I. Top Ten Reasons Why Alongside Night is a Better Libertarian Novel Than Atlas Shrugged

Humor by the author of Alongside Night

(With acknowledgments to David Letterman.)

10. Reading the paperback of Alongside Night won’t give you eyestrain.

9. No, dammit, you don’t “drive” an airplane … and it wouldn’t have been called Rearden Metal – it would have been called “Reardenite.”

8. Ayn Rand wasn’t able to read Atlas Shrugged before she wrote Atlas Shrugged. The author of Alongside Night did.

7. Carrying Alongside Night around won’t give you back problems.

6. Jesus H. Galt – Atlas Shrugged is over a thousand pages of small type!

5. I mean, come on, romantic realism is one thing, but at least in Alongside Night, New York City has Jews.

4. Honest to God, I think John Galt had to be a virgin before he met Dagny.

3. In Alongside Night just because you’re fat doesn’t mean you’re a moocher.

2. Atlas Shrugged ends with the U.S. constitution being amended; Alongside Night ends with the Revolutionary Agorist Cadre declining diplomatic recognition as the “legitimate government of the United States.”

II. Three-Decade-Old Milton-Friedman-Endorsed Novel Projecting Economic Meltdown Goes Viral on Web

(OPENPRESS) October 3, 2009 — In 1979 J. Neil Schulman’s first novel, Alongside Night, was released in hardcover by Crown Publishers, with endorsements from Nobel-laureate-in-economics, Milton Friedman and literary lion Anthony Burgess. The novel projected a future when the United States is in a final state of collapse due to the federal government overspending and hyper-inflating the dollar to pay its foreign creditors.

Now, three decades after its original publication — and with many of the novel’s projections eerily reflecting reality — Alongside Night has become a viral phenomenon on the World Wide Web.

On June 13, 2009, the novel’s current publisher — Pulpless.com — released a new 30th Anniversary PDF eBook edition of Alongside Night as a free download on the web from http://www.alongsidenight.net. On September 30, 2009 the number of Alongside Night eBook downloads passed 50,000 copies. This number of downloads was accomplished without a dime of advertising, and with no publicity coverage whatsoever from any major media outlet — no television, talk radio, magazine, newspaper, or major media website. It was a completely viral Internet phenomenon driven by bloggers, podcasters, and one YouTube interview with the author.

In a June 22, 2009 article by Rachel Deahl on PublishersWeekly.com, Mundania Press president and publisher Daniel J. Reitz –whose publishing firm houses a number of imprints that publish romance, sci-fi, mystery and YA, among other genres, and has some 600 authors on its list– reported “that his house’s e-books sell, on average, 100 to 200 copies in their first month. There are exceptions, however. Marie Rochelle, one of Mundania’s biggest sellers, who specializes in interracial romances, moved 4,000 to 5,000 copies in her first month in the e-book format and several thousand print copies.”

The Pulpless.com PDF eBook edition of Alongside Night had, by comparison, 22,645 downloads in its first two weeks of availability from first release on June 13, 2009 through June 30, 2009 — to repeat, without any advertising or major media publicity.

A Wikipedia article on Alongside Night describes it as “a Prometheus Award winning libertarian and anarchist dystopian novel by science fiction writer J. Neil Schulman first published in 1979 by Crown Publishers. Subsequent paperback editions have been released by Ace Books in 1982, Avon Books in 1987, Pulpless.com in 1999, and Amazon Kindle in 2009. The book focuses on the character of Elliot, the son of a fictional economist and Nobel Laureate, and his experiences in a police state United States in the near future. The novel’s economic projections of the United States in economic meltdown have recently been noted as eerily reflecting current real-world developments.”

Wikipedia also reports, “The author has recently completed a screenplay adaptation and in addition to a feature film production a new graphic novel, audiobook, and Massively Multiplayer Online Game are being planned.”

Alongside Night‘s honors include being inducted into the Libertarian Futurist Society’s Prometheus Hall of Fame in 1989 — its first year of eligibility — and its selection as Freedom Book of the Month for May, 2009 by the Freedom Book Club.

No personal information from the downloader is requested by Pulpless.com’s website in order to download the novel for free. The free PDF edition of Alongside Night includes pages of display advertising in between chapters — mostly of books, films, products, and services of interest to libertarians.

Milton Friedman’s letter of endorsement on Alongside Night reads, “An absorbing novel–science fiction, yet also a cautionary tale with a disturbing resemblance to past history and future possibilities.”

Anthony Burgess’s endorsement reads, “I received Alongside Night at noon today. It is now eight in the evening and I just finished it. I think I am entitled to some dinner now as I had no lunch. The unputdownability of the book ensured that. It is a remarkable and original story, and the picture it presents of an inflation- crippled America on the verge of revolution is all too acceptable. I wish, and so will many novelists, that I, or they, had thought of the idea first. A thrilling novel, crisply written, that fires the imagination as effectively as it stimulates the feelings.”

Congressman Ron Paul endorsed Alongside Night in 2009, saying, “J. Neil Schulman’s Alongside Night may be even more relevant today than it was in 1979. Hopefully, the special thirtieth anniversary edition of this landmark work of libertarian science fiction will inspire a new generation of readers to learn more about the ideas of liberty and become active in the freedom movement.”

Full information on Alongside Night is available on its official website at http://www.alongsidenight.com. The Alongside Night Facebook Group also updates Facebook members on the novel.

Full information on J. Neil Schulman and his subsequent career as a novelist, screenwriter, journalist, publisher, and filmmaker are on his personal website at http://www.jneilschulman.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/jneilschulman, on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/jneilschulman, and on Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Neil_Schulman .

III. Update: December 5, 2009

Our server at http://www.alongsidenight.net reports 63,551 downloads of the free 30th anniversary PDF of Alongside Night from launch at noon PDT on Saturday June 13 to my last stats check, December 4, 2009.

This was accomplished without a dime of advertising or professional publicity and solely by viral web action — mostly bloggers, a few podcasts, our Facebook group, a Motorhome Diaries interview with me. Not a single major media mention of me or the book — no TV, talk radio, magazine, newspaper, columnist, or major website — since the PDF was made available on June 13, 2009.

Over 63,000 copies of a three-decade-old novel downloaded in a little over five months without a major publisher pushing it.

IV. Milton-Friedman-Endorsed Book Predicting Current Financial Crisis Adapted as Screenplay

(OPENPRESS) October 11, 2008 — Author/filmmaker, J. Neil Schulman, who in 1989 won the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award for his 1979 novel of America in financial meltdown, Alongside Night — and who on October 1, 2008, accepted the Audience Choice award from the Cinema City International Film Festival for Lady Magdalene’s, the suspense-comedy feature film he wrote, produced, and directed — has just completed a screenplay adaptation of Alongside Night that he’s been working on for 27 years.

“I don’t think I spent as much time working on this screenplay as J.R.R. Tolkien spent writing his Lord of the Rings trilogy,” Schulman said, “but it took the current world financial crisis catching up to projections I made in my novel three decades ago for me to decide that I finally needed to get my story of how our country can be rescued from government policies that take us to the brink of catastrophe as an action movie that’s at once chilling, funny, and hopeful.”

Alongside Night won high-profile praise when it was released in hardcover by Crown Publishers in 1979.

Milton Friedman, the first American to win the Nobel Prize for economics, wrote about Alongside Night, “An absorbing novel–science fiction, yet also a cautionary tale with a disturbing resemblance to past history and future possibilities.”

The Los Angeles Times Book Review wrote, “High Drama … A story of high adventure, close escapes, mistaken identities, and thrilling rescues. … A fast-moving tale of a future which is uncomfortably close at hand.”

And Anthony Burgess, author of the dystopian novel A Clockwork Orange, wrote, “I received Alongside Night at noon today. It is now eight in the evening and I just finished it. I think I am entitled to some dinner now as I had no lunch. The unputdownability of the book ensured that. It is a remarkable and original story, and the picture it presents of an inflation- crippled America on the verge of revolution is all too acceptable. I wish, and so will many novelists, that I, or they, had thought of the idea first. A thrilling novel, crisply written, that fires the imagination as effectively as it stimulates the feelings.”

As described by the Wikipedia entry on Alongside Night, “The book focuses on the character of Elliot, the son of a fictional economist and Nobel Laureate … set in a United States on the brink of economic collapse, where inflation is spiraling out of control and the government struggles to keep hold of its power. Trading in foreign currency has become illegal and many shops are subject to rationing; as a result there is a sprawling black market for almost all conceivable goods. Other nations have not fared so grimly, and organisations such as EUCOMTO (European Common Market Treaty Organization – the novel’s prophetic vision of the future EU) issue stable gold standard currencies.”

In an email of October 8, 2008, Schulman stated that it was his intent to “sell the script to a production company or get it financed so I can begin pre-production through my own company [Jesulu Productions].”

Following its 1979 Crown hardcover release, Alongside Night’s publishing history has included mass-market paperback editions from Ace Books in 1981 and from Avon Books in 1987. It’s currently available both in a Pulpless.com web-downloadable eBook edition from http://www.alongsidenight.com and in the trade-paperback edition available on Amazon.com and most other book retailers.

V. Are We Alongside Night?

October 16, 1979 was the original publication date for the first-edition hardcover of my novel Alongside Night, and on December 10, 1979 I gave a speech to the Los Angeles Libertarian Supper Club titled, “Are We Alongside Night?” That first speech was included in both the 1982 Ace rack-size paperback and the 20th anniversary Pulpless.com trade paperback edition in 1999.

To celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of both those events, I was invited to give a new speech to the Karl Hess Club in Los Angeles, again by asking the question, “Are We Alongside Night?”

You can listen to the audio of my November 16, 2009 speech “Are We Alongside Night?” by clicking here.

Much thanks to J. Kent Hastings for recording and uploading the MP3!

You can read the transcript of the original 1979 speech here.

You can download a free copy of the 30th anniversary PDF edition of Alongside Night here.

–JNS

VI. Alongside Night Can Be My Next Feature Film as Writer/Director — Here’s Info on my First

My comic thriller Lady Magdalene’s — a movie I wrote, produced, directed, and acted in it — is now available for sale or rental on Amazon.com Video On Demand.

Its current Amazon.com rankings as of today are:

#11 in Amazon Video On Demand > Movies > Action & Adventure > Romantic Adventure
#22 in Amazon Video On Demand > Movies > Mystery & Thrillers > Crime
#37 in Amazon Video On Demand > Movies > Action & Adventure > Comic Action

Our first Amazon.com customer review:

4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, November 30, 2009
By Bill St. Clair
Amazon Verified Purchase
I watched Lady Magdalene’s, while recovering from the flu. Amazon’s streaming player worked flawlessly on my Mac over my 150 kbyte/sec DSL line. It was entertaining, non-political, humorous, had good music, and was definitely low-budget.

I didn’t know that Nichelle Nichols could sing. She was good. And the violin playing was excellent.

I was surprised at the mainstream 9/11 theme, but it was used in a non-political, and humorous, manner.

The Star Trek references were amusing.

All-in-all a pleasant use of two hours and three dollars (Amazon’s 7-day rental price).

DESCRIPTION

Start with Star Trek’s original “Uhura,” Nichelle Nichols, in the title role as a New Orleans madam who after the hurricanes moves to Pahrump, Nevada — where brothels are legal — and who — behind the camera — exec produced, wrote and performed original songs on the soundtrack, and did the film’s choreography.

Add in a plot-twisty screenplay by award-winning novelist, libertarian journalist, and Twilight Zone screenwriter, J. Neil Schulman, who not only directed the film and wrote original songs for the soundtrack but played the supporting role of an American al Qaeda terrorist.

Mix well with a fresh cast of talented actors including alumni of the Groundlings and the London Drama Centre; a gorgeous Shakespearean actress whose hobbies include collecting swords; a stunning Persian pop superstar; a Calvin Klein male model who did all his own stunts; a Miss Teen All American (a title previously held by Halle Berry), and an actual Nevada “working girl” …

And you end up with a one-of-a-kind independent film, defying all genre classification, which the producers have referred to as “a Jerry Bruckheimer tentpole made on an Ed Wood budget.”

Following its February 2008 world premiere at the San Diego Black Film Festival Lady Magdalene’s won the festival’s award for “Best Cutting Edge Film.” After its September 2008 screening at Universal City’s Cinema City International Film Festival Lady Magdalene’s producers walked away with the statuette for Audience Choice.

If you’re looking for a movie with a topsy-turvy plot you haven’t seen a million times before, dialogue you might actually have to think about before you laugh, and an eclectic musical score, this might be the movie for you.

PRAISE FOR LADY MAGDALENE’S

“Hilarious entertainment!”
“Nichelle Nichols, the original Lt. Uhura from the very first Star Trek television series, was in town for the Backlot festival in Culver City. Her latest feature, entered in the Festival competition, was Lady Magdalene’s, which was directed by J. Neil Schulman, who co-produced it with Ms. Nichols. It is a blend of Comedy Sitcoms of the 50’s and 60’s, with a ‘Cold War’ aura, which has been given a ‘terrorist’ slant. Its convoluted plotline, combined with outrageous dialogue, results in a hilarious entertainment.”
–Robin Rosenzweig, Beverly Hills Outlook

“An offbeat, sexy comedy!”
“Notable entries [at the Backlot Film Festival] included J. Neil Schulman’s Lady Magdalene’s, starring the ever-beautiful Nichelle Nichols of Star Trek fame. Schulman’s first feature is an offbeat, sexy comedy set in a Nevada brothel that lampoons the IRS, Homeland Security, and Al-Qaeda, among others.”
–Lee Michael Cohn, Santa Monica Mirror

A fun, fast-paced action comedy…populated by likable characters …built like the classic comedies of the 1940s-1960s, complete with a musical number…that deserves a wide audience. If writers of the modern thrillers could come up with twists and misdirections even a quarter as clever as Schulman does here, I wouldn’t find myself wondering if the thriller is a dead genre. …[T]here are far more instances where the film is equal to counterparts with budgets ten times the size of what this movie was made for. Even at its weakest, the film is far better than most of the product in a similar budget and production-value range. [Nichelle Nichols] gives a performance that is worthy of an actress of her veteran status. She is delightful in this film … [Alexander Wraith] shows himself to be a very talented actor … Despite the high quality of the film, I fear that Schulman faces an uphill battle when it comes to placing it with a distributor, because no attempt is made to make the film “politically correct” or do anything but call a spade a spade. By simply portraying Federal law enforcement agencies and American politicians accurately (even to the point of getting details about the Internal Revenue Service’s CID correct), he points out the flaws with the domestic “war on terror.” Similarly, Schulman’s portrayal of terrorists as primarily moronic dupes or self-centered, hypocritical sociopaths who blame everyone but themselves for their own shortcomings is far closer to the truth that is acceptable to say in the current popular culture. This is not to say that Lady Magdalene’s is overtly political–in fact, I think Schulman takes steps to keep it neutral as far as that goes–but in an age where common sense and even basic facts seem to have been politicized, I’m sure there are those out there who will say that it is a political movie. Unfortunately, it’s not the kind of politics that will go ever well with many in the film biz.
–Steve Miller, Rotten Tomatoes

“Action-humor reminiscent of a Bob Hope movie …”
The casting is outstanding… The script had all the twists in the right places…powerful and so subtly written… It is purely character driven — and that’s what I loved about it. Definitely one that will etch itself into memory. I like it a lot better than Firefly. It grows on you after you finish seeing it. I was still thinking about it a week later.”
–Bestselling Author Jacqueline Lichtenberg, […]

“I saw this film at DragonCon last year, and it is a wonderful mix of comedy, mystery, singing and dancing.”
–Graham H. Green, Director, The Man Who Spoke to Himself, The Torturer, September 19, 2008, Slice of SciFi

“What a hoot your Lady Magdalene’s movie is: Terrorists, patriotism, government stupidity, love, murder, sex, wonderful classical violin playing, a Madam singing blues jazz!” –Dave Schwartz, Lead Violist, Glenn Miller’s Army Air Force Band, Principal Violist, Cleveland Orchestra

“Thanks for inviting me to tonight’s premiere…. I really enjoyed the movie. Congratulations on getting it made. Lady Magdalene’s is a combination of humor, wit, political observation and sexiness. Nichelle Nichols provides an excellent center for all of the hijinks that swirl around her. Her performance reminded me a lot of Ruby Dee, actually – charm, wisdom, love, experience – all held together by grit, determination and professionalism. It was a nice role for her, and she did a lot with it. Ethan Keogh I thought was really solid. Deadpan – believable – strong – natural. Where’d you find him? Susan Smythe was also quite good – had a kind of Carrie Fisher/Candy Clark quality. She also looked natural handling a gun (which most actresses do not). Where did you find Claudia Lynx? Absolutely smoking hot. Plus she was good. I really bought her fear of Yassin. I enjoyed the way the whole thing came together at the end…quite funny. I hope you get good distribution for it. Congratulations again.”
–Charles Robert Carner, Writer/Director, Witless Protection, The Fixer, Louis L’Amour’s Crossfire Trail

“You gave me a DVD of your film at the Backlot Film Festival. I wanted to let you know how I enjoyed it! Great job, and I hope you have continued festival success!”
–James Kerwin, Writer/Director, Yesterday Was A Lie, Midsummer

“Lady Magdalene’s is a solid story and very entertaining.”
–Phil Bransom, Writer/Director, Train Master

“There were many funny moments of the film that made it enjoyable, coupled with the enthusiasm and passion brought to the project which is evident in almost every frame. The film is an impressive achievement.”
–Lauren Freeman, Coordinator, Acquisitions, Lionsgate

“Unique and well done.”
–David Laub, Acquisitions Manager, THINKFilm

“A very creative action-comedy.”
–Merideth Finn, VP Production & Acquisition, New Line Cinema

“Witty, inventive indy film with a sparkling cast! Lady Magdalene’s combines an inventive story with a cast and crew (and a writer – director – producer – supporting actor – composer – lyricist) who are clearly having the time and delight of their lives. It sorely deserves a theatrical distributor, cable exposure, and a DVD release. The plot of this “suspense/comedy” has an IRS investigator, on inter-agency exchange duty as a federal air marshal, being called out for making a misstep in apprehending a suspected terrorist. He’s actually right in his suspicions, though he doesn’t know that. Yet his supposed screw-up gets him sent to one of the oddest corners of IRS purgatory: He’s made the latest government receiver and manager of a legal brothel, long troubled and owing back taxes, outside Pahrump, Nevada. (Inspired by an actual case in the news.) The lovely, erhm, working women all around him may be hiding a few surprises, including links to the case that put him in career limbo. And is the pleasure-fulfillment engineer he’s falling for exactly who she seems? He’s determined to track these mysteries, and his chase goes from a shooting range to Hoover Dam to a mysterious medical research facility. Oh, and importantly, to a Pahrump casino with two-for-one dinner buffets! Nichelle Nichols is the determined, beset, but always sexy madam of this establishment, trying to clean up after her late lover (its former owner) and his losses at the craps table. She has the girls join her in a stab at gaining local respectability that’s too pleasing and unexpected – especially in their singing! – to be spoiled here. The tracing-the-terrorists action, weaving through the silken curtains of Lady Magdalene’s pleasure dome, does gets a bit too intricate in the last half-hour, though the story leaves no loose ends. Presenting all the detail without confusion finally gets somewhat beyond the acting confidence of some of the undeniably lovely working girls – though not at all for Nichols, nor for fellow leads Ethan Keogh and Susan Smythe. They’re all game for the effort, though, and their enthusiasm ends up winning the day, right up to and through the closing credits. I saw this last night at the Cinema City Film Festival in Los Angeles, after several years of hearing about it in detail from protean creator Neil Schulman himself at a local libertarian supper club. It’s not a high-polish studio production. Yet it makes far more out of a half-million dollars than most big-studio “high concepts” have done with fifty times the budget. It did save money to have Neil’s mother, his daughter, and even his late father (!) manage to take part in the proceedings, as well as some other libertarian friends who add anti-authoritarian asides that never lose the comic beat. Well worth your attention, and watch for news of occasional showings in the Los Angeles area. (To borrow from an inside Discordian joke of the movie, I’d gladly drive my “Fnord” to any of them.) If there’s any esthetic or comedic justice, of course, we’ll also soon be seeing this on, say, the Sundance Channel. (To borrow from the career-definer of the still-stunning, talented leading lady, beam it up to those satellites, Scotty.) Rating: 9/10″
–Steve Reed, IMDb user comment, October 1, 2008

“Wonderful Movie! Laugh-out-loud comedy, not in the rude sense, but in the old way it’s made — to be funny, not vulgar. With the unsurpassed talents of Nichelle Nichols this movie shines. Bravo! Miss Nichols still has got it in abundance — and I am a witness to that. Although the title might suggest something else, this movie is very family friendly. I see this movie becoming a cult classic. Those who see it will want it for their movie library. Someone who can distribute this movie needs to see it. Rating: 10/10.”
–Don Shackleford, IMDb user comment, August 11, 2008

“Funny and very entertaining! Nichelle Nichols is an international treasure. The story flowed and was logical for me to follow, yet I couldn’t predict the end. I think it will have a good run at the box office. Lady Magdalene’s reminded me of the Monty Python series blended with current-day American politics. I really liked the Star Trek references buried in the film. All of the Star Trek fans will come out to support Ms. Nichols. Technically, I found the transitions and clips smooth and easy on my eyes. The sound design and musical selections were appropriate. In summary, I can’t wait to take my wife to see it.”
–Donald L. McCoy, Program Manager, STEM Multicultural Project
Commenting on the San Diego Black Film Festival screening

“I love seeing Nichelle in a more textured role.”
–Tay Zonday, Singer/Songwriter, “Chocolate Rain”

“The film is sheer brilliance, and highlights Nichelle at her finest! In a world where a Michael Moore rant can win
a Palme d’Or, Lady Magdalene’s is too good for Cannes!” –Edward E. Kramer, Film Director, Book Editor, Founder, Dragon*Con

“Six genres in a head-on collision!”
–Brad Linaweaver, publisher, Mondo Cult

“In 2011 they’ll call it the ‘cult classic of 2008′ … If you’re looking for a conventional movie, Lady Magdalene’s isn’t it. This genre-bending film is a quirky mixture of pop culture parody, politically incorrect humor, and action adventure thriller. It’s high concept camp, with Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols in the title role as a singing, dancing operator of a Nevada brothel who helps foil an al-Qa’ida plot. Like those films that become cult favorites, some people won’t get it but others will find Lady Magdalene’s to be more engaging and entertaining every time they see it.”
–Robert Schneider, author, Shylock the Roman

AWARD-WINNING COMIC THRILLER, LADY MAGDALENE’S, RELEASED BY AMAZON.COM VIDEO ON DEMAND

(OPENPRESS) November 28, 2009 — Lady Magdalene’s — the comic thriller starring Star Trek’s original Uhura, Nichelle Nichols, that won “Best Cutting Edge Film” and “Audience Choice” awards in its film-festival play — has just been released by Amazon.com Video On Demand.

“The decision to release Lady Magdalene’s for Video on Demand wasn’t an easy one,” said Lady Magdalene’s writer/producer/director, J. Neil Schulman. “I still feel Lady Magdalene’s has theatrical box-office potential, and after the $11,000-unknown-actors thriller Paranormal Activity’s gross of over $100 million at the box office I don’t think any quality indie feature should be written off as unreleasable, no matter how low its budget or its lack of so-called A-list stars. But I need to build audience-support for our movie and along with film festival play I see Video on Demand as another way of doing that so distributors can recognize our broad commercial potential both in theatrical release and later on DVD/Blu-Ray.”

Lady Magdalene’s tells the story of Jack Goldwater, a federal agent who gets in trouble when, on a jetliner, he searches the violin case of a young Arab-American he suspects is an al Qaeda operative, and as punishment for racial profiling is assigned to be the federal receiver in charge of running a Nevada brothel in tax default. There he meets the brothel’s colorful owner, Lady Magdalene — played by the iconic Nichelle Nichols — and his assignment takes a left turn when, with her help, they discover that one of the working girls is part of a domestic al Qaeda cell with plans to smuggle in a crate from Mexico that’s supposed to be unloaded at Hoover Dam. It’s a plot-driven suspense thriller with lots of comic relief and strong character interplay.

Why hasn’t Lady Magdalene’s found a commercial distributor to put it into brick-and-mortar venues yet?

“Some studios won’t even look at an indie film not headlined by stars on their white-list,” said Schulman. “Other studios won’t consider distributing indie films anymore, period. I think the problem is that a lot of indie films are made for specialized audiences, whereas — even with our budget limitations — I wrote, directed, and cut Lady Magdalene’s to entertain as wide an audience as we could get in front of. But studios have gotten into the mindset of thinking that if they don’t have an above the line of $20 million and a special-effects budget of $40 million then audiences won’t buy tickets. Steven Spielberg — by releasing Paranormal Activity — has once again proved why he knows more than all the rest of Hollywood’s heads put together. I’m just hoping that we’ll catch the attention of some studio execs who want to prove themselves as smart as Spielberg.”

“Then again,” Schulman says, “these days, any time you make a movie that has al Qaeda characters in it, you’re accused of being either left-wing anti-American or a right-wing NeoCon. It’s hard for a filmmaker like me to convince the studios that I was just trying to tell a good story with contemporary topics that are in the news every day.”

“Reviewers have called Lady Magdalene’s a comedy,” Schulman continues, “but it’s really more in the genre of a 50’s Hitchcock movie like North by Northwest where you have a straight suspense plot with frequent comic relief. This formula was continued in the 60’s with the Bond films. Of course I was shooting a movie for a half million instead of studio-level budgets, so I had to be particularly creative in how to give audiences the impression they’re seeing lots of action. I’ve been telling people that I made a Jerry Bruckheimer tent pole on an Ed Wood budget. It helped a lot that I had access to great Nevada locations. The point is, despite my low budget, I was trying to tell the best story I could with the best actors I could get, and use every trick in the book to make the audience forget that I couldn’t afford to crash or blow something up every five minutes. But in addition to some great performances I also think we have a kick-ass musical soundtrack — with original songs and performances, including three by Nichelle Nichols — that can rival movies made for fifty times what ours cost.”

Full information on Lady Magdalene’s — including trailer, buzz, reviews, photos, and music videos — are on the movie’s official website at http://www.ladymagdalenes.com.

Lady Magdalene’s can be found on Amazon.com Video on Demand as either a sale or rental.

Lady Magdalene’s: The Musical Soundtrack can also be found on Amazon.com as either a two-CD set or as MP3 downloads.