Premiere

As the lights went down in Studio 28 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and the picture came up, I'm certain I audibly gasped. There on the big screen, larger than life was my old friend, the curmudgeonly octogenarian bachelor, Al, who I had spent so much time with, sitting in his armchair in front of his television, his squalid bachelor apartment filled with flickering blue light. Then my name came up: Written By Angelo Eidse.

There were moments during the screening that I had to remind myself that I was watching a film -- the picture so closely resembled the images in my mind's eye that I had seen a thousand times before, that it felt like I'd already seen it and knew it intimately. I think that testifies to the great power of a meaningful and successful collaboration.

Collaboration is a film industry buzzword, but more often than not it is only paid lipservice, and we've all heard the horror stories, tales from the trenches of the movie industry, where collaboration devolves into a mire of self-interest and clashing personalities.

When I visited the Flickering Blue set in June I witnessed none of that; everyone from the fabulous student crew members like Patrick Priest (1st A.D.) to visiting Hollywood D.O.P. Jack Anderson, director John Harper Philbin and even the star, James Karen, constantly consulted one another to ensure the best possible frames were being captured. It warmed my heart then and again last night. We were all reunited at the Philbin home, (sans Jack Anderson, unfortunately), where we celebrated James Karen's 80th birthday. Late into the night John pulled out a tape of on-set outtakes and clips from a documentary on the making of Flickering Blue, and we all relived the wonderful joy of filmmaking done right.

My First Review

The good people at Grand Valley State University sent me a copy of the first critical review of my film, (I wrote the screenplay), 'Flickering Blue,' early last week. Unfortunately On-the-Town, (Grand Rapids' infotainment magazine), doesn't publish online, so I've transcribed a few choice quotes from the review below.

Film Critic B.I. DeDoegs:

"I imagine the title refers to how television illuminates interiors of buildings when viewed from the outside. A clever enough title for starters, and perhaps your next thought is, this is yet another student film to be endured. Think again. Director Harper Philbin has hired a professional actor James Karen, and cinematographer Jack Anderson, to join forces...to create a little gem of a picture."

"Writer Angelo Aidse's [they misspell my name] script creates an effective uneasiness between Al and the people he reaches out to as well as individuals who approach and eventually take advantage of him. At times the viewer doesn't know whether to dislike or pity the doddering old codger. On one hand, he strikes you as some transient street person looking for a kind word or a handout, yet on the other he could be some failed businessman still wearing the same clothes he had on when he lost it all. There's an air of mystery surrounding him..."

"Although the film is short, (under half an hour), it packs a lot of story and meaning, especially in the final scene, which I won't give away, but found extraordinarily moving."

The reviewer rated 'Flickering Blue' an A-. The official premiere is next Thursday, November 20th, at Studio 28, Grand Rapids, Michigan. I'll be there for that most anticipated moment of a screenwriter's life, the one in which he sees his words come to life on the big screen for the first time. I'm also looking forward to reuniting with cast and crew from my location visit in June, namely the star himself, James Karen, as well as director John Harper Philbin, and actors Ivan Vega and Sophia Dhaliwal.

Kaleidoscope Anthology

I emailed the editor at Kaleidoscope Press a couple of days ago to inquire about the delay in the publication of their annual anthology. My short story, 'Pancho and Gary,' was accepted for publication last November. The editor wrote back promptly and assured me that the glitch in the publishing process had been worked out and that this year's anthology, entitled 'Mother Margaret and the Rhinoceros Cafe,' would be available in time for Christmas. The book will be available from the usual suspects, (Indigo, Amazon), or you can email me - angeloeidse@hotmail.com - and I'll make sure you get one.