December 8, 2023 • 11 mins
- Based and filmed in Southeast Texas, Noble Things features music from Tracy Byrd, Mark Chesnut, and Lee Ann Womack. It chronicles the journey of a budding country music sensation as he navigates a path toward redemption and self-discovery. Bret Moses is the film's executive producer, writer, and actor. Originally released 15 years ago it is being re-released in 4K.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:02):
And today we're talking with Brett Mosesand this is an exciting project. The
name may ring a Bell with youand the movie Noble Things May Ring a
Bell with you, And we're goingto talk about the movie and what is
happening and it's re release. First, thank you for joining us, Brett,
(00:23):
Hey, thank you, Jim.You know the team sets these dates
up on the calendar and I seethem and I've been looking forward to this
one for a couple of weeks.Love Southeast Texas and thanks for having me
on. Well, there is alittle history going on here. You're very
familiar with Southeast Texas. Born andraised, yes, before I went to
California in seventeen years, so thenative Southeast Texan. And of course,
(00:45):
as I said, the movie mayring a bell with some folks because Noble
Things. Give us a little historyabout the movie. Actually it was a
shot in two thousand and six,released in twenty ten. Yes, so
we shot the movie in six,released in late part of nine and ten.
(01:06):
It made it to showtime, wasone of the big I guess venues.
You'd say that it made it too. And it was also a Fox
Movie of the Week, so wehad limited theatrical run, and you know,
we were probably ten years ahead ofthe curve here, and that's why
we're able to come back now,and it's exciting. We brought together a
lot of people in Southeast Texas tomake the project happen. All the country
(01:27):
music singers that we love hold closeto our heart that from Southeast Texas,
Clay, Tracy, Mark and z. One of those guys are on the
soundtrack. So it was a realcoming together. And that was fifteen years
ago. And just like true toForm in the message of the movie is
about second chances, here we arefifteen years later and get a chance to
come back because streaming services just weren'taround back then. And there's a couple
(01:52):
of specific situations with the pandemic,the Screen Actors Guild strike, the writers'
strike that caused a content supply problem. And here we were coming out of
a ten year license and ready againfor market, and we were approached and
as all things are, a popularcowboy in pop culture now we're just right
for the pick in. So weget to stream again well and again,
(02:15):
as you have said, things havechanged so much in the venues available for
film and such a demand for films. I think one of the interesting things
about this film and you may tellus just a little about it. You
probably don't want to give away toomuch, but may tell us a little
about it, because I understand,like eighty percent of this film was shot
(02:36):
right here in Beaumont. As youmentioned it got some of the local stars
have gone on to a national fame, Tracy Bird, Mark Chesnutt. So
it has a very Southeast Texas flavorto it. Oh, it really does
the music as well. The soundtrackas peppered with songs from Jason Green as
a vocal songwriter, wrote a lotof Clay's number one hits and really came
(02:58):
together in a way that made usproud. You know, growing up in
Southeast Texas, we had this countrymusic always around us. So when I
went out to Los Angeles, Iwas hanging out with some friends and I
was telling them stories about growing upand you know, we, as you
would say, rolled pretty hard.They're growing up invited. And by the
time I got to LA I hadhad some great stories to tell these guys,
(03:21):
and one of them said, wholater became my writing and business partner,
said, you know, if wecould find a through line to all
these stories that might make a goodmovie, so we just started messing around
and writing it. I had hada little bit of I guess you'd say
medium success as an actor on TVand some soap operas, and I was
looking to write a vehicle. Atthe time, you know, Good Will
Hunting had just been released, andyou know these actors that wrote their own
(03:46):
vehicles, right. I was like, well, that's what I want to
commit to. So we did that. So the movie is somewhat autobiographical.
It's about a country music singer.I'm not a singer, but it's about
a country music singer from Southeast Techswho, uh has a rough group of
friends that he rolls with and growsup with. And uh they like the
party and one night they push ittoo far. Uh they they get into
(04:09):
a fight and uh situation and occurswhere a crime is committed. And I
can get this part away because it'snot necessarily sort of the red herring,
if you will. The brother takesthe fall and then we're off to the
races from there. It's a drama. It's about family, it's about consequences,
second chances. The biggest takeaway anduh what what what? I what
(04:30):
I enjoy the most is it's aboutredemption, gonna It sounds like a film
of redemption and second chances. Correct, correct, And with the family through
line. And and you know youhad mentioned a while ago just avenues that
weren't available back then streaming services.I think Netflix was around. It was
like a DVD email in service,and so you had avenues, right,
(04:55):
and and a lot of those wewere sort of exclusive to the studios.
He we have independent films, don'tget me wrong. You had those that
that would do well to film festivalcircuits, and we did do well.
But then we bumped up against thehousing crisis and many of the buyers of
movies that was back to the largemarketing budgets, the hedge funds, they
got out of the independent film buyingbusiness, and so it really limited where
(05:17):
we could go. So that's whywe chose international, a small limited theatrical
release Showtime Fox. And here itis beat that that now we have we
have a chance because you know,let's face it, Taylor Sheridan, what
he's done with Yellowstone and the wholeParamount network, what they've done has made
all things popular with cowboy hats andcowboys and it's become mainstream and and that's
(05:43):
excellent. Uh, some of usclose to the movie think, again,
we're ten or twelve years too early, but it's neat that we get to
re release. And the coolest partfor me is that my kids were My
daughter wasn't born yet. My myson was very young, so he didn't
remember any of this, and nowcoming back around, I think dad's cool
again. My daughter said I wasfired the other day, so I think
(06:06):
that's good. That's probably pretty good. Yeah, that's good. Well,
you know, of course you couldidentify again. We're talking with Bret Moses
about the movie Noble Things set fora showing here in Southeast Texas, and
it'll being from Southeast Texas, youbeing from Southeast Texas. I guess we
didn't get the memo that hats hadnever gone out of style, But it
(06:29):
is amazing now that you know Taylor'sshared that has brought brought a lot of
that back, and of course theavenues of streaming, So it's going to
be fun. This is going tobe a great screening and talk about it
here in Southeast Texas. But Ithink there's another component to this in that
you also are donating moneys to acouple of great causes. Yes. Yeah,
(06:54):
So when we were approached about there release, it is already out.
It is on Apple TV, ison Amazon Prime, It's on Google's
YouTube. And the neat thing aboutwhat they did with the movie is they
made it four k an ultra HD, right, so they really recut it
that they to a modern look.So I I've been kidding my friends,
you know, on see it againfor the first time. And so we
(07:15):
are celebrating that. And so manySoutheast Texans came together with the camaraderie and
the teammanship to put it together.We had a local fire fiders volunteers bringing
their their water trucks I'm sorry,their water trucks out to make rainforest in
Salar Lake. And just so manypeople came together to make it happen.
And so that's what we're celebrating.It's been fifteen years and since we said
(07:39):
okay, it's already out, it'sgoing to be just in time for the
holidays. That was the idea forthe distribution company and then we said,
well, let's let's have a celebrationabout that. All those people that work
so hard and volunteers for us,everybody that came together. Let's let's have
a fifteen year red carpet premiere celebrationthe New Cut in four K at a
local theater. And that's what wedid. While we were doing that,
(08:01):
we said, well, it doesn'tseem right to have a movie and a
noble things and just celebrate just ourselves. Let's do something. Let's have a
fundraiser. Let's find some great organizationsin Southeast Texas. And we did just
CASSA the Southeast Texas and boy Shavenof America, the chapter in Southeast Texas.
We're raising funds every time for theten dollars suggested donation at the theater
(08:24):
that moved us up to the threehundred and seven seat theater so we have
plenty of seats available. And thenthe after party at Madison's. It's a
ten dollars suggested donation. Every dongoes to these two great organizations, and
just so much appreciation for them,the volunteers that work for them, the
employees, the board members, everybodycame together to help us celebrate not just
(08:45):
this movie in Southeast Texas coming together, but these two great organizations. Well,
and I will tell you again,Brett Moses with us, and what
a really special thing you are doingin that you're a native Southeast Texas and
remembering Southeast Texas and I think thatspeaks so well of you and what you
are doing here, and that we'llbe raising money for these two great causes.
(09:11):
All the money is going to thesetwo great causes. And again,
this premiere is coming up Thursday,December fourteenth, six pm at the Hollywood
Theater on Dallen Road with the afterparty at Madison's at eight with the band
Curse and the Cure, And it'sgoing to be a fun evening for folks.
What a great way to celebrate SoutheastTexas and to realize just the products
(09:37):
that we can produce out of SoutheastTexas when it comes to movies and the
singers, the actors, the writers, as well as the great scenery.
Southeast Texas is a good place toshoot a movie, isn't it. Oh,
it really is. I mean that'sone of the things, just the
landscape that we really feel like capturedin the movie because it was so important.
(10:00):
Took that for granted, at leastI did growing up in Southeast Texas.
It wasn't until I got to California, where I missed the just again
the visual landscapes and all the things, the moss, haine from trees,
the lakes, the pond, justeverything that is picturesque of Southeast Texas.
And so one of the reasons wewanted to shoot in Southeast Texas, like
you said, we shot eighty percentof the movie in Beaumont, ten or
(10:22):
so percent then Austin and the restof Los Angeles is is to really get
to capture the feel of Southeast Texas. And I feel like we were successful
at doing that. And I'm reallyreally proud that this four K version,
the Ultra HD, you really getto see it. If there's anything that
pops in this new version of themovie is the landscape in ultra high definition.
(10:43):
It's really neat. Well, weare looking forward to it, looking
forward to the premiere, I guessyou might say the appreciator of this in
the four K again coming up Thursday, December fourteenth, six Hollywood Theater on
Dallen Road. We've been talking withBrent Moses about this, and thank you
very much for joining us today.Much success to you, and thank you
(11:05):
so much for sharing this with SoutheastTexas. Hey, Thank you, Jim.
I appreciate the opportunity to be withyou today. You have a merry
Christmas. Okay, you too,
And today we're talking with Brett Mosesand this is an exciting project. The
name may ring a Bell with youand the movie Noble Things May Ring a
Bell with you, And we're goingto talk about the movie and what is
happening and it's re release. First, thank you for joining us, Brett,
(00:23):
Hey, thank you, Jim.You know the team sets these dates
up on the calendar and I seethem and I've been looking forward to this
one for a couple of weeks.Love Southeast Texas and thanks for having me
on. Well, there is alittle history going on here. You're very
familiar with Southeast Texas. Born andraised, yes, before I went to
California in seventeen years, so thenative Southeast Texan. And of course,
(00:45):
as I said, the movie mayring a bell with some folks because Noble
Things. Give us a little historyabout the movie. Actually it was a
shot in two thousand and six,released in twenty ten. Yes, so
we shot the movie in six,released in late part of nine and ten.
(01:06):
It made it to showtime, wasone of the big I guess venues.
You'd say that it made it too. And it was also a Fox
Movie of the Week, so wehad limited theatrical run, and you know,
we were probably ten years ahead ofthe curve here, and that's why
we're able to come back now,and it's exciting. We brought together a
lot of people in Southeast Texas tomake the project happen. All the country
(01:27):
music singers that we love hold closeto our heart that from Southeast Texas,
Clay, Tracy, Mark and z. One of those guys are on the
soundtrack. So it was a realcoming together. And that was fifteen years
ago. And just like true toForm in the message of the movie is
about second chances, here we arefifteen years later and get a chance to
come back because streaming services just weren'taround back then. And there's a couple
(01:52):
of specific situations with the pandemic,the Screen Actors Guild strike, the writers'
strike that caused a content supply problem. And here we were coming out of
a ten year license and ready againfor market, and we were approached and
as all things are, a popularcowboy in pop culture now we're just right
for the pick in. So weget to stream again well and again,
(02:15):
as you have said, things havechanged so much in the venues available for
film and such a demand for films. I think one of the interesting things
about this film and you may tellus just a little about it. You
probably don't want to give away toomuch, but may tell us a little
about it, because I understand,like eighty percent of this film was shot
(02:36):
right here in Beaumont. As youmentioned it got some of the local stars
have gone on to a national fame, Tracy Bird, Mark Chesnutt. So
it has a very Southeast Texas flavorto it. Oh, it really does
the music as well. The soundtrackas peppered with songs from Jason Green as
a vocal songwriter, wrote a lotof Clay's number one hits and really came
(02:58):
together in a way that made usproud. You know, growing up in
Southeast Texas, we had this countrymusic always around us. So when I
went out to Los Angeles, Iwas hanging out with some friends and I
was telling them stories about growing upand you know, we, as you
would say, rolled pretty hard.They're growing up invited. And by the
time I got to LA I hadhad some great stories to tell these guys,
(03:21):
and one of them said, wholater became my writing and business partner,
said, you know, if wecould find a through line to all
these stories that might make a goodmovie, so we just started messing around
and writing it. I had hada little bit of I guess you'd say
medium success as an actor on TVand some soap operas, and I was
looking to write a vehicle. Atthe time, you know, Good Will
Hunting had just been released, andyou know these actors that wrote their own
(03:46):
vehicles, right. I was like, well, that's what I want to
commit to. So we did that. So the movie is somewhat autobiographical.
It's about a country music singer.I'm not a singer, but it's about
a country music singer from Southeast Techswho, uh has a rough group of
friends that he rolls with and growsup with. And uh they like the
party and one night they push ittoo far. Uh they they get into
(04:09):
a fight and uh situation and occurswhere a crime is committed. And I
can get this part away because it'snot necessarily sort of the red herring,
if you will. The brother takesthe fall and then we're off to the
races from there. It's a drama. It's about family, it's about consequences,
second chances. The biggest takeaway anduh what what what? I what
(04:30):
I enjoy the most is it's aboutredemption, gonna It sounds like a film
of redemption and second chances. Correct, correct, And with the family through
line. And and you know youhad mentioned a while ago just avenues that
weren't available back then streaming services.I think Netflix was around. It was
like a DVD email in service,and so you had avenues, right,
(04:55):
and and a lot of those wewere sort of exclusive to the studios.
He we have independent films, don'tget me wrong. You had those that
that would do well to film festivalcircuits, and we did do well.
But then we bumped up against thehousing crisis and many of the buyers of
movies that was back to the largemarketing budgets, the hedge funds, they
got out of the independent film buyingbusiness, and so it really limited where
(05:17):
we could go. So that's whywe chose international, a small limited theatrical
release Showtime Fox. And here itis beat that that now we have we
have a chance because you know,let's face it, Taylor Sheridan, what
he's done with Yellowstone and the wholeParamount network, what they've done has made
all things popular with cowboy hats andcowboys and it's become mainstream and and that's
(05:43):
excellent. Uh, some of usclose to the movie think, again,
we're ten or twelve years too early, but it's neat that we get to
re release. And the coolest partfor me is that my kids were My
daughter wasn't born yet. My myson was very young, so he didn't
remember any of this, and nowcoming back around, I think dad's cool
again. My daughter said I wasfired the other day, so I think
(06:06):
that's good. That's probably pretty good. Yeah, that's good. Well,
you know, of course you couldidentify again. We're talking with Bret Moses
about the movie Noble Things set fora showing here in Southeast Texas, and
it'll being from Southeast Texas, youbeing from Southeast Texas. I guess we
didn't get the memo that hats hadnever gone out of style, But it
(06:29):
is amazing now that you know Taylor'sshared that has brought brought a lot of
that back, and of course theavenues of streaming, So it's going to
be fun. This is going tobe a great screening and talk about it
here in Southeast Texas. But Ithink there's another component to this in that
you also are donating moneys to acouple of great causes. Yes. Yeah,
(06:54):
So when we were approached about there release, it is already out.
It is on Apple TV, ison Amazon Prime, It's on Google's
YouTube. And the neat thing aboutwhat they did with the movie is they
made it four k an ultra HD, right, so they really recut it
that they to a modern look.So I I've been kidding my friends,
you know, on see it againfor the first time. And so we
(07:15):
are celebrating that. And so manySoutheast Texans came together with the camaraderie and
the teammanship to put it together.We had a local fire fiders volunteers bringing
their their water trucks I'm sorry,their water trucks out to make rainforest in
Salar Lake. And just so manypeople came together to make it happen.
And so that's what we're celebrating.It's been fifteen years and since we said
(07:39):
okay, it's already out, it'sgoing to be just in time for the
holidays. That was the idea forthe distribution company and then we said,
well, let's let's have a celebrationabout that. All those people that work
so hard and volunteers for us,everybody that came together. Let's let's have
a fifteen year red carpet premiere celebrationthe New Cut in four K at a
local theater. And that's what wedid. While we were doing that,
(08:01):
we said, well, it doesn'tseem right to have a movie and a
noble things and just celebrate just ourselves. Let's do something. Let's have a
fundraiser. Let's find some great organizationsin Southeast Texas. And we did just
CASSA the Southeast Texas and boy Shavenof America, the chapter in Southeast Texas.
We're raising funds every time for theten dollars suggested donation at the theater
(08:24):
that moved us up to the threehundred and seven seat theater so we have
plenty of seats available. And thenthe after party at Madison's. It's a
ten dollars suggested donation. Every dongoes to these two great organizations, and
just so much appreciation for them,the volunteers that work for them, the
employees, the board members, everybodycame together to help us celebrate not just
(08:45):
this movie in Southeast Texas coming together, but these two great organizations. Well,
and I will tell you again,Brett Moses with us, and what
a really special thing you are doingin that you're a native Southeast Texas and
remembering Southeast Texas and I think thatspeaks so well of you and what you
are doing here, and that we'llbe raising money for these two great causes.
(09:11):
All the money is going to thesetwo great causes. And again,
this premiere is coming up Thursday,December fourteenth, six pm at the Hollywood
Theater on Dallen Road with the afterparty at Madison's at eight with the band
Curse and the Cure, And it'sgoing to be a fun evening for folks.
What a great way to celebrate SoutheastTexas and to realize just the products
(09:37):
that we can produce out of SoutheastTexas when it comes to movies and the
singers, the actors, the writers, as well as the great scenery.
Southeast Texas is a good place toshoot a movie, isn't it. Oh,
it really is. I mean that'sone of the things, just the
landscape that we really feel like capturedin the movie because it was so important.
(10:00):
Took that for granted, at leastI did growing up in Southeast Texas.
It wasn't until I got to California, where I missed the just again
the visual landscapes and all the things, the moss, haine from trees,
the lakes, the pond, justeverything that is picturesque of Southeast Texas.
And so one of the reasons wewanted to shoot in Southeast Texas, like
you said, we shot eighty percentof the movie in Beaumont, ten or
(10:22):
so percent then Austin and the restof Los Angeles is is to really get
to capture the feel of Southeast Texas. And I feel like we were successful
at doing that. And I'm reallyreally proud that this four K version,
the Ultra HD, you really getto see it. If there's anything that
pops in this new version of themovie is the landscape in ultra high definition.
(10:43):
It's really neat. Well, weare looking forward to it, looking
forward to the premiere, I guessyou might say the appreciator of this in
the four K again coming up Thursday, December fourteenth, six Hollywood Theater on
Dallen Road. We've been talking withBrent Moses about this, and thank you
very much for joining us today.Much success to you, and thank you
(11:05):
so much for sharing this with SoutheastTexas. Hey, Thank you, Jim.
I appreciate the opportunity to be withyou today. You have a merry
Christmas. Okay, you too,
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