Cult Film "Dream Project" a Reality at Last

March 5, 2013 - PRLog -- A “dream project” for a pair of cult and horror film fans has just become a reality with the completion of the feature film “The Trouble With Barry”, an outrageous homage to late-night classic cable films.

Up-and-coming director Mike Justice and co-director Stephen Kitaen are the driving forces behind the edgy comedy. Justice made a name for himself with guerrilla-style YouTube shorts and a collection of rollicking short stories featured in The Advocate's top Christmas picks of 2011. Kitaen comes from a background as a television producer and film composer (he also composed “Barry’s” music).

Justice had been editing other people’s films for some years and says “it felt like watching somebody else's dog”. He and Kitaen are longtime fans of the kind of cheesy movies seen on “USA Up All Night” in the 1980’s. Though they realized they couldn't make an extravaganza with exploding buildings, they were sure they could make a film that paid tribute to the kind of movies they both loved.

Fittingly, “The Trouble With Barry” was made on a shoestring. Justice says that when they started, “we had a great script and some seriously talented actor friends, but that was about it.” But when they tentatively put out the word to a series of cult actors, they were surprised at the positive response, and soon the film boasted a whole range of indie and cult star power.  

The title character, Barry Montenegro, is an angry, potentially murderous, indie actor who has run his career into the ground. He’s a “racist, drunk, bridge-burning has-been” – and according to Justice, still the most likeable character in the film. “The others are pretty wretched,” he says with a laugh. Barry is played by veteran indie actor Peter Stickles (“Shortbus”, “Cemetery Gates”), with whom Justice had already collaborated on a series of shorts.

The film boasts a starring role from horror veteran Lynn Lowry (“The Crazies”, “Cat People”), and features cameo appearances by the legendary scream queens Linnea Quigley, Brinke Stevens, and Michelle Bauer.

Another casting coup was hiring Juliette Danielle, best-known for her turn in the unintentionally comedic “The Room.” In “Barry” she gets to demonstrate her genuine comedy chops. “She really got my sense of humor and that of the script,” says Justice, who calls Danielle “a total pro.”

Also appearing are Eric Dean (“The Men Next Door”, “George: A Zombie Intervention”), Chris Pudlo (“Best Worst Movie”), and comedienne Shannon Amabile ("I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant") as a snarling, Asia Argento-esque character.

Rounding out the cast are Rena Riffel (“Showgirls”), Matthew Stephen Herrick (“George: A Zombie Intervention”), Michael Carbonaro ("The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"), Monique Bricca (“Don't Shoot the Angel”), Craig Taggart ("Sordid Lives: The Series"), Bruce L. Hart (“Homewrecker” and “Old Dogs and New Tricks the series”), Brian Nolan (“Role Play”and “The Lair”), Kelly Keaton (“Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs”), and April Baker ("Southland").

“The Trouble With Barry” will have its world premiere on March 14 at the El Cid Theater in Los Angeles, and distribution rights are available. For more information, contact Stephen Kitaen at sbsandknop@gmail.com.