GRAVITY: Day 5 of 31

So, I saw Gravity yesterday.  Maybe you've heard of it.  It's this little sci-fi film that's getting some interesting buzz around the web lately.  At least that's how it was referred to when I first heard about it earlier this year.  Now, you've probably heard it described as "The best film of 2013!" or "The greatest science fiction movie since Stanley Kubrick squeezed out 2001: A Space Odyssey!" or "The single greatest technical achievement by man in the history of ever. And always."

That last one may have been a stretch, but it's a pretty decent movie I guess.  I'm just joking; it's a very decent movie.  Best movie of 2013?  Eh, maybe.  It probably is one of the greatest special effect achievements ever put to film.  In terms of cinematography and story telling, it's light years ahead of anything else to date.  Definitely a game changer (oh God, how I hate that term) in that sense.

I also love the fact that the story takes such a simple premise (if you can call 'having two astronauts have to use their survival skills and technical expertise to try to return back to Earth after barely escaping certain death due to an onslaught of charging satellite shrapnel that destroyed their ship and left them stranded in space' simple), and focuses the entire movie on it.  I really dig minimalistic movies.  This storyline brings to mind a couple other favorites of mine that involve similar circumstances, where a character or characters are stranded or confined to one place and they're trying to escape certain death.  Open Water (which involved two scuba divers being stranded by their boat and everyone hated it) and Buried (which involved Ryan Reynolds trapped in a coffin for 90 minutes, and no one saw it).  Gravity kind of completes the environmental trilogy, proving that deep space is just as bad a place to get stranded as the middle of the ocean, or six feet under ground in a box.  Although I don't know if anyone was going to make an argument against that.

The really cool thing about this movie, that sets it apart from the other two is the production value. 
While Open Water was filmed with a couple digital cameras on the cheap, and Buried was done very well, but never once left the coffin, Gravity uses every single camera trick and special effect in its repertoire. And it does it seamlessly.  This is, without a doubt, one of the most amazing looking films I've ever seen in my life.  I've read that the director (who also did the amazing "Children of Men") spent the last four years working on this project.  Even spending a considerable time working on the 3D process, meaning the studio didn't just decide to post convert it later to make a couple extra bucks.  Knowing that going in, I opted to see it in 3D, and it was definitely the best 3D experience I had in a theater as well.  Much, much better than Avatar (ugh... but you know my thoughts on Avatar).


The reason the 3D works so well in this movie (and if you know the director's work, it's no surprise) is because of the extremely long takes that make up each scene.  While most movies cut to about 50 different camera angles to cover one action sequence, Alfonso Cuaron painstakingly films it all in one take without any cuts.  The long takes give your eyes and brain a chance to really register what's happening in front of you, and appreciate the robustness that the third dimension adds to the picture.

Now, that's not to say there aren't any cuts.  And since this entire thing was filmed on a green screen, I'm sure there's virtually hundreds of cuts in each of these 15 minute long takes.  However, the important thing is, we don't notice them.  It's all crafted together so beautifully with such a natural flow, it all just appears to be happening in front of you. Seriously, don't misconstrue what I said to mean there are cuts, but we don't notice them; for all intents and purposes, there are no cuts.  It's like you're right there, floating in space with them, not missing a beat.  Yesterday I said there was a short film in VHS2 that put the viewer in the eyes of the protagonist while he's haunted by ghosts. Well, Gravity puts you in the space suit of the astronauts, and you are directly in the middle of the action.  Or lack of action, as you drift silently through space.  It's a pretty miraculous achievement.

What makes this all the more note worthy, is that the storyline itself doesn't really need to be so technologically amazing. It could've just as easily been shot like a normal movie.  It could've even been shot for super cheap, and just edited together like a hundred other space movies we've seen.  The story of two characters on a quest to get home is nothing new.  But the way they present it, in a way we've never seen; experiencing their struggles first hand, that is what makes this movie amazing.  The viewer is watching anxiously as the characters bounce off the shuttle, trying desperately to grab hold of something in order to stop their descent into space. You hold your breath and grip your armrest as they miss ledge after ledge, drifting into total blackness.  This movie forces you to connect with them, and experience their panic first hand.  A rare feat these days.  And again, even rarer because it really didn't have to.  It's like someone came up with the movie idea, and pitched it to some executives.  The executives yawn and say, "Okay, go ahead; are you going to do anything different, that we haven't seen before?" and the production crew says, "Yeah, we're going to make it really, really good."  That's two reallys.  And they meant it.

So, premise of the movie: good.  Technical wizardry on screen: amazing.  Acting: Eh... two out of three aint bad, right?  Wait, what?  Dave, you didn't like the acting?  It's got George Clooney, everyone loves Clooney!  Yeah, I know. Clooney was the man. Clooney rocked this movie.  Well, that only leaves one other person... are you telling me you didn't like Bullock? Come on; she's an Oscar winner too!  Yeah, for the Blindside.  Listen.  Clooney was great.  Sandra wasn't bad.  She just wasn't all that good.  Her character wasn't very relatable, or likeable, or even someone that I cared a great deal for.  I never really found myself connecting with her, or really hoping she made it out other than just because she was the main character.  She gave a couple good moments, one especially good one when she is saying a quick prayer to her daughter who died years before (which now that I'm a parent, came off much more heart wrenching than I would've thought before), but overall, I just found her kind of flat.  Not someone I was actively rooting for.  Of course, I wasn't hoping she'd die out in space either; I just found her kind of "meh."  If I were to compare her to Sam Rockwell's character in "Moon," another terrific space movie from a couple years ago, I'd say they're not even in the same league.  Sam was warm, sympathetic, and you spent the whole movie feeling for him, and rooting  that he'd make it out. There were also a couple moments where I thought the writing was almost embarrassingly contrived.  The stand out is when she makes her way to a Chinese space shuttle and picks up a radio conversation between some random Chinese guy back on Earth.  This was one of the few weak parts for me; but not enough to do any real damage to the film, just kind of a low point.

Overall, with all minor criticisms aside, Gravity is one hell of a movie.  An absolutely amazing technical achievement that will undoubtedly be talked about in film circles for decades to come.  Plus, the storyline of overcoming adversity, and not giving up, no matter how dire things look is always a crowd pleaser too.  The movie has some twists, which I won't even hint at because the marketing people actually avoided giving anything away in the previews.  Seriously, everything I saw in the trailers took place in the first 15 minutes.  I had no idea what was going to happen after that, so I went into this pretty damn eager.  That doesn't happen a whole lot in this day and age.  Most movie trailers show you every single action beat, along with the jokes, money shots, and punchlines of just about every beat of the movie.  Horror movies like Quarantine even show the last scene in the movie in every advertising campaign they run. Hell, it was even the cover of the movie for Christ sakes!  Studios will release exclusive sneak peaks online, months before the film hits theaters, showing unbroken, 3 minute long scenes from the movie.  The Evil Dead red-banned trailer showed every single kill and action sequence in the movie, so when I finally got around to seeing it, opening night, it felt like I was just watching a longer version of something I already saw.  No mystery.  No anticipation.  No enjoyment.

And shit, what do I know, maybe Gravity does have some longer trailers they've released that show a whole lot more of the movie; I don't know.  I haven't been seeking them out because I wanted to go into it fresh.  And it paid off.  I suggest everyone else does the same.  Don't read anymore about it.  Quit listening to everyone say it's the best movie they've ever seen.  Just go into it and make up your own decision.  But at least keep in mind how astronomically amazing the effects are.  You may think you've seen something like this before, but trust me; you haven't.

PS- I know this isn't technically a "horror" horror movie.  But shit, it had my pulse pounding faster than anything I've seen in the horror genre lately.  And really, who's to say what qualifies as horror?  I would say being alone, endlessly adrift in space is far more terrifying than running from a slasher in a hockey mask.  But maybe that's just because they never seem to put any pep in their step when they chase their victims.  If he at least put forth the effort to speed walk, maybe I'd get some chills.

V/H/S/2: Day 4 of 31

Last year a really cheap horror movie made some waves across the internet upon its release.  V/H/S is a found-footage horror anthology, which means it combines a genre everyone despises with a type of film that isn't really made anymore.  And lo and behold, it actually did... pretty well.

Despite some very really misogynistic qualities that strangely peppered their way through every one of the short films, and the fact that basically every character was a douchebag bro that you couldn't wait to watch get slaughtered, V/H/S was not a bad little horror film.  It was helmed by about 5 different directors, each crafting a compilation of stand alone shorts that a couple of criminals have stumbled on after receiving a job to break into an old house and steal a particular video tape.

Like all found footage movies, the gimmick wears thin after the first hour or so, but one of the things that worked in V/H/S's favor was that it was made up of separate stories, so when one of them got a little old, it wouldn't be too long before we moved onto the next one.  And each story (being shot from a first-person-point-of-view) lent itself to unique and original opportunities to tell the story.

I wasn't quite sure what I thought of it after my first viewing, but it did stick with me over the next couple of days.  Any movie that manages to do that, I figure did something right.  Upon second viewing a couple months later, I decided it was pretty damn good.  Despite a couple overly-shakey moments, and a couple other faults; the good definitely outweighs the bad.  And like any anthology, there are always a couple stories that are better than others.  I remember liking the first short (with the Succubus girl) and the last short (with the haunted house) the most.  Especially the haunted house one.  I'd recommend that one multiple times over.  A really unique, truly creepy short film.

So, what are you doing Dave; I thought you were reviewing V/H/S/2, why are you rattling on about the first movie?  Well, because I want to set it up in case you're not familiar with the series.  On first glance you might lump it in as a cash-grab riding on the success of the Paranormal Activity franchise.  After watching it though, it's abundantly clear that this series has more originality in any one of the short films than any of the Paranormal Activity movies (and I LIKE the Paranormal Activity franchise!).

Just get to the goddamn point already Dave!

Okay, sorry.  I felt like I needed a build up.  And while we're getting everything out there, I'm going to do without the "forward slash" marks in the title: V/H/S/2 from now on.  They're just too much of a pain to type each time.  From now on, I'm just calling it VHS2. Okay?  Good.  Break.

Jesus Christ. Just talk about the damn movie already.

Right.

Anyway, the sequel kicks off in the tradition of the first, by showcasing a chick's boobs before going into any plot whatsoever.  Then we meet two private investigator's hired by a college kid's mother.  Apparently her son has disappeared, and when they arrive at his house, they find a collection of old VHS tapes.  It looks like her son was into some weird snuff-film type hobbies, and these particular tapes have some kind of curse-type-deal associated with it if watched in the right order.  (it almost brings to mind The Ring, or the short film "Rings" which bridged the gap between the first, excellent The Ring and the second god awful sequel, The Ring Two).

The investigators begin checking out the tapes and we the viewer are treated to their viewing party.  One thing this film clears up right away is why everything is on a shitty old VHS tape when we're clearly living in a digital age.  I don't exactly remember what the reason was, but rest assured, it was addressed and noted.  Nice job sequel.  You're fixing problems created by your predecessor and you're barely out of the starting gates... lets keep it up.

The first film is a very effective ghost story, all told from the perspective of a robotic eye.  The main character lost his eye in a car accident and had it replaced with a prototype artificial eye that is recording everything he sees for later examination.  This puts us quite literally, in the protagonist's shoes. Or, in his head, as the case may be.  He returns to his Malibu beach front property (what the hell-? how did this asshole afford this place?  Thank God it's haunted...) and finds out it's haunted.  Kind of.  Apparently, ghosts are around us at all times, and some people can become more susceptible to noticing them. (bet you wish you would've just went with the patch now, huh guy?)  I won't give much more away, but this one actually got to me a little.  The acting was poor, the ghosts were a little generic looking, but it had a great way of keeping the tension up.  The fact that we saw the ghosts as he saw the ghosts really puts you in the middle of the scares.  It's not like there is a moment where you can distance yourself from the horror by being a casual observer.  You're never watching something lurking behind the main character when he has his back turned- you are experiencing it right there with him.  When he reacts, you react.  It's a pretty brilliant concept actually.  There's a couple moments when he runs to the bathroom to escape the ghosts, and then peeks out the door to see if it's safe.  I can't describe it any other way other than, it's like you're right there, peeking out the door too.  You want the story to keep going, but you also don't want him to see anything, because, shit, if you were in his place (which we are), you would prefer not to suddenly have a ghost lunge at you. But you're watching a horror movie, so at the same time, you're here to see the fucking ghosts.  It's a really weird dichotomy.  You want to be scared but you don't want to be.  Overall, this was a good one.  Not terribly original (The Eye, comes to mind, which is actually a remake of a Japanese movie to begin with), but I think it does it well.  The final scene could've been a little more graphic to really push the envelope and take the vicarious viewer all the way to the brink, but it felt like they held back a little, which is too bad.  Okay, I want to talk about it, so I'LL SPOIL IT.  DON'T READ THIS IF YOU'RE GOING TO WATCH IT...

Still here?  Okay- eventually, the main dude can't take it anymore and cuts the artificial eye out with a straight razor.  He's looking the mirror about to do it, then says, "I can't watch this," and looks at the sink and quickly pops the eye out with the razor.  Now, this is a horror movie.  An Unrated Horror movie at that.  What a chance to do some really intense gore that frankly has never been done before. The protagonist cuts out his own eye, and the viewer has to watch from his own point of view.  Talk about a missed opportunity.  Then the ghosts break in, grab him and stuff the eye down his throat.  It goes to static then cuts to black.  Again.  Missed opportunity.  With all the cool camera equipment medical technicians have, this would've been a great chance to cut to a shot from a scope camera going down his throat and into his intestines or something, all still from the first person point of view of the artificial eye.  Oh well.  Not a bad short, but I feel like they fumbled it at the end.  They went for a field goal when they could've pulled off the touchdown.  (and that will be the only sport reference you'll ever hear me make).

The next short was decent.  A unique take on the zombie genre.  We are watching from the Go-Pro cam of a mountain biker as he journeys down a trail in the woods.  He stumbles upon a nice slice of zombie madness, gets bit, becomes a zombie himself, and then starts going after other people.  It was an original idea to show everything from the zombie point of view, or more accurately, from the point of view of the dude becoming a zombie.  Overall, there's nothing wrong with this one.  It's got some nice gore, but zombies themselves aren't terribly engaging.  Maybe that's why no one has ever done this before.  It works as an interesting experiment, perfect for a short film, but that's about all you need.  It ends nice as the zombies crash a kid's birthday party and wreak havoc on a bunch of mini-van sporting families.  Also- an interesting note: this was directed by the Blair Witch crew... so, uh, there's that.


The third short, which is quite a bit longer and a lot more fleshed out than the rest, was definitely the standout of the bunch.  It follows a documentary crew who happen to be filming a mysterious cult.  The cult leader is a shady guy, who after some convincing, allows them to film behind the walls of their colony located out in the middle of nowhere.  Inside, they witness a brainwashed collection of men, women, and children, all obeying the words of "The Father," and planning for the impending rapture.  To say this short goes balls out would be an understatement.  I don't want to go into any more detail because the less you know going in the better.  All I'll say is, just when you think it's reached it's limit, it goes in a whole different direction, and just keeps getting more extreme.  And who directed this one, you ask?  Why, the genius behind last year's most badass action flick, "The Raid."  Enjoy.

The last story brings to mind the older Steven Spielberg and Joe Dante flicks, focusing on a group of kids (although they're a lot more foul mouthed than Steven would've allowed) intent on terrorizing their old sister and boyfriend during a slumber party.  And then a bunch of aliens show up.  This is a lot of fun, but the camera is attached to a dog for about half the run-time, if not more, so the shakey-cam used to represent the moving dog makes it a little hard to grasp what's going on.  Still, it's a solid entry, with some of the better acting (and from young kids to boot), and some really creepy shots of the aliens stalking the youngins.



All in all- the VHS franchise is two for two.  And the sequel achieved the rare feat of being a lot more enjoyable than the first.  It feels like the creators listened to all the complains from the first film, and made them the top priority to fix when prepping the follow up.  Less douchey characters.  Less shakey camera.  Fewer short films, allowing for a little more fleshed out plot development this time around.  And it feels like they upped the blood and body count as well.  Considerably. As any great horror film should.
I'm not saying these are the future of horror, or any all time greats; just simply a couple good little experiments that are worth a watch for the change of pace and the originality.  I couple times I was so impressed with the plot and some of the ingenious scares, I found myself wishing that I was watching an actual "MOVIE," with more production value and without the found footage gimmick.  But that would kind of defeat the purpose, and then it might not feel so unique as a result, so I guess, just keep doing what you're doing VHS... keep up the good work, and see you next year?

CEMETERY MAN: Day 3 of 31

God I love this movie.

Cemetery Man is such a bizarre mash-up of weirdness, humor and horror, it brings to mind some of the greatest slapstick horror films in the genre like Evil Dead 2 and Re-Animator.  The sad thing is, I don't think too many people know about this one.  Or if they do, chances are they caught it randomly and dismissed it, not prepared to embrace the full extent of its awesomeness.

Originally titled "Dellamorte Dellamore," (which I think is a badass title in itself, and translates from Italian to something along the lines of "Of Death of Love") this is a film that was made in '94, but somehow feels like it was done much, much earlier.  It's definitely low-budget (as the best horror films generally are), but that doesn't refrain the movie from having some amazing make-up and set pieces.  It's also shot in Italy, but most of the actors speak English, and has a couple of that good-old-terrible dubbing for some of the supporting cast.  This is really something I've come to expect with most Italian horror flicks, and watching anything by Fulci or Argento just wouldn't be the same without it.

The plot is pretty simple, but never boring, and it always strikes me as a movie that is made up of several parts.  I would almost compare it to American Psycho, where it's kind of a character study.  We follow the protagonist through his life and the different things he encounters.  The story focuses on a Cemetery watchmen named Francesco Dellamorte (played by Rupert Everett- weird I know) and his mute man-child assistant as they do their best to keep up with a wave of resurrection that seems to be plaguing the graveyard.  For some reason, the dead begin to arise 7 days after they've been buried, and Francesco takes it upon himself to return them to the earth.  Usually by way of bullet, shovel, or spade.  The charm of this movie lies in it's just matter-of-fact weirdness.  For example, no one else seems to notice or care about the zombies.  Francesco attempts to report it to his supervisor's at the city, but he doesn't have the time or ambition to file all the necessary paper work and decides it's "easier just to shoot them."  He goes about his disposal of the undead just as if it were any other part of his job.  Just a cog in he wheel that doesn't have the ambition to find any deeper meaning in what he does.  And that's pretty much how his character views his life.

After a couple minutes into the movie, he meets a beautiful young widow mourning over the loss of her (strangely ancient) looking husband.  She's turned off by Francesco's advances until he shows her to the cemetery's ossuary (which apparently is a dank, mold crypt for scattered bones and remains).  That apparently is all it takes, because now she's all over him and ready to get it on.  (again, it's the charm of these weird foreign flicks like this)  

So, they're banging on the grave of her recently deceased husband, and sure enough, what happens?  Boom zombie.  I think we all saw that one coming.  Let that be a lesson to everyone.  Don't be a whore.  And if you do, don't be one on the grave of your freshly dead spouse. It can only lead to trouble.  

So, zombie husband bites her, she dies, and Francesco is down in the dumps again.  He has some more, strange little adventures over the next couple of days, but then, wouldn't you know it- his love returns from the dead... only to, um... get killed again.  It gets really strange when Francesco starts seeing her again, around town as different characters, each one becoming attracted to him, but each one ending in heartbreak.  And to make matters even more bizarre, Francesco starts seeing Death, as in, Mr. Death, around the graveyard.  And he's not just stopping by to chat, he's calling him out, saying, "Why are you killing my undead?  Wouldn't it just be easier to kill the living?"  Strange philosophy, but Francesco decides to dip his toe into the murder pool and take him up on his offer.  So, he goes around town and has a little shooting spree.  And murders a ton of hospital staff. And maybe indirectly burns some college co-eds.  Alive.  

So, you'd think he's a pretty despicable guy. But strangely, you never really dislike him, and you're rooting for him through the whole film.  Partly because of the bizarre surreal nature of the world this movie takes place in, where you're not quite sure what is real or not.  The story is following Francesco, and we all took English classes where they drill us on the idea of the "unreliable narrator."  Does he fit the bill?  Maybe.  Probably, actually.  But the movie doesn't beat us over the head with notions like this.  Rather than throw a big twist and say, "Oops- he's imagining it the whole time," it just exists in its weird little universe where you're not quite sure what the hell to think.  He runs the cemetery, and most of the movie takes place in the cemetery, so essentially, we're in his world.  His element.  And he's really good at his job.  He blasts zombies away without giving them a second glance.  Mows down approaching hoards while talking on the phone.  You never once get the impression that he feels like he's in any danger.  And that's another reason you kind of root for him.  He has this philosophy that "life, death, it's all the same. You live, you die, you wind up here, you live again, then you die again..."  It's just a part of the daily grind for him.  He's definitely a bit of a sad-sack, but not the whiney, annoying emo bitch Tobey McGuire plays in Spider-Man 3.  He's more of a blue-collar James Bond who just doesn't give a shit, bangs hot chicks, kills zombies, and then has a smoke.  He sometimes wonders what exists outside the town limits, outside of the graveyard he feels at home at, but it's much easier for him to continue cleaning up this never ending slew of zombie returners, than it is to go explore a different career path.

His assistant, Ghnagi is almost his polar opposite.  While Francesco is tall, skinny, good looking and well spoken.  Ghnagi is short, fat, ugly and mute.  He only responds with a child-like "Gna!" to every conversation.  He's essentially the ying to Francesco's yang, because he balances him out.  He's generally happy, optimistic, and while Francesco spends the majority of his free time crossing the names of the newly deceased out of the phone book, Ghnagi allows himself the simple pleasures of life, like watching TV, gorging on spaghetti, playing in leaves and, um... kissing a resurrected pre-teens' severed head.  Yeah, that happens.  

There's a strange twist at the ending AND I'M GOING TO SPOIL IT NOW, SO QUIT READING IF YOU PLAN ON WATCHING THIS where Francesco has enough and he drives off with Ghnagi to start anew.  They leave the town, travel under a bridge, but then crash their car just inches from a steep cliff that looks like the end of the world.  Ghnagi is injurred and almost appears to be dead, but he suddenly gets up and then starts speaking in perfect English.  Francesco's response is only, "Gna."  Then it's over.  So what the hell happened?  Throughout the movie, everyone outside of the Cemetery kind of looks down on Francesco and they don't really give him a whole lot of credit to follow through with anything.  In fact, when the police are looking for the mass murderer of the killings he is responsible for him, they pass by him without a second glance, even though he's leaving the site of the slaughter, holding the murder weapon.  The cop even says something hilarious like, "Oh good! You've got a gun; that means you can defend yourself!"  It really brings to mind the ending of American Psycho, which I likened it to earlier.  But what is up with the sudden role reversal?  Has Francesco really been the mute handicapped dude the whole time, and once he left his kingdom of the cemetery, he didn't know how to function in the outside world?  Was Ghnagi the leader of the duo the whole time, but since the story focuses on Francesco, we're just seeing the world through his eyes, where he's King Shit Zombie Exterminator?  Who knows?  It's a good twist, but it doesn't really give you a clear answer, and you could argue a couple different theories, but I don't think there's one definitive way to interpret the ending.  I like it though.  It fits the strange, surreal tone of the rest of the movie.
 
OKAY- YOU CAN RESUME READING AGAIN. SPOILERS OVER.

Overall, this is one of my favorite horror movies.  The main character is just a cool motherfucker.  It has some really great lines.  Awesome zombie effects, and also some of the coolest photography I've ever seen.  They are definitely restricted by the budget in some areas, but man, they come up with some beautifully ingenious cinematography.  The movie opens with a shot pulling back from inside a skull, through the eye socket, then between a phone cord and finally into the establishing shot of Francesco's living room.  There's plenty more as well, really making full use of the meticulously designed cemetery set.  And as much as I'm against remaking classic movies like this, I feel this is a rare case where a more financially stable remake could be even cooler.  As long as they get the right creative team and didn't mess with all of the goofy, original elements that makes this a standout.  Before Tim Burton went all Hot Topic, this would've been the perfect project for him and Depp.  Now a days, that concept is about as exciting sounding as driving to Wal Mart, but when Burton was in his prime, this would've been right up his alley.  He could definitely do the material justice if he took the Ed Wood or Big Fish approach and just went all out weird, with little regard for box office revenue.  But with the most recent en devours he's produced lately, there's not a lot of hope there.  And trust me, if you're going to remake something like this, you have to keep the offbeat tone, and the dark, dark humor. The R rating is a necessity.  So, maybe it's good to just leave it as is.  

Anyway, one last bit of background: this movie is based on an Italian comic book called Dylan Dog.  They made a really shitty adaptation of it starring Brandon Routh a couple years ago, (so maybe it's best to just leave this alone; or use it as an example of what NOT to do... this is what happens when you go for that general audience PG-13 rating).  Francesco apparently pops up in a couple of issues of the comic, but the character of Francesco in Cemetery Man is pretty much based and modeled on the Dylan Dog character in the comic.  Does that make sense?  Probably not.  Either way, I have an omnibus collection of the comic and it's a good read.  This might also explain why the movie has so many good "parts."  It definitely feels like an adaptation of multiple story lines from a comic book, but it doesn't feel jumbled; it actually flows perfectly, and the strange shifts to different story arcs make for a really great viewing experience.  You never know where the hell this movie is going, or how it could end (unless you just read my spoiler filled breakdown of the end.)

Final verdict: Cemetery Man is a standout gem.  It has so many great moments I can't even begin to cover them all in this column, and frankly I shouldn't, you should just check it out for yourself.  See how creative and weird the Italians can be when they are free to make a movie virtually no one will watch.  

One weird note about the trailer: It's all in Italian. But the movie is in English. So don't let that turn you off, you uncultured swine.

THIS IS THE END: Day 2 of 31

I know what you're thinking.  "Jesus Dave, it's the second day, and you're already breaking the formula!"  Well, first off, cut the blasphemy.  There's no need for that.  And second.  It's my blog, and I'll do what I want.  And third, cool your jets man.  Really.

Okay, I doubt anyone was really that upset. 

So, night two of Dave's Horror-a-thon, and I'm watching a comedy.  And generally, I'm not a huge comedy fan.  So what's the deal?

Well, This is the End is a comedy with a horror premise.  So I'm counting it.  I like most of the cast. Seth Rogan. James Franco. Jonah Hill.  Jay whatever his name is (the skinny Canadian one).  And a slew of other comedians.  All the players that have made a name for themselves by playing themselves in pretty much every movie they're in.  So, what are they doing in this movie?  Well... playing themselves, actually.  But literally playing themselves. As in, Seth Rogan is playing Seth Rogan.  Not Seth Rogan is playing the Green Hornet, as imagined by Seth Rogan.  Or Seth Rogan is playing Precious, based on the novel Push, by Sapphire.  Make sense?  No? Alright, lets move on.

The story is, Seth Rogan picks up his buddy Jay from the airport.  They both play themselves, as actors and friends who haven't hung out in a while.  Seth has made all kinds of new celebrity friends in LA, and Jay feels a little left out, so they're having a weekend of just bros hanging out.  Video games. Beer. Pot.  The usual Seth Rogan fair.  I don't know, maybe it's because I was never a big druggie (shit, is that what you call it?  Every term I'm thinking sounds like something a cop would say) but I never got that big a laugh out of the extended pot gags that frequent these movies.  I don't want to be a wet blanket or anything, but it seems like all the humor revolves around people just smoking pot.  Like, not really even doing anything funny.  They're just smoking pot and having a good time.  That's the punch line.  Hmm.  Must be funnier if you're stoned. 

Anyway, they get that out of the way quick, and then Seth convinces his buddy to visit James Franco's new house for a housewarming party.  Jay isn't a big fan of Seth's new Hollywood friends, and he gets dragged along complaining the entire way.  Once they arrive at the party, we're treated to a lot of familiar faces, all playing themselves, either playing up their stereotypical media image, or doing a complete 180 on their public perception.  Michael Cera falls into the latter category, and it's the funniest Cera has been in quite some time. 

From there, shit starts to go down, and the story kicks into gear.  I don't want to spoil too much since this is a pretty new movie, but I think the previews have pretty much revealed the main storyline.  Suddenly, the Rapture happens. As in, the Christian Rapture.  All the good souls are beamed up to Heaven, and all the rest of us are left on Earth.  Which is now Hell on Earth.  At first everyone thinks it's just an earthquake, but things get more and more sinister as it goes on.  At first, I was a little worried about lumping this into the horror-comedy category, but by the end of the movie, it definitely earns the "horror" status, so I don't feel too bad including it.  Jesus, the things I lose sleep over...

The surviving party goers barricade themselves inside Franco's house and try to survive the Apocalypse.  That's essentially the plot.  It's never boring though, because all of these actors have a great resume of films that they constantly reference and use to mock themselves.  The movie also doesn't overstay it's welcome, which is something that can't be said for a lot of comedies in the last couple years.  Like This is 40.  Hilarious first 30 minutes.  Overly long and dramatic remaining 2 hours.  This Is The End keeps it at a pretty brisk 90 minutes, and just when it seems to be getting a little stale, they throw in a twist or two to change the plot up a little and turn the movie in a new direction.  Again, I was surprised how much of a horror angle they took at times.  Something I never would've guessed from the previews.  However, I didn't think the previews looked that good anyway; I just gave it a shot from hearing an onslaught of overwhelmingly positive word of mouth.  Right on mouths. You called it.

I could go into more detail, but that would be like someone explaining a joke, which kind of sucks all the humor out.  Maybe that's why I'm not normally a big comedy movie guy.  As someone who really enjoys analyzing and discussing movies, comedies really don't lend themselves to that thorough of an examination.  If you get too involved in it, you just end up giving away the jokes, and being as I went into this pretty fresh, I thought it was hilarious.  If I'd have known some of the gags beforehand, I don't know if I would've laughed as much.  And if you're not laughing at a comedy, then what the hell is the point?  I've always been more a fan of the really dry comedies, like Wes Anderson's films, or something like Shaun of the Dead or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang.  The comedy elements are terrific, and the reason is because the story is great first and foremost, so the comedic elements feel real and well-earned.  It's not just people falling down stairs or getting kicked in the balls.  Nail down a good story, that would be worth watching even without the laughs... then add the laughs.  Holy shit, do I sound pretentious or what?  And I wrote Murder Party! What the hell am I talking about?

Anyway- that's all I've got.  Check out the movie.  You won't be disappointed.  Everyone in it is great and it's a lot of laughs.  And you can even throw it into a Halloween rotation if you want, I think it's close enough, as long as you watch some really putrid, disturbing shit as well to even it out. 

And for anyone who is really, really dying for a straight up horror review- here you go: This is my monster retrospective of the entire SAW franchise.  I stumbled upon it today and re-read it.  It's one of the funniest things I've ever written, and I still agree with everything I said.  Give it a read, but make sure you free up an afternoon first cause Jesus, I just go unplugged on this thing.

WAXWORK: Day 1 of 31

To kick off my long-awaited (by me, not really anyone else) horror movie-a-day through the month of October, I selected a movie I remember watching frequently as a kid. And like most movies from childhood, you always tend to remember them as being much better than they are in actuality.

Waxwork is no exception.

However, it's not a bad movie.  In fact, a lot of it's faults are fairly intentional, as it wears it's B-movie heart on it's sleeve proudly.  It's definitely a tongue-in-the-cheek throwback to the horror genre, containing pretty much everything under the sun.




The plot goes like this:  A group of college kids are invited to a late-night showing at a mysterious Wax Museum.  Just how mysterious?  Well, when two of the female characters are walking to school, chatting about boys in traditional horror movie fashion (it's even filmed in one long take, which I'm guessing was a nod to that scene in Halloween), they stumble across a "creepy old Waxwork" that apparently materialized out of nowhere.  Then, to make it even more mysterious, the owner of the Waxwork suddenly appears, also apparently materializing out of nowhere, and dressed like Willy Wonka for some reason.  It's a funny scene because the girls are looking at the building, then when it cuts to a new angle, the owner is suddenly just there.  Like they just didn't notice him standing right beside them.  The owner, or "Waxwork Man," as he is listed in the credits, is played by the always great, and always sinister, David Warner.  I don't know him by name, but he's definitely "one of those guys" that you always see in movies.  He's popped up in The Omen, Titanic, Tron, Twin Peaks, etc, so he's got a pretty thick filmography.  Trust me, you've seen him before.  And he's always evil.  Or at least a little slimy.

Anyway, he invites the girls to the Waxwork (for some reason, they constantly call the Wax Museum a "Waxwork." I would think most people would refer to it as a Wax Museum. It's just the common phrasing. They were obviously trying to get the mileage out of the title I guess). The girls invite their friends, which are all just a punch of scumbag college pukes who don't seem to get along or even particularly like each other, so it makes you wonder why they're hanging out in the first place.  Probably because no one else can stand them.  Oh well, off to the Wax Mus-ahem- Waxwork.

At the building, they're greeted by the creepiest midget I've ever seen, along with an equally creepy giant butler with the mind of a child.  They direct them to the gallery, where they encounter wax figures of over a dozen famous horror icons.  Wolf Man, Dracula, Invisible Man, etc.  They focus on some classics, but they even throw in some shout outs to other great genre monsters; I caught The Thing, Pod people, Phantom of the Opera, and a couple others. Obviously, a love letter to the genre.  I read online that they originally wanted to have Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th films included as well, but due to rights issues, they couldn't do it.  That sparked an interesting idea in my mind, because while I'm not a huge supporter of remakes, I think this would be a cool formula to revisit in future movies.  They could really focus on the more current slasher villains, like Jason, Freddy, Pinhead, etc.  Obviously, they couldn't do the actual characters, unless they got permissions from all the studios, but they could at least create a cool facsimile of the icons. Although, upon further thought, I guess that was pretty close to what Cabin in the Woods did.  Only much better.  So maybe my point is moot.


Anyway, the kids are perusing the Museum, and kids being kids, they start wandering into the Wax tableaus, which transport them into the scene that is being enacted.  The first punk asshole winds up in the woods, where he runs into a grizzly lumberjack seconds away from turning into a werewolf.  The kid immediately questions how he got from the Wax Mus- Waxwork to the middle of the forest, but quickly decides it had to be hypnotism.  Yeah, hypnotism.  That's the only logical answer.  The hypnotism kicks in really bad when he gets bit by the werewolf and chased around the cabin. It's funny because a lot of this scene is done from the werewolf's Point of View, and it reminded me of that Saturday Night Live skit where Christopher Walken plays that pervy romance-guy, trying to seduce the woman in his apartment.

As the story goes on, it feels the need to explain how the "Waxwork Man" is able to bring his sculptures to life, and the remaining kids go on an investigative search to track down what is really going on.  Turns out, it has to do with a deal with the devil, and the evil owner's obligation to release 18 souls from hell to wreak havoc on the earth, by supplying the Wax sculptures with human victims, which gives them power. Or something.  That part of the movie is unimportant.  We don't really care why the Waxworks are coming to life, we just want to see people getting killed by famous monsters.

The Dracula segment is pretty good too, and a majority of the time is spent in a basement where this poor bastard is chained to a table where the vampires have been nibbling his leg down to the bone as if it was corn on the cob.  It gets almost ludicrous with how many things happen to his leg after that.  A rat starts chewing on it, then a vampire tears off a hunk and eats it.  Then I think they stick a knife in it.  And then the damn vampire just leans over, right on top of it, trying to grab a girl on the other side of the table.  The poor guy.  I expected a piano to land on it or it to just simply start on fire by the end of the scene.

By the end of the movie, all the creatures claim a victim, which allows them to come to life and start tearing shit up.  However, a secret society of old timers kick in the door, ready to take them on in battle.  I guess they've been waiting for this moment... for a while?  Who knows.  What follows is a really poorly choreographed fight scene with a couple stand out moments, along with some of the sloppiest editing I've ever seen.  Just really shitty. Then the muse-Waxwork burns down and we're treated to the most jarring end credits to a horror movie- blaring the song "It's My Party (And I'll Cry if I Want To).  Strange artistic choice.

So, is it a good movie?  No. Not really.  I got a kick out of it as a kid, and watched the hell out of it with all my friends though. And the throwback feel of it makes it a perfect candidate for Halloween viewing, just as long as you know what you're getting into.

A couple stand out moments:

-Vampire woman getting impaled on wine bottles in the wine cellar.

-Asshole detective who constantly disregards everything the main characters say to him

-The main characters strange obsession with Caffine.  "But mom, I need the caffine. Badly."  And even stranger, his mom's refusal to let him drink coffee, because he's not a big boy yet.  And he's in college.  Luckily, his butler, Jenkins (of course) supplies him with his "caffine, his nicotine, and his wheels."  And that's how they refer to them.  Like they thought saying coffee or cigarettes would be too close to product placement, so they went the bare minimum approach to referring to these things.

-Opening sequence where a guy gets his face pushed into a fire place. While lit.  Nasty way to go.

-Vampire goes to bite the girl and she ducks, causing him to bite the neck of a marble bust.  Ouch. That hurts my teeth just watching.  No wonder he wanted her dead after that.

-The decision to include the Marquis deSade as the primary Waxwork villain.  Odd choice, considering deSade was just a French writer with a penchant for immoral literature.  I guess the term "sadist" was coined from his name, so having him whipping girls in a lust-filled torture chamber is kind of fitting.  Points for originality I suppose.

-The decision to make the mousy, bookworm girl secretly turned on by the writings of the Marquis deSade, even so much as her practically fondling herself in an attic when she comes across a book of his writings.  Okay, now I see why they included him.

-The black and white zombie sequence.  Very cool.  And a severed zombie hand that brings to mind better movies, like Evil Dead 2.

-"Would you like a closer look?"  This is what the Waxwork man says to his victims before he pushes them into the tableau.  He tries it with the Detective, who catches himself before he falls in, then brushes himself off and says, "No, I'm good,"  and walks away.  Nothing suspicious about that.  God, this guys a terrible police man.  I'm glad he gets sealed in a sarcophagus by a head-stomping Mummy.

Overall, not a bad way to kick of a horror marathon.  It's always cool to see famous monsters together in one movie, and even though this is far from perfect, it's pretty enjoyable, with a healthy dose of gore and great make up effects.  It's a movie to enjoy with friends, and you can spend most of the night making fun of it as it goes.  There was a sequel made a couple years after called "Waxwork 2: Trapped in Time" or something like that.  I only saw it once, and it was slightly better than expected.  They even manage to have a really funny Bruce Campbell cameo with reference to the old black and white The Haunting movie.  Worth a watch if you've made it through this one.  If not, hey, let's see what else is on.

31 Days of Halloween...

Something I've always wanted to do was the whole horror-movie-a-day thing through the entire month of October.  It's no secret that I'm a die-hard horror fan, and like the rest of my kind, October is my favorite month out of the year. 
Great weather. Scary movies take over the television networks. Candy everywhere. And it's socially acceptable to hang mutilated body parts in your lawn, and for women to walk around looking like prostitutes. Themed prostitutes (the best kind!)

I look forward to this every year, and this time, it's even bookended with two more extra helpings of awesome.  For one, the Breaking Bad finale airs two days before October first.  And two, my birthday is two days after Halloween.  So, yes, I will have an extra bite of that awesome sandwich, thank you.  In fact, I think I have enough to share.  Oh, and throw in a side of Skull and Bones Sweet-Tarts (the best kind!)

What am I doing to enjoy the shit out of October this year?  Well, for starters, I want to do that whole horror marathon. Last year, I ambitiously picked 31 movies and planned to watch one a night leading up to Halloween.  Here's a link if you fact-checkers need verification.  All the ducks should be in a row.  Go ahead and give it a read too, while you're there.  I thought it was kinda funny. 

Unfortunately, I my eyes were bigger than my... well, I guess eyes would be the best analogy in this case, because I didn't get a chance to watch them all.  Between working my ass off with my cohort, Paul Kurutsides on getting our movie finished in time for our Halloween premiere, and managing work and family, I just didn't have time to enjoy all 31 of them.  I think I got through 12 of them.  Not a great ratio, I know.

This year, I feel like my odds are a little better.  I'm not guaranteeing I'll make it through 31 movies, because let's face it, things come up. However, I really want to try to post a blog update every day, on something Halloween or horror movie related.  Whether it's my thoughts on a particular movie I just watched or re-watched, or a favorite book or short story, or even a TV series.  There's lots I can talk about. 

I was originally toying with the idea of doing a video blog for each movie review- but quickly side-tabled that for a possible future project.  I'd love to do it, but I don't have the time or the resources at the moment, and frankly, there's already so many of those out on the net already, I don't know if I really need to re-invent the wheel.  Speaking of which, I figured I'd keep this short, and end it with one of my favorite Horror-retrospectives.  Every year, Cinemassacre does something similar to this- where James Rolfe tells a little about the most influential horror films of the genre.  He's an incredibly knowledgeable dude on the subject- and I can't recommend his videos enough.  If you're looking for a fantastic timeline through the most genre-defining films from the silent era up to now, I'd give this a watch; The History of Horror. Other years cover Godzilla, Sequels, Cult films, and 80's trash.  Like I said, he does such a good job with these, I don't know if I could really bring anything new to the table.  So, if you were into the idea I teased earlier of me doing a video blog over important horror films, just watch this instead- it's essentially the same thing.  If you didn't give a shit, you should be fine.

-Oh, and one more thing-  the flicks I have in mind for this marathon- they're not all Oscar-caliber material.  Some of them are brilliant, others are a little wonky, but they've all got their charm.  I selected the upcoming films based purely on the idea that these are movies I think of when I think of "Halloween."  There's plenty of great horror films I'm not including (in fact, if you want a list of great horror to watch, again, check out Cinemassacre's site- they go right down the list, and in my opinion, they get it right-)  I'm just picking out movies that give me that good old fashioned fun, Halloween atmosphere.  Bats, cemeteries, castles, witches.  That type of thing*  We've got all year for chainsaw wielding psychopaths-  these films should really encompass the holiday.  Yay paganism! 

See you in a couple days! 

*No, I'm not going to be watching Hocus Pocus. (even if it is the most attractive Sarah Jessica Parker has looked.)

The last pictureshow...

Murder Party Dos

Hello internet.  It's been a while. 

Last April, I posted a series of blogs about my experience filming our feature horror film, The Cutting Room Floor.  It covered just about everything there was to say about the movie, and it was a good way to shut the door on it and prepare for future endeavors. 

And what endeavors would those be you ask?  Well, none other than the follow up to one of the short films-within-the film.  The last half of The Cutting Room Floor was comprised of a horror-comedy called Murder Party.  It was a lot of fun, and we filmed it in that intentionally-cheesy style that has become so popular over the last couple years.  I was a huge fan of Tarantino and Rodriguez's double-feature: Grindhouse-  so that's where a lot of the inspiration came from.  Well, that and a slew of other (probably less-intentional but still enjoyable cheesy) horror films from the 60's, 70's, and 80's.

The plan was to take a break from the year-long ordeal of filming our "legitimate" feature film, and follow it up with a fun, breezy sequel to Murder Party, since that was a blast to make, and it didn't require the same attention to detail that the rest of the movie did.  What actually happened, was we got everyone together, and made something even more strenuous than most of what we filmed during The Cutting Room Floor. 

What I didn't really think ahead to, was that Murder Party had, by far, the biggest cast and crew.  Most of the other shorts in The Cutting Room Floor were pretty small scale, involving only a handful of actors.  Murder Party, was mostly filmed in one night, in one location, with about 15-20 actors/crew members.  And, as I always do, I decided if we were going to follow that up, we had to go bigger, so this time, I added a couple more locations, and quite a few more people.  Which meant even more fun trying to organize the shooting around everyone's schedules.  And of course, that's a sarcastic "fun," because if you've ever had to deal with this, you know it fucking sucks.

Anyway, long story short.  Murder Party 2 was supposed to be a fun, quick palate-cleanser.  We'd shoot it quick, edit it, and move on to something bigger.  However, my film-making partner, Paul Kurutsides wasn't setting for anything but the best, and I can say with utmost certainty, he brought his A-game to this shoot.  From the footage I've seen, I can say this is one of the best looking projects we have ever done, and most of that has to do with the labor-intensive set preparation.  Setting up lights, churning out multiple takes, and wheeling around crane cams.  Not the level of production value I was anticipating when I wrote the script, but you know what, the finished product is going to be worth the hassle.

If I sound a little bitter during this blog, it's due to the fact that when we prepare for a shoot, we always go into it with an idealistic naiveté.  The movie you picture in your head is a completely different animal than what you seem to be filming when the camera starts rolling.  It's a little shocking.  Not everything turns out how you expect it to.  In fact, few things do.  I'm sure this is common around all film sets, not just no-budget movies from guys who do this in their spare time.  It just happens.  However, the cool thing is, things start to happen organically on set; actors interact and build off each other in ways you never anticipated.  Serendipitous events happen involving lighting, framing shots, practical effects, and just random things you never could try to plan for or recreate.  You start laughing and losing yourself in the moment, and before you know it, what you've just filmed is better than you hoped it would be when you first envisioned it.

 

I'm gonna wrap this up soon, because I know I tend to lose people when I get too long-winded.  There's a couple things I still wanted to cover though...

The original plan was to update this blog in conjunction with the filming.  However, after the first night of shooting (August 3rd - from 7 pm - 6 am) I was so burned out, and things were going differently than I expected, so I figured I just needed to concentrate of the picture, and cut everything else out of my focus.  I'm like that on set too-  everyone is having a good time, chilling and enjoying the experience, while Paul and I are running around like fucking madmen, planning our next eight moves ahead of us.  I shit you not, there isn't a minute of time to relax when we're shooting.  Especially on the first night we filmed.  We had an ambitious shot list, and I think we got about 40% of it filmed.  Not great results.  I felt bad because a lot of the crew had to stand around waiting while we tried to rush through scene after scene.  By the time I got home that morning, I was exhausted, but too pumped to sleep.  I felt like I still had a mountain to climb in front of me, and what was supposed to just be a fun time with friends became a long, long fucking project. 

But... we kept on going.  We shot again the next week.  And then the next.  And the next.  I think we've filmed about 5 or 6 separate times by now.  A couple 8-9 hour shoots.  A couple 2-5 hour ones.  So much for a quick, fun sequel. 

I complain, but the thing is, I love doing this.  I just discovered with this last film, that I just can't do it anymore.  Full time job.  Wife and kid.  Plus, everyone else has there own things, and I'm sure there's going to be quite a few more families springing up before too long as well.  I love making movies.  I think we all do.  The only problem is the time.  That's the one thing we just don't have enough of.  So, I think it's safe to say, this will be the last big movie out of me.  Kind of sad, but kind of freeing too.  Over the summer I got a nasty case of strep throat, and I remember laying on the floor in a medicine-induced daze just fucking dreading having to make this movie.  Granted, I was doped out of my mind and wasn't moving around much, but I couldn't even begin to fathom the amount of preparation I was going to have to do to get ready for the shoots.  But, we'd been talking it up- we had people committed to coming to Dubuque from out of the state to film again with us- I've had the script written and re-written, and adjusted, and the re-re-written for months.  I had already spent way too much time on this bastard to stop before we even pressed record.  So, I got my shit together, kind of already knowing this was gonna be the last one, and we dove in, head first. 

So shit Dave, it sounds like you had a real fucking blast making this you sun-shiney piece of shit asshole.  Well, it's been fun when it hasn't been a pain in the ass.  It just seems like this shoot has been a lot more stressful than others.  Maybe it's the scale.  This wasn't supposed to be Cutting Room Floor-style scale, but sure enough- I think it managed to be.  Again, the time is the biggest factor.  If we had all the time in the world, it would be nothing.  But unfortunately, we all have other things to do, and I can't write short scripts, so here we are.  Will we ever film anything again?  Oh shit, yeah.  Will I write anything again.  Most definitely.  Will it be another hour and a half epic involving tons of people and locations.  Nope.  I envision a pretty long break after this, and then maybe, down the road, a couple short things, like the Ghost Hunter Dave series.  Fun, easy stuff like that.  Things that don't involve multiple lights and camera operators.  In fact, I have an idea for something, but I'm so not even wanting to go there until I've had a break, so it's just hanging out in the grey matter for now. 

So, there's that.  At the time of writing this, we have one more day of shooting.  And it's going to be a piece of cake.  Maybe that's why I feel confident enough to start talking about the production now.  The worst of it is behind us.  The beast has been slain, gutted, and hung in the trophy room.  One more couple-hour evening of shooting, and then the editing stage begins.  That's when the movie really takes shape.  It's weird. I described above how different the filming is from what you picture when you write the script.  Well, that same feeling extends into the editing, and that's when your final re-write happens.  It's like everything you've written was just a rough draft, and all the footage you filmed, that's your finished thesis- you just have to figure out how to arrange it and clean it up a little.  This is the fun part.  And partly because it involves sitting in front of a computer; the final reward to sweating your ass off in an abandoned warehouse for multiple hours a day.  (I lost 10 pounds from the first day of shooting till the last.  That's insane.  I guess there went the baby weight.)

Alright- that's it for now.  Since I covered all the fun stuff in this one (ie: me bitching and complaining), look forward to the next couple posts, where I go into some detail on the actual filming process, and what to look forward to in the sequel.  I didn't even get a chance to talk about the cast (which is fantastic) and the story.  One thing, I'm exceptionally proud of, is that I feel nothing was held back on this one.  Everything we film, there's always a couple things I was really attached to that don't make it into the finished product.  Sometime its money.  A lot of time, it's time.  Well, all those little things I've wanted to put in a movie... they've found their home in Murder Party 2.  It's essentially a catch all for every fucked up idea I've wanted to film but haven't been able to yet.  So, believe me when I say, you haven't seen anything yet.

And- credit where credit is due-  all the photos in this blog are courtesy of the wonderfully talented, Jasmine Rodgers.  And she even says photographing people isn't her strong suit.  She's been documenting a huge chunk of the shoots- which is something we've always wanted to do- but like I said, when we're filming, we aint got time for anything else- so it's much appreciated.  Check out everything she's snapped here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/96487370@N04/ 

And- last but not least- for more up-to-date coverage on the filmmaking process, and all things PKP- check out Paul's blog and podcast- http://www.wearepkp.com/index.html