{"id":577,"date":"2009-06-03T20:02:37","date_gmt":"2009-06-04T02:02:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=577"},"modified":"2009-06-03T20:02:37","modified_gmt":"2009-06-04T02:02:37","slug":"out-in-the-theatres-june-5th-cyxork7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bmovienation.com\/?p=577","title":{"rendered":"Out in The Theatres June 5th CYXORK7"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"CYXORK7\"
CYXORK7<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

CYXORK 7 , the hilarious and inventive movie about making a movie in a fading sci-fi franchise, coming May 15 from Monogram Releasing, is one of the Best Movies of 2008 you\u2019ve never heard of, according to Popmatters and according to me, too. Prolific and amiable writer\/director JOHN HUFF gave us the lowdown on this artful satire, and much more\u2026<\/p>\n

Will the Thrill: You wrote 3 episodes of the classic series Kolchak: the Night Stalker (\u201dThe Sentry\u201d \u201cMr. R.I.N.G\u201d. and \u201cBad Medicine\u201d); can you talk a little about your experiences with that show (one of my personal favorites)?<\/p>\n

JH: Thanks, Will, it was one of the luckiest experiences of my life to be able to break in on that show. Darren McGavin had seen a spec script I had worked on with my writing partner, L. Ford Neale. Darren liked that script enough to give us a chance to pitch for his new series being built around the wildly successful Nightstalker TV movies. We worked with Paul Playdon, David Chase and ultimately Cy Chermak but always under the guidance of the McGavins. We were lucky. McGavin could dismantle and reassemble a script idea with the best of them. It was always better after his transfusions. \u201cBad Medicine\u201d was the first. We got to go on a Nightstalker set at Universal and, of course, we were like fools going to the circus the first time. Neon signs above us that said, These dorks are new!<\/p>\n

I, like the giraffe at the party, opined to Cy Chermak that Richard Kiel (I only knew him from his Thriller appearance and the \u201cTo Serve Man\u201d episode of the Twilight Zone) would make a neat Diablero-witch-monster for our upcoming episode. Cy crisply informed me casting decisions weren\u2019t the prerogative of writers, which I knew, but, interestingly enough, Richard Kiel got the part. That was a lesson to me. Make the pitch. All they can say is, No. But then they still might do it anyway.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr R.I.N.G.\u201d was re-concocted in the home of the McGavins, Darren and Kathy. I remember somebody holding a brandy snifter the size of a volleyball. Since we were doing Frankenstein, Darren, asked if we knew what the original Mary Shelly novel named the monster. He had asked that question for years, he said, and no one ever knew. \u201cAdam,\u201d I blurted. McGavin held me in awe for a nano-second. I didn\u2019t reveal I had learned that literary fact from Forrest J. Ackerman\u2019s Famous Monsters of Filmland. (I recounted this incident to Mr. Ackerman years later. He laughed.)<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Sentry.\u201d Ohhh, what it\u2019s like to write the last episode of a canceled TV series. Jump the Shark my ass. One P.A. openly drank vodka from a bottle. He then said, in perfect French, \u201cOu et le docteur? (sic) \u2013 (Where is the doctor?)\u201d and chugged some more vodka. It wasn\u2019t pretty. We had been invited to the set by Darren that day. It was part of his education for us. The respected Seymour Robbie came in to direct. The entire episode is done in the lobby and parking lots and garages of Universal. The Black Tower has never been so revealed in its nether regions. I wanted better makeup for the monster. But that really didn\u2019t matter.
\nkolchak019
\nThrill: Here\u2019s an admittedly broad and simplistic question, but given the uniquely personal quality of the material, I gotta ask: what was the inspiration for Cyxork 7?<\/p>\n

JH: It was this: Andreas Kossak and I met on the set of The Howling 7: New Moon Rising. That should explain everything. If it doesn\u2019t, I invite you to view the film. But then I will truck no surprise or amazement from you. You either know the reputation of this movie or you don\u2019t. It\u2019s not my responsibility to shepherd you. I act in that movie. I\u2019m in it for almost 30 minutes total. I\u2019m no actor and I have The Howling 7 to prove it. Joe Bob Briggs called me the \u201cLawrence Olivier\u201d of The Howling 7. When Joe Bob Briggs held forth with the Olivier assessment on the Nuctcracker Cable Network or whatever it was, some of my relatives immediately called me long distance. They hadn\u2019t phoned in years and have not done so since then. When Ray Wise acknowledged he had seen Howling 7, I ran and hid. The profoundness of the Howling 7 experience defies words. It is a permanent tattoo on my soul. Somehow, the silent screen actor, Jack Huff, got listed in imdb as\u2026 me\u2026 acting in The Howling 7. After all those years. From working with Mary Pickford to Howling 7. That\u2019s some career arc for old Jack. I confess, I approved this error in imdb and even perpetuated it. However, it didn\u2019t fool Joe Bob Briggs nor did it fool the Phantom (Joe Kane) of VideoScope Magazine. What can I say? I owe everything to The Howling 7 because it was there that I met Andreas Kossak.
\nhowling7a<\/p>\n

Yes, Virginia, there is a Howling 7\u2026who knew?<\/p>\n

Thrill: Did the filming of your film begin to mirror the film with the film?<\/p>\n

JH: Only the night we were shot at by the neighbor over-dosed on Coors-Lite. Our whole team was cool. Beata Pozniak was very stout. \u201cSmall arms,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s nothing. We heard this all the time in Poland.\u201d The night scene between Sonya Smith and Cassandra Creech is that night. Both actors were cool. We got the scenes. The rest of the time, it was almost like a big party. Sometimes it was called, \u201cClub John.\u201d<\/p>\n

raywiseThrill: How was it working with genre icon Ray Wise (Twin Peaks, RoboCop, etc)?<\/p>\n

JH: Total awe. The man is seamless. Always prepared. Always supportive of his fellow players. Once I knew Ray would riff with his icon status and thereby comment on franchise-acting in general, I knew we had a singular opportunity. One of Ray\u2019s gifts as an actor is his awareness of \u201cthe little things.\u201d His riffs on acting, as he plays a troubled actor, are remarkable for their insight and revelation. I felt privileged to witness it. When he said of Kommander 88, \u201cI know that guy,\u201d he wasn\u2019t kidding. It was rare opportunity for Ray to comment on life in general and acting in particular. As a director, I just kept thanking him for what he was showing me.<\/p>\n

Thrill: What\u2019s next for you, film-wise?<\/p>\n

RW: As we speak, Liz Jereski our casting director from Cyxork, is pitching a script in a preliminary casting test. We have finance but not enough for this person. It\u2019s going to fly on the script or not at all. We are small fry. But we do have a bona fide deal with Troma and we have gotten some rave reviews and Bill Gibron in USA Today put us on his Ten Best List: \u201cThe Ten Best Films of 2008 You Never Heard Of.\u201d Ryko working with Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz at Troma have done a valiant job. We have credibility from Santa Monica to Uzbek. We\u2019re indie filmmakers and we wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

Thrill: I loved this film. It\u2019s an honor, sir.<\/p>\n

What the REAL critics are saying about CYXORK 7\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWHAT\u2019S REALLY IMPRESSIVE IS THE SHEER AMOUNT OF COMEDY THEY PACKED INTO \u201cCYXORK 7.\u201d ALL IN ALL, A FREAKING WOW!! IT\u2019S A BEAUTIFUL LITTLE PACKAGE CONTAINING JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU COULD ASK FOR FROM A MOVIE.\u201d
\nSTEVE ANDERSON, FILM THREAT<\/p>\n

\u201cPART COMEDY, PART SOCIAL COMMENTARY AND PART TWO FINGERS UP TO THE HOLLYWOOD MACHINE. FUNNY, REFRESHINGLY ORIGINAL AND A DAMN FINE SCRIPT. \u201cCYXORK 7\u201d IS CERTAINLY AT THE TOP OF MY \u2018MUST SEE\u2019 LIST OF MOVIES.\u201d – DARREN REA, EDITOR, SCI-FI-ONLINE MAGAZINE [U.K.]\u201c<\/p>\n

\u201cHUFF\u2019S HOLLYWOOD HATFUL OF HATE IS SMART, DARING, AND ACERBIC AS A RETIRED FILM CRITIC. A WONDERFUL CAST PERFECTLY IN TUNE WITH HIS TIRADE, AND A SUBTEXT THAT SUGGESTS THE CHEW \u2018EM UP AND SPIT \u2018EM OUT ASPECTS OF CELEBRITY, \u201cCYXORK 7\u201d IS SOMETHING QUITE UNEXPECTED. WHEN STAR RAY WISE GOES INTO FULL SMARM MODE, HE MAKES BRUCE CAMPBELL\u2019S CLUELESS CHUTZPAH LOOK LIKE CHINBONE CHILD\u2019S PLAY.\u201d
\nBILL GIBRON, POPMATTERS<\/p>\n

\u201cCYXORK 7\u201d IS A MOVIE THAT DESERVES CULT FOLLOWING. IT\u2019S ONE OF THOSE RARE MOVIES YOU CAN WATCH OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND SEE NEW THINGS EVERY TIME YOU WATCH IT.\u201d
\nBRIAN MORTON, ROGUE CINEMA<\/p>\n

\u201cJOHN HUFF\u2019S SATIRE OUT-TROMAS TROMA!! A BRILLIANT, INTELLIGENT AND ENTERTAINING SUBVERSION ON FILM!\u201d
\nLLOYD KAUFMAN, TROMA ENTERTAINMENT<\/p>\n

\u201cCYXORK 7\u201d IS A DARK, DELIRIOUS, PROFANE SKEWERING OF FANDOM AND FILMMAKERS AND THEIR STEREOTYPICALLY INFLATED\u2014AND\u2013 INEVITABLY FRACTURED\u2014EGOS.\u201d
\nMARTY BAUMANN, THE ASTOUNDING B MONSTER<\/p>\n

CYXORK 7 opens June 5th in these select theaters, courtesy of Monogram Releasing:<\/p>\n

Nova Hartford
\nHartford, Wisconsin<\/p>\n

Nova Georgia
\n340 Tanger Drive
\nCommerce, Georgia 30529<\/p>\n

Studio 10 Cinemas
\n1624 E. State Highway 44
\nShelbyville, Indiana 46176
\nMovieline: 398-FLIX(3549)<\/p>\n

Georgetown 14 Cinemas
\n3898 Lafayette Road
\nIndianapolis, Indiana 46254
\nphone: (317) 291-3456<\/p>\n

Nova 10
\n4353 Merle Hay Road
\nDes Moines, Iowa 50310<\/p>\n

Theatres of Georgetown
\n401 Outlet Center Drive
\nGeorgetown, Kentucky 40324<\/p>\n

Branson Meadows Theatres
\n4740 Gretna Road
\nBranson, Missouri 65616
\nBranson Meadows Outlet Mall
\nPhone: 417-332-0464
\nMovie Hotline: 417-332-2884<\/p>\n

The Amp Oxford Mississippi
\n206 Commonwealth Boulevard
\nOxford, Mississippi 38655
\nMovie Hotline: 662-236-4080<\/p>\n

Portsmouth Cinemas
\n1623 Chillicothe Street
\nPortsmouth, Ohio 45662
\nMovieline: 355-FILM(3456)<\/p>\n

Lake Geneva 4
\n244 Broad Street
\nLake Geneva, Wisconsin 53147