SYNOPSIS: In a
post-apocalyptic land consumed by "Rottens", a simple farmer and his
teenage daughter struggle to survive. Meanwhile, an unruly gang make a plan to
kidnap and sell the daughter for their own selfish profit. With the farmer/gang
confrontation, a wicked tornado approaching, and "Rottens" everywhere
- who will get out alive?
Dead Kansas is a post-apocalyptic film that has a 1970's
throw back look, with a twist of excellent writing and witty dialogue.
Although there are "Rottens", don't expect to see too
much of the guts and gore of zombies that you might expect. Instead of special effects
makeup and CGI, Dead Kansas mostly uses old school black and white point of
view camera work to give the impression of the walking dead.
Starring: Erin Miracle, Alexandria Lightford, Aaron
Guerrero, Michael Camp, Kevin Beardsley, Joe McQueen, and special cameos by
Irwin Keyes & Ben Woolf. Dead Kansas can be found on Amazon Video
Trespass Into Terror is a fun little adventure into the
backwoods, where the rednecks run rampart, and the reckless acts of
carelessness can carry a hefty toll.
I'll just start off by saying, the camera work in this film
is phenomenal. So very many different angles and shots that you would not
expect from a low budget Indie Film. The main cast does a great job in acting,
which is good, but also sort of brings to light some of the supporting casts inexperience.
While it may take a little more imagination than normal to watch as a fan, it
can also add to the atmosphere of the film itself.
It wasn't only the inexperienced actors that had a rough go
though. From Shaun Piccinino leaning around the back seat of a car to make sure
his face is always in frame or twisting off a missing beer cap with sound
effects, to Jared Rice breaking up "coke" on a mirror with a once
folded over dollar bill. At one point I had tears in my eyes watching Rickey Bird Jr. try to navigate through a loosely strung barbed wire fence with a
rifle as if he were poking a hornets nest with a boombox playing Slayer at max
volume.
Now I know what you're thinking, "Jesus is this guy
just going to nit-pick every little tiny thing in a film?" Well, yes and
no. See, for myself it was an added layer of fun in watching Trespass Into
Terror simply because, I have met some of these actors before. So any time I
can give them an elbow to the ribs in a loving fashion, I gotta take it.
The film itself is a great little Indie Flick, with some
tricky camera work, a beautiful location, and good direction. The only real criticism
of the film is that a couple of the supporting cast sound like they are reading
off of que cards, but that just comes with the territory when as an Indie
Filmmaker, you are kind of stuck with what you have to work with.
I must say, it is great to see D.T Carney in his natural
element. The angry redneck, chasing people through the woods. There is no one
that does it better!
Trespass Into Terror can be rented or purchased on Amazon Video right now!
I Was There is a short about one mans strange encounter that
put his suicidal plans on hold.
Michael Voight plays Charlie, a man whom is at the end of
his chosen journey in life, until he finds a mysterious box under an overpass,
the contents of which can not be explained. Charlie decides to continue his
journey in life and we see him progress throughout the years, happily and
content.
There are some major issues that I as a viewer had while
watching the short. The major one was that I had to go back and read the
description of the film to figure out what it was about. The acting is great,
the chosen locations, beautiful. Where the film stumbles is in it's narrative,
or lack there of.
Now don't get me wrong, I am a huge supporter of film that
doesn't hand feed you the plot with a rubber tipped spoon, but even this one
left me scratching my head in bewilderment after the first view.
Does this mean that it is a bad film that you should steer
clear of? Absolutely not! In fact, now that you know the plot, watching it will
free you up to enjoy the amazing acting, gorgeous locations, as well as the
artistic design of the mysterious box and the creature within.
I Was There is a beautifully captured emotionally artistic
journey for the viewer that any fan of film should dive into without
hesitation. Not only is it a master silent class on acting, but it also has some great
cinematography lessons to teach us as well.
I was recently granted a limited time, secret knock code,
that allowed me access to some scenes from the upcoming Hectic Films movie
Border Brothers. I couldn't be more excited to see this film, but this wasn't necessarily
the case before I made my way to that shady motel door, mentally repeating the
knock code to myself, and trying to watch for movement out of the corners of my
eyes. Maybe I was just brought out here to be robbed and have my body dumped in
a dark alley? Hectic Films is legit... right?!
Before I was nervously toeing dirty syringes out of the way,
and slowly shuffling up to that motel doorway, I was a bit apprehensive about a
comedy that deals with illegal immigrants, drugs, and a white pool boy. I was
worried that as an Indie Film, it would walk up to the line of decency and then
just giggle and jump off the side of the moral mountain and leave us with
something so offensive you just wanted to take a shower after watching it. I
can happily report that that is not the case at all!
One of the first clips I saw showed me just how perfectly
balanced the film is. That white knight pool boy who has the lead role? He's
not the brightest bulb in the bundle. Those illegal immigrants who are so
easily dropped into an obscure land of language barrier and ignorance that you
see portrayed throughout Hollywood and television? They aren't in this film
either. The illegal immigrants in Border Brothers are probably one of the
greatest things about the film, as they are not the ones being judged, but
instead, are doing the judging, in hilarious fashion!
Now, don't be scared off by the lack of offensive material,
I assure you there is plenty here. It just manages to stay offensively safe,
and never just completely runs off the rails. From a law enforcement officer
telling his assaulter that he "Hits like a transgender", to the
clueless ranting of a confused and out of his element white guy who never quite
grasps that his racist remarks are not just being heard, but also understood.
Border Brothers has a little something for everyone, and I
am excited to say, I will be one of the first in line to see it when it
premiers!
You can see the trailer as well as help to get this movie finished by checking out the link below:
Mable Ain't No Mail-Order Cowboy Movie! Hectic Films has done it again! Taking the world of Indie Film Making by the reigns and spurring fast and hard with it's latest short film, Mable. The film finds a gang of ranch hands turned thieves pushing hard West with a few items stolen from Mr. Bedford, who had hired them on to work the fields. Among those items, is Mr. Bedford's daughter, Mable (Coryn McBride). The story picks up with us meeting Tom Landry (Shaun Piccinino) who meets with Mr. Bedford and company to hear of what has happened. Offering one item of his choosing from what the gang stole, Tom accepts and sets out on his sparrow catching mission. He soon tracks down the gang making camp for the night, and bullets fly. From the period clothing, to the grime and dirty dental neglect of the gang, this film pulls no punches and hits hard and fast. Delivering the action you want from a western, without all the ballyhoo you get from films twice as long. Mable is a fun little whap of Western, that shouldn't be missed!
Disturbingly Awe Inspiring! As The Man Drives is the kind of short film that stays with you, haunting your thoughts, and following you home. It takes a shot of dark noir and blends a little cigar smoke into the way you view the world, if only for a short while. Completely transporting you into the film experience in ways traditional Hollywood films can only dream about with future technology and the biggest record breaking budgets imaginable. The score is nothing short of mesmerizing and hypnotic. It sets not only the tone and pace of the film, but also grabs you from the start and submerges you so deeply, you might just find yourself drowning in the cinematic experience, and not at all worried about coming back up for air! D.T. Carney gives a spine chilling performance as the broken Detective Hank, struggling to make sense of just how far he has fallen. His partner, David (Rickey Bird Jr) struggles to give counsel as they make their way out of the city, into the night, where the truth waits with a finger on the trigger.
Volumes of Blood is a horror film
centered around the community of Owensboro, KY, or more directly, the library
in Owensboro, KY. While this may seem insignificant from a review point of
view, I assure you, it isn't. But more about that in a minute.
This film had me tossing my hands
in the air and giving up in frustration after just watching the first three
minutes of it. I sat here thinking, "This guy is playing a high school
senior? He has a receding hairline and a bald spot for f***s sake!" Just
as I was reaching for the off button and dreading the email I would have to
send to my boss stating, "This is worse than some YouTube posted fan
fiction of crayon colored Anime Vs. Brony in motion stuff." I hit the 3:20
mark in the film, and caught my first glimpse of true indie film making genius!
The writing in this film is good,
the dialogue is pure genius, and the cinematography is nothing short of
amazing.
The story centers around a group
of four friends inside the library who have to come up with urban legends off
the top of their heads. Each story is unique in plot as well as feel. D.P.
Bonnell is credited with the cinematography, and just from this film alone, I
can not heap enough praise their way. Taking a singular location and making it
feel different for each of four urban legend stories, as well as the original
plot takes a lot of skill, talent, and hard work, and every bit of it shows
here.
The dialogue itself, while
sometimes a little over the top, has it's own fair share of genius. The urban
legends of the film may not make it into youthful circulation, but I assure
you, some of the jokes and one liners surely will.
Now, let's talk Owensboro for a
second. It is clear from just watching the film that the community itself plays
a major role in supporting the film as well as becoming part of it, and as a
film maker, that is always refreshing to see.
I feel like there is so much more
to praise about this film, but it really can't be done without spoiling the
movie itself, so I'm sorry for that, but rest assured, this film is 100% Indie
Film Group approved! There are plenty of mediocre indie films in circulation
out there, but Verite Cinema's Volumes of Blood is definitely not one of them.
This is a great film for both film makers, as well as those who just enjoy a
good horror film with a twist!
