Middletown at Sundance

It can't be the first time a film with a Middletown connection will be screened at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival (consider the Wesleyan mafia).

But Once More With Feeling, which spent a long day filming on Main Street in Middletown this summer has been accepted to be shown in the Spectrum series of premieres at the 2009 festival.

No word yet on the disposition of Sasquatch Assault.

Here's the press release from the Connecticut Film Commission office.

The feature film “Once More With Feeling,” with scenes shot at Quassy Amusement Park here last July, has been accepted to be shown at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in January. Sundance Institute recently announced the lineup of films screening at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in the out-of-competition sections of Premieres, Spectrum, New Frontier, and Park City at Midnight. “Once More With Feeling” will be shown in the Spectrum series. Celebrating its 25th year, the 2009 Sundance Film Festival runs Jan. 15-25 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah. “We are very excited as this is the best possible thing that could have happened for our film,” said producer Nick Huston, of New York’s Rosetta Films. “We are currently working on putting the final touches on the film to have it ready.” The cast and crew from “Once More With Feeling” spent an entire day at the park to capture a specific comedy segment for the production, which stars Chazz Palminteri, Drea de Matteo, Linda Fiorentino and Susan Misner. Dozens of crew members arrived early in the day along with trucks loaded with equipment to transform the amusement park into a bustling movie set for the summer shoot. “The scene we filmed at Quassy Amusement Park is among the funniest, and certainly best, scenes in our film” Huston noted. Six Hours To Capture Scene The scene took place at the park’s Playport, which is a children’s play area with a ball crawl, netted walkway and tube-shaped slide. Nearly six hours were spent on capturing that particular segment at the lakeside facility. Other shots were filmed on the park’s Grand Carousel and along the walkways at the lakeside property. Quassy was selected as the location of the shoot after months of scouting and negotiations between the park’s owners and the filmmakers. “We found the people to be warm, welcoming and helpful,” Huston said of filming in Connecticut. “We would definitely do it again.” Other scenes were shot in Middletown, Conn., about 20 miles from Quassy. “We wrapped up the film in late August and after a quick trip to Seattle we began editing,” the producer added. “We finished our cut two months later and were recently accepted to premier at Sundance.” Following the premier, Huston expressed excitement about future prospects for “Once More With Feeling.” “We are not sure what will happen with the film next, but there may be a theatrical release and there will almost certainly be a DVD release.” Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is the premier showcase for U.S. and international independent film, held each January in and around Park City, Utah. Presenting approximately 120 dramatic and documentary feature-length films in seven distinct categories and between 60 and 80 short films each year, the Sundance Film Festival has introduced American audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past two decades, including “sex lies and videotape,” “Maria Full of Grace,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “An Inconvenient Truth,” “Trouble the Water” and “Central Station.” Founded by actor/director Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a not-for-profit organization that fosters the development of original storytelling in film and theatre, and presents the annual Sundance Film Festival. Internationally recognized for its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as “Angels in America,” “Spring Awakening,” “Boys Don't Cry” and “Born into Brothels.” For more information visit www.sundance.org. Film Synopsis Sixty is the new 40, and Frank Gregorio (Palminteri) and his daughter, Lana (de Matteo), are having simultaneous mid-life crises. Frank is a first-generation Italian-American who became a psychiatrist nearly 40 years ago. He’s a faithful husband to Angelina, dedicated father to Lana and Susan and a doting grandfather. Frank once dreamed of a singing career, but let is slip away, listening instead to his immigrant parents who insisted he become a doctor. Ironically, a patientintroduces him to karaoke, which not only awakens his dream, but it becomes his obsession. His passion for singing is led by a femme fatale named Lydia (Fiorentino), whom he meets at a bowling alley karaoke lounge. “One More With Feeling” is both nostalgic and contemporary. It pokes fun a modern-day situations in the lives of several generations of the Gregorio family, who are living longer, happier and fuller lives, despite themselves. About The Cast Palminteri is an Academy Award nominee with six films released over the past several years, including Ron Underwood’s “In The Mix.” He starred in “Analyze This,” with Robert DeNiro and Billy Crystal; “The Perez Family,” opposite Marisa Tomei and Angelica Houston; “The Usual Suspects,” co-starring Gabriel Byrne, Kevin Spacey and Stephen Baldwin; and “Jade,” opposite David Caruso and Linda Fiorentino. Palminteri received the Academy Award nomination for his performance in Woody Allen’s “Bullets Over Broadway.” De Matteo is best known for her roles in “Sopranos,” “Swordfish” and “Broken English.” Her performance in “Sopranos” earned her an Emmy Award in 2004 for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In 2005 she received a nomination for a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role. Fiorentino is best known for her roles in “Men In Black,” “Dogma,” “The Last Seduction” and “Jade.” She was nominated for Best Actress by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts for her role in 1994’s “The Last Seduction.” Misner has appeared in numerous television shows and played Liz in the film version of the popular musical “Chicago.” Director of “Once More With Feeling” is Jeff Lipsky, a highly acclaimed filmmaker and 30-year veteran in the independent film industry. The screenplay is by journalist Gina O’Brien. Executive producer of the film is Ed Carroll, with Huston and Paul Jarrett serving as producers.

Once more with feeling

(Director Jeff Lipsky directs Drea DeMatteo on Main Street)

The movie crews rolled into town early this morning, and Main Street from Washington to College was shut down to accommodate the shooting of Once More With Feeling, directed by Jeff Lipsky.



(Mayor Sebastian Giuliano on set)

The crews, mostly from New York City, all t-shirts and tattoos, set up for two hours before cameras rolled for the first time. The initial shot involved shooting from the corner of Main and Washington, on the North of Main, from a dolly. This was not something town officials anticipated, and the mayor was not completely happy that the result was a Route 66 traffic jam which was stopped all the way West to Middlefield. Beachgoes honked their horns in frustration over the delay for shooting. Even after the first scene was shot, traffic, on a perfect beach day, was slow for hours.


(Councilman Ron Klattenberg speaks with producer Paul Jarret)


The first scene involved the character played by Drea DeMatteo being stopped by a policeman for a traffic violation, and then roaring off in her car in anger. It was shot from several angles before the cast and crew broke for lunch and a company move down the block for the shooting of a second scene, involving a tour bus. While there was a lot of excitement having four grip trucks, a generator truck, lights, camera equipment, crew and actors on the street, most observers found that watching a film being made is like watching paint dry, only slower, and with more assistants.

Shooting was expected to be completed by 4 p.m. at which time Main Street will be reopened once again for traffic.

A report from Channel 8 will appear on the 6 p.m. news.


UPDATE: Shooting continued until at least 6:00 pm on the corner of Main and Washington. Merchants along Main Street expressed distress that section of Main, unused for the shoot, were kept closed all day long, with one merchant promising to compose an angry letter to the mayor.

Main Street to be transformed into back lot for moviemaking

On Saturday July 26th, Middletown's Main Street will be used as the set for an independent film, Once More With Feeling, being shot in New York and Connecticut. The film is "about a father, grandfather and respected psychiatrist who grabs hold of a microphone and can’t let go." I'm not sure exactly what that means.


While the film is being pitched as "Hollywood comes to Middletown" the posted NY crew calls describe it as a "low budget, independent feature," being produced by PHC Productions.

It'll be fun to have a movie shot here, low budget or no, but we shouldn't overplay the economic benefits to Middletown or Connecticut. As for public relations for our Main Street, one never knows. Remember Mystic Pizza was also a low-budget, independent film with then-unknown actors.

Recognizable actors include Chazz Palminteri and Drea de Mateo.

Main Street from Washington to Court will be shut down for production between 8 am t0 noon, and from Court to College from noon to 4 pm. Residents are invited to watch the production as long as they cooperate with filmmakers and the local constabulary.