DRUNKBOAT, CHICAGO, IL – Local film company Magnificent Mile Productions is pleased to debut its latest feature, DRUNKBOAT, in Chicago, the city where it was produced in conjunction with Left Bank Films.  DRUNKBOAT is a coming of age story written and directed by Bob Meyer and starring John Malkovich, John Goodman, Dana Delany and Jacob Zachar, and will make its international premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival. The World Premiere screening will take place October 8, 2010 at 8:00 PM at the festival.

The film takes viewers on an emotional journey as it tells the story of a young teenager, Abe (Jacob Zachar) who manipulates his unsuspecting alcoholic uncle (John Malkovich) to help him buy a boat (a Drunkboat) from a con man named Mr. Fletcher (John Goodman) when his mother Eileen (Dana Delany) is out of town. The story resonates with the struggle of Uncle Mort, making the story much deeper than a simple tale of a boy and his boat. Both the uncle and Abe come of age in the story.

Not only is the film premiering at the Chicago International Film Festival, it is also a contender in the International Feature Film Competition this year. The film also has ties to Chicago via John Malkovich, Bob Meyer, Jacob Zachar and several others among the cast and crew, making it a part of the Illinois(e)makers list, along with fellow Illinois(e)makers The Defiled, Go For It!, Louder Than a Bomb, Polish Bar and Tony & Janina’s American Wedding.

Several of the cast and crew will be in attendance at the festival and will be booking interviews. International distribution is being handled by 7 Arts Pictures. You can find out more about the film on the official site at http://drunkboat.com/, on the Facebook Page, on Twitter as @drunkboatmovie or by contacting either Leslie Poston or Amy Greenlaw of Film POP! at email drunkboat@filmpop.tv.

You can pre order your copy at Amazon.com, located HERE

Thanks to @Sarcasms for the heads up

Playing a woman with marital turmoil is familiar territory for Emmy-winning actress Dana Delany. On the TV series “Desperate Housewives,” she was Katherine Mayfair, who had her share of drama and surprises in her love life. In the independent dramedy film “Multiple Sarcasms” (set in New York City in 1979), Delany is a wife and mother named Annie Richmond, who is also dealing with an unsteady marriage, but her marital problems are more subtle than what viewers might see on “Desperate Housewives.”

Annie’s husband, Gabriel (played by Timothy Hutton), is an architect facing a mid-life crisis as he works on a semi-autobiographical play. As Gabriel tries to avoid his day job as much as possible, working on his play makes him realize his true feelings for wife and his best friend, Cari (played by Mira Sorvino), and how those feelings might affect their relationships with each other and with Gabriel and Annie’s only child, Elizabeth (played by India Ennenga). At the New York City press junket for “Multiple Sarcasms,” I sat down with Delany, who talked about her recent roles that explore marital difficulties, what she thinks of the real-life scandalous “Desperate Housewives” lawsuit, and what she would be doing with her ife if she weren’t an actress.

What did you like about your “Multiple Sarcasms” character Annie?

I grew up in the ‘70s so I, first of all, loved that the whole movie had that feeling, that kind of ‘70s, Paul Mazursky movie. I remember “An Unmarried Woman” just had a huge impact on me when I was getting out of college. What I loved about the movie was a similarity, in terms of the way Mazursky’s movies used to go from screaming to laughing to crying. It would take emotional left-turns all the time. So my favorite moment in the movie is when Tim [Hutton] and I are fighting, and then I just start laughing. And I really fought for that, because I thought this is what we do in life, but we don’t see that in movies anymore. We used to see that a lot, but we don’t see it that often anymore.

Do you think Annie got the short of the stick in her marriage to Gabriel, since he has Cari as his best friend to turn to for comfort?

No, I think it’s life. Sometimes when it feels like we’re gypped, it’s a huge opportunity that we don’t see at the time. I like to think that she goes on to have an interesting career and have a different relationship where it’s not all about him.

What was it like working with writer/director Brooks Branch, since “Multiple Sarcasms” is his first feature film?

Obviously you don’t know going into it what it’s going to be like, and you are thinking, “Wow, he’s never made a movie before,” but it was so relaxed. What I really like about Brooks and why we’ve remained friends is he’s very collaborative and he’s got a great sense of humor. He likes the messiness of life and I do too, so he accepts that things are odd or weird, and I like that. He mixes odd choices and he goes with it, and I think it’s funny. It’s human.

Since you’ve had your stint on “Desperate Housewives,” what do you look for now when it comes to projects? TV is such a huge commitment.

Whether I can fit it in my schedule. That’s the main thing right now. For instance, I think I’m really only going to get two weeks to myself this year. So I’m not complaining, it’s been fantastic, but my agent keeps saying, “I want to find you a movie,” and I keep saying, ‘No. No, I’m going on vacation. I’m taking two weeks and doing nothing.’ I think once all this TV stuff is done, I’ll be back to it.

Are you returning to “Desperate Housewives”?

I don’t know. I just did a [TV] pilot that we’ll find out [in May 2010] whether it gets picked up or not … I will either have a new show on the air that I’ll be starring in, I’ll be back on “Desperate Housewives,” or I’ll be out of job and look for something else. I don’t know.

Different people have ways of contrasting the experience of doing TV and movies. How would you describe those experiences for you?

Everything has its own tone. “Desperate Housewives” is such a beast unto itself. There’s nothing like it. I don’t even know how to describe it. That takes on a whole other life of its own. I feel like this movie ["Multiple Sarcasms"] is a little more real and smaller. It’s not so over-the-top. For me, every project is finding the tone, which is hard.

It’s funny, because your characters in “Desperate Housewives” and “Multiple Sarcasms” are so similar in ways, but the TV show and the movie are so drastically different.

Yeah, but on “Desperate Housewives,” it would have been about the woman having the midlife crisis. So that’s what’s nice about it, it’s about women because we often see the man having the midlife crisis.

When did you film “Multiple Sarcasms” in relation to doing “Desperate Housewives”?

I owe it all to Tim Hutton. We had just finished working together on “Kidnapped,” and that got canceled, and then this ["Multiple Sarcasm"], came up and he suggested me to Brooks and I think I left two days later to start shooting. And then “Desperate Housewives” came up I think a month later.

Was this at all good preparation for that?

Was it? No, I don’t think so. [She laughs.] No. It was very different.

What do you like about your “Desperate Housewives” character, Katherine Mayfair? Do you relate to her?

Oh God, no. I always have to find something, but on the outside, no. I think I’ve been lucky on “Housewives” because I wasn’t one of the original four women and so because of that, my character is not so iconic. I get to do all the weird stuff that ["Desperate Housewives" creator/writer/executive producer] Marc Cherry wouldn’t let any of the other women do, like have a nervous breakdown, stab herself, and become a lesbian. If that happened to any of the other women I think people would be very upset.

What was your reaction when you heard that former “Desperate Housewives” star Nicollette Sheridan filed a lawsuit (in April 2010) against Marc Cherry, with her alleging, among other things, that he physically assaulted her and that she was wrongfully terminated?

I was kind of baffled by it. I certainly didn’t see that [alleged abusive] behavior. It’s been a great experience for me. I don’t understand it, actually. I hope it works out for her. I hope everybody gets what they want. Yeah, that [lawsuit] was puzzling to me.

Do you still get fan mail about “China Beach”?

Yeah … I always get a lot of letters saying, “I always loved you on ‘China Beach,’ and it’s fun to see you on “Desperate Housewives.” They always preface it with, “I always loved you in ‘China Beach.’”

Do you think there would be a “China Beach” reunion TV-movie?

You know, people have asked that. The biggest issue now would be getting [the "China Beach" series] released on DVD. The problem is with the music rights, because nobody expected DVDs to come along. I think ["China Beach" writer/executive producer] John Wells is actually working on that. I hope it happens, because there are bootleg copies, but no official copies. I loved doing that show.

What can you say about the new TV pilot that you have done called “Body of Evidence”?

As ABC likes to say, “It’s a procedural with character,” but it is both. I play a medical examiner. It’s good. It’s really well-written. I think it’s smart. It’s an interesting character. She’s very complicated, but I like it.

Is it a drama or comedy?

A little bit of both.

TV is heavily scripted, compared to film. Did you get much freedom to improvise in “Multiple Sarcasms”?

Yes, which I loved. I would like to say, when I’m allowed to improvise, I don’t take it lightly and I know what a privilege that is, so I’m very serious about it and I think that I help when I do it. It’s not about me looking better; it’s about helping the story. Brooks was great with that.

You seem like a really self-possessed person. How does that affect your attitude toward the entertainment industry?

I think I’m at a place in my life now where I know none of it really matters, so I always remind myself of that. I don’t take anything personally. I feel like I’m on my own path, and whether that involves acting, great, if it doesn’t, fine, because there are so many other things I’m interested in — just living, traveling, being — that I have a certain healthy sense of detachment from all of it.

How did you relate to Annie, who knows her marriage is crumbling and tries to keep herself together emotionally?

I’ve been in that situation with a relationship ending, where you feel you can lose it at any second. Actually, when we shot the movie, I had just come out of relationship, so I kept trying to pull on that. But I think that can get in the way, too. You get in your head too much. You really need to be in the piece, not in your life, because that gets too heavy and intellectual, as opposed to just working with Tim and how I feel about him, as opposed to my own life.

What would you do if you if weren’t an actress?

I could just see myself traveling around the world and just helping people. I just get great satisfaction over meeting people from different walks of life. It sounds corny, but I get great enjoyment out of it. It’s kind of egotistical in the long run, but it makes me feel good. It sounds funny, but I did a remake of that wonderful Ellen Burstyn movie “Resurrection.” We did a TV-movie of it. [The original "Resurrection"] is one of the original indie movies. [The lead character in "Resurrection"] was a healer in the end, and ended up travel around the world. I could see myself doing that. It sounds pretty bizarre, but I could see it.

Are there any particular places you would want to go?

Oh, there are so many places. I’ve never been to Africa. I’ve never been to India.

What can you say about your movie “Camp Hope”?

I made those movies ["Multiple Sarcasms" and "Camp Hope"] back-to-back. It’s that indie world, where you never know when anything is going to be released. ["Camp Hope"] is a Catholic horror film. It’s interesting. I play this mom of a kid … and it feels like he’s possessed.

It was written and directed by George VanBuskirk, a producer, who’s done a lot of movies: “The Secret Lives of Dentists,” a lot of [writer] Craig Lucas stuff. He was raised very Catholic and went to a Catholic camp, so I think ["Camp Hope" is based on] his life experience. I also get to play the Virgin Mary, which is fun. There’s actually a Catholic camp which still goes on.

Do you like play characters that you can discuss in-depth with the director?

I like mystery. I don’t like to over-talk things. I like to be surprised. I feel like if you talk about it too much, you’re already setting it and you’re not open to surprise.

Do you like having the leeway to create a character instead of having a lot of specific direction?

Yes, very much so. I like when you have a mutual trust in each other, and I really felt that with Brooks. They hire you, so that’s what they’re getting: you.

In “Desperate Housewives,” how much in advance would you know what would happen to your character?

Very little, like the day before [shooting], usually.

Do you have a contract with “Desperate Housewives” where they could bring your character back to the show anytime they want?

They have a contract where it all works in their favor. [She laughs.] … In a seven-year contract, I’ve done three of them, so they have the choice of bringing me back. I don’t have the choice of whether I stay or not.

Do you believe that there is such a thing as a soul mate for everyone and that having a soul mate is due to fate or luck?

I think we’re constantly evolving. I think there are some people that you just have some mysterious chemistry with, which I like. I think you still have to do all the work.