mikes-76 This was my first and only gig as an extra. Our local contra dancing club was recruited for the final scene, filmed on one of the hottest days of the year in a building about 30 feet from the original location of Sutter's Mill (the one that started the CA Gold Rush). It was about 100+ inside, then they had to turn on the lights, close the doors and we had to go into high gear and not sweat.It was frankly, a lot of fun. But we waited for a couple of years for the thing to be released, and thankfully it went direct to DVD.It is just a cheese-ball effort. And one wonders how stuff like this ever gets bankrolled.

g404c California Firestorm (listed as Inferno on IMDb) is a somewhat entertaining, albeit predictable movie about a mother (Janet Gunn, starred on Silk Stalkings) who is the new fire chief in a northern California town. Her teen daughter (Greta Danielle Newgren) is disrespectful to her and her daughter's boyfriend (Lukas Behnken) has a reputation as a troublemaker. The movie opens with the daughter camping out one night with her boyfriend in the truck-bed of his pick-up truck, and the two of them witness a pyromaniac start forest fires using sparklers. Gunn has to lead a crew to put out the fires and find out the source of the fires, while also trying to reach out to her resentful daughter, and fighting off an ignorant town mayor (Dean Stockwell) and a suspicious volunteer firefighter (Richard Danielson).I did enjoy this movie that aired on LMN tonight. Gunn is the star here, and she looks great. Jeff Fahey was cute as the helicopter pilot. California Firestorm is typical made-for-TV stuff, except the fire storyline was what held my attention. The climax is anti-climatic, though given what happens I suppose it could be like real-life. The ending sequence is kind of cute.

Octagonal While viewing a multi-pack of action DVD's I stumbled across what appears to be a little known film that I certainly had not heard of before. The only actor immediately recognizable is Dean Stockwell who has only a small and rather featureless part as Mayor Bill Klinger. Despite this I found the scenery and acting well above average for what was ostensibly a low budget production. Panoramic views of the sweeping forestry were well executed and while the special effects were not up to blockbuster standard they were adequate and in no way detracted from the experience. The plot revolves around new Rural Fire Chief Darcy Hamilton played by the incredibly sexy Janet Gunn. The move brings tension between Darcy, her daughter, the mayor and the local firefighters. All the while a random arsonist is making life difficult. The story itself is sound with some believable action heating things up. Overall I found the movie absorbing with above average acting and reasonably strong plot lines.

tim000_1998 I have seen so many movies about fires but by far this is the worst one. I like the female firefighter idea but her character was not fully developed. The visual effects are OK for a low budget movie. The acting. Well this is a different story. First of all the kids are really stupid in this film. Kylie deserves what she gets. Her boyfriend is silly and more importantly Mary, the little girl, she looks like she is having fun at the park while the fire is on. The mayor character played by Stockwell is underdeveloped supporting character. It is too bad that they could not use him. Soulless characters, dull story, OK visual effects and bad acting. I think this is a deadly combination. Rent another movie or watch something else on TV.