Nothing kid-like about The Powderkids

By Chris Perez

Just listening to Buddy Calvo, director of the upcoming indie film The Powderkids, was like watching a kid read his Christmas list to Santa Clause. The gleam in his eye, the excitement in his voice, the motioning of his hands...Calvo couldn't wait to tell his story. And when the film is screened at Santikos Palladium theater on Thursday, the audience can witness for themselves exactly why this young director was so anxious.

Calvo and producer, Perla Rivera, are no newbies in the indie film world. In 2008, the two collaborated on Jacob, another low budget film, which like Powderkids, is based on true events.

Like Lucas, the protagonist in The Powderkids, Calvo also took a break from college to find something, another calling if you will. What he found instead were his old high school friends, pretty much doing the same ol' same ol', being wild, partying, and using drugs, but having a thrill ride of their own nonetheless.

"I went to UTSA for a few years. I had a full scholarship, but my grades started slipping," Calvo said. "I had to have a certain grade-point-average for that scholarship, and sure enough I wasn't making it so I left.

That's when Calvo said he began hanging out with his old friends whom suggested that he follow them around and make a movie about their lives.

"That was a weird time," Calvo admits. "I was at Kinko's, I just left UTSA, I broke up with my girlfriend. I had nothing to do."

He said at first, he thought following his friends was just a waste of time. It wasn't until his friend Joe Gallegos, another of the film's producers, suggested Calvo make a movie involving drugs. Calvo said one of his initial thought was a movie about girls and cocaine, possibly called The Powder Room.

Gallegos thought it would be better if the film revolved around him, Calvo, and a few other friends, suggesting they call it The Powderkids. The name stuck.

"It really is a collection of stories," Calvo said. " In the credits it says written and directed by Buddy Calvo. Stories by Buddy Calvo and Joe Gallegos."

So the idea of a few friends involved in a world of drugs just so happened to take shape in this 90-minute drama. Don't let the drama tag fool you. Calvo promised enough action to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

Those viewers can also expect to see lots of newcomers in this movie. For being a little "green," as he put it, Calvo said the actors were very convincing. Stephanie Hunter is one of the only faces you may remember if you happened to catch his last film, Jacob.

People should keep in mind the actors were not paid for the long hours they put into this production. The other female lead, Tasja Sachs, said she had so manipulate her time in order to shoot her scenes.

"I worked at FedEx and had to take a lot of time off," Sachs said. "I used all the vacation time, sick days and floating holidays I had. I almost got fired because I spent so much time on the film"

Sachs also recalled an incident in which she called in to work from the set of the movie and had to put on another performance for them as she played the sick role. It was all worth it she admits.

"I totally loved my character. I could relate to her because I have so many friends that are party girls," Sachs said while hiccuping during a phone interview. She admitted to having a few drinks prior to the interview, only proving that she was a reflection of the fun party girl she played in the movie.

After shooting for nine months, and editing for another three or so, Calvo hopes his small budget production will get a huge turnout. His company, Machina Cinema is currently working on smaller projects and taking a percentage of those earnings to put toward his next film.

Even though the company's budget was far from grand, don't expect a cheesy product. Whereas most movies are screened on dvd, The Powderkids will screened on Blu-Ray.

The Powderkids will be screened Thrusday August 19 and Thrusday August 26 at Santikos Palladium Theater located at The Rim on the city's northwest side. Tickets are available online at www.machinacinema.com. But tickets are going fast and will not be sold at the door, so be sure to purchase them soon.

For more information, follow The Powderkids on Twitter @The_Powderkids and find them on Facebook at facebook.com/the.powderkids.

Looking for local business and their owners

So I've decided to try this new thing where I, San Antonio's very own TheGossipGuy, go out to local places of business that I think may interest my FB friends. I think I'll try this on a weekly basis or more if time permits. The plan is, I will go to businesses listed on my page and will write up my own review of what I think makes this place what it is (ie. the food, products, services, etc.).

Hopefully local business owners will welcome me rather than run me out...lol! So watch out everyone. I'll be out there lurking around your stores, restaurants, and whatever else you got. Please see terms and conditions below.


Void where prohibited in Texas. You may send me a message via FB to let me know of best day to swing by for specials, sales, drinks, etc. May arrive with company or alone. I reserve the right to walk out if not completely satisfied....LOL

All due respect to SAPD

I have to admit, I'm not a big enthusiast when it comes to our local police force. And it's not because I don't think they're doing their jobs right, or because I have it out for them. It's like that common customer service saying:

(and this is totally not a direct quote...lol) The bad experiences will always outweigh the good ones. A person is more likely to tell ten people about bad service as opposed to talking about a good experience they've had somewhere.

This is me with our local police. It seems to me that although I have run across some great police officers, I often remember the bad experiences most. So I should apologize for coming across as if all of our uniformed men and women in the police department are not worthy of recognition. It's just my trashy mouth spewing out word vomit for all of my FB friends. Sorry guys.

I remember being a freshman sophmore in high school and not officially having my driver's license. I was working at McDonald's at the time, and was driving my brother's truck. I shouldn't have been driving, but at the time there was no one else in the house that could pick me up or take me to work. I would usually get out at midnight or later, and didn't feel safe walking home 2 miles in the dark. So one night I'm driving one of the girls home because she didn't have a vehicle and lived in the area. I just so happened to turn right at an intersection where a sign was posted "no turn on red." Being young and naive, I didn't even see it and turned anyway.

Needless to say, I was pulled over immediately by SA's finest. The woman officer was quick to jump on my case and point out that I didn't have a license and that I made an illegal turn. She was dead set on citing me. A few seconds later, another young officer came over to see what was going on. The gentleman somehow felt compassion for me and asked the other officer to give me a break because it was late and I was young, and I was trying to get home from work. After a little bit of a debate amongst the two officers, they let me off with a warning. I never did forget that policeman. He was one of the kindest police officers I had ever encountered. I was very thankful he was there.

Another time (maybe 10 years ago), I had been in a minor accident and realized I didn't have my proof of insurance in my truck. The officer who responded to the scene asked why? I had to try and explain that my mother had borrowed my vehicle and possibly taken out my insurance card. He said he was going to issue a citation unless I was able to provide him with that card. He allowed me to make a phone call and have my mom bring the card to me. He didn't have to do that, but he did. Again, I was thankful for his help.

I can't say there haven't been ocassions where I was let off with a warning. I'd be lying if I did. It's like one of my FB friends, Rudy, pointed out: There's good and bad in everything. I've been more quick to point out the bad, and haven't even said that I've had some great experiences with police.

Earlier I made an awful remark about an incident involving a fatality with former SAPD spokesperson, Sgt Gabe Trevino. It was an ugly thing to say. I wasn't there, and I can't base judgement when I don't really know what actions were taken and what they were based on. It was a total blow below the belt, and for that I apologize. I also give kudos to my friend Paula, who works closely with the police department and gets to see everything from the inside and out.

Thanks for letting me vent a little and then making me realize that I should take a step back. Yes, I've complained about the police force many times in the past. But I have to realize that not all of them are bad apples (although you have to agree that there are those few...don't make me name cases...LOL).

Student debt and the real world.

Ok, this is the story of a young girl named Cortney Munna. The 26-year-old NYU alum currently resides in San Francisco where she works for a photographer, making $22 dollars an hour. Not too bad for a girl from upstate New York with a Bachelor's degree in religious and women's studies.

WRONG!!!

So apparently the New York Times thought this girls story was interesting. Interesting in the fact that Munna now owes back almost $100,000 in student loans ($97,000 to be exact, but what's $3,000 right?). So now this 2005 graduate is freaking out over her tuition bill and on top of that, taking night classes so that she can continue to defer them. IT'S CALLED INTEREST, YOU DUMB ASS! Maybe she should at least bother looking into that since she never bothered looking at prices in the beginning.

Let's start from the beginning as I quote a bit of Ron Lieber's article in the New York Times (June 1, 2010). "Like many middle-class families, Cortney Munna and her mother began the college selection process with a grim determination. They would do whatever they could to get Cortney into the best possible college, and they maintained a blind faith that the investment would be worth it." (The evident word here being "blind." The not so evident, but pretty much commone sense word being "stupid."

How the hell do you do you consider going a school you can't afford on "blind faith." I just wanna rip that degree from her stupid mantle! UGH!!! Lieber continues in his article that "universities like N.Y.U. enrolled students without asking many questions about whether they could afford a $50,000 annual tuition bill."

I'm sorry, this just makes me laugh. (Give me a moment to compose myself) Being a college graduate myself, I've never expected a school to counsel me on how expensive or inexpensive their tuition was going to be. It's all laid out for student prospects in their literature. I'm sorry if I don't feel this least bit sorry for Munna. It's called reading. Anyone with the slightest interest in going to college should at least be able to do that.

Again I have to quote Lieber when he suggests it's the jobs of financial aid departments of colleges and universities. "But perhaps the biggest share lies with colleges and universities because they have the most knowledge of the financial aid process. And I would argue that they had an obligation to counsel students like Ms. Munna, who got in too far over their heads."

I really don't think these colleges and universities give a shit when you're giving them your money. All they see is dollar signs. We have to remember that the business office is exactly that....a business office! They only want your business. And as long as you're willing to spend with them, they're more than happy to have you. The financial aid office is there for you to seek out and inquire all you want. You, Mr. Lieber, should know this, as writing for the New York Times, I can only imagine you are a college graduate.

I was lucky enough to have awesome counselors in high school that warned us as juniors and seniors what to expect in college, and gave us tips on where to find that funding. Mrs. Berry, if you're reading this, BRAVO! I've always admired you as a counselor.

I wasn't very priveleged. In fact, I wasn't priveleged at all. But I had a brain, and I knew how to use it. I did my all the leg work to find a college that was going to suit me. A college that I could afford, and a college that offered the program I was most interested in. Yes, it was a public university. But you know what, I've got that degree, and yes, it's accredited. So 4 years and about $20,000 later, I still hadn't found the job I was quite looking for, so I went to grad school.

Once again, I looked at the cost, weighed the pros and cons, did the leg work I thought was necessary, and enrolled in a local private institution. Another $40, 000 and one M.A. later (now totalling about $60,000), I'm still nowhere near the debt Munna has dug herself in.

So here's my advice to you, Cortney. Next time (if there is one), do the math, use your brain, and use a little common sense! But until then, good luck. I'd be crying right now with that kind of debt.

Jay Leno and Kevin Eubanks Split Up

After 18 years with The Tonight Show, Kevin Eubanks is leaving to pursue his music career. And who can blame him? I'm not sure how long I'd have been able to put up with an indecisive, overrated, former comedian. I mean really...if you're going to retire.....then RETIRE! Don't start whining about someone younger and funnier taking over your former spot. That's why it's called retirement, because you're outta there!!

And according to EW.com, Eubanks didn't even get a great send off from Leno. He performed an original instrumental called "Adoration," then had the host himself walk over and according to Adam B. Vary "the two shared what has to be one of the more awkward hugs between two grown men I’ve ever seen."

Very nice Leno. Once again, you've proven to be a real douche bag! Good luck to you Kevin.

Beer Tax? Washington not happy.

So I just heard that Congress has decided it would be a great idea to hike up beer tax. It was a proposal pitched by Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa). According to the New York Post, it was a proposal the senators didn't exactly support, but rather just pitched as a way of paying for the President's healthcare reform plan.

So now beer drinkers in Washington will be spending another $.28 per six-pack. It's what some residents there referred to as a "sin tax." The new tax goes into affect on Tuesday, giving holiday drinkers just a couple of days to enjoy their beer of choice before getting slapped with the higher taxes.

And it isn't just beer tax that will be going up. Bottled water and candy will also be affected. Next month, soda also gets a higher tax. Just another one of the meager luxuries that hard working Americans will be forced to pay more for. It seems the government these days is trying to get their hands on everything, taking over everything, telling us what they think is good/not good for us.

When does it end? When we become the new communist country? I guess it's supposed to help the government meet their budgets, but why should it be at the expense of hard working lower class families and individuals who already have enough trouble of their own trying to make ends meet? Today Washington, tomorrow Texas perhaps. It is too much to ask to just let me enjoy a beer now and then? :(

Sex and the City

So I saw another ad For SATC2 while watching and episode of the actual show. I think the plot is almost ridiculous for this movie, but because all my friends will be watching it, I guess I must too. It's slated to be a big spectacle, maybe even bigger than the original. But I wonder if the writers are running out of ideas. How far fetched is it that Carrie travels halfway around the world and runs into her ex. WEIRD!

I guess what I really wanted to talk about is the characters in the show. For those of you who watched the entire run of the series, you'll remember how in the first season they actually had like mini confessionals with random characters in any given episode. I was so glad they stopped that. And remember how much each character had changed after that first season. Charlotte had like a closeted slutty side to her. She later became such a prude.

What I like is how groups of friends always connect with the group of friends on the show. For anyone who saw Bruno (which I didn't, but I recall the trailer), or at least the trailer, you'll recall how he's out in the woods with some hunters and he asks which SATC character they would be. It's true. You hear friends amongst themselves often comparing which friend would be which character. (Raising hand) I know because I've been a victim of this.

What makes me laugh though is that I've been compared to almost every character on there, depending on which friend of mine and at what time in my life you were referring to. I can see a little bit of myself in each one, but I would really hate to be labeled any one in particular. Just because they're all a little too much in their own ways. I think it's funny thought when I hear someone compare me to Carrie because I'm a writer. I have to think to myself, "come on, I'm a news writer, not a columnist. And I truly hope I don't whine quite as much as she does!"

Did you even notice how much she complained about everything. I once told a friend of mine that she was the equivalent to Brenda on 90210, only because he was such a Shannen Dougherty fan. So then just a few months ago, someone had made me aware of a show that had some similarities to SATC. The show is called Noah's Ark. I don't know how many of you have seen this, but let me warn you now...it's ridiculous! What I'm saying is that it's just something I don't care to watch. I don't want someone to misinterpret what I'm saying like the word "sick" being used to describe something that back in my childhood days would have been "bad ass." I think you get the picture.

So this movie comes out like in less than a month and I've already gotten offers from so many different friends about when and how and where we will be watching this film. If they all wanted to do it on different days, it would be simple. But turns out everyone wants to go to the midnight show the night before it opens. This might be a problem. So now I have to find out which of my friends are going to really go all out, so that I may base my decision on that. Well come on, I'm Mr. Popularity, I've got to go with a group of people who are going to make an impression.

So which character am I? I'd love to hear your thoughts. And to refrain from embarassing me, you may send me a message rather than just posting something for everyone to see. But for those of you who don't give a damn, please....PLEASE....feel free to make a fool of me. Afterall, comments can be deleted...LOL!