I should preface this rant by saying that I avoided making this article for a few days if only because I am a big Romero fan. I think Night, Dawn and Day of the Dead are brilliant masterpieces that should be analyzed by film students everywhere, while films like “Knight Riders” and “Creepshow” are pretty fantastic in their own right. Hell I’ve even ardently defended Romero at every turn, cheering on his efforts to make a “Resident Evil” movie, “Dead Reckoning,” and I’ve even defended “Land,” “Diary,” and “Survival of the Dead” despite being his lesser movies. But lately I’ve managed to come across an interview with George Romero who has decided to bring the whole house down with him despite someone who has offered films with diminishing returns. And what’s worse is some media outlets are pretty much enabling him.
Tag Archives: hollywood
Norman Lear: Another Version of You
Part of the “American Masters” documentary series, “Norman Lear” is a very bittersweet look in to a man who changed culture and television as we know it. Before Norman Lear, not many television shows and mainstream television networks were willing to step forward and address issues that confronted social and economic problems. Norman Lear is a man who grew up in a troubled family and spent a lot of his life remolding television in to a medium that could change how we think and ask us to reflect on our lives. Mr. Lear used a lot of his own experiences to help create some of the most important television series of all time. From “All in the Family” which brought important issues to our homes through comedy, “The Jeffersons” about changing the racial dynamic in a higher class setting. There was “Maude” which explored a very strong sitcom heroine of the feminist ilk, and “Good Times” which explored the life of a family in poverty.
Phil Hall on “In Search of Lost Films”
We at Cinema Crazed have had the pleasure of enlisting some truly gifted writers and movie fanatics, and Phil Hall is no exception. We’ve been very close friends with Phil for over ten years, and have followed his extensive work in film both far and wide. He’s worked in film festivals, helped bring very obscure cinematic gems to public attention once again, and has also garnered an immense insight in to the art of filmmaking over the years. His latest book “In Search of Lost Films” from BearManor Media
Creature Designers: The Frankenstein Complex (2016) [Fantasia International Film Festival 2016]
Film buffs will be elated to see “Creature Designers,” a very technical cogs and gears documentary that spotlights the grueling process of creating creatures for movies. Directors Gilles Penso, and Alexandre Poncet mold a love letter to the classic master creature creators, as well as a very down to business film that shows the technology behind some of the most iconic creatures and monsters of all time. It’s a thrill to see how the directors have such a reverence for these artists, as we get to visit with a ton of unique artists and concept designers that are enthusiastic about their work. Since the beginning of film, special effects and creature have found a wonderful marriage with filmmaking.
That’s thanks in part to Lon Chaney who was able to use his make up kit to build some amazing monsters out of his face and own features. From there it’s been a rising tide of artists and creators that have added to the cinematic experienced and helped advance storytelling as a whole. Both filmmakers visit with iconic masterminds like Rick Baker, Joe Dante, and Guillermo Del Toro, all of whom explore their love for special effects, and convey the process of building creatures for some of their films. What becomes apparent within “Creature Designers” is that the advancement of special effects would lead in to less and less necessity for suits and machines, and more need for computer technology.
This darker period is chronicled in “Creature Designers” where we’re able to view a more vulnerable side of these individuals, all of whom had to adapt to the shift in technology or risk losing their livelihoods. Thankfully, the documentary doesn’t depict the introduction of CGI and motion capture as the bane of the special effects industry. Directors Gilles Penso, and Alexandre Poncet explore some of the amazing advancements made in computer technology, from motion capture, facial recognition, and how they’ve used this kind of programming to bring to life amazing characters like Golum from “Lord of the Rings” and the T-1000 from “Terminator 2.” No stone is left unturned, as every interview is informative, exciting, and filled with amazing anecdotes.
For folks that are seeking a career in the special effects industry, or for films buffs very invested in the special effects element of filmmaking, “Creature Designers” is a wonderful documentary that brings us up close and personal from the fan viewpoint and a technical viewpoint.
Five Favorite Filmmakers Working Today
With the revolving door of filmmaker working in today’s movie industry, Hollywood is thankfully being more and more open to the works of independent filmmakers. They’re welcoming self made directors more and more, offering them bigger projects and the chance to prove themselves. While sometimes they can stumble, often times they prove they can access any audience, and stand alongside the cinematic titans of yesteryear. Every year there’s a new success story, and these are only five of my favorite filmmakers working today, all of whom have broken through on their own terms.
Who are some of your favorite filmmakers working today?
You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir [Kindle]
I’ve made it no secret about loving Felicia Day in the past. And I’m more than proud admitting that I’d give away my entire Superman comic book collection for a date with Felicia Day (Sorry, Kal El, Amazonians before Kryptonians), so buying a memoir about Felicia Day’s life, and rise to fame was an easy sell for yours truly. Felicia Day, for the uninitiated is a very prominent character actress and web celebrity who has appeared in shows like “Supernatural” and “Eureka” and gained acclaim in the early aughts for her web show “The Guild,” one of the earliest web shows to every premiere online. Since then she’s been a consummate web celebrity and red haired geek Goddess, and she finally lets fans see a new side of her beyond the cameras, and convention booths. After consuming every page of “You’re Never Weird…,” I admire Ms. Day so much more now than ever.
John Fallon, Director of “The Shelter”
Q. Please tell us a bit about the subject of The Shelter. What are some of the themes approached in the film and why?
The Shelter is about a widower named Thomas Jacob (Michael Pare) who returns to his hometown after 5 years of absence. He eventually gets trapped in a house that won’t let him leave. Self-loathing, faith (and lack of), guilt, regret, betrayal and forgiveness are all themes the film deals with. All universal themes in my opinion and they were close to my heart when I wrote the film.
Q. Guilt, forgiveness and redemption. It is clear they are themes that fascinate you from viewing other films you wrote (Deaden, American Muscle) as well as The Shelter. Can you elaborate on why?
They interest me because I lived them. I had difficult early years, carried a lot of demons with me for a long time, made lots of bad decisions and it’s only with time that I figured out how to conquer said demons, to take responsibility for my mistakes, to forgive myself and move forward while trying to be a good person. But not everybody manages to face themselves in an honest way or find “peaceful” redemption, and yes, that psychological/emotional purgatory fascinates me. I guess because it could have been me.