98 — Friday. October 23. 1998 ~ North Shorc News Latin couple bring in the beat RAUL Cruz and Isabeau Iqbal are Rio Crazy! The very mobile dise jock ev and entertainment service eaters parties oF 40 to 600 people throughout the Lower Mainland. Crag, originally trom Mexico, mans the controls while his partner joins him duniag dance routines. “T started dancing in Puerto Vallarta,” says Cruz. “Onee [got inte the clubs | learned to nix the sound.” During parties the couple also periorm dance routines. “We can move to any type of music,” says Cruz, “Right now we're doing a lot of Latin. We give to people and the people give back ro us. The energy goes in circles.” The DJ returns once or twice a year to Puerto Vallarta te visit family ck out the new music. Shania Twain to Celtic music to Salsa — vou name it Cruz can play it. And make it all sound part of the same groove. “You've got to inspire them. You've got to look for the right tune. Once that song hits. You've got them.” Rio Crazy! will provide the Thoma From page 17 absolutely penniless. Completely broke.” Among the group are several sereen- writers, a former Clinton speechwriter and a UCLA prof. Thoma’s script tor The Wrong Man took several years to get off the ground. “Thad two producers in L.A. who wanted to do it and then Showtime hired me. We didn’t even have a script. AH we had wa: a short story by this guy Roy Carlson who had been in Brazil. The oriz:inal story was just a bus ride in “razil and that was it. That was the whole story.” Somebody had tried to set it up as a film but it hadn’t worked out. Enter Thoma and a cast of thousands. At one point Bruno Baretto was set to direct with Amy Irving heading the cast “We went to Viacom and they said ‘You know we’re interested but there’s too many people ... what if we cut all those people out and just started from square one?’ So we started all over It took awhile for Thoma to take the project in a new direction. “We got Jim McBride to direct and then Roseanna Arquette was the first one to come on board. And then we got Kevin Anderson.” Frederick Forsythe was signed as the second male lead but he didn’t get along with McBride and was replaced by John Lithgow. The actual filming of the script was fast. Thoma accompanied Jim McBride on a scouting trip to Vera Cruz, Mexico, an arca he had never visited. “It’s not a big tourist town. I had a really hard time getting research (about Vera Cruz), but I did most of it through the West Van library. When I ot off the plane there were Mexican film board people there to meet us — they were delighted we were going to make a film in the middle of nowhere. “They were blown away that [ was- an. They said ‘You’re not Mexican’, and [ said *Pve never been here before’. And they said *How do you know so much about Vera Cruz’, and I said ‘Well the local library was pretty helpful.” The first read-through of the film took place in a disco in a Mexico City hotel. The cast then flew to Vera Cruz to shoot the film. The Wrong Man was produced by the Showtime arm of Viacom in the fF sound for a Halloween party at Hastings Community Centre, 3096 E. Hastings on Saturday, Oct. 31 put on by the Club Uruguay of B.C. Tickets must be reserved by kids et in tree. Photo Suegee Quon According to Thoma: “Film and TV is all about structure. You have to have three acts. You have to have resolve at the end.” States and broadcast on Aimerjcan cable TY. it was screened at the 1993 Cannes film festival; Thoma introduced the work at the Vancouver International Film Festival later the same year. In the film a merchant marine (Anderson) is mistaken as a murderer and goes on the lam across Mexico with a crazed couple. All three leads give career performances with director McBride handling the proceedings with panache. The Wrong Man is available on video and highly recommended. It also pops up occasionally on TV. ‘Thoma is pleased with how McBride brought his story to the sereen although the transition from page to screen wasn’t perfect. “They changed the ending on me. It was more of a noirish ending the way [had it.” While making The Set Up Thoma ran into the same problem. The pro- duction, starring James Coburn, Billy Zane and Mia Sara, was being filmed in a downtown L.A. boxing ring. “Pm standing next to the pro- ducer and I've got my cup of coffee watching them shoot the scene and T think ‘What are we shooting here anyway?’ — [doit even recognize phoning Rosita at 298-6078 before Oct. 28 — $12 tor adults, $8 tor teens (14 to 18-years-old) and younger ‘To book them tor a party NEWS photo Cindy Goodman ISABEAU iqbal and Raul Cruz are DJs who take their work to the dance floor. Rio Crazy! don’t just provide the tunes, they can samba, salsa or swing to them. contact Rio Crazy! at 255- 5133, 801-9564 (pager) or (e-mail) RieCrazy_Very Mobile Dj2big- foot. com — Jolin Goodman it. They'd altered the scene so mach I didn’t even know what it was. Phe seript was a lot better.” At some point in writing for tilm and television, good or bad, the mater- ial is no donger the writer's. There are a Jot of cooks in the process. “Film and TV is all about struc- ture,” says Phoma. “You have to have three acts. You have to have a resolve at the end. I decided with Gibson's Landing | would do whatever struc- ture Peame up wich. P wouldn't be limited.” And he would get a chance to ser his novel in B.C, A play, Bird On the Wing, work- shopped at the Playwright’s Theatre Centre, also follows bis credo of producing indigenous material. “He's set in North Vancouver. H's a B.C. play. It’s about people who live here. It doesn’t pretend to be the States or anywhere else. E think there are so many more B.C, stories to be told. There’s a wealth of these stories out there.” Initially Thoma’s concept for Gibson’s Landing was non-linear. “1 originally had the idea of a triptych. You could interchange any of the three panels and it wouldn’t make any difference.” Three characters led the narrative through temporal shifts emphasizing synchronicity and the interconnect- edness of being. ‘The published version retains aspeets of this scheme although to get the full impact of the story readers will want to follow it from cover to coyer. The main action of the novel is set in an area Thoma knows well. “My grandfather Robert Finlayson lived in Gibsons, He was a painter. He lived up there for the quiet and the solitude. My mother’s an artist and she’s done the same thing and [in turn go there. My children are the fourth generation in Gibson's.” Thoma works on his own stories on the side. “IL weite an hour or two in the morning. | would write on weekends and holidays and in between scripts (to complete Gibson's Landing). 0 tried to do at least an hour a day on it. Someone once said writing a novel is Jike wrestling a dragon — it can get away on you.” In the novel Dr. Holley dreams of travelling around the world on a boat after he recires. But he never makes the trip and his inability to act haunts him. Thoma’s wanderlust as a youth may be the reason he can now work at his cho- sen profession out of Vancouver. He's bringing it all back home. CHARGED WITH IMPAIRED? YOu HAVE THE RIGHT! Speak to a lawyer right away... | | It is imperative to receive expert legal advise as soon after the charges as possible... while your memory of the events is still fresh. You have the right to an experienced lawyer... One who can advise you of your options... Point out the potential problems... Help you deal with the significant penalties... This isn’t the time to go it alone... We're here to help. ARDAGH HUNTER TURNER 986-4366 AFTER HOURS 926-3181 Criminal matters o sly y. #300-1401 LoNSDALE Ave. NORTH VAN. E-mail: hunter@cyberion.com VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES Wanted: camera operators for weekday productions. Some experience preferred but we will train enthusiastic candidates. Leave your name, contact # & brief comments about your availability etc on our voice-mail. 990-6125 CHAIR AEROBICS Join North Van Rec Centre's Merilyn Hicks and West Van Seniors Activity Centre's Maureen Sherman and guests for a halt hour of gentle exercises. No fancy equipment or prior experience required... Just pull up a chair! Mondays to Fridays at 3:30 pm COUNCIL COVERAGE - meetings of October 26 City of North Vancouver Live Monday, Oct. 26 at 7:00 pm repeats Saturday, Oct 31 at 1:30pm Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 9:00 pm Saturday, Oct. 31 at 9:00 am District of West Vancouver District of North Vancouver R@GERS Community : ved hoy tee ayes = 1471 Pemberton Ave. North) Vancouyér, B.C