The Long Island Project (2006)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Directors:

Eric Norcross
Francisco Pina

Writers:

Eric Norcross (screenplay)
Francisco Pina (characters)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The State of Long Island

Plot:

A group of industrialists file for a movement to secede the region of Long Island from New York to form the first ever socialist State of Long Island.

Plot Keywords:

Socialist | Secession | New York City | Long Island New York | Senate

Cast

Kevin Gall	...	Johnnie Tramain
Chris Diaz	...	Rasputin O'Dwyer
Jack Moran II	...	Conrad Moynihan
John 'J.T.' Tully	...	Senator Deakins
Dawn Simonds	...	Jennifer Parks
Greg Vorob	...	Agent Alphonso
Katie Jergens	...	Meredith Vowel
Robert Youngren	...	Monticello Palermo
Shareef McIntosh	...	Wesley Brownstone
Ollie Sloan Jr.	...	Moynihan Employee 1 (Jimmy)
Ana Gutierrez	...	Moynihan Employee 2 (Anna)
Henry Hyde	...	Himself
Francisco Pina	...	Eugene / Palermo's Hitman
Eric Norcross	...	Insane Long Islander
Claudia Mancino	...	Long Islander 1

Runtime:

USA:73 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Eric Norcross/Francisco Pina Productions

Trivia:

John 'JT' Tully who plays "Senator Deakins" did an impersonation of Bill O'Reilly during his audition. Eric liked it so much that he wrote it into the "Daybreak New York" news sequence when Deakins tells Meredith to "shut up."

Goofs:

Plot holes: In Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, after Rasputin receives his subpoena, he mentions a woman named "Lilly." Lilly was a character that was abruptly cut out of the script and the production on the first day of photography. This scene was shot early the first day, but the decision was made later that evening when the actress dropped out.

Quotes:

Senator Deakins: Look here, I have a dossier on every member of the secession council, hell I know more about them than they know about themselves.

Soundtrack:

Joyride

Oh Dear Lord...

Is Long Island really going to secede? According to this movie, no. But with every piece of fiction comes a piece of truth and let's keep an eye out on current events to see if fiction really does influence life.

In this odd story, a couple of small business men and mega-corporate types begin a political movement to secede Long Island from New York. For those who don't understand this kind of hip Washington DC talk, basically they've chosen a block of land (in this case Long Island) and decided to make it a separate state. What the film delves into more, is a more fictional response, in the sense that a NY State Senator (played by John Tully) goes ape-sh*t and orders a couple of clandestine agents to keep tabs on their escalating movement.

What I would have preferred is that the director's show more of the political strategies that had to be taken and the types of documents that needed to be filed in a situation like this. With limited resources I can understand why they went the Hollywood route with it. Although there is quite a few attempts with snippets of the main characters going from house to house in various LI communities to gather signatures from residents and meetings with political figureheads (like the Brooklyn Borough President). As well there's even a fake Senate Hearing. An impressive addition was the real life cameo of late Illinois Congressman Henry Hyde, who is portrayed as supporting the antagonist with his illegal operations. Interesting approach.

The aesthetics of the movie were impressive all around. The video work (can't say cinematography, it was shot on DV) was exceptional when compared to other DV movies and even some feature length films. The music score was top notch and the visual effects will go UN-noticed, therefor top quality as well.

10/10 - An achievement in digital cinema.