This Friday, Rooftop Films will show Bloomin Mud Shuffle, Frank V. Ross’s dramedic tale of a melancholy lovesick house painter. We’re excited to welcome Ross back to the roof after screening his feature Tiger Tail in Blue during the 2013 Summer Series. We also noticed that Ross has amassed a group of short film all-stars to act in his new film. So here’s a collection of short films spotlighting the acting chops of Bloomin Mud Shuffle‘s cast.
Fruits de Mer (Dir. Hala Matar, 2014)—Featuring James Ransone
Surreal sound mixing dominates infidelity tale Fruits de Mer, which makes James Ransone’s third-act entrance as a singer all the more mystifying. On Friday, Ransone can be seen as Lonnie, the hero of Bloomin Mud Shuffle. If he looks familiar to avid followers of the Rooftop Summer Series, you might recognize him from Tuesday night’s screening of Tangerine, in which he played Chester. Or perhaps you’re remembering him from season two of The Wire. Acting!
Memory By Design (Dir. Nathan Punwar, 2011)—Featuring Alexia Rasmussen
To some extent, this Vimeo Staff Pick defies verbal description. In this exploration of memory and documentation, Nathan Punwar offers up a trippy glitchfest that showcases some beautiful projector work. Alexia Rasmussen plays one of three characters wrapped up in this swirling piece. In Bloomin Mud Shuffle, you can see her play Monica, a college-age receptionist with whom Lonnie falls in love.
Actor Seeks Role (Dir. Michael Tyburski, 2015)—Featuring Alex Karpovsky
Alex Karpovsky plays Lonnie’s sardonic best friend Chuck in Bloomin Mud Shuffle, and his deadpan style feels right at home in this darkly comic short. Aspiring actor Paul (Karpovsky) pays the bills as a mock patient for training medical students. If you missed Actor Seeks Role at Rooftop’s very own This Is What We Mean By Short Films program, you can watch it right now courtesy of the New Yorker.
Now that you’ve met the cast, catch Bloomin Mud Shuffle this Friday at the Old American Can Factory!
**Keep an eye out for more posts from Short Cuts, where we’ll be spotlighting short films from Rooftop Films Summer Series filmmakers.**