One Time Sucker – On Set With Lloyd Kaufman

Posted on Apr 20, 2010

Sucker Punch: Or How I Went To Pontiac, Michigan To The Set Of Big Screen Entertainment’s Latest Film, Sucker, To Stalk Troma’s Lloyd Kaufman…

Written By: Justin Bozung
Mondo Film & Video Guide Co-Founder

Big Screen Entertainment Official Site
 

Getting into Pontiac, Michigan proved somewhat difficult and interesting.  A tad early, I stopped off to eat at the Michigan version of Lloyd Kaufman’s, American Chicken Bunker, da “Chicken Shack”.  No zombies here, just good fried chicken. There was a women behind the counter who for 15 minutes, told me that her husband owned 50,000 shares of Google, but couldn’t sell them cause of the taxes they’d have to pay,  so they had thirty million dollars they couldn’t get to, and that’s why she was working at the Chicken Shack!   Then I stopped off at the local “K-mart”.   Shop Smart,  Shop S(K) mart!!  Where I was brutally bombarded to buy something by a transsexual with pink lipstick and massive hoop earrings on, who looked like the male version of Vicky Lawrence’s, Mama.

Pulling up in front of Big Screen Entertainment’s production office, I noticed that the area was nearly ghosted.  The city streets where crawling with people, but few buildings where occupied with any type of commerce.  While waiting briefly baking in the blazing sun, I was approached by a albino gentlemen, who gave me a CD of local hip hop music he produced, and then I was promptly  hit up for change  about ten times in two minutes by the local down and outs!   A little late, Lloyd Kaufman (director of ultimate cult film, The Toxic Avenger) and Sucker producer/editor Stephen Eckelberry showed up, and invited me inside out of the sun.  Kaufman was on set for today only, to film his comic cameo in Big Screen Entertainment’s latest production,  horror, comic book inspired, dark, tongue firmly in cheek film,  Sucker.

Sucker, is a fun 1950′s esque sci fi / horror story about Jim Crawley (played by  Sucker director, Michael Manasseri), an ordinary every day man having a extremely unordinary bad day,  Jim gets his car  impounded,  he get’s fired from his job at the local nuclear power plant,  catches his wife cheating on him with a co-worker,  and to top it off,   Jim gets abducted by an evil scientist who is conducting tests of a controversial vaccine against a deadly virus that is spreading across the planet. It turns out that years of being exposed to nuclear radiation and a serum full of a rare insect DNA doesn’t mix very well… and Jim Crawley  mutates into a six foot, blood sucking, half human, half-insect that sets out for revenge!

After several minutes of  chit chat with producer / editor Stephen Eckelberry and director, Michael Manasseri,  Lloyd Kaufman, like a little filmmaking Stalin, instructs me to do something useful.  He hands me his hand-held DV camera and says,  it’s my job to go around and get some wonderful behind the scenes footage for him.  He’s directing me to ask this question with this person, ask this here, then ask that, making sure I don’t zoom in on anything to often.  I’m being directed by Lloyd Kaufman!

First Pictured Released From Big Screen Entertainment’s – Sucker (2010)

Uncomfortable, cornering various members of the Sucker production crew,  I stop director Michael Manasseri, in the hall way and force him to tell me exactly,  his keys to being successful in independent film, how to sell a indie movie, and how important he feels the internet is to getting an independent film noticed and  seen by the public.  I ask him, if he could pick one film, that directly influenced him over the course of his career of acting and directing, what would it be?   He quickly and with a bashful smirk on his face, replies, “Raiders Of The Lost Ark.”  In fact, he then spouts “Everything Spielberg!”   He then goes on, to tell me, that Sucker is a crazy cross between “The Fly” and “Darkman,” but super tongue in cheek. Sucker will also feature monster effects and creations by the great Robert Kurtzman as well.  Manasseri has a extremely interesting background.  Before Co-Founding Big Screen Entertainment, Manasserri was best known as an actor, appearing in License To Drive with the late Corey Haim, and Corey Feldman, and also, playing “Wyatt” on the USA Network mid 1990′s television series, based on the John Hughes movie, Weird Science.

Manasseri stepped into the director’s chair with his first feature film shot back in 2008, Babysitter Wanted. The film finally hits DVD in the USA on May 25th, 2010.  Babysitter Wanted is  brilliant!   Initially,  BW tricks you into thinking you’re getting a typical babysitter being stalked while watching an annoying little rug rat flick, but this sucker, has one hell of a fabulous gory twist, that leaves your mouth dragging across the theater floor, and you requesting a clean pair of drawers.   It’s a brilliant, well written film that’s extremely well directed, tiered with suspense and surprises, and we’ve had it in our list, Mondo  Film & Video Guide’s Top Ten Horror Films of 2009 all this time!!!  Check it out here!

First Pictures Released From Big Screen Entertainment’s – Sucker (2010)

There’s an assault of press that shows up at the production office, as  CEO of Big Screen Entertainment, Kimberley Kates drops by via Los Angeles.  Kimberley, also a well known actress, is best known for her role in Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure.  She allows a mini press interview session while she’s getting her make up and hair done for her cameo in Sucker!  One interviewer annoyingly mentions her performance in Bill & Ted several times, over and over, and Kates confirms and or  simply applies rumors , that there WILL BE a Bill & Ted Part three, with all the principal cast coming back.  It’s a done deal!   Meanwhile,  Lloyd Kaufman has taken off down the street to the set, and has requested I talk about indie film selling points with Kimberley Kates.  Which is fine, but really all I wanna talk about with Kates, is her performance as “Alex Morrison” in Chained Heat 2.  A serious personal favorite, and something she vaguely hints to that’s she’s not proud of to the interviewer, without actually uttering the movie title, as she’s discussing places she’s traveled for  work… I don’t get that, cause Chained Heat 2 is fabulous. Alas, I don’t mention it to her.

First Pictures from Big Screen Entertainment’s – Sucker (2010)

Lloyd Kaufman is a truly a nice guy! He’s been a gentleman all this time, asking me every so often, if I’m comfortable and “OK”.  He’s also taken me around introducing me to each and every crew member, from the first assistant director to the production designer.  He’s introducing me and hyping the www. mondo-video.com website to all,  even though each time he really can’t remember the name of the site exactly. At the same time, he’s consistently reminding me to get some video coverage of the storyboards for the sequence they are filming with him tonight.

The set’s been constructed inside a old empty building on the upper floor. It’s a beautiful office design, with oak paneling, deer heads on the wall, with a big ass gun hanging up behind an executive’s desk that’s centered near the far side of the room.  There’s a dolly track down, lighting equipment the size of Texas in place and beaming!  Lloyd Kaufman is playing Mr. Koppel,  Sucker’s Jim Crawley (Michael Manasseri) boss, that’s seconds away from firing him with a golf club in face,  starting his day and descent into mosquito madness or heaven for us horror fans.  Kaufman’s a sucker for cameo’s via indie films!  He often agree’s to do them for free or a reduced fee.  He became involved in Sucker, as he attended a screening of Manasseri’s first film, Babysitter Wanted, while they where all at the Detroit Film Festival early this year.  Kaufman of course, showing his masterpiece,  Poultrygeist, Night Of The Chicken Dead (2008).   Sucker producer Stephen Eckelberry recalls, ” Hey Lloyd, you should be in our next movie!” and Lloyd said ” Sure, set it up, just let me know when and where!”

First Pictures from Big Screen Entertainment’s – Sucker (2010)

On set, the crew is a younger wonderful assembly, Big Screen Entertainment, taking advantage of the booming film industry and incentives in the State of Michigan.  They are experienced, and seem very committed to making a wonderful film. They move at a break neck speed, trying not to lose the daylight.  Director Manasseri is fully in control, as I study him, with awe,  as I used to love him on Weird Science when I was a teenager, and I am still so damned enthralled with his first feature, “Babysitter Wanted.”  Manasseri, has a stylized comic book vision, that’s dark, clever and possibly cult-ish with “Sucker”.   He’s a down to earth guy, warm, friendly, and very approachable while being committed to making Sucker a fun movie.   Coming back from Babysitter Wanted is cast member, Monty Bane. Bane is a character actor, with more television work to his name than most, and more notably, his  first film work, was in Russ Meyer’s boob-ganza, Up! (1976).  As they get the master coverage for the scene, Lloyd Kaufman begins to improv his dialogue during rehearsals between takes.  Delivering his lines with alternate reflections, and colorful cuss words, that I still feel guilty about saying myself, alone…at night…in my head.  The mouth on this guy!  During takes, myself,  Kimberley Kates, and surrounding production crew, are almost peeing ourselves with non break silent giggles.  Kates asks ” is that line in the script?”  It is indeed…

First Pictures from Big Screen Entertainment’s – Sucker (2010)

Lloyd, myself, and producer Stephen Eckelberry run downstairs with their set still photographer, to get some shots of Lloyd wearing a t-shirt for a film promo.  Kaufman without thinking, instantly goes into his favorite goofy photo pose that he’s been doing for years for every single fan picture he’s EVER taken.  Eckelberry reminds him, that he’s not taking a fan photo.  I ask Kaufman, where the hell that pose came from, and he tells me that  ” it was just something I used to do as kid, to screw up pictures that I was being forced to take.”

First Pictures Released From Big Screen Entertainment’s – Sucker (2010)

There are no cliches here on the set of Sucker.  The entire cast and crew are all very down to earth, and committed to making a great film.  All are warm and inviting, telling me over and over,  to have a good time.   As night sets, the battery on Kaufman’s DV hand-held has just died, and Lloyd Kaufman is speaking  mack-flirty french to a attractive blond french waif on set.  When I tell Lloyd that “I think I’m gonna take off.”  He hits me back with” take off what, your pants?!”   Sucker will deliver a very interesting and fun comic booky anti-hero, not your typical indie film crapola of the month fare that you see on Sci Fi channel or on the shelves of your boring ol’ fading local Blockbuster Video.  With Manasseri in charge, given his previous placement of 2008′s Babysitter Wanted ad, I am certain that the bite from Sucker I received while visiting the set, will be worth the itch I scratch when the film is released… Sucker wraps up production in August  2010.  Watch for it!

Justin Bozung is the Co-Founder of the Mondo Film & Video Guide. You can contact him directly via email at justinb@mondo-video.com