The Gristle (2001)

Director:

David Portlock

Plot Keywords:

Drugs | Kidney | Desk Clerk | Mistaken Identity | Corpse

Cast

Lyssa Aruda	...	Alden Girl
Kris Andersson	...	Desk Clerk
Orson Bean	...	Mr. Bowen
Al Berman	...	Corpse
Regan Burns	...	Mr. Alden
John Patrick Clerkin	...	Doctor
Barry Corbin	...	Senator Dorm
George Czarnecki	...	Caucasian Bar Patron (as George Cznarecki)
Isabelle Dahlin	...	Smooth White Boys Girlfriend
Michael Dorn	...	Tar
Evan Ellingson	...	Alden Boy (as Evan Ellison)
Kyle Gates	...	Smooth White Boy
Ernie Grunwald	...	Jukebox Guy
Rachael Harris	...	Mrs. Alden
Tomica S. Jenkins	...	Charlene (as Tomica Jenkins)
Leslie Jordan	...	Jake Bennett
Adoni Maropis	...	Louis
Michael McLafferty	...	Bush
Carsten Norgaard	...	Race
Dwayne Perkins	...	African-American Bar Patron
Richard Riehle	...	Starnes
Valente Rodriguez	...	Simone
Geno Taylor	...	Deacon (as Eugene 'Geno' Taylor)
Ian Spencer	...	Policeman
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	Butcher Boy
Mychal Wilson	...	Prince
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Blair Underwood	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
David Portlock

Produced by
Carsten Norgaard	....	co-producer
Jill Silverthorne	....	co-producer
Jill Silverthorne	....	line producer
Geno Taylor	....	producer
Mychal Wilson	....	producer

Film Editing by
Ryan Folsey

Casting by
Justine Hempe
Kevin Scott
Sherry Thomas

Production Design by
John Shea

Costume Design by
Ernesto Martinez

Makeup Department
Vera Zay	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Dave Zimmermann	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Terri Carsley	....	second assistant director
Bettina Godi	....	first assistant director
Cory Paulos	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Terri Carsley	....	second assistant decorator
Dave Zimmermann	....	property master

Camera and Electrical Department
Thomas Bango	....	first assistant camera
Lance Dickinson	....	lighting technician
Pauline Edwards	....	camera loader
Terry Meadows	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Lily Scott	....	wardrobe supervisor

Music Department
Brad Colerick	....	music supervisor
Dave Curtin	....	music supervisor

Transportation Department
Joseph E. Jones	....	driver
Sonny Martinez	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Karen Paulos	....	production assistant
Mychal Wilson	....	entertainment attorney
Mychal Wilson	....	producer's representative

Production Companies

• Allied Entertainment Group Inc.

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies

Runtime:

France:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Allied Entertainment Group Inc.

Trivia:

Was the first film financed with help from the Small Business Adminastration's Guranteed loan program.

Movie Connections:

References "The Addams Family" (1964)

Smacks of film school enthusiasm -- good idea, but half-baked, amateurish delivery

I watched "Gristle" primarily for the presence of Michael Dorn, as I enjoyed his Worf portrayal on Star Trek TNG, but had never seen him out of his makeup. Dorn appears to have a nice presence, and probably has the potential for a profitable acting career. This movie, however, gave him little dramatic challenge, except to prove that he can, indeed, use the "F" word.

It appears that this movie was made by someone who fancied himself as a forward-thinking type, with a social conscience. Yeah--- for 1965. Today, the themes are so belabored and sophomoric and cornball that even Spike Lee's dreadful "Bamboozled" looks good in comparison.

This crime-caper flick has an intricate labrynth of double-, triple-, and quadruple-crosses, but the plot scheme is so convoluted that it collapses upon itself within the first 30 minutes. Mostly, after that point, I simply watched out of momentum, and a mild curiosity about how each scene would play out. There is a great cast here-- you will recognize virtually everyone as a character actor from much better movies. Why are they all in this? I suspect it was 1) The work, and some money, even if modest. 2) Perhaps the director knows all these actors from acting classes and social connections around LA--- you know, perhaps they participated to support him, as a fellow struggling movie guy on the third and fourth tiers of the Hollywood scene. Dunno... but the movie was half-baked--- not really "finished." I gave it a 3, although my affection for the actors involved was undiminished from my admiration of their previous work. Let's hope everybody has moved on to more professional, more carefully done, and more thorough projects since.