DILL SCALLION test screening

I have heard not one ounce of info on this flick at all. But then that's usually the way it goes with independent films, they tend to sneak up on ya and bite ya on the ass. Has anyone heard anything on this film? It sounds kinda cool. Check it out...

I just came from an advance (or sneak or something) screening of a new film called DILL SCALLION. It's an independent comedy by a first time director (whose name I don't remember) that's one of the best things I've seen in a long time. There must be some kind of good word on this thing cause Mulder was there with his wife. And Sheryl Crow did the country/rock score.

The movie is basically a country music mockumentary/comedy. Obviously, "Spinal Tap" comes to mind when you hear "music mockumentary," but the movies are pretty different. This is about a schoolbus driver named Dill Scallion from Muleshoe, TX who becomes an overnight sensation with some really funny songs and a dance step (that ultimately causes fans to be hospitalized for foot problems). This movie has a lot more heart than Spinal Tap, though - it's not just a comedy. Dill has a lot of trouble dealing with his fame and things don't go so smoothly for him.

The best thing about the movie is the guy who plays Dill. His name's Billy Burke, and he's amazing. I looked him up and he's also in that MAFIA movie as well as the Robert Towne Prefontaine flick ("Without Limits") that's coming out this fall (the trailer for that movie looks pretty cool). He is so funny and pulls you into this guy even when he's a jerk. At the end of the movie, people were sobbing/crying, and I think it's totally cause of his performance. There are cameos all over the place from Peter Berg (Very Bad Things) and "the Fonz" and even country queen LeAnn Rimes. Considering that this is a little movie, they pulled off some huge concert scenes as well. The other suprise is David Koechner. He was on "Saturday Night Live" a while back (where I don't think they gave him a lot to do), and he gives a perfect performance as Dill's sidekick Bubba.

I don't know who's releasing this little gem, but it's definitely going to be a movie to see when it comes out. I figured you'd be interested since it was shot (at least a lot of it) in Texas. Keep an eye out for it.

-Silver Surfer