Join us for the PREMIERE of Hey Monster, Hands off My City! A new film adapted from Michael Meehan’s one-man play (Fringe Festival 2011). A monster/detective comedy with social commentary on corporate greed, civic malfeasance and the evil of meter maids. (Heavily featuring the fine city of San Francisco, its local comedic treasures, and other family members.)
The Plot:
Mauled dead bodies are turning up in San Francisco and SFPD homicide detectives Steel and Steele pursue a confounding trail of leads. Enter the monster, an over-the-hill predator long past his prime, who befriends a well-meaning Boy Scout in pursuit of his scat badge. The monster laments being overshadowed by more nefarious modern day foes, including a shadowy corporation that is unleashing a dangerous new drink on the streets. Meanwhile, a lone, mute mystery man arrives on a unicycle hunting the monster in search of vengeance.
The monster is scavenging on the dead bodies killed by drinkers of the crazy cola. The detectives follow a false lead to the unicycle hunter, who has tracked the monster to a crime scene. When the detectives ultimately uncover the true killer, crazy cola drinkers (suffering from adverse side effects), their investigation is quashed by the Mayor and the Chief, who have been bought off by corporate executives.
Reed the prophet attempts to warn of the real culprits, but only the Boy Scout is listening. Milton Ochoa, local philosopher and poet, ignites public outrage over his past as a South American death squad commandant, while inadvertently revealing the vulnerable side of Detective Steel. Gweeb Simpson and Mr. Paranoid report on the terror that is slowly engulfing the city. With no time to spare, the Boy Scout, monster, detectives and unicycle hunter collide toward the story’s inevitable conclusion.
Cast and Crew:
The casting was easy. Start with the all-stars of SF standup comedy, add some local actors, funny friends and of course, assorted family members. The crew was not as easy, as I had to rely on the talent and generosity of several friends, both old and new.
As the story wends through the city, we encounter:
Detective Steele – The Police Chief, a morally compromised visionary
Milton Ochoa – death squad commandant, turned poet
Unicycle Hunter – mute man of mystery
The Boy Scout
The Monster
Reed – doomsday prophet
Johnny Steele
Reggie Steel
Michael Pritchard
Michael Meehan
Michael Meehan
James Schmalz
Jorge Scott
Kirk Rahlman
Contribute:
Hey Monster, is unique in a couple of ways. It features a large number of local comedians, some with real national and international cache. It is a San Francisco home grown production, and unlike a lot of movies, it is entirely shot here. If you grew up watching STREETS of SAN FRANCISCO, or the DIRTY HARRY films,or even NASH BRIDGES, they too were all filmed here, which is sadly not the case today. A film or tv company shoots a day or two of the city, then goes up to Canada for the rest of the production.
This film is the beginning of a locally produced series, featuring local talent, and here in San Francisco, we have loads of talent. The city itself, which I grew up in, has so many interesting, beautiful, captivating vistas and corners, that I am on a constant location and talent scouting mission.
The challenge is this: Can we produce quality comedy films, with interesting stories, and skewer the subjects that need needling, on a modest budget? The answer is yes, but we need a little help. Not being tied into the Hollywood money, our shoe string finances can use a bump or two from anyone interested in supporting local entertainment to be shipped out to the cinematic world.
As an artist, I’ve been making props, costumes, securing locations, casting talent and crew, writing the script and directing, with a few acting parts as well. I am not afraid to do anything to make this endeavor successful. I feel this is a great opportunity that I have finally acquired the necessary skills to pull off, with enormous help from all involved.
I don’t claim to be the Sunset district Fellini, I’ll need to do quite a few films before that can happen, but I do possess a surreal comedy vision, and a real appreciation of our city and all the great people that reside here.
So if you would like to be part of a great artistic experience, I ask you to support our films with a financial contribution in whatever amount you feel comfortable , and I assure you it will be appreciated. We have a scale of donation/investment break downs, but everyone is invited to participate in the fun.
Once we finish and distribute the first film, I know we will attract some good attention and demand for more of this comedic fare. You can be part of this simply by passing on the word of this film, and if you have a few bucks to chip in, well, that is completely welcome.
Thank you for your interest and support.
Michael Meehan
