Locally Produced Sci-Fi Thriller The Signal Bends Genres

Courtesy Focus Features

Chagrin Falls native Tyler Davidson's latest movie brought him to New Mexico and back home to Northeast Ohio. The Signal, a sci-fi thriller that follows three friends from Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a road trip gone wrong, filmed in both locations last June including the Greater Cleveland Aquarium and the Cleveland Metroparks' Rocky River Reservation. Starring newcomer Brenton Thwaites, who will be seen later this summer in The Giver, the film was screened last Thursday for a special local audience in advance of its limited release this Friday at Cinemark Valley View. Following the screening, Davidson talked with the crowd about the director, defying genres and working with Laurence Fishburne.

Q: How was William Eubank, the director, a good fit for this movie?
A: His only prior feature was Love. It's pretty experimental. It was made on a minuscule budget, but what he accomplished was really mind-boggling. He built a replica of the International Space Station in his parent's backyard, and he built a Civil War battlefield. I thought, if this guy could do that with nothing, what if we could get him some resources? He was very hands on with The Signal, too. He and his brother did many of the special effects themselves. There's a sort of "Thunderfist" explosion scene, and they covered trampolines in cork themselves and hit them from below.

Q: This film had a lot of flashbacks to Nic's past. How did this fit with the rest of the story?
A: On a thematic level we wanted this film to be about a person's emotional self and not his logical self. We used the flashbacks to help communicate that, and we also mixed a lot of genres. We used The Blair Witch-camera style to maximize the suspense and horror factor, which worked well because Jonah [a character played by Beau Knapp] chronicled this scene with a handheld camera. This movie is a genre bender, there are so many different genres in here. You've got a college road trip at the beginning, then there's the horror scene, and after that there are some crazy sci-fi action scenes.

Q. Was Laurence Fishburne your first choice?
A: Lawrence was at the top of a very short list. He has the perfect voice for it, kind of a butter voice. He was a little apprehensive about spending six weeks in a hazmat suit in Albuquerque, but it worked out. He's such a veteran, and this is a pretty young cast otherwise.

To read more about The Signal and Tyler Davidson, check out our June article "Action Shot" featured in our annual Summer Fun Guide.

Unforgettable Feast

More than a month ago, my best friend and I ate at Valerio's Ristorante in Little Italy. It was such a lovely experience in every way that I have thought about it again each time I drive past the Mayfield Road spot.
 
It was a weeknight and late, so there were only a few other people still dining. The memory of our meal makes my mouth water. We had two brilliant salads-simple and perfect, the main ingredient playing the starring role: one nothing more than slivers of raw fennel in just the right amount of balsamic vinaigrette, and the other thinly sliced crimini mushrooms with garlic, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Then we shared huge bowl of cioppino, a feast of scallops, mussels, cod, shrimp and clams in a tomato broth so flavorful that determinedly and without embarrassment we used shells and the over-sized serving spoon to get up every last drop.

We continued to sit, talking and laughing and sipping wine after the bill came. We didn't feel bad because no one was waiting for a table. Suddenly a plate of tiramisu was set before us, with the message, "It's on the house." It was sent over by owner and chef Valerio Iorio and delivered by his wife, Stella, who also baked this light and lovely version of the classic dessert.

Maybe he was trying to build some good will with a couple of customers he'd never seen before. Maybe the night was drawing to a close and he knew he wasn't going to sell that piece of cake. But we chose to think he saw us as kindred spirits, that he appreciated our ability to spend a leisurely evening Italian style, savoring good food, fine drink and the joys of companionship and conversation.

And we were right. We stopped to thank him and Stella on our way out the door and he confirmed that he did it just because our pleasure gave him pleasure. Happily it was not because he knew I am a food writer. Though he and I had met before, it was a long time ago and he didn't recognize me until I introduced myself. Our goodbyes included much heartfelt hand squeezing and hugging among the four of us. Compliments flowed back and forth, and my friend and I gave him our promise to return soon. It's a promise I am eager to keep.

Johnny on the Spot

Ask veteran Texas sportswriter Mike Shropshire to explain how Johnny Manziel plays football, and you will hear the words of someone who has witnessed a player from another dimension. “You really can’t see him go from here to there,” says the 72-year-old Shropshire. “It’s sort of supernatural.” Shropshire’s new book Johnny Football: Johnny Manziel’s Wild Ride from Obscurity to Legend at Texas A&M (MVP Books, $19.99) pulls back the curtain on the wizardry of the Cleveland Browns first-round pick. We talked with Shropshire about Manziel’s work ethic, his legend and his NFL prospects.

Q: Does Manziel have the discipline to adjust to professional football?
A: He has a reputation for controversy, whether he deserves it or not. Nobody forced Johnny to show up courtside at NBA games yukking it up with LeBron James and Drake. But nobody saw him sitting under a beach umbrella sipping margaritas during two-a-day practices at [Texas] A&M last summer.

Q: Manziel has become a modern media monster. How has this affected him?
A: The Manziel phenomenon is not going to go away anytime soon. After he won the Hesiman, was he really getting off on the spotlight? He went from being Johnny Football to college football’s answer to Lindsay Lohan. You can say a lot of things about Johnny but he’s no dummy – I’ll be very surprised if there are any off-the-field incidents during his pro career.

Q: Will Manziel’s college accomplishments translate to the NFL?

A: Sending him to Canton [and the Pro Football Hall of Fame] might be a little premature, but it doesn’t take Knute Rockne to figure out he’s a special player. He has an uncanny sense of anticipation, and that’s why he’s so remarkable. If the Browns can come up with a Robin to this Batman they’ve found, you’re going to see some serious excitement in Cleveland.

By Barry Goodrich

Happiest Hour

Photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group

 
The dining room at The Culinary Vegetable Institute in Milan was packed on Saturday evening. The vegan dinner, a first here, was a sellout, a fact that both amazed and delighted Anna Marie Harouvis, lead chef and creator of the Greek-inspired meal. Grinning and glowing, the exuberant evangelist of fruit and vegetable-centric eating told the crowd it was the happiest night of her life. She couldn't get over how many people turned out for what was a most unusual and esoteric menu. I'm sure she felt even better as they were leaving, when satisfied guests stood in line to offer compliments and congratulations.

Photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group

 
Harouvis, who produces Anna in the Raw fresh juices, had challenged herself to make dishes rooted in her family heritage without using meat, dairy products or eggs. It was also gluten-free, and some elements were raw. Not an easy task. But she pulled it off, serving her own versions of spanakopita, moussaka, rice pudding and a reinvented baklava with squash blossoms standing in for phyllo dough. We also feasted on olive "bread," and zucchini "muffins," pickled vegetables, hummus, cashew "cheese," grape leaves filled with minced cauliflower, mushroom cakes with spicy aioli and micro-greens, and raw ginger "ice cream" with strawberries and rhubarb.
   
It takes a lot of help to produce and serve beautifully plated food for 130 people. Harouvis had a stellar volunteer lineup to assist in the kitchen — a testament to how loved and respected she is in the local culinary community. Those volunteers included the new chef at CVI, Jamie Simpson, and his chef de cuisine Ulfet Ralph; Jill Vedaa, executive chef at Rockefellers, who brought along her new employee, Aubrey Johansen; Jennifer Plank, co-executive chef at Toast; John Selick, executive chef of Sodexo USA and his wife, Allysun Doty; Terry Bell, team chef for the Cavs; and Lanny Chin, formerly at Lago and soon on his way to Alaska. My compliments and apologies to all those hard working folks who I don't know and didn't name.

Photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group

 
The event was part of the Earth to Table series at CVI, a beautiful place to be on a summer night, with other chefs and other menus to come in June, July and August. CVI also used to be the site of an annual food and wine extravaganza to raise money for their educational efforts. But this year the Veggie U fundraiser will be held at Tri-C Hospitality Management Center and Pura Vida downtown on Public Square on July 19. No doubt it will be another not to be missed pleasure.

Travolta Fever Hits Town with the Filming of Criminal Minds

Stuart C. Wilson/Thinkstock

Movie sets are rapidly becoming an all too common sight on the streets of Cleveland. With the runaway success of indie films at the Cleveland International Film Festival and national franchises such as Captain America, the city has managed to accommodate both local and big-time filmmakers alike – a considerable feat. We even dedicated an entire cover package to Cleveland's newfound filmic identity, and it doesn't look like the growth is about to stop.

Just yesterday, shooting for the deviant Criminal Minds shut down parts of Chester Avenue downtown. Craving a bit of adventure, this all too often desk-bound journalist meandered down to the set hoping to lay eyes on the action – and perhaps a peak at John Travolta or Jackie Earle Haley. But alas, the fates conspired against me. All I managed to catch were sweaty crew members scurrying in and out of a closed set in Pacer’s Ribhouse and a ditty about free beer from wandering super-bard Guitar Man. An on-set source did tell me Travolta will only be filming in Cleveland briefly. Instead of waiting around, I took a few moments to brush up on the Travolta canon. 

Pulp Fiction: Quentin Tarantino’s blood-spattered 1994 masterpiece is brutally spacey, pairing over the top violence and superbly inane dialogue. Opposite another Cleveland film scene stalwart, Samuel L. Jackson, John Travolta’s earthy take on hit man Vincent Vega is required watching before heading to the theater for Criminal Minds.

Grease: Singing, dancing, gaggles of girls and guys, and excessive use of hair products. What else is there in life? The 1978 classic, coming on the heels of the equally campy Saturday Night Fever, is a necessary part of the Travolta back catalog. Travolta’s experience as a song and dance man has been turned on its head since the '70s though, due mostly a totally regrettable billing in 2007’s Hairspray as Edna Turnblad – complete with wig, body modification suit and falsetto. Hopefully, the excessive accouterments will be safely stowed in the costumer’s closet this time around.

Swordfish: A personal favorite, due mostly to repeated scheduling on daytime cable, this thriller about a hacker forced to work for a terrorist group features Travolta playing the hilariously languid villain Gabriel Shear. Hugh Jackman plays hacker Stanley Jobson in a script with so many techno-cliques it’s terrible enough to only be watchable by high schoolers bound in bed by sickness.

To view road closures during the five-week shoot, click here.

Cool Trick

Photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group

 Where there's smoke, there's ice cream. Really. That is if you're at the brand new Piccadilly Artisan Creamery on Euclid Avenue in University Circle (right next door to Coquette Patisserie). The Bota brothers, who launched their frozen treat empire last year with a self-serve store on Coventry Road, have a new concept, new for Cleveland anyway. Every scoop of ice cream and frozen yogurt is custom made, on the spot and to order. It takes about two minutes per customer. Talk about instant gratification.

   The not-so-secret secret ingredient that makes this possible is liquid nitrogen. The base flavor is poured into the bowl of a KitchenAid Mixer. The odorless, colorless, tasteless gas is added. Then a chemical reaction happens in a swirl of smoke, and like magic, the mixture begins to thicken and harden into an astonishingly smooth rich creamy and cool treat that's ready to eat.

  Science teachers have been doing this trick for many years to the delight of their students and chefs have been playing with the process since molecular gastronomy became a thing. There's a national chain built around this very concept. But it's a first here and what makes Piccadilly a standout is the use of organic, local and ethically sourced ingredients. Plus, the floor show that comes with your sundae is also great, and so is the rustic meets urban industrial decor — the work of Sailee Gupte of SxG Design.

Photo by Barney Taxel, Taxel Image Group 

They've launched with 12 base flavors and a variety of goodies to put in the mix and on top. I tried the salted caramel ice cream with some chopped pecans at the launch party and was happily impressed — it had a lovely velvety mouthfeel and tasted as delicious as it sounds.

  They'll be selling pints to take home as well as scoops. Although it has no preservatives or stabilizers, we were told it would keep in the freezer up to 30 days. But in my personal and professional opinion, there is no way something this good won't disappear long before that.

Breakfast, Lunch and Delicious

Two weeks ago my husband and I participated in a panel discussion at a conference for food and travel editors, held at the Cleveland Convention Center (which would benefit from better signage inside and out). This event is significant only because it began and ended early, while the day was still in its morning phase. After it was over I felt the need for both sustenance and more caffeine, and this prompted the decision to go for brunch. Since we were already downtown it was the perfect opportunity to head west and make a first foray to Jack Flaps, something I've been meaning to do since it opened in December.

The 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. spot on Lorain Road in Ohio City is a collaboration between Eric Williams and former Momocho chef Randy Carter. In an email to me, Williams described the concept as a small, fun, quirky breakfast and pancake shop with cool, unique scratch-based recipes, large portions, a casual urban vibe and good coffee. By the time I'd scraped the last bite of grits out of my bowl, it was clear to me this was an excellent idea that was the right thing in the right place.

Luckily, we'd slipped in and nabbed the last two seats at the counter just 10 minutes before a line started to form and snake out the door. The 40 seats were in high demand. Ordering was tough. There were too many appealing options including: cornbread waffles with pork shoulder; creamed beef brisket; eggy bread (French toast); and vanilla bean rice pudding. Ultimately, we created a feast of eggs sunny side up, Vietnamese-style sausage patties, a bánh mì sandwich, aforementioned grits and some really tasty root vegetable hash.

The coffee, made with City Roast beans, is excellent but I thought it odd that this liquid gold was served in a paper cup. The explanation came as we were getting ready to roll out. Our server offered us refills to go, on the house. Nice touch.

Also worth a mention, scrapple lovers take note: Chef Brian Doyle is serving the hard to find stuff at Beachland Ballroom Sunday brunches, and starting May 31, Toast Wine Bar will be serving Saturday brunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.