Wednesday December 6 * 7pm * TICKETS
It’s A WONDERFUL HORRIBLE LIFE
PRODUCED AND DIRECTED BY PAUL BISHOW
Shot and Edited by Paul Bishow
Written by the director and principal characters
Original format: mini-DV; TRT: 77min; completion date: 12/2001
It’s A WONDERFUL HORRIBLE LIFE takes off from the classic, It’s A WONDERFUL LIFE by Frank Capra. In this not a remake, the Jimmy Stewart-like character, Mickey Solo (played by Mitchell Blakely) is a drug-dealing, possible band manager who mostly seems to end each scene bloody due either to his incompetence or his offensiveness. The angel Clarence (played by Alec Armbrister) is an aspiring devil who encourages the protagonist to end his life because it really would make everyone else’s existence better. Mickey’s romantic involvement, Penelope (played by Sashi Ohbi), finds the honeymoon over when it becomes clear that she is now the nursemaid to Solo and his two teenage children from a previous, well, that’s not clear. Other various family and business characters and dealings crash-land the movie where you may or may not expect. With soundtrack and score by punk band Flinch.
“It’s a Wonderful Horrible Life”(2001) is the last movie in the “Low Trilogy”. The first is “Wet Streets at Night” (1980), where Mic Lowe forms a punk rock band. In “Back to Goodhead” (1988), his name is Ree Li Lo, a new age guru. With a spurious philosophy to make himself rich, it does not work. Now he is Micky Solo running any scam he can think of. All Lo(w(e))s are played by Mitchell Blakely.
A truly no budget film and it shows. Inspired by a joke, when Osheen said to Mitch they should film your life as its “It’s a Wonderful Life”. And we did. It could be a dogme 95 movie if they didn’t take everything so seriously. Rules are rules and we only have one (ADOS). This movie is not a parody. It may be a palimpsest. Shot in mini DV during 2000 and 2001 whenever we could get the actors together (the hardest thing in no budget movie making).
We had a blast and a half, hope others will enjoy it as much. A tag line for “It’s a Wonderful Horrible Life” should be “A fine family film shot in Mt. Pleasant”.
CREDITS & CAST
Director: Paul Bishow
Script: Mitchell Blakely, Alec Armbrisrter, Sashi Ohbi, Paul Bishow, Jack Daniel Videography: Paul Bishow
Sound: Travis Kray, Paul Bishow
Editor: Paul Bishow
Casting: By Address
Music: Flinch (old)
Principle Cast
Mickey Solow: Mitchell Blakely
Penelope: Sashi Ohbi
Clarence: Alec Armbrister
Willie: Luciano Silva
Son: Alex Blakely-Bryant
Daughter: Helen Hubbard-Davis
Mom: Beth Alicandr
Dad: John Hagerhorst
Young Mickey: Brennen Jordan
Young Willie: Max Jordan
Friends & Such: Darlene DiDonato, Anna Tucker, John Bishow, Neil Einstein, Carlos Lemos, and Peter Stebbins