By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

Kevin Smith and Matt Johnson SDCC 2013 (Via Geek Legacy):

There was much mirth, merriment and creepy cosplay on display at the San Diego Comic-Con this past July but one of the most exciting treats of the convention was being able to have an audience with Kevin Smith. It was notable not so much for the opportunity to talk about what Smith has been up to but because he was sharing the floor with a fresh voice in the landscape of teenage-themed films, Matt Johnson. Johnson’s film, THE DIRTIES, http://www.thedirtiesthemovie.com/, deals with a couple of friends who have to deal with systematic bullying which results in the kind of violence we are all too aware of in this age of Columbine. It balances the humorous and the serious while trying to get at something raw and visceral. You can watch the entire interview above as Kevin explores all manner of topics that focus on why this film spoke to him, what he sees in Johnson as a filmmaker and how he sees his role as a shepherd for these kinds of movies.

I asked Kevin about that and how he sees himself now in a role where he take people under his wing to show them where the pitfalls are and where not to make the same mistakes he might have.

“Absolutely, there’s a real Kevin Spacey-ish, kind of PAY IT FORWARD, to it because I got real fuckin’ lucky and won the lottery with CLERKS… So, it’s nice to get to a point where there are enough people who follow what I do and I can be like, ‘Watch this as well!’ And advocate for someone else. That’s the altruistic version of it. But, honestly, like I’ve said before, all I do is get instant credibility by aligning myself with a movie this bold, this strong, this fresh, this original. So I’d be stupid to say, ‘Nah, you guys figure it out for yourself.’ There’s also something in it for me so it’s mutually beneficial, I guess, but it probably helps me out a little bit more.”

For more on what Kevin thinks of THE DIRTIES and why he thinks it needs to be one of your must-see’s this fall, check out the interview in its entirety.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

It’s been a while, folks, since I last checked in. Now, judging by the outpouring of concern I can see that you’re all thirsty for an update of where I’ve been. Suffice to say, I’m still here, I’m still writing up a storm, and I’ll be back more regularly soon. In the meantime, though, our good buddy Ray checks in from the Phoenix Film Festival to talk about gems that came to the desert.

Highlights from the PFF by Ray Schillaci

At first glance one may wonder if the 13th Annual Phoenix Film Festival (PFF) was following a theme of mental illness and riding on the coattails of the popular “Silver Linings Playbook”. With not one, but three films involving mental disorders, the powers that be at PFF might have considered a more mainstream thought of choosing just one. But instead, the festival took a bold step forward and disregarded the similar themes and placed three wonderful and enlightening films in competition with completely different tones. “Lonely Boy,” “The Story of Luke” and “Putzel” opened our minds, tugged at our hearts and even made us laugh. The films proved to be only the beginning of some remarkable work by the independent film community.

Thirteen proved to be a very lucky number for the festival that included the International Horror & Sci-Fi Film Festival (IHSFFF). Many had questioned how the festival (PFF) would top themselves after last year. The festival provided the answer with”¦more premiers, an abundance of great films and a much smoother running film festival than ever before. Talent from all over the world attended and they made themselves readily available for the audience that enjoyed their work.

The IHSFFF delivered a fun filled time with most of the shorts being as entertaining as the features. The audience wound up clapping and whopping it up in the middle of some of these highly imaginative horror and sci-fi shorts. Best Horror Short went deservedly to “Killer Kart” an extremely funny and gory piece of food chomping madness. The festival also had Meg Foster presenting the John Carpenter cult classic, “They Live”. If you have not seen this one, run out to your nearest Red Box or Blockbuster (if it hasn’t closed its doors) and rent this horror/sci-fi/social commentary piece of paranoia that is more relevant today than it was when it was released.

Many of the competition films at PFF became in such high demand it was hard to get a good seat or see all of them over the seven day period. “The Retrieval” was one film that built tremendous momentum leaving the audience blown away and eventually winning Best Ensemble Acting, Best Director and the Cox Audience Award. I had to wait a couple of days to find the time to see what the buzz was all about.

Director, Chris Eska delivers an Oscar worthy film with riveting performances along with a budget that appeared the size of a studio production. Of course, that is not the case and kudos to Mr. Eska to not only push the budget boundaries of an independent feature, but also bring us a first rate production that leaves an indelible mark on our hearts and minds. Chris Eska is one to watch out for.

This civil war western is a jaw dropper that had some comparing it to “Django Unchained”. But that would be a disservice to both films. While Tarantino’s film is a slick and entertaining homage to spaghetti westerns and all sorts of other films with a subplot involving slavery, “The Retrieval” takes a far more serious look at the skeleton in our nation’s closet and delivers an original nailbiter.

From the opening shot that fills the screen with dread; Eska introduces us to a 13 year-old slave and his uncle who are being used by an unscrupulous bounty hunter to snare unsuspecting runaway slaves. This scenario alone captures our attention with a diverse range of emotions. How far will one go to survive? They are eventually dispatched to retrieve a slippery and allegedly dangerous slave only known as Nate, played brilliantly by Tishuan Scott, under false pretenses.

All three leads, Tishuan Scott, Ashton Sanders as the 13 year-old Will and Keston John as Uncle Marcus, ratchet the tension playing off each other and leave us breathless as they take us on a dark and harrowing journey of mistrust. The turnkey performance being that of Tishuan Scott, commanding the screen and bringing comparisons as far back as the legendary Paul Robeson. In fact, seeing Scott in this fascinating role and meeting him in person, one cannot help but know that he is classically trained with his unique stature and rich eloquent voice.

This is not to undercut the other leads’ acting ability. Sanders and Keston bring so much believability and heart to their characters that when one combines all three they become a dream team which is why they won Best Ensemble. “The Retrieval” with its stunning visuals, brilliant acting and four star production values is not just a must see, it’s a must own.

Paul Osborne is no stranger to PFF. The director brought his scathing and very funny documentary that exposed many film festivals to PFF with a rousing acceptance several years ago. This year director, Osborne premiered his new feature film “Favor” to the competition. After seeing the director’s, “Official Rejection,” who would think that the man was capable of such Hitchcockian darkness? In fact, being spoiler free, I will only tell you that at one point towards the end of the film I actually got up from my seat and approached Mr. Osborne who was observing the audience reaction on the side and whispered to him, “You’re a very sick man.”

He actually smiled at me in glee and said, “Wait, there’s more”. Damn him for being right. This is not to say that Osborne has delivered a disgusting film, but a very unsettling tale of friendship, favors and a very dark part of the human soul that unsettles the audience to no end. Is it entertaining? In a very sick and twisted way”¦YES! Watching Osborne avoid mimicking Hitchcock and instead capturing his spirit can be pure joy for those willing to take the ride. It brings to mind the Coen Brothers’ first film, “Blood Simple” and yet Osborne is straight forward with his nasty tale and more interested in good storytelling than displaying technique that could take away from the harshness of it all. Best Screenplay at the Phoenix Film Festival was a well deserved honor to writer/director, Paul Osborne.

From the opening shot “Favor” grabs you. Kip Desmond (Blayne Weaver) has it all; wonderful, good looking wife, great rewarding job, affluent lifestyle and a better looking waitress on the side for sex. It all comes crashing down at a seedy hotel when Kip’s side dish drops dead. What’s a guy to do? Let the chips fall where they may and risk everything or stack the deck and solicit a childhood friend for that “favor” he always agreed upon? Kip confides his tale of woe to Marvin Croat (an unnerving performance by Patrick Day) and brings him to the scene with eventually ugly results.

Marvin is the “closet” friend that people like Kip only see on occasion. Life has been cruel to Marvin. At least he would tell you that. He’s lost his job, his wife and practically his life and has no idea how to function in Kip’s world. But he remains a faithful friend because he remembers how close they were when they were kids. For Marvin, that has never changed. For Kip, he doesn’t care. Marvin is the scapegoat. And, if he can help him with this one “favor,” he will be eternally grateful (only on the surface). But Marvin takes that literally and that is where the chaos begins.

There are so many devilish twists and turns in Paul Osborne’s film, one cannot help see the extreme dark humor in it all akin to the best of the old “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” series. Weaver and Day play a wonderful game of cat and mouse, keeping us on our toes while the supporting players provide the empathy as the victims on the sidelines. “Favor” keeps us guessing and makes us think twice before asking.

A standout at the IHSFFF was director/writer, Drew Thomas’ science fiction opus, “Channeling”. Once again, it was exciting to see a filmmaker do wonders within his limited budget. Killer car chases, cool stunts and a wonderful take on the near future of social media. “Channeling” has it all and then some.

I usually go into low budget science-fiction films with a prejudicial judgment. But I must admit, every so often some creative artist delivers a kick to the head with the likes of a “Terminator” or “Robocop”. Drew Thomas’ feature may not be as action packed, but it is as intriguing and thought provoking. His feature is a slick, well oiled machine that is ready to take you on a wild ride.

Thomas introduces us to a world where people are broadcasting their lives via a high tech contact lens and basically shaping their lives to their ratings. They can even get sponsors to endorse them and their antics. The shows can range from anything; a young girl just trying to get recognized in clubs to carjacking expensive cars, only to race them and then ditch them. It is the later that a young soldier accidently becomes involved with after his brother’s suspicious death. He only has 72 hours to delve into the mystery and possibly bring his brother’s alleged conspirators to justice.

In so many low budget sci-fi films the acting is awful to passable, production values are limited to the cheapest CG that makes Hannah-Barbera cartoons looking more realistic and there is little attention to detail. Usually it’s because producers look at them as a silly little cash cow that can be abducted by aliens and dumped onto the Scyfy channel. What makes the film “Channeling” so good is the look of a high quality production and the cutting edge writing that brings to mind some of Paul Verhoeven’s sarcasm and commentary on social values displayed in “Robocop” and “Starship Troopers”. Landon Ashworth plays the soldier, Max Hodges with an appealing laconic machismo and a dash of the fresh fish out of water. The rest of the cast do a bang up job to get us to root for our hero. “Channeling” is an exciting first feature from Drew Thomas. One can only imagine what the man and his company could do with a medium to big budget.

Documentaries were very powerful this year, but the won that won our hearts and Best Documentary at the festival was Elise Salomon’s fun-filled touching glimpse into an L.A. indie music label, Wild Records. “Los Wild Ones” chronicles the beginnings, struggles and future of this very edgy music label that favors Hispanic Rockabilly music lead by Irish rebel, Reb Kennedy. If that doesn’t get your attention, I don’t know what will. Salomon’s film is infectious, audacious and raucous all at the same time. The musical artists are riddled with turmoil and talent making a combustible paradigm along with a vinyl-loving leader who defiantly opposes iTunes.

Salomon handles the chaos well and sometimes gives us a very difficult peak at struggling artists who also juggle their family life while others are at odds with their addictions and discipline. She does not shy away from the realities of it all, but accomplishes a sense of hope for so many involved.

Salomon goes beyond the sordidness of reality TV and delivers a noteworthy film that not only sheds light on a very little known fringe of the music scene, but introduces some very talented musicians that appear far more exciting and fresher than anything we have witnessed on the homogenized shows of American Idol or X Factor. Her focus on Reb Kennedy as father/confessor nearly presents him in a legendary status. Reb would deny that right away and place his wife on the pedestal for keeping things running in a semi-professional manner. But his stories, his thoughts, his interactions with his artists are what really fuel this enjoyable film. Elise Salomon delivers a movie that makes you want to get up and dance while rooting for the underdogs of the music industry. Rock on!

Mentioned in the beginning, PFF introduced three very different films involving mental disorders. Each one was lauded with recognition and all well deserved. “Lonely Boy,” Dale Fabrigar’s sensitive look into the mind of a schizophrenic and how this disorder affects the people who care for him became a Festival Favorite. Alonzo Mayo’s “The Story of Luke” won the Special Jury Prize for Lou Taylor Pucci’s remarkable portrayal of a young man coming-of-age with autism. Finally, there was the huge crowd pleaser that won Best Picture, Jason Chaet’s, “Putzel” concerning not only a young man dealing with a form of agoraphobia that keeps him within the confines of his small community in the Upper West Side of Manhattan, but also has him struggling to be the heir of his uncle’s smoked fish emporium and juggling falling in love with his uncle’s mistress.

Director, Chaet was proud to wear a button asking “What is a putzel”. His answer was, “go see the movie and find out”. And, that is probably the best answer for anybody that is not Jewish or aware of the expression. I knew of “schmuck” and “schmeckel,” but Chaet was quick to point out those were Yiddish words. Most importantly you don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy this very funny romantic comedy.

Chaet’s comic timing along with his cast is impeccable. But the film is not just played for laughs. There is a sensitive side to “Putzel” (and I feel weird stating that) and Rick A. More and Jason Chaet’s story plays to our heart as well. The cast goes beyond the stereo-types and reaches into the complex souls of these characters. Jack Carpenter is both endearing, charming and a bit of a putz as Walter the young man with the mild obsession in succeeding his uncle. Walter’s mental disorder (agoraphobia) appears as more of a sub-plot to all the other antics surrounding him and driving him nuts. Melanie Lynskey and John Pankow (as Uncle Sid) also add much heart and humor to an extremely funny situation that gets awkward by the minute.

There are also hilarious turns by the supporting players; Allegra Cohen as Walter’s unfaithful wife Willa, Adrian Martinez as Hector the man whom Willa is cheating with and also the guy that tries to befriend Walter and give him advice! To top off the hilarity there is Fred Berman as Tunch, a man with an unusual passion that has to be seen to be believed.

Once again, the producers and director pull off the magic feat of making a production look far more impressive than the limitations they were faced with. That is a big plus for the “Putzel” cast and crew. The acting is spot on and the look and feel is a fun cross between earlier Woody Allen films and Borscht Belt comedy that tickles the audience incessantly. But most important, this film is about family, how we treat one another and how far we can come when we manage to let go. “Putzel” is pure joy.

A far more serious and sensitive approach to mental disorder was Dale Fabrigar’s, “Lonely Boy”. Alev Aydin (also the screenwriter) plays Franky a man that is struggling with himself, his family’s past and the harsh world of dating while dealing with schizophrenia and trying to wean off his prescription drugs. It’s a world few of us have encountered on the screen without crass exploitation. Fabrigar has a light approach and does not hammer us with the seriousness of the situation.

We are slowly sucked into Franky’s world and struggle with him as he tries so hard to escape the clutches of his disorder. It’s a slow awkward spiral that does have its share of light moments, but we are always aware of the circumstances that can be devastating. “Lonely Boy” also takes into account the family that is affected and their frustration in consistently trying to be there for an adult that may not be able to care for himself. It is a quandary and one that keeps us glued to Franky’s journey towards self-actualization.

At times Alev Aydin’s script sometimes feels more like a play rather than a film. But that may have something to do with the way Fabrigar has us viewing so much through Franky’s eyes. The portrayal is a mix of being fascinating, sad, awkwardly funny and sometimes downright scary.

Then there is Franky’s connection with Alex, Natalie Distler delivering an earthy performance that throws so much off kilter (in a good way). Alex may be Franky’s savior or his downfall, we’re just not sure and that is what makes “Lonely Boy” so interesting. Dale Fabrigar’s direction and Alev Aydin’s script have presented a unique look into the world of schizophrenia, one that is definitely worth viewing.

“The Story of Luke” happens to settle somewhere in the middle of the other films. It is both a serious, funny and engaging story of a 25 year-old autistic man that lived a sheltered life with his grandparents. That all changes when grandma is laid to rest, grandpa is going senile and the caretakers, Luke’s dysfunctional aunt and uncle, look for a place to retire grandpa leaving Luke very alone. Luke becomes obsessed with his grandfather’s final words urging him to get a job, find a girl, go scr*w and live your own life.

Luke’s obsessive quest becomes his new family’s problem as if they did not have enough with their own problematic kids. But Luke’s obscure ways seem to slowly work their way into the family’s hearts and makes them view things in a whole different light. Lou Taylor Pucci does not play Luke; he is the young afflicted man. It’s no wonder he was awarded the Special Jury Prize. His portrayal is so multi-layered and convincing that you end up hanging on his every thought.

Kristin Bauer and Seth Green turn in wonderful performances as well. They make us cherish every scene they share with Lou Taylor Pucci. Director/writer Alonso Mayo definitely has a keen insight into the spectrum of autism and has delivered a story with warmth, heart and hope. It had audiences applauding at the end.

Finally, one of my favorites and another Festival Choice was Ben Shelton’s “Waking”. Writer and lead actor Skyler Caleb as Ben gives us a piece of romantic fantasy bliss. Ben appears to have everything going for him; on the verge of success, riding on his fiancée’s father’s coattails and soon to marry his long term girlfriend/now fiancée. But from the outside looking in, we can see that Ben’s fiancée is annoying and working under daddy may not be all that it’s cracked up to be. Enter the girl of our dreams”¦literally.

Ben is suddenly conflicted with dreams of a young mystery woman, Nadia, who inhabits his dreams and makes him feel truly alive. To make things even weirder, this mystery woman exists (hundreds of miles away) and she is sharing these dreams with him while in a relationship as well. Shelton and Caleb’s story works so well due to the chemistry shared by both Skyler Caleb and his co-star Meg Cionni.

Cionni is a rare find. She is not only perfectly cast as a dream girl, but brings an innocence and vulnerability to her character that is both genuine and sublime. She is a joy to watch and listen to with a lilt in her voice that is near mesmerizing. Outside of his dreams, Cionni’s Nadia captures us with her sweet apprehension and honest confusion as to how to handle such an impossible situation. Ben was not the only one taken by Nadia, most of the audience (men and women alike) were also captured by Cionni’s performance as well.

Ben Shelton’s “Waking” touched the romantic in me and much of its audience. It’s a fun tale of chasing your dreams even though they could come crashing down and hoping against all odds that everything works out. “Waking” is a crowd pleaser and makes one feel really good about films that put a song back in your heart. Thank you, Ben Shelton, Skylar Caleb, and Meg Cionni.

As mentioned before, there were so many other films that I have not been able to view from World Cinema to documentaries and horror. I hope to have the chance to see a few more so I may get the word out. One that now intrigues me is the winner of Best Horror film at IHSFFF, “Found”. Having heard about the subject matter I had second thoughts in the beginning about viewing it. But the word is out that it is a must see. I will leave you with a taste of what is to come”¦”Found” is a coming-of-age horror story about a shy, bullied fifth grade boy that takes refuge in horror films until his life becomes one. He discovers that his older brother has a penchant for severed heads and a ghastly use for them. The young boy tries to save his brother and his family, but not even good counseling is going to aid in the release of such darkness.

Until next time.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

CLOUD ATLAS: a Good Picture Missing its Burst of Brilliance By Ray Schillaci

The Wachowski’s, Andy and Lana, (The Matrix) newest outing is one with so much promise and moments of awe inspiring imagery that one would think that the audience would be walking out of the theater with a sense of wonderment after what had been presented. Instead, we have occasional set pieces that are memorable as they did with “The Matrix Reloaded” and only wished it had stepped up to the plate of such multiple storyline classics as “Pulp Fiction” or “Magnolia”. The storylines in “Cloud Atlas” are far more expanse, but if one were to take the individual storylines apart and view them separately, most of them would come across simplistic and ordinary rather than the themes this film suggest. It is a daring effort by the directors, Wachowski’s and Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) and one that is worth viewing at least once if not for the grandeur, then for two of the storylines; the fatal love story that transcends gender boundaries and the pure lunacy Jim Broadbent provides as a vanity book publisher.

“Cloud Atlas” weaves six stories in six very different time periods and locales with a common thread; how the action and consequences in our lives impact one another throughout the past, present and future. From their one can bring into play their own interpretation after a viewing or several viewings. There is some suggestion of Karma, reincarnation, good vs. evil, man’s unquestionable greed and the hope for a better life ahead.

A diary of an ocean voyage across the Pacific in 1849 provides some adventure laced with greed and danger. Letters from a budding composer to a dear friend delivers one of the most poignant moments in the film and probably accomplishes a universal feeling of love and its heartache better than most in the past decade. A mystery that is not quite as thrilling as it wants to be involving a murder in a nuclear power plant. A hilarious and touching romp with a publisher in over his head with criminal low-lifers and a nursing home is probably the best story line in the lot. A rebellion brought about by a clone in futuristic Korea delivers interesting eye candy. And, finally there is the tale of a tribe in a post-apocalyptic future that has one singular interesting character.

Sound complicated yet? Not as much as one would think. The three directors did well in interweaving their story lines, but the question remains; will an audience sit still for a film that is bouncing back and forth attempting to show you how everything connects? The first 45 minutes can be trying. Some will not have the patience and those that do may or may not like the outcome. For me it was like eating a great Chinese meal and being hungry a half hour later, not ever quite being fulfilled. I appreciated it and would recommend, but not to the masses.

“Cloud Atlas” has gone on record as the most expensive independent film ever made. From a technical standpoint you get your money’s worth. But there is something missing that keeps it from being a milestone in the annals of cinema as “The Matrix” did. There is also a stumbling block that gets in the way of several of the stories and that is the brilliant make-up job that comes into play with major actors playing multiple roles. One tends to play a guessing game of who’s who and that takes away from the stories or perhaps it takes away from the weakness of some of the stories.

We never quite get a connection between Tom Hanks’ character and Halle Berry’s in the nuclear power plant story, other than they are somehow connected in other lives. The ocean voyage, attended by Jim Sturgess’ character, is rife with rousing adventure, intrigue, the insensitivity of slavery and prejudice. But the story and the importance of what it is trying to get across is reduced to cliff notes. It’s like watching a musical dance number and saying, “Hey, I want to see the whole movie now”. The storyline does not hold the weight or value like the composer’s story that nearly moves us to tears or the wonderful charm portrayed in the publisher tale with a huge laugh going to Hugo Weaving in a surprising role.

Then there are the two tales of the future. One is post-apocalyptic with the usual look up until the near ending, the other a visually dazzling treat at times with a very somber tone. But the meat of these stories tread dangerously close to bad Syfy Channel. The staged fighting and laser beam shoot outs nearly undermine the importance of the clone story. Tom Hanks’ tribesman, Zachry (in post apocalyptic), has interesting moments with an evil side that demands our attention. But what he sets out to accomplish with Halle Berry’s character feels almost contrite. The big discovery is nicely played out, but there are weaknesses that hamper the film as a whole.

Not much is asked of Halle Berry as an actress and it’s a shame. Tom Hanks is given far more to do and overdoes it at times. You would think he was playing one of the many characters from the film he did with Zemeckis’, “The Polar Express”. Hanks becomes a live cartoon version of some of these characters while Jim Broadbent, Hugo Weaving, Jim Sturgess, Keith David and Ben Whishaw make no attempts to hide beneath their make-up. They actually incorporate their disguise and deliver far more believable characters with depth.

At times I felt I was going on a pseudo-intellectual sojourn. Maybe some of the story elements had been dummied down for mass consumption. But then there are moments of subtle beauty and nuanced humor that touches our hearts and opens our minds. “Cloud Atlas” demands you to think and engage in a conversation afterwards. Very few American films do that these days. That is probably why it will do better in the foreign market.

With all its weaknesses, the film is an admirable effort by talented individuals that clearly love their material. Perhaps the filmmakers’ only wish is for you to come out of the theater being more than entertained. Does it add up to big box-office? I am not sure. The domestic release will definitely test the patience of filmgoers and whether or not they are ready for a thinking man’s adventure with high minded themes. With all its faults, “Cloud Atlas” is worth seeing on the big screen even though it does not fulfill the promise of brilliance that its ad campaign suggests.

10 Nasty Treats for Halloween by Ray Schillaci

Every year as the leaves turn color and the chill of fall is in the air (unless you live in Phoenix ““ then it drops from 120 to 92 and small animals appear to frolic again), critics come out in droves offering their 10 best lists for Halloween. Like sheep being led to slaughter they all whip out their favorites and it’s usually similar to their fellow critics with top spots varying. There is no disputing the fright quotient of classic movies like “The Exorcist,” “Psycho” and “Night of the Living Dead”.

Every now and then some more daring critics will slip in “Re-Animator” or a Herschel Gordon Lewis movie (“The Wizard of Gore,” “2,000 Maniacs”). Then there are the purest that insist on listing a true classic or two, Bela Lugosi’s, “Dracula” or Boris Karloff as the monster in “Frankenstein”. Not that there is anything wrong with that. Those are great cinematic achievements for their day, but lack the frightmares sought out by so many younger thrill seekers.

As an alternative, I’ve set out to deliver 10 freaky independent gems and one sick puppy Giallo (Italian crime, fiction, mystery usually accompanied by ridiculous gore ““ for its time). Some of these pieces of sinema should make you squirm, think and surprise you. Some of them may even have you laughing inappropriately. So, this October 31st you have a choice to pick one of the usual fares from the list of the mundane or select something truly unique and off the beaten path that will sure to leave an indelible psychological scar long after All Hallows Eve is over. Are you up to the challenge?

Juan of the Dead ““ Oh my God, this is the BEST dark comedy zombie movie since “Shaun of the Dead”. It is a foreign film and for some that is a deterrent. To that I say, “GROW UP!” You have a choice of subtitles (which I prefer) or dubbed. This slacker Cuban crisis is so unique and outlandish you’ll be screaming at the screen and laughing at the same time. Juan is a 40 year-old slacker who begins to suspect that the rioting in the streets is not just ordinary dissidents who support the evil that America is trying to infect his country with as the Cuban government reports. With a handful of low-lifes, Juan finally makes a decision that will profoundly affect his life as well as others in his community”¦start a business exterminating other people’s flesh-eating loved ones.

Grave Encounters ““ Not just another first-person pseudo-documentary. This sucker slowly gets under your skin and then unleashes a virtual haunted house of chills and thrills that even got picked up for a sequel. The story of a reality-based group of ghost hunters that have themselves locked in one of the most notorious abandoned asylums over night is filled with unexpected humor and genuine scares that will make you jump off the couch and turn on the lights. The crew effectively captures all the creepy feelings one can have in such a place and then goes one step further ““ diving head first into a very nasty bloodbath of terror.

The Tunnel ““ This is yet another in the first-person pseudo-documentary, but it is also an accomplished creepy claustrophobic thriller. An investigative journalist and her video crew descend the abandoned underground train tunnels in Sydney, Australia to find out why the government scraped a big project midway through. Possible government cover-up and urban legends cross paths in this dark tale of “be careful what you wish for”.

Absentia ““ This is by far the eeriest of my list of ten. This film is probably the closest to a great H.P. Lovecraft inspired story. For those not in the know, “Absentia” is Latin for “in the absence of (someone indicated)”. In this strange case, it’s regarding a new husband who suddenly disappears. After 7 painful years his wife, now pregnant and trying to move on with her life, has her troubled sister visit to help her cope as she declares her husband’s passing via “dead in absentia”. She battles with her visions of the dead husband visiting from beyond while her sister becomes obsessed with an ominous tunnel near the house, a pathway from the neighborhood to the park (or is it just that). Freaky sounds, things that go bump in the night and unnerving shadows make this picture perfect for late night viewing.

The Innkeepers ““ Who likes a good ghost story? Well, this one will have the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. I really like Ti West as a director. His “House of the Devil” harkened back to the Satan worshiping 70’s films with enormous gusto. Now he brings us the ill fated story of the last employees and the few visitors of the Yankee Pedlar Inn. Mr. West delivers this haunted tale in spades with sounds that make you cringe and images that nearly cause one to cover their eyes. Shut the lights, bring up the sound and lock the kiddies in a safe place. This one could unnerve you.

Splinter ““ Have you ever been unfortunate enough to hit something on the road? Did you ever see roadkill that was nearly indescribable? What if that same roadkill decided to attack you while inspecting it on a dark night? The story practically has one setting, a gas station convenience store. There are basically four main characters, two we sympathize with two we can’t wait to see die along with one sick and twisted spiny monster that does horrible things to the human body. This one will jangle your nerves and the morphing effects are far more original and gruesome than 2011’s prequel to “The Thing”.

Stake Land ““ This is a nasty cross between “Evil Dead,” road trip pic and vampires. These are not good looking suckers. They almost resemble fast zombies with sharp teeth. Nothing is sacred in this film, so be warned. It is a dark, moody piece that breathes new fright life into the bloodsucking legends.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil ““ It had to happen with all the hillbilly horror movies from “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” to “Wrong Turn,” someone finally came up with a dark comical gory version with teeth. Two innocent rednecks decide to go camping in their favorite spot only to find a group of young annoying college kids that stupidly end up killing themselves while trying to avoid some friendly backwoods hospitality. Sounds dumb? Dumb has never been this bloody funny.

Midnight Son ““ If you’re like me, you want to put a stake in the “Twilight” series and bury it in garlic. I know most of you are getting tired of vampire films and I already offered one up for your liking but this one is so different from all the rest. In fact, some people have compared it to George Romero’s minor classic, “Martin”. But in many ways, “Midnight Son” is a far better unpredictable horror story that becomes very personal. A lonely young security guard who works the night shift has an aversion to sunlight. It is not till he reaches a certain age that he becomes very sick and discovers quite by accident that blood is the only thing that quenches his hunger pains and makes him feel better. Making things more difficult for the young man is his chance meeting with a troubled young lady. The attraction for both becomes a danger with the young man’s hormones and cravings being kicked into overdrive.

Twitch of the Death Nerve ““ Here is an Italian import that predates the original “Friday the 13th” by nearly 10 years! Watch this movie for fun and as a little historical lesson, because this Giallo gem is practically the outline for Sean S. Cunningham’s, “Friday the 13th” with murders and all. In fact, “Friday the 13th Part 2” takes two murders from this film shot per shot. It has come under more titles than any other movie including Bay of Blood and Last House on the Left Part II. It has also had several video releases from bad to so-so, but now Image Entertainment has delivered a really good copy in widescreen and uncut. This is considered one of the best Mario Bava (Susperia, Deep Red) films and his personal favorite. It is dated and dubbed, but that just adds to the fun.

Honorable mentions: Apartment 143 (Emergo), Session 9, Shallow Ground and The Dead Next Door (for lovers of “Evil Dead” and micro-budget horror filmmaking)

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

TOMASZ THOMSON – INTERVIEW

All you need to know is that you must see this film.

If you need a little more context, though, here is the long and short of it: A hitman makes a mistake. An honest one, anyone could’ve made it. He’s shuttled to the Carpathian Mountains to a lush, snowy, remote, desolate, locale where his only job is to keep his boss’ wife in good company. As these things usually go, the good boss’ wife meets and accidental demise and wackiness ensues from there. I say wacky but this movie is four on the floor fun. It’s been the best reason to check out something described as a German black comedy. Those three words are diametric opposites and don’t belong with one another but going into a movie expecting nothing but a good time is the right way to ensure this movie hits you just the right way.

I was able to interview the movie’s director, Tomasz Thomson, about making a movie that is visually dark and cold yet is able to make this a pretty gripping tale as everything comes undone. It’s Tarantino meets IN BRUGES’ Martin McDonagh. One of a kind.

The movie is now playing…

CHRISTOPHER STIPP: Your filmography shows your last work coming in 2001. What brought you back 10 years later to do this project and how were you keeping your skills sharp in this time?

TOMAZ THOMSON: Yes, a very long time. I was surprised myself how long it took to shoot the second feature, as my first film was quite successful on film festivals and the critics liked it. But making films can take ages sometimes. It is not uncommon to write a script with all the drafts for two or three years, then you spend another one or two years talking with your producer to TV stations, funds, actors and distributors. And then, just when you think, yes, this is going to happen, the project suddenly dies. This happened twice in a row to me, what was kind of frustrating but is a part of the job. You have to accept it and go on. And yes, you are right, one has to keep the skills sharp. You have to practice. You are not a director if you”˜re not directing. I was lucky to direct commercials and other small projects in the meantime what was not only good fun but paid my rent and made it possible to write the next script.

THOMSON: The main idea was to keep the mood switching. You let the viewer laugh about a joke and in the next second you surprise him or her with a serious, maybe even violent scene. This mix creates a dynamic that I love. It keeps things vivid. And you can balance it in the editing room quite well. Nevertheless the main tonality is rather melancholic.

CS: Where did the inspiration come from to write a movie that feels so original in the way it tells its story?

THOMSON: You need to have partners who back you up and give you the freedom to be creative. I was very lucky to do this film with Boris Michalski, a great producer. We had a very open and confident relationship and I always felt, that he believed in this project as much as I did and fought for it and our common vision. It wouldn”˜t have be possible if he had doubts. Probably he had some, but at least he never told me. So it was easy for me to feel free and brood over absurd scenes.

CS: Were you constrained in telling the story by your budget or were you able to tell the story you wanted, the way you wanted to?

THOMSON: From the very beginning it was clear that we would have a difficult budget situation. So the question was, are we going to do it anyway? And the answer was: Yes! Sure! Working low budget means, you have to adapt your story to the circumstances much more than you expect. You can”˜t postpone a shooting day just because of bad weather. You need snow but there is no? So you better change the scene so that it fits again. Or you need that car for the scene which is stuck in the snow a few miles away and won”˜t be here within the next hours? You need to be very flexible and you have to have fun in improvisation. I do and honestly, some of my favorite scenes were created on location.

CS: What did you find after shooting the movie and getting into the editing room? Did the story stay consistent or did you see something fresh you had not considered before?

THOMSON: It is crucial to kind of reset yourself and your vision in the editing room. Try to edit what you initially wanted but in the end you”˜ll have to forget the script and forget what you planed, to get the best out of it. Editing is a very creative process where you need to have a fresh view on the material you have shot. It is not easy, but it”˜s worth it. It was especially hard for me as I edited it myself. I changed a lot in the storyline, not only due to the improvisation and adaptation we made during the shooting but also because of the overall drama. For example, the narrated illustrated scenes were added afterwards.

CS: The biggest challenge on this set feels like it was the elements. Did the snow or cold present any interesting obstacles?

THOMSON: Yes, the snow and the cold gave us a hard time. But on the other hand it had it”˜s advantages. The actors for instance didn”˜t have to pretend to be exhausted or to be freezing. Just because they were.

CS: After having seen the finished film, is there anything you’re most proud of in the movie that you feel you were able to capture perfectly (or near perfect)?

THOMSON: I like this movie. Added up I”˜ve probably seen it for a few hundred times now and I still like it. Don”˜t get me wrong, usually I”˜m very strict with my own work, so there are always a lot of things I would change. But the movie is finished, that”˜s the way it goes. So why do I still like to see it? I guess because of the characters. The actors did a fantastic job and really brought this weird characters to life. I have fun watching them every time.

CS: What was any big lesson you took away about filmmaking as you made this movie?

THOMSON: You never stop learning, that”˜s right and during this project I had two big lessons: the first was rather a technical one. The script was actually a bit too long when we started shooting. We all knew but thought, well, that”˜s good, then we have more material in the editing room. But in a low budget movie you have to concentrate on what is absolutely necessary because you don”˜t have the time and money to do extra scenes as a kind of a backup. You have to be very effective. Lesson two sounds like a worn out advice: never lose your vision. Stay open to other opinions, allow others to be part of the project but in the end it”˜s your film, you have to know what you”˜re doing and you have to decide. My producer and I did, and it was a very long and difficult way but in the end it paid off.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

ZACHARY LEVI – INTERVIEW

There is something wonderful about those who go out their way to make their experience at this week’s San Diego Comic-Con memorable. From the hours that fans put in to get their costume just right, the planning some geeks will do in order to get the ultra exclusive from brand X that scores of fellow basement dwellers also covet, to the meticulous schedule jiggering (present company included) in order to account for every moment of the day so as not to waste a single second. It’s this kind of thought and effort that make coming back every year to the land of the strange smell so wonderful. As the event has become so ginormous and almost unwieldily, event planners have taken it upon themselves to think outside of the four walls of the convention center.

You now can find odds and ends to do without ever having to possess a ticket to get inside 111 West Harbor Drive and that has only proven the power that the nerd herd has a collective. Actor Zac Levi, best known for his years as Chuck Bartowski, is back for a second straight year at his offsite Nerd HQ which proved to be a successful compliment to the official offerings of Comic-Con. Where once fans had to wait in long, slow, spindly lines just hoping that they could have the chance to have a seat to sit in their favorite panel, Levi offered them the chance to get a ticket and reserve their chance to sit in on a conversation among the cast of Chuck, with Jared Padalecki, with Zachary Quinto, Felicia Day and many others who showed up somewhere else besides the congested innards of the Con floor. So successful was the novel approach to offering fans what they really want, a guarantee and a chance to intimately share the space with those they really came to San Diego to see, that Levi is doing it all again in a new space but with the same commitment to offering an opportunity to sit in on conversations with celebrities who are just as excited talking as the people sitting, listening.

This year’s list of notable notables include some cast members from The Expendables 2, Chuck, Twilight, Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, Seth Green, Guillermo Del Toro, and so many others. In addition to brining out the talent, Levi is once again making a commitment to label these small panels “Conversations for a Cause” as he helps raise money for Operation Smile, adding an element to humanitarian stewardship to a convention known as much for its excess as for its geekery. Levi took some time as he comes upon zero hour to chat about what’s on board this year and what made him think that he could do it all over again for a second year in a row.

The finer details of where you can be a part of the goings on at The Nerd Machine:

Located just two blocks away from the convention floor at Block No. 16 Union and Spirits (344 7TH Ave., San Diego, CA 92101), Nerd HQ gives fans a unique experience through cutting edge technology and gaming showcases, exclusive parties including Levi’s annual Nerd party and exciting autograph signings. In addition Nerd HQ will bring back the popular “Conversations for a Cause” panel series.

The popular “Conversations for a Cause” panel series, which benefits Operation Smile through ticket sales, allows fans access to their favorite celebrities to have un-moderated, up close conversations. This year Break Media will broadcast the panels live on their site at www.break.com/nerdhq. Last year’s participants included Kevin Smith, Jared Padalecki, Zachary Quinto, Nathan Fillion, Olivia Munn, Felicia Day and Seth Green among others and the series raised $40,000 for Operation Smile. Individual tickets will sell for $20.

In addition to live streaming the “Conversations for a Cause” panels, Break Media, the official digital partner of Nerd HQ, will broadcast nightly highlight reports hosted by Zachary Levi and have produced a three part original series. “Trailer Park Heroes” premieres today and features Zachary Levi, Adam Baldwin, Aly Michalka, Joel Moore, Jason Biggs and surprise guests. The nightly highlights and “Trailer Park Heroes” can be viewed at http://www.break.com/nerdmachine-2012/nerd-machine-trailer-park-heroes-part-1-2339892 .

Xbox, the official gaming sponsor, will provide gaming stations featuring the newest and yet-to-be released titles including the debut the first hands-on demo of the completely reborn Tomb Raider franchise from Square Enix. Also playable exclusively at Nerd HQ will be OverRun, the new multiplayer mode coming in Gears of War: Judgment. VIZIO, the official technology sponsor of Nerd HQ, will provide laptops, tablets, and PCs for fans to demo. New LED monitors will fill the space and showcase the newest 3D and Internet App technology.

As an added feature, Spike TV will be broadcasting live from Nerd HQ on Friday, July 13 and Saturday, July 14 to their network and digital outlets through their ALL ACCESS LIVE programming.

For more information, schedule updates and tickets please visit www.thenerdmachine.com.

Like us on Facebook at The NERD Machine, Follow us on Twitter @thenerdmachine

CS: Hey, sir, how are you doing?

LEVI: I’m doing well thanks.

CS: Are you hip deep in logistics for next week or is that just not on your plate?

LEVI: Fortunately Dave, my business partner, Dave Coleman, there is a reason I started a company with a partner. It’s so that somebody could take care of all the nuts and bolts of operation. There’s still a lot of stuff I’m busy with and decision making that needs to be done but I’ve been kind of having to focus on some other things outside of HQ so it’s been good to toss that onto Dave’s plate. But, yeah. It’s crazy the amount of things that pop up or go wrong right before you are supposed to open the doors. It’s like everything is smooth sailing and you’re a week out and then it’s this that and the other thing. And you’re like why didn’t this happen a couple of months ago? But, we’re good. We’re excited. Hopefully the logistical stuff will work itself out. Last year was kind of a surprise to us as much as anyone else that it came out being as special as I think it was and being able to sit on as many panels as we did and raise as much money for charity and have some great parties ““ great partnerships. We’re really excited about this year and hoping that it lives up to last year. Not necessarily in size, but in how people walk away from it. I feel people walked away from celebrities that they liked and it all felt good. I want people to feel good when they spend time with us and when they leave I want them to feel like I really enjoyed myself at that spot and I want to do that again.

CS: It’s funny that you bring that up. I was there ““ either Sunday morning or when the Chuck panel when that conversation happened and there was just energy ““ devotion ““ these people have that really came out. It was electric and you could feel it. Was there any point in your mind thinking that should we do this again or is it always I knew I was going to be coming back next year?

LEVI: I believed in the idea enough when I was coming up with it that barring it being a failure I was planning on doing it in years to come but you still have to open the doors and see if it’s a failure or not. And there were a couple of dicey moments leading up to it wondering if people were going to know about it, if people were going to be into it. And there’s a lot of other ““ I can’t really get into it but when you go to make a big event ““ poor Dave and Paige ““ she’s not only my personal publicist and has been for so many years but basically came on to do the PR for it last year and it was going to be a one day ““ no, actually, it was going to be a party. The year before, two years ago, we threw the first nerd party and was just so launch our first shirt in the company, it was a soft launch and we had a great time and danced until 4:00 in the morning. So, the next year we were going to try and get a little booth ““ space on the convention floor and have a party. And when Comic-Con said there was no room on the floor, I was just like, how do we sell shirts, how do we keep name recognition and brand recognition out there?

So, I thought what if we do like ““ have some people come and do signings, not even thinking panels, just have people do signings, I know Baldwin goes down to conventions and he can make his money while he’s there. We will just host it and that will bring traffic through and when people come we can sell them a tee shirt ““ yeah, that’s it ““ and at night we will have a party. We all kinda settled on that and then the next day or whatever, I called Dave and I said, I think we should do this for two days. And they’re like, that’s double the cost, and I said, I know and it just kept going and going and I finally said guys, if we’re going to do this, let’s really do it and let’s do it the whole week of Comic-Con ““ all four days and four nights and let’s bring in video games, let’s bring in technology and let’s give the fans and celebrities a really cool place to come and hang out. Where they can have a drink and order some food and play some cool video games that they’ve never played before. I just really believe ““ and I think people know this of me because of the panels we’ve done at Comic-Con or other interviews I’ve given, but as an entertainer, if you boil it all down, take away all the glitz and glam and money and all that stuff, which is all great and lovely and I’ll take it anyway they want to give it to me if that comes with it, awesome, benefit of the job, but I like entertaining people. I like that that’s my job that I get to bring a smile to people’s face but you are only as good as your audience.

You boil it all down and it’s like community theatre that I’ve done most of my life. Your show is only as good as the people that decide to go and come see you. You have to appreciate them. So, I started to think about that, I’m always thinking about it, but in regards to HQ, how do we offer something different or improve upon on an idea or thought as far as events go. And I started thinking about CES and E3 and how they’re awesome but unless you’re a vendor or a company you’re not going to be able to go and I’ve been really blessed to go to them ““ especially E3 for years. Because I’m quote unquote celebrity so I get a pass. I think about all these fans at Comic-Con that I know love video games ““ very similar demographic. So I thought why don’t we get some cool games there that they didn’t get a chance to play at E3 because they weren’t even allowed in. And then I love Xbox a lot and I play that more than any system ““ I mean I love all my systems but I probably play Xbox the most. I already had some friends that worked there so I said hey would you like to be our gaming sponsor and Break.com was interested in being able to cover it and have content for their site and content for our site ““ were very generous and I thought this was coming together rather well. And I went out of pocket a good amount last year but to me if you want to make an impact on the world you have to sacrifice. And whatever, dude, I could die tomorrow ““ like you don’t see a hearse on the back of a U-Haul.

Might as well spend a little money while I’m here and try and give people something that’s memorable and exciting and fun and inclusive and intimate. And the panels ““ the biggest site guys for the panels was I just always felt a little cut short doing my panels for Chuck at Comic-Con. Comic-Con has a tough job trying to juggle everybody. What’s the best way to do a panel? How do you make everyone feel comfortable? Moderators do. They balance questions out ““ they make people feel comfortable but I was always bummed when we did our panel because they were 6,000 people out there dying to ask a question and you have a lovely reporter like yourself, or Alan Sepinwall, asking a question but you guys can ask us questions all the time and I would look out at this audience and felt like can’t we just let them talk the whole time. They might ask stupid or silly questions but at least we’re interacting with them ““ at least they are sitting there for a reason. And also going to panels in hall H and being like wow these are giant and massive and cool but if you’re in the back you can’t see Kevin Smith ““ the moderator of them. And again, I’m not trying to knock Comic-Con in any way, shape or form.

That’s the mothership.

They bring everybody down there but I just kinda felt if I was going do to panels, what would I do? And, how would I want to do it differently? And then I started to think about ““ every time I’ve been down to Comic-Con there’s all these brown coats running around. And I’m like ““ there are still so many Firefly fans still ““ that still dress up but there’s never going to be another panel for it. Retro-panels rarely happen. So I called up Fillian who is a buddy of mine and asked if he would be interested in doing a Firefly panel. Get the cast back together ““ a small intimate panel. That was the first panel I thought of. He said, dude that’s a great idea ““ that would be so much fun. He’s going to be hanging out at the HQ basically all weekend long just to hang out ““ just to hang out with fans or have a drink or play video games. He and I are very kindred spirits in that regard. And so excited that Comic-Con is having a 10 year reunion for them. That’s really awesome. But anyway, that’s the little things that kept swirling through my head.

And I’m like, can we put this all together ““ how do we put it all together ““ how do we make it all about something that’s bigger you know? Because obviously I want to do well by Nerd Machine ““ that’s my company. I believe in capitalism but conscientious capitalism. If felt if we can do good by us and sell some merch and get some brand recognition while simultaneously offering fans a really cool intimate hands on experience with games, tech and celebrities AND give those celebrities the same kind of “¦ Basically I told Seth Green or Zach, do whatever you want to do with your panel, it’s yours. If you want to sit there and juggle for an hour, then do that. If you want to talk about a project your doing or pump another product, it’s yours. I just want you to have fun with it and have fun with the fans because that’s what they’ll walk away from the most. And then to be able to let the event be a free event where anyone can just walk in off the street and not charge anybody for it but to use the panel as a tool to raise money for those less fortunate around the world, I just felt like was a really good fit. All the pieces just came together. It’s just kind of crazy to think that it did! We’ve been planning this one literally since Comic-Con ended last year.

CS: Really?

LEVI: Yeah, it’s been in different phases obviously but the next day we went out and started looking at venues. We liked where we were but we wanted to see if there was anything else out there. We did, found another great venue. And then securing sponsors which I thought would be a lot easier this year given our track record from last year but it still wasn’t super easy. In some respects it was but in other ways we still had to fight. We haven’t announced any of our panels yet because we have to wait for Comic-Con to announce their schedule before we can even do our schedule. And also, it’s just a big, big jigsaw puzzle. We can only put 225 people in our audience so it’s not like your having to fill 1,000 or 6,000 or 10,000 people.

Hopefully the people that we’re going to have on the panel so far the ones we have locked ““ I’m so freakin’ excited about it and wish I could tell you about “˜em ““ but to me the coolest thing is to see people that I’m intimidated by ““ stars or show runners or directors where I say holy crap – they are down to do a panel at our little venue. It’s a testament to them being really cool people who want to be decent and cool with their fans who are into the idea of raising money for charity and like the idea of having a cool place to hang out. So, definitely, the next day after Comic-Con Dave and I and his wife just walked around San Diego ““ had some food. I love the Gas Lamp. I love it down there. It’s a really cool location.

CS: Were there efficiencies from last year that you said we could make this an even better experience by doing x or y? Was there anything off the top of your mind that you thought would make the experience a little bit better?

LEVI: I gotta say that most of the things that we felt like needed to be polished were very kind of venue contingent and by that I mean one of the things we had issues with last year was fire code for example. There were only so many people we could fit into any particular room in the location we were at last year. And that was just because it was kind of an older building and had very few entrances and exits and they were small. So when it came to the party or it came to having a lot of people at the panel and signing, and games and stuff, that was difficult. All the things that you think about or things you don’t think about like how do we do this. Every venue has it’s challenges. The venue we’re in now poses a challenge but that’s something you gladly take on. How do we roll our sleeves up and solve this puzzle and I think we’ve done that pretty well. I’m trying to think of other things. Honestly I think it was all just little logistical things that weren’t really too much of a worry then and are not too much of a worry now. We’re spacing our panels out a little more just to give ourselves some breathing room. Last year it was one audience was getting up to go into the signing room while we were loading another one in – we just felt a little frazzled. Because everyone that’s coming in to do a panel is volunteering their time and they are busy. They are running to other panels at Comic-Con or doing other appearances with other publications and stuff and parties.

So, it was very advantageous of us to just spread that out a little bit. Give ourselves some breathing room, and we’ve done that. Can’t wait for the parties. I’m just excited about all of it. Because I’ve been busy with other stuff it’s more my personal career ““ I’m constantly juggling these two brands ““ Zach the actor and Zach the entrepreneur which gets a little tricky in some ways and I’ll tell you about that some other time maybe. But I’ve been forced to have to juggle a lot in the Zach career so David has taken the brunt of the stress of HQ. So, I’m looking forward to him not being so stressed anymore. That’s one of my best friends and I was best man at his wedding. I never like seeing him stressed. I never like seeing anyone stressed. It’s just a testament to how much he cares. He really cares. He cares about the fans. He worked with me on Chuck. He knew how important they are.

CS: At what point did it become more of you thinking about this is something that would be cool to have ““ you connecting with your idea of connecting to a charity ““ which I think you had a very large presence for that charity ““ that marrying those two ideas together ““ that everyone can have a really good time but we can also do something that’s positive and impactful. When did those two things collide?

LEVI: It was kind of midstream with the planning of HQ. Basically every time I do something ““ at my birthday parties ““ they all have some kind of charity aspect to them. I just think there is no reason why if God has given you some sort of influence and a little bit of sway – I have a lot of friends and I like having big birthday parties ““ not necessarily for me just because it’s a great excuse to throw a big dance party. So, I always try to have something there where people either ““ I don’t ever force people to donate because that takes the whole heart of donating and charitable giving out of the equation ““ you can’t strong arm anybody ““ but it’s always a presence ““ I always encourage people. If I can have a big carnival birthday party and have 500 people and they all just bring one dollar, that’s $500 ““ that’s changing two children’s lives through Operation Smile. $240 dollar operation. Their lives are changed forever. So for me, again, I believe in capitalism and I believe in going out and doing well for your life ““ do whatever and be successful at it but along the way realize the blessing you have and try and give back as much as you can through the process.

It was always something in the back of my mind that I intended to bring to the HQ so it was just a matter of trying to find the most impactful way to do it. We have places at HQ that you can just donate. Even if you don’t pay for a panel you can donate money. That’s great but how can you guarantee that you can get more money without strong arming somebody in return. And that’s where the panels were the light bulb. I didn’t want to charge people to come to the venue. I didn’t want to say hey come and play video games for free oh but it’s a donation in order to get in. That makes it a little tricky and then you have people possibly waiting outside in line and it’s just a logistical thing. It just didn’t feel right. So much of what I go on in life really is just gut feeling. If I were John Doe and I walking around downtown ““ what feels like it’s a scam what feels like it’s cool, what feel like it’s organic like I’m not getting ripped off? What feel like a place where they really put a lot of thought where everything comes together? And to me that’s a testament to somebody. When I walk into a venue or a restaurant or a bar or an event or whatever, I look at all the aspects of it ““ parking to refreshments to everything. And I go, was there thought put into this or were the people planning this just going whatever, they’ll figure it out. I don’t like that.

I want to feel like people thought of somebody. And not only did they think about the people coming in, but they are also thinking more globally and thinking about ““ like in my case ““ Operation Smile is my charity. I am an ambassador for it, proudly, and have been for years and will continue to be. It struck a chord with me that is incredibly deep and personal. I’ve never had a cleft lip or pallet or oral deformation but I’ve had friends growing up with cleft lips and pallets. And the effect that that has on a child growing up ““ in a lot of third world countries they are considered cursed. They are considered damned. I can’t even imagine. It was one day I was driving around town and I felt like God just put it in my face. I saw six billboard and six commercials in two days. And I’d seen them before but all of a sudden it dawned on me that I make a living and a big part because I have a good smile. I have a good dentist and good orthodontist. I’ve got a good smile. But what if I didn’t? What if my teeth were all mangled? Or slightly mangled? That would have a huge impact on me as an actor. Everyone knows that Hollywood is a physical beautiful place or whatever. And it just sort of hit me that not only do I get to have a normal life, even if I couldn’t be a working actor, what if I was in this kids shoes. This child is a human being, has a heart and a soul and because of some weird birth defect, they are shunned and have no friends and being able to get medical assistance to them in the middle of nowhere. Stories that I’ve heard of families trekking hundreds of miles with their kid on their back so they could get in line to get their child an operation and having been turned away because there were too many people there already and they trek hundreds of miles back and wait for the next one to come around.

Anyway, I’m sorry, I went off on a tangent there but the point is that I think that if people are always mindful of the impact you can make in the world, even in the smallest of ways, collectively that’s where you change the world. That’s how you do it. And if it means going to fans and saying, “Fans of Firefly, you got Nathan and Alan, Adam and Jewel and Morena and they are all willing to come and hang out with you guys and you can secure a seat, you don’t have to wait in line hoping to get a seat if you are lucky enough to be in it. If you buy the seat, it’s yours ““ it’s $20.”

A pretty nominal fee.

I feel everyone will walk away from the experience like we had done something special that was bigger than ourselves. And also, it was very much about ourselves it was very much about the relationship you maintain with your fans and supporters that give you that validation and the reason that you do what you do.

CS: Let’s say it’s Sunday, Nerd HQ is closed, it’s done. What is the definition of success for you ““ what will tell you that you did well, that you can leave there happy?

LEVI: I gauge it all the way down. First and foremost the amount of money that we can raise for charity and that all depends on the fans and the panels and selling out the panels and hopefully we are offering panels that they really want to buy tickets for. So the biggest success is that. The most money we can raise for Operation Smile and then just below that would be the response from the talent involved and the fans and if they felt like it was special.

If they felt, even aside from the philanthropic aspect, if they felt like the time they got to spend with each other ““ the communication, the back and forth between the fans and talent was good, intimate, real and good and off the top and was really unique and one of a kind and you don’t find it anywhere else. And then of course just under that is hoping that the sponsors that trusted us with their money and their resources walk away from this feeling like it was an investment well spent. And if all that comes together, even if I have to spend more of my own money then it was worth it.

CS: Sir, again, as always, thank you, thank you for taking some time out of your day to talk with me. It is always a pleasure.

LEVI: Brother, it was great to talk to you again.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN – REVIEW

The problem with Marc Webb’s reboot of a comic property that needed a new lease on its comic book shelf life isn’t that it’s somehow unfaithful to the web head’s past. Rather, Andrew Garfield is placed in a role that just doesn’t have the much of a spark. Sure, the love interest that Peter has with Gwen Stacy flirts with some genuine heat the two seem pushed together way too fast, too soon, and without so much of that certain bit of romance that we felt between he and Mary Jane in previous films.

Where the movie excels, though, is in its effects that make this a true summer blockbuster that deserves to be seen on the big screen with its action set pieces and more than obvious set ups that barely even hide that these are needed in order to move the plot along at such breakneck speed there is no time for introspection or even a little bit of character development. We have plot points that need development. Dad Parker needs to get rid of his son, Uncle Ben and Aunt May need to show how old they are and Ben needs to die, Peter needs to know what it is to have that kind of responsibility which comes with having the power to scale walls, Peter needs to avenge his uncle’s death, but, wait, therein lies another problem with the movie. We spend a good amount of time in this film waiting to find out what Peter is going to do to the man who killed his uncle. It’s the revenge fantasy and even Uncle Ben himself chides the boy for getting a cheap shot in at Flash, who previously humiliated him in an over-the-top ridiculous schoolyard bullying scene that I haven’t seen played that straight since CAN’T BUY ME LOVE, when Peter has the chance to do so. It’s that sense of revenge, of getting even, that really does define Peter as a character and as a hero. That plot point is left to wither and left unanswered as the movie does with a lot of its previously raised questions and problems. The most unsatisfying resolution is no resolution at all and when the movie wants to skirt these issues only to end on a 3D spectacular that involves the last remaining fight Peter has in him there is nothing left to do but wonder why, if you make a movie about Spider-Man and have to retell everything all over again, do you leave out the very thing that could have redefined the man behind the mask? As it stands, we have an unmade man, a hero who doesn’t yet deserve the mantle of one just yet.

SAVAGES – REVIEW

Make no mistake, this is a B movie. C movie, more like it.

Not that it’s a bad movie by any means, OK maybe a little means, but the movie only reaches a certain amount of thrills before reverting into a production that is filled with scene chewing villainy from Benicio Del Toro and Salma Hayek that really makes this a fun film. Outside of them, however, we have two drug dealers, played with diametrically opposite aplomb by Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson who play best friends John and Ben, respectfully, who share a common cooze: Ophelia, played by Blake Lively. As Ophelia, she is our sometimes narrator, imbued with the kind of hippie sensibility that is reserved for the kind of individual whose ideals aren’t grounded in a reality other than the one they’ve created in their own head. As a weed business, John and Ben are at the top of their game and they’ve proven that they’re good at it. Why they choose to also live in a candy coated nirvana, sharing the sexual affections of one girl, isn’t really explained so much as it’s shown. It’s their relationship, actually, that sags this narrative down.

The only real excitement comes in the form of the nasty feud that dusts up when Hayek’s entreaties to go into business with the weedies is rebuked and a kidnapping ensues. It’s this plot line, and it’s not especially a new one, that proves to be one thing that makes this movie palatable. Outside of a few chases, a few shootouts, the material that Oliver Stone is working with just comes off as flat and uninspired. Whether or not he has something to say about drug policy or the current state of the war on drugs, it’s irrelevant as he’s either distracted by having to push forward a plot that has our anti-heroes turning the tables on the cartel that seeks their obedience or trying to put a pretty bow on a movie that only has one honest conclusion. A conclusion, mind you, that completely upends itself and renders the story in a dreamlike haze. It’s an ending that doesn’t earn it and it certainly doesn’t deserve anything more than a passing glance or a one-and-done viewing. It’s best left to sit there as a fairytale that doesn’t need to be revisited once you consume it.

Long Hot Summer in a Cold Dark Theater By Ray Schillaci

I’ve been gone for awhile if you have not noticed. Not physically but mentally, although I would prefer to be somewhere cooler where small mammals are not threatened to explode with contact to the intense morning heat that greets the Phoenix residents on a daily basis. I finally figured out after eight years why the city was anointed with such a name; survive the fire and you may rise above it all. In the dead heat of this summer people either flee the state (they’re called “snowbirds,” flocking to cooler destinations), seek refuge hibernating in their air conditioned homes (if not working at their jobs), wolfing meal after meal at Golden Corral (where ““ if one listens very carefully ““ you can hear the faint musings of satisfied cattle among the mostly portly patrons) or converge to the nearest multiplex subjecting one’s self to the least expensive form of what we’ve been told is entertainment.

Without a thought, we reach into our economically tight pockets and pay anywhere from seven to fifteen dollars a head, not including the sometimes stale popcorn and other overpriced confections, to get us through these hard times we are facing. Movies, video games, entertainment news and reality TV happen to contribute to a saying dated back to the Roman Empire, “Give them bread and circuses and they will never revolt.”

But every so often we do witness a ripple that disturbs the powers that be (at least in the studio system) for all the special effects, 3D and stunt work do not always add up to a good story. That is exactly what people want from their escape and time and time again many of the powers that be just don’t get it. As long as failed filmmakers continue to propagate the studios as bean counters/lawyers that morph themselves into studio executives we will continue to be subjected to countless cookie-cutter products that rarely meet expectations.

Many of these high powered decision makers churn through what they just view as product at such a rapid pace that release dates override the importance of good content. They are like children with ADD given tremendous responsibility with no idea how to properly take charge and place story first and foremost. Some of our favorite filmmakers are no better; having become lazy in their storytelling and substituting it with either homage’s to themselves or attempting to jar are senses with editing techniques that are best left for small screen commercials.

Ridley Scott’s, “Prometheus” has been sighted as an aggravating disappointment to many critics and audiences. It is not a complete failure, but it is an intriguing and gorgeous looking let down that is blatant in its storytelling flaws. There are those who defend Scott’s vision and feign daring to tell an original story that did not appear to be lifted from the rest of the “Alien” franchise, but something apparently got in the way.

The first hour appears to breathe new life, but eventually descends into familiar territory that feels too much like “been there, done that”. Jarring moments of the stupidity of characters are nearly laughable and are far more acceptable in a movie like “Cabin in the Woods” that pokes fun at the genre rather than a story claiming to take itself and its lofty notions of creation so seriously. Scott was also able to get away with putting a distance between us and the characters in such classics as “Alien” and “Bladerunner,” because the actors excelled over the underwritten parts. The characters that are sprinkled throughout Prometheus are not only minimally written but near vapid in their portrayal.

The only characters worth investing in are an android and a captain that seems to be nearly as down to earth as the original one in “Alien”. Unfortunately Idris Elba’s, Captain Janek is carried by the actor’s charisma and not what the writers provided him. Michael Fassbender’s android starts off interesting but with some of his suspicious actions we tend to distrust his character, leaving no one else to care about. Once we’ve lost our investment in characters the movie ends up like an expensive set piece. It’s cool to look at, but you’re never really sure where it is going and the tag-along ending nearly elicits a vocal groan from many. This leads me to believe that the “Prometheus'” box office take may end up being disappointing compared to it’s over inflated budget that did not have the story fleshed out to its fullest to warrant such a high dollar amount.

Continuing the grumblings of public and box office is Adam Shankman’s film version of “Rock of Ages”. Problem number one with this film is the limited audience appeal; hair band 80’s nostalgia fans. The film version lacks the darkness of the play that brought to light the luridness of the time while never quite capturing the all around joyous fun that director Shankman was able to convey in “Hairspray”. In the director’s earlier musical, he demonstrated a sure footing in his dance numbers, but with ROA Shankman substitutes hyper editing for dance routines that barely go anywhere along. “Hairspray” had quirky fun characters with some depth and soul. ROA barely scratches the surface with any investment in their characters. This musical outing is nearly peppered with wafer thin soulless creations that have us begging for the next musical number so we do not have to listen to them drone on.

There are guilty joys in Rock of Ages depending on the viewer. Some will absolutely love Alec Baldwin as the aging owner of the Bourbon Room and his daffy assistant played by Russell Brand. But I have found that it goes either way for these two. Some people enjoy their humor and liken it to the best SNL skit while others find them just as annoying and out of place as Tom Cruise in his role as the burned out Stacee Jaxx.

Those finding Cruise miscast do not seem to get the fine high wire act Cruise committed to in playing the aging rocker. He skirts just playing it for laughs and slips in a soul now and then showing a heart still aching to be relevant. For those who have cited Cruise’s “time to leave his shirt on,” his critics should be reminded that the actor was purposely not in tip top shape to capture the look of the wasted rock star.

Rock of Ages does not do well as a crossover movie. Today’s young generation has little interest in the 80’s culture and there is only a small segment of baby boomers that it caters to. It might have been a hit on Broadway, but the film’s story is uninspired and its characters are barely three dimensional, which may end up having Shankman’s latest musical opus experience a slow death at the box office unless it finds its way into the hearts of the midnight cult circuit that is kinder to such fare. I will admit that for me personally and my family it ended up being a guilty pleasure. I did laugh, found myself secretly rocking out and feeling good at the end even with its flaws.

Unfortunately, there have been few films worth seeing with strong stories and good characters. “Marvel’s Avengers” “Cabin in the Woods” and “Moonrise Kingdom” are refreshing compared to what the studios have had to offer us. Those films give us a reason to return to the theater. Whether or not “The Amazing Spiderman” will be amazing or “The Dark Knight Rises” will rise above the rest is a question still to be answered. Even turning one of our most revered presidents into a vampire hunter with the blood sucking crave in high gear may not be enough to lure its victims. If audiences even get a hint of a sub-par story, their patience may wane for this kind of entertainment and the hesitancy of dolling out their hard earned money may be reserved for the next video game to add to their collection.

In the meantime, there are some strong independent films still struggling to get a theatrical distribution deal and all of you should seek them out. Kurt Kuenne’s, “Shuffle” happens to be one of the most powerful films in many years. It strikes an emotional chord with its audience that is rarely experienced. Unfortunately, theatrical distributors are uninterested in small unless it involves nude nuns with guns (an actual title to a movie). The powers that be have cited small budget, a black & white presentation and no name stars as its hindrance. But Kuenne’s story about a man with narcolepsy who wakes up at different ages and has no control of his life shuffling out of order has fascinated its audiences who demand repeat viewings.

Aaron Rottinghaus’ “Apart” is also searching for a better theatrical deal. Having played in L.A. and New York in a very limited release, the teenage audience it attracts is dedicated and there is very little reason to wonder why. The film is part art/teen angst/thriller that never panders to the tweens. It treats all of us as intelligent viewers looking for some depth while not getting too high brow for its own good. “Apart” is reminiscent of “Donnie Darko,” “Memento” and “Rebel without a Cause” in mood and tone. It does all of this without ever being derivative while introducing a new director with a distinct and profound vision.

Both films mentioned have home video deals, but it is a shame that they take a backseat to high profile films that have little joy or substance that litter the screens with their 3D effects, aged toilet humor and simple-minded rom-coms. The only way to get the message to the infantile mind of the nukie sucking executives responsible for such dribble is to get them where it hurts ““ at the box office. Boycott manufactured crap with little if no human emotion and support good well thought out entertainment.

If you must see crap why pay the $7 to $15 price tag for air conditioning when many of us have the A/C on already at home, the candy, popcorn and beverage are far less expensive, and you can rent that regurgitated mess for a buck or borrow it from the library? It usually has less than a six month shelf life before reaching home video, but why should that matter when we know going in it ain’t worth it. We do this enough; perhaps somebody up there will care and start putting out better films and less by-products.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

DALLAS HALLAM and PATRICK HORVATH of ENTRANCE

It absolutely reminded me of something that Ti West would have put out. Oddly, West is hosting a Q&A with directors Patrick Horvath and Dallas Hallam this Friday night, the 18th, in LA at the Downtown Independent and it’s so fitting. A movie about a woman who is living an isolated existence and feels disconnected to the environment around her. When her solitary life is interrupted by the very worst kind of interruption, life goes south and what was a quiet portrait of a lovely woman turns into a deranged expose of evil. I had a chance to talk to Patrick and Dallas about their film, their relative newness on the scene, and what the future holds for a couple of guys looking to redefine what horror should be.

ENTRANCE is in theaters and On Demand starting today

DALLAS HALLAM: Hi, Christopher, I’m Dallas Hallam.

PATRICK HORVATH: Hi Christopher, I’m Patrick Horvath

CHRISTOPHER STIPP: Hi, how are you doing?

HALLAM: Doing alright. How are you doing?

CS: Doing well, thank you. I’ll just launch right into it I got to see the movie a few days ago and was really wowed by it.

HALLAM AND HORVATH: Very cool, thank you so much, Christopher

CS: Really loved it. I’m sure people have brought it up ““ that there are elements of TI WEST in there ““ that you seem to really be going back to making horror films that are moving away from torture porn and trying to make it more cerebral, more visceral.

HALLAM AND HORVATH: We really appreciate hearing that. Thank you. It can get frustrating after a while when you see a movie coming out that is just there because they thought if we do that and the other we will get people to come watch it but we were lucky enough to be at the same festival where The Innkeepers was playing and part of what they do every year is fly all the directors up and hang out and get drunk at this ranch. So that’s why we were actually able to hang out with Ti and get to know him better as well.

CS: So is this a genre that, much like Ti works in it movie after movie, is this something that you feel comfortable with sticking around in or is it something more like a one and done ““ out of your system and you want to go into something else?

HALLAM AND HORVATH: We’re definitely going to stick around with horror films. I made a zombie film back in 2008 ““ I think we love horror but love all sorts of films ““ we’re huge film buffs and to be honest in the future we want to make all sorts of movies. And what we were saying about the businessman’s aspect of horror films, is that it’s sort of the symptom of how easily accessible ““ they are very visceral and very easy to jump on to. A bonus to that is that you don’t necessarily have to have big names in the film in order to be successful. It’s honestly why a lot of directors end up starting off in horror for sure. But yea, horror is definitely a genre that we both love. And going into the future we will definitely be working in horror again but we would love to work in other stuff as well.

CS: Speak to me about how you two came together. It’s interesting that you both co-directed and co-wrote the movie, what brought you two together to say, “Hey, why don’t we make a movie and co-direct it with one another?”

HALLAM: Almost a decade ago at film school at the University of Iowa we had similar interest, we had a band together, made films together and worked together and then Pat went to Chicago and I went to LA and a couple years later Pat came to LA and we just kept in touch. I never thought that we would co-direct together but we would help out with each other’s projects.

HORVATH: We would help out in anyway we could.

HALLAM: To answer your question, I don’t even know the answer ““ just instinct. It came about because something else fell apart and I don’t even remember asking Pat if he could co-direct. I just said how about this thing and we’ll co-direct together and blah blah blah. And it just came out like that. Just instinct. And since then what I’ve learned is that we really compliment each other. The things we’re good at we make better for each other, things we’re not good at, we cancel out each other. We compliment each other and love working with each other.

CS: So take me though the steps of actually putting rubber to the road after the script was written. You wanted to direct it and I know, Patrick, you directed before, Dallas not so much, but what was the process like of actually getting this off the ground and finding Suziey and getting this thing shot?

HORVATH: Necessity is the mother of invention ““ Dallas had basically secured a good chunk of change, about $6,000 bucks and that’s what we went in to shoot it with. But we wanted to make something and for different reasons his project fell apart, whether because people backing out or their schedules not working, so then we had the desire to run in and make something and we had a time limit because we were both still working. I’m actually at my day job right now. We had a window of a month and a half and came home from work and Dallas already had a tiny idea of, “Hey, what if we made a horror film?” And immediately I liked it a lot. We took a couple weeks and pounded out what would be used as a script and then we pretty much, the whole film, was made from necessity. All the characters that were involved were accessible and agents were accessible and throughout the whole film we came up with all these stylistic rules formed by other films that we were inspired by. Just to keep the whole thing moving ““ we shot in 12 days. Suziey was working, she would work all day, come back, and we would shoot her at night.

HALLAM: I actually met Suziey while casting my ill-fated projected that fell apart. She wasn’t right for that project so I didn’t cast her but she was a nice person. And I remember when I told her she didn’t get the part she vehemently told me I was wrong and that she was the right person for it. She had such gusto and she was so terrific ““ she had such a spark and was so right for this thing I just said, you don’t have to cast the lead, I got her. I said Pat and I share the same brain and he just trusted me and she was totally right. Everbody else just came once we started making the film. Suziey had to have a job and it turns out she worked for a coffee shop and we could shoot there at night so now her character works at a coffee shop.

CS: It’s interesting you mentioned about the script, it’s so much a departure that many people would classify as a horror kind of movie. It really takes a step back in that we are just really watching her live and things happen here and there that kind of lead up to the third act when things really start coming together in a huge way. When you were putting the script together did it materialize the way you saw it as you were writing it as you see the finished product now?

HALLAM: Very much so. We knew that we couldn’t write out a full dialogue of scripts and have the time to activate that by shooting it. What we focused on was a very detailed plot point list and all these pieces that we needed. It was a very collaborative process of improvisation in rehearsals that we got the dialogue to where it is. We just had all these rules and because of the rules what we ended up getting back was better than what we thought it would be.

HORVATH: It was funny because the rules set us free in a way. By chaining ourselves to a strict style and the strict way of making the movie set us free and kind of feels more real because of it. We never attempted anything in the movie that we couldn’t pull off with $6,000.00. We tried to make a movie that could have been made for any amount of money. We didn’t want people to go this is a little movie. We wanted to just enjoy it. So I guess to answer your question, the style in the end was exactly what we pictured.

CS: Once you had the finished product and thankfully IFC has come in and is giving it a nice push, when did you know ““ every filmmaker thinks this is going to be great and get recognized as a great film and take us places ““ at what point did you think you really had something special with this movie?

HORVATH: I don’t think we ever did. We made it and we both loved what we made. But, at the same time, we have worked on projects that just don’t get around and I think a lot of it has to do with, I don’t want to say luck necessarily, but you really do have to wait for an opportunity to help push you along.

HALLAM: There were times when I thought, is this really good or am I too close to it? I can’t tell. It always felt like it was a part of my soul. When we were finished we immediately rented out a theatre to screen it ““ just to screen it, which is the way to do it. I think the first time we saw it with an audience we got a real strong reaction from the audience. That was the first time we thought we really had something rad on our hands. And then after that, it was a slow process. I have a friend who is a sales rep and I want to show it to him and he had a positive response and also once we got into the Los Angeles Film Festival ““ that was a very gratifying response and pleased that it sold out. I think by that point, we thought that this was more success that we had ever had with anything.

CS: So now the movie is finished and you’ve seen the critical reception of it, what do you think a) about the finished piece and b) has it made you think about what will be next for the two of you together?

HORVATH: I must admit and I think that all artists do have moments of insecurity, before every showing I would look at Pat and say did we trick everybody? Is someone going to pull the clothes off of us and say this isn’t good? It feels good and reactions are good and I realize it’s just the normal insecurities people go through.

HALLAM: This is not a film for everybody. It’s definitely a film that we would like to see. I always enjoy watching it and think at the end of the day it didn’t take that much money to make it and it will last forever and we have long lasting relationships making it and I can say we will work with Suziey Block the rest of our lives. We owe her so much. Her performance is so great. Without her the film wouldn’t be anything. We probably would be here today talking to you. And we’ll keep those things with us forever.

HORVATH: Moving ahead, we’re well into a script that we’ve been working on and hopefully will increase interest and that’s actually going to be Christmas ““ like a dysfunctional Christmas family film that goes off the rails and go into extreme horror with a capital H.

(LAUGHS)

HALLAM: And a different kind of style. Our next film with have some tripods, a musical score. We want to make ““ I don’t want to say traditional ““ but something that pushes the envelope of horror, we will always do that but the bombstic score and the style of the film will be what you would think of as a horror movie.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me onTWITTER under the name: Stipp

Highlights from the 2012 Phoenix Film Festival/Int’l Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival Part I By Ray Schillaci

Once again, far too many good films to see and so little time. That is including the documentaries, World Cinema and short films provided. I am hoping to follow up with some of them in the next couple of weeks. As for the festival itself; stars were in attendance starting with Academy Award winning actress, Marcia Gay Harden present for a tribute to her body of work. Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens and The Abyss) introduced his directorial debut with “The Victim”. Tom Sizemore (Saving Private Ryan, Black Hawk Down) popped in to greet everybody with his new film “Slumber Party Slaughter” and the festival had a host of filmmakers introducing their films as well.

“Robot and Frank,” starring Frank Langella and Susan Sarandon kicked off the festival to a glorious start with huge applause. Due to pending release dates I have been asked not to review this film as with a couple of other wonderful ones; Lawrence Kasdan returning to his true form with, “Darling Companion” and the French hit, “The Intouchables”. But that does not preclude me from reviewing some of the other great feature films in competition.

I have yet to see the much talked about “Hollywood to Dollywood” that was nearly sold out with every showing. I’ve heard HTD is a very funny road trip movie about twin brothers trying to get their dream script in the hands of the legendary Dolly Parton. The documentary, “Connected” also had good word of mouth, involving the exploration of “visible and invisible connections linking major issues of our time” while the documentarian searches for her place in the world during a “transformative” time in her life.

“How Do You Write a Joe Sherman Song” was an audience pleaser, winning Breakthrough Director and the Cox Audience Award. Director Gary King undauntedly tackled a non-studio musical with unknowns. A struggling lyricist/composer gets the opportunity to write for an Off-Broadway musical and is forced to aid in the casting of his long-time girlfriend or a “newly discovered muse”. Sounds like a certain TV show? Whatever similarities are present are merely coincidental and can be looked as a plus for this small independent film. Christina Rose turns in a sweet and memorable performance and nearly outshines the rest of the cast. King’s use of split-screen during choreographed scenes is tight and effective, proving that he does have the ability to bring a dramatic flair to the big screen.

Director, Kenny Riches demonstrates a wonderful sense of humor and pathos with “Must Come Down”. Two very quirky individuals briefly find each other while trying to get through their early twenties crisis. Riches has found the perfect cast to convey the off-beat people that are marching to their own drum while sometimes banging it a little too loud around normal people, bringing a smile and laugh to all of us. Everything about this film echoes independent and cult, and it is a refreshing journey after so many studio driven rom-coms that we have all been subjected to.

Annie Howell’s, “Small Beautifully Moving Parts” is also a classic independent that moves us in every way. A tech-geek discovers she is pregnant and goes head first into discovering who she is and the estranged mother that lives “off the grid”. Anne Margaret Holleyman opens our eyes and breaks our hearts with a personable and sensitive performance. Her journey proves to be both funny and poignant. Howell provides a unique look into this woman’s life and delivers pleasant little surprises with every turn.

“Searching for Sonny” had the audience howling in laughter. A group of high school friends reunite when their friend goes missing and discover the eerie coincidences between his disappearance and the high school play he had written. Andrew Disney (no relation to the House of Mouse) giddily delivers the kookiness of guys who refuse to grow up while providing a tongue-in-cheek Raymond Chandler style mystery that becomes sillier than expected. Disney gives us a winning cast with many recognizable faces from TV and the Web. Together they give us a delightful comedy that received Best Ensemble Cast and Best Screenwriting.

Best Documentary was whisked away by “We Run Sh*t”. Directors, Michael Rogers and Scott Storm (star of last year’s “Official Rejection”) bring us an insane tale of five veteran event producers who plan a five day rave party in Miami only to have everything and anything go very, very wrong. Sex, drugs and music pervades a lurid tale of corruption in the club scene while platinum selling artists and spoiled celebrities are the nasty spice that no one in their right mind needs when their life is being threatened. Michael Rogers was the videographer throughout the event and the man is to be commended. He practically gave his life for this document of decadence. Scott Storm managed to not only piece it together and make sense of it, but he also provided the witty animation where no cameras were allowed to go.

The event producers all have distinct personalities that have us captivated throughout the whole ordeal with James DiFiore as the stand out. We go through his pain, but also laugh at it as well with his highly animated gestures and expressions. He appears to be the leader or tries to be, but he is holding court with a group of man/boys who appear to have not reached his seasoned level. I could be wrong on that one and every viewer will have another take on it, but that’s what makes this film more than just a documentary. It captures the hook that reality TV uses to entice its audience, keeping us watching with bated breath as to what will happen next. Michael Rogers and Scott Storm deliver a documentary on the seedy side of club life and it has the capability of being a huge hit with its particular audience and anyone else who is open-minded for a tawdry tale of madness and mayhem.

The winner of Best Picture was a surprise to me, at first. I had seen the trailer of “Shuffle” several times and was not impressed, but upon my first viewing, like many others, I was wowed and reduced to tears. Director Kurt Kuenne gives us the best movie regarding time jumping since George Roy Hill’s interpretation of Kurt Vonnegut Jr’s, “Slaughterhouse-Five”. Kuenne, cast and crew give us a film that touches our heart and soul and makes us better for it while having us reflect on our own lives. Lovell Milo’s life is shuffling away. He keeps falling asleep and waking up at different ages; 28, 30, 8, 92 and so on. Lovell attempts to get a handle on what is going on and to what purpose. The mystery is suspenseful, funny and endearing with T.J. Thyne giving a very honest and empathetic performance, Paula Rhodes making us so very easily fall in love with her as Grace and the two children Dylan Sprayberry and Elle Labadie who play their young counter parts deliver the joys of youth in spades.

There is not one false note in this film. Some may compare it to an episode of “The Twilight Zone” or “It’s a Wonderful Life” and those are not bad comparisons, but it does a disservice to the original voice of all involved. From its beautiful black and white photography to its subtle special effects Kuenne’s film captures our imagination in the very first scene and never lets it go. “Shuffle” is a testament to the human heart and spirit, and can be enjoyed by all.

Hopefully, next week I can give you Part Deux of the PFF and Int’l Horror and Sci-Fi Film Festival. A chilling southern gothic tale with Scooter Downey’s, “It’s in the Blood” starring Lance Henrikson will be reviewed. Also, I can give you some insight into some fantastic shorts from documentary, live action and horror. As a special mention, check out one of the past Phoenix Film Festival favorites on DVD next week. David Dilley’s complex crime drama, “Suspicion” (full review – http://asitecalledfred.com/2011/04/15/trailer-park-phoenix-2/) has an April 17th release date and now is the chance to pump that down and dirty soundtrack as loud as you want.

THE INNKEEPERS – Blu-ray Review

Watch this, buy this. Support horror comedy done right. There is something so fun about a movie that knows what it wants to be and embraces it fully.

Back when I talked to the movie’s director, Ti West, the movie was really gaining steam within a community of fans who appreciated Ti’s previous work, HOUSE OF THE DEVIL, and heard his call to see the movie in a theater and to make a genuine effort to support a well made genre movie. Watching it for the second time you can see how right West was when he urged people to see a movie that would be worth their time. No blowhard-y false modesty, this was a movie that was able to build suspense and deliver on the thrill that movies have somehow lost in an age when splatterfests are taking all the fun out of building up to something great.

There would be a danger in getting to that boiling point, as we are wrapped up in a mystery surrounding an old hotel and its haunted past, if it didn’t deliver, everything hinges on it, but it does. It pays off in a way that has easily landed this movie in my top 10 of the year for sheer craftsmanship. For those wanting a scream a minute thrill ride, you would be better served elsewhere because what this minimalist production does is upend your expectation of what a horror movie should be and rewards you with something that satisfies completely.

About the Blu-ray/DVD:

An New England inn about to close for good is the classically creepy setting for THE INNKEEPERS, the acclaimed new film from Ti West, the young filmmaker whose critically praised House of the Devil gave the genre a jolt. Starring Sara Paxton, Pat Healy and Kelly McGillis, THE INNKEEPERS comes to Blu-ray and DVD from Dark Sky Films and MPI Media Group on April 24, 2012.

After over one hundred years of service, The Yankee Pedlar Inn in Connecticut is shutting its doors for good. The last remaining employees Claire (Sara Paxton, Shark Night 3-D, The Last House on the Left) and Luke (Pat Healy, Dirty Girl) are determined to uncover proof of what many believe to be one of New England’s most haunted hotels. As the inn’s final days draw near, odd guests start to check in and the pair of minimum wage “ghost hunters” begin to experience strange and alarming events that may ultimately cause them to be mere footnotes in the hotel’s long mysterious history.

Writer-director Ti West has revealed a unique style that pays tribute to classic horror of the 1970s and 80s with the bold spirit of the new American independent cinema. THE INKEEPERS, which co-stars Kelly McGillis (Top Gun, Stake Land), was an award-winning hit on the film festival circuit and opened to rave critical reviews last week in theaters nationwide. The way he works his magic is through a technique that some fans have called the slow burn: long takes and deliberately paced scenes, in which the camera follows characters down hallways, through the woods or into empty rooms says The New York Times “Featuring great fun, scares and characters, it’s a film that has the wonderful ability to both make you laugh and scream without ever becoming a parody of itself.” says CinemaBlend. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote, Ti West knows how to build suspense.

THE INNKEEPERS, which blends the classic ghost story style with a solid modern twist is an original Dark Sky Films in partnership with Glass Eye Pix. The extras on the Blu-ray and DVD will include:

The Innkeepers: Behind the Scenes

Commentary with Writer/Director/Editor Ti West, Producers Peter Phok & Larry Fessenden, and 2nd Unit Director/Sound Designer Graham Reznick

Commentary with Writer/Director/Editor Ti West and Stars Sara Paxton & Pat Healy

Trailer

SHAME – Blu-ray Review

This is a movie not for the timid.

After I watched it a second time, I began to feel more sympathetic towards Brandon (Michael Fassbender) and his grinding addiction that simply is eating at his life one empty conquest at a time. It’s not so much the trigger of his sister coming to stay with him and, thus, disrupting his voracious appetite for sexual activity that needs constant fuel but it’s the film’s examination of addiction that is really satisfying from a narrative standpoint.

The entire movie is meant to keep you uncomfortable and it succeeds in trying to emotionally telegraph what it would be like to be caught in an echo chamber of impulse and self-satisfaction. While his nameless job and nameless company would be somehow disconcerting if we thought that it had some reflection on the movie’s direction, it’s just emblematic in a film where names are not important. Fassbender does an exceptional job in depicting the life of a man who is too far gone to save, who operates on a compulsive schedule that, and while it certainly won’t be a movie you will be excited to re-watch again and again there is some satisfaction to be had in watching this man unravel and succumb to the demons that need release.

About the Blu-ray/DVD:

From visionary director Steve McQueen, one of the most talked about films of 2011 comes home to stunning Blu-ray from Fox Searchlight and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment. A film festival powerhouse, SHAME has captivated viewers through its haunting depiction of the life of a sex addict and his emotionally troubled sister. Evocative performances from Golden Globe® nominee Michael Fassbender and Academy Award® nominee Carrie Mulligan make SHAME the must-have release of the year. Get your hands on SHAME on Blu-ray Combo Pack April 17 and see the movie everyone is talking about in the privacy of your own home. Available for pre-order now on Amazon.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment and stirs up memories of their shared painful past, Brandon’s insular life spirals out of control.

The SHAME Blu-ray Combo Pack presentation features a premium high definition Blu-ray loaded with special features, a DVD version of the film and Digital Copy. Get a behind-the-scenes look at McQueen’s groundbreaking vision with exclusive extras and featurettes. Pre-book date is March 21.

SHAME Blu-ray Combo Pack Features:

●Focus on Michael Fassbender

●Director Steve McQueen

●The Story of Shame

●A Shared Vision

●Fox Movie Channel Presents: In Character With Michael Fassbender

●Theatrical Trailer

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

JOHN CARTER – FILM REVIEW

John Carter Soars By Ray Schillaci

First off let’s have a reality check for all those haters that have not even seen this film. The great Edgar Rice Burroughs (of Tarzan fame) delivered the character of John Carter in his stories of Barsoom (Mars) in September of 1911 in a serialized form within a pulp magazine through July of 1912. In 1917 a hardcover novel was produced entitled, “A Princess of Mars” and subsequently 10 other novels were to follow for the next 45 years. The character of John Carter appeared in 8 out of the 11 novels. Burroughs stories have inspired films from Flash Gordon, Star Wars and all the way to Avatar and even Cowboys & Aliens.

Add all this to the fact that many studio executives and filmmakers have tried to get a John Carter project off the ground and failed miserably. To quote one famous novelist who was at the screening, “For every dollar Disney spent, there are 10 people that want to see this fail.” Enter Pixar’s Andrew Stanton (director and writer of Wall-E, Finding Nemo and writer of Toy Story 2 & 3) determined to deliver the same whiz-bang feeling we experienced when we first saw the original “Star Wars”. Other than the minor glitch of having a slow start incorporating a back love story, “John Carter” proves to be a rousing spectacular, fun-filled adventure for all ages.

Andrew Stanton has given us a wonderful story infused with good humor and an anti-hero that we want to cheer for. John Carter, a former famed Confederate officer from Virginia has been captured by the North just after he discovers a cave filled with gold. They try to recruit him for his abilities as a strategist and fighter, but Carter has no intention to fight anybody’s battles. Upon his escape, Carter heads back to the cave and is mysteriously transported to another world.

Carter’s introduction to the gravity of the new world is enjoyable and becomes increasingly fun as he realizes he is no longer on Earth when he encounters the unusual life forms. The exchange is very humorous and that is where director Andrew Stanton and his cast shine. It brings back the joys of watching Han Solo from “Star Wars”. The subtle tongue-in-cheek humor pervades and makes our journey all the more enjoyable. John Carter is once again urged to join another war, but he is more inclined to save himself until he meets up with the princess of Mars, Dejah Thoris. Lynn Collins is fetching as the princess, poised, classy and sassy all at the same time.

As one would expect, Carter ends up helping the Martian tribe and the princess, but not without the intention of helping himself as well. He is a flawed hero and Taylor Kitsch makes him all the more interesting with his charismatic presence. Carter leads a fight against another tribe all fighting for the dying planet’s resources. The opposition is also aided by mysterious astral beings that appear to have control over time and space, which makes Carter’s fight all the more suspenseful.

John Carter is a fantastic fantasy/science-fiction tale that captures both the spirit of its originator Edgar Rice Burroughs and the sweeping epic feel of David Lean (Lawrence of Arabia, Bridge on the River Kwai). Some may compare it to a desert version of “Avatar,” but that would be doing this roaring adventure a disservice. The comparisons of so many past films will not be helped since this story was basically the impetus for so many others, right down to the flying vehicles.

Everything about the film is top notch from the set design, special effects to the rousing score by Michael Giacchino. There is no question about viewing an IMAX presentation. John Carter is meant for the BIG screen. Whether or not there is a need to see it in 3D is debatable (at least for this critic). I still have my reservations about 3D. I felt that way about “Up” and “Hugo”. The only true depth perception that really captured the imagination was “Avatar” and even that, after awhile, was hard on the eyes with its running time.

John Carter deserves to garner repeat business and it definitely warrants sequels. It is definitely far better than the last three Star Wars movies. I may even go as far as saying that it nearly exceeds “Return of the Jedi” since it is sans anything that is like a Ewok.

Is it a film that everyone will love, probably not? Rom-com and pseudo intellectuals will scoff at the fun and that Saturday matinee feel, but this film was not made for them. John Carter’s audiences are thrill seekers searching for an escape to another time and place in order to leave their troubles outside the theater doors. So, grab your popcorn and soda and as the theater lights dim, be prepared for enough action and adventure for several summer openings, and it’s barely spring.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

THE OTHER F WORD – DVD REVIEW

Documentaries like this just remind me how much older I’m getting every day.

It used to be that the world was young and our musical heroes would stay in some kind of stasis for ad infinitum but as time rolled on some of these rock gods became dads. Such is the premise for a documentary that explores how anarchists had to conform, to some degree, to rules and Barbie dolls.

Looking at the lives of guys like Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fat Mike from NOFX and how they’ve had to capitulate, to some degree, to societal norms you realize that no one is immune to the pull of wanting more for those you bring into the world. While we see that none of them have lost the ethos of what made their music compelling, it’s bizarre to see a softer side to these tough men.

The film is really a portrait of an artist as a working father. The pulls of life at home and life of the road is wonderfully captured, albeit at the expense of the mothers who are noticeably absent from a story that really could have benefited from the perspective of the ladies who keep things going once these working dads go off to earn a paycheck. And that’s really the pull once you get past that these men reproduced. Some of them are in the twilight of their careers while their kids still need shoes, still need food, still need money coming through the door.

In some ways, the movie is an ode to fatherhood from unlikely dads. It’s worth any man’s time to see how life can twist in ways that are unexpected but that is completely natural in every way.

About the film:

This revealing and touching film asks what happens when a generation’s ultimate anti-authoritarians ““ punk rockers ““ become society’s ultimate authorities ““ dads. With a large chorus of punk rock’s leading men – Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea, Rise Against’s Tim McIlrath – THE OTHER F WORD follows Jim Lindberg, a 20-year veteran of the skate punk band Pennywise, on his hysterical and moving journey from belting his band’s anthem “F–k Authority,” to embracing his ultimately authoritarian role in mid-life: fatherhood.

Other dads featured in the film include skater Tony Hawk, Art Alexakis (Everclear), Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo), Tony Adolescent (The Adolescents), Fat Mike (NOFX), Lars Frederiksen (Rancid), and many others.

DVD FEATURES:

Feature length audio commentary with Jim Lindberg (Pennywise / The Black Pacific), Art Alexakis (Everclear), director Andrea Blaugrund Nevins, and producer Cristan Reilly

Outtakes – including Mark Mothersbaugh (Devo) and Dr. Drew

Acoustic performance outtakes of “Father of Mine” (Art Alexakis) and “Swing Life Away” (Tim McIlrath)

Post-screening Q&A at SXSW Film Festival premiere

Music videos by The Black Pacific: “Living With Ghosts” and “The System”

Original theatrical trailer

Top Ten of 2011 By Ray Schillaci

I had every intention of getting my best ten list out before the Oscar nominations, but I really wanted to be diligent and give serious consideration for all the films out there. All too often, small independents and early releases (Jan, Feb & March) get ignored and so many people miss the chance of seeing some great work. The Academy is no different; early releases and small independents are nearly invisible to them unless major studios back the films with big buck campaigns. Oscar has beaten me to the punch and they have recognized greatness, but I cannot help but feel they also missed the mark on several brilliant films. Below is some of the proof.

1. The Tree of Life ““ Possibly the best picture of the year. Only one other film comes close and that’s my number “2” choice. The Tree of Life transcends the ages and takes us places very few have ever gone before with a power that is both earth-shattering with its emotions and as soft as the wing of an angel brushing upon a newborn’s brow. Some may be turned off by director Terrence Malick’s story technique, but those who are more open-minded are in for a rare treat. Malick’s latest opus and reflection on life, grief and where we stand in the universe is by far the greatest achievement in the artist’s repertoire (Badlands, Day’s of Heaven, The Thin Red Line).

2. The Descendents ““ This could be the film to beat. Although not as ambitious as Malick’s film, Alexander Payne addresses many of the reflections of life on a much more laid back level which makes The Descendents far more accessible to an average audience. Director Payne delivers a beautiful poignant story of one man at odds with what life has dealt him and his family, and although living in near paradise and financially well off he is not immune to the adversity that life can throw at us. George Clooney delivers one of the most down to earth performances we’ve seen in years. The rest of the cast is wonderfully natural as well. Here is a film so bittersweet that it has us laughing, crying and being thought provoking in all of its 115 minutes. It is effortless in its storytelling and could easily win best adapted screenplay.

3. Hugo ““ Martin Scorsese has delivered pure art in a children’s tale that continually fascinates and warms our heart. He has somehow encompassed his love for film and nurtured it with a fond tale of humanity and humility regarding an orphan boy surviving in a train station, its inhabitants and a toy peddler’s secret. It is both a simple and complex tale. Director Scorsese walks a wonderful high wire act with a story that touches the mind as well as the heart.

4. Midnight in Paris ““ Put aside that this is the best Woody Allen film in the last ten years. Very few can match the man’s genius for storytelling and superb dialogue in any given year. With “Midnight in Paris,” Allen has delivered one of the greatest comic/cosmic fantasies and yet he remains down-to-earth in the end while winning us over with his vision of Paris, France, past and present. Owen Wilson gives a wonderfully subtle performance as our surrogate Allen-type character who visits Paris with his fetching fiancée, Rachel McAdams only to accidentally time travel and fall in love with a past that is not quite up to nostalgic expectations in the long run. The setting alone is meticulously recreated and Woody Allen’s original screenplay towers over all others for Oscar. Add this one to the pantheon of Woody Allen classics; Annie Hall, Manhattan and Hannah and her Sisters.

5. The Artist ““ I struggle with this one. Michel Hazanavicius’ movie is a student of films dream. But it does owe a lot to other great films of the past and their soundtracks. It’s hard not to have sour grapes over the (so-called) ingenuity when two of our most famous humorists, Mel Brooks (Silent Movie, “˜76) and Steve Martin (Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, “˜82) delivered similar works that were merely discarded at the time as a neat little gimmick. Now all of Hollywood seems to be enlightened and clamoring to award the French director on his “silent movie” fairy tale of a Hollywood silent film star’s fall with the introduction of talkies. Actually, this idea was also addressed in the American classic, “Singing in the Rain”. In defense to this ode of love to film and Hollywood, “The Artist” and its cast has a unique charm that can easily win one over. Also, the entire production has been expertly crafted. From the cinematography, art direction, editing, costumes and the original score that was intricately weaved around the love theme from Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo,” the film has ended up with 10 Oscar nominations. It is an inventively entertaining movie, but not the best film of the year. The dialogue could have been stronger.

6. The Help ““ A film that nearly wears its heart on its sleeve, but carefully avoids any hint of being maudlin. Instead, it is thought-provoking, informative and quite humorous tale told through the eyes of maids in a Southern town during the civil rights movement. All the performances are spot on and judging from the recognition by the Hollywood Foreign Press and others some of the actors could very well go on to win an Oscar.

7. Drive ““ Is Nicholas Winding Refn the Rodney Dangerfield of directors? Can this guy, his cast and crew get any respect from the Academy? After wowing so many with “Bronson” and being a film festival darling, Refn delivers the coolest movie of 2011 and breathes new life into a story so many have done before. This sleek vehicular thriller reminds us of the top-notch classics from Peter Yates’ “Bullitt” to William Friedkin’s “To Live and Die in L.A.” The movie could have easily been another “Transporter,” but in Refn’s skilled hands “Drive” shifts its way into a classic cerebral fable that takes our breath away with one of the best ensemble casts of the year. Albert Brooks was not overlooked for an Academy nomination, he was robbed.

8. Rare Exports ““ As mentioned; so many attempted to capture the old Spielberg magic, including the maestro himself and fell terribly flat this year. This Norwegian entry not only recaptures that magic, but gives it a dark spin worthy of a classic Brothers Grimm tale involving the discovery of the “real” Santa Clause and the dangers behind him. It is by far the most original film I have seen since Tim Burton’s, “Nightmare before Christmas” and for that alone it should be on any top ten list.

9. I Saw the Devil ““ Think of the first time you saw “Taxi Driver” or “Raging Bull” and the powerful blow that fell on you with not only the raw emotion but the sheer audacity and artistry of the way the story was weaved together ““ that is “I Saw the Devil” in a nutshell. The tale of authority going beyond the call of duty and exacting revenge on the most evil person imaginable is harsh, brutal and magnificent all at once.

10. Thespians ““ Sure, there are other documentaries that are crying out to be heard, but I feel a special need to throw this very worthy film into the ten best lists. Without thespians, there would be no theater and frankly, no film either. It is an important film for the future of performing arts and an immensely entertaining one as well. Warren Skeels has brought to light the real world of high school teens participating in the Thespian Society and how it touches and changes so many lives. This is required and enjoyable viewing for all ages.

Special Mention:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ““ Okay, it’s no Lord of the Rings, but the ending to this highly successful franchise was a fitting climax that thrilled most fans and proved to be a well crafted fantasy filled with heart and soul.

Cyrus ““ one of the best voices for independent films since Harold and Maude. It is audacious in its storytelling with honest acting provided by a very gifted cast. Once again, John C. Riley bares his soul as a social inept sad sack being pushed back into the dating scene via his ex-wife only to find the (al)most perfect mate on his first and hilarious outing. The one hitch is the woman in question, Marisa Tomei (cute as ever), has a very dysfunctional and near obsessive relationship with her son that should have moved out on his own years ago. The man(ipulating)/boy is played by Jonah Hill, the fuse to John C. Riley’s fireworks. It’s an unsettling, disturbing and downright hysterical.

Beyond “Suspicion”: Interview with Director, David Dilley By Ray Schillaci

While at the Phoenix Film Festival 2011 I touted director, David Dilley’s crime thriller that was delicately laced with a “good taut human drama” entitled, “Suspicion”. Dilley’s film has received a release date and audiences will finally have a chance to see on the big screen an intense look into the last days of a nearly rehabilitated second rate mobster struggling with his humanity, mortality and how his decisions affect all those around him. There will be inevitable comparisons to “Pulp Fiction” and “The Sopranos” with its multi-layered story and its insightful look into the underworld and those that dabble with them, but, Dilley’s film stands on its own as an intriguing slice of the criminal life.

I had a chance to sit down with Dilley and discuss his film, the two lead actors that deliver very realistic performances and supporting actor, Carlos Larkin who chills us with his rendition of a cold blooded underworld figure. Dilley is fascinating and has a deep love for storytelling and film as an art form. His view on the world of independent filmmaking and major studio films is very entertaining, but he does not pit one against the other. He is more saddened by the missed opportunities of the majors (like me).

We both agree it’s an industry far more driven by dollars than art. We also touched on SOPA and PIPA, the legislation the major studios are pushing for, veiled under a concern to save jobs in Hollywood. We both agreed this is only a clever ruse, as Dilley put it, “to maximize revenue”. If the majors and the government were interested in saving American film industry jobs, they could easily start by placing a halt on the mass exodus of runaway production. The majors have consistently sought tax incentives in Canada, Mexico and even Romania leaving thousands of American film industry workers jobless. So, how does SOPA or PIPA help them? It doesn’t. Before continuing on with the interesting dialogue, I realized I had to hone us in on the purpose of our meeting; discussing the release of “Suspicion”.

Ray Schillaci: Congratulations on your release date. For the benefit of all those other independent filmmakers out there; it’s been nearly a year since the Phoenix Film Festival, what has happened since then to get where you are now?

DILLEY: After the Phoenix Film Festival we screened it at Big Bear (Big Bear Lake Int’l Film Festival). We took the Jury Prize there. We were acquired for distribution mid-December and then a couple of weeks after that Harkins called me and said they wanted to give me a theatrical release. That limited theatrical release is March 2nd through the 9th and then around April 17th the movie will be available through Netflix, cable, VOD, streaming and all that stuff.

RS: How many film festivals did you play?

DILLEY: Just two.

RS: Just the two, Phoenix and Big Bear?

DILLEY: Yea, no need to do anything else.

RS: Wow. Just there are people out there that do a lot of film festivals”¦

DILLEY: So, when I made “Suspicion,” I was like”¦a lot of like true independent movies, those movies are made because they’re very geared toward film festivals. They have that look, the feel, like it’s a road trip, that kind of movie. With “Suspicion” I wanted to be like, this is a real movie. Life does not end when the film festival circuit ends, it’s going to have a lot of mass appeal. So just as long as we get into a couple of film festivals I’ll be happy, but it was never my intention for it to live in the festival world. My intention was to make a good story driven movie and if you do that, I think a lot of people will like it and a lot of people will see it.

RS: Talking with you, I understand where you’re coming from but I think when this goes to print you could raise the ire of some indie filmmakers and film festivals. Do you want to clarify what you mean by “Suspicion” being “a real movie” and you’re thought on film festivals?

DILLEY: Definitely. I am not putting down independent movies or film festivals. When I made “Suspicion” I wanted it to be a mainstream movie. It’s an ultra-low budget, independent movie, sure, but I wanted it to stand out in comparison to other “indie movies”. There are many indie movies that lean towards the concept of two characters taking a road trip to Mexico or a group of twenty-somethings sit around and talk about their relationship problems (generalizing). So with “Suspicion” I didn’t want to do that. I didn’t want to show another indie movie that we’ve all grown accustomed to.

The hope was, if I looked at the mafia and presented it in an original way, and then a lot of people would appreciate it. Let me add, film festivals are wonderful, they really are. And, what’s even more wonderful than going to one is winning a jury prize for best feature film as we did at Big Bear.

RS: So, if I’m getting what you are saying right; when you mentioned that you wanted your film to be a “real movie,” what you had hoped for was that “Suspicion” would appeal to an arthouse audience as well as a mainstream one. Similar to Nicholas Winding Refn’s “Drive”?

DILLEY: That’s right.

RS: Not that I’m comparing the two films. They are very different in story and style. “Suspicion” is your first feature and it is a far cry in subject matter from your short film, “The Diner” back in 2009. What made you tackle such a story and did you have influences?

DILLEY: I’m a guy. I like mafia movies. So that was my desire to do that. I had some people ask me, “Why a mafia movie as your first film?” Because most directors will make a romantic comedy or that kind of stuff. I think at the end of the day, I just don’t like romantic comedies. I like story driven movies and I’ve always liked mafia movies. Why not make my first movie a mafia movie?

Influences; I’ve seen a lot of mafia films. I’ve seen a lot of films in general and my philosophy is whatever type of movie that you’re doing, show that movie in a unique angle. If you just approach a mafia film, like every other mafia film out there, you’re never going to give your audience anything new. And, you should do that with whatever you do. I know with a lot of mafia films what works and what’s been overused. I didn’t want to prescribe to that. I wanted to show a different story that’s in a genre that’s over a hundred years old and if I can’t do that, then I will not make the movie because I don’t want to waste anybody’s time.

RS: The chemistry between your two leads, Brad Blaisdell and Suzanne May is very natural. How long did it take to find those two and realize they were the actors for those important roles?

DILLEY: First with Suzanne; I worked on a film with her called “Gentleman Broncos”. I worked on that film with her in 2008 and she and I are friends. She was actually in the short I did, “The Diner”. We had an open casting call and I told her about the film. I told her she should come out an audition for it. She did and she killed it and that’s where I picked up Suzanne for the Alicia role. Her audition was spot on. Brad we got through an open casting call and he did a really, really excellent job. But I was kind of concerned because I thought, okay I’ve seen Brad and I’ve seen Suzanne, but I haven’t seen them together yet. Then we had a couple of read throughs and I thought it was the right choice to make for both of them and it was just good stuff.

RS: I find it interesting that you went for very natural looking leads. You didn’t type cast. Brad, at first glance, does not look like the typical mafia guy we’re use to and Suzanne’s looks are played down. If this was studio casted you might have had a very Italian looking guy and possibly Megan Fox in tight shorts and a loose top. Did you intentionally go against type?

DILLEY: Right. My thing is when it comes to movies, I think the best kind of movies, for me personally, I don’t know what other people go for but you never know that. For me it’s like, when I watch a movie I’d rather, 9 times out 10, watch the movie and be like – these essentially are real people versus actors who are playing just a character. I think movies are a lot more powerful that way. When you see a movie and you’re like “wow,” that could be a real person that lives down the street versus some idiosyncrasy that no one would have. I think that kind of stuff is really overplayed. It has to be natural.

RS: So to reiterate, you casted against type.

DILLEY: Yea. I know why it’s done and all that stuff and for a lot of films it works, you know quite effectively. But I’d rather watch a movie that had real people than characters and that’s “Suspicion”.

RS: That reminds me; there were two films at the festival last year, one of them being yours, that had a little bit of a flavor of John Cassavetes. Did you ever see Cassavetes’ “Killing of a Chinese Bookie”?

DILLEY: No.

RS: The reason I ask is because you have that bit of naturalness, almost as if some scenes were improvised (I’m referring to this in a good way). Were you trying to go for something like that?

DILLEY: After we cast everyone in the film, I sat down with all my actors and said, this is the story, this is my script, this is how I see things, but that being said you (the cast) are “the actors”. You’re bringing these characters to life. So, you’re free to explore and do anything you want to do to make these characters more real. I was like, if something doesn’t work, we’ll adjust then. But until we get to that point just have fun with it.

And, so like when you’re watching the film and you’ll see like they are not just sitting down and talking, especially Brad. Sometimes he is fidgeting and that kind of stuff and it just goes back to what I was saying that he just feels like more of a real person rather than a character. You would do that if you were talking with somebody. You would have some sort of movement. Yea, sometimes things were improvised and I would look at it and say, yea that’ll work.

RS: Like the little dance?

DILLEY: Yea. Brad has been on Broadway and off-Broadway and he can dance. In that scene, you know they are getting high and he’s an old hippie at heart and so he’s just dancing around in his apartment. Brad and I spoke about that dance for all of two seconds. He’s like, “I don’t think it’s choreographed.” And, I agreed. I told him, “You’re high and you’re 60, 61 and you have a 23 year-old girl, very attractive, very smart woman in your house, But at the same time there is nothing going on between the two of you. Even though you are a 61 year-old man, you might be like, yea I really wish something would happen, but there’s no way it ever would. So obviously you’re delighted to be around this person and you guys are high and you just reflect all that.

I think the only direction I gave him in that scene was like; you’re kinda like the dancing elephant in the room. You’re this big mafia guy and you want to have fun, but when you’re dancing, you’re kind of making a fool of yourself. It’s fun though.

RS: It’s a very nice, light moment and it’s funny because after I viewed the film again I realized I neglected to mention James Khoury’s haunting score. Please extend my apologies to him. His music really sets the tone from beginning to end. Did you have an idea right away, when you were doing the film, what kind of score would drive this film?

DILLEY: No, I mean the way I operate is I like giving people as little as direction as possible. I think that there’s a tendency in Hollywood that people, the directors especially, a lot of them micro-manage and so I think when you do that, like you’re not”¦if you’re hiring this person as your cinematographer, you’re hiring this person because you know that this person is really good at what they do, one. And two; they are a lot better at what they do than you can be at their job.

If you’re hiring these people to do whatever roles whether it is your composer, your cinematographer or your actors, you should give those people as much freedom as possible. Obviously, talk to them about what the movie is, the tone and all that stuff, but in terms of like being intrusive you shouldn’t do that.So, I sat down with James and told him this is obviously a mafia film, it’s dark and he had read the script. I asked him to give me some things that I can work with. Give me all the music on stems that way we can adjust and he agreed. There was some stuff we had to take out because it was a little bit too much, but that’s just how it works.

RS: It wasn’t grandiose and there was nothing that screamed out Italian about it. It was a very nice score. The first time I saw your film, you know what really struck me was a stand-out performance and I probably harp on it too much”¦

DILLEY: That’s good.

RS: That was Carlos Larkin. Tell me; was his audition a slam dunk? Where did you find him? As I’ve mentioned before, the guy resembles a young Peter Fonda and sounds like a cross between Nick Nolte and Kris Kristofferson. But when I met him, he was nothing of the sort.

DILLEY: Yeah, I know. So, my really good friend, Alex McCullough, helped me produce the film and Alex knew Carlos. They had worked on a couple of projects before and he was like, would you mind if this person auditioned? I said, no problem, absolutely. He came in for the open casting call and he read it and I looked at the tapes and I wasn’t sold. I talked to Alex and he was like, what do you mean? And, I told him I didn’t know. It seemed like he played it too nice and I told him to record himself again and let me see it. The second tape he sent in, he essentially invented that voice, that’s in the movie which is really cool. I was like, YEA. He says in the audition tape that he’s thinking like a Kris Kristofferson kind of thing. I’m watching this tape and it works!

RS: That was funny, because when I met him and I told Carlos exactly how I felt that he kind of channeled a combination of Kris Kristofferson and Nick Nolte, he was surprised that I was the first person to catch that.

DILLEY: It was just funny; he does a lot of voice work and that kind of stuff. He’s a number of characters on the World of Warcraft. I think he’s working on something else, but he really can’t talk about it because he signed an NDA agreement that’s two or three hundred pages, probably. He did a really good job. It was like what I said before; you should be as natural as possible. For me, at least, my favorite movies are when you watch a movie and say, this is a real person versus a character. I think really good actors can do that. That’s what makes movies so powerful for me. It’s like you’re telling a story, but you’re telling it with real people doing it. Carlos did an amazing job with that.

RS: As I mentioned before, you walked this tightrope with human drama and crime thriller. How hard was that? Did you ever find yourself shifting more towards one or the other?

DILLEY: No, because I wrote the script. I knew what the story was going to be, but I didn’t just want it to be a mafia film. You have to give your audience a new story. If you’re doing a mafia movie and mafia movies are as old as cinema, they’ve been around for over a century, so every type of mafia film has already been done. So if you don’t do it from a unique angle you are going to lose your audience. So it was not that difficult because I knew what kind of story I wanted to do going into it.

RS: Why the Arizona location when so many films of this kind take place in New York, New Jersey and Chicago? Was it the sense of relocation for criminals, since they have been known to be sent this way?

DILLEY: I’m from Arizona. My family moved out here when I was 9 and I consider myself a native. Phoenix is the 5th or 6th largest city in the United States. So, there is going to be an element of organized crime here. There always has been, there always will be. I t would have been really cool to film in New York. I’m not going to lie. It would have been really cool to film in Chicago. But it’s like; it goes back to telling an original story. Not all mafia movies have to be in Chicago or have to be in New York. There’s organized crime everywhere and there is also evidence of that in Phoenix. In the late 70s, early 80s journalists, honestly would turn their car on and like “Casino,” their car would explode. These people had put bombs under their cars. There is history here with that.

RS: Did you have any talks with any persons of interest”¦you know where I’m going with this?

DILLEY: (laughs) Yea. So funny thing is I had done a good amount of research and when we screened at Big Bear there was these people that were obviously retired. They had been retired for a number of years and one of the guys had seen the film introduced me to his friend and his friend use to be “involved,” in that line of work and he was like, “Haven’t seen it yet. I hope you didn’t mess it up” This is after we won the Jury Prize. The winners were going to screen their movies again. After he had seen it he was like, yea, I know a lot of people like that, and a lot of people like Daryl. That was just coincidental and really cool.

RS: So just with research alone you had your finger on that pulse.

DILLEY: Yes. Like I said before, mafia movies have been around for well over a century and you’ve watched a lot of them and you’re like if I’m going to do this I’m going to approach it from a unique angle and at the same time I have to do real research. Like what would happen. One of the things I found was a lot of people say you’re in the mafia until death. That’s not true. The mafia is and always has been an economic enterprise. If you’re involved in that line of work and you can’t do it anymore for whatever reason there are a number of people that will gladly take over that work load for you because it’s an economic endeavor. There wasn’t anything with Daryl where it was like; oh I left the family now I’m going to get killed. What happens in the movie is because of his relationship to this mafia boss but it never directly deals with how you dare leave the family.

S: Many filmmakers have a tendency to get pigeonholed in a genre, but I think that would be hard to do with you since you’ve shown that you can handle drama as well as the down-and-dirty of a thriller. What do you see on the horizon? Do you have a desire to branch out in other genres?

DILLEY: Yes. I’m hopefully directing another movie in September or October. It’s a legal political type thriller. I have some meetings in the next two months. We’ll see if this movie materializes or not. But I have a good feeling it will. I always want to tell good story driven movies regardless whatever genre that is. I’m going to hopefully be able to do that.

RS: How does a filmmaker like you gain funding for such a project like “Suspicion” with its very independent film feel?

DILLEY: Obviously it’s not studio financed. You can’t go to a bank. It’s just like anything else, any sort of business now. A bank will not give you a loan unless you have some very serious collateral. So you end up talking to people you know that might want to do this. They might agree to finance it or a part of it and then you end up asking them if they know anybody else. That’s how independent movies get made nowadays and I think that’s how it should be.

RS: You live here in Arizona. How does that work for you with the buzz of the Industry primarily in L.A.?

DILLEY: I lived in Los Angeles for three years. When I was in Los Angeles I really wasn’t living there because I was working every place else. For the three years I worked, I was probably only living there for maybe five months. You don’t really have to be in L.A. as long as you have a good network and you always stay busy. If you do need to go to L.A. it’s a one hour flight (from Phoenix) or it’s about 5 to 6 hours by car. I go out to L.A. quite a bit for meetings and that kind of stuff. I think Phoenix is very uniquely positioned that you’re obviously outside of L.A. but you’re close enough you can come back for meetings and such. I don’t know. I think it’s very easy to get wrapped up in the whole scene in Los Angeles and a lot of people that move out there might have the best intentions in the world but very soon they get wrapped up in the lifestyle, the nightlife and everything else and then they’re not able to make movies. I like living in Phoenix because it’s removed from L.A. and if I do need to go out there, I can very easily.

RS: Do you have an agent?

DILLEY: No, not yet.

RS: Have you been contacted?

DILLEY: Yes, by UTA and CAA. And, one of my best friends, he actually works at Imagine Entertainment and if this next movie materializes there’s a good chance we will be able to bring that to Imagine. So, we’ll see. But again, that is down the road.

RS: Do you think Brad or Suzanne may have a part in that?

DILLEY: Yea, well my thing is like, obviously each movie has to be unique. So you couldn’t have this character play a lead in your other movie, but there is still room to bring these people over if there is a role for them.

RS: Is it fair to say that you’re pretty loyal?

DILLEY: Yea, I have my inner circle. That’s the great thing about film or any other sort of business venture. You’re always going to meet new people and you’re always going to find people who are hard working, very talented and you’ll always add to that group of people.

RS: You tend to see that not so much in big films, but with famous directors such as Quentin Tarantino and his use of Michael Madsen, Martin Scorsese using Robert DeNiro and Joe Pesci, all the way down to Sam Peckinpaw and his use of Warren Oates. So you’re like that.

DILLEY: It all depends on the project. If you’re doing a comedy, Brad might not be the best for that role. But if you can, you should.

RS: But you would definitely consider your editor, your cinematographer”¦

DILLEY: Oh absolutely.

RS: And, I have to tell you it’s beautifully done. I was watching it again. The editing, all the different shots very carefully thought out, a fine independent film.

DILLEY: Thank you. It was fun making it.

RS: I just want to make sure I have this right. The pending dates for the release you have March 2nd through the 9th at the Harkins Valley Art Theater on Mill Ave in Tempe.

DILLEY: Yes and Harkins about a year ago finished upgrading all their technology so all of their projectors are digital now. So we’re actually screening “Suspicion” on Blu-ray. There is a difference on the Blu-ray since we shot with the RED camera and we had prime lenses. The maximum resolution on a RED Camera is a 4K camera, so 4000×1080 and that’s maximum resolution which is fine for a forty foot screen.

RS: Could the run get extended?

DILLEY: It could. Harkins told me that if it does well for that week, they’ll give me another week but the definition of how well it does ““ you never know. Mid-April it will be available on Netflix, VOD, cable and we might get picked up in Los Angeles and New York for another theatrical release which would be kinda cool. You could say my movie was in the theater in these three states. Yea, that would be cool

RS: I will recommend to people that they see it in the theater. Somehow the story and the tension it provides always appears better on the big screen. Thank you very much for this interview.

DILLEY: You’re welcome and thank you.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

BOMBAY BEACH – DVD REVIEW

An emotionally gripping documentary that charts the lives of those living around the Salton Sea area in California this is a film that incorporates the emotional punch of showing a triad of stories that deal with rural poverty and abject isolation with some artistic injections of poetry and dancing. I know, it sounds like a combination that should not work and if it wasn’t anyone else but filmmaker Alma Har’el at the helm of this project it wouldn’t have worked well but the truth of the matter is that you understand her subjects more because of these disparate elements. You appreciate their inner plight when you can peel back the superficiality of living in a place that seems to be oozing despair and show them as human beings who yearn for more than what they have, what they’re surrounded by.

Just like General Orders No. 9, this documentary blends the literal and surreal in ways that just make sense. The lives of people who are living closer than any of us will to the edges of society make for more than just documentary fodder, it makes for the perfect platform with which to illustrate people many of us try so hard to ignore. There is no place to hide here and thank God for that.

About the film:

Bombay Beach, the Tribeca Film Festival 2011 winner “Best Feature Documentary” is now on DVD

– A documentary that is as much MTV as PBS… an awesomely fresh piece of cinema.” ““IndieWIRE

“It’s an American beauty.” ““The Wall Street Journal

“A beautiful, quirky and ultimately very moving film” ““Terry Gilliam

WINNER OF THE BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY AT THE 2011 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL, FILMMAKER ALMA HAR’EL’S “BRILLIANT AND POETIC ” FESTIVAL SMASH IS A MOVING AND MADLY INVENTIVE DOCUMENTARY EXPERIENCE

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Decades ago, the Salton Sea was a California tourist hotspot and a symbol of 1950s-era American optimism. Now, in a state of environmental decline and abandonment, its inhabitants still cling to their dreams despite living among the decaying relics of a bygone era. This year’s winner of the Tribeca Film Festival documentary competition and a festival hit around the world, BOMBAY BEACH creates a portrait of this small community living on the fringes of the lost American dream, and the dreamers who populate its surreal and poetic landscape. The film makes its DVD debut this January, from Entertainment One under the Focus World brand, which is charged with finding the most exciting voices in international and independent film.

“Many films try to portray dignity in rural decay, but the authentically poetic Bombay Beach is the real deal.” ““The Associated Press

True to her roots as a photographer, video artist, and music video director, Alma Har’el crafts an adamantly atypical and artistically innovative film, telling the story of three protagonists: Benny Parrish, a young boy diagnosed with bipolar disorder, whose troubled soul and vivid imagination create both suffering and joy for him and his complex and loving family; CeeJay Thompson, a black teenager and aspiring football player, who has taken refuge in Bombay Beach hoping to avoid the same fate of his murdered cousin; and Red, an ancient survivor and former oil field worker, living on the fumes of whiskey, cigarettes and an irrepressible love of life.

Each narrative is interspersed with dance sequences choreographed to music composed for the film by Zach Condon of the band Beirut, and songs by Bob Dylan; however, it is the camera that sets this film apart. Quite simply, the landscape of Bombay Beach is as fantastic and surreal a place as a dream. Each image appears to have been folded up and sent through the wash in somebody’s back pocket. Light collects in folds and pours through creases, revealing an earth that is worn, soft and surprising. The result is a moving and madly inventive documentary experience – an evocative, symbolic portrait of rural America and its inhabitants.

BONUS FEATURES

“¢ Deleted Scenes
“¢ “Where Are They Now?” Featurettes
“¢ Selected Scenes with Commentary by filmmaker Alma Har’el and editor Joe Lindquist
“¢ Alma Har’el Music Videos

REAL STEEL – DVD REVIEW

If any of you have watched OVER THE TOP you’ll have a good idea of where things are going in this one.

And that’s not a knock against a movie that is really made for families and in a landscape that is filled with dreck like Mr. Popper’s Penguins the pickens are slim. There really should be a handicap when it comes to family entertainment because it truly does have to serve many masters: mothers, fathers, and the kids. When you have to blend these many audiences it’s easy to see how too much of one could be a bad thing and end up with a movie best left to the kiddies but director Shawn Levy deserves some praise, however slight, for giving everyone their bread and circuses.

When you have a story about a father who has never met his son, who initially doesn’t want anything to do with this sudden parenting situation he finds himself in, a robot who wants to be more than just a robot (don’t they all), and a love story that is about as tame as something you’d see on the Disney Channel, you shouldn’t expect much. But, what you do get, is more than the sum of its robotic parts.

The action is good, the pacing is incredibly passable, and the ending, while not altogether surprising, is enough to make this one of those movies that if you had to find yourself choosing from a list of others in its weight class, should be your very first pick.

About the movie:

“It’s Rocky with robots”¦a heartwarming movie for everyone.”
– Pete Hammond,

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

THE INNKEEPERS

I don’t get many two-fers around these parts but I was sure going to take advantage of the opportunity after being offered when both PAT HEALY and TI WEST came up for THE INNKEEPERS. Many have probably heard of the film by now either because people have been muttering about how great it is or because of director/writer Ti West’s appeal to the 21st century generation to not download his film. What is remarkable about the plea, though, was that it was a manifesto not admonishing people who would do it but that it took a decidedly positive tone in the way it championed the independent spirit and grit of those who helped make the film and to make a statement by buying a ticket, by buying into the idea that this movie has an intrinsic value and that by buying it you’re not owning a commodity but are making a statement about independent movies. It was a special thrill to talk to Ti and to get an idea of his passions and his motivations. Equally, talking to Pat Healy was fascinating if for no other reason than to talk to an actor who isn’t buying into the usual affectations of Hollywood actors. He’s easy like Sunday morning and his performance in the movie only helps make the case that Ti’s writing is sharp and on point. THE INNKEEPERS is a must see this winter and you can catch it now through VOD or wait until February 3rd when the movie will be coming to theaters.

TI WEST – INTERVIEW

CHRISTOPHER STIPP: It’s a pleasure to talk to you. House of the Devil is still one of my favorite horror movies to come out in the last few years. After watching The Innkeepers, I was struck that you’re not one to gravitate towards splatter. How did you reject the pull to make something akin to torture porn that is en vogue? Did you say to yourself that you wanted to make more intelligent, better thought out horror?

TI WEST: Well, it’s not that it’s really thought out on my end. The style just comes out that way. I remember being at the premiere and we were like “Alright, here we go”¦” when people started calling it a slow burn. The reason it’s called a slow burn is because it doesn’t have a scare every scene and all these positive reviews that called it “the new slow burn movie””¦it was then that I realized I had no control over it. It was actually a great moment because I realized there is no point in me thinking about that anymore. For me, it’s a movie first and a horror movie second. I don’t go to movies to see people get killed. I go to see stories and characters and that’s the way I make movies and I’m just going to keep doing it that way.

CS: The reception, like you said, has been so positive much in the way the House of the Devil was marketed so well and The Innkeepers, following that movie up, has got a little bit of comedy, little bit of that scare. When you sit down to write these kinds of films, what is first and foremost in your mind when you begin just penning something like this?

WEST: I don’t know. It’s such a personal experience. With this movie it was personal because we lived in that hotel. And then slowly as the production went on people started to believe the hotel was haunted and the staff thought it was haunted. There really was a guy at the front desk with a ghost hunting website ““ the whole town is obsessed with the place. And so a year or so later when I wanted to do a ghost story I thought, man. I lived one. Wouldn’t that be cool? I know that so well so why don’t I do that movie? And what if we actually went back to the real place? How bizarre and a strange filmmaking this would be. So that’s what we did. And I tried to infuse ““ what was most important to me was to make it a charming ghost story because I had never seen that before. I always tell people I am cut out to either direct movies or be like a bus boy. I don’t have any skills. I can do minimum wage jobs, I can direct movies and I have a fondness that comes with the existential crisis that comes with a minimum wage jobs and I thought it felt ““ like the juxtaposition of that with a ghost story made sense to me. I don’t know. It’s the creative process. You come up with stuff and get excited about it and if you can stay excited about it, then it’s legit. This is one of those ones ““ it was two years of trauma making a movie and I’m still proud of this movie and I’m still excited about it and I’m still happy to talk about it. I think just because there are enough personal elements to the movie that it means something to me. And hopefully if it does mean something to me ““ and then mean something to you ““ you will somehow sense that there is enough care in it from the person who made it that something will come across.

CS: And it does. I think that’s what’s been so great about The Innkeepers and the House of Devils that there is a level of craftsmanship that somebody actually had skill and wanted to really nurture the movie that you’re watching. Do you feel as a filmmaker of the 2000’s is it possible to keep going at the clip you want and get the kind of creative freedom you want at this level? Or do you see if you want to get bigger, you would have to give up something in return?

WEST: I don’t know. And the times I’ve tried to do bigger things I’ve had had to give up. But the misconception that to do a bigger movie “well, you’re going to have to compromise” and I always answer with, “Alright, what does that mean?” Every movie we’ve ever made, every single day is a compromise and there is always something that you just can’t do the way you want to. I don’t have a problem with compromise. Compromise is filmmaking. And then you find out, if you like my movies and then you like a script that I write, then what are we compromising on? We’re on the same page. You like what I do and others do that and that would be great. Where I get scared is the mainstream world postproduction is treated very differently. So the process of developing a movie, shooting a movie, is very similar, very creative and very exciting, for lack of a better term. But postproduction in indie world is a continuation of the importance of what you’re trying to do. The Hollywood-world, for lack of a better term is a calculated, marketing, mass audience appeal testing, all the way that that happens doesn’t make any sense to me. I shoot a movie to be edited in a certain way and then I cut it together that way. Whereas, a lot of the big movies are like you should shoot a lot of coverage so you have lots of options just in case we want to change it. But, we don’t want to change it. We all agreed that this is the way to go. So there’s a second-guessing period that is huge in postproduction. I think that there are a lot of people with opinions that don’t really know what to do during production ““ it’s moving too fast that they can’t stop the ship and change their mind. Whereas in postproduction they can say stop editing and let’s discuss this and maybe change it and then everyone get panicky and that’s where I worry about making a very good movie but it gets derailed. It’s happened to me. I am always gun shy because of that.

CS: Hearing you talk I am reminded of the story with John Hughes and how he wrote Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. It was done over a weekend, he sketched it all out. While some musicians say their biggest hits were written in a day or an hour, there are so many stories of people over-thinking the process.

WEST: I wrote The Innkeeper in 3 days. So, it is what it is. I don’t know if it’s better or worse but that’s how it goes sometimes. When you’re making it, I’ll go back to the post production thing, it’s like there’s a point where it’s like, this made sense to us 6 months ago, don’t panic now.

(Laughs)

But on a larger scale there’s a lot of people who’s jobs are on the line and in any world you’re job’s not on the line it’s just your life, a lifestyle, but if you go to the office everyday and you’re in post production, you don’t want to lose your job so it becomes show it to everyone on the planet and we have to address all the problems as if all those people made the movie and to me that just doesn’t make any sense. I can kind of see where you’re coming from but it’s not a smart way to do things and you’re just going to have this muddled mess. And, so what if they thought 2 minutes of the movie, were like I didn’t like that one section, well so what. You don’t have to. But when everyone panics that’s a bad way to make decisions.

CS: Do you fall on the side of “I’m OK over here in the indie world” or do you like internally hope that if someone wants to throw a hundred million dollars your way and say, “OK kid, go make your film”?

WEST: Well, if someone gave me one hundred million I would absolutely do that. But they all do that. They come to you with either a remake or a sequel or a script that’s not very good and they say we have 10 million dollars and you think this isn’t as good as doing a hundred million go-make-your-film-thing. I’ve had a lot of options to do bigger stuff but it’s never been appealing enough and there hasn’t been enough of a trade-off to risk making a shitty movie. If they gave me 10 million dollars I probably would just take one for the team and try but that’s not the case. It’s not a beneficial thing for me. What am I getting out of this? I’m making a movie I don’t care about, it’s probably not going to turn out well, I don’t make a lot of money, I don’t get to work with anyone I want, the idea is stupid. That’s not selling out to me. Selling out is, like you said, someone comes to you and says we’re going to give you 100 million dollars to do this thing and that’s just not the case.

Or, people have come to me and say we love what you do and we love your new script, let’s make that for more money. That’s ideal. But it’s a weird time right now where everyone goes have you heard have you heard about that Paranormal Activity movie? It was made for 30 grand and made 150 million dollars. We’ll give you 30 grand to make a movie. Dude that’s like hitting roulette, big. Yes, it’s the best way to hit it but you usually don’t so can we not just shift the whole industry to make the cheapest movie? It’s a weird time for movies. The indie movies have become Hollywood movies just made with less money. The stories are the same as any studio movie ““ they are just made cheaper, so now their indie. When I grew up, I grew up in Philadelphia, the art house theatre I would see movies that were different than any movies I had seen before ““ they weren’t hard core art movies but they were indie movies and it doesn’t feel like that anymore. It just feels like you have a bunch of celebrities and you made it for 6 million dollars instead of 70. OK?

CS: And I know my time is short but I’d like to pull it back together with your statement a couple of weeks ago where you asked people to not illegally download the film, I was moved by it and want to get your thoughts about a) why you wrote it and then b) how it felt from getting such a positive reception, from people saying he’s damn right about it?

WEST: It’s not about stealing and that’s just a semantic situation people get very reactionary about. It might be stealing but I don’t think about it like that. I think of it as not supporting. It doesn’t have to be me but everyone has their idiosyncratic thing in life whether it’s a band, a movie, a filmmaker, that they like cherish because it gives them something that they really enjoy. I think you really need to give back to that and you need to support that back. It is important as a consumer for lack of a better term to actually think about what you’re doing. It’s a powerful time to be that and it does make a statement and I think people should be more responsible. It’s a lifestyle or a culture more than it is an industry or business and to keep that going you need to have conversations. If nothing else, I hope to have started a conversation that can keep going.

CS: I agree. It would be easy to take a cookie from the cookie jar but for a little movie that could it’s important to support it and my little part here is to help get that word out for whatever it’s worth.

WEST: I appreciate that.

PAT HEALY – INTERVIEW

CS: Thank you so much for talking with me.

HEALY: My pleasure.

CS: Phenomenal film. I saw it and saw it last night again and it’s great. I would like to get started by at least finding out ““ you and Ti seem to have known each other for awhile and anyone who has seen House of the Devil would jump at the chance to work with the guy.

HEALY: Exactly right.

CS: How was it that he told you about the role you were playing? How did you fit within his vision?

HEALY: I met him at the LA Film Festival in 2007 ““ he had Trigger Man and I was doing Great World of Sound, he had seen that, and I saw House of the Devil and I was really knocked out by that. I think, coincidentally or maybe not, right after I had seen it I got an email from a mutual friend of ours and an actress and said he was looking for me for his new movie and I really right there was ready to do it. Once I got the script I looked at it and we share the same sort of dry deadpan sense of humor. He certainly believed in me. I didn’t audition or anything like that, he believed I was the right person from the work he had seen and we got to know each other a little bit.

I inherently understood that that sense of humor, that cynicism, is not necessarily me but comedy rhythm is me ““ that dry stuff. And then I think what I thought was really interesting in reading it maybe some of the stuff I talked about with him was the idea of reality of haunting vs. something going on in a person’s head and my character being a skeptic who doesn’t necessarily believe in all that ““ the sort of cynic of the two and the other person ““ Sara plays it way overboard in the other direction. I understand that because I myself am a skeptic and don’t really believe in that stuff and think it’s mostly a product of environment and things in people’s heads. But, I think the thing that really send that over the top for me is like a lot of people say, and I agree, that what makes the movie work is that you actually for once in this genre care about the characters and they’re finely tuned relationship.

I like that through line without giving too much away. I know you’ve seen it but he’s really sort of purely motivated by his feelings for her which are not reciprocated by her. He’s operating under this delusion that he sort of gets shattered and sets this whole final act into motion. I really like that about him and understood that. That scene where the unrequited love gets spoken and then towards the end of the film was interesting but heart breaking to play but fun to watch in the theater. It’s really funny because we all relate to or understand being in that situation at one point or another. It comes off as funny I think because it’s played genuinely.

CS: And he’s able to evoke something that is really sort of natural ““ it’s not forced and obviously something people have seen and really responded to it in House of the Devil. It’s great that we have filmmakers who are making paranormal activity ““ the idea that you don’t need to have a hack and slash to be able to scare people. Talking with Ti and what he was expecting with this movie and how he wanted you to play it, how did you understand it? Obviously there’s a little bit of humor in this movie which is weird to some people coming into a movie where you are expecting to get scared a little bit. How did he approach it and say this is going to be a scary movie but with humor?

HEALY: I think it’s all there on the script. I don’t think there was that much explaining to do. I don’t think it’s a great idea as an actor to focus on the genre that it is, unless it’s some really specific art soft of style that needs to be played for the thing to work. I never approached it like it was a horror movie until the last day of shooting where we shot, at least my climax of the movie. It does get very scary for me and it does get very real for me. We had done the whole movie at that point so it was easy to play that tension. But so much was done with the way he cuts it. They way Ti cut it, and the way Elliott shot it. He’s so meticulous with the work that he does with Graham Reznick the sound designer and Jeff Grace the composer.

He spent much more time with that than shooting it. If you get a chance to sit in a theatre and see it, every little creepy crack and every little string is really has an effect. Having been familiar with his work and being a movie fan I I can see what the end result was going to be so some of that is in my mind as I’m doing it. I just followed the story. I had the script for a couple of months and followed the story and had the projectory of the character and luckily we shot it for the most part in sequence. He was easy to play. You don’t think I’m doing horror or I’m doing comedy. I just get to behave and you’re on location and you just do the work in this weird place and you’re having fun with these fun and funny people and it comes off as effortless. It’s a different thing for him. I think that Ti is not necessarily a horror guy. It’s what’s been offered to him and that’s what he’s done but I think he’s capable of so much more. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, he’s one of the best at what he does but I think in this movie he’s very good with actors and relationships and comedy and all sorts of things. I think he’s going to go and do a variety of great things.

CS: I absolutely agree. He’s one of the freshest talents in the market right now.

HEALY: He’s a real person, a real down to earth guy and he understands how regular people talk and are with each other. He’s worked retail jobs as have I and he gets it. I think people respond to that.

CS: To that point that he takes longer in the editing room that it was to shoot ““ if I’m looking at this correctly, it was a 17 day shoot. To go that fast, to actually bust through it like that, is there any sort of preparation on your part as an actor/performer? He’s obviously not big on giving ornate direction and wasting everyone’s time of having to be prepared.

HEALY: And, I’m not interested in that either. Say you are doing a television show or something ““ sometimes you get the part on Friday and you have to go to work on Monday, you don’t get that kind f prep time. I did have the good fortune to have the script for a couple of months. To me, an actor’s job is really all homework. He casts you so you believe that he believes you can do it so you do your homework. It’s been really fun. I don’t want to sit around and waste anybody’s time talking about motivation for hours. He doesn’t either. Then we can just play with it. Everyone knows what they were doing. Everyone was really prepared. Then you can have fun and that’s what it was like. It’s stressful, it’s not any money if things screw up, and luckily they didn’t.

Shooting on film, so it’s not like you can do take after take and God bless them for doing that by the way. I don’t know, it forces you to be really creative on the fly in a way. Sometimes I think if you have too much time and too much money ““ too much time to think about things and too much money to blow on stuff ““ it’s not necessarily as interesting as what we got. We got spur of the moment rather than deliberating on stuff. Ti is extremely prepared down to every detail. He knows exactly what he wants it to be and he’s exacting but it never felt like we were working with a task master or anything like that. It was more of I’ve seen this man’s work, I know what he’s capable of doing, he knows what he’s doing and I trust him. I won’t speak for him but I certainly felt that he felt the same way about me, so it was a good working relationship.

CS: I know I’m almost out of time but I have to at least ask the question ““ looking at the finished product and again, it was a short schedule, a short shoot, knowing what you saw on the page, seeing it all the way through, did you see what was on the page or did he surprise you in areas.

HEALY: It far exceeded my expectations. It shouldn’t have because I was so impressed with House of the Devil and I thought they had even less time and less money on that and that was really impressive so I shouldn’t have been surprised but it impressed me. Especially once I’ve seen it a few times and got over the shock of seeing myself or remembering how it was shot ““ maybe I had seen it two or three times and with an audience watching it for the first time in a 35m print for the first time. It really is impressive and far exceeded my expectations for what it could be to see all the interesting, different things he’s trying to do all at the same time, harkening back to something more innocent and old-fashioned at the same time.

I’m really impressed by it.

I’m pleased with my work and everyone else’s work on it but I think Ti and his team did an exceptional job and it seems people are responding positively to it. Hope it will lead to more opportunities for him. I’m sure it will.

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THE SCORPION KING 3: BATTLE FOR REDEMPTION and KILLER ELITE

I’ve got a couple of Blu-rays to give away and they’ve got your name on them.

For those who are looking for a film that looks like nothing but cheesy goodness here is a description of the film straight from THE SCORPION KING 3’s press release:

A once-powerful warrior king takes on a new life as an assassin for hire in the DVD Original â„¢ The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption. The latest chapter in Universal’s enormously popular The Mummy franchise, The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption brings the heroic, larger-than-life saga of the dethroned king Mathayus to face some of his fiercest demons and most vicious rivals-both real and supernatural-ever.

In a dangerous, action-packed battle to regain his glory and reclaim the empire, Mathayus’s journey is steeped in intrigue, sorcery and romance, fueling this new film that spawned from the billion-dollar The Mummy film franchise. The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption tops the series once again, featuring even more of the heart-stopping action, mind-bending stunts and astonishing plot twists that have earned the series millions of fans the world over. The film’s spectacular fight scenes, choreographed by renowned stunt experts Kawee “Seng” Sirikanerut (Ongbok, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Cradle of Civilization) and Supoj “Jimmy” Khaowwong (Batman Begins), are showcased within enchanting ancient palaces, against a backdrop of breathtaking desert vistas.

The Scorpion King 3: Battle for Redemption stars Golden Globe® winner Ron Perlman (“Sons of Anarchy,” Hellboy II: The Golden Army) as Hours, the powerful King of Egypt and Billy Zane (The Roommate, Titanic) as the villainous Talus. Directed by Roel Reiné, the film also stars Victor Webster (“Castle,” Surrogates) as Mathayus and UFC star Kimbo Slice (Locked Down), Bostin Christopher (Unbreakable); six-time WWE World Champion Dave Bautista (House of the Rising Sun), and Temeura Morrison (Green Lantern, Stars Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith), Selina Lo (Shanghai) and Krystal Vee (Streetfighter: The Legend of Chin-Li).

And for those needing a little more Jason Statham, Clive Owen and Robert De Niro in their lives, comes a film that feels gritty, raw and all sorts of action packed. Here, then, is a blurb about KILLER ELITE:

When his mentor is taken captive, a retired member of Britain’s Elite Special Air Service is forced into action. His mission: kill three assassins dispatched by their cunning leader. Based on a shocking true story, Killer Elite is a gritty battle between guns-for-hire that has been hailed as “one of the best action thrillers of the year!” by Richard Roeper, ReelzChannel. Pitting two of the world’s most elite operatives against the cunning leader of a secret military society, Killer Elite stars Jason Statham (The Transporter, Death Race), Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro (The Godfather Part II, Raging Bull) and Academy Award®-nominee Clive Owen (Children of Men, Closer). Featuring unstoppable action and a tremendous cast ““ including Dominic Purcell (“Prison Break,” Straw Dogs), Yvonne Strahovski (“Chuck”), Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (“Lost,” “Oz”), Aden Young (Sniper, “The Starter Wife”) and Ben Mendelsohn (Trespass, Knowing) ““ Killer Elite is “a classic action thriller that will keep you guessing till the last scene.” (Patrick Carone, MAXIM).

All you have to do in order to be eligible to win one of these beauties is send your name and address to me at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll put you in the running. Good luck!

###

Marty Works his Magic on Melies By Ray Schillaci

If you had told me that the man responsible for some of the darkest and greatest films of our time (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and Goodfellas) was to be the creator of the most endearing family film of the decade, I probably would have scoffed. Put aside your humbug, Martin Scorsese has delivered his magical gift, “Hugo” just in time for the holiday season. The only drawback is the marketing department at Paramount. The trailer gives the film a homogenized family-film look that does not do this wonderful tale justice. To add insult to injury; nothing is said about the use of 3D being the best since “Avatar”.

Director, Martin Scorsese weaves a tale of wonder around an orphan whose life has been dedicated to keeping the clocks wound and fixed while living in the walls of a train station. His observation of the life around him in 1930s Paris is one of amazement and magic with a touch of melancholy. The boy, Hugo Cabret, played with heart wrenching realism by Asa Butterfield, involves himself in a mystery encompassing his deceased father, an automaton and a bitter toy peddler. Also captured is the wondrous world of George Melies, film pioneer extraordinaire.

In anybody else’s hands this movie might have been a disaster. Slapshtick could have been drawn with even broader strokes, characters might have been paper-thin and CGI special effects would have dominated the screen with loud pompous sound effects. But in the hands of the master and lover of cinema, Mr. Scorsese unfolds this gentle tale with great alacrity. Every actor involved delivers a performance that captures our hearts and imagination. The standouts may already have their mark on the Oscar race with Ben Kingsley’s grand performance, Chloe Grace Moritz capturing the spirit of a young Ingrid Bergman and Sacha Baron Cohen channeling the subtlety of the great comic actor, Peter Sellers.

The film is also a technical marvel with the 3D delivering snowflakes nearly making us shiver in delight, surrounding us with intricate clock mechanisms and delivering a magical side of film rarely seen. The entire production is first class and is guaranteed to be recognized come award time. In fact, this may be Scorsese’s triumph, for it is his true passion of film history that gives this movie its emotional punch.

For once, I can say this is a movie for the whole family. I had taken my kids (including a teenager), my wife, father and his cousin (both in their 70s) and everybody fell in love with “Hugo”. We also had friends join us and they had asked me about some of the film history discussed in the movie and their fascination spurred a fun conversation that delved even deeper. I believe my dad summed up the movie beautifully when he turned to me with deep emotion and stated, “That was a work of art.”

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME – GIVEAWAY

I had a blast with this film.

Flat out, if you’re as big a fan of Tsui Hark’s earlier work, ONCE UPON A TIME IN CHINA and TIME AND TIDE, this movie will entertain as much as it will delight fans of Asian cinema.

A story that marries together historical fact, the female emperor of China, part of the Tang Dynasty circa 689, and fantastical fiction, people are spontaneously combusting, DETECTIVE DEE is a yarn that blends action and character development in a way that I yearn for in my action films as of late.

Where the movie really excels is in the performance of Andy Lau who plays Dee. As he investigates what is behind these combustions there is a heavy emphasis on having a story that twists and turns but giving fans of famed action choreographer Sammo Hung the martial artistry what they want. The colors and fights pop in a way that Hark knows how to capitalize on. It barrel rolls you but then injects love and heart into a story that feels more like a roller coaster you never want to get off of than anything else. One of the greatest compliments for a movie’s worth is its replay factor and you’ll find yourself looking at shots that Hark has composed and wonder at why no one else is taking his lead and making action as fluid and kinetic as he can do it. As well, he makes it known that you can have thunderous violence but also be intelligent about it. Cannot recommend it enough that you check out this movie as soon as you can.

To two of you, though, you won’t have to search far. Just shoot me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and let me know your favorite Hark film and I’ll put you in the running to get one of two DVDs of the movie to check out at your own.

Good luck!

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

“A GRAND-SCALE ADVENTURE” NEW YORK TIMES

“FROM START TO FINISH IS A TERRIFIC ENTERTAINMENT” LOS ANGELES TIMES

Official Selection-Toronto International Film Festival 2010

Nominated- Best Visual Effects- Asian Film Awards 2011

WINNER! HONG KONG FILM AWARDS (Including Best Director and Best Actress)

Famed Director Tsui Hark Takes Audiences On An Epic Adventure

Master genre director, Tusi Hark’s critically acclaimed action adventure masterpiece, DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, starring legendary Hong Kong actor, Andy Lau (Infernal Affairs, The House of Flying Daggers), Bingbing Li (Forbidden Kingdom), Carina Lau (2046), and Tony Leung Ka-fai (Bodyguards & Assassins), leaps on to Blu-ray, DVD, Digital and Video on Demand, this December 13 from Indomina Releasing. Critics have called the epic “A Masterpiece” (TIME Magazine), “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon Meets Sherlock Holmes, Only A Lot More Fun” (New Your Magazine) and “The Most Purely Entertaining Film Of Our Vanishing Summer” (WALL STREET JOURNAL).

After wowing critics and audiences as an Official Selection at Toronto International Film Festival 2010, DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, went on to win at the Hong Kong Film Awards, including Best Director and Best Actress and was nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Asian Film Awards in 2011. DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME is now armed to knock out action, adventure and mystery fans alike on Blu-ray and DVD, featuring super cool bonus features including four behind-the-scenes featurettes.

Synopsis
A period epic from genre master Tsui Hark (Seven Swords), DETECTIVE DEE AND THE MYSTERY OF THE PHANTOM FLAME, is an action-packed, visually breathtaking Sherlock Holmes-style mystery starring some of China’s top acting talent: Andy Lau, Bingbing Li, Carina Lau, and Tony Leung Ka-fai. Nominated for Best Special Effects at the 2011 Asian Film Awards and stunningly choreographed by master Sammo Hung, this intricately plotted whodunit is set in an exquisitely realized steampunk version of ancient China.

On the eve of her coronation as Empress (Carina Lau, 2046), China’s most powerful woman is haunted by a chilling murder mystery: seven men under her command have burst into flames, leaving behind only black ash and skeletal bones. Recognizing this threat to her power, she turns to the infamous Dee Renjie (Andy Lau, Infernal Affairs, House Of Flying Daggers): a man whose unparalleled wisdom is matched only by his martial arts skills. As he battles a series of bizarre dangers, he unveils a chilling truth that places his life, and the future of an entire dynasty, in peril.

CAST: Andy Lau, Bingbing Li, Carina Lau, and Tony Leung Ka-fai

DIRECTOR: Tsui Hark

WRITER: Zhang Jialu

LANGUAGE: In Mandarin with English subtitles

BONUS FEATURES:

“The Making of Detective Dee”
“Creating the Characters”
“Weapons, Stunts and Action”
“The World of Dee”
Production Stills Gallery
Behind-the-Scenes Stills Gallery
Poster Gallery
English-Language Dub

English Subtitles
French Subtitles

WEBSITE:
http://releasing.indomina.com/detective-dee/

TWITTER:
@Indomina

THE HELP – DVD REVIEW

Just watch this for Viola Davis.

I will admit that I am not in the core demo for this film, nor should I be, but I will be honest and say that this is a really fine film. It’s not spectacular by any means but the movie succeeds on the performances of the ladies who make this a movie that is less chick-flick and more Disney in its presentation. To wit, a story that talks about racial stereotypes could be a crucible in which heady topics could be raised to a red hot level but this movie’s ginger tone actually takes the edge off, for better or worse, of a subject that really could have used a little more barbs in its skewering of small minded individuals.

Alas, while I was hoping there would be a little more oomph to a story about a book that rankles the delicate sensibilities of a racially divided Southern town and puts everyone’s metaphorical cards on the table as people shuck and jive their way through trying to either come to an accord or inch back into the dark confines of their bigotry this still is a worthy movie to have in your collection if for no other reason than it could introduce young people to the real issues facing the South in the 60s. It’s a primer, if you were, to the racial divide that some say still exists in some pockets all across the nation.

Again, while it’s not earth shattering it at least shatters some notions of people’s misguided philosophies on race and the performances are uniformally excellent and ought to be seen just for that.

ABOUT THE BLU-RAY:

The Help, the inspirational summer hit film people can’t stop talking about, arrives in homes just in time for the holidays, delivering this powerful story on Blu-rayâ„¢ Combo Pack, DVD, Digital Download and On-Demand, December 6, 2011.

The #1 New York Times bestseller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the compelling performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast including Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer and Bryce Dallas Howard. The Help is a courageous and empowering story about very different and extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project.

“Davis and Spencer are both brilliant” ““ Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

The Help Blu-ray Combo Pack provides audiences with the chance to delve deeper into the movie through compelling, never-before-seen bonus features, including “The Making of ‘The Help:’ From Friendship To Film,” an intimate look at how the life-changing experiences of close-knit childhood friends director Tate Taylor and novelist Kathryn Stockett led to the creation of the best-selling novel and its transition to the big screen.

Additional bonus includes “In Their Own Words: A Tribute To the Maids Of Mississippi,” which is an honest observation of life in the South from real-life maids, including director Tate Taylor’s childhood caretaker, Carol Lee; Deleted Scenes; and nine-time Grammy Award®-winning and multi-platinum selling singer/songwriter, Mary J. Blige’s “The Living Proof”, music video from the film’s end titles.

In continued efforts to provide consumers with multiple viewing choices and unprecedented quality, value and portability in a single purchase, The Help has been packaged as follows:

The 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy) =

Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features:

* The Making of “The Help:” From Friendship To Film

* In Their Own Words: A Tribute To The Maids Of Mississippi

*Three deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor, including ‘Humiliated,’ ‘A Book About Jackson’ and ‘Johnny’s Home’ (which is a Blu-ray exclusive)

DVD Bonus Features:

* Two deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor including ‘A Senator’s Son’ and ‘Keep On Walkin’

* “The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige

2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD) =

Exclusive Blu-ray Bonus Features:

* The Making of “The Help:” From Friendship To Film

* In Their Own Words: A Tribute To The Maids Of Mississippi

* Three deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor including ‘Humiliated,’ ‘A Book About Jackson’ and ‘Johnny’s Home’ (which is a Blu-ray exclusive)

DVD Bonus Features:

* Two deleted scenes with introductions by Director Tate Taylor, including ‘A Senator’s Son’ and ‘Keep On Walkin’

* “The Living Proof” music video by Mary J. Blige

The #1 New York Times bestseller by Kathryn Stockett comes to vivid life through the powerful performances of a phenomenal ensemble cast. The Help is an inspirational, courageous and empowering story about very different, extraordinary women in the 1960s South who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project – one that breaks society’s rules and puts them all at risk. Filled with poignancy, humor and hope – and complete with compelling, never-before-seen bonus features – The Help is a timeless, universal and triumphant story about the ability to create change.

The Help stars Emma Stone as the courageous Eugenia ‘Skeeter’ Phelan, who goes against the beliefs of her family and friends to find her own voice. The critically praised, emotional performance of Viola Davis as Aibileen Clark, a woman who secretly dreams of one day having more than she has been given, offers a deep emotional storyline. The breakthrough performance of Octavia Spencer as Minny Jackson, whose sass and tough exterior disguise the pain and fear she faces every day, brings both drama and humor to the film. Bryce Dallas Howard breathes life into the catty Jackson socialite Hilly Holbrook and Jessica Chastain brings charm and humor as Celia Foote, a kind housewife living outside of town who longs to fit in. Sissy Spacek, Allison Janney and Ahna O’Reilly also provide vivacious performances that round out this all-star female ensemble.

COWBOYS & ALIENS – GIVEAWAY

Everyone needs to chill out on this movie.

After watching COWBOYS & ALIENS I was struck by the fact that people should have absolutely been a little struck by the way this movie played out because it feels like it is going to find some fans in the secondary market.

By that I mean for those who spent more than $20 to see the movie were expecting something that they didn’t get while the schmoes like me who saddle up to a Redbox every now and then and pop a dollar into the machine are getting a great return on their investment. This is a movie that will play well with kids, with dudes, people of any background who understand that it’s show business for a reason and sometimes you just have to find the right price point.

A story that takes us from the old west to centuries beyond our own, the movie succeeds once you stop taking it so seriously. I had fun with it for what it is and the effects are more than enough reason to give this one a second chance. To that end, then, I have some copies of the movie to give out.

If you would like a chance to be one of the lucky ones to prove the summer audiences wrong then by all means shoot me a line at Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll get you entered to win a copy!

ABOUT THE BLU-RAY:

This summer’s movie event becomes the holiday season’s must-own Blu-rayâ„¢ as a lone gunslinger leads an uprising against an alien threat in the explosive, stunningly-imagined film, Cowboys & Aliens. A blazingly original, cross-genre adventure from acclaimed director Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Iron Man 2) and top moviemakers Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, Cowboys & Aliens features heart-pumping action, spectacular visuals and a first-rate cast. Arriving in stores December 6th from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, the Blu-rayâ„¢ Combo Pack edition of Cowboys & Aliens bring all of the thrills and fun home with perfect hi-def picture and perfect hi-def sound and includes a never-before-seen extended version of the movie, over two hours of exclusive bonus features, and a DVD and digital copy of the film that can be viewed anywhere, anytime on an array of devices including laptops, tablets, Internet-connected TVs and set-top boxes. The Blu-rayâ„¢ also boasts an upgraded version of Universal’s Second Screen – a groundbreaking new technology that enhances the viewing experience by allowing viewers to simultaneously control and interact with the film and bonus material on a WiFi-connected tablet or computer as the movie plays on the television screen. The new Flick View Feature will allow fans to interact even more with the movie and be able to move content from their tablet to their TV screen! Cowboys & Aliens is also available on DVD, digital download and On Demand.

Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace) and Harrison Ford (the Indiana Jones and Star Wars franchises) headline as adversaries obliged to join forces against a terrifying enemy, with a supporting cast that includes Olivia Wilde (TRON: Legacy, The Change-Up), Sam Rockwell (Iron Man 2), Ana de la Reguera (Eastbound and Down), Adam Beach (Flags of Our Fathers), Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood), Clancy Brown (The Shawshank Redemption), Keith Carradine (Nashville) and Noah Ringer (The Last Airbender). The script for Cowboys & Aliens is by Star Trek’s Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci and Damon Lindelof (television’s Lost), based on Platinum Studios’ graphic novel created by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. Grazer, Howard, Rosenberg, Kurtzman and Orci produce. Steven Spielberg, Jon Favreau, Denis L. Stewart, Bobby Cohen, Randy Greenberg and Ryan Kavanaugh serve as Executive Producers.

BONUS FEATURES:

IGNITING THE SKY: THE MAKING OF COWBOYS & ALIENS – A comprehensive, behind-the-scenes look at the production that invites viewers on set to meet the filmmakers and cast as they create this one-of-a-kind action film. In revealing conversations, Jon Favreau, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, as well as stars Harrison Ford, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde, share their insights about the movie. Also featured are visual-effects powerhouses Legacy Effects and ILM, which join forces once again to push the technological envelope beyond anything ever seen before on screen. It includes:

FINDING THE STORY – Cowboys & Aliens, based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg, has been in development for over a decade. Filmmakers, writers and cast explain why this particular team of Hollywood heavyweights hit the right note to bring this to the big screen.

THE SCOPE OF THE SPECTACLE – A look at the team behind the camera for the film’s massive New Mexico shoot, as the stars ride horses, shoot guns, jump from explosions, and get yanked 80 feet in the air! Director Jon Favreau stages unforgettable action set-pieces as cameras capture every moment, while legendary stuntman and Cowboys & Aliens’ second unit director Terry Leonard brings a lifetime of experience to the big-screen stunts, from legendary moments in John Wayne classics to doubling for Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark.

OUTER-SPACE ICON – Take a closer look at the creation of a new, terrifying alien design from Legacy Effects and Industrial Light and Magic.

And exclusive to Blu-rayâ„¢ these additional segments:

A CALL TO ACTION – A profile of prolific actor, writer and director Jon Favreau featuring on-set video diaries shot throughout the production.

ABSOLUTION – A look at the practical re-creation of a dusty Old West mining town, the town’s inhabitants and the amazing ensemble of actors who portray them, as well as an exclusive look at the film’s meticulous production and costume designs.

CONVERSATIONS WITH JON FAVREAU ““ Jon Favreau hosts candid interviews with cast and crew, including:

Daniel Craig

Harrison Ford

Olivia Wilde

Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer

Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci

Damon Lindelof

FEATURE COMMENTARY WITH DIRECTOR JON FAVREAU

ADDITIONAL FEATURES EXCLUSIVE TO BLU-RAY:

U-CONTROL: Universal’s exclusive feature that lets the viewer access bonus materials without leaving the movie!

BD-LIVEâ„¢: Access the BD-Liveâ„¢ Center through your Internet-connected player to access the latest trailers, exclusive content, and more!

pocket BLUâ„¢ App: The popular free pocket BLUâ„¢ app for smartphones is now even better with newly updated versions for iPad®, Androidâ„¢ tablets, PC, and Macintosh computers, with features made especially to take advantage of the devices’ larger screens and high resolution displays.

Advanced Remote Control: A sleek, elegant new way to operate your Blu-rayâ„¢ player. Users can navigate through menus, playback and BD-Liveâ„¢ functions with ease.

Video Timeline: Users can easily bring up the video timeline, allowing them to instantly access any point in the film.

Mobile-To-Go: Users can unlock a selection of bonus content with their Blu-rayâ„¢ discs to save to their device or to stream from anywhere there is a Wi-Fi network, enabling them to enjoy content on the go, anytime, anywhere.

Browse Titles: Users will have access to a complete list of pocket BLUâ„¢-enabled titles available and coming to Blu-rayâ„¢. They can view free previews and see what additional content is available to unlock on their device.

Keyboard: Entering data is fast and easy with your device’s intuitive keyboard.

And with UNIVERSAL’S SECOND SCREEN, viewers can enjoy an innovative and interactive viewing experience, that allows them to control, interact and explore Cowboys & Aliens with groundbreaking new features right on a networked tablet or computer, in synchronization with the movie on the television screen! While the movie plays, experience features such as:

Flick View: Interact with the movie, move content from the Tablet to the TV screen, and compare storyboards, animatics, and other executing content by “Flicking” them from on their tablet to their TV screen, simply by gesturing their fingers upwards on their tablets.

Scene Explorer: Viewers select various progressions of the same scene including storyboards, pre-visualizations and behind-the-scenes.

Behind the Scenes: Viewers get an all access look at the making of the film featuring interviews with cast and crew.

Storyboards: Viewers will be able to take a closer look at the storyboards created for some of the amazing sequences in the film.

3D Models: Viewers can take a look at the aliens and otherworldly gadgets in Cowboys & Aliens by the touch or swipe of their fingers. You can move the models in a 360 degree view, get tech specs and more.

SYNOPSIS

It’s 1873 when gunslinger Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) awakens in the Arizona desert with no memory of his past and a mysterious metal shackle encircling his wrist. Stumbling into the nearby town of Absolution, Lonergan discovers a tightly closed community that takes its orders from the iron-fisted Colonel Woodrow Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford) – and Dolarhyde has a bone to pick with Lonergan. But the colonel’s influence wanes when the desolate city is attacked by monsters that drop from the sky with blinding force and abduct the helpless townsfolk one by one. As Lonergan’s memory slowly returns, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of mysterious beauty Ella (Olivia Wilde), he assembles a posse comprised of former opponents: townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors. United against a common enemy, they prepare for an epic showdown for survival.

“Rare Exports” an Exceptional Treat by Ray Schillaci

The new Blu-ray Oscilloscope release of “Rare Exports: a Christmas Tale” may not be everybody’s cup of Christmas tea, but it is definitely the most original and delightfully dark holiday tale since Tim Burton’s, “Nightmare before Christmas”. This is the second fantasy film from Norway (the first being Troll Hunter) that has hit our shores and it has all the earmarks of a cult classic and is even better than its predecessor. Several films of late (Super 8, Cowboys and Aliens) have tried to recapture the magic of Spielberg in the 80s and they have fallen short. Director, Jalmeri Helander delivers that magic in spades with an unwavering “R” rating and has us giggling all the way as to how wrong it is.

There is so much wonderment involved in this fantastic tale of the “real” Santa Clause being discovered that I hesitate to provide you any spoilers with this review. The basic idea; pesky Americans have invaded the Korvatunturi mountains, disturbing the local townsfolk with their blasting. Pietari, a mischievous Norwegian boy, and his friend spy on the secretive area and believe Santa Claus has been unearthed. But this is not the jolly old fat man that parents have been talking about for ages. Pietari fears this is truly the demon that was known for stealing children and placing them in boiling water. When the boy’s harsh father accidentally snares a naked old man with a long grey beard suspicions peak and fantasy turns deadly.

Helander captures the magic of the holiday season with the beautiful snow covered landscapes and wide-eyed children. He also manages to keep us in suspense with the reactions of the adults and legends revealed. There are moments of giddy pleasure with the absurdity of it all; a possible unconscious Santa on a butcher block, a child pleading to be spanked for bad behavior for fear of Santa and a herding (it has to be seen to be believed) like no other.

Oscilloscope has delivered a crisp and dynamic Blu-ray presentation with a soundtrack worthy of a big Hollywood budget that never overwhelms or becomes annoying. Subtitles are easy to read. If you are one to avoid subtitled movies, I would strongly suggest giving this one a chance. It is well worth it.

The two disc set is the best way to go with one of the most ingenious packaging displays that is a great conversation piece. Extras include two short prequels “Rare Exports, Inc.” and “Rare Exports, Inc. ““ Official Safety Guide,” hilarious. The making of this Christmas gem, concept art, animatics and computer effects video comparison, still photo gallery displaying behind the scenes production and the original trailer from Finland is all included. Oscilloscope has also thrown in the camp classic, “Santa Clause Conquers the Martians”. All of this is worth the couple of dollars extra compared to the single disc Blu-ray or the DVD.

The film is so full of surprises throughout its production. All the actors hit their mark, tug at our hearts and make us cringe in fear all at once. But do not mistake this as a simple horror show ““ it is definitely not, it’s more of a playful creep fest that is full of fun. “Rare Exports” is a cup of spiked Christmas cheer, sit back and enjoy it.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

DVD/BLU-RAY ROUNDUP

It’s that time of the year when thoughts turn to gift giving and nowhere does this pain a giver more than when trying to decide on what movie ought to be gifted. With so many choices of films that could easily compliment the slew of other gifts under the tree, or menorah, or any other religious artifact under which you want to place it, here is a tight round up of movies that you maybe should consider depending on the tastes of the discerning consumer in your life with the most appropriate profile to which it should go.

TO THE ASPIRING FILMMAKER

What I still love about Evan Glodell’s BELLFLOWER is that it is ambitious.

It wants to be something deep and psychologically stirring but, as he’s mentioned in interviews, and he certainly brought it up to me, he took years off between fashioning the first half of this movie and then beginning work on the back half and it shows. Not that it’s bad by any means, but you absolutely can tell the flow is moving in a different direction and at what point that takes place. Filled with fantastic visuals and enough practical effects that convince you he’s got a bright future somewhere within the system of making films, BELLFLOWER is a treat that is best savored as a case study about what passion can do for someone looking to make a name for themselves.

ABOUT THE BLU-RAY:

– Behind the Scenes of Bellflower – featuring interviews with cast and crew, on set footage, and more
– Medusa Rundown – an in-depth look at the hand-built car
– Outtakes from the set
– Original theatrical trailer

Best friends Woodrow and Aiden spend all of their free time building MAD MAX-inspired flamethrowers and muscle cars in preparation for a global apocalypse. But when Woodrow meets a charismatic young woman and falls hard in love, he and Aiden quickly integrate into a new group of friends, setting off on a journey of love and hate, betrayal, infidelity, and extreme violence more devastating and fiery than any of their apocalyptic fantasies.

Originally from Wisconsin, Evan Glodell moved to California in his early 20s with a group of close friends to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker via their production collective “Coatwolf.” His credits include directing Cursive’s “Let Me Up” music video, cinematography on horror movie PLACEBO and short film SAVANNA, and conceptualizing and starring in the edgy sitcom BOSS OF THE GLORY for STIM TV. BELLFLOWER is Glodell’s feature-length directorial debut.

TO THE MAN CHILD WHO STILL PINES FOR GREMLINS OR THE GOONIES

Drop what you’re doing right at this moment and get yourself a copy of RARE EXPORTS before you give one to someone else.

A movie about an archeological dig in Finland that discovers an in-stasis Santa Claus, the movie quickly becomes something less about warm and fuzzies but of disappearing children, marauding elves, and the kind of sinister silliness that made moves like GREMLINS such a joy in the 80’s. Where RARE EXPORTS exceeds expectations is that it not only subverts the norm for a holiday movie but it makes hunting down Santa something of a joy and delight in and of itself. The level of action, comedy, frightening moments is almost too much to make you wonder why it is you’re only hearing about this now. Thing is, now you do and you cannot pass up the chance to see such a great reason to ring in this holiday season.

ABOUT THE BLU-RAY:

It’s the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, and an ‘archeological’ dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. But this particular Santa isn’t the one you want coming to town. When the local children begin mysteriously disappearing, young Pietari and his father Rauno, a reindeer hunter by trade, capture the mythological being and attempt to sell Santa to the misguided leader of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. Santa’s elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity. What ensues is a wildly humorous nightmare ““ a fantastically bizarre polemic on modern day morality.

RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE is a re-imagining of the most classic of all childhood fantasies, and is a darkly comic gem soon to be required perennial holiday viewing.

DVD Features:

The two original short films in which the Christmas tale was born, Rare Exports Inc. (2003) and Rare Exports – The Official Safety Instructions (2005)
The Making of Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
“Blood in the snow” ““ a look at the concept art
Animatics & computer effects video comparison
Behind the scenes production stills photo gallery
Original theatrical trailer from Finland

Exclusive to Blu-ray Release:

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964) ““ a cult classic from the Oscilloscope vault featuring Pia Zadora in her first movie role

TO THE SERIOUS MOVIE LOVER

You don’t have to be an Errol Morris fan to love his work but with such a wide breadth of topics that the master documentarian has tackled with panache and style it’s hard not to be in awe of what he’ll do next.

What he did next, though, was to examine the life of one Miss Wyoming and her devotion to a Mormon man who she followed to England. It is here that kidnapping, mind blowing sex, jailing, religion, and eventually their downfall take over and it’s the interviews that is really why this is one of the best documentaries of the year. The people that Morris talks to and the questions he asks is like giving a suicidal man enough rope to hang himself with. The outrageousness of this story is only matched by the outlandish problems in perception that some of these players have with regard to “the facts.” It’s a story that never quite becomes clear but that fine because the sheer delight is witnessing these human beings recall a story that really is hard to believe actually happened.

ABOUT THE DVD:

Oscar-winning director Errol Morris presents his most provocative ““ and sexiest ““ film yet. In the late 1970s, Miss Wyoming Joyce McKinney became a tabloid staple when she kidnapped her former beau, a Mormon missionary named Kirk Anderson, and tied him to a bed to “deprogram” his religious beliefs ““ by having nonstop sex with him. Morris (The Fog of War, The Thin Blue Line) follows the salacious adventures of this beauty queen with an IQ of 168 whose single-minded devotion to the man of her dreams led her across the globe, into jail and onto the front page. Funny, strange and disturbing, TABLOID is a vivid portrait of obsession, delusion and scandal sheet notoriety.

Bonus Features

Trailer

ONE FOR THE KIDS… AND FOR THE ONE IN YOU

What you notice about WINNIE THE POOH’s latest installment is just how good it is.

It ought not to be a surprise knowing how well regarded Pooh’s previous entries still are among kids but in an age where movies like LION KING PART 2 and any other Disney cash grab are supping the goodwill out of many of their franchise properties that weren’t meant to be it is just downright refreshing to have an original story told with traditional animation and have it done so well. The story itself is kind of irrelevant (Eeyore loses a tail) but it has so much heart you won’t mind the slim running time. This one should not be missed and could be one of the best animated movies you missed this year.

ABOUT THE BLU-RAY:

This October, Walt Disney Studios will release Winnie the Pooh on Blu-ray. Narrated by John Cleese (Time Bandits) and featuring musical performances from Zooey Deschanel (Surf’s Up), the all-new adventure finds author A.A. Milne’s beloved creation holding a special contest in the Hundred Acre Wood in order to replace pessimistic donkey Eeyore’s missing tail. Legendary voice actor Jim Cummings (Bee Movie) stars as Pooh, with Tom Kenny (The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie) as Rabbit and Craig Ferguson (How to Train Your Dragon) as Owl.

Bonus Features

– Mini-Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: The Balloon” bonus short film where Pooh comes up with a daring plan to get a hold of some honey by fooling a group of bees
– “The Ballad of Nessie” bonus short film detailing how Nessie found her new home in the Loch Ness
– Blu-ray Exclusive – Winnie the Pooh and His Story Too behind-the-scenes featurette – hosted by John Cleese – which explores Pooh’s history from the A.A. Milne books through the Disney movies
– Deleted scenes with introductions by directors Stephen Anderson (Meet the Robinsons) and Don Hall (The Princess and the Frog): “The Tummy Song,” “”Rabbit’s Friends and Relations,” Blu-ray Exclusive – “Original Eeyore Intro,” Blu-ray Exclusive – “Original Tigger Intro,” and “Pooh Searches for a Tail”
– Blu-ray Exclusive – Sing-Along with the Movie feature for seven song lyrics featured in the film
– Blu-ray Exclusive – Disney Song Selection feature: “Winnie the Pooh Theme Song,” “The Tummy Song, “A Very Important Thing To Do,” “The Backson Song,” “It’s Gonna Be Great,” “Everything is Honey,” and “The Winner Song Finale”

TO THE SERIOUS MOVIE LOVER PART II

What more is there to say about Werner Herzog that hasn’t been said already in more voluminous praise?

In the hands of anyone else, a documentary about some 30,000 year old cave paintings would languish somewhere on the National Geographic channel never to be appreciated like this movie has been this year. Fact of the matter is that Herzog uses 3D not to titillate or entice but to illustrate and inform. Never before has the medium felt more appropriate than it does when watching this movie. The act of reviewing and looking at the drawings from ancient man do more to tell the story of where we all came from than any sterile reenactment. This is a real history lesson and in Herzog’s hands it is glorious.

ABOUT THE BLU-RAY:

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, a breathtaking new 3D documentary from the incomparable Werner Herzog (ENCOUNTERS AT THE END OF THE WORLD, GRIZZLY MAN) follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man. A hit at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS is an unforgettable cinematic experience that provides a unique glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands over 30,000 years ago — almost twice as old as any previous discovery.

FOR THE BOY WHO’S OBSESSED WITH HOT WHEELS

Regardless of what parents think, sometimes it’s just best to get the opinion of the target demo.

Step in my 9 year-old nephew and both him and I watch the latest from the folks at Pixar. What I saw happening was him enjoying the movie far more than I was. That’s not a backhanded compliment at all but I was getting enjoyment watching him laughing at the absurdity of Mater being mistaken for being a spy. Throw in the kind of giggles and gags that caters to the taste of young kids and polish it up in a way that only Pixar knows how to do. While I felt the story was serviceable and the voice talent up to snuff it really was a movie designed for kids. I could fault the animation house for slighting me this time around as half the fun of watching a movie from them is that I’ll be in on it but every now and then the kids get something they can call their own and I know my nephew was more than happy with the way things turned out for Mater and Lighting McQueen. Good for him.

ABOUT THE BLU-RAY:

Disney”¢Pixar’s fast-action summer hit “Cars 2” comes home on Blu-ray Combo Pack, Blu-ray 3D, Movie Download and DVD — November 1, 2011. Celebrating the 25th anniversary of Pixar Animation Studios, the high octane in-home release invites families and fans of all ages to come along on a journey around the world with the #1 animated film of the year and introduces an exclusive all-new animated short “Air Mater,” featuring the fan favorite character spinning his tales in an exciting adventure high above Radiator Springs. The must-own animated release also includes fascinating commentary from award-winning director John Lasseter and “Hawaiian Vacation,” the delightful animated short that accompanied the film in theatres.

The immersive “Cars 2” bonus features include an one-of-a-kind interactive “World Tour” map that takes viewers through nine different locations, including those featured in the film and more. A global thrill-ride, it allows viewers to go behind-the-scenes with the Pixar artists and filmmakers as they circle the globe finding inspiration for the most international of all Pixar films to date. “Cars 2” is also the first Pixar film to be released in spectacular Blu-ray 3D.

Academy Award®-winning filmmaker John Lasseter, chief creative officer for Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, returns to the driver’s seat as director. “Cars 2” is produced by visual effects industry veteran Denise Ream (associate producer, “Up”; visual effects executive producer, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith”). Oscar®-winning composer Michael Giacchino (“The Incredibles,” “Up”) provides the electrifying score with a surf-rock-meets-spy-thriller flavor and a variety of global accents, evoking a sense of thrills, mystery and emotion. Brad Paisley, Robbie Williams, Weezer, French singer Bénabar and Japanese girl band Perfume lend their diverse musical talents to the film’s soundtrack.

Director John Lasseter Commentary
IN CASE OF HOLIDAY EMERGENCY, BREAK GLASS

One of the things I abhor more than anything else around the holidays is finding the same old staples replaying like bad radio singles.

At times you just need to refresh the catalog and Christmas is no different. Even though you’re ahead of the game if you’re playing movies like A CHRISTMAS STORY or CHRISTMAS VACATION on replay it’s nice to see what else is out there that the kids can enjoy as well. If you’re looking for something that is a little less salty than when Clark Griswold goes ape in his living room and demanding the head of his boss then look no further than BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: THE ENCHANTED CHRISTMAS or PREP & LANDING.

With the newest BEAUTY AND THE BEAST story happening within the time that Belle finds herself captive with the Beast (you obviously would lose a little steam if doing a story after our prince gets his humanity back) this entry is a serviceable tale that would play a lot better to the kids than it would with the parents who remember the first version of this film. The songs aren’t particularly memorable and the story feels a little wobbly when you consider how thoughtful its previous entry was but, again, the movie played well with the younger audience.

One of the more recent Christmas themed entries that I found more than acceptable and actually wished was longer was Disney’s PREP & LANDING. Focusing on a couple of elves, one who’s bitter that he was passed over for a promotion after years of service and the other a fresh newbie, this was perhaps one of the more fantastic shows I’ve had a chance to see. The animation was fresh, the story was engaging, and it was, again, something I could enjoy just as much as my kids did. Absolutely think about picking this up if you’re finding yourself wondering what else you could see to get you in the mood to spread a little Christmas cheer.

About the DVDs:

In anticipation of the holiday season, Walt Disney Studios will release Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas in a Blu-ray/DVD combo pack this November. The story of Belle’s attempts to bring Christmas cheer to the Beast and his gloomy existence, Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas takes place during the events of Beauty and the Beast.

The Blu-ray/DVD edition of the film, which premiered straight to video in 1997, does not have any confirmed technical specifications or supplemental materials; however, its previous DVD-only release contained the following special features:

Behind the scenes featurette on the animation of the Beauty and the Beast series
“Forte’s Challenge” memory game
Enchanted environment feature with animated fireplace scenes
Sing-along song tracks that can be played separately or during the feature film
Music video – “As Long As There’s Christmas” by PLAY

Bonus Features:
– Prep & Landing Stocking Stuffer Shorts:
– “Tiny’s Big Adventure” ““ The assistant to the North Pole Christmas Eve Command Center is trying to make a pot of coffee and in the process, accidentally ruins the elves’ break room
– “Operation Secret Santa” ““ Lead elves Lanny and Wayne are sent on a special assignment by Mrs. Clause (voice of Betty White) into Santa’s office
– Prep & Landing Kringle Academy Training Videos ““ Entertaining Elf training videos shot in Santa’s workshop
– Elfdate.com/The Fruitcake Factory/Spa Navidad
– Welcome to Kringle Academy
– Kringle Academy Equipment Training
– Academy Do’s and Don’ts

FOR THE LOVER OF ANIME

Did anyone else watch this as much as I did growing up?

When the original series came out I was all of 10. I was hip deep in G.I. Joe love but it wasn’t until I discovered Transformers that I was opened up to the idea of a show that dealt with robotic beings that were capable of so much malevolence. I was open to digest more and Robotech came to me at just the right time.

I was afraid before watching the series over again that I could have been waxing nostalgia and giving this show a pass just because it made me remember the times when I was a youth. I knew I would have to be brutally honest when it came to revisiting the show but as soon as the first episode started I knew it was something more than just nostalgia that got me going all over again. Simply, the writing was excellent. It was silly, to be sure, but it didn’t insult me. It didn’t speak down to me and the animation itself was everything that anime from that time was supposed to be about: exaggerated explosions, obnoxious expressions.

It was great.

The nostalgia factor moved to the side as I found myself watching episode after episode, marveling at the care taken to restore these stories, visually, as best as A+E Networks Home Entertainment could. I understand this isn’t BRIDGE OVER THE RIVER KWAI but it was nice that a few more coats of polish were put on this thing. I fell in love all over again and the real draw for any fan thinking of picking this series up shouldn’t be the series itself, although that should be 90 percent why you should, it’s the behind the scenes documentaries and pilots and lost footage that should make any nerd drool with geek delight. It’s damn near 10+ hours of extras and in a land populated with behind the scenes content that is mere fluff it is nice to know that this archive exists for people like me who want to hold onto the past just a little while longer.

About the DVD:

Long before the current live action Transformers franchise took over the box office and introduced giant alien robots to a new generation, there was a sweeping animated sci-fi epic that delivered “mecha” to the masses: Robotech. Arriving on U.S. airwaves in the mid-80s via syndication, the legendary space opera ““ one of the very first anime imports — helped to usher in the multi-billion dollar anime industry and now, through the cult classic curators at A+E Networks Home Entertainment, the influential series will be reborn on DVD. Working in close conjunction with original Robotech producer Harmony Gold, the franchise will be available in a handsomely-designed collector’s set featuring all 85 re-mastered episodes of the engaging and dramatic anime classic. Available for $99.95srp, the specially-priced 17-disc set ROBOTECH: THE COMPLETE ORIGINAL SERIES will also feature four exclusive bonus discs with more than 10 hours of bonus content ““ much of which is new to DVD. The deal was brokered by Content Media Corporation, the worldwide distributor of the series.

A sweeping science-fiction anime epic, ROBOTECH was set at the turn of the millennium, when a mysterious spacecraft crash-landed on a South Pacific island. The secrets of alien knowledge aboard this vessel were unlocked, leading to the development of “Robotechnology” and the creation of a vast arsenal of robotic “mecha” to defend the Earth against the alien threats that would eventually strike, attempting to lay claim to the mysterious power source known as “protoculture.” Told through the eyes of characters caught in a successive series of three extraterrestrial invasions, the saga was the first anime series that many fans had seen, and is often credited with the explosion of anime fandom that continues to grow in the U.S. today.

The cornerstone of a blockbuster franchise that has spawned dozens of movies, books, toys, video games and comic books, ROBOTECH was originally licensed from Japan’s Tatsunoko Studios, adapted from three different series and re-edited and re-dubbed into English. Because ROBOTECH hailed from three completely different anime series, Harmony Gold joined them into a cohesive narrative by splitting them into three distinct chapters, each representing a different generation of the saga: THE MACROSS SAGA (36 episodes), THE ROBOTECH MASTERS (24 episodes) and THE NEW GENERATION (25 episodes). These are also informally referred to as “The First Robotech War,” “The Second Robotech War” and “The Third Robotech War” respectively.

With interest in “mecha” at an all-time high, don’t miss out on this landmark in anime history from the guardians of classic TV DVD at A+E Networks Home Entertainment.

FOR DAD

I know this show wasn’t around when I was born but through the magic of VHS I was able to see what absolutely is Robert Wagner’s best work.

As a cat burglar turned government operative, really the American version of James Bond with a thievery problem, the show which ran from 1968-1970 didn’t exactly last long but the shows that it did put out there, 66 in all, are testament to what old time television used to be like and how well it could be if done the right way. Gone are the trappings of high budget productions, IT TAKES A THIEF relys more on Wagner’s suave and debonair style than it did on the seriousness of having a character perpetually pulling off capers in the name of the greater good.

While the show never quite settles on either being completely serious or Batman like campy, the harmonious balance with which this series teeters on is just pure delight. While the biggest surprises for me were seeing episodes I had never seen before and noticing the nice transfers that blow my grainy tapes out of the water, it is the interviews with show producer Glen Larson and Wagner that make this a set that any fan of mid-century television worth investing in. Larson, who would go on to have his hand in Battlestar Galactica, Quincy, M.E. and scads of other notable shows, provides the kind of insight into this series that only a veteran like him can offer.

The show suffered from a little bit of predictability as it petered out towards the end of its run but even as it was in the throes of cancellation there is just no denying that Wagner is having fun as this lovable, affable thief. He absolutely is in command of every episode, no matter how looney the premise for that week’s show, and this set provides hours of thoughtful nostalgia. Be it a sly smile or a clever disguise there is something to like in this man. With a little Danny Ocean charm, a soundtrack that feels like it belongs in one of Soderbergh’s entries, the show is everything that OCEAN’S ELEVEN wants to be and it shows.

About the DVD set:

Fusing the heist and espionage genres, IT TAKES A THIEF was an action-adventure series that aired on ABC for two-and-a-half seasons between January 9, 1968, and March 24, 1970. Marking the TV debut of six-time Golden Globe Nominee Robert Wagner (Austin Powers, “Hart to Hart”), the cult classic series was inspired by Hitchcock’s 1955 Cary Grant film, To Catch a Thief, and was among the last of the 1960s spy television genre. Never-before-available on ANY format, Entertainment One presents IT TAKES A THIEF: THE COMPLETE SERIES in a collectible 18-disc set containing all 66 digitally remastered episodes and a host of bonus featurettes and extras.

Stealing to finance his life as a playboy and sophisticate, Alexander Mundy (Wagner) was the world’s greatest cat burglar”¦ until the day he got caught. But thievery skills are an asset in the world of espionage, so Mundy is pardoned when he agrees to use his wily ways to help steal for the SIA, an American espionage agency. Technically under house arrest, Mundy then travels the world over, performing daring acts of thievery in the name of Uncle Sam. He also works closely with SIA department head, Noah Bain (“˜70s TV mainstay, Malachi Throne), his boss, aide, friend and watchdog. It was Throne who also lent his deep distinctive voice to the split-screen credit sequence set to Dave Grusin’s memorable theme, saying: “Oh, look, Al, I’m not asking you to spy, just asking you to steal.”

For the latest breaking news on IT TAKES A THIEF and other releases, follow Entertainment One on Twitter: http://twitter.com/eOneHomeVideo

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

Jos̩ Padilha of ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN РInterview

Director José Padilha has indomitable spirit.

Talking with Padilha a couple of weeks ago, out promoting his new film ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN, a thriller that mixes together action, drama, and political intrigue on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, you have the sense that you’re having a discussion with someone who enjoys their craft. He’s excited to talk about what he’s doing and how he’s filming it that you become jealous of a man who will make do with what he has by making the best of it. It’s hard to believe that an individual filled with so much positivity would be the one hand picked to lead the Robocop reboot but as we talk you can tell that there is no better choice who should bring back the half man, half robot, all cop back to life.

ELITE SQUAD: THE ENEMY WITHIN is now playing.

PADILHA: I’ve been making movies about the violence in Rio for a while. I started with a documentary called, Bus 174 about this street kid that hijacks a bus and makes hostages. Since I did that documentary I had to interview a lot of cops in Rio pretty well and so I was always very attracted to how crazy and insane their lives are. That got me into Elite Squad ““ first movie ““ which basically talks about the cops and their day-to-day lives. After I’ve done that I thought I should make another movie that explains why police are the way they are and to explain why the police behave the way they do. In Rio I had to make a movie that would talk about politics basically. I had to put my character not on the police day-to-day work but on the interface between the politicians and the police. That’s why I decided to make Elite Squad II ““ to be able to say how corruption and elections effects the way the politicians manage the police.

CS: And the one thing I saw as sort of a through-line, something I see connected, is ““ in your talking with the actual police who were trying to fight things down in Rio, is it getting to the point where the police in Juarez in Mexico is called the silver or the lead ““ take one of the other?

PADILHA: It’s not how we do it in Brazil. Here’s what’s going on in Rio to give you a picture ““ in Rio we have had, and still have, a lot of very violent drug dealers controlling certain communities. All those drug dealers they are in business with the police. The police is getting a cut from the drug dealers. We used to say that Rio is the only city where you know every single place where people sell drugs. You know the address and nothing happens. And the reason why nothing happens is because the police is a part of the game. Now, slowly though, the police has started to realize that by kicking the drug dealers out of the slums they could have a more profitable business because instead of getting a cut from the drug dealer they would get a cut from everything ““ like the mob. They would charge every business for protection ““ they would control the cable TV market ““ they would control water selling ““ they would control gas for ovens ““ all of this.

So, slowly what took place in Rio, which is very different from Mexico, the drug dealers are now controlling more than half the slums and not the police. The police is now controlling by itself, more than half the slums in Rio and operating like a mafia and pushing the drug dealers out. So it’s a very different contact. With Mexico is very much mob driven and Rio we now see corrupt police take their knocks and drug dealers out of the slums and run the slums by itself like a mafia and getting people elected because they control the votes in the slums. So I think it’s very different from Mexico – not fair to even compare those two realities.

CS: I agree. I think one of the follow-up questions to that is the reception of the film. I know it shattered all sorts of box office records in Brazil. Did the movie improve the dialogue about what is happening or was it just seen as a diversionary pleasure ““ this is just an action movie, it’s all fake”¦.

PADILHA: People get it. Mostly it’s not seen as an action movie, it’s seen as a political thriller because that’s really what it is, even though there’s action. The movie generated, and the first one also, a lot of debate and newspaper articles and screenings at universities and so I feel that as far as movies can contribute changing things ““ those two movies have contributed. But, of course, movies don’t change things by themselves ““ they can only help a little bit. So I see the contribution of my films to change things in the context of the culture as a whole. One movie doesn’t change anything but books, theatre plays, several movies, newspaper articles, all those things together in the long run do change things.

CS: To your filmmaking style, I’m wowed with the way your documentary style bled over to the way you shot this film. I know in previous interviews you talked about the connecting shot ““ you’d rather shoot for schedule than for ““ you want to make due with what you have and want to make the most impactful shot you can. Can you talk a little bit about your filmmaking style and how making a documentary helped you?

PADILHA: Absoloutely. I think that the most different thing that I do from regular, if there is such a thing, directing in fictional movies is that I don’t give marks to actors. I give marks to the camera. So because I don’t tell where the actor has to be in order to lend a certain line the cameraman never knows in advance where the camera should be at. He has to find where the actor is moving towards. So what I do is I tell the cameraman, when the actor gives such and such a line you have to be at the gun. So by giving marks to the camera and not to the actors I try to make the camera move towards the story all the time, the camera is searching all the time what’s relevant to the story telling and that’s exactly how to film a documentary.

In a documentary you don’t know where people will go. You don’t know what people will say and you have to be ready to point your camera at what’s relevant when you’re shooting and you don’t know where it’s coming from. I try to do that in the fictional movies by not giving marks to the actors and giving marks to the cameras. I don’t know if that makes any sense.

CS: Yes.

PADILHA: Is that a good explanation?

CS: Absolutely, it makes perfect sense to me and I think it’s interesting to know without mentioning anything at all about the film itself is whether you are able to take that to Robocop or if you have a bigger budget do people expect you to do things more traditionally or are you able to do the way you want to direct?

PADILHA: And the bigger the budget the more times I’m going to do exactly what I do. Ha ha

(Laughs)

CS: And I would absolutely be remiss if I didn’t talk about your relationship with Braulio. How has it been working with him and how does that dynamic work between the two of you?

PADILHA: First of all we are great friends. We’ve known each other a long time and so we just enjoy making movies together. That’s fundamental. Actually I’m friends with everyone in my film, Wagner is a great friend, so it’s an extension of our friendship basically. We like the subject matter of urban violence. I have done a documentary call Bus 174, Braulio had written City of God, and nobody before us had ever made a movie about the police in Brazil. There’s never been a movie before Elite Squad I in which the protagonist is a cop. Never happened. And so we thought, that’s weird we have to make that film.

So in the first movie I wrote a lot of treatments and I thought I had it maybe it was like the 4th or 5th treatment and then I gave it to Braulio and said I think this is a terrific script, can you make it better? Then he rewrote it and made it much better. The second movie we did it the other way around. Braulio wrote the treatments first and then when he thought it was good he gave it to me and I rewrote it and then we shot it. We don’t actually have a rule. We just trust each other to the point where I can let him write on top of what I write and he will let me write on top of what he writes. That’s the way we do it. We both write the same script. It’s not easy when you are a writer and have someone coming over and rewriting what you just wrote. You need to have a special sort of creative relationship in order to do that and with me and Braulio it works perfectly well.

CS: With the work that you’re doing and the ambition you have ““ you’re obviously not shy about wanting to take on big budget roles ““ do you have it in your own mind about how you’d like to see your career progress from here? Obviously, you are being pulled up to the big leagues with the ROBOCOP remake ““

PADILHA: That’s probably what my agent thinks.

(Laughs)

I don’t think in this way, you know? I do the projects that I love. That’s all I do. When I finished shooting Elite Squad, the first movie, I shot a documentary called Garapa about hunger in black and white, no music, very slow pace because I thought it was a great project. I’m doing Robocop because I think Robocop is a fantastic concept. The idea of having a corporation replace the parts of an actual man by robo parts ““ it’s such a powerful metaphor. It lends itself to so much social commentary and I think it’s needed nowadays. Again, it was needed when the first Robocop came out and it’s still needed nowadays. It also allows me to talk about the mind/body problem. What is it that makes someone conscious? Can a machine have a conscience? What’s the difference between a computer controlled process and a humanistic person doing a task? All those things are inside the idea of Robocop and that’s why I’m making the project. The budget, the size of it, those are not concerns for me. If the next thing on my table was a small documentary, that’s what I would do.

CS: Jose, I know my time with you is brief, so let me just finish off with the last question about how you feel about the reception it’s had ““ the film ““ obviously crowds embraced it in Brazil, played a fantastic fest here”¦.

PADILHA: It was a great experience. Especially because it was independently distributed. Our production company ““ we have a garage and put a table the garage and that’s basically how we did it. We bought 3 or 4 computers and hired some people that had distributed films before and it was self-distributed movie that became the highest grossing movie ever in the history of film in South America. So, we beat all the studios in their own game without having no knowledge of how to do it anyways. So it was a little insane, truly but it’s always good when an insane thing works out. So we took that crazy risk. I’m sure we beat Avatar which was the highest grossing movie before us, I’m sure we’re going to get beat any moment now. Laughs. It’s funny to have a small company that has only four people in it do the biggest release ever. Laughs. It’s a good feeling. And, as a director, it’s great if you have people understanding your movie and buying tickets. That’s why we do it”¦for an audience to see it.

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

Jennifer Fox of MY REINCARNATION – Interview

MY REINCARNATION is the kind of film that doesn’t try to change your faith or sway the way you think about God but it does reaffirm the notion that through deep internal examination there can be enlightenment and it can result in something as simple as a father and son connecting on an emotional level after so many years of trying to define their relationship.

The film’s focus on exiled Tibetan spiritual master Cheogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche and his son, Yeshi, spans the unbelievable time period of almost twenty years. As Norbu’s personal secretary and, as a natural born filmmaker, Jennifer Fox decided to follow him around with a camera.

She was always interested in the, “teachings of Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche.” Meeting him in 1985 Fox, “became his student and he eventually let me know he needed a secretary.” She was a part of the man’s family, she was with him constantly and, as filmmaker, she knew she, “had to start filming.”

Unaware of what she would have on her hands when she was done she, “shot a lot of film.” In the mid 90’s she put the camera down and thought about what she possessed. What she had was a lot of footage of nothing in particular. To hear her put it, Fox she knew there was something there but it wasn’t whole yet. As she filmed father and son she realized that it was going to take something special, conflict, in order to make this a cohesive film and it would all rest at the feet of Norbu’s son.

At a young age Yeshi was told that he was a reincarnated lama and that he needed to recognize himself as that lama and continue his father’s teachings as a master of the Dzogchen tradition of Buddhism. In 1988 he was 18 and even then he had an “uneasy” relationship with his father. Yeshi didn’t embrace this revelation. He grew up, he went into the business world, and the movie deals with what could have been the very end of the movie. However, it wasn’t until years after Fox put down the camera did she become aware of Yeshi’s change of heart, of mind.

Fox admits that up until that point, “there is no conflict. How do you make a movie without conflict? I’m a narrative filmmaker yet there wasn’t a story to tell.” When she learned that Yeshi was giving up the life of urban professional, who already had a family and a very successful career, that he gave it up in order to become the very thing he had been raging against for most of his life, thirteen years later she filmed on and off until 2009.

She had her film. With her 1,000+ hours of footage she had to get editing. Says Fox, “I was conscious that I didn’t want to make this film for just a Buddhist audience. It would be a film that could speak to anybody of any denomination.

Without giving anything away about where the film goes, Fox is deftly able to take the footage she shot and create a third act that weaves together spirituality and humanity in a way that feels removed from Buddhism and feels more grounded in people being people. It’s hard to accept the things we struggle hard to rage against but sometimes, like in the case of Yeshi, you could turn around and see a situation in a different light.

Fox was close to her subjects and it’s that intimacy that helps elevate this documentary above most that simply explore a subject as if it were just that, a subject. Says Fox about the 1:1 filming she did, “It’s not like shooting with a crew. You are always with your subjects, but I think that shows.”

As Fox explains about the process of getting the movie to the public, even though the movie’s coming to theaters doesn’t mean she’s done stumping. “I feel a responsibility,” she said, “to make sure it gets out there properly.” To that end, she’s also had to contend with financing issues.

The movie was, for all intents and purposes, done and making the festival rounds but after a backer themselves backed out of helping to finance the movie’s journey to more markets Fox found herself $100,000 in debt. Almost on a whim, on a lark, she turned to Kickstarter to see if anyone would help the film make it to its final journey. She thought $50,000 would have been an outrageous success but, after a little while, that $50,000 goal was bypassed by over a $100,000.

“We’re the second highest raising documentary of all time,” she said.

In a previous interview, Fox has commented what crowd sourcing has meant to her:
“It’s been a really hard road and I have to say, I have never made a film this hard before. But it is all about really reinventing your strategies towards producing. Whenever you think you can’t, look again. I’m very, very excited about crowd funding. I think it gives enormous opportunity to literally let the audience vote for your film, as this crowd funding campaign did for our film. It’s an enormous message to put out to broadcasters and theatricals showing people want this film, they want to see it and they want it now. It works particularly well with films that have a niche audience and that aren’t on general topics.”

Elizabeth Olsen and Sean Durkin of Martha Marcy May Marlene – Interview

Make no mistake about it, Elizabeth Olsen is unpredictable. She doesn’t telegraph her intentions or give you any idea where she’s going next. It’s exhilarating.

She is pure emotion in Martha Marcy May Marlene, a film that does not relent, does not give you an easy out, and certainly is not going to give you a happy ending. Dealing with a girl who comes out of a cult only to find solace in the company of her sister who, in turn, wonders what to do with a sister that can’t let go of her past and is mentally unstable due to the events that transpired under the tutelage of charismatic cult leader Patrick, played wickedly by John Hawkes, the movie is tragic. The story twists and turns and the less you know going into it the better you’ll be at seeing how wonderfully Olsen melted into her role as an impressionable young woman who would be forever destroyed by a madman.

Olsen and director/writer Sean Durkin stopped by Phoenix in support of the film and to talk about their experiences making it. Martha Marcy May Marlene is playing right now.

CHRISTOPHER STIPP: Hello. How are you two doing?

ELIZABETH OLSEN & SEAN DURKIN: We’re doing alright.

CS: I’m going to try and make the best use of my 10 minutes here. After seeing the movie last night I think it was one of the best movies I’ve seen this year.

Thank you so much.

CS: Without question ““ Not only is it a testament to your filmmaking Sean but, Elizabeth, the performance was fantastic.

OLSEN: Thank you.

CS: I think I’d like to start by asking you Sean how you started researching and thinking that this would be a viable idea for a film and how Elizabeth got wrapped up in it?

DURKIN: I just had the idea I wanted to make a film about a cult. And I wanted it to be contemporary and I felt I hadn’t seen that and something local, something I could imagine happening in the Catskills in New York. So I started with the big groups of the 60’s and 70’s and worked my way down to finding more modern groups that are around today and just trying to get a sense of how they worked ““ how they got these people in.

I remember being struck early on by the pictures of people who have come out ““ what they looked like when they came out versus when they went in like their souls were sucked out of them and they physically changed and I was just so fascinated by how that could happen to somebody. Then after that I decided to just focus on ““ the most interesting part was the first couple weeks after someone leaves ““ the complexity and paranoia. I thought that was the best thing ““ the most cinematic element of the process that I wanted to get. And, I wanted an unknown actress to play the role. I thought it was really important to have someone that people hadn’t seen before and we just started auditioning everybody that fit that age range and who fit that description and Lizzie was clearly outstanding for the role. So I went with her.

CS: Elizabeth, what brought you ““ certainly the role the way it was written was thick with character development ““ I know talking with actors and actresses they say they are always looking for something substantial and there’s nothing out there that’s really substantial ““ I would imagine that when you read the script that there was plenty substantial about it.

OLSEN: Yes, that I had only been auditioning and reading scripts for about 6 or 7 months. So the parts that we substantial they had no interest in having someone who was unknown. Laughs.l For me it was an interesting pointing time but when I got to read the script and also having a lot of love and compassion for Martha. I totally wanted to play her because I totally understood her.

I didn’t want to diagnose her and I don’t want anyone to write her off. Initially I had this drive to do her justice in a weird way. But also when I read the script I loved reading being an audience member while I was reading it and I loved the way Sean played with narrative and it was something I only have seen in theatre and I haven’t ever seen in film. It really excited me and I thought it was a great way to tell a story. I thought it was an effective way of how to get in someone’s head. So both of those together really excited me.

CS: Did Sean give you any sort of instruction coming to the performance, like read up on this or look at real life examples. Some people would go so far and get method with it all. How far deep did you go to get to understand Martha as a character?

OLSEN: I understood her as a person and what she needed and what these people could provide for her. But, I never went deep into thinking I needed to be around people who are in cults. I never felt that. I felt like I connected with the character on a couple different levels. But then Sean the way he directs he said I have my ideas about your life story ““ I have my ideas about A, B, and C.

If you want to ask me I’m an open book so he used himself as a source but he doesn’t make you do anything. So I would use Sean as a research source because of all the people he’s been able to talk to. If I was stuck on something I would just ask him ““ now did this actually happen to someone? What did they say about it? What was their reason? So there was research from that end but mainly to get behind her. I tried to ground her more so like in reality and not so much like a cult victim. More so, it was someone I could connect with.

DURKIN: And that was our approach too ““ never calling it a cult. No one knows they are in a cult when they’re in a cult. And that line of what a cult is is also a fine line. We kept all that stuff out of it and made all the relationships just about friendship and family and how those get manipulated.

CS: It’s interesting you bring that up. I wanted to ask too, that is a fine line with a cult, I think one of the reasons why the film works so well is that ““ cinematically, it’s not villainized, not in you face, look at what these people are doing, isn’t it wrong, it’s wrong, this is wrong, it’s very subtle, a slow burn throughout the whole film. What was your method for approaching this with I don’t want to make it ostentatious that these people are wayward and wrong but I also want to get across how subtle and scary this all can be.

DURKIN: Well, for me it’s all about how did Martha get in there and get that deep. I wanted to go with her slowly and that came from listening to people about how they get sucked in I don’t know, it just has to be subtle. For the audience to go with her If you were to show up on the first day and everyone was wearing robes and they are chanting religious sermons then that’s immediately a red flag but we needed to not pass judgment and keep it subtle so that you understand why Martha could fall into this.

And also, there are positive things that this is built on and I think a lot of cults do start with positive things and then they get manipulated. So it was just about finding that balance of how someone gets sucked in and I didn’t want to judge anybody because I didn’t want to dismiss anyone ““ like oh, this person is in a cult because they are this type of person or this person is bad for doing this. Obviously it gets to a point where it’s obviously bad but in the beginning you can’t disregard anyone.

And one of the things I found interesting is that there is no one type of person who gets into a cult either. So you can’t see a character and say oh, they are in a cult because they are like this and that fits the description. It’s much more complicated than that so I wanted everyone, even the small parts to be individual and strong and not someone you can dismiss.

CS: And I think that’s the case. John Hawks is one of those actors that just ensconces and looses himself in a role and I think one of the master strokes here was making him, again, not so much the villain, but showing how subtle and sly the whole process can be. I think ultimately, and one of the questions I want to be sure to squeeze in for both of you ““ looking at the film now, what do you think the film has to say about identity in general ““ how it defines us and how it can be manipulated by others?

OLSEN: The biggest thing for me with identity in relation to this film and to cults in general, is I just feel people have to( and I may be stealing Sean’s words right now) have this desire to belong to something bigger than themselves. And if they don’t find this place where they fit in and they can contribute to a whole, then they feel like there is something missing. So that’s what I relate to ““ this drive to want to belong to something outside yourself that is bigger.

DURKIN: Yes. I always find this hard to say ““ like what this film is saying or trying to say. For me it was creating this character that was true to the experiences that I looked into and spent time with people about what they went through and creating the psychological state and I think that in these scenarios, what these groups do is slowly ““ I guess they rename you and strip away your identity and take down to a childlike state and then reprogram you. I was always interested in identity and people trying to fit in and looking for groups to belong to and this was an extreme case to do that. I don’t really know what it’s saying. I just tried to focus on the character and following that, exploring that, and trying to be true to depicting how someone can get lost and lose their voice and therefore their identify when they go through something this traumatic.

CS: I would like to talk about the films relationships. The conscious choice not to show the relationship between Martha and her sister as it relates to anything further past her coming out of the cult and she gets into the cult. How was that established? The kind of relationship that these two sisters had and why there was no real other context than what we were shown on the screen?

DURKIN: Well, the writing process was a long, delicate process of trying to find exactly what I wanted to portray. Most importantly, for me, is that each moment I try to make them true and I can’t speak for everybody but in my experience when people go home and spend time with their families they tend not to talk or confront issues. There is always stuff underneath the surface. It goes back years and is never brought up. And it’s rare that the past is discussed in detail. At least this family tried to move forward and I think that’s common. So it all came from that and just trying to be true to that and true to Lucy’s character. I just wanted to focus on the present. Just tried to be accurate with that.

OLSEN: I think also, I find it really interesting to watch how people react with each other that clearly have a history and not know what that history is. I just find that interesting. I guess that’s why I enjoy watching people eating at a restaurant. Trying to figure out what their relationship is to each other. I also, for me as an audience member, I enjoy watching these two sisters and try to figure out what happened and you can get a sense of what did happen, you just don’t have the facts. But it’s still this way of analyzing behavior which I find really fascinating.

CS: Last question and I’ll make it really brief, the take-away’s”¦ after seeing the finished product , how do you feel about your performance, Elizabeth and certainly Sean, how do you feel about the way the film’s been received?

OLSEN: Well, I don’t know how to watch the film without thinking about what happened everyday on set. The scene where I’m throwing a rock at the car, the only thing I could think of was how fast we had to get that shot. Laughs. I’m really excited to see it again for the final time in Toronto, my dad is going to be next to me and that will be my second time seeing it again from beginning to end with an audience.

I’m really excited to see it again with some distance because I want to be able to learn from my work. I don’t know if that’s even possible but if it is then having something taped and learning what you can improve on could be a helpful tool. I’m trying to learn how to watch myself. I haven’t quite figured it out. I’m happy with the movie. The sound was really exciting to hear. I thought it was really effective. So when we were filming I had no idea that was going to happen so that was cool when I saw the movie.

DURKIN: I am really happy with the film and feel that we had a wonderful team of people and everyone did incredible work and we were able to make the best film that we set out to make. That’s all you can do!

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

A Handful of Horror this Halloween – Ray Schillaci

Critics are creeping out of the woodwork with their top ten lists of horror, but I cannot lump myself in with my brethren due to the fact; it’s boring. That my friend is the last thing you want this Halloween season. There is nothing worse than putting on your favorite horror film with a group of fiends and having them not pay attention at all, because they have seen it and know what’s coming around the dark corner. From the killers to the possessed and the haunting, it’s just no fun if the thrill is none.

With that in my demented mind, I present to you a handful of the weird and not so obvious for this sinister season. Not all of these will be easy to find, but if you can get them quick enough, it will be well worth the sleepless nights playing with your mind.

Lunopolis: Finally, this wonderfully creepy “recovered footage” sci-fi movie comes to DVD and it is an absolute delight. Sadly, as far as I know, it is only available through Amazon. But seek it out on Netflix anyway. There are more conspiracy theories weaving around the complex story than Oliver Stone’s, “JFK”. I raved about this little film with a big budget story last year and could not praise it enough. Mathew Avant delivers spooky and thought provoking scenarios that engross every step of the way. It begins with a frantic phone call to a radio station. From that point on, I do not want to ruin it. No trick, just treat yourself with this ambitious chiller.

Night of the Creeps: Before James Gunn’s “Slither” (20 years earlier to be exact), Fred Decker delighted us to slithering leech-like creatures from space and threw in nude midget aliens, zombie football players, a multitude of exploding heads and John Carpenter alumni, Tom Atkins (The Fog, Escape from New York) with a wonderful “B” movie salute. This movie does it all; makes you squirm, laugh, gape in shock and may promote gag reflexes. One of my favorite quotes, “The good news is your dates are here. The bad news is there dead.” Tom Atkins delivers that line with wonderful deadpan humor. A frat party is terribly disrupted by an alien invasion, but this does not stop hotties from removing their tops. This is fun for the whole family (of adults).

Trailer Park of Terror: This movie caught me off guard and I did have it on my top ten last year, but I insist on including it again for those who have not been exposed. I was not ready for its wit and visual style. Yes, that’s right ““ I’m associating those words with a movie about a cursed trailer park. Say what you must about the title, but writer Timothy Dolan and director Steven Goldmann deliver manna for horror mavens with a no holds barred trailer trashy fright flick. Hillbilly zombies have never been as grotesque or as much fun. I will warn the faint of heart that the humor does dwindle in the last half hour and the artists do not just go for the jugular, they rip it to shreds. Don’t waste your time with the “R” rated version ““ go straight for the unrated and watch the fun as your audience tries to keep from running out of the living room.

The Island of Lost Souls: I’ve written an extensive review on this one in my “Worth Reviving” article. This is nearly the “lost ark” of horror movies next to Lon Chaney’s “London after Midnight”. Monster movie lovers could not ask for much more from this October 25th, Criterion release. There have been several remakes, but none have compared to the raw beauty that the 1932 version has along with some of the most memorable characters including a mad Charles Laughton and a beastly Bela Lugosi. A scientist secludes himself on an island to play God while conducting blasphemous experiments crossing humans and animals. This is possibly the most outrageous film of its kind since Tod Browning’s “Freaks”. Discard “Human Centipede,” “Island of Lost Souls” is a classic monster movie right up there with the original “Frankenstein” and “Dracula”. If you have not seen it or have only caught it on late night TV, do yourself a favor and rent or pick up this uncut, restored Criterion release.

HORROR ITALIAN STYLE; Nightmare Castle, Zombie, Burial Ground, any early Mario Bava: No fright night is complete unless a little spice is added and what better way to flavor the evening with a nasty Italian horror romp. If you have never been subjected to the Italian horror genre, then make way for a most fun evening of taboo breaking, eye gouging, double buckets of the fakest looking blood with some of the most out of sync dialogue. They stem from the very gothic (Nightmare Castle or Castle of Blood) to the absolutely ridiculous walking dead that place an extreme emphasis on sex and decay (Burial Ground or Zombie). Then there is early Mario Bava, the Hitchcock of Italy (Black Sunday, Black Sabbath or Susperia). You could do no wrong with any of these depending upon your taste. Early Bava is definitely an exercise in atmosphere with his dynamic visuals and sound.

Stake Land: This one is an honorable mention and for the six-fingered fans out there. There are a lot of tepid vampire films, but Stake Land brings the bite back viciously. An apocalyptic tale with a smaller budget and a far more interesting story than 2009’s “Daybreakers” or Will Smith’s “I Am Legend”. The make-up is a cool reminisce of “Evil Dead,” the sound is cool and will make you jump. Also, a big warning; this film treads taboo territory and may offend some. No one is spared. This is a true chilling experience with a slow build up, but a great pay off.

Some are old, some are new and all have a style that will grow on you. So make the purchase or rental and dim the lights, turn up the sound and grab something that provides a few bites. Check your closets and under the bed, for this Halloween you may share a room with the”¦

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

THE TRIP – DVD REVIEW

There is a moment in this film where Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are having one of their many meals together and they’re riffing back and forth doing impressions of famous English comedians. I’ll be honest and say that I hadn’t a clue about who they were goofing on as they vied for supremacy as it pertained to who was more spot-on but, you know what, it didn’t matter to me.

There were countless moments that were so specific to the history of British humor as these best of friends talked and communicated about the influence of these men on their own lives that the brilliance of the movie comes into focus: it’s not about what you don’t understand but it’s what’s plain as day that makes this such an enjoyable movie. It’s a movie about friendship, about food, about enjoying the company of another person and when the person you love the most just happens to know how to push every button it becomes more about what is discovered along the way than it does where you end up.

This is, without question, one of the best films I’ve seen this year and it’s because it’s all about focusing on just a couple of people. It doesn’t need to service a grand storyline, it doesn’t need to develop multiple characters, and it certainly doesn’t have multiple thematic elements that it needs to properly get through. It just settles on letting Coogan and Brydon do their own thing, honestly, and that comes through. It’s like a glass of wine, actually: meant to be enjoyed slowly. Slow down and pull up a chair, these two are waiting.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

THE FUNNIEST MOVIE OF THE YEAR ““ AND THE BEST REVIEWED ““ BRINGS TWO COMIC GENIUSES TOGETHER (THREE IF YOU COUNT MICHAEL CAINE)

THE TRIP

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon ““ and Their Remarkable Cast of Comedic Impersonations ““ Make This the Journey That Every Movie Lover Needs to Take. Michael Winterbottom’s Gut-Busting Hit Arrives on DVD on October 11, 2011

“The hardest I’ve laughed at a comedy this year.”
““ Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

You may never be able to watch a Michael Caine performance with a straight face again after experiencing Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon trade hilarious spot-on impressions of the great actor in THE TRIP. And Caine is just one of the celebrities that this priceless comic duo “does” in maverick director Michael Winterbottom’s brilliant new spin on the road movie. After a huge theatrical success, spurred on by immense viral popularity, the movie comes to DVD from IFC Films and MPI Media Group on October 11, 2011.

When a newspaper offers Steve Coogan (24 Hour Party People, Tropic Thunder, Around the World in 80 Days, TV’s Alan Partridge) the chance to review a series of fine restaurants in the English countryside, he thinks it will make for a lovely getaway with his girlfriend Mischa (Margo Stilley, the daring star of Winterbottom’s 9 Songs). When Mischa backs out, Rob Brydon (TV’s Little Britain, Oliver Twist) ““ Coogan’s best friend and source of eternal aggravation ““ fills in as a less-than-ideal travel companion. In semi-fictional performances using largely improvised dialogue from these two real-life friends (the co-stars of Winterbottom’s similar reality/fiction mashup Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story), Coogan and Brydon can’t help but try to outdo each other as they endure long car rides between meal after meal.

“I was in seventh heaven bordering on eighth during THE TRIP,” praised Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal. “I would have been happy with an additional half-hour of Steve and Rob doing more impressions.” Stephen Rebello, in his review in Playboy, said: “Line for line, insult for insult, THE TRIP is the year’s most addictively quotable movie….It’s not only hysterical and acrid but also unexpectedly touching.”

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THE LION KING – BLU-RAY REVIEW

Do I need to say how well this movie is made?

A true symbol of the power that 2D animation truly has in an age when everything is CGI and pixels, THE LION KING succeeds because of how strong its story is and for its timeless soundtrack. When other films want to bring in artists-of-the-moment to add their own musical elements in a movie, THE LION KING excelled because Disney put its trust in Elton John, Tim Rice, and Hans Zimmer. What the three of these guys accomplished was tantamount to a genius move as the focus was less on what could be heralded as the “hit single” and more on what could be seen as a score that would best serve the needs of the story.

The story of a young lion who has to overcome so many obstacles to realize his own destiny, as well, wasn’t one that was a familiar wheelhouse to the mouse house. It was a risky move but one that paid off so well because of the level of dedication to the story. The Blu-ray that was just released by Disney comes loaded with not only special features but comes looking better than it ever has before. When it comes to reference quality releases this is one that deserves your investment.

The real gem, though, besides being able to revisit this movie in startling clarity is checking out the behind-the-scenes documentaries. While this may or may not be anything new to true Disney purists there were some really unique things to learn about this movie’s impact and development.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

AUDIENCES TO EXPERIENCE DISNEY’S “THE LION KING” LIKE NEVER BEFORE…

Simba, Mufasa, Nala, Timon and Pumbaa are back and better than ever this fall when Disney’s “The Lion King” roars into theaters and homes in breathtaking 3D. A special two-week theatrical extravaganza kicks off Sept. 16, 2011, showcasing the Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winning film on the big screen in Disney Digital 3Dâ„¢ for the first time ever, and its highly anticipated home entertainment debut kicks off October 4, celebrating the Diamond Edition release of the epic movie “The Lion King” in high-definition Blu-rayâ„¢ and Blu-ray 3Dâ„¢.

“”˜The Lion King’ is the best-selling home entertainment release of all time – and this is “˜The Lion King’ like never before,” said Bob Chapek, president of distribution, The Walt Disney Studios. “The all-new 3D format immerses viewers in the epic settings and puts them face-to-face with these beloved characters. We’re showcasing one of the all-time favorite Disney movies in theaters and making it available in Blu-ray hi-def and in Blu-ray 3D – it’s the must-see, must-own title for everyone.”
Nearly a decade since “The Lion King” last appeared on the big screen, the upcoming theatrical release invites new generations into the “Circle of Life.” The two-week, 3D-only presentation is a planned wide domestic release – the biggest since the film’s 1994 debut – and the film’s first-ever 3D release.

The Blu-ray debut marks the first time “The Lion King” has been available in any form since 2004. Featuring pristine high definition picture and sound, the Blu-ray creates an incredible at-home experience with a host of picture and sound enhancements, interactive features and bonus content, including a new set of hilarious animated bloopers.

“The Lion King”: Diamond Edition home entertainment release will be available from the Disney Vault for a limited time only beginning October 4 as follows:
· 4-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (for the suggested retail price of $49.99 U.S./ $56.99 Canada)
o “The Lion King” = Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray 2D + DVD + Digital Copyâ„¢
· 2-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (for the suggested retail price of $39.99 U.S./$46.99 Canada)
o “The Lion King” = Blu-ray 2D + DVD
· 8-Disc Trilogy (for the suggested retail price of $100.00 U.S./ $115.00 Canada)
o “The Lion King” = Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray 2D + DVD + Digital Copy
o “The Lion King 1 1Ž2” = Blu-ray 2D + DVD
o “The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride” = Blu-ray 2D + DVD

And the one-disc DVD Edition will be available on November 15.

“The Lion King,” first released in 1994, won the Oscar® for Best Original Score (Hans Zimmer) and Best Original Song (Elton John/Tim Rice “Can You Feel the Love Tonight”), earning Golden Globes® in both categories, as well as for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.

The film inspired an immensely popular, Tony Award®-winning Broadway musical, which is currently featured on stages worldwide. It became the seventh longest-running musical in Broadway history in January 2011.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

An unforgettable story, breathtaking animation, beloved characters and award-winning music sets thestage for “The Lion King”, a Disney classic that follows the adventures of Simba, the feisty lion cub who “just can’t wait to be king.” But his envious Uncle Scar has plans for his own ascent to the throne, and he forces Simba’s exile from the kingdom. Alone and adrift, Simba soon joins the escapades of a hilarious meerkat named Timon and his warmhearted warthog pal, Pumbaa. Adopting their carefree lifestyle of “Hakuna Matata,” Simba ignores his real responsibilities until he realizes his destiny and returns to the Pride Lands to claim his place in the “Circle of Life.” The all-star vocal talents – including Matthew Broderick, Nathan Lane, Whoopi Goldberg, James Earl Jones, Jeremy Irons, Ernie Sabella, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Robert Guillaume, Cheech Marin and Moira Kelly – rip-roaring comedy and uplifting messages of courage, loyalty and hope make this a timeless tale for all ages. Produced by Don Hahn and directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff from a script by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts and Linda Woolverton, “The Lion King” is rated G by the MPAA.

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AFRICAN CATS – BLU-RAY REVIEW

The last Disneynature documentary I sat through was Oceans and, while it was good, the movie was the visual equivalent of a sleeping pill. The information was kind of interesting but the sounds of bubbles just served as a relaxation device than it was informational documentary.

AFRICAN CATS, though, excels at being a documentary that has a story to tell and it does it without it ever feeling false. The tale of life on the African mesa where these savage felines vie for food, shelter and togetherness ends up being compelling if only because the editing that is made to construct storylines helps to make this a movie that doesn’t just focus on the natural circle of life. This is a movie that has characters, cats are given names, and, by so doing, this becomes less a documentary from a sterile perspective. It becomes something to be invested in and you find yourself getting lost in the gorgeous photography and trying to figure out what will happen by the end of the movie.

Some will make it, some won’t, but that’s the gloriousness of this entry of Disney’s nature films. When you think you’re just getting something you could see on Nat Geo is when the surprise gets you. It’s an epic tale that is playing out in front of you and the only thing that’s shocking is wondering why this movie wasn’t recognized like MARCH OF THE PENGUINS. This certainly deserves to be up there with that.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

This coming October, don’t miss Disneynature’s latest home entertainment release, AFRICAN CATS, an epic film profiling two incredible families as they strive to make a home in the wilds of Africa. Disneynature AFRICAN CATS will debut as a 2-Disc Blu-rayâ„¢ + DVD Combo Pack, a High Definition Movie Download and/or On-Demand viewing on Tuesday, October 4, and is the perfect family-friendly film that provides an exciting journey into the wild while also raising consumer awareness for these incredible animals. For every movie purchased through October 10, 2011, Disneynature will be contributing a portion* of its home entertainment sales through the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund to the “See AFRICAN CATS, Save the Savanna” effort ““ an initiative developed between Disneynature and the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) to protect lions, cheetah, elephants, zebra, giraffe and a host other species in Africa. For more information on this release, please visit www.DisneyNature.com/AfricanCats.

AFRICAN CATS takes viewers deep into the breathtaking African savanna to witness the heart-stopping rivalry between two lion prides and the epic journey of one brave cheetah family. Shot over the course of two and a half years using state-of-the-art camera equipment, AFRICAN CATS captures the awe-inspiring beauty of one of the wildest places on Earth as it tells the dramatic and often intimate stories of Mara, an endearing lion cub who strives to grow up with her mother’s strength, spirit and wisdom; Sita, a fearless cheetah and single mother of five mischievous newborns; and Fang, a proud leader of the pride who must defend his family from a rival lion clan.

An awe-inspiring adventure blending family bonds with the power and cunning of the wild, AFRICAN CATS captures the real-life love, humor and determination of these majestic kings of the savanna in an exciting, heartwarming and visually stunning tale that is sure to engage children and adults alike. The film is narrated by Oscar®-nominated actor Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Alastair Fothergill (Disneynature EARTH) and Keith Scholey.

In addition to the film, the discs include an incredible array of bonus features that take viewers deeper into the savanna through extensive interactive behind-the-scenes footage including filmmaker and conservationist interviews, an incredibly touching music video featuring Jordin Sparks singing “The World I Knew,” plus a look at the global efforts to which The Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund contributes.
Bonus Features:

DVD:

Disney & Nature – Viewers get a deeper look into the conservation efforts around the world being sponsored by The Walt Disney Company.

Save The Savanna ““ A comprehensive look at Disney’s “See AFRICAN CATS, Save the Savanna” program and its impact on the region.

BLU-RAY:

Everything on the DVD, plus…

Filmmaker Annotations ““ This interactive in-movie feature is a viewing mode with 12 different segments that allows consumers to watch behind-the-scenes footage of the production process and hear stories from the filmmakers and conservationists who spent several years making the film.

Jordin Sparks “The World I Knew” Music Video

MOVIE DOWNLOAD

Introduction To Masai Mara ““ a segment from the Filmmakers Annotations Blu-ray feature

Filming The Cats ““ a segment from the Filmmakers Annotations Blu-ray feature

Sophie’s Elephants ““ a segment from the Filmmakers Annotations Blu-ray feature

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BEAUTY AND THE BEAST 3D – 3D BLU-RAY REVIEW

Buy this. Honestly, if you’re any kind of Disney fan you know how important this animated film was to the success of Disney as they pulled out of the tailspin that was their animated department before movies like THE LITTLE MERMAID and ALADDIN reestablished the company’s dominance in animated entertainment.

The story of Belle and the Beast is nothing new to anyone with a passing interest in this movie but, what is interesting, is that this version of the film is PHENOMENAL. Through a 1-2 punch of the animated vibrance that comes along with this movie being on Blu-ray you also get a extra oomph through the 3D technology that just launches you into a new realm of experience.

If there ever was a way to re-experience a movie for the 1st time all over again, doing it through 3D, especially a movie as good as this, is the one way you can go home again. All the memories of what made it so wonderful of a movie, resplendent with its musical numbers and with Gaston being his larger than life buffoon-ish self, come flooding back with this release.

While the true cost of this movie is a little more than you would spend on a Blu-ray there is just no denying that you get your money’s worth. For the movie, for the special features that show you what an ordeal it was to get this movie made, there is just no debate about whether it’s worth picking up again because, honestly, it is.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

View Disney’s Academy Award®-Winning Animated Classic As You’ve Never Seen It Before!

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: DIAMOND EDITION

Releases For The First Time In Mesmerizing Blu-ray 3Dâ„¢ – October 4, 2011

The Walt Disney Studios today announced plans to release one of its most critically acclaimed animated films of all time, Beauty and the Beast, for the first time ever in mesmerizing Disney Blu-ray 3Dâ„¢ for in-home viewing. Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition 3D will be available in market beginning on October 4th as a 5-Disc Combo Pack (providing families with value, versatility and flexibility to enjoy this film on several formats of choice including Blu-ray 3D, Blu-rayâ„¢, DVD and/or Digital Copy) and/or 3D Movie Download. For more information, please visit www.disney.com/BeautyAndTheBeast3D.

Additionally, the company will also release two Special Edition releases, “Beauty and the Beast: Belle’s Magical World” and “Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas,” to follow on November 22, 2011 just in time for the holiday gift-giving season.

The same Disney classic that taught us beauty is found within, now comes to life in spectacular Disney 3D bringing the characters, sound, and storyline to a whole new immersive dimension. Fans can once again meet and enjoy their favorite characters – Belle, Beast, Lumiere, Mrs. Potts and more ““ in an entirely new fashion as if they were watching the film for the very first time.

This new Beauty and the Beast: Diamond Edition 3D release will join the studios existing catalog of in-home 3D movies currently available in market including: Disney’s A Christmas Carol, Tim Burton’s Alice In Wonderland, Step Up 3D, Tangled, TRON: Legacy and Gnomeo & Juliet.

Bonus Features:

Three Versions of the Film:

Original Theatrical Release

Special Extended Edition

Original Storyboard Version

Deleted Scenes
Alternate Opening and Ending

Belle In The Library ““Belle meets four new characters in the Library
Backstage Disney

Beyond Beauty: The Untold Stories Behind Making Beauty and the Beast –

An interactive experience that allows fans to expand areas of the documentary to uncover even more about each topic making have up to 3 hours of additional content.

Broadway Beginnings – Up-close and personal celebrity interviews with Nick Jonas, Donny Osmond, Jamie Lynn Sigler, Deborah Gibson and others who have starred in the Broadway production

Composing A Classic – A Musical Conversation with Alan Menken, Don Hahn & Richard Kraft where they reminisce, sing songs and share personal stories of the times during production of Beauty and the Beast

Music And More

Jordin Sparks “˜Beauty and the Beast” Music Video
Disney Sing-Along Mode
Deleted Song: “Human Again”
Alternate Version of “Be Our Guest”
Alternate Score of “The Transformation”
Introduction To Deleted Songs By Don Hahn: “Human Again”
Introductions To Deleted Song By Alan Menken: “Human Again”
Beauty and the Beast Music Video Performed By Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson
Family Games & Activities
Bonjour, Who Is This? A Disney TelePlay Game powered by BD-Live. Using any phone, guess the identity of the other players before they guess yours.

Available in the US and English speaking Canada only. Requires BD-Live enabled Blu-ray player and internet connection.
Enchanted Musical Challenge: A DisneyQuest Game
Chip’s Musical Challenge
Mrs. Pott’s Personality Profile Game

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By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on TWITTER under the name: Stipp

FAST FIVE – DVD GIVEAWAY

This is absolutely a man movie.

At this point, dragging a very heavy, very dense safe around the streets of Rio de Janeiro is what qualifies as a nutty stunt that actually works. From The Rock being, well, The Rock in all his oiled masculinity and Vin Diesel doing his best to project the kind of manliness usually reserved for quiet, reflective moments, yet he’s able to extend that quiet intensity for the entire duration of the film. While the movie isn’t going to win any awards come Oscar time, it’s just as well. This movie is dead set on making sure that those with any kind of adrenal gland get excited over fast moving cars and fast editing. The movie succeeds in hitting and playing to its core demo and the box office responded well to this, the latest entry into the FAST franchise. The movie will absolutely satisfy those looking for a movie light on depth but heavy on the testosterone.

To that end, then, I am giving away a handful of copies of the movie on DVD. If you would like to be put into the running to receive them just send me an e-mail to Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll put you into the hopper.

ABOUT THE MOVIE:

BUCKLE UP FOR AN ADRENALINE-PUMPING HEIST  FROM THE EXPLOSIVE FRANCHISE BUILT ON SPEED STARRING VIN DIESEL, PAUL WALKER, DWAYNE JOHNSON AND A REUNION OF RETURNING ALL-STARS IN FAST FIVE

“The Best of the Series!” ““ Richard Corliss, TIME

Universal City, California (July 26 2011) – Spectacular street chases and pulse-pounding physical action are set against the mesmerizing beauty of Rio de Janeiro’s exotic thoroughfares in Fast Five, the most successful installment of the Fast & Furious franchise.  Vin Diesel and Paul Walker lead a reunion of returning all-stars from every chapter of the phenomenally successful franchise built on speed plus action superstar Dwayne Johnson (Faster) in the all-new action caper available October 4, 2011 on Blu-rayâ„¢ and DVD Combo Packs, DVD, Digital Download and On Demand.

Available for a limited time only, the Blu-rayâ„¢ and DVD Combo Packs bring the full-throttle excitement of the ultimate Fast Five experience to the screen with perfect picture and the purest digital sound available on Blu-rayâ„¢, as well as an extended edition of the film with even more explosive action, exclusive bonus features, a DVD to enjoy in the car or on the go, and a Digital Copy of the film that can be downloaded and viewed on an array of electronic and portable devices anytime, anywhere including laptops, tablets, and smartphones as well as Internet-connected TVs and Blu-rayâ„¢ set top boxes.  Debuting on the Fast Five Blu-rayâ„¢ is Universal’s Second Screen, an all-new app for tablets and computers that provides an innovative and interactive viewing experience. To preview Universal’s all-new Second Screen for Fast Five visit http://preview.tinyurl.com/UniSecondScreenF5preview.

SYNOPSIS
Vin Diesel and Paul Walker head up an all-star reunion of the explosive Fast franchise set in sultry Rio de Janeiro. Former cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker, Fast & Furious, Takers) and his girlfriend Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster, Fast & Furious, “Dallas”) bust Mia’s brother Dom (Vin Diesel, Fast & Furious, The Chronicles of Riddick) out of prison, blasting across South America to elude the authorities. Finding themselves backed into a corner in Brazil, they assemble an elite team of top racers to help pull off the one last job that could mean freedom for them all. But hard-nosed federal agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson, Faster, The Other Guys) is hot on their trail, and so is a corrupt and powerful businessman who wants them dead.  When Hobbs and his strike force launch an all-out assault to capture the Torettos and their team, he can’t separate the good guys from the bad. Instead, he must rely on his instincts to corner his prey”¦before someone else runs them down first.

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Losing a Man Among Few Men -  Ray Schillaci

Cliff Robertson has passed at the age of 88 and anybody under the age of thirty may not be aware of this amazing man who was an aviator first and an actor second.  That was by his choice.  He pursued what he loved and excelled in what he could do.  He was one of the first who rallied against the greed of Hollywood and their creative bookkeeping.  In doing so, he would be blackballed from the business for many years.  This was Hollywood’s and the audience’s loss.

This was the man that delivered one of the most heart wrenching Oscar performances in the history of cinema as Charly Gordon, the mentally handicapped adult that undergoes an experiment that gives him the opportunity to be a temporary genius.  He also had memorable performances in “PT 109″ as JFK, “The Devil’s Brigade,” “Three Days of the Condor” and most recently as Ben Parker in Sam Raimi’s Spiderman trilogy.  For many years, Robertson worked successfully in television on many TV movies and most notable on the series “Washington: Behind Closed Doors” and “Falcon Crest”.

As a young man he left his hometown of LaJolla, Ca. and attended Antioch College in Ohio and wrote for the Springfield Daily News.  Robertson felt that many were under the impression that his calling would be better suited for the theater and with that encouragement he traveled to New York to explore his options.  He worked with several regional companies and did various odd jobs to learn the craft and has admitted that he practically was pushed into acting.

In the beginning, he did not take the profession seriously and could not relate to those that did.  It was much later in life that he found his behavior “shameful”.  He played off-Broadway and Broadway to good reviews.  Eventually, being admitted to the Actor’s Studio gave him a serious outlook into the craft that would change his life.  He would never feel comfortable with the Hollywood community, but had many supporters and friends.

Unfortunately, very few backed him on what his agent termed as a Don Quixote quest, going after 70’s Hollywood uber-producer, David Begelman for embezzlement.  It started when the actor was delivered a note from the IRS stating that he received $10,000 from Colombia Pictures.  This never happened and on further investigation, Robertson found that his signature had been forged.  The actor cooperated with the LAPD and the FBI which lead to the producer’s arrest and the discovery of another $65,000 in forged checks.  Begelman ended up with community service, a suspension from his studio that included a paid vacation and eventually fired.  Robertson was blackballed from the time he cooperated with the press in 1978 through 1982 and some would suggest it lingered much longer.  Not very fair, but not much is in la-la land.

But the two things Hollywood could not take away from the man were his dignity and his love of flying.  He was not just an aviator.  Robertson held single-engine land and sea, multi-engine, commercial, instrument, balloon and glider ratings.  He owned a P58 Baron near his home in Long Island, NY, a Stampe SV4 aerobatic biplane in Santa Paula, CA and a Globe Astir Glider in the Sierras.

Cliff Robertson, the actor, had a way of reaching out and touching us in a very personal way.  His portrayals were earthy and had a lived in quality that very few players can deliver.  Beyond the actor, he was a man’s man and a class act.  He stood tall against the corruption that ran rampant in his industry and did not waver from his post.  He loved flying among the clouds and now his flight to heaven delivers a mighty soul.

MEEK’S CUTOFF – BLU-RAY REVIEW

One of the things that you notice about Meek’s Cutoff, the latest from Kelly Reichard, is that it wants to tell a story.

Lately, it seems, what sells in the theater are vehicles that pair mega stars with mega action and mega effects in the hopes of raking in mega bucks and, for the most part, that formula has been working. Say what you will about the latest superhero film of a character you’ve hardly heard of but it just cost more money than some corporations make in a year and is on pace to make its money back three fold. With a movie like Meek’s Cutoff, where not much happens, comparatively speaking, it’s amazing to see how richer, deeper, and more emotionally compelling a movie can be when it’s simply allowed to simmer and then come to a boil on its own.

The thing is, some movies can’t get it to that point, that moment when everything that has come before it was just prelude to the fantastical drop of the roller coaster that was pushing up a hill and is about to pay off. Meek’s Cutoff pays off because of the strength of its actors Michelle Williams, who worked with director Reichard in Wendy and Lucy, and Bruce Greenwood who plays the titular Mr. Meek. Meek, you see, is leading Williams, her husband, and two other families through Oregon in 1845. These are THE settlers that no doubt inspired the grade school game but what this movie teaches us is that this was far from fun.

The movie succeeds in depicting Meek as a man who is ill-equipped to lead anyone through such treacherous terrain and the sense you get about the impending doom that hovers over them all is palatable throughout the picture. The movie doesn’t want to make this dramatic simply for cinematic purposes and screenwriter Jonathan Raymond deserves a lot of the credit for making things sparse and minimalist when it comes to dialogue because it makes the actors work to convey the emotions of people who are caught in this situation and have no way to get out of it unless someone makes some decisive action. The way we get to the end is inspired and gripping and shows you why this movie was lauded as one of the year’s best. It’s a movie that rewards your attention and patience, and to have that kind of a relationship with a film that respects its audience shouldn’t be a rarity but it is. A true rarity that deserves your patronage.

More details about the film:

The year is 1845, the earliest days of the Oregon Trail, and a wagon train of three families has hired mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a shortcut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the coming days, the emigrants face the scourges of hunger, thirst and their own lack of faith in one another’s instincts for survival. When a Native American wanderer crosses their path, the emigrants are torn between their trust in a guide who has proven himself unreliable and a man who has always been seen as a natural born enemy.

Special Features:

The Making of Meek’s Cutoff
Original theatrical trailer

With an exclusive essay by Richard Hell

BASKET CASE – Worth Reviving by Ray Schillaci

This month is the ushering in of several wonderful Blu-ray titles for Halloween and none could be more exciting than the brilliantly off-beat “Basket Case”.  This definitely makes the “Worth Reviving” cut.  BC is one of the early 80s cult films that graced the midnight screens and made its audience dare to watch in horror while laughing at the same time.  A dark twisted tale set in one of the nastier areas of New York with an amateur cast that is all the more fun to watch.

Director, Frank Henenlotter’s bizarre take on Siamese-twin brothers who seek out revenge on those responsible for separating them was so successful that it spawned two other sequels and launched a very bizarre career.  The director’s first micro budget feature and subsequent films to follow provided a quirky visual sense, a penchant for either bad acting or just odd looking players and always riddled with dark humor.

Duane rents a tiny room in slum lord heaven and keeps someone very close to him in a small clothes basket.  It turns out that Duane is willing to carry brotherly love to the extreme by keeping his abomination of a twin (a deformed head, arms and hands accompanied by nasty claws) well fed with raw meat, hookers and vengeance.  The tale is gleefully sick and of course things go awry once Duane encounters his first love that makes his brother horribly jealous.  What ensues is the stuff nightmares are made of after a bad drug trip.  But if you have a sick sense of humor like me, you’ll be daring to have your friend’s watch it and laughing the whole time as their dates or spouses freak out on them.

Duane’s twin, Belial, is grotesquely portrayed by the special effects team.  They must have had so much fun creating this thing with the budget they had.  Anatomically, it makes no sense.  I can’t even imagine how something like that could live, but then that’s what the doctor and his assistant thought too and it turns out to be a bloodbath-and-a-half.

Henenlotter has a flair for grindhouse sleaze and makes no apologies.    But that does not make it a bad film.  There is so much bad grindhouse out there, which many praise on out of nostalgia.  This is what turns so many people off of this genre.  They miss the diamonds in the rough that made Roger Corman such a staple in cinematic history.  Frank Henenlotter is one of those very talented directors that always have something interesting to say and his first feature, although rock-bottom in budget and drenched in gore, delivers thrills and chills with a wonderfully twisted tale to boot.
Basket Case on Blu-ray is kind of like Evil Dead in 1080p.  You’re not going to get much better than the way it was filmed (in 16mm and mono sound).  It is a step above the last DVD release as far as picture is concerned; it preserves the original aspect ratio 1.33:1.  But the DTS-HD 5.1 sound is a little distracting with the original sound mixing not up to the standard of a normal studio release.  All of the extras are the same as the last DVD release, except for a new introduction by the director.  Whether Blu-ray or DVD or rental for a Halloween party, Basket Case is a must see from the sick cinema list.

By Christopher Stipp

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THE OFFICE: SEASON SEVEN – GIVEAWAY

I am absolutely delighted to be participating in this giveaway for you.

The Office really has been that proving ground of experimental comedy that has such a mainstream appeal. Yes, there are some episodes that didn’t quite hit the mark this season but there are more direct hits than there are misses and there really isn’t a better show to be watching just because the writing is pretty unpredictable from one episode to another.

As Steve Carell steps aside there is only more anticipation, and pressure, to see how this show can keep the high level of creativity and slide in a new manager of Dunder Mifflin. If I had my druthers, and I know I don’t, but if I did I would hire James Spader immediately. He has that crazy factor that could have elevated the series to a nutty high. Oh well, que sera sera.

However, if you would like to try and snag one of these series box sets just send me a note to Christopher_Stipp@yahoo.com and I’ll put you into the running to win a copy.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

JOIN INCREDIBLE GUEST STARS INCLUDING JIM CARREY, WILL ARNETT, AMY RYAN AND RAY ROMANO IN STEVE CARELL’S FAREWELL SEASON AS THE ICONIC MICHAEL SCOTT WHEN THE LATEST SEASON OF TV’S FAVORITE WORKPLACE COMEDY ARRIVES ON BLU-RAY AND DVD ON SEPTEMBER 6, 201

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – Hailed as “TV’s Funniest half-hour,” by Variety Magazine, “The Office” Season Seven marks the momentous departure of Steve Carell as Michael Scott – the slightly clueless, often politically-incorrect, but always loveable office manager – an iconic role that earned him a Golden Globe and five Emmy nominations. With Michael on his way out, the coveted position as “the boss” opens up in this hilarious game-changing season that features guest stars like Jim Carrey (Mr. Popper’s Penguins, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), James Spader (“Boston Legal,” Secretary), Will Arnett (Despicable Me, “Saturday Night Live”), Ray Romano (“Men of a Certain Age,” “Everybody Loves Raymond,”), Warren Buffet (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) and Catherine Tate (Monte Carlo , “The Catherine Tate Show”), among others.

Sparks fly when Holly Flax (Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone, “In Treatment”) returns to the office, causing Michael Scott to question if she was the one that got away. Plus, executive producer Ricky Gervais (The Invention of Lying, “The Ricky Gervais Show”) makes surprise cameo appearances as Michael Scott’s British counterpart David Brent. Timothy Olyphant (“Justified”) also guest stars as Danny Cordray, Pam’s (Jenna Fischer, Solitary Man) ex-flame and Dunder Mifflin’s newest traveling salesman.

Fans can catch up on all the inter-office power plays from Steve Carell’s final season when “The Office” Season Seven debuts on Blu-ray and DVD September 6, 2011 from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Both the Blu-ray and DVD feature hours of bonus material including Steve Carell’s extended farewell episode “Goodbye Michael Scott,” over an hour of never-before-seen deleted scenes, the unaired extended version of Michael Scott’s film “Threat Level Midnight,” bloopers, webisodes and more.

The stellar ensemble cast includes Rainn Wilson (The Rocker, Juno), John Krasinski (It’s Complicated, Away We Go), Jenna Fischer (Solitary Man, Walk Hard), B.J. Novak (Inglourious Basterds), Ed Helms (The Hangover Part II, Cedar Rapids), Leslie David Baker (“Malcolm in the Middle”), Brian Baumgartner (“Arrested Development”), Creed Bratton (former member of The Grass Roots), Kate Flannery (The Heir Apparent), Mindy Kaling (No Strings Attached), Ellie Kemper (Bridesmaids, Get Him to the Greek), Angela Kinsey (Tripping Forward), Paul Lieberstein (writer, “King of the Hill”), Oscar Nunez (The Proposal), Craig Robinson (Hot Tub Time Machine) Phyllis Smith (Bad Teacher), and Zach Woods (The Other Guys).

“The Office” Season Seven is based on the award-winning BBC hit of the same name and developed for American television by Primetime Emmy Award-winner Greg Daniels (“King of the Hill,” “The Simpsons”). Ben Silverman (“Ugly Betty”), Ricky Gervais (The Invention of Lying, “The Office”), Stephen Merchant (“Extras”), Paul Lieberstein (“King of the Hill”), Howard Klein (“Parks and Recreation”), and series star B.J. Novak join Daniels as Season Seven executive producers.

Also exclusively available on “The Office” Season Seven Blu-ray is a groundbreaking feature allowing viewers to access content like never before. Through BD-Live, fans eager to keep up with “the most influential show since Seinfeld” (Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone) can catch the latest episodes of “The Office” without ever setting their DVR. Through an Internet-connected Blu-ray player, viewers have the option to watch the latest episodes of “The Office” Season Eight right from their TV screen the day after they air on NBC beginning this fall. Season Eight episodes will be available in HD, pending individual Internet connection speeds and will be offered with limited commercial interruptions.

Each season since its 2005 premiere, “The Office” has garnered prestigious television honors, including the 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, Peabody Award, AFI Honors, Producers Guild Award, Writers Guild Award, SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy, Ace Eddie Award for editing and a Television Critic’s Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy. “The Office” is a production of Universal Media Studios, Reveille LLC and Deedle Dee Productions.

BONUS FEATURES AvaILABLE ON BLU-RAY and DVD: “The Office” Season Seven on Blu-ray and DVD comes with hours of bonus features, including:

“Threat Level Midnight: The Movie (A Michael Scott Joint)” Featurette: See the never-before-aired, extended version of the film that Michael Scott wrote, directed and starred in. “Threat Level Midnight,” Michael stars as Michael Scarn as he and a cast made up of Dunder Mifflin employees try to prevent Goldenface from blowing up the NHL All-Star Game.
“The 3rd Floor” Webisodes:
Moving On: Kelly (Mindy Kalling) and Erin (Ellie Kemper) find a new way to get famous.
Lights, Camera, Action!: Filming for Ryan’s (B.J. Novak) horror film begins.
The Final Product: With most of the office pitching in, filming wraps on Ryan’s slasher horror film “The 3rd Floor.”
Episode Commentary:
Nepotism: Featuring commentary with executive producer and series star B.J. Novak, writer and producer Charlie Grandy, series editor and producer David Rogers, as well as series stars Craig Robinson and Creed Bratton.
PDA: Featuring commentary with executive producer Greg Daniels, series stars Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey and Brian Baumgartner, editor Claire Scanlon, assistant director Kelly Cantley and episode writer Robert Padnick.
Threat Level Midnight: Featuring commentary with executive producers and cast members Paul Lieberstein and B.J. Novak, writer and producer Daniel Chun, as well as series stars Creed Bratton and Craig Robinson.
Goodbye Michael: Featuring commentary with writer and executive producer Greg Daniels, series stars Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, Brian Baumgartner, as well as series editor and producer David Rogers.
Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager: Featuring commentary with co-executive producer and series star Mindy Kaling, as well as Ellie Kemper, Angela Kinsey, producers Steve Hely and Justin Spitzer.
Over 100 Minutes of Deleted Scenes Including 60 Minutes of Never-Before-Seen Footage
Extended Episodes
Blooper Reel

SEASON SEVEN SYNOPSIS

In the seventh season of this Primetime Emmy Award-winning series, inappropriate behavior is business as usual, but big surprises are in store! Dwight (Rainn Wilson) is now the owner of the building and he may be letting this power go to his head; Andy (Ed Helms) is courting Erin (Ellie Kemper), who is dating Gabe (Zach Woods); Jim (John Krasinski) and Pam (Jenna Fischer) are struggling with being new parents; and a parade of ghosts of girlfriends past haunt Michael (Steve Carell), leading to his final days at Dunder Mifflin.

Catch the antics of all 24 laugh-out-loud Season Seven episodes of “…TV’s funniest half-hour” (Rick Kissell, Variety), developed for American television by Primetime Emmy Award winner Greg Daniels. This memorable season features guest appearances from Amy Ryan (Gone Baby Gone), cameos from Ricky Gervais (The Invention of Lying) and an unforgettable hour-long season finale with Jim Carrey (Bruce Almighty), Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”), Ray Romano (“Everybody Loves Raymond”), James Spader (“Boston Legal”), Warren Buffett and Catherine Tate (“Doctor Who”), all vying for Michael Scott’s old post. Plus, see hours of bonus features, including extended episodes, deleted scenes, bloopers, webisodes and more, in this must-own five-disc collection.

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SHUT UP LITTLE MAN! AN AUDIO MISADVENTURE INTERVIEW – EDDIE LEE SAUSAGE AND MITCHELL D

This is a story that is almost too bizarre to believe. Short of being present, the audio evidence of what would be a viral sensation years before the Internet could make swapping videos of cats playing pianos or monkeys falling out of trees an instant activity, you would never believe that audio tapes of men arguing with one another could make their way across the country and then around the world without so much as a mouse click.

Wrapping your mind around the logistics of how something like this went viral simply by tape swapping and word of mouth decades ago is baffling as well as trying to understand what it was about these next door neighbors to Eddie Lee Sausage and Mitch Deprey that made for entertainment to thousands of people who came upon these audio adventures. Director Matthew Bate interviewed these two former roommates and turned it into a documentary that explored this phenomenon that is equal parts reenactment, reflection, and hilariousness.

SHUT UP LITTLE MAN! AN AUDIO MISADVENTURE is currently playing in theaters and is going to be going wider this weekend. I sat down with Eddie and Mitchell D to talk about the film and what it’s been like to be at the epicenter of a modern day meme.

MITCH DEPREY & EDDIE LEE SAUSAGE: Hi Christopher.

CS: Hello. How are you guys doing?

MITCH: Wonderfully.

CS: I would have to imagine, and I don’t want to say sick of talking about it after decades of this being out there, you have to be a little vague about some of the details about exactly what went down all that time ago.

MITCH: I’m not sick of talking about it ““ it’s fun.

EDDIE: No, not me either. You know it’s funny that you mentioned ““ you are one of the first to mention that this happened so long ago. Fortunately we have strong memories because we have been asked some very specific and detailed questions of something that happened 23 years ago.

CS: Exactly. One of the questions I was going to ask is ““ we are 23 years removed from the incidents. Do the details still resonate with you really well or was it one of those things where it was in the moment and the details are a little murky?

MITCH: You know what, I’m very fortunate I feel blessed with a photographic memory. I have had this full life. First we reviewed our inventory of material about these people just to refresh our minds but I have a vivid memory about specific incidents. When I hear the recording, it’s kind of like music, you remember the geographical location of where you were. It was kind of like that. I remember standing on the balcony smoking a cigarette at 3:30 in the morning when this was going on. There are some times something’s occasionally come up and grey on that stuff but all in all, I remember a lot.

EDDIE: It was kind of uncanny because I put a rudimentary, like a six page website up in 1995 and then I had a break in my career and said for the next year and a half I’m going to focus on putting together a really comprehensive completed website. I had so many pictures and art and stuff. I did other things but I did work very hard to get the website together and within 6 to 8 weeks, Matt called me asking about making a documentary and so I thought this was uncanny and I have all these memories that are so fresh in my mind it’s a perfect time to get it down.

CS: Did it ever seem odd to you that or try to wrap your head around it, certainly when Matthew contacted you to say hey, this sounds like an idea for a film, did you take a step back and think about whether you really make a 90 minute film out of this?

MITCH: Well, that was our initial response ““ how in the world are you going to make something out of this? It’s audio material. How are you going to make the visual eye candy for everyone to enjoy. We were very satisfied with his answer. Second, I think we both knew, and I think I speak for the both of us the material is so infectious ““to be honest I’m surprised it’s taken this long. We’ve been approached so many times by different people, different parties who wanted to make it.

EDDIE: I was thinking there’s two things ““ one, the dialogue is written for quite a bit of the film and the dialogue is darkly comic, disturbing, it’s complex and a strange dynamic between these two guys. That in itself composes a good 40 to 50% of the film. I knew there was enough material there to get a film made out of it. Now, whether it would be good or not is a whole nother thing. We trusted Matt because of the previous things we’ve seen that he’d done and knew he could make something interesting and compelling out of it.

CS: Was that what it was? You say you were approached a few different times to do something with it and you obviously balked at doing that. What happened to be Matt’s sort of silver bullet that made you go, “Yeah, this is the guy that we want to have do this”?

EDDIE: I would say, a couple things. One, he sent me films and the aesthetic style put together ““ a montage of the footage thing is very much aligned with my aesthetic sensibilities. And the content of his previous films ““ semi mystery ““ sneakers on a wire and secondly, the early burgeoning of electronic music I just thought that the guy has a style and content that is very allied with Mitch and I’s sensibilities so I said let’s do this.

CS: During production, obviously he outlined how he was going to do it, but did it appear to you that it was going to be a straight up interview approach? Sit you in a chair, throw some lights on you and have you talk a little bit about what made you record this or did he have this in his head the sort of visual, the wild style that this documentary would eventually become?

MITCH: We asked a lot of questions of Matthew Babe before we agreed to work with his crew because we have a pretty good sense ““ I’m a film buff, I’m a music buff, big audiophile, not like I’m completely blind to quality filmmaking or quality music in my opinion at least in what I feel like it so. So, we had an image, and idea, of what the project would be. We certainly weren’t going to commit to some talking head documentary where you said she said, ok, let’s play a little bit of the audio and let’s show some photos. We knew it would have to be much more complex.

EDDIE: I think there is a danger in documentary filmmaking when you have a story like this with so many players, because just having a bunch of heads talking is not going to work. It would be totally boring. And secondly, having people portray Peter and Raymond which I think a lot of the people wanted to do in the past ““ is super dangerous. It can get so cheesy so fast. We were terrified when we heard they were casting actors as Peter and Raymond. And then the way they shot it, Brian Mason who is the DOD and editor, the guy is such a beautiful guy and he’s really really good and Matt is really really good and together they have a great dynamic and accentuate and augment one another and based on what I’ve seen in the past of both of their films I thought this was going to be great and it turned out to be very well done.

CS: I’m reminded of Winnebago Man as I was watching this. It’s the idea of something going viral before there was digital means to get it out there. At what point upon releasing these original tapes into the wild did you realize that someone maybe from two states over had heard about it, someone from three states, four states, the whole country, the whole world ““ when did you have an idea that this had gone global?

EDDIE: What happened was I was back in the Midwest working on my master’s degree and I got a phone call from Seymour and he said “I want to talk to you about your ex-neighbors” and I actually moved. I had lived all over the world ““ Asia and Europe and I was sort of like who would this be and he said Peter and Raymond because they are so dear to Mitchell and my hearts I was like, are you kidding me? How do you know about them? And he said, “Dude, everybody out here is listening to Peter and Raymond.” I said I don’t even think that’s possible.

Then he started doing lines from the recording and I was like, “Oh my god.” It was at that point when I was just crazy and could hardly believe it. And then right after that it got crazy. A friend of mine from New Orleans called and said hey, I just met this woman at a party and I asked for her phone number, she gave me her phone number and I called her and Shut Up Little Man is on her answering machine. And then a friend in Seattle said hey last night I was playing Gang of Four on my sound system and someone brought in a Shut Up Little Man tape and we played Shut Up Little Man in the bar for 90 minutes and everyone was pissing in their pants.

And every time I was like, are you kidding me? What the hell? We never intended it to get out into the world. We had no idea. Certainly no commercial aspirations. We loved the stuff, we knew it was intense but it was really an in-joke for Mitchell and I that really built our friendship more tightly and then we played it for a friend, a private in-joke for a small amount of people we thought.

CS: Has the notoriety ever died down? Obviously, maybe it has, I don’t know. You’re obviously at the epicenter of it all. Have you seen it go in waves? Does it respond more to college kids or older people? Over the years have you seen this metamorphosis?

MITCH: Yes. It has an incredibly wide audience, it always has. It’s always been shocking. Every time I share material with my great uncles or my aunts or my cousins, friends, or I hear from someone with a P.O. Box or email address, it’s incredibly diverse fan base out there. It’s a diverse group of people out there who find this material. There is no one specific audience.

EDDIE: May I add something to that? It’ sort of like, Mitchell and I had this dark sense of humor and we liked that sort of stuff, we like William Burroughs and that kind of intense, provocative art and this dialogue is very much in that but when I played it for my aunt who is 60-something and she was doing lines it just transcend our quirky sensibilities.

CS: Looking at the final product now how do you feel about the entire project?

MITCH: When people ask me I give them a very sincere, honest answer, we had a great time. We filmed in Wisconsin for a week and filmed in Australia for 10 days, we filmed in California for 5 days and that all took place over approximately an 11 month period. We became friends with these people and we had a lot of really interesting connections with them ““ as far as the books, the literature, the music ““ things that we are personally into that we were able to share with them. They are very interesting people and are very good at what they do. It was very reassuring to work with quality people and the end result is I am really really fond of about the first 35 minutes of it and love the way the story unravels. It talks about us being egocentric but that’s not my intent. I love the way he represents us ““ these Midwesterners moving out west to California and finding this shitty apartment and then finding these guys and how we responded.

EDDIE: What I would say is that I think it’s a beautifully done film and it looks great and it’s provocative and it successfully humanizes which was always my worry because the recordings are two dimensional and made them indomitable monsters which I think they were and they made them more like people and that meant a lot to me.

DUMBO – BLU-RAY REVIEW

There is no excuse to not have this in your collection.

What’s remarkable about the fourth film that came out of Disney some 70 plus years ago is how well it still works. Mixed in with a normal storyline of a little motherless elephant, mom is taken away after she defends her big eared son when some unkind souls taunt the pachyderm for his goofy appearance, who finds a true friend in a mouse who teaches him how to believe in himself and his abilities no matter what he looks like, Dumbo is without question a perennial classic.

Even though decades separate the traditional 2D production with films that are rendered through computers and pixels the true force behind this movie is its Walt Disney’s storytelling. There have been countless tales of people believing in totems only to be told that there is no magic inherent in them, the real power being their heart and soul, but this is one of those originators of that motion picture meme.

It’s at the same time happy, joyful, trippy (that Pink Elephants on Parade sequence still stands out as a fantastic melding of fantasy and reality), sad, and tear inducing. The same things that made it a classic then still make it a classic today.

Thanks to the advances on modern technology, ironically, Disney’s dedication to making this Blu-ray release stand out in all its vintage glory is something to behold. The colors pop, the sounds are alive, and there hasn’t been such a great reason to invest in the past entries of the Disney archive since the release of Pinocchio. There is something to be said of the restorative powers of a little time and care when it comes to reproducing what it must have been like to see these drawings filled in with so many vibrant, primary colors.

To say that this is a must buy would be to undersell the movie’s status as a worthy companion to any well-rounded film collection. The story of a lonely boy without a mother to protect him, save for a rodent who takes on that responsibility, still moves on a deep emotional level and the film’s release on Blu-ray only helps to get to the core of why it still endures as one of Walt Dinsey’s finest films.

More details about the film:

Walt DisneyStudios Home Entertainment invites audiences to let their spirits soar with the release of the beloved animated classic Dumbo, for the first time ever in high definition as a 70th Anniversary Edition, coming on September 20, 2011. The Academy Award®-winning (1942, Best Music, Scoring of a Musical Picture) favorite will take flight for the first time with a premium restoration in stunning Blu-ray™ highdefinition featuring pristine 7.1 Digital Theater System High-Def Surround Sound, allowing fans to see more, hear more, interact more and share more of this timeless adventure about believing in yourself.

Faced with the daunting task of restoring the film to its original pristine condition, the Walt Disney Studios Restoration Team turned to the US Library of Congress who store the original 70 year old nitrate camera negative in their film vaults, and for reference, to an original 1941 “˜release’ print, held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). Using this rare nitrate “dye-transfer” Technicolor print for color reference, the team was able to restore Dumbo to the color settings most likely approved by Walt Disney himself, which will be seen in their full splendor for the first time in 70years, on the Blu-ray debut.

In addition, the rare film print (housed as part of the UCLA Film and Television Archives collection) proved to be the earliest surviving generation of the original audio for Dumbo which provided a unique source from which to build the new Disney Enhanced Home Theatre (DEHT) mix for the Blu-ray release.

Released theatrically in 1941, Dumbo, Walt Disney’s fourth animated film, was an immediate success with audiences and critics alike. In addition to its Academy Award® for BestMusic, Dumbo was also Oscar®-nominated for Best Song, for the haunting lullaby, “Baby Mine.” Additional songs from the film, written by renowned composer Frank Churchill and lyricist Ned Washington, have become popular standards. They include the infectious “When I See an Elephant Fly,” sung by a chorus of hip crows who befriend Dumbo and his friend, Timothy Mouse, and “Pink Elephants on Parade,” which accompanies Dumbo’s feverish dream-sequence.

Film Synopsis

In celebration of this landmark film’s 70th anniversary, experience the daring adventures of the world’s only flying elephant with a dazzling all-new digital restoration and brilliant Disney Enhanced High Definition Theatre Mix Sound. The inspirational tale of Dumbo, the courageous baby elephant who uses his sensational ears to soar to fame with the help of his clever best friend Timothy Q. Mouse, will thrill and delight audiences of all ages. And now, the award-winning music and empowering messages about friendship and belief In yourself reach new heights in this must-have Blu-ray high-definition presentation of Walt Disney’s classic Dumbo!

· “Celebrating Dumbo” Featurette