How To Eat Fried Blogs

DVD-O-Rama

2007-01-16T10:05:00.000-08:00

Friends, fans, and fellow worm-eaters (not that we encourage that sort of thing!):

It’s been a restful holiday and we’re all back in school…again, but we here at How To Eat Fried Blogs wanted to poke our heads above ground, remind you that we’re here, and not only that, but we’re out on DVD! Not only can you watch the movie in the comforts of your own home, but all of our bloopers, deleted scenes, and closely guarded secrets are on display as well. There’s even a commentary from Bob and the kids, so you can learn about the fun that happened offscreen as well as on.

Here’s a link to where you can buy the DVD on Amazon.

More importantly, we wanted to remind you we’re here, and we want to hear from you! So many of you have sent us comments and we’re thrilled that you enjoy the movie. Let us know, via the comments page, what you think of the movie, and we’ll post it! Send pictures, send words, what have you. We’ll be here!

How To Eat Fried Worms in Detroit --by Ryan Malgarini & Adam Hicks

2006-09-07T15:27:00.000-07:00

On Friday, August 25, 2006—the opening day of How to Eat Fried Worms—Ryan Malgarini (“Benjy”) and Adam Hicks (“Joe Guire”) traveled to Detroit, Michigan to appear at the Kensington Book Fair to promote the movie, and also do a variety of interviews. Here are some of their recollections of the trip:

Adam: I was worried I wouldn’t wake up since the pick-up time was 4:30 AM, so I told my Mom I was staying up all night. I found myself drifting off at 1:00 AM, the driver arrived at 4:00 AM, and thank goodness we were ready.

Ryan: Our pick-up time was 5:00 AM. We boarded the plane about an hour and half after that, and flew first class to Detroit.

Adam: Ryan and I were cracking up for the entire 4 hour flight. I am sure our parents were worn out, but Ryan and I laugh a lot together, over nothing really.

Ryan: This really nice woman named Linde was hosting us for the weekend and met us at the airport. From there, we got into a black Escalade van and immediately went to our first interview. It was for a radio station, WJR-AM, which broadcasts from the lobby of the Renaissance Center in downtown Detroit. The guy who interviewed us, Mitch Albom, was very funny and kept making us laugh. We stayed at a four-star hotel called the Townsend Hotel. It was very classy and had the most comfortable beds in the world. The room service was really good, and we ordered lots of chicken fingers.

Adam: When we were later looking at our photos, my mother remarked that the hotel reminded her of England. It was decorated with real roses and lovely teapots and china cups.

Ryan: That night I went to the best Italian restaurant, Buca Di Beppo, with Adam, his mother, my Grandpa, my Uncle Joe, and a friend of ours from China, Wei, who’s now living in Detroit. We had these huge “family style” portions of pasta, pizza, and chicken, and also had a lot of fun. When we left the restaurant, we turned the corner and noticed the big marquee of the local movie theater. It was showing How to Eat Fried Worms!

Adam: We begged to go and see it, but we had to get up early for more interviews, so we needed our sleep. There was a large crowd outside of the theater, and I am sure they were all lining up to see Fried Worms.

Ryan: We went to 6 interviews in 2 days (2 radio, 2 TV, 1 newspaper, and one online).

Adam: One of the interviews was a morning television show where we were going to cook “worm recipes." My Mom was worried in case they used real worms. Luckily, they had forgotten the ingredients and instead we were able to just talk about the movie.

Ryan: Later that day was my favorite part of the trip, when we appeared at the Kensington Book Fair. It was held outdoors in a big park. We went onstage and a woman who had giant butterfly wings attached to her back interviewed us. Then we had a question and answer session with a lot of local school kids and an autograph signing afterwards.

Adam: The location was beautiful and there was quite a crowd. We were well received and Ryan and I acted out a scene from the movie. I think we convinced a lot of kids to go and see the movie and also how much fun it is to be an actor.

Ryan: All of the kids were really cool and asked some very smart questions. Many asked questions that made them seem a lot older than they actually were! One little kid came up to me at the signing and said, “This book is so good! I can’t wait to read it!...when I learn how to read!”

Adam: After a long, but enjoyable day, we headed back to Las Vegas, sweating it out in the desert and regular life.

How I Acted Messy --by Ty Panitz

2006-09-06T11:17:00.000-07:00

Dear Bob,

This is Ty (Woody). I have watched the movie now 3 times. You must be the best director ever to get me to do all that stuff. Did I ever tell you that I hate getting messy? Hate dirt on my clothes and would never ever get burritto on me. I also haven't picked my nose since I was at least 3. But you got me to do it and made it look like I really liked being all gooed up. I think it is fun to get to be someone you are not sometimes and not get in trouble for it. Thanks for your help.

Love, Ty (Woody)

Coincidence?

2006-09-05T15:17:00.000-07:00

Above is a painting from the late, legendary Norman Rockwell, who painted dozens of covers for "The Saturday Evening Post." Norman's son is Thomas Rockwell, author of the book "How To Eat Fried Worms." Below is a still photograph from our movie, "How To Eat Fried Worms." Weird, no?

How To Hang From The Rafters --by Andrew Gillingham

2006-09-03T10:51:00.000-07:00

Hey! I'm Techno Mouth and making How to Eat Fried Worms was awesome! I loved filming the scene at Twitch's house. We just ran around and went crazy. It was SWEEEET when I got to hang upside down. It was HOT up there, though. Your science teachers were right when they told you that hot air rises. I had to wear a harness that gave me a wedgie, but at least I didn't fall on my head. The stunt coordinator, Jeff Schwan is the best. Remember, he is a trained professional, so please don't try it at home!

--Andrew Gillingham

Bradley Checks In --by Philip Bolden

2006-09-03T10:48:00.000-07:00

My experiences on the project ''How to Eat Fried Worms'' were great. I had the chance to meet and get to know some nice people, including Bob Dolman the director. I enjoyed Austin, Texas and what the city had to offer. It was great having people your age to talk to 24/7. I enjoyed the scenes at Blue Hole, a beautiful wide river with many fish, because of its vast view and lovely clear water. I hope to have many more experiences like this.

--Philip Bolden

Happy Labor Day Weekend!

2006-09-01T10:38:00.000-07:00

Everybody at Fried Worms wishes you a great last weekend of the summer! And if you see a monkey, put it on your head!

Vegas Baby!

2006-08-31T10:30:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Ryan's uncle Joe Malgarini, here's a link to Popstar Magazine's Myspace Page which has a slideshow of the Las Vegas premiere! The Las Vegas Revew Journal also has some great pics - click HERE to check it out! We should be hearing from Ryan himself in the next few days...

Look what they're saying about the movie!

2006-08-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

We like the movie, and that's well and good, but it's nice to hear other people weigh in. What did YOU like or not like about the movie? Here's what the pros said:

“Nicely directed, the film version proves refreshingly free of the customary blights that affect most modern children’s movies, notably adult condescension.”

- Manohla Dargis, New York Times

“It presents kids as real, basically goofy beings and not as miniature, sarcastic, attitude-poisoned adults. That's one thing in its favor. It's also smart, funny and full of queasy imagery kids will love and parents will turn their heads from. And finally, it teaches a lesson without it being condescending to its target audience. That last thing alone is almost like a miracle.”

- Dave White, movies.com

“…you begin to wonder if it wasn’t just made for fifth-graders, but by them as well. That’s a compliment, of course. For Worms is one of those rare kiddie flicks that successfully adopt a child’s-eye view of the world, where nothing is more important than saving face on the playground and where parents are as distant and clueless as storybook giants.”

- Scott Foundas, LA Weekly

“Aside from a single reference to the Internet, it would be easy to assume that Bob Dolman's winning adaptation of Thomas Rockwell's 1973 children's book was actually made in the '70s. Here's hoping its old-fashioned sensibility appeals to contemporary kids, because we could certainly use more movies as smart and sweet as this one.”

- Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News

“Judging by mainstream movies, no one in Hollywood has ever actually met (much less had) an actual child: Kids in American movies tend to be spooky, precocious mini-adults, prone to wise sayings and highly calculated antics. Granted, it's hard to direct children, much less coach them into something as nuanced as naturalism, especially since few directors have the courage of How To Eat Fried Worms writer-director Bob Dolman, who seemingly just wound his cast up, then stood back and watched. The results are anarchic but charmingly authentic.”

- Tasha Robinson, The Onion AV Club

“While changes have been made to the book in the interest of compressing the story and emphasizing certain life lessons, the 33-year-old premise is still perfectly in sync with the sensibilities of preteen boys everywhere.”

-Angel Cohn, TV Guide

“Based on a best-selling children's novel by Thomas Rockwell, Worms has its share of kid-friendly gross-outs but is actually a sweet-natured look at standing up to bullies.”

“The themes are sensible: Kids are not the only ones who suffer bullies or have a tough time adapting to new surroundings. More important, How to Eat Fried Worms has a message of self-empowerment and tolerance that, while familiar, avoids treacliness.”

“There is almost an old-fashioned quality to this simple film…the youthful cast is distinctive and talented. And the emotions and reactions of the characters ring true.”

- Claudia Puig, USA TODAY

The New Kid --by Bob Dolman

2006-08-29T09:38:00.002-07:00

How To Eat Fried Worms is a little movie that we filmed last summer, and now it's out in the great big world, like a kid in a big noisy schoolyard, and kids are watching it everywhere. It's the last movie treat of the summer, before returning to...school.

And it's about going to school. It's about starting at a new school and having to meet new kids and make new friends, which is hard sometimes. It's hard when you don't know anybody and you're trying to fit in. One of the reasons we made this movie was to address this very subject: on his first day at a new school, Billy gets picked on and ends up getting himself into trouble with the school bully. He makes a bet and chooses to honor it and go through with it, and in the end the bully doesn't pick on anybody ever again.

What does your new school year look like? Maybe you've moved to a new town or city, like Billy does in the movie. Or maybe you've moved up to middle school or junior high. Are you excited? Are you wondering what it will be like? It's natural to wonder before you've gotten there, and I'll bet you it's going to be a great adventure, whatever the school is you're going to.

Our movie is a celebration of these amazing days of being a kid and all the fun of making friends and running around laughing. Oh, and dancing--there's certainly some of that in the movie.

I'll tell you something: I wish I was in school again. Do kids still play marbles in the yard at recess?

--Bob Dolman

How To Review A Movie

2006-08-26T11:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a movie review of How To Eat Fried Worms, written by eleven-year-old Matthew A. Thomas for the Beacon Journal in Akron, Ohio, originally posted here.

After you've seen the movie, why not write your OWN review of it! We'll post it right here on our blogsite.

Thanks!
_ _ _

`Fried Worms' has a couple of messages

How to Eat Fried Worms is a great movie because of its message, but boys will like it more than girls do.

It starts out with a cartoon of a boy named Billy (Luke Benward) and his life before he's forced to move because of his father's job. It shows his happy life with friends and family, but it also shows his weak stomach.

It then goes to reality and Billy's little brother, who really knows how to torture him, is eating a messy burrito to make Billy sick. It does, but it reminds Billy that he's going to be facing a new life.

His family gets to their new house and Billy hates it.

Can things get worse? Yes.

On his first day of school, Joe Guire (Adam Hicks) and his friends are already bullying him. But he's made at least one friend and doesn't know it.

Joe's friends put worms in Billy's lunchbox, so he bluffs and says that he eats worms and throws one in Joe's face. The next day people call him wormboy and on the way home, Joe and two friends bother him, so he makes a bet with Joe.

Billy has to eat 10 worms in one day, but each is different. Will he eat all of them?

The cast of kids in How to Eat Fried Worms is brilliant and does a great job at acting.

The message in this movie: Don't be a bully and fight back.

Another message is don't eat worms.

(Matthew A. Thomas has been watching movies with his father, Akron Beacon Journal movie critic George Thomas, since he was an infant. He is 11 years old and in the sixth grade. He can be reached at Hulk1094@aol.com.)

The Movie Opens! --by Bob Dolman

2006-08-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

At last! How To Eat Fried Worms is in theatres all over the United States
and Canada! That means today I can go watch it with all sorts of people
eating popcorn and laughing and going Ewwwwwwwww! I'm going to take my
mother. She's 86 years old. We're going to a matinee in Santa Monica,
California, on the Third Street Promenade.

Maybe I'll see you there!

--Bob Dolman

How To Direct Luke Benward --by Bob Dolman

2006-08-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

A newspaper in Nashville, Tennessee, recently asked Bob Dolman some questions about directing Luke Benward, the star of How To Eat Fried Worms. Here’s what he said:

Q: What was it about Luke that made you want to cast him?

A: A big factor was his age. Often in movies older kids are cast to play young parts so that they, as actors, will have more experience or audience recognition. We wanted Fried Worms to be composed mostly of a cast of ten to eleven year olds, and Luke at the time was ten. He brought ten-year-old innocence to the part. He also had (and still has) an easy-going charm mixed with appropriate doubts that made him right as the reluctant hero of our story.

Q: How did he do in his first lead role?

A: Luke had to carry the movie on his shoulders. He’s in almost every scene. He was there on day one and still there on the day we wrapped. He had more lines to learn than anyone else. He worked hard in the midst of dozens of adults giving him instructions. The result is a full character on screen whom audiences cheer for. He’s believable, brave, vulnerable and funny. How’d he do? I give him an A-plus.

Q: How would you describe him as an actor?

A: He was sometimes distracted by things such as: other kids, swimming holes, video games, food, silly jokes, and buckets full of earthworms. Now and then I would lose my patience with him and then remember he was ten. When I was ten you couldn’t have got me to stand still for five seconds, let along repeat a “take” again and again and hit my mark each time. His favorite scenes were ones in which he had a stunt to perform. He laughed a lot, treated all props as toys, made weird faces into the camera when I called “Cut!” and often broke into song and danced. What kind of actor was he? A CHILD actor.

Q: How does he compare to other child actors with whom you have worked?

A: I haven’t worked with too many child actors. Fried Worms was a new adventure, that’s for sure. And let me add an important piece of the puzzle: Luke’s mother, Kenda Benward, coached her son during every day of our shoot, and I am not sure how I could have directed this movie without her. She kept Luke focused and rehearsed, and often I turned to her for help when a scene was floundering. Film-making is a team sport, and when there are children in the cast, the parents of those children are a vital part of the collaboration.

How To Prepare For A Movie Opening --by Bob Dolman

2006-08-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

How To Eat Fried Worms opens this Friday, August 25th, and I suppose that I ought to be cool and reserved about that, but the truth is I'm really really excited! We had so much fun making this movie, and all along we kept thinking, "One day it's going to come out in theatres and kids (and adults) are going to enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed working on it" (by "we" I mean the actors and the crew and the editors and the producers and the studio executives and the worms). I can't wait to sit in a theatre and watch it with a real audience (by "real audience" I mean everybody in the whole wide world who loves going to the movies) and listen to the laughter and even the groans when Billy eats the you-know-whats.

In the meantime:

If you have any thoughts about this movie or about anything at all, please write to us on this blogsite. We know you're out there: we had a thousand visitors to this site in the past 24 hours. (There's a machine that keeps track.) We'd like to hear from you! Are you a fan of the book, How To Eat Fried Worms? Did you see the trailer yet? What's your favorite color? Can you do a cartwheel? When does school start? Have you ever been the "new kid"? Can you cross your big toe over your second toe? Or, seriously: would you like to ask us a question?

Just click COMMENT at the bottom of this blog.

Thanks!

--Bob Dolman

Bob with son Joe Dolman, production assistant on Fried Worms.
(credit Kenda Benward).

Live And Let Fry

2006-08-22T12:22:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked about the squirmy co-stars of the movie. In the coming days, we'll bring you some inside info on how our FX wizards made fake worms, but we also wanted to give a hearty thanks to the Happy D Ranch, who provided the live wrigglers. Visit their website if you're in the market for some worms. Or for some peanut brittle, which they apparently also sell.

Las Vegas Premiere!

2006-08-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, our gang descended on Sin City to screen the movie for a charity called Candlelighters, which benefits children with cancer. It was everything a premiere should be - tuxedos, red carpets, autographs, screaming fans, and of course, a good cause. Kenda Benward (mother of Luke) was kind enough to share her photos -- Thanks, Kenda!

Amy Eisenberg, Hallie Kate Eisenberg Blake Garrett, producer Mark Johnson (back row, in pink shirt), Alexander Agate, Austin Rogers, Bob Dolman (back row), Luke Benward, Adam Hicks, Simone White (back row), Ty Panitz (front) and Ryan Malgarini pose on the red carpet.

Ryan Malgarini, Luke Benward and Austin Rogers looking sharp!

Here's Twitch!

2006-08-19T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's Saturday, and we're starting to do our first preview screenings of the movie. Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Memphis, Nashville, and of course Great Barrington, Massachusetts will get to see the movie at special screenings this weekend, and we'll be posting pictures from those events next week. In the meantime, here's a shot of Alexander Gould, who plays Twitch, whose kitchen is destroyed during the creation of the Burning Fireball Worm. Alexander also appears on the show "Weeds," and was the voice of Nemo in FINDING NEMO.

How Erika hit the bullseye --by Hallie Kate Eisenberg

2006-08-18T12:11:00.000-07:00

A few weeks before we began filming How to Eat Fried Worms, I got a call from the production office telling me I was going to be taking archery lessons for the movie. I knew my character, Erika, was really good at archery, but I didn't realize I would actually be shooting the arrows myself. I guess I just thought it was all going to be done with computers or stunt people who actually knew what they were doing. I was very nervous... although I ride horses competitively, I'm really not the athletic type.

To my surprise, there was an archery club not far from where I live in New Jersey. My archery instructor, Pierre, was a retiree and an extraordinarily skilled archer. I was even more nervous now learning from a champion. I was expecting a mediocre teenage archer out of high school,and here I am with a world famous champion. They gave me a special glove to protect my wrist from the string hitting my arm when I fired the arrow, a beautiful hand carved bow, which was much heavier then I thought it would be, and a back quiver, which was like a backpack to hold the arrows in.

I started with targets about 10 or 15 feet away, and each time I got more comfortable with aiming at one close by, they moved it a little farther away, until I was shooting about 100 feet away! I was incredibly surprised that I caught on to this sport and was able to get a bulls eye (center of the target) pretty often.

A few days later I went back to have a second lesson. This time I was very excited and not nervous at all. Right away we started with the target far away, and I got some practice shooting just to become more comfortable with it. I was having a really great time and was surprised that my hour lesson sped by and soon it was time to go home.

In Texas, the producers had set up another lesson for me, which I was very eager to go to. At this point I was very into the sport and any time I had the chance to practice was great.

Movies are generally not shot in the order you see them in, and my first scene where I am practicing archery was shot the very first day of filming. Although I was pretty confident with how I did in my lessons, I was really nervous to be doing it in front of all these people I had never met, and on film! But everyone was really encouraging and supportive and so I relaxed and ended up having a great time.

One time, I got an arrow in the dead center of the target, and Luke (the boy who plays Billy and is in this scene with me) and I got so excited that we forgot to say our lines for a minute and just stared at the target. When Bob, the director said "Cut," all of the crew members applauded for me. It really made me feel comfortable and was a great start for me working on this movie.

--Hallie Kate Eisenberg ("Erika Tanzy")

How to do your own stunts -- by Luke Benward

2006-08-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hey this is Luke Benward. I wanted to tell everyone how much fun it was to do my own stunts. It was great! Jeff Schwan was the best stunt coordinator anyone could have.

My favorite stunt that I had to do was diving into the Blue Hole. Blue Hole is a natural swimming hole outside Austin, Texas. It was extremely hot outside when we shot that stunt. But it was heaven when I got to jump in the water. The thing that kept my confidence up was that there were scuba divers in the water with me. It was a safety precaution to make sure I didn't drown. They had a camera in a clear box so it didn't get wet and they could see me under water. The scuba divers would pull me down to the bottom of the Blue Hole so I could shoot back to the surface with the worm on the arrow.

After I ate the Barfmallow worm I'm supposed to lose my balance which causes me to fall off the ledge of the patio. Jeff was under the patio with a mat for me to land on. At the end of shooting that scene, all of the boys would jump on the mat and do body slams.

Jeff taught me how to run into a tree, act dizzy, fall backward into a toilet paper display, and do a 180 on my bike.

I was practicing the 180 turn before we started shooting. I went down the hill and my front and back tire started to slip. I found myself lying on the ground. My knee was pretty skinned up. The make-up lady had to fix it up to look normal. I still loved doing the 180 turn even though I crashed.

I loved doing all my own stunts. I hope get to do it more in future films!

Luke Benward ("Billy Forrester")

[That's Jeff Schwan in the middle, directing traffic. - Tom]

Worms in the news

2006-08-17T01:47:00.000-07:00

Selling nightcrawlers is not a crime! CNN's dramatic video shows us why.

What are you talking like that for?

2006-08-16T16:49:00.000-07:00

Those French, they have a different word for EVERYTHING!

[Photo credit - Lena Dolman]

Meet The Gang!

2006-08-16T00:30:00.000-07:00

1. K.C. Hodenfield is our First Assistant Director, who has a microphone so he can yell things like “Action!” “Cut!” and of course, “Everybody go swimming!”

2. Alexander Gould is TWITCH, who’s a little high-strung.

3. Bob Dolman is our director, who stepped out from behind the camera for this shot!

4. Andrew Gillingham is TECHNO MOUTH, who’s got a shiny smile.

5. Adam Hicks is JOE, who’s the bully, so he makes all the rules.

6. Luke Benward is BILLY, who’s just trying to be a normal kid, but... (see #5)

7. Austin Rogers is ADAM, who’s…just a little strange.

8. Blake Garrett is PLUG, who’s a little congested.

9. Ty Panitz is WOODY, who saw his brother Billy get sick at Raging Waters, and they had to drain the whole pool.

10. Hallie Kate Eisenberg is ERIKA, who can tell you how weird boys are.

11. Ryan Malgarini is BENJY, who’s thinking up some disgusting recipes.

12. Philip Daniel Bolden is BRADLEY, who definitely knows what time it is.

13. Alexander Agate is DONNY, who might be braver than he thinks.

Introducing Adam Simms --by Austin Rogers

2006-08-15T09:37:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! My name is Austin Rogers and I am one of the cast members of the major motion picture "How To Eat Fried Worms." I play the role of 'Adam Simms' the nervous, self-conscious kid who has a strange habit of smelling his fingers. I am here along with many members of the cast to share our experiences from the set of "How To Eat Fried Worms." We will let you know all the inside scoop including our favorite moments and the journey to making a beloved novel into a live-action reality. So join the cast and me and really find out how to eat fried worms!
--Austin Rogers ("Adam Simms")

Bob and the Worms Boys...

2006-08-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

...watching the monitor. Many thanks to Kenda Benward for her photos!

Lights, camera, action!

2006-08-14T16:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome!

2006-08-13T17:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to How To Eat Fried Blogs, a blogsite for fans of How To Eat Fried
Worms.

Now, you may be thinking as you read this, "The movie doesn't come out until August 25th, so how can I be a fan of it when I haven't seen it yet?"

That's a great question, and here's the answer: How To Eat Fried Worms is not only a movie, it's a book. The book was written in 1973, by Thomas Rockwell, and it has many many fans, and perhaps you're one of them.

The blogsite you're looking at is dedicated to How To Eat Fried Worms, the book AND the movie. The movie, after all, would not exist if Mr Rockwell hadn't written the book. And the movie owes its spirit to the book. Its screenplay was written with respect for the book's humor, themes, characters, and of course its wonderful grossness.

I should know, because I wrote the screenplay. I also directed the movie. I think that's why I get to write the first blog.

But I'm not the only person who'll be blogging here. You will hear from many people who worked on the movie, including the members of the cast.

And you're invited to write to us. You may ask us any questions you like, or offer comments, about the movie, about the book, or about anything at all.

That's all I have to say for now. It so happens I need a haircut, so I'm going to the barber. I have to hurry or I'll be late!

Goodbye for now.

--Bob Dolman