Filmmaker Robert Rodriguez broke out in the ‘90s with pulpy action thrillers and horror hits Desperado and From Dusk Till Dawn. The premise for his latest, Hypnotic, suggests a return to his early works in attitude and scale. Instead, Rodriguez forgoes his usual playfulness and sense of rebellious fun in favor of a Christopher Nolan-like mind-bender, complete with an overly serious approach and convoluted storytelling.
Austin detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) recklessly throws himself into work as a coping mechanism over his missing daughter. Danny completes his latest therapy session that explores the fateful trip to the park where his daughter disappeared, then immediately gets picked up by his partner, Nicks (Jd Pardo), to investigate an anonymous tip for an impending bank robbery. As the heist seems to begin, Danny spies a suspicious man, Dellrayne (William Fichtner), enter the equation.
Danny discovers the man’s bizarre ability to hypnotize people around them,...
Austin detective Danny Rourke (Ben Affleck) recklessly throws himself into work as a coping mechanism over his missing daughter. Danny completes his latest therapy session that explores the fateful trip to the park where his daughter disappeared, then immediately gets picked up by his partner, Nicks (Jd Pardo), to investigate an anonymous tip for an impending bank robbery. As the heist seems to begin, Danny spies a suspicious man, Dellrayne (William Fichtner), enter the equation.
Danny discovers the man’s bizarre ability to hypnotize people around them,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
You never know what will be waiting for you in the woods... In today's Horror Highlights, we have two clips from the upcoming thriller Without Name, as well as details on the Nitehawk Shorts Festival Selects program, Frontières returning to the Fantasia International Film Festival, and the official trailer for The Passing.
Without Name Clips: Press Release: "Los Angeles, California (June 16, 2017) - Global Digital Releasing has set a distribution date for the award winning dramatic thriller Without Name. The North American release will be across multiple digital and VOD platforms, beginning Tuesday, June 20.
The story follows land surveyor Eric (Alan McKenna). He travels to a remote, unnamed Irish woodland to assess its suitability for a new development project. However, the assignment it is not as simple as it could be. Intrigued by the woods’ foreboding mysticism, Eric finds himself drawn into a dangerous game that could lead to him becoming...
Without Name Clips: Press Release: "Los Angeles, California (June 16, 2017) - Global Digital Releasing has set a distribution date for the award winning dramatic thriller Without Name. The North American release will be across multiple digital and VOD platforms, beginning Tuesday, June 20.
The story follows land surveyor Eric (Alan McKenna). He travels to a remote, unnamed Irish woodland to assess its suitability for a new development project. However, the assignment it is not as simple as it could be. Intrigued by the woods’ foreboding mysticism, Eric finds himself drawn into a dangerous game that could lead to him becoming...
- 6/16/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
If you’ve seen “John Wick,” you know the legend: One time, the eponymous hitman (Keanu Reeves) killed three men in a bar with a pencil. “With a fucking pencil,” growls a Russian crime boss played by Peter Stormare in the opening minutes of “John Wick: Chapter 2,” moments before the unstoppable killing machine nicknamed “The Boogeyman” bursts through the door. Before Stormare can finish the anecdote, one of his lackeys interrupts him. “I know,” he says. “I’ve heard this one before.”
In the “John Wick” universe of action-movie pastiche, even the villains are fans of his work. And who could blame them? Overseen by the original “John Wick” team of director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the new movie contains the best ingredients of the 2014 original with a fresh set of outrageous showdowns, and even improves on its commitment to cartoonish mayhem in self-serious clothing. As relentless,...
In the “John Wick” universe of action-movie pastiche, even the villains are fans of his work. And who could blame them? Overseen by the original “John Wick” team of director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad, the new movie contains the best ingredients of the 2014 original with a fresh set of outrageous showdowns, and even improves on its commitment to cartoonish mayhem in self-serious clothing. As relentless,...
- 2/6/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Here’s your daily dose of an indie film, web series, TV pilot, what-have-you in progress, as presented by the creators themselves. At the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Raisin’ Cain: The History of Cain’s Ballroom
Logline: “Raisin’ Cain” will be a cinematic journey told through the music and artists that have made this Tulsa music venue legendary. It will celebrate its 92 years, exploring the ties between Cain’s, the Tulsa Sound, and a myriad of musical genres.
Elevator Pitch:
We hope to preserve the storied history of the legendary Honky-Tonk, Cain’s Ballroom. “The Home of Bob Wills” has hosted 3 generations of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Wanda Jackson to the Sex Pistols, The Police, U2 and many others. The film will tell...
In the meantime: Is this a project you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
Raisin’ Cain: The History of Cain’s Ballroom
Logline: “Raisin’ Cain” will be a cinematic journey told through the music and artists that have made this Tulsa music venue legendary. It will celebrate its 92 years, exploring the ties between Cain’s, the Tulsa Sound, and a myriad of musical genres.
Elevator Pitch:
We hope to preserve the storied history of the legendary Honky-Tonk, Cain’s Ballroom. “The Home of Bob Wills” has hosted 3 generations of Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, Wanda Jackson to the Sex Pistols, The Police, U2 and many others. The film will tell...
- 11/2/2016
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
This summer, Grindhouse Releasing will unleash a three-disc Blu-ray of Cat in the Brain—directed by and starring Lucio Fulci—and they will also bring the horror film to cities nationwide with a theatrical re-release beginning in June and ending in August:
Press Release: Hollywood, Calif. — Grindhouse Releasing has set a July 12 street date for the new deluxe 3-disc Blu-ray edition of Lucio Fulci’s nightmare classic Cat In The Brain. The movie will be touring theaters all over the U.S. this summer, starting June 2.
Cat In The Brain is a psychological masterpiece in the tradition of such cinematic classics as Psycho, Strait-jacket, Eraserhead and Fellini’s 8 1/2. Acclaimed Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci, director of Zombie and The Beyond, stars in this blood-soaked epic as a director being driven insane by his own movies. Fulci is thrust into an ultra-violent nightmare of death and depravity where murder and madness...
Press Release: Hollywood, Calif. — Grindhouse Releasing has set a July 12 street date for the new deluxe 3-disc Blu-ray edition of Lucio Fulci’s nightmare classic Cat In The Brain. The movie will be touring theaters all over the U.S. this summer, starting June 2.
Cat In The Brain is a psychological masterpiece in the tradition of such cinematic classics as Psycho, Strait-jacket, Eraserhead and Fellini’s 8 1/2. Acclaimed Italian horror maestro Lucio Fulci, director of Zombie and The Beyond, stars in this blood-soaked epic as a director being driven insane by his own movies. Fulci is thrust into an ultra-violent nightmare of death and depravity where murder and madness...
- 5/24/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
“A lot of this was done at the very last minute.”
2007’s Grindhouse experiment between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino was viewed as something of a misfire upon its initial release, but in the years since it’s enjoyed something of a reappraisal. Most viewers seem to have a strong opinion as to which of the two films is best, but regardless of where you land on that point there’s no denying that Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is far more attuned to the “grindhouse” aesthetic.
Where Death Proof feels like a slickly produced Tarantino film, Planet Terror is a gloriously intentional mess of jarring cuts, cheap tropes, B-movie dialogue, and crowd-pleasing beats. It’s not great cinema, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun and one of Rodriguez’s most consistently entertaining movies.
Keep reading to see what I heard on the Planet Terror commentary!
Planet Terror (2007)
Commentator: Robert Rodriguez (writer/director)
https:...
2007’s Grindhouse experiment between Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino was viewed as something of a misfire upon its initial release, but in the years since it’s enjoyed something of a reappraisal. Most viewers seem to have a strong opinion as to which of the two films is best, but regardless of where you land on that point there’s no denying that Rodriguez’s Planet Terror is far more attuned to the “grindhouse” aesthetic.
Where Death Proof feels like a slickly produced Tarantino film, Planet Terror is a gloriously intentional mess of jarring cuts, cheap tropes, B-movie dialogue, and crowd-pleasing beats. It’s not great cinema, but it’s a hell of a lot of fun and one of Rodriguez’s most consistently entertaining movies.
Keep reading to see what I heard on the Planet Terror commentary!
Planet Terror (2007)
Commentator: Robert Rodriguez (writer/director)
https:...
- 5/5/2016
- by Rob Hunter
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Sundance Institute has announced the participants for its weeklong Creative Film Producing Initiative at the Sundance Resort in Utah, July 27 – August 3, including nine feature film and documentary projects for the Creative Producing Labs and more than 50 industry leaders for the Creative Producing Summit.
The Institute’s Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers and renewing the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film.
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – July 31) identifies emerging producers and, under the guidance of Creative Advisors, allows them to develop their creative instincts and evolve their communicating and problem-solving skills at all stages of their feature film project. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Lynette Howell Taylor (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gina Kwon ("Me You and Everyone We Know"), Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Jay Van Hoy (
"Beginners" ) and director Matthew Ross ("28 Hotel Rooms" ).
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – August 1) brings together documentarians with award-winning Advisors to focus on their current projects to explore the wide range of creative approaches to distribution, outreach and impact strategies. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Julie Goldman ( "Best of Enemies"), Bonni Cohen ("3 1/2 Minutes," "10 Bullets"), Ryan Werner (Cinetic), Maxyne Franklin (Britdoc), and Wendy Cohen (Picture Motion).
The Creative Producing Summit takes place immediately following the Labs, July 31 – August 3. More than 50 industry leaders will participate in a series of curated panels, case studies, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings addressing critical issues producers face including financing, distribution, audience engagement, marketing and sustainability. Panelists this year include Len Amato (HBO Films),
Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Dori Begley (Magnolia Pictures), Josh Braun (Submarine), Dan Cogan (Impact Partners), Victoria S. Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit), Danielle Di Giacomo (The Orchard), Fred Dust (Ideo), Ted Hope (Amazon), Micah Green (CAA), John Hoffman (Discovery Channel), Marcus Hu (Strand Releasing), Charles King (MacRo), Jessica Lacy (ICM Partners), Stephanie Langhoff (Duplass Brothers), David Magdael (Tcdm Associates), Victor Moyers (Broad Green), Annie Roney (ro*co Films), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor), and Jay Van Hoy (Parts & Labor).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Feature Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"50 Miles From Boomtown"
Producing Fellow: Alex Scharfman
After years of saving for her hard-earned dream, the only woman working on the fracking fields of North Dakota can finally quit but unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the young man she's training to take her place. (writer/director Flo Linus Baumann).
Alex Scharfman is a New York-based producer whose past feature credits include "The Heart Machine" and "Lyle," as well as the short film "Superior," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and the WGA Award-nominated webseries "F to 7th." He is an executive at Parts & Labor Films where he worked on films including "Keep The Lights On" and "Loitering with Intent." He has also produced content for Vice, Google, the Ford Foundation, and At&T. Alex received his BA from Cornell University, is a former Mfa candidate from Nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received his Mba from Nyu’s Stern School of Business.
"Bexar County"
Mark Silverman Honorees and Producing Fellows: Blake Pickens and Stephen Love Jr.
In sunny San Antonio, Texas, where nothing ever changes, a town is turned on its head when a delusional Texas housewife accidentally poisons her son’s fiancée, learning that killing people is an efficient way to solve her problems. (Co-writer/director Catherine Grieve, co-writer Dylan Slocum)
Blake Pickens is from the south side of Oklahoma City, from a neighborhood known as the Flats. Despite the community’s rampant drug use and gang wars, Blake found his way into storytelling with a writing position at National Lampoon. He later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC where he and his producing partner, Stephen Love Jr., formed their company Bs Pictures. They are currently in pre-production on the Steven Caple Jr.’s film The Land and in development on "The Friendship Nine" with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. Blake’s aspirations are to tell the stories that make people laugh, cry, and ultimately impact their lives.
Stephen Love Jr. grew up in the rural towns of Filbert and Bennettsville, South Carolina. During his time as a business major at Morehouse College, Love founded the Morehouse Filmmakers' Association, for which Spike Lee is the honorary advisor. He also received his Mfa from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and formed Bs Pictures with fellow graduate Blake Pickens. Love’s primary career goal is to produce film and television that gives "a voice to the voiceless" while challenging the confines of the business of filmmaking.
"Dolores"
Producing Fellow: Drew Houpt
A restless teenager becomes obsessed with a mysterious Colombian woman who exploits his desire and lures him into her plot for revenge. (Writer/director Mary Angélica Molina)
Drew Houpt is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. For over ten years he was the head of operations at Mike Zoss Productions, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Tribeca-based production company. During that time he worked on the Academy Award-winning "No Country For Old Men" and the Academy Award-nominated "A Serious Man" and "True Grit." He served as Associate Producer on the Coens’ Grand Prix-winning "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film "Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance." This past year he co-produced Maris Curran’s directorial-debut "Five Nights in Maine" and produced "Every Day,' a short documentary for Espn’s 30 for 30 Shorts series that had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. He has also produced music videos for the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and an experimental documentary, "When A Priest Marries A Witch," by Suzanne Bocanegra.
"Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist"
Producing Fellow: Deanna Barillari
When Iranian-born Rita Mahtoubian sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary, she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in this satirical comedy about romance, terrorism and trying to be a better person. (Co-writers/directors Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman)
Upon graduating Nyu Tisch, Deanna Barillari co-founded a non-profit theater company producing Off-Off-Broadway plays, including the NYC premiere of Leslye Headland's "Cinephilia" (2008), which funded in-school arts initiatives in the NYC Public School system. She then went on to work in TV on NBC's "Mercy" (2009), CBS’ "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (2010), ABC’s "Pan Am," 86th Oscars (Ellen DeGeneres; 2014) and in Drama Development at Universal Television. Recently, she collaborated with AFI Dww Fellows Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, producing their web-series K(ID) starring Caterina Scorsone ("Grey's Anatomy") and their short "Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist" starring Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") which made its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. She also produces for the La based Ovation Award-winning Iama Theatre Company.
"The Space Between"
Producing Fellow: Angela C. Lee
A female body builder devotes her life to turning ‘pro’ when she unexpectedly falls in love, forcing her to confront her fractured past with her dying father. (Writer/director Philiane Phang)
Angela C. Lee is a Los Angeles based independent producer. She produced "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened in the Directors’ Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. Angela is also the Artist Development Manager at Film Independent, where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the Filmmaker Labs program, including Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Documentary Labs, the Fast Track Finance Market and the Fox Writers Intensive, managed in conjunction with Fox Audience Strategy. Previously, Angela served as Director of Creative Affairs at New York based Vox3 Films. Prior to her career in film, Angela was an Associate at Goldman Sachs. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and is on the Board of Directors for the University of Chicago National Arts Alumni Network.
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"Brick"
Co-Directors/Producers: Jessica Dimmock & Christopher Lamarca
"Brick" reveals the raw emotional and physical experience of being a middle aged to senior transgender woman coming out for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows three intersecting stories of individuals who have lived their whole lives as men and decided this burdensome secret is one they can no longer keep.
Jessica Dimmock is the recipient of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest as the director and cinematographer of the online feature, "Too Young to Wed." In 2010, Dimmock won Kodak's Best Cinematography Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for "Without." The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, received an Independent Spirit Award, and was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award. Dimmock contributed two short films to Doctors Without Borders' Emmy-nominated campaign, “Starved for Attention.” Her first photojournalism project, “The Ninth Floor” was published as a monograph. Most recently, she worked as photographer and videographer for Emmy-nominated HBO series, "The Weight of the Nation." She is represented by VII agency.
Christopher Lamarca is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and based in Portland, Oregon. Lamarca has recently entered post-production on his first feature length film, "Boone." In 2012, it was chosen as one of eight films for Film Independent's Documentary Film lab. Lamarca's monograph, “Forest Defenders: The Confrontational American Landscape ” was published by PowerHouse Books in 2008. He was chosen to participate in the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibition (2007), New York Photo festival (2009) and Lishui photo festival in China (2010). He reported on environmental and energy issues for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Fortune, and Newsweek.
"The Island and the Whales" (working title)
Directore/Producer: Mike Day
The pilot whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever.
Mike Day is a Scottish director and producer. Formerly a lawyer in London and the Middle East he founded Intrepid Cinema in 2009 before heading out into the North Atlantic to make his previous film. His debut documentary "The Guga Hunters of Ness" broadcast on the BBC in 2011 and screened at festivals internationally to critical acclaim. It was while at sea in the Atlantic that he met a group of Faroese sailors, leading to his next film. Mike was listed as one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Filmmaker Magazine, he was one of Edn's ’12 for the Future 2012’, and is supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's Docscene programme. Intrepid Cinema also has two other feature documentaries in development.
"The Road From Hainan"
Director/Producer: Nanfu Wang
State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, Aka Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China.
"The Road From Hainan" follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors. Nanfu Wang is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and lack of access to formal secondary education and went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and documentary film from universities in China and the United States. Her work often features the stories of marginalized or mistreated people, from Chinese blood donors stricken with HIV after being issued used needles by the government to the left-behind children of migrant laborers. During the production of her first full-length documentary, Wang lived on the streets of Miami with a homeless former drug dealer who relied on the kindness of strangers for his survival. Wang’s short films have been distributed on many platforms and translated into several languages, and she continues to seek out and tell the stories of people who have been ignored by their societies.
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
Director/Producer: Deborah Esquenazi
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of allegedly gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the 'Satanic Sexual Abuse Panic' of the late-80's and early-90's in the United States.
Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin, Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and journalist. Her in-progress documentary feature, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and has been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, Vice Magazine, among others. Her film and radio documentaries have been funded by Chicken & Egg Pictures, Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Humanities Texas, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many others.
The Institute’s Creative Producing Initiative encompasses a year-round series of Labs, Fellowships, granting and events focusing on nurturing the next generation of independent producers and renewing the community of veteran producers who sustain the vibrancy and vitality of independent film.
The Feature Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – July 31) identifies emerging producers and, under the guidance of Creative Advisors, allows them to develop their creative instincts and evolve their communicating and problem-solving skills at all stages of their feature film project. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Lindsay Doran ("Sense and Sensibility"), Lynette Howell Taylor (The Place Beyond the Pines), Gina Kwon ("Me You and Everyone We Know"), Paul Mezey ("Beasts of the Southern Wild"), Jay Van Hoy (
"Beginners" ) and director Matthew Ross ("28 Hotel Rooms" ).
The Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab (July 27 – August 1) brings together documentarians with award-winning Advisors to focus on their current projects to explore the wide range of creative approaches to distribution, outreach and impact strategies. This year’s Creative Advisors include producers Julie Goldman ( "Best of Enemies"), Bonni Cohen ("3 1/2 Minutes," "10 Bullets"), Ryan Werner (Cinetic), Maxyne Franklin (Britdoc), and Wendy Cohen (Picture Motion).
The Creative Producing Summit takes place immediately following the Labs, July 31 – August 3. More than 50 industry leaders will participate in a series of curated panels, case studies, roundtables, and one-on-one meetings addressing critical issues producers face including financing, distribution, audience engagement, marketing and sustainability. Panelists this year include Len Amato (HBO Films),
Michael Barker (Sony Pictures Classics), Dori Begley (Magnolia Pictures), Josh Braun (Submarine), Dan Cogan (Impact Partners), Victoria S. Cook (Frankfurt Kurnit), Danielle Di Giacomo (The Orchard), Fred Dust (Ideo), Ted Hope (Amazon), Micah Green (CAA), John Hoffman (Discovery Channel), Marcus Hu (Strand Releasing), Charles King (MacRo), Jessica Lacy (ICM Partners), Stephanie Langhoff (Duplass Brothers), David Magdael (Tcdm Associates), Victor Moyers (Broad Green), Annie Roney (ro*co Films), John Sloss (Cinetic Media), Graham Taylor (William Morris Endeavor), and Jay Van Hoy (Parts & Labor).
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Feature Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"50 Miles From Boomtown"
Producing Fellow: Alex Scharfman
After years of saving for her hard-earned dream, the only woman working on the fracking fields of North Dakota can finally quit but unexpectedly finds herself falling in love with the young man she's training to take her place. (writer/director Flo Linus Baumann).
Alex Scharfman is a New York-based producer whose past feature credits include "The Heart Machine" and "Lyle," as well as the short film "Superior," which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and the WGA Award-nominated webseries "F to 7th." He is an executive at Parts & Labor Films where he worked on films including "Keep The Lights On" and "Loitering with Intent." He has also produced content for Vice, Google, the Ford Foundation, and At&T. Alex received his BA from Cornell University, is a former Mfa candidate from Nyu’s Tisch School of the Arts, and received his Mba from Nyu’s Stern School of Business.
"Bexar County"
Mark Silverman Honorees and Producing Fellows: Blake Pickens and Stephen Love Jr.
In sunny San Antonio, Texas, where nothing ever changes, a town is turned on its head when a delusional Texas housewife accidentally poisons her son’s fiancée, learning that killing people is an efficient way to solve her problems. (Co-writer/director Catherine Grieve, co-writer Dylan Slocum)
Blake Pickens is from the south side of Oklahoma City, from a neighborhood known as the Flats. Despite the community’s rampant drug use and gang wars, Blake found his way into storytelling with a writing position at National Lampoon. He later attended the Peter Stark Producing Program at USC where he and his producing partner, Stephen Love Jr., formed their company Bs Pictures. They are currently in pre-production on the Steven Caple Jr.’s film The Land and in development on "The Friendship Nine" with producer Nina Yang Bongiovi. Blake’s aspirations are to tell the stories that make people laugh, cry, and ultimately impact their lives.
Stephen Love Jr. grew up in the rural towns of Filbert and Bennettsville, South Carolina. During his time as a business major at Morehouse College, Love founded the Morehouse Filmmakers' Association, for which Spike Lee is the honorary advisor. He also received his Mfa from USC’s Peter Stark Producing Program and formed Bs Pictures with fellow graduate Blake Pickens. Love’s primary career goal is to produce film and television that gives "a voice to the voiceless" while challenging the confines of the business of filmmaking.
"Dolores"
Producing Fellow: Drew Houpt
A restless teenager becomes obsessed with a mysterious Colombian woman who exploits his desire and lures him into her plot for revenge. (Writer/director Mary Angélica Molina)
Drew Houpt is an independent producer based in Brooklyn. For over ten years he was the head of operations at Mike Zoss Productions, Joel and Ethan Coen’s Tribeca-based production company. During that time he worked on the Academy Award-winning "No Country For Old Men" and the Academy Award-nominated "A Serious Man" and "True Grit." He served as Associate Producer on the Coens’ Grand Prix-winning "Inside Llewyn Davis" and Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Academy Award-winning film "Birdman: or The Unexpected Virtue Of Ignorance." This past year he co-produced Maris Curran’s directorial-debut "Five Nights in Maine" and produced "Every Day,' a short documentary for Espn’s 30 for 30 Shorts series that had its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2015. He has also produced music videos for the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang and an experimental documentary, "When A Priest Marries A Witch," by Suzanne Bocanegra.
"Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist"
Producing Fellow: Deanna Barillari
When Iranian-born Rita Mahtoubian sets out to change her life from ordinary to extraordinary, she accidentally captures the attention of a homeland security agent in this satirical comedy about romance, terrorism and trying to be a better person. (Co-writers/directors Roja Gashtili & Julia Lerman)
Upon graduating Nyu Tisch, Deanna Barillari co-founded a non-profit theater company producing Off-Off-Broadway plays, including the NYC premiere of Leslye Headland's "Cinephilia" (2008), which funded in-school arts initiatives in the NYC Public School system. She then went on to work in TV on NBC's "Mercy" (2009), CBS’ "Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior" (2010), ABC’s "Pan Am," 86th Oscars (Ellen DeGeneres; 2014) and in Drama Development at Universal Television. Recently, she collaborated with AFI Dww Fellows Roja Gashtili and Julia Lerman, producing their web-series K(ID) starring Caterina Scorsone ("Grey's Anatomy") and their short "Rita Mahtoubian Is Not A Terrorist" starring Patrick Fugit ("Almost Famous") which made its World Premiere at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. She also produces for the La based Ovation Award-winning Iama Theatre Company.
"The Space Between"
Producing Fellow: Angela C. Lee
A female body builder devotes her life to turning ‘pro’ when she unexpectedly falls in love, forcing her to confront her fractured past with her dying father. (Writer/director Philiane Phang)
Angela C. Lee is a Los Angeles based independent producer. She produced "Songs My Brothers Taught Me," which premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival and recently screened in the Directors’ Fortnight program at the Cannes Film Festival. Angela is also the Artist Development Manager at Film Independent, where she oversees the selection process and curriculum for the Filmmaker Labs program, including Screenwriting, Directing, Producing, and Documentary Labs, the Fast Track Finance Market and the Fox Writers Intensive, managed in conjunction with Fox Audience Strategy. Previously, Angela served as Director of Creative Affairs at New York based Vox3 Films. Prior to her career in film, Angela was an Associate at Goldman Sachs. A native Chicagoan, Angela graduated from the University of Chicago with a degree in Economics and is on the Board of Directors for the University of Chicago National Arts Alumni Network.
The Fellows and projects selected for the 2015 Documentary Film Creative Producing Lab are:
"Brick"
Co-Directors/Producers: Jessica Dimmock & Christopher Lamarca
"Brick" reveals the raw emotional and physical experience of being a middle aged to senior transgender woman coming out for the first time in the Pacific Northwest. The film follows three intersecting stories of individuals who have lived their whole lives as men and decided this burdensome secret is one they can no longer keep.
Jessica Dimmock is the recipient of the 2013 World Press Photo Multimedia Contest as the director and cinematographer of the online feature, "Too Young to Wed." In 2010, Dimmock won Kodak's Best Cinematography Award at the Hamptons International Film Festival for "Without." The film premiered at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, received an Independent Spirit Award, and was nominated for a Gotham Independent Film Award. Dimmock contributed two short films to Doctors Without Borders' Emmy-nominated campaign, “Starved for Attention.” Her first photojournalism project, “The Ninth Floor” was published as a monograph. Most recently, she worked as photographer and videographer for Emmy-nominated HBO series, "The Weight of the Nation." She is represented by VII agency.
Christopher Lamarca is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker and based in Portland, Oregon. Lamarca has recently entered post-production on his first feature length film, "Boone." In 2012, it was chosen as one of eight films for Film Independent's Documentary Film lab. Lamarca's monograph, “Forest Defenders: The Confrontational American Landscape ” was published by PowerHouse Books in 2008. He was chosen to participate in the International Center of Photography’s triennial exhibition (2007), New York Photo festival (2009) and Lishui photo festival in China (2010). He reported on environmental and energy issues for magazines such as Rolling Stone, GQ, Fortune, and Newsweek.
"The Island and the Whales" (working title)
Directore/Producer: Mike Day
The pilot whale hunters of the Faroe Islands believe that hunting is vital to their way of life, but when a local professor makes a grim discovery about the effects of marine pollution, and the seabirds populations collapse, environmental changes threaten to change the community and their way of life forever.
Mike Day is a Scottish director and producer. Formerly a lawyer in London and the Middle East he founded Intrepid Cinema in 2009 before heading out into the North Atlantic to make his previous film. His debut documentary "The Guga Hunters of Ness" broadcast on the BBC in 2011 and screened at festivals internationally to critical acclaim. It was while at sea in the Atlantic that he met a group of Faroese sailors, leading to his next film. Mike was listed as one of '10 Filmmakers to Watch' by Filmmaker Magazine, he was one of Edn's ’12 for the Future 2012’, and is supported by the Scottish Documentary Institute's Docscene programme. Intrepid Cinema also has two other feature documentaries in development.
"The Road From Hainan"
Director/Producer: Nanfu Wang
State surveillance. Harassment. Imprisonment. Human rights activist Ye Haiyan, Aka Sparrow, knew she faced these risks when she went to Hainan Province to seek justice for six elementary school girls who were sexually abused by their principal. But the scale and intensity of the government's reaction surprised even the most seasoned activists across China.
"The Road From Hainan" follows Sparrow as she was chased from town to town by local governments, national secret police, and even her own neighbors. Nanfu Wang is a documentary filmmaker based in New York. Originally from a remote village in China, Wang overcame poverty and lack of access to formal secondary education and went on to earn graduate degrees in communications and documentary film from universities in China and the United States. Her work often features the stories of marginalized or mistreated people, from Chinese blood donors stricken with HIV after being issued used needles by the government to the left-behind children of migrant laborers. During the production of her first full-length documentary, Wang lived on the streets of Miami with a homeless former drug dealer who relied on the kindness of strangers for his survival. Wang’s short films have been distributed on many platforms and translated into several languages, and she continues to seek out and tell the stories of people who have been ignored by their societies.
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"
Director/Producer: Deborah Esquenazi
"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" excavates the nightmarish persecution of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez — four Latina lesbians wrongfully convicted of allegedly gang-raping two little girls in San Antonio, Texas. The film also unravels the sinister interplay of mythology, homophobia and prosecutorial fervor which led to this modern day witch hunt during the 'Satanic Sexual Abuse Panic' of the late-80's and early-90's in the United States.
Deborah S. Esquenazi is an Austin, Texas-based documentary film and radio producer, instructor, and journalist. Her in-progress documentary feature, "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four," has received international attention for its investigation into this controversial criminal case, and has been mentioned in Forbes Magazine, New York Times, Texas Observer, Vice Magazine, among others. Her film and radio documentaries have been funded by Chicken & Egg Pictures, Paul Robeson Fund for Independent Media, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program | John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Initiative, Humanities Texas, Astraea Global Arts Fund, and many others.
- 7/20/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
A water main break at a movie theater can wreak havoc on a film festival!
The Eighth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, was supposed to start Sunday April 19th at the Tivoli Theatre. But the organizers had to reschedule when the Tivoli had to shut down because of the water disaster. The show will go on, but the schedule has been changed.
The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 23 films – 11 features (six narratives and five documentaries) and 12 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis...
The Eighth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, was supposed to start Sunday April 19th at the Tivoli Theatre. But the organizers had to reschedule when the Tivoli had to shut down because of the water disaster. The show will go on, but the schedule has been changed.
The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 23 films – 11 features (six narratives and five documentaries) and 12 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis...
- 4/20/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Come get your Q on, St. Louis! The Eighth Annual QFest St. Louis, presented by Cinema St. Louis, runs April 19-23 at the Tivoli Theatre. The St. Louis-based Lgbtq film festival, QFest will present an eclectic slate of 23 films – 11 features (six narratives and five documentaries) and 12 short subjects. The participating filmmakers represent a wide variety of voices in contemporary queer world cinema. The mission of the film festival is to use the art of contemporary gay cinema to illustrate the diversity of the Lgbtq community and to explore the complexities of living an alternative lifestyle.
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis (“Back on Board”) and former Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter (“Tab Hunter Confidential”). Other prominent films include the latest from avant-garde queer filmmaker Bruce la Bruce (“Gerontophilia”) and lesbian-themed films starring Geraldine Chaplin (“Sand Dollars”) and the directorial debut from HBO...
Highlights include the St. Louis premieres of two biographical documentaries on Olympic diver Greg Louganis (“Back on Board”) and former Hollywood heartthrob Tab Hunter (“Tab Hunter Confidential”). Other prominent films include the latest from avant-garde queer filmmaker Bruce la Bruce (“Gerontophilia”) and lesbian-themed films starring Geraldine Chaplin (“Sand Dollars”) and the directorial debut from HBO...
- 3/13/2015
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
/Film readers and filmmakers Peter and Luke McCoubrey (aka the McCoubrey Brothers) have released his short film The Grey Matter online. The dark horror/sci-fi comedy short played at the Nitehawk shorts festival, the Show Me Shorts Film Fest, the Sidewalk film festival, San Antonio film festival, the Brooklyn film festival and was awarded a Vimeo Staff Pick this month. […]
The post ‘The Grey Matter’ Short Film Will Get In Your Head appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘The Grey Matter’ Short Film Will Get In Your Head appeared first on /Film.
- 12/23/2014
- by Peter Sciretta
- Slash Film
We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting the recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes a trailer for The Devil’s Hand and Motivational Growth, screening details from Cub, the short film lineup from Screamfest, first details on The Nightmare, and more:
The Devil’s Hand Trailer and Release Date Announced: “When six girls are born on the sixth day of the sixth month to different mothers in the small, devout village of New Bethlehem an ancient prophecy is set in motion — on their 18th birthday one of the girls will become the Devil’s Hand. As the day approaches and one by one the young women begin to disappear, terror overtakes the quiet community and those remaining girls band together to uncover who or what is behind these treacherous acts.
The Devil’s Hand will be available OnDemand and open in theaters...
The Devil’s Hand Trailer and Release Date Announced: “When six girls are born on the sixth day of the sixth month to different mothers in the small, devout village of New Bethlehem an ancient prophecy is set in motion — on their 18th birthday one of the girls will become the Devil’s Hand. As the day approaches and one by one the young women begin to disappear, terror overtakes the quiet community and those remaining girls band together to uncover who or what is behind these treacherous acts.
The Devil’s Hand will be available OnDemand and open in theaters...
- 9/7/2014
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
The director of last year’s remake of The Evil Dead is taking on an pivotal episode of From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series.
Fede Alvarez, who impressed fickle Evil Dead fans with his intense and graphic reboot of Sam Rami’s horror classic, is currently shooting the eighth episode of writer-director Robert Rodriguez’s TV reboot of his 1996 cult-favorite film. We can’t reveal much about the episode, except that it involves plenty of bloody mayhem inside a certain Mexican strip club with a very, very long history and that viewers will get to see some of that history firsthand.
Fede Alvarez, who impressed fickle Evil Dead fans with his intense and graphic reboot of Sam Rami’s horror classic, is currently shooting the eighth episode of writer-director Robert Rodriguez’s TV reboot of his 1996 cult-favorite film. We can’t reveal much about the episode, except that it involves plenty of bloody mayhem inside a certain Mexican strip club with a very, very long history and that viewers will get to see some of that history firsthand.
- 2/25/2014
- by James Hibberd
- EW - Inside TV
Robert Rodriguez is one of those directors that everybody has heard of, but nobody really gets. Most viewers want to firmly decide whether they love or hate Rodriguez. After all, he directed El mariachi, Desperado, and From Dusk Till Dawn. He also worked alongside Frank Miller on Sin City. If you forget the Spy Kids franchise, or chalk it up as his good deed for children, that’s a pretty solid list of credits. All of those movies warrant a second watch.
He’s also become the hipster filmmaker hero, after he released his book “Rebel Without a Crew.” Just about every aspiring filmmaker has read this Rodriguez’s tale of run-n-gun shooting. Spike Lee recommends the book to his students at Nyu.
But, then comes along The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, Grindhouse and the subsequent film Planet Terror and you have to ask yourself one question. What is this guy really doing?...
He’s also become the hipster filmmaker hero, after he released his book “Rebel Without a Crew.” Just about every aspiring filmmaker has read this Rodriguez’s tale of run-n-gun shooting. Spike Lee recommends the book to his students at Nyu.
But, then comes along The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D, Grindhouse and the subsequent film Planet Terror and you have to ask yourself one question. What is this guy really doing?...
- 1/21/2014
- by Bags Hooper
- BuzzFocus.com
Chicago – Director Robert Rodriguez continues his “grindhouse” cinematic ways with his latest film, “Machete Kills.” This sequel to 2010’s “Machete,” the film is a gleeful celebration of 1970s exploitation films, villains played by familiar celebrities and the indestructible hero named Machete, portrayed by Danny Trejo.
Director Robert Rodriguez is a venerable do-it-yourself filmmaker. He broke through twenty years ago with his 16mm film classic, “El Mariachi,” and has followed that debut with a series of stylish comic book films like “Desperado” (1995), “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) “Sin City” (2005) and the four “Spy Kids” movies. The character of Machete first appeared as a fake 1970s-style trailer in “Grindhouse” (2007), which also featured Rodriguez’s film “Planet Terror.” Another Sin City movie is scheduled for 2014, subtitled “A Dame to Kill For.”
Robert Rodriquez of ‘Machete Kills’ at the 2013 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con
Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Alexa Vega is...
Director Robert Rodriguez is a venerable do-it-yourself filmmaker. He broke through twenty years ago with his 16mm film classic, “El Mariachi,” and has followed that debut with a series of stylish comic book films like “Desperado” (1995), “From Dusk Till Dawn” (1996) “Sin City” (2005) and the four “Spy Kids” movies. The character of Machete first appeared as a fake 1970s-style trailer in “Grindhouse” (2007), which also featured Rodriguez’s film “Planet Terror.” Another Sin City movie is scheduled for 2014, subtitled “A Dame to Kill For.”
Robert Rodriquez of ‘Machete Kills’ at the 2013 Wizard World Chicago Comic Con
Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com
Alexa Vega is...
- 10/9/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Originally, the Machete franchise (if you can call it that) began life as a fake trailer, played in conjunction with the 2007 release Grindhouse. When turning this concept – that of a B movie, exploitation picture, into a fully fledged film, director Robert Rodriguez was already in danger of stretching this joke out further than it can manage. Therefore eyebrows were suitably raised in regards to this sequel Machete Kills, and rightly so, because although hilarious at first, the joke wears extremely thin.
Esteemed, and seemingly impenetrable ex-cop Machete (Danny Trejo), is hired by the President of the United States (Charlie Sheen) to track down – and ultimately take down – the infamous Mendez the Madman (Demian Bichir), who plans on launching a weapon into space. Though a seemingly straightforward plan, Machete encounters many villains along the way, all desperately determined to kill him and claim notoriety as a result, crossing paths with the...
Esteemed, and seemingly impenetrable ex-cop Machete (Danny Trejo), is hired by the President of the United States (Charlie Sheen) to track down – and ultimately take down – the infamous Mendez the Madman (Demian Bichir), who plans on launching a weapon into space. Though a seemingly straightforward plan, Machete encounters many villains along the way, all desperately determined to kill him and claim notoriety as a result, crossing paths with the...
- 10/7/2013
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Forget about the socially conscious core that fueled the exploitation engine of the first film. This one is flat-out, no-message action comedy, outrageous and hilarious. I’m “biast” (pro): loved the first film
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It started with a trailer: a fake movie ad “left over” from the 1970s for a Mexploitation flick dropped into Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse… which Robert Rodriguez later expanded into the very funny and pointedly satirical full-length Machete. Now, the sequel, Machete Kills, opens with a new fake 1970s relic trailer, for, heh, Machete Kills Again in Space. It hints at a completely ridiculous expansion of the Machete legend into Star Wars-era space opera, and it’s as many degrees of insanity beyond where Machete Kills will take you as Kills is beyond the first flick.
Rodriguez: Never let it...
I’m “biast” (con): nothing
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
It started with a trailer: a fake movie ad “left over” from the 1970s for a Mexploitation flick dropped into Quentin Tarantino’s Grindhouse… which Robert Rodriguez later expanded into the very funny and pointedly satirical full-length Machete. Now, the sequel, Machete Kills, opens with a new fake 1970s relic trailer, for, heh, Machete Kills Again in Space. It hints at a completely ridiculous expansion of the Machete legend into Star Wars-era space opera, and it’s as many degrees of insanity beyond where Machete Kills will take you as Kills is beyond the first flick.
Rodriguez: Never let it...
- 10/6/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
For each Directors' Trademarks, Cinelinx will chose one director for an in-depth examination of the “signatures” that they leave behind in their work. This week, with the release of Machete Kills, we examine the trademark style and calling signs of Robert Rodriguez as director.
In order to raise money for his feature film, Robert Rodriguez volunteered for medical research studies to test experimental drugs. That effort paid off as the film with a $7,000 budget won the Audience Choice Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It caught the eye of big-name production studios. Columbia Pictures picked up the film, did some post-production editing (which cost a few hundred thousand dollars), and released the film in theaters. El Mariachi made over $2 million dollars in theaters and proved that independent films could be profitable for major movie studios. Therefore, beyond all his success with his subsequent films, Rodriguez’s biggest contribution to film...
In order to raise money for his feature film, Robert Rodriguez volunteered for medical research studies to test experimental drugs. That effort paid off as the film with a $7,000 budget won the Audience Choice Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It caught the eye of big-name production studios. Columbia Pictures picked up the film, did some post-production editing (which cost a few hundred thousand dollars), and released the film in theaters. El Mariachi made over $2 million dollars in theaters and proved that independent films could be profitable for major movie studios. Therefore, beyond all his success with his subsequent films, Rodriguez’s biggest contribution to film...
- 10/6/2013
- by feeds@cinelinx.com (G.S. Perno)
- Cinelinx
The 6th annual Minneapolis Underground Film Festival makes its move into October this year where it will be screening on Oct. 3-6 at the St. Anthony Main Theater. The fest, while screening new films from all over, does a fantastic job of screening movies by local Minnesota filmmakers.
Some of these locally produced films include Mark Nielson’s spooky road trip flick Land of Sky Blue Water; Adam Jacobs’ suspense comedy Weekend Hat, which was also produced entirely by high school students; Dave Ash’s sci-fi drama Connected, which is co-directed by Paul von Stoetzel, whose short film Twisted Sister screens before the feature; Donny West’s autobiographical documentary Dazzle (The Donny West Story); and Phil Holbrook’s drama Tilt. There are also loads of short film programs featuring work by local filmmakers.
Other feature films to be on the lookout for include Daniel Martinico’s L.A. nightmare Ok,...
Some of these locally produced films include Mark Nielson’s spooky road trip flick Land of Sky Blue Water; Adam Jacobs’ suspense comedy Weekend Hat, which was also produced entirely by high school students; Dave Ash’s sci-fi drama Connected, which is co-directed by Paul von Stoetzel, whose short film Twisted Sister screens before the feature; Donny West’s autobiographical documentary Dazzle (The Donny West Story); and Phil Holbrook’s drama Tilt. There are also loads of short film programs featuring work by local filmmakers.
Other feature films to be on the lookout for include Daniel Martinico’s L.A. nightmare Ok,...
- 10/2/2013
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Machete Kills has unveiled another new clip.
The video sees Amber Heard's beauty queen Miss San Antonio reveal her secret weapon closet.
Robert Rodriguez's tongue-in-cheek action sequel sees gun for hire Machete (Danny Trejo) hired by the President of the United States (Charlie Sheen using the name Carlos Estevez) to assassinate a charismatic and insane arms dealer (Mel Gibson).
Michelle Rodriguez, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demián Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr, William Sadler and Marko Zaror also feature in the movie.
The original film began life as a spoof trailer at the beginning of Rodriguez's Planet Terror.
Machete Kills will open at Us cinemas on October 4 and in the UK on October 11. Watch a red band trailer for the movie below (warning: explicit content):...
The video sees Amber Heard's beauty queen Miss San Antonio reveal her secret weapon closet.
Robert Rodriguez's tongue-in-cheek action sequel sees gun for hire Machete (Danny Trejo) hired by the President of the United States (Charlie Sheen using the name Carlos Estevez) to assassinate a charismatic and insane arms dealer (Mel Gibson).
Michelle Rodriguez, Lady Gaga, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Demián Bichir, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr, William Sadler and Marko Zaror also feature in the movie.
The original film began life as a spoof trailer at the beginning of Rodriguez's Planet Terror.
Machete Kills will open at Us cinemas on October 4 and in the UK on October 11. Watch a red band trailer for the movie below (warning: explicit content):...
- 9/19/2013
- Digital Spy
The summertime, downtown set, glitzy yet ‘cashz’ La Film Festival, presented by Film Independent has announced their film lineup today. The verdict on the Latino rep? Compared to the last three festivals I’ve examined this year, Sundance, SXSW and Tribeca, La Film Festival comes through with arguably the most valuable representation; there are three films representing American Latino in the narrative competition and one in documentary competition.
The lineup consists of a handful of new American indies mixed in with many favorited international films from last year’s Toronto, Venice, London and Berlin film festivals, and seven Sundance films screening out of competition including Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, which won both the Audience and Jury Awards in Park City. Starring Boricua Melonie Diaz as Oakland police murder victim Oscar Grant’s girlfriend, Fruitvale will be given the gala treatment (like last year’s Sundance awarded, Black film, Middle of Nowhere), alongside the direct-from-Cannes, Only God Forgives, the reteaming of director Nicolas Winding Refyn and GQ sensitive alpha hero Ryan Gosling (Drive).
But I’m not here to comb and recycle through the ‘high profile’ films that come armed with buzz. As always I’m spotlighting U.S. films in which the writer/director/cast are native born whose ethnic/cultural roots originates from Mexico, Central or South America. In addition, films by filmmakers who may not be Latino, but whose narratives explore and relate to the relevant bi-cultural experience/subjects. And finally I also like to mention the Latin films (international).
While I’m happy to acknowledge and give it up for La, it’s still painful for this blogger/programmer to know there are so many more fresh American Latino films out there ready to be discovered. Game-changing films offering such fresh and original perspectives, which have by and large been dismissed by most of the major Us Film Festivals. With the futures of the two highest profile Latino niche festivals in limbo, The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and HBO’s NY International Latino Film Festival, it’s especially crushing to know that these films might also be robbed of their only community platform. It’s cause for alarm and high time to address this void. But wait, lets save that for another post. For now, lets get back to the Latino stories coming at you at this year’s La Film Festival. For official synopsis and pics check the Film Guide here.
Narrative Competition – Notably 9 of the 12 are Us, hopefully giving the scrappy indies a better chance to compete and win the cash prize against the healthy subsidized production value of foreign movies. Five are first features and only one female narrative director.
40 Years From Yesterday written and directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian
This is the first feature from the writing/directing team who got a lot of attention with their 2010 short Charlie and The Rabbit. Ojeda-Beck (whose parents are from Peru) and Machoian who is from the heavily Mexican populated King City, met at Cal State, Monterey Bay where they forged a tight artistic collaboration. Forty Years from Yesterday is described as Machoian’s imagination of how his mother’s death would unfold for his own family, capturing the loss his siblings would feel in losing a parent and his father’s pain in facing the death of his partner.
The duo have their way with documentary, fiction and experimental form, instilling an aura of temporality in an anchored realism. This unique evocative alchemy is found in Machoian’s doc short, Movies Made from Home #16, a 4 minute existential moment which screened at Sundance this year. The cosmic life themes they tend to broach are treated in such a down to earth and sensitive way, which is further made relatable by the natural non-pro performances they employ. Robert’s father, Bill Graham has starred in a few of his films and in Forty Years from Yesterday, both Robert’s parents and siblings play themselves. See this endearing behind the scenes clip of the making of the film:
The House That Jack Built written by Joseph B. Vasquez and directed by Henry Barrial
Written by the late Joseph B. Vasquez (d 1995) whose 1991 movie, Hanging with the Homeboys, was a groundbreaking urban comedy when it came out, now very much a classic albeit sadly forgotten gem. The only one of Vasquez’s five movies that was distributed (by New Line), Hanging with the Homeboys was shot in the South Bronx where he was born and raised. About four homeys, two Puerto Rican (one of them played by a baby-faced Johnny Leguizamo) and two Black, the movie, available on dvd from Amazon (or, I found it in 6 parts on Youtube) screened at the Sundance Film Festival at its indie darling peak. Its good-natured humor is derived from neighborhood beefs, trying to rap to ladies, and the racial tensions of the day delivered with unapologetic commentary. An overall glimpse into a day in the barrio slice life, the film is clearly an early influence for the Ice Cube Friday series.
The House that Jack Built similarly has that raw and authentic Nuyorican energy but pushed into a rollercoaster of a dysfunctional family drama with warmth, affection and intensity. The director, born from Cuban parents and raised in Washington Heights, Henry Barrial, is also an alumni of Sundance (Somebody 2001). The film stars E.J. Bonilla as the hot-blooded self-imposed king of his family who buys an apartment building to keep his family close, only to start dictating everybody’s life since he’s letting them live rent free. Bonilla is a fiercely charismatic up and coming actor who was last at the festival with the film Mamitas in 2011 and was also in Don’t Let Me Drown (Sundance 2010). An uproarious and high-edged Harlem set chamber piece, the heavy conflict of gravity that besets Jack is from being pulled in opposite directions by his street values on one side and deeply rooted family values on the other. See the trailer on their Kickstarter page.
My Sister’S Quinceanera written and directed by Aaron Douglas Johnston
This was reportedly one of the most talked about American films in the experimental leaning Rotterdam Film Festival this year. The filmmaker who was born and raised in Iowa, Aaron Douglas Johnston, has an impressive academic pedigree having attended world prestigious universities, Oxford and Yale. His first feature, the small town, gay life set, Bumblefuck, USA screened at Outfest 2011. In My Sister’s Quinceanera, he uses the local Mexican-American Iowa residents as his non-pro actors with whom he collaborated with on the story. It’s a gentle and earnest portrayal of a young man named Silas who is convinced he has to leave town to become independent and start his life but must first see his sister’s Quinceanera take place.
Workers written and directed by Jose Luis Valle (Mexico/Germany) - A quietly simmering artful drama about a retiring factory worker and housemaid in Tijuana circumstantially reunited and trying to compensate for their spent lives. An accomplished and arresting feature debut, the film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section and won Best Mexican Film at the Guadalajara film Festival. A full investment into the contemplative tone and rhythm yields an appreciation for the film’s visceral and dry humor undertones. Born in El Salvador, Jose Luis Valle previously made a documentary short called Milagro del Papa.
Documentary Competition: 7 out 10 are Us, 4 first features, six female directors (incl. 2 co-directors)
Tapia directed by Eddie Alcazar
The 5 time world boxing champion and emotionally damaged blue-eyed Chicano from the 505, Johnny Lee Tapia, survived a series of near deaths before his turbulent life ended at the young age of 45 last year. The sheer volume of tragedy and coping afflictions Johnny endured in his Vida Loca, as he openly shares in his autobiography, includes the scarring experience of seeing his mother’s kidnapping and violent murder at the tender age of eight. Tapia funneled his heartbreaking life to fuel a successful professional boxing career. Tapia’s confrontation to such tumult is so impressive, it’s no wonder that former EA video game designer Eddie Alcazar decided to both dramatize and document his harrowing real life story. Originally announced as a biopic, subsequently the documentary was born of it, in which Eddie captures final interviews and archival footage with the haunted boxer. Remarkably, watching the clip below, a slight zeal and spirit, however low key and worn, emanates from the towering rumble of his battered lifetime – unquestionably his refusal to be knocked out. This is actually the first feature out of the gate for filmmaker Eddie Alcazar whose radical sci-fi film 0000 has been curiously tracked as in production for a couple years now. The ambitious looking trailer only piqued mad interest when it was released last year.
Purgatorio directed by Rodrigo Reyes (Mexico) - An elegiac and cinematically shot poem filled with emotional narration and iconography, this border film is told by way of a tapestry of stories that culminates into a strong cry for human compassion. Imagining the border as if purgatory, where migrants must suffer in order to get through to the other side, the dangerous plight in crossing the Us/Mexico border is viewed outside political context but rather a metaphysical prism. This is the fourth film from Reyes, a talented young documentarian from Mexico.
International Showcase
Europa Report directed by Sebastian Cordero and written by Philip Gelatt - From award winning Ecuador born filmmaker Sebastian Cordero (Rabia, Cronicas, Pescador) Europa Report marks his first film in English. Somewhat shrouded in mystery, the story is written by Philip Gelatt, an adult comic book author, and is set aboard the first manned mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The genre bending sounding sci-fi thriller was recently picked up by Magnolia’s Magnet division and will go straight to VOD on June 27 after its La Film Festival premiere. Cordero, who is a UCLA grad, has a well-controlled gritty realism to his aesthetic, which might inhabit and distinguish this deep space thriller among the genre’s canon.
Crystal Fairy written and directed by Sebastian Silva (Chile) - From the crafty young Chilean filmmaker whose first first film, The Maid put him on the international map, this is one of two films he screened at Sundance this year. A road trip of self-discovery featuring the charming free spirited Gaby Hoffman pitted against a smarmy American tourist Michael Cera in the long and vast Chilean coast side, the film explores their unusual and fluid character dynamic and opposing auras.
The Women And The Passenger directed by Valentina Mac-Pherson, Patricia Correra (Chile) - A 45 minute version of this screened at the prestigious documentary film festival in Amsterdam Idfa. An unobtrusive camera follows four maids as they clean the rooms of one of those clandestine by-the-hour motels. Amid the moans behind doors and bed aftermaths of torrid love affairs, the women reveal their own perspectives about life, love and sex in some kind of visual love letter to the special place. I don’t believe the title is translated to interpret its full meaning, its more like, “The Transients’ women”.
Shorts
I Was Born In Mexico But…. written and directed by Corey OHama - 12min (Us) - Per the IMDb description, “using found footage to tell the story of an undocumented young woman who grew up thinking she was American, only to find out as a teenager that she didn’t have papers because she was brought to the U.S. as a young child. “ Sounds like the thousands of Dreamers plights whose stories are being suppressed.
Misterio written and directed by Chema Garcia Ibarra (Spain) 12min - So even though this is from Spain (not the Americas), I mention it if because I’m a huge fan of Chema’s shorts, Protoparticles and The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5. I have no doubt this will share that similar strange, whimsical vibe.
Al Lado De Norma written and directed by Camila Luna, Gabriela Maturana 14min (Chile) - 49 year-old Jorge is a silent, tired man, whose life seems to revolve around Norma, his elderly mother who has Alzheimer’s. But Antonio, who rents a small room in their home, will provide him with the chance to examine himself and question his monotonous life, which might just make for a radical change.
Papel Picado – written and directed by Javier Barboza - From a 2007 Cal Arts Alumnus, and independent animation teacher and filmmaker, this looks wild! Check out his vimeo works here.
Saint John, The Longest Night, written and directed by Claudia Huaiquimilla (Chile) 18 min - The filmmaker is of the indigenous Mapuche tribe of Southern Chile. Set amid the happy Saints celebration of June 24, a young boy must wrestle with the reappearance of his violent father.
Too Much Water (Demasiada Agua) written and directed by Nicolas Botana, Gonzalo Torrens (Uruguay) 14 min - A young woman fills her backyard pool every night and finds it empty in the morning. Strange neighbors and even stranger circumstances stir her paranoia.
Lastly, I have to mention dance beat rapper Kid Cudi’s feature film acting debut in Goodbye World directed by Denis Hennelly (Rock the Bells doc about Wu Tang Clan) and written by Sarah Adina Smith. Essentially, the film is about a group of friends hanging out when some kind of apocalypse hits. Hijinks ensue. (There’s a trend here after It’s A Disaster and the upcoming “look-we’re-so-cool-celebs partying of This is The End). Although it’s a small role, it is the first of a number of films Kid Cudi is in that are coming through the pipelines. Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in Cleveland Ohio, he is a beautiful brown blend of African American on his mother’s side and Native/Mexican mix on his father’s side.
The La Film Festival kicks off with Pedro Almodovar’s, I’m So Excited on June 13 and runs until the 23. Tickets and info here.
The lineup consists of a handful of new American indies mixed in with many favorited international films from last year’s Toronto, Venice, London and Berlin film festivals, and seven Sundance films screening out of competition including Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, which won both the Audience and Jury Awards in Park City. Starring Boricua Melonie Diaz as Oakland police murder victim Oscar Grant’s girlfriend, Fruitvale will be given the gala treatment (like last year’s Sundance awarded, Black film, Middle of Nowhere), alongside the direct-from-Cannes, Only God Forgives, the reteaming of director Nicolas Winding Refyn and GQ sensitive alpha hero Ryan Gosling (Drive).
But I’m not here to comb and recycle through the ‘high profile’ films that come armed with buzz. As always I’m spotlighting U.S. films in which the writer/director/cast are native born whose ethnic/cultural roots originates from Mexico, Central or South America. In addition, films by filmmakers who may not be Latino, but whose narratives explore and relate to the relevant bi-cultural experience/subjects. And finally I also like to mention the Latin films (international).
While I’m happy to acknowledge and give it up for La, it’s still painful for this blogger/programmer to know there are so many more fresh American Latino films out there ready to be discovered. Game-changing films offering such fresh and original perspectives, which have by and large been dismissed by most of the major Us Film Festivals. With the futures of the two highest profile Latino niche festivals in limbo, The Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival and HBO’s NY International Latino Film Festival, it’s especially crushing to know that these films might also be robbed of their only community platform. It’s cause for alarm and high time to address this void. But wait, lets save that for another post. For now, lets get back to the Latino stories coming at you at this year’s La Film Festival. For official synopsis and pics check the Film Guide here.
Narrative Competition – Notably 9 of the 12 are Us, hopefully giving the scrappy indies a better chance to compete and win the cash prize against the healthy subsidized production value of foreign movies. Five are first features and only one female narrative director.
40 Years From Yesterday written and directed by Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck and Robert Machoian
This is the first feature from the writing/directing team who got a lot of attention with their 2010 short Charlie and The Rabbit. Ojeda-Beck (whose parents are from Peru) and Machoian who is from the heavily Mexican populated King City, met at Cal State, Monterey Bay where they forged a tight artistic collaboration. Forty Years from Yesterday is described as Machoian’s imagination of how his mother’s death would unfold for his own family, capturing the loss his siblings would feel in losing a parent and his father’s pain in facing the death of his partner.
The duo have their way with documentary, fiction and experimental form, instilling an aura of temporality in an anchored realism. This unique evocative alchemy is found in Machoian’s doc short, Movies Made from Home #16, a 4 minute existential moment which screened at Sundance this year. The cosmic life themes they tend to broach are treated in such a down to earth and sensitive way, which is further made relatable by the natural non-pro performances they employ. Robert’s father, Bill Graham has starred in a few of his films and in Forty Years from Yesterday, both Robert’s parents and siblings play themselves. See this endearing behind the scenes clip of the making of the film:
The House That Jack Built written by Joseph B. Vasquez and directed by Henry Barrial
Written by the late Joseph B. Vasquez (d 1995) whose 1991 movie, Hanging with the Homeboys, was a groundbreaking urban comedy when it came out, now very much a classic albeit sadly forgotten gem. The only one of Vasquez’s five movies that was distributed (by New Line), Hanging with the Homeboys was shot in the South Bronx where he was born and raised. About four homeys, two Puerto Rican (one of them played by a baby-faced Johnny Leguizamo) and two Black, the movie, available on dvd from Amazon (or, I found it in 6 parts on Youtube) screened at the Sundance Film Festival at its indie darling peak. Its good-natured humor is derived from neighborhood beefs, trying to rap to ladies, and the racial tensions of the day delivered with unapologetic commentary. An overall glimpse into a day in the barrio slice life, the film is clearly an early influence for the Ice Cube Friday series.
The House that Jack Built similarly has that raw and authentic Nuyorican energy but pushed into a rollercoaster of a dysfunctional family drama with warmth, affection and intensity. The director, born from Cuban parents and raised in Washington Heights, Henry Barrial, is also an alumni of Sundance (Somebody 2001). The film stars E.J. Bonilla as the hot-blooded self-imposed king of his family who buys an apartment building to keep his family close, only to start dictating everybody’s life since he’s letting them live rent free. Bonilla is a fiercely charismatic up and coming actor who was last at the festival with the film Mamitas in 2011 and was also in Don’t Let Me Drown (Sundance 2010). An uproarious and high-edged Harlem set chamber piece, the heavy conflict of gravity that besets Jack is from being pulled in opposite directions by his street values on one side and deeply rooted family values on the other. See the trailer on their Kickstarter page.
My Sister’S Quinceanera written and directed by Aaron Douglas Johnston
This was reportedly one of the most talked about American films in the experimental leaning Rotterdam Film Festival this year. The filmmaker who was born and raised in Iowa, Aaron Douglas Johnston, has an impressive academic pedigree having attended world prestigious universities, Oxford and Yale. His first feature, the small town, gay life set, Bumblefuck, USA screened at Outfest 2011. In My Sister’s Quinceanera, he uses the local Mexican-American Iowa residents as his non-pro actors with whom he collaborated with on the story. It’s a gentle and earnest portrayal of a young man named Silas who is convinced he has to leave town to become independent and start his life but must first see his sister’s Quinceanera take place.
Workers written and directed by Jose Luis Valle (Mexico/Germany) - A quietly simmering artful drama about a retiring factory worker and housemaid in Tijuana circumstantially reunited and trying to compensate for their spent lives. An accomplished and arresting feature debut, the film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama section and won Best Mexican Film at the Guadalajara film Festival. A full investment into the contemplative tone and rhythm yields an appreciation for the film’s visceral and dry humor undertones. Born in El Salvador, Jose Luis Valle previously made a documentary short called Milagro del Papa.
Documentary Competition: 7 out 10 are Us, 4 first features, six female directors (incl. 2 co-directors)
Tapia directed by Eddie Alcazar
The 5 time world boxing champion and emotionally damaged blue-eyed Chicano from the 505, Johnny Lee Tapia, survived a series of near deaths before his turbulent life ended at the young age of 45 last year. The sheer volume of tragedy and coping afflictions Johnny endured in his Vida Loca, as he openly shares in his autobiography, includes the scarring experience of seeing his mother’s kidnapping and violent murder at the tender age of eight. Tapia funneled his heartbreaking life to fuel a successful professional boxing career. Tapia’s confrontation to such tumult is so impressive, it’s no wonder that former EA video game designer Eddie Alcazar decided to both dramatize and document his harrowing real life story. Originally announced as a biopic, subsequently the documentary was born of it, in which Eddie captures final interviews and archival footage with the haunted boxer. Remarkably, watching the clip below, a slight zeal and spirit, however low key and worn, emanates from the towering rumble of his battered lifetime – unquestionably his refusal to be knocked out. This is actually the first feature out of the gate for filmmaker Eddie Alcazar whose radical sci-fi film 0000 has been curiously tracked as in production for a couple years now. The ambitious looking trailer only piqued mad interest when it was released last year.
Purgatorio directed by Rodrigo Reyes (Mexico) - An elegiac and cinematically shot poem filled with emotional narration and iconography, this border film is told by way of a tapestry of stories that culminates into a strong cry for human compassion. Imagining the border as if purgatory, where migrants must suffer in order to get through to the other side, the dangerous plight in crossing the Us/Mexico border is viewed outside political context but rather a metaphysical prism. This is the fourth film from Reyes, a talented young documentarian from Mexico.
International Showcase
Europa Report directed by Sebastian Cordero and written by Philip Gelatt - From award winning Ecuador born filmmaker Sebastian Cordero (Rabia, Cronicas, Pescador) Europa Report marks his first film in English. Somewhat shrouded in mystery, the story is written by Philip Gelatt, an adult comic book author, and is set aboard the first manned mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The genre bending sounding sci-fi thriller was recently picked up by Magnolia’s Magnet division and will go straight to VOD on June 27 after its La Film Festival premiere. Cordero, who is a UCLA grad, has a well-controlled gritty realism to his aesthetic, which might inhabit and distinguish this deep space thriller among the genre’s canon.
Crystal Fairy written and directed by Sebastian Silva (Chile) - From the crafty young Chilean filmmaker whose first first film, The Maid put him on the international map, this is one of two films he screened at Sundance this year. A road trip of self-discovery featuring the charming free spirited Gaby Hoffman pitted against a smarmy American tourist Michael Cera in the long and vast Chilean coast side, the film explores their unusual and fluid character dynamic and opposing auras.
The Women And The Passenger directed by Valentina Mac-Pherson, Patricia Correra (Chile) - A 45 minute version of this screened at the prestigious documentary film festival in Amsterdam Idfa. An unobtrusive camera follows four maids as they clean the rooms of one of those clandestine by-the-hour motels. Amid the moans behind doors and bed aftermaths of torrid love affairs, the women reveal their own perspectives about life, love and sex in some kind of visual love letter to the special place. I don’t believe the title is translated to interpret its full meaning, its more like, “The Transients’ women”.
Shorts
I Was Born In Mexico But…. written and directed by Corey OHama - 12min (Us) - Per the IMDb description, “using found footage to tell the story of an undocumented young woman who grew up thinking she was American, only to find out as a teenager that she didn’t have papers because she was brought to the U.S. as a young child. “ Sounds like the thousands of Dreamers plights whose stories are being suppressed.
Misterio written and directed by Chema Garcia Ibarra (Spain) 12min - So even though this is from Spain (not the Americas), I mention it if because I’m a huge fan of Chema’s shorts, Protoparticles and The Attack of the Robots from Nebula-5. I have no doubt this will share that similar strange, whimsical vibe.
Al Lado De Norma written and directed by Camila Luna, Gabriela Maturana 14min (Chile) - 49 year-old Jorge is a silent, tired man, whose life seems to revolve around Norma, his elderly mother who has Alzheimer’s. But Antonio, who rents a small room in their home, will provide him with the chance to examine himself and question his monotonous life, which might just make for a radical change.
Papel Picado – written and directed by Javier Barboza - From a 2007 Cal Arts Alumnus, and independent animation teacher and filmmaker, this looks wild! Check out his vimeo works here.
Saint John, The Longest Night, written and directed by Claudia Huaiquimilla (Chile) 18 min - The filmmaker is of the indigenous Mapuche tribe of Southern Chile. Set amid the happy Saints celebration of June 24, a young boy must wrestle with the reappearance of his violent father.
Too Much Water (Demasiada Agua) written and directed by Nicolas Botana, Gonzalo Torrens (Uruguay) 14 min - A young woman fills her backyard pool every night and finds it empty in the morning. Strange neighbors and even stranger circumstances stir her paranoia.
Lastly, I have to mention dance beat rapper Kid Cudi’s feature film acting debut in Goodbye World directed by Denis Hennelly (Rock the Bells doc about Wu Tang Clan) and written by Sarah Adina Smith. Essentially, the film is about a group of friends hanging out when some kind of apocalypse hits. Hijinks ensue. (There’s a trend here after It’s A Disaster and the upcoming “look-we’re-so-cool-celebs partying of This is The End). Although it’s a small role, it is the first of a number of films Kid Cudi is in that are coming through the pipelines. Born Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi in Cleveland Ohio, he is a beautiful brown blend of African American on his mother’s side and Native/Mexican mix on his father’s side.
The La Film Festival kicks off with Pedro Almodovar’s, I’m So Excited on June 13 and runs until the 23. Tickets and info here.
- 5/1/2013
- by Christine Davila
- Sydney's Buzz
Robert Rodriguez loves few things more than the combination of busty gals and guns. Sin City had a string of scantily clad sex workers brandishing all kinds of firepower. Planet Terror bumped it up a notch with go-go dancer Cherry Darling gearing up with a mini-gun in place of her zombie-gnawed leg. With Machete Kills, Rodriguez takes his love of blending sex appeal and violence to a bawdy new place. A new poster for Sofia Vergara's character reveals the brothel madame Desdemona busting out Fembot-style with a double-barreled machine gun bra. Check it out below, courtesy of Live For Films: When this campy action movie was in production last summer, we got a glimpse of Vergara behind-the-scenes and decked out in leather. From there, a character poster for La Chameleon revealed Lady Gaga had joined the cast. A glimpse of Amber Heard as Miss San Antonio followed along with...
- 3/7/2013
- cinemablend.com
Being on a movie set can be a blast – especially when you don’t have to do anything. It’s not hard to imagine that with every great actor or director there’s probably a nagging cousin or sibling who wants to be part of that sweet sitting around action. And how the hell are they going to say no? Giving mom a line is a small price to pay for 18 years of guaranteed food and shelter, right? How can an actor resist sticking their kid in a shot or two? It happens a lot – so much so that the following 15 are only the tip of the iceberg. 15. Michael Palin’s Baby Son A.K.A “Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Film” Michael Palin rocks, so it stands to reason that his son William Palin must also rock. Hell – it’s like a hundred points for being involved with Monty Python And The Holy Grail to any degree. The...
- 2/14/2013
- by David Christopher Bell
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
This year's Sundance Film Festival marks the 20th anniversary of the Park City debut of Robert Rodriguez's breakout indie "El Mariachi." To mark the occasion, the director hosted a screening of the film that led to two sequels, "Desperado" and "Once Upon a Time In Mexico," and he also stopped by MTV News to share the story of his first Sundance and talk about a potential future for the series.
Rodriguez and the second man to play the Mariachi, Antonio Banderas, recently reteamed for the first time since 2011. The actor filmed a brief cameo in Rodriguez's "Grindhouse" spin-off sequel "Machete Kills." The two had so much fun, talk once again turned to returning to the character that made them.
"We forgot about how much fun we've had together," Rodriguez said. "We decided we have to do something. We want to do another 'El Mariachi' movie at some point. We always said we would,...
Rodriguez and the second man to play the Mariachi, Antonio Banderas, recently reteamed for the first time since 2011. The actor filmed a brief cameo in Rodriguez's "Grindhouse" spin-off sequel "Machete Kills." The two had so much fun, talk once again turned to returning to the character that made them.
"We forgot about how much fun we've had together," Rodriguez said. "We decided we have to do something. We want to do another 'El Mariachi' movie at some point. We always said we would,...
- 1/23/2013
- by Kevin P. Sullivan
- MTV Movies Blog
On Oscar Sunday, February 24, charities in 45 cities will bring the Oscar experience to life at viewing parties in each city. The Oscar Experience: Benefits is the Academy’s grassroots outreach program that allows charities across the country to host official Oscar parties while raising money for their causes.
In 2012, the Oscar Experience: Benefits raised more than $3.1 million in 49 cities. Since its inception in 1994, as Oscar Night® America, the program has brought in more than $36.6 million, with all of the funds staying in the communities where they were raised.
All of the parties will feature a live broadcast of the 85th Academy Awards®; many will integrate Hollywood-style glamour elements, including red carpets, local celebrities, “paparazzi” and predict-the-winners contests.
“The Oscar Experience: Benefits is a natural extension of the philanthropic work the Academy does year-round,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “We are thrilled to share a part of the Oscar experience with...
In 2012, the Oscar Experience: Benefits raised more than $3.1 million in 49 cities. Since its inception in 1994, as Oscar Night® America, the program has brought in more than $36.6 million, with all of the funds staying in the communities where they were raised.
All of the parties will feature a live broadcast of the 85th Academy Awards®; many will integrate Hollywood-style glamour elements, including red carpets, local celebrities, “paparazzi” and predict-the-winners contests.
“The Oscar Experience: Benefits is a natural extension of the philanthropic work the Academy does year-round,” said Academy CEO Dawn Hudson. “We are thrilled to share a part of the Oscar experience with...
- 1/15/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Day seven of the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival already?!? There are still four days and hundreds of great films to go!
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Wednesday, November 14th
Booker’S Place
Booker’S Place plays at 7:15pm at the Tivoli Theatre
Booker Wright was an African-American restaurant owner who also served double-duty as a waiter in a whites-only restaurant in Mississippi in the 1960s. He became an unlikely activist for the civil-rights movement when he appeared on a 1965 network TV...
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Wednesday, November 14th
Booker’S Place
Booker’S Place plays at 7:15pm at the Tivoli Theatre
Booker Wright was an African-American restaurant owner who also served double-duty as a waiter in a whites-only restaurant in Mississippi in the 1960s. He became an unlikely activist for the civil-rights movement when he appeared on a 1965 network TV...
- 11/14/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Day five of the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival promises a smorgasbord of great films and there are still 6 days to go!
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Monday, November 12th
–
Doc Shorts – Longevity plays at 5:00pm at the Tivoli Theatre
A quintet of shorts exploring issues of aging and persistence.
Free To Attendees 50 And Older
Bo (Kelly McCoy & Dave Schwep, U.S., 2012, 22 min.): When attorney and Playboy photographer Bo Hitchcock is diagnosed with cancer, he decides to forgo chemo and Western...
Sliff’s main venues are the the Hi-Pointe Theatre, Tivoli Theatre, Plaza Frontenac Cinema, Webster University’s Winifred Moore Auditorium, Washington University’s Brown Hall Auditorium and the Wildey Theatre in Edwardsville, Il
The entire schedule for the 21st Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival be found Here.
http://cinemastlouis.org/sliff-2012
Here is what will be screening at The 21st Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival today, Monday, November 12th
–
Doc Shorts – Longevity plays at 5:00pm at the Tivoli Theatre
A quintet of shorts exploring issues of aging and persistence.
Free To Attendees 50 And Older
Bo (Kelly McCoy & Dave Schwep, U.S., 2012, 22 min.): When attorney and Playboy photographer Bo Hitchcock is diagnosed with cancer, he decides to forgo chemo and Western...
- 11/12/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Machete is officially set to kill in 2013. The former Mexican federale will return next year in "Machete Kills," Robert Rodriguez's follow-up to the original, which was based on a fake trailer he made for "Grindhouse."
Open Road Films just picked up the North American distribution rights to the sequel, and the first image from the movie hit the web shortly after the announcement to celebrate.
See the full image after the jump!
The photo features Danny Trejo back as Machete, a pissed off killing machine who has a way with the ladies. We also see Amber Heard as Miss San Antonio, apparently one of the film's many femme fatales.
The rest of the cast includes a delightfully random assortment of actors like Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Sofia Vergara, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Vanessa Hudgens, Demian Bichir, and Michelle Rodriguez.
Official synopsis:
Danny Trejo returns as ex-Federale agent Machete,...
Open Road Films just picked up the North American distribution rights to the sequel, and the first image from the movie hit the web shortly after the announcement to celebrate.
See the full image after the jump!
The photo features Danny Trejo back as Machete, a pissed off killing machine who has a way with the ladies. We also see Amber Heard as Miss San Antonio, apparently one of the film's many femme fatales.
The rest of the cast includes a delightfully random assortment of actors like Mel Gibson, Charlie Sheen, Lady Gaga, Sofia Vergara, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Vanessa Hudgens, Demian Bichir, and Michelle Rodriguez.
Official synopsis:
Danny Trejo returns as ex-Federale agent Machete,...
- 10/19/2012
- by Kevin P. Sullivan
- MTV Movies Blog
So far the Grindhouse expansion Machete Kills (In case you forgot, Grindhouse consists of Planet Terror and Death Proof) has teased a Lady Gaga, Marko Zaror and William Sadler character posters and some brief footage behind the scenes with Mel Gibson, who plays a villain in the film.
Now we finally have our first official still from the sequel and it features Amber Heard (Dive Angry) as a blonde Miss San Antonio trying to seduce Danny Trejo as Machete himself. Have a look:
The film has been picked up by Open Road films for distribution and will be released sometime in 2013.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Machete Kills also stars Demian Bichir, Sofia Vergara, Charlie Sheen, Michelle Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr. and others.
Click to continue reading First Look at Amber Heard Seducing Danny Trejo in Machete Kills...
Now we finally have our first official still from the sequel and it features Amber Heard (Dive Angry) as a blonde Miss San Antonio trying to seduce Danny Trejo as Machete himself. Have a look:
The film has been picked up by Open Road films for distribution and will be released sometime in 2013.
Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Machete Kills also stars Demian Bichir, Sofia Vergara, Charlie Sheen, Michelle Rodriguez, Antonio Banderas, Jessica Alba, Alexa Vega, Vanessa Hudgens, Cuba Gooding Jr. and others.
Click to continue reading First Look at Amber Heard Seducing Danny Trejo in Machete Kills...
- 10/19/2012
- by Vesna Sunrider
- Filmofilia
There are a number of beautiful women featured in Robert Rodriguez's upcoming sequel Machete Kills. Not only are Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba set to reprise their roles as Luz, and Sartana, respectively, they will be joined by the likes of Amber Heard, Sofia Vergara, Vanessa Hudgens and Alexa Vega. Sadly only one of them could be featured in the first official still from the new movie, but it looks like Amber Heard won the lottery as her character Miss San Antonio. The new image comes in conjunction with an announcement from Open Road Films that they will be handling domestic distribution for the film and will be bringing it to theaters some time in 2013. The first film in the series, Machete, was released by 20th Century Fox and The Weinstein Company handled Grindhouse, the movie from which the titular character sprang. Open Road made the announcement about the...
- 10/18/2012
- cinemablend.com
Michael Biehn’s directorial debut, The Victim, will be released on Blu-ray and DVD tomorrow. The film stars Michael Biehn, along with his wife Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, and I recently talked to the two of them about the inspiration behind this exploitation-style movie, working as a husband and wife team, and future projects:
You mentioned Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew in the end credits of The Victim. How did your work with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino on Grindhouse inspire you to take on The Victim?
Michael Biehn: I didn’t realize that I had even seen a grindhouse movie and I had never heard the word grindhouse before I worked with Robert Rodriguez. My parents used to take me to drive-in theaters and the main feature would play at 8:00, like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. As kids, we’d be down in front playing before...
You mentioned Robert Rodriguez’s Rebel Without a Crew in the end credits of The Victim. How did your work with Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino on Grindhouse inspire you to take on The Victim?
Michael Biehn: I didn’t realize that I had even seen a grindhouse movie and I had never heard the word grindhouse before I worked with Robert Rodriguez. My parents used to take me to drive-in theaters and the main feature would play at 8:00, like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. As kids, we’d be down in front playing before...
- 9/17/2012
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
A trip to a Tucson movie theater in 2010 provided San Antonio-based filmmaker Kimberly Suta with the inspiration to start what may be one of the Alamo City's most dreaded and fun-filled interactive film festivals.
In its third round, Gong Shorts promises to return with a bang at 7 pm tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse Park North in San Antonio.
The festival invites filmmakers of all ages and genres (except pornography) to submit their 3-15 minute films for the opportunity to be screened in front of a live audience. The catch: After three minutes of screen time, if audience members dislike the film they have the opportunity to yell "Gong," eliminating the filmmaker from the competition.
However, filmmakers may rework and resubmit their (hopefully better) film for future Gong Shorts events.
Suta co-owns NiffNot Productions, which runs the fest, with fellow San Antonian Catherine Nored. Suta has heard people are intimidated...
In its third round, Gong Shorts promises to return with a bang at 7 pm tonight at the Alamo Drafthouse Park North in San Antonio.
The festival invites filmmakers of all ages and genres (except pornography) to submit their 3-15 minute films for the opportunity to be screened in front of a live audience. The catch: After three minutes of screen time, if audience members dislike the film they have the opportunity to yell "Gong," eliminating the filmmaker from the competition.
However, filmmakers may rework and resubmit their (hopefully better) film for future Gong Shorts events.
Suta co-owns NiffNot Productions, which runs the fest, with fellow San Antonian Catherine Nored. Suta has heard people are intimidated...
- 9/12/2012
- by Jordan Gass-Poore'
- Slackerwood
Widely known for his iconic bad-ass roles in The Terminator, Aliens, Planet Terror and last year’s sleeper hit The Divide, Michael Biehn is a legend to movie buffs worldwide.
So it came as no surprise that many film-goers came to Montreal’s prestigious Fantasia Film Festival to see the man kick some much deserved ass in his own grindhouse directorial debut, The Victim, which was also produced by his wife and co-star, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn.
For readers out there that are unfamiliar with the plot of the film, The Victim starts with an unexpected bang (or should we say "crack"?) when Annie (Jennifer Blanc-Biehn) witnesses the murder of her friend in the middle of the woods and is forced to take refuge in the home of a stoic hermit named Kyle (Michael Biehn) even though she is being hunted by two crooked cops desperate to get rid of any witnesses to their crime.
So it came as no surprise that many film-goers came to Montreal’s prestigious Fantasia Film Festival to see the man kick some much deserved ass in his own grindhouse directorial debut, The Victim, which was also produced by his wife and co-star, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn.
For readers out there that are unfamiliar with the plot of the film, The Victim starts with an unexpected bang (or should we say "crack"?) when Annie (Jennifer Blanc-Biehn) witnesses the murder of her friend in the middle of the woods and is forced to take refuge in the home of a stoic hermit named Kyle (Michael Biehn) even though she is being hunted by two crooked cops desperate to get rid of any witnesses to their crime.
- 7/25/2012
- by Serena Whitney
- DreadCentral.com
Don't get us wrong, we Love solids, but there's just something special about patterns that makes us get all warm and fuzzy inside, especially during the summertime. They're loud, they're fun, they're cute and they have pizzaz, which is why they're great for making a statement as bright as the sun. Patterned pieces are also super easy to incorporate into any wardrobe by pairing with a solid, or if you dare, another print. We're all about reflecting the heat in our wardrobe, so we've chosen our favorite patterned pieces from skirts to swimwear and shoes for under $100 each. Enjoy!
1. Asos Toucan Print Bikini, Top $23.20, Bottom $19.88 at Asos // 2. Britt Bikini - Neon Aztec, $100 at Nasty Gal // 3. Juniors Multicolored Wave Keyhole Monokini Swimsuit, $24.99 at Target // 4. ONeill Penny Lane Bandeau and Tab Side Bottom, Top $24, Bottom $29 at Karma Loop
5. Chevron Typeset Trousers, $98 at Madewell // 6. Cropped Conversational Print Pants, $24.80 at Forever 21 // 7. Silence & Noise Pleated Front Cropped Pant,...
1. Asos Toucan Print Bikini, Top $23.20, Bottom $19.88 at Asos // 2. Britt Bikini - Neon Aztec, $100 at Nasty Gal // 3. Juniors Multicolored Wave Keyhole Monokini Swimsuit, $24.99 at Target // 4. ONeill Penny Lane Bandeau and Tab Side Bottom, Top $24, Bottom $29 at Karma Loop
5. Chevron Typeset Trousers, $98 at Madewell // 6. Cropped Conversational Print Pants, $24.80 at Forever 21 // 7. Silence & Noise Pleated Front Cropped Pant,...
- 6/20/2012
- by Dana Burke
- Celebsology
The 18th annual San Antonio Film Festival will run for a solid week, June 18-24, at several locations around the city and will feature, as it always does, an expansive and impressive lineup of documentaries, thrillers, dramas and a ton of short films.
The fest kicks off on the 18th with the Canadian culture clash comedy French Immersion, directed by Kevin Tierney, followed by a block of homegrown short films from all over the great state of Texas. The next night’s programming, the 19th, pays tribute to San Antonio’s neighbors to the south with two feature films from Mexico, the drama Burros by Odin Salazar Flores and the documentary Die Standing Up by Jacaranda Correa, as well as a block of short films.
Some of the feature-length documentaries include Stephanie Hubbard’s Christian theme park quest Bible Storyland (watch the trailer); James Lane’s expose of the Oklahoma...
The fest kicks off on the 18th with the Canadian culture clash comedy French Immersion, directed by Kevin Tierney, followed by a block of homegrown short films from all over the great state of Texas. The next night’s programming, the 19th, pays tribute to San Antonio’s neighbors to the south with two feature films from Mexico, the drama Burros by Odin Salazar Flores and the documentary Die Standing Up by Jacaranda Correa, as well as a block of short films.
Some of the feature-length documentaries include Stephanie Hubbard’s Christian theme park quest Bible Storyland (watch the trailer); James Lane’s expose of the Oklahoma...
- 6/18/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
We love how this star mixes and matches with attainable and trendy items! Lately she has been showing off her new necklace -- and you can get the look right here! Shop Selena Gomez, was recently spotted flaunting her new favorite accessory on three different occasions-- and no, we're not talking about her boyfriend, Justin Beiber! She loves adding a trendy vibe to her casual get-ups, pairing them with the Stella & Dot Rebel Pendant. Whether she's working a casual maxi or a trendy lace top, the necklace adds a nice finishing touch -- it totally completes her outfit! If you want to dress up a glam get-up or just add a little flair to a more casual ensemble like the star, you can get the Rebel Pendant right here! Taylor Casey Read below for more fashion stories! Kristen Stewart Coachella Style: Get Her Denim Shorts Get Kristen Stewart’s Neon...
- 6/12/2012
- by HL
- HollywoodLife
Hot on the heels of news that Michelle Rodriguez is set to reprise her role as Luz in Robert Rodriguez's ('Sin City') 'Machete' sequel 'Machete Kills' comes some pretty exciting casting news indeed. The drop dead sexy Amber Heard -below ('The Ward', 'Drive Angry') is due to join the cast of the new 20th Century Fox production and the little stunner will be playing Miss San Antonio, a manipulative assassin. And what with the likes of Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Alba bareing as much as possible in the Grindhouse predecessor can we expect the same semi-nude shenanigans from Miss Heard? The blonde hottie will join Danny Trejo, Michelle Rodriguez and Mel Gibson aboard the new over-the-top action follow-up....
- 5/4/2012
- Horror Asylum
Amber Heard, the blonde who turned up the heat in "The Rum Diary," is at it again. This time, the bombshell is in talks to become the latest femme fatale in the Robert Rodriguez action flick, "Machete Kills," the sequel to the 2010 Grindhouse hit "Machete." (Insert men cheering here.)
According to Variety, Danny Trejo will return as the titular lead, along with beauties Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez. Oh, and Mel Gibson may be stopping by. In other words, Trejo is one lucky ex-federale.
In this installment, Machete finds himself recruited by the U.S. government to stop an arms dealer (played by Gibson — which is almost eerily frightening) from launching a deadly missile.
If Heard inks the deal, the starlet will play a manipulative assassin code-named Miss San Antonio, which, we have to say, is definitely one of the best character names we've heard in a while and if anyone can rock that moniker,...
According to Variety, Danny Trejo will return as the titular lead, along with beauties Jessica Alba and Michelle Rodriguez. Oh, and Mel Gibson may be stopping by. In other words, Trejo is one lucky ex-federale.
In this installment, Machete finds himself recruited by the U.S. government to stop an arms dealer (played by Gibson — which is almost eerily frightening) from launching a deadly missile.
If Heard inks the deal, the starlet will play a manipulative assassin code-named Miss San Antonio, which, we have to say, is definitely one of the best character names we've heard in a while and if anyone can rock that moniker,...
- 5/3/2012
- by Elizabeth Durand
- NextMovie
Robert Rodriguez may be in the midst of hypothetically picking up stars for Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame To Kill For, but the real movement has been going on behind the scenes of Machete Kills, Rodriguez's sequel to the 2010 Grindhouse delight, Machete. In the past couple weeks we've heard buzzing about Mel Gibson and both Demian Bichir and Michelle Rodriguez. But Rodriguez isn't done yet. Variety has learned that Amber Heard has taken a role in Machete Kills. In addition to the aforementioned actors, both Danny Trejo and Jessica Alba are attached to return as the titular Machete and Sartana, respectively. Heard will be playing an assassin codenamed Miss San Antonio, though the trade doesn't say which side she will be working for. The story of the film sees Machete agreeing to work with the U.S. government to help stop an evil arms dealer (Gibson) from launching a...
- 5/3/2012
- cinemablend.com
Grind house kingpin Robert Rodriguez continued to add cast members to Machete Kills, his sequel to his 2010 B-movie Machete, starring Danny Trejo as an ex-Federale bent on revenge. Actor/director Mel Gibson signed on to play a key but undisclosed role in the movie as well as recent Best Actor Oscar nominee Demian Bichir. Variety reported today that Amber Heard looked to co-star with returning female stars Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba as an assassin named Miss San Antonio. Heard recently appeared opposite Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary and headlined the short-lived NBC drama The Playboy Club.
- 5/3/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Grind house kingpin Robert Rodriguez continued to add cast members to Machete Kills, his sequel to his 2010 B-movie Machete, starring Danny Trejo as an ex-Federale bent on revenge. Actor/director Mel Gibson signed on to play a key but undisclosed role in the movie as well as recent Best Actor Oscar nominee Demian Bichir. Variety reported today that Amber Heard looked to co-star with returning female stars Michelle Rodriguez and Jessica Alba as an assassin named Miss San Antonio. Heard recently appeared opposite Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary and headlined the short-lived NBC drama The Playboy Club.
- 5/3/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
By Jason Lees, MoreHorror.com
A few years ago, some friends and I were sitting around (surprise no. 1) complaining about the cowardice shown in mainstream cinema. It’s something that lots of Monday morning film quarterbacks like to do, and like lots of genre fans, we always steer the conversation to make our beloved little corner of film look good. This day in particular we were bitching about how Hollywood wusses out when they title their movies. Can anyone tell me what a film called “Sweet Home Alabama” is really about? Or what subtle nuances will something called “Head Over Heals” bring to an audience?
The talk swung back to horror where we started listed off how great our titles are. Let’s face it, nothing beats the power of titles like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or I Spit On Your Grave. These titles, simply put, say something. We began...
A few years ago, some friends and I were sitting around (surprise no. 1) complaining about the cowardice shown in mainstream cinema. It’s something that lots of Monday morning film quarterbacks like to do, and like lots of genre fans, we always steer the conversation to make our beloved little corner of film look good. This day in particular we were bitching about how Hollywood wusses out when they title their movies. Can anyone tell me what a film called “Sweet Home Alabama” is really about? Or what subtle nuances will something called “Head Over Heals” bring to an audience?
The talk swung back to horror where we started listed off how great our titles are. Let’s face it, nothing beats the power of titles like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre or I Spit On Your Grave. These titles, simply put, say something. We began...
- 2/10/2012
- by admin
- MoreHorror
With The Crow legal dispute between The Weinstein Co. and Relativity Media resolved, the two movie studios can move forward with its production. Today the two studios announced that F. Javier Gutierrez will direct the movie and use a script that will be penned by Jesse Wigutow.
The Crow will be based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book of the same name, and Stephen Norrington will pen its script. The film will continue to focus on a musician who dies while unsuccessfully trying to save his fiancée’s life from an attack. One year later, he is resurrected from the dead and is bent on revenge on those who took his and his fiancée’s life.
[comingsoon]
Relativity, Edward R. Pressman and Dimension Films Attach F. Javier Gutiérrez to Direct
The Crow
Writer Jesse Wigutow Signs on to Pen Script
(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 24, 2012 – Relativity Media’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley,...
The Crow will be based on James O’Barr’s 1989 comic book of the same name, and Stephen Norrington will pen its script. The film will continue to focus on a musician who dies while unsuccessfully trying to save his fiancée’s life from an attack. One year later, he is resurrected from the dead and is bent on revenge on those who took his and his fiancée’s life.
[comingsoon]
Relativity, Edward R. Pressman and Dimension Films Attach F. Javier Gutiérrez to Direct
The Crow
Writer Jesse Wigutow Signs on to Pen Script
(Beverly Hills, Calif.) January 24, 2012 – Relativity Media’s Co-President, Tucker Tooley,...
- 1/25/2012
- by Mike Lee
- FusedFilm
My first impression of Michael Biehn and his wife and creative partner, Jennifer Blanc: They’re wild.
It’s not just Jennifer’s pouring blond hair and Michael’s feral spikes. It’s not his bold black garb and her coat straight out of a Hard Case Crime cover. It wasn’t even their ferocity in discussing their craft.
They really have gone wild: Blanc-Biehn Productions is going grindhouse.
Michael Biehn in "The Divide"
I sat down with them to discuss The Divide, Michael’s new starring role in a Xavier Gens post-apocalyptic horror film illustrating the plummet when civilization’s borders are past. They told me about a no-rules, no-holds-barred creative process under Gens.
More exciting yet, they revealed their own excursion into the wilderness — into Topanga Canyon park, to shoot The Victim, the first in their fresh foray into independent exploitation film.
No doubt some of their...
It’s not just Jennifer’s pouring blond hair and Michael’s feral spikes. It’s not his bold black garb and her coat straight out of a Hard Case Crime cover. It wasn’t even their ferocity in discussing their craft.
They really have gone wild: Blanc-Biehn Productions is going grindhouse.
Michael Biehn in "The Divide"
I sat down with them to discuss The Divide, Michael’s new starring role in a Xavier Gens post-apocalyptic horror film illustrating the plummet when civilization’s borders are past. They told me about a no-rules, no-holds-barred creative process under Gens.
More exciting yet, they revealed their own excursion into the wilderness — into Topanga Canyon park, to shoot The Victim, the first in their fresh foray into independent exploitation film.
No doubt some of their...
- 1/14/2012
- by M C Funk
- Planet Fury
Destroy the Brain’s monthly midnight program, Late Nite Grindhouse, is treating St. Louisian’s to a bonus show this month in conjunction with Blue Underground to celebrate the newly restored version of Lucio Fulci’s Zombie being released on Blu-Ray! Normally, our shows are the first full weekend of every month but we couldn’t pass this one up. Plus, who would complain about two shows in October, a month when everyone is in the mood for horror. Late Nite Grindhouse is exclusively at The Hi-Pointe Theatre. Below the Press Release, you can RSVP via Facebook and get all the details. We will have issues of Paracinema Magazine and even a special t-shirt a local designer made up in tribute of Fulci’s Italian undead masterpiece.
From the Press Release:
Experience the Italian horror maestro’s gore classic
as you’ve never seen or heard it before,
digitally restored and remastered!
From the Press Release:
Experience the Italian horror maestro’s gore classic
as you’ve never seen or heard it before,
digitally restored and remastered!
- 10/15/2011
- by Andy Triefenbach
- Destroy the Brain
The entries are in and the votes have been tabulated. I will now announce the two awesome, clever winners of the Planet Fury/SplatterFest 2011 Oasis of Terror Contest.
But first, I want to extend a hearty thanks to Kerry Beyer and Kelly Burns Smith, the perpetual motion machine that keeps SplatterFest running. They've been most gracious and have shown Planet Fury a lot of consideration this year. What they've done down in Houston is pretty cool. Besides being two of the nicest and most attractive people in Southeast Texas (seriously, you should see them), they are also two of the most committed people…or they are two of the most often committed people — I always mix that up. Whatever. Kelly and Kerry don't seem too dangerous, and after watching them in action, I appreciate all the sleep they sacrifice to make SplatterFest happen. They are truly the keepers of the flame.
But first, I want to extend a hearty thanks to Kerry Beyer and Kelly Burns Smith, the perpetual motion machine that keeps SplatterFest running. They've been most gracious and have shown Planet Fury a lot of consideration this year. What they've done down in Houston is pretty cool. Besides being two of the nicest and most attractive people in Southeast Texas (seriously, you should see them), they are also two of the most committed people…or they are two of the most often committed people — I always mix that up. Whatever. Kelly and Kerry don't seem too dangerous, and after watching them in action, I appreciate all the sleep they sacrifice to make SplatterFest happen. They are truly the keepers of the flame.
- 10/5/2011
- by Theron
- Planet Fury
Your Weekly Source for the Newest Releases to Blu-Ray Tuesday, September 20th, 2011
Boccaccio ’70 (1962)
Synopsis: Four legendary filmmakers direct some of Europe’s biggest stars in Boccaccio ’70, a landmark anthology film. Mario Monicelli (Big Deal on Madonna Street), Federico Fellini (8½), Luchino Visconti (The Leopard) and Vittorio De Sica (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) direct Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, Romy Schneider and more through four stories of unashamed eros. Modeled on Boccaccio’s Decameron, they are comic moral tales about the hypocrisies surrounding sex in 1960s Italy. Monicelli’s “Renzo e Luciana” (cut out of the original American release) is a frothy tale of young love and office politics in the big city. Fellini’s notorious “Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio” features Ekberg as a busty model in a milk advertisement whose image begins to haunt an aging prude. Visconti’s “Il Lavoro” stars Romy Schneider as a trophy wife enduring her husband’s very public affairs,...
Boccaccio ’70 (1962)
Synopsis: Four legendary filmmakers direct some of Europe’s biggest stars in Boccaccio ’70, a landmark anthology film. Mario Monicelli (Big Deal on Madonna Street), Federico Fellini (8½), Luchino Visconti (The Leopard) and Vittorio De Sica (Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow) direct Sophia Loren, Anita Ekberg, Romy Schneider and more through four stories of unashamed eros. Modeled on Boccaccio’s Decameron, they are comic moral tales about the hypocrisies surrounding sex in 1960s Italy. Monicelli’s “Renzo e Luciana” (cut out of the original American release) is a frothy tale of young love and office politics in the big city. Fellini’s notorious “Le tentazioni del dottor Antonio” features Ekberg as a busty model in a milk advertisement whose image begins to haunt an aging prude. Visconti’s “Il Lavoro” stars Romy Schneider as a trophy wife enduring her husband’s very public affairs,...
- 9/19/2011
- by Travis Keune
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s the second part of our interview with Michael Biehn, in which he talks about his acting in The Abyss and Tombstone, and his first feature as director, The Victim…
As the first part of our interview demonstrated, the great, under-appreciated actor Michael Biehn has enjoyed a lengthy and varied acting career. His fruitful partnership with James Cameron continued after the success of The Terminator and Aliens, with the pair teaming up again for The Abyss.
Here, we talk to Biehn about the making of that 1989 epic of sci-fi, working with James Cameron, passing on Point Break, and defending strippers in his directorial debut, The Victim…
I’ve always admired your loyalty to James Cameron. And then you went on to work with him on The Abyss (1989), and I remember you’ve always defended his working style, especially after reports of a few egos getting bruised during the filming of that film.
As the first part of our interview demonstrated, the great, under-appreciated actor Michael Biehn has enjoyed a lengthy and varied acting career. His fruitful partnership with James Cameron continued after the success of The Terminator and Aliens, with the pair teaming up again for The Abyss.
Here, we talk to Biehn about the making of that 1989 epic of sci-fi, working with James Cameron, passing on Point Break, and defending strippers in his directorial debut, The Victim…
I’ve always admired your loyalty to James Cameron. And then you went on to work with him on The Abyss (1989), and I remember you’ve always defended his working style, especially after reports of a few egos getting bruised during the filming of that film.
- 8/31/2011
- Den of Geek
Jen and Sylvia Soska are twins who enjoy the darker side of cinema and their first movie, the succinctly titled Dead Hooker In A Trunk is getting its UK TV premiere on the Horror Channel on Fri July 29th @ 10.55pm. Greg Day was nice enough to send us over this interview to post.
-
Here they chat about spiders, grindhouse and their new movie, American Mary.
So it’s true Poltergeist was the first horror movie you saw?
S: Yes and it was awesome. After that, my mom had a very particular rule about horror. It was Ok to see the movie if we read the book first. She was an avid Stephen King fan and let us borrow her books. My first book, then movie in Mr. King’s horror land was Cujo. Any word or scenario or what not that I had questions about while reading, my mom...
-
Here they chat about spiders, grindhouse and their new movie, American Mary.
So it’s true Poltergeist was the first horror movie you saw?
S: Yes and it was awesome. After that, my mom had a very particular rule about horror. It was Ok to see the movie if we read the book first. She was an avid Stephen King fan and let us borrow her books. My first book, then movie in Mr. King’s horror land was Cujo. Any word or scenario or what not that I had questions about while reading, my mom...
- 7/12/2011
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Jen & Sylvia Soska exploded on the indie scene with the award winning Dead Hooker In A Trunk. The film has received praise from fans, critics and even Hostel director Eli Roth. The Soskas are currently in production on their next film American Mary, starring Katharine Isabelle from Ginger Snaps. Welcome to the minds of the twisted sisters…
You are currently working on your 2nd feature film American Mary, what production stage are you at with the film??
Sylvia: We’re in pre-production. The film calls for some very extensive and unique to this film makeup and effects, and that requires a healthy bit of prep so everything explodes in blood properly when it’s supposed to. Making American Mary has been quite a different experience from making Dead Hooker In A Trunk. Now that we aren’t paying for the film by maxing out our credit cards, we can do...
You are currently working on your 2nd feature film American Mary, what production stage are you at with the film??
Sylvia: We’re in pre-production. The film calls for some very extensive and unique to this film makeup and effects, and that requires a healthy bit of prep so everything explodes in blood properly when it’s supposed to. Making American Mary has been quite a different experience from making Dead Hooker In A Trunk. Now that we aren’t paying for the film by maxing out our credit cards, we can do...
- 6/7/2011
- by Joshua Hull
- Killer Films
The 17th annual San Antonio Film Festival is back with their 17th annual edition, which will run on June 16-26 at several locations around the city. Once again, the fest is a truly international affair with a special emphasis on films produced south of the border.
The feature films and shorts this year come from as far away as Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Madrid and London, but there are also numerous films from Central and South America, including two features from Mexico: Gerardo Tort’s Viaje Redondo; and Roberto Hernández & Geoffrey Smith’s Presunto Culpable.
There are also lots of regionally-made films, including two special programs featuring short films by local high school students, co-presented with Klrn public television.
Plus, once again, the fest is chock full of documentaries, from sports docs like Robert Herrera’s The Gray Seasons, to activist docs like Jon Cooksey’s How to Boil a Frog,...
The feature films and shorts this year come from as far away as Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Madrid and London, but there are also numerous films from Central and South America, including two features from Mexico: Gerardo Tort’s Viaje Redondo; and Roberto Hernández & Geoffrey Smith’s Presunto Culpable.
There are also lots of regionally-made films, including two special programs featuring short films by local high school students, co-presented with Klrn public television.
Plus, once again, the fest is chock full of documentaries, from sports docs like Robert Herrera’s The Gray Seasons, to activist docs like Jon Cooksey’s How to Boil a Frog,...
- 6/6/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
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