September 28, 2008
We had a fantastic turnout for our screening at the Twin Cities Underground last weekend, drawing the biggest crowd of any movie at the festival at the Sheraton Midtown in Minneapolis. It was especially fun to have Mike Cook, Jaime Helgeson, Matthew Glover, Corey Walton, Al Jaeb, and Donna Davidson from our cast on hand. Thanks to all who came to see Zopp again!
Hey, families. Anyone within driving distance of Chetek, Wis., on Friday, October 3rd or Saturday, October 4th should check out Stardust Drive-In Sci-Fi Weekend! Our hosts at the Twin Cities Underground Film Festival will show their films, 50s-and-B-movie-style horror movies Cave Women on Mars, The Monster of Phantom Lake, and It Came From Another World! The latter two feature performances by Mike Cook, who plays Mel Zopp in Zopp.
The triple feature starts at 6:00 pm both nights at the Stardust Drive-In. These movies are hilarious and fun for the whole family. In addition, the drive-in will be hosting a classic car show during the day on Saturday, and the actors and director of the movie will be on hand at the screenings. This is the perfect opportunity to see all three films in the venue they were absolutely MADE FOR so DO NOT MISS THIS CHANCE!
Stardust Drive-in Theater, 995 22nd Street, Chetek, Wis. Phone: (715) 458-4587
September 16, 2008
We're jacked because in a few short days, we will have our Twin Cities premiere in Minneapolis at the Twin Cities Underground Film Festival. Our movie kicks off the two-day affair Saturday at 12:30 pm. If you're in the area, how could you possibly have anything better to do than coming to see Zopp and hanging out with us and some prominent cast members. Anybody want to meet Louie?
There are a bunch of new photos of our premiere and the Landlocked Film Festival night on the Facebook Joe Zopp page. Check them out, and if you haven't already, become a Fan of us.
And if you are not on Facebook, I'm sure you have your reasons, but they can hardly be as good as seeing more pictures from our premiere and becoming our Fan.
September 11, 2008
One of the best music cues of the movie happens just as Zopp snoops behind Monty Sinclair's funeral parlor, finding bizarre and hilarious things as the banjos go and the percussion clangs. Well, that song is "Lazy Suicide," and the band bringing that infusion of sound to our ears is Megafaun.
Well, besides growing up with the bearded Megafaun songwriters and multi-instrumentalists, Brad Cook and Phil Cook (the third Megaplayer in the band is Joe Westerlund), we are gigantic fans of their great album, Bury the Square. If you don't believe our word of its greatness, then at least check out the terrific review of their album from the most popular and influential independent music web site, Pitchfork. It was published this week. Great job, guys!
Of course, we already knew about how the great album was because we bought it. And you can too here.
September 7, 2008
We've got some more premiere pictures to put up here on our webmaster's "Things To Do" list. But we thought this was a nice outsider's point-of-view of Premiere Night. Actually, not that much of an outsider. André's sister and Seth's sister-in-law, Jennifer, wrote this account of the night on her web log, and as a pro photographer, she took some nice snap shots herself! Check out her Angelic Angles post here.
September 5, 2008
Check out this news story from Reuters yesterday:
"Cremated" father reunited with family
If that sounds vaguely familiar, it's only the freakin' plot of our made-up movie. This got a giant "Holy Crud!" from all of us today. While we work on the lawsuit against this real-life dude for stealing our fake story, if it is revealed that Pappy Knapp had something to do with this...well...talk about a black eye for these fookin' pooh-bahs.
September 4, 2008
We need your help -- you know, besides buying a DVD and, by force, making everyone you know buy a DVD. We need your help getting Illegal Use of Joe Zopp on Netflix. Netflix is a big supporter of independent film, but we need to let them know their subscribers are looking to rent Zopp so they have no choice but to buy copies of it for their catalog. This could be a great way to expose the movie to a wider, vastier (not a word) national audience.
If you're on Netflix already, log into your account. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click "Contact Us." Look under "Requests and Suggestions" and click "Title Request." In the message field, just type, "Can you please add 'Illegal Use of Joe Zopp' to your selection of titles?" That's it. It's that easy.
Your message goes straight to the Netflix gods who review Zopp and decide whether to put it just a few clicks and a red envelope away from millions. Do it. And many, many thanks to those who do.
September 3, 2008
A couple of months ago as we were putting the finishing touches on the movie, we got a very nice surprise, an invitation to be guests on the Wisconsin Public Television show, Director's Cut. The show is a weekly program hosted by Sir Charles Monroe-Kane (who's actually not been knighted) and features interviews with Wisconsin filmmakers about their films. Director's Cut devoted an entire half-hour show for Illegal Use of Joe Zopp. Rad.
Nick, Seth, and Paul headed in for the taping on Thursday, and the interview itself was with Nick and Seth. Paul snapped pictures and made faces during the taping to try to make the other two laugh. It was cool arriving early, getting to watch a previous taping from the studio director's control room, a lot different than making a movie.
Then we headed into the studio, got made up, met Charles and Mary Pokorney-Donelan, the producer. They got us prepped a little, then the show got taped. In real time, thirty minutes. They showed clips with Emerson, Corey, André, Chris, Mike, Donna, and, of course, the picture of Jamal. Nick and Seth nervously answered questions without being funny enough. And then it was over. It was fun!
The cool thing is, the show will air this fall on Wisconsin Public Television channels everywhere (um, in Wisconsin) with the first one on October 1st. But the cooler thing is, you can watch our show RIGHT NOW online at the Director's Cut web site.
So what are you waiting for? Click here or on the picture of Chuck, Nick, and Seth above.
September 1, 2008
We all have taken a few days off to come back to life. Our last few days at Micon far exceeded expectations in numbers. It's hard to believe that more than 1,600 people came to the movie at Micon and Landlocked. And we're already hearing some good things as the DVD is rolling out. And Paul, Seth, and Nick had a great time shooting an episode of Director's Cut. A proper summary of our week is in store. First, check out the article in Volume One, mentioned in this space before but now online.
August 26, 2008
The whirlwind of the last five days has not stopped. With our premiere, the Landlocked Film Festival, and 25 showings at Micon Cinemas, over 1,200 people have seen Zopp. And that's not including the DVDs that are being dispersed by the incredible, enthusiastic Purewaterinians filing out of the theater. We are truly grateful for this unveiling and for all the support and notes that are being passed our way.
While some of us are back in our respective homes for a couple of days, Seth is still holding down Micon duties. And he, Paul, and Nick are getting ready to attend the filming of the Wisconsin Public Television show, Director's Cut, on Thursday. We'll have more info on that tomorrow. If you wrote us a note or Facebooked our asses in the past couple of days, we're working on getting back to y'all asap.
We also have more premiere pictures, Landlocked pictures, and stories on the way, as soon as we get a moment to write some copy.
Check this out though. Our friend, James Seidler, wrote about us on his blog, Ape Mind Transcripts. James plays the irate passerby that argues with Joe Zopp during the opening credits. He's a champion to all things Wut Wut indeed.
And lastly, if you're in Minneapolis or its twin or its many glorious suburbs, think about going to our sound guy Jason Nelson's and soundtrack band Maudlin's Africa/AIDS benefit for Rock The Cause on Thursday. Check it out here.
*If you sent us an e-mail through our Contact Us page in the past month or two and didn't get a response, it was because our form wasn't giving us your e-mail address. Write us back again with your address, please! That means you, Cody, Pete, Shane, and Frank, among others.
August 22, 2008
Okay, got some pictures up from last night's premiere. We're doing quite well on opening day. We're the Friday box office champs here at Micon Cinemas and getting raves from the audience.
See the pics from last night. They were taken by Frank H. Robinson. Thanks, Frank!
Also, read about the premiere here in the Eau Claire Leader Telegram. Reporter Troy Espe and Photographer Shane Opatz were on hand to cover.
And another cool preview article from Rod Stetzer at the Chippewa Herald.
August 21, 2008
An extraordinary, extraordinary night. We premiered to our cast and crew tonight. We reunited and laughed and watched our movie and loved every minute of it. I promise I'll post more here about it tomorrow. In the mean time, check our first review below. We couldn't have described our movie better ourselves.
Read Andrew Sherburne's Little Village Magazine review of Zopp.
August 20, 2008
Well, one day to go. Tomorrow we'll get to show off Zopp to all the people who gave us their time and talents to make an idea and some ambition into a feature film. Our actors, crew, musicians, location owners, and families will be on hand at Micon for the first official screening of Illegal Use of Joe Zopp. It'll be emotional.
But not that we'll be taking ourselves too seriously. Because we'll be there to catch up with friends, laugh, and sit in the dark trying to figure out how it was that our goofy, convoluted, bizarre, ironic, mystery comedy, made-for-peanuts movie got up there on the big screen. And we'll be quietly knowing that we pulled one over on somebody to make that happen.
We'll try to snap some pictures.
Oh, and look, it's our DVD! This and a few other items of merch will be available at the theater and here on our web site on Friday. We're trying not to get too fired up about having the DVDs in our hands. But it's our DVD! IN OUR HANDS!
August 17, 2008
With less than a handful of days until the uncorking of Illegal Use of Joe Zopp, we got more fantastic news. Zopp was selected to be a part of this year's Twin Cities Underground Film Festival!
We will open the two-day movie extravaganza on September 20th at 12:30 pm at the Sheraton Midtown Hotel in Minneapolis, Minn. And we'll be featured with a host of entertaining features and shorts, including our Landlocked Film Fest cohorts Cave Women On Mars. We can't wait to show off Zopp with what we hope will be a sizeable Twin Cities audience. Let's do this.
We were inside Micon this morning, testing the picture and sound in the theater. Nothing like hearing Corey Walton (who plays motel owner Louie) cackle in Dolby Digital Surround. Hope to see you in a few days.
August 15, 2008
There is a fantastic article by A.J. Hakari in the new edition of Volume One, the Chippewa Valley's alternative bi-weekly. The article is not available online at the moment, but pick up a copy practically anywhere in Western Wisconsin, and read it now. Also, look out for our ad for the Micon premiere.
Meanwhile, Olympic fever rages on. But what I want to know is not what's on Michael Phelps' iPod, but who the hell is gonna watch that new Christian Slater show? That is a joke, right? Some kind of parody...right?
August 11, 2008
We got a little pub today from the Eau Claire Leader-Telegram. Read Chris Vetter's article by clicking on the masthead, you mastheads!
It's funny. Mike Olson, co-owner of Micon, says it's exciting for them to have the opportunity for the world premiere there. That's supposed to be our line! We're excited for the opportunity. Everyone's excited for the opportunity.
August 10, 2008
Micon Cinemas is getting ready for us. They're sporting us on their marquee and in their poster boxes inside and out. We're under two weeks away from premiering to the world, or, at least to a portion of it. Make plans to come see our movie! And make plans to bring everyone you know!
August 5, 2008
For centuries, the Internet Movie Database (IMDb.com) has served as the final arbiter of whether one has made a movie or not. If it wasn't there it meant it never happened, and we at Wut Wut Alma have been told as much on more than seventeen occasions throughout our production by people who know more than us. (We were even once told this by Wikipedia, the overseer of all truth in the universe.)
Well, we're here to proclaim we're now as legitimate as a zygote with married parents! IMDb put Illegal Use of Joe Zopp into their proverbial Bible this week, thrusting, for example, Nick's 61-year-old, retired-kindergarten-teacher mother -- who was our caterer and appeared as the character "Make Out Patty" -- into the annals of movie history. Kinda cool.
Check out the Zopp page now, rate our movie a 10 even if you haven't seen it yet, and fuel our IMDb ratings duel with The Godfather. You're gettin' served, Mr. Coppola.
July 27, 2008
The Landlocked Film Festival announced their schedule this morning, and Joe Zopp is on it! (We had reason to believe we would be.) We'll be bringing it all home Saturday night, August 23rd, right after the Awards Ceremony at the gorgeous Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa Rock City.
Illegal Use of Joe Zopp, Saturday, August 23rd, 9:30 pm
Englert Theatre, Iowa City, Iowa, Official Selection of the Landlocked Film Festival
This will be quite a weekend indeed. Click on the Landlocked logo below and check out the lowdown on the festival and all the other fine films showing there. Oh, and it's FREE!
July 19, 2008
Still waiting on the schedule for Landlocked, and Nick has once again literally made himself sick working on the DVD. (If you're scoring at home, that's strep, mono, flu, and the common cold. Next up: non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.)
Hey, are you a fan of Joe Zopp on Facebook or a friend of Zopp on MySpace? Well, you freakin' should be. Join us in connecting the virtual alter-egos of nearly every being on the internets! Click on the corporate registered trademarked logos to link to our pages. We cannot possibly wait any longer to get SuperPoked! by you.
By the way, Joe and Melissa's wedding rocked. Seth's speech killed. And "Wonderful Tonight" was the first song played during the dollar dance. Were you in the money?
July 10, 2008
We made the Landlocked Film Festival! Yay. The folks at Iowa City's International Film Festival notified us recently of Zopp's acceptance, and we received official selection notification this week. We couldn't be more pleased. As it turns out, it makes our premiere weekend in Chippewa Falls all the more action-packed because it's the same weekend. Debuting in two cities on two screens is a lot closer to a 3,500-screen opening weekend than we could've imagined.
The Landlocked Film Fest takes place from August 21st through the 24th, and schedules for Zopp screenings there should be announced very soon. We'll have them for you here, of course, but here's a link to the Landlocked web site. Iowa Rock City!
Meanwhile, things are brewing on the premiere front. If you're in Chippewa Falls, you might begin to see some flyers for our opening around town. An exclusive premiere screening for our actors and crew will happen on Thursday, August 21st, and then Micon opens to the public on August 22nd. We have five showings a day for seven days, so find a way to be there and find out what this mess is all about.
Stay tuned as updates are going to be a little more frequent over the next month. Our webmaster (me) has also been on DVD-creating duty, so, you know, lots on the china. But we'll make it happen, and the DVD release is also up around the bend too.
Big doings in Wut Wut Alma don't usually happen without being preceded by a wedding. Joe and his sweetheart, Melissa, tie the noose this weekend. Seth is the best man. Fun is in store. And odds on "Wonderful Tonight" being played during the dollar dance? Even.
We blast off in 42 days.
-- Nick
May 20, 2008
There was a nice article about our premiere and the post-production progress of Zopp in the Chippewa Herald today. Check out Rod Stetzer's article here!
May 4, 2008
Due to some scheduling conflicts with the theater, the Illegal Use of Joe Zopp premiere week has been moved to August. Zopp will now open August 22nd at Micon Cinemas in Chippewa Falls.
Zopp now opens Friday, August 22, 2008.
We apologize for the false alarm and promise Zopp will now be twice as funny or unfunny, moving or unmoving, emotional, offensive, and sly as you thought it was going to be in July. Also, some of the filmmakers and cast who were going to be on hand at Micon during opening weekend will no longer be charging money for hugs. Those hugs will now be free. Thanks.
April 26, 2008
"Illegal Use of Joe Zopp will open in theaters this summer," has a nice sound to it. Well, it's true. Sure, maybe the plural "theaters" is a slight stretch at this point. But it sure as heck is opening in one. A night after we premiere the film to our actors and crew, Micon Cinemas in Chippewa Falls will introduce the movie-going public what we been shootin' our mouths off about for, like, years.
Zopp opens Friday, July 25, 2008.
Zopp will run for ONE WEEK ONLY from July 25th to July 31st exclusively at Micon. Tickets are actually available right now! Visit the Micon Cinemas web site to purchase for any of the showtimes that week (follow the link for "Now Showing" at the bottom and the info for Zopp is on the right side of the page).
Big propers to Micon for making these available now and on the World Wide Internets and not making our fans have to camp outside the theater for three months.
Nearly needless to say, we are freakin' exited about this. The City of Chippewa Falls was an unbelievably embracing and accomodating host to our shoot, so we'd always very much wanted to bring the movie to theaters there.
Micon stars in a brief scene early in the movie, and owner Mike Olson was already lobbying to premiere the movie there that night of shooting, standing just off camera, repeating between and during takes, "World premiere. World premiere." He and co-owner Connie Olson have been instrumental in making this all happen. Everybody give them a warm round of fist pumps.
More details are sure to emerge regarding some of the events on that opening weekend and the release of the DVD of Zopp later in the summer. So stay tuned here for that and buy your tickets now. We want to see you there! |
