Jumping around to 2005, here’s RICK’S CANOE, the only Feature Workshop in which a Hollywood actor Val DeVargas participated/IMPROVed, undoubtedly helping us receive one of, if not the best review I ever received. How often does a reviewer beg for more space to praise your movie?
REVIEW; RICK’S CANOE.
“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 DeVargas (The Magnificent Seven). 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, 2005
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Rick Schmidt (other MOVIES here)
Official Selection, ROME INTL. FILM FESTIVAL.
WINNER – BEST CHARACTER ("The Spicoli") to BARRY NORMAN/Rick's Canoe.
-- SLACKER FILM FESTIVAL, TORONTO
