Cindy Navarro: Renee' O'Connor

Showing posts with label Renee' O'Connor. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

'Beyond' Birthday Giveaway

My birthday is this month and I want to celebrate by giving away a DVD copy of one of my favorite movies. Beyond the Farthest Star is an insightful story that centers on a family that is slowly being destroyed by the inside out due to lack of communication and long-buried secret. Pastor Adam Wells (Todd Terry) was once an internationally known child preacher who has now been reduced to a handful of parishioners since a move to the small town of Leonard, Texas. Maurene (Renee O'Connor), once the high school class valedictorian, now burys her dreams in romance novels and a bottle hidden in her closest, believing God is punishing her for past mistakes. Anne (Cherami Leigh) is attracted to self-harm as she struggles to find worth within herself and a place of her own in the world. When an angry former Senator (Andrew Prine) sets fire the the town's Nativity, the sparks ignite more than just the wooden statues. Lives are changed forever.

BTFS has universal themes that speak to all people and effectively weaves the idea that there is hope in spite of physical or emotional scars. This richly layered story shares a raw honest portrayal of transformation and restoration after hidden secrets are revealed and healing is allowed to begin. Elements of suspense, romance, and political intrigue are combined with multi-dimensional characters to present an escalating tension that intensifies to an explosive climax, and, ultimately, to a satisfying conclusion. This PG-13 rated film also stars Barry Corbin, Tyler Corie, Lou Beatty Jr., William McNamara, Jodie Moore, Shawn Roe, Andrew Sensenig and Jordan Ross. BTFS was written and directed by Andrew Librizzi and executive produced by Benjamin Dane, who also has the role of Sheriff Deputy Jimmy Wilkins.

The film also inspired an updated version of "Beauty For Ashes" by Crystal Lewis, a novel by Bodie and Brock Thoene, and a painting by Thomas Kinkade which was ultimately reimagined by his nephew Zac Kinkade due to Thom's unexpected death. To learn more about these products and Beyond the Farthest Star, go to BeyondTheFarthestStar.com

The DVD is also ON SALE right now on Amazon! Tinyurl.com/BeyondTheMovie

GIVEAWAY RULES!
To Enter, write #BeyondBirthday in a comment on a social media post (of this giveaway) or leave a comment on this blog post (they will have to be approved by me to be added--- crazy spammers have to be filtered). Deadline to enter is 5:00am CDT on July 13, 2018. Winner will be announced no later than 5pm CDT.

SOCIAL LINKS:

Saturday, December 9, 2017

Beyond the Farthest Star DVD Giveaway

Beyond the Farthest Star is now available in the USA and Canada! Have you bought your copy? I love the film so much that I picked up one for myself --- and one for a giveaway. I strongly believe that this story will appeal to many people on a myriad of levels.

This film is an insightful, mesmerizing story that centers on the Wells family. Each struggle with resentment and bitterness that threatens to destroy their family...and the emotions intensify following a move to the small town of Leonard, Texas. BTFS has universal themes that speak to all people and effectively weaves the idea that there is hope in spite of physical or emotional scars. This richly layered story shares a raw honest portrayal of transformation and restoration after hidden secrets are revealed and healing is allowed to begin. Elements of suspense, romance, and political intrigue are combined with multi-dimensional characters to present an escalating tension that intensifies to an explosive climax, and, ultimately, to a satisfying conclusion.

When Beyond the Farthest Star was in theaters, I was able to see it several times and was riveted to the screen each time as I picked up nuances missed before. The story is fascinating and the actors do an incredible job of making their characters come to life onscreen. This film also inspired a novel by Bodie and Brock Thoene, a Kinkade painting, and a new arrangement of "Beauty For Ashes" by Crystal Lewis. I am thrilled to now own a copy of the DVD and I highly recommend this movie!

Social Media Links

GIVEAWAY!! To enter for a chance to win a DVD of Beyond the Farthest Star, please leave a comment on the blog (or under a post or --- just let me know since I know all my friends are not tech savvy and I will manually enter you). Please use hashtag #wishuponastar to help me locate you. All entries due by end of day on December 15, 2017. USA residents only.
UPDATE! There will be TWO Winners selected thanks to the generosity of Jodie Moore Actor. He plays the abusive father, Jackson Tucker, in Beyond the Farthest Star, so think of him kindly when you see the DVD. #wishuponastar

Be sure to like his IMDb page and Jodie Moore - Actor page on Facebook!

Friday, October 16, 2015

Bring Beyond the Farthest Star to Cullman - Nov. 10, 2015


BTFS - Cullman - Nov 10

Beyond the Farthest Star is a faith-based independent film starring Renée O’Connor, Todd Terry and Barry Corbin, along with Billy McNamara, Andrew Prine, Cherami Leigh and Lou Beatty, Jr. The film’s storyline features a minister, once revered as “the next Billy Graham,” but now reduced to pastoring a small church in a sleepy Texas town and dealing with a rebellious daughter and a lukewarm marriage. When the town Nativity is burned by an outraged Senator, the media descends, and secrets are brought to the surface as Adam faces circumstances that force him to choose between regaining church super-stardom or restoring his fractured family. The movie touches on many of today's issues including:

Separation of Church vs State
Teen Self Abuse / Cutting
Abortion / Sanctity of Life
Priorities of Life - Leaving a Legacy
The Importance of Marriage Vows

"Star" is a captivating “beauty from ashes” story of redemption that inspired
a painting by famed artist, Thomas Kinkade, after he viewed a rough copy of the movie a few months prior to his death. His nephew, Zachary Thomas Kinkade, created a painting to complete the desire of his uncle to pay homage to the film. Crystal Lewis also reimagined her hit song, "Beauty for Ashes" and a novel based on the screenplay was written by best-selling authors, Bodie and Brock Thoene. The film was selected to be shown at the recent Values Voter Summit, and even the MPAA (the board that gives movies their ratings) representative called BTFS "the best faith-based film I have seen."

WHY do you have to Reserve Your Tickets before October 30th. These screenings are special events and the theaters expect to have a minimum number of people there to fill the seats. Once a screening is guaranteed, tickets will be available (Online Only) until time for the show to start. We could even be upgraded to a larger room. However, if you wait until the last minute---that may no longer be an option.

This film provides a perfect opportunity to have a discussion on a number of issues that impact our lives daily. It is not overly "preachy" but does point to the Hope we find in Christ. It is great for Youth groups, small groups, recovery groups and people who are struggling to find their way to a fulfilling life.

You can get your tickets Online Only at http://gathr.us/screening/13282

Screening is Nov. 10th, but ONLY if we reach minimum by Oct. 30th. You can email me at info@pathlightentertainment.com for more info on materials, including hi-res trailers, or to answer your questions.

Friday, November 29, 2013

BTFS Black Friday Sale

[BLACK FRIDAY!] Buy a Beyond The Farthest Star novel, t-shirt or both and receive a star autographed poster FREE! Friday, Nov. 29 and Saturday, Nov. 30 ONLY...while supplies last. Give the gift of BTFS and watch for more in 2014! Click the BTFS STORE link.

The novel is written by Bodie and Brock Thoene, based on the screenplay by director Andrew Librizzi. This is contemporary fiction in a richly layered story that draws you into the characters lives and touches your heart with the honest emotion expressed. I first read the novel 2 years ago and still vividly remember scenes that profoundly made an impact on me.

The T-Shirts are a bold, vibrant 60/40 cotton/poly with the full color logo on fron and the inspirational The End Is The Beginning tagline on back. Show the world that YOU are a BTFS fan! Or, it is a spectacular gift for your favorite BTFS fan!!

Buy and Get a FREE POSTER! This exclusive poster signed by Andrew Librizzi, Renee O'Connor, Todd Terry, Cherami Leigh, Benjamin Dane (rockin' that BTFS shirt!) and more!!

HURRY!! SUPPLIES ARE LIMITED!!

http://pathlight-entertainment.myshopify.com/

Saturday, November 16, 2013

Win An Autographed BTFS Mini-Poster

BTFS Mini-Poster

[FREE AUTOGRAPHED POSTER!] A randomly selected entry will win a poster signed by Renee O'Connor, Todd Terry, Cherami Leigh, Barry Corbin, Benjamin Dane and Andrew Librizzi!

To enter, all you need to do is watch the video below (on Vimeo) and then go to the Beyond the Farthest Star page (click here) and write, in your own words, how you would answer Anne.

Video can be accessed through Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/79439675

Ever think about the stars, Sticksboy? from Pathlight Entertainment on Vimeo.

Contest ends soon!!

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

When Ashes Are All That Is Left

Courtesy: Pathlight Entertainment

A sleepy Texas town's nativity is burned to ashes by a former U.S. senator and the media swarms, starting a national debate; pitting the town, the senator and a minister's family in a fight ending in sacrifice.

Beyond the Farthest Star has a storyline that revolves around a nativity that was burned by an angry senator...leaving it in ashes, but there are more than the literal flames in this film. There are the flames of jealousy, mistrust, abuse, depression, loneliness, and rage that threaten to consume these multi-dimensional characters. Some are smoldering embers that threaten to deaden the emotions, but others shoot off sparks that reignite and cause fresh fires that threaten to consume and destroy.

Yet, sometimes fire is not meant to destroy. 1 Peter 1:7 tells us, "These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold--though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.". (NLT) Sometimes people are destroyed by the fires that rage within them, but there are times we go through other virtual fires in order to refine and strengthen us. As we are reminded in the film, God will "...give unto them beauty for ashes..." (Is. 61:3, KJV)

This film touches on topics like

Separation of Church and State
Teen depression and Self Harm
Abortion / Sanctity of Life
Priorities of Life - Leaving a Legacy
The Importance of Marriage Vows
Fathers

A great idea is to buy DVDs as an outreach for those whose lives are affected by some of the issues above. There are teens feeling depressed or suicidal, people struggling with marriage issues, or men wanting to be a better father. Or, this is ideal for anyone who is letting their dreams die and need to know that there is hope to be found. You have heard that "A picture is worth a thousand words", so a movie will speak volumes!

BEYOND THE FARTHEST STAR is a tremendous film. Hope From The Heart calls it, “Dynamic! A great story of restoration and a gateway to address difficult issues and brokenness!" Richard Propes, The Independent Critic says, “ Inspired. It's refreshing to watch a film that so successfully infuses faith into the frequently harsh realities of life... without turning its faith into a greeting card sentimentality." And multi-Dove Award-winning artist Crystal Lewis said after watching with her teen daughter, "This film shows that there is hope, that restoration and redemption can come out of the darkness, and that beauty truly can be found among the ashes."

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Maureen Wells: BTFS Characters

Maureen Wells

Anne's attractive but weary-looking mother, Maureen Wells. Her life hadn't exactly gone the direction of her dreams, and she has become resigned to her role. All she had was the fantasy of living love and passion through another's story. But tonight, after a volatile fight when all secrets are exposed, Maureen and Adam can't find their missing teen daughter. Then, a phone call from a stranger confirms…

Renee O'Connor is Maureen Wells. Renee' O'Connor on IMDb
Renee' O'Connor website
Renee' on BTFS website

Important Info:

What Would You Do To Save Your Family?

Plot outline:

A twist of fate brings the national spotlight to a forgotten Texas town and a once famous preacher has an opportunity to either regain his former glory or seize one last chance to restore his fractured family. Narrated by his fifteen-year-old daughter, we watch as Adam Wells, a minister driven by the prospect of achieving greatness as the next nationally-syndicated TV Evangelist, faces the possibility of laying down his opportunity at “celebrity” and even his own life in order to become something even greater... a loving husband and father to his wife and daughter.

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Beyond The Farthest Star will be in theaters in 2013. If you want to help get it to a cinema near you, click BRING IT and let them know you want to see this film!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

7500 Fans Contest on BTFS

HURRY...if you want to join in on the latest contest on the Beyond The Farthest Star Facebook fan page!! The BTFS Novel sold over 17,000 copies its first month! Now two fans will win an author/director autographed novel when they hit 7500 LIKES!! Use the SUGGEST TO FRIENDS feature above on the BTFS wall and post your name in a comment below to enter. The sooner they hit 7,500 Likes the sooner YOU can win!! (You must use the Suggest 2 Friends To Win or bring 10 new friends to BTFS Facebook)

Beyond The Farthest Star stars Renee O'Connor (Xena Warrior Princess, The Ark), Todd Terry (Arlington Road, Breaking Bad), Barry Corbin (Northern Exposure, No Country for Old Men) and Cherami Leigh (Fast Food Nation, Temple Granlin). Written and Directed by Andrew Librizzi, produced by Benjamin Dane and Sally Helppie.

In February, the Zondervan/HarperCollins novel was released by acclaimed fiction writers, Bodie and Brock Thoene and is available at all major booksellers including Amazon.com. Beyond The Farthest Star is described as "Real Life. Real Faith. Real Inspiration." It is an unflinching look at a contemporary family spiraling out of control and the sacrifice that must be made to save them.
To hear The Thoene interview, click here.
To hear the first chapter being read by author, Bodie Thoene, click here

The film started its marketing efforts early by involving a growing fan base. It introduced a fan-driven voting system called BRING IT! Fans can actually demand the film be shown in their local theaters and follow their city in an evolving list. Currently 423 U.S. cities and over 28 countries are voting to see the film. Social media has played a unique role as fans are daily updated and recently selected the tagline for the film. Early screening audiences describe it as "the new wave of faith-based". The filmmakers' vision is to crossover into both faith-based and secular markets. It is set to release soon in a Texas city then expand to other markets. More news and the latest info can be found on their Facebook wall. The trailer will be released for the first time in the coming weeks.

Special thanks to Benjamin Dane for providing me with the synopsis of the film and further info. You will see him in the role of Jimmy Wilkens in BTFS. Plus, in his role as a producer of the film, his creativity and enthusiasm in telling others about Beyond The Farthest Star is unlimited!! If you have seen any of the videos (& you definitely should see them!) on the BTFS Youtube Channel, then you will see Ben's love for this film. You can also follow both the film @beyondmovie and @benjamindane for updates on Twitter.

And, of course, LIKE BTFS on Facebook ....and enter the contest!!
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In the interest of full disclosure, I want to add that much of this material was posted by Diane Howard on Examiner.com on June 27, 2012. See her full article at Major Paradiam Film Shifts: Funding, Producing, & Distributing

Monday, December 26, 2011

Natalie & Jonny Gore

Natalie Gore is listed as Production Staff on the set of Beyond The Farthest Star but she and her brother, Jonny also played a huge role in one of the songs done on the set. In the film, Anne Wells (Cherami Leigh) is the Goth daughter of Pastor Adam and Maureen Wells (Todd Terry, Renee' O'Connor). Anne, along with Steven (Tyler Corie), Kyle (Shawn Roe), and Clifford (Jordan Walker Ross) have a band that plays what Adam refers to as "vampire music".

Writer/director Andrew Librizzi gave a poem to Natalie and Jonny and asked them to write a song for the band. Watch the video to hear Natalie & Jonny talk about it:

Natalie and Jonny are the children of Rob and Toni Escobedo Gore of Faith Fellowship Church of McKinney, TX. In the video below, you can see that their mom also has a beautiful voice as she sings with Natalie...and below that is a funny, loving tribute from Jonny to his mom. :)

Natalie Gore Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/Nataliegore
Natalie Gore Facebook fan page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Natalie-Gore/118382250113?sk=app_112078882147346
Natalie Gore on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nataliegore
Natalie Gore on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/nataliegoremusic
The Natalie Gore Show: https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Natalie-Gore-Show/123438711066585
Jonny Gore on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001097025567
Jonny Gore on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/jonnygoremusic

To hear the song they contributed, you will want to keep up with when BTFS is coming to a cinema near you!! For all the latest, go to Beyond The Farthest Star on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Beyond-the-Farthest-Star/170290344732 or Beyond The Farthest Star on IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1605791/

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A series of blogs about Beyond The Farthest Star.
(I am NOT affiliated with the film or Pathlight Entertainment. Just an appreciative fan.)

Monday, November 28, 2011

Renee' O'Connor

Renee' O'Connor gives a stellar performance in the lead role of Maureen Wells in Beyond The Farthest Star. This film, due to be released theatrically in 2012, is the story of a father desperate to connect with his goth daughter and regain the love of his wife. Renee gives a compelling performance as a wife and mother who loves her family, but feels that she has merely become an extension of her husband's ministry and a mediator between her husband and their troubled daughter, Anne.

Haunted by the secrets and lies of the past and in despair over the current turmoil in her family, Maureen sinks further into a life of quiet desperation. Renee' provides just the right balance of a woman who deeply loves her family, but is also shutting them and the rest of the world out. Maureen Wells feels her role is to be the peacemaker of the family, but no longer feels peace within herself. You will certainly be moved by Renee's portrayal of a woman who is emotionally fragile, yet has the strength and resolve to do what is best for the ones she loves.

Watch this BTFS Cast Interview with Renee' O'Connor: http://vimeo.com/11070288 to hear what Renee' has to say about her work on Beyond The Farthest Star.

In a recent interview, Renee described the BTFS story and complex characters who live in it out, "It’s emotionally charged and it’s meant to challenge the people who watch the film." To read the whole Star Scoop interview click here.

This Texas born actress had several roles on television, but it was her role in Darkman II: The Return of Durant that brought her to the character that made Renee' an international star. As Gabrielle in XENA: Warrior Princess, Renee and Lucy Lawless (Xena) captured the hearts of fans around the world. Millions of fans still adore both the actors themselves and the characters, as evidenced in popular Xena Cons. Unfortunately, 2012 is scheduled to be the final Xena Con, but for more info on how you can be a part click on this link for Creation Entertainment.

Actor/Writer/Producer/Director Renee' O'Connor has gone on to be involved in other TV & film projects, including Alien Apocalypse, Diamonds and Guns, Ark, and is in pre-production of A State Of Hate. Renee' is also actively involved in Awareness seminars. You can learn more about those at iAmAware and on Yuku.com. Ms. O'Connor is aso involved in charities: The Alisa Ann Ruch Burn Foundation, The Renee' O'Connor Outreach Fund, and the Richstone Family Center. To find out more about this fascinating, talented, compassionate, family woman, check out the links below:

BTFS producer, Benjamin Dane (pictured on the right with Renee during the filming of Beyond The Farthest Star in Leonard, Texas), had a chance to meet Renee' for lunch several months ago while they were both in Santa Monica, CA. This was the first opportunity the two of them had since filming was complete to discuss their work on this movie that is sure to appeal to many for a myriad of reasons. To watch the video and hear Renee's thoughts on this powerful and poignant film, simply click Renee and Ben discuss BTFS.

EXCITING NEW DEVELOPMENT!!!!! I just received permission to make this announcement!!
From producer, Benjamin Dane : "Look for the upcoming "TEE CHATS" with the main cast of BTFS. Renee, and the other stars, will chat with the fans in weeks to come... stay tuned to the BTFS FB wall"

Remember to LIKE the BTFS Facebook fan page and, sign up to BRING IT! ................to YOUR local cinema.

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Part 19 in a series on the cast of Beyond The Farthest Star.
(*I am NOT affiliated with the film or Pathlight Entertainment. Just an appreciative fan.)

Cindy Navarro