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Phil

philranstrom

About Me


DOCUMENTARY PRODUCER- Independent documentary producer, writer & director- Recently completed "Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street", a feature-length documentary, about the world-famous, Maxwell Street. This 3-act, musical opus deals with the history of this magical place, the impact of the music created there, and the shady wranglings that destroyed this important area. Narrated by acclaimed actor and former Chicagoan, Joe Mantegna, this film has been submitted for various film festivals, worldwide, and seeking distribution.For more info, please visit www.cheatyoufairthemovie.com. (SEE THE MOVIE TRAILER BELOW)- Produced several short documentaries for PBS, including: "The Cocaine Express", "I Remember Riverview", "Uptown Christian Soldiers", "Reclaiming America",etc...Published first article at 14. Hitch-hiked to California at 15. Partied with Timothy Leary while in college. Interviewed the eccentric Tom Waits and Buckminster Fuller. Athletic. Traveled extensively. Studied improvisational comedy at 'The Second City' for 2 years with legendary director, Del Close. Taught at Columbia College for 2 years. Appeared in movie "Excessive Force" as a 'bad cop' and got killed. Held a gun on Elliott Gould in "The Naked Face". Dan Aykroyd's stunt-double in "Dr. Detroit".Background by EditingMySpace.com
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My Interests

"We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are." - Anais Nin ................."Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." - Dr. Seuss ................... "No matter how cleverly you sneak up on a mirror, your reflection always looks you straight in the eye." - Louis Cyphere...................... "Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall." - William Shakespeare............................ "Vice, Virtue. It's best not to be too moral. You cheat yourself out of too much "life". Aim above morality. If you apply that to life, then you're bound to live life fully." - Maude................. "Ever notice that 'what the hell' is always the right decision?" - Marilyn Monroe................ "Those who restrain desire, do so because theirs is weak enough to be restrained." - William Blake................"Nothing human is alien to me" - Baudelaire........................."This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time." - Tyler Durden

I'd like to meet:

Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street
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Add to My Profile | More VideosU2 - Window In The Skies
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Add to My Profile | More VideosAndreas Kapsalis

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Music:

John Lennon ...The Cure ...Beatles ...Kinks/Ray Davies ...Harry Nilsson... Jaco Pastorius... Prince ... Talking Heads ...David Bowie ...Paul Westerberg ...James Brown ...Tom Waits... Echo & the Bunnymen ...Bjork ...The Ramones ...Bob Dylan ...Velvet Revolver ...Nick Drake ...Red Hot Chili Peppers ...Leonard Cohen ...Bonnie Raitt ...T Rex ...Curtis Mayfield ...The Clash ... Patti Smith ...The Who ... Marvin Gaye ...Stevie Wonder ...Elliott Smith ...Phoenix ...Coldplay ...Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ...Stevie Ray Vaughan ...Elvis Costello ...Rufus Wainwright... Django Reinhardt ...Tchavolo Swing ...Leo Kottke ...Kaki King ...Kate Bush ...Kinny Starr ...Seal ...Jack White... Nick Lowe... R.E.M.... Jeff Beck... Little Walter... Buddy Guy... Jimi Hendrix ..Lindsey Buckingham ...K.D. Lange ...Jack Johnson ... Stereophonics ... Zap Mama ...Radiohead ...Alanis Morissette ...Annie Lennox ...Simon & Garfunkel ...Joni Mitchell ... Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young ... Crowded House ...The Pogues ...Hall & Oates ...Iggy Pop ...Goo Goo Dolls ...Bonzo Dog Band ...Ween ...Fiona Apple ... Weather Report ...John Prine ... David Gray ...Frank Zappa ...Howlin Wolf ... Matchbox Twenty ...Marc Broussard ... New Order ...Simple Minds ... Jesus Jones ... Mark Knopfler ...Miles Davis ...Maroon 5 ... Khaled Morrissey ...Bach ... Brahms .... Claude Debussy ...Chopin ...Keith Jarrret ...B-52s ...XTC ... INXS ...ELP ...ELO ...Chet Atkins ...Richard Thompson ..Segovia ..Beck ..Bob Marley ...Johnny Cash ...Jeff Buckley...Khaleel...
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Movies:

Casablanca....Pulp Fiction....Near Dark... The Godfather series.. Vertigo.... Rear Window...Psycho ... Shindler's List...8 1/2 ...The Wizard of Oz...On The Waterfront ...Rebel Without A Cause... Apocolypse Now... Platoon...Deer Hunter... Chinatown ...Seven Samurai......High Noon ... The Magnificent Seven...Kill Bill... Bonnie & Clyde...Glengarry Glen Ross... House of Games...Raising Arizona...Miller's Crossing...Barton Fink...The Big Lebowski ... Blood Simple...Fargo...O Brother, Where Art Thou?...Enter The Dragon... Citizen Kane ...A Clockwork Orange...True Romance...The Graduate...Mean Streets ... Raging Bull...Taxi Driver... Goodfellas (love the use of voiceover)...Gangs of New York Casino...Midnight Cowboy... Fahrenheit 9/11 ...Latcho Drom... Unbreakable...The Sixth Sense... Vanilla Sky...Say Anything... Almost Famous...

Television:

The Daley Show...Cobert Report... documentaries...movies...pugilistic eventsJake Shimabukuro

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Advanced Global Personality Test Results
Extraversion |||||||||||||||||||| 83%
Stability |||||||||||||||| 66%
Orderliness |||||||||||||| 56%
Accommodation |||||||||||||||| 63%
Interdependence |||||||||||||||||| 76%
Intellectual |||||||||||||||| 63%
Mystical |||||||||||||| 56%
Artistic |||||||||||||||||| 76%
Religious |||||||||| 36%
Hedonism || 10%
Materialism |||||||||||||||||| 76%
Narcissism |||||||||||||| 56%
Adventurousness |||||||||||||| 56%
Work ethic |||||||||||||||| 70%
Self absorbed |||||||||||| 43%
Conflict seeking |||||||||||| 50%
Need to dominate |||||||||| 36%
Romantic |||||||||||||||||| 76%
Avoidant |||||| 23%
Anti-authority |||||||||||||||||| 76%
Wealth |||||||||||||||| 63%
Dependency |||||| 30%
Change averse |||||||||| 36%
Cautiousness |||||||||||||| 56%
Individuality |||||||||||||||| 70%
Sexuality |||||||||||||||||||| 90%
Peter pan complex |||| 16%
Physical security |||||||||||||||||||| 90%
Physical Fitness |||||||||||||||| 64%
Histrionic |||||| 30%
Paranoia |||||| 23%
Vanity |||||||||||||| 56%
Hypersensitivity |||||||||||||||| 63%
Female cliche |||||||||||| 43% Take Free Advanced Global Personality Test
personality tests by similarminds.com

Books:

The Iliad and The Odyssey... Hamlet ...Julius Caesar...The Merchant of Venice ...Romeo and Juliet... Othello... Midsummer Night's Dream...The Prince...The Bible...Modest Proposal... Declaration of Independence... U.S. Constitution...Moby Dick... Brave New World...1984...The Sun Also Rises...The Sound and the Fury...Of Mice and Men... The Great Gatsby...Huckleberry Finn... Interpretation of Dreams... Fahrenheit 451 ...A Course In Miracles...Catcher In The Rye... Animal Farm...Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man...The Wasteland... The Love Song Of J. Alfred Prufrock... Metamorphosis ...Remembrance of Things Past ...Gulliver's Travels... Slaughterhouse Five...Cat's Cradle...A Brief History of Time ...We're All Doing Time...The Apple Users Guide

Heroes:

"Heroes" are those doing fearlessly and passionately what they believe in.George Bush

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My Blog

SUNDANCE PARTY FOR "ELECTRIFIED"

My film, "ELECTRIFIED", will premiere at the famous HARRY-O's nightclub, in downtown Park City, Utah, at this year's Sundance Film Festival, January 25, 2008. The screening of this 40 minute document...
Posted by Phil on Mon, 07 Jan 2008 07:53:00 PST

GOING TO SUNDANCE!

It's official! We're going to the Sundance Film Festival, January 17 - 27 in Park City, Utah. My documentary, "Electrified", has been selected for a special screening at a party at Harry O's, the "S...
Posted by Phil on Thu, 08 Nov 2007 08:41:00 PST

SKOKIE THEATER SHOWINGS OF "CHEAT YOU FAIR"

SKOKIE THEATER SHOWINGS OF "CHEAT YOU FAIR"The Skokie Theater presents a unique film and lecture experience by Chicago Emmy award nominated director, Phil Ranstrom, with a presentation of his latest d...
Posted by Phil on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 10:08:00 PST

PHIL PARTNERS WITH RETAIL MAGNATE & MARKETING MAVEN

For all of you who have followed the twists and turns of my feature length documentary, "Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street", this latest news will come of little surprise. I have just part...
Posted by Phil on Mon, 08 Oct 2007 01:28:00 PST

"CHEAT YOU FAIR" EXPOSES TRUTH ABOUT CHICAGO

Gone but Not ForgottenPhil Ranstrom's Maxwell Street documentary, 13 years in the makingBy Ben JoravskyApril 27, 2007WHILE MAYOR DALEY and the city's movers and shakers rally the citizenry behind thei...
Posted by Phil on Fri, 27 Apr 2007 01:42:00 PST

'BUDDHA'S LOST CHILDREN' FAVORITE DOC AT THIS YEAR'S FEST

For me, the runaway favorite at this year's Chicago International Documentary Festival was "Buddha's Lost Children", by Dutch director, Mark Verkerk, at http://www.buddhaslostchildren.comThis gorgeous...
Posted by Phil on Tue, 17 Apr 2007 07:49:00 PST

"CHEAT YOU FAIR" BREAKS FILM FEST BOX OFFICE

WOW! My head is still numb from all the films I watched last week at the Chicago International Documentary Festival. My film premiered last Friday to a sold-out crowd. About 50 people had to be turne...
Posted by Phil on Mon, 09 Apr 2007 03:52:00 PST

PHIL'S INTERVIEW ON PBS

I just had a fun interview on PBS about the premiere of my feature length documentary, "Cheat You Fair: The Story of Maxwell Street", and we've posted it to a site for future viewing. If you're inter...
Posted by Phil on Fri, 30 Mar 2007 01:51:00 PST

April 1 radio interview

To help promote my documentary and it's premiere exhibition on April 6 & 8 at the Chopin & Portage Theatres, I'm going to be interviewed on WGN Radio, April 1, starting at around 8:30am. I'll be a gu...
Posted by Phil on Tue, 13 Mar 2007 09:51:00 PST

"CHEAT YOU FAIR" PREMIERES AT CHGO. DOC FEST, APRIL 6 & 8

CHEAT YOU FAIR: THE STORY OF MAXWELL STREET will have it's worldpremiere showing at the Chicago International Documentary FilmFestival, April 6 & 8. http://www.chicagodocfestival.org/index.htmThe fist...
Posted by Phil on Wed, 07 Mar 2007 11:48:00 PST