Mickey Matson movie to debut on May 10 in Grand Rapids

Harold Cronk

By ROB ALWAY

mcp.com editor

“Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy” will make its debut Thursday May 10 with a red carpet premier in Grand Rapids.

It is Manistee-based 10 West Studio’s first feature film, written and directed by the studio’s co-owner Harold Cronk and produced by Edgar Struble. Both Cronk and Struble are natives of Scottville, Cronk and his wife, Amy, live in Amber Township.

The film features Christopher Lloyd, known best for his roles in “Back to the Future,” “Star Trek III, The Search for Spock,” and the television series “Taxi.” It also stars Ernie Hudson, known for “Ghostbusters,” Lee Arenberg from “Pirates of the Caribbean,” Patrika Darbo from “Days of Our Lives,” Frank Drank from the Capital One Viking commercials and West Shore Community College’s own Dr. Rick Plummer.

The stars of the film are teenagers Derek Brandon and Francesca Derosa.

See http://www.masoncountypress.com/2012/01/19/scottville-director-nears-completion-of-movie/ for previous story about the movie.

Cronk said the addition of Christopher Lloyd is a big boost to promoting the movie.

“I had originally written the Grandpa Jack character into the movie as a voice over. Then, we started talking about investing some more money and get a well-known name into the movie giving us more visibility.

“Christopher Lloyd was a perfect fit and he was great to work with. He was really impressed with our production team and said that he would be in Grand Rapids for the premier.”

The scenes with Lloyd were the only ones not filmed in Manistee or Mason counties. Instead, they were filmed in California. However, the rest of the film, about 95 percent of it, was filmed here.

Cronk said the movie was written to be filmed here.

“I wrote the script based on this area. I wrote it for our hometown. I want people to see the production value of this area. It features scenes at Manistee beach and Ludington locations such as Cartier Mansion, South James Street and White Pine Village, among other places.”

The film received incentive money from the state of Michigan, however those funds are going to harder to get since Gov. Rick Snyder has put a cap on incentives.

Now, 10 West Studios must bank on this movie becoming a success. Cronk said a rough cut of the film was shown to 120 fifth and sixth graders. The kids were asked to rate the movie, 1 being the worst and 10 being the best. On average, it received a 9.2.

The nationally recognized Dove Foundation, based in Grand Rapids, rates movies based on how family friendly they are. It ranked “Mickey Matson” 4 out of 5 doves.

The movie will be the only children’s film in theater premiering in early May, which Cronk hopes will give it a boost.

“This is more than just about 10 West Studios being successful,” Cronk said. “This is about promoting our area. The actors loved it here and couldn’t say enough about the people in west Michigan and the tremendous time they had.”

Because of the positive feedback the film has already received, Cronk has already been talking with executives about sequels and a possible television series. If those deals happen, filming will continue to take place in west Michigan.

“We have a lot riding on the success of this picture. How this film does will decide if we continue to make movies in Michigan.”

The May 10 premier will take place at Celebration Cinemas on East Beltline Avenue in Grand Rapids. Tickets for the premier can be purchased at www.celebrationcinema.com.

Cronk said tickets are $25 and will include beverage and popcorn. There will also be a VIP reception with the cast following the movie. Following the premier the movie will run for three weeks at all three Celebration Cinema locations in Grand Rapids. Cronk is hoping for a wider national distribution after that.

MasonCountyPress.com will have more details on the premier closer to the date and plans on covering the event.

MasonCountyPress.com, Mason County’s blog and news source featuring Ludington, Scottville, Custer, Free Soil, Fountain, Branch, Walhalla and all places in between.