News in the arts: 'Cigarette Girl' set for Aussie premiere

By Staff Reports

Friday, July 3, 2009

Longtime Memphis moviemaker John Michael McCarthy leaves town Tuesday for an almost three-week tour of Australia that will include the premiere Friday of his latest feature, "Cigarette Girl," at the prestigious Revelation Perth International Film Festival.

Shot in Memphis this past fall and earlier this year, "Cigarette Girl" takes place in the year 2035, when cigarette smoking is illegal except in ghettoized neighborhoods that have been labeled "smoking sections." Cori Dials stars as the title rogue nightclub employee, a pistol-packing, fishnet-stockinged nicotine addict whose attempt to kick the coffin-nail habit leaves several interfering miscreants in coffins of their own.

"Cigarette Girl" tentatively is set to have its Memphis premiere on Sept. 10 at the Malco Paradiso, in what would be the first collaboration between the Indie Memphis Film Festival and the On Location: Memphis International Film Fest.

Known as "the godfather of Memphis independent film," McCarthy, 46, is a self-styled exploitation auteur whose works show the influence of comic books, drive-in "B" movies and rock and roll; in turn, he has been an inspiration to such local moviemakers as Craig Brewer.

After Perth, McCarthy said, he will screen "Cigarette Girl" in Sydney, and will show some of his past films, including "Teenage Tupelo" and "Elvis Meets the Beatles," at various cinemas, clubs and taverns in Australia. He said he plans to use his off time in the Antipodes to write a Western.

John Beifuss: 529-2396

Brewer doggedly at work on 'Terriers'

Director Craig Brewer is in California this week working on "Terriers," a pilot for the FX network, executive produced by Shawn Ryan, creator of the acclaimed FX police drama, "The Shield," and Ted Griffin, screenwriter of Steven Soderbergh's "Ocean's Eleven" and the frontier-cannibal instant cult classic, "Ravenous."

As part of the pre-production preparation, Brewer -- director of such made-in-Memphis features as "Black Snake Moan" and the Oscar-winning "Hustle & Flow" -- is helping to cast the pilot. "Terriers" should go before the cameras in August, with Brewer directing.

Brewer, 37, described "Terriers" as part-comedy, part-drama "buddy show" about an ex-cop turned private eye and his partner. The pilot was written by Griffin, and Brewer said the action and dialog contain the same sort of "snap and crackle and pop" found in Griffin's film scripts.

Brewer previously worked with Ryan when he directed "Petty Cash," the third-to-last episode in the seventh and final season of "The Shield."

John Beifuss: 529-2394

Designing men

Two Theatre Memphis designers collected awards last week in Tacoma, Wash., during the annual meeting of the American Association of Community Theatre.

Andre Bruce Ward, resident costume designer, received certificates for outstanding costume design for this season's productions of "Cyrano" and "Curtains." He also received a lifetime achievement award for 35 years of service to community theater.

Set designer Christopher McCollum, who joined the Theatre Memphis staff in 2007, picked up an award for his set for "Night of the Iguana," which was staged in 2008.

Ward and McCollum make a formidable design team. Last season, they both won Ostranders -- the awards that recognize excellence in local theater -- for their work on the musical "Thoroughly Modern Millie."

This year's Ostranders will be held in August.

Christopher Blank