RICK'S CANOE, A film by Jonathan Grossman, Barry Norman, John Reed, Stephen "Jules" Rubin, Jonathan Skurnik, & Rick Schmidt.
Official Selection, ROME INTL. FILM FESTIVAL.
REVIEW
"We only wish there were more column inches to cover one of the quirkiest, most refreshing homegrown film events of an otherwise dreary late summer. RICK'S CANOE came together in a matter of days thanks to heroic efforts on the part of local filmmakers and actors Rick Schmidt, Stephen "Jules" Rubin, Jonathan Grossman, Jonathan Skurnik, John Reed, and Barry Norman, with special appearance by Val de Vargas (The Magnificent Seven, etc.). Rick (Norman) is your average Santa Fe guy: He's 48, unemployed, has no girlfriend and his camper's just been stolen, along with everything in it. Can he and his best friend Jules (Rubin) find meaning – and possibly love – in a men's group led by Santa Flaky therapist Dierdre (Dierdre Parness)?”
––Jennifer Lowe, SANTA FE REPORTER
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RICK'S CANOE was one of three features we did in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as part of my FEATURE WORKSHOPS productions. And perhaps it was the best reviewed of them all! We certainly lucked out in this production, first and foremost by having a film-legend Valentin (Val) deVargas in our cast. He was known for TOUCH OF EVIL (he appears at the beginning of this trailer, plus smashes Charlton Heston's head into the juke box later in the movie!) , THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A., many other roles in TV and films). Sadly, this was his last role before he died unexpectedly, and personally lost a dear friend.
In 'CANOE' Val played the father of lead actor and co-writer/co-director Barry Norman, challenging Barry to explain himself and his recent failures – in general as unsympathetic as a father can. For those of us who have any issues with the father-son interaction, this is a "ground zero" performance by both these actors – pretty brutal. but exceedingly GREAT scene. Hold on to your self-esteem!
We also got fortunate to have a fascinating bunch of guys together for our "MEN'S GROUP" scene led by Diedre Parness. So thanks again Barry Norman, Jules Rubin, Roberto Codato, Chad Forrest, Phillip Lee, Michael Schwab for sharing personal stories about love relationships and playing along. Also appreciate Jonathan Skurnik (our multi-task editor/film producer/fine artist—THANKS!!) , Barry Norman, and John Reed for jumping in (co-camera on Val de Vargas scene), to share their real-life stories for the camera and help get the movie produced in 10 days.
Regarding MUSIC, we had a bunch of heavy hitters: “Afraid to Die”, by TUCSON SIMPSON. “Little Black Egg”, by BLOOD DRAINED COWS. “Eclipse” and “My Tantric Gatito”, by GLASS. Instrumental for walk to camper, by BILLY COTE AND MARY LORSON with Saint Low. “Lonely Days”, performed by Barry Norman, written by BEE GEES, ©1971 Warner/Chappell Music. Ltd. “Right Through You”, by BULLET THEORY, Thirty Second Publishing.“I’ll Never Love You Again”, by DAVID BROOKINGS, from the album “Chorus Verses the Bridge."
With the instant rapport (see it in poster photo) between actor BARRY NORMAN (left), WINNER – BEST CHARACTER—"The Spicoli") for Rick's Canoe, SLACKER FILM FESTIVAL, TORONTO) and actor/co-producer STEPHEN ‘JULES’ RUBIN, this fully IMPROV 10-day/start-to-finish feature became something of a “buddy picture.” It concludes with a BIG FINISH, the “Barry” character having a serious ‘catching-up’ lunch with his difficult father, played to perfection by him and Hollywood actor Val De Vargas
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