This week's featured review & film archive

Sarah Jaffe reviews independent and foreign films,
in addition to reporting the latest buzz behind Colorado's film festivals.

Girls Will Be Girls (2003, Richard Day)

A camp Sunset Boulevard meets All About Eve, with the main characters played by drag queens, Girls Will Be Girls is as over-the-top and bitchy as Drag Bingo night. It pulls no punches with its humor, and the colors pop as much as the characters. It's got everything from little-dick jokes to a homesick abortion, plus plenty of sex, booze, and drugs.

Evie (Jack Plotnick) is an aging, glass-eyed, never-was actress with one lousy film to her credit. She spends her days in an alcoholic haze, tormenting her maid and roommate, Coco (Clinton Leupp), who dreams of the doctor that performed her abortion. Varla (Jeffery Roberson) shows up to make Evie's life hell, and the hilarity ensues.

Not since the days of Devine has this type of sorted, saucy tale of sex, drug and drag had a twist that made the use of female impersonators that never break from character, as in other drag-net plots such as Priscilla: Queen of the Desert. This movie is not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, but a bitchy sense of humor and great production design make it a fun watch.

www.ifcfilms.com

Girls Will Be Girls starts Friday, November 14 at the Starz FilmCenter Denver, www.starzfilmcenter.com. Showtimes: Fri-Sun (12:55, 3:10, 5:25) 7:40, 9:45; Mon-Thu (5:25) 7:40, 9:45.

So Dope: The Waitress - A Denver Based Sitcom Premier

Denis Lesak was one of the first people I met when I moved to Colorado. I always knew him to be a cynic, a comedic one at that after attending some of his amateur stand-up gigs at the Comedy Works in Denver. What I didn’t know is that he would take that biting humor and go out on the limb with what he hopes to be, a local flavored sitcom that will continue past its premier, which takes place at the BlueBird in Denver on Thursday, November 13.

Denis launched his company, Clear Purple Productions, as the home base for a Denver-based sitcom pilot called “So Dope”. Taking advantage of all the local haunts of our fair city, Denis and his team assembled talent and shot the majority of the pilot in locations all around downtown. So what is “So Dope” about? According to their description, one who views the first pilot, “The Waitress” will “learn why brown mustard sucks and how a pair of misplaced Hillary Clinton fundraiser tickets can screw up a new marriage.”

To go delve into a version that’s a little clearer than mustard, the show is about Nevin (played by Denis) and his wife Yvette (KJ Spry ) who are deeply in love, but are struggling with the new life as a married couple. Nothing new there, but add in the chemistry of Nevin’s life-long best friend Tony “Boy” (Ron Ferguson ) and a waitress with the Midas touch, Nina (Juannean Young), to mix things up and provide some interesting distractions.

Kaffeine Buzz: So what inspired the story - personal experience, the experiences of others, a combination of both, or something else?

Denis Lesak: Idiocy. Todd Sbraggia (my co-writer) and I are pretty big idiots. Of course, that means we both drew from personal experience! That and I love brown mustard and he loves yellow mustard. Is that an answer?

KB: What was involved in putting this production together, and what have you learned that worked or that you would do differently in the future?

DL:Let's just say that making TV is a lot harder than watching it. After spending 5 months writing over 28 revisions to the script, 2 months auditioning over 34 actors for 6 roles, 2 months in rehearsals, 1 month scouting locations, 1 month in production, 3 months in post-production, we finally have 25 minutes of useable footage! The lesson I learned is to quit my job and spend someone else's money.

KB: How difficult was it getting access to locations for shooting, did you have to get any permits?

DL: That was easier than I imagined. If you don't film on city property and you have people that enjoy supporting filmmakers, you can steer clear of lot of headaches.

KB: Are any of the people who work at these places planning to attend the screening to "see themselves" on the big screen?

DL: We had over 34 extras and I imagine most of them will be at the premiere event.

KB: Todd is said to be the writer, but didn't you contribute as well? What about KJ? Did her experience in being married for 6 years have any influence?

DL: Todd and I co-wrote the pilot episode of So Dope. KJ, along with all of the other actors, crew, and post-production crew all put their thumbprint on this project. KJ brought a unique ability to put Nevin in his place without appearing like a bitch which is something no one else was able to deliver in auditions. I guess she can thank her husband and 2 kids for that.

KB: How did you go about assembling your crew and "selling" them on the idea to work with you?

DL: Beer, beer and more beer. I let everyone read the script and decide for themselves. The real find on this project was the director, Andrew Persons, who I met in film school and the editor, Michael Picchetti, who happens to be a professional editor and a personal friend. You have to be resourceful and offer lot's of beer!

KB: Who have been your naysayers?

DL: One thing you learn quickly in the filmmaking world is that everyone is a critic. This is of course the mixed blessing of expressing yourself artistically in a TV project - everyone watches TV. Our particular blend of comedy and filmmaking will not appeal to everyone and this is intentional. We believe we know our audience and that they will become long-term fans.

KB: What support have you found in Colorado for independent filmmakers such as yourself?

DL: There is amazing talent everywhere! Actors, crew, post-production, and more people that want to be extras than I ever thought. I literally had potential extras calling me up and pitching me on their abilities for a part where they just sit there!! The tough part is gaining an audience and that is my next major hurdle to overcome.

KB: So where do you go from here - what are you doing to get distribution and future capital investments?

DL: Along with repeats of "An Evening of Comedy" program in other markets, we intend to hire an agent and pitch the concept to the broadcast and cable industries, submit So Dope to comedy film festivals, go Direct-to-DVD, and make So Dope available via Internet broadcast. We have already begun speaking to potential private investors and we will see what happens next.

The pilot “So Dope” premiers at the BlueBird Theater in Denver, Thursday, November 13, 2003 at 7pm. The evening will also include hip-hop artists Free Indeed, stand-up performances from Brandon Shevin (winner of the KS 107.5 FM / Comedy Works comedy contest), Matt Conty, and Clint Rains, along with a hip-hop, comedy sketch from Varsity (team out of Ft. Collins). Tickets are $10 and you can buy them in advance at www.ticketweb.com. For more info on Clear Purple, go to www.clearpurple.com.