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Lars Damoiseaux’s “Yummy” reminded me a lot of the sub-plot in Robert Altman’s “The Player” where the two aspiring executives have an idea for the opening of a drama. Tim Robbins’ character snickers behind their backs that they have a movie with no second act. “Yummy” is a movie with a great concept, but no real execution behind it. It’s a gory darkly comic zombie movie set in a plastic surgeon’s office… and then… not much else happens beyond that.
Isabel Peppard and Josie Hess’s “Morgana” is a documentary begging to be turned in to a feature film. It’s a wonderful and heartbreaking account of sexual repression, forced domesticity and using pornography as a means of re-claiming individuality. “Morgana” is short, but it’s an engaging journey in to the life of Morgana Muses, who suddenly found herself without the demands of a marriage that offered zero fullfilment. When she’s finally free she has no idea what to do with herself. That is until she realizes sex is a big part of what kept her from blossoming as a woman and adult.
After being sent to spend the summer at his father’s, a teenage boy starts to suspect that his something is afoot at his neighbor’s house which leads him to look into a potential witch next door.
A werewolf passed away on a full moon
This may seem like an odd way to start, but he would have liked it. This is not going to be your usual, almost cold in memoriam piece… I was hoping to have my first piece on this filmmaker and friend be about his work, not about this.
Tomas Navarro passed away during the night of August 2nd to August 3rd, 2020 at his home in San Diego, California. He was a filmmaker, playwright, director, writer, actor, occasional model, he wrote for Cinema Crazed a few times, and amazing human being. Born and raised in San Diego, he was proud of where he was from and working toward making a name for himself in the horror film industry with his production team at SavageZack. They have produced a few short films and music videos and he was working on reshooting his first short film as a director to make it the best film it could be. His last acting part will be released soon in the film Continuance by Tony Olmos, whom he had worked with previously on the film South of 8.
I once got in to an argument with a guy who explained that art is pointless and wholly inessential, especially in a modern society. This was a guy who played video games, by the way. For past eight months I think it’s become apparent to just about everyone that we need art now more than ever. Most of us are troubled with the ideas of what tomorrow is going to bring us, and one of the few remaining doorways in to escaping the reality and weight of our current situation has been art. I think since January we’ve all realized how much we sorely need art, and how much we take it for granted.
“On this stormy night, we are going to tell horror stories, because horror stories never end.”
I’m a big fan of the concept where studios or a collective of directors take various short films from indie directors and create anthology horror films in the vein of “Tales from the Darkside” or “V/H/S/.” The idea is a great one and opens up a broader audience, and allows them some great exposure. “A Night of Horror: Nightmare Radio,” is one of the many that’s come along, mixing seven stellar horror shorts told by a lone radio DJ in the middle of the night.
BOOTLEG FILES 735: “Bobbie Gentry” (1968-71 British television series starring Bobbie Gentry).
LAST SEEN: Bits and pieces can be found on YouTube.
AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: None.
REASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS: Most of the episodes from the series are considered lost and the surviving episodes would require restoration and the clearing of music and performance rights.
CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE: None.
This week marked the 78th birthday of Bobbie Gentry, the genre-spanning singer who became a major star in 1967 with her mysteriously melancholic ballad “Ode to Billy Joe.” Gentry was a remarkable vocal talent who was equally at home in the folk, country and pop worlds, and she was also a charming on-camera presence who graced many U.S. television variety programs from the late 1960s into the early 1970s.
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