Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Columnist Jerry Fink: Vegas gives filmmakers freedom

The CineVegas Film Festival was at least partially responsible for the formation of an independent film company in Las Vegas.

In 1999, Ed Dentzel, 34 at the time, was the festival coordinator. Kelly Schwarze, 27, then a film major at UNLV, was a volunteer.

The two formed a friendship that two years later resulted in the formation of Vision Dynamics Entertainment, a Vegas-based independent film company.

Also part of the organization are J.P. Franco, 26 (a friend of Schwarze's since they became acquainted at Cimarron High School), and Dave Torno.

VDE will premiere its latest film -- "The Indie Pendant " -- at the Palms' Brenden Theatres on June 30, which is after CineVegas ends.

"It's the same venue, two weeks after," Dentzel said. "We're going to have our own event. At CineVegas you only get one screening, and you don't know what time, or how many are going to show up -- so we decided to have our own premiere, with multiple showings."

The film will be shown at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. June 30, and at 11 p.m. July 5-6.

The young filmmakers have invited 1,000 fans from the film industry to the premiere.

"Hopefully there will be some distribution people, agents and media types among them," Dentzel said.

What they will see is an independent feature film about an independent feature film.

The plot of the story concerns a Hollywood producer stealing an independent filmmaker's script, and the independent filmmaker devising a scheme to steal it back.

Dentzel wrote the story and was the film's main financier. Schwarze directed. Franco was the film editor and Torno the cinematographer.

Black Camaro, a local band, scored the movie.

The two lead characters were played by Nick Ernst and Dusty Meyers.

Comedian Sandy Hackett (producer and co-star of "The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean" at the Greek Isles) has a major role in the film -- portraying a weatherman who wants to be a movie star.

Much of the film was shot at the Greek Isles.

"The Indie Pendant" is the company's third film. The second was "The S.I.N." (Special Intelligence Network), which featured Hackett as an investigator looking into a terrorist attack.

"It premiered at the Tropicana two days after 9/11," Schwarze said. "It was horrible timing, but regardless of that 1,000 people showed up."

VDE's first film was "Poking the Eye of the Storm," a spoof of the spy genre. The producers met Hackett while promoting "Storm."

He had a radio show and they were invited to be on the program.

"After he saw the film he said, 'God, this is horrible,' " Schwarze said.

Using his own experience in film, Hackett gave them some pointers about how to improve their work.

"He became our mentor," Schwarze said.

All of VDE's films were shot in Vegas, which may not yet be a hotbed of independent filmmaking -- but more and more movies are being made here.

"This is a great place," Schwarze said. "It's not oversaturated with filmmakers."

Dentzel says it's cheaper, and easier, to make a film in Vegas than in Los Angeles.

"The kind of red tape and money involved in making a film in Los Angeles makes it very difficult for independent filmmakers," he said. "L.A. is so jaded -- they charge a lot more money for everything.

"Here, if we want to film a scene at, say, Neonopolis, it's basically free."

There is a lot of cooperation in Vegas, he added.

"The police are wonderful," Schwarze said. "In our film one of the main characters runs from Tropicana to almost Flamingo -- in the middle of the street; the cops said, 'No problem,' and they blocked off a portion of the Strip for us.

"That added tremendous production value to our little film -- and it basically only cost a couple of hundred bucks. If we'd done that on Sunset Boulevard in L.A. it would have cost thousands."

Schwarze sees a bright future for filmmakers in Vegas.

"There are a lot of independents in town, doing the same thing we're doing," he said.

The VPE executives hold day jobs to support their budding film careers.

Schwarze is a picture framer and does freelance commercial work. Franco worked for a video company making commercials until they tried to rein in his outside job. He quit this week.

Dentzel, a former car salesman, has two jobs -- he's a technician who works on printers and fax machines, and he also is stage manager for the two main productions at the Greek Isles: "The World's Greatest Magic Show" and "The Tribute to Frank, Sammy, Joey and Dean."

Their production company is housed in the garage and kitchen of a home shared by Schwarze and Franco in Summerlin.

But they have loftier goals.

"Someday we will have a fully operational post-production and motion picture studio that does music videos, commercial and feature films," Schwarze said.

Local films

Although "The Indie Pendant" won't be among the films previewed at CineVegas during the next week, two local documentaries will be.

"As We Knew It: The Story of Classic Las Vegas," directed by Lynn Zook, and "Lost Vegas: The Lounge Era," produced by Tom Onosko and his wife, Beth Abrohams, will be shown at the festival. Zook's film will be screened at 1 p.m. Wednesday, and the "Lounge" film will be shown 4 p.m. Wednesday at the Palms' Brenden Theatres.

Onosko and Abrohams are from Madison, Wis. Zook, who grew up in Vegas, lives in Los Angeles.

The 90-minute film by Onosko and Abrohams features interviews with 17 veteran Las Vegas performers (including Sonny King and Freddie Bell) who give fans a look at a side of Vegas' past they rarely see.

"As We Knew It" follows a similar course -- using interviews with local residents to tell the history of Las Vegas.

Zook's hourlong film is a work in progress to show a portion of what she has done during the past year -- putting together a series of documentaries about various aspects of Vegas history.

"We have interviewed over 130 people, letting them tell the history," she said.

Zook hopes to use CineVegas as a springboard to more financing to finish the project.

She says the cost is about $800,000, money that is being raised through donations, sponsorships and other sources.

Eventually, 400 hours of interviews will have to be edited down to about 10 hours.

Zook says there actually will be four documentaries -- the main one, "As We Knew It: The Story of Classic Las Vegas," will be a four-hour production in two parts.

The others will include "The Women of Las Vegas," "Appearing Nitely" and "Lost Vegas" (not related to Onosko's film), each running about 90 minutes.

"Appearing Nitely" is an informal history of Las Vegas lounges, showrooms and entertainment in general; "Lost Vegas" looks at the neon and architectural history of the city.

Winner loses

Robert Goulet may be coming home sooner than he expected.

The Las Vegas resident, who recently joined the cast of "La Cage Aux Folles" on Broadway, said in a recent interview with the Sun that he would be with the production until the end of the year.

Well, apparently winning a Tony for best musical revival and choreography and receiving rave reviews is no guarantee of success on the Great White Way.

According to the Associated Press, producers of the $10 million production will close the show June 26.

While the reviews have been great, the attendance has been dismal.

The Marquis Theatre reportedly filled only 40 percent of its seats last week.

'Fantasy' news

"Midnight Fantasy," the adult show at Luxor, reportedly is undergoing some major changes.

A spokesman says to look for some major announcements about Anita Mann's topless production, in its sixth year, in the near future.

Blind performer

Joey Boesch has been blind almost since birth, but hasn't let his lack of sight destroy the greater vision he has of the world.

The 50-year-old performer from Houston writes, composes, plays piano and sings.

He will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday through June 21 in "Spotlight" at Bourbon Street.

Boesch is the adopted son of the late famed wrestling promoter Paul Boesch.

The entertainer performs each year at the Cauliflower Alley Club convention in Las Vegas. The club is comprised of professional wrestlers and former wrestlers.

"I started playing piano by ear when I was 4 years old," Boesch said.

Boesch, who was a month premature, was put into an oxygen machine when he was born. The malfunctioning machine caused his blindness and also a slight case of cerebral palsy.

His mother, Valerie, has been a constant companion ever since -- guiding his career as well as his performances, leading him onstage and helping him find his mark at the microphone or his piano bench.

"I have devoted my life to Joey," Valerie said. "He didn't ask to be brought here. I had to do everything I could. I had my life, now it's his turn."

The devoted mother has spent 46 years in the wings, watching her son perform -- mostly at charitable functions in Texas, but also at churches and in prisons for inmates.

"I'm doing the best I can to manage his career, for someone who doesn't know what she's doing," Valerie said.

Her son has performed at concerts featuring Frank Sinatra, Paul Anka, Bob Hope and dozens of other celebrities over the years.

"I just want someone to hear him," Valerie said.

Boesch plays several instruments besides the piano -- trumpet, trombone, clarinet, drums.

"When he's onstage, he will keep you spellbound," Valerie said.

Colorful event

The Golden Rainbow's 19th annual "Ribbon of Life" fundraising revue brought in a record-setting $267,000 in cash during its recent two-day production.

That figure does not include in-kind donations valued at more than $75,000.

Golden Rainbow President Carol Hunter said, "We are overwhelmed by this incredible display of generosity.

"This was a trying year for Golden Rainbow, not the least of which was having our office broken into three times. But this success clearly shows you can break our windows, but you cannot break our spirit."

All proceeds remain in southern Nevada to provide housing and direct financial assistance to southern Nevadans living with HIV/AIDS. Golden Rainbow also funds prevention education initiatives.

Hunter said, "The next couple of years will be critical times for us, as the I-15 expansion will level our current housing. This influx of funding will put us on the right track toward replacing that housing and providing the assistance that is so desperately needed in the Las Vegas community."

The production was staged June 4-5 in the Penn & Teller Theater at the Rio.

The international comedy team of Tony & Lloyd hosted the production.

Featured entertainers included Penn & Teller, George Wallace, Tina Walsh and Wes Winters.

Also appearing were the members of Celine Dion's "A New Day ...," Breck Wall Productions, Cirque du Soleil, Dick Foster's "Show in the Sky" and Bevertainment, "Fashionistas," "Folies Bergere," Foy and Baker Productions, "Jubilee!", "Ka," the Las Vegas Men's Chorus, "Mamma Mia!" "Midnight Fantasy," "O," Searcy Entertainment Inc., "Splash" and the "Vamps Girlie Revue."

Vegas views

Several inner-city families will attend the 8 p.m. Saturday performance of the Nevada Opera Theatres production of "Die Fledermaus" ("The Bat"), thanks to a donation of tickets to the Pulidor Foundation.

Tony Sacca's "Las Vegas Sings for America" (which will include a tribute to the Las Vegas centennial) will be taped at 2 p.m. Sunday in the showroom at the Plaza.

Performers will include Lance Burton, Ronn Lucas, Mark & Clark, Lena Prima, the Society of Seven with Lani Misalucha, Helen Joy's Young Entertainers, the Michael T. Orchestra and Matt Lewis (an Elvis impersonator with "Legends in Concert" at the Imperial Palace).

Rock and Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top (Billy F. Gibbons, Dusty Hill and Frank Beard) will judge a "Best Legs in Vegas" contest at the new Rainbow Bar & Grill at 10 tonight.

The new venue is at 4480 Paradise Road, across the street from the Hard Rock.

ZZ Top is in town for a three-day concert (through Saturday) at the Hilton -- part of the "ZZ Top Whack Attack Tour 2005."

Magicians Mac King and Lance Burton recently returned to their hometown of Louisville, Ky., to perform for the 52nd Annual WHAS Crusade for Children Variety Show.

The WHAS Crusade for Children, Inc., established in 1954 by WHAS-TV, raises money for agencies, schools and hospitals to better the lives of special-needs children.

In 2004 the WHAS Crusade for Children raised more than $6 million and provided 177 grants to 146 different agencies and programs.

archive