Fresh off his “Best Actor” award at the Reel HeART International Film Festival in Toronto this past Saturday night (June 27th), Knuckle Draggers Producer/Actor Paul J. Alessi was gracious enough to take the time to answer a few questions for our readers in this exclusive interview Q&A. Alessi plays the co-lead role as Kyle, an abrasive divorced man who offers his “expert” advice on relationships to his struggling brother Ethan (Ross McCall)… READ MORE

Paul J. Alessi has been in many Hollywood productions but when speaking to him instantly you know he is most proud of his current film, Knuckle Draggers in which Alessi plays the lead, “Kyle” who instructs his brother Ethan the ins and outs of dating and what women really want from a male perspective. The tag line for the movie explains it all “Some Things Never Change,” and Knuckle Draggers provokes questions about … READ MORE and LISTEN TO THE PODCAST INTERVIEW

Greg Wright’s (Past The Popcorn) Knuckle Draggers Movie Review

The spirit of Barry Levinson is apparently alive and well… and living in L.A.

A cadre filmmakers led by east coast expatriates has been working together on low-budget projects for a number of years and has now turned out a romantic comedy as engaging (and still relatively wholesome and endearing!) as anything I’ve seen since, frankly, Diner. The ensemble cast is led by producers Paul J. Alessi (raised in Queens) and Amie Barksy (New Jersey); crewmembers Reuben Steinberg (cinematography) and writer/director Alex Ranarivelo are veterans of several Alessi/Barksy-produced films; and also along for more than their first ride with the producers are supporting players Brandon Olive, Karrie MacLaine, James D. Owens… and others, I’m sure.

To date, Alessi and Barsky’s oeuvre has been shorts; but clearly, they’ve not only been learning the ropes as they’ve worked their way up to their first feature-length production, they’ve also been having fun and building up a solid core of professionals with whom to work consistently. That investment has paid off, and the newcomers to the crew blend in seamlessly. I wouldn’t mind working with these folks, either, if I were in the biz—and I certainly wouldn’t mind seeing a lot more of these characters.

I also expect I’ll be watching Knuckle Draggers a few more times over the years. Hopefully, you’ll be able to as well!

At the … READ MORE

(Pt 1 – Intro at Delray Beach Film Festival)

(Pt 2 – Award Ceremony)

(Pt 3 – Interviews)

I don’t know how Paul J. Alessi does it.  Somehow, he manages to juggle acting, producing, playing sports and donating some time to charity events.  I recently had the pleasure of reviewing one of his films called Knuckle Draggers, and it was a given that after having seen such an amazingly well crafted film, that I’d jump at the chance to interview Paul about it as well as about some of the other great things he’s got going on in his career…. READ MORE

Amie Barsky is one of the talented members of the ensemble cast of a film quickly gaining accolades on the film festival circuit. Knuckle Draggers is a romantic comedy movie told from a male’s perspective. Barsky plays a co-lead in the movie and is also a co-producer.

Thanks very much to Amie for taking the time to answer a few questions for our readers in this exclusive interview Q&A. Learn about her background, including a stint as a cheerleader for the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, and her current and future film activities… READ MORE

Fresh off his “Best Actor” award at the Reel HeART International Film Festival in Toronto this past Saturday night (June 27th), Knuckle Draggers Producer/Actor Paul J. Alessi was gracious enough to take the time to answer a few questions for our readers in this exclusive interview Q&A. Alessi plays the co-lead role as Kyle, an abrasive divorced man who offers his “expert” advice on relationships to his struggling brother Ethan (Ross McCall).

Knuckle Draggers is an independent film with a talented ensemble cast (undoubtedly several future stars of film will come out of this group) that is currently… READ MORE