War Eagle - Arkansas, The Movie

War Eagle - Arkansas is a drama about a young man's struggle the summer following his Senior Year in high school. Should the good-looking baseball player (Enoch Cass played by Luke Grimes) leave his family and his best friend (Wheels played by Dan McCabe) to pursue a dream career in the sport he loves? Or, will his debilitating stutter prevent such a move? Or, should he remain by the side of Wheels who is confined to a wheelchair because of cerebral palsy?

And, what about his girlfriend (Abby played by Misti Traya)? What does his mother (Belle played by Mare Winningham) have to say about it? Or, his grandfather (Pop played by Brian Dennehy)? Wheels is mentored by a video store manager and part-time preacher (Jack played by James McDaniel) and his mother (Jessie played by Mary Kay Place).

Executive Producer Vince Insalaco assembled a first-rate crew to tell the story using the beauty of the Ozark Mountains as a backdrop. Graham Gordy's screenplay is brought to life by Director Robert Milazzo and Director of Photography Masanobu Takayanagi.

Twelve Arkansans have speaking roles and dozens of others appear throughout the movie.

Our Online Little Rock webmaster is among the dozens. "This was my first time on a movie set, and I was simply wowed by the professionalism of everyone involved. We walked into a building and the crew scurried every direction setting up the camera and lighting, running electrical cords...and, then, bam -- they were ready in less than 30 minutes!"

"I was one of six carrying a coffin out of the building and loading it in a hearse. First Assistant Director Chris Carroll explained our role quite simply. We were to pick up the coffin, not hit the camera that was set up about two inches over the coffin, and slowly walk out of the building."

"The first part was easy. We picked up the coffin. The second part about not hitting the camera gave us a little trouble -- because we hit it! But I think we only did that once."

"My second job was to drive the hearse away once it was loaded. Which I must have done twenty times! There was a radio in the hearse so I could hear Chris give instructions like speed up, slow down, etc. Then there was the Cut, Reset. Cut of course meant I could stop driving. Reset meant returning the hearse to its previous position.

"Have you ever tried backing up a hearse with the rearview mirror blocked by the coffin and a crew member laying on top of it? It didn't take Chris long to assign a crew member to back up the car. Like I said earlier -- they were professional and knew how to get the job done quickly and efficiently. The rest of us simply had a great time."

Click here to read about War Eagle - Arkansas at the Little Rock Film Festival.

Click here for more information about War Eagle the Movie.