Check out my review of the indie horror movie, The Feed at Horror Society:
Monday, March 28, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Enter the Dark - World Tour 2011
Big money baby - Big Money!!
Who says filmmaking doesn't pay off? My first official check for Enter the Dark from DVD and streaming sales at IndieFlix is a whopper! $21 big bucks! Looks like I can now pay off that line item for Oreos eaten during production of my little horror flick.
... In all seriousness, any money, no matter how small, generated from this film represents a huge success! And it's not about the money anyway - for now it's all about going through the filmmaking process, learning from it, getting my name out there and getting the film in front of as many folks as possible.
Speaking of which...
April through May will see ETD screened in theaters worldwide! I kid you not!
From Los Angeles to Scotland, to Australia the world will be abuzz with horrified viewers passing out in their seats, barely able to catch their breath from the terrifying menace that is ENTER THE DARK!!!
(well, actually just a few theaters worldwide... six to be exact... but it sounds much more impressive to say it the other way... and folks probably won't be passing out... unless they get low blood sugar from not picking up a snack before watching hours upon hours of indie films... or if they get up too fast from their seats after sitting too long for a while... that can do it to me sometimes, ya know... well, not actually passing out, but kinda light-headed and seeing a couple of stars pass by... that's gotta count for something, right?)
Anyway, here's the official-sounding dealio for Enter the Dark's 2011 World Tour:
Enter the Dark is excited to be an Official Selection of the following film festivals:
- A Night of Horror International Film Festival - Sydney Australia
Saturday, April 2, 4pm
- Famous Monsters of Filmland Imagi-Movies - Beverly Hills, CA
April 8 - 10
- Indie Spirit Film Festival - Colorado Springs, CO
April 14 -17
- Bare Bones Film Festival - Muskogee, OK
April 25 - May 1
- Dead by Dawn - Edinburgh, Scotland
May 5 - 8
- High Desert Shorts International Film Festival - Pahrump, NV
Friday, May 27, 11:15pm
Phew, now that's a whirlwind tour! I'd love to be able to attend all of these festivals, but alas, such is not the way for the lowly indie filmmaker. I'm planning on going to the High Desert Shorts (tie it in with a trip to Vegas), and seeing if I can make it to Famous Monsters in LA.
So far, 2011 has blazed to action with a blistering start and I still have many festivals to hear from. While it may seem excessive to enter into some 60 or more film fests, I find it money well-spent as it is really the only way for and indie filmmaker to have their work screened in theaters... or community centers... or casino ballrooms. It really makes no difference to me as long as the lights are out, butts are planted in seats and all the hard work of my cast and crew is projected on a screen. The ability to have people see our vision is priceless (well, actually on average, it's about $35/ per festival submission, plus burning the DVDs, shipping, making the postcards, etc.), but still, the marketing payoff is huge.
And speaking of marketing payoffs...
A number of months ago, I received the exciting news that I had won an award from the Maverick Movie Awards for Best Sound Design/Editing. I had also been nominated for Best Director and Best Special Effects. Now this was totally unexpected and very very cool news, but when I let people know, their response was tepid at best.
Now, let's face it, no one really knows what the Maverick Movie Awards are. I hadn't even heard of them myself, until I had submitted my film for their perusal. So, it's not like I had won an Oscar or anything, but still, any recognition is greatly appreciated.
Anyway, as with a lot of these award contests, the winners had an option of buying an actual award trophy or plaque for an additional cost. Now, my usual reaction to this had been "Eff that! This is all just a scam to make money off of inflated costs for stupid plastic keepsakes", so I wasn't really considering it. But then, these guys seemed like legit folks, and they weren't really pushing the trophies - just offering it as an option since so may people had asked. "Oh, what the hell", I thought, "I need something sparkly for my office and I can write it off as a marketing expense anyway."
So I pulled the trigger and bought the dang thing:
And do you know what I discovered? People are way more impressed with an etched piece of Acrylic-Crystal than I had imagined. Suddenly, this makes one seem legit. I am now an "award winning filmmaker" and I have the dang hardware to prove it. So there.
Lesson learned. Saying you have won an award is one thing. Having something people can actually see, hold in their hands and reflect upon is another. And while my natural inclination is not to toot my own horn, so to speak, I'm learning that shameless self-promotion is a necessary evil of this whole game of filmmaking.
Just a few months ago, my 8-year old was shoving his cheap, tacky plastic soccer trophies in my face, "Hey dad, how come you don't have any trophies? And why do you keep making movies that don't make any money?" Now I can blast him back, "Hah!!! Look at me now buddy! Feast upon the bounty that is my $21 check!! And bow down in worship to the mystical glory of my gold-tinted acrylic-crystal glittering monolithic behemoth!!"
Yeah... lesson learned...
Who says filmmaking doesn't pay off? My first official check for Enter the Dark from DVD and streaming sales at IndieFlix is a whopper! $21 big bucks! Looks like I can now pay off that line item for Oreos eaten during production of my little horror flick.
... In all seriousness, any money, no matter how small, generated from this film represents a huge success! And it's not about the money anyway - for now it's all about going through the filmmaking process, learning from it, getting my name out there and getting the film in front of as many folks as possible.
Speaking of which...
April through May will see ETD screened in theaters worldwide! I kid you not!
From Los Angeles to Scotland, to Australia the world will be abuzz with horrified viewers passing out in their seats, barely able to catch their breath from the terrifying menace that is ENTER THE DARK!!!
(well, actually just a few theaters worldwide... six to be exact... but it sounds much more impressive to say it the other way... and folks probably won't be passing out... unless they get low blood sugar from not picking up a snack before watching hours upon hours of indie films... or if they get up too fast from their seats after sitting too long for a while... that can do it to me sometimes, ya know... well, not actually passing out, but kinda light-headed and seeing a couple of stars pass by... that's gotta count for something, right?)
Anyway, here's the official-sounding dealio for Enter the Dark's 2011 World Tour:
Enter the Dark is excited to be an Official Selection of the following film festivals:
Saturday, April 2, 4pm
April 8 - 10
April 14 -17
April 25 - May 1
May 5 - 8
Friday, May 27, 11:15pm
Phew, now that's a whirlwind tour! I'd love to be able to attend all of these festivals, but alas, such is not the way for the lowly indie filmmaker. I'm planning on going to the High Desert Shorts (tie it in with a trip to Vegas), and seeing if I can make it to Famous Monsters in LA.
So far, 2011 has blazed to action with a blistering start and I still have many festivals to hear from. While it may seem excessive to enter into some 60 or more film fests, I find it money well-spent as it is really the only way for and indie filmmaker to have their work screened in theaters... or community centers... or casino ballrooms. It really makes no difference to me as long as the lights are out, butts are planted in seats and all the hard work of my cast and crew is projected on a screen. The ability to have people see our vision is priceless (well, actually on average, it's about $35/ per festival submission, plus burning the DVDs, shipping, making the postcards, etc.), but still, the marketing payoff is huge.
And speaking of marketing payoffs...
Now, let's face it, no one really knows what the Maverick Movie Awards are. I hadn't even heard of them myself, until I had submitted my film for their perusal. So, it's not like I had won an Oscar or anything, but still, any recognition is greatly appreciated.
Anyway, as with a lot of these award contests, the winners had an option of buying an actual award trophy or plaque for an additional cost. Now, my usual reaction to this had been "Eff that! This is all just a scam to make money off of inflated costs for stupid plastic keepsakes", so I wasn't really considering it. But then, these guys seemed like legit folks, and they weren't really pushing the trophies - just offering it as an option since so may people had asked. "Oh, what the hell", I thought, "I need something sparkly for my office and I can write it off as a marketing expense anyway."
So I pulled the trigger and bought the dang thing:
 | ||
| The mighty acrylic monolith next to a DVD copy of Enter the Dark (still only $5.95 from IndieFlix) |
Lesson learned. Saying you have won an award is one thing. Having something people can actually see, hold in their hands and reflect upon is another. And while my natural inclination is not to toot my own horn, so to speak, I'm learning that shameless self-promotion is a necessary evil of this whole game of filmmaking.
Just a few months ago, my 8-year old was shoving his cheap, tacky plastic soccer trophies in my face, "Hey dad, how come you don't have any trophies? And why do you keep making movies that don't make any money?" Now I can blast him back, "Hah!!! Look at me now buddy! Feast upon the bounty that is my $21 check!! And bow down in worship to the mystical glory of my gold-tinted acrylic-crystal glittering monolithic behemoth!!"
Yeah... lesson learned...
Saturday, March 5, 2011
FantAsian: Fantasy Films by Asian Women Invade March 6th BleedFest!
My good friend and blazingly smart filmmaker Elizabeth Fies has been working her tail off to promote amazing work written, produced and directed by women. With the tireless help of her sister Brenda, they have created the Bleedfest film festival to showcase badass genre work that would otherwise go unnoticed. If you're in the L.A. area, be sure to check it out!
Los Angeles, California-- March 4, 2011 --
Monthly badass genre film festival BleedFest continues its quest for gender equality in movies and moviemaking with its March 2011 charity and screening event. The theme of BleedFest's March 6th event is FantAsian: Fantasy and musicals by female Asian filmmakers.
Los Angeles, California-- March 4, 2011 --
Monthly badass genre film festival BleedFest continues its quest for gender equality in movies and moviemaking with its March 2011 charity and screening event. The theme of BleedFest's March 6th event is FantAsian: Fantasy and musicals by female Asian filmmakers.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
If I Picked the Oscars - Part 2
We're now only three days away from the big night, so I better get my picks in for the rest of the awards:
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
• “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
• “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
• “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
• “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• “Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini
I liked "The Social Network", but felt it never really got inside the skin of Zuckerberg. For me, "Winter's Bone" stands out for its perfectly nuanced and balanced storytelling.
My Pick - "Winter's Bone"
Oscar's Pick - “The Social Network”
Best Writing (Original Screenplay):
• “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
• “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
• “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
• “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
• “The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler
"The Fighter" and "Inception" were great. "The Kids Are All Right" was funny and poignant. "The King's Speech" was... well, I'll get into that later.
My Pick - "Inception". This multi-layered Borges meets the Matrix head-spinner was complex, thought-provoking and yet personal at the same time.
Oscar's Pick - “The King's Speech”. Ok - here's the deal. This was a good film. There was nothing wrong with it. It is a simple story told well. But it's just so damned safe. It takes absolutely no chances. It is basically an ABC afterschool special: dude has stuttering problem... dude overcomes stuttering problem, except the dude just happens to be the future King of England.
When you compare this to really great movies, this one story arc would just be a subplot, woven into a bigger, more compelling whole. Really folks, get over it. Does this movie come even close to "The Godfather", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Amadeus", or "Silence of the Lambs"?
I didn't think so.
Best Documentary (Feature):
• “Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
• “Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
• “Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• “Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
• “Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley
This is a very strong category this year. "Gasland" is a compelling personal journey through the toxic wasteland of Natural Gas Drilling. "Restrepo" does a tremendous job showing the viewer what life is truly like for U.S. soldiers serving duty in Afghanistan's Korangal Valley. And "Inside Job" explores the nausea-inducing reality of the wall-street players who continue to hold the White House hostage.
For me however, "Exit Through the Gift Shop" stood out for its unique journey that explored the concepts of art, fame, and media manipulation. And I'm still not even sure it was a documentary...
My Pick - "Exit Through the Gift Shop"
Oscar's Pick - This is a toss-up here. I'll guess they give it to "Inside Job" to send a message to the controlling interests that rule Wall Street, the Republican Party, the Top 1% high-income earners, the Tea Party... not to get on a political rant or anything here...
Best Actor:
• Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
• Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
• Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
• Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
• James Franco in “127 Hours”
This one's tough because I've only seen "Social Network" and "King's Speech" and to be honest, I wasn't blown away by either performance. In all fairness I really shouldn't make a pick in this category, but who said this was fair anyway? I'm going to give it to Javier Bardem because I've heard great things about the movie and the guy is a total acting stud - so there.
My Pick - Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
Oscar's Pick - Colin Firth in “The King's Speech” The Academy loves them some feel-good movie and especially any acting gymnastics. A king who overcomes a speech impediment is an easy, safe pick.
Best Actress:
• Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
• Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
• Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”
An easy pick for me. It comes down to Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence. They both carry their films - the entire narrative rests on their shoulders. Both bring extraordinary performances. For me however, Jennifer Lawrence was a revelation. She created such an authentic, understated yet dynamic and powerful performance as a sixteen-year old desperately trying to hold her family together, that I think she deserves it the most.
My Pick - Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
Oscar's Pick - Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” Portman's performance as a ballerina at the tipping point of madness is a tour-de-force, and she deserves all the accolades she has received. She is the obvious choice and will most likely win.
Best Director:
• “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
• “The Fighter” David O. Russell
• “The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
• “The Social Network” David Fincher
• “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Ok - down to the nitty gritty here. I love Fincher and the Cohen Brothers, but don't think their work was Oscar-level this year. Tom Hooper makes nice ABC after-school specials... er, I mean movies (actually, I liked "The Damned United" much more than "King's Speech"), but c'mon.. let's get real here.
That leaves Aronofsky's "Black Swan" and David O. Russell's, "The Fighter" (and I would also add, Debra Granik for "Winter's Bone".) Aronofsky showed true film mastery with absolute control of his psychological thriller. All elements of the film were fully realized to support the central theme. Russell showed a lighter touch, though no less effective, letting his actors control the scenes and weave a heart-heavy tale of redemption, balancing humor and pathos and never regressing to melodrama.
Debra Granik, like Russell, chose a verite approach to weave her neo-noir tale - perfectly nailing the appropriate tone for such a story.
My Pick - “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky. I'm torn here, but give Aronofsky the slight nod over Russell and Granik. Great jobs by all.
Oscar's Pick - “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky. I think this one is a slam dunk for Aronofsky. He is one of cinema's shining lights.
And now... Drumroll please... Time to get the kids to bed and drain the last of the drinks, 'cuz the show's almost over. Just one last Oscar to give out...
Best Picture:
• “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
• “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
• “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
• “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
• “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
• “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
• “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
• “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
• “Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
Dang... that's a long list! But I'll make this short, because by now, you pretty much know my take on these films.
It's a close call, and I love them both, but I have to give "Winter's Bone" the slight edge over "The Fighter", simply because of its more original story. If "Black Swan" had walked the line a little more convincingly between horror and psychological thriller (ala "Rosemary's Baby" "Jacob's Ladder", "Angel Heart") then that would have been my choice.
My Pick - "Winter's Bone"
Oscar's Pick - "Black Swan". If "King's Speech" wins, please shoot me and put me out of my misery.
Best Writing (Adapted Screenplay):
• “127 Hours” Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
• “The Social Network” Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
• “Toy Story 3” Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
• “True Grit” Written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
• “Winter's Bone” Adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini
I liked "The Social Network", but felt it never really got inside the skin of Zuckerberg. For me, "Winter's Bone" stands out for its perfectly nuanced and balanced storytelling.
Oscar's Pick - “The Social Network”
Best Writing (Original Screenplay):
• “Another Year” Written by Mike Leigh
• “The Fighter” Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;
Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
• “Inception” Written by Christopher Nolan
• “The Kids Are All Right” Written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
• “The King's Speech” Screenplay by David Seidler
"The Fighter" and "Inception" were great. "The Kids Are All Right" was funny and poignant. "The King's Speech" was... well, I'll get into that later.
Oscar's Pick - “The King's Speech”. Ok - here's the deal. This was a good film. There was nothing wrong with it. It is a simple story told well. But it's just so damned safe. It takes absolutely no chances. It is basically an ABC afterschool special: dude has stuttering problem... dude overcomes stuttering problem, except the dude just happens to be the future King of England.
When you compare this to really great movies, this one story arc would just be a subplot, woven into a bigger, more compelling whole. Really folks, get over it. Does this movie come even close to "The Godfather", "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Amadeus", or "Silence of the Lambs"?
I didn't think so.
Best Documentary (Feature):
• “Exit through the Gift Shop” Banksy and Jaimie D'Cruz
• “Gasland” Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
• “Inside Job” Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
• “Restrepo” Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
• “Waste Land” Lucy Walker and Angus Aynsley
This is a very strong category this year. "Gasland" is a compelling personal journey through the toxic wasteland of Natural Gas Drilling. "Restrepo" does a tremendous job showing the viewer what life is truly like for U.S. soldiers serving duty in Afghanistan's Korangal Valley. And "Inside Job" explores the nausea-inducing reality of the wall-street players who continue to hold the White House hostage.
For me however, "Exit Through the Gift Shop" stood out for its unique journey that explored the concepts of art, fame, and media manipulation. And I'm still not even sure it was a documentary...
My Pick - "Exit Through the Gift Shop"
Oscar's Pick - This is a toss-up here. I'll guess they give it to "Inside Job" to send a message to the controlling interests that rule Wall Street, the Republican Party, the Top 1% high-income earners, the Tea Party... not to get on a political rant or anything here...
Best Actor:
• Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”
• Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”
• Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”
• Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”
• James Franco in “127 Hours”
This one's tough because I've only seen "Social Network" and "King's Speech" and to be honest, I wasn't blown away by either performance. In all fairness I really shouldn't make a pick in this category, but who said this was fair anyway? I'm going to give it to Javier Bardem because I've heard great things about the movie and the guy is a total acting stud - so there.
Oscar's Pick - Colin Firth in “The King's Speech” The Academy loves them some feel-good movie and especially any acting gymnastics. A king who overcomes a speech impediment is an easy, safe pick.
Best Actress:
• Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”
• Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”
• Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”
• Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”
• Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”
An easy pick for me. It comes down to Natalie Portman and Jennifer Lawrence. They both carry their films - the entire narrative rests on their shoulders. Both bring extraordinary performances. For me however, Jennifer Lawrence was a revelation. She created such an authentic, understated yet dynamic and powerful performance as a sixteen-year old desperately trying to hold her family together, that I think she deserves it the most.
Oscar's Pick - Natalie Portman in “Black Swan” Portman's performance as a ballerina at the tipping point of madness is a tour-de-force, and she deserves all the accolades she has received. She is the obvious choice and will most likely win.
Best Director:
• “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky
• “The Fighter” David O. Russell
• “The King's Speech” Tom Hooper
• “The Social Network” David Fincher
• “True Grit” Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Ok - down to the nitty gritty here. I love Fincher and the Cohen Brothers, but don't think their work was Oscar-level this year. Tom Hooper makes nice ABC after-school specials... er, I mean movies (actually, I liked "The Damned United" much more than "King's Speech"), but c'mon.. let's get real here.
That leaves Aronofsky's "Black Swan" and David O. Russell's, "The Fighter" (and I would also add, Debra Granik for "Winter's Bone".) Aronofsky showed true film mastery with absolute control of his psychological thriller. All elements of the film were fully realized to support the central theme. Russell showed a lighter touch, though no less effective, letting his actors control the scenes and weave a heart-heavy tale of redemption, balancing humor and pathos and never regressing to melodrama.
Debra Granik, like Russell, chose a verite approach to weave her neo-noir tale - perfectly nailing the appropriate tone for such a story.
Oscar's Pick - “Black Swan” Darren Aronofsky. I think this one is a slam dunk for Aronofsky. He is one of cinema's shining lights.
And now... Drumroll please... Time to get the kids to bed and drain the last of the drinks, 'cuz the show's almost over. Just one last Oscar to give out...
Best Picture:
• “Black Swan” Mike Medavoy, Brian Oliver and Scott Franklin, Producers
• “The Fighter” David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Mark Wahlberg, Producers
• “Inception” Emma Thomas and Christopher Nolan, Producers
• “The Kids Are All Right” Gary Gilbert, Jeffrey Levy-Hinte and Celine Rattray, Producers
• “The King's Speech” Iain Canning, Emile Sherman and Gareth Unwin, Producers
• “127 Hours” Christian Colson, Danny Boyle and John Smithson, Producers
• “The Social Network” Scott Rudin, Dana Brunetti, Michael De Luca and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
• “Toy Story 3” Darla K. Anderson, Producer
• “True Grit” Scott Rudin, Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, Producers
• “Winter's Bone" Anne Rosellini and Alix Madigan-Yorkin, Producers
Dang... that's a long list! But I'll make this short, because by now, you pretty much know my take on these films.
It's a close call, and I love them both, but I have to give "Winter's Bone" the slight edge over "The Fighter", simply because of its more original story. If "Black Swan" had walked the line a little more convincingly between horror and psychological thriller (ala "Rosemary's Baby" "Jacob's Ladder", "Angel Heart") then that would have been my choice.
Oscar's Pick - "Black Swan". If "King's Speech" wins, please shoot me and put me out of my misery.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
If I Picked the Oscars
Every year we do a little Oscar get together at my place - watch the show, critique the fashion, check out the parade-of-dead-stars montage and say, "Oh, that's right, I forgot HE died...", but most importantly we bet on the winners. That's right, while the Super Bowl may be the single most bet-upon day every year, in my house Oscar night is the time to put your big ol' $5 bill on the line and put up or shut up.
Just like Fantasy Football magically makes that Arizona vs. Jacksonville game so exciting 'cause you're hoping Jay Feely can kick you 6 points so you can pummel your best friend and gloat about it at work the next day, so does betting on the Academy Awards suddenly make that best animated short category the single most important thing in the world 2 1/2 hours into the always excessively long ceremony. And trust me, the overall winner each year is almost always determined by who correctly picks "Logorama" over "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty." What's that you say, you've never even heard of those flicks, well welcome to the club my friend, now put your fiver in the hat, pick up your pen and do what we all do...
Guess.
That's why my 8-year old has about as good a chance as I do. It's like they always say, "The family that bets together, stays together..."
Anyway, in this post I will not do that - pick all the winners that is. Because let's face it, I wanna win that pot as much as the next guy. No, in this post I'd like to do what Siskel & Ebert used to do, which is present my picks as if I were suddenly king of the academy and able to choose the winners from the best and brightest cinema had to offer in 2010. I will use their list of nominees as a starting point, except for when they completely whiff and ignore great work. Ok, and I'll also throw in my predictions of who I think the Academy will choose for the big categories - those are usually pretty obvious anyway. And I won't do every single category - just the ones I care about and where I've seen the majority of the contenders. Unless I decide not to. So there.
Alright then... bring it on!
Just like Fantasy Football magically makes that Arizona vs. Jacksonville game so exciting 'cause you're hoping Jay Feely can kick you 6 points so you can pummel your best friend and gloat about it at work the next day, so does betting on the Academy Awards suddenly make that best animated short category the single most important thing in the world 2 1/2 hours into the always excessively long ceremony. And trust me, the overall winner each year is almost always determined by who correctly picks "Logorama" over "Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty." What's that you say, you've never even heard of those flicks, well welcome to the club my friend, now put your fiver in the hat, pick up your pen and do what we all do...
Guess.
That's why my 8-year old has about as good a chance as I do. It's like they always say, "The family that bets together, stays together..."
Anyway, in this post I will not do that - pick all the winners that is. Because let's face it, I wanna win that pot as much as the next guy. No, in this post I'd like to do what Siskel & Ebert used to do, which is present my picks as if I were suddenly king of the academy and able to choose the winners from the best and brightest cinema had to offer in 2010. I will use their list of nominees as a starting point, except for when they completely whiff and ignore great work. Ok, and I'll also throw in my predictions of who I think the Academy will choose for the big categories - those are usually pretty obvious anyway. And I won't do every single category - just the ones I care about and where I've seen the majority of the contenders. Unless I decide not to. So there.
Alright then... bring it on!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Enter the Dark Updates
Here's what's new and exciting with my little bundle of horror goodness:
FESTIVALS
Enter the Dark will be screening at a couple of really fun festivals this week.
First off, if you happen to be in the greater Boulder City, NV. region (or ripping it up in Vegas), be sure to check out the Dam Short Film Festival. We will close out their Wednesday evening block of horror shorts from 9:15 - 10:15.
Then, hop on over to Sanford FL, and their brand new Love Your Shorts Film Festival, where you can see tons of great short movies of all genres (including the Oscar nominated God of Love). Then stick around until Saturday night's sci fi/horror selections at 9:30 as we close out that evening's festivities as well.
We are also excited to be part of the High Desert Shorts Film Festival, May 27 - 29 in Pahrump, NV., another cool indie film short fest. I'll let you know exact dates when I have them.
... And now for all the rest of you horror fans, this March you will get your chance to see Enter the Dark for FREE!!! We were fortunate to be selected as part of First Glance Film Festival's short online contest:
REVIEWS
Enter the Dark continues to enjoy great reviews from some really cool bloggers. It has been incredibly rewarding to see that the vision I had for this short film is being well received.
From Midnight, With Love:
That's all for now. In the meantime I'll continue to play the festival circuit until October or so (do a full year to hit all that I can), and work on ideas for the next short film.
The we'll do it all over again!
Enter the Dark will be screening at a couple of really fun festivals this week.
First off, if you happen to be in the greater Boulder City, NV. region (or ripping it up in Vegas), be sure to check out the Dam Short Film Festival. We will close out their Wednesday evening block of horror shorts from 9:15 - 10:15.
Then, hop on over to Sanford FL, and their brand new Love Your Shorts Film Festival, where you can see tons of great short movies of all genres (including the Oscar nominated God of Love). Then stick around until Saturday night's sci fi/horror selections at 9:30 as we close out that evening's festivities as well.
We are also excited to be part of the High Desert Shorts Film Festival, May 27 - 29 in Pahrump, NV., another cool indie film short fest. I'll let you know exact dates when I have them.
... And now for all the rest of you horror fans, this March you will get your chance to see Enter the Dark for FREE!!! We were fortunate to be selected as part of First Glance Film Festival's short online contest:
In 2010 we presented over 50 short films online. More than any other festival in the world and awarded over $5000.00 in prizes.Stay tuned for more info on how you can watch and vote for a bunch of great short movies!
Over 5000 registered voters, voted over 14,000 times to create one of the most competitive online short contests for any film festival in North America.
We look forward to you being part of the next Short Online Contest.
The Short Online Contest begins in Late March 2011 and run for 6 weeks.
REVIEWS
Enter the Dark continues to enjoy great reviews from some really cool bloggers. It has been incredibly rewarding to see that the vision I had for this short film is being well received.
From Midnight, With Love:
Miro's story works like a good horror tale should, suckering us in with one hand while it's preparing to pop up and scare us with the other. There's a command here that can't be taught, and Miro shows a natural gift for creating tension.Dollar Bin Horror:
… this 17 minute short has no gags. It's just scary.Chuck Norris Ate My Baby:
It's just a really damn good film.
It's quick, fun and a bit spooky and, as promised, watching Enter the Dark in the dark makes it all the more effective.Fatally Yours:
Enter the Dark is an entertaining, scary and thought-provoking short film.
The acting is also top-notch, with actors Charles Yoakum and Rob Sandusky putting on convincing performances.
That's all for now. In the meantime I'll continue to play the festival circuit until October or so (do a full year to hit all that I can), and work on ideas for the next short film.
The we'll do it all over again!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Bleedfest needs your help!
HELP! We have less than 1 week to meet our financial goal. We need to meet our goal to SAVE BleedFest from folding. We're doing what we said we would by bringing you badass genre films directed, produced and written by women... in addition to honoring a badass awesome man each month. Do you need something else from us in order to assist us in our cause? Thank you in Advance for being a BleedFest HERO!
Check out all the great things Lis and Brenda are doing with their monthly indie film fest Bleedfest.
We are passionate about raising the visibility of indie genre movies by female filmmakers. BleedFest Values: Empowerment, Partnership, Fun, Self-Expression BleedFest fetes the women who love writing, producing, directing, and watching badass genre movies: horror, thriller, action, sci-fi, western, exploitation, B-movie, and erotica. We also screen a few male filmmakers who have empowering and edgy female protagonists; their work screens out of competition and receives our "Partnership Award". Our mission is to spotlight these bold films and their fearless makers, and prove to the world that the derogatory term "chick flick" needs to be retired.
Sound good? Then bounce on over to IndieGoGo and spread a little love their way to help keep the festival alive!
Many thanks!
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, The Commune tells a tale of entrapment, sacrifice and familial dysfunction. It premiered at Dances With Films Film Festival and has received multiple awards.
