'Two Good Guys,' by two Fall River               
guys, premiere's tonight 

By Cynthia Gomez, Standard-Times staff writer
Robert Manuels has been in love with movies since he was a kid growing up in Fall River. He frequented the city's Lowe's Cineplex, just a few blocks from his home, catching almost every new flick. And he dreamed, more than anything, of one day starring in a film.
 

"Since I was, like, 12 years old, I just wanted in the worst way to jump into the screen every time I saw a Sylvester Stallone movie or something," said Mr. Manuels, 26, a graduate of Diman Regional Vocational-Technical High School.

"I kept thinking that stuff like that -- being in a movie -- didn't happen to kids like me, and to people from Fall River. But then I just set my mind to doing it."

 

Mr. Manuels' dream comes true tonight.

"Two Good Guys," a feature-length 16mm movie that he wrote, produced and stars in, premieres this weekend at the Lowe's Cineplex in the Harbour Mall. There will be two encore presentations, at 1 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday, and Mr. Manuels will field questions from the audience following the screenings. There is also likely to be another Sunday showing, as all three shows were nearly sold out my mid-week.

Mr. Manuels, the elder son of Richard and Elaine Manuels of Fall River,
began reaching for his dream five years ago. With little money in his pocket, he jumped into his used Jeep and moved cross-country to Hollywood with hopes of breaking into the movie business. However, he returned to Fall River a few months later, disillusioned about not finding a job. But he didn't give up.

If he couldn't make a go of it in Hollywood, he would try again, here in Massachusetts, he decided. So, at, 22, he enrolled at the Boston Film and Video Making Foundation, an independent non-profit school that teaches the nuts and bolts of film-making. He juggled classes with his job delivering newspapers, all the while saving every penny to make his movie.

Before long, he was writing the script for "Two Good Guys." The story revolves around two best friends, who work dead-end jobs and make just enough money to get by. Frustrated with the direction of their lives and their lack of money, they are lured into drug trafficking. Their friendship is put to the test when Darryl finds out most of the drugs are going into area schools. While Darryl wants out, Jay tries to pursue him to stay in the drug business.

"I think if I had to say what the movie is about in a few words, it's just about the friendship between these two guys," said Jamie Manuels (above), Mr. Manuels' younger brother and the camera man for "Two Good Guys." "They go through hard times but they do what they have to straighten things out between themselves."

It took Robert over two years to write the script for the film, another four months to shoot it, and just about enough money to buy himself a brand new Jeep to replace the one he drove to Hollywood. But he said it was a worthwhile venture, and one that he hopes to repeat time and time again.

 
"I thought Fall River would be a good place to premier the film because it was shot here with all local people," he said. "From here, I'm going to enter it in film festivals and see where it goes. But I am pretty confident in it. And excited."
 
Actors for the film were recruited from among his friends and from Bristol Community College and UMass Dartmouth. The Maplewood Park, the Bank Street Armory, and the Cafe Coliseum are among the various local sites appearing in the movie.

Tickets for the premier are available only in advance at the following location: My Daily Grind in the Harbour Mall; G.V. Mini Mart at 178 Robeson St.; Ray's Package Store at 90 Eagle Street; and Rodriques Insurance at 169 Stafford Road.

A $7 fee will be collected at the door and will go to pay for the costs of entering the movie in film festivals.

For more information, log onto www.rmanfilms.com.