Category Acting

Oct 4 2015

‘The Monster Squad’ Comes to Rock & Shock this Month

By Jason Harris2007-08-22 12.06.42

I was happy to see that three actors from the 1987 movie, The Monster Squad, will be at this year’s Rock & Shock, which takes place Oct. 16 – 18. These actors are Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, and Michael Reid Mackay. Macht and Mackay play Del and The Mummy respectively. In the last few years, Macht has been in the television series, Suits and The Mentalist while Mackay has been in Insidious Chapter 3. 2015-10-01 19.29.42

The one I’m looking forward to meeting though is Regehr who portrayed Dracula in the movie. I have always loved The Monster Squad. Yes, it has its flaws, but to me they are easily overlooked because of my love of the movie. If you haven’t seen it or don’t own a copy, it is streaming on Netflix at the moment. I own a copy, but once it became available on the streaming service this past September, I watched it there as well.

Besides The Monster Squad, Regehr has been in a few favorite television shows of mine such as V: The Series and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. I recently rewatched “The Begotten,” an episode of DS9, and it dawned on me that the same actor who portrayed Shakaar was also Dracula in The Monster Squad. I’m not sure if I’ve made that connection before. Before I started writing this post, I thought Regehr was on more than just three episodes of DS9.

So if you are a Star Trek or V fan, make sure to come to Rock & Shock to meet Regehr. Don’t me surprised if you see some V cosplay when you are attending Rock & Shock.

Feb 11 2014

New Hampshire Director in Search of Donations for Vampire Film

 

By Jason Harris

 

Writer and director Tim Morgan (author of The Trip), who lives in New Hampshire, has started a Kickstarter campaign to get his short film, My DreamGirl Was A Vampire, made. If he meets his goal, every backer who donates a $1 or more will receive a MP4 file of the movie.

Morgan’s impetus for My DreamGirl was a Vampire first developed in 1995 when he was working on a vampire movie that he wanted to direct as a feature, but didn’t have access to actors or the equipment.

“I wound up putting it down because the short was beyond what I could do with what I had access to at the time,” Morgan said.

In 1996, Morgan wrote a feature with a vampire named Stefanie as a “directed study in college,” he said.

“I had fun with it and it was the best I could do at the time, but it was a bad rip-off of The X-Files. There was something about Stefanie’s character that would stick with me, though, and I tried a couple times over the years to reboot her, but it never seemed to work.”

This past fall, Morgan wrote a new vampire short after meeting a couple of new actors who he had never worked with before.

“The early draft was darker and edgier but it just didn’t feel right. So I put that aside, thought about bringing Stefanie back, and wrote the script that became My DreamGirl Was A Vampire.”

The vampire, Stefanie, will be portrayed by New Hampshire actor Kimberley Miller. Miller considers Stefanie to be a “complex character.” It’s the real emotional challenge of the character that intrigued her, she said.

“She is a vampire, but with some very human characteristics. She wants a way out and is very vulnerable/desperate. She doesn’t want to be a vampire. A majority of vampire stories are about the turning and the power and blood lust,” Miller said.

Morgan said that he’s trying to put an original spin on the genre, but knows he has to adhere to certain things that the “rabid fans of the genre” would want.

“I love this story because it’s a simple/sweet story about a girl (who happens to be a vampire) who wants a second shot at life and the quirky cute guy who can help her. It is more about making Stefanie real and sympathetic to the audiences than focusing on the vampire piece,” Miller said.

The other character in My DreamGirl Was A Vampire is museum employee Grant portrayed by another New Hampshire actor, Billy Pomerleau, who is looking forward to bringing this role to life.

“[Grant] has a personality that, in my opinion makes him very likable. He’s a bit of an ‘everyman’ and I’ve always rooted for the reluctant hero types. Not to mention the opportunity to work opposite the devilishly beautiful Kimberley Miller. I mean, who could say no to that,” Pomerleau said.

There are 18 days left in Morgan’s campaign to raise $2,500. So far, the campaign has raised $97.

“If you’re looking for a fresh voice in the vampire genre, with a new approach, this is for you,” Morgan said.

Morgan hopes the campaign is successful so he can film, My DreamGirl Was A Vampire, and bring it to film festivals. The biggest festival is Shriekfest, which he was at in 2003 with one of his scripts, Morgan said.

Along with every donator receiving a MP4 file, there are other giveaways including PDF files of the script, DVDs of the finished film, links to a person’s website, t-shirts, mentions on the short film’s official page, and producer credits.

You can find and donate to his campaign on Kickstarter here.

Oct 27 2013

Jennifer Jostyn: From Dancing to Acting

 

by Jason Harris

Jennifer Jostyn. Photo by Jason Harris.

Jennifer Jostyn. Photo by Jason Harris.

 

Jennifer Jostyn started out dancing before becoming an actress in movies like The Brothers McMullen, Deep Impact, and House of 1000 Corpses.

“I thought I wanted to be a ballet dancer.”

Jostyn studied ballet from a young age up until she was 22 or 23. She stopped when The Brothers McMullen won at the Sundance Film Festival and her career shifted from dancing to acting.

“I tried to sort of follow where I thought I was going to get work,” Jostyn said about changing careers.

There are moments that make her feel sad. These happen when she is watching live musical theater. This is when she misses ballet.

“I will see a show and I’ll think I would have loved to have done that. I like to try to never use the word regret in my life.”

She is appreciative of the work she has gotten and for working with two directors,

Edward Burns and Rob Zombie, both of whom she considers great directors and enjoys working with them.

She first met Burns through Michael McGlone, who was a co-worker at the restaurant where she was waitressing when she was 20 years old. McGlone told her one night when it was slow that he was working on a movie with “a cool guy who lives down in the West Village.”

McGlone also told her that Burns had no money, but was going to make something interesting. She received the role of Leslie 20 minutes after meeting with Burns. She spent the next couple of weekends going out to Burns parents’ house to shoot the movie.

She worked with Rob Zombie on House of 1000 Corpses. She didn’t realize at the time of her audition how big a deal it was being in a Rob Zombie movie.

Jostyn has also worked in television. She prefers movies, though, since she gets a little more time and freedom to play around with the role.

“Television shows usually happen pretty quickly, and there’s a lot of pressure to get it done quickly. You’re on a different kind of schedule.”

Her first starring role was in Milo, which she received two days before the film started shooting. She was first scheduled to play a much smaller role until she received the lead after being called into the director’s office. This happened on the day she had come to the production offices for a wardrobe fitting.

“I really loved that role and was excited to be able to go through the whole course of a 90 minute film. I’d never done that before.”

Jostyn is drawn to acting because she likes everything about it and being around creative people.

“I find it very exciting to watch great minds like Rob [Zombie] and Eddie [Burns] and other people I have had the pleasure to work with. I think they’re so smart and interesting and unique … I just wanted to be near it. I really don’t care in what capacity. It’s exciting to me to get to pretend to be different people. I can’t imagine who wouldn’t want to do that.”

Along with acting, Jostyn has also written and produced a movie, The Life Coach, back in 2005. She describes it as a mockumentary in the vein of a Christopher Guest movie, and it’s about a Hollywood life coach to the stars.

Apr 30 2013

Extras Needed in Worcester Area this Saturday

The filmmakers, who brought audiences Mourning Wood (you can read a review here), needs extras in the Worcester, MA. area this coming Saturday for a short film, The P.U.S.S.Y. Committee. 

Fat Foot Films needs extras at Green Hill Park in Worcester this Saturday, May 4, at 12 p.m. All extras will need to be dressed as Mexican thugs with gold chains, white tank tops, bandanas, collared shirts top button buttoned, high white sox, sunglasses, etc. (you must come dressed up.)   The filmmakers need the angry mob of Mexicans to run over a hill after the 3 main actors in the skit, the shoot will take no more than an hour.

All extras will be credited, which will be listed on IMDB.com.  If you are under the age of 18, they will need a parent present to sign a release form. The P.U.S.S.Y. Committee is a R-rated comedy short film.  

This is also an unpaid gig, but the filmmakers promise that it will be a blast! They will be meeting at the Green Hill Parkway entrance off of Lincoln Street.  This is considered the back entrance of Green Hill Park once you enter there will be a little parking lot on your left.  You will see a bright yellow Scion XB, you can’t miss it. Any questions or problems, email ryan@fatfootfilms.com.

For more information on The P.U.S.S.Y. Committee click here.