Interrogation - A Movie That Felt Like A Roller Coaster Ride

Ciao a tutti,

I was invited to see a screening of a movie short called "Interrogation" at the Raleigh Studios Charlie Chaplin Theater in Hollywood by a very beautiful lady, Ellen Bradley Ganus. The movie with Producers Don LaFontaine, Paul Pape, Josh Daugherty and Red Wall Productions starred her husband Paul Ganus, and that is as much as I knew about the movie.

I said hello to Ellen as I walked in and she introduced her husband and some friends that were sitting next to her in a packed theater that sat about 100 of her closest friends, Industry folk, business associates, and I was to find out later, some of the leading Doctors in the world. But I am getting ahead of myself.

I sat myself down and directed my attention at the big screen directly above me as the screening was about to start. Then without a warning I was taken on one of the most emotional roller coaster rides of my life. I couldn't believe it. No one had said anything about this movie, at least they could have said "fasten your seat belt." This was a ride, and for the actors a ride of their life, literally, especially Paul himself.

It was a short like no other, that packed a punch and hit you right were it hurts. It was the true story of Paul and Ellen's experience with their little boy's disease, aplastic anemia, which is a condition where the bone marrow stops working. I'm getting choked up just thinking about it. I don't know how much I want to say, but I think these were the longest fourteen minutes, or whatever it was, I have ever experienced in a movie theater.

Needless to say, the movie was well made and acted. Oh, and get this, you want a tear jerker, the part of the dying son was played by their actual son Tyler and the frightened daughter/sister, their daughter Spencer, and yes the grieving mother, Ellen herself.

I did not know Ellen very well at that point and so I didn't know that those were her kids and I didn't know this whole story or how it ended. And though I don't want to tell you too much so as to not spoil the story in case you happen to see it, I have to tell you this part. At the end of the film, amongst tears and angst, Paul spoke to the audience as Ellen left the room. I thought it was because she couldn't handle it, but happily, it was because she went left to go get Spencer and Tyler, her daughter and son, the star of the show himself.

He walked in all smiles and waved at everyone and you have never seen a roller coaster of emotions take that whole room from sadness to joyfulness and gratitude for the life and smile of this little blessed boy. Actually, if you see the whole family, they all look blessed. Now you understand why the Doctors where there. And to understand why it was called "Interrogation," you just have to see the movie.


Above is a picture of Ellen and I and below it a picture including her husband Paul. At any rate, like anything else I do, there is usually an Italian connection. As I left the screening and headed to the after party, I was followed by a beautiful young lady, no doubt, she used to be a model. When she finally caught up with me, with her man in toe, she said, "excuse me, aren't you Filippo Voltaggio?" I smiled and answered back yes. She went on to say that she enjoyed me in the "Three Paisans" last week and that she was Joey Gian's sister, Nicole Giangrosso, one of the "Three Paisans."

We got into this discussion of "what kind of Italian are you?" She had come up with a system I had never heard before of using the city in America where one is born and combining it with the word "Italian," and that was how she determined what kind of Italian one was. It was actually quite humorous and I unfortunately can't remember how it all played out but I hope she will comment on this when she sees this post and tell us all how it works.

Here is a picture of John Ware and I, the Founder and Executive Director of a really interesting film competition that was going on as we spoke. It is called the "168 Hour Film Project - a theme, a verse, a week."

If I have it right, all the entrants gather as the competition starts and are told the theme of this year's contest. Then they all pick papers out of a hat in which there is written a verse from the Bible. From there they have a week, hence the 168 hours, to create a film from start to finish staying within the theme and using the Bible verse. He told me what the theme was this year but I am not allowed to say it. I hope he gives us an update however because it has certainly peeked my curiosity.

There were many other Industry people there with whom I took pictures but unfortunately I can't remember every one's names and not every one had cards on them, because they weren't there to mix, they were there to see a movie and support the Ganus Family.

But that didn't stop me from taking pictures and having a great time at the after party. Whoever can identify some of these people, please comment so we all can know who they are.


This one lady however I cannot forget. She made me an offer I could not refuse. I took it as a big compliment. She is Jody, a Membership Counselor for "Together - Let Us Introduce You." We were hitting it off so well and then she hit me with the question, "Are you single?"

I wasn't sure if she was going to propose to me right there or what. In actuality, she did, she proposed that she could make me a member of "Together" for free because she thought I would be a good asset, or she liked my asset, I don't remember much after that.

Evidently, she has a roster of over 1600 singles who have paid for her services. She's a matchmaker, and she does it the old fashioned way. She actually has met all these people and has hand picked them and matches them up without a computer except the ingenious one in her head. Isn't that cool?







I didn't know people still did that. I first heard of that in the movie "Fiddler on the Roof" when I saw it as a kid. I am sure there is an Italian version of a matchmaker, other than Italian Mothers, and I wonder what she would be called. At any rate, I was flattered and a good time was had by all.

That is amazing to say after the kind of movie we had all just seen, but it had a happy ending, a very happy ending!

To the Ganus family, and to their HEALTH!

Filippo

P.S. Bringing it back to the Italian connection, here is an "Interrogation" of another kind. This is a video I found on Youtube.com and it is in Italian, but I would venture to guess that anyone can figure it out. That is, anyone but the beautiful young ladies in the video who have talents to offer other than being able to recognizing the images presented them in the Italian weekly game show "La Pupa E Il Secchione - Interrogazione Pupe." (In Italian)