Kolinsky's Opening Night Film at LIIFE

                                                               Kolinsky

Merrick writer premieres with opening-night film at LIIFE

by Colin Hekimian

          Merrick native Lee Kolinsky’s new film will be the blockbuster premiere at the 16th Annual Long Island International Film Expo at the Bellmore Movies at Friday’s July 19 opening ceremonies.

          Scheduled for the coveted 9:30 p.m. slot, “Send No Flowers,” is a thrilling shoot ’em up gangster movie starring Sean Young, Tony Lo Bianco, Robert Clohessy, and Jackie Martling. Directed by Long Island’s own Fred Carpenter, Mr. Kolinsky wrote the screenplay.

Sean Young is a well-known actress known for her roles in “Blade Runner,” “Dune,” “No Way Out” and “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.”

 

          While she has been out of the limelight in recent years, Mr. Carpenter hopes this film will revitalize her career. “We hope this movie does for Sean Young what Pulp Fiction did for John Travolta,” Mr. Carpenter said.

          The film stars Ms. Young as Toni Albano, a mafia princess who must act as the head of the family after her father, played by Tony Lo Bianco, is killed by a rival family in this thrilling shoot ’em up. 

          She takes control with the help of her estranged sister Ava in this revenge tale. Jackie Martling, famous for The Howard Stern Show, plays a seedy club owner.

          Mr. Kolinsky told this newspaper, “Sean Young was great to work with, along with the director Fred Carpenter and the whole crew. Her character, Toni Albano, in “Send No Flowers” has a straightforward, no-nonsense, type-A personality. She really elevated the character and brought the script to life.” 

          But “Send No Flowers” is also a story about two sisters, Toni (Ms. Young) and Ava (Donna DeCianni) continued Mr. Kolinsky. “It’s about their relationship and how a life of crime has affected it.”

Bully pulpit

          Mr. Kolinsky also wrote a short film called “Bullified,” which was filmed in Dix Hills, West Babylon and Melville. The film is described as follows: Since he was 10 years old, Riley Samuel has been bullying, intimidating and exploiting anyone he could to achieve power. Now he must confront his childhood and the choices he’s made after being accused of murder. With the help of criminal psychologist Dr. Staci Brennan, Riley must explore his history and trace back the path to what made him a bully, before receiving his final sentence.

          Both movies were filmed in Baldwin, Merrick, Malverne and Old Brookville.

          “Bullified,” starring Russ Carmada (2009 LIIFE Best Supporting Actor for “The Video Guys,” and 2012 LIFE Best Supporting Actor for “The Night Never Sleeps”) and directed by Steve Sage Goldb, premieres July 23, at 7:45 p.m. The film displays the lasting effects of bullying on a child.

          “Most of the cast and crew are from Long Island,” Mr. Kolinsky said.  “It’s great to be able to show the film in essentially our backyard.”

          Mr. Kolinsky told this newspaper he grew up in Merrick and has lived in both Bellmore and Wantagh. He attended Merrick Avenue Junior High School and Kennedy High School.

          His family owned a local video store, which gave him an insatiable appetite for movies. “I had access to thousands of movies. Those movies gave me the inspiration to want to create a movie of my own.” 

          On working locally on Long Island, Mr. Kolinsky said, "Filming in your hometown is great. You get a chance to be part of the community, film your favorite places and if you need to get a bag of lemons for a scene, it doesn’t hurt to know where the local supermarket is.”

          Mr. Kolinsky’s filmic influences include Clint Eastwood, Sam Peckinpah, Michael Mann, the Coen Brothers, Francis Ford Coppola and John Sturgess.

          When asked about his inspiration to write the film, Mr. Kolinsky responded, “When I wrote the initial story for “Send No Flowers,” I had been watching a lot of mob movies and thought it would be unique to see a women as the head of the crime family.”

          With “Send No Flowers” the opening-night headliner of the LI Film Expo, Mr. Kolinsky adds that, “You can expect some great drama and a lot of action from “Send No Flowers.” It’s gonna’ be a fun one. Tickets are pretty close to selling out. With “Bullified,” you can expect a thriller that offers a message with a twist.”

 

The Long Island International Film Expo starts today and runs through Thursday, July 25.