Always Something Better / Never Look Back

Official Selection - Hollywood Film Festival, Cannes '97, IFP Independent Feature Film Market '96, South Beach Film Festival, Berlin, Sydney, Philadelphia

From Variety review:

"'Merge 'Ruby in Paradise' with 'The Birdcage,"... "and you have 'Always Something Better,' a trifling low-budget indie filmed in and around Miami's South Beach."

"Director Steve Kinsella's wispy screenplay focuses on Jill (Nicole Freeman), a young woman who's eager to see what life is like in the world outside her hometown of New Smyrna, Fla. The steroid-induced rages of her boyfriend, Keith (Chris Sery), are getting worse all the time, so Jill drives to South Beach to find work as a fashion model. She befriends a couple of sassy and brassy drag queens, Billee (Candis Cayne) and Mona (Girlina), who give her encouragement and a few makeup tips. With their help, Jill is well on her way to fame and fortune as an international supermodel within two months. Keith eventually shows up to make a nuisance of himself, but even he isn't able to impede Jill's relentless rise."

"Cayne and Girlina sporadically liven up the proceedings by talking trash and shaking their groove things. It's quite possible that, were they on camera more often, their antics would grow tedious. But whenever they're not around, pic seems to be operating on automatic pilot."

Camera (color), Jorge Diaz Amador; editor, Kristen M. Frascione; music supervisor, Michael Manglaforte; art direction, Shawn Felicer; sound, John Freeman. Reviewed on videocassette, Houston, Oct. 16, 1997. (In Hollywood Film Festival.) Running time: 85 MIN.

Cast:

Nicole Freeman: Jill
Chris Sery: Kieth
Candis Cayne: Billee
Girlina: Mona
Stephen Kinsella: Oliver
David Asili: Maurice
Tony Pompile: Jake
Angel Boris: Kathy
Christina Rumore: Cindy
Patricia Cook: Jean
David Anthony Pizzuto: Jack Kendall
Carolyn SeRine: Madeline
Greg Pittman: Kenny
Chad Ayers: Sal
Brian David: Arnie
Jason Varge: Lothario
Christian Bodegaard: Michael
Daphne Parker: Mary
Christian Olave: Photo Assistant
Erin Carmack: Audrey
Mario Ingoglia: Bouncer
Jason Adams: Valet

Crew:

John Kinsella: Executive Producer
Stephen Kinsella: Producer
Mark Montgomery: Producer
Andy Schefter: Producer

Director of Photography: Jorge Diaz-Amador

Film Editor: Kristin M. Frascione
Art Director: Shawn Felker
Sound Mixer: John Freeman
Make-Up: Darvell Freeman, Mario Ingoglia, John Wright
Script Supervisor: J.D. Disalvatore

A Camera Operator: Jorge Diaz-Amador
1st Camera Assistant: Johnathan Millman
2nd Camera Assistant: Hilit Dyan
Steadicam: Dan Earl

Gaffer: Edgar Cabral
Key Grip: Albert D. Abdool
Best Boy: Mario Ingoglia

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Never Look Back is available for purchase on VHS at Amazon.com.

Trivia:

Never look back is Angel Boris' first role in a feature film. Although principal photography for Suicide Blonde began a week before Never Look Back, and the two shoots were concurrent, Never Look Back was released first.
Eduardo Carillo, the director of Suicide Blonde, came to visit the set of Never Look Back, shooting only blocks away on Miami Beach, and asked Jorge to do some additional photography for Suicide Blonde once Never Look Back wrapped.

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Never Look Back / Always Something Better Links:

Internet Movie DataBase page for "Always Something Better"

The Hollywood Film Festival

OBN-TV.com/programs/MOVIETIME_Films/

Reviews:

The New York Times

A nice review of Never Look Back by Bobbi Jacobs on gay.com

Technical:

Format: 16mm; 1.33:1 TV Safe on video transfer, 1.85:1 common topline with TV on 35mm blow-up)
Camera: Arriflex 16SRII (camera and lenses supplied by CinemaTechnic - back when we were Diaz-Amador Productions, Inc.)
Lenses: Angenieux 12-120mm T2.1 HEC, Cooke 9-50mm T2.5, Zeiss 8mm T2.1, 9.5mm T1.3.
Filmstock: Kodak 7245, 7293
Laboratory: Du-Art (negative processing, video dailies, answer print, 35mm blow-up)