REEL FEST

Reel Fest 6 at the Somerville Theater, Nov 15-19th!

2013-09-12T17:07:00.000-04:00

We have dates for Reel Fest 6 at the Somerville Theater in Davis Sq, Somerville:

Our featured films will share the headline every night from Nov 15th to the 19th.

"Milkweed" starring Arthur Wahlberg.

Also: "Gothenstein" directed by John Hartman.

Many, many short films to be added to the list. Details TBA.

Reel Fest 5 in Austin, Texas!

2013-02-25T19:32:00.000-05:00

Reel Fest Road Show!

Washington Times post today...

2011-11-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

Washington Times post today for RFDC...

Film festival: ReelFest DC
After four years in Boston, ReelFest is setting up camp in the District with the express mission of creating “a seed-bed for films outside of the mainstream which personify innovation, individuality and daring strokes of bold new cinema.” That’s a tall order, but at least one ReelFest offering appears to fit the bill: “Inventory” is a feature-length look at the inner workings of a New England furniture store. Like the retail-class sagas it echoes, “Inventory” deals principally with the problems of smart people who feel overqualified for jobs they can barely handle.
Through Monday at 1055 Thomas Jefferson St. NW.
Web: www.reelfestdc.com.

See original post here.

New MY AMERICA poster!

2011-10-14T19:46:00.000-04:00

My America is coming to Reel Fest DC!!!

It's taking place this fall at CDIA, 1055 Thomas Jefferson St., N.W., Washington, DC, 20007

Reel Zine & Inventory on Kevin Smith's Smodcast!

2011-10-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Check out this clip of Kevin Smith plugging Reel Zine on Smodcast!

Northern Comfort @ Reel Fest DC!

2011-10-08T19:51:00.000-04:00

NORTHERN COMFORT
Somewhere between home and where the heart is, is the place that we’re all going. When confronted with our humanity and our mortality we are confronted with the questions: Who do I want to be, and where do I want to go? Join two lost souls as they take the journey in search of hope, in search of answers, in search of… Northern Comfort.

Northern Comfort
Directed by Rod Webber
Written by Rod Webber, Greta Gerwig, Joseph James Bellamy, Irina Peligrad, David T. Grophear.

Cast
Rod Webber            ...       Horace
Greta Gerwig            ...     Cassandra
Joseph James Bellamy ... Owen
Irina Peligrad            ...     Denise
Markus Nechay                Lived Alone In The Woods
Matthew D. Ferrel           Believed in Legislation
Jose Ramos                Played A Good Game Of Chess
Robert Koch              Tried To Catch The Big Fish

Crew
Directed by Rod Webber
Written by Rod Webber. Additional dialogue by Greta Gerwig, Joseph James Bellamy, Irina Peligrad, Markus Nechay, David T. Grophear
Camera: David T. Grophear, Tim Brenner
Sound: Mike Kovalko
Co-Producers: David T. Grophear, Ali Bell
Associate Producers: Joseph Poleman, Sam Moussavi

Northern Comfort, starring Rod Webber and Greta Gerwig, (who is now very well known for films such as Greenberg, No Strings Attached and the Russell Brand remake of Arthur) is the second of Webber’s experimental films shot primarily in three days. Webber's guide to shooting is based upon what frequent collaborator Joseph James Bellamy refers to as The Perpetual Motion Manifesto. The film is perhaps best described as an existentialist character-study, in which Webber and Gerwig encounter a slice of snowy, northern Americana as they walk, talk, and drive their way to Canada for employment and free health-care, respectively.

Synopsis: Guided only by a set of books-on-tape by Greek philosopher Socrates, Horace and Cassandra are a mismatched duo who must learn to work together or meander aimlessly throughout the frozen wilderness. The two strike up a friendship, but after a night of drinking and spitting-up blood in a hotel bathroom, Cassandra has second thoughts about the pairing, and leaves the next morning. Horace and Cassandra cross paths again, but after her car breaks down, they are forced to find shelter in the woods. They come across a cabin inhabited by a crazy old hermit (Markus Nechay) who let’s them get out from the cold, and spends the night telling stories and playing his violin while Cassandra tries to get some shut-eye.

When Cassandra is confronted with the reality that her sickness is worsening, she must decide whether to stick it out with Horace, or find her own way, knowing that her time is running out.

Northern Comfort premiered May 25th, 2010 and has upcoming screenings October 9th 2011, at Southern New England Indie Film Fest, and November 11th at ReelFest DC.

Note*: The website is somewhat in transition-- But a more detailed synopsis is to come, when we get some of our other web-related issues squared away. In the meantime, please check out the trailers!

Northern Comfort Trailer 1:

Northern Comfort Trailer 2:

Schedule: Nov 10th to 14th

2011-10-07T06:00:00.000-04:00

Thursday, November 10, 2011
OPENING NIGHT BLOCK:
ONE PRICE GETS YOU IN ALL NIGHT!!
TWO FEATURES, PLUS TONS OF SHORTS!!
Buy Tickets!

7 PM – My America (80min) preceded by shorts

Opening statements by Joseph Polema
Bag Tax by J.W. Crump (5min), Slanted by The Mataresse Brothers (5 min)
OJ in Bishop Gardens by Otessa Ghadar (8min), Q & A with filmmakers
My America Webpage
Buy Tickets!

9 PM Amateur Hour by Sam Moussavi (94 min)
Preceded by shorts:
Planet Diva Trailer (Shot on Super-8 Film) by John Hartman
Q & A with filmmakers
Amateur Hour Webpage
Buy Tickets!

***Preceding opening night there will be FREE screening of Northern Comfort (at 5PM) (78 min)
Preceded by: Nobody is Somebody by Aaron Mullins/ Q & A
5PM BLOCK is a FREE Matinee warm-up event.
Northern Comfort Webpage

Friday, November 11, 2011
3 PM BLOCK – Northern Comfort (starring Greta Gerwig) (78 min)

Preceded by: selected shorts

Northern Comfort Webpage
Buy Tickets!

5 PM BLOCK – My America

Preceded by: Jane Asher on the 100th Birthday of Vincent Price
Q & A session with filmmakers.

My America Webpage
Buy Tickets!

7 PM BLOCK – Inventory by Justin Fielding (90 min

Preceded by shorts:
A short film by Joseph Poleman
Q & A session with filmmakers.
Inventory Webpage
Buy Tickets!

9 PM BLOCK - Amateur Hour by Sam Moussavi
Preceded by shorts:
Bag Tax by J.W. Crump, Slanted by the Mataresse Brothers
Counting Sand by Robert Early (3 min), Q & A session with filmmakers.
Amateur Hour Webpage
Buy Tickets!

Saturday, November 12, 2011
11 AM BLOCK – Northern Comfort (starring Greta Gerwig) (78 min)
Preceded by: selected shorts

Northern Comfort Webpage
Buy Tickets!

1 PM BLOCK - Babylon Central by Eric Hilton (90 min)

Preceded by: selected shorts

Babylon Central Webpage
Buy Tickets!

3 PM BLOCK - From the Back of the Room by Amy Oden (75 min)

Preceded by: selected shorts
Take Off One Ear! by Sabine I. Golz (22 min)
Q & A session with filmmakers.
From The Back Room Webpage
Buy Tickets!

5 PM BLOCK – Feature Film TBA

Preceded by: selected shorts

7 PM BLOCK - Amateur Hour by Sam Moussavi
Preceded by:
The spoken word of Joseph James Bellamy of My America
Counting Sand by Robert Early, Bag Tax by J.W. Crump
Slanted by The Mataresse Brothers, Q & A session with filmmakers.
Amateur Hour Webpage
Buy Tickets!

9 PM BLOCK – My America
Preceded by shorts:
The Lake by Tara Garwood (12 min), Boys & Girls by Chris Tipton King (5 min)
OJ in Bishop Gardens by Otessa Ghadar, Q & A session with filmmakers.
My America Webpage
Buy Tickets!

Sunday, November 13, 2011
11 AM BLOCK – Northern Comfort (starring Greta Gerwig) (78 min
Preceded by: selected shorts
Northern Comfort Webpage
Buy Tickets!

1 PM BLOCK - I Help You Kill Yourself by Kian Amani (57 min)

Preceded by shorts :Loneliness by Farzan Farmazi (5 min), Metta by Kirthi Nath (10 min) Something Like Life by Ardavan Roozbeh (40 min)
Q & A session with filmmakers.
I Help You Kill Yourself Webpage
Buy Tickets!

3 PM BLOCK - Return to El Salvador by Jaime Moffett (67 min

Preceded by shorts :
Hidden Books by Sam Hampton (12 min)
Q & A session with filmmakers.
Return to El Salvador Webpage
Buy Tickets!

5 PM BLOCK - Amateur Hour by Sam Moussavi
Preceded by: selected shorts
Out for Good by Nico Colombant (21 min)
Q & A session with filmmakers.
Amateur Hour Webpage
Buy Tickets!

7 PM BLOCK - My America
Preceded by shorts:
Take Off One Ear! by Sabine I. Golz, Q & A session with filmmakers
Closing announcements
My America Webpage
Buy Tickets!

Monday, November 14, 2011
12 PM BLOCK – Northern Comfort (starring Greta Gerwig) (78 min
Preceded by shorts:
A short film by Joseph Poleman
Northern Comfort Webpage
Buy Tickets!

2 PM BLOCK - Amateur Hour by Sam Moussavi
Preceded by: selected shorts: OJ in Bishop Gardens by Otessa Ghadar
Slanted by The Mataresse Brothers, Bag Tax by J.W. Crump , Q&A
Amateur Hour Webpage
Buy Tickets!

4 PM BLOCK - My America
Preceded by: selected shorts
My America Webpage
Buy Tickets!

VIEW SCHEDULES FROM REEL FESTS PAST

ReelFest 4: In Washington DC!

2011-08-01T19:50:00.000-04:00

Reel Fest is pleased to announce that Reel Fest DC will be taking place this fall at CDIA, 1055 Thomas Jefferson St., N.W., Washington, DC, 20007
After three successful seasons in Boston, MA, ReelFest is branching out. Join us in the nation’s capital for a showcase of some of the country’s finest independent filmmakers.

Washington, DC is a city with a rapidly expanding independent film presence, spectacular networking opportunities and has recently been dubbed the documentary capital of the world by filmmakers and press alike.

Read our full Mission Statement

Click on our Press Page to read about Reel Fests in the past.

Contact RodWebber [AT] yahoo.com for additional info, etc.

ReelFest 4: In Washington DC!

2011-08-01T00:00:00.000-04:00

Deus ex Machina: A FILM REVIEW of "Little Gods"

2011-03-17T12:48:00.000-04:00

Deus ex Machina
A film review of Little Gods
by Robert P. Young

I recall seeing a post from a Facebook friend regarding the ubiquitous Hitler meme culled from the gripping movie Der Untergang. This scene is in Hitler’s bunker, where all is lost, and Hitler’s generals are reluctantly telling him that the cavalry will not arrive. Hitler characteristically explodes and blames everyone and everything but himself for losing the war. It is powerfully acted by Bruno Ganz, but when it is subverted for use as a meme, Hitler dutifully rants about everything from losing at Xbox to hating the controversial revamp of Star Trek to expressing disgust at LeBron James’s “decision.”

Technology now allows us to alter what was once sobering into something incongruously mundane.

What if soldiers—and I hope non-Axis ones—had iPhones back in the 1940’s? Despite the politics of the leaders, average soldiers are pretty similar. Young. Full of bravado. Ball-busting constantly. Fearful. Unintentionally poignant.

Gods’ lead character, Private Doss (Matthew Schlichter) is no John Wayne as a soldier. (Doubly so—Doss actually served.) Wide eyed, youthful, it’s surprising that he’s married, rather than playing the field with girls his age. But then again, he’s in the military, a world in which men take on responsibility earlier than the average man-child Kay Hymowitz writes about.

Where does Doss come from? We see his family about halfway into the film. His wife is pleasant enough. But Doss’s blood relatives have the real spark—dysfunctional even as they send their video messages of love. His mother is overbearing, physically dominating the screen by standing too close to the camera. She casually embarrasses her older son, Danny, by claiming that her late husband would be proud only of the son in Afghanistan. Like a good suburban mother, her suspicions about why her thirty-five year old son “with a good job” still lives with a male “roommate” are only skin-deep. Did Doss join the military to get away from this dynamic, or because there weren’t other good jobs like his brother’s? The film doesn’t answer those questions, but having them in the back of my mind deepened my interest.

Back in Afghanistan, each of the soldiers gets a chance to mug for the camera, and it seems like this will be a spring break video in “camo” gear. Then we are reminded that this is war. Doss’s best friend, a smart-mouthed, resourceful black man nicknamed “Trench,” is ignominiously killed while defecating in the open air.

Immediately after, Doss’s traumatized eye fills the frame, unblinking, almost as if it is as dead as his friend’s. Though overused later, this is a strong choice.

Back in the barracks, the soldiers’ superior officer expresses his regret that not all of his men will return home. Trench’s sleeping bag is rolled up and his effects surround his cot. Seeing the space, for the first time without the man, was striking—it made me feel his death far more powerfully than seeing a corpse. The real pain of death is what you leave behind.

Doss descends into depression and anti-social behavior. The line readings, which previously played out as 100% spontaneous and improvisational, seemed a little less convincing after this turning point, a side-effect of what I suspect was the need to adhere somewhat more closely to the script. Despite this slight lessening of the fly-on-the-wall/ documentary feeling, it is not to the detriment of the film overall. In fact, Schlichter's charisma easily, as well as that of the entire cast overpowers any shortcomings in the shooting technique.

Spear’s unflinching choice to show the unpleasant side of the iPhone, a voyeuristic device at the most inappropriate times--especially when a maimed (and possibly dying) soldier pleads with Doss not to film him in his condition—is quite impressive. True, Doss is capturing a powerful moment, much like a photographer would have captured Pulitzer-prize winning images from 9/11 or Katrina, but it begs the question, where is your humanity, your decency, when you choose to film rather than to help?

The soldiers are fascinatingly vulnerable human beings. This is where I believe the film is most successful, in depicting our soldiers as people we would—and do—have a beer with, rather than as statistics, victims, or killers. Yet these ordinary men have volunteered to put themselves into extraordinary circumstances. They are demigods—little gods—with their courage.

When future generations look back at our generation’s wars, they will not be separated from their ancestors like we were with the barriers of black and white footage and stagecraft from the media and the government. They will have great gifts like Ms. Spear’s Little Gods, which will illustrate the unfiltered horrors of war along with the triumphs of survival. Little Gods will not only reduce you to tears, it will get your blood boiling. Little Gods is a triumph as a film, and doubtlessly it will do more for today's soldiers than any recruiting ad will.

Don’t ignore this iPhone call.

FILM REVIEW: MODUS OPERANDI Uno, Dos, Trejo!, by Joseph James Bellamy

2011-03-14T13:22:00.000-04:00

FILM REVIEW: MODUS OPERANDI
Uno, Dos, Trejo!
By Joseph James Bellamy

Born in 1974, I missed the popular explosion of the so called ’Exploitation’ genre, having instead been part of the generation that made huge budget , FX laden action blockbusters the film of choice in Hollywood. Having seen Modus Operandi, I now miss what I didn’t know.

Aiming to capture the romance and allure of these lower-budget, harder-boiled classics, Writer/Director Frankie Latina’s Modus hit’s the mark like a sniper shot, and makes it look as smooth and easy as uno, dos, Trejo! With a Porn-Star pedigree (Former Porn A-lister, Actress, and Independent Film Maven Sasha Grey touts a ‘Presented by:’ Credit on the film ) , bare bones, 8mm vision, life-is-as-cheap-as-bullets narrative and the casting of Hollywood’s hands-down scariest bad guy, Modus Operandi is an outstanding, cult-ready ready offering for the cerebral filmgoer, and the booms-and-boobs audience alike!

Shot in a medium once relegated to the least respectable of film efforts, It’s a feast of vintage cinematic technique, glam-art sex appeal and contemporary indie style. Not the typical Hollywood roller-coaster, but rather a slow cruise through the darkest part of town, In an impossibly slick black sedan. The story, the chronicle of a burned-out hit-man’s quest for vengeance, is played out amidst a world of perverse secrets, professional lies and political murders. The action percolates and simmers, often boiling over with sex and violence, but never cheapens itself with an overtly gratuitous explosion. Instead, the blood and pyrotechnics are applied for impact, not mindless flash-effect.

First, we are inducted into the films world with a sepia-toned smoking advisory and title-card. We then meet our (anti) hero, Stanley Cashay, through flash backs and the voiced-over memories of his deceased wife. Cashay, a retired triggerman for the shadowy ‘Intelligencia’, is brought to a sort of spooky half-life by the gaunt look and smooth mannerisms of Randy Russell (American Job). His suit, shades and smokes all invoke to the uber-cool secret agent men of a hipper time. Cue the funky, retro credits, and you can almost hear the door to the slick black sedan click shut behind you. ’Modus’ is rolling, and you’re along for the ride.

In the step with the films deliberate pacing, We then bare witness to a deal gone dirty, and are introduced to our ‘bad-guys‘:. Squire Parks, An altogether too-smooth politician portrayed with oily aplomb by Michael Sottile (Reservoir Dogs), the crooked Copper Gore, played by Mark Metcalf, and his long haired associate Dallas Deacon played by noted independent film-maker Mark Borchardt (American Movie.) Lest we think these miscreants aren‘t carrying enough criminal credentials, enter Danny Trejo as bad-ass boss-man Director Holiday. Trejo’s brand of gravel-voiced menace immediately fills the screen, and your consciousness, like the sight of a venomous snake coiled for the lunge.

The holy-grail of the story is also established, in the form of two much-sought after black briefcases. Cashay must track them down and bring them back to his former handlers in the Intelligencia. The assignment is made irresistible when the ‘good-guys’ offer Cashay the chance to avenge his wife’s murder.

What follows is a tension building skulk through an attractively gritty, sexy underworld of strippers and killers, that spans from the dark alleys of Milwaukee to the bright lights of Tokyo. It is a darkly fantastic landscape, made real with the use of period-appropriate props, and peopled with the genre-essential cast of supporting characters. There is the always cooperative privateer, Casey Thunderbird (Barry Polterman,) the deliciously sexy hit-woman, Black Licorice (Nicole Johnson,) and a whole host of agents, assassins, hit-girls and hotties. A series of hand-offs, coded conversations and doubles crosses move the story along smoothly, without every letting up the pressure that has been steadily re-doubling since the first turn of the projector.

The drama is expertly punctuated with shoot-outs, car chases and even a brief, but impacting homage to Hitchcock’s classic thriller North By North West. All the while, the viewers sense that they have been taken on a ride that is far more than they had bargained for sinks deeper into the psyche, which is cruising more and more comfortably with every passing 8 mm. frame.

Over the course of the film, we are shown several clips of what appears to be beta-cam recorded video of young women seemingly auditioning for porno. As the story progresses, we come to understand the true nature of the footage, how it ties the principals players together, and ultimately, what they, and it, convey to us about the true meaning of power. This last idea, the meaning of power, is driven home for the audience in a climactic encounter between Squire Parks and Director Holiday, where Trejo’s words and deeds can only be described as pure Vato Loco, HOMES!

All in all, Frankie Latina and Milwaukee-based Special Entertainment can be very proud of Modus Operandi. They have not only succeeded in bringing a spot-on homage to the hard-hitting , so-called exploitation genre to a modern audience, but they have managed to remind us that a good film is about transporting the audience.

Modus Operandi is sure winner that takes you through the shadows and into another world. Now that I know, I can tell you; between the cool tunes of the sound-track, the seemingly endless supply of Hot bodies and the cold, calculated style of Stanley Cashay, it’s a world in which you will be fully engrossed, and won’t ever want to leave.

FILM REVIEW: "THE WHY," by Mike Groener

2011-03-13T13:21:00.002-04:00

FILM REVIEW: THE WHY
by Mike Groener

“The Why” is the directorial debut of Austin’s Anthony Pedone, Eli Higgins, & Stephen Floyd and a screen adaptation of the similarly cryptic stage production. The film is centered on multiple characters and their experiences in what can only be classified as the castes of death. Trauma binds the main characters as they are each launched into the personifications of their own emotional despair. Whether it’s the overwhelming pain of guilt, or the loneliness of drug addiction, the characters fears are manifested through a juxtaposition of quirky dialogue and unlikely situations. Both alluring and jarring, “The Why” draws from the evil tones of early Polanski while shocking the viewer with gritty vignettes of Hooper-like violence. Although the inspired dialogue and linearity is more art house than horror, viewers are still caught in a metaphysical mélange that feels uncomfortably disorienting. “The Why” balances skillfully framed cinematography while also providing enough lens glare to make JJ Abrams blush. The resulting aesthetic however, causes the viewer to rub their eyes just to ensure they haven’t become wedged into the dream world too. “The Why” exploits its dreary and oddly dulcet worlds by pairing the strange scenes with equally ambient music. The combination is like listening to “Dark Side of the Moon” on headphones while watching “Suspiria” on an old VHS tape. This eerily fascinating world is laden with drug use and off tempo violence. Ultimately, viewers are left paranoid but idealistic, as the undertones of love are spread strategically through the film. In other words, even when faced with the unbearable pain of regret or resentment, we can still find the luminance of love in our darkest hours.....

Written by Mike Groener

FILM REVIEW: “MY AMERICA” By Crosby Tatum

2011-03-13T13:21:00.000-04:00

FILM REVIEW: “MY AMERICA”
By Crosby Tatum

Boston-based filmmaker and songwriter, Rod Webber, and Producer Joseph James Bellamy, bring to life a visually violent and realistic film on modern-day American racism in this unique and compelling social piece, My America.

My America follows the life of Maynard Brayboy (Bellamy), a struggling, yet angry, “Afro-European” teacher who was recently fired from his job at a predominantly white public school on the one-year anniversary of his wife’s death from a violent hate crime. With no job or family to truly comfort his angst, Maynard sits at home, drinking beer, while observing a Tea Party rally on television, that features various citizens sprouting off various racist and anti-social remarks toward the government, and black people, including the remarks of an ignorant red-neck named EJ Winston (Webber), a gun-toting, racist family man who has the things that Maynard doesn’t have presently – a wife, a child, and a job.

As Maynard goes searching for a new job, he comes across EJ who apparently calls Maynard a racist remark; thus setting Maynard down a sociopathic path that sees him assaulting EJ, then kidnapping him, grabbing his gun, and placing him under lock and key, inside the basement of his own home, tied up and no where to go.

With a lesson plan, a gun, and a tied up EJ in tow, Maynard brings him into a secluded section of the backwoods where he grew up at, where the two both share in heated, sometimes physical discussions on topics ranging from the current American government, to the Constitution, and Pop Culture in relations to their racial upbringings. The film takes on a much darker tone as Maynard plans to take EJ’s life, setting the stage for an ending that will shock you, and leave you speechless in the end.

My America is a film that compels you to feel the dormant issues that plague American society come alive within the first five minutes of this feature. Emotions of anger, racism, political unrest, and ignorance are easily played out throughout this film, along with cinematic visuals that are both disturbing, and at times uncomfortable to watch, but serve a purpose of exhibiting what true hatred does, when manifested physically, instead of mentally. This film greatly takes into account the various issues surrounding our country today, whether its issues of Healthcare, The Tea Party, The Obama Administration, the Economy, as well as even the Wu-Tang Clan.

Nothing was off-limits as My America intended to wrap over 200 years of American History between two people of different ethnicities and backgrounds, in a confrontation that some ‘wish’ would happen, but would not be done so. This film is not for the weak at heart. But this film is for those who can overlook a straightforward production style, and appreciate the ability to focus on a subject matter that very few people would approach, and approach successfully at that. If My America is the truth, then honestly, the truth (or My America) should set you free.

FILM REVIEW: REAGAN RETURNS: Reagans, Al Qaeda and Beans…Oh My!

2011-03-13T13:16:00.000-04:00

FILM REVIEW: REAGAN RETURNS: Reagans, Al Qaeda and Beans…Oh My!
By Joseph James Bellamy

***(ALERT: SPOILERS)

If you had told me yesterday that a smart political satire could also be a Super-heroic fantasy romp, I wouldn’t have believed you. Today I know better. This is, it turns out, only one of the unbelievable, and unbelievably entertaining elements to Reagan Returns, the 36 min. short from Detroit-based independent film maker Robert P. Young that will be screening as part of the REEL FEST 3.

As the film opens, we meet the down-and-out but proud Fred (Emanuel Ward) and the fabulously frenetic Malcolm (Wilbert Berthaud), our homeless protagonists. The two quickly assume identities that give a wink and nod to a certain duo known for their dynamics. When the titular dead president (a spot-on pantomime by Charlie Murphy), whom Fred is convinced is his father, rises from his final resting place to strike the big-daddy of all dirty deals, it falls to Black-Man and Rushon to set things right.

What follows is a fun and funny race to save the world. The viewer, riding shotgun with the cracked-crusaders, is faced with the united evils of a weed-smoking, sex-crazed Osama bin Laden (Paul Drechsler-Martell and one HELL of a fake beard), a Ronald Reagan reanimated by magical stem-cell jelly beans, and the mysterious benefactor that brought them together. On their quest to save the day, Black-Man and Rushon are joined by the recently ousted G.W. Bush (Todd Tetreault) who was lured out of the presidency with a giant bag of cocaine. As they battle their way through Osama’s jelly bean jihadists to confront Reagan and his secret masters, it is revealed that the Teflon president had been revived by Mrs. Just-Say-No herself (Susan Lane), and her new lover, Agent Toombs (Nathan Turner), creator of the aforementioned techno-mystical morsels. The genre-splicing stew is liberally and lovingly flavored with plenty of well-executed kung-foolery, including a final throw-down show-down with the man behind it all (hint, his name rhymes with flawed ham from Spain), and a driving hip-hop score. The whole experiment is topped off with the very tasteful application of the few special effects the budget allowed.

As enjoyable as the two wannabe superheroes, the laughably inappropriate Arab stereotyping, and Mr. Murphy’s mastery of Reagan’s mannerisms are to watch, the film’s real gems are the pearls of humor that formed around grains of thoughtful observation. Whether it’s the moment Reagan is disgusted to find out he was resurrected using stem cells and magic (both of which offend his ‘family values’,) the discussion of how revealing Osama Bin Laden to be a woman will affect radical/fundamentalist Muslims the recognition of the threat posed by a mixed-race love-child to a conservative politician in the sixties, or the former first lady’s vanity-induced death by overdose of magic jelly-beans, Young has made sure that the fun and games serves a purpose. Regarding Osama being a woman… I’m not even getting into it, just SEE it.

Each gag reminds us of the need for vigilance and decency in the way we govern our nation and ourselves. Young, (who wrote, produced, and directed) also takes a moment to give us a glimpse at hope in the form of a speech given by Tetreault’s G.W. Bush that was far more inspiring and intelligible than anything ever said by ‘Dubbya’ himself.

In terms of the technical execution of the film, what small stumbling blocks the production encounters are vastly outweighed by the sheer enjoyment of the project as a whole. I see this film as Young’s attempt, a successful one at that, to get the viewer’s head in the geo-political game by placing his tongue in his cheek and broaching some potentially ugly subjects with a smiling face. Yesterday, I thought the very idea of this film was unbelievable. Today, I believe that Robert Young is among the freshest voices in independent film, and you'll believe it too, when Reagan Returns!

FILM REVIEW: SUPER 8 EXTREME

2011-03-10T17:17:00.000-05:00

FILM REVIEW: SUPER 8 EXTREME
by A.T. Sayre

The very first film I ever made was in the first month of my college career. Everyone in my film production class was given an old, but sturdy super 8 camera, one three minute roll of film, and instructed to go make a movie. The only guidelines we had were that one, there would be no cutting or splicing of our little movies- all the edits would be 'in camera', which is to say the only way to change the shot was to stop filming, move the camera, and start filming again, and two, you only get one three minute super 8 cartridge. The first time any of us would even get to see what we shot would be in class the next week. So if you screwed up, not only would you not be able to do anything about it, you might not even know you did till the everyone else did too. Yeah, that was a fun class.
Making a film with these parameters can be nerve- wrecking- on top of how filmmaking is already nerve- wracking. Having experienced back in those salad days of mine this kind of work first hand, I was really keen to check out John Hartman's 'Super 8 Extreme Shorts', a collection of short films shot on super 8 film using very similar guidelines.
I know from experience how carefully a film like this has to be planned out. My own try at this format was two whole days in planning, for something that literally took about ten minutes to shoot. And it was fairly simple- two shots, about a minute and half each. Nothing fancy.
Which is why it feels so impressive what Hartman has done here- because each of these films is infinitely more sophisticated than what I did. There are many camera shots, short ones, long ones, back and forth 'cutting', just like you would see in a regular film, but all done on the spot! It is so very impressive how Hartman manages to keep a good pacing as he went; something normally only possible in the editing room he manages to do as he is shooting. Especially in Feud Angel, which has a fairly extensive action sequence, something hard enough to manage let alone in this situation.
I have always had a fondness for the look of super 8 film. Call it nostalgia if you like, but there is something about the quality of picture that can be so appealing. The short Petrified is so perfectly reminiscent of golden age silent cinema, its sepia tonal qualities and style make it feel almost akin to The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Emily's Bridge and Pinky Rejection also have a nice contrast in black and white. Not to mention the color shorts (I never got to use color super 8 film stock, dammit) will surprise you in how wonderful they look. The colors in Tower Princess and especially Feud Angel look so rich and warm. Even the more washed out Mud Liberator and Hearts and Daggers, though not as pretty as the other color films, have a pleasant home movies feel to them.
All in all these are a pretty impressive set of short films, that are far more pleasing to the eye and entertaining than you might at first assume they would be. Hopefully Hartman will continue to make these shorts in this format, as I am sure as he gains more and more experience, what he puts out will get even better.

Super-8 Extreme reviewed by A.T. Sayre

Reel Fest

2011-03-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

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Reel Fest 3 is March 11th to 15th 2011.
Go to www.reelfest.org