Charlie is a faith healer just out to do some good and lift the spirits of those he encounters. But after his family is brutally and randomly murdered, even the faith healer can lose faith. Charlie is truly lost after his loss, until a woman named Sarah enters his life. She may be leading him to salvation… or to those who killed his loved ones. Betrayal leads to violence in its most brutal forms… including crushing another human’s skull in one of those turn-your-head-away-and-plug-your-ears types of scenes. At least for the squeamish.
Godspeed is one of those simple thrillers that excels in the way that all great thrillers do – the most intense scenes involve two people talking. Take away the gunplay and the violence and the blood, the really engaging drama occurs two actors create a moment so intense you can feel a pin drop… if there were a pin around.
The CineVegas Film Festival calls itself the “Most Dangerous Film Festival in the World.” Having attended more than 100 festivals worldwide where I’ve heard the hype and seen the promotions and the marketing, I will say that CineVegas is not fucking kidding. Not one damn bit. I’ve been coming to CineVegas more than five years if memory serves and it probably doesn’t because, well, it’s Vegas and drinking is involved, so it might be seven years. Anyway, that doesn’t matter, what really matters is that no other film festival can provide the kind of danger… the kind of bad that is so good… like gambling and strippers and clubs and parties and depravity. You’ll find some of those elements in the films and the ones you miss can be found anywhere in Vegas.
If you are in the video game business or a gamer, then you already know that the Electronic Entertainment Expo is war. And not just one war, there are multiple wars being waged on many fronts. There is the war over console dominance, the war over the latest tech add-ons, the war over the best exclusive content, the war to stay ahead of the trends, the war over the best games and the war over which booth has the best babes.
This year’s battle took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center where I took up arms myself, well, a camera actually. War at E3 is not exactly hell. In fact, it’s more like Nerd Heaven and the only injuries might be sore feet from walking. Or perhaps a sore thumb from gaming. At least, I think the sore thumb is from gaming.
Crispin Hellion Glover is perhaps best known for his whimsical roles in films such as Back to the Future or Charlie’s Angels or his creepy roles in movies like The Wizard of Gore. But when his bizarre charisma is not being utilized in front of the camera, Crispin is hard at work on his own film projects. In fact, his fans who know him from mainstream movies might be surprised to learn that he has spent more than a decade working on a series of art films that have played film festivals worldwide and been seen at special screening events. He prefers to screen his movies in a special setting in which Crispin may read his poetry or provide a performance art piece. The first feature was What is it? and featured a cast comprised mostly of actors with Down’s syndrome. The second in the series, It is fine! Everything is fine! stars cerebral palsy-afflicted Steven C. Stewart who provides a welcome charm within the film’s strange series of events.
Optimism is making a comeback, but perhaps not as big a comeback as air-drumming after audiences see Adventures of Power. Writer/director and star Ari Gold (yes, the filmmaker Ari Gold, not the fictional a-hole agent on HBO’s Entourage) plays Power, a factory worker with a dream to one day be the best at what he’s best at… which happens to be air-drumming. In what is perhaps the most hilarious opening to an indie comedy ever, Power air-drums his way to work and throughout his day powered by, what else, a combination of the best cereals known to man. Fueled by a passionate love of the skills of master Rush drummer Neal Peart, Power is unswayed by the lack of support from friends, family or even his dad. In fact, they all think he’s an idiot. But that does not stop Power from continuing his quest for air-drumming excellence.
Not every one will be able to abide by the advice provided on the teaser poster for The Girlfriend Experience suggesting one “see it with someone you f—.” Unless that includes oneself, which may describe most of the audience hoping to see adult film star and sexual pioneer Sasha Grey in action. But before discussing the merits of this Steven Soderbergh film (best known as the director behind indies like Sex, Lies & Videotape and Hollywood blockbusters like the Ocean’s film series), let me answer the obvious questions:
Yes, Sasha gets naked.
Yes, she plays a high-priced call girl.
Yes, the HD cinematography is exquisite and Sasha looks the best she ever has. (Okay, that’s one for the movie geeks.)
No, the sex is not explicit. In fact, there’s not much sex to speak of.
No, the nudity is not particularly erotic.
Yes, there is a gang bang scene with double penetration. Wait! Correction. There is no gang bang scene with double penetration, um, that’s a completely different DVD. Sorry.
Most importantly, YES! Sasha Grey can act.
Sasha plays Chelsea who charges powerful men money for sex and her time. But the time is often spent listening to her client’s troubles with work and money rather than having sex. Chelsea is unique in that she maintains a relationship with her live-in boyfriend Chris. He is a personal trainer who, in a strange way shares a parallel client-trainer relationship with Chelsea – they both listen to problems about money. Conflict arises when Chelsea feels a connection with a client who wishes to go on a weekend getaway, something that is outside the boundaries of her relationship with Chris. The narrative bounces backwards and forwards as Chelsea slowly reveals at least a part of herself to a journalist seeking insight into her unique lifestyle.
Zombies may have existed in film before George Romero’s horror milestone from 1968, Night of the Living Dead. But the affable Pittsburgh filmmaker must be credited with creating the undead rules we all know so well.
One, zombies devour the flesh of the living.
Two, a zombie bite will turn a normal into a zombie quickly.
And three, the only way to “kill” a zombie is to inflict major head trauma, preferably with a shotgun blast to the head. Well, a blunt instrument will work, but a shotgun blast is perhaps the coolest way since the result is an exploding head!
These three rules are consistent both in and outside the Romero-verse of zombie movies where the undead walk the earth. Sure, other filmmakers have taken license with the rules such as 28 Days Later which introduced us to the infected that run really fast. Some may have seen recently deceased that could compete in the 50 yard dash as sacrilege, but it served to only advance both the genre and our love of those stupid flesh-eating corpses. No matter how many new rules have been added to zombie lore via films, books, graphic novels like the amazing Walking Dead or videogames like Left 4 Dead, those three rules have always remained the same.
There seems to be no shortage of love for these poor undead creatures. So to expand your horizons, here are some lesser-known zombie movies each worth boarding up the windows and locking yourself indoors to watch.
1. Dead Set
This zombie outbreak takes place in the U.K. on the set of the popular reality show Big Brother. The undead can be seen on the rise during disturbing news reports about “unrest and riots” spreading across the country. After the production crew is nearly wiped out, all that remains are the ignorant and drama prone contestants from the Big Brother show. This five-episode mini-series from the BBC has yet to make it to the U.S., but it is perhaps the best use of a zombie apocalypse to make social commentary in decades. So, if there were an Oscar for the Best use of zombie apocalypse to make social commentary, then Dead Set would be the clear winner.
Austin, Texas student Emily Hagins is just your normal 12 year-old girl, unless you consider her obsession with blood, zombies and all-things horror-related to be out of the ordinary. There is one thing that sets Emily dramatically apart as a pre-teen – she’s making her first feature film. Like most filmmakers who passionately pursue the craft, Emily has no other choice than to write a script and get behind the camera. But still, she’s only 12 and when it comes to things like scheduling actors or considering school-nights and bedtimes, she lacks the management skills. But she’s only 12! That’s where Emily’s supportive, yet often frustrated mother comes in to see her daughter’s dream of making a zombie movie titled Pathogen come to life.
A team of three directors (Justin Johnson, Aaron Marshall and Erik Mauck) spent two years following Emily’s journey to complete her first feature-length movie and made a movie of their own called Zombie Girl. We observe her throughout the process as she writes, casts, shoots, rewrites, edits and then finally debuts the film to a packed audience of cast and crew at the famous Alamo Drafthouse Theater in Austin. The resulting movie may not be the greatest film in the world, but it’s better than anything Uwe Boll has ever made. Read the full story →
No movie-going experience is quite the same without trailers. Movie trailers preceding the feature presentation is a combination as inseparable as peanut butter & jelly or Raisinets & popcorn. And whenever I’ve arrived late to a film without seeing the trailers, well, there always seems to be something lacking from the experience… .like sex without the foreplay. But I digress; trailers are an art form unto themselves – they spur debate among film freaks, they sometimes ruin the movies themselves and they pump us full of hype for the next blockbuster.
You know you are into music hardcore if you understand what the following stands for: SPEBSQSA. Any guesses? For me, it’s as easy as “Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Barber Shop Quartet Singing in America.” There’s a personal reason that I know all too much about the world of Barbershop singing, my father was in a Barbershop quartet. And he chased after a first place medal for years as the lead in quartets such as the Vagabonds and Center Stage. In fact, he would often take me on road trips where I would see him sing in front of audiences of 10,000 or more. Dad was a rock star among this adoring and appreciative audience of Barbershop lovers and I couldn’t be prouder.
