INTO THE GARBAGE CHUTE "FLY BOYS"!

I love movies, but it's very seldom that I get to be in one. Sure, I've hung around film sets at various times in my life, but I've never really got to be in front of the camera of a major motion picture - until now.

Actually, I'm not really in the film, but with any luck my car will be (it's a forest green Saturn), and if you squint hard enough, you may even see a wee little Adam at the wheel.

The movie is the upcoming Fly Boys, a rousing, youthful adventure in which a group of smart kids try to outwit a team of bad guys (two of whom will be played by Stephen Baldwin and Tom Sizemore).

Fly Boys is the creation of independent extraordinaire Rocco DeVilliers. He
may not be a household name, but he's quite the talent. Back in 1995, his first feature Pure Race hit the video market and he instantly garnered high marks for his innovative film making techniques. What's more, Rocco has the amazing ability to shoot big caviar scenes on a microwave-burrito budget. If you can find Pure Race on DVD, pick it up. It's a film that's as inspirational to anyone interested in making movies as Robert Rodriuguez's El Mariachi.

Rocco wrote Fly Boys with his brother Jason, and for the last couple of years, he's poured blood, sweat and tears and lots of gasoline into this project. It's practically all he's done for the last twenty-four months.

For the past seven or eight weeks, Rocco and crew have been doing pick-up and effects shots in Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, and lucky for me, I had the opportunity to hang out on set for a fun filled afternoon.

On this particular day, a stretch of highway was closed off in the state of Arizona, and myself as well as several others were called in to do some extra work. The scene in question called for us to drive down the highway, and screech off the side of the road to avoid being hit by - well, I don't want to ruin it, as it's sort of a pivotal scene in the movie. I will say that a helicopter was brought in to get some pretty cool high action shots, and in fact, it got a little closer to my car than I was expecting. Of course the pilot was an expert, so I'm sure I was never in any jeopardy and we just filled in those chips in the paint with fingernail polish.

Rocco is nearly done with the extra shooting, and will now continue the lengthy editing process. Around ten months ago, I was lucky enough to see a special trailer that Jason DeVillier's cut together and it was outstanding. Once again, Rocco has taken what is surely a small budget (how much, I'm not certain) and made it look like a fortune.

Fly Boys stars Stephen Baldwin (The Usual Suspects), Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan), Jesse James (Butterfly Effect), and Reiley McClendon (Pearl Harbor). I can't wait to see this thing. It's going to be a very cool film.

Like I said, Rocco DeVilliers has yet to become a household name, but sooner or later he will be. He's a bundle of absolute cinematic creativity.

Fly Boys is slated to open sometime in 2005.