Cult Film "Dream Project" a Reality at Last

March 05,2013

The new cult horror comedy "The Trouble With Barry" will premiere March 14 at the El Cid Theater in Los Angeles.

A œdream project for a pair of cult and horror film fans has just become a reality with the completion of the feature film œThe 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 œBarry's music).

Justice had been editing other people's films for some years and says œit felt like watching somebody else's dog. He and Kitaen are longtime fans of the kind of cheesy movies seen on œUSA 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, œThe Trouble With Barry was made on a shoestring. Justice says that when they started, œwe 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 œracist, drunk, bridge-burning has-been “ and according to Justice, still the most likeable character in the film. œThe others are pretty wretched, he says with a laugh. Barry is played by veteran indie actor Peter Stickles (œShortbus, œCemetery Gates), with whom Justice had already collaborated on a series of shorts.

The film boasts a starring role from horror veteran Lynn Lowry (œThe Crazies, œCat 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 œThe Room. In œBarry she gets to demonstrate her genuine comedy chops. œShe really got my sense of humor and that of the script, says Justice, who calls Danielle œa total pro.

Also appearing are Eric Dean (œThe Men Next Door, œGeorge: A Zombie Intervention), Chris Pudlo (œBest 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 (œShowgirls), Matthew Stephen Herrick (œGeorge: A Zombie Intervention), Michael Carbonaro ("The Tonight Show with Jay Leno"), Monique Bricca (œDon't Shoot the Angel), Craig Taggart ("Sordid Lives: The Series"), Bruce L. Hart (œHomewrecker and œOld Dogs and New Tricks the series), Brian Nolan (œRole Play and œThe Lair), Kelly Keaton (œIce Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs), and April Baker ("Southland").

œThe 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.

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