Turbine - 2011 - available @ Amazon & Netflix

As I sat down this morning to review "Mud"(Matthew McConaughey/Reese Witherspoon/Tye Sheridan), my mind kept wandering. It took me a few minutes, but I finally realized why. My affection for this movie stems from my passion for another little movie about life near another little river....and that movie is TURBINE.



There are many reasons I love Turbine. The main reason is this one:

I have known Mike Burg forever. We went to High School together - he now lives in New York City, I am still in Missouri. I live vicariously through him and his acting life; he comes to me for 'news from home'. It's a great relationship. Mike plays Darius Clemens Jr. in Turbine...

 

Turbine was shot in the countryside of Rock Port, Missouri where Mike and I grew up. The film tells the story of a New York couple - played by the gorgeous actors Isaak James and Anne Marie Nestor - and their move to the Midwest. Nick heads to rural America for a career in the wind turbine industry, Anne Marie goes along hoping to make a fresh start and start a family outside the confines of a big city. It doesn't take long for a wealthy local farmer (played with perfection by Burg) to become intriqued with the young couple.... it's a story of lust & deception & trying to outrun the demons in one's soul.

Here are the other reasons I love Turbine.

~ I am personally invested. You saw me in the trailer, handing Nick a ball cap. Mike blessed me beyond measure when he asked me to help scout locations for the movie. The cherry on top was a small role in the movie. It is one of the highlights of my life.

~ Nick and Sarah's cabin is actually a little shack along the banks of the Missouri River that Jay and I took care of and spent many, many weekends. It is (was) one of my favorite places in the world. The filming took place in the Spring of 2011. That summer, the Missouri River flooded and destroyed the cabin (not completely - but damn close). It will never be the same. I will forever be indebted to Turbine for capturing on film this magical little place.

~ I met some wonderful people, such as this beauty, Miss Eva James, who co-produced this movie. I really, really like her. I really do.

~Lastly, Rick DeBuhr, who plays the trucker in the movie, was killed in a motorcycle accident a few months after the movie premiered. While I have also known Rick my whole life, I didn't know him on a very personal level. But my heart tells me that being in this movie was also a highlight for him.

You can rent Turbine on Netflix or purchase it from Amazon.  You will especially enjoy the movie if you are from the midwest - the scenery and backdrop are brutally honest.

I promise to get around and review MUD in the next couple of days....but I wanted to share this little gem, since somehow I hadn't thought to until today.

Cheers!

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