A film created in partnership with Someday Productions and Siberian Films, which was originally titled Kissy Cousins, Monster Babies and Morphing Elvis, first began production back in the nineties, but it's just now making its way into theatres. From a decade which saw the massive proliferation of Blockbuster video stores, all things Jurassic Park, and men sporting those awful baggy suits, the flick has been renamed The History of Everything Circa 1993 to the Present: Formerly Known as Kissy Cousins, Monster Babies and Morphing Elvis complete with new footage and a slick update - and it's now as big as the dinosaur and ready to take over the silver screen.
Critics are raving about this novel cinematic achievement, already calling it "vintage," "classic," and "the next Rocky Horror Picture Show." Wow. Just wow! And you'll have to see it yourself to find out why.
"Old films never die, but they'll fade away if you let them," says Emmy Award-winning director, writer, and producer, Wayne J. Keeley. Sit with him for more than five minutes and he'll find a segue to turn any conversation over into a plug for the film and THE STORY BEHIND its 25-year gestation.
Insiders still refer to the new version as Kissy Cousins, Monster Babies or sometimes simply KCMB, but the skinny is this: back in 1992, Keeley and his long-time business partner, Emmy-winning producer Craig Dobson, wanted to shoot a horror flick. The problem was, they raised the money for a movie, but just not enough to make a larger-budget horror pic. Coincidentally, it was around that time that Keeley, an avid bibliophile, cinephile, as well as pop-culture enthusiast, had flipped the last page on Michael Crichton's novel Jurassic Park and he just knew that it was destined to become a cinema blockbuster.
Instantly Keeley's creative juices began to flow. He set pen to a fresh yellow legal pad (after all it was the nineties) and drafted a comedy about two wacky producers who are pressured to come up with an idea for the next big celluloid hit. Keeley went on to load it with homages to countless other films and then threw in a pair of kooky Jurassic-period dinosaurs to boot.
"We actually shot long before Jurassic Park was made into a movie," he says. "And the actors kept asking, 'What is this Jurassic crap all about?' We were way ahead of our time!" You have to know Keeley to appreciate how many times that has happened to him.
The first scenes were shot in Florida with the Miami Dolphins Cheerleaders. What was intended to be a low-budget quickie, instead transformed into an epic with a ballooning budget. It took several years to complete, shooting in seven states including the District of Columbia. KCMB stars David Belafonte, Steve Kearney, Jack Plotnick, Nipsey Russell, Dr. Joyce Brothers, Irwin Corey, Michael Medved, Jeffrey Lyons, Mike Memphis, Marty Putz, the Knicks City Dancers, and countless others.
But alas, KCMB never saw theatrical or even straight-to-video release. As these things sometimes happen, it entered what's often known as "distribution hell," according to Keeley, and it was shelved.
Fast forward to 2017. Long-time friend Belafonte reached out to Keeley asking if he could show his children this witty, albeit old comedy starring their dad. "Just put it up on YouTube," he suggested.
While Keeley's interest was piqued, he was trepidatious. Enter Keeley's muse, and wife, Stephanie C. Lyons-Keeley; she and Keeley were equally certain that if they were to dust off KCMB, this wasn't the way. Who'd find it besides Belafonte? And although '90s retro is hot, hot, hot, would people be interested in a somewhat dated, period film? But they agreed it was time to do something - there was too much movie gold in KCMB that deserved to be seen.
In addition to sharing seven kids between them, Lyons-Keeley is also Keeley's creative partner, an Emmy-nominated writer, producer, and professor among other things. Together the pair sat down to write additional material to amp up the original and make it socially and politically relevant to today's audiences. Ultimately, the couple says, "We created a monster, pun intended! We called on favors from countless friends, family, actors and other movie professionals with whom we've worked on other projects."
In fact, two of the actors reprised their roles from 25 years ago. Jack Plotnick, well known as a TV, film, and Broadway actor, teacher, writer, director, and producer reprises his role. Charlie Dobson, a known voice-over actor and radio personality, also reprises his.
With the new footage, The History of Everything...F/K/A KCMB rises to a new level. It clocks in at twenty-five-plus years from beginning to end. Even Boyhood director, Richard Linklater, can't hold a candle to that! It's also been burning up the 2018 film festival circuit, even sought out by some festival directors requesting its entry, raking in an amazing 54 festival laurels thus far. In fact, the film is also in the running for a Guinness World Record!
To keep abreast of the film's ever-growing list of laurels and awards, as well as information about screenings across the globe, please visit: http://somedayprods.com/talking/category/the-history-of-everything-fka-kissy-cousins/. You may also check out the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/284382509.
Someday Productions is owned by Lyons-Keeley in consult with Keeley. It is a company "dedicated to the creation of new and important projects for all genres in the entertainment industry." Lyons-Keeley and Keeley have written, produced, and directed numerous projects which are in various stages of development for theater, film, television, and print. They also co-pen a blog titled Pillow Talking where they do "He Said/She Said" reviews for theatre and other forms of entertainment.
Siberian Films is owned by producer Craig Dobson. It is a company which "tells stories that are memorable and connect with audiences." Siberian produces content for all media and platforms, including marketing and CORPORATE productions, as well as brand entertainment for digital, theatrical and television audiences.
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