Rise of the Planet of the Apes:
I've never seen any of the original movies (nor Tim Burton's roundly derided decade-old remake), but I am familiar with certain iconic images, names, and quotes from the original film starring Charlton Heston - and one day I'll get around to seeing that. Right now though, the franchise is undergoing a rebirth for the modern age, when issues surrounding Civil Rights and the place of the individual and the masses within society, continue to rumble underneath our feet on a daily basis.
In the same summer that has seen the brain dead and overlong Transformers 3 lummox about the place, the intelligence behind Rise's script provides a welcome human (and indeed primate) connection. It's not about apes going ... ape shit ... and smashing up the place, it's about a subjugated community discovering themselves, rallying against their oppressors, and seeking freedom and peace. In the wake of the England riots I wondered if this would prove a touch uncomfortable, but whereas the rioters had no reason for their vicious disregard for their own communities beyond the pursuit of a pair of trainers, the primates in this franchise refresher are gifted (via experimentation, as man seeks to cure it's own mental diseases and ailments) with superior brain functions, and events conspire to bring a collection of them together (chimps, gorillas, orangutans et al) in San Francisco (appropriately enough).
Much like the original films, this 2011 update has rich allegory seas from which to fish - be it the Suffragettes, the Civil Rights Movement, or whatever form of movement to erode barriers that have bred contempt, fear, violence and ignorance - it can be seen as a canvas on which to paint your own personal struggles. Fortunately, the rise of the apes themselves isn't one of unwarranted violence (only the occasional instance of, frankly justified, revenge) - which allows the audience to continue to sympathise with the apes (captured quite convincingly via CGI and performance capture techniques) - and indeed a number of the humans. Mind you, the two main villains of the piece are a bit one-dimensional.
It's an enjoyable sci-fi actioner with a good head on its shoulders with something to say, and what's more it's a touching film at times - anyone who has experienced Alzheimer's (for which the fictional ALZ-112 and ALZ-113 are deemed to be the cure) will understand what has driven James Franco's Will Rodman to create something for good, that ends up causing disaster.
Appaloosa:
This western (from Ed Harris) is no True Grit, Unforgiven, or The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford - but it's still an entertaining watch, mostly due to the central duo of travelling law men Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, played by Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen respectively. Their chemistry keeps the pace moving, with a nicely played vein of good humour sewn in, even if the plot does feel a little scattered and doesn't always command your attention.
Rain Man:
Tom Cruise's specialist car importer (Charlie Babbitt) starts out as a complete and utter arsehole, and remains so (for the most part) for a considerable portion of the movie. I'm not sure if that would necessarily happen in a movie these days, but it's Dustin Hoffman's involving portrayal of a highly functioning autistic man (who, as Charlie's brother, inherits $3 million) that keeps the film interesting. Certain morals along the way are now somewhat dated, but for the most part it remains a good watch.
Grindhouse Trailer Classics Vol. 1:
A load of old scratchy, grimy, grotty, and sleazy trailers cut together back-to-back for a couple of hours. Simple really. Many of the trailed movies are well worth seeing in their entirety (Shivers, Zombi, The Last House on the Left, Coffy etc), but a number are fine enough as trailers and no more (all the best bits, none of the direlogue and inept production). Ideal for connoisseurs of grindhouse cinema.
Logorama:
A short film that's set in a world constructed from, and populated by, corporate logos. It's a nifty little piece - in which a gun-toting Ronald McDonald attempts to evade the police - with a sarcastic, but generally hands-off tone. The plot is secondary, the whole point is seeing the extent to which our lives are decorated by corporate logos and brands (it's amazing how many you know in an instant), and it does make me wonder how on earth they got the permission to use all these logos ... or perhaps it falls into some sort of grey area that allows it.
Exit Through The Gift Shop:
The so-called "Banksy Documentary" is really more about Thierry Guetta, a French filmmaker (who incessantly documented his entire life, and then his dealings with the emerging street art scene) who then became a street artist himself (Mister Brainwash). It's a fascinating portrait of the birth of a whole new approach to art, from it's back alley beginnings, to it's current status as incredibly valued alternative art adored by celebrities and mere mortals alike. Definitely worth checking out.
Showing posts with label man. Show all posts
Showing posts with label man. Show all posts
Monday, 15 August 2011
Monday, 18 July 2011
Double Bill Mini Musings: Decidedly meh, even rubbish...
The Incredible Melting Man:
For some reason three astronauts have gone on a mission into space to gawp at the sun from nearby Saturn, then something happens and the sole survivor is back on earth and has been transformed into the eponymous purveyor of immovable carpet stains. The flick is really only worthwhile for fans of naff genre flicks, or - more admirably perhaps - Rick Baker's gloriously gloopy make-up effects work. Baker's work is the real draw of the flick - indeed there are numerous scenes where we just sit there and watch the titular enemy of Cillit Bang, drip runny snot-like blobs of gooey flesh from his form (the final meltdown is good fun after an all-too-long, not-terribly-exciting chase sequence).
When it comes to the script, and indeed the acting, I can't tell whether it's deliberately - or accidentally - trying to be a bit pants. It's like the movie is trying to be tongue-in-cheek, but the jokes (if you can be so generous) seem to have been lost in translation to any of the actors, whose performances are wooden to say the least ... its as if they're trying to be the antithesis of the very much fluid lead. When the gloop isn't glooping, and when heads aren't getting lopped off, it does get rather tedious ... which is a shame, because in terms of production design it's pretty good (they certainly squeezed every drop out of their time at industrial locations).
The Hills Have Eyes II:
Wes Craven's original was pretty good - not great, but good - and the Alexandre Aja remake has been one of the rare instances in which a remake has been worthwhile. However, Craven's sequel is a woeful mistake (mirrored by the unconnected sequel to Aja's remake - featuring the worst military recruits America has to offer - which was beyond crap). Making liberal use of flashbacks to the original film (including one for Beast - the dog from the original movie!) to pad out the skimpy running time (which, ironically, moves by slower than a glacier), the vast majority of the new footage is risible at best - a bunch of cardboard teens (who are off to the desert to race dirt bikes) yomping around the wrong part of the desert being total morons.
There's initial - very brief - promise when the flick begins with one of the survivors of the original moving suffering mental anguish several years later, still trying to cope ... but what could have made for an interesting personal struggle is ditched after 15 padded-out minutes in favour of idiots making useless decisions (except for the aforementioned survivor, who makes the only smart choice in the entire movie - to not go to the ruddy desert!). Hills II is one of the worst examples of the horror genre - when those who moan about the genre dismiss it off-hand, it's movies like this that they're referencing - utterly witless, inane, bore-fests with little merit even to die hard horror hounds.
However - there is one plus - the soundtrack. Having not noticed in the credits, a short while through I recognised the unmistakable similarity in feel to the soundtracks for the early Friday 13th films - and sure enough, Harry Manfredini scored this stinker, and while the movie is indeed a rotten load of old nonsense, the score is classic, chilling, Manfredini.
It's a strange thing - Wes Craven had done so well with the likes of Last House on the Left, the original The Hills Have Eyes, and A Nightmare On Elm Street, but what on earth was he thinking with this?! That said, as bad as it is, it's not even as atrocious as the unforgivably wretched 2007 follow-up to Aja's 2006 gore-ific irradiated remake.
For some reason three astronauts have gone on a mission into space to gawp at the sun from nearby Saturn, then something happens and the sole survivor is back on earth and has been transformed into the eponymous purveyor of immovable carpet stains. The flick is really only worthwhile for fans of naff genre flicks, or - more admirably perhaps - Rick Baker's gloriously gloopy make-up effects work. Baker's work is the real draw of the flick - indeed there are numerous scenes where we just sit there and watch the titular enemy of Cillit Bang, drip runny snot-like blobs of gooey flesh from his form (the final meltdown is good fun after an all-too-long, not-terribly-exciting chase sequence).
When it comes to the script, and indeed the acting, I can't tell whether it's deliberately - or accidentally - trying to be a bit pants. It's like the movie is trying to be tongue-in-cheek, but the jokes (if you can be so generous) seem to have been lost in translation to any of the actors, whose performances are wooden to say the least ... its as if they're trying to be the antithesis of the very much fluid lead. When the gloop isn't glooping, and when heads aren't getting lopped off, it does get rather tedious ... which is a shame, because in terms of production design it's pretty good (they certainly squeezed every drop out of their time at industrial locations).
The Hills Have Eyes II:
Wes Craven's original was pretty good - not great, but good - and the Alexandre Aja remake has been one of the rare instances in which a remake has been worthwhile. However, Craven's sequel is a woeful mistake (mirrored by the unconnected sequel to Aja's remake - featuring the worst military recruits America has to offer - which was beyond crap). Making liberal use of flashbacks to the original film (including one for Beast - the dog from the original movie!) to pad out the skimpy running time (which, ironically, moves by slower than a glacier), the vast majority of the new footage is risible at best - a bunch of cardboard teens (who are off to the desert to race dirt bikes) yomping around the wrong part of the desert being total morons.
There's initial - very brief - promise when the flick begins with one of the survivors of the original moving suffering mental anguish several years later, still trying to cope ... but what could have made for an interesting personal struggle is ditched after 15 padded-out minutes in favour of idiots making useless decisions (except for the aforementioned survivor, who makes the only smart choice in the entire movie - to not go to the ruddy desert!). Hills II is one of the worst examples of the horror genre - when those who moan about the genre dismiss it off-hand, it's movies like this that they're referencing - utterly witless, inane, bore-fests with little merit even to die hard horror hounds.
However - there is one plus - the soundtrack. Having not noticed in the credits, a short while through I recognised the unmistakable similarity in feel to the soundtracks for the early Friday 13th films - and sure enough, Harry Manfredini scored this stinker, and while the movie is indeed a rotten load of old nonsense, the score is classic, chilling, Manfredini.
It's a strange thing - Wes Craven had done so well with the likes of Last House on the Left, the original The Hills Have Eyes, and A Nightmare On Elm Street, but what on earth was he thinking with this?! That said, as bad as it is, it's not even as atrocious as the unforgivably wretched 2007 follow-up to Aja's 2006 gore-ific irradiated remake.
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Deadlands 2: Trapped on Blu-Ray review...
The guys over at High-Def Digest have done a review of Gary Ugarek's indie zombie flick Deadlands 2: Trapped - and in the extra features you'll find a familiar something from DeadShed Productions.
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2684/deadlands2.html
http://bluray.highdefdigest.com/2684/deadlands2.html
"I Am Zombie Man" Series (HD, 39 min) — Three short films by British filmmaker Nick Thomson of Deadshed Productions. After a brief introduction by the writer/director, viewers can enjoy the goofy faux-documentary about a very lonely zombie. It's all done for a laugh and a good time, with the third movie in the series being probably the best.
Saturday, 18 December 2010
Double Bill Mini Musings: Fire Walk (or Run) With Me...
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me:
I've been on a big old Twin Peaks kick this November/December - thanks to the much-improved Horror Channel, and then the spiffing 10-disc box set - so naturally I would be checking out this prequel.
I wouldn't call it "revelatory", as the box art proclaims, but as a newly created big fan of the show, what it actually is, is fascinating, horrific, delerious, weird, disturbing, entrancing and transfixing. I'm not a huge fan of Daivd Lynch's movies, but I have seen a number of them over the years, and considering I had 25 hours and 35 minutes worth of Twin Peaks to go on before venturing into this dark telling of Laura Palmer's last seven days, it has been the most up-to-speed I have ever been for a David Lynch movie.
Indeed I feel after this concentrated Twin Peaks fascination I've just experienced, that I better understand Lynch's work (even though he co-created the show itself with Mark Frost). Perhaps people read too much into his work - in fact, I'm sure of it - film theorists are notorious for reading things into movies and making the simple utterly, utterly complicated, and then film viewers go in expecting it to be a head-screw when in fact things are actually a little more as they seem. It's just that oftentimes, the things as they seem just so happen to be bizarre, dreamlike things.
That's how Twin Peaks plays out - like a dream - and like in dreams, weird things happen inexplicably in the background, and the narrative of your dreams take weird and wonderful divergent turns whenever they feel like it ... and sometimes, weird things just happen. You see something weird that pops inexplicably into your life, or something weird happens to you when you least expect it, and suddenly a whole world of possibilities opens up.
So perhaps with Lynch's work things are actually a little bit more as-they-seem, despite what your assumptions (developed by years of reading-in by theorists) suggest.
The world of Twin Peaks is, simply put, a tale of good and evil, of internal battles, of incest, rape, murder, drugs, infidelity, and everything in-between and - as co-creator Mark Frost said - you'd expect such themes to present themselves in a big city, but in fact it's all here in Twin Peaks - and that's the selling point.
As for the tie-in prequel movie, which unfortunately didn't set the world on fire (thus nixing any possibility of follow-ups that we Peaks Freaks (new and old alike) would have loved to have had considering the cliffhanger end to season two), it dives full-on into territory that is merely alluded to in the TV show - no wonder it's rated 18. It recontextualises what you see in the TV show, and casts a significantly dark shadow over some key characters.
It's a beautiful, hypnotic, slightly confusing, ever-so-unnerving film, and despite being not quite so satisfying in certain areas (i.e. there's not an awful lot of Agent Dale Cooper, even considering the timeline of the movie's plot), it does really satisfy in others. Laura Palmer was the catalyst for the entire series, and was essentially the focus for the majority of the episodes, but all after (and because of) her death. Here she's alive and right at the heart of the storytelling in all it's entrancing, disturbing, and horrific ways.
Marathon Man:
Not an awful lot to say about this one, but I do love a good 'New Hollywood era' movie from the 1970s. The moral ambiguity, the gritty realism of the filmmaking and the New York setting, the non-traditional leads, and the plots - so full of paranoia - a mirror to the confused, bruised and battered psyche of America after the the Vietnam war and various political upheavals in the period when the innocence of the post-war years was lost forever. Marathon Man is one of the films that expertly illustrated this complex state of the nation.
One scene particularly gripped me - when the central antagonist ends up in precisely the sort of area of town they wouldn't want to be recognised - oh and, of course, the famous "is it safe?" sequence.
I've been on a big old Twin Peaks kick this November/December - thanks to the much-improved Horror Channel, and then the spiffing 10-disc box set - so naturally I would be checking out this prequel.
I wouldn't call it "revelatory", as the box art proclaims, but as a newly created big fan of the show, what it actually is, is fascinating, horrific, delerious, weird, disturbing, entrancing and transfixing. I'm not a huge fan of Daivd Lynch's movies, but I have seen a number of them over the years, and considering I had 25 hours and 35 minutes worth of Twin Peaks to go on before venturing into this dark telling of Laura Palmer's last seven days, it has been the most up-to-speed I have ever been for a David Lynch movie.
Indeed I feel after this concentrated Twin Peaks fascination I've just experienced, that I better understand Lynch's work (even though he co-created the show itself with Mark Frost). Perhaps people read too much into his work - in fact, I'm sure of it - film theorists are notorious for reading things into movies and making the simple utterly, utterly complicated, and then film viewers go in expecting it to be a head-screw when in fact things are actually a little more as they seem. It's just that oftentimes, the things as they seem just so happen to be bizarre, dreamlike things.
That's how Twin Peaks plays out - like a dream - and like in dreams, weird things happen inexplicably in the background, and the narrative of your dreams take weird and wonderful divergent turns whenever they feel like it ... and sometimes, weird things just happen. You see something weird that pops inexplicably into your life, or something weird happens to you when you least expect it, and suddenly a whole world of possibilities opens up.
So perhaps with Lynch's work things are actually a little bit more as-they-seem, despite what your assumptions (developed by years of reading-in by theorists) suggest.
The world of Twin Peaks is, simply put, a tale of good and evil, of internal battles, of incest, rape, murder, drugs, infidelity, and everything in-between and - as co-creator Mark Frost said - you'd expect such themes to present themselves in a big city, but in fact it's all here in Twin Peaks - and that's the selling point.
As for the tie-in prequel movie, which unfortunately didn't set the world on fire (thus nixing any possibility of follow-ups that we Peaks Freaks (new and old alike) would have loved to have had considering the cliffhanger end to season two), it dives full-on into territory that is merely alluded to in the TV show - no wonder it's rated 18. It recontextualises what you see in the TV show, and casts a significantly dark shadow over some key characters.
It's a beautiful, hypnotic, slightly confusing, ever-so-unnerving film, and despite being not quite so satisfying in certain areas (i.e. there's not an awful lot of Agent Dale Cooper, even considering the timeline of the movie's plot), it does really satisfy in others. Laura Palmer was the catalyst for the entire series, and was essentially the focus for the majority of the episodes, but all after (and because of) her death. Here she's alive and right at the heart of the storytelling in all it's entrancing, disturbing, and horrific ways.
Marathon Man:
Not an awful lot to say about this one, but I do love a good 'New Hollywood era' movie from the 1970s. The moral ambiguity, the gritty realism of the filmmaking and the New York setting, the non-traditional leads, and the plots - so full of paranoia - a mirror to the confused, bruised and battered psyche of America after the the Vietnam war and various political upheavals in the period when the innocence of the post-war years was lost forever. Marathon Man is one of the films that expertly illustrated this complex state of the nation.
One scene particularly gripped me - when the central antagonist ends up in precisely the sort of area of town they wouldn't want to be recognised - oh and, of course, the famous "is it safe?" sequence.
Saturday, 4 December 2010
Step2TV "New Talent Interview" Q&A...
A couple of weeks ago I was approached by www.step2collabo.tv to be a part of their "New Talent Interview" blog series. They sent me the questions, I provided my answers, and they're now up on the website:
http://www.step2collabo.tv/profiles/blogs/new-talent-interview-nick
The Q&A itself centers around The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man (which is included on the page).
http://www.step2collabo.tv/profiles/blogs/new-talent-interview-nick
The Q&A itself centers around The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man (which is included on the page).
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Octuple Bill Mini Musings: October 2010 catch-up...
Midnight Cowboy:
It's thoroughly of its time, from the drugs-fuel of the 1960s obsession, to the cutting edge of the New Hollywood era where daring-do was the order of the day. It's a shame that such risk taking is rarely seen these days - could you imagine a film being made today about a country boy looking to 'make it big' in New York as a male prostitute, only to fail miserably and end up living in squalor, and at the same time be weirdly funny about it all? I don't think so.
Cat People:
Part of BBC4's horror season, and in-connection to the first episode of Mark Gatiss' "History of Horror" documentary, I was really surprised by how utterly, utterly dull this film is. Aside from a couple of decent scenes of suspense (the bus, the pool, the office), three-fifths-of-sod-all happens for 70 minutes. The opening half an hour is painfully dull, and painfully dated - in that 'oh my darling, I've known you for five minutes and I love you so, let's get married' kind of way that's unbelievable rather than charming. Each to their own and what not, but I think I'll side with John Carpenter on this one - it's naff.
I Walked With A Zombie:
From the people that brought us the dreadfully dull Cat People the year before (Director Jacques Tourneur and Producer Val Lewton, but with different screenwriters), comes this tale (again with corny 'oh I hardly know you at all, yet I want to marry you' tacked-in 'love' subplot) of a nurse brought to a beautiful-but-deathly island to look after a rich white man's zombified wife. The rich white folk view any suggestion that the native rituals and beliefs might actually hold sway over this woman's plight with condescension and mockery, but the curious nurse is keen to investigate. The pacing is far, far superior to Cat People. Stuff actually happens for one, we also see things for two, and the emaciated, bug-eyed zombified local who appears twice is genuinely creepy. The lush visuals and the intriguing plot smooth over any out-dated world views, and it was well worth a watch. I was quite charmed by it.
The Battle of the Bulge:
Only a few years after the genuinely brilliant and involved epic that was The Longest Day, came this cheesy epic. It's nowhere in the same league as the former, it's too long-winded and far too "movie!" about everything. It feels more like a kid's action man comic book than a revered take on true-to-life (and, then, recent) events.
Planet 51:
The trailer made this look genuinely funny and entertaining, but the set-up is only good enough for a trailer really as it is stretched mercilessly thin across 90 minutes. The 1950s-on-an-alien-planet-where-a-homosapien-astronaut-is-the-actual-alien angle is charming, and initially quite amusing, but then a wafer-thin 'run around for a bit, get into some scrapes, get captured, escape, run around some more, learn a lesson, say goodbye' plot turns a nifty idea for a short subject into far-from-Pixar fare. It has some nice moments and a few good chuckles, but it's undercooked and disappointing in the end.
A Serious Man:
Unapologetically Jewish, if you don't know your goys from your barmitzvahs, then too bad (but it's all the better and individual for it). Fortunately the classically-Coens plot filled with dilemmas, oddballs, and morals galore keeps things moving for the uninitiated. I much preferred the likes of No Country For Old Men, Fargo and The Big Lebowski, but the Coen charm holds it all together. Not one of their greats, but quite possibly one of their most personal efforts.
Away We Go:
An indie-vibes comedy drama from Sam Mendes filled with supporting oddball repulsives and depressed drones, about a young couple who aren't far from becoming a family for the first time, and they're looking for a place to settle. There's not an awful lot of meat to chew on, or gravitas to engage with, but it's just a really nice film to watch. The central pairing are sweet and nice. Their problems aren't demanding to the viewer, their happiness isn't overplayed or saccharine, but aspirational and a perfect balance for a succession of guest-star segments, the most notable and entertaining of which features Maggie Gyllenhaal as a mind-numbingly awful, smug, rabidly left, and forceful hippy. Do you want a happy little flick with two charming protagonists? Have a gander at this.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard:
Featuring a whole host of "oh that guy/chick from that comedy show/movie" actors and actresses, the first half an hour is slick and fast paced with 'the funny', but the remaining hour gets slower throughout as the basic plot movements have to get untangled, solved and wrapped up inside the 90 minutes running time. A decent comic diversion for a Friday or Saturday night - it's the sort of film you'd rent or watch on Sky Movies with a couple of friends and a couple of cans.
It's thoroughly of its time, from the drugs-fuel of the 1960s obsession, to the cutting edge of the New Hollywood era where daring-do was the order of the day. It's a shame that such risk taking is rarely seen these days - could you imagine a film being made today about a country boy looking to 'make it big' in New York as a male prostitute, only to fail miserably and end up living in squalor, and at the same time be weirdly funny about it all? I don't think so.
Cat People:
Part of BBC4's horror season, and in-connection to the first episode of Mark Gatiss' "History of Horror" documentary, I was really surprised by how utterly, utterly dull this film is. Aside from a couple of decent scenes of suspense (the bus, the pool, the office), three-fifths-of-sod-all happens for 70 minutes. The opening half an hour is painfully dull, and painfully dated - in that 'oh my darling, I've known you for five minutes and I love you so, let's get married' kind of way that's unbelievable rather than charming. Each to their own and what not, but I think I'll side with John Carpenter on this one - it's naff.
I Walked With A Zombie:
From the people that brought us the dreadfully dull Cat People the year before (Director Jacques Tourneur and Producer Val Lewton, but with different screenwriters), comes this tale (again with corny 'oh I hardly know you at all, yet I want to marry you' tacked-in 'love' subplot) of a nurse brought to a beautiful-but-deathly island to look after a rich white man's zombified wife. The rich white folk view any suggestion that the native rituals and beliefs might actually hold sway over this woman's plight with condescension and mockery, but the curious nurse is keen to investigate. The pacing is far, far superior to Cat People. Stuff actually happens for one, we also see things for two, and the emaciated, bug-eyed zombified local who appears twice is genuinely creepy. The lush visuals and the intriguing plot smooth over any out-dated world views, and it was well worth a watch. I was quite charmed by it.
The Battle of the Bulge:
Only a few years after the genuinely brilliant and involved epic that was The Longest Day, came this cheesy epic. It's nowhere in the same league as the former, it's too long-winded and far too "movie!" about everything. It feels more like a kid's action man comic book than a revered take on true-to-life (and, then, recent) events.
Planet 51:
The trailer made this look genuinely funny and entertaining, but the set-up is only good enough for a trailer really as it is stretched mercilessly thin across 90 minutes. The 1950s-on-an-alien-planet-where-a-homosapien-astronaut-is-the-actual-alien angle is charming, and initially quite amusing, but then a wafer-thin 'run around for a bit, get into some scrapes, get captured, escape, run around some more, learn a lesson, say goodbye' plot turns a nifty idea for a short subject into far-from-Pixar fare. It has some nice moments and a few good chuckles, but it's undercooked and disappointing in the end.
A Serious Man:
Unapologetically Jewish, if you don't know your goys from your barmitzvahs, then too bad (but it's all the better and individual for it). Fortunately the classically-Coens plot filled with dilemmas, oddballs, and morals galore keeps things moving for the uninitiated. I much preferred the likes of No Country For Old Men, Fargo and The Big Lebowski, but the Coen charm holds it all together. Not one of their greats, but quite possibly one of their most personal efforts.
Away We Go:
An indie-vibes comedy drama from Sam Mendes filled with supporting oddball repulsives and depressed drones, about a young couple who aren't far from becoming a family for the first time, and they're looking for a place to settle. There's not an awful lot of meat to chew on, or gravitas to engage with, but it's just a really nice film to watch. The central pairing are sweet and nice. Their problems aren't demanding to the viewer, their happiness isn't overplayed or saccharine, but aspirational and a perfect balance for a succession of guest-star segments, the most notable and entertaining of which features Maggie Gyllenhaal as a mind-numbingly awful, smug, rabidly left, and forceful hippy. Do you want a happy little flick with two charming protagonists? Have a gander at this.
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard:
Featuring a whole host of "oh that guy/chick from that comedy show/movie" actors and actresses, the first half an hour is slick and fast paced with 'the funny', but the remaining hour gets slower throughout as the basic plot movements have to get untangled, solved and wrapped up inside the 90 minutes running time. A decent comic diversion for a Friday or Saturday night - it's the sort of film you'd rent or watch on Sky Movies with a couple of friends and a couple of cans.
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Deadlands 2 - limited edition Blu-Ray...
http://diabolikdvd.com/category/Browse-All-Titles/Deadlands-2-~-Trapped-Limited-Edition-%28Blu~Rayr-and-DVDr-Combo%29.html
Make your way over yonder if you want to snap up one of the remaining Blu-Rays for Deadlands 2: Trapped. It's a limited release done by the director, Gary Ugarek, himself.
The special features are as follows:
Make your way over yonder if you want to snap up one of the remaining Blu-Rays for Deadlands 2: Trapped. It's a limited release done by the director, Gary Ugarek, himself.
The special features are as follows:
Region Free Blu-Ray (BD-r) and Region Free DVD-r (2 Disc Set)
1. Extended and Unrated Version of Deadlands 2: Trapped with over 2 minutes of additional never before seen footage
2. 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
3. Director's Commentary
4. Introduction by film star Jim Krut
5. Introduction by Helena, Hussy of Horror
6. Composing Deadlands Featurette (10 Mins)
7. Weapons and Tactics Featurette (20 Minutes)
8. I am Zombie Man Short film Series - Includes I am Zombie Man 1, 2, & 3 w/ intro by UK writer/director Nick Thomson (35 Minutes)
9. Deadlands: The Rising - Work Print w/ Alternate and original ending (73 Minutes)
10. Trailers (4 Deadlands 2: Trapped trailers, 1 Deadlands: The Rising Trailer) (12 Minutes)
11. DEADLANDS: The Rising DVD-r (A DVD-R of the ORIGINAL and NOW out of print DVD release for Deadlands 1, now you get both versions of Deadlands 1)
2. 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
3. Director's Commentary
4. Introduction by film star Jim Krut
5. Introduction by Helena, Hussy of Horror
6. Composing Deadlands Featurette (10 Mins)
7. Weapons and Tactics Featurette (20 Minutes)
8. I am Zombie Man Short film Series - Includes I am Zombie Man 1, 2, & 3 w/ intro by UK writer/director Nick Thomson (35 Minutes)
9. Deadlands: The Rising - Work Print w/ Alternate and original ending (73 Minutes)
10. Trailers (4 Deadlands 2: Trapped trailers, 1 Deadlands: The Rising Trailer) (12 Minutes)
11. DEADLANDS: The Rising DVD-r (A DVD-R of the ORIGINAL and NOW out of print DVD release for Deadlands 1, now you get both versions of Deadlands 1)
Since each disc is manufactured, and printed by the director himself quantities of this 2 DISC SET will be limited.FUTURE RELEASE OF DEADLANDS 2 BLU-RAY will have different special features, so this is a COLLECTOR'S ITEM
Price: $29.99
Friday, 30 July 2010
"Deadlands 2: Trapped" coming to Blu-Ray...
http://fangoria.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1588%3Azombie-flick-deadlands-2-attacks-dvd-and-blu-ray&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=167
And here's the extra features list:
• Audio commentary by Ugarek
Yes indeedy, kick arse! Gary has always been very helpful to, and supportive of, properly-indie filmmakers, and has been a fan of the I Am Zombie Man shorts since the first one in 2006. Two thumbs up to Gary!
And here's the extra features list:
• Audio commentary by Ugarek
• “Weapons and Tactics” featurette
• “Indie Film School” featurette
• Introduction by star Jim Krut
• Introduction by Helena, Hussy of Horror
• Soundtrack excerpts
• Trailers
The Blu-ray will include all these, plus:
• I AM ZOMBIE MAN short film series with intro by UK filmmaker Nick Thomson
• DEADLANDS: THE RISING work print with alternate ending
• Additional exclusive trailers
...Yes indeedy, kick arse! Gary has always been very helpful to, and supportive of, properly-indie filmmakers, and has been a fan of the I Am Zombie Man shorts since the first one in 2006. Two thumbs up to Gary!
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Iron Man 2...
Iron Man was a bit of a surprise, a romping stomping superhero flick with a comic smirk and Robert Downey Jr on top form as the boozing, gambling, seducing playboy Tony Stark. So when the trailers for the sequel surfaced (particularly the second), everybody went bat-shit crazy with anticipation - the kick ass AC/DC soundtrack in the latter certainly helped give you a boost of excitement.
The movie itself however - while maintaining the quality of the first movie, as well as the style and humorous streak - doesn't live up to the giddy hype of the hard-rocking trailer. The first flick's plot had a direction to be heading in at all times, and the structure of the plot was more even ... the sequel doesn't have either. Iron Man 2, at times, drifts off into certain directions that don't quite convince, or are left somewhat undercooked, and you can occasionally feel adrift in the plot.
The balance of action is mostly shifted into the second half, so the first half can become a bit quiet. Indeed when all the action kicks off, you've gotten used to the slower pace, and then find yourself blind-sided by all the arse-kicking robot action, which is tip-top by the way ... that said the final ruck does feel oddly short-lived.
It could also do with a bit more AC/DC throughout, I've gotta say ... but before I make this sound like I disliked the movie, I must say that I still rather enjoyed it. Sure, it didn't convince like the first movie, but I was invested throughout, enjoyed the characterisation and the rough-n-tumble was a ruddy good time.
If only the plot was a bit more balanced and focused. Iron Man 2 is an enjoyably solid effort that never quite lands the killer blow, but I look forward to seeing it again when perhaps I'll be able to view it more on its own terms, rather than in comparison to the first flick which was the surprise hit of 2008.
The movie itself however - while maintaining the quality of the first movie, as well as the style and humorous streak - doesn't live up to the giddy hype of the hard-rocking trailer. The first flick's plot had a direction to be heading in at all times, and the structure of the plot was more even ... the sequel doesn't have either. Iron Man 2, at times, drifts off into certain directions that don't quite convince, or are left somewhat undercooked, and you can occasionally feel adrift in the plot.
The balance of action is mostly shifted into the second half, so the first half can become a bit quiet. Indeed when all the action kicks off, you've gotten used to the slower pace, and then find yourself blind-sided by all the arse-kicking robot action, which is tip-top by the way ... that said the final ruck does feel oddly short-lived.
It could also do with a bit more AC/DC throughout, I've gotta say ... but before I make this sound like I disliked the movie, I must say that I still rather enjoyed it. Sure, it didn't convince like the first movie, but I was invested throughout, enjoyed the characterisation and the rough-n-tumble was a ruddy good time.
If only the plot was a bit more balanced and focused. Iron Man 2 is an enjoyably solid effort that never quite lands the killer blow, but I look forward to seeing it again when perhaps I'll be able to view it more on its own terms, rather than in comparison to the first flick which was the surprise hit of 2008.
Wednesday, 14 April 2010
Out-takes Reel for T.I.D.O.Z.M. now online!
I meant to upload this video the week after I uploaded The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man, but I got side-tracked with other projects ... anyway, it's online now.
Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olKjtb88XCo
"Background information, out-takes and 'unseen details' reel for the third film in the "I Am Zombie Man" series of shorts. Featuring off-cuts, deleted footage and bloopers.
Make liberal use of your pause button for the 'unseen details' section, which features alternate anti-Zombie Man fliers, the on-screen Zombie Man Movie script & tax form, as well as other bits and pieces."
Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olKjtb88XCo
"Background information, out-takes and 'unseen details' reel for the third film in the "I Am Zombie Man" series of shorts. Featuring off-cuts, deleted footage and bloopers.
Make liberal use of your pause button for the 'unseen details' section, which features alternate anti-Zombie Man fliers, the on-screen Zombie Man Movie script & tax form, as well as other bits and pieces."
Monday, 5 April 2010
TIDOZM responses...
As I've done for past projects, I figured I'd post some of the comments that have come back in response to The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man.
"Technically I thought it was great, but I gotta say that I think the first two were a bit higher on the funny chart."
"It may not have as much humor as the first two, but ya gotta admit, the 'rot' scene (if you've seen it, you know what I mean) alone was worth the price of admission! ... Visually, I think this is the best ZM has ever looked."
"Wow! Your production standards have shot up! Some really good shots there. Nice and tight pace. And excellently inventive profanities."
"It was great! I think its finished the trilogy off nicely...for now!!"
"The angles, the music, the atmosphere. Everything feels perfect."
"Love this! Very nicely done! Some wonderful shots, well written, good score. Enjoyable little satire you got here, way to go guys."
I've you haven't seen it yet, or want to check it out again, follow the link and enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45h8eDda-M
"Technically I thought it was great, but I gotta say that I think the first two were a bit higher on the funny chart."
"It may not have as much humor as the first two, but ya gotta admit, the 'rot' scene (if you've seen it, you know what I mean) alone was worth the price of admission! ... Visually, I think this is the best ZM has ever looked."
"Wow! Your production standards have shot up! Some really good shots there. Nice and tight pace. And excellently inventive profanities."
"It was great! I think its finished the trilogy off nicely...for now!!"
"The angles, the music, the atmosphere. Everything feels perfect."
"Love this! Very nicely done! Some wonderful shots, well written, good score. Enjoyable little satire you got here, way to go guys."
I've you haven't seen it yet, or want to check it out again, follow the link and enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45h8eDda-M
Monday, 8 March 2010
The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man (2010)…
In the summer of 2006 I shot a daft, off-the-cuff zombie comedy called I Am Zombie Man. In spite of its roughness it found fans in the online zombie community due to the sardonic titular character.
A sequel followed six months later that stepped up the look of the film (as I was now armed with a DVX100B) and advanced the character into realm of the “celebrity zombie”. I re-cut IAZM2 in 2010 (taking out 7 minutes), as the original 25 minute cut is a bit indulgent.
We intended to shoot IAZM3 in December 2007, but due to career developments for both Gareth and I, we didn’t get around to it until December 28th 2009. The delay allowed me to bring an additional three years of filmmaking trial, error and experience to the project. My camerawork, editing, writing and directing had all improved a great deal, and it was about time to close the Zombie Man trilogy once and for all.
Staying close to the DeadShed “literally no budget” style, the only money spent was on a few props. Further to that the shooting window was as tight as always, shooting the entire film (except for stock footage from my archives) in four hours on the only clear day during a harsh winter. I am adept at ‘run & gun’ filmmaking (particularly useful on various Arts Council projects I’ve done), and the skill certainly came in handy.
The editing process afforded me two key creative opportunities – to try out new software skills and editing ideas, but most importantly to stick religiously to a strict 10 minute time limit. Said limit really made me focus on what was absolutely necessary (and indeed unnecessary) in order to tell the story, establish scenes, and provide the visual comedy with a constant, assured beat to the cutting. I succeeded in meeting my 10 minute running time, producing a film that I’m really quite proud of, which boasts an efficient and water-tight pace.
Gary Ugarek and Brian Wright (fellow filmmakers who were behind American indie zombie flicks Deadlands: The Rising, and Deadlands 2: Trapped) very kindly composed the vibrant musical score, which put the cherry on top – boosting the visuals, propelling the film forward, and even acting as its own character.
I’m very pleased with the final product, and we achieved more than could reasonably be expected with what we had at our disposal, and in such a tight shooting window. The quirky character established in 2006 remains, going out on a darker, but no-less sardonic note, presented with camerawork and editing that boosted it far beyond its predecessors. The idea with every new film you make is to hone your skills and try new things, and I feel I succeeded on both counts with this, the third and final film in the I Am Zombie Man mini-trilogy – something which began life as a slap-dash bit of fun in the summer of 2006.
View more images (in full size) on my Flickr photostream via the embedded player, or the links list, on the right hand side of this blog.
Watch the film on YouTube via this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45h8eDda-M
A sequel followed six months later that stepped up the look of the film (as I was now armed with a DVX100B) and advanced the character into realm of the “celebrity zombie”. I re-cut IAZM2 in 2010 (taking out 7 minutes), as the original 25 minute cut is a bit indulgent.
We intended to shoot IAZM3 in December 2007, but due to career developments for both Gareth and I, we didn’t get around to it until December 28th 2009. The delay allowed me to bring an additional three years of filmmaking trial, error and experience to the project. My camerawork, editing, writing and directing had all improved a great deal, and it was about time to close the Zombie Man trilogy once and for all.
Staying close to the DeadShed “literally no budget” style, the only money spent was on a few props. Further to that the shooting window was as tight as always, shooting the entire film (except for stock footage from my archives) in four hours on the only clear day during a harsh winter. I am adept at ‘run & gun’ filmmaking (particularly useful on various Arts Council projects I’ve done), and the skill certainly came in handy.
The editing process afforded me two key creative opportunities – to try out new software skills and editing ideas, but most importantly to stick religiously to a strict 10 minute time limit. Said limit really made me focus on what was absolutely necessary (and indeed unnecessary) in order to tell the story, establish scenes, and provide the visual comedy with a constant, assured beat to the cutting. I succeeded in meeting my 10 minute running time, producing a film that I’m really quite proud of, which boasts an efficient and water-tight pace.
Gary Ugarek and Brian Wright (fellow filmmakers who were behind American indie zombie flicks Deadlands: The Rising, and Deadlands 2: Trapped) very kindly composed the vibrant musical score, which put the cherry on top – boosting the visuals, propelling the film forward, and even acting as its own character.
I’m very pleased with the final product, and we achieved more than could reasonably be expected with what we had at our disposal, and in such a tight shooting window. The quirky character established in 2006 remains, going out on a darker, but no-less sardonic note, presented with camerawork and editing that boosted it far beyond its predecessors. The idea with every new film you make is to hone your skills and try new things, and I feel I succeeded on both counts with this, the third and final film in the I Am Zombie Man mini-trilogy – something which began life as a slap-dash bit of fun in the summer of 2006.
View more images (in full size) on my Flickr photostream via the embedded player, or the links list, on the right hand side of this blog.
Watch the film on YouTube via this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45h8eDda-M
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Recent updates...
"The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man" is now online!
http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2010/03/inevitable-decomposition-of-zombie-man.html
A summary of our screening at the Borderlines Film Festival 2010:
http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2010/03/borderlines-film-festival-2010.html
Finally, a project page for short film "Doing Our Bit" is also now available:
http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2010/03/doing-our-bit-2009.html
N.B. Coming soon I will blog about the remake of George A. Romero's The Crazies, as well as put up a project page for the third and final Zombie Man short film.
http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2010/03/inevitable-decomposition-of-zombie-man.html
A summary of our screening at the Borderlines Film Festival 2010:
http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2010/03/borderlines-film-festival-2010.html
Finally, a project page for short film "Doing Our Bit" is also now available:
http://deadshed.blogspot.com/2010/03/doing-our-bit-2009.html
N.B. Coming soon I will blog about the remake of George A. Romero's The Crazies, as well as put up a project page for the third and final Zombie Man short film.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
"The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man" is now online!
Saunter over yonder - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-45h8eDda-M - and check out the newest DeadShed Productions short film.
Was having some problems with YouTube yesterday which prevented me from uploading it, but I managed to get around the issue (although YouTube really need to fix the problem on their end, especially as people have been experiencing the problem for months now) ... anyway, after all the frustration of yesterday's failed uploads, I'm happy to say it's now online.
I'll blog about the film fully in due course (as I have done with all my other projects).
Was having some problems with YouTube yesterday which prevented me from uploading it, but I managed to get around the issue (although YouTube really need to fix the problem on their end, especially as people have been experiencing the problem for months now) ... anyway, after all the frustration of yesterday's failed uploads, I'm happy to say it's now online.
I'll blog about the film fully in due course (as I have done with all my other projects).
Wednesday, 24 February 2010
"T.I.D.O.Z.M." is almost done...
One more piece of the soundtrack, a musical 'sting', and some gamma correction ... then The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man will be complete. I'm hoping therefore to have it uploaded onto YouTube sometime next week.
Click the image below for a full size (well, slightly larger size) glimpse at what the edit is currently looking like. See those three gaps in Track #6? Once those are filled, it's done. Figured I'd put this image up just as a bit of fun so you can kind of see what it looks like in the edit.
Click the image below for a full size (well, slightly larger size) glimpse at what the edit is currently looking like. See those three gaps in Track #6? Once those are filled, it's done. Figured I'd put this image up just as a bit of fun so you can kind of see what it looks like in the edit.
Friday, 15 January 2010
Pre-score edit of IAZM3 is done...
The other day I finished the edit of IAZM3, and it's now gone off to Brian and Gary to get the music done over the next few weeks. I've already heard one sample for one of the scenes, and it kicks ass already. I'm really looking forward to getting all the music into it and putting it online when it's done.
The film clocks in at 9 minutes and 58 seconds, so I was successful in sticking to my strict 10 minute running time, which was at times a tricky thing to do, but it was also kind of fun to solve the puzzle of how to edit shots down to make them as quick as possible while not losing their point of existing, and how to economise on the number of shots to tell the story of a sequence. It really makes you look closer at your editing, and you sometimes get down to trimming frames off of shots so that they cut when you'd naturally expect them to.
While editing this I would look at the time line and find myself going "8 seconds long? How indulgent!" during certain sequences. Indeed, some parts of the film have a slower pace, while others are as tight as ... something very tight ... and are frame-specific in their pace. So yeah, the puzzle was solved and all extraneous fat was trimmed, so I feel it now really barrels along at a fair old pace - which is a much better place to be with a short. It's better to feel it go by fast and to want more, than to be sat there waiting for the next thing to happen as it drags along.
But such is life and how you learn with each film what's important and what isn't, and how to make each and every new one better than the last.
While I will no doubt continue to refer to it as "IAZM3", indeed it is the third Zombie Man film, the only title on the film itself is what was originally the sub-title (but which is now just the title) - The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man.
This further ties in with what I wanted to do with it - to make it capable of standing alone, but continuing to be a part of the series.
The film clocks in at 9 minutes and 58 seconds, so I was successful in sticking to my strict 10 minute running time, which was at times a tricky thing to do, but it was also kind of fun to solve the puzzle of how to edit shots down to make them as quick as possible while not losing their point of existing, and how to economise on the number of shots to tell the story of a sequence. It really makes you look closer at your editing, and you sometimes get down to trimming frames off of shots so that they cut when you'd naturally expect them to.
While editing this I would look at the time line and find myself going "8 seconds long? How indulgent!" during certain sequences. Indeed, some parts of the film have a slower pace, while others are as tight as ... something very tight ... and are frame-specific in their pace. So yeah, the puzzle was solved and all extraneous fat was trimmed, so I feel it now really barrels along at a fair old pace - which is a much better place to be with a short. It's better to feel it go by fast and to want more, than to be sat there waiting for the next thing to happen as it drags along.
But such is life and how you learn with each film what's important and what isn't, and how to make each and every new one better than the last.
While I will no doubt continue to refer to it as "IAZM3", indeed it is the third Zombie Man film, the only title on the film itself is what was originally the sub-title (but which is now just the title) - The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man.
This further ties in with what I wanted to do with it - to make it capable of standing alone, but continuing to be a part of the series.
Monday, 11 January 2010
More update sauce...
The IAZM3 editing process continues apace, with about 8 minutes worth pretty tightly edited. I might look to trim it down a smidge during my next session, but all-in-all it's going well. It's actually kind of fun to work strictly to a time limit that you've set yourself (the duration of the film I mean, not the length of time it takes you to make it), as you really look at what you've got and find exactly what you need to tell the story and make it all make sense.
Anyway, here's a couple of screen grabs from one of the recently edited sequences.
Anyway, here's a couple of screen grabs from one of the recently edited sequences.
Saturday, 9 January 2010
IAZM3 editing is underway!
After a few days of uploading, logging, colouring, cropping and selecting stock shots (from my personal library, and from some Public Domain footage from my gathered archives from the excellent Internet Archive website), I finally got down to some serious editing last night.
As is usually the case it's a slow start (just like when writing a script), but I had to drag myself away from the edit as I'd been sat there for a good while - so that's a good sign - the last thing you want to do is be editing when your heart isn't in it.
Anyway, I'm slightly trepidatious about whether I will get it all fitted into my 10 minute time limit - if only YouTube could give you 15 minutes per video - because I really don't want to do more than one edit (what's the point?), and I don't want to split the film into two videos as I want it to flow nicely. That said, I've risen to the challenge before in editing to a strict time limit, so I'll sodding well do it again.
UPDATE: I've been bashing away some more at the edit today, and I've now got the first 3 minutes and 45 seconds nicely bashed into shape. I even cut out some of the opening monologue (34 seconds worth), which wasn't necessary, and just helped to move things along faster at the start. No doubt I'll include these deleted snippets in a sort of 'gag reel/behind the scenes' type cobbled together video, after IAZM3 is online and out there.
As is usually the case it's a slow start (just like when writing a script), but I had to drag myself away from the edit as I'd been sat there for a good while - so that's a good sign - the last thing you want to do is be editing when your heart isn't in it.
Anyway, I'm slightly trepidatious about whether I will get it all fitted into my 10 minute time limit - if only YouTube could give you 15 minutes per video - because I really don't want to do more than one edit (what's the point?), and I don't want to split the film into two videos as I want it to flow nicely. That said, I've risen to the challenge before in editing to a strict time limit, so I'll sodding well do it again.
UPDATE: I've been bashing away some more at the edit today, and I've now got the first 3 minutes and 45 seconds nicely bashed into shape. I even cut out some of the opening monologue (34 seconds worth), which wasn't necessary, and just helped to move things along faster at the start. No doubt I'll include these deleted snippets in a sort of 'gag reel/behind the scenes' type cobbled together video, after IAZM3 is online and out there.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
"Zero" & "IAZM3" update...
Today my 120 page feature film comedy script "Zero" was put in the post for the BBC Writersroom, and perhaps ominously it started to snow.
I'd really love for the folks at the Writersroom to see in the script what I see in it. It's a script that I'm really proud of, and I've really stepped up my writing craft over the course of doing this script. Indeed the first draft was my first real, properly formatted and structured, feature length script - after which I wrote another two scripts (the zombie epic "The End", and designed-for-low-budget horror "From The Inside Out") - and then I came back around to "Zero" (which was then called "Generation Procrastination" - I think this new title is better, and at least it's certainly less of a mouthful).
Coming back to this script really showed me how far I'd progressed in terms of my writing. I immediately set about removing anything too blunt and obvious, and including more subtleties, character traits and so on. I had also found myself much more 'in the heads' of my characters by this time, and over the course of three further re-writes (drafts 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1) I really locked it down to what I wanted it to be, and even though I've been over it meticulously I can still remove myself from it and just enjoy it as an enjoyable comedy with entertaining characters.
I can really see "Zero" so vividly in my head as a film, and indeed that's how I write. A movie plays in my head, and then I write down what I see. I even go so far as to act out the dialogue (as best as I can anyway, not being an actor) to allow me to dig out any troublesome passages that trip up my tongue, and to put in all the inflections in the right places so that whoever will read it will be able to hear the dialogue.
So yeah - fingers crossed dear readers - I would love for this script to be my foot in the door. Goodness knows I'm hungry for the next step.
...
Moving on to another update - the editing process for the third and final I Am Zombie Man short is sort of underway. The footage is uploaded and plonked into the timeline, and the various chunks of stock footage have been selected (some Public Domain stuff from the excellent Internet Archive, some my own stock footage I've gathered over the years in general or for other projects). I must make a start in earnest though and get this thing moving onwards.
Aside from that I was also tidying up some of the dialogue files as I'd noticed some extraneous noise I needed to extract.
...
First though I've got some clips to gather and send off to go up on the Ethics Online website.
I'd really love for the folks at the Writersroom to see in the script what I see in it. It's a script that I'm really proud of, and I've really stepped up my writing craft over the course of doing this script. Indeed the first draft was my first real, properly formatted and structured, feature length script - after which I wrote another two scripts (the zombie epic "The End", and designed-for-low-budget horror "From The Inside Out") - and then I came back around to "Zero" (which was then called "Generation Procrastination" - I think this new title is better, and at least it's certainly less of a mouthful).
Coming back to this script really showed me how far I'd progressed in terms of my writing. I immediately set about removing anything too blunt and obvious, and including more subtleties, character traits and so on. I had also found myself much more 'in the heads' of my characters by this time, and over the course of three further re-writes (drafts 2.1, 2.2 and 3.1) I really locked it down to what I wanted it to be, and even though I've been over it meticulously I can still remove myself from it and just enjoy it as an enjoyable comedy with entertaining characters.
I can really see "Zero" so vividly in my head as a film, and indeed that's how I write. A movie plays in my head, and then I write down what I see. I even go so far as to act out the dialogue (as best as I can anyway, not being an actor) to allow me to dig out any troublesome passages that trip up my tongue, and to put in all the inflections in the right places so that whoever will read it will be able to hear the dialogue.
So yeah - fingers crossed dear readers - I would love for this script to be my foot in the door. Goodness knows I'm hungry for the next step.
...
Moving on to another update - the editing process for the third and final I Am Zombie Man short is sort of underway. The footage is uploaded and plonked into the timeline, and the various chunks of stock footage have been selected (some Public Domain stuff from the excellent Internet Archive, some my own stock footage I've gathered over the years in general or for other projects). I must make a start in earnest though and get this thing moving onwards.
Aside from that I was also tidying up some of the dialogue files as I'd noticed some extraneous noise I needed to extract.
...
First though I've got some clips to gather and send off to go up on the Ethics Online website.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
I Am Zombie Man 3 - it's finally been shot!
Shot as in filmed, not as in dead. To prove it, I've layered in a few screenshots from the raw, unedited footage.
Indeed, two years behind schedule, but I always said I would eventually get around to it. In a sort of 'perfect storm', Knox and I found a window in which to film the entire thing. That window was the 28th December 2009, wedged right in between the festivities and some rather crummy (for filming) weather - fortunately yesterday had clear blue skies and sun and was above freezing, so for the few outdoor shots we were sorted.
The majority takes place indoors (what with the character being somewhat of a recluse these days, and that he's been forced to retreat inside lest hoardes of consumers flee at the very sight of his decaying visage).
Indeed, this third (and final) in the I Am Zombie Man series will officially go by the title "The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man" - but whenever I refer to it on this blog, I'll simply use the far easier "IAZM3" moniker. The world's most famous zombie (self proclaimed) has fallen on hard times, his much trumpetted fame and fortune has failed him and he's now a crumbling, drug-addled shell of his former self ... but he's still just as sardonic.
Today though it was all about uploading the hour of raw footage (I'm aiming for a 10 minute long short), and I'm pleased with what we got. It was a seriously hectic run & gun shoot; a real case of "GO! GO! GO! GO!" the entire time. A few hours with nobody else in the house, a few hours of mid-December sunlight, and a whole lot of shots to get. However, we got everything we needed, and while a test of my run & gun abilities, the last few years of filming in such a manner (both officially and on private endeavours) have served me well.
Of all my DeadShed shorts, this has definitely been the one that's been the most stressful. Not only has it had a two and a half year gestation time, but it's had the anticipation to go along with such a long absence. The Zombie Man series has its own little mini-cult going on, and those who dig it have been eager for the third entry - most of all Gary Ugarek and Brian Wright - they of Deadlands franchise fame, IAZM pimpage, WNWR Podcasting, and musical talent.
There were a fair number of props to gather, organise, purchase, and even produce - so that was another task for me on top of all the others. In true DeadShed Productions fashion, IAZM3 will be a small group producing it.
Gareth kindly stepped back into the bloody jeans, dirty hoody of old once more, and donned the brand new mask and gloves to boot. Gary and Brian are also going to very kindly help out with their musical talents - and this time they'll be scoring to a moving image for a change (previous collaborations have been about discussing moods, themes, and ideas ahead of me editing or even filming the short itself).
And then there's me - directing, writing, editing, shooting, recording (and voicing) the dialogue (of more than one character) and even getting on screen myself, plus any other little tasks (such as all that prop gathering, purchasing and creating). I don't say this to self-aggrandise, far from it, I say this just to illustrate how these DeadShed shorts get made.
As such, this was indeed the most stressful of the DeadShed Productions shorts to date, so I think I'll make the next one a simpler affair - then again, that was always the intention after IAZM3.
Now begins the editing process, and similar to what I did with Skinner, I'll be sticking exclusively to Sony Vegas. I want to try out a couple of new ideas, and further improve my Vegas skills ... so bear with me, but I do hope to make January the month of IAZM3.
Indeed, two years behind schedule, but I always said I would eventually get around to it. In a sort of 'perfect storm', Knox and I found a window in which to film the entire thing. That window was the 28th December 2009, wedged right in between the festivities and some rather crummy (for filming) weather - fortunately yesterday had clear blue skies and sun and was above freezing, so for the few outdoor shots we were sorted.
The majority takes place indoors (what with the character being somewhat of a recluse these days, and that he's been forced to retreat inside lest hoardes of consumers flee at the very sight of his decaying visage).
Indeed, this third (and final) in the I Am Zombie Man series will officially go by the title "The Inevitable Decomposition of Zombie Man" - but whenever I refer to it on this blog, I'll simply use the far easier "IAZM3" moniker. The world's most famous zombie (self proclaimed) has fallen on hard times, his much trumpetted fame and fortune has failed him and he's now a crumbling, drug-addled shell of his former self ... but he's still just as sardonic.
Today though it was all about uploading the hour of raw footage (I'm aiming for a 10 minute long short), and I'm pleased with what we got. It was a seriously hectic run & gun shoot; a real case of "GO! GO! GO! GO!" the entire time. A few hours with nobody else in the house, a few hours of mid-December sunlight, and a whole lot of shots to get. However, we got everything we needed, and while a test of my run & gun abilities, the last few years of filming in such a manner (both officially and on private endeavours) have served me well.
Of all my DeadShed shorts, this has definitely been the one that's been the most stressful. Not only has it had a two and a half year gestation time, but it's had the anticipation to go along with such a long absence. The Zombie Man series has its own little mini-cult going on, and those who dig it have been eager for the third entry - most of all Gary Ugarek and Brian Wright - they of Deadlands franchise fame, IAZM pimpage, WNWR Podcasting, and musical talent.
There were a fair number of props to gather, organise, purchase, and even produce - so that was another task for me on top of all the others. In true DeadShed Productions fashion, IAZM3 will be a small group producing it.
Gareth kindly stepped back into the bloody jeans, dirty hoody of old once more, and donned the brand new mask and gloves to boot. Gary and Brian are also going to very kindly help out with their musical talents - and this time they'll be scoring to a moving image for a change (previous collaborations have been about discussing moods, themes, and ideas ahead of me editing or even filming the short itself).
And then there's me - directing, writing, editing, shooting, recording (and voicing) the dialogue (of more than one character) and even getting on screen myself, plus any other little tasks (such as all that prop gathering, purchasing and creating). I don't say this to self-aggrandise, far from it, I say this just to illustrate how these DeadShed shorts get made.
As such, this was indeed the most stressful of the DeadShed Productions shorts to date, so I think I'll make the next one a simpler affair - then again, that was always the intention after IAZM3.
Now begins the editing process, and similar to what I did with Skinner, I'll be sticking exclusively to Sony Vegas. I want to try out a couple of new ideas, and further improve my Vegas skills ... so bear with me, but I do hope to make January the month of IAZM3.
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