Beyond Feedback

"Goodnight Burbank" Review

2011-11-03T17:41:00.000-07:00

As a voracious comedy junkie, I am always on the look out for something to make me laugh. “Goodnight Burbank” had me right out of the gate. This fast paced, sitcom length, web series was recently picked up by HDNet, and no wonder. Every episode gets screwier and screwier (What kind of person thinks eating a flock of wedding swans is recycling?).

“Goodnight Burbank” follows unlucky news anchor Gordon Winston-Smythe (Hayden Black) and his quirky co-workers as he tries desperately to get out of the crappy green screen garage where small-time local news show, “Goodnight Burbank” is filmed. Gordon just wants to be a serious newsman, but his every attempt to be taken seriously is thwarted by falling stage hands, a demon child, and a PETA terrorist.

All that is behind good old Gordon now! The latest episode of “Goodnight Burbank” finds our hero on the verge of seeing his dream come true. He is about to get the coveted anchor position on the hot new show, “Burbank Confidential!” All he has to do is keep it together in front of his new boss for one last “Goodnight Burbank” broadcast. But does anything ever go that easily for Gordon Winston-Smythe? His zealotous co-anchor, Whitney Applebee (Laura Silverman), has finally gone completely around the bend (a lot more than usual this time), sexual harassment is afoot, and the set is overrun with grieving Eastern Europeans.

This fast-paced new comedy just keeps getting funnier, like rewind that scene and watch it over and over funnier. Dominic Monaghan, Miracle Laurie, Camden Toy, and America Young round out this hilarious and well-balanced comedic team. “Goodnight Burbank” a serious must-see for anyone who knows how to laugh.

"Gitchy" Review

2011-02-03T23:57:00.000-08:00

David is losing his mind. At least that’s what his psychiatrist, his sister, and pretty much everyone else thinks. Wouldn’t you have to question your sanity too if you were plagued by visions of the clown who killed your parents? But David (Michael J. Brown) is sure he’s right. He’s obsessed with Gitchy, who he believes murdered his mom and dad. His sister, Kimberly (Stefanny Ceno), is determined to help her brother through his odd grieving process while still managing her own loss. If Gitchy gets his way, however, they won’t be grieving for long. Very soon they’ll be laughing themselves to death!

As the plot unfolds, David’s need to repeatedly draw pictures of Gitchy the clown not only gives the story focus but also allows the directors, Thomas Norman and Lenny Riviera, to highlight some really cool artwork. The various devices and methods of Gitchy’s serial ticklings were… creative? Creepy, that’s the word. Daring fetish overtones (feet, feather dusters, tickling in general) made Gitchy even more bizarre. “He loves to touch?” Yeck!

When evaluating a film on its own merits, one must ask if the film did what it came to do. How well did it achieve its own objective? In the case of “Gitchy,” a comoridy (or is it homidor?), the film did achieve the ridiculous through an excess of terror (excess being the essence of comedy). The problem, however, is that no matter how thoroughly a turtle beds a duck, when the baby’s born one must wonder if the union was a good idea. Unfortunately in this case, straddling the line between slapstick comedy and psychological horror never let the film fully cross over to one side or the other. To laugh? To scream? It was hard to say. To be disturbed? Absolutely.

The humor of clowns is a double-edged sword. On one hand the unpredictability of a clown or jester is the root of their humor. They can’t be truly funny unless they are truly unpredictable, but that element of the unknown frightens us. Victor Hugo wrote that it is human nature to cling to the known, sometimes until death, rather than face what we do not understand. Perhaps that’s why evil clowns have found such a home in our psyche.

It is easy to believe that Gitchy, and his creepy messenger, really are evil. They are unpredictable, capable of anything. Both characters inspired revulsion whenever they appeared on screen, making even the experience of watching the film at times unnerving, even uncomfortable. For a campy, creepy film that boarders on the sexually deviant, "Gitchy" is the perfect guilty pleasure.

"Beyond the Music" Review

2011-02-01T12:24:00.000-08:00

When making an indie film, it's important to know the size of one's idea. In this 'bigger is better' culture, it can be hard to convince passionate filmmakers that less is more. Often they take an idea and stretch it thin, until it becomes too big for its britches. "Beyond the Music," is a cute one-liner about a narcoleptic rock band stretched too far. The few funny scenes of the film, mostly physical humor, were so separated by filler that one joke was forgotten before the next came along.

In addition, the overall quality of the film was too low for a convincing Behind the Music parody. Luck for filmmakers, primo quality is not required for a mockumentary. In that way, it's a very forgiving genre. The film's quality, however, must match whatever it's mocking. "Beyond the Music" would have been much better served as a commercial for "The Narcoleptics'" TV special rather than as the TV special itself. Condensing the best moments would give "Beyond the Music" a punch it currently lacks.

"Tracy" Review

2011-02-01T12:00:00.000-08:00

Legend + Joke, does not automatically equal a good mockumentary. Writer/director Dan Scanlon gets that. His formula, Legend + Jokes + Murder, does indeed equal one mockalicious indie film. Tracy follows Dan Sullian (Dan Scanlon), a documentary filmmaker who tells a whole convention of people that he knows who killed children's TV host, Tracy. The problem is... he doesn't really have a clue who did it. And he is perhaps the worst amateur detective ever. But even though the deck's a little stacked against him, Dan sets out to solve this ten year old murder... He has one month to do it.

As indie films about cultural icons go, Tracy does us a favor in that it doesn't spend the entire film talking about the supreme genius of some lamebrain. There are character arcs, silly though they may be. Relationships develop. Things happen. The cast and crew never went on autopilot with this film, which can be easily done with a topic is so supremely silly. Every scene moves at a decent pace with very little lag. It's a weird movie (no joke), but where story is concerned first time filmmakers could definitely take a page from the "Tracy" playbook.

Take 22: Behind the Scenes of Sequestered Review

2010-12-01T01:56:00.000-08:00

“Research is critical.” “Secure financing before production.” “What’s my motivation?” When you make a film, this kind of stuff is what you will probably hear from all the crap heads trying to ruin your artistic vision. But Executive Producer, Todd Hunter (Chris Pina), doesn’t let technicalities like research, money, and actors stop him. He’s determined to make his legal drama, Sequestered, a theatrical masterpiece. To bring his dream to life Todd stops at nothing, even hustling his own grandma. He tirelessly pushes his cast and crew to the edge of breakdown in spite of a haunted location, a wandering murderer, and a cascade of Craft Service catastrophes. But in the end, the on set problems run too deep. Director Miles Tenent (Rick Overton) won’t watch the film; he’s scared of the ‘big heads’ on the screen. The cast and crew screening is a huge bomb. Sequestered will never see the light of day.

Now, after hellish weeks following the doomed production, a group of disgruntled student documentarians are out for revenge. They will dig deep to expose all the flaws and ineptitudes of Sequestered in their hilariously scathing film, Take 22: Behind the Scenes of Sequestered.

From the first scene, Take 22: Behind the Scenes of Sequestered sets a brisk comedic pace when the audience realizes that the fact they’re watching this film means Todd Hunter’s life has officially gone to hell. The plot’s pull is immediate and keeps the funny coming as the film spins further and further outside Todd’s control. Writer/director Michael Bayouth has assembled a sweet collection of actors for this orgy of bad luck, including not just Rick Overton and Chris Pina but also playful, chaotic cameos from Dave Thomas and Gary Anthony Williams, and featuring the legendary Groundlings.

Five jurors are sequestered to decide a man’s fate. In the end, it is their own fate that is sealed. Sequestered could have been an awesome film if anything, even one little thing, would have gone right. But nothing did. (Especially not the research. There are twelve people on a jury. Not five!) So now instead of suffering through Sequestered audiences can enjoy watching a fellow human being’s dreams crumble to ash in Take 22: Behind the Scenes of Sequestered.

"The Sierra" Review

2010-10-19T23:36:00.000-07:00

A sexy game of hide and seek through the mountain snow takes a dangerous turn when a gang of mounted white men rides through Indian Territory. Now one man is out for revenge against those who took his beloved.

Throughout “The Sierra,” everyone is hunted. The man hunts the woman. The white men hunt each other. The Indian hunts them all. In this deadly game, two natural enemies end up unwittingly on the same side. But in the untamed wilds of the West, the enemy of an enemy may not stay a friend even long enough to let the gun smoke settle.

Powerfully photographed and with a dead-on soundtrack, “The Sierra” is both tender and action packed. The use of the native language of the characters lent a special touch of realism to the film. There was a strong sense of vision to the piece, thanks to director Alano Massi, which comes across beautifully. In the end we see that two men from very different backgrounds can become united by the life and death struggles common to us all. Kalani Queypo gives a vulnerable performance. "The Sierra" is one short film that's not to be missed.

Layabouts, "Corrupted Scene Behind the Stage" Review

2010-10-19T23:20:00.000-07:00

Spanish rock band, Layabouts, serves up a raw track with top 40-style in this music video for their song, “Corrupted Scene Behind the Stage.” With creepy use of colors and imagery, this video’s sense of duality is as driving as the beat.

The duality of an individual is a frequent theme in rock music. Here, director Ivan Mena Tinoco focuses on the interplay between the refined and the raw, presenting those two sides of each band member as existing simultaneously yet independently of each other. Water is the common thread throughout the video, appearing either explicitly or implicitly whenever these two sides of the self appear together. Its presence almost seems to suggest that there is something elemental yet fluid to what connects these two halves of the whole, something necessary yet illusive.

Though a Spanish band, the Layabouts, "Corrupted Scene Behind the Stage," has a very American vibe. With a strong musical and visual presence, this music video piques one's interest not only in the music of the Layabouts band, but also in the other work of director Ivan Mena Tinoco.

"Man's Best Friend" Review

2010-10-19T23:14:00.000-07:00

Some guys spend too much time with their friends. Some guys spend way too much time with their friends. And when your man’s best friend lives with you, what’s a girl to do?

James’s relationship with the family dog, Zero (Sawyer), has gotten much too close since the dog saved him from a near explosion. It’s driving Diane (Pia Miranda) crazy. She and James (Brett Williams) are trying to have a baby, but all their romantic moments seem to be interrupted by their fluffy roommate. Even an amorous dinner loses its intimacy when there’s 50lbs. of hair and drool sitting next to you at the dinner table. Diane’s had enough. It’s her or the dog. But will Diane’s feelings about Zero change after a series of unforeseeable events that transform their lives forever?

Director Luke Eve delivers a good quality, loony comedy short about the true nature of friendship. “Man’s Best Friend” teaches that the ones we love are never really gone. Williams and Miranda have sterling chemistry as they depict the ups and downs of a believable long-term relationship. This Australian short comedy has a punch line that needs to be seen to be believed!

"Porn Guide" Review

2010-10-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

The perfect mockumentary is all about the perfect imitation. Mockumentaries are, after all, imitations of documentaries. The more closely a mock resembles the thing it’s mocking, the more effective the mock arguably is. The trick is finding the humor inherent in the form (original) so as to exaggerate it in the shadow (mock). If this is the case, then “Porn Guide” is a brilliant mock.

Drawing out the inherent ridiculousness of 1970s film making, “Porn Guide” takes viewers on an abbreviated tutorial on making your very own porno film. Fashion, graphics, color, and shot angles are all near perfect imitations of their form, the 70s doc. Even the terrible acting was dead on. Louisa Lanewood as Pauline Flowers was a hoot. Mickey Diamond (Nicholas Brendon) was leachy in all the right places, especially as he plays the bongos. Who told him men could wear those shorts?

Those looking for a little cheap titillation won’t be disappointed either. The title of this film writes a check that writer/director Dick Thompson wasn’t afraid to cash. This film is a ‘porn guide’ giving tips and tricks all along the way that would be helpful if it weren’t impossible to take them seriously. And, as a famous porn producer once said, one can’t make a film about porn without some nudity. It just won’t be realistic. Porn guide delivers plenty, but with lighthearted flair. Sexy and silly, “Porn Guide” is, quite simply, really well done.

"The Shoes Maketh the Man" Review

2010-10-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

The world has it in for Alesandro’s shoes. At least that’s how it seems. He’s on his way to an extremely important business meeting, but every time he turns around something threatens the safety of his expensive, immaculate footwear. He wants to make the perfect impression for a rich potential client. His suit is perfect, his hair is perfect, his briefcase perfect, but his shoes. His shoes! At this rate, Alesandro will be lucky if he makes it to the meeting with any shoes at all!

This comedic short from writer/director Tarek Sursock is a series of misadventures with a moral: One minute you’re on top, the next you’re not. In the end, what’s on the inside is always more important than what’s on the outside. Pasquale Cassalia play a wonderfully arrogant young businessman. You can’t help but sympathize with his string of bad luck, but who doesn’t like to see the cock of the walk get his feathers ruffled now and then?

"April" Review

2010-10-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Films about the joys and challenges of raising zombie children are rare, but have been on the rise in recent years. Few, however, capture the struggles of the child with as much poignancy as comedy mock short “April.”

Found wandering the woods by a young couple, April (Kallie Kerns) was immediately adopted. It was their goal to assimilate her into society by home-schooling her until they felt she was ready to attend a public high school. The other students, however, were not so ready to have a deceased classmate. There was the smell, for one thing, her difficult movements and her highly unusual diet. She struggles with all the typical issues that can make zombie kids magnets for ridicule.

But April won’t be deterred. She is determined to do well in high school, to fit in. But when one practical joke goes too far, there are doubts about whether or not April will ever be able to live in a world so unfeeling toward the “pulse impaired.” The comedy film “April” wonderfully captures the profound sense of isolation of someone trying to fit in who is fundamentally different.

What is this allure the undead have for the living? We want to love them, care for them, be scared by them. Perhaps it’s our own desire to have what they have, to never die. Perhaps we relate to them, feeling out if place in the world of the living. Whatever the reason, writer/director Mike Piccirillo understands our fascination and our need. He has a good sense of comedy as well as a deep understanding of what it is to be lonely. Kallie Kerns captures April’s range of emotion beautifully, letting the soul shine through her monstrous exterior. A deft and detail oriented performance... for a zombie.

The Beast of Bottomless Lake Review

2010-10-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

From the first bubbly graphics to the last burst of flame, The Beast of Bottomless Lake is one mockumentary that’s well worth the time.

Professor Paul Moran’s search for the Ogopogo lake monster is pointless. His dean knows it. That’s why she’s denying him tenure just as soon as he gets back from his stupid monster hunting trip with his mish-mash of colleagues. From the British weirdo who talks to his equipment to the hippie professor who encourages species conservation with “extreme prejudice,” there’s not a normal in the bunch.

The expedition gets off to a great start, until they try to leave the parking lot. Then things get rolling… until Dean Baxter cancels their hotel reservation and the entire team is forced to bunk down with Paul’s parents. Paul (David Nykl) starts reverting to a childlike state, which doesn’t help matters. But then things really start going well, until their first monster sighting turns out to be a log and the police confiscate their van and all their equipment.

Basically, nothing’s going well for Paul and his team. But after a while, one has to wonder, is all this mayhem just because Paul’s an idiot? Or is something else going on? Something sinister?

Good plots are all about tension, and co-writer/director Craig March makes sure “The Beast of Bottomless Lake” is full of it. From the tension between the characters to the endless questions, the audience wants to know what will happen next: Will Paul find the monster? What could possibly go wrong now? Will Paul’s poor dad ever get to help? Good acting, great script, and fresh camera work that keeps the story moving.

"Obama Nation" Review

2010-10-17T19:32:00.001-07:00

Duh, duhh, ma na bah obahh, oo baamaa…. Obama (shaking head). Sorry about that. The hot chick from music video “Obama Nation” temporarily paralyzed my vocal chords. Something on my chin? No, that’s not drool. Just give me a sec…. (napkin wipe).

There! Now I’m ready to write a review of “Obama Nation,” an indie music video with a controversial message. (Maybe I just did.) How can you say anything bad about a film with a hot chick in a U.S.S.R. costume marching back and forth across the screen? I’m still having trouble seeing straight. It almost made me want to say, “Give Communism a chance!”

Of course that’s not the intend of the film’s creator, writer/director John T. Williams. His satirical approach to a propaganda film left no doubt about what side of the fence he’s on… Well, maybe. The film was so extreme and ridiculous, he could perhaps be satirizing satire itself. If he is, that man is way too deep for me!

Here’s the long and the short of it: “Obama Nation” was well done, fun and funny. A definite blow for freedom no matter what you believe, especially if you believe in the freedom of hot girls to wear whatever they want. “Down with oppression! Up with mini-skirts!” Kitten Marie Clayman, my hat (and coat and shoes) are off to you!

This film might be ridiculous, but there’s a message: What’s truly ridiculous is being called un-American just for saying what you believe. In a beautiful and distant future, all political discourse will be exactly like “Obama Nation.”

"A Track Shun" Review

2010-10-17T19:14:00.000-07:00

"A Track Shun," sounds like "attrac-tion." The opening scene of this comedic short is a guy jogging on a track in the park, so one might assume the film will follow two people who fall in love on a jogging track. Well, that's almost right, as in they almost fall in love. They even almost get to know each other. This messed up jog is no walk in the park!

Writer/Driector Brian Maillard delivers an over the top funny film that pokes fun at all the reasons we fall in love, all the myths and superstitions we believe about finding that special person, all the while ignoring reason and common sense. "A Track Shun" examines how people will set aside their better judgment to stay together, but yet let the stupidest stuff pull them apart. As actors, Brian Maillard and Brantley Aufill start silly, keep it unexpected and finish strong. This film is simple, unexpected, and really funny. A great watch.

"Commercial Free TV" Review

2010-10-13T01:38:00.000-07:00

So, you've got a script to sell. You need a pitch, something to quickly orient people to your plot, theme, and genre. Try comparing your script to known films, like this: "My movie will be like Star Wars crossed with Weekend at Bernie's," or "Think Fight Club meets Lord of the Rings." See? Simple.

In the comedy short, "Commercial Free TV," writer/director Barrett Windish presents four commercial parodies, all of which so closely resemble the commercials they mock, the audience can practically write Windish's pitches for him. One smacks of a Dr. Scholls Gel Insoles ad, but it's twisted and so very wrong. Another, also the product of a deviant mind, is the sort of daytime commercial one would expect to be shilling a new toy or cleaning gadget, but it... doesn't.

With local access style and SNL humor, all "Commercial Free TV" commercials run the gambit from just gross to outright vulgar and offensive. All told, however, "Commercial Free TV" is funny, strongly recommended for those who enjoy South Park, Reno 911, and any sketch comedy that goes just a little too far. Good quality, good script, good acting. Ronald Clarkson and Barrett Windish give expert performances as the commercial announcers, and Carol Brotman has a couple of wacky appearances.

Fun. But not for the whole family.

"Project Life" Review

2010-10-13T01:35:00.000-07:00

"Project Life" is a short comedic mock with a simple goal, to unify the world's religions... by destroying them all at once.

Here's a little of the doctrine from this new, one-true religion: Life is a movie, which we've all suspected for quite some time. What we could have never guessed, however, is exactly who is behind the scenes. God is there; that's an easy one. He is, of course, the top man at Universe Studios. Jesus works there too. So does Buddha, John Smith, Satan, L. Ron Hubbard, Abraham, Kali, "Moe," and the Geico Caveman. All just crew members on the movie set. They're trying to make a good movie on this sound stage of the cosmos. And they're failing.

For those who feel confused sometimes, "Project Life" answers the big questions, like "Why are the world's religions so fractured?" "Why is God so conspicuously absent?" and "How did the world go so freaking wrong anyway?" Co-writer/Director Jason Paul answers all these questions and more in a neat fifteen minutes. Though this short is filled with hilarious religious irreverence, it is ultimately Hollywood, not religion, that gets the most char from this fun-filled roast.

"The Fast Foodie" Review

2010-10-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

"The Fast Foodie," a dramatic mockumentary short, opens like a true crime news report, but the whole time Jerry Duppa (Hannes Phinney), a fast food blogger, talks about drive thru chow with the attention to detail of a Michelin chef.

Though at first his love of fast food and dedication to his blog are apparent (almost admirable in a to-each-his-own kind of way), a sense of loneliness wafts into the film like a toxic mist. But the loneliness of one man in his car going from drive thru to drive thru is nothing to the lurking danger when the audience finds out that Jerry has health problems. His doctor-ordered switch to diet soda and no fries doesn't stick for long. As Jerry says, "I gotta be me."

It is at once heroic and pathetic how, for better or worse, Jerry embraces his chosen diet. He is a trash food connoisseur, a true believer. This hands-off examination of the modern diet and medical consequences lets the lifestyle speak for itself. Far from riveting, there are no dramatic consequences, just creeping bad health and the deteriorating life quality of living in and out of drive thrus, one's only interaction a brief exchange of money for food.

Co-writer/director Mathew Bardocz paints an unnervingly accurate picture of a culture of isolation and instant gratification, a grim culture in which egocentric motivation and too-little-too-late action could slowly kill us all. Worst of all, watching this film exposes audiences to the very real danger that upon leaving they will crave zucchini fries.

"Hands Solo" Review

2010-10-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

Ever hear that old saying, 'you lose one sense and the others grow stronger?' Well, apparently that’s what happened to porn star, Hands Solo (Matt Kirby). Born deaf, he spent his whole life communicating through the use of sign language. What he lost in hearing however, he made up in wicked cool finger dexterity. His ability to bring orgasms at the rate of thousands per minute has made him a big star in porn.

There is one thing those incredible fingers can’t do, however, and that’s bring back the love of his life. With great power comes great orgasmablility, and when Hands loses control of himself on set it has tragic consequences. In the wake of the accident, Hands is left wondering who he can trust.

This UK short from director William Mager has all the ingredients for a successful mock, good overall quality, a fun cast, ridiculous script. Some sweet graphics and scientific mumbo jumbo round out the documentary feel every mock strives for. Nicola Stapleton was particularly fun to watch in her vivacious portrayal of a good-natured porn star. Perhaps the only piece of real criticism for this film is in the writing. With all the other pieces in place, the jokes could have hit harder and from more unusual directions. The set up was very deliberate, and more of a spontaneous feel would have better kept the audience on its toes. At the end of the day, “Hands Solo” is a textbook mock short that never lets its guard down. It stays strong right to the end.

"Special Needs" Review

2010-10-12T00:37:00.000-07:00

Some people aren’t like you and me. Some people have “Special Needs.” But being different is hard, so people often try to cover up ways they’re ‘different’ from others. Maybe you have a secret you don’t want to share. Maybe someone you know has “Special Needs” - your friend, your cousin, your mother or father, even your husband or wife! The shock could be terrible.

That’s exactly what happens to one couple in comedic short, “Special Needs” when an innocent night watching movies at home gets personal. They discover things they never knew about each other, about their ‘needs,’ and they have to cope with realizing that perhaps they didn’t know each other as well as they thought they did.

The results are freaking hilarious. Co-writers Emily Wilson and Brad Morris, who also portray the married couple in the film, navigate the twists and turns of their screwed up script beautifully, delivering laugh out loud moments that at the same time make you feel ashamed of yourself. Props also to director Scott Smith for bringing it all together.

So, what would happen if you discovered someone you loved had “Special Needs?” The shock could be terrible. Or maybe you’ll find out you’re not as alone as you think you are…

…on second thought, maybe it’ll just be creepy.

Edimmu Review

2010-10-12T00:29:00.001-07:00

Eva (Eva Schran) is hosting a travel documentary about Jordan, a country of relative calm and safety in the very center of the war-torn Middle East. She swims, dances, and gets pampered at spas that rival those in the west, exploring castles and caves, walking through thousands of years of history. The minute the cameras shut off, however, Eva is haunted.

The perky, carefree travel host unravels and very soon whether the camera is on or off makes no difference anymore. Is Jordan's dark history catching up to her, thousands of souls of the violently dead passing on their torment? Or is there just something very wrong with Eva?

Edimmu is a deadly serious foray into a world no foreigner can or should truely understand, one of hateful desert spirits. The imagery of the dirt, mud and sand, of Eva always looking under her bed, conjure images of something buried, dead or lost, that refuses to stay gone. Schizophrenic and disturbing, Edimmu is a brilliantly acted and superbly real masterpiece of foreign suspense/horror.

Silverlake Video the movie Review

2010-10-10T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ben is one sentimental shmuck with a rapidly mounting list of problems. He’s the owner of a small video store, and today is his last day in business. At midnight tonight, Ben will be evicted. He works in a colorful neighborhood populated by wacky idiots and troublemakers who make Ben’s life impossible, but he loves each and every one of them. Though he knows he’s a dinosaur in a dying industry, he can’t imagine life without his customers. Overzealous cops, wannabe actors, and basket cases a plenty are all brushstrokes on the vast canvas of Silverlake Video.

This wild, entertaining comedy feature delivers rapid fire jokes with finely tuned comedic timing. Ben (Sean King) is a lovable lead, emotionally available and terribly unlucky. His endless patience for the people around him, even in his own desperate circumstances, really makes him the kind of guy you want to see get a good break. He’s pretty much this film’s only straight man. Writer/director Matteo Ribaudo seems to have a knack for capturing every actor at his most ridiculous.

With a clever balance of the raunchy and schmaltzy, “Silverlake Video the movie” is like a whore with a heart of gold. She might not be pretty, or clean, but in the end you know you’ll end up rooting for her. And there’s a moral to this story! Did not see that one coming…

“Waiting for Goldblum” Review

2010-10-10T21:25:00.000-07:00

When actor Jeff Goldblum is late to teach a senior workshop at the acting academy he co-founded, the local media picks up the story, reporting it as an altercation with a potential hostage/murder situation. On the streets outside the acting academy, the press interviews academy students and passers-by about what has happened to Jeff Goldblum. The press plants and insinuates more than it is actually able to confirm, and in the end manages to whip the growing crowd into a sobbing frenzy.

Inside the academy, a tragic accident involving one of the acting students causes his scene partner to crack under the intense strain of interpreting an entirely new scenario: reality. ’Working with’ such potent material quickly drives the young actor into a crazed euphoria, which only fuels the confusion, both inside and outside the academy. Wild rumors build on top of wilder accusations until the fury outside matches the madness within.

“Waiting for Goldblum,” comedy short from writer/director Holly Gagnier, shows two groups of people, both claiming to want the truth. However, as one group is getting more and more wrapped up in sensationalized accounts and fantasy, the other is trying desperately to break the spell of make believe and bring their ordeal back down to Earth. Some funny lines and a cast of petty, self absorbed characters makes “Waiting for Goldblum” a disturbing and thought provoking watch for anyone, God help them, who’s ever spent time around actors.

“Jackpot: The Price of Wealth” Review

2010-10-09T02:48:00.000-07:00

Winning the lottery can have a huge effect on a young man, but what will that be? The crew of TV’s “Jackpot” wants to know. So they’re following around Jeff (Dillon Oleata), recent multimillion-dollar winner, and his three best friends as they live their lives post-lottery. At first Willy (Edward Walton), Quinten (Alex Liddy), and Angelo (Kylen Deporter) see the upside to their friend’s good fortune. He can pay when they all go out, make up for his mistakes, and reward them for doing what he wants. Things sour when Jeff and the others learn that money can’t buy everything.

This comedy short delivers in one big way. It’s actually funny. From director Dillon Oleata, “Jackpot: The Price of Wealth” never takes itself too seriously. These low-budget filmmakers work within their limitations and as a result the film does too. The actors were fresh. The boys’ naiveté in the face their friend’s increasingly sadistic demands is reminiscent at times of “Jackass,” making one wonder if the film’s title might not be an allusion.

Over all this short was cute and well done. There was one scene, however, that did more harm to the film than good, the computer-breaking scene. Here’s why: Since this scene supposedly took place after Jeff won the lottery, seeing him walk into an common, everyday house broke the illusion, an illusion that took several minutes of screen time to recover. In an eleven-minute film, and so close to the beginning, this was one stumble the film can’t afford to make.

Instead perhaps prepare the audience. Since the presence of the camera crew is acknowledged in the film, Jeff could preface the scene for the audience. As he’s walking up his friend’s lawn, he could say something like, “This is my friend __’s house. He’s not rich, so it’s kind of shitty, but we’re meeting the guys here.” He could then pause at the door to put on his stupid had, really draw attention to his 80’s chic ensemble. The bottom line is that this film is much better done, over all, than the start of the computer-breaking scene lets on. Having a second for Jeff to set audience expectations about the setting and work his charm on the audience could fix all that, raising the overall film quality by a solid half star.

"Billy Baxter and The Mystery of Dr. Amazo" Review

2010-10-09T02:21:00.000-07:00

The term MTV generation has come to imply quick cuts and flashy shots meant to appeal to today’s attention-bereft media consumers, people typically seen as over-connected adrenaline junkies. They crave thrill after thrill, so we’re told, in order to sustain their spongy minds, which due to modern living now more closely resemble black holes than gray matter. A lot goes in and nothing comes out, or so the people who make our movies seem to believe of us.

But that is simply not the case, as writer/director Patrick Flaherty proves. No matter the generation people are people, and there is always a place in our hearts for a really good story, as in the film “Billy Baxter and The Mystery of Dr. Amazo.”

Set in the times before honesty in advertising was under governmental regulation, back when a quarter and stamp could get you x-ray glasses, this film asks a simple question: What if the glasses worked? What if every wild promise in the comic book ads was true? Welcome to the world of Billy Baxter!

Few films now a days really spend time developing setting, acquainting the audience with the film’s unique world, but that is not so in the world of Dr. Amazo. Set around the 1950’s, a time when science seemed able to dissolve any boundary, we meet an intrepid young boy with a garage full of send away science toys. All by himself in his garage one rainy night, we get to know Billy Baxter (Jackie Olson), and watch as he discovers all the wonders of Dr. Amazo’s products for kids. Tension builds simply in this piece as one invention at a time, the audience beings to get the sneaking feeling that with so much power in the hands of one little boy, something is bound to go terribly wrong.

"The Gospel According to Matthew" Review

2010-10-08T04:07:00.000-07:00

Out of a hunter orange car covered in question marks steps a man in a white suit, also covered in question marks. Mysterious? Not at all. You already know this guy. It’s Matthew Lesko, the man we’ve all seen on TV selling books about government grants. Ever wonder about the man behind the question marks? Most of us probably haven’t, but “The Gospel According to Matthew” is a fascinating case study in entrepreneurial innovation.

It’s a simple equation: We pay taxes. The government uses that money for things we all need and want, like roads and important social programs. No one agrees with every way government money is spent, but Matthew Lesko shows us that there is probably at least one program out there we will like, programs that encourage American citizens to make their lives better, more productive.

Matthew Lesko has made this knowledge mainstream, but not without difficulty. Of the over 100 books he’s written, only 10 have been great sellers. People often judge him for his flamboyant clothing. He’s even been called an f***ing communist bastard (to his face… by strangers… on the street). But nothing can dampen his enthusiasm for one thing, the power of dreams.

This short film a study in business, in social psychology, and in uncompromising individualism. With a collection of lovely interviews, old photos, TV spots, and a behind the scenes footage, director Sofian Khan paints a portrait of a very unique, very American dreamer.

"UnderCover" Review

2010-10-08T03:45:00.000-07:00

Nada Assad wants to be an effective detective, but the dudes on the police force don’t understand what’s it’s like for her working with them. No, not because she’s a woman in a man’s world. She’s a Muslim in a world where people work on Fridays, don’t pray at work, eat pork, and don’t wear clothes that could get caught in heavy machinery. A world that’s not always sensitive to her beliefs and, in fact, barely understands them.

When Nada (Aline Elasmar) and her bungling partner (Mark Odlum) get assigned to the case of the missing pig, she gets the chance to prove she doesn’t have to compromise what she believes to be a good cop. Her religion even turns out to be an asset, the key to helping her solve the case. Maybe she’ll finally make detective!

“UnderCover” is a ridiculous and heart-felt film. The quality of the shots is warm, the soundtrack quirky, and the cast well chosen. Director Iman K. Zawahry delicately blends the sacred with the irreverent so that the film’s message of tolerance is never preachy. A family friendly tale about accepting people for who they are on the inside rather than what they wear on the outside.

"William Carlos Williams: Poet and Gyno" Review

2010-10-07T02:39:00.000-07:00

In 1950, poet William Carlos Williams gave a reading at UCLA. 60 years later, Director Adrian Garcia adapted a chunk of that reading into a one-minute animated short about gynecology. Charming drawings and spot on comedic timing highlight the hidden poetry, so to speak, of this ill-fated audio clip.

This seems to be an interesting case of found film, almost akin to the poetic concept of found poetry, and hearkens back to the Saturday Night Live, TV Funhouse: Fun with Real Audio. Though the topic is a bit blue, this short is not. There is an odd dignity to the plot, an older doctor teaching a younger one about the practice of feminine medicine in the voice of William Carlos Williams.

We can learn a little something from this film. Sometimes it’s less about what’s being said and more about saying it with authority. That is what can truly set the tone for a situation.

"Heels to the Pavement" Review

2010-10-07T02:33:00.000-07:00

It can be tempting, when you have a really great idea, to try to make it into a feature film. You’ll tack on extra characters and subplots and digressions until your idea is stretched so thin it’s not really a good idea any more. What a shame. “Heels to the Pavement” does not make that mistake. This mockumentary takes a good idea, quirky power walkers, and develops it into an entertaining short film.

Nerdy Peter wants to be a power walker. Hard-driving Deb is a power walker. Howard is a legendary power walker. People tell him all the time, he is definitely a legend in his own eyes. They’re all competing in the town power walk in the spring, but it’ll take a lot of training to be the champion. When Howard decides to take Peter under his wing, teach him the ways of the champion, it’s hard to tell who’s getting the better deal, terrified Peter or loud mouth Howard. All the while Deb, icy and focused, strives to take them both down. When the day of the walk comes, however, something unexpected happens.

Director Zachary Mattson catches moments of organic interaction between the characters to make the most of his script. Every scene is cute and adds something substantial to the story. Even Deb’s foray to The Big City for training doesn’t seem like a huge rabbit trail. It was quick, visual, and cracked a few good jokes. What could have been a time waster was actually fun. “Heels to the Pavement” is a textbook comedic mock with a lot to offer.

"Mondo Penguin" Review

2010-10-03T22:23:00.000-07:00

There is a certain confidence about a film that gets in and out quickly. It conveys to the audience that a film has done its job and doesn't have to stick around to belabor the point or make up for flaws the filmmakers can only recognize as a vague paranoia lurking just below the film's surface.

"Mondo Penguin" comes in strong with attention grabbing penguins. It cites the recent popularity of the birds in film, then seeks to draw our attention to the deeper, more prevalent presence of penguins throughout the history of film, including many indie flicks of today. It seems that penguins have for some time been insightful, disturbed filmmakers who's stark vision was shaped by a world where one's cradle is a frozen wasteland.

Humorous and satirical, Vincent Gargiulo's "Monto Penguin" pokes fun at activists and filmmakers alike. Like any good mock, Gargiulo takes just enough from reality so as to get a person thinking, "Hey, that almost makes sense... Wait, no it doesn't. Penguins don't have thumbs." But in this very short short, a riveting narrator and an immaculate cornucopia of B-roll footage smack of professionalism and, dare I say, realism.

My only suggestion is this: It is hard to be interviewed. Let me rephrase. It's hard for good actors to be interviewed. There's something about sitting still and talking like a normal person that seems to confound actors that are otherwise very effective. Most of them invariably try too hard, as do the actors in "Mondo Penguin," though not to the point of great detriment.

Intricately done and surprising, this film is worth seeing, and, at less than five minutes in length, very well worth the time.

"With Anchovies, Without Mamma" Review

2010-10-03T22:16:00.000-07:00

In the beginning, I didn't know if I was supposed to laugh at this film or if I was about to witness the disturbing coming apart of a human mind. "With Anchovies, Without Mamma" is a dark mockumentary short that boasts high quality and strong actors from start to finish. Clever use of B-roll and expert shot composition create a deeply sensory film experience. The well defined identity in the composition of the shots creates a strong sense of atmosphere.

The delivery boy, played by Adam Scarimbolo, gives a real and vulnerable performance. Joli Tribuzio, who portrayed counter girl, Danni Danunzio, was fresh faced and sweet. Much luck to her in her career, as I'd like to see her talent again. At times these seemingly simple pizzeria workers waxed a little more philosophical than one would expect, but the sincerity of their portrayals made it believable.

To say that a story unravels is a cliche, but one that definitely applies to "With Anchovies, Without Mamma." This story existed, it seems, before the film was made. The film simply picked the story apart, revealing it piece by piece, until the whole fabric of the story was revealed. Not many films can achieve this level of expertise in creating and maintaining the sense of an alternative reality.

Many indie filmmakers are hobbyists or, much worse, fans playing at film. Writer/director, Thomas Justino, on the other hand, is a filmmaker. Every piece of B-roll had an artistic tone. "With Anchovies, Without Mamma," is weird; it's well done, poetic, tragic.

"I Work In Public" Film Review

2010-09-30T23:29:00.000-07:00

When the work gets tough, the touch get working. That’s what recently laid off corporate man, Julian, believes. Blending performance art and innovative thinking, Julian (played by Julian Osen) sets up shop as an open air administrative assistant in the middle of busy Downtown… right on the sidewalk. His boundless workspace comes complete with desk, water cooler, and coat rack. Cash strapped execs walk by, take advantage of the services Julian offers, then walk away and get on the rest of their day. Everyone saves money. No one pays overhead because there is no overhead!

Though Julian’s brilliant plan to work in public may not be the answer to worldwide economic woes, this short film by writer/direct by Matt Judge, has a hopeful message: There’s always room for creative solutions. Upbeat, fun, and well done “I Work In Public,” is an innovative mockumentary that succeeds brilliantly in eliminating the walls between mock reality and the real world, quite literally in this case!

"Midlife" Film Review

2010-09-30T17:28:00.000-07:00

Arye Gross stars as Sam, a middle aged man with an unremarkable life, in the dark comedy, "Midlife," by writer/director Michael Swingler.

Sam wants to die. His ball-busting wife, punk kid, and total lack of accomplishments leave him empty and in desperate need of change. He thinks life can't get any worse, until he's hijacked by the insane CEO of a paperclip company. The experience teaches Sam that despite his age, life is only as over as you think it is. Reality and fantasy intertwine in a collage of dark and stunning images. If "Midlife" is any indication, Michael Swingler is one filmmaker worth watching.

"RED PRINCESS BLUES" REVIEW

2010-09-15T02:31:00.000-07:00

The after hours playground of the carnival’s true freaks becomes a dangerous place for one young girl in writer/director Alex Ferrari’s short “Red Princess Blues.” The film opens as tarted up ingénue, (Tabitha Morella) catches the eye of a perverted, much older carnie (Richard Tyson), and follows him into the carnies’ den. Though she seems at first willing to go along with the sweaty, dirty man’s advances, his attempts to ply her with liquor and her quickly developing better judgment, spur in her a futile desire to get away. It seems the story will end badly for the foolish girl until a mysterious woman appears.

Several characteristics of the film draw parallels to the archetypal (read: not sanitized) fairy tales commonly written about by author Isabel Allende (Women Who Run With the Wolves). The narration-reminiscent of The Twilight Zone-frequent references to fairy tales, and pervasive use of archetypal characters all give the film an older, wiser feel than the subject matter suggests. There is the naive young girl, duped into listening to a dangerous man. There is the more experienced female, the personification of womanly intuition and wisdom, who comes to the girl’s rescue, but only once she accepts that she is truly in danger. Even the film’s title, “Red Princess Blues,” lends itself to this modern fairytale feel. This might seem a complex analyzation for an indie, action short, but the essence and imagery of Ferrari’s film leaves one feeling that there must be more to this story.

Polished effects and eerie setting give the film a finished glow that many indies lack, and the fluid action sequences make it easy to see why “Red Princess Blues” has been getting it’s fair share of buzz on the festival circuit.

"THE LAST NIGHT" REVIEW

2010-09-13T23:37:00.000-07:00

Beautifully photographed and immaculately scored, “The Last Night” takes the viewer on a Latin flavored voyeur voyage through expectation and deception. The films writer/director Brad Cruz delivers a raw and sexy cautionary tale, redefining old ideas of risky behavior.

Alejandro, (Augusto Valverde) is the perfect man, chivalrous, sensitive, and successful with powerful features and a chiseled body. Of course, like most perfect men, he’s too good to be true. No sooner does his fiancé call to cancel a date because of a last minute babysitting emergency than Alejandro gets ready to hit the town. He soon finds a beautiful companion to share his evening, but even from their first encounter, the whole thing is a little too perfect. Alejandro soon learns that this night will be much more than he could have anticipated.

Cruz does a wonderful job of making sure every detail of the film lends itself to the mood of the moment, creating a strong sense of place and time. He doesn’t shirk from the grim details of the plot as men and women switch roles in this bizarre power struggle. “The Last Night,” is sensually evocative, and is at once both thought provoking and a cheap dirty thrill.

"THE CHRONOSCOPE" REVIEW

2010-09-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

Now this is how a historical mockumentary is done. Immaculately constructed or altered 1930s footage discussed by actors that seem to have crawled straight from the archives of the top European universities build a narrative that slides effortlessly in and out of history.

Charlotte Keppel (Serena Brabazon), is an Irish female scientist at a time in history when neither females nor the Irish were looked on very highly. During the rise of the Third Reich, science (both real and crackpot), was exploding. It was the time of Einstein and of Hitler. It was on this treacherous and often friendly stage that Charlotte unveiled her great and later marginalized contribution to human history, the chronoscope. Capable of capturing waves of energies past, the chronoscope could accurately reconstruct the images of history the way a television captures broadcast programming. Imagine a world stripped of pretense and lies, a species forced to confront its past exactly as it was, void of gloss and glory.

Beautifully narrated by actor, Jeremy Irons, "The Chronoscope" forces audiences to ask themselves, who would I be if I could not escape my past? One may even come to realize, with sadness, why Charlotte Keppel was wiped from the pages of history.

"Nacho Mountain" Review

2010-08-31T22:46:00.000-07:00

For being a film without one single likable character, and about fifty genuinely despicable jerks, "Nacho Mountain" was pretty darn fun.

Keefer (Jay Larson), is fired from his job for gross miss-use of the Internet. When he gets home, he finds his girlfriend in bed with a manly transvestite. Now Keefer has nothing, no home, no job, no girl, just a few dozen awful friends and a talent for shoving mountains of food down his throat in greasy fistfuls. One of his terrible friends, Meegosh (Kevin Interdonato), convinces Keefer to complete in underground eating contests for quick cash, until the town mayor-an obese health food nut-busts up their illegal food competitions. To keep the mayor from forcing the whole town to go organic, Keefer has to beat him at the town's 8th Annual Nacho Mountain eating competition.

No one ever said the plot was genius, but it sure was fun. Writer/director Mitch Csanadi employs all the most lowbrow, gratuitous humor, taking every gag to a highly functional new low. Just when we thought the world had enough stupid humor, Csanadi shows us we're wrong with yet another hilarious, "why the hell am I watching this?" moment. Drugs, sloth, racism, sexism (lots of sexism), bodily functions (lots of bodily functions), mental and physical handicaps, God, sexual orientation, puppets, authority; this film is downright mean, but never mean-spirited. The characters use cruel humor as a form of entertainment, a brief and amusing distraction from how pointless their lives are, not that any character in that film is deep enough to be even remotely aware of it.

Some of the acting could have been better, particularly from the girls, who are much better seen and not heard, but Larson and Interdonato were actually quite talented. Speaking for the South Park fans out there, hopefully Csanadi has a few more ideas where "Nacho Mountain" came from because he truly has a gift for all things boneheaded.

"Lilium" Film Review

2010-08-31T22:26:00.000-07:00

“Lilium” is a short American film done entirely in French. Based on an animated short, this live action version of “Lilium” tells the story of a girl who becomes friends with a shadow. Lilium (Sydney Pierick) and The Shadow (Valentine Mathieu) build an odd relationship of mutual admiration until The Shadow asks Lilium to retrieve for him something very important from her parents. The request sours, however, when The Shadow offers Lilium a favor in return for her cooperation, but is unable to fulfill her request.

The film’s screenwriter/director, Derek Page, creates an effective silent movie feel in this piece. Moonlight Sonata is a constant companion and, though there is audible French dialogue, rather than employing subtitles the film uses decorative intertitles done in black and white.

The staccato movement from spoken to written word, color to black and white, and even from Lilium to The Shadow, enhance the poetic qualities of the dialogue. The plot seems almost Greek, mortals interacting with non-mortals, gruesome tasks undertaken as a matter of course, themes of family lineage, duty, and fate. Even the way the characters don’t so much speak to each other (reacting back and forth) as they do take turns making soliloquies harkens back to the earliest Greek drama.

Cause and effect, reason and rhyme, are casualties in this stylized and strange world of blood, purple skies, and unexplained desires. A twisted, goth, must see.

"Yoga Man" Review

2010-08-31T22:16:00.000-07:00

With their millions of dollars, perfect bodies, and absent hubbies, one has to wonder who is out there protecting the MILFs of L.A.? “Yogaman” dares to ask that question, and many more, like: can something as lame as yoga be real? and is Detroit a third world country? The answer to both of those is, of course, yes. But that’s only a fraction of what one can learn when an undercover reporter (JohnMark Triplett) goes deep to expose the dark side of spiritual enlightenment.

Every indie film starts with a good idea. That’s a given. Where the film succeeds or fails is in the execution. “Yogaman” could have easily rested on its laurels, spending the whole film inventing new ways to make fun of yoga, but it didn’t. The film’s writers, Rob Lambert and JohnMark Triplett, pack more jokes into a short than most indies have in a whole feature. Every line is funny in itself, but also sets up a spike for the line that follows.

The film also understands it’s own limitations, making simple moments ridiculous through the fearless use of ridiculous characters. In this way, the audience can trust the filmmakers to keep the funny coming. A high quality, 100% entertaining film that rewrites cliché with comedy that’s both fresh and comfortable.

"Loma Lynda: The Red Door" Review

2009-11-06T00:21:00.000-08:00

While many indie filmmakers try to blur the line between their creations and studio pics, it’s refreshing to see a film that hearkens back to the indie spirits of rabid experimentation and pure emotional evocation. “Loma Lynda: The Red Door” does this, but refuses to sacrifice quality. It displays the kind of stunning visual imagery one would expect from a big budget film but can only get now a days from art created where not too many people can get their hands on it.

This was a fascinating movie to watch. Its dreamlike movement from scene to scene was captivating. The film moved image to image like a series of still photos, each one worth the proverbial thousand words. For all this film expressed, however, there really wasn’t any discernible plot to speak of. There were two young girls, or maybe just one, and an older woman (she might have been the only one who was really real). Then there was the father. He was nuts but then he died, so he got what was coming to him. Or was it he who killed the young girl(s)? Maybe it was the older woman he killed, but only on the inside. And what was up with the puppets? Were they symbolic of innocence corrupted?

On an intellectual level, the film can get pretty confusing. However, if one just tells the mind to shut up and allows the heart to feel its through “Loma Lynda: The Red Door,” one quickly realizes why making sense can be overrated. In abandoning plot, time line continuity, and the laws of nature and common decency, only one thing remained: the reality of the psyche. It was like taking a tour through human thought. Images and the sensations they created blurred together, emotions rose and fell, sadness, fear, sensuality, perversion. Quick glimpses of a dejected future broke through the dreams and abuse like the very embodiment of self-doubt.

Make sense? It shouldn’t. That’s “Loma Lynda: The Red Door.” It was sexy, dark, and disturbing in a way something can only be when you suspect that parts of it, probably the worst parts, are true. I am without criticism in this sense if no other: when it’s well done and deeply moving, art endures no criticism. That is the sole duty of art, to be good and to move us. And, like it or lump it, this film was art.

One last brass tacks note: The acting in this piece was impeccable. The two young women in the film (Estefania Iglesias and Becky Altringer), though vague and detached, were lovely to watch. They seemed to yearn for connection and yet be incapable of achieving it. They were beautiful and damaged. David Fine, who played the father in this film, was tremendous. His violent fits of temper, homicidal threats, and disturbing sexual fixations were disconcerting in how believable he made them. Thumbs up to director, Jason Bognacki. Another SHOCKFEST must see!

Check it out at SHOCKFEST 2009, November 7 at Cinespace in Hollywood.

"Family Recipes" Review

2009-11-04T22:16:00.000-08:00

The danger of living in some else's shadow is, what if you never get out? That’s a question young chef Hanna (Amy Bloom), has to answer once and for all. Her performance as head chef of her father’s restaurant has been beyond disappointing. Her attempt to forge her own way in the culinary world has backfired. Critics are breaking out the fifty-cent words to come up with new ways to insult her food. Her boss, the new restaurant owner, has had enough. She’s fired. Hanna has one chance to save her career. One dish to turn it all around. To find her inspiration, Hanna has to dig deep, back to the lessons of the man who’s shadow she can’t seem to get out from under, her father. Sometimes finding one’s self means going back to the beginning, remembering some long forgotten “Family Recipes.”

Based on the summary alone, one might expect to find “Family Recipes” sharing a Netflix queue with The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood and Under the Tuscan Sun. But this is SHOCKFEST, baby, so you know there’s more to the story than meets the eye. Hanna’s daddy issues run deep. She needs to be a great chef, she is passionate about food, but she just doesn’t have the talent of her old man. And she never will until she lets go of herself and gets in touch with her roots. And what roots!

Now, this film is filled to the top with spoilers. The reaction of the little girl in the opening scene, the boss saying that Hanna needs to give her customers something they can’t get anywhere else, even the film’s title, for heaven’s sake! Spoilers all. So it was wise of director Cosmos Kiindarius to install several plot twist redundancy systems in “Family Recipes.” I was so busy waiting for the surprises I knew were coming, it left me vulnerable to plot sneak attacks, and there were a few.

The script of “Family Recipes” was well crafted (though the dialogue got a little heavy handed in places) and largely well executed (struggles could have been more realistic). Very film-like quality to the shots. Even the lead actress, Amy Bloom, had that charming vulnerability that romantic comedy fans love so much in their heroines. She was never cold, always emotionally available, pretty, and sweet. When she smiles, no matter what the circumstances, she radiates a warmth that makes a person believe, truly believe, that everything is going to be just fine.

“Family Recipes” is a film for anyone who’s ever wondered if they really have what it takes to become great. It has a lovely mix of shock value and sentimentality that was, in the end, deeply satisfying.

Check out “Family Recipes” this Saturday at SHOCKFEST! 11/7/9 at Cinespace in Hollywood. Go to www.shockfest.eventbrite.com for tickets.

"The Embalmer" Review

2009-11-02T19:00:00.001-08:00

Films like “The Embalmer” are better with the lights out. Most of the action in this short film takes place in a dimly lit basement. Watching in the dark makes it easier to see every gory detail, enhancing each creepy second.

The scene opens on one man hanging upside down while another selects grisly tools with which to torture him. The tools are arranged on the kind of tray one might expect a doctor to use, or perhaps a butcher. The torturer is just about to get back to work on his victim. The amount of blood makes it clear he’s been working for a while. How bloody must that torturer’s hands be that he washes them in water that’s more realistically crimson than the blood in most low budget slasher films?

“The Embalmer” has a great cast. Tom Martin and Kevin Will managed to do justice to extreme characters in extreme situations without becoming caricatures. Though the film opens with a scene of senseless violence, Martin and Will built these two men in such a way that in the end it all made so much sense. The emotional arcs were so well developed that by the time the credits started rolling I felt like I’d watched a full length film.

In the first few seconds of any film, expectations are established. The film makes promises. A promise broken is trust lost between the film and the audience. “The Embalmer” set the bar high (high quality, highly stylized), and it never deviated. In that way, this film feels a lot like a Hollywood film, effortless to watch. The acting, plot, and pacing worked together to keep the film’s initial promises. That’s a credit to Michael Regalbuto, who’s careful directing never let the audience down.

Though there is charm in the almost unified divergence of most indie film from the main stream, I believe directors like Michael Regalbuto are the future of indie filmmaking. He and others like him will produce well-written, well-acted, well shot, and well-edited pieces that, though outside the mainstream, somehow transcend it. Due to limited resources either in funding or talent, indie films can easily and irreparably drop the ball in at least one of these areas, forcing audiences to lower their expectations in an attempt to salvage the experience. Getting a film right can be tough even for studio pics, but “The Embalmer” doesn’t ask that of its audience. We didn’t have to suspend our belief in order to forgive Regalbuto’s mistakes because, by and large, he didn’t make any.

I have just one small criticism. I felt the flashback ended too soon. It was rather abrupt. Perhaps the torturer grabbing the closest heavy object, indicating a coming blow to the victim’s head, might have done loads to explain not only the short duration of the initial struggle between them but also the victim’s disorientation in the beginning of the film. I almost feel like a longer version of the flashback exist somewhere, like it was shot but was, I don’t know, cut for time or something? Bring it back, please, if it’s out there. I promise we won’t mind if this film is a little (or a lot) longer. To be honest, I could even see it as a feature.

"Booty Sex" Review

2009-10-30T00:11:00.000-07:00

Every now and then somethingess and crass it actually transcends tasteless and crass and becomes funny. "Booty Sex" is one such creation. I did not want to laugh at this film, at the excessive potty humor, but I did. I couldn't help it. And once I started, I couldn't stop... I think I might have been humor raped. I'm going to go take a shower.

We at SHOCKFEST like to think that shocking comes in all shapes and sizes. Well, if you give it a layer of lame stubble, coat it in chocolate, and wrap it in a berka, you've got a particularly offensive kind of shocking that calls itself, "Booty Sex." This music video is disgusting. I spent half the run time screaming, "Why? Why?" at the screen. It's not hard to understand "Booty Sex." The film is pretty one dimensional. One might see the use of a berka in a film about anal sex as some type of veiled social commentary, no pun intended, but it's not. It can't be. If it were, I think I'd lose faith in all mankind.

I do have one piece of praise for this film. Few things are as bad as an indie film that tries to overreach itself. Model airplanes with strings, explosions that are superimposed over what's supposed to be exploding, gun shots that don't quite come out of the front of the gun, fighters who just can't fight convincingly. The list of offenses could be a blog post in itself. So I'll just come right out and say it. "Booty Sex" looks cheep. There, it's out. But in a film that bills itself as a comedic spoof on home sex tapes, it works. Director Arthur Diennet does what he came to do, make a music video featuring a smarmy dork rapping about his favorite kind of sex. It's cheesy and ridiculous. Mission accomplished. And as far as shot quality and lighting go, to be entirely honest I wouldn't even want to see "Booty Sex" in HD. No, I would not.

As for you, make sure to take your ass to SHOCKFEST Film Festival November 7 to check out "Booty Sex," at Cinespace in Hollywood. Don't forget a chastity belt. Go to www.shockfilmfest.com for the details. See you there!

"Hollywoodn't" Reveiw

2009-10-27T03:10:00.000-07:00

The film opens like an episode of The Twilight Zone. In tonight's episode, it's past closing at a chic LA restaurant. The nervous waiter attends his last two patrons, a has-been director (David Aaron Freed) and an A-list actress (Lia Johnson) who are discussing a new film project.

As awkward seconds stretch between the characters, the waiter pulls out all the stops to get as much face time as possible. He finally works up the courage to do what all waiters in LA eventually do, pitch a script to captive patrons. The actress is polite and patronizing. The director is uninterested and blatantly condescending. As the young waiter speaks, the he passes nervous and goes straight on to hysterical when he realizes he's bombing a once in a lifetime opportunity. When all the pressure and pretense of Hollywood come to a head, the consequences could be... shocking.

As a film, "Hollywoodn't" was slick in most respects, good quality, great location, nicely done opening and closing credits. Writer/director Jeremy Sklar delivers a generous handful of memorable images, building tension with strong storytelling and expert composition. He seemed, however, just a little too eager to get started with the fancy shots. The film's creepy vibe is well established at the onset, so anything more than basic shots during the initial table conversation became distracting.

The end of this film totally delivers, suspense, fear, uncertainty without being completely random. But in a lot of ways, "Hollywoodn't" the film is very similar its lead character. It's awkward, and a bit of a slow starter. It really felt like the actors needed time to find their characters in the piece. The stilted dialogue attempted to portray the awkwardness of the scene and instead revealed the awkwardness of the actors. But by the time the characters were ready to leave the restaurant, half way into the film, everyone had found their stride nicely, especially the struggling waiter/writer, played by Danny Callaway. Though the credits listed Callaway as "introducing," his was definately the best performance of the film. J.Eddie Martinez also puts on an interesting though brief appearance as the seldome seen busboy.

"Hollywoodn't" captures my favorite thing about Hollywood. Darn near everyone in the country with delusions of grandeur ends up in this city, all the crazies in one place where there's plenty of company. But on the flip side of that, as our waiter in this film says, "It's a sick, twisted town." That's the price of admission, I suppose. But for the characters in this film, what a price!

"Becoming Roman" Review

2009-10-22T21:20:00.000-07:00

What do hands do while the master is sleeping? They sleep too, of course. But not tonight. Tonight one of the hands wants to make a change. What ensues when this five-finger slave tries to defy his fate is a near epic fight for life or death. This makes "Becoming Roman" a humorous new take on a very old tale of greed, jealousy, and the lust for power.

One night, Leftie doesn't go to sleep. As soon as Roman, the human he's attached to, closes his eyes, Leftie quickly wakes the Right Hand. Leftie demands changes to what he sees as an unfair balance of power between the two hands. They banter and fight, arguing about the merits of being right verses the unchangeable nature of being left. After all, how can a left hand ever be right?

A struggle breaks out. It quickly comes to blows. The hands are obviously both well trained in the art of combat. They employ a plethora of fighting styles against each other--wrestling, boxing, joint locks, and even the dreaded thumb war technique. The brawl is a violent homage to martial arts films, particularly reminiscent of the legendary final battle in Bruce Lee's Enter the Dragon. In the end the film asks, when there is dissent among parts of a whole, how can there be a winner?

The comedic timing to this film is delivered through dialogue employing odd rhythms and jerky hand movements from actor Scott Gerard as he plays the arguing appendages. Beyond comedy, references to ancient Rome attempt to give this film about shadow puppets a sense of depth. The symbolism of the left hand being discontent with its position and envious of the status of the right is classically Roman--as in from Rome. The word 'sinister,' after all, comes from the Latin word for 'left' (left handed people of the time were looked down upon). The classical allusions don't stop there. At the end of the final battle, the lead character, Roman asks his hand, "E tu, Leftie?," a take on Caesar's famous dying words, "E tu, Brute?" And, hello! the film is called, "Becoming Roman."

Director Nathan Morse did a fine job of telling this tale of resentment. He certainly built a lot of tension into what was, after all, a fight between two hands. It really seemed like there was a lot going on. One has to wonder, however: We've seen stories about hands who take on a life of their own. We've seen the Cain and Abel story, and all its many incarnations, about a million times. Does combining the two make the story fresh? Do we really need to see what would have happened if Cain and Abel had been conjoined twins?

What works in this story, however, far outweighs any criticism. The filmmakers give an epic feel to a struggle that is ultimately very small. There is enough that is unexpected to keeps the audience's attention. Finally, even from the very first frame the commitments to the story is evident. It takes skill in film making to never miss an opportunity to communicate something to the audience. It will be worth keeping an eye out for future projects from these filmmakers.

In closing, many ancient civilizations believed that our fates were already decided, that they were written in the stars. "Becoming Roman" shows what happens when a someone small tries to rise above his station, tries to change his stars. Leftie learns the hard way that there's always someone bigger in charge.

Check out "Becoming Roman" at SHOCKFEST Film Festival of Hollywood, November 7, 2009 at Cinespace on Hollywood Blvd.

"Stink Meat" Review

2009-10-19T18:16:00.000-07:00

"Stink Meat" was a nightmare. Not the kind of nightmare you wake up from but, far worse, the kind you wake up to.

The set up is simple. A girl, played by Sonya Bender, wakes up chained to a chair. It could be the start of any number of horror scenarios, but then it gets weird. Waking up chained in a room with dead bodies isn't weird for a horror flick. Neither is it strange when the sounds of struggles attract the attention of a grotesquely masked captor. The strange part? This is a dinner party. And she's the guest of honor. Had she know that her meal would be a well-dressed dead couple, however, she might have declined the invitation.

Strings suspended from the ceiling hold open the chest cavities of the two victims while glistening green apples fill their mouths like two roast pigs. Her chains wrap up to the ceiling, through hooks, and down the walls behind her, where gray, grasping hands reach out from jagged cut holes. The girl, a typical pretty horror lass, is terrified and seemingly has no memory of where she is or what's going on. She too is daintily dressed, and the furnishings seem lavish, though hopelessly neglected. Somehow, even though she is in such a dehumanizing setting, her captor sees something human-or at least something different-in her.

But there is one aspect of this story that doesn't add up, didn't for me even when this disturbing short was over. The girl wakes up, realizes she's a captive, and starts freaking out. Then why is there already blood all around her mouth? Clearly someone has been feasting on the dead couple on the dining table, but the girl is chained. She can't even reach them to do all the damage that's been done.

I'm not suggesting for a second that this is a film error. The shot composition and quality are too good for such amateur mistakes from the film's director, Jeff Speed. What I am saying is that this seeming anachronism hints at a much deeper psychological level than just the surface of raw terror. If she's just waking up, where did the blood come from? Is she blocking the full extent of her ordeal? Is there a greater symbolism to the characters and their rolls? Not knowing made me pay closer attention to the details of a film that might otherwise have been carnage wrote.

"Stink Meat" is the kind of film SHOCKFEST audiences come to see. It's a definite do not miss. Shot in 70s style, director, Jeff Speed, hits a horror home run with his whole trio of retro inspired short films, "Stink Meat," "Il Bruto," and "Municipal Waste 'Sadistic Magician.'" Catch all three at SHOCKFEST Film Festival, November 7 at Cinespace in Hollywood. www. ShockFilmFest .com has all the details.

So, as I said, "Stink Meat" was a nightmare. But the worst part about this nightmare is, once you've already woken up there is no escape.

"Death in Charge" Review

2009-10-16T01:09:00.001-07:00

In “Death in Charge,” everyone on Death’s list has one thing in common. Cause of death: Carelessness. But though the cause is the same, one name on the list comes with some unexpected baggage, a babysitting job.

When watching “Death in Charge,” a film produced through AFI’s Directing Workshop for Women, one thing becomes clear. Writer/director Devi Snively knows what she wants her audience to be thinking every step along the way, and she knows how to make them think it. Her precision comes across in how she builds every frame. There’s an awesome, contemporary 50s vibe gives the film a definite style and edge.

The greatest challenge in writing about this film was deciding how much to give away. Though it’s only fifteen minutes long, small surprises and red herrings are peppered throughout. Marina Benedict’s portrayal of Death was one of those surprises, and not just because in this movie Death is a girl. Benedict’s portrayal of Death was wondering, resigned, and seemingly compassionate, more suited to a nun than the darkest creature in the human psyche. She was at once sensitive and deeply desensitized. Her wide-eyed melancholy had a girl next door charm, the kind of ghoul you want to take home to mama. (Sorry. Couldn’t help myself.)

No matter how fresh a concept, however, filmmakers should never rest on their laurels. If the film is good, it has to be good the whole way through. “Death in Charge” was well conceived, even better executed, but not without hiccups. Most of them added to the over-all murky, quirky atmosphere, but there was one that, well, didn’t. I am speaking about… a cliché.

In one scene the film’s co-star, Kylie Chalfa, imagines herself in jail. The young girl stands against the bars of a cell as a bigger girl in an orange jumpsuit pounds a fist against her hand and sneers menacingly.

Really? Pounding and sneering?

The scene comes during a particularly unnerving soliloquy by the Death character. It’s the turning point of the film, the point at which we begin to see who the real monster is. Yet the image of that pounding, sneering bully in the jail is cartoonish. There must be so many better ways to show that jail would be a terrible place for a child without breaking the tension.

Sadly, a lower quality film might have been able to get away with a few small flaws. This is really a case of a white car showing the most dirt. Audiences don’t like being thrown out of a story, and when you’re making something innovative, the quickest way to do it is to be predictable.

On a final note, for a movie about mistaken identity, I didn’t expect to think so much. “Death in Charge,” ultimately left me pondering compassion, duty, predestination, free will, and the cruelty of fate verses the cruelty inside human beings, all of them fresh and heartbreaking.

Make sure you catch “Death in Charge” at SHOCKFEST Film Festival (Nov. 7 at Cinespace in Hollywood). For details, check out http://www.shockfilmfest.com/.

"Spaceman On Earth" Review

2009-10-13T02:01:00.000-07:00

At this rate, I may end up giving away the whole SHOCKFEST 2009 selection list before it's been posted. Not to worry, though. With only two days until the selections go live, there's only so much damage I can humanly accomplish. But before that happens, here's a little more mayhem: Congratulations, "Spaceman On Earth." You are an official selection for SHOCKFEST Film Festival of Hollywood!

This film I knew of by reputation long before I saw it. Film writer/producer/director, Shant Hamassian, has taken both "Spaceman On Earth" and his previous film, "The Slowww Zombie," to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, and "Spaceman On Earth" was also a winner at Action On Film earlier this year. The film was pretty well hyped, so I expected it to be good. But as good press tends to snowball (people who wouldn't risk creating a trend are often happy as little clams to follow one), I also expected it to be at least a little bit over hyped.

I was wrong.

The fun mix of retro humor with a contemporary edge somehow kept a film built entirely on cliches super fresh. Hamassian skillfully created a world that was so easy to buy into that the illusion was never broken, not even when he'd suddenly change the rules with anachronistic bits of comedy and laughably archaic special effects.

But perhaps Hamassian is on to something. While recently at the movies, I made an unpleasant discovery. Every scene in the film looked like it was happening, I mean almost exactly like it was really occurring... and I just didn't buy it. It was too perfect. The movie magic flickered. It was worse than seeing strings tied to an airplane. There was something cheap about shots that were so expensive. I almost felt like, 'So, that's it? You imagine this stuff then you just go out and do it? Is that all? Where's the artistry, the struggle, the stretch? Where's the mystery, that moment that makes us hold our breath in anticipation wondering if you're going to pull it off? Where's the damn story telling? Why don't you just shove my head in your ear so I can see what you're thinking?' Filmmakers who can do anything will soon begin to find themselves facing audiences who are impressed by nothing.

Hamassian may have found the cure to the CG blues. He employs puppets, stop-motion animation, and miniatures, none of it convincing. But audiences don't want to be convinced. They want to be entertained. "Spaceman On Earth," far from hiding it's effects, embraces the campiness of its genre, the 1950's superhero spy comedy. (What? You've never heard of it?) The effects are even used as punchlines, changing the timing of movement and dialogue, keeping the film unexpected.

Just to be clear to many would-be filmmakers, I said many of the film's effects were archaic, not crappy. The director's background as an illustrator came through in his eye for detail. And not all the effects were archaic either, but all were appropriate and all well done. This is not a case of something being so bad it's good. So there.

Finally, I could talk about how the film gives an old fashioned slant to current issues like American over-involvement in world issues and immigration, making a social statement that's far more accessible and so perhaps more convincing than all the shouting pundits one could cram into a burlap sack, but that would be boring. Instead, I'll end with this:

Longer is seldom better where indie film is concerned. Plots can begin to lag, good ideas become either convoluted or redundant, and longer films mean more time for filmmakers to muck around and be self indulgent. With "Spaceman On Earth," however, I kind of wished it was a little longer. What? It made me laugh! I can't help what I feel.

“Liminal” Review: Nude Gets Nasty

2009-10-12T17:24:00.000-07:00

SHOCKFEST Film Festival is coming up fast (11/7 at Cinespace in Hollywood), so though I'd planned on more general advice articles, I've decided instead to spend some time reviewing films for the upcoming fest. This first review is really a sneak preview of sorts. As of right now, the official selections list for SHOCKFEST 2009 has not been made public. So at the risk of letting the cat out of the bag, congratulations to "Liminal," an experimental, artistic short about two women locked in a vicious power struggle... in the nude.

In "Liminal," two women fight for control in their relationship, or is it a fight for control of a single person's consciousness? This sort of mind play common for the film's director, Stephen Keep Mills, who makes quality his calling card. Mills combines talented actors, vivid locations, enigmatic dialogue, and old-fashioned film to create pieces that truly embody the artistic identity of independent film. "Liminal" is no exception.

But all the trappings aside, the real question one has to ask about a film like "Liminal" is, the nudity... Does it work? Does it enhance the authenticity of the lead characters' argument (the two women are, after all, fighting over a sweater) or, as any decent filmmaker would have to ask him/herself when employing such an eye-catching device, does the nudity come across as pretentious? This is a common sin in indie film and can quickly alienate people.

The basic symbolism of employing naked characters is pretty obvious; they are stripped, literally, down to the raw emotion. They are vulnerable. Because of this alone, using nudity in films can be tempting. In "Liminal," the nudity also adds a sexual tension that heightens the sense of danger when the two women's confrontation starts getting violent. Finally, the two women seem more like a real intimate couple because they are naked together. The authenticity of their relationship is further strengthened by Mills's dialogue which, far from being on the nose as (another indie film sin) is often vague, giving the impression that the characters are building on the meanings that already exist in their relationship, adding to ongoing conversations.

This is a fine line to walk, however. There were points during the film that the illusion broke down. The intimacy of the nudity was at times actually undermined by what sometimes became stilted dialogue. When this happened, it seemed as though the actors were conscious of creating art rather than being in the moment. A few cuts, perhaps, could pick up the pace toward the middle of their argument and mitigate this.

Technically, the film was beautiful. Shot in 35mm, entirely in black and white, it was lovely to watch and highly entertaining. Unlike many big-budget indie films lately that play chameleon with big studio pics, I left "Liminal" feeling I'd seen something truly independent.

I won't, however, pretend I spent the whole film so thoroughly wrapped in the dialogue and plot that I forgot the two main characters were naked. We're all grown-ups, so we're told, and I think we'd all like to believe we could see beyond naked bodies to focus only on the deep meaning of the film. Alas (or perhaps, hurray), that is not the case. I spent more than a few minutes during this 14 minute short simply looking at the women, their shapes, sizes, movement, parts. It was novel, but afterword I wondered why it should be so. That, for me, was the greatest psychological aspect of "Liminal." The nudity was artistically handled, but it was still shocking. Small movements of the actors were amplified as nothing was left to the imagination. On one hand, am I still so juvenile, is our culture so prudish, that two women at home having a lovers' argument about wardrobe could boil down to, naked. On the other hand, realizing I wasn't completely desensitized was a good thing. "Liminal" shows us that we're not so analytical that we can't still be scandalized from time to time by something that does not set itself up merely for shock value. The difference here, I believe, was violation. "Liminal" does not seek to penetrate the audience; it merely invites them in for a look. In then end, perhaps nakedness, sex, and violence don't always have to be dirty.

The Information Black Hole

2009-10-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

Filmmakers often work for years to create their films. They love their projects with a mother's eyes, every one wonderful and unique. Then they send their precious children off into the big scary world of the festival circuit where brutal reality often sets in.

Real parents, unlike film parents, can at least be assured they will get honest feedback about how their child is progressing, report cards and teacher conferences. Film parents get little more than an acceptance or rejection. It's akin to sending one's child to school only to have the child returned a few hours later with a big red "No" stamped on Junior's forehead. How's a filmmaker supposed to take that? What does it mean?

It isn't cruelty that drives festival selection committees to accept some films and reject others. They are simply working to create the best schedule possible for their festival. Most filmmakers are savvy enough to understand that even before they begin to mail out screeners. But that doesn't answer all their burning questions. Likewise, it is not the indifference of the selection committee that causes a sudden black hole to form in the pit of filmmakers' stomachs when their films are rejected. It is the lack of answers. In this void created by the lack of concrete answers and, ultimately, the lack of resources (time and $) needed to provide those answers for every submission, filmmakers are left either to languish or to make up their own answers.

Though rejection stings in itself-and the questions arising from rejection are more acute-this black hole is created whether a film is accepted or not. It's an information black hole, and it's created when a film's acceptance status goes unexplained. So, they rejected your film. Is it really because it sucks that hard or because, as filmmakers often tell themselves, it wasn't quite what the festival was looking for (too silly, too serious, too long, too short, too damn brilliant for those idiots to understand)? Or, on the flip side, sure, your film was accepted, but why? What caught their attention? You need to know what you did right so you can duplicate it in later projects. You also need to know what about the project, even though it was chosen, could still stand improving to tighten its appeal and marketability.

I've had the annoying privilege of sitting on the other side of this problem, too much information and no where to put it. I have watched mountains of indie films in my time as a festival director, and until now have never really had a streamlined way of providing feedback to filmmakers, their markets, and their fans. As co-director of The Montana Independent Film Festival and Mockfest Film Festival of Hollywood for the past four years and Shockfest Film Festival of Hollywood for the past three, I have watched every film submission that has darkened our doorway. I've seen scores of films that simply weren't ready for acceptance for one relatively small reason or another.

Here's what to expect from this blog:

1. Indie Film Reviews: Focusing on films accepted and rejected by our festivals, but I'm open to review suggestions.

2. Insights and Trends: As the films roll in, I'll keep you informed.

3. General Film Advice: Common dos and don'ts that can give your film an edge with selection committees (at least with ours!).

4. Questions Answered: Can't predict what this category will contain. That's up to you!