?

Paul- Being on both sides of the camera has definitely made me appreciate all of the jobs that go into making a script come to life. Switching my acting hat to producing hat can be a handful. When we have a decent budget that allows me to bring more crew on to help lighten my load, it makes a huge difference but in the indie world that’s not always the case. The bottom line is doing both jobs is not an easy task, so big budget, low budget, sleep or no sleep, I just do whatever it takes to make it happen.

MRR- I see that you are a big hockey fan and being from Detroit I know how thrilling going to a game can be. Did you ever have any dreams of becoming a professional hockey player and if so, for what team?

Paul- YES I sure did have dreams about being a professional hockey player and without a doubt I wanted to play for the New York Rangers, I bleed Blue. I spent every summer at the Providence College Hockey School in Rhode Island till I was 16 years old. I was what you would call a “Rink Rat” I was on the ice as much as possible. At the prime of my training I broke my lower back, which took me out of the competitive game. I still play in an adult hockey league.

MRR- Paul, what can people look forward to seeing from you in the future and where can they go to keep up with what you are up to?

Paul- I am attached to produce the upcoming MMA drama MICKEY KELLEY with director/actor Sean Patrick Flanery.

http://www.pauljalessi.com
http://www.imdb.me/pauljalessi
http://movieroomreviews.com/paul-j-alessi/interview-paul-j-alessi-91271 

Emmy Rossum more comfortable with raunchiness of 'Shameless'

Emmy Rossum is surprised how relaxed she has become with the raunchy, explicit and unabashedly profane side of Showtime hit "Shameless." "You can't imagine ever getting comfortable with that, but you do. What's great about doing that kind of thing on a cable show is that they don't censor you ... they let you show all kinds of things in a raw way; they don't hold you back," she revealed in a video chat with Gold Derby.

Rossum laughed about the regular nudity on the show, recalling, "I didn't realize how comfortable I was with it until they put a male actor with me and he was full frontal nude, and it was so shocking to me that his ... penis was right there! That was just very strange for me, and I realized, that's what people must feel all the time when I as this character am acting out in all of these ways."

Rossum plays Fiona Gallagher, the oldest of six children of a single alcoholic father who helps keep the family together. Rossum defines her character as someone, "who just doesn't give a crap about what anyone thinks. She's fierce, she's raw, and so why shouldn't she be that way about her sexuality too."

"Shameless" has concluded its second season on a ratings high, recently hitting its best ever numbers since its debut early last year and consistently out-rating the now defunct "Luck" on pay cable competitor HBO.

Much of the show's charm is down to its cast, especially leads Rossum and Oscar nominee William H. Macy. "Macy is incredible," raves Rossum. "His method is ... this kind of transformation that happens. In literally the moment between "rolling" and "action" he can be joking around and be seemingly completely sober, and they'll call "action" and it's like he just is (Frank) all of a sudden."

Although many pundits expected "Shameless" to do well at last year's Emmys, the show struck out with voters, apart from a single nod for Joan Cusack in the Drama Guest Actress category. However, many shows don't break through at the Emmys until their second or third seasons, as was the case last year with "Justified," which, after settling for a single technical bid in its first year, sawa four of its cast nominated for its second season with Margo Martindale going on to triumph in the Drama Supporting Actress race.

Domestic Release Date Given on “Deadly Renovations”

Would you kill for millions? Could sex make you kill? Who can you trust? Some of these questions have their answers deep within the plot of “Deadly Renovations”. This Yuma, AZ based horror/thriller was mainly shot at the historic Hotel Del Sol that locals will tell you comes with its own secrets and ghosts. The film was the prior location for the 1994 film “The Getaway” with Alec Baldwin. Directed by Robert Gwinn, “Deadly Renovations” enjoyed several AZ based theatrical showings with another independent film “Nailed” directed by Joel Silverman before being picked up by Midnight Releasing for domestic distribution. It was just announced that Nocturnal Features would be booking additional theatricals before it releases to other domestic platforms on August 7th, 2012.

The film has a great cast led by DJ Perry (GPS, Darkest Night) who plays the leader of a group of renovators. Hollywood greats Lana Wood, Terence Knox and Johnny Dark bring some depth to the already amazing cast in this money mystery that will have you guessing to the very end. Producers Charles Pisaeno and DJ Perry have also been in discussion with attorney Martin J. Barab (Piranha) to producer rep the project to the foreign buyers. The team has also just released a new foreign sales trailer (www.deadlyrenovations.com) and a motion poster that will give audiences a new look at what is in store for them once “Deadly Renovations” is released.

Paisaen Productions and Collective Development Inc. have another thriller “DONORS” in post-production and a comedy “E & Me” in development. Director Robert Gwinn also has a new slasher “Virtue” in development.

Born To Race

It's "Fast & Furious" meets "American Graffiti". If you love cars, you'll love "Born 2 Race". It's the story of Danny Krueger, a rebellious young L.A. street racer sent to a small town to live with his estranged father, a washed up NASCAR racer. When Danny decides to enter the NHRA High School Drags, he's forced to seek his father's help in taking down the local hot shot


Check it out on facebook www.Facebook.com/BornToRaceMovie

"Locked in A Room" Announces Theatrical Premiere

“Embrace the Madness!” - Detroit filmmaker Larry Simmons horror film “Locked in a Room” screened at the prestigious San Diego Black Film Festival on Friday January 27th, 2012 to a packed audience hosted by Robin Givens. The Michigan premiere will be May 3, 2012 at the Canton Emagine Theater at 7pm. “Locked in a Room” features Robert Miano (Donnie Brasco), DJ Perry (An Ordinary Killer), Rae’ven Larrymore Kelly (A Time to Kill), and Carlucci Weyant (Benjamin), as well as a talented group of new faces. At Risk Entertainment produced the film in association with Collective Development Incorporated. Writer /Director Larry Simmons produced the film with Gordon Djordjevski, DJ Perry, and Phyllis Larrymore Kelly. Theatrical bookings are being coordinated by Rocky Mountain Pictures.

"Locked in a Room" is a psychological “MINDFUC#” about three teenagers trapped in three separate rooms. They are monitored and watched by a slew of strange characters who observe their every move and emotion. As time elapses... the stakes and chances for survival are slim, but the question remains: who is behind this - the end reveals a startling answer.

“AT RISK ENTERTAINMENT”

At Risk Entertainment is a Michigan based Production Company founded by writer/director Larry Simmons in 2009. The company produced the Horror film “Locked in a Room” (2012), has a slate of films, and has plans to produce two feature films a year with budgets under a million dollars.

“COLLECTIVE DEVELOPMENT INC.”

Collective Development Inc. www.cdiproductions.com has been producing feature film since 1996 having produced and distributed films of all genres in the international market. The company has recently turned to working with emerging filmmakers showing great promise and creativity. DJ Perry and Jeff Kennedy, both of Lansing, Michigan, own the company.