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I love the 90s, UFOs, and rom-coms. The independent film UFO Club speaks directly to me, and I had the absolute pleasure of reading the original script and getting to see this movie go from the page to the screen. The flick’s writer & director Steven Tsapelas chatted with My Hollywood Dream to share more details on making the movie and how you can see it.

Who?

UFO Club was produced through the Long Island-based production company In the Garage Productions, run by husband and wife Ken Frank and Shawna Brandle; it was also made possible by film producer David Rheingold, who regularly champions independent film projects that he believes in. We have an incredible cast of younger actors, including Spencer Gonzalez as the lead William, Eloise Gordon as Alex, Paolo Kossi in the role of Johnny and Josiah Schneider as Chris. Our editor was the amazing Vaj Potenza.

Oh, and I wrote and directed it!

What?

In the year 1998, a nerdy high schooler named William has to strike up a friendship with an intimidating classmate named Alex because he believes she has a videotape that will not only prove the existence of aliens, but will also exonerate his recently incarcerated mentor, UFOlogist Dr. Peter Greenport (Jerry Colpitts). It’s a movie very much informed by my high school experience, combining my then love of The X-Files, with elements of some of my favorite time-appropriate teen rom-coms, like She’s All That and Can’t Hardly Wait. It’s a pure throwback, with a lot of heart, and a fun sci-fi element.

Where?

The film is set in a fictional town on Long Island, and was filmed in some really iconic Long Island locations: including All-American Burger in Massapequa, the Malverne Cinema, and my very own high school in Bethpage. However, we filmed most of the movie in Connecticut, in and around my home.

When?

We filmed UFO Club in the summer of 2021; for many of us, this was our first time back on set after quarantine and it was great to get together and make something. Truly, it was a communal experience. It is set in the year 1998, the year before I graduated high school, and there was something comforting about the nostalgia of “living” in that time period. In filming UFO Club, we really tried to evoke a sense of the late 90s: however, we made not sure to exaggerate that time period, instead trying to play it as real and mundane as the 90s actually felt to those that lived in it. Mostly, this was done through the removal of modern tech, along with the addition of some classic tech: cordless home phones, old tube TVs, and we even found a functioning payphone for one scene.

Why?

In high school, I was in an actual UFO Club in my high school. A guest speaker came to the class and raffled off a video of a purported UFO crash on Long Island; however, the raffle was won by a girl who drew her own name. My nerdy group of male friends knew we’d never see this tape, because a girl would never invite us over their house. I always thought that was an amusing idea: in order for us to see the tape, we’d have to get outside of our comfort zone and TALK to a girl.

This concept was in the back of my head when I met Ken Frank at the Long Island International Film Expo in 2019. He wrote and directed Family Obligations, which won Best Feature that year. We got to talking and found we had a lot of similarities. He had such a great experience making a movie that he convinced me I should do it, too.

Actually, one of the biggest reasons I wanted to make it is because I wanted to involve my family: my wife Ana, our kids Stella and Linus. I used to produce short films and web content with my friends when we were in our 20s, but had been so busy with my day job and raising kids, that I stepped away from it for a while. The opportunity to show kids that you CAN create something, from start to finish, was a major factor in my wanting to do this. And Stella & Linus were very involved. They act in the movie, helped create some props, and were just involved from the beginning to the end. We’re talking about making another movie now (Bigfoot Club) and, once again, the main reason I want to make it is to get them involved.

How?

We’ve had a very successful festival run: winning Best Feature at Tampa Bay Underground Film Festival; Best Comedy Feature and Best Writer at the Chain NYC Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Long Island International Film Expo. Because of that, we were picked up for distribution through My Spotlight Independent, a division of My Production Limited, and are now available on a few platforms: Amazon Prime, Tubi and My Spotlight Independent’s own streaming service. There will be more platforms throughout the year, and we’re excited that more people will be able to watch UFO Club!

Watch Online:

Rent/Purchase:

Ring in the new year by binge watching the indie romantic drama Loving Till It Hurts.
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Loving Till It Hurts is a six-part digital series that was directed by Luner Eugene, and stars Shawntaria Franklin, Wil J Jackson, Mary Farah, Tamara C Moore-White, and Delpha Clarke. In the series, a “lonely, sad, yet beautiful wife of a neglectful husband, bumps into an old flame and opens a Pandora’s box of emotions.” You can watch the whole series right now for free on Tubi TV.

What will you be watching on New Year’s Eve?

Posted on December 29th, 2021 by ThePit | Leave a Comment
Filed Under Entertainment

Writer/director Steven Tsapelas, the creator of We Need Girlfriends, just wrapped production on his new independent feature film UFO Club. The movie is being made by In the Garage Productions and produced by Shawna Brandle, Michael Cannetti, and Kenneth R Frank, who is also the movie’s cinematographer, and executive produced by David Rheingold.

The rom com is set in the 90s, Tsapelas told us that it follows “a nerdy high school senior” who has to “strike up a friendship with an intimidating classmate because he believes she has a video that will prove the existence of aliens.” That nerdy high school senior William is portrayed by Spencer Gonzalez, while his intimidating classmate Alex is portrayed by Eloise Gordon. Rounding out the cast is Josiah Schneider as Chris, Paolo Kossi as Johnny, Emma Magnus as Vicki, Meghan Palmer as Jacquelyn DeNatale, and Frank Failla as the Fanny Pack Man.

The Official Plot Description: Nerdy high school senior WILLIAM discovers his hero, a local UFO hunter, has been arrested for a serious crime. Convinced of his innocence, William sets out to find a VHS tape of a ‘flying saucer crash’ that was raffled off during a meeting of his high school’s UFO Club. However, the tape went to a girl named ALEX, an intimidatingly confident Ska music fan. Worried that she might be a part of the conspiracy, William strikes up a friendship with her in order to find out if he can trust her. But, his search for “the truth” is complicated when he falls in love. A quirky romantic comedy set in 1998.

Check out these images from UFO Club and we will follow the progress as it gets closer to release!

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Before you go all in with horror movies for Halloween (we will have more horror suggestions soon!), why not try an indie romantic comedy? What Love Looks Like is an anthology movie with “five interwoven love stories that explore the ups and downs of finding love.” The movie was directed by Alex Magaña and stars Josh Gilmer, Nathan Kohnen, Connor Wilkins, Kyle Meck, Jack Menzies, Kate Durocher, Taylor Alexa Frank, and Ana Ming Bostwick-Singer. The movie was released online by Indie Rights Movies.

You can watch What Love Looks Like for free on TubiTV or Amazon (with Prime), and you can follow the movie on Facebook to learn movie about the cast & crew.


Posted by Hyman Weeks.

One of my favorite movies is Sleepless in Seattle. Although it is classified as a “Chick Flick”, I nonetheless have to watch it every time it appears on my TV. There is just something about this movie that keeps me coming back for more. It seems that every time I watch, a new wrinkle suddenly appears out of nowhere.

The casting and directing were first rate. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as star-crossed lovers were perfect in the leading roles, while Rob Reiner makes a perfect sidekick in his small bit part. Rita Wilson, Hanks’ real life wife also plays a part as part of the in-law pair that compares An Affair to Remember to the Dirty Dozen. Even Wilson has to laugh as the men start crying when describing the action of the war movie.

Bill Pullman and Rose O’Donnell play supporting roles as well, help Ryan’s character to realize that she is not in love Walter.

The final climactic scene involves a trip to New York by Hanks’ son who wants to meet his new mother. After flying cross country in pursuit of Noah, Hanks and Ryan finally connect on top of the Empire State Building where they discover they have met before. The movie ends in the elevator as the two stare into each others eyes, seemingly oblivious to the rest of the world.

Thanks for the post from Hal Potter.

If somebody asked me what my favorite chick flick was, I wouldn’t even have to think about it. By far, Grease is the best chick flick you could watch. I mean, what else could you want? There is a lot of musical numbers, something I’ve always enjoyed. The clothes are simply divine; at least, if you can appreciate clothes from the 1950s. And the plot is cute, especially if you’re a fan of love stories.

I think this movie could be enjoyed by people of all ages. Kids can watch because they may not understand some of the more adult jokes. The adults, depending on their age, can reminisce about times gone by. I actually got my grandma to see it once, and she ended up talking to me about raising my mom back then, and what it was like.

The music is very catchy; even if a person has never seen the movie, chances are they know about the songs. I mean, they’ve played on the radio numerous times. Not all of them are the best, but many of them are. You just want to stand up and dance, whether you’re in the office or on the road.

Definitely, if a person is looking for a good time, they should check out Grease. Sometimes, if I’m lucky, I may catch it on Satellite tv; and when I do, you couldn’t pry me away.

Posted on August 4th, 2010 by admin | Leave a Comment
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Sleeper Movie PosterCinespia is hosting a free screening of Woody Allen’s sci-fi romantic comedy, “Sleeper”. The screening is part of their summer Cemetery Screenings at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

The screening is on Saturday, May 30th. The gates open at 6:30pm with djs Mahssa and Joel Black spinning music before the film starts at 8pm. While it is a “free Screening”, they ask for a 10 dollar donation at the door. Hollywood Forever Cemetery is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard, Los Angeles.

The event’s official description: “One of Allen’s early masterpieces, Sleeper is the master comedians lovable, goofy and downright entertaining foray into science fiction, A health food store owner is frozen and brought back to life in the future by radicals in order to help them overthrow an oppressive government. The man from the past wanders off on his own, however, and begins to explore a brave new world, hilarious and strange, as only Allen’s vision could provide. Also starring a young and lovely Diane Keaton.”

For more information, you can out Cinespia’s official website.