After having
been lucky enough to visit the set a couple of times
when SUDDEN DEATH was filming, I was especially
excited about seeing the finished product and seeing
all the great people from the cast and crew again.
The screening was
held at the Majestic Crest, a beautiful ,old time
theater complete with a glowing neon marquis on
the outside and a gorgeous, city mural on the inside
(plus twinkly sparkles on the ceiling to look like
the night sky!). I arrived about fifteen minutes
early and was delighted to find Johnny Wolf first
thing and collect a hug and catch up on life. Those
of you who've met the Wolf Dog already know what
a thoughtful and caring person he is. It's no wonder
he and Dougie are such good buds! I pretty much
velcroed myself to Johnny's side for the rest of
the evening and got to meet his friend Barbara Wurden
(the Handy Goddess). She's much more low key in
person than her YouTube zany persona and it was
interesting to talk to about her interior design
work.
SUDDEN DEATH producers
Melanie Hall (lovely in her black dress) and the
lively Nick Jones were zipping to and fro, meeting
and greeting everyone. I also got to say hello to
wunderkind director Adam Hall before he dashed off
to change into a crisp white shirt. Lead actor Matt
Lutz gave me a big smile and wave outside the lobby,
and I ran into Tish, the production coordinator,
when I made a dash to the restroom. It was a really
nice surprise so many of the crew remembered me
from my set visit. I know Melanie and her team worked
their buns off to put the screening together and
I was happy to see they had a huge turnout!
While I spoke briefly
to Dougie's niece, Jessie (super nice young woman!),
Dougie and Mrs. Laurie arrived. Dougie looked extremely
dapper and delicious in a chocolate brown suit while
Laurie's pretty, peaches and cream face was nicely
set off by a black outfit and bling-y earrings.
Johnny and I both collected quick hugs and greetings
from Mr. and Mrs. Jones before the happily smiling
couple got absorbed into a hugfest by all the well
wishers waiting in line outside the theater. Meanwhile,
the always fun and friendly Scott Ganyo had arrived
and he, Johnny and I all chatted about the SUDDEN
DEATH project and other things before they opened
up for the seating to begin.
Johnny, Barbara
and I sat near the back, enjoying the snack bar
treats Johnny generously proffered. I could make
out Dougie's unmistakable form way up in front of
us. The house was almost completely full, only a
few seats in the back unclaimed. Nick Jones gave
the audience a brief, warm welcome and explained
that SUDDEN DEATH was screening with two other shorts:
GIL'S BROTHER and THE MOURNING AFTER. Like SUDDEN
DEATH, GIL'S BROTHER was a USC thesis film, but
that's where the similarity ended. It was a brief,
harrowing look at a family fractured by alcoholic
parents and how the eldest son was forced to take
a stand against his immature father. Johnny, Barbara
and I all agreed it was well acted and nicely filmed.
Sadly, the film lacked any likeable characters,
but the tension between them certainly held the
viewer's interest.
Next up was the
longer film THE MOURNING AFTER, which featured a
couple whose infidelity was brought to light on
the morning of 9/11. It was a study of how each
individual dealt with his/her betrayal and survivor's
guilt in the aftermath of the terroristic tragedy.
It was a thought provoking piece with many powerful
images, but Johnny and I both felt the lead actor's
performance was not quite up to the material.
Needless to say,
by the time SUDDEN DEATH came on screen, the audience
was primed for more lighthearted and laugh inducing
fare--and they got it in spades. I don't want to
say too much and spoil it for those waiting to see
it, so I'll try to be as generalized as I can:
The vivid colors,
lively music and sparkling performances started
with frame one of SUDDEN DEATH. For those who don't
know, the story is about a jaded scientist (Matt
Lutz as Nathan) who creates a love drug
that induces all the euphoria of falling in love
... without any of the pain, suffering and heartbreak
associated with another person being involved! Nathan's
formula gets secretly reworked by a particular government
agency in the hopes of creating a biological weapon,
but disaster strikes when it results in Sudden Death
Syndrome instead. Once infected, the person sings
out all their private thoughts and even dances until
death abruptly (and almost mercifully) ends the
humiliation. During the frantic search for a cure,
Nathan reluctantly falls in love with lab
scientist Rachel, played with saucy sweetness
by the very lovely Autumn Hurlbert. Stuck resignedly
between the two love birds is Dougie as Jonathan,
head of the research lab. The three actors played
energetically off each other, keeping the audience
laughing constantly. Matt and Autumn's natural chemistry
together really enhanced their characters' alternating
emotions of elation and angst. Meanwhile, Dougie's
subtle body language and facial expressions in response
to all their shenanigans were spot on (I especially
enjoyed his quizzical reaction to the "her
hands felt like sausage" line in the main love
song.
Kahle McCann (the
film's very funny lyricist) also had some laugh
inducing onscreen moments as lab assistant Todd.
His lab colleague, Beth Castle, provided the angelic
voice and comedic background to Nathan
and Rachel's most romantic moments. Throughout
SUDDEN DEATH, Adam's confident direction, Dave Selle's
crisp cinematography, and Kenny Wood's musical compositions
kept everything cohesive and percolating at a very
lively pace. Choreographer Sarah Scherger and the
dancers in the opening and closing sequences also
deserve special kudos for their meticulous timing
and high energy. I got a kick out of seeing Dougie
practically waltz through the big finale, carrying
the precious glass vial of the cure while the "Sudden
Life" music /dance crescendos around him on
the New York street set . I wish I could mention
and compliment each person who was a part of this
film, but then my report would be about 100 pages!
When it ended, SUDDEN
DEATH got an extremely enthusiastic response from
the audience. Almost everyone stuck around in the
theater, talking and laughing about the film and
congratulating the cast and crew. They even ignored
free brownies waiting in the lobby--now that's saying
something! It is no wonder the film is being well
received by the various film festival organizations
Melanie Hall has been busy submitting their project
to. When I was finally able to make my way to Adam,
Melanie and Nick to congratulate them on an amazing
job, Melanie said Adam already has a feature length
script of SUDDEN DEATH written and it is their hope
to get that launched. In addition to Adam's focus
on comedies, Melanie and Nick are also interested
in producing true life dramas. I wish them the best
of luck on their endeavors.
Of course, both
Dougie and Mrs. Laurie were mobbed by happy audience
members and it was total hug machine time. By hovering
like a vulture, I was finally able to inch my way
up to Dougie and pass along bosies and love from
The Tank, plus pat him on the back for his very
funny portrayal of Jonathan. It was a role
that could easily have been overdone in a muggy
way, but his use of subtle eye expressions and simple
little body movements (like a small shoulder shrug
here and there) were pitch perfect. Doug said he
was extremely happy with the way SUDDEN DEATH had
turned out. He'd laughed so hard at one point, he
said he'd actually kicked his leg up in the air--something
he'd never done before. Clearly, he was enjoying
himself, as well as the positive audience reaction,
and it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside as I watched
him mix and mingle effortlessly, his eyes shining
and his endearing smile never leaving his face.
About this point,
the theater staff were ordering us all outside,
so Johnny left for a bit to walk Barbara to her
car. Earlier, I'd had the fun of chatting with Camden
Toy, Derek Maki (dressed exuberantly in a Superman
shirt, matching belt buckle and shoes) and Derek's
sweet partner, Alberto. Now, I gleefully jabbered
more with Scott while waiting to get a last moment
with Dougie to snap at least one picture for dear
Helen! Johnny returned and I chuckled listening
to him and Scott talk acting shop with their funny
stories and impersonations. I had to keep an eye
on my watch because the parking garage would totally
shut down at 11 p.m. and I didn't want my car to
get locked inside. Hoping I wasn't making a nuisance
of myself, I managed to make it to Dougie's side
one last time for a couple of pictures, huggles
and even a bit of much appreciated face nibbling.
The ever chivalrous
Johnny now walked me to the parking garage... and
as I drove him back to his car, we crossed paths
with Dougie, Mrs. Laurie, Master Wayne, Jessie and
others rushing to the parking garage to make sure
THEY didn't get locked in either. So Johnny and
I got to enjoy a totally unexpected, high speed
farewell from the Jones!
I was sorry I didn't
get the chance to ask Dougie more about San Diego
Comic Con, his time there with Guillermo del Toro,
plus his recent shoot in Idaho, but that could wait
for another time.
Instead, I felt
blessed to enjoy Dougie and the cast and crew of
SUDDEN DEATH as they basked in the glow of a project
so well done. I'll always remember the kindness
the film's cast and crew showed to me. And I'll
always be grateful for precious Dougie and how he
made me feel so welcome, included and loved from
start to finish.
