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Lex Luthor

February 19, 2002: Pulino Premiers New "Lex Luthor" Film

By JOHN CHRISTIE, Middletown Press Staff

MIDDLETOWN -- City resident Jonathan Pulino is fighting for truth, justice and the American way -- well, sort of. Pulino, the host of the cult cable access talk show "The Edge" and a former mayoral candidate, is working on a movie about the World's Greatest Superhero.

"The Sands of Destiny," which Pulino wrote and directed, is based on the DC Comics graphic novel "Lex Luthor: An Unauthorized Biography."

Comcast Cablevision is planning a Tuesday premier of the movie short, which was filmed in Middletown.

"I'm so proud I got it done," Pulino said. "It was very difficult to do. It was so frustrating just to get people."

Starting in the summer of 2000, the cast and crew suffered through broken cameras, casting and editing headaches to tell the gritty tale.

The movie adapts the graphic novel's plot of a down-and-out reporter -- Peter Sands, played by city resident Bill Reeves -- who's murdered by Superman's arch-nemesis Lex Luthor -- played by Pulino's cousin and former campaign manager, Anthony Pulino -- for digging up dirt on the villain for an unauthorized biography.

"Luthor frames (Superman's alter-ego) Clark Kent, who I play, for the murder," Pulino said. "Of course he didn't do it, because he was rescuing people from an earthquake in Tokyo at the time, but Clark Kent obviously can't tell the police that."

But don't expect any cosmic battles between Superman and the Eradicator or Metallo. Staying true to the graphic novel, the movie follows Peter Sands as he interviews people from Luthor's past and Clark Kent as he sweats under the ranting of a homicide detective.

"I originally made the movie based on this when I was 18, but it was just a goof," Pulino said. "Obviously it's more feasible to do a story like this with the limited resources we had.

"There's no flying," he added.

In the film, Middletown's streets and famous buildings stand in for Metropolis' archetypal landmarks; North End streets were chosen to play the infamous Suicide Slum, where Lex Luthor grew up.

Comcast Community Access Coordinator Ken Measimer, who helped Pulino edit the film, said the film is a unique undertaking, considering most cable access fare consists of talk shows, religious groups and political forums.

"It think it's a good thing for cable access... and I hope other local people will take advantage of cable access and make more short films at Comcast in the future," Measimer said. "It really gives people with aspirations for film-making an outlet for their creativity."

Pulino said he plans to start working on a new film for cable access based on "Who Shot Dr. Zero?", a short story he had published in the Colorado-based literary magazine Inkspots.

"It's about an actor playing a superhero on TV who's murdered," he said.

"The Sands of Destiny" is scheduled to air Tuesday February 19th at 9pm on Cable Channel 3 (which covers Eastern Connecticut (Middletown, Portland, Middlefield, East Hampton and 1/2 of Colchester)).


2002 Television News

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