(Photo by HB Meeks/Tell Us Detroit)

“PAWN SHOP” STARRING GARRETT MORRIS AND JOE TORRY BEING FILMED ON DETROIT'S WEST SIDE

Metro Detroit businesses and neighborhoods play host to another motion picture

By HB Meeks/Tell Us Detroit

DETROIT - “Pawn Shop” starring Joe Torry and Garret Morris is being filmed in Michigan for the next 10 days. Paris Deior Studios of West Bloomfield will spend more than a half a million dollars to shoot the entire film in the metro Detroit area. It will foster economic growth and development by employing 50 people including local actors; caterers; hair stylists; and crew members.

72 year old film veteran Garrett Morris who is best known for his roles on “Saturday Night Live;” and the “Jamie Foxx Show;” plays the role of pawn shop owner Rey who has been getting over on the customers in his shop for years by hiking up prices and driving the stiffest bargains. Morris told Tell Us Detroit "It is great to be filming a movie in Detroit. I love the people here." When not on the movie sets, Morris runs his "Downtown Comedy Club" in Los Angeles, California.

Torry is doing double duty as one the film’s producers and plays the movie’s lead villain—Pierre. Best know for his roles in “Beauty Shop,” “Motives,” “Exit to Eden,” “Poetic Justice,” and as the host of “Russell Simmons Def Comedy Jam” on HBO. Torry calls Michigan a “great place to shoot a feature film.”

“I believe the Midwest possesses a lot of great natural character and overall camera appeal that more filmmakers should utilize when scouting locations for their next film,” said Torry. “Detroit has so much to offer a film like ours; and in return our movie will make a positive economic impact on this community while we are filming it.”

“Pawn Shop” is best described as a cross between the television series “Sanford & Son” for its hilarious high-jinks and the major motion picture “Barbershop” for the several important life lessons that are revealed to the film’s characters throughout the movie.

“We believe ‘Pawn Shop’ will appeal to a broad-cross section of our society,” said its director and co-writer Parrish Redd. “In these tough economic times there are many people will be able to relate to the situations the characters in Pawn Shop face. Our film in a humorous way teaches that sometimes the easy way is not always the best way.”

Plot Summary for “Pawn Shop”
Mike who being played by comedian and Detroit radio personality Robert “Foolish” Spearman Jr. wants to one-day have his own tire and rim shop, but his dream is on hold until he can save up enough money while working for his father at Rey’s Pawn Shop.

His father REY is being played by veteran actor and comedian Garret Morris who is best known for his roles on “Saturday Night Live;” “Jamie Foxx Show;” Rey has been getting over on the customers in his pawn shop for years by hiking up prices and driving the stiffest bargains. He has always managed to have everything his way, including keeping his son close to home and as far away from his dream as possible.

Mike gets involved with a money making scheme that goes south once he gets his hands on some jewelry stolen from the most feared thug in the neighborhood, PIERRE (Torry). Selling the chain would give Mike enough money to make his dream a reality and get away from the Pawn Shop once and for all, but instead it brings problems. Nobody wants to buy the stolen chain from him. Pierre and his crew are after him. His girlfriend’s life in threatened. Mike’s girlfriend is played by London “Deelishis” Charles best known for winning the VH1 reality television show “The Flavor of Love 2.” And because of Mike’s antics Rey’s Pawn Shop is on the verge of being shut down. All this and more goes down at the “Pawn Shop.”

Rating and Length
“Pawn Shop” will take a total of 90 days from first shoot until the last day of editing to finish. When complete the film will be about 90 minutes in length.

The writers and producers of the independent feature film expect The Motion Picture Association of America to give “Pawn Shop a rating of PG-13.

Distribution Deal
Independent feature films often times are made without the backing of a major studio funding. The nearly half a million dollar budget for “Pawn Shop” is being financed by private investors.

“We have several people who believe this movie will be a success,” said Redd, founder of Paris Deior Studios. “Goldtone/Universal is interested in distributing it upon its completion. We have some very strong leads.”

Writers, Producers and Director
“Pawn Shop” was written by: Redd, Alex Smith and Leonard Harris. It is being produced by Torry, Redd, Don Overton and Alfonzo Everett of Alkey Films. “Pawn Shop” is being directed by Redd.

Studio
Paris Deior Studios is an independent West Bloomfield Michigan movie studio. It was
formed to produce high quality feature films for various forms of distribution.