Midwest Movie Maker

Winners of the 2015 International Horror Hotel screenplay contest, including Doug Kaufman, third from the left. (That's Skippy the Clown in the front row.)   As with any horror film, there’s a lot of tragedy in screenwriter Doug Kaufman’s scripts. But there’s a lot of life, too. You wouldn’t expect it any less from an artist who experienced more life than most of us in his first 14 years. “I was born and raised by my mom in Chicago,” Kaufman says. He now lives in Detroit. After his mom remarried a railroad professional, Kaufman began what became a series of moves across the country. “We bounced back and forth between Chicago and Boston at least eight times. And when we found a place to live, we moved [in the city] several times. There was a period of 11 years where we moved a total of 19 times.” The moves made it difficult for Kaufman to establish long-term friendships. And he was always the new kid in school. As he entered his teens, Kaufman ran into alcohol and drugs. ...

Are you ready for the Nightmares Film Festival? There’s nothing horrific about the Nightmares Film Festival , a new horror fest concocted by award-winning filmmaker Jason Tostevin and his business partner Chris Hamel. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Nightmares promises to deliver the scares while uniting and elevating horror around the world. The inaugural event takes place October 20 to 23, 2016. Screenings will be held at the Gateway Film Center, named one of the 20 best art houses on the continent by Sundance. “We’re lifelong horror fans who’ve been part of hundreds of festivals,” said Tostevin. “We’re using that experience and those connections to bring the very best horror and genre films from across the globe to one easy-to- reach, welcoming festival that really celebrates horror and genre.” Tostevin, born in New York, calls New Albany, Ohio, home these days. A graduate of The Ohio State University, Tostevin, a writer, fell in love with filmmaking after taking part...

Former roller coaster at Geauga Lake Park While Aurora and Bainbridge Township would love to see a movie studio break ground on the former Geauga Lake and Wildwater Kingdom property, there are presently no deals on the table. “The concept of film studios is ideal,” said Jennifer Syx, president, inSITE Advisory Group. “However, plans are not currently underway for that type of use at the site.” inSITE is working on a development plan with Cedar Fair on behalf of the city and township. Cedar Fair owns the 650-acre property, The development plan is a combined effort between Cedar Fair, Aurora and Bainbridge. It will help Cedar Fair market the property to developers.   Both communities had hopes a movie studio might locate there, telling the Aurora Advocate that a studio could be a “game changer.” Figures shared by Syx with the Advocate included the possibility of 1,000 jobs, more or less. “The communities are certainly desirous of having film studios in this area...

After his star turn in 'Trainwreck,' LeBron is looking for more Hollywood opportunities It’s getting even hotter in Cleveland. LeBron James ’ SpringHill Entertainment group and producer Bill Lawrence ( Scrubs , Spin CIty ) will use Cleveland as the setting of a new NBC sitcom. The show, titled There Goes the Neighborhood , follows “the first white family to move into a predominantly black, newly gentrified neighborhood in Cleveland.” Cleveland.com described it as a reverse Jeffersons . Neil Goldman, Garrett Donovan and Ron Funches will write and co-executive produce. James’ SpringHill Entertainment, part of LRMR Management, sold a second series to NBC as well. The drama is based on the life of Dr. James Andrews, a sports medicine surgeon. SpringHill and James already have two shows on the air - Cleveland Hustles on CNBC and Survivor’s Remorse on Starz. A third, The Wall , is a game show set to debut on NBC. There Goes the Neighborhood will join other sitco...

Adam Scott returns to Cleveland to shoot 'Little Evil' with Evangeline Lilly for Netflix Adam Scott, best known for his role as Ben Wyatt on Parks & Rec , is back in Northeast Ohio shooting the new Netflix horror-comedy Little Evil . Scott spent time in the Buckeye State last summer shooting My Blind Brother with Jenny Slate and Nick Kroll. Locations for Brother included Lakewood and Westlake. Evangeline Lilly co-stars. You’ll know Lilly from her role as Hope Van Dyne in Ant-Man and the upcoming Ant-Man and The Wasp , as well as Kate on Lost . Eli Craig directs from a script he wrote. Craig made the cult classic Tucker and Dale vs Evil . The film will shoot in part at Greenwood Farm in Richmond Heights. The historic farm served as a location for the horror film The Bye Bye Man as well. Little Evil is about a man who marries a woman only to discover that her 6-year-old son may be the Antichrist. The film also stars Ohio-native Clancy Brown . Littl...

#TeamCap ready for battle The beauty of Captain America: Civil War is brilliantly captured in the arc of its main villain, Sokovian military specialist Helmut Zemo. Zemo, as portrayed by Daniel Bruhl , appears at first glance to be your run-of-the-mill super villain, intent on world domination. Instead Zemo turns out to be everything but your run-of-the-mill super villain. (I’ll do my best not to spoil anything - but please be forewarned). Zemo, turns out, is human . His motivation is relatable. You feel for the guy, in a way you would never feel for the Red Skull, Crossbones or any super-powered evil-doer of the last decade (Raimi's Doc Ock in Spider-Man 2 the only exception) . Zemo isn’t a villain you love to hate. He’s a villain with whom you empathize. By and large, that same sentiment goes for every character in the film. And pretty quick you realize that Civil War is less a bombastic superhero thrill ride (though it delivers on that promise in spades), and muc...