Tag: Jerry Cavallaro

ORLANDO FILM FESTIVAL 2013 Call For Entries

Orlando Film Festival Logo

Later this month I will begin my annual coverage of the Tribeca Film Festival but this post is actually about the only other festival I attend every year. I am of course talking about the Orlando Film Festival. And truth be told, if I could only pick one, I’d go with OFF every time. Their 2013 Call For Entries just opened up and I urge any filmmakers ready to hit the festival circuit to SUBMIT NOW.

My love for OFF dates back to when my first feature, STUCK LIKE CHUCK, screened in 2009. That led to the festival’s creation of the Jerry Cavallaro Indie Spirit Award and I’ve been going back ever since to hand it out. In 2010 & 2011, I brought Nic Baisley from FilmSnobbery.com along to help cover the festival. In 2012 they debuted my second feature, NIC & JERRY GET OFF, which as you can tell by the title is a gay porno. Just kidding. It is actually a fun and surprisingly honest documentary about my experience at OFF 2011.

Now after being part of the festival for four years, they have officially brought me on as their Director of Social Media & Submissions. I am honored to be picked for this position and humbled they trust me with so much responsibility. I know this will sound incredibly biased but OFF truly is an amazing festival. I thought about writing some of the reasons why but I already did that this morning when I put together our official press release. So after this quick trailer for NIC & JERRY GET OFF, which also works as a promo for OFF, you can read all the details about this awesome festival. And for anyone interested in submitting, here is a special Withoutbox Waiver Code exclusive to WAMG. The first filmmaker to enter HRGEDMX when submitting their film gets to submit for FREE. Submit now at http://bit.ly/send2OFF

ORLANDO FILM FESTIVAL CALL FOR ENTRIES BEGINS APRIL 1ST

No, it’s not a joke.  Submissions for the 2013 Orlando Film Festival are now open. This will be our 8th year and it’s also guaranteed to be our biggest. Our mission is to showcase incredible indie cinema against the beautiful backdrop of Downtown Orlando. OFF selects films of all genres from around the world to celebrate the movies, the talent behind them and the filmgoers themselves.

From October 16 – 20, filmmakers can expect large appreciative crowds and amazing parties that have become legendary to those who have previously attended. For anyone wondering, yes the beer & food are often free. Festival Chairman Dan Springen has even been known to create spontaneous after-after-after parties in the hotel lobby just to keep the celebration going. Other perks include impressive discounts at many local bars, hotels & restaurants, as well as discounted passes to Universal Studios Theme Parks. Filmmakers can even attend a private backlot tour at Universal. Perhaps the biggest perk is the incredible Cobb Plaza Cinema Café, which features twelve beautiful theaters with high-end digital projection & sound. Virtually all our events take place in or around this theater, which is just a free shuttle ride away from our official festival sponsored hotels.

At OFF we do not care about premiere status or if you are in the middle of a distribution deal. You can have a film full of A-list celebrities or something you shot at your Grandma’s house with some friends. Whether a student, feature, short, narrative or documentary production, all we care about is finding high quality independent cinema. If your film fits that simple criteria, please send it our way!

To submit to the Orlando Film Festival, please visit our Withoutabox page – http://bit.ly/send2OFF

You can also find us at the sites below:

Thanks for your consideration. We look forward to viewing your films!

Jerry Cavallaro  –  Director of Social Media & Submissions   –  socialmedia@orlandofilmfest.com

Kevin Smith Signs Sh*t In NYC

We here at WAMG are massive fans of Kevin Smith. Out of all of us, I’m definitely the biggest. Don’t believe me? Here’s the last article I posted on this site – 37 REASONS (in a row) WHY KEVIN SMITH SHOULD PRESENT STUCK LIKE CHUCK. As the title suggests, it is a list of 37 reasons why the new label created by Smodcast Pictures & Phase 4 Films should release my no-budget directorial debut. While caked in self-promotion, the article is fairly light-hearted and actually does offer some insights into the world of indie film. The day after I posted it, I received an email from Phase 4 requesting a screener. Needless to say, I was ecstatic. I immediately sent a DVD their way and have been playing the waiting game since.

And with that bit of backstory established, we can move on to the meat of the article…

Tuesday March 20th marked the release of Kevin Smith’s new book TOUGH SH*T: LIFE ADVICE FROM A FAT LAZY SLOB WHO DID GOOD. Unlike his previous books, this one is not simply a collection of essays, blog posts or transcribed podcasts. TOUGH SH*T is a funny, inspiring and heartfelt autobiography from a man who is already known for being an open book. And with great books, come great signings. Smith is currently in the midst of a 6-city book tour that started in Ridgewood, New Jersey and ends in Chicago on March 30th. I caught up with him on Wednesday at his second stop, New York City.

I arrived at the Union Square Barnes & Noble around 4:20 pm; an ironic time for those who know Smith. The book signing was set to begin at 7 pm and the line was to start forming at 5. I waited on the line that was waiting to get in line. It was less than 30 seconds before I was in the middle of an insanely geeky but utterly fascinating conversation between the people in front and behind me. A bulk of our time was spent trying to guess from memory every Academy Award Best Picture Winner from THE ARTIST to WINGS. The game expanded as more people joined in. Yes, the people that show up to a Kevin Smith signing are just as nerdy as you assumed.

Eventually the time came for Kevin to take the stage. He started by saying there was a fine line between entertainer and being entertained, then read a tweet that someone in the room had sent out just moments earlier.

Waiting for @thatkevinsmith To speak at b&n in union square… If this sucks at least I can go visit the cats at Petco next door  – @Snowtreds

Kevin then asked the audience if we wanted to do a straightforward book signing or mostly Q & A. We ended up with roughly 90 minutes of Q & A followed by a signing. I did not know there would be a Q & A, nor did I plan to write this article, so I unfortunately did not take any notes. However, here are some poorly paraphrased highlights I do remember:

  • Kevin likes that he doesn’t go the traditional route when making movies & that he doesn’t do what’s usually expected. In other words, he considers himself an “ass man” even when it comes to making movies.
  • Gayle King (“you know, Oprah’s best friend”) loves TOUGH SH*T & read a vulgar passage out loud to Kevin when he was at a morning show taping.
  • JERSEY GIRL will always have a special place in his heart, even if only because George Carlin loved his role & his experience on the film.
  • He doesn’t think his version of Green Hornet would not have translated well on the big screen.
  • Kevin likes to bond with his daughter Harley Quinn through the magic of song. More specifically, the song ‘Joseph Smith American Moses’ from THE BOOK OF MORMON. Their favorite part, “Joseph Smith, don’t f*ck the baby”
  • He also gave a brief rundown of the entire play while re-enacting a few moments. He basically called it the greatest piece of art man has ever created. And yes, it was awesome enough to warrant two bullet points.
  • While drunk on Pink Zinfandel, Kevin got a tattoo of the Mad Hatter because he is “always late.” When showing Scott Mosier afterwards, Scott reminded him that it is actually the White Rabbit who is always late.
  • He would love to see a remake of A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS but he is not the one to make it. Ironically, A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS is one of the Best Picture winners that all of us had trouble remembering during our game. Every time he mentioned the movie, our row started laughing.
  • He told a story about the first book signing he was part of at the Union Square Barnes & Noble. It was for John Pierson’s book SPIKE, MIKE, SLACKERS & DYKES. Prior to the signing, Michael Moore was talking about how he thought his career was over after CANADIAN BACON flopped. When Michael Moore was called on stage, the room went wild. Afterwards, Moore told Kevin & John that he thinks he might write a book. He witnessed the rebirth of Michael Moore at that signing.
  • Kevin got a bit teary-eyed when talking about his father & telling a great story about a special way he said good night to his parents. He also talked about how he would get pulled out of school most Wednesdays to go to the movies with his dad. He said these stories were in the book so I’ll leave it at that so you can read them yourself.

After being told time was up, Kevin took 2 more questions before launching into the signing. A B&N employee announced that to save time, everyone would get only 1 picture & 1 non-personalized signature on the book cover. Their timesaving techniques were futile though since Kevin loves chatting with his fans. It was hilarious seeing the look of panic on the employee faces when he took over a minute with just one person. The next went up with a cell phone in hand so Kevin could talk with someone they called. Just before it was my turn to walk over, someone told me that he is taking too long and starting with me they want everyone to keep their encounter brief.

Screw that.

I walked over to Kevin, shook his hand, posed for a picture and he signed my book. I was a mess of nerves until I started speaking and a wave of calmness washed over me. I let him know that 6 years ago he gave me some advice that always stuck with me and is probably the single biggest reason why I even attempted to make my first feature film. He raised his hand as if to give me a high-five. I went for it but instead he caught my hand and held it up like a sign of victory. For a man as verbose as Kevin, he didn’t have to say anything. I’m sure it is a sentiment he hears often but he seemed to genuinely appreciate how much he has inspired me. We then talked a bit about the film, reviews, casting and even touched on my festival experience. I had become THAT guy the people running the event feared most. Finally Kevin asked what my flick was called. I told him STUCK LIKE CHUCK. His eyes widened and he responded, “You’re the cat who did STUCK LIKE CHUCK!”

Holy shit. My jaw-dropped. I could barely give him a positive reply. I felt like Jaimie in JINGLE ALL THE WAY.

“He knows my film”

He said that he heard a little about SLC, mostly on Twitter, and he even saw that 37 Reasons article I posted. I was in complete disbelief. We started discussing the new distribution label and he let me in on how the selection process works. Before I left, I gave him a DVD screener along with some SLC promo materials, just in case. I thanked him again and walked away. At least I think I walked away. I may have floated or skipped. To be honest, I don’t really recall any of the trip from the stage to the front of the store.

It is not often that you get the opportunity to personally thank a celebrity for being a major influence on your life. Then again, most celebrities are not like Kevin Smith. And for those of you out there sick of reading my posts about how Kevin Smith has inspired me, TOUGH SH*T.

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck – JerryCavallaro.com

37 Reasons (in a row) Why Kevin Smith Should Present STUCK LIKE CHUCK

In 2005 I waited over 5 hours on line in Red Bank, NJ to meet Kevin Smith. Not only did he sign my merch but he also spent a good 30 seconds trying to carefully remove a price sticker from my DVD slipcover. It amazed me that he cared about something so insignificant but it also perfectly illustrated just how much he cares about his fans. This actually calmed my nerves enough to work up the courage to ask Kevin for advice. He offered up a nugget of wisdom that changed my life forever.

“Write about stuff that matters to you because it always winds up mattering to someone else. And write cheap.”

Those words have been firmly planted in the back of my head ever since. A few years later I began working on my first feature, a no-budget rom-com about college life called STUCK LIKE CHUCK. It played a few festivals, won some awards and received some rave reviews but never saw an official release. When Phase 4 Films & SModcast Pictures announced the creation of a “Kevin Smith Presents…” distribution label, I knew this was the opportunity I have been waiting for. I submitted SLC the day I read the announcement but with thousands of submissions to sift through, it couldn’t hurt to stand out. So without further ado, I give you the official trailer for STUCK LIKE CHUCK, followed by 37 reasons why Kevin Smith & Phase 4 should release it!

http://vimeo.com/37945194

1. Simply put, SLC wouldn’t exist without Kevin Smith. That is not to say that I wouldn’t still be making movies but my first effort probably would have been much different.

2. While heavily influenced by Kevin Smith, SLC is not some second-rate CLERKS. ripoff. It is also not a film just for fans of Kevin Smith. It stands on its own.

3. That being said, there are enough View Askew references in the film to make a drinking game out of it.

4. $2,500. That was our total production cost and we proudly wear that budget on our sleeve. In a world of million-dollar “indies” we truly are the underdog.

5. I hope to inspire people to get off their ass and make a movie much like Kevin Smith has done for me. This would be a pretty damn good way to start.

6. My favorite part of screening SLC is the Q & A that follows. I am not quite the public speaker that Kevin is but I did get an A in Basic Speech Communications in college.

7. B-movie icon Lloyd Kaufman called SLC “The best two person conversation since Louis Malle’s MY DINNER WITH ANDRE.” This is probably because he has a hilarious cameo in the film but it just may be that this film is actually a modern masterpiece.

8. Speaking of cameos, I cannot officially confirm that Chris Elliott has a brilliant surprise cameo as the world’s worst film professor but why would I even bring it up if it wasn’t true?

9. SLC premiered at the 2009 SINY Film Festival & took home Audience Choice Comedy. Later that year, SLC inspired the creation of the Indie Spirit Award at the Orlando Film Festival. In 2010, the award was renamed the Jerry Cavallaro Indie Spirit Award.

10. I am an open book. I’m willing to reveal anything about myself, especially if it is informative or at least makes for a funny anecdote. My two specialties are stories about how to fail in the industry and how my own insecurity sabotages every chance I get of having sex.

11. Related to #10, I am in fact a virgin and this could possibly get me laid. But probably not.

12. Extremely rare for an indie film with such a low budget, SLC features 3 lead actors who can actually act. Our very own Jocelyn DeBoer has even gone on to become a rising star at UCB & CollegeHumor.

13. Similarly, we have a pretty damn good soundtrack featuring bands like Army of Freshman, Alex Goot, Sail By The Stars and the comedy stylings of Stuckey & Murray. All of the music is cleared & used with full permission of the owners.

14. Close to 8 hours of bonus material already exist for the film including 33 minutes of deleted scenes, a Christmas special & a very unique behind the scenes doc that actually runs longer than the film.

15. In addition to our badass trailer above, a series of promo videos also exist including this infomercial-style teaser:

http://vimeo.com/36677247

16. I’m 23 years old. The same age Kevin Smith broke onto the scene with CLERKS. Coincidence?

17. While the film’s target audience is the 18-35 demographic, the film has done surprisingly well with older crowds. After one particularly strange screening, an elderly woman told me the film was reminiscent of when her husband was “courting” her. In case you were wondering, it never gets less weird watching old people laugh at blowjob jokes.

18. The flick is gender neutral. It has traditional rom-com elements but also a lot of raunchy & geeky humor, which makes for a perfect date movie. I like to refer to it as a chick flick for guys.

19. I am a press whore with a degree in shameless self-promotion and no discernible social life.

20. As much as I love press, the press seems to love SLC a little more. Sites like Latino Review, Hollywood.com, Twitch, Cinematical, FilmSnobbery, Movie Cynics & more have all praised the film

21. SLC nametag stickers & “jackoff sock” door hangers are a huge hit at film festivals and colleges. I also have a custom nametag costume to wear outside of screenings. EVERYONE loves taking pictures with a guy in a dumb costume

22. Unlike most indie comedies, this one is actually funny. No pretentiousness or self-indulgence. The goal is for the audience just to have fun with it.

23. Admit it; STUCK LIKE CHUCK is a damn catchy title.

24. Bobby Bless of MovieCynics.com said, “The film manages to outshine any romantic comedy you’ll see in theaters.” So let’s take it to theaters!

25. I’ve been working the same part time job for over 7 years and this would be a great reason to finally quit.

26. A black and white version exists (and looks pretty damn good) if they decide to push the CLERKS. connection.

27. I had lunch with Bob Hawk once and he said I reminded him of Kevin Smith. He probably doesn’t even remember me but I will never forget that comment.

28. All the money for SLC came out of my own pocket so there are no producers to deal with. I own all the rights.

29. I never expected to make much money on this film. I just want people to see it & this is probably the best chance it has to connect with the right audience.

30. I designed all of the novelty shirts Charlie & Rob wear in the film, which means they can be recreated and sold to adoring fans. Merchandising!

31. Speaking of fans, I have nearly 4,000 loyal Twitter followers and at least 10 of them are not porn spam bots.

32. I finished third at the Netflix Movie Watching World Championship by watching movies for 68 hours 21 minutes 31 seconds straight while in a glass house set up in Times Square. We each got to contribute a movie to the list and my pick was CLERKS.

33. A movie that uses Tina Fey as a metaphor for love & features lines such as “She definitely wants some Charlie inside her brown” deserves to be seen.

34. While the film plays perfectly fine to an audience of one, it is best experienced with a large fun-loving crowd. I’ve always been a proponent of audience interaction. At my favorite screening so far, the audience joked around, yelled at the screen and even sang along to the catchy yet insanely raunchy musical number during the end credits.

35. I’ve been working my whole life for an opportunity like this and you can be damn sure that I will not mess it up.

36. I’m not ashamed to admit that I love JERSEY GIRL. Director’s Cut Blu-Ray please. Yes this is filler but give me a break; how could I end this on 36?

37. Because I’m a filmmaker who still fucks his art in a Denny’s bathroom.

Well there you have it. 37-ish solid reasons why Phase 4 & SModcast Pictures should distribute STUCK LIKE CHUCK. As you can tell from this list, Kevin Smith sort of already presents the film so why not make it official?

Please hit the share buttons below and send this post all over the web. Let’s see if we can get this in front of the right people or even Kevin himself. I promise to keep you all updated every step of the way. And for everyone still reading, thank you greatly for checking out what can only be classified as the most shameless display of self-promotion to ever grace this website. It truly does mean the world to me!

Jerry Cavallaro – @GetStuck –  www.JerryCavallaro.com

Watch STUCK LIKE CHUCK for FREE Starting August 17th

Although I don’t get to contribute nearly as much as I’d like to, I have been a part of WAMG for almost 3 years now. During that time, one film that I always liked to talk about was STUCK LIKE CHUCK and the reason why is simple. It is an awesome film… and I also happen to be the writer & director. In the past, I’ve posted stories about new trailers and festival screenings. Our very own Travis Keune even wrote a fantastic (and non-biased) review that you can read RIGHT HERE. But this news is much bigger.

I’m very excited to let you all know that starting August 17th, STUCK LIKE CHUCK will be available to watch for free. Free streaming. Free download. FREE. It will launch on StuckLikeChuck.com but the player is embeddable so hopefully it will pop up on websites and blogs all over.

To celebrate the free release, on August 17th I will host 3 separate “live-tweets” of the film. Just start watching the film at 8 PM, 10 PM or Midnight EST & tweet about it using #LiveChuck. You can also just tweet me anytime (@GetStuck) and I’m usually pretty good about responding.

Since no future DVD or Blu-Ray release is planned, I will also be releasing nearly 10 hours of bonus features. This includes a version of the film with audio commentary from myself and Nic Baisley from FilmSnobbery.com, an 88 minute fly on the wall behind the scenes documentary, the original 2 hour rough cut of the film, over 30 minutes of deleted scenes and much more. In order to access all these extras, just make a donation of $1 or more on StuckLikeChuck.com starting August 17th.

Check out our newest teaser trailer below to see what you can expect in less than two weeks…

So who’s excited?

– Jerry Cavallaro, JerryCavallaro.com

Review: ‘Stuck Like Chuck’

stucklikechuck1

Let me first state my disclaimer… This review is my honest opinion of ‘Stuck Like Chuck’ and not in any way shape or form influenced by the fact that the filmmaker, Jerry Cavallero, writes occasionally for WeAreMovieGeeks.com, nor is it influenced one bit by the fact that he is one helluva cool guy and a total ladies man. This review is entirely impartial and is based solely on the fact the his movie totally rocks!

‘Stuck Like Chuck’ is a movie geek’s movie. It pulls it’s influence from various sourced, but primarily pays it’s own personal homage to the films of Kevin Smith. Aside from the obvious references to said indie filmmaker, the movie is filled with inside jokes and repeatedly drops bits of dialogue that any self-respecting movie geek will catch and bust out laughing, even if the non-geek watching it with them continues to sit on the couch with that “what the Hell is so funny” look on their face.

Admittedly, the production value of ‘Stuck Like Chuck’ isn’t perfect, but when you consider that this is the closest thing to a movie made by a one-man show as one could realistically get, it looks pretty damn good. Jerry Cavallero wrote, directed, shot and edited this little slice of romantic comedy for the movie geek. The area of the film that shines the most is it’s dialogue. The writing is sharp, funny and the comedic timing is almost perfect. ‘Stuck Like Chuck’ has plenty of laughs, even if some of them are lost on those not privy to a vast knowledge of film.

‘Stuck Like Chuck’ follows Charlie (Joe Moran), a film student in college, as he stumbles through his inexperienced attempts to get the attention of fellow film student and very attractive geek girl Juliet (Jocelyn DeBoer). Lacking the confidence he desires and the experience that would help him in this quest, he reluctantly accepts the assistance offered to him by his sexually-obsessed, pot-smoking roommate Rob (Patrick McColley). One thing leads to another, and Charlie (aka Chuck) is stuck in a locked down classroom overnight with Juliet. Will they hook up, or will they end up killing each other before the night is through?

For the movie geeks, Jerry has embellished the sets with plenty of eye candy, from movie posters in his dorm room to filmmaker quotes in the classroom. The best embellishments of all, however, are Lloyd Kaufman’s cameo as a filmmaker’s video classroom lesson teacher expounding on the incredibly fascinating topic of the 180 degree rule (aka “crossing the line”). There is one other very special surprise cameo, but you’ll have to watch the movie to learn that little secret!

Overall, ‘Stuck Like Chuck’ has something to offer most viewers. The movie has romance, comedy, a little drama, sexual tension, heartbreak, hash brownies, and even a dab of suspense as Juliet tries to squeeze some dirt out of Charlie, it’s all in there, like Prego. Give ‘Stuck Like Chuck’ a try and I think you’ll like it. Check out the Official Website while you’re at it!

[Overall: 4 stars out of 5]

Jerry at the Netflix Movie Watching World Championship…

Our favorite indie film maker Jerry is one of the contestants trying to beat the world record in the Netflix Movie Watching comp that starts tomorrow, and runs through Tuesday. We are giving him a huge forum to sound off on..so below is his first blog, and future blogs to come…

Hey Movie Geeks,

My name is Jerry Cavallaro and I am a Movie Geek. If anyone wants some proof, I am competing in the Netflix Movie Watching World Championship tomorrow. If you don’t remember, this site reported on it about 2 weeks ago. I, along with 7 other people, will be locked in a glass cube set up in Times Square where we will pretty much do nothing except watch movies for 5+ days. My strategy for all of this? Tonight I am going to sleep as much as I can. Also, I am going to do anything to stay awake including energy drinks, protein bars, and running in my seat like Lloyd Christmas.

I found out about this contest just two weeks ago. I entered a video on their Facebook page and then on Wednesday they announced Matt Raub’s video as the winning entry. Then on Friday afternoon they notified me, while I was at work. Not much work got done after that. Just to be clear, Matt Raub is still in the competition, but I am now the final entrant. I’m not sure why they didn’t announce us together but I don’t really care. I’m just thrilled to be a part of this.

In fact, in about an hour I am leaving to go to the city to meet with the people from Netflix and meet the people I will be living with for a few days.. All of the little details will be discussed tonight but so far I am told that there are 2 porta-potties for 8 people. That scares the Sh*t out of me, which makes me even more nervous about the bathroom situation. I don’t really know all the details but I am really looking forward to this.. We have no idea what movies are being shown but hopefully they will screen at least a few of my suggestions. I also asked them to screen my film, Stuck Like Chuck, but I don’t think they are willing to do so. It would be very appropriate though since it is a comedy that’s mainly about 2 people stuck in a classroom. If you want to know more about it or see some trailers, check out www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com. The two newest videos are my interviews with Lloyd Kaufman and Kevin Smith.

If you live in New York or are visiting this week, try to stop by. I’ll be the one wearing the Stuck Like Chuck shirt. I’ll be sure to check back next week with an update on my experiences in the glass theater. Keep watching movies!

Jerry Cavallaro
www.AreYouStuckLikeChuck.com

WAMG First Look: ‘Stuck Like Chuck’

Our good friend Jerry Cavallaro is going to be one of the contestants in the Netflix Movie Watching Competition. For those of you not in the know, Jerry has a movie ‘Stuck Like Chuck’ that he has been working on, and let me say thats pretty impressive for a 20 year old indie filmmaker. Here is the info for the film..

“Stuck Like Chuck is a feature length comedy film written, directed, edited and produced by student filmmaker, Jerry Cavallaro. The film is a dialogue heavy romantic comedy about two college students who find themselves in the awkward situation of having to spend the night together. Charlie, the aforementioned Chuck, is a loveable loser who can’t find a way to work up the courage to ask the girl of his dreams out. After some scheming with Rob, his slacker roommate, Charlie and Juliet find themselves locked in their Film-201 class. The film was made for under $4,000 and features some special guest cameos, as well as some of the finest unknown actors in New York. “

This movie sounds like its going to be pretty badass, ala ‘Clerks’. Visit the official site http://areyoustucklikechuck.com