|
| |
WEST AKRON SUN
MONDAY
AUGUST 15, 2005
Local filmmakers premiere new comedy last week in Barberton
by Sue Todd
Correspondent
I knew former Cuyahoga Falls resident and independent film director Steve
Pallotta had a warped sense of humor, but I never knew just how warped until
last Saturday night.
Pallotta’s latest film, Circle Track Summer, co-written by Mike Martone, is a
somewhat raunchy comedy that manages to neatly lampoon everything from romantic
comedies to NASCAR and from gangster films to the city of Barberton itself. It
premiered July 29 and 30 at the West Theatre in Barberton, then ran through Aug.
2.
The plot revolves around Becky (JodyMarie Spiech), a waitress with a heart of
gold who unknowingly puts her life in danger while attempting to save the family
farm. Becky rediscovers her lost high-school sweetheart, reporter Scoop
Hendrickson (Tony Rio), and must decide whether to tell him the secret that
ended their romance so many years ago. She and three other financially-strapped
but voluptuous local girls, Su Shi (Jenna Christie), Tammy Lay (Heather Ley) and
Jette Black (Lindsay Robertson), sign up for a new Powder-Puff auto racing event
at the Barberton Speedway in hopes of winning cold, hard cash. There’s only one
catch: To make the race more interesting, the bikini-clad drivers must drive
backwards.
But wait - Jette is the daughter of local nasty rich guy Mr. Black, who will get
in trouble with gangster Rocco (Richard Rolenz, whose picture mysteriously pops
up somewhere in almost every scene of the movie that doesn’t feature his
character in the action) if he doesn’t foreclose on what sounds like half the
land in Barberton. So why does she need to appear in the race? Ask Daddy.
Add to all this a richly demented subplot involving two nerdy hicks, and you’ve
got an adventure the word “madcap” doesn’t even begin to describe.
This broad parody of, well, a whole lot of stuff, is a bit of a departure from
Pallotta’s work of the past couple of years, which includes the “Tales of the
Crypt-esque” The Forbidden Closet, which gave birth to the moralistic sci-fi
suspense thriller Lake Evermore. It’s the kind of movie you see when you are in
the mood for some extremely silly fun - think Benny Hill meets “Dukes of Hazzard.”
Go in with no expectations whatsoever; it won’t fit any of them, but it is
enjoyable for those who don’t mind a bit of risque humor and political
incorrectness mixed in with their slapstick.
Pay close attention, however. None of the varied storylines is particularly
complex, but there are a lot of threads that weave together into the film as a
whole.
Each of the four racers has a background story, though the rivalry between Becky
and Jette overshadows the other two. Tammy wants to open her own salon with the
help of the ghost of an effeminate hairdresser (Rick Montgomery), and Su Shi,
whose eyesight is almost as bad as mine, wants to trade in her Coke-bottle
glasses for a brand-new pair of contacts. Becky’s young son (played by the
charmingly Macauley Culkin-like Paul Sherman) enlists her not-all-there father
(Phil Skoff, who also has been seen in Cuyahoga Falls’ improvisational comedy
troupe, Point of No Return) in a series of increasingly hazardous science
experiments.
Mr. Black’s gold-digging new wife, Caprice (Tami Bowman), has an agenda of her
own. And Kooter (Tom Jenney) and Opossum (Ruben Ryan, another Point of No Return
veteran) can’t seem to decide whether they should be searching for naked women
or Bigfoot - but Opossum gets more than Kooter bargained for.
Like all films, Circle Track Summer has its strengths and weaknesses. On the
weakness side, there was a little too much going on at times, and as a result,
some of the plot and character development got lost in the shuffle. There were a
couple of continuity problems (what was with the mysterious adhesive bandages on
Kooter’s face?), but those weren’t enough to jar me out of the movie.
Other than that, any perceived faults really are more a matter of individual
taste (Lost In Translation it’s not) and tolerance for ethnic jokes, sexual
innuendo and nudity (for example, Pallotta said Saturday night people walked
out”). The strengths lie mostly in three things: the willingness of the
filmmakers to take a chance by poking fun at every known stereotype of Ohioans,
and especially of natives of Barberton; Pallotta’s ability to avoid crossing the
fine line between localizing a story by using well-known landmarks or inside
jokes and providing free advertising by referring to everything by its full name
and location - something natives of an area never do; and the supporting
players.
Fig Jankowski, who recently played a holy man in the Stow Players’ production of
“Monky Business,” stole the first few scenes of the movie as dimwitted sidekick
Chain Drive. Jankowski’s talent for physical comedy and one heck of a backwoods
accent were priceless. Sherman, as young science prodigy Anthony, had the rare
ability to be convincingly precocious without being annoying. I wasn’t sure how
Montgomery’s character got there in the first place, but I would have loved to
see more of him. Jenney and Ryan made an excellent comedic team; it was almost
as if Strange Brew had moved to Barberton in search of bras and Bigfoot instead
of beer.
Look for a rather disturbing cameo appearance by radio personality Tom Erickson,
an even more disturbing cameo appearance by Pallotta and one of the best visual
gags I’ve seen in a while at the very end of the film. And keep watching if you
like bloopers; Pallotta followed the Hollywood trend popular with audiences
these days and included a blooper reel during the credits.
According to Pallotta, Fool’s Gold Entertainment (Pallotta’s production company)
currently is in negotiations for distribution, so the DVD of Circle Track Summer
is not available just yet. However, T-shirts, posters and other merchandise is
at www.circletracksummer.com, along with DVDs of Lake Evermore. Keep an eye on
the Web site for details on the Circle Track DVD.
specialproducts@recordpub.net
  
SCENE MAGAZINE
Booby Prize
7/29-8/3
With T&A shots sprinkled throughout Circle Track Summer, Ted
Gradisher is anxious to see the audience reaction to this weekend's premiere of
his movie. Filmed at Barberton Speedway, the comedy centers on a broke racetrack
owner, who raises cash by promoting a race in which four babes drive their cars
backward to the finish line. "Movie distributors want either tits, ass, or
blood," says Gradisher, the film's production manager. "We didn't have any
blood." It screens at 7:30 p.m. Friday through Wednesday as well as 2 p.m.
Saturday at West Theatre, 1017 Wooster Road West in Barberton. Tickets are $5;
call 216-825-6912. -- Cris Glaser
![[Sun logo -- News That's Really Close To Home]](http://www.sunnews.com/images/Logo500.gif)
Local film will debut near Barberton 'set'
By BRIAN LISIK
Staff Writer
July 28, 2005
"This is hard work," said independent filmmaker Steve Pallotta, from his home
production studio in Copley.
"Staying focused is the number one thing. If you don't do that, nothing gets
done, or everything suffers. We were lucky — a lot can happen in a year."
Pallotta's film production company, Fool's Gold Entertainment, is gearing up
for the premier of its second full-length production, "Circle Track Summer."
The film will debut tomorrow and Friday at the West Theater, 1017 Wooster
Road West in Barberton, not far from the Barberton Speedway where much of it was
shot. The film will continue to run at the theater for a week following the
premiere.
In terms of theme, scope and quality, "Circle Track Summer" literally laps
Pallotta's previous projects.
"I had originally thought of doing a war film, which would have taken a lot
of time," said Pallotta, 46. "But I knew I wanted to make a big splash — not
something any 19-year-old kid with a camcorder could do."
Pallotta wrote the script, about stock car drivers racing backwards, then
employed the talents of veteran Cleveland comedy writer Mike Martone.
"The original idea was guy racers who would have girlfriends to bring in the
sex appeal that distributors are looking for," Pallotta explained. "Then I
thought, why not cut to the chase; have girl racers, and we can put them in
bikinis."
The end result is a hilarious hour-and-a-half that includes an arrogant
racetrack owner being pursued by gangsters; two bumbling "filmmakers"; and of
course, lots of racing action.
But the film, Pallotta said, almost ran out of gas before it got to the
track.
"It was a very scary time when we first started," Pallotta said. "I had the
track, the cars, a stunt driver — but I knew I was probably in over my head.
Then two of my original partners dropped out. That's when Chris and Ted kind of
dropped out of heaven."
`Circle Track Summer'
Joining the fun at the West Theater this weekend is Circle Track Summer,
the latest effort from filmmaker Steve Pallotta, 46.
Set at the Barberton Speedway and filmed in and around the area, Pallotta's
comedy takes a look at life at a race track where women race backward.
It took a year and a half to complete and features local performers.
Circle Track Summer will screen at the West Theater at 7:30 p.m. Friday and
Saturday. Call 330-836-2864.
|
