2 March 2011 - MPAA Sucks It Again
I've been spending a lot time pounding back the pints to prepare for this month's festivities. This weekend is Mardi Gras weekend which will be followed shortly by St. Patrick's Day on the seventeenth. High alcohol tolerance is a must! If you see me out and about, I'll be trading Sandman Cinema swag for pints of Guinness. Or Bloody Marys if it's daylight and before noon. Offer good while supplies last. And a word of advice, don't take IOUs from me in a bar. Unless you're an attractive female, then you should believe everything I say.
What the hell has got the jackass members of the MPAA so pissed off at low budget horror lately? Adam Green gave them a big “Up yours!” by releasing the film Hatchet II in theaters unrated. That did go so well and was quickly pulled by the theaters on opening weekend. I spouted off quite a bit about that, online and off.
Next, the MPAA's omniscient sages decided to ban the poster for Steven Mena's film, Bereavement. The reason? The poster depicts a child holding a weapon. Horrors! Could anyone really have much trouble disarming a six year old? I guess we're lucky they didn't put a big, black censor bar over all of Hit Girl's violence in Kick Ass. Then again, that was a big budget film, so it was never in any danger of that happening.
A new poster has been created for Bereavement featuring the lovely and talented Alexandra Daddario. While the poster looks nice, it doesn't really have the same impact or convey as much of the story of the movie as the original poster does. Images of both posters are available for your perusal at the top left of this article.
Limited release is scheduled for this Friday with additional theaters being added on the sixteenth. Hit the link below for more movie info, including theater locations and show times.
23 February 2011 - I Was Kidnapped at Con Nooga!
Another year of Con Nooga and another good time was had by all. It was a weekend of film screenings, panels, parties, drinking, general debauchery, and more.
Edward Douglas screened The Dead Matter and hosted a follow-up Q&A with actors Jason Carter and Brian Van Camp. Both were quite enjoyable. The Q&A was more animated than expected, leading to some hysterical moments. Douglas is also a member of Midnight Syndicate, horror music composers. So, the DVD version of the film also includes two of their CDs, the movie's soundtrack and their greatest hits.
We also attended a couple of horror movie panels. The first was make-up effects presented by Wigley F/X and Bill Mulligan, part of the Adrenalin Group. They showed some quick techniques and offered some good dos and don'ts. The second panel was a discussion on independent film making by the Adrenalin Group. Stories of shooting scenes guerrilla style are always fun.
On the last day, I had a great time talking with Glen Weiss and the new Thong Girl, Maxx Kelley. Glen screened Thong Girl 3: Revenge of the Dark Widow. The fourth installment of the franchise will be released soon and he plans to begin shooting Thong Girl vs. Xolta shortly. Party on, Thong Girl!
Finally, I was taken hostage by a renegade stormtrooper with a bare midriff. Not to worry. I'm being well kept and haven't been harmed. Although I have had to submit to some carnal requests, I'm willing to do so for the safety of others. Not sure if this last part is just a dream sequence or reality. You know how confusing that can be. Either way, I'm good with it.
16 February 2011 - Con Nooga Choo Choo
We'll be heading out this weekend to Con Nooga, a multi-fandom (I think they made that word up) convention held at the historical Chattanooga Choo Choo. The convention runs this Friday the 18th through Sunday the 20th.
We'll be present all weekend, but we haven't worked out a schedule yet. We tried to make an itinerary a couple of times and just gave up. We'll have to play it by ear. Odds are that we'll make a few of the movie screenings and we always seem to make the room parties.
Our friends from ZP International will be showing their latest picture, Santa Claus Versus the Zombies. It's a family friendly, 3-D converted movie, so I'm curious to see how it turned out. It stars Billy W. Blackwell, the previously naughty Alex Del Monacco, Cassidy Rae Owens, David LeMoine, Claude Miles, Stacey T. Gillespie, Tony Armstrong, Kayla Perkins and Frank Santoroski.
The Dead Matter will also be screened and writer/director Edward Douglas will be on hand. Douglas will be promoting the film and his horror music project, Midnight Syndicate. Film stars Jason Carter and Brian Van Camp are also appearing. The Dead Matter is about a vampire relic with occult powers that falls into the hands of a grief-stricken young woman who will do anything to contact her dead brother. This movie is actually a bigger budget production of a $2,000 movie Douglas made in 1996.
Other filmmakers present who'll be screening movies are the Adrenalin Group and Glen Weiss. The Adrenalin Group will be showing A Few Brains More, the followup to their Fistful of Brains. Glen Weiss will be screening Thong Girl 3: Revenge of the Dark Widow and Thong Girl 4: The Body Electric. The latter starring Alex Del Monacco – getting a lot of screen time this year, but not going to be present – and Stacey Dixon, who will be present.
Looks like a good time to be had. Post convention report to follow.
9 February 2011 - Faster, Pussycat! Legend Has Died
Bad news continues as the passing of yet another b-movie siren has occurred. Tura Satana, who became famous for her portrayal of Varla in Faster, Pussycat! Kill, Kill!, has died on the 4th at the age of 72. Cause of death has been cited as heart failure.
Tura was the victim of a gang rape at an early age at the hands of men who were never prosecuted. She subsequently learned aikido and karate. And straight from a b-movie, she found those men and had her revenge. Following the path of yet another b-movie plot, she was sent to reform school where she became the leader of a gang. According to her, “We had leather motorcycle jackets, jeans and boots and we kicked butt.”
Her first marriage was at the age of thirteen. After that short union, she hit the west coast and tried at her at singing the blues. When that didn't work out for her, she became a model and eventually hit the burlesque circuit.
In Faster, Pussycat!, she did more than act. She did her own make-up, costuming, stunts, figth choreography, dialogue, and invented the spinning tires of death. While most people are most familiar w/ her as Varla, she did not appear in any of Russ Meyer's other projects. She did appear in a number of films by Ted V. Mikels.
In other news, the Super Bowl is over. Congrats to the Pack. As usual, we were barraged with new commercials - some good, some bad - and the obligatory half time show. I did learn a number of things that evening. Darth Vader was a pawn of his father before bowing to the will of the Emperor. Porn chick Kim Kardashian blames her uncontrollable booty on sneakers. And the Black Eyed Peas can't sing. Everyone seems to be targeting Xtina for flubbing some of the words to the US National Anthem, but they're not mentioning the dreadful "performance" by the Black Eyed Peas. Their vocals were just terrible. And since they don't play instruments, I can't figure out why they're called a band. Stick to the studio, Peas.
2 February 2011 - Last Tango For Maria Schneider
French actress Maria Schneider, who gained international fame when she appeared in the controversial 1972 movie Last Tango in Paris, has died. She was 58 and had been battling cancer.
Schneider has a few small roles before replacing Dominique Sanda in Tango. She played the much younger love interest of portly powerhouse Marlon Brando. Unlike Kramer, who used butter to shave, Brando used it to lube up Schneider for simulated anal sex.
Branded with an X rating, Last Tango in Paris the movie was a box office success. Having a budget of around $1.24 million, it raked in over $36 million in sales. From grind house to art house, everyone wanted to see it. Except those who tried to ban the film. Or people like William F. Buckley, who trashed it without even seeing it.
As often happens, Schneider had difficulty landing roles after being part of film that carried such a stigma. She suffered from bouts of mental illness, drug addiction, and a suicide attempt. Adding to her career destruction, she walked off of one set, refused parts, and was replaced in another. Thus she became known more for her off-screen antics, then on-screen roles.
Maria Schneider will be buried at Paris' Père-Lachaise cemetery.
26 January 2011 - Invasion Tweetathon In Full Gear
But first things first. The FCC has reversed it's ruling for the ABC network to $1.2 million dollars for Charlotte Ross' bare appearance in the “Nude Awakening” episode. (Pictured at right.) About time they made a decision I agree with. Let's just rate television shows and let parents take responsibility for their kids, shall we?
And speaking of Charlotte Ross, she's reputed to have a 3D full frontal nude scene in the upcoming flick, Drive Angry. One nude scene from the movie is already on the Internet and it's interesting, to say the least. I wonder if this will be the first 3D merkin?
Going back to the headline. AD Lane has started another 85 hour Tweetathon to raise production capital for his upcoming movie, Invasion of the Not Quite Dead. This new take on the zombie genre will be 100% fan funded and is a unique opportunity for horror movie buffs to become part of the movie making process.
He's now raising money to film the 1978 opening sequence of the film. Money being raised now will pay for his crew to get from England to Bulgaria. Where a location has already been selected and a helicopter and car explosion have also been set up.
Watch AD and friends live below via Ustream and hit the link below the streaming video for more info on how can be a zombie movie producer, too.
28 January 2011 - Tweetathon Over
The 85 hour Tweetathon has ended, so the video has been removed. AD raised just over £3600. Not too shabby, but he's only raised around a third of his goal. However, all is not lost! You can still purchase producer packages at the link below. Hit the link and check out the attached videos. Then decide if you want to take part in truly independent cinema.
<-- Last page | Even More Ramblings -->