Thursday, 5 December 2013

Interview with Stephen R. Coar by David Kempf

Stephen R. Coar has been a teller of stories all his life.

One of seven kids, he took to the dinner table spotlight most evenings, telling tale after tale.

As an adult he has been heavily involved in live theatre-acting, directing, and writing children's plays for the theatre he helped begin, the Ritz Theatre in Oaklyn-the most successful theatre in southern New Jersey.

A longtime member of the National Storytellers League and the New Jersey Storytellers League, he also volunteers a few hours each month to read some of his original short stories.

Interview with Stephen Coar

By David Kempf

Tell us how you became involved in the theater?

I have been involved in stage theatre from a very early age.  My high male soprano / tenor voice and some very basic dance training gained me entry into many lead roles in musicals all the way through my school years and later into community college and local theatres.  My natural flair for humor in all life’s conundrums brought work in straight comedies, too.


Please tell us why you decided to pursue writing novels at this point in your life?

I had always been a writer of one kind or another since my role of chief writer and editor of my monthly elementary school paper in Jacksonville, Florida.  I filled the same jobs at Holy Cross High School in Delran, NJ.  Due to my resume, the editors of a Jersey Shore paper where my family moved hired me.  For two years I wrote my own personal column for a weekly newspaper in Cape May Courthouse, NJ commenting on what my eyes and ears found were the little things that made the  town and the region so unique.
After a near fatal auto accident left me permanently disabled with a brain injury I was for the most part a stay at home dad, (but happy to be alive). Since I was alone with the house and my word processor and most of all ‘TIME’, the tiny, huge question I’d kept to myself for 15 years was suddenly front page center!
COULD I WRITE A BOOK???


How you ever written any short stories? 

Many and for many magazines over the decades, (and I even got paid). My 2nd book is actually an anthology of short shorts, 18 in all.


Tell us about your earliest inspirations.

My family of two brothers and four sisters, seven of us in all, made for a wondrous childhood. Yes, it was the 50’s and the 60’s and we were at times wacky and raucous, but because our parents grew up when they did there were standards. Mealtimes were at 7:30 am, and 6:00 pm during the school year. While we ate fresh made breakfasts mother somehow created seven brown bag lunches that went out the kitchen door clutched in our little fists on the way to the bus stop. The largest of all inspirations was my youth.

My second biggest influence was my 8th grade teacher, one Mrs. Haas. By that time I was 14 years old and thought I knew lots about the way things were.  Mrs. Haas set me and many, many others straight about that over her decades in a classroom.  With her soft spoken lessons she daily helped open the miracle of books to us as well as the miracles of the human heart. I shall never forget her.


How did you come up with the idea for THE DEADLY TRACK?

There is a very easy, exciting, and personal answer to that question! When my older brother Allen and I were invited in the early 1960s to spend a summer month on our Uncle Jerry’s farm in Pennsylvania, there was no question of us flying.  We lived in Jacksonville, Florida and were maybe nine and twelve years old. No, no!  It was decided that there was a much better and safer plan. (Uh oh.) We were too young to know where this was headed).  We were put on a train in downtown Jacksonville for a one stop only overnight ride to Philly’ 30th St. Station where we would be met by the open, waiting arms of our dear Grandmom and Aunt Annette.

As we boarded and took our seats our Dad brought the train’s head porter to us and in a very serious voice he told the man we were traveling alone and were his responsibility. He said he understood. Then he pulled the man close and over us. “Here is the plan for tomorrow morning,” Dad said. “You’re tickets say you are traveling to the North Philly Station. That’s the 2nd stop in Philadelphia.”  He glared at the porter for a nod. He nodded to us, saying, “Right, when I say Philadelphia the 2nd time that’s when it’s time for you to get off. And I’ll get you’ bags for you.”

To make a long train ride short, as they say, we rolled northward through the night. As the sun rose we went to the dining car and ate breakfast.  As that was digesting with us back in our seats, we noted our porter crossing down the aisle and announcing, “Next stop, Philadelphia / Camden.  Philadelphia / Camden next stop. Very few departed the train and off it went again. We were so excited we couldn’t speak, but we each pointed an index in the air and mouthed, “That’s one.”

Well, the rest is history, of course.  History even in the archives of the Philly FBI! The passing porter next yelled, “30th Street Station, Philadelphia.”

Well, we bounded out our seats, not waiting to be helped with our bags, and hopped off the train onto a very crowded and underground platform, nothing like the one from which we’d left. But there was even worse to confront. No Grandmom or Aunt Annette. We wandered up an escalator to behold a sight unlike any we’d ever imagined; the enormous domed interior ceiling of the station had to be close to the Vatican’s in our minds. But our awe was soon overtaken by our fear and worry.

Meanwhile, once the train was permanently stopped and emptied by authorities at North Philly Station and a full unsuccessful search could be made, someone had the bright idea that maybe we got off a stop early. It was probably no more than a few hours but it seemed a lifetime to two small brothers in a very large city.
I have never ridden on another train since!

But I have always been fascinated by them even so!


What do you feel is your greatest accomplishment as an artist so far?

Some of my musical stage work, using mostly my natural acting and singing talents and only some dance instruction. I met my wife while performing in theatre. And of course, though it took some years due to my injuries, my two self-published books are right up there.


Name some of your favorite books. 

Lonesome Dove;  The Da Vinci Code;  The Road;  The Story of Edgar Sawtelle;  The Help;  Never Have Your Dog Stuffed; Angela’s Ashes; any fiction by James Lee Burke; The Source.


Name some of your favorite films. 

My Favorite Year; The Bucket List; Awakenings; Dave; Crazy Heart; Doubt; Witness; When Harry met Sally; Chicago.


Name some of your favorite plays. 

Agnes of God; Sleuth; J.B. by Archibald Macleish; The Foreigner; Noises Off; Les Miz; Sweeney Todd;  anything by Neil Simon; Crimes of the Heart.


Why do you think thriller movies and books remain popular?

Escapism, pure and simple.


What are your latest projects?

I am preparing an outline for a subtle political thriller. Think all lotteries in the world are universally banned……. Except one!  And it is run globally by only one enormous, gargantuan, conglomerate; larger than any combination of countries………. for it must be.
Details? Read the book.


Please in your own words write a paragraph about yourself & your work.

My Traumatic Brain Injury, TBI, has been not only a strain on me but on every one of my friends, family, and associates for 20 years now.  The percentages of marriages that survive an injury such as mine, is only 5% to maybe 10%. I must keep busy to make myself seem useful to our home. I am a good house husband. Hey, I kill the bugs!!!

I find I can only manage to keep solid focus on my writing for spells of two hours.  Then I must take breaks. I admit to taking nearly two years to complete The Deadly Track, with one re-write and a full professional edit.

If you are in the US you can buy the book at the following link
http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Track-Ride-Against-Time/dp/1432795546

For those of you in the UK you can use the link below.

FILM NEWS: ( UK ) Drew Cullingham’s full-frontal apocalypse nightmare THE DEVIL’S BARGAIN gets download release

Unseen. Uncertified. Unmissable. Drew Cullingham (UMBRAGE: THE FIRST VAMPIRE, BLACK SMOKE RISING) has written and directed a savage, psychological portrait of love, lust and the end of the world, which will be available to watch from Mon Jan 17, 2014, via www.distrify.com and https://www.facebook.com/TheDevilsBargain for just £3.99.

It’s 1974 and Earth is about to be obliterated by a massive asteroid. Adi (Jonnie Hurn) and his young wife Ange (Chloe Farnworth), haunted by memories of the death of their son, journey to the idyllic rural setting where he was conceived, determined to shed clothes, inhibitions and psychological traumas before the planet is destroyed forever. But the arrival of Luca (Dan Burman), a charismatic and mysterious young photographer, turns what’s left of their world upside-down and the horror to come is of biblical proportions.

Cullingham told us: “It was made on a shoestring budget in twenty-four hours over
four days, using an experimental ‘pinhole’ technique to give it a unique look. Containing copious amounts of full frontal nudity, the mantra for this film has been: No money. No clothes. No fear”.

A Disparado and Monk3ys Ink Films production, written and directed by Drew Cullingham, produced by Drew Cullingham & Ian Manson, co-produced by  James Fisher & Andrew Mackay. Starring Jonnie Hurn, Chloe Farnworth & Dan Burman.

WARNING: THIS FILM CONTAINS FULL FRONTAL NUDITY


Monday, 2 December 2013

Film News ( UK ): Movie Mogul’s supernatural horror thriller THE SLEEPING ROOM goes into production

Production Company Movie Mogul (Panic Button, Shortcuts To Hell) announced today that shooting on supernatural thriller THE SLEEPING ROOM begins on Wed Dec 4, for a three-week shoot on location in Brighton .

Starring Leila Mimmock (Becoming Human), Joseph Beattie (Hex) and Julie Graham (Tower Block), this intense tale of Victorian revenge is written by Ross Jameson, Alex Chandon and John Shackleton and directed by Shackleton with Jake West directing the ’Mutoscope’ action sequences. Director of Photography is Simon Poulter, (Panic Button).

Set in present day Brighton, THE SLEEPING ROOM is the story of Blue (Leila Mimmock), a call girl who falls for a new client, Bill (Joseph Beattie) But the real attraction for Blue is Bill’s apartment and a mysterious room that seems to hold the key to the dark secrets of her family’s past – a room that is about to unleash terrible physical and supernatural forces. Nobody will escape unless a score for a heinous crime is settled.

The cast also includes David Sibley, Chris Waller, Christopher Adamson and Mike Altmann. A Movie Mogul production, it is produced by Gareth I Davies and John Shackleton. Production Designer is Lorna Gay Copp, Costume Designer is David Blight, Production Manager is Tansi Inayat. Editor is John Gillanders and Bang Post Production are handling picture and sound.

John Shackleton, said today: “Support for the film has been first rate and we are immensely proud to be surrounded by such a talented cast and crew, particularly given the huge budget restraints, which we are operating under. Brighton is proving to be not only a wonderfully cinematic place in which to shoot, but also a very accommodating town in which to house a production”.

THE SLEEPING ROOM is the first film to be crowd funded for equity over at  
https://www.seedrs.com/startups/the-sleeping-room

Monday, 25 November 2013

The Walking Dead 4x08 Promo "Too Far Gone" (HD) Mid-Season Finale

The Walking Dead 4x08 "Too Far Gone" (Mid-Season Finale) - After things begin to calm at the prison, Rick and the group face imminent danger.

UK TV premiere for RABIES, from BIG BAD WOLVES directors Ahron Keshales & Navat Papushado

Plus Horror Channel spreads a little evil on Christmas Day with the Network premiere of CHRISTMAS EVIL and there are network premieres for Bruce Campbell’s MY NAME IS BRUCE and Glenn McQuaid’s I SELL THE DEAD

Sat 28 Dec @ 22:50 – RABIES (2010)
In Israel ’s first slasher movie, a runaway adult brother and sister stumble into a trap set by a psycho killer in. His sister buried in the ground, the injured brother sets out to get help. What he finds instead is a group of sex-mad teenagers, two sleazy policemen and a forest ranger and his dog. Making great use of collective expectations of where a body count movie is supposed to go, and then not going there, this is as much a fresh vision of fright as a nuanced social and political commentary on Israel today. A big hit at FrightFest, the directors, Aharon Keshales and Navot Papushado, went on to make the hugely successful BIG BAD WOLVES and have succeeded in revitalising Israel’s horror film industry.
 
Wed 25 Dec @ 22:50 – CHRISTMAS EVIL (1980)
Widely recognized as the best of the Christmas horror efforts, Christmas Evil is the story of a toy-maker scarred as a boy when he learns that Santa is not real. Throughout his life, he tries to make the Christmas spirit a reality. He becomes obsessed with the behaviour of children and the quality of the toys he makes. When he is met with hypocrisy and cynicism, the resulting snap causes him to go on a yuletide killing spree

Fri 20 Dec @ 22:55 – MY NAME IS BRUCE (2007)
A comedy horror, directed, co-produced by and starring B-Movie cult actor Bruce Campbell, ‘My Name is Bruce’ is the heroic struggle of a small mining town in Oregon to rid itself of a vengeful monster. Guan-di (Jamie Peck), the Chinese god of war and protector of the dead, has been unleashed by cemetery desecrating teenagers to protect the graves of Chinese miners lost in a deadly cave-in of yesteryear.


Fri 27 Dec @ 22: 55 – I SELL THE DEAD (2008)
Director Glenn McQuaid’s brilliant homage to 60s Amicus anthologies and Hammer horror was a hit at Film4 FrightFest 18th century justice has finally caught up with two of the craftiest grave robbers in town. With only a few hours to go before his date with the guillotine, body snatcher Arthur Blake (LOST and LORD OF THE RINGS star Dominic Monaghan) tells his life story to Father Francis Duffy (HELLBOY’s Ron Perlman).
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TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138



Monday, 18 November 2013

The Walking Dead 4x07 Sneak Peeks "Dead Weight"

The Walking Dead 4x07 "Dead Weight" - Something new unfolds at a camp outside the prison; the addition of new members may threaten peace.



Making Of The Walking Dead 4x06 "Live Bait"

Go behind the scenes with David Morrissey as he fights off walkers in the pit. in this Making of The Walking Dead 4x06 "Live Bait".