The Story

When we were doing press for the last film, the most difficult thing was to tell people what it was about. It's not that I couldn't throw out a quick little phrase that superficially summed up the movie. It's just that I didn't think something like that did the movie any justice. I guess I could have said it was "like an after-school special with aliens and sarcasm." To me, there was so much more to it... and what if someone doesn't like after-school specials or aliens? Well, then I've lost a potential audience member.

Of course, it's not like what I usually said was any better. I would say, "it's about change, and people's ability or inability to cope." That's terribly vague, but I tend to deal in emotions, moods, themes, and intangible ideas... but I know that the general audience needs more than emotions and themes. They want plots. To be truthful, they want explosions and T&A. Perhaps I can make good on that with the new movie, while still holding true to my desires to create something out of mood and emotion. Hmm...

This new movie started out similar to the first. There was an inspiration source - "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" - and as that was fleshed out, a theme came to the surface - "accepting that what you want isn't always what you need." Of course, it no longer resembles that first little short script and is nothing like that great Charlie Brown holiday cartoon. That was just a starting point.

Here we go folks... this is what the NEW movie is all about. Here is your plot...

The story revolves around a group of friends and acquaintances in a small college town dealing with growing up, taking responsibility, and making the best of the ridiculous situations of life and love. And if that sounds a bit generic, it's about gay love, an emotionally crippled mute 11-year-old, a bag of stolen psychotropic mushrooms, and a big Halloween party. There's sex, drugs, cosplay, water pistols, textbooks, health food, nerds, sluts, jerks, and enough magic mushrooms to make the entire audience think this is a good concept.

The protagonist, Chuck, is a bit lost in life. Only recently out of the closet, he longs for a relationship - unlike his best friend, Dylan, who has the reputation of sharing his bed with a new woman each night.

Chuck, however, has bigger problems. His mom is raising him and his little brother, Noodle, on her own - and Chuck gets most of the actual home duties. Noodle, emotionally crippled and mute, is more like Chuck's child than little brother.

Rounding out Chuck's cast of misfit friends is Chatty Cathy, butch and brassy, she's Chuck's rock and someone he can always count on. Chatty Cathy dates Casey, a sweet little granola who the Lothario Dylan still secretly pines for.

Is this starting to sound like a soap opera? Well, it's not.

Enter the big Halloween party, a stolen bag of psychotropic mushrooms, and a promiscuous one-time Dylan fling, Laura Campbell. That's when the sparks begin to fly... and the audience will get all the plot (and T&A) they so desperately need.

I could probably say more, but I'm not going to do what the big trailers do now - tell you the whole story in 5 minutes. You'll have to actually come see the movie to figure out how all this really fits together and resolves.

It's going to be fun, touching, and maybe just a little arty. You might leave the theatre a little more enlightened than when you left - but you'll definitely leave entertained.

CIAO!
JB Jones